Reflection: Cancer Full Moon - The Cost of Caretaking & the Gift of Remembering
"Your body is not a problem to solve.
It's a sacred messenger guiding you home."
~Sonia Ricotti
During our formative years (approximately ages 0–7), we are our nervous system—like a sponge absorbing everything around us, including what is happening within our caregivers’ nervous systems.
As babies and children, we couldn’t yet communicate our needs at the level of the nervous system, so we learned to shift, adapt, and accommodate what was happening in others. Because these behaviors were learned so early, many of us continue to process other people’s emotions and experiences as a way of caring, even when it comes at the cost of abandoning ourselves.
For many of us, love and belonging were tied to self-abandonment—disconnecting from the wisdom of our bodies in order to be accepted. As we move through life, the characters may change, but the story often remains the same.
Under the energy of the Cancer Full Moon—often associated with the archetype of the Mother—we gathered at the edges of the lake of our lives. We explored how the mother role showed up for us, what may have shaped their behaviors, and how these experiences influenced the ways we nurture others while neglecting ourselves.
Through this reflection, many recognized shared patterns, including:
Believing our value comes from caregiving or fixing others
Giving endlessly with little or no reciprocity
Feeling deeply lonely while carrying all the responsibility
Over-responsibility for others’ emotions and needs
Ensuring everyone else is okay before tending to ourselves
Treating others’ needs as urgent emergencies, even when they are not
By witnessing that these patterns are collective rather than personal failures, we remembered: we are not alone. And just as others have changed these ways, so can we—now that awareness has opened the door to conscious choice.
During our release ritual, we offered these patterns to the sacred waters and asked Mother Earth to transmute what was released, creating space to receive what we so freely give away. Song, anointed water with Gaia Sophia oil, and an owl wing blessed each sister—cleansing what was let go and inviting curiosity around a new way of living: putting our own air mask on first.
The energy of the circle shifted into a felt sense of possibility, freedom, and expansion.
We need circle now more than ever. In these unprecedented times, gathering together helps us stay deeply rooted in our power and love—so we can rise for our communities and for what is right.
Join us for upcoming Wildflower circles:
New Moon in Capricorn · Monday, 1/19/26 · 7–9 PM
Full Moon in Leo · Monday, 2/2/26 · 7–9 PM
New Moon in Aquarius & Solar Eclipse · Wednesday, 2/18/26 · 7–9 PM
[Reserve Your Spot in Circle Here]
May you remember: you belong exactly as you are.
