Cancer Full Moon - December 23, 2007

I work from home, so the career/family duality is collapsed, in a way. Although I don't see colleagues on a daily basis, I have the comfort of my wife and daughter being around in the afternoons. Although there's not a whole lot of interaction, I do have someone to touch base with throughout the day. The downside is being interrupted when I'm focused on something, as well as feeling I need to do dishes after I eat lunch instead of letting them sit in the sink until nighttime ... or hoping someone else will do them.

Nonetheless, I put in many hours, and it's difficult not being able to sit back and relax, to just go within and be with my feelings. Instead, I'm interacting with a computer screen all day. But I don't have it so bad ... I could be working at an office, commuting two hours a day, not being be able to spend much time with my daughter before she goes to bed. I don't want to be the dad who comes home from work after the kid is fed and reads her to sleep.

We all struggle with balancing work (Capricorn) and home (Cancer). Some people would rather work more and do less puttering around the house. Others would like to spend less time at the office. This Full Moon in Cancer puts the focus on our emotional need for a home base, a feeling of security in family connections. Yet it's more difficult to achieve this now, as Jupiter has just entered Capricorn and is conjoining the Sun. The world of work is celebrated now, and for the next year we'll be taking advantage of opportunities to climb the ladder in our fields. If anything, that means spending less time with the family.

Meanwhile, retrograde Mars in Cancer conjoins the Moon. Mars, a work planet, is both moving (apparently) backwards in the sky and in the sign of his "fall." The action planet does not thrive in such an indirect sign. The crab moves sideways, while Mars (ruler of Aries) wants to charge forward. Mars is in a defensive posture, and while both conjunct the Moon and residing in Moon-ruled Cancer, he fights to protect those he loves, at the ready to keep the women and children safe.

Yet the opposition between Jupiter and Mars is the backdrop of this Full Moon. Both are in the sign of their fall, yet in each other's sign of exaltation. (If I were a traditional astrologer, I could tell you that means something!) Typically, the Mars-Jupiter aspect relates to an expansion of the Martian principle, leading us to over-act on our desires to copulate or conquer ... or that our assertive energy is fueled by higher principles to justify our actions. The opposition, though, is about relationships: someone takes on the role of Jupiter while you take on the role of Mars, or vice versa. Perhaps a business mentor (Jupiter in Capricorn) inspires you to clean up your act at home, clear up unresolved family issues that hold you back from success (Mars retro in Cancer) ... so that when Mars stations direct in late January, you'll have the drive to move ahead, with the security of knowing that you have your eggs lined up at home.

The Fine Print: The Cancer Full Moon is at 1 degree Cancer. Mars and Jupiter exactly oppose on the day after Christmas. If you have any planets or angles in the first 5 degrees of cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), this Bud's for you.