Mercury in Cancer, Part One: The First Direct Pass

'A Boy and His Dog' by Tan Chiu Chiu

Mercury in Cancer

May 28 – August 4

Part 1-  The 1^st Direct Pass (May 28 – Jun 18)

Mercury recently moved from his domicile (where he is at home and comfortable) in airy Gemini to the watery realm of Cancer.  In this water sign, Mercury will take our Collective Mind on an extended journey…as this is the 2^nd water sign this year where the Messenger will guide us through another retrograde. 

Mercury is not terribly uncomfortable in Cancer either.  During our first retrograde of the year (Feb/March), Mercury was mostly in Pisces…where the Mercurial nature of logic, reason, and communication is challenged to operate through what is both mystical and mystifying.  In that time, while the Collective Mind was tapped into Pisces, we experienced the global spread of the novel coronavirus…trying to wrap our ultimately confused minds around what Covid 19 meant for us.  Moving from Gemini to Cancer though, it’s simply a switch between focusing on the human workings of the mind to the mammalian (limbic) function of the mind.  The limbic system of the brain, like Cancer, is concerned with our psychological responses to emotional stimuli.  It controls memory, and guides us toward emotional bonding and the comforts of what is familiar (ie. The mammalian understanding of ‘family’).  We are likely to engage in this time with our past…even while Mercury is direct, but especially during the retrograde.  We may be working through some emotional behaviors that come from our conditioning (especially familial or ancestral habits that have been passed on through generations).

Since May 16^th, Mercury has been out-of-bounds in declination…taking us on the less-traveled road through Gemini where our thoughts and communications have ventured beyond the boundaries of what is considered the ‘norm’.  Mercury will still be out-of-bounds for the first part of this Cancer journey, until June 9^th, navigating through the more untapped areas of our emotional expression.  Emotional behaviors may come up in surprising ways during these days leading up to Mercury’s retrograde station.  And as June begins, much of what arises will be revisited later this summer (or winter, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere).

Below, I have included the vibrational flow of this first part of Mercury’s voyage through watery Cancer.  Because Cancer is ruled by the Moon, she will be guiding the flow of these lessons.  So I have also included her interactions with Mercury.  Moon moves quickly through the signs, so each Moon-Mercury aspect is like a momentary mood that passes through on the day that is listed.  However, momentary as those aspects are, these moods are key to Mercury’s journey through this sign.

5/29:  Moon-Mercury opening sextile-  To start us off on this voyage through water, Moon in earthy Virgo (Mercury’s nocturnal sign) creates a good rapport with Mercury that provides an opportunity.  This opportunity is one of symbiosis between the emotional and mental realms while Moon and Mercury are in mutual reception (in each other’s signs).  While in this mutually receptive sextile, they point directly to Saturn Retrograde in airy Aquarius in an aspect pattern called a Yod.  The Yod pattern is often referred to by Astrologers as ‘The Finger of God’.  However, I prefer to call it ‘The Finger of Gaia’ since these aspects are geocentric (referring to the view from Earth).  Gaia focusing the sextile opportunity toward Saturn is a chance to integrate Saturn’s lessons on this day. What can we learn of Saturnian boundaries and limitations in a time when we are navigating out-of-bounds?  Sometimes, a little contraction and some guidelines can be useful to keep us from going off the deep end.

5/31:  Moon-Mercury opening square-  The general mood on this day is a bit more contentious, as the Moon in Libra may have us feeling the imbalances in our relationships that need to change.  Now Moon, Mercury, and Saturn Rx form an aspect pattern called ‘The Magi’, so it is good to remember that while we all carry our different offerings…these offerings can all be brought to a common goal.

6/1-2:  Mercury begins the Prologue of the coming Retrograde Story- Now we come to the Cancer lessons that will be visited three times along this journey.  In this first direct pass of these degrees (5-14 degrees of Cancer), we are likely to meet the lessons without full awareness of what they will come to mean to us later.  However, try to be as present as you can with the thoughts and emotions that arise throughout this Prologue period…it will help during the coming retrograde when you return to them from a different perspective.

6/2:  Moon-Mercury opening trine-  The mood of the day is a watery flow as Moon in Scorpio opens us to the depths of our feelings.  We are likely to feel the need to communicate these feelings in some way.  This trine connects now with Chiron (the Wounded Healer) in the pattern of ‘The Magi’, so communicating these feelings with the intent to heal something that needs alleviated is a good use of this pattern.  This trine is also in a ‘Mystic Wedge’ pattern with Uranus, suggesting that Mercurial communication is the right medicine for the tension we feel about the things we cannot control.

6/4:  Mercury at Maximum Elongation from Sun- Mercury, visible in the evening sky after sunset, is now beginning to ‘slow down’ in preparation for the coming retrograde.  From now until Mercury stations retrograde on the 18^th, Mercury guides us to focus in on the feelings and thoughts that are arising more and more.

6/5:  Moon-Mercury opening quincunx-  At this time, it may be difficult to resolve the differences between our logic and our feelings.  The mood is a bit irritable, and we have a lunar eclipse bringing up some necessary shadow work.  However, this quincunx revives the pattern of ‘The Magi’ with Chiron so there are some healing gifts here as well if we can grow through our discomfort.  This quincunx also forms another ‘Finger of Gaia’ pattern, this time pointing to Moon in Sagittarius from Cancer Mercury sextile Taurus Uranus.  They key is to integrate our restless emotional state into the opportunity arising from our more innovative ideas.

6/5:  Mercury sextile Uranus (part 1 of 3)-  In February and March, we also experienced a sextile aspect between Mercury and Uranus three times.  All sextiles provide a good rapport between planets that can lead to harmonious opportunities.  However, sextiles are subtle…and we actually have to respond to that subtle opening to reap the benefits.  This first opportunity might present itself in the form of a new idea, an unusual perspective we hadn’t considered, or perhaps even a slight shock that invites us to glimpse what is often unseen.  If you miss it, you’ll return to it later with a bit more awareness…but catching that opportunity now does allow for a bit more harmony of the mental state throughout the summer.

6/5:  Mercury square Chiron (part 1 of 3)-   This aspect may be a contributing factor to why we may miss the more subtle and harmonious vibration of the previous aspect.  Sextiles are subtle, but squares are dynamic and can’t be ignored.  There is a clash between the Messenger and the Wounded Healer here…and it may manifest as words that exacerbate a wound.  The necessary action that this square means to inspire is greater awareness of how we can communicate healing rather than more wounding.  If we erupt into hurtful arguments at this time…we are likely to return to them later to see just how damaging they were.  If we focus this energy on communicating healing, we are more likely to return to this aspect later in a more transformative healing light on an internal level.

6/7:  Moon-Mercury opposition-  The mood of the day is tense as we try to find some balance between objective (Capricorn Moon) and subjective (Cancer Mercury) viewpoints.  This opposition revisits a ‘Mystic Wedge’ pattern with Uranus…where Uranian flashes of insight are now the medicine for this tension.  Try something new…maybe even something eccentric…and you’re more likely to find the balance you’re needing.  This opposition also brings up a dynamic ‘Cardinal T-Square’ with Aries Chiron at the apex…so this tension will pool in our identity wounds, necessitating actions of self-care to alleviate whatever pain we are feeling. 

6/9:  Moon-Mercury closing quincunx-   The mood of the day brings up another nagging irritation that feels like it just can’t work itself out.  Aquarius Moon has us feeling like we need to get out of our emotional mindset and turn toward something more outer or future-oriented, but Cancer Mercury pulls us into the inner or past-oriented realms of thought.  This is a call toward some necessary, but uncomfortable, growth. 

6/9:  Mercury returns within bounds of the Sun’s path-  Mercury’s out-of-bounds exploration ends now as we come into the more ‘traditional’ ways of expressing Cancer energy through the home and family focus.  Communicating protective care to those who are closest to us brings the Collective Mind back to more ‘usual’ expressions of emotional bonding.

6/12:  Moon-Mercury closing trine-  The mood of this day brings an ease to our creativity as Pisces Moon is in harmony with Cancer Mercury.  There may be an undercurrent of ‘all is full of love’ that puts us at ease.  This trine forms a ‘Talent Triangle’ aspect with Uranus, allowing a subtle opportunity to tap into our creative genius with some surprising results.  We may be inclined to just float in this feeling since it is so rare to feel such emotional-mental harmony in these transformative times…but there is also an invitation here to create something with it.

The sigil of Sirius

6/13:  Mercury conjunct Sirius (part 1 of 3)-  We are now in the degree where Mercury will soon station retrograde…so Mercury is significantly slower now and focusing in on our collective need to shift perspective.  In this, Mercury is aided by connecting with our ‘Spiritual Sun’, Sirius, the fixed star in the Canis Major (‘Great Dog’) constellation.  The Dog Star is the brightest star in our sky, and is generally a beneficial influence.  However, it has also been sometimes connected to ‘pestilence and epidemics’…not an association many of us want to hear right now in this second wave of Covid 19.  Also of note is that Elon Musk, CEO of Space X, was born with Mercury conjunct Sirius.  The fact that Mercury is stationing retrograde while conjunct Sirius may bring up something significant about Elon that necessitates a closer look.

6/14:  Moon-Mercury closing square-  The mood of the day is a bit stressful…emotions may flare under the Aries Moon.  We may take things personally, heightening the desire to start an argument.  Finding a constructive outlet for these feelings is not only helpful, but necessary.

6/17:  Moon-Mercury closing sextile-  Now in the exact degree (Cancer 14.45) where Mercury will station, the exalted Moon in Taurus provides some harmonious illumination to what the Collective Mind has been brooding about.  As we approach this shift in perspective, allow your emotions to wash over you and flow through your body.  There is a subtle opportunity here to fully tap into the message of this time.

6/18:  Mercury stations retrograde (more about the Retrograde journey as we come closer to this time)

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

New Moon in Gemini: Creative, Constructive Communication

New Moon in Gemini:  Creative, Constructive Communication

Moon conjunct Sun- 5/22/20 @ 12:38pm CDT

Gemini season is well underway as the mutable air begins shifting us from Spring to Summer in the North, and from Autumn to Winter in the South.  The way of Gemini creates a network of ideas and communicates the curiosities of many-sided truths.  The desire for social interaction is strong, and yet the multiple retrogrades (Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto) suggest we are re-learning how to relate within our transforming societies. 

Mercury (ruler of Gemini) and Venus (out-of-bounds and retrograde) are together in this air sign, sharing fascinating ideas that align the mind and heart.  However, they are in a dynamic square aspect with Neptune, the planet of Mystification.  This connection does tend to dissolve some of the details and definition of what’s being communicated.  It’s a bit like trying to hold onto the specifics of a dream right after waking…only to have it start to melt away from memory before you can write it down.  We may retain pieces of the story…and then try to puzzle out the meaning of what our minds are left with.

Of course, this is a very unique Gemini Season…where communication is rapidly changing along with everything else.   To begin this lunar cycle, we may not be all that precise in our communications.  But we are opening into the call to get creative with it.

Our Luminaries are in a creative quintile with Neptune and a flowing trine with Saturn and Pallas Athene.  So as we begin this cycle, we are feeling into themes of magical thinking (Neptune quintile) and structured strategies (Saturn-Pallas trine).  How very Gemini to highlight the wisdom of working with these apparent opposites.  Saturn teaches the necessity of boundaries and containment, while Neptune teaches the beauty of boundlessness and flow.  Pallas Athene’s wisdom will help us to make out the patterns in the cloudiness of this time…but she also reminds us that not every piece of information we hear will fit the pattern.  Discernment of information, while difficult now, is key. 

One theme that has been very prevalent from the closing of our last lunar cycle is that of the shift of our Lunar Nodes to the Gemini-Sagittarius axis.  Yes, many people are feeling the call to communicate what they ‘know’ to be true…and yet there is heavy use of ‘I know better’ tactlessness.  This is all while the Neptunian truth of ‘I don’t know’ is challenging our relationships and mental states, and cognitive dissonance abounds.  And though this nodal shift was part of our last lunar cycle, the seed of this one comes from the fruit of the last.  

The ‘unknowing’ persists…and the challenge, as this lunar cycle begins to sprout and bloom in the coming weeks, is to work with that Neptune energy in more creative ways.  Saturn’s trine can be constructive, making good use of our differences to rebuild our connections toward stability.  For the time being, Saturnian rigidity is giving way to incorporating different perspectives into common goals.

New Moon in Gemini 3

Sabian Symbol- “The Garden of the Tuileries”

'Les Tuileries' by Claude Monet

This New Moon evokes the imagery of the royal garden in Paris that was eventually opened to the public in 1667.  Order, symmetry, and long perspectives were the hallmarks of this formal French garden’s design, though it had many updates over the centuries.  And although it was first for nobility, the garden has transformed in its public use to include many different delights, entertainments, and conveniences. 

Much like the combination of this New Moon in Gemini with Saturn in Aquarius…that which is built upon traditions and formalities often becomes the foundation for new ideas and increasingly modern expressions over time.  In our present experience, some old societal structures are undergoing massive renovations.  This is a time where we can consider new ways of infusing these transforming structures of the past with the rising voice of humanity in our modern era. 

In this current renovation period, what speaks to us from our creative future?  Let’s dream that into being.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

The Dragon’s Flight into the Gemini/Sagittarius Axis

'Mind' by Mythka

The Dragon’s Flight into the Gemini/Sagittarius Axis

5/5/2020 – 1/18/2022

Recently, the Moon’s nodes shifted from our last lessons of the Cancer/Capricorn plane to the lessons of Gemini/Sagittarius. The Lunar nodes, in scientific terms, are the points where the orbit of the Moon crosses the ecliptic. The astrological implications of the lunar nodes are about karmic lessons, the relationship between the outmoded past and the creative future, and the necessary balance between what we’ve already learned and no longer need to focus on (The Dragon's Tail: South Node in Sagittarius) and what we must learn now, however uncomfortable and uncharted the territory, for the growth of our souls (The Dragon's Head: North Node in Gemini).

Each of us has our own natal nodes and lessons, which are a significant part of the answer to the age-old questions, ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What is my soul’s purpose?’ But the positions the Nodes are in at the present moment affect the collective soul’s growth of our entire global community.  So while we are each having our own soul’s intentions directing us one way, those lessons are also being influenced on a global scale by the current position of the Nodes. Those who were born with North Node in Gemini will be having a Nodal Return during this transit, which happens approximately every 18-19 years. At these initiations, the soul work that arises brings us back to re-alignment with our soul’s path and offers us significant growth in our journey.

One of the ways this shift will play out collectively for the Soul of Humanity is in what we are learning.  The South Node in Sagittarius will provide the transformative fire for many karmic beliefs around religion, politics, and philosophies.  The smoke from that purifying fire then rises to the air of the North Node in Gemini for us to take in as new information:  a dispatch/message from our past for the nourishment of our future.  The Soul Medicine now is in networking ideas through communicating in our local environments.

At the beginning of this shift from watery Cancer lessons to airy Gemini lessons, many of us are learning how to make these exchanges from home…while others are in the local scene working to support their neighbors during this crucial stage of our collective experience.  The Gemini network of support is there to help, and it’s coming from the people…not the crumbling structures of control (Capricorn shadow) or broken belief systems (Sagittarius shadow) we’re moving beyond now.  From the mother’s womb of Cancer’s familiar and emotional bonds, Gemini soul lessons arise.  We’re being asked to open up our minds so that new fascinating ideas can feed our souls. 

Immediate Lessons through Mind, Heart, and Shadow

'Gemini' by Ciro Marchetti

As we learn how to better communicate through the Mind of the Soul (Psyche), Venus slows down to station retrograde in Gemini this week (May 13^th).  In this Venusian pause and shift (a reconsideration of values for the Collective Heart), we’ll be re-discovering some valuable gems of knowledge in this mutable air sign.  The teacher of Gemini Mysteries is Mercury, who has just entered this sign on May 11^th…leading up to Venus’s retrograde station.  Mercury knows well how to navigate and communicate messages through Gemini air channels.  And Venus will be re-tracing some steps to meet up with Mercury (May 22^nd)…just after her return (May 20^th) to that dynamic square with Neptune we’ve recently experienced (May 3^rd) in Round One of her Gemini travels. 

Toward the end of Mercury’s quick journey through Gemini this year, this messenger planet of the Collective Mind will meet up with the North Node (May 27-28) and clarify a soul message we’ll be working with in the next couple of years.  Then, at the Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius (June 5^th), we come to a turning point of this year as we move through some shadows of Sagittarius past.  With Moon eclipsed on the South Lunar Node, the shadows of our karmic beliefs will surface and we’ll experience our first release of those which need to transmute in the fire.

The Broader Scope of the Nodal Dragon’s Journey in Mutable Air and Fire

"If we can stay with the tension of opposites long enough - sustain it, be true to it - we can sometimes become vessels within which the divine opposites come together and give birth to a new reality."  

~Marie-Louise von Franz

Our overall lessons for the Collective Soul now have to do with the relational axis between Mind (Gemini) and Higher Mind (Sagittarius). Here are some keywords and phrases to describe this new soul directive:

Nourishment to ingest through the Dragon’s Head (North Node in Gemini):  curiosity, communication, articulation, language, the written word, conscious socialization, versatility, open-mindedness, an inquisitive approach to information, healthy skepticism, understanding the facts, intellect, cleverness, the Sacred Clown wisdom of humor and opposites, the two sides of every coin, brotherhood/sisterhood, playful platonic connection, listening, cooperation, people before politics, Humanity’s voice, support network of the Anima Loci (local spirits), neighborhood support, local engagement, short-distance travel, mental discoveries, exchange of new ideas, new neuro-pathways, fascinating thoughts, soul-enhancing discussions/writings/speeches.

Past knowledge, karma, or shadow material to release and transmute through the Dragon’s Tail (South Node in Sagittarius):  beliefs and philosophies that created karmic blocks in our Collective Soul’s “digestive system”, fear of commitment, fear of loss of freedom, ‘flight mode’ when things get heavy, spiritual bypassing (ie. ‘good vibes only’), excessive and unrealistic optimism, what is too often preached but not practiced, dogmatic opinions, politics above people, religious fundamentalism, educational elitism, ‘ivory tower’ separateness, ‘high horse’ diatribes, ‘I know’ assertions, supercilious opinion, judgmental mindset, unsolicited advice, tactlessness, abstraction of truth, blowing things out of proportion, exaggeration, sensationalism, condescension, escaping consciousness, excessive far-away travel, ‘grass is greener’ outlook, reliance on luck, risky business ventures, need for adventure or adrenaline rush, ‘bigger, better, faster, stronger’, expansion beyond immediate needs, outward quest for answers, the shadows of globalized society.

Now, I think we all know that the above list of karmic entanglements and shadows of Sagittarius are not the essence of this fire sign.  They are simply what we need to address now, together, to remove some blockages we’ve accumulated as a Collective.  The essence of Sagittarian mutable fire is what this purifying release can become, like the lift of smoke from the ash.

'Wisdom' by Arborithm

What this digestive process of information gives to our world:  joy of life, freedom of thought, spiritual expansion through learning and teaching, enthusiastic curiosity, connection with the network of our natural world, balance between our intellectual awareness and our instinctual wisdom, visionary inspiration, a ‘think globally, act locally’ consciousness, the spread of thought-seeds ‘on the wind’, diversity and variety, the birth of new philosophies within the mindscapes of our generations, revelations of reason and logic (especially in things that are suffixed with ‘-logy’, such as theology, biology, psychology, mythology, and astrology), the knowledge needed to boldly go forth and explore an uncharted future.

The Personal Journey of the Soul

While we’ll all be feeling into these new lessons now, only some of us were born to hold this frequency on our soul path throughout life.  Many of the rest of us have our nodes in other signs, which is what we’re here to work with and learn throughout our lives.  And yet, when we are connecting with the Collective Soul directive of this time, our individual soul path is supported by working with these Gemini-Sagittarius lessons. 

To see in what areas of life this shift affects you personally, look to the houses in your natal chart where Gemini and Sagittarius are. The last time the nodes were in this axis was between 2001 and 2003. Try to remember what was going on in your life at that time to get an idea of what is to come now, after maturing since then. Astrology follows patterns, and recognizing those patterns can help you to work with the energies when they come around again.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

'Mind Dragon (Draco Animus)' from The Dragon Handbook

Full Moon in Scorpio: Deeper Down and In

'Inner Moon' by Constantin Popescu

Full Moon in Scorpio: Deeper Down and In

Moon opposite Sun- 5/7/20 @ 5:48am CDT

The Flower Moon is full while many collective shifts are taking place, ushering us into new phases of this endurance test we are all going through.  On the 5^th, the lunar nodes shifted from the Cancer-Capricorn axis (Cardinal Water and Earth) into the Gemini-Sagittarius axis (Mutable Air and Fire).  This is an initiation to a two-and-a-half year cycle of new lessons for the Collective Soul.  The Soul directive now is to release some past beliefs and ways of envisioning our world so that we may open up to new information, new ideas, and new ways of communicating. 

We are also about to embark on multiple retrograde journeys in the week ahead with Saturn, Venus, then Jupiter joining Pluto as a Cosmic Clean Up Crew.  It’s a time of shifting perspectives…looking at things with wiser eyes.  Retrograde planets are in the part of their cycle where they come closer to Earth.  So this tends to shift the focus inward, bringing all that is happening even closer to Home.  In these Retrograde times, we often retrace some steps…finding something important that we may have previously missed so that we can eventually integrate that wisdom into the Collective Storyline.

This Scorpio Full Moon brings us to the threshold of deep soul changes that must occur…much like a rebirth.  Often the rebirth is very personal, very internal, for each of us…but it carries an impact for the Collective rebirth.  This Moon is potent and transformational…you can feel it opening us up to what wants to change.

The luminaries have some support at this time from both Mercury (conjunct Sun in Taurus) and Neptune in Pisces in flowing aspects.  This can be a very inspiring time…but remember:  Attention is the Coin of the Realms.  So what you are paying attention to will be integral to your experience.  Are you paying Fear or Love with your attention?  We’re in Taurus Season, so what you give to will grow. 

Mercury can lend a voice to the magic within this time…sending the messages through the loving earth of Taurus.  And Neptune brings in some creative and spiritual opportunities that we can dream into being.  On the flip side of this coin though is some confusion through mixed messages.  Connect with your intuition to find the flow that you really need right now.  Take your time, no need to rush in these vibrations.  Planets are slowing down to station and the Taurus-Scorpio axis of our luminaries coaxes us to be more deliberate with our process.  Taurus inclines us to savor the experience and Scorpio inclines deepening the investigation of what we truly desire.  You may want to ‘sit for a spell’, allow the unfolding to occur within.

 

Interestingly, all this is happening in the midst of questions of ‘relaxing restrictions’ so that things may return to ‘normal’.  Outward activity is somewhat at odds with the cosmic message at this time, and ‘normal’ is already a passing and transforming concept.  Yet, many are feeling the need to break out from this transitional period we’ve been in for months already.  A message to do the internal work this time is calling for is not so welcome for those who want to resume ‘business as usual’.  The full shift of this time has not completely occurred.  It is an uncomfortable transition year we’re in, yes…but an outward push to get back in action may be premature.  It could be like opening up a chrysalis before the butterfly is ready.  There is a natural timing underlying this shift that needs much more patience than what is being collectively displayed. 

Scorpio often brings up these crisis points where we see what we’re made of.  And a Full Moon is inherently an opposition of the luminaries…which calls for finding a balance between opposing sides.  Extremes are often illuminated in Scorpio Moon light; it can take us to our edges.  Instead of getting pulled to one extreme or another, Taurus urges us to find some common ground from which we can grow.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

P.S.  The evening before this Full Moon, I discussed Rites of Passage with Amanda Pua Walsh of Astrology Hub...as Humanity is collectively going through an important Rite of Passage this year.  I hope it will inspire others to look at the many transitions of our lives in new ways.  You can view/listen here:  Rites of Passage.