Cancer New Moon
The New Moon in Cancer strongly emphasizes issues of nurture: whether it is self-care, the care of others, or indeed that which we hope to receive. Everybody needs some degree of nurturing in order to flourish. During this lunation, we may question whether we are able to give or receive care in the required amounts, especially as the only constant in life is change. Goalposts may move, and our ability to get needs met may have to move with them. There is perhaps more chance of this happening to address true needs, given that the Moon is considered “well placed” in its home sign. In other words, it can operate more easily and adequately in Cancer. We might even be surprised at how well a situation goes, given that the Moon is sextile Uranus.
The flip side of this is that a need for care to be given to another may come out of the blue, when we least expect it or when it doesn’t seem convenient. Yet, if we can rally to the call that comes our way, we may find that things do work out. There may well be a new start ahead that turns out to be far more beneficial than what we had planned. The Moon–Uranus sextile is a separating aspect, so this opportunity may soon move out of reach, or we’ll be at the end of a chapter sooner than we expect. Interestingly, the Moon is applying to two more outer planets, Neptune and Pluto, but in different aspect patterns.
A trine to Neptune in Pisces puts the element of water to the forefront, reminding us to trust our intuition and gut instincts. Sometimes it is the atmosphere of a situation that conveys the truest information, despite what anyone may be telling us about it. Similarly, if we have gut feelings or notice coincidences, we should pay attention to these as helpful sources of extra information — beyond whatever appears to be true on the surface.
Neptune also poses the risk that we sometimes employ too many soft filters, only seeing and hearing what we want to witness. This tends to be more the case with the challenging aspects (the square and opposition); however, even with the trine, we may benefit from a mental note to check out the details, especially where others are concerned. The clues may be subtle, of course, because not everyone wants to put all their cards on the table straightaway — and sometimes they won’t even know what they really feel. However, if someone indicates that they’re of two minds about a project or proposal that we feel more definite about, do not ignore it. Recall the symbol of Pisces — two fish, swimming in opposite directions. Perhaps it is a clue to how a situation could pan out with that certain someone.
The flowing connection of watery Moon and Neptune also reminds us to be aware of our own inner intuitions and conflicts. The Cancer New Moon lets us more easily spot how any unaddressed upset manifests for us in nuanced ways. For example, if someone delivers difficult news, we may feel a pang in the stomach, but not be able to put words to its significance right away. If the next thing that happens is that we drop something and break it, we may realize that we have some unaddressed frustration. Taking a moment to recognize the emotional waves within us may prevent these little slip-ups from continuing — however they tend to manifest themselves.
The connection between the Moon and Pluto is an opposition. This planetary link often represents feeling overpowered in some way, whilst at the same time experiencing intense feelings — whether in the moment or later on. Such feelings may be so volatile when they start to emerge, that we want to dampen them down, numb them, or drown them out. Yet maybe we owe it to the deeper part of our pain to, instead, tune in and give those feelings a voice. They might be signaling an unmet need that could actually soon be met, if we’re brave enough to express it. Doing so could also help lessen the fear that stopped us from speaking before. An added Pluto benefit is becoming more discerning, pinpointing what we need and what has outworn its welcome in our lives. In trusting our feelings to guide us, we can take action to let go of anything no longer valuable or significant, resulting in greater peace and clarity!
This article is from the Mountain Astrologer, written by Diana Collis.