cancer and astrology

A Full Moon Rising – Tomorrow!

A full Moon brings what has been in the dark – your subconscious – into the light. With the Sun now in Cancer, the opposite sign, the sign of the opposing Moon is Capricorn. (For the Moon to be “full,” it must be as far away as it can be from the Sun.) Cancer and Capricorn are the “mommy” and “daddy” signs. Cancer is the epitome of traditional motherly, nurturing energy and Capricorn is more the authoritarian father energy.

This full Moon is a good time to balance that yin and yang energies – the male and female polarity that exists in everyone. This might be a good time to analyze where you are giving up to much of your power and energy taking care of others as opposed to nurturing yourself (having authority over yourself.)

Masculine and feminine is not really about sex – it is about balancing those two halves that need to be healthy in all of us. Are we compassionate and nurturing enough without harming ourselves? Are we self-assertive enough, can we express our anger properly? These are all questions we need to ask during this wonderful full Moon.

The Moon will be “full” at 7:24 AM EDT so you have the whole day on Saturday to balance that Moon energy! Enjoy

The Cardinal Grand Cross – Yes, Again!

Let me offer a little review of the concept of a grand cross since we are at the height of one right now. When four planets are 90 degrees apart in the sky, we have a Grand Cross. Basically, it is two oppositions and four squares. We are calling this a cardinal Grand Cross because the planets in question are in cardinal signs – they are the movers – the doers – the action signs. The planets in place now deal with very intimate changes – Aries – who we are; Libra – how we related to others; Cancer – our home and roots: and, Capricorn – work and duty

Right now – until April 24 the planets will be at their tightest – the Cross will be at it most distinct. A solar eclipse follows on April 29 in Taurus – the sign of stability and grounding.

I have railed before against astrologers who predicted the end of the world, our economy, and pretty much everything else during the Cross. No doubt, this is a challenging situation and but it does not have to be “doom.” Change is always painful. I personally had a very painful emotional issue – come up just as the Cross activated – a family matter than came to a head. As painful as it was – it was also cathartic and finalized so many things for me that has allowed me to move upwards and onward.

We have seen the negative of the Cross – I firmly believe Malaysia 370 was the result of latent anger turned negative and destructive – someone with a hidden anger against some faction – and this is how they lashed out. There may be a big political shift in the ruling party in Malaysia coming out of this horror and I believe that is what the perpetrators wanted. Anger turned inward – the only change we can make is to lash out.

Since these planets are in cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, anyone with “personal planets’ natal planets in those signs, will be more likely to feel the pull of this grand cross more. For me, I have Libra rising.

Again, I urge everyone not to stick on the concept of the “bad possibilities.” Remember instead the kind of change that can boost us further to make major internal changes that reflect outward — positive changes. What old patterns do you need to stop and what helpful patterns do you need to reinforce in your life? Use it – don’t complain about it and don’t fear it.

Full “Moonth” in Cancer January 15

“Every ‘Moonth’ the Moon travels around the Earth through the whole circle of the sky. The Moon’s Old English name was Mona from that name we acquired the word ‘month.” The Old Lady’s walkabout was 29 ½ days. If you have the patience to watch her journey night after night in a single month you will see that the road she travel is the same one she traveled last month and she will be found there the next and the next and the one after that. As she walks the Road in the Sky she stops to visit friends and family, i.e., she meets up with the stars that live alongside the Road. Her visits are brief for she has a long way to go – clear around the sky – so she must hurry on.”

I love that quote from Wendy Ashley’s “Paleoskies.” Wendy is an astro-anthropologist who watches the planets (from the word wanderer) make their seemingly endless journey around the skies. She is part of wonderful movement to bring us back to the sky – to make us remember what is going on in the universe as we busy ourselves with our “important” Earthly work.

This week, on Jan. 15, the Moon will have “walked” furthest away from the Sun – and thus we will have a “Full Moon.” Freed from the Sun’s brilliance the Moon shows us her full light. This Full Moon will be in Cancer. The Sun is in the opposite sign of Capricorn. This is a typical Mommy – Daddy battle. Cancer is the sign of the nurturer – vibrates to the fourth house -typical assigned to Mother, home and roots. Capricorn is the taskmaster – the uber-father.

This is a perfect time to work on the balance between how you are nurturing themselves – and others – and how much you are being too hard on yourself or others. I always say Capricorn is where we “should” all over ourselves. “I should be doing this – I should be doing that – I am not good enough.” Cancer is the active but nurturing Mom that offers us that other cup of tea to relax.

So at this full Moon time think of the balance you are or are not striking between those two in your life. We often forget that we can have the second cup of tea!

Jupiter Moves into Cancer For a Thirteen Month Run

on June 26. What does it mean for the largest planet to be in the most motherly and nurturing sign of Cancer?

At its best this transit will help with intuition, imagination, and our sense of compassion. It is a great time to find where you need to work on your compassion – you know normally the person you want to smash over the head – take a breath and think about how you can find something good about them!

This is also a great time to save your money – in other words – nurture your assets. Check your home as well – what improvements do you need to make?

If you know where your natal Jupiter is in your chart you will see when this transit will really resonate with you. For example, mine is in the 11th house in Leo. When the Jupiter in Cancer activates that I should be making time to find out how my friends do or do not nurture me – and how I care for them. (The 11th house is the house of social contacts.) It will also be a good time to do some heavy networking.

Jupiter will move into Cancer while in the 9th house. So start making your plans for that international trip you have always thought about. Too expensive? OK then go to all of the foreign restaurants and movies you always promised yourself. Remember, Cancer is nurturing and Jupiter is expansion!

What Would the Moon Say?

courtesy of Arlenew

I played a little game with my class at the Institute for Spiritual Development in Washington D.C. which I unofficially entitled “What would the Moon say?” I posed the scenario, what if a someone with a very strong Sagittarian influenced walked up each sign of the zodiac as it embodied the Moon and said something totally Sag. like, “Wow that dress makes you look like Orca!” You know how Sag. is about telling the truth – or I should say their truth. How would these Moons – our emotional barometers respond?

Aries wouldn’t mince words. An Aries Moon would just deck Sag. with one well placed blow to the side of the mouth. Now if this Aries Moon were in a daintier body then the words would flow and flow and flow until Sag. was duly chopped up and humbled.

Taurus on the other hand would pull herself up to full height; straighten her dress (which is a bit snug over the bull’s hips) and say. “I don’t think you are right Sag. This dress is made from the finest of silkworms. I flew to China to oversee the spinning myself.” She would then huff off comforting herself with a box of the finest of Swiss chocolates.

“This dress? This dress is too tight? Really? How can that be I researched the purchase of this dress for three weeks? I tried on 18 different dresses. I went to 7 stores and then….” As Gemini was still babbling on Sag. runs away in self defense.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.” Yes, that was Moon Child running off in tears. She will stay in her crab shell for weeks pouting and weeping.

Leo the Lions’ reaction is a wee bit different. “HOW DARE YOU! I have more knowledge about dressing in my little paw then you have in your entire quiver Sag. Begone!” Sag darts out dodging mirrors from Leo’s vast collection being tossed out at her.

Virgo doesn’t respond just immediately becomes anorexic.

“Really? Really? I asked twelve people and weighed their responses very carefully. Then I asked twelve more – it took me twenty weeks to weigh everyone’s opinion of what I should do. How could it be wrong? Libra’s scales were wobbling back and forth with such a flurry Sag. thought a wind storm was in the offing.

Scorpio whipped off her dark glasses in a furor and starred silently into Sag’s soul with such unbridled fierceness that Sag. was terrified for a week.

“Yeah well your hair looks like a home for drug addicted weasels.”

“And your perfume smells like ‘Ode De Goat.'”

“Your shoes are left-overs from the Von Trapp Family AFTER the clomped over the Alps.”

Oh my – Sag. Vs. Sag. is an ugly sight.

Capricorn never looked up from her historical tome. Who cares about such nonsense as fashion? Sag. is so frivolous.

“Wow baby so you don’t like my duds. That is cool. Hey we are all brothers and sisters under the skin where it counts. Coverings are like so superficial. It is all good.” Insulting Aquarius was such a drag.

Pisces suddenly looked even sadder if that was indeed possible! “Oh I knew it would be terrible. I just can’t pick out clothes.” Pisces was so pathetic that for a minute Sag. said he would never insult another person again…or until another ugly dress came into view and the truth just had to be told.

The House – the angles

As promised I am going to explore each of the houses of the Zodiac. Of course, I won’t go in order – what fun is order? (The darned rising air sign always acts up on me.) However, I am starting with the first house because it is the first of the angular houses – 1, 4, 7 and 10. These are houses of high importance and actually act as anchors of the chart. For instance, yours truly here has NO Earth signs in her char. Not one planet was in an Earth sign when I was born. I am all air and water with a dash of fire thrown in. Now imagine a chart with no Earth to hold it down. I should always “out there” – never focusing – either in the depths of water’s mysteries or just flipping around the atmosphere. (Another reason I hate to go in order.) However, if you look at the angles – the sign on the cusps of those angular houses you see that I have pretty good anchors. Thank the universe for small favors.

My rising sign – is in Libra an air sign, yes but a cardinal sign – a sign of leadership. The cusp* of the 4th house anchor is Capricorn – a cardinal Earth sign which vibrates to Saturn, the task master. My 7th house anchor is Aries – a fire sign but again it is cardinal. Finally my 10th house cusp is Moon Child – another cardinal sign this one in water. I have all 4 cardinal signs on my anchor (angular) houses. These keep me focused – give me a goal and give me the drive to succeed.

Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius – are signs of strength and stubbornness and they vibrate to the second, fifth, either and eleventh houses. Mutable, more adaptable, less focused signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces vibrate to the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth houses.

That is why it is important to look at the entire chart. Without strong angular houses my chart interpretation would be vastly different. Next time, I will look at one of the angular houses…maybe the first; maybe the tenth….depends on how I feel. 🙂

*The cusps are the signs that sit at the door of each house. Look at the small outter wheel on the chart to find them.

Happy Solstice! What does that mean anyway?

It is the Summer Solstice! Yippee! Ok so what does that mean exactly? It is defined in astronomy as the time when the Earth tips on its axis and the Northern part becomes closest to the Sun. For those of us in the Northern hemisphere it brings the onset of summer. It is also the longest day of the year when we have the most sunlight. Astrologically, it is the moment when the Sun tips into Cancer. As you can see in the chart below – the Sun, signified by the blue circle with the dot in the center is in zero degrees Cancer. This will happen at 7:30 AM Eastern on June 21, 2010.

The word solstice comes from the Latin – sol – Sun -and sistere – to stand still and it does look from our vantage point on the ecliptic that the Sun is standing still in the sky. (Yes, I know it always stands still but they didn’t know that when Latin was all the rage.) We know now that because of the way we are tilting it appears that the Sun is static. The science has changed but not the name. For about three days it seems that the Sun has nothing better to do than pour a heavy concentration of its light right on our little heads. Summer is a time of fire, when the sun is growing our crops and providing the food that will nourish our bodies throughout the rest of year.

Cancer, however, is a water sign and tells us that it is the time for home and the enjoyment of friends of family. Summer is the traditional time for family picnics and reunions enjoyed under the warming rays of the Sun – usually by the water. The United States, a country “born” under the sign of Cancer – July 4, 1776 instituted a day of outdoor family celebration right at this time of sun and water!

Later, as the Sun moves into fiery Leo, we will experience the full intensity of the Sun as we move into the “dog days” of summer and finally earthy Virgo takes over in time of the harvest.

What is the “best” way to celebrate the Summer Solstice? Any darn way you please. However, if can incorporate water and fire elements into the day you will be very satisfied I am sure.

This year, Juno, the goddess of loyalty and partnership, will be in conjunction with the Sun as will Mercury. However, this Sun-Juno combination, which is normally of time of committing to someone else, is opposite a Pluto-Ceres conjunction. Pluto is the great transformer – the slow and grinding changer. Ceres is mother Earth. (HMMM Pluto and Ceres are in conjunction in the 6th house of health and physicality and the Earth is erupting toxic oil into the Gulf. Think about that one for a bit.) Add to this mix that the Sun-Juno sisters are in the 12th house – the house of the great cosmic unconsciousness – the house of karma. Can you see what is happening?

A Pluto opposition is a demand to change. Pluto is opposing the Sun – our life force – and Juno – loyalty and commitment and it has karma thrown in. So we will see a time when people are questioning their commitments to others and if it is a karmic commitment – people who came together “like magic” in this lifetime there could be some debt paying to one another. Ceres and Juno in opposition cause “female problems,” i.e. mothers and daughters questioning their relationships. Children particularly from other marriages will be chafing under the rules of the “new mommy.”

So while we are playing on the beach this summer, look out for the sharks. No, not those sharks – the ones that will crop up from the dance of the stars over head!

Happy Solstice all!

Thanks for the Cancer scare

The question arose – what is going on in my own chart. There is no harder animal to interpret than my own chart! Right now I have transiting Juno in conjunction with transiting Uranus (both in my 6th house – the house of health as well as day to day work) opposing my natal Vesta which is in the 12th house in Virgo. Uranus and Juno are now in Pisces, the ruler of the 12th house (the keeper of the keys to the secrets of the universe) – – so this seems pretty significant.
To make matters more interesting, my natal Saturn/Juno conjunction in my 2nd house (the house of self worth and self possessions) is making a flowing aspect to the charming duo of transiting Uranus/Juno (I know that is a lot to picture but go with me here – Vesta on one side – Uranus/Juno in exact opposition and Saturn and natal Juno in between them.)

I was having a tough time with this until the universe handed me a very unique gift. Last Friday, I received a letter from the Virginia Hospital center which what I thought would be the mundane results of my yearly mammography…basically; everything is fine see you next year. This year the letter was longer and started off with, “We need you to come back for further analysis…..” Oh dear not what I was looking for! Hey thanks Uranus – you love to shake things up don’t you and there you are in my house of health. Isn’t it good enough for you that I fell flat on my face two darn times this past month???

Ok so now the mind goes in 1000 directions. Somewhere between, oh this happens to everyone occasionally and Lordie I am dead – my mind suddenly clicked on this question. How would I live my life if I knew I had cancer? What would I change? How would Cancer give me the license to be more authentic? Suddenly, I understood my planetary conundrum… Vesta is the burning heart’s desire –what we want to dedicate ourselves to. Mine is natally in the 12th house so my search for my universal truth is very important to me in this life. However, with Juno, the asteroid that shows where we dedicate ourselves to something else – where we stick to “other” sitting next to Uranus, that trickster in the 6th – the question was now clear. What parts of my life am I still too worried about what others think or how I can fit in with other people’s wishes and desires – to the neglect of my own search?

A cancer diagnoses would give me a license to be more authentic. But why did I have to lean on such a crutch? Why couldn’t I be more authentic just for the heck of it – on my own strength and willpower?

I was comforted in the few days before my follow up tests by the fact that the Uranus/Juno transit was making a harmonious relationship to my natal Saturn/Juno in the 2nd house. This is just a good lesson I said – and this will help me rely more on myself image and stop trying to see reflections in others. I kept repeating that as I waited yesterday first for the results of a second mammography and then when the technician said the Doctor wanted to take an ultrasound. I waited and repeated —. This is just a lesson to say live more authentically – live for self and say that is how you will build your self worth.

After three “lovely “ hours I heard the Doctor say that the ultrasound showed that there was nothing there – just some anomaly of the way mammography’s read certain tissue. As I thanked him for being so diligent (a sharp-eyed radiologist caught my sister’s cancer in very early stages years ago) and then melted off the table – I thanked the universe for the outcome and the lesson. Just one thing – hey Uranus can you move the heck out of my sixth house? You made your point OK?