We welcome the Summer Solstice and Midsummer as the Sun enters Cancer at 6:35 p.m. Eastern time. In astrology, the Sun is associated with the sign of Leo, and in a couple of weeks from now, Mercury, Venus, and the Sun will all enter that royal sign. But it’s telling that the Sun, the symbol of all that gives us life and a sense of personal importance, reaches the Summer Solstice in Cancer, the sign of family. Without a strong sense of family, of belonging to a safe haven of loved ones who care and look out for us, it’s incredibly difficult to embrace the qualities that make us unique.
At this Summer Solstice, we celebrate the Sun, giver of life, and we celebrate the family that nurtures and protects that life. Just hours after an intense Full Moon at the last degree of Sagittarius, the Solstice Moon is in serious, paternal Capricorn, opposed the Sun and Moon. Mother and Father unite to lend us the support and love we need to move forward into whatever the summer wishes to bring.
Ritual to Honor the Ancestors
A few years ago, I visited Stonehenge for the first time, just after Midsummer. What I wouldn’t give to celebrate a Summer Solstice at that magical place! But what our own rituals may lack in epic scale, they can make up in creativity and soul.
With the Sun in Cancer and the Moon in Capricorn, let’s honor the ancestors who brought us into the physical world and who live on through our DNA. Family ties can be fraught, and you may find this waning Moon Solstice is a good time to disconnect from old family patterns that bring you pain. It is difficult to entirely reject ancestors, though, without rejecting a part of yourself.
At this Solstice, gather family—those related to you by blood, or those whom your heart has chosen for you. Ask each person to bring a photo and a remembrance of an ancestor. In a safe place, create a simple altar and provide a small candle for each participant. Build a bonfire, or light a chimenea or tiki torches to honor the Sun. Include some element of water—a fountain, swimming pool, ocean, lake, pond, or stream—to honor the Moon.
At sunset, have each family member place his or her ancestral photo upon the altar and take a candle. In turn, each can light his or her candle from the common fire source and tell the story of their ancestor. When each is finished, lead a simple invocation to thank the fierce spirits of our ancestors for their positive legacies, and release the fearful, damaged spirit debris to be burned up in the fire. Stick your candles in the dirt and let them burn down while you share a meal together.
Celestial Highlights
Mars moves direct on June 29, ending a long retrograde period (since April 17). Mars retrograde periods are filled with delays and roadblocks, and it will be good to finally feel that we’re moving forward again!
It seems summer doesn’t really get started until a planet or two moves into Leo, the Sun’s own sign. Venus enters this joyful, fun-loving sign on July 11, followed by Mercury on the 13th and the Sun on July 22. Grab your sunblock, call your friends, and head to the beach or the pool—Leo wants to play!
New Moon in Cancer – July 4, 2016
At this Cancer New Moon, the United States celebrates its birth as an independent nation. It is traditionally a time of happy summer barbecues with family, beach parties with friends, fireworks, and music.
This New Moon degree is in opposition to Pluto in Capricorn, though, so the mood is not entirely carefree. Serious matters occupy our minds and hearts. Sometimes we are unhappy with the direction our lives appear to be taking, or even with the condition of the world itself. These are the matters that weigh on us now.
But just as there was a dream that brought men of vision together in Philadelphia in 1776, each of us has the ability to conjure the world that we desire to live in. This New Moon is in a shimmering trine to imaginative Neptune, reminding us that if we dream vividly enough, the dream can become contagious. We can find like-minded souls to share the vision and to help us give it form. With Saturn square to Neptune, this is the New Moon for dreaming a new world, and for taking steps to make it come true.
Full Moon in Capricorn – July 19, 2016
There is a large aviary in the zoo near my home. It is vast and filled with lovely birds. They have a lot of room to fly around. They are safe from predators. But they are not free.
At this Full Moon, the Sun and Moon in the parental signs of Cancer and Capricorn are both square Uranus, the planet of freedom and rebellion. Each of us faces moments when we must choose between safety and security and the glorious independence of living an entirely different kind of life. For each of us, with varying degrees of intensity, this Full Moon represents such a moment.
The Sun and Moon make supportive aspects to Mars, the planet of courage and decisive action, strong in fearless Scorpio. You are ready to make your own declaration of independence. Don’t be afraid. You have honored the ancestors this Solstice season, and they will stand behind you now, even as you break away and walk alone in the Full Moon light, down a path of your very own.
As Midsummer begins, a powerful configuration involving Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and the Lunar Nodes is triggered by fast-moving Mercury. This combination of planets in mutable signs (Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) is like a windmill—it generates a lot of energy, but it’s difficult to harness. The areas most affected will be finances (Jupiter/Saturn), ideology (Jupiter/Neptune), disillusionment (Saturn/Neptune), and tension between faith (South Node in Pisces) and critical thinking (North Node in Virgo). Those born with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or Midheaven in one of the mutable signs will be particularly vulnerable to stress and overwhelm, with the influence strongest in the last week of June, and again in late August through early October.