This new moon (9 July 2021 at 9:17pm ET) at 18 degrees of Cancer is square Neptune and comes with a Venus/Mars conjunction nearly in perfect parallel to the new moon. New moons are the start of the lunar cycle and are great for setting an intention and starting something. My favorite thing about them though is the opportunity they give us to deepen our self-acceptance.
Looking at the sky map for this one, it feels like this new moon is an especially good opportunity for some radical self-acceptance in the form of emotionally accepting and honoring who we really are rather than feeding the idealized image of ourselves we hold in our heads.
When we do this, when we nurture our true self, we unlock a new level of self-acceptance that propels us to our best life. The clearer we are about who we are, the more we live in alignment with our best self. We get into the flow of our highest good. Our energy is powerful and loving, and how we live reflects what we value.
Our Cancer sun is currently sextile Uranus and quincunx Saturn and I want to encourage you to let go of stuff you think you should hold on to, both big and small.
Maybe there’s a bottle of product you bought that you don’t really like. You’ve had it for so long. You keep thinking even though you don’t like it, you’ll use it up. Instead, it collects dust, takes up room, and makes you feel like you are failing when you look at it, or that you shouldn’t have bought it, or must keep it or you’re being wasteful. At some point, what you paid for it is irrelevant, because whatever the cost, keeping it is costing you more. Get rid of it.
You signed up for an online class, but are way behind in the lessons. Stacks of books are by your bedside. Your to do lists have sub lists. You keep meaning to call someone, to reorganize a closet, to learn how to do play an instrument …
Whether the stuff you feel you’ve signed up to do (or use) is connected to something you’ve bought, someone you care about it, something you think is great, or just an idea in your head, this is a good time to revaluate.
Get rid of stuff you don’t want. Move things out of the active space of your life, both physically and mentally unless you are actively using them i.e., keep one or two books out and the rest go on shelves, packed away or given away. It’s okay to take that online class off your to do list for now, and even to allow for the possibility that you never go back to it.
It’s okay if you never actually read every book you bought. Look at the books on your shelves as opportunities available to you and not required assignments.
Notice how and where you’ve fallen into the trap of creating responsibility and obligation and free yourself from it.
Time to reset.
There are core things you need to do, but we can bog ourselves down too easily with good intentions.
When you are holding on to stuff that you don’t want, and to ideas of who you are supposed to be that you don’t feel aligned with now, you are unnecessarily limiting yourself.
Healthy boundaries are good and that includes boundaries on what you require of yourself.
When you stay attached to relationships that aren’t healthy for you out of fear, insecurity, obligation, or the belief they can give you something you can’t get any other way, you are limiting your freedom and all you can be.
Your soul can always find another way. There is no revelatory experience that only comes along once. No other person holds the key to your self discovery. No material object intrinsically has power over you. You give it your power.
Embrace this opportunity to deeply nurture your aspirational self by letting go of stuff that doesn’t serve you, beliefs that limit you and trust that you can bring into your life who and what you need, when you’re ready.
This full moon today is often called the strawberry moon or rose moon. It’s in Capricorn and is exact on Thursday (24 June 2021) at 2:40pm ET. Both the sun and moon will be at 3 degrees and aspect Jupiter. The moon will sextile Jupiter so the sun forms a trine.
I feel like this full moon is especially supportive of opportunities to see how we can communicate our vulnerability in a way that makes us feel more safe. When we fully accept ourselves it’s easier to be clear about how we feel and to express ourselves. We’re less fragile. Our emotional walls dissolve and transmute into confidence and strength, limitations become healthy boundaries and our emotions energize us into foundational self care.
This full moon is also a super moon and it’s the last one for this year. Soak up the glorious moonshine. Have a beautiful full moon.
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In previous blogs I have discussed the four elements and three qualities. I explained that each of the cardinal signs seek to assert themselves. In some way they are all driven and ambitious. The fixed signs are all focused and tenacious and have a definitive quality about them. The mutable signs are versatile, restless and seek change. Let’s take a look at the moon in the elements and see how these elements combine with the three qualities to give us the twelve signs.
Fire Moons
Fire is active and initiating energy. It seeks to create experience and take action. All of the fire moons feel nurtured through experience and action. Aries (Fire & Cardinal) seeks to experience life first hand and learn by doing. Aries energy needs to feel directly involved with the experience. Leo (Fire & Fixed) is more focused and wants the experience to have meaning. These moons need to be feel valued and feel admired and to serve the greater good. Sagittarius (Fire & Mutable) is restless and desires change. These moons feel nurtured through change that leads to growth and expansion. Sagittarian moons are progressive and seek spiritual fulfillment.
Earth Moons
Earth is stabilizing concrete energy, and naturally tends to create form and solidify human experience. Taurus (Earth & Fixed) is focused and tenacious so these moons need physical pleasure and do best when they are comfortable. Virgo (Earth & Mutable) combines the versatility of the mutable signs with the earth element, resulting in a moon that needs to feel a sense of service. There’s a need to keep changing the physical, so just when everything is settled, these moons want to move again and disrupt the order in life somehow. Capricorn (Earth & Cardinal) really needs structure and flourishes when their home base is solid. They are driven to create something that has lasting value.
Air Moons
Air is changeable kinetic energy, and expands to create discovery and innovation. Gemini (Air & Mutable) moons need variety and so they are in perpetual motion. They are emotional chameleons seeking changing circumstances. Libra (Air & Cardinal) combines the intellectual quality of air and the assertiveness of cardinal to create a thoughtful desire for life to be fair. Libra seeks balance. Aquarius (Air & Fixed) is intensified innovative energy resulting in a need for the unexpected, and an ability to relate to those in all walks of life.
Water Moons
Water is steadily flowing energy that moves to shape and deepen any experience. Cancer (Water & Cardinal) is strong, assertive emotion. Cancer needs emotional security and likes to be in control. Scorpio (Water & Fixed) is intense emotion and almost thrives on crisis. Scorpio moons have much to learn and teach regarding choice. Pisces (Water & Mutable) is fluid emotion. They are are gentle dreamers with great capacity for empathy and compassion. They tend to blur the lines between illusion and reality and kind find themselves often in the role of rescuer or feeling that they are in need of rescue.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of how the elements and qualities create the twelve astrological signs.
In the past two blog entries, I’ve taken a brief look at the Moon and the Ascendant, and considered how each of these two pieces are colored by the twelve signs. Today I’m going to begin an explanation of how the meaning of the Astrological signs are derived, by discussing the elements.
The signs are derived from four elements and three modalities. The four elements are fire, earth, air and water. The three modalities are cardinal, fixed and mutable. Identifying all the possible combinations of these elements and modalities results in the twelve signs of the Zodiac. For example, there is a fire sign that is cardinal, a fire sign that is fixed, and a fire sign that is mutable. The same is true for each of the remaining three elements, thus providing a total of twelve different ways these elements and modalities may be paired.
To begin our illustration, we’ll first look at the four elements. Fire is active and initiating energy. It seeks to create experience and take action. The fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Earth is stabilizing concrete energy, and naturally tends to create form and solidify human experience. Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are the three earth signs. Air is changeable kinetic energy, and expands to create discovery and innovation. Gemini, Libra and Aquarius make up the Air trio. Water is steadily flowing energy that moves to shape and deepen any experience. Water is the element of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
Each sign belongs to one of these elements, and each sign is connected to the other signs of the same element. To demonstrate this point, we’ll now look at Mercury in the elements. Mercury symbolizes the rational mind and how we communicate via language. It’s what we believe “makes sense.” Mercury in our chart shows how we think and how we learn. People that have Mercury in the fire signs are people that need first hand experience to learn. They can’t just read about it or hear a lecture. A fire Mercury also needs to connect thought with action in some way. Kids with Mercury in a fire sign usually do better when their learning environment gives them the opportunity to experience the lesson rather than simply to be taught the lesson.
People with Mercury in earth signs seek a practical application for what they are taught. If information isn’t useful, then it rarely makes sense to these types. An earth Mercury needs to connect thought with some type of form. Kids with Mercury in an earth sign usually do better when they are taught how they can use what they are learning to create something new or improve something already established, rather than learning for the sake of learning.
Mercury in the air signs gives us people that crave knowledge and information, and love to learn for the sake of learning. An air Mercury can read a book or engage in conversation on a subject that s/he will never actively pursue, just for the excitement of discovery and for the satisfaction that comes from sharing and exchanging ideas. Kids with Mercury in an air sign usually do better when they have access to books and discussions that allow them to share ideas.
A water Mercury needs to feel emotionally connected to learn. This connection can be to a teacher or to some internal desire that drives the person to want to learn. Mercury in water often feels a need to derive some sense of control and/or to feel that the knowledge is empowering. Kids with Mercury in water usually do better when they have a positive relationship with their teachers and learning environment, and feel as though what they are learning is personally enriching.
Next time, I’ll use Mercury to take a look at the three modalities, and explore how these combine with the elements to differentiate the twelve signs.
The Ascendant, also called the Rising Sign, (both terms mean exactly the same thing) is the sign that appears on the eastern horizon, relative to where you were born, at the moment you were born. It is referred to as the lens through which you see the world, because it is your initial view of life, as well as the mask or surface personality that you develop in childhood for dealing with the world. The Ascendant also describes the kind of family pattern you were born in to, and the kind of child your parents wanted. As with every piece in a chart, you look at the sign, the degrees, and aspects etc., but even just looking at the sign can provide insight into the meaning of the Ascendant in your chart.
Those with Aries Rising often end up in families where they continue to be treated like a child, making the transition to adulthood difficult. Aries Ascendants usually take life at face value, and come in to learn to take risks, be spontaneous, and develop a clear sense of individuality. Taurus Rising is generally told to have specific goals and to be aware of when it is worthwhile to make an effort. Taurus Ascendants usually develop a strong appreciation for the sensual, physical side of life, and come in to learn how to conserve resources, pace oneself, and feel at ease.
Those with Gemini Rising are generally told to not be a burden, and to learn to tell people what they want to hear. Gemini Ascendants generally have strong verbal skills and are very adaptable, and come in to this life to learn to develop a lighter touch in life. Cancer Rising is often raised to be a parent and nurture others. Cancer Ascendants generally know how to stay in control, and often must learn how to ask for and receive help from others.
Leo Rising is usually told that it is important to look good and dress right to succeed in life. Leo Ascendants are often drawn to serving the greater good, and have a keen eye for improving themselves and others. Their lessons often involve learning to be happy. Virgo Rising is usually told to work hard and to pay attention to detail. Virgo Ascendants often have a talent with math, music or healing and come in to learn how to derive fulfillment through work and service.
Libra Rising usually grows up being told to be fair, play nice, and to be aware of what other people need. Libra Ascendants know how to accommodate others, and are here to learn balance in life and in one on one relationships. Scorpio Rising often indicates a family that kept secrets and had trouble setting consistent priorities. Scorpio Ascendants understand vulnerability, and often have come in to this life to learn to be decisive and become comfortable with choice.
Sagittarius Rising is usually told to be self reliant and to focus only on the good in any situation. Sagittarius Ascendants often project a lot of confidence and faith, though they are usually here to learn how to trust. Capricorn Rising is usually told to grow up immediately and often doesn’t have time to be a kid. Capricorn Ascendants usually appear to be very grounded even though their lessons often include learning how to achieve stability in life.
Aquarius Rising is told to be observant and to be a team player. Aquarius Ascendants generally hear a call to social consciousness and come in to learn how to develop connections with others that include intimacy. Pisces Rising is told to blend in and to have compassion. Pisces Ascendants usually have a chameleon like quality and their lessons often include learning that they cannot save anyone accept themselves.
What is your Rising Sign? Check it out for clues about your family patterns, and the kinds of masks you wear in the world.
