Happy Summer Solstice & happy birthday to all my dear empathetic, caring & sensitive Cancer friends!
I love how aligned the Solstices & Equinoxes are with each Cardinal sign. The Spring Equinox happened when the Sun moved to Aries representing the beginning of spring and the new Astrological Year, now the Summer Solstice happens on the day the Sun moves to Cancer representing the beginning of summer. It will be the same when the Sun moves to Libra (Fall Equinox), as well as when it moves to Capricorn (Winter Solstice) later in the year. Sometimes the dates may be off by 1-2 days but it is always very close or exact. This strongly shows Cardinal signs' energy of initiation, new beginnings and leadership. Although each signs’ way of expressing this quality differs depending on their element...
Cancer - I FEEL
Cancer is the first Water sign of the Zodiac; the water element connects us with our emotions & intuition. As a Cardinal Water sign, Cancer is guided by their emotions. To understand the energy of Cancer we can view it as a fourth stage of human development from an astrological perspective. If the Aries stage represents being born, new beginnings and that first spark of life. The second is Taurus stage focused on survival and finding comfort, physically & materially. The third is Gemini which is all about curiosity, communication and learning new things. Now during the Cancer season we get in touch with our feelings and emotions. We become more sensitive, compassionate and empathetic towards ourselves and others, especially cute animals!
Cancer is a sign that is most connected to home or the origin of a person, but it doesn't always have to mean physical home. It is more a place where they feel emotionally comfortable and secure. This is of high importance to any Cancer, and people who have strong Cancer energy. For them to open up and feel comfortable emotionally, they need to feel safe. This is where the archetype of the crab comes from, as they have a hard shell but are soft and gentle on the inside. Once they feel comfortable to open up, Cancers are the most caring, giving and protective people to have by your side. They are also known as collectors, they can collect physical things like shells from a beach or little souvenirs that remind them of sentimental moments from the past, or simply remember the past fondly by having a good (senti)mental memory. The energy of Cancer is also connected to the archetype of the Mother.
Lower vibrational examples of Cancer energy are expressed when they do not feel the safety and comfort to emotionally open up, as well as feeling like their love and care is being taken advantage of. This can be followed by them closing themselves up and craving solitude until they can process their emotions.
Body Connection
In regards to our bodies, main body parts that are ruled by Cancer are the chest, breasts, the womb (from a nurturing and reproductive perspective) and the stomach. Women who have Cancer placements (Rising, Moon, Venus) can often have beautiful, voluptuous breasts. Cancer is the sign whose gut feelings are always right, because they have a strong emotional intuition. When something isn’t right, they will first feel it in their tummies. Besides Taurus, Cancer is also a foodie who feels comfort when they cook & eat homemade food.
Moon
Cancer ruling Moon is a counterpart to the Sun; unlike the Sun that shines on its own, the Moon doesn’t have its own light source, but it receives the Sun’s life force and reflects it. If the Sun is what represents ego, vitality and awareness, the Moon is our emotions, reactions and the subconscious & the unconscious. The moon is the yin to the Sun’s yang. Every action (Sun) has an equal and opposite reaction (Moon). The moon strongly affects all the waters on earth (the tides, for example) and since we are made up of water it also affects our blood. Every day the moon changes its phases, it shines brightly or is completely transparent and unseen. The moon follows a cycle of 28 days (every two weeks there is either a new moon or a full moon). Women are often naturally aligned to get their periods on either full moons or new moons, and the ovulation happens on the opposite new moon or full moon as well. It is all so beautifully connected. I love referring to my period as the Moon Cycle.
There is also some interesting wordplay with the moon that I have been noticing for the last couple of years that I would like to share. Moon=Mood, so when we are feeling Moody=Moony it can be due to our emotional waters that are flowing and going through different phases. Also Monday is a day ruled by the moon, unfortunately it is a day that many people are back to work and most of the time not fully feeling activated and inspired, maybe because on a Moonday we should be resting, taking care of ourselves and going inwards? Also did you know that the term lunatic comes from a Latin word lunaticus, which originally referred mainly to epilepsy and madness, as diseases thought to be caused by the moon (source: Wikipedia).
4th House - angular house
I am going to introduce a new aspect of understanding astrological houses that is connected to the first paragraph of this post where I talk about Cardinal signs. We now know that Cardinal signs signify beginnings, which means that the cardinal houses also have a particular significance.
The Cardinal houses (1st house, 4th house, 7th house, 10th house) are also known as Angular houses. They are on each far side of the birth chart (the most East, South, West & North sides of the chart), and they represent important parts of our life journey.
The fourth house is located at the bottom of our charts, and it represents our home, our origin, our mother, our subconscious self, our upbringing up until we turned 4 years old & the patterns that were created during that time. Because it is at the bottom of our chart, this house represents the depths of ourselves that even we are not fully aware of, it is our subconscious foundation.
People with their Sun in the fourth house can sometimes be the happiest living in their childhood home with their family, for example. Someone with Venus at the bottom of their chart can signify a beautiful home, or a harmonious relationship with their family, particularly their mother. On the other end, someone with Mars or Saturn in their 4th house can signify more intense family & home relations. I personally have Uranus at the bottom of my chart in its home sign of Aquarius and that signifies being brought up in a non-traditional way, slightly erratic and unique living conditions. When there is activity in our 4th house, we can expect our emotions to be awakened, as well as focusing on our home by redecorating or moving and doing the same to our inner home.
Astro-Herbalism
During this month we will be feeling the energy of watery, sensitive Cancer and we can expect our intuition to enhance, we might feel drawn to spend more time in the water and we can also receive messages through vivid intuitive dreams. Plants that are connected to the energy of the Moon can help us navigate through this time, whether it is to balance our sensitivity and help us ground, or to open us up to receive deeper insights, answers and to release emotions that have been stuck.
The most commonly found plant ruled by the Moon is Lavender, lavandula angustifolia. Its silvery lunar leaves and dreamy purple flowers are incredible for calming our nervous system. It is an aromatic bitter and it can soothe cramps in the stomach, as well as relieve headaches.
According to Sajah Popham’s Astro-Herbalism course, herbs of the Moon help us reconnect to our feminine and receptive nature, to tune into our rhythms and our patterns in life.
Another incredible plant that is ruled by the moon is Mugwort, artemisia vulgaris. Actually the whole family of Artemisia corresponds to the Moon. This includes Artemisia absinthium aka Wormwood, which is what the infamous alcoholic drink Absinthe is made from! This plant family has a silvery blue hue to its leaves which is a clear indication of their representation of the silvery Moon. They are used to help with digestive issues due to their bitterness. Mugwort supports digestion, helps promote regular periods and stimulates dreaming.
Fun fact, in Greek Mythology the goddess Artemis is known as the goddess of the hunt, and she is also known as the goddess of the moon, childbirth & nurturing.
everything is connected.
This is my favorite article yet, so much new information, thanks for opening me up to this.