the new moon in cancer is exact on wednesday july 15th at 6:24pm PDT. since the moon rules cancer, this new moon in the moon’s own sign can both enhance and exacerbate the cancer energies of emotion, sensitivity and attachments to the past. the spotlight of this lunar cycle is focused on where we are rooted, where we belong, what is going in our home/family environments, as well as how we navigate our emotions and sensitivities. we are also being asked to look at karmic attachments and old ways of being and doing that no longer serve us so that we are able to see what holds us back and then take conscious action to release the ties that bind. learning how to go with the flow (of emotions and water energy) without being taken over by them in tsunami-like fashion is key this month!
in this new moon chart both the sun and moon are highly aspected. with the exception of venus, all of the other 7 planets (mercury, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune and pluto) link up with both the sun and moon. this makes this lunation very active and a touch complicated as there are different threads of energy vying for our attention this month.
first of all the sun and moon both make lovely aspects to jupiter and saturn (semisextile jupiter, trine saturn)- the two teacher planets. if you have read my yearly forecast you may know that jupiter and saturn are heading into square aspect with each other the first week of august and right now we are feeling the crunch as these two approach exactness. since jupiter is the planet of expansion, abundance and positivity and saturn is the planet of contraction, reality and karma- the approaching jupiter/saturn square brings with it a push/pull energy between growth and pruning, luck and hard work, evolving certain things in our life or letting certain things go altogether. with this lunation tying into the jupiter/saturn square in harmonious ways, we are supported in the coming lunar cycle in getting clear about where our growth edge is and what we need to prune, what we are meant to move forward with and what we are being asked to leave behind.
another significant aspect involved with this new moon- the one that i think is the overarching theme of the upcoming lunar cycle- is the sun and moon’s involvement with the uranus/chiron semisextile. the sun and moon are square uranus in aries and trine retrograde chiron in pisces- bringing Light to emotional healing and clearing that we need to do in order to move on in life. the sun actually squared uranus 4 days before the new moon (exact sunday evening on 7/12)- giving us intimations of the shifts, changes, revolutions and/or unexpected events that were to come. the sun trined chiron a few days before the lunation as well (exact monday 7/13)- so the present uranus/chiron energy has been in our consciousness several days leading up to this lunation. in truth, uranus has been semisextile chiron since 2009 and will continue to be (in various different signs) until 2021! this aspect defines a whole generation and a point in time where we have major opportunities to wake up and heal- personally and collectively. of course anyone who has done any deep healing work knows that the healing path is not for the faint of heart. it takes a willingness to go INTO your wounds first so that you can get to the Source and heal them. spiritual bypassing won’t work here- we have to get intimate with our own wounds and pain first before the healing can take place. ‘you cannot heal what you cannot feel’ and ‘you cannot transcend what you have not mastered’ are key mantras for the uranus/chiron semisextile right now. with the sun linking up with both of these bodies in the new moon chart- the coming lunar cycle can be a deep, ripe time for emotional healing, releasing of negative attachments and clearing out our karma from the past. yet we must remember that this does not come without hard work and initiative on our part. the sun/chiron trine facilities the process but the sun/uranus square is what throws it all in our face to begin with. so stay open to shake ups, wake up calls, breakdowns and breakthroughs this coming lunar cycle. if the only way out is through- best you move through it now versus stay stuck in the past and miss the boat!
one of the other defining signatures of the new moon chart involves the mercury/mars conjunction opposite pluto that is exact on the day of the new moon. in the morning mars opposes pluto, in mid afternoon mercury opposes pluto and then in the evening after the new moon is exact mercury and mars cojoin. this is a powerhouse of an aspect configuration involving the conscious mind and intellect, the lower will and the Higher Will. what makes this aspect even more potent is the fact that all 3 bodies align with the fixed star sirius- the Spiritual Sun of our sun. this echos the intensity but also the transformation possible that was with us on the weekend of july july 4th (and into the start of the week that followed). sirius, as the Spiritual Sun of our sun, shines a very Bright Light seeking to raise the frequency of our inner and outer lives. it is important to note that ‘the brighter the Light the darker the shadow’ and when we have something shining such a Bright Light it will have the tendency to highlight everything that is dark or in the shadows right now. the purpose of this is so that we can see our own stuff (or the stuff in the world) and then we can actually do something about it from this place of conscious awareness. with all this cancer energy (new moon in cancer, mercury conjunct mars in cancer opposite pluto)- a lot of deep personal and collective emotional, karmic and even past life stuff is up right now BIG TIME. this new moon can help us see the very things we are stuck in and can provide the impetus to break free and grow. yet if we have avoided looking deeply within then this new moon can face us unexpectedly with all that we have been in denial about and it can be pretty intense. clearly it will depend on each individual’s desire as well as intent to see how this new moon energy will play out in our lives.
another thing that is going on in the background of this chart is something i feel is deeply important. nasa launched the new horizon’s probe in january 2006 and it has taken 9 1/2 years for this probe to reach pluto- the furthest reaches of our solar system (that we are aware of). we have never seen pluto up close like this before and the new horizon’s closest fly-by is on tuesday july 14th- the day before this new moon. with so much pluto energy flying around in the chart at the same time it is certainly interesting (and Divine) timing. from a scientific perspective we are seeking to understand the planet pluto and his place in our solar system more deeply- yet symbolically and metaphorically this speaks to the collective’s readiness and ability to see more deeply into the shadow and the Unconscious (which is what pluto governs) and his place in our collective experience. pluto governs all the taboo topics of society- sex, death, money, power and control. when we confront pluto we confront our fears and obsessions with the darker sides of our psyche. yet when we confront and make peace with pluto we are given access to pluto’s potent energies of evolution, transformation and empowerment (the Highest expression of pluto). this flyby occurring a day before the new moon and the mercury/mars/pluto opposition is significant and it will be interesting to see what comes to Light scientifically as well as karmically, emotionally and psychologically both collectively and personally in the coming week (and month and year!).
elias lonsdale’s star sparks meditation for 24 cancer is powerful and worth posting the entire thing (so look towards the end of this blog). yet the parts that stand out the most to me are listed here: “We must shatter the idols, the images, the last remnants, the form aspect of what once was in order to find legitimately in a grounded way, what can be and must be now. But we have held so tightly, so tenaciously to these last dregs, that the willingness to let go of them to make way for the new, is elusive and out of reach until we come up against the ravages of belief system, old karmic groupings, and specialized antique allegiances. It is vital for us to surrender to the inescapable fact that what we once held so very sacred is simultaneously our obstacle and our further goal. The obstacle is the attachment to the form dimension, which is subtle, deep under, difficult to own. The goal is to reclaim the spark of the ancient timeless ways, once we have stripped ourselves of the glamour.” this aptly portrays the sun in cancer, which can symbolize the past and our attachments to it, square to uranus in aries- the energy of shattering, letting go so that we can release the past and as a result shift our relationship to it (as well as our trajectory forward!).
one last thing to note in this new moon chart is the fact that venus is at 29 leo- the karmic degree of completion- and set to move into virgo on july 18th. just a week later she stations retrograde- energizing the 1st degree of virgo for a couple of weeks. the royal fixed star regulus is at the 1st degree of virgo so we have venus activating regulus and jupiter will do so as well in the second week of august. regulus is the royal fixed star of leadership and authority and after 2000 years of this star’s journey through leo it precessed into virgo in 2012. the coming 2000 years herald a shift in leadership from solar/hero/yang/masculine direction to earthy/feminine/service-based/yin direction. this summer sees both Benefic planets (venus as the lesser benefic and jupiter as the Greater Benefic) line up with regulus- heralding a huge activation of earth-based, service-focused leadership- as well as leadership that is based on feminine values of nurturing, care taking, intuition, collaboration and awareness of the Whole rather than the parts. with venus being the only planet not in aspect to the new moon she stands alone in the sky- almost elevated in a way yet something we have to work consciously towards connecting with.
with both sirius and regulus highlighted in the skies right now- the time is ripe for major shifts, awakening, clearing of the past and healing to move forward. yet we must remember the mantra mentioned above ‘the Brighter the Light, the darker the shadow’. sometimes when people hear that such and such an aspect is supposed to be so wonderful and all they see is things falling apart in their lives- they wonder what happened or how they missed the boat. yet the most powerfully positive aspects can only help us to the degree that we are willing to help ourselves. if we are too busy looking at a closed door we will miss seeing the new door that is opening. if we are still stuck in a bad relationship with the past- we will miss the new relationship with the future that is awaiting us just around the corner. so i see this time (this new moon, this month, this summer) as a time of getting intimate with all that holds us back so that we can work on resolving, integrating or letting go of whatever it is that holds us physically, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically ransom. this new moon square uranus and trine chiron (and aspiring the jupiter/saturn square!) can help us to see the ties that bind with clarity and assist us in wholeheartedly embracing the desire and intention followed by conscious action to free ourselves- personally and collectively!
have a blessed new moon…
~divine harmony
for more information on PLUTO OPPOSITE SIRIUS (all year long in 2015)
https://www.divineharmony.org/cosmic-insight-divine-harmony/divine-harmony-astrology-blog/pluto-opposite-sirius-sacred-lies-concealed-profane/
for more information on REGULUS INTO VIRGO
https://www.divineharmony.org/cosmic-insight-divine-harmony/divine-harmony-astrology-blog/regulus-into-virgo-the-meek-shall-inherit-the-earth/
ELIAS LONSDALE
from Star Sparks
Cancer 24 A single crumbling Corinthian column
Ancient times prepare for future times and bypass modern ego development. We once were pre-selves, free to roam in the cosmos at will. We are now becoming post-selves, taking up our path into a spaciousness that draws us to the same places we once knew, but with a very big difference.
Way back when, our strings were pulled by invisible forces. We tapped the mysteries because there was no other way. It was natural and inevitable to place our unconscious selves upon the altar of the greater macrocosm. We were the whole of existence in one, as ever, just as intended.
In the near future reawakening of cosmic spirit in this earth, we become so grateful and relieved that the ancient place we’ve always held to can be our springboard to what come next, if we can undergo this one initiatory passage of the utmost intensity and urgency.
We must shatter the idols, the images, the last remnants, the form aspect of what once was in order to find legitimately in a grounded way, what can be and must be now. But we have held so tightly, so tenaciously to these last dregs, that the willingness to let go of them to make way for the new, is elusive and out of reach until we come up against the ravages of belief system, old karmic groupings, and specialized antique allegiances.
It is vital for us to surrender to the inescapable fact that what we once held so very sacred is simultaneously our obstacle and our further goal. The obstacle is the attachment to the form dimension, which is subtle, deep under, difficult to own. The goal is to reclaim the spark of the ancient timeless ways, once we have stripped ourselves of the glamour.