Do you remember a time when you were dreaming about this summer?

Maybe it was three years ago, maybe it was ten. Maybe it was only six months ago during the quiet darkness of winter. At some point, you likely fantasized about the adventures you’d have in the beaming sun, the people you’d meet under clear skies.

 

But this summer thus far has proved to be capricious. If you’re experiencing exactly the summer you pictured, you’re one of the few.

 

Many folks, myself included, have been noting a particularly Uranian shifting of events that has resulted in pulling out our drawing boards more than once. It’s not inherently “bad” or “sucky,” but this energy can feel chaotic or at least unpredictable. You think you’ve got your balance on the bike when out of nowhere a gust of wind seems to take hold under your arms, or a deer jumps out at you in the road, or your chain slips off and you’re left pedaling air. With a little pause and a breath, it's usually quite easy to get yourself back on track. But as you pedal away you wonder, “What the heck was that?!”

 

Gemini and now Cancer season have been keeping us on our toes, and this quick change of energy can either heighten our awareness or our anxiety. 
How to distinguish between the two?

Awareness is emotionally neutral. It is observant. Anxiety makes judgments and is pressurized to take action. Standing on our toes in anticipation is exhausting, which is why we must find the space in the rhythm to drop our heels.

 

There’s a universal expression when you’re riding horses, Keep your heels down. Not necessarily digging into the dust, but hanging weighted and stabilizing the line of your body. (I grew up a horse girl and honestly, the lessons are applicable to almost anything in life, so sue me for every riding reference). All riders inevitably find themselves creeping up on their toes at some point and then in comes the mantra “Heels down, heels down.” 
 

Let yourself find the tempo within the energy of this summer to drop your heels, to stabilize and center.

 

 

The New Moon in Cancer peaks at 11:31am PDT tomorrow morning, so tonight and tomorrow night the moon won’t be visible, but hopefully your skies are clear and illuminated by stars. A new moon heralds a new lunation, a new phase. Beginnings are happening even without you starting. Make sure that you close the chapter on what you no longer want to carry with you for the next month, and the next six months. Rituals of burning, cleaning, clearing, and closing are appropriate as well as expressing your desires of manifestation.

 

Cancer relates to the home, nurturing, trust within relationships, and our connection to ancestral wisdom. And this moon in particular will be sextile Uranus and trine Neptune. These are two harmonious aspects that support emotional independence and freedom within family dynamics as well as the search for something transcendental. Your whole emotional world might feel like a spiritual trip right now. Give yourself the permission to go with it.

 

By the same token, this is just the beginning. A season of retreat before the sun moves into extroverted Leo on July 22. During the new moon tomorrow Mercury will square Jupiter and Mars will oppose Saturn. With Mercury square Jupiter, we can experience difficulty putting theory into practice and the probability for extremist thinking goes up, especially when engaged in difficult situations. Mars opposite Saturn can create tension or lessons around finishing what has been started. Whether it be people standing in your way, red tape, or false starts, any obstacle can feel extreme. These aspects remind us that although this is a new beginning, even an auspicious one, that we do not know and cannot control the outcome.

 

Perhaps now is not the time to worry about finishing what has been started, or putting grand plans into action. It’s only the beginning. Just have the plan, make the start. Enter this new cycle without the burden of knowing what it’s going to look like in the end. It’s not yours to know right now. And as this radical season of summer has been proving, it could turn out to be better than you imagine.

 

So, if it is correct for you to be specific in your operation or manifestation practice, go ahead and have many specificities without attachment to any one. Make endless lists without numbers or check boxes. Collect photo inspiration. If you operate better or manifest peripherally, don’t get caught up in any details at all. Remember to pause as you take in the information, and let your experience surprise you. This can be a lucid time of engaging with the mystery.  
 

 

Tomorrow afternoon, the nodes officially change signs from the Taurus/Scorpio axis to the Aries/Libra axis. The North and South Nodes are mathematical points in the sky that, on an individual and collective level, astrologically symbolize direction and evolution. In Taurus + Scorpio, the focus has been on self-worth and establishing value through shadow-work and the disruption of hierarchical power. As the nodes officially shift into Aries + Libra, we will see the focus shift to initiatory action, independence, balance, and relationship. We’re entering a new collective cycle for the next 18 months and it’s bound to not only create new opportunities and lessons, but also to add more information to the ongoing conversations. It will be interesting to watch how the Aries energy creates stand-out characters on the collective stage, and where initiatory action will be taken. While we could be looking at a time of greater global upheaval, it’s also super fertile ground for an artistic revolution and the birth of new and creative ideas.

 

If you’re around the age of 18, 37, 55 or 74 you’ll be experiencing your nodal return, a time when your personal direction becomes emphasized. It’s a great opportunity to tune into the areas of your life where you feel accomplished or supported and where you feel like you're banging your head against a wall. You might even feel a quickening on your path, or like you've hit a sweet spot in life's rhythms. If you're experiencing more upheaval than usual, let it happen! You've likely been fighting the direction in some way or another and this period will shake up what isn't serving you.

 

When the New Moon reaches her peak, she and the Sun will be in Gate 62.5— the Gate of Details. This gate corresponds to Hexagram 62: Preponderance of the Small, and is the appreciation for the numerous small parts that comprise the whole picture. It is the energy for detail specifically when it comes to language and sharing the human experience. The “fixing of names” to things is an ostensibly human action wherein the agreement of identity in language creates the foundation to create an understanding between persons. 

 

Language is made of many small parts, and we use it to describe every thing and aspect of our existence. Preponderance of the small suggests that this is neither inherently good or bad, just “much.” We can accept that every situation, every object, every person is made up of millions of tiny pieces. LIfe is comprised of moments. And yet, it does not serve us to worry or fret about these small things. Details can show us where we still need more information, and what we truly do or don’t understand of the greater whole.

 

In Line 5, the expression of this gate is an understanding that action can only be taken when the details are complete. It is an active patience while acquiring and assimilating information, bringing the greater picture into the clearest focus before making a judgment or taking action with it.

 

Again, give yourself permission to become unattached to the outcome. Let yourself be flexible as you encounter new information and engage with it.