Sun Enters Cancer
Sun Enters Cancer
20th PDT 7:42 PM / 21st AEST 12:42 PM
The sun enters Cancer, marking the solstice (Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere). Etymologically, the word solstice derives from 'sol', the Latin word for 'sun', and the past participle stem of 'sistere', meaning 'to stand still' or 'take a stand'. Regardless of the hemisphere you hail from, the sun is on pause. It’s a good day to take a cue from the sun, to pause and show some appreciation for that big ball in the sky that nurtures our planet and sustains life.
The classic advice for Cancer season is to slow down, to nest, to heed your animal instincts (resting, eating and hydrating are all naturally important now). This is accurate in one respect — we’re coming out of Gemini season, where emotions can be bypassed in the social shuffle. In air seasons, we’re inclined to get sidetracked by news or irrelevant gossip, or become absorbed in the latest fads. So, when Cancer season comes along, things seem more settled by contrast.
But this is the season when the sun is governed by the shapeshifting moon. Cancer is a cardinal sign – it *initiates*. It asks us to take action, but to what end? Consider the power that lies within Cancer: the power to defend, to protect, to shelter, even to endure. The sun’s entrance to Cancer is an invitation to slow down, yes, but we’re tasked to slow down so we can FEEL it ALL and then DO something with it. This is a moment for deep presence and embodiment — for intimacy with self and with others. What is feeding you — relationally, nutritionally, emotionally? Alternatively, how are you feeding others? When you stand still long enough to peer within, you’ll probably discover that you are already doing a lot more on empathic reflex than you give yourself credit for.
Written by Evelyn Zuel
