And so, we find ourselves in the height of Summer, here in the Northern Hemisphere. The fields of wheat and corn are beginning to turn honeyed gold, ready for harvest. The fruit slowly ripens upon the trees, as vibrant yellow petalled Sunflowers turn their faces to drink in Sol’s Light. The days are long and lazy, filled with molten warmth and sacred celebration of life itself…….
The next four weeks offer us many opportunities for soul alchemy as we head to Eclipse Season and another Mercury Retrograde. The Cancer/Capricorn axis is powerfully activated, awakening issues of family, finances, security, stability, and home/work life balance as we are forced to let go of what is comfortable and familiar and embrace uncertainty. Eclipses are powerful reminders of the cyclical nature of life, reminding us all things die and are born, all things change and transform.
From November 2018, until May 2020 our collective point of evolution is the North Node in Cancer, the sign of the Great Mother. We must let go of striving to be, do and have more and remember the wisdom of rest, surrender, receptivity and connectivity.
We begin the month with a blaze of creative fire as Mars leaves the oceanic depths of Cancer and charges into Leo on July the 1st. Mars in Leo embodies the archetype of Sekhmet, the fierce Lion Headed Goddess, providing us with a welcome boost of Shakti and self-empowerment as we move through this month of emotional metamorphosis.
The Eclipse portal opens with a New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer on the 2nd of July. This is a North Node eclipse, which invites us to purify our old, stagnant emotions in order to experience renewal. This Lunation sits in square to Chiron in Aries, giving us an opportunity to heal the deep wounds of the past that we use to define our identity and shape our sense of self. We may ask ourselves, who would I be without my trauma? Who could I become if I let go of shame and guilt of my childhood/ancestral line?
“Anything that is ‘wrong’ with you, began as a survival mechanism in childhood” ~ Dr Gabor Mate
In particular, Cancer speaks to us of the psychic inheritance passed down to us from our Mother line. What are we holding that is not truly ours, but a story passed down through generations that we incarnated with the intention to rewrite? How we nurture ourselves is a direct reflection of how our Mother cared for us when we were small. If we did not receive the nourishment we needed, or were unable to trust her to provide for and protect us, perhaps we need to learn how to re-parent ourselves in the now, and give ourselves the love and support we are craving. It is time to forgive her and come home to ourselves.
Sol will collide with Saturn, Pluto and the Nodes as we move through eclipse season, giving us the opportunity to take these lessons to a cellular level. During this highly sensitized period, it is important that we choose to respond, rather than react to any triggers, as there could be a tendency to take every small thing personally this month.
On July the 3rd, as the vibrations of the New Moon Eclipse reverberate through the cosmos, Venus exits airy Gemini and joins the Solar Queen in the sign of the celestial crab. Venus will undergo a pilgrimage of initiation as She too collides with Chiron, Saturn, Pluto and the Nodes over the coming weeks. She asks us to examine how we process our emotions and deal with our empathic tendencies. If we tend to over give, and never allow ourselves to receive it is time to look at why. What are the subconscious ‘pay-offs’ we get from absorbing the emotions of others and taking care of them to the detriment of our own well-being?
As we head into the midst of this potent Eclipse tunnel, the Messenger Goddess begins Her 2nd retrograde journey of the year on the 8th of July. She will station at 4 degrees Leo, yet will spend the majority of Her underworld sojourn in the Cancerian waters, calling us to revisit June’s themes of emotional expression. This is a time when many old memories and feelings will continue to rise to the surface to be washed away.
Mercury will make 3 major alignments as She slows to a standstill. She will sit in Conjunction with Mars, Square Uranus in Taurus and Trine Chiron the Shaman in Aries, indicating that this will be a retrograde that invites us to examine our deeply held beliefs and karmic pattering around self-worth, deservability and authentic expression of self. We are reminded that a healthy sense self-love and self-belief is the cornerstone of all abundance.
How confident do we feel in courageously asserting our needs and desires? Do we feel able to fearlessly share our innate gifts and talents with the world? How can we consciously clear out the old childhood/societal programming that tells us we are not enough, or that what we have to say is not important? It is time to reclaim the unique, creative essence of who we are truly are and begin to embody our sacred passions so that they can be used in service to all. Let us remember, that it is up to us to validate ourselves. When we seek approval and recognition from others, we give our power away.
Mercury will station direct at 23 degrees cancer on the 1st of August, and will leave Her retrograde shadow on the 15th.
On the 9th of July, Chiron also Stations Retrograde at 5 degrees Aries. During the next 5 months we asked to review the work we have been doing to reclaim our personal power and ability to be our own best healer. Chiron will make a Square alignment to Venus in Cancer as He slows to change direction. How are the hurts of the past affecting our ability to open our hearts in present? Perhaps we feel we may lose our identity or freedom if we truly allow ourselves to be vulnerable with another? Chiron we resume direct motion on the 12th of December.
The 2nd and Final Eclipse of the Summer is a Capricorn Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse falling on the 16th of July. Sitting in Conjunction with Pluto, the Dark, Devouring Mother this eclipse offers us an opportunity for deep, cathartic release. Hidden desires and obsessions are drawn to the surface of our psyche to be examined and integrated. This is a true Kali Moon, which initiates the destruction of old structures and that are no longer serving, personally and collectively. The archaic, patriarchal programing that tells us that our worth is based upon our productivity, that we are defined by our material achievements and wealth is crumbling away, inviting us into a simpler, more humble way of being.
Lady Venus sits in Conjunction with the North Node in Cancer and opposes the ongoing Saturn/South Node alignment at the time of the Full Moon, reminding us that our healing pathway opens when we connect with others from a heart centred space, whilst taking responsibility for own needs and sensitivities. This Full Moon brings closure to the Eclipse Vortex. We will revisit these themes again later this year during the festive period and into early 2020.
Mercury reaches the midpoint of Her retrograde cycle on the 21st of July, as she merges with Sol in the final degrees of Cancer. What have you learnt about yourself and your emotional responses and your ability to express them since early July? Today we may experience a sense of clarity and completion as we start to become more consciously aware of the lessons Eclipse season has gifted us with. Venus will also merge with Mercury on the 25th of July, giving us insight into any relationship miscommunications that may have occurred. Speaking with compassion and kindness will bring resolution and healing.
Sol heads into the radiant brilliance of Leo, Her home sign on the 23rd of July, providing us with a much needed shift in energy. We may begin to feel a sense joy and inspiration reawakening within our hearts, as we slowly exit the swamp of emotion that we have been swimming in since mid-June. Venus will join Her and Mars in the sign of the shining sovereign on the 28th of July, as we head towards Augusts Lions Gate Opening!
Art by Autumn Skye Morrison
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