July 12th ~ 19th
You are your own Tree of Life, roots and limbs and trunk. Somewhere within the wholeness of the tree lies the very self, the quick: its own innate Holy ghost. And this Holy Ghost puts forth new buds, and pushes past old limits, and shakes off a whole body of dying leaves. And the old limits hate being empassed, and the old leaves hate to fall. But they must, if the tree-soul says so…” D.H. Lawrence (Aaron’s Rod)
The Full Moon on July 16th is a partial Lunar Eclipse, the second of our current eclipse pairing. The Sun and the North Node have already crossed paths and are separating, which underlines the concept of the Full Moon bringing the results of actions done, and commitments already made. The Sun and Venus both straddle the North Node eclipse point on the day of the eclipse as Venus aims to cross this point shortly after the eclipse. But this is a Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn, at the South Node point which is currently still besieged by retrograde Saturn and Pluto, where the Moon is only a few degrees from Pluto at the time of the eclipse. South Node eclipses are indeed times of closure, completion and ending. You get the sense of something needing to be cleared, in order for the promise for a new beginning to be made. With 6 planets (+ Chiron) retrograde, and a South Node Lunar Eclipse we may all be asking ourselves: What needs to be released or come to an end, in order to be able to move forward and rebuild, rehabilitate, or renovate? or maybe, Am I sure this is what I wanted to happen?
When the North Node is in Cancer, there is a strong urge to either release, or further entrench the South Node in Capricorn:
Tyranny: Old established traditions, authorities, ruling parties and oppressive leaders that refuse to relinquish control and power.
Conservatism: Clinging to redundant or outworn conservative values that no longer serve the greater good: smaller but more controlling governments with the power leveraged by a few.
Patriarchy: Domination of the ruling class; the subjugation of women, and ‘the people’.
Materialism: The entrenchment of corporate structures that value profits over lives and the well-being of the planet.
Isolationism: Values stoicism, isolationism and repressive laws.
Fear: Holding on to these values by instilling fear and divisiveness.
Exhaustion: Feeling exhausted, isolated, deprived and fearful. The need to put down our burdens after the cold hard Winter of Denial, and lie in the Mother’s Arms again, in order to restore well-being.
When we are able to release the South Node in Capricorn, then we can further cultivate the North Node in Cancer, which is what is most sorely needed right now:
Women: From an unprecedented number of women entering the political arena, to the USWNT calling for equal pay for the Women’s Soccer (football) team, women have been taking center stage. Cancer extols the matriarch: the Great Mother of Compassion, Kwan Yin; the wisdom of Women and the Lore of the Grandmothers. It is well nigh time to restore women to their place of honor.
Children: Remembering what it feels like to look at life through the eyes of a child, and allowing children to be children again. The return of innocence, the imagination and the world of wonder. Laying down the burden of having to grow up too soon. This is in sharp contrast to what we are seeing on the southern US border.
Community: Family, Home, Mother, Children, Infants and Community Social values that take into consideration the needs of the whole group, not just a few. A sense of belonging.
Nurturing: Feeding the Hungry; Providing clean water to those who are thirsty; The small family traditions that bring meaning and security to our daily lives.
Empathy: The values of Cancer lean towards the greater good of the people: nurturing one another, caring for one another. Crying when we need to cry. Brings back the values of warmth and support through our shared experiences.
Cultural values: Both Capricorn and Cancer value traditions, but Cancer has respect for the value of cultural traditions as a foundation for societal values. This includes a reverence for land, home, ancestors, roots, community and country.
The Lunar Eclipse is within only a few degrees of transiting Pluto, putting emphasis to where it is transiting in our natal charts. Both the Eclipses and Pluto have a strong Karmic element associated with them that bring a feeling of inevitability and fate. When we think of Pluto we often think of the most dreadful associations: entrapment, corruption, destruction, feelings of oppression and powerlessness. Pluto in Capricorn can indeed represent powerful forces over which we feel we do not have any control, however, what we need to remember in the face of this powerful Lunar Eclipse, is how powerful we actually really are, especially when the people, as symbolized in the Cancer North Node, unite on common ground.
Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn is very much about pushing past old limits and shaking off a whole body of dying leaves. In order to create the space for new buds to grow, we have to go through this pre-gestational period of sloughing off the old patterns, old structures and institutions that are no longer relevant, and may in fact be preventing the new buds from growing. It is time to remove those structures that we have tolerated (because that’s the way it was always done) but are now irrelevant, and may in fact prevent our further development in society.
But old structures do not bow out gracefully, especially if they are accustomed to being in charge. Especially then they aim to hold on for dear life. It can be like that with governments, with institutions, with time-worn infrastructures and traditions. It can also be like that with habits. However, there comes a time when we have outgrown these structures, and they no longer serve us well. Or we become limited and confined by our habits and patterns of behavior. Then it comes time to shake off the dying leaves, in order for fresher, more relevant buds to push forth, flourish and grow.
For next week’s horoscopes, click below: