The First Full Moon of 2012 – The Cancer Wolf Moon

by Michelle Gregg, Counseling Astrologer at www.michellegregg.com

I went outside about midnight on the cusp between Jan. 8 and Jan. 9th to see how this very special Full Moon was shaping up here in Atlanta, GA. From my computer program I knew where the moon would be in the sky – directly overhead – but I wasn’t sure I’d see it due to the overcast night and drizzling rain.

But there she was. Shining through the clouds and sprinkles with a hazy ring of orange and gold surrounding her as the clouds were swept by the wind. Despite the damp ground and the slight chill, I laid down for a little while to ponder and reflect.

This Full Moon is the very first of the New Year – the first of the much awaited 2012. In Native American lore, the first Full Moon in January is traditionally known as the Wolf Moon. I find that fascinating as this particular Wolf Moon is in Cancer directly opposite a Capricorn Sun – symbolizing finding the balance between emotion and practicality, nurture and responsibility, The Great Mother and the Great Father, matriarchy and the patriarchy. My hope is that our goal will be to finally find equality between men and women, and between masculine and feminine energies. A healing is due in this area of our lives and our psyches.

Wolf packs cannot be categorized as either matriarchal or patriarchal in governance… there is an alpha male and an alpha female who both share the running of the pack. They have found balance in their relationship as leaders – the one completed and supported by the other. As the first lunation of 2012, I believe this speaks volumes as to the landscape of the year to come. We must seek balance between the polarities driven by seeking security, safety and what feeds and nurtures us with how to be effectively and practically responsible to both our ambition and all who fall under our purview.  We can reflect on this idea from many different aspects of our lives: familial, in community, politically and beyond.

The Cancer Full Moon illuminates the ideals of Mother, and this a beautiful time to cherish our families and both how we are nurtured and how we nurture others who we love and who we are responsible for. In your meditations or in your thoughts throughout the next couple of weeks, until the New Moon on the 23rd, direct your focus on what nurturing and being nurtured – emotionally and soulfully fed – mean to you. Open your heart and really FEEL what is inside you – what is in front of you and around you. Ponder family and tradition, home and hearth, children, safety and security.

If you are spiritual, the images of Mother Mary, Gaia, Demeter and Diana are perfect to hold as visions in your heart and mind. The idea is to connect with the energy of the instinctive Feminine offering love, sustenance, deep feeling and security to those she cares and is responsible for.  How does this ideal manifest in your life – whether you are male or female. If you are comfortable in this arena then this a time for you to be juicy and ripe and overflowing – both giving and receiving the blessings of the Cancer Full Moon. If this is an area where you are uncomfortable – feeling out of your element with the depth of emotion and domestic giving symbolized at this lunation, spend some time reflecting on how you came to be uncomfortable here and ponder how you might open your heart at least a little to create balance and a more abundant nurturing space in your life.

So many facets and faces to see and discover! I wish you an enlightening Full Cancer Moon… perhaps, like the wolves whose name this Moon bears are wont to do, a bit of howling is in order to help us feel as deeply as we can and then release those feelings to The Mother.