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The Sun enters the Tropical (seasonal) Sign of Cancer on June 21, 9.28 pm.

It is the Cancer Solstice, Sun’s northernmost declination,

gate of winter in the southern hemisphere and summer in the northern.

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I am re-posting here THE SOLSTICE CHART from an early article I wrote for the Art of Healing.

I added to this today, June 21, SOME FRESH THOUGHTS ON THE CANCER SOLSTICE SEASON.

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The Cancer Solstice Chart

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Astronomers and astrologers alike mark the start of the Southern Winter and Northern Summer with the Cancer Solstice, this year falling on June 21. On this day the Sun lingers on its northernmost declination, before beginning to descend again toward the Equator. An important time in the yearly calendar, recognised and held sacred by most cultures, since the dawn of time. Still today, all the promises and mysteries of the coming season are contained in the Solstice Chart.

Click to enlarge

This year the Solstice Horoscope shows the Moon in Via Combusta, that trait of the Zodiac that traditionally is said to span between the middle of Libra and the middle of Scorpio. As its Latin name implies, translating something like ‘burning path’ or ‘fiery road’, I’m reminded here of the feats of walking on hot embers and fire accomplished during initiation ceremonies in diverse cultural traditions, including those of some Australian Aboriginals. The months ahead then we will all be walking on a difficult but enlightening path, a trial of sorts, with empowering potential.

The Moon also forms a beautiful Grand Trine, the combination of three 120 degrees angles, shaping an imaginary equilateral triangle between the Moon (emotions, family), Neptune-Chiron (spiritual healing and karmic suffering), and the Sun itself stationary on 0 degree Cancer, the ancient Gate of Life. Grand Trines are highly energetic configurations, mostly harmonious and positive, opening up new valves of understanding and offering outlets for greater creativity. This configuration seems to redeem the more difficult reading of Via Combusta. There is great potential for healing in this Chart and to overcome the emotional burning with an outflow of higher emotions, compassion, desire to help and heal the world, and all round enhancement of the nurturing quality of Cancer’.

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SOME FRESH THOUGHTS ON THE CANCER SOLSTICE SEASON

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I add here that this Solstice is embroiled, of course, with the Cardinal Grand Cross we are all worried about (as a 0°03′ Cancer Sun I can testify to this!), the two cannot be separated.

Even a distracted look at the Solstice Chart above would suffice to notice the dominant red square, the Sun making contact with all the known destiny makers: nearly exactly square (90°) Uranus in Aries, applying to a square to Jupiter in Aries, closely applying to a trine (120°) to Chiron in Pisces, separating from a trine to Neptune in late Aquarius and separating from a square to Saturn in late Virgo, and last, but not least, applying to the opposition to Pluto in Capricorn.

The Waxing Moon is on the last degree of Libra also in trine to Neptune and Chiron and in contact to Saturn and Uranus too, thus also contributing her light to the overall picture.

Before these amazing planetary patterns make us really superstitious perhaps we should start looking at them in another way. Like, for instance, as unique opportunities to grow up, individually and therefore globally. At this point I wouldn’t know a better way to put it.

The Moon disposits of the Sun in Cancer in the Solstice Chart, meaning that, at this particular Gate (change of season), the Sun of consciousness pays homage to the Moon of feeling and the psyche. Conscious meets unconscious, revealing to the ego the reality of the psyche, through depth of feelings, flights of creative imagination and psychic insights.

When people ask (and they do at present) how to better utilize these powerful energies, I say: work on yourself, make an extra effort to be aware of the implications of your actions, feelings, words. Participate with these transits rather than seeing them as your doom or the world’s doom.

Something is demanded of us, for sure, greater commitment and sense of responsibility; with the willingness to go looking for the ‘plank’ in our eyes rather than the speck in other people’s eyes. Of course we cannot expect everyone on the planet to be ready to look at themselves with such honesty, but this shouldn’t stop us trying.

These are not aspects which would tolerate avoidance. Facing facts squarely (Saturn), seizing the opportunity to turn things around, your whole life perhaps (Jupiter-Uranus), facing the fear of leaving the past behind and start over (Pluto) will help you to build sounder foundations for a better future.

These transits are global, engulfing the whole Earth and all creatures on it, not just us humans. A way, I feel, we may be able to exorcise them and find some redemption in them is by acting very locally, on the self in fact, each on his/her own self.

There will be tough times for a lot of people. Even if you are privileged enough to live a good material life (and many aren’t, even in western countries) your soul must feel the deteriorating conditions of the world we live in: the pressing social and financial problems; the conflicts of wars and ideologies, the displacement of millions of refugees, the dangers of an unchecked climate change, etc.

The Grand trine both in Water and Air Sign shows to me that the way out of the caginess of the grand cross is through the conscious cultivation (Sun in Cancer) of universal sympathy (Neptune in Aquarius), the willingness to heal what we can and to accept what we cannot change (Chiron in Pisces) and the sensitivity to apply all the above to our daily lives, especially in the area of relationship (Moon Libra-Scorpio’s cusp).

Let’s have a great Solstice season, wherever we are. It is, in part, up to each one of us what sort of world we will be in, in five/ten years time, and what legacy we’ll leave our children.

I feel we have a long way to go yet. In my view we will not find  instant solutions, experience collective illuminations or meet saviours on white horses coming to our rescue. Perhaps I am too much of a skeptic. Let me know what you think; your comments are always welcome.