Full Moon in Cancer — feel it to heal it
Instead of rushing headlong into new year’s intentions, the invitation is to slow down.
Hey Witches,
Ram Dass said, “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family,” and many of us have probably had our enlightenment tested as this holiday season comes to a close. Spending more time than usual with family can bring up a lot of the deep, dark emotions and baggage that we carry around most of the time but try to avoid.
2023 opens with a Cancer Full Moon on the night of January 6th-7th — just in time to help you process those post-holiday emotions. However, it’s going to mean leaning into some uncomfortable feelings, and the only way to do that is by allowing yourself to feel them and letting them move through you.
Did you feel some immediate resistance in your body when you read that? That’s normal. But, like it or not, no amount of avoiding emotions can stop them from existing. When you allow yourself to sit in the discomfort of difficult emotions, you can release and free yourself from them.
Which begs the question — how do you access your emotions? Not with the mind but through the body. The body stores unprocessed emotions, which, if left unaddressed for too long, will manifest in other ways, like that inexplicable ache in your lower back that appeared out of nowhere for no apparent reason.
The body is truly the seat of your emotional wisdom and the key to liberating yourself from old emotions, stories, and patterns. The holiday season can bring a lot of those stories to the surface — trust that whatever is coming up for you is exactly what needs to be healed.
The reopening of deep wounds like rejection, shame, and abandonment can be incredibly painful, and your instinct might be to push them down or try to find ways to avoid them. Avoidance strategies can range from alcohol, drugs, sex, or shopping to socialising or working too much. In other words, anything that gives you a temporary sense of relief from reality.
Once the high wears off, you fall back down into the deepest, darkest crevices of your psyche, where all your demons live. The ones who feed on the emotions that your stories produce. You can shut down these patterns by allowing yourself to feel the emotion without attachment and then releasing it.
Cancer rules the chest, stomach, womb, and breasts — some of the most emotional areas of the body, so now is a good time to nurture these soft, sensitive parts of yourself both physically and energetically.
As we enter 2023, it might feel like the cosmos is putting the brakes on, with Mars retrograde in Gemini and Mercury retrograde in Capricorn. While this may sound dramatic, given the bad rap retrogrades usually get, this slower energy is actually doing us a favour and helping us ease into the new year gradually.
Let’s be honest — who actually starts actioning their goals on January 1st? Not many people. Probably because the middle of winter (as it is in the northern hemisphere right now) is not a natural time for new beginnings — spring is.
This retrograde combination provides supportive energy for the emotional healing work we can do around the Cancer Full Moon. Instead of rushing headlong into new year’s intentions, the invitation is to slow down, review, and revise before moving forward. There may also be information you need that will only become clear once both planets are moving forward again at the end of the month.
A Cancer Full Moon ritual to release trapped emotions
Most of us spend too much time in our heads and are disconnected from our bodies. But we can’t release emotions through the power of the mind or by avoiding them.
This embodiment ritual will help you connect to your body more deeply and release any stuck emotions that might be coming up for you right now.
You will need:
A scented candle or your favourite incense
Some massage oil
Your favourite song or playlist to dance to
Light the candle or incense. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and start to breathe deeply. Notice the scent entering your nostrils and how it makes you feel.
After a few minutes, start to warm the oil in your hands. Hold your hands in front of your face and breathe in the scent. Then, use the oil to massage your whole body.
Start with your feet and legs, slowly moving up and taking all the time you need. Let your hands move intuitively to whichever part needs attention.
As you massage your body, notice any thoughts or feelings that come up without judgement — whether they’re thoughts about your body or about anything else. Witness these thoughts and emotions without letting them turn into stories. Instead, exhale and let them go.
When you’ve finished your massage, sit down again and close your eyes. Draw your attention back to your breath and your body. Notice if any of those points of tension have shifted or whether new ones have arisen. Again, do this without judgement.
As you meditate, ask your body what it needs. The answer probably won’t come through the conscious mind, so be aware of any images, colours, or sensations that arise. You might want to have your journal nearby and make a note of them for future reference.
When you feel ready, put on your song or playlist and dance it out! Let your body move in any way that feels natural. Dance is an incredibly effective way to shake off all those stagnant feelings that you released during the self-massage. Do this for at least five to ten minutes or however long you want!
Once you’ve finished dancing, sit down one more time and focus on your breath and body. Notice any differences between now and the beginning of the ritual. Thank yourself, your body, and your spirit team for this practice. You can then put out the candle or incense or let them burn all the way down.
Cancer Full Moon self-care tips
Cancer rules mothers and motherhood, so connect with your mother. If she’s alive, call, text or visit her. If not, light a candle in her honour or write her a letter. If you don’t have a good relationship with your mother, this lunation is an invitation to connect with your own inner parent.
If you have breasts, give them some love with a breast massage (@wombenwellness has some great tips on how to do this). A breast massage can drain lymph, increase immunity, and help you develop a more loving connection with your body.
Review your 2023 goals and feel into what feels most aligned for the coming year. Ditch anything from your to-do list that no longer lights you up, and prepare to take action once Mars and Mercury retrogrades are over.
Tap into your inner crab with an at-home retreat: dedicate a day to self-care, whatever that may look like for you.
Spend time in or near living water, or take a ritual shower or bath.
Chant “Vam” to connect to Svadhistana (the sacral chakra) and the element of water.
Cancer Full Moon journaling prompts
What stories am I telling where I blame others for their actions? How can I assume responsibility for my part in the situation and release the story around it?
What difficult emotions have I been avoiding? How can I allow myself to feel them and let them move through me without judgement?
What does my body need right now? How can I better nurture my physical body?
If you have an ache or pain somewhere in your body, ask it what it’s trying to tell you and what it needs. Use free writing to release subconscious answers — they may surprise you.
Connect with your heart and ask it what it needs or wants.
Set intentions around how you want to feel this year rather than what you want to achieve.
What matters to me most? How can I bring more of it into my life?
How can I release trying to control the outcomes and focus on taking one step at a time?
In what ways or to whom have I closed my heart? What can I do to open it or let them back in?
I wish you all a restful start to the New Year and an easeful Cancer Full Moon.
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Love and blessings,
Victoria