June 24th ~ July 1st

You see the mountain, and hill following after hill, as wave on wave, you see the woods and orchard, the fields of ripe corn, and the meadows reaching to the reed beds by the river. You see me standing here beside you, and hear my voice, but I tell you that all these things ~ yes, from that star that has just shone out in the sky to the solid ground beneath our feet ~ I say that all these are but dreams and shadows: The shadows that hide the real world from our eyes. There is a real world, but it is beyond this glamour, and this vision, beyond them all as beyond a veil. You may think this all nonsense; it may be strange, but it is true, and the ancients knew what lifting the veil means. They called it seeing the god Pan. ~ Arthur Machen (The Great God Pan)

If you’ve been feeling a bit like you are under a fugue, or awash in distraction and losing focus, do not be alarmed. It is merely Neptune stationing. For months Neptune appears to sit still, pausing at 25º of Pisces, apparently immovable in its celestial sphere. From here on it will gradually appear to be retracing its steps back through the degrees, but barely. It remains at this degree through August. Planets are so strong when they come to station in this way each year. And anyone who has sensitive points at 25º of Pisces, Virgo, Gemini or Sagittarius will know this to be true. 

Heightened sensitivity has our feelings rising to the surface of our being. Positively we are more in touch with our feelings and those of others. Negatively we can feel awash, and overloaded psychically. Neptune is notorious for veering us off course, getting us lost, ungrounded and detached from reality. But it also has the capacity to raise us up beyond the mundane world and into a transcendent world of inspiration and visionary ideals. 

When Neptune is retrograde as it will be until December 4th, we are better able to connect with our heart center, so that even in times of uncertainty, even when we have no idea where we are headed, it will be that faith in our own higher self, that divine center that will bring us where we need to go.

Some ways that we can cultivate Neptune in positive ways during the retrograde phase: 

• Compassionate Acts: volunteer, donate, pay it forward. Do a favor for a neighbor. Connecting to Neptune is that feeling in your heart that you get when you do a good deed.
• Getting in touch with your highest ideals and honoring them, even if you cannot fulfill them right away.
• Music; Dance; poetry jams, recitals. That which touches your heart and makes it sing. Art museums, any museum, that which inspires you and calls. See good movies, go to the theater if you can. Take photos.
• Doing Art: you don’t have to do it well, just do it or experience it. Open your imagination. Unlock the right side of your brain. Take a pottery class. Paint by number, paint your house.
• Divination: finding ways to make that connection to spirit, whether that is thru the tarot, the I Ching, or some other divinatory tool.
• Spiritual retreats, prayer or practices that appeal to you. This is when you can bring a meditation practice to a deeper and more profound level.
• Swimming, walking near the sea, immersing yourself in the beauty and profundity of nature. Neptune is what you feel when you see the sun rise, or notice the dew on the petal of a flower. That is what we are trying to connect to.
• Pay attention to your dreams: keep a dream diary or notepad by your bed. Investigate ways to cultivate your dreams and dream world.

On June 28th (10:53 pm EDT, 7:53 pm PDT, 3:53 am on June 29th Universal Greenwich Time), we have the New Moon at 7º Cancer 23’. Circling the wagons and gathering the tribe, Cancer is where we go to seek safety and familiarity. What are your go-to’s when you seek comfort? Where and who do you go to when your heart needs mending? Who do you go to for consolation and support? 

At this time of year we come back to immerse ourselves in the replenishing waters of the Cancer New Moon. Doing so brings us the strength to meet the world on its own terms. Therefore feed your body, your heart and your soul within her protective embrace. Surround yourself with your much loved community. Seek out those things that bring you emotional security. Pay attention to your personal life. Those things that support you. When your roots are well supported, and your emotional and personal foundation is strong, then you will be able to withstand even the most treacherous of storms in the future. 

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are, and not be questioned. ~ Maya Angelou

The New Moon in Cancer is traditionally a good time to: 

• Nourish yourself and others. Bake a cake. Feed your friends, all those in your care. Present your signature dish.
• Nourish your mind, your soul, and your imagination.
• Honor the caregivers in your life. Call your parents. Send a care package. Make a surprise visit.
• Women or women’s issues. The divine feminine. Women’s circles.
• Gather the family, the tribe, your community.
• Intentionally nurturing a sense of belonging, for yourself, for your loved ones, for strangers.
• Cultivate greater emotional security and stability within the home, family and property.
• Revisit the homeland, get in touch with your roots, your family traditions, your heritage, your culture.

Cancer has domain over: Nurturing. Food, picnics, kitchens, stoves. The stomach, feeding. Caring, comfort, empathy. Pregnancy, motherhood, the womb, fertility, childbirth. Infancy. Potential. Home, Family, Community. Communes. Belonging. One’s heritage, culture, traditions. The past, one’s personal history, roots. Memory, Nostalgia. Sentimentality. Attachment, Dependence. The Clan, the Tribe, the Homeland, Country. Patriotism. Homelessness. Travelers, Sailors. Traveling salespeople. Shyness, sensitivity, empathy. Emotions, moodiness. Emotional security. Coping Mechanisms. Introspection. Imagination. Vulnerability. Safety. Caution, Security. Protection, Defensiveness. The People. The Base. Water, boats, the shore. Crabs & underwater sea creatures. The Sea. The Chest. Women, breasts, nursing. The Moon and the Tides. 

The general tone for this New Moon: Emotional, Sensitive, Moody and introspective. Imaginative and Nostalgic. 

What is needed: Focus on those things that will bring greater comfort, make you feel secure and taken care of. What needs to change in order to bring greater safety, emotional security and a sense of belonging? Which foundations of your life need shoring up right now? 

If you wish to make affirmations or intentions with the New Moon, do so after the time of the New Moon in your area, but while it is still new and filled with potential (from the New Moon Tuesday/Wednesday thru the Crescent Moon on Sunday, July 3rd). Make your intentions and affirmations positive and make them your own. Some general intentions and/or affirmations for the New Moon in Cancer might be: 

• May I come to appreciate that empathy and sensitivity are strengths, not weakness.
• May I find that safe place that I can go to and belong without being questioned.
• I embrace and appreciate the patterns and events in my life that have led to to where I am now.
• I am aligned with the tides of the Moon, trusting that it will take me where I need to go.
• May I create a sanctuary of safety and security within my own home.
• I honor the vast field of experience known as the imagination, where all things are possible.
• May I reacquaint myself with my past in order to dig deeper roots.
• With the heart of the Lunar Goddess I support and sustain all of life’s children as if they were my own.
• No matter how difficult and painful it might be, may I never lose the capacity to care.

For the New Moon and the station of Neptune in your natal sign or house, check with this week’s horoscopes: 

HOROSCOPES

Image: “The Charmer” by John William Waterhouse

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