Around 10pm (UK time) on Sunday, February 1st the moon in Cancer will be in direct opposition to the sun in Capricorn or at least this is how it will appear in the night sky if you were to look at the constellations. The majority of western astrologers will of course say otherwise - the sun is now in Aquarius and the moon in Leo but then this approach is based on the seasons, rather than the actual astronomy, which does conveniently tie in with the neo-pagan/wiccan wheel of the year and the eight sabbats (festivals) of which 'imbolc' (Celtic for 'in the belly/womb' ) is the second, marking the half way point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and is celebrated by christians as candlemas.

The snow moon is regarded as the last full moon of meteorogical winter also known as the storm or hungry moon and will be followed on March 3rd by the worm moon with a variety of alternative names. Between now and then we have the new moon in Aquarius and an annular solar eclipse (visible in the southern hemisphere) on February 17 marking the start of the Chinese new year of the fire horse.

In astrological terms the effect of this full moon in your own life will depend on your natal chart but as a rule of thumb there is the potential for issues with family, home and relationships with the key being to let go of negative energy and be open to the change that is invited at this time.

Mastering the Zodiac describes the sun opposition moon as highlighting tension between conscious goals and emotional needs. It emphasizes the challenge of balancing rational will with intuitive feelings. This aspect encourages awareness of internal polarities and integration of head and heart.

I re-opened the studio/temenos today for the first time this year and was delighted to meet some very enlightened beings who have given me hope that 2026 will turn out to be the year when humanity will perhaps recognise that the healthiest path is the one devoid of external distractions and maybe even enjoy a trend towards animism - Graham Harvey's definition from 'Animism: Respecting the Living World', that "animists are people that recognise that the world is full of persons, only some of whom are human, and that life is always lived in relationship with others". He continues that "animism is more accurately understood as being concerned with learning how to be a good person in respectful relationships with other persons"

As someone with Mercury as my dominant planet I have a natural tendency to do far too much thinking and recently I have come to believe that it does me no good especially given the bombardment of information we are all faced with today, Thus I was rewarded with a timely message in the form of a short video entitled 'The Millipede's Dilemna' - enjoy!