July 2022: Tarot spread for the full moon in Capricorn

Plus some journaling questions, an astro-tarot forecast and an exploration of the Sabian symbol for the full moon in Capricorn.

The July 2022 full moon falls in the sign of Capricorn. Symbolized by the mountain goat, which maintains perfect balance while it climbs over precarious rock ledges, the Capricorn archetype is one of disciplined and dogged determination towards the attainment of our worldly desires.

Spiritually, the Capricorn archetype teaches us about integrity and helps us to harness the ability to plan our work, and stick to it, no matter what. In these times of 24×7 consumption culture, it’s easy to be addicted with shiny object syndrome and forget about our goals and plans. Capricorn teaches us about the meaning of integrity: to align ourselves with our highest ideals and actualize our potential.

This full moon also highlights our personal power and the role we play in society, as well as the ways in which we contribute to the world. Some of us contribute in big and beautiful ways – through social activism, teaching, sharing of wisdom and knowledge – others in gentle, smaller ways – among our families and communities. Both ways of being in the world are valid.

This Capricorn full moon also asks us to take a closer look at our vocation, and to see if we are in right relationship with it. To ask ourselves what we want to focus on, to determine what role our vocation – which I see as somewhat different to a career, though a career can be a vocation – plays out in our life.

Astro-tarot influences for the July 2022 full moon

To throw some more light on the July full moon astrology, let’s take a look at the astro-tarot influences of this lunation. The Capricorn full moon falls in decan 3, which is represented by the 4 of Pentacles. This is to be interpreted in conjunction with The Devil, which is associated with Capricorn.

Looking at these cards, I feel a sense of constriction and contraction. There are things we hold on to so tightly that they enslave us. Things that we could release that would set us free. But either fear of the unknown or the lure of shiny objects holds us firmly in its grip, and we think we can never unshackle ourselves and be free.

With the 4 of Pentacles, the pressing concern is typically over material resources, our relationship with money, and our mindset around scarcity and lack.

But money matters run deep. It would be disingenuous to say “money doesn’t or shouldn’t matter”, because the fact is that it does. On the other hand, our consumerist culture has made us slaves to shiny object syndrome and pushed us to consume far more than we really need. Added to that are our beliefs around money, which, to a large extent, are shaped by our caregivers and the circumstances in which we grew up.

So how do we liberate ourselves from being slaves to capitalism and over consumption?

I think the answer, as always, comes from understanding ourselves better. What were the circumstances in which we grew up? What was the attitude of our caregivers towards money and the lack thereof? How well are we currently resourced? How much stuff do we own? Do we actually use the things we have, or are they just stored away unused and unloved? Do we own our things or do our things own us?

There’s something to be said here for minimalism and simple living. In India, we have a saying that loosely translates to: “you should learn how to live within your means”. I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that. It isn’t “scarcity mindset”, but a pragmatic and grounded knowledge of the resources that we have at our disposal and using them in the best possible way.

In the traditional Indian world view, there was an inherent understanding that beyond a certain point, material objects don’t bring lasting peace or joy. True peace and joy are found in the ability to have a calm mind, so taking on huge amounts of debt in the pursuit of worldly pleasures and desires didn’t make sense, because of the associated stress and anxiety that paying off that debt brings.

And while living debt free is not entirely possible — we do have to take student loans, and loans to buy homes and cars — but even here, we can apply the filter of living within our means. As an example, when you buy a car, take into account not just the amount you need to pay back to the bank every month, but also the running cost of the car — its mileage and service cost and parts also then become factors that guide your decision, as does practicality.

This is where the medicine of the Four of Pentacles paired with The Devil comes in. To be able to take a clear look at what we are holding on to tightly, where we are finding meaning and value, and how we can unshackle ourselves from the hamster wheel of over consumption and comparison, and learn to embrace a simpler, more meaningful, and ultimately freer life.

Sabian Symbol for the July 2022 full moon in Capricorn

The Sabian Symbol for Capricorn 21 degrees is A General Accepting Defeat Gracefully.

In 360 Degrees of Wisdom: The Sabian Oracle, Lynda Hill writes: “There’s an old saying: Winning or losing doesn’t matter as much as how you play the game.” Both victory and defeat are a part of life. How gracefully we can accept defeat “will be the measure of your inner worth both to yourself and others.” Because let’s face it, it isn’t easy to accept defeat {a.k.a failure}.

Accepting failures not only teaches us important life lessons, but also helps us to make changes in the way we approach problems and situations, which opens up the possibility for success. When you realize that the chances of winning a particular fight are slim to none, you can let it go and free up your energy to move on to different things and more rewarding adventures.

Tarot spread for the Capricorn full moon

Here’s a tarot spread to tap into the energy of this full moon.

1. Tightly held: This card will represent something that you’re holding on to tightly — it could be a thought pattern, a project, things, even a mindset. Let your intuition guide you.

2. Loosen control: This card represents how you can loosen the hold

3. Embrace simplicity: This card represents a new perspective — read this in relation to card 1

4. Mamma moon says: This is always an encouraging message

Journaling questions for this full moon

There are no additional journaling questions this time. Take a look at the astro-tarot forecast for a list of questions that you can use in your journal or simply reflect on at this time. I hope they yield some interesting insights.