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Intro To The Cancer Archetype
There are only a few hours left of the Cancer Moon to write at least the first draft of the intro to this article, and, well, I don’t feel like doing it. In fact, I haven’t felt like doing it all weekend.
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Feeling like this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; sometimes, we all need a break to recharge and reflect before we can get things done right.
Furthermore, this feeling of just wanting to chill out is quite fitting for a Cancer Moon transit and, as a Cancer Rising, I’m certainly familiar with it. You see, the Moon rules Cancer, so when the Moon moves through its home sign, our feelings may become more pronounced.
In addition, getting cozy with a good book or, in my case this weekend, several enticing baseball games, a book, and several pleasant naps sometimes feels better than struggling to find the words to write a blog post.
Engaging with language is certainly appropriate for Gemini, and I’ve certainly enjoyed this activity during this Gemini Season, but Gemini’s buzzy, communicative energy can also lead to mental burnout, especially when we start taking the task of turning our thoughts into clear words too seriously. Gemini invites us to remain curious and playful, but when we get too serious about its desire to communicate and end up frustrated, it can be helpful to turn to the archetype of Cancer.
One of the great gifts of learning the archetypes of the Zodiac is recognizing that each sign “corrects” the behavior of its previous sign. Thus, while Gemini is all about buzzy energy and communication, Cancer is like a cosmic chill pill, an invitation to slow down and check in with our feelings. And sometimes those feelings are begging to be heard, pronouncing, “I need a break, man, you’re going too hard!”
So, no, I won’t feel guilty about procrastinating writing this intro. My favorite philosopher, Alan Watts, said there’s no such thing as wrong feelings, only wrong actions taken because of those feelings. And, well, I can think of many worse things a guy can do than vegging out with some baseball and reading.
But that’s not all I’ve been doing. This Cancer Moon transit has helped me connect with my feelings after being rather lost in my thoughts this week. This makes sense because Cancer is the first of our three Water signs, and Water signs are connected to feelings.
In the case of Cancer, the feelings we are accessing are distinctly ours and, to a lesser extent, those of the people in our immediate environment, especially our family. Like a crab with its hard shell protecting its soft interior, sometimes Cancer asks us to set a hard boundary against the world, and that can include responsibilities like writing blog posts. We set those boundaries to create a safe environment to truly engage with our feelings and to find out what our heart says before we leave that safe world rejuvenated, more heart-connected, and ready to take the stage of fiery, expressive Leo Season.
With that all said, my Capricorn nature—I have the Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter in Capricorn, plus the North Node of the Moon—can be a bit obsessed with Time, and it’s telling me to quit wasting both mine and yours, so let’s get to the astrology of Cancer Season 2024, shall we?
An Overview of the Month
For this 2024 Cancer Season, the astrological energies invite us to slow down, especially in the first part of the month when the Sun, Mercury, and Venus are all in Cancer after their stay in Gemini.
Second, about one-third of the way into Cancer Season, two outer planets—Saturn and Neptune—will join Pluto in retrograde motion. Briefly, planets in retrograde can express themselves more introvertedly than when they are moving direct.
As we move further into Cancer Season, things will start heating up again, with Mercury (July 2) and Venus (July 12) moving into Leo, followed by a potentially explosive meeting between fiery Mars and revolutionary Uranus in Taurus (July 15), right in time for the three-day Republican National Convention (RNC) from July 15-18 in Milwaukee, as though American politics needs any help being wild.
Not to worry, folks. An intuitive iguana disguised as a toilet bowl cleaner in Mar-A-Lago is employed on my diverse staff, and he’s sure to keep me—and, by extension, you—informed about what’s really going on behind the scenes in Trump Town.
For now, let’s not worry ourselves over such trifling matters as presidential politics, and let’s turn to a more focused, week-by-week look at the astrology of Cancer Season.
A (Too-Long) Note On The Astro Data, And a Request For Feedback
Before we get into the week-by-week breakdown, I have three requests from you, reader, about the best way to list the astrological data in these monthly preview articles. I’ll explain my logic for why I chose the format I used for this month in the following section. (Feel free to skip ahead to the week-by-week breakdown if you’re pressed for time or you don’t care about these finer details).
Should I list the data for the whole month at the top of the month-by-month breakdown as I did in the Aries Season and Taurus Season posts, or do you like it as it is both in this post and in the Gemini Season post?
What time zone should I use?
Should I include the signs that the planets are in? For example, “Mercury in Cancer trines Saturn in Pisces.” Or should I simply use “Mercury trines Saturn”?
Please use the comments to answer those questions if you have feelings about them.
Digging A Bit Deeper Into Why I’m Choosing the Format For This Month
First, the reason this blog will continue to list astrological data is I want this blog to be useful as a reference source for readers. It does take me time to put it together, but I think it’s worth it.
And on this one, no matter the feedback, I’ll continue to list the data. That’s because I use the blog in this way, often checking it to see what’s coming up and to look at charts for key astrological moments.
For question #1, I prefer listing the data at the start of each week. I find it’s easier to understand the text of the week with the data right before it.
Also, listing all of the data for the month in one big block isn’t as aesthetically pleasing and may cause readers to stop reading.
I don’t feel strongly about this decision, so again, I welcome your feedback and can be convinced to change my mind if there’s enough preference for the other way.
Question #2 requires a bit more explanation. This month, I’ve changed the times and dates to Japan Standard Time from UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, basically London’s time).
I did this because I use this blog as a reference point and I’m tired of having to translate UTC into JST in my head every time I come here. (I’m justifying doing this for the Cancer Season post because Cancer is, at least in modern astrology, related to the Fourth House, the house of Home, and my home is currently in Japan.)
However, I fear using JST might be confusing for people.
For example, if you live on the West Coast of the United States, where I have my roots, the dates I’ve listed may be “one day ahead” of your local time.
If there’s enough reader feedback saying they prefer UTC or some other time zone, I’m happy to consider changing it. However, if JST bugs you but you don’t speak up, it will remain JST! (Yes, I’m encouraging you to engage in the Comments section, even if it is with a complaint!).
Last, for question #3, I prefer listing the astrological moments with the signs, even if it does make the data sections longer. I prefer this because it is important to know that a Mercury trine Saturn aspect has Mercury in Cancer and Saturn in Pisces. The signs add important archetypal flavor to aspects.
Again, I’m not wedded to this, though I’d say I feel reasonably strongly that this is the right decision. Thus, if you really think the other way is better, it’s up to you to let me know, and don’t be bashful in expressing your full feelings. After all, it’s Cancer Season!
And on that note, thank you for your patience and feedback. Now, let’s get into the week-by-week breakdown before we drown under the pounding waves of my detail-focused Cancer Rising Sea! (Blame Mercury at 0 Capricorn, perhaps…)
Cancer Season Astro Data
Note 1: All dates are in Japan Standard Time (JST). To get all the charts and find the exact times in your area, go to June and July.
Note 2: The items with charts are this month’s most notable moments, which I’ll address in the article.
Note 3: When a planet enters a new sign, I’ve listed it in italics to help it stand out.
June 20-June 27: Confusion or Enlightenment?
June 21: Sun Enters Cancer, (5:51, chart),
June 22: Mercury in Cancer sextile Mars in Taurus (1:22), Full Moon in Capricorn (10:07, chart),
June 23: Mercury in Cancer square the North Node in Aries (5:55)
June 26: Venus in Cancer square the North Node in Aries (23:28)
June 27: Mercury in Cancer trine Saturn in Pisces (3:09)
Just before the Sun enters Cancer, it will make a square to Neptune in Pisces, so this month may start out with some residual, confusing energy. However, this could also reward those of you willing to slow down, give your analytical mind (Mercury) a rest, and use your imagination to feel into this energy. There could be treasures waiting, new ways of looking at things, especially if you’re willing to sit with—and surrender to—the paradoxical nature of reality.
And then, just one day later, as if Cancer Season 2024 wanted to honor its host, the Moon, we’ll have our first of three lunations of Cancer Season with our first of two Full Moons in Capricorn.
Capricorn Full Moons are asking us to check in on our work. How well are we honoring our integrity, how well are we using our time, how well are we getting sh*t done? With the Sun in Cancer, we can access our feelings to answer these questions, but remember that Capricorn is an Earth sign, so a Capricorn Full Moon is looking for grounded answers. It’s like something of a progress report, and considering this one is coming at the halfway point of the year, there’s a real invitation to look back at the first half of 2024 and give this Moon the answers it’s looking for.
In the end, while a Capricorn Moon may strike some as being a bit hard around the edges, as the “owner” of one, I can say that it’s ultimately looking out for you and it believes in you. Thus, if it seems like it’s setting high expectations, maybe ask yourself if there are things you could do to believe in yourself more. And to develop that self-confidence, doing a job well is one of the Capricorn Moon’s favorite methods.
However, if this one goes a bit roughly, don’t worry because we’ll get that second Capricorn Full Moon on July 21st. See, the Ol’ Cap Moon’s not such a hardass, after all!
During this time, there’s a supportive sextile between Mercury in Cancer and Mars in Taurus that may help us communicate our feelings directly and practically. Also, Jupiter is still in a loose Air sign trine with Pluto, which may bring some mental insights to the party. For the most part, this is a pretty positive Full Moon to begin Cancer Season, and it sets a tone for Cancer Season where we’ll likely be more in touch with our feelings than we’ve been in a while and also better able to communicate them clearly.
Later this week, both Mercury (6/23) and then Venus (6/26) make squares to the nodal Axis. This is an opportunity to reevaluate how we speak about the relational tensions between me (Aries) and we (Libra) and what we desire (Venus) from our connections with others. Some of these themes may have come up in the spring when Mercury (March 20) and Venus (April 17) crossed the North Node in Aries. Squares are indicative of turning points, which is why knowing about them and then working with them can lead to some very positive outcomes. This is where keeping a journal comes in handy if you want to put astrology to use!
June 28-July 4: The Big Energy Shift of The Month
June 29: Mercury in Cancer squares Chiron in Aries (2:58) Venus in Cancer sextiles Mars in Taurus (13:49)
June 30: Saturn in Pisces turns retrograde (4:06, chart), Mercury in Cancer sextiles Uranus in Taurus (11:19)
July 2: Neptune in Pisces turns retrograde (19:40, chart), Mercury in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces (20:53), Mercury enters Leo (21:50), Sun in Cancer squares the North Node in Aries (22:37)
July 3: Mercury in Leo sextiles Lilith in Libra (3:00), Venus in Cancer trines retrograde Saturn in Pisces (10:40), Mercury in Leo opposite Pluto in Aquarius (16:26)
Welcome to Retrograde Week, 2024. We’ll be entering it with a supportive sextile between determined Mars in Taurus and intuitive Venus in Cancer, and a more mellow Mercury in Cancer receiving some downloads from a sextile with high-minded Uranus in Taurus. What does that mean? How about an opportunity to speak clearly from the heart to someone you care about but who you have been having trouble connecting with recently?
Or it could be something as simple as finally getting to work on building that birdbath your significant other’s been asking you about. Whatever, keep your mind open to some insight from Uranus about projects relating to practical matters, give your idea a heartfelt voice, and then access that determined Mars to put your plan into action.
All of that said, the big news of this week—and perhaps this whole month—is Saturn and Neptune, two of the major players of our grand narrative in the middle 2020s, both “slowing down” and then “turning retrograde” in Pisces within a few days of each other.
I’m putting “slow down” and “turn retrograde” in quotes to address confusion and Neptunian misinformation from the scientific community about astrological ideas.
Of course, it’s true that these planets don’t have elves sitting on top of them and pulling on their reins as they downshift for the final corner of a race (though Uranus has now requested one after visualizing this image!), nor do they actually move backward through the sky. Nope, the planets keep doing their thing, moving at the same speed through space.
Instead, slowing down and then moving backward (“going retrograde”) is only what the planets appear to be doing from our perspective on Earth with the backdrop of the Zodiac behind them. You can also see this if you animate a chart on a horoscope on a computer or smartphone.
To understand the “slowing down” idea, let’s look at Saturn in 2024. In March 2024, Saturn went from 9°52’ Pisces to 13°33’ Pisces for a total of 3°41’. In June 2024, Saturn goes from only 18°43’ to 19°25’, not even traveling a full degree, and thus, it is “slowing down.” How might this show up in our world?
For one thing, with Neptune also slowing down and then turning retrograde on July 2nd (chart below), this could thicken the energies of this period, adding both gravitas (Saturn) and confusion (Neptune) to our lives.
With Neptune in the very final degree of the Zodiac in Pisces from May 3rd to September 2nd this year, our ability to make sense of the world is significantly challenged. News about how AI is changing the things we interact with in the media is a clear example of this.
On the other hand, for those who like their waters a bit mystical and aren’t afraid of a little paradox in their stew, Neptune’s final push through Pisces with Saturn joining the fray could be a real opportunity for turning some heady dreams into reality. Why not write that screenplay, or compose that epic poem? Saturn in Pisces transits (the mid-1990s, mid-1960s) have often resulted in some mind-blowing music and movies, and Neptune supporting it this time creates the potential for this period to be even more fruitful for such creations.
However, if all of that sounds a bit too far out for you, the good news is that once we get to July 2nd, Neptune will begin to swim back up from its deep dive into that final degree of Pisces. This means early July is about as thick as this particular stew will likely get in 2024.
However, this is all a preview of the next few years as Saturn and Neptune dance closer and closer in late Pisces/early Aries. Thus, these next few months and, in particular, this period around the start of July, is a great time to journal about what's happening in your life and what you're observing around you, as it can give you clues about navigating these tricky waters of 2025-6.
Our sense of reality is likely to be tested in ways we can't yet imagine, and one thing I'd advise is patience with yourself and others about how we are struggling to make sense of things. Furthermore, one thing I've noticed is that some people tend to project more confidence to cover up their confusion, and this is a recipe for miscommunication and even breaking relationships.
Ultimately, the Piscean Seas are ineffable, so humility and grace in our communications can go a long way.
July 5-July 12: An Intuitive, Sensory Opportunity to Go Deep
July 6: Mars in Taurus sextiles retrograde Saturn in Pisces (4:02), New Moon in Cancer (7:57, chart), Venus in Cancer squares Chiron in Aries (15:32)
July 8: Venus in Cancer sextiles Uranus in Taurus (20:03), Mercury in Leo sextiles Jupiter in Gemini (23:25)
July 9: Mercury in Leo trines North Node in Aries (14:53)
July 10: Retrograde Pluto in Aquarius trines Lilith in Libra (9:49)
July 11: Venus in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces (23:31), Sun in Cancer trines retrograde Saturn in Pisces (12:04)
July 12: Venus enters Leo (1:19), Jupiter in Gemini sextiles North Node in Aries (19:42)
Our second lunation of Cancer Season 2024, the New Moon in Cancer on July 6, looks to be another generally supportive moon phase, with a trine to Saturn in Pisces and a sextile to Mars in Taurus. This is an excellent opportunity to do some personal, spiritual work, and with Mars in earthy Taurus, accessing our senses and the energies of Mother Nature, perhaps with something as simple as a walking meditation, could be a great way to seed your New Moon projects for this month.
Near the end of this week, there’s more of this watery, intuitive goodness when Venus in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces. For the most part, this looks like a week with lots of supportive, healing energy if you’re willing to take the time to access it.
With Pluto making an out-of-sign opposition to Venus, these days around July 11 also could support a guided journey with plant medicine to access some of the shadows we all have. It could also be a period to go deep within your soul and shatter the world with some primal music, a la Janis Joplin who had a Venus-Pluto opposition in her natal birth chart. While “Piece of My Heart” might be the more on-the-nose song to represent this archetypal energy, this post is about the beginning of summer, so let’s go with “Summertime,” okay? (Either way, ya can’t go wrong!)
July 13-July 21: A Fiery Preview of Leo Season?
July 13: Venus in Leo sextiles Lilith in Libra (6:32)
July 15: Sun in Cancer squares Chiron in Aries (20:43), Mars in Taurus conjunct Uranus in Taurus (23:04, chart)
July 18: Sun in Cancer sextiles Uranus in Taurus (22:59)
July 19: Mercury in Leo trines Chiron in Aries (8:56)
July 20: Venus in Leo trines North Node in Aries (9:11)
July 21: Mars in Taurus sextiles Neptune in Pisces (0:16), Mars enters Gemini (5:43), Full Moon in Capricorn (19:16, chart)
July 22: Venus in Leo sextiles Jupiter in Gemini (5:42), Mercury in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus (7:20)
END as July 22: Sun Enters Leo (16:45)
For the most part, with Mars sticking to its practical duties in Taurus, where it chills out after transiting through its home sign of Aries, Cancer Season 2024 is less charged than what we’ve been through in 2024. However, as the month goes on, the intensity of the July 15th Mars-Uranus conjunction in late Taurus will continue to build.
Neither planet is particularly comfortable in Fixed Earth Taurus, and Mars-Uranus meetings always offer the potential for explosive expressions, either in our psychologies or even in the elements around us, especially with this meeting in Taurus. Could we see news of volcanic eruptions or earthquakes around this time?
And speaking of mundane events, it really does seem like the schedulers of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions could do us all a favor and employ a halfway-decent astrologer because both conventions this summer take place during some of the most challenging, potentially explosive energies of the summer. We’ll get to the DNC in the Leo Season 2024 post, but for now, don’t be surprised if something shocking happens at the RNC.
In fact, one of my new hobbies, thanks to Dan Waites of the World Astrology Report YouTube channel, is watching remote viewers make predictions. If you don’t know about remote viewing, Dan does a good job in this video of explaining it. The short of it is remote viewing is a paranormal ability developed by the US intelligence communities in which a person can gather information about a distant unseen target, and such targets can be located across both space and time (or both).
Anyway, I’ve known about it for about 30 years from my days of listening to the classic late-night Art Bell show when he’d have remote viewers on to tell us what they saw coming. In early June, I saw my YouTube algorithm offer this video of a remote viewer in which he sees some absolute chaos at the RNC. I’ll let you be the judge of how much you invest into this sort of thing; my invitation here is more to do a little experiment about the efficacy of remote viewing by watching this man’s report and then, when the RNC happens from July 15-18, see what happens.
To finish this aside, my strong belief is that the future is never set in stone. Thus, when people see things in the future, no matter how psychically gifted or well-trained they are at things like remote viewing, they are merely observing one possibility among many. Thus, I don’t let such forecasts fill me with fear, hope, or anything. Instead, they make me curious about the power of the human mind, the nature of reality and just how exactly Time works.
Okay, getting back to the astrology of July 13-21, the Moon decides to put on one more show to close the month with its second Full Moon in Capricorn. Go back and re-read the entry for the first week of the month and see if you might work with those energies more productively this time, eh? After all, a Capricorn Moon finds pride in productive humans, so let’s see if we can make it happy!
In addition, I did a recent podcast episode which resulted from a restless night where I was pondering how transits through the sign of Capricorn by the outer planets have coincided with shaking things up in our world over the past 40 years. My intuition is telling me that having two Full Moons in Capricorn is an astrological message that with Pluto finally leaving Capricorn this fall, we may be in for some large changes to our reality between now and then.
Only time will tell, but this second Capricorn Moon sure seems like an invitation to really think back on what the world was like before 1984 (if you were here) and then see if that belief you sometimes have that “things never change” is really true or not. (Listen to that podcast episode if you want more clarification on what this paragraph was trying to say!)
What stands out to me about this chart is how much it looks like the chart that a well-regarded astrologer saw coming in early 2026 which he thought was the most positive astrological lineup of this century. You can learn more about it on that video. Anyway, since this post has gone longer than I’d intended—-my excuse is I am writing it in Gemini Season!—I’ll just reiterate that this looks like another positive Moon chart, and like the Astrological Gods are giving you another chance to work with the productive Capricorn Moon energies as you head into the rest of your summer.
Conclusion
So there we have it! We’ve made it through Cancer Season, it’s now July 22nd and we’re at the end of this first third of the astrological year, which means the Sun has traveled through all Four elements—Fire (Aries Season), Earth (Taurus Season), Air (Gemini Season), and Water (Cancer Season). As we prepare to move into Leo Season, it’s time to consider deepening our process with the second round through the elements that will take us to November.
Returning to the Now as Cancer Season kicks off, I hope you enjoy the opportunities to slow down, reflect, and feel the energies of our journey through Cancer Season. We’ll see you again in a month!
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