Cancer/Capricorn Moon Cycle

Cancer New Moon, Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 10:19pm
Capricorn Full Moon, Saturday, July 19, 2008, 3:59am

Meditation for Cancer
I am worthy of self-love. I am worthy of self care. Because I feel this deeply, I choose situations and relationships that radiantly reflect my love and self care. I choose to take care of myself because I am worthy of self care. Because I have walked this path to self love, I have a deep sensitivity for the needs of others and I am a perfect reflection of unconditional love.

Cancer is first emotion, primordial water. She is the vulnerable infant heart, ready to love unconditionally and dependent on the receptivity of others to her love. Her polarity, Capricorn, is independent of others’ opinions. She is mature Mother. This energy is grounded in Earth, the most mature Earth, it knows its worth (Taurus) itself (Virgo), and natural law. She knows how to use it all to create practical solutions to challenges. She is the master manifestor of the zodiac; like the Magician in the Tarot, she knows who she is and how to use the tools she has to create what she wants.

The invitation this moon cycle is to explore the vulnerability and dependency of the Cancer parts of ourselves as we allow the Capricorn Mother part of us to meet, hold and mature this energy. It is a moon cycle to explore old heartbreak, and to observe old heartbreak in our present life around issues of having our loved received and our dependency issues met. We are meant to learn that we are love-able and that our needs are worthy of self care. We will be maturing unfinished emotional infancy issues. Or, we’re experiencing a desire to love unconditionally rooted in our own self worth. When I think of Cancer’s potential, I think of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Campassion.

Imagine the Cancer part of yourself as an innocent baby who loves who she feels unconditionally. And imagine again, this helpless baby part needs her love reflected back to her to know her love has been received and that her love is good. She needs help to be fed and changed and bathed. Because of these needs, she is very dependent on the response of the other(s).

When you consider the zodiac as a map of evolution of the personality, then you understand that there is a next step in emotional evolution. Cancer is undifferentiated emotion, Scorpio is the shared emotion of two individuals and Pisces is transcendent emotion that consciously understands how we are both separate and one at the same time.

Cancer represents infant love that cannot discern itself from the other. Like the 2 of Cups, it needs to know its love by feeling it reflected back purely. If Cancer needs have not been met as a child, and rarely does a child receive a perfect reflection of their love, then the Cancer part of us will meet the world with vulnerability mixed with resentful dependency in the feeling nature…thus the reputation of Cancer for having a hard carapace and pincers. Vulnerable Cancer must protect herself. Resentful dependency leads the lost child seeking approval to experience everyone as parent.

Alternatively, Cancer needs were met so well that there’s an addiction to dependency. For this Cancer type, if it’s not broke, why fix it! In this case, Cancer is stuck somewhere around 2 yrs old and afraid to take her first steps of independence away from parent because it just feels too good to be taken care of by another.

Yet another way Cancer gets stuck is in reversing the mirroring process. When a child has emotionally dependent parents, Cancer’s empathy will naturally feel their needs and want to reflect love back to them. Cancer’s pink and gentle heart wants nothing more than for others to feel good. The problem arises for this Cancer type when they ‘need’ to care for others to define their self worth. They usually don’t care for themselves first, but only after everyone else is taken care of. This also leads to resentment in relationship.

In all cases the emotional focus is projected outward towards the other as Cancer is dependent on the other for permission to love and care for herself. This is a normal part of emotional development, but it is a painful reality when we get stuck here as adults.

We can understand that healthy differentiation must be achieved somewhere in the middle of this spectrum: our love is reflected back to us well enough to allow us to know we’re love-Able (able to love); our dependency needs are met well enough to allow us to trust that we are worthy of care and finally, the parent and the child see and respect that each are separate beings with different goals and perceptions. In this healthy scenario, Cancer toddles happily away, looking back over her shoulder to make sure Mommy and Daddy are still there, listening to her inner drive for independence, taking her first steps away from her dependency, steadfast in the knowledge that she is love-able and worthy of self care. From this place of security and self worth, she is able to take the next emotional steps towards sharing affection with others as a separate individual.

This moon cycle is our yearly opportunity to explore these Cancer issues so we may finally know the value of our love and worth. Even if you didn’t receive positive mirroring as a child, within you is the Capricorn Mother to show you the way. As Wavy Gravy says, ‘It’s never too late to have a happy childhood!’ J

Focus on where the emotional energy is flowing and ask yourself if it feels safe and right for you. Notice if you’re waiting for approval or if you feel angry when you don’t get approval. There may be some grief work as you realize how your love hasn’t been accepted. For the Cancer part of us, rejection of their pink and tender hearts feels like death. And it is. Rejection for Cancer means putting armor on the heart. Notice if you now only choose people who reject your love. Ask the Universe to send the right people into your life to positively mirror you, too. They will be sent to you! If it is your time, ritualize taking your first steps of independence towards unconditional love for yourself and others. There are no mistakes. If you have suffered Cancer vulnerability, dependency or co-dependency, it was creating a river of deep compassion in your heart!!!!!

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

The Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine

Cancer is ruled by the Moon. On an archetypal level, this moon cycle reveals the vulnerability of the Divine Feminine in the full force of the Yang part of the yearly cycle. As the days are longest and Nature’s growth maximal, we meet this most vulnerable feeling part of Her/ourselves. Just as the Yin defines and creates the Yang and the Yang defines and creates the Yin ,the powerful force of this season needs the Feminine to define and create it and the Feminine needs the powerful yang force to define and create it. We cannot fully know our Divine Masculine unless we embrace our vulnerable feeling nature. We cannot fully know our feeling nature without embracing the power of the season. The evolution to maturity of this internal relationship leads us to the Sacred Marriage within us.