Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 2 at 3:16 pm EDT, the New Moon in Cancer arrives.
Because this New Moon is close enough to the Moon’s North Node, we will also experience a solar eclipse.
The eclipse is total, the first since the Great American Eclipse of August 2017. We won’t see it in North America, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
It is happening and it’s a big deal.
Eclipses happen in cycles. This eclipse is part of Solar Saros series 127. Eclipses within the same Saros series happen every 18 years and 11 days. This one was preceded by a total solar eclipse on June 21, 2001. Look back to that 2001 eclipse. Something about the current eclipse is likely to echo that one.
There is also the metonic cycle of eclipses, repeating every 19 years. These eclipses occur on nearly the same calendar date and therefore in the same sign of the zodiac. This cycle can also create resonances. The previous solar eclipse in Cancer was July 1, 2000, and like this one, occurred at 10 degrees of Cancer.
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This New Moon and solar eclipse is paired with the upcoming Full Moon and lunar eclipse. Eclipses come in pairs. These are both significant events in July, a month bursting with significant astrology.
First, Mars moved into Leo in the evening of June 1. This makes Mars feel happy and strong after his slog through the watery swamps of Cancer. Mars doesn’t do well in Cancer, preferring action to the flow of emotion.
I’m happy myself that Mars moved before the New Moon eclipse. I like a happy Mars who can get things done. When it comes to anger, direct communication is better than passive aggression.
July includes a series of other sign changes. Venus enters Cancer on July 3 and enters Leo on July 27. The Sun enters Leo July 23.
Mercury turns retrograde in Leo on July 7, moves back into Cancer on July 19, conjuncts the Sun on July 21, and stations direct on July 31, which is also the Leo New Moon.
Cancer is the Moon’s home, her castle, her fortress. Here, the family is nurtured and protected. Emotions are strong but not easily shared; there is a vulnerability in this sign that craves protection even while protecting others. Cancer wants to create safe places.
The New Moon falls at 10 Cancer. Austin Coppock’s image for this second decan of Cancer is a walled garden.
Referring to the images of abundance, wealth, and beauty offered in various ancient and historical texts, he notes that all of these lovely and desirable things rely on proper protection. He says “[t]he great secret of this face is the power of right incubation” (p111, The 36 Faces).
For this particular New Moon in Cancer, wondrous images of whatever we desire will be supported by a trine from Neptune in Pisces. The visionary powers of Neptune in the sign of dreaming will increase our longings.
The conjunction with the North Node of the future makes it easy to create wishes and set intentions for all we hope will unfold over the course of our lifetimes.
But this is not the only influence, because the North Node and the New Moon are opposed by the South Node of the past which is conjunct Saturn.
The South Node and Saturn are both in Capricorn, as is Pluto. This powerfully karmic group has been throwing its weight around for the past year and will continue to do so through 2020.
We can set aside alchemical Pluto for now, while remembering he will play a major role in the upcoming Full Moon.
Saturn and the South Node are enough. These two remind us that past is prologue. Our history––personal, familial, ancestral––influences us whether we are consciously aware of it or not. We make prefer to believe we can make ourselves over, leaving behind all of the past, but it’s just not so.
Yet Saturn and the South Node are not villains. The past is our foundation. Saturn is the creator of form. Without the right container, Cancerian waters flow aimlessly, dissipating without accomplishing anything, lost.
At this New Moon eclipse, we have the opportunity to consider both what we desire and what, realistically, it will take to get there.
Which legacies from the past are constraining us? Perhaps our family line carries stories of not having enough along with warnings of never reaching too far. Perhaps memories of vulnerability and trauma keep us hidden.
If we try to walk away from such histories, they tend to follow along like the shadows they are. Yet even serious trauma can be healed with skill and love.
Which legacies from the past are sources of strength? Surviving through difficulty can offer strength and confidence. Perhaps our ancestors bring creative gifts and spiritual connections that can enrich our lives. These deserve to be remembered and celebrated.
We can think of this New Moon as a walled garden. The wall, built and maintained by Saturn, strengthened by our ancestors, can protect us. Inside we can find and create the beauty and abundance we want for ourselves and those we love.
How do we choose wishes when the New Moon is also a powerful eclipse?
The basics are the same: Check your birth chart. Where does 10 Cancer fall? This House will be activated by the New Moon.
What aspects will the New Moon make to planets and points in your chart? Look at anything in the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) for conjunctions, squares, and oppositions. Look at anything in the Water signs Scorpio and Pisces for trines. The Earth signs Taurus and Virgo might hold sextiles. Anything touched by the New Moon will also be activated.
With the Nodes of the Moon at 17 Cancer and Capricorn, and Saturn at 17 Capricorn, looks for aspects from these points as well to anything in your chart.
An eclipse adds deeper influences over a longer period of time. The eclipse itself remains energized for about six months. I’ve already mentioned the Saros and metonic cycles and their connections over 18 and 19 years.
Looking back to those past eclipses can help you shape your wishes to carry whatever was happening then into your present and future.
Since eclipses happen when the Sun and Moon conjunct the Nodes, longer term karmic issues are also in play.
This is an excellent time for ancestor work. Legacies comes to us in many ways. At this time, we can set intentions for healing as well as making wishes to connect with ancestral gifts.
You can make as many wishes as you need to and set intentions as feels right. Some wishes and intentions can be released to the cosmos, let go and let be.
You may want to choose a smaller group of wishes to keep track of in the weeks and months ahead. After all, we too are responsible for creating the structures of our lives. We too will leave legacies behind.
Cancer and Capricorn together, the Sun, Moon, Saturn, and the Moon’s Nodes all point to the importance of hard work, strong frameworks, loving support, and remembering the generations to come as well as those past.
We will all eventually become ancestors.
I use Unsplash for most of my photo illustrations.
All astrological charts are my own. The images in this post include the title,
adapted from the photo Brothers by Juan Pablo Rodriguez,
and the following images:
breathing fire by Judeus Samson,
Family Vacation by Jordan Whitt,
Stay on the Path by Mark Duffel,
and Memory, film, slide by Gemma Evans.