New Moon in gemini
I am finishing this writing on July 4th. I left this article to follow my body to a protest at Honeywell organized by a group called Healthcare Workers for Palestine here in the Twin Cities. Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg said, “There is no better place to be on the 4th than in front of a weapons manufacturer, saying no to war and yes to life.” Doctors, nurses, activists, and musicians led us in grounding on Dakota land and honoring the connection between Gaza and Mnisota Makoce. We sang songs of liberation, heard poems and speeches from healthcare workers about the horrors of this genocide and the duty to stand against harm to anyone, and re-dedicated ourselves to the fight for global peace. It was rainy and beautiful and I got to meet some really cool people who are “pledging allegiance to the Earth.”
What does this new moon in Cancer mean for us as abolitionists? As people who are working toward an end to war, prison, and all that is not aligned with a love ethic on this planet we call home? We know that nourishing our Soul means accepting the gift of engaging in this work and bringing about the future we were sent here to create.
We are in a story of three moons, this new moon in Cancer on July 5th sandwiched between two full moons in Capricorn on June 21 and July 21. The last Capricorn full moon invited us to release anything in the way of our responsibility towards ourselves as a gift to the world. This has been challenging, which can of course be both exciting and frustrating. Take a moment to reflect on this waning- what have you let go of (or tried to let go of) in the last few weeks? How has it landed in your body/ in your life? Where can you point to see how this has or has not changed your actions?
This new moon in Cancer is calling in what our gift needs for nourishment, inviting us to build that nourishment into the ritual of our lives with grace and intention and healing justice. Then we wax toward another Capricorn full moon-another climb, another summit. We are encountering an incredible number of opportunities to kick out societal conditioning gunk and (re)connect to our responsibility toward ourselves, the Earth, and our fellow beings with more space for the kind of revolutionary love needed in this moment.
Sextile Mars in Taurus and trine Neptune in Pisces, who just stationed retrograde Tuesday, the energy to do this work is available and a bit weird. Mars wants to run and Taurus is more of a slow and steady plod. Integration is hard work and Taurus wants to hold on to every gain it makes, asking “what’s the next move?” and “am I ready to move now?” The answers are ours to grapple with, but with Neptune retrograde they are not easy to decipher. The path forward might be quite foggy, might be easier said than done, might feel hard to grasp or hold on to. It also might be something we tried before and we’re being beckoned to consider it from a new perspective.
These lessons often spiral, we learn them again and again in new contexts and through different mediums. Mars in Taurus can be helpful here, energy to dig in your heels, plod through the fog and move in the direction of your values at your own pace. Respect how you are resourced- in spirit, in body, in mind, in heart. Respect that there are ways in which our flow meets barriers and remember that water (Cancer) wears down rock. If we’re authentic in our attempts to align our values with our lives, we strengthen our position by remaining fluid. Try, and see what happens. Show up! This trial should be built on one lesson or story or theme you are looking to explore at the moment.
“Am I the only one here in a lesson, a coughing sputtering thrash, a struggle to stay who I thought I was, ignorant to what evolution has already written inside me? I feel out of my depth, but how would I know?”
From Undrowned by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
I am in a lesson of knowing my capacity for care is not the same as my conditioned impulse to fix everything. During this waning I’ve encountered so many opportunities to practice! Of course I have failed many times but I always remember and that’s where the new moon in Cancer is pointing- my body remembers. Cancer is the sign of home, family, and ancestral guidance and who gifted me this body, my only true home? Venus is with Sun and Moon in Cancer, the planet associated with beauty and justice and also the senses. I feel it in my body when I reach for connection to “help” rather than love. I feel it in my body when stuck in a story that says I am the only one who sees the truth and the urgency of it. I feel it in my body when I try too hard to direct the vibe and miss what’s actually happening in this moment. This external conditioning is not aligned to my abolitionist values and my body is alerting me, “This doesn’t feel good! Can we try something else?”
All I can do is listen to my body and let it be the divine guide it is purposed to be. The conscious aspects of this work are being planted in the dark soil of this nourishing new moon and I am choosing to water with love for my ancestors, my inner child, and the land, our original body who remembers and helps us remember so much.
Mercury is in Leo opposite Pluto retrograde in Aquarius. Accept the lesson, creatively engage with what you are learning (write about it, paint about it, dance about it, read about it, talk about it, etc.), and share that creation. Express what you’re learning. Sharing is what makes it ceremony. Sharing is how we all wake up.
What lessons are surfacing for you in this story of three moons? Are you noticing opportunities for practice and are you practicing? How are you building the care you need in order to practice into your daily life? Do you have someone to share this learning with? Now is the time to consider these questions and your role to play in the great story.
Some suggestions for this new moon weekend:
Swim in a lake
Cook a meal and offer some to whoever walks with you on this journey toward wholeness
Nap nap nap, dream dream dream (you can ask for Dreamland to offer opportunities to practice, if you have capacity!)
Sing softly or loudly
Lay in the grass
Wear your favorite clothes
Inner child visualization- imagine your little one wherever they love being or gravitate towards; physical objects they need, vibrational energy they need, words they need; spend time giving, make it fun, notice moments of reciprocity in this relationship, let this care lead the way from dark to light and back again
Listen to “Spells from the Unknown” by Ahlay Blakely, “No Thank You” by Little Simz, “Bismillah” by Peter Cat Recording Co., “Sun Without the Heat” by Leyla McCalla
Whatever you choose to do, remember the Earth holds you and all of us. Nourish your gift with love. Let your body be your guide. Go with grace.
Peace, Olivia
