Cancer New Moon - Mirror Work

The New Moon occurs this Friday, June 23rd at 10:29 pm EST.

For those of you who want to align with the prevailing energies, this New Moon provides a great opportunity to fully accept with love and forgiveness all that you are in this moment, so that old karma can finally be released or transmuted. It asks you to embrace your shadow, as well as your light, so that you can be more fully integrated going forward. We are on the cusp of a grand rebirth, and there is much to do, both internally and externally, personally and collectively.

To help us, this New Moon brings quick, personal lessons in energy alignment. Think “instant” karma. What we’re thinking and feeling is going to manifest more quickly under this influence. Pay close attention to your emotional frequency. Cancer is all about how you feel deep down. It’s not about what you tell yourself with your positive affirmations, but what you feel to be true for you. Saying “I am abundant” is meaningless if what you feel is “I’m never going to get ahead.”

During this Moon cycle, try to hold a positive, emotional intention with everyone you meet and every situation you find yourself in. Suspend your inner doubt. Expect the best. See if you can find a reason to trust, even if your past experience tells you not to. Find a way to feel good in challenging situations. This will create a space for things to shift in a positive direction.

A great way to work with this energy would be to spend some time each morning or evening aligning with what you most want in your life. Make a list of words that make you feel good. Peace. Joy. Abundance. Protection. Harmony. Freedom. Write them down. Say each word to yourself and allow yourself to feel the energy of each word. What does Peace feel like? How about Freedom? This is a really quick way to align your vibration with higher energies. During this Moon cycle, we’re more likely than usual to manifest what we’re feeling, so it’s worth every effort you can spare.

The upside of this faster-than-usual feedback loop is that you’ll have an opportunity to understand the vibration you’re actually holding...it may be different than what you think. Think of everything and everyone that comes your way as a reflection in a mirror. Whatever that mirror is reflecting exists somewhere within you. If you’re experiencing conflict, look within and find its source. This is always a good exercise, but will be even more powerful during this Moon cycle. Each moment offers an opportunity to commit more fully to your positive truth or turn away from the thoughts and feelings that are manifesting strife.

Whether this process is conscious or not is up to you. Make no mistake, emotional choices are being made and those choices have consequences. Are you done with war, in all its guises? With being right? With being number one? With hiding your light?

The Moon is in its home sign of Cancer, so there’s a strong focus in all of this on “mother, family and tribe.” In its positive expression, Cancer is the sign of nurturing and of the Divine Mother. It makes us feel safe, cared for and deeply nurtured. At its worst, Cancer spins into tribalism, dividing us into groups of “us” and “them.” Tribalism is strong right now in American politics. There are very few politicians that are courageous or centered enough right now to suggest cooperation or compromise for the greater good. Right now, the old ways are still playing out. It’s all about conquering and exerting power.

The symbol for the Sun and Moon at 3° Cancer is “a set of surgical instruments.” It suggests an intervention is upon us. Those old ways lead to death. Surgery is sometimes necessary for long-term health. Surgical instruments are precise tools for removing what’s unhealthy. The word “surgical” suggests this procedure will be very personal and specific. Everyone’s experience of this will be different. For some, this month will be about removing warts. For others, open-heart surgery. However you experience it, remember that Cancer is the Divine Mother. Even if you don’t understand why things are happening, you can truly trust that it’s for your ultimate good.

Conjunct the Sun and Moon in Cancer are Mercury and Mars. Mercury is all about the way you think and communicate. In its negative expression, it tends towards untruth or deception. Mars is your positive assertiveness, and also your tendency to war and exert power over others. Mars is not comfortable in the softness of Cancer. It’s more likely to station itself in Cancer’s “us-versus-them” tribalism. In looking in your personal mirrors, keep all that in mind. It’s all about how you think and feel this cycle, especially how you think and feel about war, peace, tenderness, aggression, nurturing, mother, family, community, tribe, etc.

The Chandra symbol for Mercury at 6° Cancer is “a medusa’s head with writhing snakes for hair.” This symbol talks about confronting the karma that haunts us (i.e., our shadows selves). Those writhing snakes are your personal demons. Medusa turned people to stone with a look. See where you’re cold, stone-like feelings live. Where are you cut-off? How well do you love? How kind are you to yourself and others? Remember, Perseus uses a mirror to conquer Medusa. That’s exactly what we’re being asked to do with this symbol. Look within.

Snakes can symbolize initiations, so this Moon cycle may bring a host of personal initiations. Dig deep for your courage. Let go and surrender. Forgive yourself. Be kind. Move forward with trust. Find ways to care for yourself.

The Chandra symbol for Mars at 13° Cancer is “many voices singing different songs at the same time.” I think this is both a personal and a collective symbol. It takes a wide open and generous spirit to embrace all that you are. We are complex creatures. Black and white judgements don’t do us justice. Listen to every part of you...not just the wise or evolved part, but the child throwing a tantrum and the dictator. We all have them.

Our greatest success is going to come from each of us accepting all the discordant parts within, and then using that learned skill to accept everyone else. If we keep singing over each other, there will only be dissonance. This symbol invites us to make room for all the voices to be heard. If we fail to do this work, greater divisiveness lies ahead. Leave your judgements at the door...those you inflict upon yourself and upon others. For many, this is an exercise in sheer will. Refuse to participate in war and war will end...first within and then without.

Uranus (at 28° Aries) is sextile the Sun and Moon, with the Sabian symbol of “a large audience confronts the performer who disappointed its expectations.” Symbolically, it speaks of a necessity for mature self-criticism. It’s also hard to ignore the strong resonance it has with our political situation. President Trump, the consummate performer, has promised much, perhaps more than he’s capable of delivering. This symbol reflects a need to move beyond potentials and into effective use of power. An inclusiveness is necessary and a sense of responsibility for how one’s actions affect others.

President Trump is clearly playing a role for all of us. The audience must confront the long-standing principles that drive the man, not the man himself. He is a mere performer, showing us what we have valued and what the natural consequences of our choices are. It's up to each of us to decide whether this reflection is the one we want to keep seeing in the mirror.

Opposing all of this is Saturn at 24° Sagittarius. Saturn is always about maturity, responsibility and masculine energy. He is the Divine Father and the symbol for structure and for our patriarchal systems. Oppositions ask us to integrate two things that seem at odds with each other. The Chandra symbol for 24° Sagittarius is “a statue of Isis covered by a transparent veil.” This is a symbol of the Divine Feminine and is in resonance with the Moon in Cancer. It also speaks about all that is ancient and wise. If this ancient wisdom can be brought forward and made relevant, we will all reap the benefits. It is a difficult opposition for sure, as our old, patriarchal systems and ways of thinking are highly resistant to goddess energy and softer, magical, inclusive ways of being.

Despite the difficulty, I think there’s hope. The Sabian symbol for Saturn here is “a bluebird perched on the gate of a cottage.” This symbol speaks of the rewards that follow efforts towards integrating what is outside in the world around you with what is most true within you. This is our mirror work. The bluebird is a symbol of happiness and suggests that we are most successful when we develop a consciousness steeped in peace and happiness. The bluebird is a hopeful symbol, promising great fortune if we are able to integrate this opposition of the ancient Divine Feminine with the healed, responsible masculine energy that Saturn represents. First within, and then without.