New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer – July 2, 2019; 12:16pm PDT
The New Moon is always a time of new beginnings. It’s an excellent time for setting intentions and clearly stating to the Universe what we want to manifest. When a New Moon is accompanied by a Solar Eclipse it is particularly powerful. Eclipses signify pivotal points in our lives and change the trajectory of our life path, especially if the eclipse aspects keys planets or points in our chart. That may sound a bit scary but, really, it’s just a moment in time when we reach a crossroads, a decisive flash in life when we need to act. This is the catalyst for change and moves us forward on our destiny line. Where the eclipse falls in our charts tells us the area of life where we can change the most. The signs where the eclipse falls also provide us with a theme that we can work with for the next eighteen months. This series of eclipses will be in the opposing signs of Cancer and Capricorn.
The sign of Cancer relates to home, family, parenting, and nurturing – both ourselves and others. The opposing sign of Capricorn involves structure, rules, towing the line, and power that is external to ourselves – governments. This eclipse season also emphasizes the theme of our public persona vs our private persona and may reveal where we have been holding ourselves back in order to stay safe. The sign of Cancer is linked with the summer and thriving life – birth. The opposite sign of Capricorn correlates to winter and hibernation; the end of a cycle – death. With these two signs there can often be a struggle between family and work, security vs expansion.
The Sun/Moon conjunction in Cancer is closely combined with the North Node. This is a very positive placement and shows that moving into the direction of growth, kindness, care, and diplomacy is the collective intention for the next eighteen months. However, this New Moon falls directly opposite the combination of Saturn, Pluto and the South Node. Whenever a planet is conjunct the South Node, its energy is more strongly emphasized and the combination of Saturn and Pluto brings up questions of power and control and shows us that breaking free of the status quo may be challenging. What quickly comes to mind is the question of, as a nation, do we want to maintain our war-monger status and continue to bully the rest of the world or do we want to turn our national attention inward and nurture our citizens.
One of the beauties of astrology is that it shows us predictable repeating cycles of energy. The Metonic Cycle unfolds over 100s of years and produces Solar Eclipses at nineteen-year intervals at the same sign and degree. The advantage of understanding the repeating cycle is that we can look back to the past occurrence and see what issues we were dealing with then. It is likely that issues of a similar energy will reoccur, but now we are, hopefully, more evolved and wiser and so can respond differently to the situation. The most recent cycle of Cancer and Capricorn (not at the same degree of this eclipse) began in July 2009. This was a time of economic recession and we all had concerns about how to live with less. While the economy seems to be a bit more stable now, there are still many concerns about security and peace of mind.
This New Moon Solar Eclipse is accompanied by a square between Jupiter and Neptune. These two planets are highly spiritual and expansive and, at the core, offer us infinite possibilities. They are wonderful planets for manifesting and creativity, but not the best energy for staying grounded and centered. Their energy can tend to blur situations and make it difficult to know what is ‘real’. They represent both our conscious and unconscious beliefs and as they build toward a conjunction, we will see the evolution of our collective belief systems. Many false beliefs are being revealed now especially related to our patriarchal systems, and the inequality of gender, race, and economic status. During the next few years we will see that intensify as we move into a new paradigm of ‘truth’.
With four outer planets retrograde; Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto soon to be joined by the very personal planet Mercury, the energy of the New Moon Solar Eclipse is best handled internally. This is great energy for reviewing, for thinking more deeply about a situation, and picking up details that were missed the first time around. If we can make the personal commitment to let go of the old, as best we can, and surrender to the new that’s coming in we’ll find the sensation of living in a pressure cooker will ease. Don’t be swept away by what is manifesting in the world. Step back from the media and turn your attention toward nature and family. Daily spiritual practices can help during stressful moments. Breathe in and out through your heart chakra. Be authentic and maintain the highest standards of integrity. Stay centered and grounded. I’ve said this before but it bears repeating with this energy. If things get too intense, go hug a tree!
Beth Lauderdale ~ Evolutionary Astrology
