Welcome to the Cancer New Moon, the time in the lunar month when our attention turns to home and family, roots and foundation, the past and memories. Cancer symbolically represents the base of the zodiac, which is to say it holds up both our lives and the sky. The new moon is exact on July 5, 2024 at 6:57 pm EDT, 14 degrees Cancer. That’s 3:57 pm Los Angeles, 11:57 pm London, 12:57 am Johannesburg on July 6, 4:27 am New Delhi, 8:57 am Sydney, and 10:57 am Auckland.
New moons are new beginnings. They are a reset and a renewal. They turn the page. They open up a chapter of time lived through the archetype of the sign. And a new moon in Cancer? We’re in a period in the lunar calendar when we’ve reached the first water sign, a sign and element that initiates us into the power of memory as well as the power of familial connections and emotional bonds.
Water creates imprints. Without it, we would have nothing that holds us, tethers us. Water also helps to transport us into new cycles and new beginnings. It is the element that brings us to fire, which is the first element and the spark of new beginnings.
We all need a place to call home. Of course life is not always so simple, but Cancer, symbolically speaking, marks this importance. Home is what anchors us. It creates the container for life. We may feel safe in our home … or we have heightened emotions because we are searching for home and the safety of a home.
Cancer doesn’t always get its due in astrology. But when we take a step back, we can see that its role in the wheel of life, also known as the zodiac, is fundamental.
For everyone, the Cancer New Moon opens a period of four weeks where we need to examine the role of home and family in our lives. Some may effortlessly spend the next four weeks with family members, enjoying the comforts of food shared amongst loved ones. Stories will be traded. Nostalgia will be felt. For others, it’s a serious look at our roots. Are we getting what we need? Do we feel safe and secure? For a few, it may be an emotional time as Cancer brings us back to memories that still haunts us despite the years. Can we use this new moon to let go?
This new moon is notable because it marks the midpoint of the eclipses, the time three months after a solar eclipse and three months before. Whatever is going on in our lives has its roots in the April 8 Aries solar eclipse. Events may also be a preview of the Libra solar eclipse to come on October 2. A relationship may be at a critical juncture.
Whatever does shift and change has support in the form of a Saturn trine. Saturn is like a steady hand, a paternal-like assistance in the ups and downs of life. Look to a mentor or an older figure who can help bring reinforcement.
In short, use this new moon to make positive changes in the home environment. Invite in the energy of renewal. Have a dinner party. Spend time with family or those who are like family, or even better than actual family. Get cozy at home. Take steps to answer, “Where is home and who is home?”