The Sun enters Cancer I The Mother and Child (in Austin Coppock's naming conventions), on 20 June 2024 at 4:51 pm EDT, and passes through these ten degrees until 1 July 2024 at 4:31 am EDT, marking ten days, eleven hours and 40 minutes. The first decan of Cancer is associated with the Greek goddess Nike, and with the planet Venus as its archon. T. Susan Chang called it The Dance Begins, a good name for the decan associated with the two of cups from Tarot.
This is the moment of the Summer Solstice. I've written about Cancer I before, in 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
Venus is the administrator of this decan, and she's present; she's also the triplicity magistrate of water signs by day. This gives her unusual dignity to resist the Sun's force, and shields Mercury somewhat from that fire. A lot of ancient sources talk about rulership as if it were always one thing — but it's helpful to consider that the Moon is the normal ruler of Cancer, except she's inconjunct in Sagittarius; this means that she's like a governor who has to go on a fact-finding trip to another place where she'll be out of touch; and she's left her lieutenant governor in charge. Venus is that lieutenant governor — and is also running things while maintaining her usual official duties. Meanwhile, the Sun (no matter how powerful) is simply on the ride-along, impressing everyone — but also not eager to use his power to influence people for or against Venusian decisions.
Nike was the goddess of Victory, sometimes understood as an aspect or personification of Athena the goddess of wisdom. Today we have schools for teaching both tactics and strategy, but for both the classical and Hellenistic Greeks, being able to think through both the planning of the battle ahead of time and the consequences that flowed from it, were marvelous abilities that could only be bestowed by the gods. Indeed, it was communion with Nike, and being her embodied presence in the world, which would give triumph to the general on the side she chose. For such reason, we often find today that there are statues of Nike set up, but not always busts of victorious generals. We all know that writers, painters, musicians, and sculptors have often looked to muses for success in their chosen fields. But Nike functioned as a kind of inspired genius of the battlefield — a spirit that could see what it would take to win even in tight circumstances. It's not enough to have grit and determination, is it? You also have to know what moves to make, what actions to perform.
And it may also be why the name of this decan is The Mother and Child, or that its tarot card is The Two of Cups. Both images suggest both a dedication to what comes next, and an instinctive certainty about how to do it. The Madonna didn't know what it would be like to bring the Son of God into the world, but she knew that she had the capacity to be suitable mother, and chose to agree with the divine plan. The lovers in the two of cups don't necessarily know what comes next for either of them — but they know they'll be more effective if they face it together. And so the work proceeds.
The dodeks of Cancer I are revisitations of Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and Libra — akin to the college freshman discovering serious love for the first time, late in the spring term. First comes the emotional engagement, followed by the desire to perform and show off for the person they love. Then comes the more rational and analytical mind, asking friends and in a loose stellium with Venus and Mercury, all above the horizon in the ninth house. This sets our focus, communication, diplomatic skills, and graciousness, all on the people that enable our journeys to distant places both within and without — the airline ticket agents and stewards, the hotel concierge, the registrar at our college, the priest at the altar, the magician in her circle. Despite the ways that the planets have managed to spread out over the last couple of weeks, nearly all our signifiers are still occidentall — implying that reactions to others take the lead in most relationships, and that we're inclined to respond to what happens to us, rather than initiate new plans of our own.
The Moon is in the second house at 15° Scorpio in the Twentieth Mansion of the Moon — a nice little hunting lodge with a petting zoo on the road home called The Beam — and a peculiar menu that tends to make things more expensive for your friends than for you. Its sign is a centaur, as might be expected in Sagittarius — and it's the favored haunt of a male clientele who enjoy dining under taxidermied hunting trophies and telling stories of their favorite safaris. In the second house, she advises taking inventory of what you have and what you own, and confirming that you still possess what you think you do.
Pluto stands retrograde at 1° Aquarius in the fourth house, separating from Jupiter by trine and in a close square aspect to the Lot of Fortune — there's commercial and financial considerations to be addressed in your family and large-scale purchases that are being minimized; but also small decisions that are being unnecessarily delayed. Be aware of criticisms that can be leveled at you by housemates and family members under your roof, and acknowledge that outsiders may have a point — but recognize that only you can make certain choices real.
Saturn and Neptune remain active in the fifth house in Pisces, activating the last two decans. Saturn tries to hold a balancing, countervailing restraint on the enthusiasm and zeal of a group that believes that their secret knowledge trumps all other considerations — but expect that certain pleasures and more delightful entertainments will be restricted or under stress by tidal forces that pull back rather than push forward.
The Nodal Axis has its more end in Aries, while the less end presents in mid-Libra. Be wary of heat stroke, rash action, and physical injury caused by heat and sharp steel; but don't be entirely negligent when it comes to tight clothing, fabrics that don't breathe, dehydration, and exhaustion while in the marketplaces (whether temporary ones, permanent malls, or those that proffer ideas). The temptation is to buy into limits and boundaries, but that's where the junk is to be found. Celebrate sovereignty... but remember to drink water.
Mars and Uranus, together with the Lot of Fortune, continue to make Taurus fiery and energetic. Uranus promises ongoing disruptions to routines, and a range of indignities survived through an inner spiritual strength. However, Mars and the Lot have their own outrages planned, ones which may not truly land or see their consequences fully play out for months. Invite your spouse or signifiant other to "check for ticks", and return the favor, often, especially if either of you spend much time outside. Sensuality may be much on everyone's mind, but it's more likely to be a solo splash in the river than a joint roll in the hay.
Jupiter occupies the first decan of Gemini, The Apple of Eden, his place of special authority in Gemini — and as a cooperating ruler of air signs, and on the verge of transitioning to his term in Gemini, he's about as strong as possible here — like the career diplomat on station while the appointed ambassador is away. He promises fair and easy dealings with government, and an easy time living up to one's responsibilities in the coming week — but his separating trine to Pluto authorizes some janky and complicated finagling around household finances in weeks to come.
The major heroes of this decan, though, are Mercury, Venus, and The Sun, all hanging out in the first decan of Cancer in the ninth house. It's a good time to bring up baby — or at least explain why you put them in the corner... or diplomatically express why they're losing. The nature of victory is a fickle thing, easily lost or regained on the spur of the moment. It's interesting that this time around, victory comes to those who negotiate best with strong allies at their backs; the sextile to Mars in the seventh suggests that there's a big, bullish bear distractedly cracking knuckles (they don't have to be his own knuckles, mind you) and looking intimidating, while we explain clearly and precisely how our feelings have been hurt. Stand up for yourself this week... just have an escort destroyer for your diplomatic vessel or consular ship, to limit the willingness of others to interfere.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
Scorpio: You have the power to engage in transformative relationships with others these coming ten days, but it requires you to set limits on your personal time, dive into some of those difficult household projects, hunt for missing elements from your toolkit and collection of spare parts, and learn from your mistakes as you baby this new vision into being. There are explosive risks in your romantic entanglements, but you can put the fires out that bring trouble — even as you stoke the fires that bring on hot nights and breathless mornings. Being gloriously, generously responsible and learning from your mistakes will do much to help people tolerate the "bad boy" in you.
Sagittarius: Financial matters are much on your mind as you direct some resources toward both play and household management. A situation with a family member grows particularly toxic, but owning up to your own share of the difficulty and answering it with kindness could resolve much. Strange restraints and a misunderstanding of social roles may keep you close to home during ordinary celebrations, but consider breaking the rules you forge for yourself, and establish a sunny disposition toward duty. Follow where your spouse leads, but be alert to the risks of illness and sudden reversals of fortune.
Capricorn: Some targeted downtime is a good idea — even if you wind up using it to build a database for all your stuff, or to balance your books, it would be something other than the current grind. It's easy to be critical of household junk piling up — every horizontal surface is destined to accumulate waste of various kinds — but there a certain amount of delight to be had in holding yrouself back from an overenthusiastic purging... you might actually be able to wait and see what breaks before you throw away its good-enough replacement. At least one cancellation of a hobbyist adventure lurks in your future, but you know how to deal with this delay with equanimity. It may be harder on a spouse or significant other, so be prepared to be diplomatic and graceful about it.
Aquarius: Financial limitations should not prevent you from seeing friends, but it's a good idea to stick to cheap or free hang-out time and dates at the moment. It may be easy to get swept up in new enthusiasms, but you had better keep your mind on your money, or you may get into trouble with housemates or family. Pour a heaping helping of time into your hobbies this week, as long as they're works or activities that create something useful and demonstrate leadership or serve practical goals. It would be easy to demonstrate how easy it is to get a great score in Fortnight or Call of Duty or to finish a mission in Grand Theft Auto — but you will be happier if you do something that teaches your brain and hands to do something worthy, useful and enduring.
Pisces: Try to limit your screen time as a source of happiness; if you have children, that may also be a situation where you need to impose limits. Don't expect to self-impose, or place such restrictions, without tears and waves of difficult and push-back, but don't treat it as a moral failing — just keep recognizing that attention and desire are finite commodities and someone gets paid for taking it from you. You may find yourself arguing with a relative of a significant other, or playing nursemaid or tutor to someone younger than you — teach responsible play. Some cause you advance or propose this week could become part of your long-term reputation: speak on behalf of causes you actually care about, and avoid playing devil's advocate. A professional matter may require hunting for exactly the right tool or material; approach the task partly like play, and it's likely to go more easily.
Aries: Sovereignty sometimes means taking your ball (or your other toys) and going home... but don't expect your friends to be all that thrilled with your decision. The ties that bind you to them may be strained by such choices, but they'll only break if you are truly a shithead about it. There's value in stories where you tell yourself you have to rest — but the other side of that story is that there are times when work is the necessary response to rest, because all the world operates in rhythms; remember to tell yourself to go to work, too. Some of your personal time should be spent on a few solitary projects, but it would be worthwhile to help someone with a big house-related project... and it doesn't have to be your house, although there are family members who are looking for help. A spouse or significant other may face a large bill in the next ten days, and need your assistance too... but you have travel plans in the near future, and don't let those be disrupted much.
Taurus: You may have angry and explosive thoughts in days to come, but you're the one who has to keep them under wraps. Your key responsibility is knowing what resources to hand out, and when, and to recognize that your spouse (or significant other) is managing day to day issues with a mix of ease and potential volatility. Family matters feel steady but your communications may have gone off the rails. Tact and soft skills may re-open negotiation. None of your friends signed up to work; remember that they're in it for fun, and slave-driver conditions or feeling trapped may cause a wave of rebellion. Your financial future depends on doing a good job, but remember to take your workers' needs into account. How would your most important allies like to be rewarded? Some rules are going to get broken while you forge new alliances.
Gemini: It's hard to believe that fulfilling your responsibilities could be this much fun, or that doing tedious tasks could be a source of such generosity. But here you are: and the resources you can hand out, affecting worker morale, emotional well-being, and actual financial scratch, can make all the difference to the people you lead. Just don't lose sight of the longer-term challenges which is where the real work of the moment is; or the profound upset that may be coming if you're not attentive to the shifts in the markets and the changes in the landscape. Some rules are meant to be broken, but familial alliances with friends have to be able to stand up to challenges. A spouse or significant other is facing a dying fire, wondering if a solution should be hunted down, or if it should be allowed to go out. some parts of your professional life are going to stop short in coming days, but they may be the best parts -- all you can do is hope for a little rain.
Cancer: There's a light in your eyes and a lightness in your conversation that only a long-distance journey can bring to your face. Was the journey inward, to a deeper connection in the soul? Was it outward, to far-off places to see signs and wonders that illuminate possibilities you'd only vaguely considered? Oh... are you sitting at home? It's not too late, you know — you can kick off that journey from anywhere, at any time. Some of the themes you should explore are how lonely you feel in your responsibilities — and yet how much you can lead from a place of lovingkindness despite that weariness. Another theme may be how your partner's friends and allies are actually tearing them down instead of building them up — and what you intend to do about it. Another theme may be how to drill down into your hobbies and actually become good at something you care about but which won't ever pay a wage. And another part is how to get back in harness at work despite recent releases from duty. The secrets of love and sex may also be on your plate, front and center — this can be an inner journey as much as an outer one.
Leo: Remember to advance your cause rather than your self this coming week. Some of your financial rules about touching your friends' wallets are going to have to be broken this week, and it may bring some trouble with your more intimate circle, the ones who really know what's going on. You'll have to set up some discipline around your working and playing habits — too much of one can lead to trouble, and a balance should be sought here. You'll do your best work on your own, but it also will require reassembling what you've already done in a somewhat new guise. Allow a generous friend to take care of you, but make clear where your obligations for that help end. Whatever the laziest parts of your workweek look like, expect a certain amount of drama to ensue anyway.
Virgo: Some rules were meant to be broken, and when it comes to your friends, they largely fall in the realm of asking them to craft and create on your behalf. Yet this is the place where your links are likely to lead to crappy results — friends should know how hard their friends work at artistic and artisanal endeavors, and not expect a discount! Similarly, you are likely to achieve greatness this week not for who you are, but the causes you represent; and you may be able to help facilitate the connection between the folks who have money and the folks who have skills, and ensure fair compensation all around. Your spouse or significant other is facing a wave of enthusiasm for projects beyond their current skill level; do your best to restrain them from stupidity, but provide appropriate search-engine voodoo to help them level up! Even so, both of you are likely to make mistakes that may create trouble down the line; try to forgive yourself in the momentary heat; approach potentially volatile risks with mutual caution.
Libra: It's isolation and self-created obstacles that are bringing you grief right now, and part of it may be the result of real or perceived illnesses. There's some sense of broken connections to others, but really you have stronger pull on close friends and family than you think you do. Your personal pleasures may feel curtailed, but younger people in your orbit (kids, or younger allies) may provide both financial and moral support when things get tough — you will have to ask for help, though. You are likely still learning to feel your way through your new job circumstances, which require you to be more positive, softer, and more communicative about what is needed — and more generous with the time needed to accomplish hard things. Your spouse or significant other is likely going through an era where they have a great deal of sovereignty over your actions, and you're likely rebelling against this level of obligation. There's a protean, unsteady nature to what is present in your shared lives, so staying on your toes and ready for mutable circumstances is advised.
Colophon
You can hire me for a consultation.
I have a Patreon account for those who want to support this column as it continues its third year. Those funds support artists, artisans and thinkers that I regard as contributing to the well-being of the world. You can also buy me a Ko-fi in $3 increments; any column I write after receiving a Ko-Fi donation will be open to the public). .
If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran's Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock's The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock's 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
No comments:
Post a Comment