Cancer New Moon
nurture what nurtures you
New moon in Cancer
july 17th
11:31 am (pst)
Hi friends,
If you’ve been feeling a call to go more inward, and a desire to nurture your inner landscape and home space in ways that will foster new beginnings… congratulations! You’re feeling the vibes of the new Moon in Cancer.
On July 17th (my birthday!) the Cancer new Moon urges us to find stability within our selves, along with from those places and people who feel like home. This Moon encourages us to do this by remembering to nurture what nurtures us.
As the cardinal Water sign, Cancer is all about the fluid movements of our emotions, and connection with our intuitive knowings. Cancer energy is focused on a sense of home and safety, and represents the nurturing of the archetypal mother. Cancer is also ruled by the emotional and intuitive Moon, making this a powerful new Moon to start some new affirming self-love and emotional acceptance practices. The cardinal energy of the Cancer new Moon, also makes this a powerful lunation for starting new plans related to our homes, and the ways we nurture ourselves and those we care about.
The planet of death and rebirth, Pluto, happens to be opposite the Moon during this lunation, which may bring up increased feelings of fear. Represented by the crab, Cancer energy is also focused on safety and security. During the new Moon in Cancer, notice where you may be seeking safety and security in your life. Reflect on whether your desire for safety is coming from fear and a sense of lack, versus a genuine desire for supported stability.
As always with the moon, you’ll especially want to take note of your relationship with your emotions. With this lunation, notice where fear may be keeping you armored like crabs in their shells, afraid of letting anyone in, including yourself. The Cancer new Moon wants to remind us that true feelings of safety and security come from accepting all our emotions, trusting that we can nurture ourselves through our own emotional waves.
While all new Moons possess potent energies for creating, manifesting and starting anew, this Cancer new Moon is especially powerful in a transformative way, and that’s because the Moon’s Nodes are shifting right around this lunation.
CHANGING LUNAR NODES
The lunar nodes aren’t set spaces in the sky, instead they represent thematic nexus points of where the collective is currently at, along with where we are being urged to go. The Moon has North and South Nodes, not unlike the North and South Nodes found within our own personal astrological charts. Unlike us, the Moon’s North and South nodes change every 18 months, while ours last our whole lifetime. The Lunar Nodes also play host to eclipses - meaning the eclipses will be addressing themes found within current Lunar nodes.
The South Node represents where we’ve been and what we’ve already embodied, along with some of what we’re leaving behind in order to now embody our North node. The North Node represents where, and who, we’re moving toward and becoming.
Since January of 2022 we’ve been in the Scorpio- Taurus Lunar node axis. With the South node in Scorpio, we’ve learned to integrate more of our shadows, and with the North node in Taurus we strengthened our bonds with, and desire to protect, Mother Earth. Starting on July 17th 2023 these collective themes change as the Moon’s nodes switch to a South node in Libra and North node in Aries. The Moon’s nodes will remain in the Aries-Libra axis through January of 2025.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
On the personal level the South node represents that which we’re ready to fully integrate, process and release in this lifetime, while the North node represents new challenges and life lessons for us to embody. On the collective level, the Lunar nodes illuminate for us the systems, beliefs, ideologies, and cultural norms ready to release and those ready to emerge.
For the next year and a half, we’ll be taking our sense of social justice and fairness with us, as we leave our people pleasing behind us (Libra South node), and step into our personal power and motivation for action (Aries North node).
The Aries-Libra nodal axis also calls in Soul partnerships of all kinds - including romantically, platonically and professionally too. It’s a great time to both nurture and expand your social networks.
We’ll feel Aries-Libra influences more potently around the eclipses that occur over the next 18 months. Because Aries & Libra are both Cardinal signs, those that have a lot of Cardinal placements in their charts, especially within their “Big 3” (Sun, Rising & Moon signs) will experience the greatest shifts over the next year and a half. The Cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
As a Cancer Sun and Rising, who’s birthday just so happens to fall on the very day of both this Lunar node shift and new Moon in Cancer, I gotta admit that I’m both excited and nervous (nerxcited!) for what’s to come in the next year and a half. Yet I’m here for the transformation! The nervous-excited feeling has always served me in the past - encouraging me to push beyond some of my current limitations in exuberant, activating and magical ways.
My hope for you, and us all, this Cancer new Moon is the same - that we feel pushed to break through our own barriers in ways that feel nurturing and supportive.
with infinite love & appreciation,
Rachael
For more on how the Lunar Nodal Shift and how it may impact you, read Melissa’s Astrology of the Moon below.
Check out the YouTube video!
journal prompts cancer new moon:
Where do I feel fear motivating my actions?
What truly nurtures and nourishes me, body, mind and soul?
Make a list of places, people and/or activities that are soothing, inspiring, nurturing and invigorating.
Where am I people pleasing in my life?
How can I prioritize pleasing myself?
astrology of the Moon
with melissa from mindset maven
New Moon in Cancer:
July 17 th @ 24 degrees of Cancer 2:32pm (est)/11:32am (pst)
mindset maven melissa:
Hey y'all, my name is Melissa and I'm your spiritual bestie who speaks Astrology!
I discovered Astrology a few years ago after hitting a rut in my own life and searching for a way to gain greater awareness. It was a tool that really allowed me to truly understand what my gifts were as well as what were my challenges.
Nothing lights me up more than helping others recognize how to use their gifts (or astropowers) in a way that allows them to show up for themselves through those challenging times.
Connect with Melissa on her website: realmindsetmaven.com
or over Instagram: @realmindsetmaven
Lunar Nodal Shift: One of the big shifts happening this Summer will be the Lunar nodes moving from Taurus and Scorpio into Aries and Libra. What are the nodes? Simplest way to put it is that they are points in the sky where the Moon’s orbit intersects the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Why are they important? These points in our chart hold karmic and evolutionary lessons foreach of us!
The North Node will move into Aries and the South Node will move into Libra, and for the next 18 months we will have an opportunity to grow, learn, heal, or release something in the areas that house Aries and Libra for us.
The North Node moving into Aries will challenge you to lean into archetypal qualities of initiating, self-motivated, individuality, and brave. This point in the chart does ask us to evolve and fulfill some potential within us. It could be uncomfortable or challenging but can hold growth on the other side.
The South Node will move into Libra, and this will invite us to look at what could be holding us back. While Libra is the great peacemaker and diplomat; there can be a tendency to people please or not honor our needs for the collective. This will look different for everyone. One piece of advice that I’ll pass on is something I learned from my teacher, Maxine Luzia, “Take the best of the past and leave the rest”.
Balance and integration of both will be key in moving forward in your personal growth.
-Melissa
do you want to help?
I’m not going to lie, it’s a disheartening time when it comes to the rights of people and the planet.
To help counter discriminatory legislation coming out against the Trans and LGBTQIA+ communities, please check out The Trevor Project.
Let’s never forget how much power we hold when we come together to support and uplift each other. We the people can and do make a difference. Click on the links below for some simple ways how.
Environmental Protection
Reproductive Rights
Human Rights/Anti-racism Justice
Gun Reform
LGBTQIA+ Equality
If you enjoy learning about working with the Moon’s energies, please subscribe to my bi-monthly Moonletters, by entering your information at the bottom of this page. Thank you!