January 8, 2012: Cancer Full Moon (exact at 11:30 pm PST)

On this Full Moon we can gain insights into the ways we contribute to both the world and the people to whom we are closest. We may also be better able to understand the role with which are mainly identified (both by ourselves and others). Is it the work we do, the family we nurture, the relationships that we tend, and/or other things that carve out our identity and bring us nurturance? During this Full Moon, we can gain a greater sense of how we feel about the legacy we are creating and whether it truly aligns with our deepest needs and desires.

We may feel extra sensitive today and experience a heightened need to feel safe, secure, and taken care of. At the same time, we may perceive that this conflicts with a desire to be a bedrock of strength for others. As such, it’s important to remember to own and express our feelings and that stating our needs is not a reflection of weakness but of internal strength.

Also today, Mercury connects in to both Jupiter and Uranus, inspiring communications that can lead to greater understanding, even if what we learn is not what we had expected. Opening our mind to learning in a different way or looking for information from alternative sources may do wonders for helping us to gain a new, and very valuable, perspective.

This month’s Full Moon falls at 19 degrees of Capricorn (Sun) and Cancer (Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of a Full Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Capricorn, Cancer, or the other cardinal signs—Aries and Libra—it may impact you more intensely.

Full Moon Apothecary Suggestions

Capricorn is associated with the skeletal system, joints, and skin while Cancer is associated with the stomach, sinuses, and breasts. Pay extra attention to these parts of the body and areas of health around the time of this Full Moon.

Frankincense: Frankincense is one of the most sacred of scents and one that aligns beautifully with the sagacity of Capricorn. Used in temple ceremonies for ages, it can help us to open to the mysteries of life as well as the cycles of creation and manifestation. Using it in a diffuser, adding some to a mister bottle of water to scent a room, or mixing it with a few drops of plain body oil and applying it as a perfume are some great ways to enjoy it. It’s also a great tonic for helping to support Capricorn-related rheumatic health so mix a drop or two with plain lotion, massaging it into your muscles, paying particular attention to your joints.

Honeysuckle flower essence: With the Moon in Cancer, we may find that the past has a pincer grip on us, just like the claws of a crab, the symbol for Cancer. When this happens, it can lead to a reduction in vitality, disturbing our ability to maintain the sense of presence required to fully participate in the present. If you need some energetic assistance releasing the shrouds of wistfulness and making peace with the past, consider trying Honeysuckle flower essence. (Flower essences are made from flower-infused water and work energetically to restore emotional and mental balance. You can find them in natural food stores or holistic pharmacies.)

We are at an incredible crossroads, both collectively and personally, as we witness—and experience—an unprecedented planetary alignment between Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus (known as the Cardinal T-Square). Since these celestial bodies carry very distinct archetypal energies, we are being challenged to find a way to resolve and integrate the lessons that they are offering.

While ideally these times may be inspiring us to make great changes that connect us to our personal power, allowing us to more fully manifest our authentic selves, the path to this destination may not necessarily be a proverbial bed of roses (although it’s likely to be prickly and thorny). As we push through our limits and face the challenges that may present themselves over the coming years, maintaining a personal apothecary of stress-reduction tools can go a long way towards forging ahead in pursuit of peace, happiness, and your life’s goals.

Given that the cardinal signs—Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn—are the ones that will be most significantly impacted by this celestial line-up, this article will focus on wellness tips for these natives. In addition to suggestions for flower essences, aromatherapy, and well-being practices, it also includes insights into each sign’s unique relationship with stress, in hopes that greater knowledge about your personal coping methods can also be an avenue for healing.

Aries

Understanding Your Personal Stress Response

What an Aries may find unsettling about the Saturn/Pluto/Uranus alignment isn’t so much that there may be many challenges to face; after all, Aries is a strident warrior who loves a battle. Rather what may instigate stress is that the complexity of the unfolding issues may require a longer time frame to resolve than fix-it-immediately Aries is comfortable with. Additionally, with their ambitious act-quickly style, they may jump headfirst into the nexus of a situation without taking the time to understand the full range of nuances involved. Relying upon their strong will and formidable instincts can be great resources during this time. As Aries governs the head and muscles, emotional stress may manifest as headaches and muscular tension.

Stress-Relief Tips

Impatiens flower essence: As its name implies, Impatiens flower essence helps quell impatience, one of the premier characteristics associated with Aries. If you find yourself being overly impetuous—wanting the issues you are facing to be resolved now—this remedy can be a great one to turn to.

Vetiver essential oil: Vetiver’s sweet, woody aroma can help reduce mental and physical exhaustion. It’s said to dissipate excess heat in the body and mind, which may help explain its ability to calm and temper irritability.

Movement meditation: While meditation would be beneficial for centering Aries, the idea of sitting still for twenty-plus minutes is likely to not be of much interest to the on-the-go Ram. Instead, consider movement-oriented activities—such as walking meditation, tai chi, or qigong—that can be calming and melt away stress.

Cancer

Understanding Your Personal Stress Response

When responding to stresses inspired by the current planetary roadblocks, Cancers’ natural instinct may be to don their protective shell, withdrawing from friends and family into a deep well of moods and feelings. Alternatively, they may choose the other path of least resistance: setting aside their own needs to tend to those of others. To help navigate the waves of decisions that the planetary energies may demand, Cancers should rely upon their sense of intuition and astute ability to tune into what’s going on within and around them. As Cancer governs the stomach, emotional stress may manifest physically as a nervous stomach and/or heartburn.

Stress-Relief Tips

Honeysuckle flower essence: Cancers tend to rely upon the past for emotional comfort as well as fodder for present-day decisions. If you can’t get past the past and find that it’s disrupting your ability to be fully in the present moment, consider Honeysuckle flower essence.

Jasmine essential oil: Jasmine’s intoxicating fragrance is a mood elevator as well as an aphrodisiac. It can also help Cancers forge a deeper connection to their instinctive nurturing nature.

Don your chef’s hat: Hearth- and home-connected Cancers are the natural cooks of the zodiac. So if you’re feeling a bit under the Saturn/Pluto/Uranus weather, tend to yourself by lovingly preparing a delicious and nurturing meal.

Libra

Understanding Your Personal Stress Response

When faced with unfolding stress, Librans try to understand the dynamics of the presenting situation and quickly try to get things back to balance. After all, the potential for ruffled feathers and agitation is antithetical to the order and harmony that they so deeply desire. Not wanting to cause a stir, or appear ungraceful, they may be disinclined to acknowledge and express the stress to which they may be connecting. Talking through issues with their social network and surrounding themselves with beautiful things can help alleviate discord and anxiety and give them the resources they need to balance out the push-pull of the ongoing planetary energies. As Libra governs the skin and lower back, emotional stress may manifest physically as breakouts and/or backaches.

Stress-Relief Tips

Scarlet Monkeyflower flower essence: Librans’ propensity for having everything be “nice and tidy” may get in their way of honestly expressing their true emotions. If you need assistance connecting into and constructively releasing your feelings—including “unseemly” ones such as anger—Scarlet Monkeyflower may be of great value.

Rose geranium essential oil: When stress or fatigue depletes your energy reserves, try rose geranium. This energizing pick-me-up inspires relaxed spontaneity, a boon for Librans who are oft plagued by indecision.

Watch sugar and alcohol intake: Try to curb the Libran tendency towards (over)indulging in sweets and alcohol by marshalling your desire for balance. While desserts and libations may bring you pleasure, they can also disrupt blood sugar regulation, which can lead to a reduced capacity to deal with stress.

Capricorn

Understanding Your Personal Stress Response

Comfortable with the status quo, Capricorns may find it stressful to give up control and undergo the inherent changes that this planetary trio is ushering in. While not second nature, asking for assistance when faced with a challenge and acknowledging that they are doing the very best they can given the circumstances can be great boons in helping to mitigate anxiety. If they rely upon their facing-the-music tact and ability to productively work towards a formidable goal, they can persevere like the best of them. As Capricorn governs cartilage and bone, emotional stress may manifest as joint pain and stiffness.

Larch flower essence: For times when you may need to deeply ground a sense of self-confidence that can help you more effectively climb through present-day hurdles, try Larch flower essence. It will also instill a bit of spontaneity within the Capricorn, which may be a very valuable quality when navigating the energies inspired by this planetary alignment.

Cypress essential oil: Like Capricorns, cypress trees have incredible fortitude. Their essential oil can inspire calm during times of grief and crisis. A few drops mixed with massage oil can also help mitigate rheumatic pain.

Go for a hike: Not only is exercise a great stress reliever, but it can help to lubricate the joints, ensuring the health of this Capricorn-associated area of the body. If possible, exercise in nature—consider a hike or walk in the park—so as to tap into the nurturing earthly energies.

Aligning your well-being

The alignment of Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus can be an incredibly fruitful time where we can make choices that allow us to live a life in greater alignment with our essential nature. As we approach the challenges that we may find along the way, knowing more how about we respond to stress and having a personal apothecary filled with supporting remedies and wellness practices can be very empowering. I hope that the suggestions included will be beneficial and also inspire you to find other tools that can further bolster your well-being.

About this article

This article is featured in A Collection of Articles about How to Combine Astrology with Flower Essences published by Vibration Magazine as Part of the 2010 International Astrology Day Blogathon. The purpose of this web-based event is to create a permanent library of articles about how to deal with the stresses of the Cardinal T-Square of Pluto, Saturn and Uranus. The main page for the Blogathon collections is at The Cardinal T-Square of 2010: Saturn, Uranus, Pluto.

About the author

Stephanie Gailing, MS, CN is a certified nutritionist and natural health consultant who has been studying astrology for more than 16 years. In addition to the herbal astrology series she crafted for StarIQ, she has written on nutrition, dietary supplements, yoga, and other wellness topics for various publications and is an ongoing consultant to the World’s Healthiest Foods website. She is the author of Planetary Apothecary: An Astrological Approach to Health and Wellness (Crossing Press, 2009). Her blog, Planetary Apothecary, offers Monthly Wellness Horoscopes as well as daily astrological insights. Stephanie holds a masters degree in Nutrition from Bastyr University.

Where to find flower essences

Flower essences are made from flower-infused water and work energetically to restore emotional and mental balance. You can find them in natural food stores or holistic pharmacies. Some of the companies that create and offer flower essences are Flower Essence Society, Pegasus Products, Alaskan Essences, Desert Alchemy, Healing Herbs, and Australian Bush Flower Essences.

During the Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon, we are often compelled with a need to know. We strive to collect facts and figures not only because of intellectual curiosity but also because they are the vital ingredients that can provide us with the deeper sense of understanding that we seek. Maintaining a balanced appreciation for the pieces and the whole is emphasized today. Remember not to lose the forest for the trees, yet don’t forsake the trees for the forest either; both are equally important.

The experience of travel—whether it be a weeks-long journey to a foreign land or a weekend road trip out of town—often coincides with this Full Moon. Even if exploration via a plane, train, or automobile isn’t in your plans, use this time for surveying new ideas or cultures; for example, read a book set in another country, flip through National Geographic magazine, or see a foreign-language film. All can magnetize to you enhanced understanding and a broader perspective on life.

Keep in mind that this Full Moon is anchored by a square to Saturn. On the surface this may seem to damper the enthusiasm and levity that this day could bring. Yet, the energy of Saturn—famous for helping us to “keep it real”—can help transform a quixotic pursuit into one that is grounded in vision and more assuredly capable of bearing fruit.

This month’s Full Moon falls at 17 degrees of Gemini (Sun) and Sagittarius (Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of a Full Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Gemini, Sagittarius, or the other mutable signs—Virgo and Pisces—it may impact you more intensely.

Full Moon Apothecary Suggestions

Gemini is associated with the shoulders, arms, hands, lungs, and nervous system while Sagittarius is associated with the liver, hips, thighs, and buttocks. Pay extra attention to these parts of the body around the time of this Full Moon.

Rainbow salads: An easy way to honor the Gemini need for variety and assortment is to enjoy fresh salads made with a spectrum of different colored vegetables. When composing your salads try to feature at least four different colored vegetables. Not only will this make your meal visually interesting, but you’ll also benefit from all the different phytonutrient antioxidants that provide these foods with their varying hues. Many of these salad mixings—including green broccoli, purple cabbage, and yellow beets—also have specifics benefits for the Sagittarius-ruled liver.

Collage project: Even for those who consider themselves not artistically inclined, a collage project can be a wonderfully therapeutic and relaxing activity to partake in on this Full Moon. Not only is making a collage a creative expression, but it can be a great vehicle for inventive problem solving. For this aim, just focus on a situation in your life that you are being challenged by and for which you seek a solution. Holding it in your mind’s eye, cut out words and images from old magazines and newspapers that reflect aspects of the situation as well as its potential resolution. Glue these to poster board adding fabric, shells, rocks, or other small bric-a-brac in an arrangement that makes sense to you. Remember that there is no right or wrong here; just use your imagination and allow for your creativity to flow in your quest for discovery.

June 22, 2009: Cancer New Moon (exact at 12:35 pm PDT)

Our emotions take precedent during a Cancer New Moon. If allowing yourself to let your feelings flow is an area of challenge, reflect on the people, places, or situations that make you feel the most nurtured and seek them out today. Take comfort in knowing that while feelings may seem overwhelming, they can actually be a fountain of personal strength rather than a sphere of vulnerability. In fact, since this particular Cancer New Moon is strongly connected to the energies of the planet Pluto, it can provide us with the window of opportunity to transform our relationship to our emotions in a very powerful way.

During a Cancer New Moon, our sentimentality is often aroused. Some may experience a strong sense of nostalgia and appreciation of the past while others may feel captured in moods of wistfulness. Remember that although the past is a vital essence of who we are, it is important to not sacrifice the present for regrets of “what was” and “what could have been.” The past has led to this moment, yet this moment—and those to come—need not be hostage to what came before. Honor the past but remember that there is no time like this moment to create your present and your future.

This month’s New Moon falls at 2 degrees of Cancer (Sun and Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of the New Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Cancer or the other cardinal signs—Aries, Libra, Capricorn—it may impact you more intensely.

New Moon Apothecary Suggestions

Cancer rules the stomach, sinuses, body fluids, and breasts. Pay extra attention to these parts of the body around the time of this New Moon.

Bathe in the water: As Cancer is the first water sign, this aquatic elixir can be especially healing during this New Moon. Take refuge in a relaxing bath perfumed with your favorite essential oils (if you’re looking to try a new one, consider jasmine, as not only is it luxuriously fragrant but it is associated with Cancer in wellness astrology). If you have the opportunity, go for a swim or even just soak your feet in a lake, ocean, or creek. Meditating on the flowing shape-shifting nature of the water can be very revealing, and very healing.

Honeysuckle flower essence: Sometimes the past can have a pincer hold on us, just like the claws of a crab, the symbol for Cancer. When this happens, it can lead to a reduction in vitality, disturbing our ability to maintain the sense of presence required to fully participate in the present. If you need some energetic assistance releasing the shrouds of wistfulness and making peace with the past, consider trying Honeysuckle flower essence. (Flower essences are made from flower-infused water and work energetically to restore emotional and mental balance. You can find them in natural food stores or holistic pharmacies.)