We remain in the soft saltwater belly of Cancer season, and all thoughts are on feelings, what rises to the surface and what has kept us from it. Emotions are heightened during this cycle and we should allow them their elevation and honor them through creative expression.
Cancer season invites us to be the kind of delicate, determined creature that feels acutely and creates urgently. Get to it.
Cancer
June 21 to July 22
When Mercury, planet of communication, enters Cancer on July 11, you may find yourself in deep and out far in terms of conversations. Now is not the hour to isolate or self soothe. Express yourself without hesitation and give the grace of earnest listening to others. Consider the words of poet Neil Hilborn, “Whatever you’re feeling right now there is a mathematical certainty that someone else is feeling that exact thing. This is not to say you’re not special, this is to say thank god you aren’t special.” Share in the struggle for it is in it that we find each other.
Notable Cancer: Angela Merkel/July 17, 1954
Leo
July 23 to Aug. 22
As you prepare for your illustrious solar return at the end of this month, your focus might shift to reflection and endings of all kinds. What have you lost, learned, longed for and leaned on this year, Leo? As the sun casts itself on the road ahead, forgive yourself for your failures and light a peace pipe to the past. Heed the words of poet Robert Browning, “How sad and bad and mad it was — but then, how it was sweet.”
Notable Leo: Annie Oakley/Aug. 13, 1860
Virgo
Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Tired of city life and the limited dimensions of the music industry, singer and fellow Virgo Kelis decamped with her family to a remote California farm, where she now raises her own food and contributes to a television series about the culinary benefits of cannabis. I offer you this story of success as a kind of parable. Hold tight to the knowledge that what you seek can’t be found, it must be grown.
Notable Virgo: Barry White/Sept. 12, 1944
Libra
Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
For all your prodigious charms and easy conversation, there is a real beating part of you that fears getting too close to others. Planetary placements are asking you to assess whether your boundaries are barriers to intimacy. Consider the sage lyrics of fellow Libra Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen, “That feeling of safety you prize, well it comes with a hard, hard price. You can’t shut off the risk and pain. Without losing the love that remains. We’re all riders on this train.” Ride the rails, take the risk.
Notable Libra: William Faulkner/Sept. 25, 1897
Scorpio
Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
Lightning without thunder is impossible, as thunder is the sound created by lightning passing through air. I bring you this lesson in weather as a metaphor for your own electrified power, Scorpio. Meaningful power without reflection is impossible as reflection is the tune of power acknowledged, honored, and measured. May your own be seen, felt and harnessed for the greater good.
Notable Scorpio: Dorothy Day/Nov. 6, 1897
Sagittarius
Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
Now is not the time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and achieved but instead to move with hungry determination towards the horizon line of the unknown and the unclaimed. In the words of the poet Paul Eldridge, “Praises for our past triumphs are as feathers to a dead bird.” Keep yourself alive and aloft, archer.
Notable Sagittarius: Rita Moreno/Dec. 11, 1931
Capricorn
Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
Buddhist philosopher and fellow Capricorn Daisaku Ikeda writes, “Be strict with yourself and generous with others.” As warrior planet Mars moves through your house of mergers and acquisitions I hope you will heed Ikeda’s advice. It will serve you to be exacting in your commitment to serving others in the resolute pursuit of shared abundance.
Notable Capricorn: Zenobia/Dec. 23, 245
Aquarius
Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
Recently, on the lip of a jumping bridge I met a linebacker, motivational speaker and fellow Aquarius by the name of Max. I was struggling for courage when he sagely advised, “We should all be afraid and we should all jump.” I hope Max’s poem for living resonates with you, water bearer, and reminds you that it ain’t brave if you’re not afraid.
Notable Aquarius: Johnny Rotten/Jan. 31, 1956
Pisces
Feb. 19 to March 20
How are you whiling away your days and killing your hours, Pisces? Arthur Schopenhauer writes, “Each day is a little life: every waking and rising a little birth, every fresh morning a little youth, every going to rest and sleep a little death.” As you move through the micro and macro cycles of death and regeneration be grateful for the simple and profound opportunity to open your eyes each morning and begin again.
Notable Pisces: Desi Arnaz/March 2, 1917
Aries
March 21 to April 19
Chiron, the celestial body synonymous with pain and healing, enters your sign this month. Chiron calls on all of us, but particularly those of the Aries ilk, to outface our trauma. The root of survival comes from the Latin for “beyond.” In this transit, may you find the wholeness of living by retracing your steps through the forest of all that has conspired to break you.
Notable Aries: Johann Sebastian Bach/March 31, 1685
Taurus
April 20 to May 20
A friend recently revealed that he appraises all relationships as one person reaching and the other settling. As you continue to work on creating and maintaining boundaries, may I gently suggest you put some thought and energy into your own personal standards? What are you willing to endure to be kept company and what are you willing to concede for comfort?
Notable Taurus: Reggie Jackson/May 18, 1946
Gemini
May 21 to June 20
You should never have to argue your own worth, Gemini, but you may need to gently remind those around you that you go to great lengths and should be justly rewarded. As Mercury, planet of communication, moves into Cancer, it highlights the area of your chart associated with capital. Communicate your value clearly and without defense. If you need more, ask for it. In the immortal words of Yo Gotti, “Respect ya hustle, get ya money, baby, win.”
Notable Gemini: Nathan Hale/June 6, 1755
