A Magical Lunation

This write-up is about the new moon in Cancer that will occur on July 5 at 3:57 p.m. in California, 4:57 p.m. in Mexico City, and on July 6 at 12:57 a.m. in Central Europe. This new moon will be “sandwiched” between two full moons in Capricorn in a manner similar to how last year we had a full moon in Libra falling between two new moons in Aries. In fact, the lunation that will start with this new-moon seed will mature as a full moon at the anaretic degree of the Cancer–Capricorn axis on July 21.

The chart, shown on the left, has a strong individual emphasis, from the symbolism of the Cancer phase, the sign that brings selfhood issues to the forefront, to the key positions of the personal planets, chiefly Mars and Venus, as we will see shortly. But the personal planets are strongly influenced by collective energies. A quick glance shows that Saturn and Neptune form important aspects with them. Broadly speaking, Neptune dissolves the structures of Saturn so they allow the magical and mystical to enter. Of course, this is especially true when we find Saturn in Pisces. With Cancer being the sign of psychic energies, clairvoyance in particular, this new moon hints at enabling magical moments throughout the lunation.

Sun and Moon Conjunction

Before delving into the personal and collective symbolism, recall that every new moon presents us with a seed of potentiality for the next lunar month and it all starts with the Sun–Moon conjunction. In this case, we have Sun and Moon at Cancer 14°23′ in a triple conjunction with the star Sirius in the constellation Canis Majoris (Cancer 14°25′), the brightest star in the sky said to confer spiritual growth, honor and in some cases wealth. In some versions of constellation-based astrology, it has been described as our “spiritual sun”.¹ In general, the energy of Sirius is often compared to a combination of Mars and Jupiter, which will assist us during the lunar month.

The conjunction forms a square with the Nodal axis at 10°47′ of Aries–Libra. At some level, life experiences (North Node) are coming to us with the characteristic urge to act, consequences be damned, of Aries. This is perfectly exemplified by the elections suddenly called for July 4 in the UK and July 7 in France. In the UK chart,² the midpoint of its Midheaven (Cancer 9°13′), which symbolizes its parliament, and Moon (Cancer 19°26′), which represents the citizenry, is at Cancer 14°19′, the same degree of the new moon occurring on the day when the election results will be announced, marking the first lunation of the new government. And, of course, the new moon comes a day after Independence Day in the US, whose chart³ has Sun at Cancer 13°19′, and could see the beginning of new leadership in the Democratic party.

For individuals, however, the issues of personal sovereignty and valuable relationships raised when we talked about healing relationships in late April will be strongly reactivated by the same square with the Nodal axis since it is formed from the signs that manifest our individuality in the most impulsive (Aries) and extreme (Cancer) ways. Cancer marks the triumph of our individuality and reminds us that, yes, we are born into a home but we are born alone and we will also die alone, unable to take anything we may have acquired in our lifetime. In Cancer, we experience a temporary defeat of our wider relatedness in favor of the narrow confines of a home, or perhaps a “tribe” of like-minded individuals. Thus Cancer may sometimes signify intolerance to other people’s viewpoints, stemming from the subconscious fear toward the power of the collective epitomized by the Capricornian State, a fear resulting from the minimal amount of Night Force in the Cancer blend.

Mythology of Mars and Venus

Whenever issues of personal sovereignty and valuable relationships are raised by the Aries–Libra axis, we must refer to their rulers, Mars and Venus, as symbols of the sacred masculine and feminine. In myth, Mars is considered the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Ares, both being “gods of war”. But, while Ares mainly symbolized the tempestuous and unpredictable spirit of battle and wasn’t that popular or venerated in the Hellenistic world, Mars’ placement in the Roman pantheon, where it was viewed as a proud and valiant protector, was second only to Jupiter. In a similar manner, both Aphrodite and Venus were goddesses of carnal love and beauty, often including prostitution in their realm and, in the case of Venus, victory in battle. It is worth mentioning that the Greek city states and the early Roman Empire flourished during the Age of Aries (around 2000 b.c.e. to 0 c.e.), when society acquired a decisively patriarchal tone. But, during the earlier Age of Taurus (roughly 4000–2000 b.c.e.), when society honored a feminine aspect of nature, we find a more complex mythology for the two planets in Sumeria.

Last August, we discussed the myth of Inanna, the Queen of the Heavens (Venus) who is said to descend into the underworld during the inferior conjunction of Sun and Venus, when the latter transitions from being the “evening star” seen after sunset to the “morning star” appearing just before sunrise. In the story, the underworld is ruled by her older sister Ereshkigal, interpreted as the shadow aspect of Inanna. Summarizing, Inanna tries to dialog with Ereshkigal but is sentenced to death and her corpse spends three days in the underworld before she is resuscitated and able to return under an amicable agreement with her sister. The journey is one of self-discovery and transformation (Venus is moving retrograde at the inferior conjunction) to “dialog” and “make peace” with the shadow aspects of our sacred feminine. Conversely, the superior conjunction of Sun and Venus, like the one we had on June 4, represents the mature integration of the two sides of our sacred feminine while, from our perspective, Venus is moving behind the sun and thus communing with the stars who make her Queen of the Heavens once again.

Meanwhile, the Sumerian god for the planet Mars was Nergal, god of war, inflicted death and disease, more similar to Ares than Mars. In myth, he is married to Ereshkigal and rules over the underworld with her. Their pairing is not unlike that of Ares and Aphrodite in Greek mythology where they are lovers despite her marriage to Hephaestus, once again recalling the “shadow aspect” of the feminine energy. On the other hand, Inanna is married to Dumuzid, the god of agriculture and shepherding, while his Greek counterpart, Adonis, is also in a loving relationship with Aphrodite. The point of the mythology surrounding Inanna, and to some extent Venus or Aphrodite, is the complexity of integrating our sacred masculine and feminine aspects within ourselves. Mars is not about war or violence but the single-minded pursuit of our personal sovereignty in what Joseph Campbell called the Hero’s Journey, and Venus is not just about love and pleasure but the establishment of quality relationships in accordance to our system of values, what we call valuable relationships.

Mars and Venus at the New Moon

Circling back to the new moon, Mars at Taurus 19°31′ forms sextiles with both Venus (Cancer 22°58′) and the Sun–Moon conjunction—in reality, it forms a nearly-exact sextile with their midpoint at Cancer 18°41′. Once more the issues around respecting our individuality while at the same time cultivating meaningful relationships will be front and center during the entire lunation. Also note how Mars forms an exact sextile with Saturn at Pisces 19°24′ which implies that Saturn also forms a near-exact trine with the same midpoint of Venus and the Sun–Moon conjunction. The end result of these aspects is a Minor Grand Trine configuration with Mars in the “pilot” seat, namely the planet with the two sextiles. The trine between Saturn in Pisces and Venus in Cancer may work to make our dreams come true in the general area of relationships, or provide just a scaffolding around our illusions that may or may not hold. The retrograde motion offers us the opportunity to retrace our steps, so to speak, and reconsider our plans.

You may remember Minor Grand Trines as configurations that turn highly productive when their pilot is energized, for instance when an opposition to it turns the configuration into a Kite. For the new moon, the energy comes from the wide but narrowing conjunction between Mars and Uranus at Taurus 25°56′. I will presently say a few words about such a key conjunction but note that Uranus also forms a sextile with Venus, adding a need for something new in the value system we use to form or maintain our relationships. In addition, Venus forms a tight square (only 0°23′ from exact) with Chiron at Aries 23°21′, reiterating the importance of developing healing relationships where we feel that we belong, as we discussed last April. Looking ahead, Venus will enter Leo on July 11, after forming a trine with Neptune earlier in the day and before an opposition with Pluto the day after. Venus in Leo seeks quality relationships, which goes well with the concept of valuable relationships mentioned earlier.

Mars and Uranus Conjunction

When we talked about the first full moon in Capricorn, we mentioned that the July 15 Mars–Uranus conjunction at Taurus 26°19′ will actually be a triple conjunction with the fixed star Algol (Taurus 26°30′), the star of decapitation of heads of State, nowadays figuratively. It is hard to overestimate the importance of this transit. As José Millán says, Mars is not a planet that asks questions, it simply acts, which means that it will funnel the unpredictable energies of Uranus into action. And Mars in Taurus is quite tenacious, A mental image is that of a strong ox pulling on the plow, relentlessly turning the soil, deeply and conscientiously even if too slowly for those of us with Mars in fire or air signs. Such conjunction is likely to bring a new wave of violent rebellions and we may feel a strong need to assert our individuality against established norms; recall that Uranus always challenges the structures of Saturn. If we have worked on integrating our personality, the transit may instead drive us to “decapitate” any remaining crystalized structures that were founded on old-world paradigms and urge us to act on new intuitions.

Prior to that date, on July 9, Mars will transit through Taurus 21°50′, where the Jupiter–Uranus conjunction happened on April 20, calling us to figuratively jump into the abyss having faith in a positive outcome. The Sabian symbol for Taurus 22°, you may recall, is a white dove flying over troubled waters which symbolized the spiritual inspiration that comes to an individual when overcoming a crisis, symbol that is still relevant to humanity and therefore remains sensitive to planetary influences, especially from Mars. In general, this month is about the Hero’s Journey which is never completed until we bring back the wisdom acquired while heading “north” in search of our personal sovereignty.

Jupiter and Mercury

Speaking of Jupiter and Minor Grand Trines, there will be another one of those configurations at the new moon. Looking at the chart, the North Node (Aries 10°47′) and Mercury (Leo 5°43′) form a trine and both of them form sextiles with Jupiter (Gemini 9°17′) which thus becomes the pilot planet. As the expansionary process, Jupiter in the Gemini phase tries to build higher-level connections and extract wisdom out of the information often provided by Mercury, ruler of Gemini. The sextile with the North Node may exaggerate the impetuous nature of the North Node in Aries given that Jupiter often expands it all, or allow us to consider rationally what life is throwing at us, due to the trine with Mercury.

Mercury has had a busy week hobnobbing with the outer planets. First, on June 29 or 30, depending on your location, it formed a sextile with Uranus, its higher octave, an aspect that could have resulted in bouts of intuition. A few days later, on July 2, it formed a trine with Neptune one hour before entering Leo, and this was followed by an opposition with Pluto on July 3. Recall that Mercury represents the process by which we interact with the environment through our senses and thoughts, and thus many of its transits are indistinguishable from the randomness of life.

If the sextile with Uranus will stimulate our intuition, the trine with Neptune may allow us to describe the indescribable, the mind being able to comprehend what is fundamentally unstructured, or being confused from much misinformation received. Upon entering Leo and opposing Pluto, the communications likely became louder and more creative. The opposition Mercury–Pluto will reveal worldwide issues related to power. On a personal level, it may bring issues of cultural power challenging our individual expression and that may result in turning our quest for personal sovereignty into a power struggle. The aspects to Neptune and Pluto will remain in orb for a few days, including at the new moon, and will continue to bring material from the collective unconscious to our conscious mind.

Saturn Retrograde

Saturn and Neptune have begun to dance a fascinating tango over the zodiacal boundary of all endings and beginnings, where Pisces 30° gives way to Aries 1°. The tango has begun because the two planets are within ten degrees of each other, too far to be in a conjunction but close enough to greatly influence each other, especially since Neptune is in the anaretic degree of its sign and Saturn has transited through two-thirds of that sign. For the rest of 2024 and throughout 2025 they will mark the needed ending of these times as they move back and forth through the final degrees of Pisces, and also give us glimpses into the future when they venture into Aries, albeit without an exact conjunction until February 20, 2026. At that time, they will join hands in a climatic conjunction at Aries 0°45′, in the first degree of the zodiac whose Sabian symbol we have discussed in the past: a woman emerging from the sea with a seal wrapped around her, symbolizing a new consciousness rising from the collective unconscious despite having to deal with the weight of the past (the seal).

Saturn represents the process of structuring. At the psychological level, it gives structure to our mind through what Carl Jung called the ego complex, a structure needed to accept, maintain and focus our consciousness, the content of our conscious mind. In Pisces, Saturn is forced to dissolve the crystalized structures of our mind so it becomes flexible enough to welcome a subtler consciousness. The time Saturn spends in Pisces prepares us, personally and collectively, to let go of the past. Of course, Saturn ends its cycle in Pisces every 29.4 years but this is not just one more ending because Neptune, the sign’s ruler, will work with Saturn to ensure a complete dissolution of the old and obsolete. Saturn in Pisces is the completion meaning of penance. Look in your chart where the last ten degrees of Pisces are located, in which house(s), for you will be urged to complete whatever unfinished business you may have in that field of experiences. During its retrograde periods in Pisces (there will be one more in late 2025) we are encouraged to reflect on structures that impede our progress and how to relegate them to our past.

Neptune Stationary Retrograde

At the new moon, Neptune will be stationary retrograde which basically means moving retrograde but very slowly, at under 10% of its average speed. Many astrologers say that the effect of a stationary planet is “magnified” which is not exactly correct. What happens is that the planet remains in conjunction with the degree archetype (e.g., the Sabian symbol) longer than usual, accumulating a larger amount of Sun energy in the process. Since conjunctions represent joint activity, the planet is presenting the same mode of operation far longer than it would if it was moving at normal speed. We have talked about the Sabian symbol for Pisces 30° whose image represents the power of visualization to effect self-transformation in humans. Neptune is asking us to visualize a new civilization we will co-create, not by obliterating what we have accomplished but by dissolving what has hardened and is no longer relevant.

In the tango analogy, I imagine Saturn reaching after Neptune who is in charge of the dance’s tempo. It is Neptune who needs to move retrograde so the Minor Grand Trine configuration with Uranus and Pluto it piloted in 2023 is completed once again. Pluto is heading back to Capricorn 30° which will reach on September 1 just as Uranus will be stationary retrograde at Taurus 28°, thus forming a close trine. Neptune will have reached Pisces 29° and the Minor Grand Trine will be operational once more in the same confirmation symbol signs of 2023. The old-paradigm structures will gather inertia for a final resistance to change. However, processes are driven by time which simply doesn’t stop. The planets will continue to move in their orbits and the agonizing old paradigms will eventually die.

Last December, when we previewed 2024, we mentioned that a similar outer-planets Minor Grand Trine was formed between 1939 and 1945, the entire span of WWII, a war that changed humanity more than anything else in recent memory. When the war began, Uranus was also in Taurus since its orbital period is about 84 years, Neptune was in Virgo, opposing its current position, for it has completed slightly more than half of its 165 years-long orbit, and Pluto was in Cancer, also 180° from Capricorn even though it takes Pluto about 248 years to orbit the sun; its orbit has such a large eccentricity that it moves through some signs, like Scorpio, very quickly. That said, even though the similarities are undeniable, there is a major difference: back then Pluto was the pilot of the Minor Grand Trine, and the lessons were learned, literally, with the atomic force of the power planet. Nowadays, it is Neptune who is driving the boat, so to speak, and instead of nuclear destruction of what is no longer relevant, we will have the equivalent of an equalizing acid dissolving it.

The February 2026 joint entrance of Saturn and Neptune into Aries will complete the Minor Grand Trine in root symbol signs because by then both Pluto and Uranus will be firmly placed in Aquarius and Gemini, respectively. Something similar happened in 1943 when Neptune entered Libra while Uranus was in Gemini and Pluto in Leo. Back then, WWII changed dramatically in favor of the allied forces.

Without a doubt, in 2026 we will have the most significant and powerful configuration that humanity has experienced in the last several centuries. The entrance in Aries by Saturn and Neptune will be a new birth for humanity but, prior to it, the “water must break” (Pisces). The tango that Saturn and Neptune now begin to dance represents the process of labor before a marvelous birth.

About Water

Whereas Poseidon was the Greek god of the seas, Neptune, its Roman equivalent, was the god of all waters, including freshwater. I want to end this article with a few words about water, without which there would be no life. A while ago I mentioned the work of Veda Austin, who began freezing water after exposing it to various emotional situations. Then, under the microscope, she would notice different crystalizing patterns reflecting the quality of the emotion “frozen”. After many years, she has decoded a series of hydroglyphics and is able to “communicate” with water in the most amazing ways. Veda posits that water is able to hold consciousness, much like a human mind.

Recently, Pam Gregory “interviewed” a spirit called Zac that claims to have been a high priest in Lemuria, a lost continent akin to Atlantis, and who has reincarnated a few times since then, although at present he communicates through a medium. Zac mentioned that humanity is undergoing an “upgrade” of sorts, what we have identified as a higher and subtler level of consciousness, and that such “upgrade” is coming to us in the water. He points out that the planet is 71% water but we are terrestrial beings that require water, and thus water is used to “deliver” consciousness. He was quite specific, for instance saying that it takes 72 hours for all water on Earth to have the same level of consciousness. It is worth noting that human beings cannot go without water for 72 hours.

The physiologist and evolutionary biologist Denis Noble points out that water maintains the liquid state in the range 0–100 °C while hydrogen and oxygen, both, become gaseous at much lower temperatures. This is important because liquid water is a solvent of nearly every organic compound and most elements. Notably however, water is unable to dissolve lipids and the cells of our bodies have fatty membranes that enclose various water solutions of different compounds. We are, in a sense, made of a bunch of fatty bubbles of different solutions. The body is able to modify the concentrations of those solutions, or create new mixes, by opening and closing the membranes in response to chemical or electrical stimuli.

There are many more wonderful characteristics of water but what I wanted to share is that there seems to be growing evidence that water is indeed related to cosmic consciousness. In preparing for the Age of Aquarius, when we will be able to tap into group consciousness at will, it is important that we drink water properly. Zac emphasized that we don’t need to distill or even purify water, what we need to do is accept it in sacrifice and with reverence. Recall that sacrifice comes from the Latin sacrificium: making holy or sacred. Therefore, when involved in group activities, I encourage you to share water that has been dedicated for the occasion. The water will enhance the communal aspect of the activity and allow for a “group consciousness” to surface.

Wrapping Up…

Once again, given that the new-moon chart is one of potentialities for the entire lunar month, the discussion on personal sovereignty and valuable relationships applies not only for the next few days but the lunation as a whole.

As I said at the beginning, these are magical times wrapped in a chaotic shroud of lies and misinformation. It is important that we keep our head high while tuning to the frequency of subtler consciousness. And be open to new experiences, especially if they involve water.

I remind you to declare your intention for the lunation prior to the new moon. If possible, voice your declaration in the present tense with the assurance that Spirit always will respond to acknowledged need.

Always Love. 🌹🙏💖

1. Sirius has the highly unusual characteristic of presenting a retrograde motion against the backdrop of “fixed” stars at a rate of 1° every 72 years, just like our sun! This has been corroborated with careful observations made by the Sirius Research group since 1988. In the case of our sun, such motion gives rise to the precession of the equinoxes and thus to the astrological ages. That our sun and Sirius move in sync with respect to the constellations along the ecliptic has yet to be properly explained and is the reason some people believe that Sirius and the sun form a binary-star system, which science has disregarded. ↩︎
2. Midnight of January 1, 1801 in London, England. ↩︎
3. July 4, 1776 at 5:10 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ↩︎