Dear Friends,
At eleven minutes past midnight on Sunday the 4th, the Moon (12° Cancer) will reach its monthly conjunction with Mars. Also in Cancer, this aspect was present at the birth of John the Baptist, whose personal will (Moon) knelt willingly before his mission as the proclaimer of the coming of the Word (Mars) incarnate.
While the Moon’s rulership of the zodiacal sign of Cancer suggests an obvious affinity between planet and sign, the term ‘planetary ruler’ fosters the unfortunate tendency to think of the ruling planet as having influence over the zodiacal sign. This notion, however, defies hierarchy. Let us therefore consign it—post haste—to the trash heap!
The degree of our conjunction coincides with Praesepe, the central Cancer asterism, which is also known as ‘the Manger’. (At this same longitude, a pair of stars flanks Praesepe: Asellus Borealis, the ass above the manger; and Asellus Australis, the ass below the manger.) This is a precious region of the zodiac, as we can surmise by imagining within it the crib of the Redeemer. The spiraling arms of the Cancer sigil surround and protect its center, much like the arms of a mother around her child. What dwells at the center of the ‘inner Crab’ of each of us is whatever we deem most precious.
Shortly after midday, the Moon (19° Cancer) will reach its First Quarter—as the Sun finds 19° Aries, its point of exaltation within the zodiacal round. This is the single degree, among the 360, at which the Sun finds its greatest strength of expression! The Ram’s qualities of individuality and independence thoroughly support the Sun’s longing to simply ‘be itself’. When we are living in accordance with the zodiacal sign and astrological house of our natal Sun, we feel at ease—as if we’re following the magnetic needle of our compass, wherever it might lead us—while simultaneously wearing precisely the right attire for the occasion.
The Moon’s degree as it reaches its First Quarter aligns with the star Acubens, the star-claw of the Crab. Let this be a reminder of the tenacious force of will that often resides within those born under a strong Cancer influence!
On Monday, conditions will be excellent for witnessing the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. The Eta Aquarids, along with the autumn Orionids, are generated when the Earth passes through debris from the comet Halley. At 0240, the Moon—so often an impediment to meteor viewing—will move from the sky above us, into the sky below. At nearly this same moment, the constellation Aquarius (the apparent radiant of the shower) will rise into view in the east. Ask Jeeves to kindly make you some hot cocoa, and slip outside to enjoy the show!
Mercury enters Aries on Wednesday: Lay hold of forces weaving. At this degree—the ‘alpha’ of the zodiac—Mercury recalls the immaculate conception of the Nathan Jesus. At this moment, Anne Catherine beheld Mary upon her knees, praying for redemption and for the promised king:
She knelt long, as if in ecstasy, her face raised to heaven; then she drooped her head upon her breast and thus continued her prayer. And now she glanced to the right and beheld a radiant youth with flowing, yellow hair. It was the archangel Gabriel. His feet did not touch the ground. In an oblique line, and surrounded by an effulgence of light and glory, he came floating down to Mary. The lamp grew dim, for the whole room was lighted up by the glory.
The angel, with hands gently raised before his breast, spoke to Mary. I saw the words like letters of glittering light issuing from his lips. Mary replied, but without looking up. Then the angel spoke—and Mary, as if in obedience to his command, raised her veil a little, glanced at him, and said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done unto me according to thy word!”
. . . I saw an apparition of the Holy Spirit. The countenance was human, and the whole apparition was environed by dazzling splendor—as if surrounded by wings. I saw three streams of light issuing from its breast and hands. They penetrated the right side of the blessed Virgin and united into a single stream under her heart. At that moment, Mary became perfectly transparent and luminous.
. . . While the angel (and with him, streams of glory) vanished, I saw down the path of light that led up to heaven. Showers of half-blown roses and tiny green leaves were falling upon Mary. Entirely absorbed, she saw in the Incarnate Son of God: a tiny, human form of light . . . perfect, even to the little fingers. [Visions, vol. 1, p. 183]
Have a glorious week beneath the stars!
~ Julie H.
Image: Fra Angelico, The Annunciation, ca. 1430–32