Greetings!
Well, there’s so much to write about with this full moon that it could be overwhelming, but I am going to focus on a few different topics that are more astrologically oriented, so kick back, sip that coffee, and enjoy the post!
To begin with, let’s talk about the sign Cancer from an esoteric perspective. This sign is oriented around a few unique ideas that rarely get mentioned, yet are potent ideas to be aware of, as they can give further insight into society as a whole. In esoteric astrology, it is said that Cancer is the sign of the masses. Mind you, these are the faceless masses that occupy a lot of society today. You know who I’m talking about: the people that go through life seemingly on autopilot, without a thought of doing better, focused on the fruits of the physical world, and the supposed security that comes with it. None of this is meant as insulting, mind you, but rather simply a statement of a cold fact. We all know people like this, and we may have even exhibited these traits within ourselves before our spiritual calling took precedence. From an evolutionary perspective, that is simply another stage of spiritual development. Only after those things are worked with can one step into an autonomous mentality when it comes to spirituality.
Cancer is the sign that is associated with religion rather than spirituality. In other words, the idea of community, some semblance of dogma to a certain extent, and congregationalism. Here again, there is nothing wrong with that, but rather it is simply a statement of fact. It has often been said that more wars have been fought in the name of religion than for any other cause. Of course some would argue that land is the leading cause instead, but when looked at objectively, I think it’s safe to say that religion is one of the two main causes for bloodshed over the course of human development.
I’m sure that you’ve picked up on a particular term that I used a few times above, which is the antithesis of Cancer, and that is the word ‘cold’. Yes, I used it, and this is a term that is more associated with the opposite sign of Cancer, Capricorn. Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign that is associated with going it alone, being autonomous, and simply moving up the mountain. However, remember that the Moon is in the opposite sign of Cancer at the time of the full moon, and that sign is Capricorn. Within this understanding lies an esoteric teaching, which is that both signs can learn from each other for powerful results. Some of the cruelest despots and some of the greatest spiritual teachers have been Capricorn (Joan of Arc, Richard Nixon, Jesus the Christ (if you believe he was born on December 25th), Joseph Stalin, and Johannes Kepler, to name a few). Cancer can soften Capricorn, and Capricorn can solidify and stabilize Cancer. The teaching is that we can learn from our opposite signs in an integrative way, and this tells us that a lot can be accomplished. Capricorn adds structure to Cancer, and Cancer reminds Capricorn to have a heart, and to feel.
There is another seemingly completely different tangent that I am going to discuss briefly that can be tied in here, and that is of the July 4th holiday in the United States of America, but here is my disclaimer: We’re NOT talking politics! Anyway……
July 4th is known as the birthday of the USA. Wait, Bill, you and I have birthdays, and we have astrological charts, so, can countries have birth charts? Yes they can, but there is a lot to know about that. Most countries do not have recorded the time of their formation, and in the case of some countries, they have been around for antiquity. For the ancient countries, usually a time that is more recent, coherent, and practical is used. But generally no time is known, so historical rumors, etc., are used. The time, and even the day, really, is in question as to when the USA came into being, but most have settled on July 4, 1776. Because of these discrepancies, and other factors, there are multiple charts that exist for the USA, particularly ones that look at different facets of government. For example, there is an astrological chart out there that was cast for when the ‘Articles of Confederation’ were signed. I won’t go into detail about that here, but for those that are curious, there is all kinds of information out there. The standard birth chart for the USA is known as the ‘Sibley’ chart, named after Dr. Ebenezer Sibley, of London, who was the first to tie events together in England and what was happening in the colonies. This is the chart that I am using in this blog, and I am looking at the chart of the USA because it has ~gasp~, a Cancer Sun! So it is a nation of the masses. The ‘melting pot’ comes to mind at this point. Nothing illustrates Cancer more, both good and bad, than the USA. I say good and bad because no sign is perfect, and there are growth opportunities that exist in the USA that match characteristics of the astrological sign Cancer. For example, Cancer focused people have almost a subconscious pull towards security, but security is an illusion. There is no such thing, and this is something that the USA has been facing over the last ten years since the events of 9-11. The comedian Paul Mooney address this in his stand up routine hysterically, and brings to light the idea that the USA woke up and realized that they are not as detached from the global scene as they thought. A parallel that can be drawn here is that to the attack on Pearl Harbor, with regards to the severity of impact it had on the average American psyche. And when Cancer focused people feel threatened, they do what crabs do: draw within their shells, becoming defensive, and re-evaluate their relationship to the outer environment. Yep. This sounds like a job for Capricorn to bring to the scene. However, in the Sibley chart, the Moon is in Aquarius, which means that it happened shortly after a full moon. I guess that Aquarius influence explains quite a few things over the years, huh?
Above I have illustrated a few things about astrology, but it bears emphasizing that places and events have birth charts like we do. We can put ourselves into context of anything that we encounter in our lifetimes, and because of this, we are always in a position within ourselves to create our own security, which is not illusion, and that is the security that we have in ourselves; what we can do.
Blessings~