“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”― Maya Angelou

The Moon in watery, family-oriented Cancer brings emotional interactions front and center this month. Some of those interactions will touch us deeply. Some will be destructive, and some will form a foundation of expanded awareness and empathy on which we can build a new and better way of life.

The more awareness and control we have over our emotional states, the more likely it is that we will limit the destruction to what needs to be eliminated, and bring hitherto untapped resources back up from the depths of our individual and collective souls.

It’s clear that we do have some ability to control our emotions. On the negative end of that scale, we find control in the form of repression, deflection, and projection onto others of emotions we don’t want to deal with.

On the brighter side, we can control by consciously choosing to express or not express an emotion in the moment depending on circumstances, by thinking through and changing some of the thoughts and beliefs behind those emotions, and by channelling the power of our emotions into authentic, creative expression.

And then there are the emotions we can’t seem to control at all, and those are always worth looking at closely, because they are messengers and teachers arising from our subconscious and often from our soul.

A few paragraphs for the astrological insights, then we’ll consider what we can expect and create in the upcoming month using the opportunities promised by this chart.

(The astrology: Chart is cast for July 9, 9:16 pm EDT, Washington, DC. Angles and houses of this chart apply to the whole USA, and only to the USA. Recast to the capital of your country/state/county/town to get local insights. Planetary placements and aspects are global.

Here’s what I’m looking at:

The NM in Cancer, with the Moon in its domicile, is in a still-a-bit-wide but approaching opposition to Pluto — a focus on power, destruction, and regeneration within family/tribe/homeland highlighting our emotional connections with each other.

Mars and Venus are conjunct in Leo, suggesting the need for individual expression which, in some folks, may show itself in self-focused, self-important behavior. But this is a highly creative aspect, so expect enthusiastic and unusual artistic expression (note the square to Uranus). Also, there will be drama. With Leo, there is always drama.

Of course, the Saturn-Uranus square is still within orb as it will be through most of next year. So the struggle continues between old ways and new, conservative and progressive, solid structure and creative chaos.

There is a lovely trine between Mercury and Jupiter, both in their domicile, enhancing our conversations about philosophy and religion.)

Over the next month we will be dealing with lots of highly-charged emotions — our own, and/or other’s. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice controlling our emotions instead of repressing them, expressing ourselves without wounding others, and protecting ourselves when necessary against the waves of emotional energy that are likely to be breaking all around us.

Deeply felt emotions have tremendous power — for good or harm.

Emotions are the fuel of magic, and of art. We feel them in response to the words and actions of others, and they are triggered by the inner patterns of our minds. They drive our actions, and overcome our attempts at rational behavior.

Emotions defy definition. We can’t explain them fully — when we share them with others it is more a question of telepathy than words. Which is a hint that they can be a doorway to a more expanded way of being, instead of a tripwire on the path to personal and spiritual growth.

While our rational minds have brought us a long way, they are far from being able to encompass the universe, or even just human experience. There are some things we are simply not able to understand rationally, at least not yet, any more than Stone Age humans could understand the principles of calculus having not yet reached an understanding of basic mathematics.

But our inner experiences — in meditation, magic, and moments of pure grace — tell us that there is a larger, loving reality, an expanded Consciousness of which we are an inseparable part. It is this overarching Consciousness in which we and this entire universe “live, move, and have our being”.

Our experiences of expanded awareness offer us a vision of a better world. That vision is the first step towards its creation.

The only way we can touch the reality that exists beyond the reach of our reason is through symbol, emotion, and the practice of awareness. So it’s definitely worth spending some time this month exploring your own emotional reality, and trying to understand and empathize with the emotional reality of others.

Journaling is a big help in this process, as is meditation. And don’t let go of your reasoning mind while you’re traveling beyond it. We need it to live in this world. In fact, if you are feeling overwhelmed by emotion, or having a hard time grounding, you may find meditation in nature and/or discursive meditation helpful. (See this for a primer. I also cover different types of meditation in "Touch the Earth, Kiss the Sky"

Of course, we can’t address emotional issues without addressing boundaries and defenses. (Astrologers: note the T-square between Saturn, Uranus, and Venus and Mars.) We may be breaking down defenses and ignoring boundaries, or building them up. But we’ll definitely be dealing with them — our own and other’s — and it will feel personal.

Spend some time paying attention to your own boundaries and defenses, determining which are healthy, and which you are hiding behind because you fear being seen, or harmed, or abandoned.

When you find yourself dealing with the defenses of others, try not to react immediately to their problematic words and/or actions. While it’s important to respect other people’s boundaries, it’s also important to try to understand the reasons they are putting up defenses, to express some empathy, and hopefully get them to let down those defenses enough so some real communication can happen.

While there are undoubtedly some real jackasses in the world who simply aren’t worth the effort to connect with, most folks are pretty decent when they aren’t afraid. Getting past defenses — yours and theirs — to authentic expression tends to make the world a better place.

Understanding the reasons for our own defenses doesn’t just help us grow personally, it helps us empathize and connect with others on that important emotional level. It leads us to nurture and care for each other, and the world needs a lot more of that right now. This month is a good time to make that happen.

As always, keep in mind that while this New Moon will affect us all, it will affect us in different ways and different areas of our lives. If you’d like to know what’s going on in your own chart, contact me, and we’ll set up a consultation.