June's Full Moon, the "Strawberry Moon," Could Have You Revising Your Definition of Success
The sun's annual trip through Cancer has just begun, bringing with it lots of opportunities to connect with loved ones, get in your feelings, and renew your commitment to nurturing yourself. It's fitting that the cardinal water sign hosts one of the sweetest and most action-packed chapters of summertime. And given all the heavy-duty astrology that Gemini season served up — from an eclipse season to Mercury retrograde and Saturn-Uranus square — the Crab's heartfelt homebody vibes should also feel like a welcome reprieve. And you can also rest assured that the first lunar event of Cancer SZN looks like it'll be a mostly benevolent one.
June 2021's full moon — happening on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 2:39 p.m. ET/11:39 a.m. PT exactly, nicknamed the "strawberry moon" — will occur in the cardinal earth sign Capricorn. Here's what it means and how you can get the most out of this luck-bringing, confidence-boosting moment.
Alex Sandoval
What Full Moons Mean
In astrology, the moon serves as your emotional compass, ruling over your intuition and sense of security. Every month, the point at which it reaches its most full, shimmery, and luminous tends to put extra emphasis on those lunar themes.
Full moon vibes are also notorious for upping the wild factor. You run an errand and can't help but run into congested traffic and road rage at every turn, your neighbors are partying on a weeknight, or a client calls you with irrational demands. That said, it's worth investigating what's really going on at the root of these WTF moments. Full moons turn up the volume on emotions — especially those that are often ignored so that you can carry on day to day without having to deal with anything uncomfortable. But this lunar phase tends to bring any pent-up feels to a boiling point so that you have to deal with it once and for all. That's why full moon drama tends to be the result of people reaching that point and projecting — or, ideally, talking about — any previously brushed-aside pain, trauma, or stress.
Full moons are also a culminating point of a regular astrological cycle. Everyone has narratives that kick off around a new moon and then come to a natural conclusion at a full moon six months later. (Reminder: New moons are the opposite of full moons, when the celestial body isn't illuminated by the sun from our vantage point and it appears completely dark.) This June 24 full moon in Capricorn is linked to the new moon that happened on January 12-13, 2021. Think back to that time period — just after the new year and on the heels of the Capitol riots, in the midst of a contentious, drama-filled pandemic winter — and how things that had just begun for you personally might now be reaching an organic conclusion, climax, or endpoint.
Regardless of how the lunar event hits your natal chart, you could notice its intensity, but if it is interacting with your chart in a significant way (more on that below), you could feel particularly antsy, emotional, or sensitive. The main thing to bear in mind, though, is that full moons serve as valuable checkpoints for examining deep-rooted feelings and completing one chapter before forging ahead into another.
Themes of This Capricorn Full Moon
The June 2021 full moon has been referred to as the "strawberry moon," according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The name stems from the fact that the end of June is peak season for strawberries to ripen. They note that the moon has also been called the "full rose moon" in Europe and also the "honey moon."
That "fruit of the earth" theme is right in line with the ruler of this full moon: earth sign Capricorn, symbolized by the Goat, is ruled by Saturn, the planet of boundaries, restrictions, and structure. The sign is also the ruler of the tenth house of career and public image. Those born with placements in the pragmatic sign are hard workers (okay, sometimes workaholics) who act in a slow, steady, calculated way to ultimately achieve, succeed, earn recognition, and reach the peak of whatever mountain they've set their hearts on climbing. Caps are wired to step into powerful positions and claim status. All of that said, this full moon will have you reflecting on your own achievements and sense of personal power as well as discipline, boundaries, and the work you've done — or perhaps still need to do — to feel like you're on track.
It also pays to consider the full moon's relationship to the sun's position in Cancer, which can't help but make you even more conscious of your home, family, roots, intuition, and core emotional identity. How have these aspects of your life informed your definition of success and path to attaining it? And how might you need to recalibrate your game plan while still honoring your past? And perhaps most importantly, what gains have you achieved slowly and steadily that you haven't given yourself nearly enough credit for? (Related: Developing This Type of Resilience Can Help You Achieve Major Personal Growth)
Cap is known all too well for continually setting the bar higher. That's why they often end up making a name for themselves as CEOs, personal trainers, or lawmakers who innately understand how to harness the power of set rules and structure to hit their lofty goals. But their Achilles' heel is struggling to take a time-out, to slow down, and to truly revel in what they've accomplished. And that's where the lesson of this full moon comes in. Pitting Cancerian nurturing energy against Capricornian workaholism, you'll be pushed to strike a balance between caring for yourself emotionally and putting your nose to the grindstone to get concrete results. It might be time to bust that Cap mold and chill, giving yourself a well-deserved break filled with all the summery pleasures that early Cancer season has to offer.
Several other planets and aspects will come into play during this event as well. The main force at play is the full moon's friendly, easygoing sextile to Jupiter, the planet of fortune and expansion, bringing luck and a sense of wide-eyed optimism. And because Jupiter is currently in water sign Pisces, emotions around this full moon run deep and can feel super-romantic and almost magical. With the moon in tradition-loving Cap sextiling Jupiter in empathic, mushy, mystical Pisces, you might want to take a summer friday or a day off to enjoy more quality time with loved ones, maybe catching up and sharing what's in your heart at your fave lake or beachside destination.
But it wouldn't be a full moon without a bit of drama, and for that, you can look to romantic Venus, currently in Cancer, opposing transformative Pluto in Capricorn, highlighting any power struggles or possessiveness in relationships. At the same time, the second Saturn-Uranus square of 2021, which was exact on June 14, continues to create tension between the old guard and an interest in rebelling against the status quo. And thanks to the Saturnian nature of this full moon, the square's restriction- and change-triggering effects could be particularly noticeable around the lunar event.
Who the Capricorn Full Moon Will Affect the Most
If you were born when the sun was in the sign of Capricorn — annually from approximately December 22 to January 19 — or with your personal planets (in addition to the sun, that includes the moon, Mercury, Venus, or Mars) in Capricorn (something you can learn from your natal chart), you'll feel this full moon more than most. (See: Guide to the 12 Zodiac Signs, Their Meanings, and Their Dates)
If you want to get even more specific, check to see if you have a personal planet in Cap falling within five degrees of the full moon (3 degrees). If so, you could feel even more reflective about your personal success, in your feelings, and craving fulfilling, spiritual connection with loved ones.
Similarly, if your rising sign/ascendant falls in a fellow cardinal sign — Aries (cardinal fire), Cancer (cardinal water), Libra (cardinal air) — this could be a productive moment for checking yourself on relationship and security issues, as the full moon will affect your fourth house of home life (Aries), tenth house of career (Libra), or seventh house of partnership (Cancer). It's also worth checking your natal chart to see if any of your personal planets fall in a cardinal sign and within five degrees of 3 Capricorn, as in that case, you'll feel this full moon more than others.
The Heartening Takeaway
Full moons can always set the stage for volatility and drama, but they also provide us with fertile ground for emotional breakthroughs, unparalleled self-reflection, and the chance to reach an exciting culmination point. And this time around, that positive upshot is more likely to be on the table, given that hardworking Capricorn — with an assist from spiritual Pisces — are helming this lunar moment.
As a cardinal sign, Capricorns are natural-born initiators who show us the beauty of thinking in a sweeping, big picture way. But given their ruling planet Saturn's preoccupation with rules, foundations, structures, and restrictions, it's no surprise Cap can get hung up on all the rules of the road, missing out on just how much ground they've covered over the long-haul. That's why this full moon serves as a wake-up call to enjoy all the fruit — perhaps, specifically strawberries! — of your labor. After all, as Cancer season will remind time and again, your emotional compass needs regular maintenance. And if you've got both results to show for all your hard work and a happy, healthy heart, is there really anything sweeter?
Maressa Brown is a writer and astrologer with more than 15 years of experience. In addition to being Shape's resident astrologer, she contributes to InStyle, Parents, Astrology.com, and more. Follow her Instagram and Twitter at @MaressaSylvie.
