Full Moon in Cancer | January 13, 2025

I debated whether to write this post. The wildfires in Los Angeles are weighing heavy in my heart, and there’s a part of me that feels it might be disrespectful or even wrong to discuss astrology right now. This isn’t a time to focus on the stars or even on myself, especially as I live hundreds of miles away from the devastation. It’s a time to focus on our shared reality and the urgent issues here on planet Earth. However, as I’ve grappled with the swirl of emotions I’ve been feeling this past week, I’ve realized that this Full Moon has arrived at a significant moment, as it so often does.

A Full Moon in Cancer asks us to pay attention to our emotions and nurture ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities. This is something we all need right now, especially the people of Los Angeles. At the same time, for those of us who haven’t just lost everything, this lunation reminds us not to fall victim to our emotions entirely. If we do, we risk becoming paralyzed by them, unable to show up for our day-to-day responsibilities. By creating space for our feelings, we can understand our true desires and deeper needs while also finding the strength to be there for ourselves and others.

Over the past week, I’ve experienced a cascade of emotions due to the devastation in LA. I’ve been disturbed by the lack of empathy and awareness in parts of our society while simultaneously moved by the best of humanity showing up. I’ve looked at the destruction with disbelief, questioning why this is happening. I’ve felt anger—anger at yet another disaster that can ultimately be traced back to human actions. I’m scared for the firefighters risking their lives, as well as for the animals that have lost their homes and are now confused, frightened, and vulnerable. I’ve felt guilt, knowing I can only do so much from hundreds of miles away. And I’ve felt anger at those who seem oblivious, continuing to post about their seemingly perfect lives while others face unimaginable loss. Amid all of this, I’ve also felt a renewed determination to look at how I can contribute to caring for our planet and addressing climate change beyond just making donations.

There’s so much to unpack. But that’s the thing about emotions—we’re not meant to rationalize them entirely. We can feel multiple things at once, even when they seem contradictory. We can feel deep sadness and guilt while also recognizing the need to care for ourselves so we can show up fully. If Cancer teaches us anything, it’s that our emotions are keys to understanding what truly matters. It also teaches us that life continues within and beyond what we’re feeling. It reminds us that, even when we fall into the emotional depths, there’s always a ladder to climb back up and out.

For those interested in the astrological insights of this Full Moon, I’ve shared what we can expect below. However, if the weight of the world feels too heavy, I suggest focusing on self-care. You don’t need to understand the astrology of this Full Moon to nurture yourself and your loved ones.

How to help those affected by the California wildfires…

Before diving into the astrology, I urge you to do what you can to support the people and animals of Los Angeles. Many have lost their homes and livelihoods and need our help. Not to mention the firefighters who are tirelessly fighting to contain the fires that need our support as well. If you’re in the LA area, consider volunteering or donating goods. If you’re not local, monetary donations can make a significant impact. Here are some trusted organizations to consider:

California Fire Foundation: Supports wildfire victims and disaster relief efforts across California.
GoFundMe: A dedicated page for verified fundraising campaigns related to the wildfires.
Wildfire Relief Fund (through GoFundMe): Provides cash grants to those directly affected by the fires.
Direct Relief: Supports individuals impacted by fires in Palisades, Altadena, and across California.
Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation: Helps supply firefighters with equipment and resources to battle the fires.
Pasadena Humane: Assists with animal evacuations and cares for displaced animals.
In Defense of Animals: Provides temporary housing and care for wild and domestic animals displaced by the fires.
American Red Cross: Offers shelter, food, emotional support, and health services to those in need.
World Central Kitchen: Collaborates with local food providers to deliver meals to emergency responders and families affected by the fires.
The Salvation Army: Provides emergency aid, shelter, food, and other support for victims and first responders.

The LA Times has additional recommendations, and social media is another great resource for finding ways to help.

Of course, beyond monetary donations, I am starting to think about long-term action. This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, devastating disaster our world will face. It’s why I am starting to think about how I can take climate change and helping our planet much more seriously moving forward. I plan on discussing how I will pledge to take deeper action on helping our climate and the well-being of our planet soon, but, for now, I will encourage you to learn and understand how wildfires are connected to climate change. There are numerous articles on this by doing a quick Google search, but here are some good articles to start with:

Now onto this Full Moon…

About the Full Moon in Cancer

This Full Moon has a bit of an emotional kick to it. The Sun sits in Capricorn while the Moon sits opposite in Cancer. We also have Mars Retrograde bumping up against the Moon in Cancer while the lunar nodes have shifted into new signs for the next 18 months (Pisces and Virgo). And amongst it all, we have 5 planets in Water signs. It’s a lot…no wonder we’re all feeling it right about now.

Capricorn encourages us to ground down and go after our goals. It’s about business and logic – anything to achieve what you want to achieve. It’s a “put your head down and get it done” type of energy.

Cancer, on the other hand, is about the feelings. It doesn’t care about logic. It cares about comfort, home, and nurturing. It wants the fuzzy blankets, a warm meal, and the comfort of being home surrounded by family. Screw logic – it’s about whatever makes us all feel warm and mushy inside.

Combining these energies on this Full Moon means we need to find the balance between structure and care. How can you balance Capricorn’s focus on achievement, discipline, and boundaries with Cancer’s need for connection, vulnerability, and emotional nurturing? This Full Moon reminds us that we need to make space to feel the feels, but also that life still goes on. We still have responsibilities we have to show up for.

The ultimate lesson? Learning that unless we make space to nurture ourselves and our feelings, we won’t be able to show up for our daily responsibilities as our best selves.

Full Moon in Cancer with Mars Retrograde

One big energetic influence of this Full Moon is that Mars Retrograde is sidled up with the Moon in Cancer. Mars is the planet of action and drive, so it gives a little added punch to an already emotional Full Moon. This may bring up unresolved anger, frustration, or past emotional wounds, so be on the watch for any intense emotions over the next few days. And remember, if you do find yourself angry or frustrated, these emotions are keys to understanding. Find a healthy way to channel that anger and frustration, and then take some time to reflect on why exactly you’re angry. It may give you some insights to help you evolve and develop into the next version of you.

Lunar Nodes in Pisces and Virgo

The lunar nodes have officially moved into Pisces and Virgo where they will be for the next 18 months. Collectively this brings a shift in our evolution where we are being asked to leave behind perfectionism, over-analysis, and inner criticism and instead grow through compassion, intuition, and spiritual surrender. It’s a time to lean more into the spiritual and emotional while letting go of rigidity or over-critical thinking. We are ultimately being asked to surrender and trust so that we can take grounded action.

During this Full Moon, allow yourself space to just feel without jumping straight into how to fix everything. There will be time to figure that out, but first we must just surrender to what is in this very moment. By surrendering, we can learn what it is most needed.

All the Water….

Astrology is based on the elements of fire, air, earth, and water. We can gain a lot of information from just the elements alone. This Full Moon in particular we have 5 planets in water signs: the Moon and Mars in Cancer, and Venus, Saturn, and Neptune all sitting in Pisces. Not to mention we have the North Node in Pisces, technically making that 6 points in water.

What all that mumbo-jumbo means is that we will have heightened emotions and intuitive insights. We may feel a deep pull for healing and introspection, possibly even feeling like we need to go inward and block out the rest of the world to gather ourselves. Water teaches us to go with the flow, but it can also amplify emotional overwhelm. With all this water energy, it’s important to ground. Get outside in nature, do a grounding meditation, or practice some grounding yoga to help curb any over abundance of heavy emotions or to better connect with your intuition.

How to work with this Full Moon…

As mentioned earlier, if things just feel too much right now, allow yourself to just be. There is a lot going on, and if you’re a highly sensitive person it may feel like too much, so just grounding down and being present with whatever is coming up could be the best way to work with this moon.

If you’re looking for other ways to work with this moon, you can try any of the following:

Emotional Release: Take some paper and write down any and all feelings, frustrations, or fears that are coming up for you right now. Try to avoid analyzing it. Instead just write from the heart. Once you’ve finished writing, take a bowl and add water to it. Then add the piece of paper and watch it dissolve in the water. You can let the bowl sit overnight for extra Full Moon support to help these feelings dissolve. The next morning, dispose of the water by pouring the water into the earth or down the drain. Any remnants of the paper can be thrown away, or you can also offer it to the earth for extra support.
Self-Care and Nurturing: Cancer loves a little self-indulgence. Practice any forms of self-care that feel good to you. You can take a bath, journal, cook, watch a feel-good movie, read a book, or just spend time with loved ones. You can’t go wrong with this one – anything that feels good to you, do it! In a health way, of course…
Assess your work-life balance: As cliche as it sounds, this Full Moon is always a good time of the year for us all to look at how we balance our work life with our personal life. Are you prioritizing your career over your emotional wellbeing or your family? Or maybe you’ve been prioritizing your emotions and family and not being disciplined in your work as much? How can you create a daily schedule that allows you to nurture both your career ambitions with your personal needs?
Learn about your natal moon placement: The Moon naturally rules the sign of Cancer, so learning about your own natal moon placement gives us a lot of information about what we personally need to feel nurtured and cared for. It also helps us learn how we feel and process emotions. To check your natal moon placement you can use a website like Cafe Astrology to look it up and learn about your emotional needs.
Release Physical and Energetic Clutter: With the South Node in Virgo and Cancer ruling our home, this is a great time to go through and get rid of anything that is cluttering your space and mind. You don’t have to go through your entire home, but maybe look at some of the areas that bring emotional significance and see how you can make those spaces better for yourself. You can also take sage, palo santo, or sound to energetically cleanse a space as well.

Remember, you don’t need to have all the answers right now. Simply making space to feel and process is a powerful step forward.

Wishing you all the comfort during this Full Moon!