The New Moon in Cancer on June 21, 2020 (at 2:42EST) is an Annular Solar Eclipse.
This lunation marks one of the most pivotal moments of the year.
Eclipses are turning points.
We move through a doorway. The Moon blocks out the light of the Sun. For a moment, all that can be seen of the Sun is an annulus - a halo ring of fire. The crowning moment before a birth.
Solar Eclipses like this one signify major new beginnings.
An Eclipse on a solstice point is rare. The last time we had a Solar Eclipse on June solstice was 19 years ago - June 21, 2001.
In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the Summer Solstice. The longest day, with the Sun center stage at its highest and hottest placement. This Eclipse punctuates the transition from peak yang into yin gradually gaining power for the next 6 months.
In the Southern Hemisphere, flip the story - Winter Solstice, the shortest day, peak yin. This Eclipse is the darkest of dark points in the Southern Hemisphere, transforming into gradual yang dominance through a gathering of light.
This Eclipse will be visible in parts of Africa, India, and China. Click here to view the visibility map and see the duration. The Eclipse will be exact at 2:40amEST.
Going Back to Go Forward
This Eclipse is companion to the most recent set of Eclipses on December 26, 2019 and January 10/11, 2020.
This Eclipse, along with the next Full Moon on July 5, are the final eclipses that will take place in Cancer/Capricorn until 2037.
We are culminating and closing the chapter of our lives that began in July 2018.
Look back at your life and recall themes from the following times. These are all eclipses centered around the Cancer/Capricorn axis:
July 13, 2018 (Solar Eclipse in Cancer)
January 5/6, 2019 (Solar Eclipse in Capricorn)
January 20/21, 2019 (Lunar Eclipse in Cancer)
July 2, 2019 (Solar Eclipse in Cancer)
July 16/17, 2019 (Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn)
December 26, 2019 (Solar Eclipse in Capricorn)
January 10/11, 2020 (Lunar Eclipse in Cancer)
And what is coming full circle since June 21, 2001?
Whatever transpires under this eclipse will continue to echo for the remaining 6 months of 2020. Heads up - the end of June into July 2020 features a significant shift in energy that introduces major themes for the rest of the year.
We are living through a major transfer of power. This Eclipse represents a changing of the guard.
I had a potent dream a few nights ago about being in a shipwreck. The ship, which was open-topped and wooden, nearly went “over the edge” of a dramatic water-cliff, reminiscent of Victoria Falls. Most people and things on board fell off into disappearance and death. Somehow, a flooding wave propelled the ship backwards towards the direction from which it had come, away from the interminable edge. I and 2 others survived onboard. Everything was lost except for a few simple items. Major loss was inevitable, but there was comfort that necessities remained. When I made it to shore, the streets were old and yellow cobblestone, a historical town...
The Sabian Symbol for this Eclipse at 0-1 Cancer is: “A Ship Lowering an Old Flag and Raising a New One”
The keynote for this is, “a radical change of allegiance exteriorized in a symbolical act: a point of no return.”
It is okay to resist making decisions when we are still learning and gathering information. But there comes a time, like now, when we must choose a side.
Drop anchor. Decide. Stabilize.
Seemingly overnight, we move from a multiplicity of mind and a wealth of choices into a decisive and consequential act or order.
“Every decision comes with consequences.” Andrea Ranae
To paraphrase the wise words of Andrea Ranae (but read her whole post here), when we make a decision, we are responsible for the consequences - or the resulting effects - of that decision.
Being responsible means being able to respond.
It is within our realm of agency to shift our approach as results come in.
Being responsive and responsible means listening, connecting intuitively to what’s needed, and taking care to meet those needs.
Like a Mother.
The Personal...
Cancer is the archetype of the Matriarch.
This sign rules the mother-child relationship, the clan, the home, inner security, emotional bonding, and nourishment.
The New Beginnings initiated by this Solar Eclipse ask us:
What threatens our safety? What needs protection?
How do we protect ourselves?
What needs nurturing? How do we become better nurturers? What do we want to nurture in the world?
Eclipses are always heightened times. An Eclipse in Cancer is particularly emotional and highly sensitive. Strong feelings related to security, belonging, protection, past hurts, and unmet needs can dominate.
Feel it to heal it. Yet avoid wallowing in the past or becoming incapacitated by the emotions. Cancer can fall into the trap of emotional fragility and dependency; immature states which enable and perpetuate patterns of harm.
Get support. Allow yourself to be held. Regulate the emotions. Tend whatever needs tending. If there is a real and present threat; secure your base.
Soothe, feed, and comfort - but don’t coddle. We need to stay clear-eyed and open-eared. The clearer we are, and the more we listen, the more capable we are of nourishing what is hungry and protecting what needs defense.
In essence, the Cancer archetype is all about attachment. We bond to the people, places, and things that protect and comfort us.
We are loyal to what feeds us.
More relevant questions for this Eclipse:
What do we need to feel safe, held, supported, and cared for?
What feeds us - physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, relationally?
Where and with whom do we experience a sense of belonging and connectedness? Where do our loyalties lie?
What do we give up, shut out, or ignore in order to remain comfortable?
How do we safeguard and shelter what we love and care about most?
How do we foster secure development of the most vulnerable parts of ourselves and our communities?
These are incredibly personal questions. There are no right or wrong answers. Each individual will have a unique response as influenced by conditioning, upbringing, inner experience, and personal history. While the answers are personal, they will also reflect themes of assimilation and acculturation. Grounding into the most true answers will help us to respond to the times, define our decisions, and pave the path before us.
Becoming more safe and secure depends on becoming more self-responsible and connected to what nourishes us.
For some, safety depends on stronger wards, bigger walls, fortified borders and boundaries.
What belongs in enclosure?
For some, safety means tending connection, nourishing deficiencies, and repairing harm.
What belongs in commons?
Bounds and bonds. Healing and freeing from bondage means re-assembling bounds and bonds.
If we are met with a wall, how do we stay in place and nourish what’s here?
Let’s come to our own rescue and care for what matters. Let’s come to our own aid and to the aid of our people. We can provide for ourselves in kind and ensure needs are met.
The Personal...is the political.
Yes, Cancer rules the family and inner states of belonging and sensing support. But this sign also rules outer states like nations and countries.
Cancer is about the culture, and institutionalization, of protection. Over-protection is hyper-militarization. In the home there might be a helicopter parent controlling and dominating a child’s behavior. In the nation the same principle is a surveillance police state, born of supremacism and designed to reinforce the values of its origins.
If a nation perceives an outer threat, it shields, defends, and builds fortress walls to keep enemies out. But what if the state determines the weakness is internal? The threat is domestic. The threat is the people within the nation-state itself.
National Guard. Homeland Security.
Interesting fact: last time we had a June Solstice eclipse in 2001, in the U.S.A. The Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security were established soon after.
Who is in and who is out? Who is obedient and complying in enacting state orders? Who is embodying the cultural values of those in power?
Separation leads to dependency. Dependency forges loyalty.
Privileges are afforded when we protect the interests of those in power. Runoff “power” trickles to us when we replicate systems of oppression.
History and Pre-History
In the town where I live, there are currently talks to remove statues in our public city center. These are statues and monuments celebrating the legacy of white slave-owning men who belonged to the ruling class.
Symbols in public spaces hold tremendous meaning, influence, and sway in shaping life, culture, and consensus. One monument being questioned is a tower. A monolithic obelisk - much like the one on the National Mall in Washington DC that got struck by lightning on June 4, 2020 as Black Lives Matter protests claimed the streets.
“But what about our history?” some lament. They remember how the Governor verily helped to protect and serve their families during war times.
Whose history? And what about pre-history? This Moon is for re-membering what broke in times long past.
The Sabian Symbol for this Moon is “A Ship Lowering an Old Flag and Raising a New One.” The flags of allegiance to recent ruling powers are coming down from the mast.
Which flags will we raise in their stead?
There is a lot of talk about activism right now. To be an activist is straightforward: look for the broken bonds and mend them.
The current structures of power erected themselves from broken bonds.
People have been systematically severed from what sustained their lives. Those broken ties become external dependencies as they are manipulated into commodities. Oppressive forces sell back to us what they stole. Our lives become transactional instead of relational.
Look to where bonds have been broken. These include ties:
to land and lineage of place
between mother and child
to natural processes of birth and death
to food
to nature
to community and village
to spirit
to the body
to beauty
to plants and animals
to intuitive knowing
to ancestral medicine
to joy, pleasure, and play
and so many more essential bonds...
Which elements of life and culture do you care most about restoring and preserving?
To feel the way forward, look at where harm has happened, and steward repair.
Before anyone “owned” land, people simply belonged to it. Land as family. Land as senses. Land as living body of tactile, olfactory, sonic language. Land as clothing and food and pleasure. Land as love. Land as potter, as artist. Land made people. Lived and died in and of it, just as the corn grows and withers through the season.
Tend the terrain.
ring of fire moon. shipwreck moon. moon for changing of the guard. matriarch moon. tectonic plate moon. moon of no returns. shells moon. vessel not vassal moon. moon of the curved container. remember moon. reunion moon. moon of bounds and bonds. titanic moon. cairn moon. moon on the cusp of magic. stomach moon. gut heal moon. moon of home is what we belong to. recipe moon. seasoning moon. moon of genetics as terrain. rivers-as-blood moon.
Embody this Moon through movement and journaling as guided in this Embodied Astrology ritual for Cancer.
You can book an intuitive astrology reading with me here, as well as follow me on Instagram.
We’re halfway through 2020..
The current Eclipse initiates some major changes we will be wrangling with for the rest of the year. Get prepared - this course and calendar (originally created in December 2019) offers the lay of the land.
Read New Moon Reports for your Sun and Rising Signs Below
Aries: I tend my roots.
Why do I feel how I feel? This Eclipse is a big beginning that emerges from my memories and revelations of the past. What is my family’s legacy? What did my ancestors need in order to survive? What did they lack? What did they gain? Where are we from? What nourished my people? I have deep roots. To understand my life path, I trace my lines as far as I’m able. If I don’t consciously know much about my family, I feel my intuition. My gut tells me what I need to know. On this Solar Eclipse, I make a commitment to securing my base. This is a new beginning of caring for myself, my home, and my kindreds. I nurture the environment that raises me up.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Taurus: I listen for messages.
This Eclipse is a major reset for my mind and voice. I am an electrical being, constantly learning and updating from the exchange of charged impulses migrating through and around me. The state my nervous system is in governs my perceptions. I recognize this truth, and commit to inhabiting my central self as much as possible. My thoughts are potent. I easily adapt and change when presented with new information. My words and communications are crystal clear. Old worlds erected themselves upon a paradigm of thought. The vibrations and messages that emit from me can build new worlds. I bring language to describe how to care for each other and this Earth.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Gemini: I invest with care.
This Eclipse brings focus to my resources. Wealth takes many forms - money, energy, skills, talents, attention… I use intuition to inform how to store and distribute prosperity. What do I have to give? I prioritize investment in things that reflect my values. What do I care most about? What am I enthusiastic about supporting and preserving? This could be the beginning of a beautiful and impactful venture to redistribute wealth in the world. I am worthy of receiving funds and all significant sources of nourishment. I cherish gathering support of all kinds, and I trust myself to be a steward of what this world needs.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Cancer: New Moon, New Me.
It is time for a remake. A remembrance of my essence. A reunion with my deepest self. Who would I have been before harm? Who were my oldest, original ancestors? What were my favorite things when I was a child? I accept this cosmic baptism. I am full of fertile receptive energy. From this place of feeling fresh and new, I embrace relationships. I am in love with myself. I care for myself deeply. Whatever partner, friend, or relation enters my life comes from a reflection of my commitment to and cherishing of myself. I thrive when I center nourishing myself above all else.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Leo: I surrender to fate.
I give up. The tide is here. I have no control over it. The shipwreck is inevitable. It is time to release. My anxieties, fears, and misgivings? I allow the ocean to swallow them. The concerns I don’t know how to fix? I let them pour through me. My tears are salty like the ocean. I imagine the waves lapping at me, reminding me that everything I know will eventually re-cycle into an ultimate, relentlessly loving swath of timeless energy. I disappear. To regenerate. To rest. To heal things I can’t think about. I empty myself out. I let myself go to be restored. I keep surrendering. The big beginnings will find me as I fully embrace this completion.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Virgo: I am connected.
This Solar Eclipse reminds me that I have community. No matter what happens, I will never be completely alone. Life isn’t lived in isolation. Even the most unusual experiences are often archetypal. I am always a part of an interdependent web. There are relationships of all kinds that I can draw from. I need only bring my authentic self and express my unique gifts. Allies are drawn to me. Opportunities to collaborate and co-create abound. I seek connection with like-minds - people who have similar wishes for our shared future. Who am I moving forward with?
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Libra: I live on purpose.
I am worth living for. I self-determine my life-direction. I am the author of, and the authority of, my life. Decision by decision, choice by choice, I land exactly where I’m meant to be. On this Solar Eclipse, I remember the influence caregivers and important figures in my life had for me. I remember the dreams my caregivers had for themselves, and the expectations they wanted me to live out. I honor their lives as separate from mine. Now, I carve out a space for my own intentions and goals. This is a fresh start on the levels of career, reputation, and public contribution to the world. The goals I set now will be a major focus until 2022.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Scorpio: I trust and believe.
I am ready and willing to grow. To unlearn and be re-educated. To seek, find, and follow wisdom that reflects my inner knowing. I am now beginning a major new chapter of understanding. Graduating from opinions, beliefs, and judgements, and considering a multiplicity of awarenesses. Living into many questions. Re-creating culture. I allow my optimistic spirit to glow up and lead my way. What do I believe in? Where do I place my faith? What holds meaning for me? What is the philosophy that I live by? This Solar Eclipse sparks a vision of expansive and freeing journeys ahead.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Sagittarius: I look within.
This Eclipse marks a period of deep, intense, and thorough transformation. Loss is an opportunity to merge with essence. Some spiritual traditions refer to this process as inner alchemy. This is a fermentation process in which I ‘cook’ the elements inside myself that are base or dense. I am decomposing, dying, distilling, and refining into my sublime nature. My life force energy swirls, bubbles, and regenerates. This is a soul orgasm (the French word for orgasm translates as ‘little death’). The next 6-18 months asks me to become more intimate with mystery, trauma, epigenetics, and the source of all power. I say yes.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Capricorn: My relationships change.
This Solar Eclipse brings a significant reset to the relationship patterns in my life. This is a game-changer. The ways we interact and rely upon each other must be reviewed if these bonds will be able to sustain themselves. The truth is, I cannot be responsible for others. I can only honestly be responsible for myself. It takes work to maintain the integrity of a connection. Right now, what’s needed is the work of softening, vulnerability, and emotional bonding. What will bring us both more nourishment? May everyone’s needs be met, and may I work to meet my own needs and advocate for my softness.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Aquarius: I clear my mind and body.
Let this be a sacred pause. A deep breath. An infinitesimal moment of gratitude and presence. Each step on the path is a prayer. Gxd is in the details. Life works best when things are simple. Streamlined. Efficient. This Solar Eclipse initiates organization. I remove ties from things that over-complicate, clog, or busy my body, mind, and daily rhythms. I set patterns in motion that support my health and wellness. I shift the ways I work and who I serve. Because I care. I care about myself and my natural boundaries. I care about mobilizing to thoroughly remember and enact the reality that this world is a nourishing environment.
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.
Pisces: I risk courageous creation.
Lights, camera, action. This Solar Eclipse marks big new beginnings in the realms of creativity, self-expression, and the erotic. Life is dramatically alive. Full of characters, plot twists, and romance. The times are heightened, sensational, saturated. Perhaps even campy and costumed. Who am I, and how will I express love? Pleasure is wondrous, but where is the line between playing and being played? Is over-dramatization distracting me from my truth? Is this real life, or a game show? Am I centered in my sovereignty? “Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one’s courage.” Anais Nin
It’s my birthday, y’all! I am so happy you’re here. I rely on your loving contributions to be able to provide these moon reports bi-weekly. It is an honor to write them for you! You can throw me a tip as a single donation here or sustain with a small monthly investment here. I am thankful we can nourish each other.