Gifts of Oppositions — Cancer and Capricorn

In celebration of tomorrow’s full moon in Capricorn which coincides with the Winter (in Australia) Solstice, I wanted to share the last instalment of my ‘Gifts of Oppositions’ series, focusing on the lesson of the Cancer / Capricorn axis, ‘duality.’

Some say that all oppositions teach us about duality, and there is truth in this, however I feel it comes through most strongly in this pair. Potentially it is because of Cancer’s affiliation with the 4th house – the most deeply rooted, private part of our chart – and Capricorn’s affiliation with the 10th house – the most public facing, achievement orientated part. Or perhaps it is because, ruled by the Moon, Cancer is strongly tied to the mother archetype, whilst Capricorn, ruled by Saturn in both the traditional and modern systems, is associated with the Father. Or because Cancer signifies the beginning of the (northern hemisphere) summer – ripening, fertility – and Capricorn is the beginning of winter – decay, composting. But, when we think of the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year – what we are actually celebrating is the return of the light. From here, the days lengthen. The seeds of nutritive Cancer are found in sparse Capricorn, and visa versa.

Today I was reflecting on how the yin and yang aspects of our personality are often relegated to different spheres. In the dominant patriarchal culture, we ‘put on’ our Yang aspect when we go into the world and the workplace, and save our ‘Yin’ face for when we are home, among our nearest and dearest. Much has been said about the paucity of this artificial separation and the need for circular rather than authoritarian leadership; respecting intuition as equal to logic.

However, I feel that for the women who consciously cultivate women-centred spaces, the opposite can occur. We’re told we have to ‘be in our feminine’ as an antidote to the dominant culture, but that in its own way can become a limitation. We may feel shamed if we’re not a stay at home mum, if we don’t like flowy boho skirts, if we’re ‘too loud’. But feminine with no masculine is also imbalanced. The invitation is to carry both within us, in shifting but equally important measures.