Second Cancer New Moon of the Summer!

Happy New Moon at 28 degrees of Cancer! The second Cancer New Moon of the summer is tomorrow at 1:32 pm EST. What's the difference between this one and the first one, you might ask... plenty!

While this Moon does indeed join the Sun again in this somewhat moody water sign, the New Moon on June 21st was a Solar Eclipse at 0 degrees of Cancer. In other words, the Sun had just passed the Solstice point when the Moon joined it, kicking off a lunar month of emotional ups and downs. The solstice also aligned with an eclipse and intensified everything! That was a month ago and several things have changed to make this a less moody New Moon, perhaps more personal, as it sets the stage for a lunar month ahead that can include feeling like we're beginning to swim with the tide, instead of against it.

The current New Moon is at the end of the Sun's journey through Cancer and the Moon has made a complete revolution through all the signs of the zodiac, coming back around to rejoin the Sun for new starts involving home or real estate, family, feelings and how we nurture ourselves and others. This is a second chance to make things right, where previously we may have felt thwarted at every turn, internalizing our feelings and not expressing our true needs. Why was it so hard and what has changed? Both Venus in Gemini, the planet of values, and Mercury in Cancer, the planet of communication, were retrograde. Now they are both moving forward. We get to take what we learned about our motives and apply our intentions towards the future, not the past.

This current astrology, both the Sun and Moon in Cancer, oppose retrograde Saturn representing authority figures, restraint and limitation. Saturn has rejoined Pluto (power of transformation) and Jupiter (expansion of the mind) in Capricorn. We are in the process of death and rebirth as individuals and as a nation. Surrounded by drama, intensity and the need for change, the outmoded power structures of the old status quo recognize their immanent demise and will not go quietly. It is up to each individual to recognize what family, security and compassion mean to them, and to act with integrity as they proceed in the direction that their hearts and minds tell them to go. No acting rashly or reacting out of fear will deliver us safely to a calmer shore. It will take bravery, strength and perseverance to rebuild our self esteems, our relationships, and our republic, along with compassion, communication and acceptance.

Mars, the action planet, is in his home territory of Aries, giving us the get-up-and-go we've been needing. But he comes with a warning. All around us, we see levels of frustration at being blocked, or anger at situations outside of our control causing aggression and hostility. This sense of powerlessness is rampant. Assertion is needed when people are feeling it's time to take their power back. Being assertive is standing one's ground while still allowing others to listen and offer their opinions. Whereas, aggressive or hostile behavior is based on old habit patterns and is completely non-productive. It's also part of the me or you, us or them mentality, which doesn't serve to mend emotional fences. Mars will go retrograde in September and turn direct in November, not leaving this fiery sign until January 2021. We have almost 6 more months to decide whether we will act assertively, taking steps however small towards our goals, or react aggressively to the world around us in blaming others, perhaps creating more barriers and delays to the progress we seek. It's a daily choice, whether to let others push our buttons, or to remain calm in the face of upheaval while continuing to put one foot in front of the other.

We've got our work cut out for us. Remember... head in the stars and feet on the ground~