Friday, July 9, 2021
6:15 p.m. pacific time
18°01′ Cancer
June’s “ring of fire” eclipse and Mercury’s retrograde shenanigans sure did give us a good dose of galactic energy. Hopefully, you were able to navigate these celestial currents and are ready for this month’s cosmic journey, which includes the fixed-star Sirius’s conjunction to our Sun (July 5), the New Moon in Cancer (July 9), and the conjunction between the cosmic-lovers, Venus and Mars (July 13).
The watery sign of the crab (Cancer) is ruled by the Moon herself and is associated with security, family, and our need for balance between our inner versus outer world. The Sun’s movement into Cancer (the Summer Solstice) marks the first days of summertime in the Northern Hemisphere, initiating a desire for outdoor activities with family and friends, preferably near or in large bodies of water. Since the fiery Sun purifies and water cleanses, we can embrace these warm summer months as a time of purification for our emotional, mental, and physical bodies. Therefore, make it a point to welcome the healing rays of the Sun and immerse yourself in water whenever you can to wash away any stagnant or pent-up energy caused by working too much or by prolonged periods indoors.
It is during the Sun’s movement through the zodiac signs of Cancer and Leo that we experience the “Dog Days of Summer.” This term was coined because of the corresponding hot-sweltering days that the ancients observed when the brightest star in the heavens — Sirius — rose and set alongside our Sun. Sirius obtained its status of “Dog Star” because it happens to be the main star residing in the constellation of Alpha Canis Major. Also, Sirius is so large that it is considered twice the size of our Sun and 25 times its luminosity. 1 Following is a quote from a first century Astrologer–Poet regarding Sirius:
Hardly is it inferior to the Sun, save that its abode is far away
and the beams it launches from its sea-blue face are cold.
In splendour it surpasses all other constellations, and no
brighter star is bathed in ocean or returns to heaven
from the waves. — Marcus Manilius, first century CE2
For millennia, stars have been observed by our ancestors and regarded as having divine qualities. Native peoples deemed Sirius the “Great Star Nation” and considered it the home (Cancer) of our star brothers and sisters. Many believe that Sirius is the origin of our teachers from ancient times. Additionally, Sirius was considered to be the birthplace of “the gods” by the early Egyptians and is still considered so by the Dogon tribe in Africa.
The Sun will make its exact conjunction with Sirius (14°21′ Cancer) on July 5 at 9:43 p.m. pacific time.2 However, the entire Dog-Days-of-Summer cycle occurs several days before and after the exact conjunction. Believed to have the ability to make the mundane sacred, Sirius is often described as our Spiritual Sun. Astrologically, our Solar Sun rules the sign of Leo, which is associated with the heart. For eons, this annual celestial union between our Sun and Sirius has been revered for its heavenly combustion of energy and its ability to heighten Sirius’s transmission of highly-charged divine energy into our Solar system. Pay close attention to what is occurring in your life during this period and feel (Cancer) into your heart (Leo) and let this infusion of solar-spiritual energy awaken you to your divine potential.
Two things inspire me to awe — the starry heavens above
and the moral universe within. — Albert Einstein
Ruled by the Moon, Cancer cultivates maternal and nurturing instincts with an emphasis on emotions, home, family, heritage, and country. In general, the Moon governs large crowds, the public, women, liquids, ocean tides and bodies of water. Since Cancer is associated with the crab, it symbolizes Cancer’s hard-outer shell that is protective of both — self and others. Its sensitive interior is the nurturing, loving, and vulnerable aspects of Cancer.
Occurring annually, this year’s Cancer New Moon horoscope highlights the realm of contractual partnerships. Since New Moon’s are a great opportunity for initiating something new in our lives, you may want to contemplate your inner- versus outer-relationship status. Would you like to begin a new partnership? Or, if you are already in a committed partnership, you may want to do some self-inquiry around whether or not your needs are being met. Either way, if you are wanting a change, make a plan, set your intentions, and take the first step.
Last but not least! The sky is dark during a New Moon so the heavens will offer a perfect opportunity to view this month’s cosmic dance between the planetary lovers’ Venus and Mars. These two planets will join one another on July 13 in the west-northwest early evening sky. This conjunction is providing a fantastic opportunity to further strengthen and super-charge your intentions.
Key Cancer New Moon Themes: emotional security, early conditioning, family and domestic priorities, intuitive, nurturing, protective of others, moody (crabby), tenacious, enjoys the water
1. What we actually see here from our view on Earth is the combination of light from both Sirius A and Sirius B — a blue giant star and a faint white dwarf, respectively.
2. Marcus Manilius, Astronomica, first century CE, book 1, Edited and translated by G.P. Goold, p. 37.
3. Each year this occurs at a different time due to the precession of the equinoxes, whereby the celestial poles move and all the fixed stars shift slightly from one year to the next, moving roughly 1° approximately every 72 years.
© 2021 by Linda Kaye
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