Since New Moons are a beginning of a 28 day cycle, and this one is beginning in the sign of Cancer, you’d think that this would be about warm, fuzzy, nurturing feelings, that this month would be about nurturing each other, and celebrating the affections and warmheartedness of our fellow human beings on this planet. But what if we lived in a society where these feelings were considered weak, inferior, and secondary to great achievement?  What if we didn’t?

Stirring beneath the surface of this Cancer New Moon is a powerful and potentially destructive T-square that was activated just an hour and a half before this New Moon became exact. Mars, the planet of aggression exactly opposed Uranus, the planet of upset and revolution, and both form anxious right angles to Pluto, the god of the underworld.  Remember, as above, so below.  Watching the planets move through their relationships with each other gives us clues as to how the archetypal forces will affect us down here on the physical plane. Astrologically, squares or 90˚ angles are great forces that are filled with tension, needing to be defused or channeled into productive energies.  Mars square Pluto is a classic aspect in astrology of action that is too forceful, the “bull in the china shop.”  Mars in opposition to Uranus is characterized by a desire to be liberated from restrictions, quickly.  Usually these energies are projected onto others, and under this influence we tend to lash out at someone or something, we feel irritable and are likely to get into ego conflicts with others. Our patience grows short.  Someone or something makes us feel like we are victims of circumstances.

Add to this the Uranus square Pluto aspect, a generational influence lasting for the next three years, which affects our society and is pushing us to transform not only the way we do things, but the very values and standards we live by. Add to this the fact that Mercury is now retrograde, (as of July 14th) making day to day communications somewhat strained and prone to misunderstanding.

Sounds like trouble? Well, like all transits and aspects, there is a negative and a positive side to every energetic configuration.  The archetypal forces are there for us to recognize and become aware of, so that we do not act carelessly or rashly but instead, count to ten, breathe! and let go of the old patterns of reactivity that serve to promote ignorance and the perpetrator/victim games. Then we can use this energy to know what we long to be liberated from, what it is that holds us back that is partly of our own choosing, whether we are conscious of it or not.  Have we seen this pattern before in our lives? Is what we are experiencing a repeat of something that has been bugging us for months, years, our whole lives?

If we can remember to nurture ourselves and others (Cancer) through these difficult times, we will find the pathway through the madness that characterizes our present cultural and global mindset. You’ve heard it before: we are in a time of great change.  Old paradigms are cracking at the seams, like the cooling pools at Fukushima holding tons of nuclear waste sitting on top of a badly damaged reactor building, they threaten to poison and forever destroy the human nest we live in.  As we become more and more aware of our collective stupidity, we can easily become overwhelmed and strike out at anyone, anything under these planetary influences.  But the way through is to help, to keep working in this process of awakening, not to give up and give way to violence, toward others or ourselves.  And when we need to give support and comfort to others, to do so, and when we need it from others, to ask for it.  Sometimes, both happen at once! In the giving there is a healing. We then can feel the wonder of being connected to the common humanity we all share.

Saturn in Libra is also forming a square aspect (90˚) to this New Moon. Saturn reminds us of our limitations, but also reminds us to be informed by these limitations, to know when to have good boundaries with others, and with ourselves and our habits.  Relationships are the domain of Libra, but the New Moon in Cancer is more of a primary need, to take care of our bodies, our hearts, our physical needs and our kin. Saturn in Libra squaring the Sun reminds us to view our responsibilities toward ourselves and others as part of the pathway to doing good work in the world, being in right relationship to the social order, making our unique contribution in a way that no one else alive can. 

In short, whatever rears its head during this time is something to pay attention to, it is in some part what we are being called to understand, to “stand-under” and support the life we are presently experiencing.  If there is conflict happening, we are being pointed to learn from it in some way. If we are unhappy we are being called to change and grow from the present experience, not to waste energy complaining and flailing our arms, playing the “ain’t it awful” or “blame it on you” games.

Mars is also forming a harmonious trine (120˚angle) to Jupiter and Venus in Gemini.  Since Mars is in Libra, all these air signs are asking us to speak our truth, to learn to negotiate in our communications, to learn the no-enemy way as Deena Metzger calls it. This is the most optimal time to learn how to speak our truth without being disrespectful toward others. It’s as if the planets are pushing us now to learn to communicate our differences but still grow together and make connections.  If we are successful in this pursuit, the Full Moon in Aquarius on August 1st will reward us with a Grand Trine in air: Moon, Mars and Jupiter. (More on this later).

Cancer is often described in astrology texts as a water sign of the negative polarity. Archetypally, the negative polarity is not “bad,” it is simply the quality of receptivity that characterizes the negative polarity.  Listening is a receptive act. Often, the most important part of communicating with others is listening deeply.  In this way we can listen not just to what is being said, but also to what is between the lines, between you and me, the story between us that is unfolding.

When we are activated, however, listening goes out the window and adrenaline takes over.  As a culture, we have become addicted to the adrenaline response. Extreme sports, risk-taking behaviors, violence in films, all cause our bodies to engage in the fight or flight response, which causes the release of adrenaline in the body. After witnessing aggressive sports events, the adrenaline build in spectators’ bodies needs to be worked off, and has been known to cause riots and destructive behaviors.  In nature, animals simply run or flail their legs until the adrenaline wears off.  With all these Mars aspects coming into play, make sure you have adequate outlets for your body if you are stimulated by conflict.  Work it out, jump and run, take a long walk.  And breathe! Ultimately, this is an opportunity to learn how to deal with our aggressive forces.  Aggression in and of itself is really the expression of the life force within each of us.  It comes from the Latin ad (toward) and gradi (to proceed or walk).  We want to walk toward what will express ourselves, we want to make ourselves heard. But in humanity’s present warrior stage of development, we have translated the meaning of the word aggression into an attack upon someone else. Paradigm shift? Walk toward another with open hands and heart.  Keep good boundaries, and get what you need. Build safe relationships and thus build trust in your ability to change the world around you, to make walking toward peace the core of your being.