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The new Moon in Cancer on July 17, 2023, brings an emotional roller coaster to our mind, body, and spirit. Cancer reminds us to feel. Cancer season ushers in a time to slow down, be patient, and feel. Cancer Season is all about slowing down long enough to feel the emotions we have conveniently avoided until now. It’s a time to be patient with ourselves, to receive soul nourishment, and to feel safe in the face of our own emotions.
What the New Moon in Cancer Means for You
Cancer is the first water sign of the zodiac. It generates water energy. Cancer reminds us that we have the power to generate waves of emotions that can change our lives and the lives around us. At the heart of Cancer is the foundation for healing. Cancer teaches us to heal, restore, and replenish ourselves. To gain these gifts, we must be willing to feel. Feeling is the foundation for everything else Cancer’s energy provides us. We must feel to hear our intuition. We must feel to help others. We must feel to grow into the next version of ourselves. Feeling is the starting point for much of what we want to manifest.
This new Moon in Cancer helps us understand our emotions around our intentions and how they affect their manifestation. If we do not feel our visions are already happening or can become a reality, then we will have a challenging time bringing them to manifestation. It’s a time to extend your energy into your visions to embody them, feel for any blockages, and start to materialize them.
It is also about receiving information from yourself, your intuition, and the Universe. Your Higher Self is connected to wisdom that extends past the present moment. You are connected to the infinite knowledge of the Universe, including everything that has occurred in the past and future. There is no limit to how much your intuition already knows. Any questions you have this Moon about your path forward are already answered in your intuition. Your job is to find those answers, listen, and trust them.
As you work with this new Moon, put aside any impulses to act or do. This is a receiving Moon. Receive what you already know and let it guide you to your intentions.
Other Astrological Aspects Influencing the New Moon in Cancer
This is a highly aspected new Moon, meaning many luminary vibrations are highlighted on this day. If you feel any internal or external chaos, return to your breath and body to settle your energy.
The new Moon in Cancer is in opposition to Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto teaches us about our past pain and trauma. It reveals pieces of our soul that are unhealed and in need of attention. It also shows where we have lost our power or given it away.As you sit with the vibrations of this new Moon, ask yourself if you have lost your power in some way. Did a past event take it from you? Do you spend too much energy thinking about the past or trying to suppress it?
Wherever our attention goes, so does our energy. If we are locked into the past and its events, our energy is being drained by it. We are sending our power to the situation or cycle that caused us trauma and not harnessing that power to manifest our intentions.
Notice where your thoughts go when you allow them to wander. Notice what emotions come up when you sit with old pain. Are you still suffering? You can feel pain but not suffer from that pain. You may never be able to change the events of the past, but you can take away their power to contain you. Feel your ability to reclaim your power. Ask yourself if you need healing work to find closure to the past.
This new Moon in Cancer also works with Neptune in Pisces. Neptune helps us access our deeper dreams—the ones we may even be afraid to pursue. Sometimes a dream is more exciting when it’s simply just a fantasy. When we start to bring it into form, it takes a different shape—one that may not be the outcome we were looking for initially. Some dreams are simply part of the process to help us understand what we really want.
As the Moon forms a trine with Neptune, feel into which dreams you want to bring detail to and which ones just provide space for new dreams to emerge. What visions are simply fantasies that help you feel good or give you hope, and which ones do you want to put work toward to manifest?
As the new Moon forms a sextile with Uranus in Taurus, pieces of old patterns dissolve. Uranus breaks up energy and moves stagnant vibrations to give way for something new. This new Moon in Cancer carries healing energy, and part of healing is breaking up with old beliefs, habits, and even comfort zones. Our pain can become a familiar place, and we may not know who we would be without it. This fear of the unknown can cause us to hold on to our pain for too long and allow it to shape our future.
This interaction with Uranus can also help us recognize places where we have patterns that drain our energy. Perhaps we give too much of our energy to others, or we seek approval from outside ourselves to validate what we already know. On this new Moon, notice if you are losing energy because of patterns that make you look outside yourself. Are you giving away your energy to others in some form? Would a change in perspective reclaim your power or is it because you don’t trust yourself? Start to look for answers and change the way you exchange energy with those around you.
Finally, on the new Moon the lunar nodes shift signs for the next eighteen months on this day. The North Node moves into Aries from Taurus, and the South Node moves into Libra from Scorpio. The nodes are highly active this day and affect the energy of the new Moon. With the North Node in Aries, our attention is focused on the self. This vibration helps us prioritize the soul’s purpose and mission. With the South Node in Libra, the focus is on releasing partnerships that distract us from our purpose and noticing how we exchange energy with others.
The nodes shifting signs brings even more energy to the theme of this new Moon, which is to empower yourself to heal, step away from limiting patterns, and shift relationships that take too much of your energy. These relationships also include your relationship with your pain. As the nodes shift signs, feel them highlighting energy within you that turns on your inner compass. Your intuition knows the path of your soul. It’s time to walk it.
Your Invitation
The last three months were a whirlwind of energy. They brought you new beginnings and changes in perspectives, and they taught you things about yourself that you had forgotten. The season of Cancer is a time to settle into ourselves and allow the body to unravel.
We often hold suppressed emotions in our muscles and connective tissue, which contributes to feelings of emotional attachment. To allow emotions to flow freely, we need to release the body and the energy it holds. Yin Yoga uses longer holds than a typical yoga practice. In holding postures, you are able to relax into the pose and allow your body to release fully. Focus on your breath and use it to keep your mind centered as your body lets go of tension. Also, use props during this sequence. When we have support physically or mentally, we are more likely to release and let go of tension.
On this new Moon, feel into any past pain or energy drains that cause you to not feel your soul’s path. Instead, sit with your emotions, let them guide you through your intuition, and make changes needed to reclaim your energy, your power, and the life you know you are here to live.
Learn more about the new Moon in Gemini, including additional astrological insights and journaling prompts, in the Cancer Season + New Moon Workbook, from which the above is excerpted. You can also learn more about your personal natal chart.
About Our Contributor
Jill Wintersteen is the founder of Spirit Daughter, a lifestyle brand devoted to helping you live your best life through understanding the energy of the Universe. She also writes workbooks on each full Moon as well as other astrological events. Follow her on Instagram @spiritdaughter.
