The far side of the Moon and the battlefield of gender.
This satellite picture, recently released on February 4, represents a dramatic shift in perspective. The Moon is massive—while Earth is a far-away, smaller sphere. It’s the best image, to date, of the far side of the Moon.
It’s also synchronistic. I’m fascinated by how what’s in the sky echoes what happens here on the ground, and astronomical discoveries are no exception. The Moon, which rules security-oriented Cancer, has long been associated with women and emotion. Here, its long-mysterious “dark side” is revealed—dwarfing the day-to-day earthly realm. The image suggests how perspectives are similarly shifting on Earth as women take on larger roles across the globe.
Watching a sea of newly elected Congressional women give a heartily ironic standing ovation to Trump at Tuesday’s State of the Union address was profound. Gracefully dressed in white to honor women’s suffrage, the most diverse Congress ever transformed what might otherwise have been a tense moment into a humorous, pointed rebuke.
Why does gender feel such like a battlefield? While there are a number of cosmic indications of these trends, the moon’s nodes are a good start. Collectively, the transiting nodes can highlight societal shifts—and with January’s full moon also conjunct the transiting nodes in Cancer and Capricorn, it’s no surprise we’re grappling with gender. These two signs, more than others in the zodiac, reflect traditional gender roles: the archetypal mother in nurturing, sensitive, homebody Cancer, the patriarchal father in hard-working, business-like Capricorn.
As the nodes move along the Cancer-Capricorn axis over the next year and a half, there’s little doubt we’ll see continuing dialogue around these issues. 2020’s crowded presidential field has a historic four women candidates (so far), while #Metoo and the now-annual Women’s March continue to create seismic shifts in the U.S. Meanwhile, a conservative segment remains deeply entrenched, determined to drag its feet.
Ultimately, this Cancer-Capricorn opposition involves getting in touch with nurturing, connection, and fundamental security. The two signs have more in common than it might seem: both are highly protective in their own ways, but for both, identifying what genuinely nourishes and grounds may require gently facing fears or wounds (something neither end of this axis is particularly comfortable doing). Still, as we’re discovering, there is no contradiction between sensitivity and masculinity, between assertiveness and femininity. We all contain multitudes.