MERCURY CAZIMI IN CANCER

“The public and private worlds are inseparably connected … the tyrannies and servilities of one are the tyrannies and servilities of the other.” -Virginia Woolf

Messenger planet Mercury is currently transiting in the last decan of Cancer and comes into a superior conjunction with the Sun today at 15:37pm EST.

This brief moment is known as a ‘’Cazimi’’ (from the Arabic word kasmimi) when a planet is said to be ‘’in the heart of the Sun’’ or within 16’ of longitude (16 arc minutes) from the Sun and is thought to bring illumination or clarity as Mercury speaks from the solar throne.

Since this conjunction is taking place in the sign of Cancer, the realization that come to you at this time may have an emotional/intuitive/creative/fertile undertow and have to do with what you need to feel nourished and wealthy on an emotional/spiritual/physiological/environmental but also collective level not only to survive but also to THRIVE.

Patterns of stagnation that relates to your emotional wellbeing are offered opportunities to flow now as stale fixated ways are dislodged.

Things that happened to you in-utero or when you were a small child still informs your ways of being in the world and this is some of what the Moon-ruled sign of Cancer relates to.

This brief aspect will have different degrees of importance and meaning depending on where Cancer is located in your birth chart and if you have any planets on the Cardinal axis (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)

You can also look to where the Moon is located in your chart and the aspects it receives from other planets to gain a greater understanding of the ways in which you may have experienced nurturing as a child and the ways you go about fulfilling your needs.

There are no good or bad Moon signs fyi. The symbols in the birth charts represents dynamics at play and I have seen thriving Scorpio Moons and emotionally dysfunctional Cancer Moons. You are born within the patterns of a certain moment in time which is represented by your birth chart. The dynamics at work in your life and what feels familiar and intimate for you may be foreign to someone else. A greater understanding of your Moon sign, placement and aspects can allow you to find more ease for its expression and nurture yourself and others in the ways that feels the most fluid and integrative for you. I call it ‘’breastfeeding your Moon’’.

Albert Aublet (1851–1938), Selene (1880), oil on canvas, 144.1 x 115.5 cm, location not known. Wikimedia Commons.

GROW• GLOW• SHIMMER: NEW MOON IN LEO

Bruce Pennington, 1973

 

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The month of July ends with a New Moon in Leo which will be exact at 23:12 EDT on July 31st. A few minutes later, Mercury stations direct in Cancer after being retrograde since the 7th of July. The New Moon in Leo and Mercury direct initiates us into the month of August, on the other side of eclipse season and in the bright light of the Sun who is at home in the sign of Leo.

→ Look to where the New Moon in Leo is taking place in your birth chart to understand where the focus is  for this upcoming lunation. The Full Moon in Aquarius on August 14 will see a culmination in the opposite house to where Leo sits and you can expect the next few weeks to highlight both the Leo and Aquarius house topics in your chart.

After a month of gestation, we enter a period of rationality and brilliance which will allow us to study in clear daylight, the pearls of wisdom that were birthed in the eclipses shadows. The intuitive epiphanies regarding certain roadblocks and detours inherited from the past, and the revelations contained in our personal biographies can now be observed with a certain lucid detachment as a fresh chapter emerges on the horizon. The page is blank, the fruits are ripped, and fresh intentions are being initiated with the conviction that we really do deserve the best of the best.

Honour and pride is on the menu in the first half of August. Leo season is a time of courage and conviction, of stepping up to the plate and having the guts of embodying your role with confidence. Now is a time for recognizing your accomplishments, your worth, and to show up with your best face on, trusting that you know exactly how its done.

Shimmering sparkles arising from the light – hypnotizing with a fiery glow – a magnetizing charisma containing the warmth of love and attraction. Thirsty, the seeker extends a hand towards the object of power –  hoping to catch its radiance and become a God.

Jupiter stations direct in Sagittarius on August 11, after being retrograde since mid-April and this should help boost our confidence level. On the same day, Mercury enters Leo setting the ego ablaze as Uranus turn retrograde in Taurus until next eclipse season in January 2020.

Micheal Heizer

 

The Full Moon in Aquarius takes place on August 14, just as Venus in Leo reaches her superior conjunction moving behind the Sun. This marks the time when Venus transition from the morning to evening sky. Venus will be visible as a bright evening “star” in the sky after sunset in September and October 2019.

The Full Moon in Aquarius brings a culmination in regards to our own needs and desires versus the desires of the whole. Certain people might be accused of selfishness during this time as we try to reconcile our values with the values of others. Venusian matters will certainly be on our mind in mid-August and a division could be felt in regards to the practical versus the superfluous. We might feel more indulgent and deserving and this could create some friction with others who are also trying to get their piece of cake. Brash and dramatic displays of superiority are also possible as egos collide; even if you know best, you might not be heard in the cacophony of roars. 

Mars enters Virgo on August 18, followed by Venus on August 21st, and the Sun on August 23rd. The second half of the month will contain a lot more planets in Earth elements bringing pragmatism to our ambitions, and practical steps to reach our goals. The heated passions being felt in the first weeks of August will find proper outlets by the end of the month as we slowly come back down to Earth with the gifts of Fire. The last week of August sees a Mars/Venus conjunction in Virgo supported by a trine to Uranus; you will know exactly what to do and how to do it.

Love and passion, passion and beauty, beauty and lust, lust and novelty, novelty and pleasure, pleasure and discovery, discovery and freedom, freedom and connection, connection and soul.

The New Moon in Virgo takes place early on August 30th at 6 degrees of Virgo signalling fresh momentum in the part of your chart where Virgo is located. This should be a fantastic lunation to organize and take care of details that were ignored in the last few months. Delineating a schedule or a plan for your goals should help relieve some of the anxiety. It could feel like a lot needs to be done and September promises to be a good month to get on track. Organization will be high on the priority list and a clear action-plan will support your efforts towards reaching your objectives. The New Moon in Virgo trining Uranus, carries the promise of self-sufficiency born out of efforts.

 

 

 

JULY 2019 – ECLIPSE SEASON + MERCURY RETRO

“Ancestors or Poem”
Remedios Varo

July will see 3 major astrological happenings mainly: Mercury retrograde in Leo/Cancer and, two eclipses in Cancer/Capricorn.

Art by Tomislav Jagnjic

MERCURY RETROGRADE 

Mercury will station retrograde in Leo on July 7th and move back into the sign of Cancer on July 19th. Mercury stations direct on July 31st. This means that we have to contend with Mercury retrograde for the whole month of July.

Simply knowing this will make it a lot easier already. Rule of thumbs during Mercury retrogrades are: No major purchases, commitments and signing contracts if possible, but if you have to, don’t sweat it, it’s meant to be that way. Lay low if you can, and wait until August for major decisions or commitments. On a mundane level, the news will probably be far more fear-inducing than usual so if you can unplug for the month, do it!

THE NEW AND FULL MOON IN JULY WILL BE ECLIPSES

The New Moon in Cancer on July 2nd is a total solar eclipse and the Full Moon in Capricorn on July 19th is a partial lunar eclipse.

Eclipse season is a time of change and movement which often contains unforeseen elements. It’s not necessarily negative or positive but eclipses are associated with new elements being introduced in the picture while other ones are being removed. These can range from small to major occurrences. Not everyone will be affected the same way, and it really depends on your birth chart. Look at where Cancer and Capricorn sits in your chart.

People who have the Sun/Moon or their Ascendant(rising sign) in Cancer or Capricorn will be the ones handling this astrological weather the most in July.

The time between eclipses, is considered a liminal space. If you add the Mercury retrograde to the mix, July and especially mid-July is not a super good time to make major decisions as it will be more of a transitional space with some back and forth re-visiting/re-shaping/re-questioning and all the *re* associated with Mercury retrograde.

All this heavy lifting happening on the Cancer-Capricorn axis (this year) and in July is bringing some understanding in regards to the structures in our lives and how they sustain us, or fail to do so. There is a lot of anxiety and fears associated with security, nourishment, the ecological crisis (our mother Gaia who sustains us (Cancer), and how the system (Capricorn) is failing us. On a personal level, people are working on healing themselves through understanding generational trauma, doing ancestral work and getting at the roots of some of their emotions.

Time and time management is also on the radar and we are super aware of where and who is waisting our time. We are de-constructing the structures that are not sustaining/nourishing/supportive. Before we are able to build stronger foundations, we have to deal with a lot of garbage and darkness personally but also on a societal level. Ultimately, I think this process also brings genuine healing and connections to our roots, our deep past but also closer to our tribe within and without.

Brian Kershisnik Angels

 

Sun in Pisces/Moon in Capricorn: Inspired Discipline

The Sun is in Pisces conjunct the Tail of the Dragon and the Moon is in the sign of Capricorn. We might be revisiting time-tested ideas that prove to be better than their modern versions. Something from the past could come back for revision or be revived. We could also find ourselves appreciating the craftsmanship of our ancestors and be inspired by the quality of objects from the past.

With the Moon in Capricorn, it’s a good day to get work done and find some discipline. Since the Sun in Pisces and Neptune will receive a sextile from the Moon in Capricorn, work that requires a certain amount of creativity and inspiration should benefit.

Crossing the swamp

Mercury conjunct Pluto today while the Moon has just entered Pisces and is moving towards a conjunction with the Tail of the Dragon or more often called: the South Node of the Moon.
These aspects can be compared to a crocodile in a quagmire; his tail dredging up all sorts of old sediments from the bottom of a dirty pool.

Unpleasant situations will need to be dealt with, secrets could be revealed and powerful opinions will collide.

Anything that has to do with communicating and processing information is receiving a dose of steroids (Pluto) which in turn magnifies the outgoing and incoming messages.

The Moon in Pisces approaching a conjunction to the South Node could mean that we feel helpless or victimized by something out of our control. The South Node is sometime compared to a bottomless pit where we tend to get stuck and where we can feel great dissatisfaction.

This dissatisfaction in turn serves as impetus for change.

The great waters are churning. As we become aware of all the darkness in the world we must not lose faith but push beyond the unpleasant truths emerging at the moment.

The Sun in Aquarius serves as a guiding light shining on our ideals.

Moon in Cancer Musing

Find your sanctuary
the quiet space between
your roots 
and your heart
where the creative center reside
within the safety of yourself

There you will find the endless memories
of all who came before you
Hopes and wishes on a silver thread
will lead you back
to the treasures
of what really matters and what can be buried.

 

Painting by Aron Wiesenfeld

Nature’s wisdom

In the early hours on Friday November 11, Black Moon Lilith met up with the Sun at 19’24 degrees of Scorpio.

There are a lot of meanings attributed to Lilith. She is a very complex figure and her story originates way back. This famous Sumerian plaque which depicts a woman with owl talons and wings, standing upon two lions and owls  is believed by some to represent Lilith.

She is a dark and eccentric mythic figure coming to us from the dawn of civilization. She connects us to the wild and instinctual female archetype that cannot be controlled or tamed. In the Torah, Lilith is banished into the wilderness for rebelling against God who wanted her to submit to Adam.

She is impulsive, confrontational, defiant and disruptive.

Words associated with Lilith:
Wild-Raging
Feminine Sexuality
Raw-Erratic
Instinctual-Knowing
Primal-Castrating
Defiant-Disruptive

With the Scorpio Sun in conjunction with Black Moon Lilith the light shines brightly at the bottom of the pit. Scorpio is akin to a deep and dark body of water.  When the Sun transits in Scorpio, the obscured reassess of these stagnating waters come to the surface to get processed. We are seeing the ugly, the offensive and the foul putrefied bodies of the old patriarchal system rise up and all the ugliness exposed. With this revelation sitting blatantly in our faces, it is obvious that things will have to change. Anything that feels oppressive will be violently opposed. Anger, rage and revolt are Lilith’s domain. We are speaking of a gutt reaction; an instinctual knowing linked to survival.

I love this take on Lilith by Artist Kevin Rolly (Kevissimo) called ”Wilderness Forever”

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The Chandra Degree for 19’24 Scorpio:

A SERPENT WRAPPED AROUND AN IMMENSE EGG

”Bearing deeply an entirely different future for yourself and everybody. Condemned to hold this off, preserve it, keep it warmed through, not break into it until the signal is given. This is a punishing ordeal, for you know inside a different kind of reality and bear it directly within. But still you must live as if without it. This eventuates in a barren world, an outwardly determined existence in which things must be endured just about forever. You are testing yourself, making sure that you are worthy to bear your great treasure across the abyss. Do you have the forces to be steady, implacable, sound and reliable, and not turn negative and become the resentful martyr?

Do you know how to do the right thing even when you do not quite feel it inside? Deep at the core of your being incredible things are completely and utterly alive. And they will come through when you have fully overcome the old karmas and shown yourself to be strong, clear, and true, even in a divided world that is past-fixated and at the end of its cycle, hanging on a bit too long.”

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For more on Lilith in Scorpio you can read this article from collegue Vanessa Guazzelli Paim at Cosmic Intelligence Agency

Ancestors and the thinning of the veil

Painting by Jether Gunberg

The Moon is in Cancer the sign most often associated with family, our roots and where we come from. Today also marks the halfway point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead grows thin, giving us the opportunity to commune and honour our ancestors.