Walking the Line

Happy Summer Solstice, Happy Cancer Szn and Happy Full Moon in Capricorn! 

Thank you for finding yourself here.

There is so much to celebrate with excitement and anticipation with the events happening right now. I thought it would be a potent time to write my first blog post for my website. I can't explain why the itch became hard to ignore but the message has appeared in more than one spot so this moment feels right. 

This post will include the things I have learned; these are not new ideas, and some may be directly shared from the people I have learned them from. My purpose is not to claim this knowledge as solely mine, as we, the collective, can often get caught up in the ownership of knowledge. I felt it important to lead with this because I have had some amazing teachers and mentors, and I follow people who are just as knowledgeable.

So here we go!

Throughout this post, I am going to write about the zodiac signs of Cancer and Capricorn. These two signs are opposite Cardinal signs and represent the inner and outer worlds of one’s being. They are like points on a line—each is needed in relation to the other, and once we feel strong in one, we can walk the line to the other.

In the natal chart of the world, Cancer and Capricorn occupy significant positions on the angles. Cancer rules the 4th House along the Imum Coeli (IC), and Capricorn rules the 10th House along the Midheaven (MC). Along with the Ascendant and Descendant, these signs represent major pathways in one’s chart (note that not everyone’s chart will have these signs at these locations but the angles will be occupied by different signs).

When the Sun enters the sign of Cancer, we celebrate the Summer Solstice as it transits through the point in our chart representing our roots and foundations—our sense of self in this world.

We have just experienced the Summer Solstice, which represents the longest day of the year for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere (those in the Southern Hemisphere are experiencing the shortest). In any case, this represents a new beginning.

It is a fertile time, so let’s dig a bit deeper.

For me, learning about the mythology of each zodiac sign has provided a key to unlocking the unique energy each encompasses. Of course, with mythology, there are many different renditions of each story, so it is really up to interpretation. However, I believe mythology offers an energetic story that goes beyond the adjectives used to describe each sign.

As a double Scorpio, I found myself searching for more meaning. Don’t get me wrong, it is fun to engage in the Pop Astrology world for levity, but to find a deeper connection, the stories have been helpful. For Cancer, it is the goddess Hera who takes the spotlight. She is the goddess of women, childbirth, and marriage—the Great Feminine. Hera is linked to ancient goddesses from a time before the patriarchy, when women were not solely regarded as wives, daughters, and sisters. Although this respect for the divine feminine began to wane, Hera remained a powerful figure.

Hera was both the sister and wife of Zeus (I know…). Zeus wasn’t the best husband to Hera; he often sought out the next beautiful woman to impregnate, which infuriated Hera (for good reason!). One of the children he fathered was Hercules, and Hera made it her mission to kill him. The most well-known part of this story is that Hera sent Hercules twelve labors, which were meant to kill him. The most famous of these was his battle with the Hydra. While battling the Hydra, Hera sent a crab to distract him, which Hercules smashed with his foot. To honor the crab, Hera placed it in the sky as a constellation, which explains why the zodiac sign of Cancer is symbolized by the Crab.

Another part of the myth speaks to the creation of the Milky Way. According to the story, someone brought an abandoned baby (Hercules) to Hera, and without thinking, she brought the baby to her breast to feed him. (Cancer also rules the breasts.) There is a version of the story that says the baby bit her or that she rejected the baby, but in any event, milk spurted from her breast, creating the cloudy, milky appearance we see when we look up at the Milky Way.

These stories can be broken down in many different ways, but I want to highlight a couple of key themes:

The Fragility of the Crab: Crabs embody a unique duality with their hard exterior shells protecting their soft, delicate insides. This mirrors the traits of individuals born under the Cancer zodiac sign, who often present a tough exterior to shield their sensitive and vulnerable inner selves. To grow, crabs must molt, shedding their old shells and becoming highly susceptible to danger in the process. During this vulnerable period, crabs often help each other; a molted crab may cling to one with an intact exoskeleton for protection. This dynamic highlights the importance of mutual support and protection during times of personal growth and transformation.

A Collective Shift Towards the Divine Feminine: We are currently experiencing a collective shift towards celebrating and respecting the divine feminine, moving away from patriarchal structures. This shift involves rediscovering and honoring what makes us feel safe and secure, finding our way back to a sense of home within ourselves. It also involves understanding and healing our roots, acknowledging the foundations from which we have grown. By doing so, we can choose to grow in new or different directions, embracing change and transformation with the support of our inner strength and the community around us.

To understand this, you need to pinpoint the house in which Cancer rules and the location of your natal moon. The moon represents our physical and emotional worlds, as well as the relationship we had with our mother or the parent who was more nurturing.

I wish not to get caught up in gender, as Cancer is a feminine sign, and regardless of gender, we all express varying levels of feminine and masculine energy. That being said, the relationship with your feminine side will be a key piece in expressing the parts of your life that Cancer and your natal moon rule.

And finally today, we are experiencing a full moon in Capricorn. Full Moons in general are a metaphorical birthing and releasing. We can think back to January when we had the New Moon in Capricorn - what was going on then for you? Did you journal during this time - what did you say? Is something you said coming to fruition - have you released yourself from those things? Because it is a full moon it is a balancing act between it and the sign opposite it, Cancer. Overall these signs represent the foundation and what we want to build. As I have said, knowing the houses these signs rule will give you insight into the specifics of where this will be showing up in your life. In general, the Capricorn Full Moon is a powerful time for reflection, completion, and planning. It encourages us to balance our personal and professional lives, recognize our achievements, and set clear boundaries. By harnessing Capricorn's disciplined and ambitious energy, we can make significant strides toward our long-term goals and bring structure and order to our lives.

 You cannot create something meaningful to share with the world without first retracing your steps back to your roots, discovering the true essence of your SELF. Understanding where 'home' resides within yourself is crucial before embarking on any endeavor. Creations built upon a weak foundation of divine feminine energy may struggle to endure over time, risking losing sight of their purpose. There is power in the tenderness. And when nutured a sacred creative force can be shared.

I want to end this first blog post with an excerpt from the book “Your Guide to Forest Bathing” by M. Amos Clifford which I feel resonates with the Cancer-Capricorn axis.

“The tree grows, finding its place in the forest. Its leaves grow and shed with the seasons. Fires sweep through; it is scorched but survives. I imagine you’ll find this imagery familiar, that your life has moved through similar cycles of change and growth. If at times we have stunted, it may be that we neglected our roots, that part of ourselves by which we draw sustenance from the land itself; for it is from the land that our deepest lives are fed. The great disease of our industrial civilization is that most of us are no longer connected to the land. No wonder we see so much uprootedness among peoples everywhere”