full moon & lunar eclipse in capricorn

hello, friends. we’ve just moved into july, and with mercury still stationing retrograde and the recent shift of mars into aries, today we are also working with the last eclipse of the summer during the full moon in capricorn. if things have been feeling overwhelmingly intense lately, if you’ve been struggling to keep your head above water, you may find that the finality and endings that are revealed during this eclipse bring a welcome sense of relief. take a few long, slow breaths in and out, and let’s begin.

full moon in capricorn

we often talk about capricorn as driven and ambitious, obsessed with success, organized and focused and always reaching for the next major goal. and while this cardinal earth sign is absolutely one that craves recognition and prosperity, we can find a lot more depth when we dig into capricorn’s birth card, the devil. this archetype is usually linked to earthly temptation and vices, but at its core this card is all about control and power, the ways that we slip into patterns and cycles without even realizing it. how far will we go to find pleasure, satisfaction, success? how do we balance desire and denial, honoring the things we want without destroying ourselves along the way? and what are we willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of our dreams? the devil forces us to look at the habits we have created for comfort, for achievement, and to acknowledge if they are helping or harming us. where do you struggle to say no?

as we’ve talked about before, the full moon is associated with the tarot archetype of the sun, one that celebrates achievements, offers clarity and truth, and urges us to play and laugh and dance in the brilliant light of this heavenly, life-giving body. this is a card that accepts both the internal and the external, the active and the passive, the conscious and the unconscious - with the sun, we honor all of the lessons we’ve learned, embrace the full scope of who we have become. yet when we look at the sun alongside the devil, we find lucidity within darkness, a sense of shadows being swept away and everything being exposed. if the devil internally highlights our most destructive behaviors and negative habits, the full moon drags those secrets out into the light, forcing us to recognize and acknowledge those things that we’ve been struggling with.

if this combination sounds intense and difficult, that’s because it is. we all have things that we’d prefer to keep hidden, patterns and habits and vices that help us to cope but may be easily misunderstood or vilified. but these cards demand that we be real with ourselves, that we acknowledge the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult, the cravings we admit to and those we deny. and if we can be brave enough, bold enough, to break those destructive patterns and move forward in a way that prioritizes care and growth, we can evolve into someone wholly new, someone with power and magic and brilliance flowing through them.

as well as the devil, in the minor arcana capricorn is associated with the king of pentacles, a generous and benevolent ruler who rarely strays out of their comfort zone. we see a lot of joy and pleasure within this card, a figure that shares resources and offers time and energy with abundance - yet the king of pentacles likes their luxuries, and is not always the most adventurous when it comes to taking risks or trying new things. we also see capricorn in the four of pentacles, a card of boundaries and protection around wealth and resources. sometimes this card feels stingy, while other times it reminds us to be thoughtful about what we have, to protect our assets. but each of these cards of earth ask us to pay attention to what we give and receive, to honor a spirit of reciprocity, to not get so caught up in ourselves that we ignore the needs of those around us.

the lunar eclipse

the last eclipse in 2020’s dramatic summer cycle, this lunar eclipse asks us to consider the tower archetype one more time. the tower is chaotic destruction, a sudden free fall, the recognition of what was already broken. it can be scary and frustrating to watch that tower crumble, to feel wildly out of control - and especially in contrast to capricorn’s desire to hold power and authority over every facet of themselves, this can be a difficult time to navigate. yet the devil shows us what is already cracked and breaking, what isn’t working - and if we let it, the tower will help us fully destroy those broken pieces, leaving them behind in order to start a new chapter.

this final eclipse is occurring in sensitive cancer season, and when we look at cancer and capricorn together we see a tension of protection and power, generosity and awareness. how does control factor into your communities, your relationships, your understanding of your own needs? when do you accept care, and when are you willing to be vulnerable? how do you balance practical needs with emotional desires? what helps you balance work and play? are there powerful feelings bubbling up that you’ve been avoiding? and how might addressing and acknowledging them help you evolve in important new ways?

putting it all together

these three archetypes together push us to seek truth, to examine what makes us feel safe and where we need to dig deeper. the devil challenges, the tower destroys, the sun clarifies, and each card reveals and expands boundaries, asking us to push hard and acknowledge what is real, considering where we might be deceiving ourselves. this is a time of tackling obstacles, celebrating accomplishments, and establishing security, recognizing the ways that we make progress as well as learn from our mistakes. what is being revealed, broken, rebuilt? what patterns of destruction need to be acknowledged and abandoned? what shadows are being explored, and what are you learning through this process of uncovering? what does capricorn teach us about what we value, where we find power, how we navigate control? how does cancer help us protect ourselves, be sensitive and caring, honor our intuition?

these are big energies, and chances are, you may feel drained, exhausted, restless, or craving a solid 12 hours of sleep. don’t push yourself to do too much during this full moon and eclipse if it doesn’t feel right - this is a time to listen, to learn. (if a tarot reading feels like a nourishing ritual today, i have a new spread for this moon cycle up on instagram.) pay attention to your emotions, your cravings, your impulses. resist the need to make hasty decisions, but note which desires spike, and where you feel compelled to act. what is driving you? what’s coming forward internally? and where are you inspired to build something new, something that nurtures and nourishes you?

be safe and be well, friends.

images feature cards from the fountain tarot. all photographs by meg jones wall.