Cancer - the waves of the ocean, its ebb and flow

Cancer is all about water, the emotional field - empathy, intuition, sensitivity to psychic energy, the oil in the engine that helps it run smoothly, caring, nurturing. Where Cancer differs from the other two water signs, is that it is folded in on itself. We tend to look at the round moon like a baby gazing at mother, the big face - the Moon rules Cancer, and expresses energetically the watery field of our personal unconscious. Of the other two water signs, Pisces is more about being in the sea of human emotion that we all share; Scorpio is exploring the depths of human emotion. But Cancer is about our need for sustenance to survive, physically and emotionally - in the body, Cancer rules the stomach.

The moon and the oceans show us living cycles, waxing and waning, high tide and ebb. So our water flows, we wake and sleep, our moods lift and fall, and lift again. Take care of yourself when your mood is low - your body needs the rest and recovery time to be ready for the activity of the next lift.

Be real!

This New Moon chart shows the Sun and Moon at odds with Saturn in Libra. Saturn shows us the facts, brings us the results of our activity, and, this month, our relationships will be holding up a mirror for us to see the emotions behind what we think we expressed. Another way to say this is that, no matter what you meant to put across to someone, it will be the emotion within or beneath it that people will receive and react to. And they will be more likely to react than responding intelligently.

This challenging energy has been at work very strongly during the last few days, so you will probably have had at least one difference of opinion, or misunderstanding, by now. What we are to learn from these awkwardnesses is what we really felt when we said whatever it was. Trying to be nice, or diplomatic, or persuasive, is liable to trip us up into revealing the frustration or irritation about feeling we must ‘walk on eggshells’ (Mars in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries). You may be the one holding up the mirror to someone else, if you surprised yourself by reacting rather more strongly than you normally would.

Positive emotions have a positive effect

Beautifully, there is a powerful background pattern in the chart which supports us recognising what’s going on so we can deal with the situations very fast. There may be harsh words and impatience, but hopefully we will be following up these blasts with warmth and humour (Mercury in Leo trine Uranus, and sextile Jupiter in Gemini). The point is that these are tense and uncertain times for everyone - this month, we can use the energy to learn how we affect our friends and surroundings with our emotional force.

Emotional energy can be used deliberately to help people and improve situations. Notice how you are feeling, and, when feeling low in any way, play at changing those feelings by thinking of a beautiful colour, or remembering something that makes you smile, that opens your heart with love. We don’t have to remain in a mood - but it does take a conscious choice to shift it, and a conscious following through to make the shift happen.

The ‘mirror’ shows what you’re doing to yourself

In our unconsciousness there are so many bunches of phrases creating attitudes full of judgement. What is unconscious is beyond the reach of the thinking mind, so we need feedback from others if we are to know what’s going on inside, and that feedback can be painful sometimes, or embarrassing, or irritating. The challenge is to accept the feedback - that is, people’s reactions to us - as possibly being relevant and useful reflections. This is another good place for humour to make hard truths more palatable. Whatever you learn about yourself this way deserves a gold star! Don’t beat yourself up about it, we are all human, and knowing what’s happening inside you is a skill that lets the spirit through. So appreciate yourself for doing this work.

From 19 July through to 24 July, there can be a huge growth in understanding, leading to a clarity that enables us to stand clear of the patterns, and maybe never take them so seriously again (Mars opposite Uranus, and quincunx Chiron, while Mercury sextiles Mars, and trines Uranus).

Love holds life together

Another focus that will repay our attention is caring for ourselves, which rolls naturally into compassion for others. The kindest thing we can do is to trust that all life is held together by love. Taking this in, we can relax into the feeling of being loved - by the ground we walk on, loved by the weather that touches our skin, loved by the earth through the food we eat, loved by the water, the flow of life. How much easier it is to love people, when we allow ourselves to stand in the inner place where love flows in.

Love is like a waterfall - just knowing about it doesn’t reach us. You need to be standing in that place and feel it pouring all over you, if you are to flow love out into your life. (My vlog on youtube, accessed through the Green Button on my website, speaks the following verses to the background of waterfalls - and I think you will see what I mean.)

On 7 August, Venus moves into Cancer after four months in Gemini. She will be in Cancer for thirty days, bringing a greater naturalness to the emotional side of relating. During the first two weeks of that time, she will connect with Neptune and Chiron, helping to bring understanding through empathy, and healing - and that takes us to the next New Moon.