The Cancer New Moon is always an important one, as it focuses on our emotional foundation and prompts some pretty fundamental questions such as: “Where do I belong?”, “Who is my family and tribe?”, “What do I need to feel emotionally secure?” and “Where is home?” Last year at this time we had two Cancer New Moons, bringing these questions very much into focus, and so this Moon could be a continuation of a process that began then. The Moon is very much at home in its own sign and could activate our inner Cancerian, bringing out the more nurturing, sensitive and emotional side of our nature. New Moons tend to spark a new cycle of emotional development, setting an energetic ball in motion that plays out over the course of the month. It is a time of new beginnings, when we have a chance to leave whatever isn’t serving us behind in the dark of the Moon and start fresh.
The Sun and Moon are forming their monthly union in Cancer, a sign that represents our childhood, our family, our home, our homeland, our roots and our ancestry. Cancer is the part of us that can tend to dwell in the past, clinging on to what has been and finding it hard to let go. It is the part of us that can be a bit insecure and needy, usually because of unresolved issues from our childhood whereby our emotional needs were not met. Whenever Cancer is being activated we have a chance to look at and work on this aspect of ourselves, recognising how our inner child might still need some healing.
We are invited to consider what we need to do in order to make sure we feel safe and secure, so that we don’t need to rely on others to do that for us. How can we parent our inner child? Where is our safe place; our home? Is it a physical home, or a place inside of us? It is worth considering where our Moon is in our charts, as the sign and house it is in represents what brings us a sense of emotional security and makes us feel at home.
One of Cancer’s superpowers involves being able to feel and access our emotions, which is so very important as they can show us how we truly feel and what we need to do. It is so important to honour our feelings and to make sure that we take care of ourselves and also allow ourselves to be taken care of. This is very difficult for some, as it is very hard to show vulnerability and admit that we can’t cope. However, being able to show our vulnerability is actually a strength, not a weakness. No woman/man is an island, and Cancer reminds us just how important our tribe is as a support system and safe haven when the going gets tough. And family does not necessarily mean blood relations, but can be our soul family that we have accrued along the way. Now, more than ever, it is so important to surround ourselves with people who love, nourish, support and nurture us, enabling us to relax and be completely ourselves without censorship. People who make us truly feel at home and bring a sense of comfort and belonging are truly to be cherished.
Neptune in Pisces is forming a supporting and harmonious trine aspect to the Sun and Moon, which is so lovely as it dissolves our walls and barriers, melting our hearts and encouraging us to treat ourselves and others with acceptance, kindness and compassion. There is a sweet tenderness to this combination, helping us to understand where each other is coming from and to drop any judgement or sense of separation. This is helped by Jupiter also being in Pisces right now, bringing more of a sense of unity, tolerance, kindness, hope and faith that ultimately things will work out for the best. And this is so needed right now, when people are so very polarised and divided. United we stand, divided we fall! Neptune will trine the Sun exactly on 15 July, while Jupiter will remain in Pisces until 28 July, when it will move back into Aquarius until 30 December.
Pluto and Chiron, the Wounded Healer, are forming challenging aspects to the Sun and Moon, although they are not that strong at the time of the New Moon. Pluto is opposite, in Capricorn, bringing up issues around power/powerlessness and control, forcing us to dig deep and find the inner resources we need in order to move forward. It is harder to avoid the darker side of life when Pluto is around. And with Pluto in Capricorn we are certainly being exposed to the darker side of the power structures at the moment. It is possible that we could feel a sense of powerlessness at the hands of those in authority, but this is where our tribe comes in, as we embrace the softness of Cancer, gathering together, supporting one another and helping each other cope with whatever comes our way. Chiron could bring about some emotional pain and trigger our “stuff” but can also bring great healing.
However, we also currently have Venus and Mars, the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine, joining together in playful, expressive, creative, romantic Leo! This is a very warm, passionate, fun and joyful energy to have around, which is so very welcome! Leo invites us to follow our hearts and do whatever brings us our greatest joy, and what better place for the cosmic lovers to be coming together right now! This could bring out our more romantic, joyful passionate nature and kick start a new cycle of development in our relationships. Leo can help us to express ourselves from our hearts and to follow the path of love and joy. This could be a rather fun, joyful time for our relationships and could also bring up some very strong desires.
Anyone with personal planets or angles around 19 degrees of a sign, especially the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, will feel this energy most acutely. The conjunction will be exact on 14/15 July, when it will be at its strongest, but Venus and Mars will be dancing with each other between now and around 20 July. It could be really beneficial for all of our relationships, not just the intimate ones, helping us to express what is in our hearts and show more love towards one another.
In the build up to this Moon we will have Saturn opposing Venus and Mars, while Uranus will be forming a square to the cosmic lovers. This brings the tension of the Saturn Uranus square into play again. Saturn is the part of us that feels fear and likes to be in control, tending to hold back, sometimes through fear. Uranus is the part of us that seeks freedom, excitement, progression and change. We may feel a tension between the old way of being in relationship, based on our societal and parental conditioning and tradition, and a new way of relating that we have not experienced yet and is in the experimental phase! Similarly, our values are having a massive overhaul, and what used to hold meaning no longer feels important.
Do we remain stuck in old patterns of being and relating that don’t suit or serve us, or do we contemplate a different way of doing things that is more true to who we really are and brings a greater sense of space, authenticity and freedom? Uranus can mean having to step out of our comfort zone into unknown territory, but it can be so very liberating to free ourselves from limiting and outmoded patterns. The square between Uranus and Venus will be exact on Thursday 8 July and could bring a bit of a shock or a wake-up call in the realm of relationships, values and finances which could shake things up a bit! Uranus doesn’t like stagnation or “comfortable ruts”! Anyone with personal planets and angles around 14° will feel this square between Uranus and Venus most acutely, especially the fixed signs.
The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon, at 19° Cancer, is: “A priest performing a marriage ceremony”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The ritualisation of productive interpersonal relationships”. This is interesting considering the emphasis on relationships during this Moon! I have also seen this symbol written another way, which feels even more appropriate considering the involvement of Saturn and Uranus: “A fragile miss, representative of proud old blood, is wed by a pompous priest to an eager youth of the new order”. This feels like a “marriage” of the old and the new, and a sense of being open to new ways of being in relationship. This symbol is quite evocative, as it makes one wonder how the marriage between this eager fresh blood and the fragile old blood will work out! They both could be in for a bit of a shock, but can hopefully find a way forward that works for both of them.
The Sun and Moon may be in Cancer, a sign that is known for being quite sensitive and emotional, but we also have Venus and Mars in Leo and Mercury in communicative Gemini, which changes the energy somewhat, making it less concentrated. While Cancer is prompting us to find a sense of belonging and align with our tribe, Leo is inviting us to open our hearts, express our love and follow the path of joy. Meanwhile, Mercury is coming to the end of its own sign, bringing lots of communication, learning and sharing of information. It feels like a good mixture of energy, while the Uranus Saturn square continues to have an impact as we contend with the rigid, controlling energy of Saturn versus the unpredictable, revolutionary energy of Uranus. Meanwhile, this Cancer Moon invites us to practice allowing our emotions to flow and our vulnerability to show. In order to do this, however, we need to find our place of safety, wherever and with whoever that may be.
Much love
Amy
xoxo
Picture: Unknown