Waning Moon in Cancer Moving in Leo

The Cancer Moon reaches the late degrees where she communes with outer planets bringing intuitive guidance: Flowing trines with expansive Jupiter and innovative Uranus, and inconjunct angles-of-adjustment with visionary Neptune and healing Chiron create space this morning for mediation, freewriting, dreaming, and journeys.

streambed at Kinder Downfall

The sign of Cancer, the Moon's home sign, holds the energy of our tribe, our tradition, and our history. As we enter the time of Samhain, the hallowed days when we shift into the dark time of year, the ancestors approach. Perhaps the inconjunct with Neptune and Chiron signals a healing message for us, or an opening through which we can bring healing to our lineage.

The idea of karma is a difficult one to translate well in Western culture, since we tend to think of sin and retribution: Someone does a bad thing, and karma comes later and gets him back. But karma is not about punishment, it's about patterning.

Over time, our thoughts, feelings and actions create patterns like water cutting a new channel in a streambed. Our actions have consequences, not because there's a karmic review board passing sentence on us, but because what we think, feel, and do creates patterns of energy that naturally influence our experience.

We are influenced by patterns within our families and tribes. We have, in that sense, family karma. At this time of year, when the ancestors are close, we can explore family patterns, to honor and strengthen ones that are loving and life producing, and release and heal ones that are damaging. Healing energy we send to ancestors, or focus on difficult family patterns, can echo through the generations, releasing karmic debt and creating more peace and harmony.

The waning Moon in Cancer, in aspect to Neptune, Chiron, Jupiter and Uranus, will support any such work we do this morning.

The Moon enters her time-between-times at 3:48pm EDT. This is a time to avoid beginning new ventures if possible, as the Moon rests. At 8:38pm, she blazes brilliantly into Leo, passionate, playful, and ready to shine.

Each sign of the zodiac prepares the way for the one that follows. The nurturing we receive in Cancer prepares us to shine our light into the world in Leo. Work we do healing family patterns, frees us to share our unique creative gifts with joy. When we honor our ancestors, acknowledging their place in our lives, they offer their support, helping to guide us as we assume Leo's mantle and become leaders.

Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit

The Moon's first aspect in Leo is a trine to Mars, now embarking on his Sagittarian quest. Shamanic teacher Tom Cowen named his book on Celtic shamanic traditions Fire in the Head, invoking the ancient words of Amergin, and the more recent words of the great poet Yeats:

I went out to a hazel wood,
because a fire was in my head ...

Tonight's flowing energy between the Moon and Mars, Leo and Sagittarius, can ignite our creative, oracular, shamanic fires. The Celts recognized the links among creative inspiration, intuitive insight, and spiritual power, classing poets, seers and druids together. Deep creative work will be possible tonight, especially if we have our ancestors' blessing.