New Moons in any sign are times when our inner self (Moon) and our outer self (Sun) are on the same frequency, and what that frequency looks like, or how that frequency expresses itself is determined by the sign the New Moon occupies. This New Moon, which occurs at 4:54 AM EDT on July 1st, is in the sign of Cancer. Cancer connotes containment. The symbol most generally associated with Cancer is the Crab. A study of the Crab gives us some idea of the tendency of Cancer. Crabs wear their protective skeleton on the outside, crabs are unable to walk in a forward direction, only sideways and backwards, Crabs would rather loose an arm then let go of something it has it’s pincers around and crabs live in the often tempestuous always changing shore line where water and earth meet., With the crab being constantly battered by the tides, who could blame a crab for being a tad self-protective and unwilling to let go. It’s a difficult life in the pounding surf, whether it be actual waves of water, or waves of emotion.

Cancer is also the sign of the Mother, ruled by the feminine changeable Moon. In Soul Centered astrology Cancer is considered the sign of incarnation. Souls are incarnated (contained or incarcerated in a body) through Cancer. In the body Cancer rules the stomach and the breasts, how we nurture ourselves and how we nurture our creations (children). According to world renowned astrologer Alan Oken, “The placement of the Sun in Cancer focuses one’s activities around the creation of an environment for nurturing and support.” (1)

This New Moon is also an Solar Eclipse. During a Solar Eclipse the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun. The Sun symbolizes the present/future, the Moon, the past. So during the eclipse we can get in touch with the past undisturbed by the light of day.

Last month I wrote an article about the Gemini New Moon Solar Eclipse and described some of the more technical aspects of how eclipses occur. In that article I pointed out that this Eclipse Season was a South Node eclipse season. The South Node of the Moon deals with where we have come from, it is familiar, habitual, & connected to our ‘biological karma’. Because of the oppositional character of the North and South nodes (The Nodal axis, being an axis and therefore having two points diametrically opposed to each other) the Nodes always deal with relationships. North Node contacts deal with relationships that draw us to our future and South Node contacts deal with relationships we have had in past incarnations & relationships with family members. So there is no doubt that this eclipse will be dealing with issues around family due to the nature of the South Node & the nature of the sign of Cancer.

In itself, Eclipse season is an active changeable time. Eclipses act as ‘wild cards’ , easy to predict astronomically but because of their nature, difficult to determine how they will work out within an individual’s life. They are not unlike contacts with the planet Uranus, which loves to shock us, often spinning us off into a completely different direction than we planned on going in. The one thing that can be stated with certainty, is that the nature of the South Node Eclipse is one of letting go of old ways of being, feeling, and thinking. Letting go of habits that get in the way of our happiness and forward movement in life.

This eclipse, powerful in it’s own right, is supercharged due to it’s contact with three other planets, Saturn the Lord of Karma, Uranus the Great Awakener & Pluto the Lord of the Underworld.

Saturn in the sign of Libra, makes a stressful square (90 degree aspect) to the Sun/Moon. Of all the planets mentioned above the square to Saturn is the tightest aspect (within @1.5 degrees). All squares connote crisis. This first ¼ square is a crisis in action. We feel compelled to take an action. With Saturn in Libra, the sign of one to one relationships such as marriage, business partnerships, open enemies & legal matters, we may feel that we have no choice but to take an action to protect our interests. All squares rouse us out of our comfort zones, often comfort zones we tried very hard to maintain, and yet what must be done must be done, it may feel as if our life depends on it.

Uranus in the Sign of Aries, also makes a stressful square to the Sun/Moon. This square is different from the one with Saturn, in that it is a last ¼ square. The crisis we face with this type of square is a crisis in consciousness. The stress produced in this square has more to do with the conscious pressure of social responsibility. Aries is the sign of the I AM, it is completely self referential. It can manifest as childish narcissistic behavior, or as Self-empowerment, it depends on the level of conscious evolution of the individual. Last ¼ squares force change as well as first ¼ squares, but this change is a change in our thinking, a reorientation & a turning away from old patterns of behavior & attitude.

And the last major player in this configuration is Pluto in the sign of Capricorn. The nature of Pluto is one of transformation. Capricorn is about authority, both inner and outer authority. On a worldly level Capricorn deals with government, big business, nuclear energy, infrastructure, all of which are under a great deal of pressure to transform. Personally Capricorn deals with our relationship to power. The aspect between the Sun/Moon conjunction and Pluto is an opposition. With oppositions the energy is seen as separate to the self, as if someone or something is interacting in your life in a way which is contrary to what you want. The psychological defense mechanism associated with the opposition is projection. This can be seen easily in the rampant anti-government sentiment and abundance of conspiracy theories flooding the air waves. It is important to come to the understanding that projection comes from within. The shadows you see are your own feelings, so if you think the Illuminati is taking over the world, or the government is trying to enslave you, this is in part a reflection of your own sense of powerlessness. You are giving that which is outside of you the power over you. And this is not to say, that there is no truth in any of these theories, history is replete with atrocities, yet that is the past. The future is created in the present. If we focus on fear then we just end up creating all those things we fear. Why do we do this? Because we co-create unconsciously.

We are moving into a period of Conscious Co-creation. We are starting to wake up to the fact that we can create our own reality. It depends on what we choose to concentrate our minds and hearts on. If we stay in fear, we disconnect from Source Energy, call it God/Goddess, Universal Intelligence, Great Spirit, the mighty I AM. If we reside in a place of LOVE we can access Source and start creating a New Earth.

If we look at the chart for the New Moon Eclipse in Cancer we would see in the middle of the chart a square. This square is created by the aspects between the Sun/Moon, Saturn, Uranus & Pluto. This is a Grand Square configuration, in the Cardinal signs. Cardinal signs are about initiation and action. To the eye of someone who is unsure of what all the lines in the middle of a chart means, it looks like a door. And so it is, a doorway to another way of being, to a higher dimension of reality. This summer will be one of much tumult and change, it is important to understand that what is lost during this time is no longer necessary. It is important to understand that sometimes before we can receive we must first let go. It is important to understand the power of counting your blessings while residing in the Present Moment, the only moment of Power.

We are being asked to let go of the illusion of our powerlessness, the evolution train is thundering down the tracks…time to get on board!