The Sun has just moved into the astrological sign of Cancer and will unite with the Moon for their monthly conjunction on Friday, June 23rd. The Moon will absorb his solar power, infused in the mysteries of Cancer, her own sign. The Moon and Cancer stand for nurturing, emotional support, giving and receiving nourishment, and how we grow ourselves and contribute to growth in the world around us – allowing the imminent New Moon to be the best time of year to initiate self-care.
The crab, creature of Cancer, lives and breathes on land and water, exemplifying delicate adaptability. The crab represents our need to navigate our own water, the realm of emotions, images, and psyche, while maintaining grounding and stability. The crab also mirrors our infinite cycle of deconstructing and rebuilding our self-image as we constantly change. And just like the crab, we outgrow our shells and go through the fragile process of extricating ourselves and constructing a new outer definition and protection – hopefully more reflective of the creature we are becoming. With Cancer and the crab, activation of inner work is central to evolution, and the balance of going within and without is crucial to development.
The Cancer archetype emcompasses our concepts of mother and baby. It returns us to the infantile nature of opening our mouths and trusting life to feed us what we need, and what we can absorb and digest. We want whatever makes us feel safe and cared for, and we want to feel a sense of belonging. How many of us always received just what we needed? How many of us felt ourselves starving, even as food was shoved down our throats? How many of us rejected early feeding or had mothers who could not adequately feed us? And now, when do we really just throw back our heads with wide-open mouths like baby birds? Very early on, we began learning lessons in dependency, before our consciousness could keep up.
Whether you had issues with food, lacked physical touch, were taught to repress your sexuality, punished for showing emotion, or experienced any withholding of a ‘food’ that truly sustains your being, the result was basically the same: striving to get your needs met, even if that meant denying yourself that right in the first place. These childhood dynamics do not mature and resolve on their own. They pervade and literally take over in the most inopportune moments. Your inner five-year-old pouts and reacts in a heated conversation with your boss. Your inner one-year-old puts serious demands on your partner that have nothing to do with the current moment. The past is present in our emotional memory. Our personal recollection of history is based on how we currently feel about the feelings we remember having at the time of the event and after. Tricky business!
The Moon in Cancer has an especially strong and reactive emotional constitution. Its nature is to activate or initiate emotional and soul experiences. It wants to feel, and it can lose all objectivity in this fast moving, illogical river. Reflecting on this, we would all do well to cut ourselves, and others, some slack. From our cancerian perspective, we want to feel ok. In fact, feeling ‘ok’ is our barometer for whether or not we are ok. We all have childlike needs and many of these were not met during actual childhood. We are all living versions of this, and deep down inside, we are all displeased with mommies and daddies for not providing the very source of life we craved.
No matter how fabulous and skilled our parents were, we all grew up somewhat lopsided and and were forced to compensate. We grew up, but not always from a place of deep fullness and rootedness. This neediness is what motivates us towards emotional self-sufficiency. Support comes in many ways and from many sources, but when our personal wells dry up, it’s practically impossible to receive anything from anywhere else. Cancer wants to get our water underground flowing.
Cancer energy, at its best, feels at home and creates the security and comfort of home wherever it goes. When this part of us is flourishing, our environment grows. Because we honor and accept our own range of emotions, we can hold space for others with theirs. We understand the cycles of human life and all its vulnerability – from infancy to the golden years. In taking care of ourselves and each other, we learn healthy boundaries in interdependency. The very essence of who and what we are is nurtured – giving us the courage to form our own self-image from a new sense of self-rootedness beyond our biological families and upbringing. Life becomes a safe place to share our deepest feelings and sensitivities.
What will you wish for this New Moon? Sometimes, our grandest aspirations are completely attainable if we create our own special version of a security blanket or favorite stuffed animal. A dependable safe and soft place to land whenever you need it might be the only step before you shoot for the moon. Your world adventurer might fully engage when assured of an inner sanctuary of home. You might choose a new ‘ok’ indicator for yourself, measured by your inner resources and all that is yours by birthright.
I invite you to join me in the sacred ritual of setting forth New Moon wishes and intentions. If you feel especially moved, consider speaking your intentions out loud and outdoors at the exact New Moon time (7:31pm PDT) or soon after. This is a personal and collective action, uniting us in our commitment to planting the seeds of new beginnings.
New Moon in Cancer Affirmations
- I am emotionally motivated to take care of myself in the ways I’ve always wanted to be cared for.
- I will directly ask others for what I need, clearly finding out whether or not they can and/or will provide, ending old patterns of expecting others to feel and subsequently meet my needs.
- I initiate new supportive daily habits that feed my body and soul.
- I set forth my intention to fully feel my feelings with less attachment to their story, giving me room to soothe myself and respond to my primal needs in a mature way.
- I nurture all life. In feeding myself first, I am full. In my fullness, I am capable of truly feeding the world.
