At 3:06PM ET on Thursday, Moon entered the (usually) nurturing sign of Cancer, seeking to fulfill its need for emotional security and the comforts of home and family. If only it were so simple, given the potential for shake-ups and power plays suggested by Moon’s interaction with ruthless Pluto and rebel Uranus, exact Friday at 9:34AM ET and 12:34AM ET, respectively. The Moon reaches its fullness at 5:21AM ET on Friday, echoing the suggestion of a release of whatever emotions/energy have been building over the past several days.  On the plus side, the disruption you may experience offers the potential for profound revelation (Uranus) and transformation (Pluto). If you are feeling disrupted, look for the silver lining. It has to be in there — somewhere.

You are more likely to be feeling the impact of this powerful Full Moon if you were born between the 25th and 31st of March, June, September and December…or if you have a planet or angle between 4 and 10 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. If you are not sure if this applies to you, consult your local astrologer, who would be only too happy to honor this Holiday Special: A One-Hour Astro-logical Consultation (at a very reasonable and fabulous price), which is being offered for purchase through January 1, 2013 (to be scheduled in the New Year).

One of the silver linings of this Full Moon is that it goes void-of-course at 9:43AM ET, not to enter the next sign (Leo), until 2:45AM  on Sunday. Chill, baby, chill — and take the time to process whatever needs to be processed after this day of (likely) rich emotional focus on what makes you feel secure or feel at home. (Note to the Universe: the jackhammers that have been outside my window all morning are not contributing to that feeling of home-y security). Avoid the temptation to go mad at the malls, as impulse purchases made during Moon voids rarely turn out to be as useful as thought. Those items will still be on sale next week, and probably marked down even further.

The other silver lining of the Full Moon is the awesome potential for support, structure and discipline offered by taskmaster Saturn. Whatever realization and/or need for change hits you this weekend, now is the time to put on your big girl panties — or your boxers/tighty-whiteys — and be prepared to do the hard work required to make these changes happen. This applies to changes required for growth in your own personal world and in the collective world. We are all in this together. Each of us has the power to make a positive contribution as an individual, which is a good thing, because we are going to need those positive contributions as we navigate the challenges of the next few years.

What kind of contributions? Funny you should ask. With the Moon in emotional security-seeking Cancer, I was struck by an article about an inventive and extraordinary physics teacher (reflecting Mars currently in a sextile with techno-geek Uranus) who discovers a powerful force that appears to transcend the laws of physics. I guarantee you will be moved by this article and will likely forward it to others.

This force is also the key component in a book I was given for Christmas — The Divine Law of Compensation by Marianne Williamson. Money as a means to security is another Cancerian theme worth contemplating during this long Moon in Cancer void, and Williamson happens to be a Cancer with Moon in enterprising Capricorn; information-junkie Gemini on the Ascendant. Thus she is utterly inclined to present succinct edicts — some of which you may have heard before — on removing blocks we ourselves have created that limit the flow of compensation for work that is divinely inspired. And yes, the book is idealistic (her Sun is conjunct Venus),  boldly unique and innovative/”out-there” (rebel Uranus is also conjunct the Sun); filled with faith (Sun-Venus-Uranus is square nebulous Neptune) that offers grand resources for material reward (Jupiter in Taurus square mental Mercury and potent Pluto in Leo). Williamson’s Mars is in Scorpio, so you can be sure she’s produced something of depth and substance. Birth data: July 8 1952 at 3:53AM in Houston, TX — very intriguing horoscope.

Sunday features the annual meet-up of the Sun with Pluto (8:37AM ET),  suggesting news from underground and a reach for power. Pluto refers to nuclear issues, mines, volcanoes, things coming to the surface after being long-buried. In Japan, US military personnel are suing Tokyo Electric Power Company for TEPCO’s alleged failure to disclose the truth about leaked radiation in the wake of the 2011 tsunami which shut down the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, in Washington, alleged lawmakers have convened for a rare late-December session to try to work out a few pressing fiscal issues, including the “fiscal cliff”.  Friday’s meeting at the White House could be good for brainstorming, given the Moon void — but no final decisions should be made. Sunday would be an appropriate day to act with empowerment and reach an accord, given potent and cooperative planetary patterns…but as astrologer Noel Tyl always says, “Planets don’t do things. People do”.

The Moon will be in Leo as of 2:45AM ET Sunday. This is a festive, fiery energy that is excellent for play, royal drama or a “teachable moments” (Leo can be an awesome coach). Be mindful while you are out and about this weekend, as in: be exceptionally aware of your surroundings and the people near you. The fallout from this Full Moon is intense; some are not processing it well. I am writing this from the perspective of a New Yorker who notes that a second man was pushed in front of an oncoming subway train last night, apparently by a total stranger (a young woman) in a seemingly random encounter.

I hope this forecast finds you enjoying only good things from the break this holiday week usually inspires (and which planetary patterns this year do support).