The Cancer archetype is about how we digest life. The quality of our digestion depends upon the health of both our physical and emotional bodies. If our emotional state is unstable and wounded, our emotions can eat us from the inside out. Perpetual emotional conflict and trauma is a major cause of our physical ailments. Stress, which is essentially a reflection of our disturbed emotional state and our inability to handle the complexities and demands of life, is commonly recognized as the subversive factor that undermines all aspects of our health.June 21 – The Sun Enters Cancer at Summer Solstice
(Winter in Southern Hemisphere) 9:38 AM PDT, 16:38 GMT and stays until it enters Leo July 22 at 8:31 PM PDT, July 23 at 3:31 GMT.
It is important to recalibrate our energy when the Earth shifts at both summer and winter solstices. Cancer invites us to take time to meditate and to allow ourselves to be nurtured by Mother Earth energies.
Desire to Feel Safe
Cancer’s primary emotion is fear. The crab, protected only by its delicate, easily-crushed shell, exists in a state of perpetual vulnerability. I was reminded of this when picked up a crab shell on the beach and it crumbled in my hands. Based on the tenuousness of its existence, there is a deep sense of apprehensiveness built into Cancer’s psyche that leads to a carefully calculated approach to life.
Cancer has a very sensitive emotional body and aura. With boundaries that are delicate and porous, we are constantly impacted by energies in our environment. Cancers are by necessity very protective of themselves, carefully monitor their environments, and selectively choose their interactions with others.
The Cancer Crab wants and needs to feel at home and safe in its body, and thus bases its choices and decisions on assuring a feeling of safety and security. The Crab seeks emotional comfort inside its skin, body, and aura. When our inner emotional state is weak, we attempt to achieve this state by being overprotective and even emotionally walled off and walled in.
Cancer’s Path
Cancer symbolizes the Great Mother who nurtures, nourishes, and protects her offspring. The Cancer archetype expresses the feminine, flowing, receptive polarity of our soul. The Moon is the celestial body associated with Cancer. Reflecting the ever-changing phases of the Moon, Cancer’s emotional body and mood also continually change.
Cancer’s path is about achieving emotional intelligence, harmony, and maturity. Cancer’s path is thus focused on developing our emotional body and the subtle sensitivity to pay attention to, feel, and honor our emotions as the instinctual communication mechanism of our soul. The fluid Cancer energy must be able to relax into the flow of the emotions in order to accurately discern how they tell us what we need and when our needs are being met, or not. It takes patience and subtle sensitivity to feel, listen to, and understand the messages of our emotions and then with self-honesty interact and direct our life appropriately.
Capricorn Full Moon – July 1-2
at 9 degrees 7:19 PM PDT, 2:19 GMT
At the Capricorn Full Moon, we tune into the dynamics of the Cancer/Capricorn polarity pair, which is about integrating our physical and emotional realities. Our physical body (Capricorn) has to be strong to comfortably hold our emotional body (Cancer). The most basic touchstone for Cancer and Capricorn is the comfort level in our body. How do we feel and what is going on in our solar plexus and abdominal area? Can we operate in the world (Capricorn) in a relaxed connected emotional state (Cancer)? The Cancer and Capricorn polarities help us balance our internal and external lives.
Through our body we connect with the Mother energy of the Earth and receive her sustenance. With our emotional body we feel, receive, and express her love. How do we hold the peace and harmony that she offers? We love it!
The Cancer archetype of mother and child represents nurturing and growth. The Capricorn archetype represents our path to maturity, which includes developing into an autonomous, responsible adult, able to live in integrity with our soul.
Capricorn maturity includes understanding, defining, and choosing our dharma — a way of living that focuses on our life purpose and aligns with our soul. Capricorn represents (1) the discipline to follow our path, (2) the commitment to stay on purpose, and (3) the dedication to achieve our goals.
Mars seeks to upgrade the masculine. Mars plays an active role in 4 consecutive New and Full Moons. At the Capricorn Full Moon, Mars closely aligns with the Sun in Cancer. Mars in Cancer expresses the supportive masculine that protects life. This Full Moon highlights the shift from the controlling, exploitative, domineering and destructive ‘wounded’ masculine to the royal masculine that courageously defends the truth and acts for the highest good of all. (Mars is in Cancer from June 25 through August 8.)
With Pluto conjuncting the Moon in Capricorn, we can feel the strength of commitment and the power of maintaining our authenticity. However, we will be reminded of where we are abdicating our authority and compromising our personal needs. For Cancer and Capricorn we give away our power and compromise our well-being when we take care of others at our own expense. We know this is the case, when the stress and pressure of doing too much weakens our immune system and makes us sick.
Mars also widely opposes Pluto at the Full Moon. The pressure builds as the 2 planets come into exact opposition July 15 at 14 degrees Cancer/Capricorn. Mars, the God of War, and Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, are related. Mars expresses our personal will. Pluto expresses our soul’s deepest desires. Mature Mars is passionate, brave, and fearlessly assertive. Awakened Pluto gives us the inner resolve to transform our fears into love and our shadow into light.
The first part of July awakens the need and desire for significant changes in our lives. In addition to the above alignments,
July 6 – The Sun and Pluto oppose each other. Our inner basement is illuminated.
July 12 – The Sun squares Uranus. We are served another wake up call.
Neptune, Cancer’s esoteric ruler, trines the Sun – awakening our imagination, inner awareness, and love in our heart.
Venus/Jupiter Conjunctions expand love. Just hours before the Full Moon peaks,Venus joins Jupiter for the first of 3 conjunctions. (The 2nd is August 4 at 29 degrees Leo. The 3rd is October 25 at 16 degrees Virgo) Venus’s retrograde on July 25 (see below) positions Venus and Jupiter within 10 degrees of each other from June 14-August 17. For this 3 month period Jupiter will expand the gifts of the Goddess of Love and Beauty. We can take advantage of this supportive configuration on by relaxing and allowing the generosity of the universe to awaken our faith in the Divine. As our consciousness expands, we enjoy our blessings with deep appreciation and gratitude.
Cancer New Moon – July 15-16
at 23 degrees 6:26 PM PDT, 1:24 AM GMT
At the Cancer New Moon we evaluate our home, personal life, and the conditions that we require to feel safe and secure and to thrive. Are we rooted in our comfort zone or do we feel displaced and at odds with our environment? Do we feel nurtured or deprived? Supported or needy? Uncomfortable or peacefully at home in our physical and emotional bodies?
Mercury (July 9-23) and Mars (June 25 – August 8) are also in Cancer. They join a few hours after the New Moon, adding importance to understanding and communicating (Mercury) our need for emotional security. Mars empowers us to go for what we want.
At the Cancer New Moon, Chiron at 21 degrees Pisces and Saturn at 29 degrees Scorpio join the Moon in a water trine. Water trines offer us ‘go with the flow’ energy that makes it easier to accept, trust, forgive, let go of fear-based programs, and open our hearts to love.
The last half of July can be intense and volatile, but also a fertile time to resolve old issues. When Pluto is involved we are always (1) cleaning out our emotional closet, (2) exposing and resolving our dysfunctional motivations, (3) dealing with real issues (as opposed to our storybook versions of the facts), and (4) trying to discriminate between fabricated and authentic desires and needs.
Uranus quickens the time needed to let go of old wounds and resolve power struggles. Uranus and Pluto help us lighten our load if we are willing to be really honest, not blame others, take responsibility, and move on.
July 15 – Mercury and Mars oppose Pluto. Speak up and act with integrity.
July 18 – Mercury squares Uranus. Find freedom in honest communication and thinking.
July 25 – Mars squares Pluto. Act from the deepest core of your soul.
July 25 – Venus turns retrograde
at 0 degree Virgo and goes direct September 6 at 14 degrees Leo.
Except for July 19-31 when Venus is in Virgo, Venus is in Leo for 4 Months.
Venus is in Leo from June 6-July 18 and again August 1-October 8.
Venus goes retrograde for 6 weeks every 18 months. Venus retrograde gives us time to examine the quality of our lives including our daily living, relationships, creative endeavors, and finances. How does the status of the major components of your life measure up with beauty, balance, relaxation, and overall happiness? What factors diminish your pleasure and ability to simply enjoy your life? Where and how can you eliminate stress, reduce burdens, and make room for the simple pleasures of life?
Venus retrograde is a good time (1) to identify what is missing, (2) to make choices that simplify our daily existence, (3) to take care of unfinished business, and (4) to let go of and heal heartbreaks. Ask yourself, ‘What do I value the most and how can I align my life choices to live in harmony with what I believe and cherish?’
July 26 – Uranus turns retrograde at 21 degrees Aries.
Uranus moves direct December 25 at 16 degrees Aries.
Uranus catalyzes change. While Uranus is retrograde it digs into our inner reality to wake us up to old patterns that need to change. While retrograde we are thrust into the arena called ‘explore and create more viable alternatives in your life.’ When Uranus goes direct, we are shoved out of the gate and must act to bring our new plans into reality. To do so, we have to reclaim and express parts of ourselves that have been hiding in the ‘afraid to be me’ closet. That is where Uranus retrograde comes in handy. It helps us achieve freedom and liberation from deep within. Our inner job now is to free our psyche from social, cultural, religious, and gender conditioning.
Listen deeply to the song of your soul, and then dance to your own tune!
Enjoy and love your life!
References and Footnotes
Austin, Stephanie, Capricorn Full Moon — July 1-2, and Cancer New Moon — July 15-16, The Mountain Astrologer, June/July 2015, pp. 87 and 99.
Love you Guru Rattana <3.