solstice new moon: bright sun meets dark moon

by | Jun 20, 2017 | Astrology Blog

the new moon at 2’47 cancer is exact on friday june 23rd 2017 at 7:31pm PDT. as i write this we are building to the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere- with the sun about to be at the height of its journey! interestingly at the same time we have the moon in her dark balsamic phase until the new moon is exact. so the three days that the sun stands still (solstice literally means that) we have the 3 days of the dark moon! this is fascinating symbolism- with the sun at the highest point in the sky with greatest Light and the moon in the last part of her lunar cycle, in her dark phase of ending, releasing and turning within. the duality represented by these two show the duality of conscious and Unconscious (bright sun, dark moon), Light and shadow. our Highest Selves are seeking to fully illuminate and self-realize while our Unconscious selves are seeking to dive deep and confront/integrate disowned shadows.

in the solstice chart (the chart for when the sun enters cancer at 9:24pm PDT on june 20th) the moon just entered her dark phase hours previous- which speaks to a season incoming that is about endings, letting go, releasing, dying to the old so the new can be birthed. this is a very inward solstice chart- more reflective of winter solstice than summer solstice (and for those in the southern hemisphere that fits perfectly!). one thing to be aware of during the summer season is any tendency to over focus on the Light/external reality at the expense of the inward journey. ‘both Light and shadow are the dance of Love’ (rumi) and this summer season we are reminded that we need to attend to BOTH if we want to fully self-realize!

so now back to the new moon chart :) we have so much going on in cancer during this new moon! the sun and moon conjunct at 2’47 cancer are joined by mercury (close to the sun) and mars (wide conjunction). with mercury the mind and mars the will in this chart we have some potent energy for new beginnings regarding communication, thinking, initiating and taking action! yet we need to know that in the weeks following the new moon mercury and mars will align (june 28th), mercury will oppose pluto (june 29th) and mars will oppose pluto (july 2nd). so we have some pretty intense energy incoming. what we seed at this new moon- what we initiate and set into motion- can be evolutionary and transformational OR it can be reactive, impulsive and coming from a place of trying to have power over. it’s very important that we navigate this energy consciously so we can work with it rather than abuse it or be worked over by it.

what is even more interesting is that both mercury and mars are out of bounds! so they are beyond the bounds of the sun (where most planets stay- and occasionally they go out of bounds) which makes their energy more intense, more expressive, and also harder to harness and be conscious of (the sun’s limits being symbolic of what we are consciously aware of). with the mind and the will out of bounds we need to be very careful about how we communicate, what we say, what we think and how we take action. the positive side of mercury/mars out of bounds is walking our talk! but the shadow side is aggression, dominance and power/control dynamics. add in the fact that this is all in the sign of cancer and there can be fighting over territory, family, ancestry, safety/security, and historical/ancestral/family karma. shadow cancer can be passive aggressive and emotionally manipulative too- so being aware of where we are acting these energies out or where others are towards is us key.

there are a few asteroids to take note of- the first being juno the asteroid Goddess of partnership and marriage. she and pluto are in a dance together right now- they came close to alignment in may but she stationed retrograde. their exact conjunct is on november 11th (11/11!)- and from now until then there’s deep transformation, evolution, death and rebirth playing out in important relationships and commitments in our lives (personal, romantic, business, financial and otherwise). mars is exactly opposite retrograde juno in capricorn in the new moon chart- bringing an intense energy into relationships dynamics. fighting over who is right, who is wrong and what belongs to who can be an exacerbated expression of this energy. juno shows what we are committed to and in capricorn she is committed to upholding tradition, the past and what is known. yet in the midst of transformation with pluto she is being asked to look at what things/commitments/beliefs she is holding onto that actually are not valid, life affirming, healthy or growth producing. there is a need to question what we are holding onto- and be willing to change dynamics or let go of things all together if change is not possible.

we also have saturn opposite ceres, the Great Mother, in the new moon chart- with the exact opposition two days later on june 25th. this is bringing heavy, testing energy to home/family dynamics, safety/security issues, basic survival and needs, as well as environmentally (ceres is connected to Mother Earth and her precious resources). the moon, the sign of cancer and ceres all have deep affiliation- governing home and family, the country we belong to, and what we need to feel safe, secure, nurtured and nourished. with all 3 in some intense formations at the new moon chart and in the weeks that follow- there can be some serious testing of these things in our personal lives and also collectively. this is a time to get real and see what is happening that is not working- owning our part in it- so that we are then empowered to make the necessary changes needed. yet saturn is heavy and karmic- so we can find that we see what is not working and that consequences of past actions come to be addressed. the thing to remember with heavier transits is that ‘this, too, shall pass’ and stay present to what IS as we move through it (as opposed to burying our heads in the sand).

all in all this new moon chart has a lot of potential when we work with the energies consciously! having intimacy with our emotions so we are fully feeling them and expressing them in healthy ways is key. stuff that is buried within from the past- childhood and past lifetimes- can get activated during this lunar cycle. the mercury/mars/pluto alignments that follow this new moon are pretty intense- and yet nothing is inherently good or bad it’s all how we work with it. we want to be doing work on staying conscious of our feelings, emotions and needs- as well as our anger, rage and need to be in control. if we are Unconscious of any of these they can come out in explosive ways that can cost us in the long run.

i leave you with ellias lonsdale’s star sparks meditation for 3 cancer- which is an apt one. he speaks to the darkness and heaviness around us- but also our deeper commitment to the Light. he reminds us that the worst turn of events- the most extreme conditions- are what precipitate us into action. we are being asked to bring the Light through! this new moon reminds us that we find our Light by going fully into our shadow. we can only understand and have compassion for what lies in others when we have done the same for ourselves. what we project is a reflection of something within. we may as well start at the Source. with the sun/moon alignment- linking conscious self with Unconscious- we have an ability to see through a glass darkly. we have an ability to see the shadow in ourselves and others more clearly and in doing so we can make that darkness conscious and set ourselves free. so mote it be!

~divine harmony

STAR SPARKS
by ellias lonsdale

Cancer 3 A set of surgical instruments

We are tapped to the finest extent. We are made to be whatever will serve to bring a light, a quickening, a sharp pulse to stay with this purely. We are made for quintessential tasks. All of our fruition lies in making ourselves available in this wondrous true way.
The agony of the world is our occasion. The worst turn of events, the most extreme conditions are what precipitate us into action. We are called in at just the right hour to weave, to intervene, to make a difference. Whichever facet of our being is asked at this particular occasion, becomes for us the one that will allow us to open the space, to bring the light through.
Darkness, heaviness, strangeness accompany us everywhere. The deeper our commitment to light, the larger our retinue of dark events and companions. We are given such a load to carry. We are asked to make it light by the way we bear it, even into learning and discovering that nothing is ever wrong, nothing is so dark after all.
We work off karma, we stay with the old. What is familiar keeps us responding on cue. We spiral under, through the places we’ve been before and the ways we’ve gotten stuck there.
One touch is golden. Our focus is so sharp and clear. Our life calling is bottomlessly on the beam. Whatever we need to do, we can. For we are past masters in the art of manifesting spirit in depths of substantive form.
We cannot stop refining, essentializing, honing the task. Something propels us insistently to be there on that spot and save those lives and care about what happens.
We come from a million miles away. A part of ourselves is detached. In some ways, we aren’t even here. We’re just touching in for awhile. Yet in the midst of our rounds, the earth life reaches through and grabs us and won’t let us go.