Monthly Astro Forecast: Solar Eclipse in Cancer
The early hours of Friday morning (here in the UK) see the beginning of the summer eclipse season with a solar eclipse in watery Cancer. The moon is perfectly aligned between the sun and the earth so that the sun is hidden, and in this darkness is the seed of a new beginning, a potential waiting to be brought into the light.
In the northern hemisphere, the Sun moves into Cancer at the Summer Solstice, marking the peak of solar energy and the beginning of the turn inwards to the dark. Cancer marks the beginning of the inner journey, the process of reflection and inner work. It also symbolises the safe space in which we can do this work, our home territory, the place where we can extend our roots deep into the earth and know who we are. Cancer is connected to memory, not just our personal memory but our ancestral memories, the stories told in our families, another form of rootedness which teaches us who we are and where we belong. And then there are the older stories, the folklore and mythic recollections of the culture we are born or raised in, or discover later and come home to. Belonging takes many forms.
This solar eclipse has Sun and Moon conjunct in Cancer, opposite Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, and brings the seed of a deeper connection to these ancient stories. Pluto rules what is invisible or hidden, what we might bring into the shadowy illumination of the eclipse, gently coaxing it out into the light. This is an opportunity to retrieve buried memories, to root out our unknown or invisible ancestors and find out what they can teach us. This solar eclipse brings an opportunity to retrieve buried parts of ourselves, too, not just the unpleasant parts that we'd rather deny, but also the bright shadow of our hidden talents. Its time to awaken to buried treasure of the self, of our lineage.
The Cancer Capricorn dynamic is broadly concerned with security, and with our ability to give and receive abundance. We live in a world that is based on scarcity, on the premise that our resources are limited. This mindset leads to conflict and competition. But a connection to spirit, a more empathetic Cancerian approach, teaches us that our capacity to give and receive energy is limitless - we don't just run of of creativity, or imagination, or joy. But I do find this problematic - our assumption that the earth's resources are limitless has got us, this earth, all life as we know it, into quite a lot of trouble....But in our own lives at least, we can cultivate an abundance mentality instead of a scarcity mentality. I wonder even if shifting our mindset this way could curb all the over consumption, because if we realise that we are already enough, we might just be less compelled to keep buying more stuff to make us feel secure. This eclipse asks us to consider where and why we feel insecure? And where and how do we feel that we are enough?
Cancer season is a time of going with the flow, of finding a calmer rhythm after the buzzy socialising and information gathering of Gemini. Its also a time to connect to our imagination, preparing for the great radiant exhale of creativity which comes with Leo season. The Sun moves into Leo on July 22, joining Mercury and well behind Venus who is already out the other side and into Virgo. A few days before, on July 18, Mars meets the South Node in Aquarius, opposing the North Node in Leo and focusing our energy on the individual / collective dynamic. When the Sun comes home to Leo, its a chance to rediscover our inner child, the part of us that loves to create purely for the joy of it. The Sun squares revolutionary Uranus on July 25th, insisting that we find ways to be true to ourselves. On July 29th, the Sun meets the North Node in Leo, illuminating our creative destiny.
On July 26th, Mercury slows down and stations retrograde. If we let go of the pushing too hard that can bring all the cliches about travel delays and communication difficulties, we can find a more laid back rhythm. The inwardly focused retrograde energy is perfect for exploring our creativity and self expression, whilst avoiding the outwardly focused drama and attention seeking which sometimes comes with Leo energy.
The collective ideals of Aquarius, the opposite sign to Leo, demand our attention as we move from July into August. The full moon of July 27th brings a lunar eclipse in Aquarius, the culmination of a process of truth seeking. Mars in Aquarius squares Uranus, ruler of Aquarius and currently transiting practical Taurus on August 2nd, and a couple of days later Mars forms a helpful sextile with Chiron, recently arrived in Mars-ruled Aries. With illumination and expansion from Sun square Jupiter on August 7th, these placements demand action, the creation of tangible change. Also on August 7th, Uranus stations retrograde, moving the revolution inwards as we contemplate our own inner truth as well as that of our environment.
Venus in Virgo provides a calmer counterpoint to the Cancerian mood swings and the bright Leo energy, opposing Neptune in Pisces on July 24th and adding an extra boost of imagination and creativity. On August 7th she moves into Libra, hopefully bringing a sense of harmony and healing when she opposes Chiron in Aries the next day.
In the northern hemisphere, the Sun moves into Cancer at the Summer Solstice, marking the peak of solar energy and the beginning of the turn inwards to the dark. Cancer marks the beginning of the inner journey, the process of reflection and inner work. It also symbolises the safe space in which we can do this work, our home territory, the place where we can extend our roots deep into the earth and know who we are. Cancer is connected to memory, not just our personal memory but our ancestral memories, the stories told in our families, another form of rootedness which teaches us who we are and where we belong. And then there are the older stories, the folklore and mythic recollections of the culture we are born or raised in, or discover later and come home to. Belonging takes many forms.
The Cancer Capricorn dynamic is broadly concerned with security, and with our ability to give and receive abundance. We live in a world that is based on scarcity, on the premise that our resources are limited. This mindset leads to conflict and competition. But a connection to spirit, a more empathetic Cancerian approach, teaches us that our capacity to give and receive energy is limitless - we don't just run of of creativity, or imagination, or joy. But I do find this problematic - our assumption that the earth's resources are limitless has got us, this earth, all life as we know it, into quite a lot of trouble....But in our own lives at least, we can cultivate an abundance mentality instead of a scarcity mentality. I wonder even if shifting our mindset this way could curb all the over consumption, because if we realise that we are already enough, we might just be less compelled to keep buying more stuff to make us feel secure. This eclipse asks us to consider where and why we feel insecure? And where and how do we feel that we are enough?
Cancer season is a time of going with the flow, of finding a calmer rhythm after the buzzy socialising and information gathering of Gemini. Its also a time to connect to our imagination, preparing for the great radiant exhale of creativity which comes with Leo season. The Sun moves into Leo on July 22, joining Mercury and well behind Venus who is already out the other side and into Virgo. A few days before, on July 18, Mars meets the South Node in Aquarius, opposing the North Node in Leo and focusing our energy on the individual / collective dynamic. When the Sun comes home to Leo, its a chance to rediscover our inner child, the part of us that loves to create purely for the joy of it. The Sun squares revolutionary Uranus on July 25th, insisting that we find ways to be true to ourselves. On July 29th, the Sun meets the North Node in Leo, illuminating our creative destiny.
On July 26th, Mercury slows down and stations retrograde. If we let go of the pushing too hard that can bring all the cliches about travel delays and communication difficulties, we can find a more laid back rhythm. The inwardly focused retrograde energy is perfect for exploring our creativity and self expression, whilst avoiding the outwardly focused drama and attention seeking which sometimes comes with Leo energy.
The collective ideals of Aquarius, the opposite sign to Leo, demand our attention as we move from July into August. The full moon of July 27th brings a lunar eclipse in Aquarius, the culmination of a process of truth seeking. Mars in Aquarius squares Uranus, ruler of Aquarius and currently transiting practical Taurus on August 2nd, and a couple of days later Mars forms a helpful sextile with Chiron, recently arrived in Mars-ruled Aries. With illumination and expansion from Sun square Jupiter on August 7th, these placements demand action, the creation of tangible change. Also on August 7th, Uranus stations retrograde, moving the revolution inwards as we contemplate our own inner truth as well as that of our environment.