There’s No Place Like Home: Full Moon in Cancer (January 6th, 2023)

“The home we are looking for in this world is within us all along. The lost home that we are seeking is ourselves: it is the story we carry within our souls.” – Michael Meade

When the Full Moon makes its home in the sign that symbolizes home, emotions come to the surface more readily; we feel more fully and express more easily (even us Capricorn folk). Themes of home, one’s tribe/family, the past, roots, security, support, connection and belonging are in the air now.

This morning, the Kindergarten students I have been working with for the past several weeks formed their morning circle on a big mat that lies on the ground in the middle of what we call “the forest meadow.” It is, indeed, a forest; and it serves as an enchanting outdoor classroom filled with grand and tall tropical trees that meet in the sky to form a ceiling of canopies, their vines cascading, like rope swings, down to the earth (we often have to remind the children not to tug or swing on the vines because they are a part of the trees), and a yurt with tables and chairs and cubbies. It is no exaggeration to say that these are the some of the happiest children I have ever met.

When the students joined hands on their mat this morning, they had an idea: they asked the teachers to watch them do their morning circle routine all by themselves. “We will be your audience,” I chimed in, backing away from their circle to take my seat on a rock, knowing they’d love that word and, indeed, I saw eyes light up as they prepared to serenade us and perform for us. “Good morning dear earth, good morning dear sun, good morning dear trees … good morning to you and good morning to me.” They touched their feet and stretched their arms. They jumped their feet wide and spread their arms like stars. They made bird shapes with their hands and brought their hands to their hearts. Their bodies moved in unison as they sang the songs and chanted the verses that have been an integral part of their days since last August. They have become a family, a tribe, and these early experiences are a part of their foundation.

The sign of Cancer represents both physical home and inner home, or foundation. I see a foundation as the experiences and environments that have shaped us, as well as what is passed down from one generation to the next; the unresolved stuff gets passed on like a hot potato until someone does the hard work of sitting with the pain. When we reach adulthood, our foundation consists of a lifetime of beliefs and patterns and values, stemming from not only parents/caregivers, family members, and teachers but our ancestors.

One of my favorites parts of the children’s morning routine is this: one child turns to the person next to her or him in the circle and with cupped hands extends an invisible gift as everyone sings “Good Morning, dear … (fill in a name). The child receiving the offering in their cupped hands turns to the next student to pass on what they have just received as everyone sings “Good morning dear …” to that person. And on it goes until they reach the end of the circle. Watching them do this without the teachers is what got my tears started.

January marks the midway point of the school year and so it’s a pivotal time for students emotional/mental growth, which was on display today during this impromptu full moon ceremony. Although I have not been working with this group for very long, I have developed a bond in our weeks together and I felt my eyes watering as I watched these small beings reflect back to their head teacher what she has taught and shared with them. I glanced at her and saw that she, too, was deeply moved: her students were mirroring back to her not only the words and tunes and movements they have absorbed but the beautiful community she has built.

Cancer symbolizes our roots, our families and the people who become our family.

For those of us who don’t have an immediate family or are disconnected from family, feelings around belonging may surface. At the end of the school day yesterday, I watched longingly as one of my colleagues was picked up by her partner; she slipped into the passenger’s seat and I envisioned what it would be like, at the end of a long day, to get a ride home and to, perhaps, even have a warm meal waiting for me. I thought back to my grandparents’ home, filled with family members and my Yiayia’s home-cooked meals and fresh apple pies, and I missed the feeling of togetherness and connection from those early days of my life.

I like to share Micheal Meade’s words during Cancer Moons: “The home we are looking for in this world is within us all along. The lost home that we are seeking is ourselves: it is the story we carry within our souls.” Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, who had the power to travel back home at any time in her journey by, simply, clicking together her red sparkly shoes three times, you can create the feeling of home wherever you are in the world and your life story … like Dorothy, we forget we possess this power to return home.

The family members that came before you helped to create your foundation and may have contributed to a sturdy or crooked foundation but, either way, there is at least a part of it worth keeping (or learning from), even if it needs rebuilding or restructuring. During this Cancer Full Moon, you can nourish your roots in whatever way you are drawn to: cook a meal like your grandmother or grandfather used to make, look through old photographs, do a “flow-y” yoga (or movement) practice that helps you connect to your body and emotions (your body is your spiritual home), take a bath or go swimming, reconnect with family members or family-like friends, whether they are on this earthly plane or not (you can light a candle for someone who has passed and bring their memory into your heart, and you can also ask for signs from them). Any steps you take to nourish yourself will be part of the new, strong inner foundation you are creating and, sometimes, boundaries (a Cancer theme) are a necessary part of this — anyone with the sign Cancer strong in their natal chart knows the pull of wanting to be there for everyone, but this can be depleting and you can lose yourself along the way. So, what do you need during this full moon to feel nourished and supported?