Super Full Moon in Cancer- January,1-2 2018- The Necessity of Empathy

We end 2017 and begin 2018 with the vital reminder to keep our hearts open. Cancer, the mother, nurturer, and feeler of the zodiac reminds us we all possess an essential gift.

Empathy.

Often shamed and at best misunderstood, empathy is often labeled too sensitive, too emotional, and too delicate. As a highly sensitive empath myself, I know this judgment well.

If you are one of those “sensitive people”, you probably feel different.

It is because you just might be.

Science is finally catching up to what sensitive people have always felt. In the 1980’s scientists discovered unique neurons in the brains of monkeys that fired merely by observing the actions of another monkey. Coined “mirror neurons”, empathic people tend to have more of them and thus, higher states of empathy. These neurons enable a person to put themselves in someone else’s shoes- literally.

Empathy is not merely a psychological function. We are wired for it. It is also not the same as sympathy. Brene brown, a leading shame and empathy researcher, describes empathy as the ability to walk beside someone in his or her own pain while sympathy is looking from a distance. One creates connection and the other disconnection. (Check out her Ted Talk on empathy)

Empathy is what is needed to heal shame, despair and our darkest places. We are living in empathy deficient times. What we are lacking is listening to understand not judge, the ability to feel, the ability to sit awhile in another’s shoes and to trust the highest yearnings of our hearts.

To be able to feel what is happening on a more significant level is a challenge, but it also enables incredible change.

We cannot heal what we cannot feel.

This Full moon opposition the Sun, Venus, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn reminds us of the need to correct the balance between

the head and heart,

logic and intuition,

reason and feeling,

individuality and connection,

masculine and feminine.

In fact, those are the themes we will be working with throughout the whole year.

There is no mistake we begin the year setting the stage for healing through connection.

So, as we set our intentions for the year to come let us align with empathy first.

To lead with our hearts.

To allow our feelings to offer their wisdom.

To learn from our past.

To balance BEing and Doing.

To offer compassion and gratitude – starting with ourselves.