Why are we here on Earth? What is our overall purpose? Each sign of the zodiac has answers for those questions in its own way. What they all have in common however, is that each sign shows how it finds meaning in life. Humans are meaning-making organisms by nature. But underneath that desire for meaning, is the desire for love, to be loved, and to love. You could say that each sign shows us the 12 different ways of experiencing the 12 facets of humanity, the different facets of a crystal that at its heart is the energy of love. 

What is most pronounced in the sign of Cancer, is that somehow the path to fulfillment of one’s destiny and meaning lies in one’s ability to love and care for self and others. Cancer loves to nurture and be nurtured, to be loving in ways that promote life, and that cultivate our sensitivity to the feelings of others around us. The sign of Cancer marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere, and thus embodies the height of the fulfillment of the life force, the fruition of the blooms of spring.

The Moon rules Cancer; it’s in its home sign here. Cancer is the first water sign in the zodiac, and speaks to the soul’s first completion of the cycles of experience in all four elements, fire for action, earth for building and stability, air for communication and perception, and water for deep feeling. The cycle of the four elements repeats 3 more times in order in the zodiac, ending with Pisces, the last of the water signs, and the final sign of the zodiac.

As this New Moon is a total solar eclipse (visible in South America) we are dealing with the shadow contents of Cancer during this lunar cycle. This eclipse is conjoined with the Sun in Cancer in the natal chart of the USA, and so at issue here is the shadow of the US’s Cancer Sun. One of the shadow expressions of Cancer is taking care of others at the expense of caring for oneself. While the US has been “taking care of” other countries, pouring billions of dollars into military interventions across the globe, it neglects its own, with homeless populations rising, and emphasis upon education and health care falling, these things being available only to the wealthy. This eclipse then, augurs the karmic payback of such grievous actions as exemplified by the housing crisis of immigrant children (Cancer rules the care of children) and accentuates the issue of the lack of universal health care in the US. Saturn, the planet that deals with karma, is now exactly conjoined the South Node, which represents in a chart the past history, the places where our skills and talents have become stale, overused, and lacking in challenge. When both of these karmic influences conjoin, fate steps in and does an “adjustment”.  How this will play out, we will see. Eclipses can manifest their effects months after an event, often lasting until the next eclipse cycle, which will be six months from now. Hard lessons develop and fate steps in when karma and responsibility are so avidly avoided.

Adding to the mix, Mercury is slowing down and will be retrograde on July 7th, not going direct until the 31st of July. This is a time of exploring our inner depths, something which our culture doesn’t seem to encourage. But Mercury’s retrogradation indicates a time of introspection, and in the case of the overarching effects of this solar eclipse, each of us is being asked: what is our relationship is to our emotional security? Who, and/or what do we rely upon for our emotional security, and is it happening in a healthy way, or in a co-dependent style? Saturn’s presence at the South Node is the reaper of karmic effects. Do we take responsibility for what is happening in our lives, and for the changes that need to occur, or are we playing victim, which is a stance that our culture generally supports.

Mars has just now entered into expressive Leo, but is gearing up for a square (challenging 90˚ angle) to unpredictable Uranus on the 11th. When these two are in such a configuration, one’s actions may turn impulsive, our nervous system may tend toward overdrive. For the week before and after such an aspect, it’s helpful to take extra care of our nervous system, with exercise, meditation, movement, contemplation, whatever helps you to feel inwardly connected to your centerpoint.  Find ways to use and defuse this extra energy, and at the same time to provide yourself with periods of quiet self-care.

Chiron is also going retrograde the day after this eclipse, which means going back over the territory it covered in the last 6 months. It will stay retro until December 12th. Chiron the wounded healer, represents the unhealable, “unforgivable,” woundings that happened to us in our past, but which can act to inform and guide us onto the path of compassion in our present day actions. This gives us time to integrate what has been uncovered or reactivated since the beginning of the year, perhaps some deep issues of our woundedness that have emerged. As we go over this terrain in hindsight, new ways of perceiving how these wounds might inform us in our lives can emerge. In our personal life as well as in our global experience, we can either perpetuate our deepest woundings in unconscious ways toward those around us, (staying a victim of circumstances) or reap the karma of our suffering, which then informs us as to how to become mature and responsible, to turn toward others to help them, to connect in such ways that make our lives more authentically meaningful and enriched.

In two weeks, we will have a lunar eclipse in Capricorn, conjoined with powerhouse Pluto. As we ride the deep and turbulent waves of paradigm disruption and change, be ready to stay connected with those we trust, with our “family”, however you define that for yourself.  These are the connections that sustain us and keep us going on the guiding track of love.