Capricorn New Moon / Cancer Full Moon feat. Claire Gallagher

Dec 22

Written By K.O. Myers

Lunar cycles are a fascinating framework

to help us reflect on the ways we move through the world.

I’ve been wanting to evolve the way

we mark the Moon’s journeys here on Mind Witchery,

to get an experienced astrologer’s insight

about how we’re invited to think about life

across an entire Moon cycle.

Astrologer and author Claire Gallagher is our first lunar luminary,

and I cannot wait for you to immerse yourself in her wisdom!

Mentioned:

Astrologer, author, and fabulous human Claire Gallagher’s website is clairegallagher.co.

timewitchery.com/planner, where you can reflect on and set intentions for every lunation with your very own Time Witchery planner.

Make Magic:

This cycle falls during the New Year push,

where you are told by our culture

that you should be different than you are.

The Moon is asking you to reflect on conserving your energy,

and making sure any change, any achievement,

any striving you do is sustainable,

and a careful use of your precious, precious time and energy.

Transcript: Capricorn New Moon / Cancer Full Moon feat. Claire Gallagher

Claire Gallagher: How do I use the Moon cycle? It's a permission slip to just be different every day, and that's all right. We're taught—we're very a solar culture—like, you got to show up the same. But the Moon says, "You can show up differently, and things still move forward. It's OK." And, so, that's really the flexibility of the plan.

Natalie Miller: Oh, I love that so. I don't know. I've never thought of it exactly that way before. But, yeah, the Sun, it kind of steady, steady, steady, just like do, do, do, do. And then the Moon is so responsive. And, I mean, the Sun is also co-creative, right? But the Moon is very obviously co-creative. It's like [laugh], yes, where we are, where the Sun is, the angles, the everything, yeah, it just really shifts and changes a lot. I love that.

[Music]

Natalie Miller: Welcome to Mind Witchery. I'm your host, Natalie Miller, and I'm so glad you're here.

Hello, my friend. Are you ready for a little something new? [laugh] I'm really excited. I've been wanting to do this for a really, really long time. So, if you have been a Mind Witchery listener, you've heard me do episodes for the New Moons, and you've heard me do episodes for the Full Moons.

And what I've always wanted to do, and is finally happening now, is an episode that looks at a particular lunar cycle, so from a New Moon that happens, and then the Full Moon that happens two weeks later, looking at the whole cycle at once, and doing it with an astrologer that I know will bring us some interesting and evocative perspective.

And, so, my very first astrologer guest is the fabulous, brilliant Claire Gallagher, author of Body Astrology, and someone who brings such a different perspective, I find, to how we can relate to the heavenly bodies encircling us. So, Claire, hi, I'm so happy you're here.

Claire Gallagher: Hello. I'm delighted to be here. Thank you, Natalie.

Natalie Miller: Oh, my gosh. OK. Could you talk a little bit about Body Astrology, and even just even more about how your way of looking at the planets is just—it's really different?

Claire Gallagher: Thank you. I pride myself on that as an Aquarius Moon. I like to be a little bit backwards in everything I do. [laugh] Yeah, I like to keep it interesting. So, my biggest passion in astrology is personal authority, and helping my clients not align with anything outside of themselves, and figure out how astrology can really enhance their uniqueness, their quirks, and build a life around those things instead of trying to shove those things in a corner.

So, everything I do, whether it was Body Astrology, which is my book that came out last year, or any new project I'm working on, is always asking the hard questions about what's the point of astrology? Do I really want to align with anything outside of myself? And if I don't, how do I use astrology as a critical thinker and as a free thinker? [laugh]

So, that is my personal torch in astrology. But, in terms of my background, I am [laugh]—which is funny because it doesn't really mesh super on the surface with my rebellious astrology nature—I am a traditional astrologer. So, I do really like the old-school rules and ways things work because it gives my rebellious nature a framework. Like, if you want to break the rules, you kind of got to know what they are first, is sort of my astrology thing. So, that's me, yeah.

Natalie Miller: This is Aquarian AF—

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: —because as you may or may not know, dear listener, Saturn is the ruler of Aquarius, and Saturn is sort of saying, "There is a time-worn way that works well." And, so, that's what I see as like the throwback here. And then but Saturn in Aquarius is also like—oh, what's the complementary phrase, Claire, would you say? There is a time-worn, time-tested way that works and, at the same time, Saturn in Aquarius says—

Claire Gallagher: "Is it still working?" [laugh] Like—

Natalie Miller: Yes.

Claire Gallagher: Yeah.

Natalie Miller: I love that. And listen to that Aquarian perspective right there. It's a question. It's a question. Is it still working? Oh, my gosh, how fun. Well, I had an incredible reading with Claire, and pretty much immediately upon closing the reading, I was like, "Well, when are you coming on Mind Witchery?"

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: [laugh] So, today we are going to talk to you about lunar cycles. I want to get Claire's perspective on lunar cycles generally, and then we will dive into the upcoming lunar cycle, which has a New Moon in Capricorn on December 23rd, and then a Full Moon in Cancer on January 6th. So, you're going to get perspective and questions, as you have come to expect from me, on all of that goodness. So, Claire, Moons, what do you do with Moons?

Claire Gallagher: [laugh] OK. I bet you're expecting this at this point. My perspective on Moon cycles has shifted tremendously since I was a baby astrologer. I used to be obsessed with Moon cycles, and now I think they're definitely important, but I always keep the context that they are more like the backdrop of the bigger narratives in astrology rather than the main event.

And, so, I remember—and I bet some listeners can relate to this—I used to be freaked out by Full Moons in certain signs, like Scorpio or whatever. And then they would come and go, and nothing really notable would occur. And that was actually really healing to notice for 10 years, 12 years, etc., that, yeah, these Moon cycles are cool, but we don't have to hold our breath, or cringe, or wait for something to occur.

We can actually just use them as information to, you know, make little tweaks here and there. But they're nothing that we have to brace for. So, that is my bigger perspective now, is just keeping the context that they're just one piece of a larger narrative of life, and you can take them or you can leave them, but hopefully we're taking them.

Natalie Miller: Yeah, I love that. I always think of Moon cycles, lunar cycles as it's like offering a question or five. [laugh] Like you said, it's not going to like deliver anything.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: And I love this. Like, how does that intertwine with or weave together with your take that, like, astrology is maybe best used for us to be more fully ourselves, and not necessarily align with or depend on or fear [laugh] that which is outside of us?

Claire Gallagher: I think you and I use it very similarly. Like, the main way I interact with astrology, with clients, or in any material I'm creating for my community, etc., it's always with a question. I rarely, if ever, will just say verbatim, "This is what you should do. This is what the astrology says."

I say, "These are the questions that the astrology is posing. Now, what do you think about that?" And, so, I think the Moon cycles offer us a lot of variation in questions throughout the year, and they're all pointing back to, "What do you think about that? What would you like to do with this opportunity or not do with it?"

Natalie Miller: I love how as the Moon kind of does its cycle from newness to fullness back to newness again, and as we cycle through the whole Zodiac, I love how our attention is drawn to a different kind of aspects and components, right?

Claire Gallagher: Mm-hmm.

Natalie Miller: So, you know, astrologers will say, "A New Moon is for this, and a Full Moon is for that." What's the kind of question you like to ask around a New Moon, or where are you asking? Like, I guess, what are New Moon questions, and what are Full Moon questions, generally?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. I mean, I don't want to get too technical. But sometimes New Moon questions sound more like Full Moon questions, and vice versa, depending on where the Moon is and who it's talking to. But the way astrology has typically been used is, like, New Moon adds, and Full Moon takes away, or waxing and waning. And I find a lot of issue with that, so, especially when it comes to what was formally my focus, which is physical astrology.

You know, that's when we get into dangerous territory with waning, like, "What can I take away from my body?" I'm never interested in taking something away from someone's body or experience of wellbeing. So, for me, I'm always asking, "What can I add to my experience to make myself more comfortable?" That's definitely a New Moon question.

But then the Full Moon, we might tweak it to be like, "What can I add to my life that might look like a removal that's still going to add comfort? Like, what can I remove that will add something beneficial?" So, to me, I look at both as something that can enhance our quality of life. There's just a small tweak maybe in the languaging with the question. Hopefully, that makes sense.

Natalie Miller: It totally makes sense. It totally makes sense. I love that reframing of removing in order to add. I think that's so good, and so, like, let's think up an example of that. Like, what does it look like when we remove in order to add? Like, I might, for example, remove a meeting from my team's calendar [laugh] in order to add more open space so that we can be creative, and do what we want to do. Like, we don't need this meeting. What we really need is more time and space, but that might be an example.

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. You and I are definitely on the same page. So, for me, like recently, I removed everything from my calendar except one project, because I wanted to add that massive project to my repertoire. And I was able to finish it very quickly because I eliminated all the other things that really weren't my main focus. So, in that way, it opened up a lot of creativity for me. I'm not a multitasker. I've learned that.

Natalie Miller: Yeah. That's so fun. I am a multitasker.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: I do very best when I have, like, three things going on. And if I only have one thing going on, it gets very stuck. And, you know, who knows? That's me and my Pisces Moon over here. [laugh]

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Me and my Pisces Moon is like, "But there's plants. [laugh] But there's" [laugh]—

Claire Gallagher: Yeah, and you got to do it your way, and that's why astrology is so wonderful.

Natalie Miller: I love it. I love it. OK. So, this particular lunar cycle that is coming is on the Capricorn-Cancer axis because the Capricorn New Moon is initiating it, and then the Cancer Full Moon comes after that. So, what I'm hearing you say—which I'm loving this—is that, right now, what we would be thinking is, in the realm of Capricorn, what are we adding? What Capricornian—immediately, my mind goes to mountain goat with Capricorn.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: I don't know about you. Immediately, I'm like, "There are goats on mountains."

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: "How is it possible?" [laugh] So, what are we adding there? And then in the realm of Cancer, what are we removing to add? Yeah. Cool. So, let's talk about that axis a little bit. I'm so excited to hear how you see the Capricorn-Cancer axis. What are we learning to balance? What are we negotiating with and navigating in Cancer and Capricorn?

Claire Gallagher: I personally think of it as the axis of safety. And both of these signs help us create safety inwardly and outwardly. And, so, instead of seeing them as opposites, I see them very, very complementary. And, so, with Capricorn, especially a New Moon in Capricorn, and the Sun in Capricorn, it always falls. This Moon always falls during the New Year push where you are told by our culture that you should be different than you are, and that requires achieving something, and usually some type of grueling effort.

And that's where I see the Capricorn mountain goat come in, is like, "I'm going to climb this mountain, no matter what. I'm going to get to the top, no matter what, even if it kills me by the end." And, so, the question that I would ask is, "Is this sustainable?" That is a really great Capricorn question. And in that way, you're creating structures that protect your energy and, in that way, that's where I'm coming with safety. For me, protecting my energy is a way I keep myself safe. I don't overwhelm myself. And, so, that's where I see us starting. Is this action—fill in the blank—project, whatever it is that's interesting to you, is this sustainable?

Natalie Miller: Let's dive right into this particular New Moon because it is cardinal AF. [laugh] It's like Jupiter is on the Aries point, squaring this New Moon. So, my friends, we have, like, we have Jupiter at like the initiating degree of the Zodiac—in many people's estimation, right—zero degrees of Aries, and Jupiter, you know, big and bountiful and generous and stretchy [laugh], stretches, stretches us.

Claire Gallagher: Oh, that's a great word.

Natalie Miller: And then we got these mountain goats, and there's like a lot of Capricorn action in this New Moon also. So, the cardinality, what does that say to you about this particular New Moon, just having the extra square to Jupiter boost?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. So, here's a little nuance just for Jupiter in Aries interpretation. So, how is Jupiter in Aries going to do its stretching and growing? It's going to do it in a Mars way because that is the boss of Aries. So, this Jupiter's always looking to Mars for instruction and permission. And we got to remember that during this entire time, Mars is retrograde, and so, really, what's happening here [laugh]—

Natalie Miller: [laugh]

Claire Gallagher: —it's kind of a check-yourself-before-you-wreck-yourself Moon. Like—

Natalie Miller: [laugh]

Claire Gallagher: —you could do that, yeah, you could. You could take all of that on. And you might not like how it feels. And, so, yeah, at first glance, when you see these cardinal signs playing with each other, there is this tendency to call it, oh, bountiful, bossy, let's do this. But the greater context is make sure that you have enough time and enough space. It's not a no; it's just like, let's double-check the timeline on this one.

Natalie Miller: Yeah. Do you know the visual I just got when you mentioned Mars, Mars retrograde in Gemini? And I had not—you know, Mars has been retrograde in Gemini for a while, and is going to be in Gemini for a while. But it's like, you know those carnivals like the Hall of Mirrors?

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Mars is like real pissed off in the Hall of Mirrors, going like, "Who am I? Where am I? I'm just trying to get the fuck out of here."

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: And [laugh] it's like Gemini is like, "But what about this? But what about that? But what about this? But what about that?" And, yeah, do you like that? Does that feel right to you?

Claire Gallagher: Oh, that's so great. Yeah. And these cardinal signs, they're really singular. They're like, "Just give me one thing to do. Like, stop. Stop with all the options," you know. And it's not that they can't get a singular focus or we can't get clear. It's just going to be a little bit more challenging [laugh], and so it's cool to try a couple different things and then, you know, try it and see what works instead of, like, sitting on your hands, or committing to one thing, and biting off too much than you can chew. I think that's the major caution, personally.

Natalie Miller: Yeah. So, when I think of Capricorn, I also think of planners. Like, I think of people who really like to have a plan. Is that an association that you get also?

Claire Gallagher: Oh, yes, definitely [laugh], 100.

Natalie Miller: So, it's sort of like check yourself before you wreck yourself, and this plan. It is important actually in this moment to kind of think about how is—like you said—how is this sustainable? How is this going to unfold? And/but the other little party, the table next door to this lunar table, if we're at a restaurant, has Venus in Capricorn trining Uranus in Taurus. And, to me, these two are having, like, the most, like, boisterous conversation that is definitely disrupting the planning session [laugh] from the New Moon table. How do you see this conversation affecting everything?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. So, when I think from a traditional lens, I understand that Venus might have a lot of plans in Capricorn, but it may not have all the information. It might talk a big talk, but it's not necessarily who I'm going to listen to here in the restaurant. I think these two can get really excited and overambitious. Venus in Capricorn really delights in the plan, like, really delights in the practice of planning, and may kind of—may get caught up in the romanticism of, like, let's make this to-do list.

And with Uranus, I would imagine that Uranus would fan this flame. Like, "Yeah, girl, let's do this. Yes, we can do it." However, when Uranus is involved, I'm always just like, "OK, what's the backup plan?" Because something might shift. You know, I don't want to say you can't do anything big. You can't, you know, have multiple things juggling at one time. But just have a plan B. [laugh] Have a plan B and, also, maybe just really figure out which thing is the most important, and remind Venus and Uranus of that all the time. Of course, you can multitask. Of course you can have a long to-do list. But let's highlight the one thing that's going to move you forward most significantly.

Natalie Miller: Yeah. I love that. It's like your opinion and your rose-colored glasses are actually kind of smudged. [laugh] So, like, not only are they rose-colored, which I love—love you, Venus, for your rose-colored glasses—but also like how clearly are you seeing? And then that Uranus influence here, I mean, I will take a Venus trine Uranus over a Saturn square Uranus, which we've been kind of moving through, any day.

So, what do you think? Like, what is the role of change the unexpected, this Uranian kind of component to the conversation here? If this is a check-yourself-before-you-wreck-yourself kind of lunation, where it's like, OK, you have big ideas or big plans. Just go carefully. Plot your path. Choose your steps carefully, and the plan needs to evolve as you go here. Right?

Sometimes, the Capricornian mountain goat looks up the mountain, and is like, "OK, that's exactly how I'm going to get there." And then as you start making the steps, and taking the steps, and all of the other mountain goats are also taking their steps too, and we're all co-creating together, the plan actually needs to evolve and shift. And, so, maybe here, part of sustainability is how can I stay flexible and open to developments as they arise?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah, and that's a really great Uranian—like, a positive Uranian keyword is, "OK, how can I stay flexible?" Or if you get stuck on something, "How can I do it different?" So, like, if I'm on a writing project, and I get stuck, the way I would use Uranus is be like, OK, well I'm going to do this part backwards because maybe that'll shake things up. So, I'll write this chapter backwards, or I'll start with the last thing, or whatever. That's another really fun way to get your Capricorn on in a way that's not going to be a roadblock, if you will.

Natalie Miller: OK. I have to just take a moment then to tell you all. You know what will help you do this? Time Witchery, my new planner. [laugh]

Claire Gallagher: Oh.

Natalie Miller: Time Witchery is made for exactly this, for like being present, day-to-day. Still got my values. I've got my bigger picture. But my planning is happening in the most responsive-to-my-reality way. So, I will say no more. But like, you know, she's out now, so you are so invited to come and check it out because I think that's what I'm seeing as the approach.

OK. So, Claire, let's come up with like three. We have them already. But let's maybe like pull them out and forward, three great questions to ask ourselves for this check-yourself-before-you-wreck-yourself New Moon—

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: —which I love. I love. I love. [laugh]

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. So, for the New Moon, is this sustainable? Is this flexible? What's my backup plan?

Natalie Miller: And maybe even we could say—this is my coachy self—like, how do I make this sustainable? How do I make this flexible? And what is my backup plan?

Claire Gallagher: Love that, yeah.

Natalie Miller: Because I think, listen, what you want, you go for it. I don't know that we're getting—with all of this, like, initiating energy, I don't know that we're going to be able to resist it, right? So, it's like, OK, but as you do it, let's remember to make it sustainable and flexible, and to have a backup plan. I love it. Listen, can I tell you, you are setting an incredibly high bar for these lunar episodes.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: [laugh] This is like the best. OK.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh] Oh, my god.

Natalie Miller: It's true. It's true. I knew you were the perfect person. I just like—I had this zing. And, yes, this is so good. OK. So, when you're thinking about the Cancer part of the Capricorn-Cancer axis, what are we balancing here? What are we negotiating? What are we navigating?

Claire Gallagher: Comfort and production.

Natalie Miller: So, it's the safety access, and we've got kind of productivity, production on one side, and then we've got comfort, and like there's some other word over here too.

Claire Gallagher: Do I like this? Does this support me? [laugh] Does this feel good? [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Yeah. I think support or nurture. Like, there's like something. It's comfort, but it's also like that nurturing element I think over on the Cancer side, yeah. And, of course, a Full Moon in Cancer is extra special because the Moon, as you said, is the boss.

Claire Gallagher: Yeah, the Moon is the boss.

Natalie Miller: The Moon is the CEO of Cancer. [laugh] So, what do you see as that kind of added significance or opportunity here?

Claire Gallagher: I think anytime the Moon is the boss of anything [laugh], it's a really great opportunity to accept and respect the natural ebb and flow of your life, and that includes your physical energy, your emotions, the way your schedule needs to ebb and flow. The Moon is—think about watching it in the sky. It's the planet that changes its shape the most. It moves the fastest. And so, to me, it reflects the human condition most appropriately [laugh], most directly, because we change every day.

We wake up differently, and so I think the Moon—and this is another, like, how do I use the Moon cycle?—it's a permission slip to just be different every day, and that's all right. We're taught—we're very a solar culture—like, you got to show up the same. But the Moon says, "You can show up differently, and things still move forward. It's OK." And, so, that's really the flexibility of the plan.

Claire Gallagher: When I think of Cancer—and I have some natal [laugh] planets there—I think about comfort zones, and I'm like, "Can we normalize the fact that comfort zones are awesome?" [laugh] We're always told in our Capricornian solar culture that we need to make ourselves uncomfortable in order to get what we want. And Cancer says, "Well, that ain't true. I can actually get what I want by being comfortable, and making structures that feel good to me, and not apologizing for those structures."

And, so, when these two signs work together, it's quite beautiful because Capricorn creates the outer structures that Cancer wants to feel inwardly structured and safe. And, so, in my view, Cancer lets Capricorn happen, and Capricorn lets Cancer happen. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Yeah, I love that. I also love thinking about, you know, if Capricorn is the mountain goat [laugh], just like, "Yeah, it's fucking cold out here, and who cares? I'm a mountain goat. Like, I'm built for this." Right?

Claire Gallagher: [laugh] I'm built for this.

Natalie Miller: Like, "I'm built for this. I'm going to the top. No, it doesn't look like it's possible to do this and, yet, here I am, doing it." Right?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah.

Natalie Miller: Cancer as the crab living—like, its home is itself. [laugh] Right? And I love thinking about how a crab moves through the world sideways.

Claire Gallagher: Oh, totally.

Natalie Miller: There is not a straight line. Now, there isn't a straight line for the mountain goat either. The mountain goat has to zigzag, but you wouldn't think so from the mountain goat's perspective. It's like, "No, that's the straight line up." Right?

But, like, the crab very purposefully does not ever go forward. It always moves side to side, and so I love this idea of this kind of comfort zone as an expansive place, meaning, like, it's not a linear goal-oriented sort of thing. It's like what are the routines and the rituals and the surroundings? What's all around me that helps? Not what's up there that I'm headed toward, but what's all around me? Yeah.

Claire Gallagher: That's beautiful, yeah, 100%. Like, how am I going to decorate my crab shell to get this mountain goat from A to B? And that's what I mean by Cancer lets Capricorn happen, is like in order for those to get to the top, whatever that is for you, like, there has to be a recharging. There has to be a taking care. There has to be sustenance to get you from one place to the other. And leaving room for the sideways waddle is something I'm a big fan of as well. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Yeah, me too. So, this particular lunation, the Sun, of course, is in Capricorn, and the Moon is in Cancer, and the Sun is conjoining a Mercury retrograde. And I—we were talking about this before we started recording.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: I said, "I think 2023 starting with this Mercury retrograde is sort of like we are rolling out of bed, and we're getting to 2023 whenever we damn well feel like it. We are not in a hurry to get into 2023."

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: [laugh] So, we were vibing on that.

Claire Gallagher: Oh, I loved that.

Natalie Miller: Yeah, right? And, so, in this Full Moon with Mercury there in Capricorn, bunk bed roommates with the Sun [laugh], where does your attention go for that?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. So, when I think about the Sun being conjunct any planet, especially this close, I have to remember that the other planet can't see anything because the Sun is so bright, right? So, this lunation, Mercury, it really just, like I said earlier, it doesn't have all of the information right now. No big deal. It's cool. It'll happen. But, right now, maybe we don't know all the facts, all of the details. We can't really see the full picture. And letting that be OK is an important part, I think, of this lunar cycle.

Natalie Miller: Yes, 100% agree. It's interesting, maybe you are conjuring this like oppositionalism in me [laugh], this rebellion in me—

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: —because I'm also thinking it's like we don't have all the information and, at the same time, there's this kind of like, yeah, but what do you know you need to thrive? OK. We don't know where we're going, and we don't know what's happening, but we do know that sleep is really helpful. We do know, you know what, when I lay down on my enormous heating pad—that's my new thing, Claire. I bought one of those—

Claire Gallagher: Ooh.

Natalie Miller: —giant—

Claire Gallagher: Sign me up.

Natalie Miller: —crystal mats. Woman, like—

Claire Gallagher: Oh, geez.

Natalie Miller: —it's amazing. So, I like lay this human-sized heating pad out on the ground, and I lie down on it, and it's like, yeah, that helps. And, so, at the same time, we don't have all the information, like, what do you know about what you need to thrive?

Claire Gallagher: And that's that felt sense of Cancer. Like, OK, so I might not know all the Capricorn details—like what date this should happen; what are the outline for this project?—but I know that in order to get there, I just need a nap. [laugh] Like, what feels good is the knowledge that you will have access to that body wisdom, that felt sense, knowledge, and the rest will come—maybe even in just a few days. It's, you know, it's not a big deal. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Yeah. And beautifully, not for nothing, what feels good is what you need to know to keep your Capricornian shit flexible and sustainable.

Claire Gallagher: Mic drop.

Natalie Miller: Right?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah, exactly.

Natalie Miller: Like, yeah, yeah. And that's how these axes really work well together, right? It's like a romantic couple and, you know, they're like very different, and totally perfect together because of their differences.

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. I married in opposition to me, and it worked out OK. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Yes, I love it. Actually, I'm a Pisces Moon, and my partner is a Virgo Moon, and that works extremely well.

Claire Gallagher: Ooh. A Virgo Sun, Pisces Sun marriage over here. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Oh, yes. [laugh] It's really good. It's really good.

Claire Gallagher: That's really funny. I love it.

Natalie Miller: Yeah, it's so fun. OK. All right. So, what are our questions then for this Full Moon? I love—if you're cool with it—I love that, like, what feels good? What feels good? And I also love, "What do you know you need to thrive?" And that's in that kind of rituals, routines. Even if it's like, wow, when I eat dinner at a table with a person [laugh], like that actually—that's pretty much guaranteed to feel pretty great. It's like, OK, cool. So, then, how do we bring that to the forefront? Is there another question you have in mind for this Moon?

Claire Gallagher: That's funny. I think you took all the words out of my mouth because my question on my notes over here is, "How can I make this comfy?"

Natalie Miller: What feels good, and how can I make this comfy? I just—yes. And thank you so much for pointing out our weird-ass aversion to comfort zones.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh] I'm so glad that you resonated with that because I love being comfortable, and it's where I'm the most creative. And I hate that I'm told all the time, "You're doing it wrong," because I want to be comfortable. I'm not. I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Right. Yeah. Soon, I'll have an interview coming out with a woman named Erika Tebbens, and what we talk about in that interview is that, like, the best way to make change in the world is to do what's easiest. Right?

Claire Gallagher: Yes. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: It's like here, I'm thinking in order to make cha…I'm like very in mountain goat perspective when it comes to change-making. It's like, "How am I going to scale this?" And it's like, actually, could you just make a little extra dinner, and give it to someone [laugh], like, if you like to cook, and just letting things be easy? Yeah. So, I love—

Claire Gallagher: I love that.

Natalie Miller: I love that as a message.

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. My Venus in Cancer says, "Yes, that is the way."

Natalie Miller: Yes. I love it so much. Oh, so excellent. Claire, what fun to have you here with me today. You're coming back, I mean, if you're willing.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh] I would love to.

Natalie Miller: Because this was like the most delightful co-creation, I have to tell you. It's just so much fun.

Claire Gallagher: The feeling's mutual, for sure.

Natalie Miller: Yes, excellent. So, tell the good people what you have going on right now. Like, what are you bringing into the world that you'd love for them to know about?

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. Well, I think Mind Witchery listeners would really love a workshop that I have that you can get at any time. It's called Guided. I love how you use the word "conjure" all the time because that's kind of how I view my relationships with the planets. I'm like, "Yo, Mercury, I'm conjuring you up. Let's have a conversation about what the hell's happening right now."

And, so, in Guided, I essentially teach you how to talk to the planets like they're your team of assistance or your best friends, and you have just really honest conversations, and get insight about things that really matter to you, without having to know anything about astro. So, it removes all the jargon, and makes it really, really playful. So, if you're into journaling or creative writing or screenwriting or movies, like, you're really going to love Guided. And you can find that at my website at clairegallagher.co/guided.

Natalie Miller: Oh, my gosh, that sounds so evocative. I just—

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: I love learning that is really engaging, and so creative writing to kind of really understand not from a, "This is what this person told me this thing means," but rather from this like, "What does it feel like to converse with this aspect of energy in my life?" I just—I think that is so phenomenal.

Claire Gallagher: Well, like, dress Mercury in clothes. Like, what does Mercury look like? What kind of a messenger bag does Mercury have, and glasses, and what's the music? Like, you really just learn to set the scene, and then the conversation flows. And, so, it really removes the astrologer from the equation, and allows you to have a direct line to the planets and their insight.

Natalie Miller: Oh, my gosh, I love it so much. And, of course, my natal Mercury is in Scorpio, and I just got this vision of like a tattooed San Franciscan bike delivery driver, like, that is my—

Claire Gallagher: One hundred percent. [laugh] Yes.

Natalie Miller: [laugh] That's my Mercury. Oh, my gosh.

Claire Gallagher: [laugh]

Natalie Miller: No wonder they never have time for me. [laugh]

Claire Gallagher: Yeah. Now, everything just makes so much more sense [laugh], and so—

Natalie Miller: Everything makes so much sense.

Claire Gallagher: —you're just going to try talking to this Mercury in a way that it's going to understand. [laugh]

Natalie Miller: Probably with coffee and/or bourbon. [laugh] I don’t know.

Claire Gallagher: Yeah, a little bit of both.

Natalie Miller: Maybe a little bit of both, yeah. Oh, my gosh, Claire, thank you so much. My friend, I hope you enjoyed this conversation.

Claire Gallagher: Oh, I did.

Natalie Miller: And I'm so excited, every listener, for you to get to experience all of these rich and different perspectives as we move through the lunar cycles, you'll be able to find these questions that we asked in the transcript to the episode. So, I transcribe every episode for you because I want it to be as accessible as possible, so you can find the questions there. And/or if you're a Time Witchery person, then you receive the lunar questions right on time for the Moon so that you can do your New and Full Moon journaling right there in your Time Witchery planner. So, thank you, Claire, for being here. So fun.

Claire Gallagher: Thanks for having me. It was a blast. I loved it.

Natalie Miller: All right. OK. Excellent. Thanks so much for listening, everyone. Bye for now.

[Music]

Thank you for listening to this episode of Mind Witchery. To catch all the magic I’m offering, please subscribe to the show, or if you want a little bit of weekly witchiness in your inbox, sign up for my Sunday Letter at mindwitchery.com. If today’s episode made you think of a friend or loved one, your sister, your neighbor, please tell them about it. We need more magic-makers in this troubled world.

Like all good things, this podcast is co-created by stellar people. Our music is by fabulous DJ, artist, and producer, Shammy Dee. Our gorgeous art is by the sorcerers at New Moon Creative. Mind Witchery is produced in conjunction with Particulate Media, K.O. Myers, executive producer. And I am Natalie Miller. Till next time.

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K.O. Myers

Capricorn New Moon / Cancer Full Moon feat. Claire Gallagher

Potency Potion 3 - Growth Mindset

Potency Potion 2 - Vibes and Values