“I am the Great Mother – the Cosmic Womb
source of life – sonic boom
DNA of the immortal
stars align – portals open”

~~~lyrics to GMF (Great Mother Flow) by StaHHr

“. . . And the moon is swimming naked
and the summer night is fragrant
with a mighty expectation of relief.”

~~~Leonard Cohen
This month we begin the slow, steady return home to the source of life as the Sun glides through Cancer, the sign of The Great Goddess ruled by the silvery moon, queen of the night sky. Cancer the Crab is the sign associated with the maternal aspect of the divine. Until relatively recently most if not all cultures and indigenous peoples recognized and honored The Great Mother of All Life.

The Greeks and Romans began a shift to the masculine with male dominated pantheons, yet they still maintained a healthy respect and reverence for the feminine in the many goddesses that they acknowledged and worshiped. It was during the rise of the Judeo Christian religions that God was defined entirely as a male entity. This lop-sided approach to the divine has resulted in the dreadful imbalance that plagues every aspect of the modern world.  What is lacking is reverence for the feminine.

In our over valuing of the male approach to life we have created a culture of constant movement, ceaseless chatter, science without conscience, and endless pursuit of ego gratification with no consideration of soul satisfaction. Materialist science has also led to the hideous exploitation of women, children and the planet herself.
What could restore the Western world to sanity is a shift towards the feminine approach to life and a return to recognizing the sacredness of the feminine aspect of God.

This month affords us just such an opportunity. Jupiter, the massive planet of abundance, wisdom, faith and protection has just entered Cancer, sign of the universal mother, where it will remain for the next year. This month Mercury, the planet of thought, is moving backwards, also through the sign Cancer. Taken together these aspects usher in a cultural shift and return to, and of, The Goddess. We are asked to remember the vast and sacred Mother whose body is the universe.
To reawaken your connection to the all-embracing universal mother, as you go about your day notice the miraculous magic of the physical world. Entertain the idea that every molecule of the natural world is alive, conscious and pulsating with magical energy. Honor your body as a manifestation of the divine feminine. Reflect upon the vast intelligence within your own body and the body universal that knows just how to build your fingernails, regulate your heartbeat and all other body functions, while regulating the ocean tides, the seasons and all life upon our planet.  Honor your body as a sacred vessel. Reflect upon the many creatures that we share this planet with. Marvel at their beauty. Reflect upon their right to share this earth. Reflect upon how we can create a world that protects the ocean, the earth and all living creatures, who are our neighbors and cousins. Reflect upon the inclusive nature of the maternal. The divine feminine embraces all people, genders, races and sexual orientations. This makes for a much more relaxed and peaceful society in which all people are truly brothers and sisters.

As you go through your day remind yourself that you are walking upon the body of our living mother whose body extends to the farthest flung galaxy. Remember that we are all water babies who swam in our mother’s womb before we emerged on to dry land. Remind yourself that wherever you are, as a child of the divine mother, you are always home.

This month as we gaze inward and backward in retrograde reflection, we are offered relief as we return to the nurturing embrace of our Ocean Mother. Take time this month to reflect and restore. If you can get to the sea, dive in and let the salt water purify you. Spend time letting your mind wander. Spend time resting and allowing your body to restore itself.

Spend time feeling your feelings. Eat nutritious summer fruits and vegetables. Walk or lounge in the Moonlight. Drink plenty of water. Meditate on your soul’s needs and reflect upon what changes you could make in your life that would truly feed your soul. Notice how you feel in your body. If you are uncomfortable in your body get some help this month. Body discomfort is usually a result of stuck feelings. Body centered therapies like somatic experience could help you recover a sense of comfort.

Slow down. Be still. Spend time nesting. Reconnect with your family.  Make your home soft, warm and nurturing. Meditate on inner and outer safety and spend time creating a home atmosphere in which you feel safe. Spend time contemplating relocating to the home of your dreams.  Spend time with your mother. Honor your mother. If your relationship with your birth mother is painful or if she is in the spirit world, then turn to your universal mother. She is, at this very moment supporting you.
The Sun went into Cancer on June 21st and will remain there till July 22 when it enters Leo. Mighty Jupiter, the planet of luck, opportunity and abundance also entered Cancer on June 25th where it will remain for the next year, ushering in a much needed reprieve from the transformational, relentless pressure Cancerians have been experiencing since 2008 when Pluto began opposing their sign.
This month heralds a time of abundance, renewed faith, optimism and opportunity. Mercury, moving retrograde through Cancer till July 20th, makes July a month of recovery and new possibilities, especially for Cancerians. We can also expect to see women emerge as power players on the world stage and the housing sector should get a boost. Ongoing grand trines in water make this a month when doors of opportunity open. July 17th is a particularly auspicious day when big plans can realistically actualize.

The new moon in Cancer takes place on July 8th at 3:14 am EST. The month begins with Venus, the planet of art, beauty and love in fiery Leo, making July a great month for creativity, self-expression and play. On July 22nd she will enter detail oriented Virgo to help us refine our work and tighten our focus.

We will be celebrating the Cancer new moon at 7 PM EDT on Monday, July 8th. Check the Spiritual Living Website for more information on how to join us.

Mars, the planet of desire and action begins the month in the quicksilver sign of Gemini, giving us mental energy to use with writing and communicating. Mercury’s retrograde makes the first three weeks of July excellent for rewrites and revisions. Mars moves into maternal nurturing Cancer on July 13th adding fuel to our nesting instincts. At that time housing and renovation projects can proceed. Full speed ahead.

Saturn in Scorpio continues to make the serious focus in our lives the sharing or dividing of property and assets, a conscious approach to intimacy, and renewed focus on shamanism, alchemy, death and the spirit world.

Neptune in Pisces asks us to dream up new personal and collective visions for our world based on unity and compassion for all.
Uranus in Aries continues to both awaken true liberation in the evolved while destabilizing already unstable individuals toward acts of violence.

Pluto in Capricorn continues to transform currency, governments and infrastructure. Pluto and Uranus in square continue the tension between the old order and the new age trying to be born.
It looks to be a very watery summer on all levels. Feel your feelings. Swim in the sea. Have an umbrella handy.

ARIES: This month is a time to deeply reflect upon your home, family and living situation. If you do not like your current living situation, this month begins a time to reflect upon what your ideal home would look like. With Jupiter moving through this sector for the next year a wonderful expansive opportunity awaits you on the home front. Your job during the first 3 weeks of July during Mercury’s retrograde in Cancer, is to begin dreaming it up. This is a great month to pull in, nurture yourself, and reflect upon your ideal location, furnishings and surroundings. A vision map for your ideal home is a great idea to play with. Step 2 involves reflecting upon people who could help you secure more income or might want to merge other resources with you for mutual expansion and benefit. Your family might also be able to assist or open doorways that could lead you to your dream home. Your career and public persona continue to transform. This month work on feeling truly entitled to a beautiful sacred nest to call your very own.

TAURUS: The pressure is still on Taurus with Saturn opposing you as it moves through your partnership sector and tests all your relationships, some to the breaking point. This year the serious focus wants to be on defining yourself and your boundaries. It is a year to learn to say no and mean it. Any patterns of disrespect in partnerships must be let go of or radically redefined. This month with the Sun, Mercury retrograde and Jupiter in your house of the mind and communication, makes it an excellent month to reflect on your family situation and renegotiate keeping your needs in the forefront. If you are splitting up a partnership you may be able to restructure your family in a way that serves you. This month is also a time to revisit any writing or communication projects with an eye to a larger venue. New and magical doors with like-minded people who offer real spiritual support and new partnerships that are aligned with your true destiny are opening, Walk through them. Spend time this month reflecting and healing family of origin wounds that may be surfacing in your current relationships.

GEMINI: The month begins with Mars the planet of action and desire in your sign giving you lots of mental and physical energy to get things done. Mercury, your ruling planet is retrograde in Cancer, in your house of money and values making this a month of deep reflection on how your family of origin shaped your values, self-esteem and relationship to money. This month Jupiter is also in this sector helping you expand both your self-esteem and your bank account. Get ready for a whole new optimistic expansion around money issues. You may be contemplating buying a new home, or reflecting upon how to use your fiscal resources in a way that is most nurturing to you. A grand trine in water opens new career and work possibilities that could be very lucrative. Old business contacts may resurface. Venus in your communication sector makes this a month when you can communicate quite lovingly.

CANCER: Happy Birthday Cancer!!
This looks like it’s going to be one for the record books. Jupiter, the planet of faith, optimism, expansion and opportunity has just entered your sign, ushering in a time of renewed faith and real opportunity. It has been a rough few years. With Pluto opposing you and Uranus squaring you, the relentless pressure has really been on. This month however you get some real relief. Jupiter ushers in a year of expansion and wonderful opportunity. This is a time when your sense of self really expands. With Mercury retrograde in your sign this month take some time to reflect upon your sense of self and your home and family life which is all important to you. You are about to experience a wonderful expansion. Though you are the home body of the zodiac, Jupiter is asking you to expand your sense of adventure or expand your home life. If you don’t like your living situation, spend the first three weeks of July reflecting on what you want to change; then on July 21st move into action. The Grand trine in water brings a wonderful new vision and faith into your life. Saturn in your house of children and romance asks you to focus here but also set boundaries. This is a year to say yes to living a truly abundant life.

LEO: The month begins with Venus the planet of beauty in your sign, helping you to restore yourself through art, beauty and romance. The major planetary line up is in your spiritual sector, making this a time when the invisible world is supporting you like never before. This year prayer, meditation and spiritual practice truly expand your consciousness. You may feel the presence of the divine mother and your female ancestors nurturing and protecting you from beyond the veil. Jupiter in the 12th house was known in ancient times as “traveling with angels,” so this year you are truly protected. In any issues concerning your home, family or sense of safety call on the divine mother and the subtle world and you will find help. This year deepen your connection to the invisible world. Pray for your ancestors, explore shamanism and focus on creating a stable home foundation. During the first three weeks of July turn deeply inward. Try a silent retreat or a meditation class. Allow yourself to deeply restore and heal.

VIRGO: This month there is a major line up in your house of networking making that the biggest focus for July. The Sun, Jupiter and Mercury retrograde in Cancer the most nurturing sign of the zodiac are all in your house of friendship and networking You may find yourself reconnecting with old friends who are both expansive and maternal. With Jupiter in this sector the next year brings you contacts that can open great and lucrative new doors of opportunity to you. The grand trine in water is creating a magical portal between your work involving communication, new spiritual and visionary partnerships and your friendship network. During Mercury’s retrograde in the first 3 weeks of July, spend time reflecting on who you would like to work with and how. Reflect on the projects you would like to create and the partners and team you would like to collaborate with, then on the 21st move into action. This month ask the divine feminine to help you with all your relationships.

LIBRA: This month there is a major planetary line up in your career sector. The Sun, mighty Jupiter and Mercury retrograde are all in that house bringing much needed fiscal relief. All your hard work is finally paying off. This month begins a major expansion on the work front. The first 3 weeks of July, while Mercury is retrograde, spend some time reflecting on how your workplace could be more nurturing. Reflect on your dream projects and dream clients. You may find that old work contacts resurface during this time. After the 21st move into action and say yes to opportunities all month and all year. Visualize your dream clients and watch them appear. Be fiscally prudent and look to merge fiscal resources with partnerships that could be mutually beneficial. Now is a time to think bigger than ever on the career front.

SCORPIO: This month there is a major line up in your house of writing, presenting and publishing. If there is a cherished project you put down a while back, now is the time to resurrect it. Mercury retrograde in this sector reminds you to rewrite, revise or rethink the project. There is a magical door opening that involves your writing and your cherished creative vision. The caveat is you must take the time to focus on it. Saturn in your first house demands that you keep the serious focus on yourself. Do not give your time away. Say no to others and yes to yourself. Set up a schedule to work on your creative projects. That is truly your holy work this month and this year. If you find yourself stuck, call on the divine feminine. She is the muse who will most inspire you. With Jupiter in your publishing sector, what you create now could be bigger than you can imagine.

SAGITTARIUS: This month there is a major line up in your house of intimacy, shared resources and the deep unconscious, making this a time when deep powerful transformation is possible for you. During the first three weeks of July reflect upon how your families of origin and your mother issues have affected your capacity to nurture yourself, or to allow others to nurture you. Reflect also on any unhealed areas around the deep issues of intimacy. This month Jupiter comes along to radically expand your capacity to share yourself and your resources with others. Saturn in your spiritual sector makes a disciplined spiritual life where the serious focus wants to be.  Create a daily meditation or devotional time for yourself. The paradox for you these days is to ground yourself in the spiritual world.  This will help bring you the new partners who want to generously share their home and resources with you.

CAPRICORN: This month begins as a deep reflection on partnerships and relationships. Mercury’s retrograde through that house has you looking back over past relationships and meditating on what was nurturing and what was not. You have been going through a deep transformation for the last few years and are now ready for a truly loving, kind and expansive partnership. Mighty Jupiter moving through this house brings wonderful new opportunities in the realm of partners both business and personal. Keep your eyes open for expansive, adventurous, nurturing types. Spend the first three weeks of the month visualizing, reflecting upon and dreaming up the ideal business partner and the ideal romantic partner, then on the 21st get out there and network and see what comes your way.

AQUARIUS: There is a major opportunity coming to you through your work this month. Mercury retrograde in your daily work sector in Cancer, the nurturing sign of home and family, has you reflecting on how you can make your work place more nurturing and user friendly. Mighty Jupiter has just entered this sector bringing you some truly massive opportunity. If there is a dream client or dream project, now would be the time to go after it. Old clients and contacts may be resurfacing during Mercury’s retrograde through July 20. Saturn at your midheaven makes career the serious focus for the year. Jupiter could make this one of your most lucrative years in quite a while. Dreamy Neptune in your money sector requires that you be clear about finances before signing any contracts. Wonderful doorways of opportunity open for you this month. Keep walking through them. Venus, the planet of love is in you partnership sector for the 1st half of the month making this a sweet time to express and receive affection from your beloved.

PISCES: This month the planets are lining up in your sector of romance, art, play and creativity. Mercury’s retrograde makes this a great time to resurrect old creative projects that you have been longing to explore. Old romances could also be rekindled during the retrograde which lasts till the 20th of July. The wonderful new energy is playful and creative. There is a grand trine in water that unites your most cherished vision for yourself with a big creative project and the forum to get it produced. Now is a time to think very big on the creative front. Your dream project may involve home and family. Jupiter in Cancer, the sign of home and family, for the next year could have you building your dream home or starting your family. Saturn in your house of promotion and publishing makes promotion crucial to your success. This year say yes to all juicy creative ideas and projects. Leap and the net will appear.
Namaste,

Demitra