Tuesday, July 19 at 6.59 pm EST

Click here to learn about the Moon. Click here to learn about Capricorn.

This particular full moon was called the Full Buck Moon by the Algonquins of North America as it coincides with new antler growth on young male deer. It is also sometimes called the Thunder Moon due to summertime storms. The Moon will rise at sunset, peak at midnight and set at sunrise.

The Sun and Moon in total opposition between Cancer and Capricorn: Mother and Father, Shakti and Shiva. The Cancer cycle is an inward journey home. Imagine yourself on this watery quest, nearly to the core. As the full moon rises, a vibration builds from all directions in the middle of the ocean. Here we are clairvoyant, fearlessly in the flow. Surrender to the tides lest we silence the voices within!

The moon is in her “detriment” in Capricorn, as this is the sign opposite the sign she rules, which would be Cancer. When a planet is in the sign of its detriment, the planet is at its weakest and life is more challenging. In Capricorn the moon is strained, unaccustomed to the sea goat’s rigidity and his emphasis on responsibility. You may have mood swings, unusually low energy or feel especially sensitive. Although in many ways the full moon during the Cancer (lunar) cycle represents Luna’s ultimate peak for the year, this juncture is also precisely what makes her most uncomfortable. I think she prefers to operate behind the scenes, quietly working her magic from one phase to the next.

The Cancer-Capricorn axis is between what we really feel and what we think is expected of us. Let’s meditate for a moment on the ruling planets of each sign, the Moon and Saturn respectively. The Moon looks out for the heart. They are really one and the same, deeply internal and categorically personal. Saturn is the uncompromising patriarch of the zodiac, always on the straight and narrow, holding himself to the highest of standards. On one end we have loony Cancer, delightfully irrational, following her heart all over the cosmos. On the other lies Capricorn, so bound up in his own ideas of what should be that he never experiences real freedom. Cancer may cling fiercely to cloying comforts with sharp pincers, but she also reminds the sea goat not to live only by what is, or perhaps more accurately, what appears to be; Capricorn teaches us the joy of rudimentary self-discipline.

Both Cancer and Capricorn want to put down roots and get settled early in life, whether physically or emotionally. A stable partner is (usually) a priority element in what it means to feel settled. Since full moons act as a culminating force, this indicates a time when we have to make decisions about a relationship or, more generally, something regarding feminine vs. masculine energies. If you are having conflict or doubts about your partner or have been struggling to find your voice, I can’t promise smooth resolution - the crab and the sea goat often do not see eye to eye, and there is extreme potential for emotional volatility at this stage. Even if there is no apparent conflict in your life, this full moon promises to deliver seismic understanding in matters of the heart. Whatever necessary changes you don’t make will happen on their own with next month’s full moon. My advice: save yourself the trouble and make these changes rather than wait for unexpectedly powerful forces (such as next month’s Full Moon in Aquarius) to come along and determine your path.

Celebrate the full moon with Capricorn Yoga. To ascertain your personal Moon sign, click here.

Mantra: I know what I feel