Moonlight Ambitions: The Rise of the Sea-Goat!

Full Moon in Capricorn 2025 – The Buck Moon

On 10th July, the Full Moon rises in the practical, responsible, hardworking, logical, and structured sign of Capricorn. Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn sets the stage for serious, grounded work. It invites us to connect deeply and authentically with our “life’s great work”, and to cultivate this with care and commitment; whatever we perceive this to be.

This work may not be our job, career or professional success; it could be raising our children, finding and expressing our voice, or seeking spiritual fulfilment. In many respects, it is less about what we do and more about why we do it. It is about our dedication to what truly matters to us, and working with intention and integrity.

In many ways this lunation is a moment of reckoning and illumination, where we’re asked to reflect on whether our actions are truly aligned with our deepest sense of purpose.

Traditionally known as the Buck Moon, this Full Moon reflects a time of growth and rising strength. The Buck Moon symbolises potential taking form, intentions ready to move into reality. Much like the growing antlers of the stag our intentions are beginning to take shape, provided we show up with clarity, commitment, responsibility, and care.

As this Moon rises, ask yourself:

• Are you building a life that reflects your truth, or chasing a version of success that no longer fits?

• Where might you be performing success instead of living your purpose?

The sea goat and the full moon

Capricorn is often depicted as either a Mountain Goat or a Sea-Goat. Both images hold meaning, but I’m especially drawn to the Sea-Goat, which speaks to the current polarity between Cancer and Capricorn alive in the skies. The Sea-Goat is a mythic creature with the body of a goat and the tail of a fish. It reminds us that Capricorn has access to both the emotional depths (Cancer/Moon/Water) and practical peaks (Capricorn/Earth). As astrologer Steven Forrest puts it, "The Sea-Goat represents absolute mastery… it can climb the highest mountain and swim the deepest sea."

Capricorn holds resilience, adaptability, determination, and grounded wisdom. It has the capacity to navigate emotional waters (Cancer’s domain) while mastering the tangible realities of life. It’s always seeking the next mountain, even if it does sometimes need Taurus’ wisdom to ensure it’s climbing the right one. Few things frustrate Capricorn more than wasted energy.

The interplay between cardinal water (Cancer) and cardinal earth (Capricorn) deserves deeper reflection. Cancer, ruled by the Moon, is the emotional landscape. So during this lunation, Capricorn is very much operating in Cancer’s terrain, or, more fittingly, swimming in its rock pool.

The polarity of Sun in Cancer and Moon in Capricorn is often described as a difficult balance: Cancer symbolises emotion, nurture, and the inner world; Capricorn symbolises logic, order, and outer responsibility. I love how Debra Silverman puts it: Cancer says, “Stop! Wait! I want to breathe this in, to feel it,” while Capricorn replies, “It’s time to pull on your big girl pants and get to work”. Essentially, Cancer pulls inward toward feeling, safety, and belonging, it wants to pause and feel, and Capricorn wants to act.

Believe me, as a someone with a Cancer Sun and a Capricorn Moon, I can vouch for this internal tug-of-war. The tension between care and responsibility, emotion and duty, can be challenging. But when harmonised and balanced, they create powerful synergy, and a foundation for growth. The emotional wisdom of Cancer supports the mission of Capricorn, and the strength and resilience of Capricorn anchors the emotional needs of Cancer.

Consider the recent New Moon in Cancer, followed now by this Full Moon in Capricorn. If Cancer helps us remember what “home” feels like, Capricorn helps us build the foundation to support it. One leads in the realm of emotion and belonging, the other in structure and sustained effort. We need both.

Heart and Hustle: Emotional Intelligence Meets Practical Wisdom

This Full Moon invites us to carry our emotional truth as we walk our earthbound path. We’re called to take ownership not only of our actions, but also of our feelings. As a coach, I’ve seen how often unconscious emotional drives shape our choices. Now is the time to blend Cancer’s emotional intelligence with Capricorn’s grounded action. To take ownership of our actions and our feelings and emotions.

When I supervised research students, I would remind them that research is a long haul. There are times of excitement, frustration, inspiration, and despair. And yes, they may even feel like giving up. But, I always reminded them, it helped if the work connected to something they loved, that they felt passionate about and that lit a fire within them. When your heart is in it, even the hard days feel worthwhile.

Capricorn’s wisdom is hard earned through lived experience, through walking the path, through effort, through trial and error. While often described as rational and pragmatic, Capricorn doesn’t deny emotion. It simply channels it into purpose. As I once wrote in an article on child development, humans grow best when emotional understanding and rational thought are in balance. We need both to grow and evolve holistically, and if we are to draw sense, meaning and purpose from the world around us.

This Full Moon could be the perfect time to ask:

• What emotional needs have shaped my goals? Are they still valid?

• What would it look like to lead from quiet confidence rather than control?

• Where do you need to take fuller ownership of your actions and your feelings?

• How can you nurture your emotional well-being while building a meaningful life?

• What if structure could support your softness?

Saturn Retrograde: Reviewing Old Patterns

Saturn goes retrograde shortly after this Full Moon, inviting reflection on the past. What old stories, patterns, or beliefs are surfacing? Which vows or fears are asking to be released? And, how many of these have their roots in fear and/or emotional neediness? Saturn retrograde is an inner journey calling us to explore the unconscious patterns that may be holding us back.

Recently, I had a moment that brought this home. I found myself in an awkward moment with an old friend, navigating those treacherous waters that start with “what do you do now?” Before I could think, I launched into a flurry of justifications, over-explanations, trying to impress and seeking validation. What came out was total verbal diarrhoea. Later, embarrassed, I proceeded to make the whole situation worse and sent a follow-up text to smooth it over, deepening my cringe. It was only afterwards, through reflection, that it become clear: my need for approval was running the show.

But Capricorn invites me to breathe, reflect, and return to my centre. To honour the part of me that felt exposed, while choosing to stand with more integrity in my truth. To set a new standard. One rooted not in seeking approval, but in owning my space.

The Sea-Goat doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. It moves forward, one step at a time. The path appears through movement, not certainty. Often, we cling to old stories or comfort zones that have long outlived their purpose. But Capricorn reminds us that growth lives outside that shell. A scary prospect for a Cancerian.

As the Full Moon lights the night sky, perhaps it’s time to ask:

• Are you climbing the mountain you truly want to be on?

• Are you still hiding behind old stories?

• Where are you making excuses that keep you comfortable but stagnant?

• What promises do you need to release - or recommit to?

Burnout is Not a Badge of Honor

Capricorn’s shadow can seduce us into overwork. As it’s ruling planet, Saturn whispers that discipline, sacrifice, and effort are the only way. And while hard work can be noble, when ambition is fuelled by fear, softness becomes armour and burnout follows.

Burnout is not normal. It may have become common, but it is not healthy. And yes, I know this personally too. Yet, here, Cancer brings healing and wisdom. It reminds us of the importance of rest, of tending the hearth of the self. It calls us to balance doing with simply being.

Capricorn can learn from Cancer’s rhythm and the power of reflecting inwards. Without an emotional foundation, all striving becomes hollow. Cancer reminds us to reconnect with meaning, vulnerability, and people who nourish our soul.

That being said, it is a myth that Capricorn doesn’t know how to rest. It does, when at it’s best. As Steven Forrest notes, the Sea-Goat can be deeply capricious. It works hard but also knows how to play hard. When balanced, it can become the wise elder, knowing when to act, when to retreat, and when to recharge and simply be.

This Full Moon asks us to reflect on where we “spend” our energy:

• What if ambition could grow from love, not fear?

• What truly sustains you?

• Where is striving killing your passion?

• What emotional truth are you avoiding by staying busy?

• Is this mountain really yours to climb?

Resilience isn’t about pushing through. It’s found in our capacity to adapt and to recover. It’s about returning to yourself again and again. It’s about coming home.

Final thoughts

As we move through this Capricorn Full Moon, we are invited to connect with our inner strength and walk toward our goals with clarity and resolve. It is a time to reclaim direction, to step into leadership of our own life, to align our outer efforts with our inner truths and values. To ask where structure can support softness. Where discipline can serve growth. And where we can lead our lives with intention, not obligation.

Let go of the noise. This is not about living up to anyone else’s definition of success. It is about listening to your own quiet truth.

There is no one-size-fits-all path to fulfilment. Let this Full Moon guide you as you define what success, purpose, and integrity mean to you.

Reflect on:

• What gives your life deep meaning?

• What is your “great work”?

Let this Moon be your compass. The Sea-Goat doesn’t wait for the world to approve. It takes a step, then another, and trusts the path will appear. You don’t need to have it all figured out,  just take the next right step, grounded in what matters most.