The Cancer Ingress this year falls on June 21st at 1:16 PM EDT, and provides us with a strong but tense chart urging us to come to terms with a lot of interacting energy.
The chart has a (slightly wide) “grand cross”, four planets all making squares and oppositions to each other. Mercury in Cancer completes the T-square of Saturn in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn, which is square Uranus in Aries, which is, in turn, opposite Saturn and (widely) square Mercury, which is also opposite Pluto.
Head spinning yet?
The Grand Cross pattern is always one that asks us to integrate and adjust the planetary energies involved, and we can get discouraged in trying to do so as they all seem to be pushing us in, well, directions that are either opposite the ones we think we need to go in, or are pulling us off on a tangent from those directions. It’s often rather glibly suggested that we should “integrate” these energies, but there is seldom an easy or simple way to do that. More often, we feel like we’re being pulled apart like the Medieval torture of being drawn and quartered. But there are ways to pull these energies back together, first by understanding them individually, and then evaluating them in their aspects to each other. And the rest of the chart will also provide additional resources to balance these energies.
Since Mercury is the fastest of these, filling in the “empty” leg of a slower moving T-Square, we’ll consider him last.
Saturn opposite Uranus continues the struggle between order and chaos. Saturn is often considered to be the “old” order, and Uranus the drive to make sudden (and sometimes not well thought out) change. So there is pressure here to make changes – sometimes just for the sake of change! – versus a desire to remain with the tried and true old ways of doing things. It seems that change is needed, in whatever house Uranus sits at this time, but opposing that is a desire to stay in our comfort zone. Listen for what change is needed, but don’t rush into it. Conversely, be willing to move a bit out of that comfort zone, stretch your wings, and remain open to the idea of change.
Both of these planets are square Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto is even more about change than Uranus, and harder to ignore. That he sits in the sign ruled by Saturn definitely speaks about a need for change in the established order, in the usual way we do things. We’re being compelled to consider changes in routines and habits that we think are vital, and such changes are never easy or comfortable. Pluto doesn’t work that way. In what house does Pluto fall? That area of your life is where you’re being forced to let go of something, something that’s seemingly been an important part of your life for a long time. Pluto is saying that it’s been there too long, and no longer serves the purpose it once did. Time to let go of it, and open up some room in your life for something new, something more productive for your life.
Mercury zips through the empty leg for the Solstice chart, and brings along the energy to communicate the anxiety this T-square produces. Mercury’s energy can help us to identify and share the turmoil we’re in, and provides one way to deal with the tension. Whether we talk to a trusted confidante or to ourselves, verbalizing the options is one way to identify them so we can then evaluate them. There are always options even though we may not see them quickly or clearly. Since Mercury is in Cancer, his mental energy will be expressed in a way that is nurturing, caring, and protective, bringing our emotions into the mix along with our intellect. Indeed, even if Mercury was not causing the T-square to turn into a grand cross, one of the best ways to deal with the T-square is to look to the “empty leg” as an outlet for the energies, so Cancer would still be important. That Mercury is there provides us the energy to gather and process information. Try to do that before taking any of the actions the T-square pushes you towards.
Mars, the planet of dynamic energy, has just entered Gemini at the time of this solstice, and makes a tight square to Neptune, which is slowly backing out of Pisces before turning direct in November and making his solid entry into that Sign next April. Another challenging aspect here, and one between two energies that are also at odds, or, at least, not always a productive combination. Mars, of course, wants to do it now, no matter what it is. Neptune wants us to spend our time in dreams, dreams of an ideal that may or may not be attainable, but one that certainly is out of reach without some support to make it happen. While Mars can provide the energy to pressure those dreams, Mars doesn’t spend any time considering whether they are reachable or not, and doesn’t really care. Without some planning one could easily find one’s self going off on a tangent (it is a square!) instead of focusing one’s energy to reach Neptune’s goals. Neptune is trine the Sun and sextile Jupiter, offering us a way out. The area of your chart that contains 00 Cancer is being lit up by the Solstice Sun, and this area of life is where you need to be considering putting some extra effort into reaching your goals. Jupiter is at 03 Taurus, and where that falls in your natal chart (and aspects it might make to other natal planets) is highlighted as an arena that is ready to grow toward those dreams. Since Taurus is a Fixed Sign, not tremendously interested in change, you can use the dynamism of the grand cross to kick it loose to make some positive changes in your life at this time.
