This is it.
I know I don't only speak for myself when I say that I never thought that I would live through times like these. Momentous doesn't even begin to scratch the surface when describing the depths of pain, disorder, and violent infliction of change that we've experienced this year, let alone this generation. But where the masculine exists, so does the feminine, and the opportunity to heal the pain, make sense of disorder, and create change for ourselves so that it's not made for us. Most of us are precipitating with anxiety and anger because we aren't seeing the Spirit-led occurrences that exist in our everyday lives, and not for our survival – we are not meant to come out of this as we were – but for our continued and necessary death and rebirth.
This is it. This is what we've all been waiting for. Let's dive into the specifics and how we can use the energy of this moment for mind, body, soul self-care, to spiritual maturity, and in turn, collective social change.
Regardless of where you are in the world, this weekend we welcome the solstice – the summer solstice if you're in the northern hemisphere like me, and winter if you're in the southern. Almost simultaneously, the Sun moves from Gemini and into Cancer season, and nine hours later we welcome a New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer. Everything about right now is significant, and this timing sets the frame for it. A solstice sets the stage for the season or the three months ahead, and eclipses bring about incredible change. Not only is this the second, and strongest eclipse of a string of three, but an eclipse happening alongside a solstice signals inconceivable transformation leading through the end of this season and beyond. (FYI: Eclipse energy can be felt up to six months before and after they occur.)
This New Moon being in Cancer, the moon-ruled sign of empathy, emotion, and imagination, gives this moment a mother-like aura. I happen to think that this is quite appropriate because if you look at the world with a zoomed out lens, it seems as if we are in a womb state, growing and pushing through to birth newness, changing the world as it was known before.
Assisted by the great force that comes with eclipses, Cancer energy is excavating emotions, trauma, and experiences that have been lodged in our subconscious, building upon the foundation for thoughts and behaviors that no longer serve, but stunt our growth. In the Lunar Insights I've written for months leading up to this one, I've talked over and over again about death and rebirth. Well, this is it. This is the moment of rebirth that we've probably been afraid of, but that we need. There is a lot going on, but this is our moment first. Like the Cancer crab, this is our moment to get comfortable being home in ourselves, our moment to love ourselves in ways we didn't even think were possible.
Again, Cancer is ruled by the moon which highlights intuition, imagination, and creativity, so find ways to care for your mental health as you break through expired mindsets, to care for your body as you undo emotions that have been braided into your psyche for years, and spend time nurturing your soul center as you do the very difficult work of shedding and connecting more than ever.
As if this all isn't enough of a shock to our core, we're also amidst Mercury in retrograde which began on June 17 and tapers off on July 12. As I always say, don't buy into the fear-mongering that social media loves to surround Mercury retro with. You can read more about it in a blog post I have on my website, but as Mercury slows down and appears to go backward in its orbit, we're simply signaled to do the same. Mercury is the ruling planet of communication, so during these Cancerian times we may feel the urge to communicate our feelings more than ever, but we most likely won't be able to think as clearly, so just chill.
Instead, flow with this energy and use it to review and reevaluate your own communication center, and where your emotions and feelings are rooted in your past. A great use of this emotional energy would be to shift into empathizing with others. If you haven't been able to understand how to mobilize during the Black Lives Matter movement, see COVID-19 for what it really is, or grasp how you're a part of both, sit down with yourself and free-write whatever comes to mind. Use the journal prompts and intentions I've provided here.
The last thing to highlight about this moment of mass transformation is the conjunction between this New Moon in Cancer and the North Node in Gemini. I spoke to ya'll about the North and South Nodes and what they mean for all of us in the last Lunar Insights (linked here for easy access), but basically eclipses occur when the planes of the Sun, Moon, and Earth meet at two points in space, called the Lunar Nodes. These nodes are believed to be points that show us the lessons we've come into this life to learn, both by what we leave behind (South Node) and what we have to learn (North Node).
I'm going to read it the way astrologer Pam Younghans put it because I couldn't have explained it better myself:
"Cancer is devoted to home, to family, and to emotional security. It rules the nurturing/protective principle, which can turn into aggressiveness if the mama bear feels her babies are threatened. Cancer also rules the past, our ancestors, and historical influences. Gemini disseminates information. It tells stories and reveals truth. It is the sign of both the teacher and the student. With the North Node in Gemini and the South Node in Sagittarius, our next step of evolution depends on our ability to move from judgment, self-righteousness, and dogmatism to acceptance, tolerance, and impartiality; from racism, discrimination, and partisanism to thoughtful and open-minded consideration of others' perspectives; and from gullibility and fanaticism to rational, impartial questioning.
We could imagine that with these two signs linked through the eclipse, stories from the past could come forward to inform us, to inspire us to create new futures that are in alignment with those higher qualities of the Gemini North Node. This is, after all, a New Moon eclipse, which indicates an opportunity for a major new beginning."
If this whole newsletter doesn't sweat with urgency, let me say it one more time:
It is not only okay but necessary to slow down and shift your light to illuminate all the ways you're still in the dark. That pain you're feeling is the stretching and breaking of birthing a new world into existence, a new world you're very much a part of, a new world that can't come to be until you wake up and see the opportunities to evolve that surround everything you say, feel, and do. It is not only okay to be surrender to the unknown but necessary as we all individually and collectively navigate the times, focus on our higher purpose, and deepen our capacity for spiritual maturity, personal growth, and in turn, societal advancement into a more conscious existence.
We can't do this if you don't. Remember wtf you are.
Sending love from NYC. 𓁿 MS.
