Cancer is a water sign motivated by emotion rather than logic. Ruled by the Moon this sign is intuitive, sensitive, compassionate, romantic and domestic. That doesn’t mean Cancers aren’t driven or ambitious; born when the Sun is strongest, this sign possesses an understated power that runs deep; they move at their own speed, feeling their way through things. Cancer is associated with the Great Mother; this sign requires something or someone to nurture; a home, a family, a partner or a pet. The shadow side of Cancer is hiding behind the mask of the mother; taking care of the whole world and ignoring their own needs. For Cancers it is essential to find a balance between giving and receiving.
Summer is not so much a season as a melody, that tune of contentment we hum as the days begin to beautifully blur. – Sarah Ban Breathnach
The Cancer New Moon at the height of summer is always a lovely event. Summer is a time to slow down, scale back or stop altogether. It’s the time of the year to relax ambition and expectations. The pace is gentler, our needs are simpler; a cold drink, a cool breeze, an ice cream cone, a day at the beach. No matter what our age, summer represents that time when school is out and we’re free to play. “Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” -Henry James
No Ordinary Cancer New Moon
Just like the Capricorn Full Moon two weeks ago, this New Moon may resemble a peaceful and unruffled ocean on a summer’s day but beneath the calm is a powerful and ruthless undertow. Once again that undertow involves Mars, Uranus and Pluto. These planets don’t play by the rules; they break the rules. “Expect the unexpected” Uranus makes a square to the Sun and Moon; this reckless planet can bring crises and disruption but, thanks to a positive trine to Jupiter, it can also reveal new and surprising parts of ourselves – if we have the courage to take some risks and move out of our comfort zone. Mental Mercury and aggressive Mars, both in Cancer, are opposite intense Pluto in Capricorn. July 15 the energy is unstable; first Mars, then Mercury oppose Pluto then conjunct each other. This setup reactivates the final Uranus/Pluto square on March 16 and the April 4 lunar eclipse. July 18 and July 25 are also days that are edgy and erratic. Feelings are intense, fuses are short. Speak your truth but be kind. It’s okay to be angry; it is never okay to be cruel.
The bad news is the walls are coming down; the good news is that walls are coming down! This is a dangerous time but a powerful one. Major breakdowns can occur but so can major breakthroughs. Change is in the air. History is in the making. Old structures are collapsing; new seeds are being planted, both for the world and for us personally. Whatever is blocking, sabotaging, or holding you back can be exposed and healed. “Even the oldest, deepest injuries and power struggles can be resolved now.” –Stephanie Austin (The Mountain Astrologer).
Speaking of Pluto and History!
On Tuesday, July 14, NASA’s New Horizons spaceship made its closest flyby to Pluto obtaining history’s first close-up look of this mysterious planet’s frozen surface. In 2006 Pluto was “demoted” to a dwarf planet by a small group of astronomers. I always resented that term and the casual way Pluto was dismissed. Now Pluto is back on the world stage! And on the 50th anniversary of the Mars flyby! Take that Mike Brown (the astronomer who was responsible for Pluto’s downgrading)! In mythology Pluto (the Greek Hades) was god of the underworld; a menacing figure who rarely ventured above ground but had great power. The planet Pluto is small but its influence is immense; it rules survival itself and is associated with birth, death, and transformation. NASA’s picture of Pluto with what looked like a heart on its surface sends a different message than foreboding god of the underworld. Could Pluto itself be transforming and what message does that send to us?
Isn’t It Time We All Came Out?
So many people go through life, and they never deal with their own issues, no matter what the issues are. Ours happen to be gender identity. But how many people go through life and just waste an entire life because they never deal with themselves, to just be who they are? –Caitlyn Jenner
Like many others I was deeply moved and inspired by the stunning photograph of Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair and the courage it took to make that journey. Then I started thinking, I wonder who is inside me? I don’t mean another gender, but don’t we all have parts of ourselves that we’ve stuffed down, toned down, sanitized and socialized for family, church, culture or the work place? I know I have. Still, after years of therapy, I have trouble speaking up, confronting authority, or asking for what I want. And those rejected parts don’t cease to exist because they are denied a voice or a place at the table. They end up controlling us from an unconscious place; thus the unhealthy habits, the sudden bursts of anger, the need to disconnect or self-medicate.
To go into the world as one’s true self is an act of courage. –Michael Meade
There’s a powerful message here for all of us and it goes beyond gender, race, or religion; it’s about accepting ourselves fully, radically, unconditionally and allowing others to do the same. It’s about acknowledging all the various parts within us; the brilliant and beautiful parts as well as the ones that are messy, broken and hurt and giving them a voice, maybe a name and yes, even a photo shoot in a stunning leotard or a fabulous gown! Some of us our late bloomers and slow learners (I know I am) and sometimes it takes a long time to figure out who we really are. You are never too old or too late to become yourself.
Use the energy of this Cancer New Moon with these powerful transits to break down some walls and express what has been shut out, pushed down and shamed. Dig deep and reclaim the hidden treasures that are buried beneath. A New Moon is a new beginning; Cancer is the Great Mother. What nourishes and sustains you; what brings you joy? This is the perfect time to begin a program of self-care and healing. “Self nurturing is far more than pampering, it is about returning home to your heart.” –Brene Brown
Tough-love Saturn makes a harsh square to caring Venus in the chart of the New Moon asking us to look at the areas where we are overly critical with ourselves and perhaps with others. Venus turns retrograde on July 25 for six weeks giving us an opportunity to examine what we love and value, as well as what is missing from our lives. There is a beautiful grand water trine between the Sun and Moon in Cancer, Saturn in Scorpio and Chiron in Pisces; this loving aspect floods us with emotional healing, compassion and forgiveness. Take extraordinary care of yourself. You are worth it. Love, Virginia
SWEET DARKNESS
by David Whyte
You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
