FM in Cancer 30 December 2020 @3:28
All hail & Welcome to the final Full Moon edition of Astro 2020!!! It has been a tough year for all of us in so many different ways. We have loved & lost, lived & learned. Everything we have experienced this year carries with it lessons which help us to grow into the people we are or are evolving into. Whether we have experienced the peculiarities in a good or bad way, there is always something we take from our lessons in life & we should be able to accept this with gratitude. We’ve experienced a lot of change this year & in effect our daily & personal lives have really taken the toll. In hindsight & reflection, let us ask ourselves; what has been our teacher? What have we learned? What gifts have we received from our experiences this year which we are grateful for? What has helped our growth & evolution?
We can find gratitude in our lives, even if its the tiniest thread of connection which reveals to us where we have love, happiness, security, protection & joy. Many of us have had personal epiphanies this year which have changed so much more than we expected they would. Stand firm my lovelies, we continue, in perpetuity. I will end this years Astro article in the knowledge that the new & fresh is already on its way. As we have passed Winter Solstice & the Sun is returning into our lives, the main protagonist planets have entered into Aquarius, the sign of humanitarianism & innovation, we can gauge a fresh perspective, a better view of what is to come, how we wish to be and which direction our lives are taking us in. This article will discuss the international phenomenon of naming the moons, the celebrations of many pathways, Astrology for the full moon period & into the next 2 weeks & a list of the astronomical events for the coming month of January 2021. My deepest gratitude for joining me on this final journey of 2020…..
Naming of the Moon
The December moon is called many things the world over. This is due to agricultural events in different geographical areas. The Native American’s named this moon the Cold Moon, or Long Night Moon. The Siouan tribes of Montana called this month’s moon Younger Hard Time Moon. The Canadian Inuit peoples named December full moon Dark Night Moon. As you can see from the names, there is a definitive connection in the naming of the moon at this time of the year. In China, the December Moon is called Bitter Moon. In Indian the full moon heralds a new lunar month called Pausa in which the Purnima celebrates the most auspicious months of the calendar. The British Medieval names for this moon are Oak Moon and Full Cold Moon. The Coligny calendar addresses the month as Dumannios, Darkest depths. The Druidic and Celtic for the moment is Alder, part of the Birch family, from 27 December - 23 January 2021, representing the 3rd lunation of the Celtic year. Alder is a healing tree which encompasses male & female aspects. It is a tree of guidance which promotes the powers of prophecy & oracle, making decisions, spiritual protection, stability, strong foundations & the balance of both the male & female aspects. This tree encourages us to create strong foundations for our future plans & to find the inner balance which we all need. The qualities of Alder are rebirth, transformation, inner & outer balance & mysteries. In addition, Alder pertains to both the elements of Water & Fire. There is much to be learned from messages in nature, from the flora which surrounds us & the acquisition of tree blessings & knowledge.
Dates of non-bias spiritual & religious observance
1- New Year’S Day/Hogmanay - National
Widely observed, as is New Year’s Eve the preceding night, throughout the UK, and more especially in Scotland, where bagpipes, haggis and first footing are widespread.
1 - The Circumcision Or Naming Of Jesus - Christian
Celebrating the circumcision and naming of Jesus in accordance with Jewish custom.
1 to 3 - Ganjitsu -Japanese
Three day New Year’s celebrations during which businesses are closed, families spend time together, decorations are put up and the first visit of the year is paid to Shinto shrines.
3 or 10 - Annual Methodist Covenant Service - Christian
On the first (or sometimes the second) Sunday of the new year Methodists celebrate an annual Covenant Service in which they pledge themselves to the service of God using specific phrases.
5 - Birthday Of Guru Gobind Singh (1666 CE) (Bakrami Lunar Calendar) - Sikh
Birth Anniversary of the tenth Guru, who instituted the practice of the Five Ks and established the Order of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi (Baisakhi). An akhand path, an unbroken reading of the whole of the Guru Granth Sahib, spreads over a 48 hour period.
6 - Theophany / Baptism Of Christ - Christian (Orthodox)
Orthodox Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. ‘Theophany’ means ‘Manifestation of God’. Jesus’ miracle at Cana in Galilee is also remembered
6 - Epiphany - Christian (Anglican and Roman Catholic)
Celebrates the visit of the magi/wise men to the infant Jesus, bearing symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This is the twelfth day of Christmas.
6 - Baptism Of Christ - Christian (Anglican)
Anglican Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.
6/7 - Christmas Eve And Day - Christian (Orthodox)
(Eastern Orthodox: Julian calendar). Many Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas (and other fixed festivals) thirteen days after the Western churches.
6/7 - Ethiopian Christmas Day - Rastafarian
Time not only to celebrate the birth of Jesus, traditionally, but also to reflect on this event in the context of the original prophecy of his birth, seen as a manifestation of God not only as Priest but as King
10 - Baptism Of Christ - Christian (Roman Catholic)
Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist; recalling the heavens opening & voice heard proclaiming Jesus & God’s spirit descending on him in the form of a dove
12 - Birthday Of Swami Vivekananda - Hindu
Vivekananda, an Indian Hindu monk and a disciple of Ramakrishna, was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.
13/14 - Makar Sankranti/Lohri/Pongal - Hindu
Almsgiving day and patching up quarrels. It is celebrated with rice sugar, pancakes, halva or cornmeal chapattis, eaten around a fire
16 - Shinran Memorial Day - Buddhist
Shinran was the founder of Jodo Shin-shu, one of the schools of Pure Land Buddhism.
17 - World Religion Day - Baha'i and other groups
Promoting interfaith understanding by emphasizing factors common to all faiths. It was first introduced among Baha’i communities in the 1950s, and is now celebrated by a wider spread of communities, including the Baha’i, usually on the third Sunday of January.
18-25 - Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity - Christian
United services & dialogue on unity is encouraged; worshippers encouraged to visit other people’s churches or invite preachers from different denominations to their own.
25-Honen Memorial Day -Buddhist
Honen (1133-1212 CE) is one of the outstanding figures in the history of Japanese Buddhism, was the founder of Jodo Shinshu, one of the schools of Pure Land Buddhism.
27 -Holocaust Memorial Day - National
Day for remembrance of people who suffered at the hands of the Nazis during WW2 but also in other persecutions. Aiming to keep memory fresh and ensure that history does not repeat itself.
28 - Tu B'Shevat - Jewish
Minor festival celebrating New Year for trees. Jewish tradition marks the 15th of Shevat as the day when the sap begins to rise in trees, marking the beginning of spring. It is customary for Jews all over the world to plant young trees at this time and to eat fruit produced in Israel.
30 -Jashn-E Sadeh - Zoroastrian [Iranian]
Mid winter bonfire festival signifying days getting longer. The litany to fire, the Atash Niyayeesh, is recited, Iranian legends are told of King Hoshang (who discovered the art of making fire). Celebrations of hot stew & dancing.
Astrology
Full Moon is an emotional time for us. The Moon at its fullest amplifies our emotions, which peak with this phase. We can flow & utilize this energy to find the imbalances in ourselves, our lives & relationships. We can allow ourselves to feel deeply & to release those things that we hold on to, which are not serving who we are or who we are on the road to becoming. Full moon is a time of abundance & fruition of that which was begun at new moon.
The polarity of Moon in Cancer & Sun in Capricorn brings us the opposition of work versus home, want versus need and so on. If Moon represents our innermost personality, our intuition, past & dreams, the Sun represents our outer personality, ego & identification, that part of us which we share with the world. Sun in Capricorn illuminating the imbalances between polarities, Moon in its home sign of Cancer highlighting the need to find the balance between both inner & outer personalities, by listening & honouring the voice within.
Full Moon in Cancer is all about finding our innermost us & honouring that part of ourselves. We are being encouraged to go within, to listen to what we really need & act on this notion. We have had so much fear placed in our health sphere. It is time to nurture & nourish ourselves . We have been carrying our individual weights on our shoulders this year without much ado, but what we really want is for it all to be taken from us so that we may enjoy life rather than suffer it! This Cancer Full Moon is going to produce that feeling of heaviness, more than before & we will allow ourselves to succumb!
I know I know, its not in our nature to do so, but hear me out.
Watery Cancer will send us a wave so powerful to wash over us. This wave is clearing & cleansing for us, our pathway & the heaviness we have been experiencing. This is purification & is set to bring us back to clarity & flow. Our lives will welcome this wave like a desperately needed hug, one which gives us permission to be emotional & allow us a stream of soul song to step into our space & spill forth. This is our close to 2020, a year of tumultuous everything!
My personal favourite word for this year has been ‘allow’, and what a special word this is for us right now! Allowing ourselves to feel deeply, allowing ourselves to let that depth flow above, below, within & out of us. With allowing comes recognition & resurgence. We recognise a problem arises, we allow ourselves to feel into this & whether this is right for us, our lives, our relationships. We allow that which we visualise will manifest into what we want in our lives. We allow it to seep into us & we become. We allow ourselves to flow with resurgence & enter into this new chapter with grace, clarity & fluidity.
Oh it just all washes over me and I can see it all so clearly for us.
This allowing theme has been a resource all year, a catalyst if you like, for us to find our truest pathway & admit our truest wishes for what we want in our lives. We have given ourselves permission to move with flow & Cancer Full Moon is going to encourage this further by sending a wave of reprieve our way! I can’t wait!
For too long we have repressed ourselves. 2020 has been a lot about coming to this point of total recognition & release. Allowing ourselves to succumb to the depths of the weight we carry & for it to be washed & cleansed & made lighter or simply washed away, is what we have all been waiting for. The grand finale to 2020 is a purification like no other! It is time we became who we are supposed to be, rather than hide behind the façade of who we have been taught we ought to be.
As ever with each moon phase, there are some planetary influences to consider. This Full phase moon is sextile to Uranus, planet of chaos & the unexpected. But fear not, this is a good aspect promoting similar qualities to what is a fluid, healing moon. A harmonious aspect, in general means the nicer side of the planet & its interactions. Expect the unexpected is a motto for Uranus. In this case indicating exciting times ahead, the ability to see & be the change we want to be in our lives & world. This is a good time for experiencing something new in your domestic & personal routines. It is also a time where we may find that our quick thinking minds make some very interesting decisions on which direction we take. Following our instincts, paying attention to chance encounters can bring us new relationships & friendships. Although moods may become changeable, remain in a space of feeling the comfort of expressing your uniqueness. This is a good time to break old habits & start something newer, more personal & unique.
Astronomy
List of astronomical events for January 2021
January 2, 3 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower.
Quadrantids is an above average shower, up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, discovered in 2003. Shower runs annually from January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. Waning gibbous moon will block out most of the faintest meteors.Have patience, you should still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing from a dark location after midnight. Meteors radiate from constellation Bootes,appearing anywhere in the sky.
January 13 - New Moon.
Moon located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 05:02 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
January 24 - Mercury Greatest Eastern Elongation.
Mercury reaches 18.6 degrees from the Sun. Best time to view Mercury at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look low in the western sky just after sunset.
January 28 - Full Moon.
Well with all of that said, I thank you for journeying with me through this very peculiar year of 2020. I wish you all a very wonderful new year with prospects of health, wealth, happiness, joy, peace & most of all hope coming your way. Blessed be, Merry meet & merry part.
Farewell til first new moon of 2021. You are more than welcome to join me!
In gratitude, love, light & all betwixt
Sheela
Credits
Publications:
Hidalgo. S. 2019, Celtic Tree Rituals, Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
Hidalgo. S, 2020, Celtic Tree Oracle, Blue Angel Publishing, Victoria, Australia
Kindred. G., 2019, Walking With Trees, Permanent Publications, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Online resources:
https://www.interfaith.org.uk/resources/religious-festivals
http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2021.html
https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/
http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-indian.html
Wigington, Patti. "Celtic Tree Months." Learn Religions.com, Aug. 27, 2020, learnreligions.com/celtic-tree-months-2562403.
Images:
NASA
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