
WATER NYMPHS HYMN TO THE RISING MOON 1850 by John George Naish
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” From Moving Water by Jalaluddin Rumi
The Sun enters Tropical Cancer June 21 @ 3:07 am PDT/ 6:07 am EDT/ 10:07 p.m. GMT. The Sun is at its maximum Northern point of 23+ degrees nd sits on the Tropic of Cancer. It is longest day light of the year in the Northern and the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere where Winter begins Down Under.
Summer begins up North and winter begins down South. To ancient pagans this is Litha and thousands of druids will be gathering to celebrate the Sun King’s peak at Stonehenge in the U.K. Thousands worldwide honor the Sun as we co-create with the Suns turning in its annual dance of the seasons. In the North, the Masculine growth time peaks now and slowly declines towards the Autumn Equinox. The Feminine half of the year begins to ascend now.
I realize I am “North centric” living in the Northern Hemisphere. To all the Southern Hemi-folks, winter is beginning and the Masculine time of the year of increasing starts its reign.
We are always in this yin/yang balance. Every night half the world is awake and bathed in light and the other half is asleep in the darkness of night. We are more aware of this now than ever before.
The Solstice points are major markers. This is an important turning point to stop and plan your intentions until the Autumn Equinox at least. It’s also a good time to take stock of how the seeds you planted at the Spring Equinox have taken, grown and flourished or not. It may be time for much weeding and fertilizing to get the crop you want.
While the sun is traveling through Cancer we are under the rulership of the Moon, our emotions and FEELINGS. Cancer is the first water sign, symbolized by the crab. In Ancient Egypt it was seen as two turtles. Our bodies are 70% water. Cancer represents the womb, our mothers, and the oceans of the earth from where all life started. Cancer is also the dark void of pure potential, home, emotional security and safety.
Cancer symbolizes the unconscious, the wellspring, the cup, vessel and Holy Grail, the dream world, and our unconscious memories, stored in our cellular consciousness. The emotional realm is a karmic realm, according to Buddhist teachings, and emotions are the glue that draws us back into the physical plane. A Tibetan Buddhist teacher taught that we are all our mothers, literally. We actually felt and experienced every emotion she ever felt her entire life from when she came into existence in her own mothers’ womb as a single egg. There is an emotional string of pearls of wisdom within you with which you can find your way home to source and your own genetic ancestry.
Cancer is the Great Mother symbol in all of her most loving, nourishing and nurturing of aspects. We are all born of women and come through our mothers as the Moon’s physical body all women are ruled by the Moon specifically. Men also have a feminine side and they too feel the Moon’s subtle pull of psychic, intuitive, subtle and dream energies. The Solstice coincides with Father’s Day this year. Also symbolizing a rebalancing of the masculine and feminine energies.
TAROT CORRESPONDENCES
If you have a Tarot deck you can pull out the Major Arcana associated with the Moon and Cancer and ask to dialogue with their archetypal wisdom when you do your meditation-see below.
The Sign of Cancer itself is symbolized by Trump #7 The Chariot. The Moon is symbolized by Trump #2 The High Priestess and also by Trump #18 called The Moon which symbolizes Pisces. Trump # 3, The Empress is also associated as she is usually symbolized by a pregnant woman although she symbolizes Venus
Meditate at the time of the Solstice June 21 @ 3:07 am PDT/ 6:07 am EDT/ 10:07 p.m. GMT
Cancer symbolizes the Mother, I would see this solstice as a conception point to plan out your next three trimesters. The 1st from June 21 to Autumn Equinox. The second trimester goes from September 21 until Dec 21st Solstice, and the third ends at Spring 2019’s Equinox when the baby, which is whatever you intend to create will be born healthy and strong.
Have a notebook, device, candles and whatever symbolizes mothering on hand. A food offering of milk of any type should be set up. Moon cakes, an Asian specialty or moon shaped cookies would work too. Create a moon alter and place mirrors, water, flowers, dolphin or whale images, mermaids, and see below for other tools. Sea shells and sand dollars. There are two parts to this solstice ritual, one is in water, the other is with your moon alter.
Practical tools: Use these to amplify the resonance in your ritual.
Color: Silvery blue, silver or white. Use this for candles and to wear.
BODY PARTS: rules the stomach, breasts, uterus and digestion.
Metal is silver. Wear your finest silver, get out the silver candlesticks.
Gemstones: pearls, moonstones and emeralds traditionally. Chalcedony, carnelian, onyx and white=blue chrysoprase.
Power stone: sodalite. Talisman stone: sapphire.
Modern gems: chrysoprase, fire opals, super seven, topaz, amber.
Herbs: Eucalyptus and fenugreek
Essential oils: rose, lily
FLOWERS: white roses, water and all lilies, morning glories,
Herbs: Tarragon, verbena, saxifrage. Milk thistle, dandelion.
Angels: Gabriel, Hebrew letter Gimel, {a camel} Rules the first heaven Shamayim, means water.
Egyptian name: Hathor
Greek Goddess: Selene, Diana,
All mother Goddesses: Mary, Ceres, Demeter, and Artemis, Selene,
Fixed Stars of Constellation Cancer: Sirius, The Beehive,
Animals: all marine creatures: dolphins, whales, seals, fish, carbs and animals with shells, turtles and snails.
Foods: mother’s milk, all milks, watery fruits and vegetables, white veggies:
Plants: all water plants, lotus.
Spirit: Undines
SOLSTICE WATER MEDITATION
Water is the prime element of Cancer. Take a ritual bath , anytime, day or night. It’s time to return to the womb and rebirth oneself. Make sure the water is close to body temperature. Put essential oils of rose, eucalyptus or lavender in the bath. If your mother wore a specific perfume you may want to spritz that around. Put white foaming bubble bath to symbolize the sea and rose petals. If you have a heartbeat drumming track then put that on in the background.
Immerse yourself in the bath. Dunk your head under the water. Close your eyes and sink into your own uterine memories of being inside your mother’s womb. Remember the feeling of absolute security, safety, peace, the darkness, with the sound of your mother’s heartbeat. Not everyone has had safe comfortable experiences in the womb. If you had a difficult connection with your mother in utero or in your life or were adopted or feel rejected, you need to call upon the symbol and archetypal energy of the Great Mother at this time to hold you, to nurture you and to bring you feelings of safety and security for being loved and complete simply for existing. Her love is unconditional. The Great Mother can be Mary in the Christian Tradition, or Ceres, Gaia, the Earth Herself, your own mother or allow a Mother figure to come to you. She offers the ultimate and only true place of emotional “homeland security “and peace, in the arms of the Great Mother on a spiritual level.
Allow yourself to feel. This is what Cancer is: emotions. Rock yourself gently, hear the heartbeat of the Great Mother as your own heartbeat. Let that heartbeat envelope you.
Sink into the feeling of safety. From this place of feeling safe and whole. Ask yourself what do you need to nurture now? What will nourish you? A relationship? A skill? What do you need to create, give your heart to? A person, a job, an idea? Allow the feelings and sensation to guide you. If you aren’t a visual person, sense it in your stomach. Rub your breasts. Love your tummy whatever shape it is in and your breasts. Adore your womb whether you have had children or not. Men have a spirit womb as do women who have had hysterectomies. Get out slowly thanking the water spirits and the Great Mother and the Moon for being with you. Dry off and reflect.
The 2nd part of the Meditation
Create your moon alter and make it beautiful. Wear white or silver. If you can be out in nature near a body of water, a lake, the ocean, a river or pond that is great If not sit by your prepared alter. Breathe into your belly and breast and uterus. Meditate and ask for images, feelings and sensations to come up. Call upon the High Priestess as she is the Archetypal go-between between the unconscious and conscious realms.
The Moon rules our dreams. You will need to keep a dream journal. Do intend to work with your dreams over the moon’s cycle every night.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
CANCER rules the stomach. And cancer’s love to cook and to eat. Cancer is also sentimental. Prepare something your mother used to cook for you that you love perhaps. It can be simple, jello? It is also Father’s Day this year and Cancer is all about family and nurturing so have a big or small family gathering. If you have no family, cook for your friends or strangers. Do something special for a children’s organization or devote some time to helping out in a hospital, food bank or helping take care of older women or men.
Dr. Masaru Emoto taught that water is affected by our emotions. The oceans are very polluted from Fukushima and plastic and other pollutants. Thousands of seals, whales, and fish are dying en masse in the Pacific. Visualize healing energy to the oceans, the lakes, especially the Alberta Tar Sands in Canada, and all waterways. Droughts and water shortages not just in California but in many parts of the world will become more severe. Conserve water during this Cancer month especially. Be conscious of how we are 70% water. We take it for granted. It is the water of Life itself. Honor it and your own feelings and intuition.
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