New Moon, New World, New Opportunities.
The eclipses of the summer have come and gone, leaving us with a wealth of new data to assimilate and integrate. That process requires us to better identify, language and live from our core values. Concurrently, we are navigating a global pandemic, an accelerated deterioration in our global climate, as well as major political and economic changes. The north Node and all four of the outer planets, the transformational planets - Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune - are currently retrograde, which compel us to slow down, stay present and do the work. The conjunctions in Leo, Cancer and a grouping in Gemini have us awakening to our deepest wounds: as individuals and as families, and as a nation. Combined, these give you an opportunity to create a whole new understanding and definition of the family, the country, and the world to which you belong.
Are you ready for that?
Not sure?
I can help.
It starts with your dreams and visions;
then consult the stars, your guides and your ancestors,
and then you chart a course from there.
Here are some helpful insights...
The Spirit of Cancer
Welcome to the Cancer new moon, a whole lot of retrogrades, and phase two of the biggest cultural shift in consciousness we've had in generations. The brave new world we manifested last year is at a choice point and we have some decisions to make. It’s time to wizard-up in order to behave more appropriately, keep momentum, and do the fine tuning. It can be a little overwhelming, but don’t panic. All new moons represent opportunities for fresh starts and new beginnings, the key is knowing which ones to take. And then making peace with them. Sometimes you have more options and opportunities than others .This time you don’t have a lot of them - you have a really narrow focus - but the ones you have are mission-critical, and they revolve around the sign of Cancer.
In astrology, each sign embodies the vibrational tone of a particular archetype. Yes, individual dates are important, but the new moon shows you the specific tone you want to activate, achieve and hold over a short period of time. Everything comes home to that, and Cancer's archetype is that of the Divine Mother. So for the next four weeks, keep your focus there. Cancer’s constellation is the crab, which is a female, cardinal, water sign. Ruled by the Moon, Cancer is caring and protective, intuitive, creative and spiritual. Cancer governs the vast and fluid realms of love: the way it flows divinely from spirit to and through humans, the way love expressed and experienced by families, and especially by and in the mother-child dyad.
This time of year, there is always an emphasis on families, and especially on the family matriarch. But this year - our second year of living with Covid - we are in the midst of a moment or great consequence, one that requires us to take both a micro and a macro approach. In its most expansive, macro application, Cancer rules our relationship with our ultimate matriarch, the earth we inhabit. In its most metaphoric and metaphysical context, the ongoing convolutions of the Covid pandemic is the equivalent of Mother Earth sending us to our rooms for a proverbial time out, to think about what we have done. Use this time rightly and righteously, and we will emerge wiser and stronger on all levels: as individuals, as families, as communities, as a country and as a world. But emerge wisely. If you are trying to do too much for others and it's not working, you emerged too quickly. If that happens, go inward - and remember, inward always takes you home.
When there is a lot of emphasis in the sign of Cancer, as there is now, you absolutely must return to your home and your roots – literally and figuratively, micro and macro. The tricky part is it is easier said than done. Especially now. As always, start at the beginning, with you and your family of origin. No matter how much you were wanted as a child, no matter how much you were loved and appropriately attended to, there will always be a wound of some sort that was created in the ways and places where you and your parents simply did not understand each other and could not connect. Homecomings always force you to revisit what clinical psychologists refer to as “the inevitable parental wound.” These are the habituated struggles and repetition compulsions that come from your upbringing. As your home is the source of your greatest wound, going home asks you to face it, transform and transmute it in a new way.
By the same token, Cancer rules countries and nations.; and countries and nations have their own birth and childhood traumas, their own psychological and societal shadows, their own repetition compulsions and habituated struggles, as well as the same responsibilities to address them. But you cannot make good decisions about those shadows if you don’t have good information. Which brings us back to all those lovely eclipses, retrogrades, and stelliums: they are so revelatory. We have a much greater ability now to sort and sift through raw data, to do our due diligence and forensics, to find exactly what has happened, what is happening now, what is really important, and what needs to happen next. So let’s use it, and wisely. Judiciously. And then figure out how to have calm, rational, adult conversations about the issues and resolve them.
And this is where your intention comes into play: it’s important to be very clear on yours, and on the things to which you are truly committed. There is a difference between drama and thorough analysis. There is a difference between drama and due diligence. There is a difference between drama and public policy. There is a difference between drama and politics. There is a difference between drama and legislating. There is a difference between drama and news coverage. There is a difference between drama and communicating. There is a difference between drama and caring. There is a difference between drama and participating. There is a difference between drama and loving. It gets confusing at times, but as a general rule, drama tends to cost more, take longer, and be more upsetting to more people.
That is where the love and compassion, insight and intuition, caring and commitment - all the higher octaves of Cancer must be applied: to yourself, your family, your country and your fellow citizens. Remember the parallels between good mothers and good leaders, good families and good countries: they listen as much as they speak, learn as much as they teach. They are balanced, work democratically and are committed to finding a way for everyone to get their needs met. Now and in the coming days, use only the best of Cancer’s powerful love to hold a higher vibration. Stay flexible, positive and committed to only that which is for the highest good of all involved - and don't assume you know that that is. If you get stuck, call me. We'll figure it out.
Calendar
Following are some of the dates where your opportunities for wizardry, magic and alchemy will be the greatest, and some generic wisdom about them:
July 9: New Moon in Cancer
July 11: Mercury moves into Cancer
July 16: Chiron retrogrades in Aries; the 24-day Mercury retrograde shadow period ends
July 21: Venus moves into Virgo
July 22: Sun moves into Leo
July 23: Lunar Lammas; Full Moon in Aquarius also known as the Buck Moon, the Hay Moon, the Thunder Moon, and the Wort Moon
July 27: Mercury moves into Leo
July 28: Jupiter moves into Aquarius
July 29: Mars moves into Virgo
August 2: Lammas
August 8: New Moon in Leo
August 11: Mercury moves into Virgo
Everybody’s natal (birth) chart is different. These differences reflect our individual souls: their journeys and evolution, their triumphs and their tragic flaws. As such, the specific impact of each of the following dates will hit each person differently. But there are some general themes.
Holy days, holidays, and astrological transits are opportunities for us to experience grace. But remember how grace happens: sometimes it comes through discomfort. The gifts aren’t always immediately apparent. All of the days on this list ask you to be more compassionate with yourself and others, to try and be more awake, and to be more open to synchronicity and messages from Spirit. On days when more than one astrological event, holiday or holy day occurs, know that the power of that day will be even more profound. The more events in a day, the more powerful that day is, and the more intentional you should be.
Again, in general, Full Moons are a good time for ending things, wrapping things up, conclusions and closure. New Moons are opportune times for new beginnings: starting a new chapter of some aspect of your life, tackling a new project, or launching something new. Retrogrades are always about slowing down and paying more attention to aspects of your creative, spiritual, and social lives. The eclipses always reveal: sometimes it is something others have hidden from you, sometimes it is things you have hidden from yourself, usually it is a little bit of both. To go a level deeper, look to the planetary signs, the houses they fall in, and, of course, to your natal chart. Or give me a call. I can help you with that.
Retreats, rituals, services, ceremonies and journeys: As always, choosing the best day or days is a very personal thing. You have to feel your way into it. But there are some generic rules that can help you in your decision-making process. Full moons and new moons are considered the best. Holidays and holy days are as well. Full moons and new moons that occur during or over a period of holidays and holy days are extraordinarily powerful.
Factor in a retrograde or two and you pretty much cannot avoid leveling up and becoming a much more masterful magician. Especially around anything that has to do with your faith, your trust in it, your ability to serve your faith and serve with it. Seriously.
With that in mind, in the next month, the best days for deep, transformational experiences are these: July 9th, July 11th, July 15th, July 21st - 23rd, July 27th-29th, August 2nd, and August 8th..
“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”
The Mystery School Guidebooks
For as long as humans have traveled the earth, we have turned to the cycles and movements of the natural world and celestial bodies to guide us. Over time and across cultures, the art and science of navigation has provided powerful tools to ensure safe passage through the mysterious currents of life's more difficult moments. Now, by combining ancient practices with modern modalities, you can chart smooth and successful routes through the most important journeys of all: the integration of your internal landscapes, your relationships, your spiritual and professional paths.
The Mystery School Guidebooks are the culmination of my 30 years of dedicated research and practice as a business consultant, astrologer, and intuitive. I am currently offering six guidebooks: Mars Retrograde, Level 1 and Level 2; Mercury Retrograde, Level 1 and Level 2; and Venus Retrograde, Level 1 and Level 2, with more in the works. Each one is a magical combination of information and experiential exercises, designed to provide you with the tools that mean the difference between falling prey to your innermost demons—fears, outdated behaviors and belief systems, and long-buried traumas—and discovering, perhaps for the first time, greater joy in relationships, success in career, and increased self-confidence, access, and flow in your personal and spiritual lives.