I intended to post this article much sooner but have been extremely busy with designing my members’ site . (more on that later). We are now already near the end of the astrological sign of Leo. For my definition of what a sign is and an exercise in how to develop an ‘archetypal eye’, please see the entry on Aries . One benefit of the delay, however, is that two events have occurred which illustrate astrological principles very well. First, the Cancer/Capricorn full moon coincided with a world event that illustrated some relevant themes and second, I had a more personal insight into the nature of the shift from Cancer to Leo during the following new moon.
Thawing of the Cold War: Obama and Medvedev Agree Nuclear Cuts.
The Kremlin 2009: Did the Cold War end here? (Image provided by NVO under Creative Commons ShareAlike license 3.0. url: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:NVO)
On 6 July 2009, following meetings at the Kremlin, Presidents Barak Obama and Dmitry Medvedev agreed to reduce their respective countries nuclear stockpiles. The agreement was accompanied by promising statements from the two leaders regarding leaving behind past suspicions and moving towards a twenty-first century relationship.
This meeting occurred under the influence of the full moon (exact on 7 July, 9am Universal Time). Astrologically, the Cancer/Capricorn axis is highlighted at this time which becomes interesting when you look at some of the themes involved.
One of the ways in which Cancer and Capricorn oppose one another is across the dimension of dependance. Capricorn represents the principle of independence and unilateral action, climbing the mountain unaided in the most extreme condtions to find wisdom. Cancer, on the other hand, represents dependence on others, including the most extreme dependence possible, that of the child on the love and support of its mother.
In terms of the USA/Russian Federation relationship, this can be seen in the interplay between the desire for dominance and self-sufficiency and the necessity for co-operation. The full moon is often a time of great stress but often it is also the time when the opposites find the compromise that leads to positive development.
I will go into this in more depth in my forthcoming e-book: ‘Astrology and the theory of the six pendulums’, due for release in 2010.
With its strong shell, the crab is a the symbol most associated with Cancer, representing the Cancerian urge to protect oneself and ones family. Clearly the meeting focussed predominately on issues of defence, including the reduction of a nuclear deterrant, a proposed anti-missile shield and the use of Russian airspace in the ongoing ‘war on terror’.
The ‘Cold War’ is particularly associated with Capricorn and its ruler, Saturn, with associations of coldness and hardness. The metaphorical ‘thawing’ symbolises the relaxing of rigid Capricorn qualities under the softening influence of maternal Cancer. Of course, the meeting was not all warmth and love, the ‘frostiness’ of Saturn being very much evident at times.
From freaky films to fairground fun: Meeting the dark goddess.
The triple goddess - but where is the dark goddess?
The following new moon occurred on 22nd July, in the same period as the sun shifted from Cancer to Leo. In some pagan belief systems, the new moon is associated with the dark goddess, she who helps us make the transition from life to that which lies beyond ,at the transition of death (the full moon is associated with the mother who brings new life through the transition of birth).
As such, the dark goddess is a source of fear to many and my experiences on the 21st and 22nd July demonstrated both this notion of fear of death and the transition from Cancer (realm of the moon) to Leo (realm of the sun).
I used to love horror films but eventually came to realise my ‘reactive’ disposition wasn’t ideally suited to them and nowadays I tend to avoid them. On the other hand, my mother, who is a horror connoisseur, can’t watch enough of them. Whilst on holiday, I struck up the courage to watch a couple with her, including ‘The Grudge 2′. Although I’ve never seen the first film, I knew it would be one that would have an impact on me. I had watched the Japanese version of ‘Ring’ and that film stayed with me for a long time.
For those who don’t know the story, the setting is a creepy Japanese house where a double murder (a woman and her son) had been committed. The house is haunted by the pair and anyone who looks the eerie lady’s spectre in the eye is cursed. They are then relentlessly pursued and eventually killed by the dead lady. The curse is passed on to others who have contacted the doomed.
What does this have to do with Astrology? Well, after watching the film (which lived up to my expectations) I had a realisation that the ghost, Kayako, whilst certainly not a goddess, does relate to the dark goddess in many ways. Not only is she terrible and invisible to those who have not encountered her, but only those doomed to die are able to behold her and she certainly takes them over the threshold of death.
I analysed my own reactions to the film for the source of its unsettling impact and came up with the following. Clearly the characters in the film are living in a terrifying nightmare. Not only are they being hunted, their predator has no respect for the boundaries of the Newtonian physical world. Kayako can appear at any time, anywhere, there is no escaping her. My irrational fears stem from this same lack of boundaries. Whereas some can put a ring-pass-not (no pun intended) between film and life, I constantly question this distinction. In fact, this kind of Japanese horror genre seems to work largely on the technique of dissolving such barriers, bringing the evil spirit closer to the viewer with each scene. After all, if Samara (The Ring) can crawl from the TV into Noah’s room and Kayako can emerge from a photographic film, why should they not traverse one more boundary into my room, especially when the lights are off and I’m alone in my bed. What if my fear could create such powerful hallucinations that I myself die of fright. What if I die of fright anyway, could these characters exist on the other side? (I have the creeps now!).
Fortunately, for most of us, such wild scenarios tend to be banished with the sun and this brings me to my next point. Illusion and fantasy are under the dominion of the moon and when we are experiencing the dark goddess at home in her own sign of Cancer this can be very potent.
However, this July, Cancer merged into Leo in the new moon period. Leo is concerned with the light side of life, ruled by the sun, but with the fearful dark goddess still present I realised that fear can be controlled when we are completely aware of what it is we are afraid of. The next day, my mother dared me to go on the most extreme rides at a local theme park, again something I avoid these days. Unable to refuse a challenge I reluctantly accepted. The illusory scenarios crowded in (what if they fail to secure the bars, what if there is an equipment malfunction, etc.) only to be banished, replaced by exhiliaration and joy when the ride commenced.
I could go on but there’s more to write about the signs themselves and I’m sure you appreciate the astrological pattern I am trying to illustrate, one strand of a tapestry of meanings which are the archetypes, the signs.
Transition to Leo brought more fear - but of a rational kind. (Image provided by Will Ellis under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence. url http://www.flickr.com/people/49554480@N00)
Exercise Update: ‘Developing Your Archetypal Eye’.
If you have been trying out the exercise, I would, as always, be interested to hear of what you discovered these last two months.
In contrast with Gemini in late May and early June, the latter part of June and early July brought me more Cancerian correspondences than I could begin to record, but here is a brief list:
Try keeping a journal again this month, paying attention again to the change in element (fire to earth) which will equate to movement to obstruction, unpredictability to stability, formless energy to the beginning of form, and the change in quality (fixed to mutable), evidenced by a movement from conservatism to experimentation and passive acceptance to argumentativeness.
The Attributes of Cancer
Cancer is ruled by the Moon which governs the feminine side of life including receptivity, sensitivity and cyclical rhythms. These rhythms form the basis of memory and reflection and hence the ability to learn from experience.
Cancer is a cardinal sign. This means that despite appearances, those with Cancer strong in their chart are initiators, albeit usually in an indirect way, making use of their emotional power. The sigil represents both crab claws and the breasts, symbolising the nourishing, protective and defensive qualities of this sign.
Cancer is related to the principles of emotionality, psychic ability, intuition, shrewdness, self-repression, imagination and creativity. It is the sign of the nurse, the mother, the cook. The negative side of these qualities include self-pity, timidity, instability, lack of self-care, resentfulness and clinging to the past.
Physiologically Cancer relates to the female reproductive system, the breasts, stomach, alimentary canal and (by reflex with Capricorn), the skin and knees. Cancer also relates to the sea, fresh springs, dogs, estate agents, crayfish, lobsters and crabs.
Cancer is associated with the colours silver and grey, the stone pearl and the metal silver.
Sigil of Cancer (Image provided by SeLarin under Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0 url: http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:SeLarin&action=edit&redlink=1)
Moving on to Leo, the Leonine correspondences I particularly noted were:
The Attributes of Leo
Could there be a more fitting correspondence with Leo? (Image provided by Zan Wheelock under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28814129@N04
Leo is ruled by the Sun which governs the masculine side of life including organisation, self-confidence and leadership.
Leo is a fixed sign, which means its qualities (and vices) are strong but not particularly mobile. This means that unlike the mobile energy of both Aries and Sagittarius, Leonine energy burns steadily, its symbol manifested in the sun we work and play under. Leo’s domain is the waking consciousness, the daytime and the summer and its power is such that it commands attention. Those with strong Leo in their chart rarely pass by unnoticed. In fact, the lure of the sun is so powerful that it colours public understanding of astrology itself with the unbalanced notion of the ’sun sign’, again I will go into this in more depth in my forthcoming e-book: ‘Astrology and the theory of the six pendulums’. The sigil resembles a lion (sometimes drawn as a lion’s mane instead) but is said by some to represent the process of creation, the little circle proceeding from the big one.
Leo is related to the principles of creativity, self-assurance, courage, power, steadfastness, self-expression and impressiveness. It is the sign of the actor, the father, the director. Leo is naturally a very giving sign and those with this sign prominent are often generous and warm-hearted. The negative side of Leonine qualities include egotism, despotism, inflexibility, bossiness, intolerance and a tendency to melodrama.
Physiologically Leo relates to the heart, dorsal spinal region, back and (by reflex with Aquarius), the circulation and ankles. Leo also relates to sport, recreation, dancing, big game, honey, management and the city of Rome.
The sigil of Leo
Leo is associated with the many colours of the sun, the stone ruby and the metal gold.
Do you have any personal experiences with Cancerian or Leonine themes or Astrology in general that you would like to share? If so, please leave a comment below.
Dream Spirit now live. Sign up for free!
On August 2nd I launched a members site for those of you who are interested in dreams. It’s called Dream Spirit and has lots of free content, including a searchable dream dictionary and forum. To join, please click
here. There are options to upgrade at a reasonable cost to access extra benefits, and even an affiliate program giving 50% instant pay commission.
Coming next: The Astrological Signs: Virgo
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