The 2023 Cancer Full Moon – When the Past Catches Up…

The 2023 Cancer Full Moon reaches its maximum phase at 3:08p PST on Friday 6th January 2023 at 16.33° or 16° 22’. This first Full Moon of 2023 is bringing a lot of unfinished business to the forefront, and if you’ve managed to ignore, dismiss, or avoid it before now, you probably won’t be able to do any of that any longer as result of this Full Moon phase. This is the week that, in one or more ways, the past catches up with you.

Cancer is a cardinal water sign, meaning it brings forth initiative emotional-intuitive energy. This is where we forge and feel our emotional safety and security on a personal or individual level. Often associated with home, family, and our most private and personal surroundings, Cancer is often referred to as the “mother” or the maternal energy of the Zodiac – nurturing, caring, and protective. Ruled by the Moon, it is the origin of our emotional and intuitive energies. The fact that this Full Moon is in its home sign is not a detail to be overlooked as the Moon’s energy is strengthened and amplified in this position.

Yet because Cancer is connected with home and family, it’s also frequently associated with the past. For many of us as adults, our childhoods made strong impressions on who we’ve chosen to be and become today, for better or worse. Even today, the conditions of our home and private lives can have a undeniable influence on how we go about our lives. That said, this 2023 Cancer Full Moon may find many of us experiencing elements of our past coming back into our lives to be addressed and/or resolved.

For some of us, this will be an annoyance. For others, a disruption. For others still, this may be a welcome reappearance. Whatever it may be for you, this past has a purpose now.

In this Full Moon phase, the Cancer Moon is reflecting the light of the Capricorn Sun. Capricorn is the ambitious, goal-oriented sign of the Zodiac, often associated with paternal and/or disciplinarian energies. Ruled by Saturn, this sign is the one that encourages us to focus and discipline ourselves on what we want to achieve in the world as a matter of defining our role and status in society.

Where the Capricorn New Moon a couple weeks ago encouraged you to set your sights on who and how you want to be and what you want to accomplish in your life, this 2023 Cancer Full Moon is an opportunity for you to recognize what may still be holding you back from achieving or accomplishing those goals. More often than not, it’s something from your past you haven’t resolved or come to terms with that needs to be faced and dealt with before you can move on with your journey. And more likely than not, it's something or someone from your past you need to release – to completely let go of – before you can continue forward.

Much of what this 2023 Cancer Full Moon represents is the past finally catching up to the present. The good news is that if you’ve been waiting on something to show up or move forward, you can expect that thing soon. However, if you’ve been procrastinating or avoiding something, it’s very likely you won’t be able to wait it out or outrun it any longer. In fact, it may be coming to you in ways you won’t be able to deny or escape.

There’s also a possibility that you may have an emotion-driven pattern of behavior that is rooted in your past. You may feel a certain way as a result of change and/or dysfunction in your environment, and these feelings may influence your choices, to your benefit or your detriment. This could present itself as an opportunity for you to break a pattern of behavior that at one point in your life was a form of self-protection, but now no longer serves you well. Whether it’s a fear of failure that causes you to present yourself in a far smaller context than you deserve, or a fear of success that causes you to self-sabotage so you don’t succeed in a way that will catalyze significant change in your life, this 2023 Cancer New Moon is an excellent time to divert from your familiar self-protective response.

Whatever the case may be for you, anything that comes forward to be addressed at this time is something that, if you’re willing to face it and work through it, will help clear your path to the fulfillment and joy you seek.

This 2023 Cancer Full Moon maximum phase is happening on a 5 Universal Day in the majority of the Western world, and a 6 Universal Day in the rest of the world. This is an interesting delineation as it reveals that the western regions of the world are focused on either making changes, forcing changes, or creating conditions for change to occur; while the rest of the world is focused on the practical functionality of everyday life and developing efficient and effective strategies for dealing with things in a pragmatic yet productive manner. The non-Western regions are also focused on problem-solving and healing the past, while it seems that an attachment to the past is what is creating chaos in the Western regions of the world.

These very different day energies also reflect the differing regional approaches to matters of power and influence the 8 Universal Month is bringing forward at this time. On an individual level, you may find that dealing with these issues from the past may help you regain your personal power and expand your influence among others. However, not dealing with them may find you playing victim to external/environmental changes or to other individuals who are choosing to make changes in their lives. After all, when you change, your role in others’ lives changes… and when others change, their roles in your life change. These role changes can shift the power dynamics in your relationships, bringing people closer together, or pulling them further apart. You may experience some of both.

The 7 Universal Year energy encourages you to think things through before you take action. In this case, before you make changes, give yourself time to think these changes through. Understand why you’re making the changes – make sure you’re clear about why now is the time for those changes to occur, even if some of them are happening beyond your control. It’s important for you to have an intellectual/mental understanding of the effects these changes are having upon all aspects of your life.

For more insight into how these conditions are forming during this 2023 Cancer New Moon, here are the astrological aspects and configurations within 3° orb at the time of the Full Moon’s maximum phase:

(Cancer Moon conjunct Pallas Athena) opposite (Capricorn 8 Sun conjunct Mercury Retrograde) (16-18°) – Is your mind on pursuing and achieving your goals, or is your mind weighted down by your fears about whether or not you’ll achieve them? This could be a matter of balancing these energies, but it could also be an indicator that you’re not getting things done because you’re emotionally overwhelmed. Take a moment to see if there’s a pattern for you to recognize in what is happening now – if you tend to become emotionally overwhelmed when you’re on the cusp of making a breakthrough, or if you tend to become controlling or manipulative when you’re trying to avoid failure. You may even be someone who has a pattern of self-sabotage, creating or getting involved in emotional drama and discord to distract and derail yourself instead of staying focused and disciplined on the goal you say you want to achieve. (NOTE: The emotional drama and discord may be due to home and/or family matters.)

-???????sextile/trine Taurus Uranus Retrograde (15-17°) – Others may have opinions or judgements about how you should use your resources toward the fulfillment of your goals. Remember that even though they may think they’re being helpful or supportive, it’s up to you to decide if they have valid points. Despite any pressure you may feel to make a certain choice or decision, you are still the one making the choice for yourself.

-???????trine/setile (Pisces White Moon Selene conjunct Vesta) (16-17°) – This is a reminder to make sure whatever you’re choosing and doing is dedicated to serving a Higher and greater calling or a Higher and greater good. You’ll need to tap into your intuition/inner knowing to know what is right for you in this regard.

Aries Jupiter opposite Libra Ceres (1-4°) – Valued one-on-one relationships of all kinds help bring balance to your self-awareness/self-awakening journey. Partners of all kinds act as teachers, mirrors, students, and genuine partners who maybe sharing the journey with you. They may also be on their own self-awareness journeys, so remember you may be providing these roles for others as well.

Libra Ceres trine Aquarius Venus (4°) – The value of partnerships is empowered when you form unusual or unexpected connections with people you may not normally consider. It’s likely that group/team/collaborative activities bring you together where you wouldn’t have recognized each other’s unique contributions before.

Aries Jupiter sextile Aquarius Venus (1-4°) – Self-awareness grows through unexpected pairings or partnerships. This could also indicate that other individuals promote you publicly, helping you expand your reach.

Capricorn Pluto opposite Cancer Black Moon Lilith (27-28°) – Personal and/or societal transformation may help you get and/or keep your ego-driven emotions in check. However, your ego-driven emotions may also confuse and compromise your ability to navigate the quickly-changing world.

Capricorn Pluto sextile Pisces Juno (27°) – There’s a commitment to serve the Highest and greatest good of All-That-Is, even in the midst of massive societal changes. Just because everything is changing doesn’t mean it can’t be changing for the better. Instead of being focused on the losses, focus on what can be gained and what can grow.

Cancer Black Moon Lilith trine Pisces Juno (27-28°) – Ego-driven emotional “needs” may be empowering a commitment to a vision or dream. This could be seen as strong resolve… but it could also be seen as a “doubling-down” on a delusional ideal.

Aries Eris Retrograde sextile Aquarius Saturn (23°) – As you work in collaboration with others, you may notice that individuals’ feelings of betrayal or exclusion are holding things back. By doing your best to make sure everyone’s contribution is included in some way, you could bring together what seems to be irreparably torn apart.

SEQUENCE (wide): Aries Chiron semi-sextile Taurus North Node semi-sextile Gemini Mars Retrograde (8-12°) – Self-identity wounds lead to karmic lessons being learned which lead to reactions from others as you apply those lessons to your life journey. The more you heal and change, the more others must deal with those changes. Your role in their life changes, as do their roles in yours. This will result in some relationships strengthening and other relationships weakening or maybe even ending.

The energy of this 2023 Cancer Full Moon will be felt from Tuesday 3rd/Wednesday 4th January through Monday 9th/Tuesday 10th January 2023. Throughout this week, don’t be upset that your past is catching up with you. Instead, face it, embrace it, and begin taking steps to work through it and resolve it once and for all.

Thank you for reading and sharing. Until next post…

~ Light, Love, and Blessings,

Grace