Cancer Lunar Eclipse:
Tender Release in the Midst
of Profound Change

by Juliana McCarthy

John Ruskin, Velvet Crab

John Ruskin, Velvet Crab

January 10, 2020 — A cathartic Cancer Lunar Eclipse arrives on Friday, at 11:21am Pacific Time, in the midst of major astrological events that are inciting profound change. The Saturn-Pluto conjunction is drawing closer, exact on Sunday, marking the paradigm shift. Until then, this eclipse is allowing for great emotional and karmic release. We’re purifying our hearts and making room for deeper self-care and healthier, safer relationships.

A Lunar Eclipse is a supercharged Full Moon, and Cancer is the Moon’s domain. The potential for emotional release is strong, as we empty our our cups before stepping into entirely new energies—within our selves, relationships, lives, and the world.

Old patterns may be returning now. While some of us could feel impending doom or despair, worrying about the state of the world, or wondering how dynamics we thought we’d worked through are still rearing their heads, we can rest assured that it’s all part of our karmic purification. We’re heading into a new age, with revolution beginning by the end of the year. Old beliefs and patterns that we’ve outgrown, and old karma that’s ripened, are magnified now, so we can liberate from them, once and for all.

Meanwhile, Neptune is trining the eclipse, reminding us to soften our hearts and forgive ourselves and others. We’re rallying the courage to face our uncertainty and vulnerability, becoming tender warriors who can work together in love.

We might remember that the medicine of this eclipse lies in the Cancer North Node, which encourages us to be kind. We can invoke the healing energy of the Great Mother, who loves us unconditionally. With her arms wrapped around us, we can feel all of our feelings, vulnerability, messiness, and pain, while she reminds us that we perfect as we are—that our feelings are portals to wisdom and deeper empathy for others. 

And this is exactly how we move out of the age of the empowered feminine—making space for emotions to rise, without altering or judging them. As we do so, we can step up with gentle courage, allowing thousands of years of karma to wash through us, without closing our hearts or losing hope.

On this Cancer Lunar Eclipse, may we feel all that we feel, without shame. May we embody the Great Mother, unconditionally loving and caring for ourselves and all beings, with a deeper understanding of our lovability, worthiness, and interconnection.

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