the new moon at 12’54 cancer is exact on july 4th 2016 at 4:01am PDT, commencing a new lunar cycle that focuses on new beginnings in home/family situations, self care and nurturance, emotional health and well being, and relationship with the depths of our Soul. new moons are times to plant seeds, set intentions and get the ball rolling in new directions in our lives. wherever 13 cancer falls in your natal chart will be the area of life you are able to anchor into something new (so check your weekly horoscopes)- but generally speaking we all have a focus on something new anchoring in on the ashes of the past.
this new moon is highly aspected bringing in many different layers to it. first of all it’s a new moon on the date of the USA’s birthday- which speaks to a major new chapter or even volume being written in regards to the evolutionary path of america (i may write a blog about this on it’s own so stay tuned). the new moon is conjunct mercury and venus- the mind and the heart- showing that new ways of thinking and feeling and more importantly new ways of linking the mind and the heart so that they work together rather than against is each other is possible at this lunar cycle. we can anchor into a new relationship with our thoughts and feelings, intellect and emotions. ultimately the whole point of evolution is to realize the sacred inner marriage (heirosgamos) of opposites: yin and yang, feminine and masculine, Dark and Light, heart and mind. this new moon cycle can initiate us into a deeper layer of our personal and collective journeys of heirosgamos within and without. yet new moons are simply portals of time we can work with IF we work with them consciously. so be sure to set your intentions and be very clear about what you want to call in and ground down into in your life right now. action follows intention- so be clear and precise with your intentions at this new moon to make the most of it!
the new moon triggers the saturn/neptune square- with the sun and moon quincunx retrograde saturn and trine to retrograde neptune closely aligned with the karmic south node (neptune conjunct north node is exact in november). the tense aspect to saturn brings testing of the realities we are dealing with and the need to get real and deal with things from a practical, masterful and disciplined place. this new moon is in watery cancer and can be highly emotional and sensitive- whereas saturn in sadge asks us to not just come from emotion and feeling but to rise above to see the Bigger Picture that is at play in our lives. saturn in sadge brings lessons around Truth. what is Truth, where are we aligned with it and where are we not? and where we are not- what do we need to do about?
luckily the aspects of the sun and moon to neptune are harmonious- opening up some very sweet mystical, spiritual, intuitive and creative energy. we can truly manifest our heart’s desires right now! it all comes down to intention and energy and where we are aligned or not aligned within and without. we do need to be aware that neptune is on the south node- so honestly looking at old karmic patterns of delusion, denial, avoidance of reality, playing the victim or the martyr and turning to addictions to numb out and not have to feel everything is key. yet the sun and moon make beautiful aspects to the north node and south node- showing us that we have the capacity right now to see the past for what it is and glean wisdom from the past to inform our decisions in the present that determine our trajectory in the future. remember the north node in still aligned with jupiter and pluto right now (they were exact in june but they are still close and energizing the field right now). amazing opportunities for growth, evolution, self mastery and transformation are present right now. it’s simply up to us to show up, do the work and commit to the Highest Path for our Soul’s evolution right now. if we do this- the sky is the limit!
of course we cannot forget one of the most potent aspects this new moon makes which is an opposition to retrograde pluto. oppositions imply relationships and pluto implies power dynamics but also potential for profound and radical transformation. one of pluto’s images is that of the phoenix- and people love this image for good reason. she births herself anew out of the ashes of the past and she is a potent symbol of profound resurrection. yet resurrection only happens when something has died- and to rise out of the ashes means something had to previously be lit on fire. so this new moon speaks to amazing new beginnings that can only truly happen when endings have occurred. rebirth comes after death and this new moon is a portal from the past to the future- and there is certainly something we all have to leave behind in order to move through the birth canal right now.
the most important fixed star in the chart (and i could argue the most important fixed star in the sky as it is the brightest of all the stars) is Sirius- a star that was seen as sacred to many ancient mystical cultures from egyptian to mayan, hawaiian and more. this star was seen as a link or portal to Higher Consciousness and it helps us to realize the sacredness in the mundane reality of life. further there are several cultures that have stories about highly evolved beings (aka aliens) that came down in ships from this star system and brought highly evolved technology and wisdom to earth with a focus on helping us to raise our consciousness (google for more information). this new moon conjunct sirius can open the doors to Higher Consciousness, wisdom, Love and power- personally and collectively. it’s an amazing new moon cycle to set intentions in regards to spiritual evolution and healing dualities within and without that split the sacred from the mundane, the Light from the Dark, and the masculine from the feminine.
the new moon is conjunct the asteroid prosperpina which is the roman name for persephone. it’s interesting to note persephone energy with the new moon opposite pluto, the Lord of the Underworld. if you know your greek mythology pluto abducted persephone and took her into the Underworld as his bride. there are many ways of interpreting this story- some versions say he raped her (which was actually symbolic of the patriarchy taking over power from the matriarchy). yet the interpretation that resonates most for me is this: persephone and her mother demeter were very close, almost too close and symbiotic. persephone lived in the shadow of her mother and was not coming into her own power as a result (her mom was VERY over protective of her only daughter which kept persephone in the role of a child). so one day while persephone was picking flowers pluto saw her and fell in Love with her and opened up the earth to take her into the Underworld as his queen. this dark night of the Soul and being brought down into the shadows was ultimately an empowering experience for persephone as she was able to separate from her symbiosis with her mother and become a queen in her own right. she did this by facing her own inner shadows and fears- the very things she could not see in herself when she only lived in the upper world under her mother’s watchful eye. it’s interesting to note that pluto and persephone are the only greek couple that actually truly share power and pluto is the only greek god who does not constantly cheat on his wife (unlike zeus and juno or venus and hephaestus). so persephone’s journey is one of death and rebirth, loss and renewal- which is the journey of any Dark Goddess figure as well as the journey of the Great Mother herself. to be able to make peace with the death cycles, losses, transitions and endings in our lives and to ultimately know their goodness, rightness and purposefulness is the lesson with the new moon on proserpina opposite pluto. learning the fine art of intuiting when it’s time to let go and move on is what this new moon cycle is about. as rachel pollock says in ’78 degrees of wisdom’: “one of the true uses of the water instinct (is) an ability to sense when something has ended before it either dries up or comes crashing down around us, to know the time to move on”.
another asteroid the new moon is aligned with is eurydike. eurydike’s myth is also connected to loss and the Underworld. she was married to orpheus- but was pursed by aristaeus and while she tried to evade his pursuit she stepped on a snake, got bitten and died. her husband was beside himself with grief and he went down into the underworld to play his sad and haunting music begging for his beloved wife to be returned and restored back to life. pluto, persephone and even the furies were brought to tears by his music so pluto released eurydike but told orpehus to walk in front of her and to not look back at her until she made it safely into the daylight. just at the end of their journey back to the upper world orpehus feared he may have been tricked by pluto so he looked back just as he stepped into the daylight and his beloved disappeared. so eurydike on the sun and moon speaks to what has died, what we are trying to revive and what has to be let go of completely so that it can return to us later if it’s meant to be or perhaps in another form altogether. again there is a big theme playing out in this new moon around death, loss, endings and letting go- but because this is a new moon it also harkens to major new beginnings that are very powerful and positive for us. yet our ability to access the immense power of these new beginnings is predicated on our ability to let go of the past.
one last thing to note in the new moon chart is the Dark Goddess in her triple form as asteroid lilith, dark moon lilith and black moon lilith (mean position). asteroid lilith is at 27’57 capricorn- opposite venus, square uranus/ceres, square juno and at the degree of the full moon that occurs on july 19th. dark moon lilith is at 26’18 scorpio- conjunct mars and opposite algol the Dark Goddess fixed star that sees beyond the ego facade to get to the Truth. and mean BML is at 4’53 scorpio- closely aligned with juno at 29 libra (and juno will conjoin BML for a 2nd and final time on 9/11). so there is much Dark Goddess energy in this chart- really all over the place! the Dark Goddess is fierce, powerful and a force to be reckoned with. she comes in to shine a Light on the shadow and make us take personal responsibility for it. she makes us see the Truth of ourselves, of others and the world around us. this new moon has a strong energy of stripping away to get down to the Truth- no matter how unsavory. it’s only when we can see the Truth that we have the capacity to create a new reality- within and without. with both venus and juno involved this Truth seeking can play out in relationships and financial situations and with ceres involved this can play out in home/family dynamics.
the new moon in cancer ultimately is about HOME- finding and anchoring into a new sense of home within ourselves and perhaps without. remembering who we really are and where we really come from can be part of this new moon cycle. and then once we truly remember we will be challenged to look at our outer lives and dynamics and see where we are or are not living in alignment with our inner Truth and knowing. opportunities for radical self adjustments are possible right now! but it is advised that we facilitate our own death and rebirth processes- voluntarily being midwives to our own transformations. if we do not then the Universe may need to send in reinforcements to get us to align with the right path ;) it’s always preferable to take the driver’s seat in your own evolution!
i leave you with ellias lonsdale’s star sparks meditation for 13 cancer- a reminder that the dance of evolution and enlightenment is to allow all voices within us to have their say while remaining the witness at the center who sees/hears all and integrates all for the sake of wholeness. as within so without. so mote it be!
new moon blessings sent your way…
~divine harmony
Cancer 13 Many voices singing different songs at the same time
Being plunged into the molten sea of everybody and everything here laying equal claim to our allegiance, our attention, our concern, our involvement. Being blown open to respond on cue to anybody and everybody, inside and out.
Feeling the surge of what can be. Knowing intimately the endless clamor of what has been before. Being caught in the middle between past and future and every other polarity dance there is.
The mediator, the problem solver, the go-between. Seeing each point of view as valid. Listening attentively to all the voices as they reveal the many sides of the way it is.
A struggle and a blessing. The considerable struggle is to integrate this level of experience in any meaningful fashion. It is tremendously difficult to know our own mind, to be clear about anything really. It is easy to be on casual open terms with every side of existence. But to know anything well and to immerse the self in it fully is very rare.
The blessing is what happens when you let go of the need, the pressure, the idea that it has to be a certain way. For there is a gift in being all ways and no particular way at all.
Yet to claim this blessing requires the realization that even the most multiple state of being, the most out there kind of mind is given to us for a very real purpose. And to get this, we often must go to extreme lengths before we are able to let it be.
The strident forced effort to be legitimate is the great barrier. The innocent alignment with the good of the whole is the intended outcome.
Ultimately, it is so obvious. We can stretch to meet every side of life because we bear all of it within us impartially.