Full Moon in Cancer

This is on Christmas day, around noon GMT.

The sun will be at 3 degrees Capricorn, the moon at 3 Cancer.

The Cancer-Capricorn polarity is about home and family life (Cancer) vs. outer achievement, career and persona (Capricorn). Private vs. public; the inner, emotional life vs. the outer persona. Vulnerability vs. control.

The moon is in her home sign in Cancer, so she's comfortable there. Plus she'll be well aspected at the full moon: harmoniously aspecting Neptune (compassion, emotional openness) and Mars (great emotional energy and force). So it might actually be possible to get along with your crazy family on this holiday so fraught with family tension.

I hope so. Best wishes to all.

But here's the inevitable doom part: Uranus and Pluto are squaring each other tightly, and Uranus will go direct later Christmas night – just as the moon moves into Cardinal t-square territory against those two heavies.

Be prepared for some kind of emotional eruption or jolt. Uranus direct provides the zap, and Pluto the deep, manipulative nastiness. Mercury in Capricorn is involved, so very harsh words may be said. Mars in Libra is also involved, amping up the irritation.

This comes post-Christmas dinner, when everyone's sitting around all semi-sloshed after their sherry trifle, exhausted from the effort of trying to stay civil. Perfect time for some nasty barb to be flung, or for some deep dark family secret to be aired.

This fraught atmosphere continues into the day after Christmas, as the moon moves to square Mars in Libra and oppose Mercury. Fighting words, words that can deeply wound.

Three of swords

I am not trying to be negative here – this is a heads-up. If you're aware this is the atmosphere, you can hopefully do something to mitigate it.

In this case, I think the best way to mitigate it is represented by Jupiter and the north node nearing conjunction in Virgo. Humility and attendance to little details; serving others. You could go into the kitchen and do the dishes. You could put all the leftovers in little goddamn color-coded Tupperware containers. You could bring the dog for a walk.

Mercury in tight-lipped Capricorn will also be harmoniously aspecting Jupiter, the north node and Venus – you can use this to communicate truthfully, practically and with kindness. Or you can just tell a lot of terrible jokes – this looks like a good influence for terrible jokes. Mercury in Capricorn has a way with deadpan absurdity.

Anyway, if you can't say anything funny (or helpful, or practical, or healing), you don't have to say anything at all. There's just no point.

There is the potential for truthfulness and deeply comforting talk with these aspects – but there's also a lot of emotional upset going on. So things could go either way – or both ways. With Uranus direct, you can expect some kind of shock. It might be liberating, if you keep it in perspective. But with the moon (emotions) under fire, it's likely to register as hurtful.

Regarding perspective (a theme now, with Saturn in Sagittarius): it has been a hell of a year, so maybe cut people some slack.

The calendar year kicked off with an incredibly intense full moon in Cancer on the 5th January, and the moon's monthly transits of Cancer since then (and really for a few years previous), have been a recapitulation of that energy – another kick to the gut, more or less – as she squares Uranus (shock) and opposes Pluto (death).

The final exact pass of the Uranus-Pluto square was back in March – so we are standing in a changed landscape now, for better or worse. There isn't any going back to how things were.

And then we had Saturn in Scorpio for 3 months this year, dragging us through some dark psychological debris. There isn't any unknowing what we've learned.

And then, late last month, we had the first round of the Saturn-Neptune square we'll be dealing with for the next year. The scales have fallen from a lot of eyes; the ground is dissolving beneath a lot of dreams.

There isn't much energy left for bullshit. It's safe to say, astrologically this has been a heavier year than most, and people are tired and shell-shocked. For many it's been hellish. Full of great gifts and surprises, sure – but the losses and betrayals have a way of impacting us harder.

And now the year is ending with another Cancer full moon on Christmas day, a day that holds the accumulated ghosts of Christmases past. It's bittersweet – an emotional summing-up of what this year has meant.

So I guess...the kinder we can be with each other, the better. The humbler and more honest we can be, the better. No one has had it particularly easy, and no one needs any more nastiness at this time.

But the nastiness will probably be pretty easy to come by. Easy to fall into, in a reflexive, emotionally reactive way.

Relationship planets Venus and Mars are both in signs where they don't function well: Venus in nuke-em-all Scorpio, Mars in passive-aggressive Libra. And the moon is under fire in Cancer, as we've seen.

And the south node – the place this story will tend to get stuck – is in Pisces. Which means it's much easier to sit around feeling depressed and victimised then to focus on what we can do practically to help others. Even though helping others and being grounded and practical is the exact way out of this morass of self-pity and chaotic emotion.

Granted, some scenarios have become untenable. There are some people you just don't need to have dealings with, whether they're family or not. If they're family, it makes everything harder – you might just have to suck it up and humour them this Christmas, but it sure doesn't mean you have to do it the rest of the time.

Hell, they might not like you either. Big deal – not everyone has to like each other.

Anyway, a shift is coming. Venus leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius on the 30th December, and this should lighten the relational friction up considerably. And then Mars moves to Scorpio, a sign he rules, on the 3rd of January.

And we will also have every planet in the sky moving direct! For the brief window between Uranus direct on Christmas till we start a Mercury retrograde on the 5th January – and then a Jupiter retrograde on the 7th – everything will be moving forward. So it's full speed ahead. New horizons are opening up.

So whatever emotional claustrophobia is going down this Christmas – remember it's fleeting. It's just a mood! Better days are coming. And you don't have to let yourself be dragged into it. You can go out to the kitchen and sort the recycling or something. Or make everyone watch “Airplane”.

New Moon in Sagittarius

This is on the 11th December, at 10:30 am GMT.

The sun and moon will be conjunct at 19 degrees Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a party kind of sign: buoyant, happy-go-lucky, generous, enthusiastic. So a new moon in this sign generally signifies a fun emotional tone, ushering in the festivities and happy excesses of the holiday season.

But the key word here is “excesses”. Sagittarius can be too much of a good thing. It can be inflated, impulsive, pompous, preachy and over-the-top.

And this new moon is tensely aspected, squaring Chiron in Pisces and Sagittarius's ruler, Jupiter in Virgo. So “too much of a good thing” is definitely a theme for the lunar month ahead. We have some big inflation (Jupiter) and delusion (Pisces) going on here.

Chiron in Pisces is about profound wounding and loss, and Jupiter in Virgo can be pedantic, small-minded, not seeing the wood for the trees. Having Jupiter harshly aspecting the new moon amps up the potential for the kind of over-the-top, socially callous and tactless behaviour Sagittarius is sometimes known for. And having Chiron involved amplifies the damage this can do – and with Chiron in leaky-boundary Pisces, damage control will be hard.

So you could make big, dumb mistakes that you'll have to live with forever. You could shoot yourself in the foot and have to hobble around on a wound that won't heal. You could find yourself with a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease, but people will think it's herpes and no one will kiss you again for a long time.

OK, so maybe I am exaggerating, Sagittarius-style here. But I don't think this is an easy new moon at all.

As an example of this energy: look at Donald Trump wrecking what's left of his reputation with his dumb, inflammatory remarks about Muslims. His idiocies are being disseminated widely, and every government in the world seems to be denouncing or barring him right now. And he appears to be too oblivious or pompous – or pleased with the attention – to care about how ridiculous he looks, or the damage he's doing to his (dubious) legacy.

And complicating things, we have the reality-dissolving, confusing Saturn-Neptune square fully in effect, making it hard to discern what is really going on here.

Like, is the man really that stupid? He couldn't be, right? He's a successful businessman, richer than God – you don't get richer than God by being stupid!

So is he mentally ill? Or shrewdly manipulating public opinion? Is there a hidden agenda here?

And do 35% of American voters registered Republican actually agree with him – can that really be true?! What is going on here??!!

Anyway, apply this combination of ideological self-righteousness, impulsivity, irremediable stupidity, ego and moral confusion to your own life, and you see the damage that can be done. Donald Trump is rich enough not to care about looking like a fool. Presumably he also enjoys the attention he's getting. Most of us are not in that kind of situation, so it's best to refrain from saying and doing bullheaded, inflammatory, impulsive shit.

Loose lips sink ships – and it will be your own ship you're sinking, here.

It all looks kinda hard, as we come up to the holidays and the kind of family tensions they entail. No one can push our buttons better than family – they're the ones who created those buttons. This new moon sets the tone for the holiday season, and I think just getting along with everyone and being civil this year will be an achievement!

Because in addition to the Chiron and Jupiter stuff outlined above, we have a very intense t-square happening in the cardinal signs. Uranus in Aries (personal anger and rebellion) is exactly opposite Mars in Libra (passive-aggression, underhanded violence in relationships), and both are squaring Pluto in Capricorn (corrupt old power dynamics).

The Uranus-Mars stuff is great for sudden explosions, accidents and violence – so please drive carefully this month and don't take unnecessary risks. Over-the-top, impulsive action is a big risk with this aspect – and we've already seen that this is a theme for this new moon.

The Pluto stuff heightens the intensity and trauma involved. Permanent endings. You want to be iced by someone, literally or metaphorically? You want a loss you'll never recoup? Run your mouth off. Spout your unconsidered opinion. Take a stupid gamble for short-term gain.

I'm thinking of Trump again. Has the man never heard of a fatwa?

Does he really think there are no consequences to his dopey pontificating?

Saturn (karma, consequences) is in Sagittarius, a sign that loves to pontificate, particularly about religion and ideology. And Saturn is squaring Mercury (thought, communication) in heavy, consequential, tight-lipped Capricorn. This is not a free-speech kinda vibe, AT ALL. This is a put-up-and-shut-up-or-else vibe. Your verbal diarrhoea will cost you, big time.

So yes, there are heavy consequences. Under these skies, the consequences look quite brutal.

I don't much care what happens to Trump, except insofar as he is an object lesson. But understand, these currents will play out in personal relationships.

Relationship planet Venus is in all-or-nothing Scorpio, which is ruled by Pluto and Mars – and as we've seen, Pluto and Mars are harshly aspected. And Mars is in relationship sign Libra, which is ruled by Venus. Neither of these planets are comfortable where they're at.

What it all means is: this intensity and violence will play out in close relationships over the next month, and it looks rocky. Associations will end over this stuff. Others will be renewed and transformed.

OK, so how to work with these skies in order to effect renewal and transformation? I think it all hinges on how willing people are to get over themselves.

1) Shut UP. Don't run your mouth off or make promises you can't keep. Keep your big important opinions to yourself. Omerta!

(This is courtesy of the Mercury-Saturn stuff, and also Saturn in Sagittarius, and also the new moon square Jupiter in Virgo. And Saturn square Neptune...because what the hell do you actually know for sure?)

2) Make art, have faith in the grand design, be compassionate and humble. Forgive and forget. Be the bigger person...like Melanie in “Gone With the Wind”.

 (This is courtesy of Venus in Scorpio exactly trine Neptune in Pisces – transcendent spirituality, forgiveness and compassion, even in the face of tremendous mistrust and pain. Also Mars in Libra – a drive to maintain civility and social harmony at all costs. Also Jupiter and the north node in Virgo: HUMILITY.)

3) To thine own self be true. Going your own way and doing your own thing and being resolutely yourself will be helpful at this time – no matter how weird it looks to others. You don't have to get engulfed in anyone else's drama, because you're free. Detachment and clarity are on offer; impartial truth and fairness are on offer. You really can choose to step away from the bullshit and not engage with it at all.

Like Miss Melanie above: she's not overly concerned about other people's notions of social propriety - just her own. And her unwillingness to feed drama defuses a potentially ugly situation. She stays true to her personal notion of what's right, AND she gets everyone else to go along with it. It's brave. She is not gonna throw Scarlett under a bus, though she has every justification.

(This comes via Uranus in Aries and Mars in Libra beneficially aspecting the new moon. Also Saturn in Sagittarius, which at best, takes the high road and the larger perspective.)

--Anyway, I think we have a doozy of a month ahead, with a full moon in Cancer on Christmas day, and Uranus direct later that evening. So anything you can do to stay away from drama (especially family drama), you should do. And if you can't, I guess being Melanie from Gone With the Wind is the best option, hard as that might be.

I mean, frankly I think this scenario sucks ass. I personally do not want to be Melanie from Gone With the Wind. But this is just how it is: this is how to fight the good fight now. Humility is how you prevail, under this sky. Jupiter (luck) and the north node (karmic imperative) are in humble, grounded, self-effacing Virgo, don't forget.

So to recap:

1) Keep your opinions and criticisms to yourself. Shut up already.
2) Be compassionate, forgiving and humble.
3) Detach from the drama. You CAN just walk away or refuse to engage. And you can also defuse it via number 2 above: compassion, forgiveness and doing what's right on principle. And attention to the little details of social etiquette.

Sounds simple, but I'm sure it won't be!

Happy holidays, folks.

*ps: I think I've made everything sound very dire! It's not all dire! This is a new moon in exuberant Sagittarius, beneficially aspecting Uranus and Mars. It's high-energy and madcap. There is really no reason not to be happy and have fun, no matter how dark things may look. Life is an absurd song-and-dance routine.