What a jammed packed day! There are many things I can choose to talk about today, so I’m just gonna go ahead and get to ramblin!!

Let’s start with today being my Cosmic Self Day. I heard about this on Jeff Hinshaw’s Cosmic Cousins Instagram. Not sure if they came up with it, or if it’s a well known thing, but just in case you’ve never heard of it, every person has a cosmic self day. It happens every year when the transiting sun and moon line up with your natal sun and moon. For example, the Sun is in currently in Cancer and the moon is in Capricorn; this is the beautiful sun moon combination I was born under! From my understanding, a cosmic self day is a day when we are really feeling ourselves. So for me, either today or tomorrow is my Cosmic Self Day. I’m gonna say both are because I am long overdue for a day to feel good about myself!

Along with being my Cosmic Self Day, it is also Independence Day aka the 4th of July. What a day to focus on the duality of Cancer and Capricorn!

What do we know about Cancer and Capricorn? Other than that Ms. Emmy herself is full of these dueling energies. Let’s break it down!

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Cancer represents the mother. Not necessarily our literal mother but the mother archetype; so think compassion, home, and nurture.

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Capricorn represents the father. Again, not our literal father but the father archetype which is related to ambition, determination, and structure.

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CANCER SUN:

Keep in mind, the sun rules consciousness and self expression.

With the sun in Cancer (June 20 – July 22), we typically experience family bonding with BBQ’s and outdoor parties. But we also have a heavy focus on nurturing ourselves throughout Cancer season; think – lazy pool days and relaxing vacations!

Even though the Coronavirus is upon us, we need to find ways to continue to embrace these themes this Cancer season. We have to practice self care; but, that doesn’t mean doing everything the way we’ve done it in past summers.

If you aren’t comfortable traveling, take some time off work to enjoy the local scene. Staycations are just as relaxing, if not more relaxing! I know Missouri has many parks and rivers I would love to explore and can do so while distancing myself from others. Continue coming up with creative ways to treat yourself while also staying safe and keeping those around you safe.

FULL MOON:

When the moon enters the zodiac sign opposite the sign the sun is in, we have a full moon (Cancer and Capricorn are opposite signs). As many of us know, full moons happen every month and the energy of a full moon is really something special. It’s a time for releasing old habits and items that no longer serve us; and, it’s a time for reevaluating our goals and the directions we are headed.

So with this releasing and reevaluating in mind, what do we need to know about Capricorn moons in general?

CAPRICORN MOON:

The moon rules our emotions and unconsciousness.

These are things deep in our cores that may not be apparent to others at surface level.

We know that we have been observing what no longer serves us all year long. So with this Capricorn full moon tonight, let’s keep up this energy and take this time to release those Capricorn themes, involving systems and structures that just don’t work anymore. Now, I don’t mean collective systems and structures. This takes time and cannot be done alone. Be patient with yourself. It all starts with dismantling the systems and structures in our own lives that no longer serve us.

Once we release the systems and structures in our own lives, we can better serve the collective releasing process. We can’t help to dismantle systemic racism if we’re still supporting it in our everyday practices. Even if we don’t think we’re supporting these outdated systems, I promise you, we are. We have to consciously release these, one by one; and, it definitely takes time to do so.

Don’t forget self care as you work to dismantle old patterns, though. Both are important. Both must be acknowledged for progress to truly take place. It can’t be all happy, “don’t be sad”, “just do yoga”, all the time! And it can’t be, “no having fun”, “no selfishness”, “fight the man”, all the time! We need to balance both. Balance that Cancer and Capricorn energy.

So let’s bring it back to the collective releasing:

This brings us on over to Independence Day 2020. What a fucking day to release Capricorn themes!! Am I right? 2020 is just serving us clues for the paradigm shift, left and right!!

I will be 100% transparent, I am uncomfortable with this day. I have always loved 4th of July. I was never huge on fire works but I loved summer, partying, bbq’s, red white and blue, the works. Also, my Grandma was obsessed with the American flag and I’ve had several soldiers in my family. This day has always been a special day for my family…

Independence Day comes with boat loads of negative history. That is a given. We have glorified it in a way that doesn’t account for all of the pain and suffering our foundation was built on. Sure, we can’t change the past. We are where we are in America now. But saying that and continuing on as we have been our whole lives, doesn’t help those carrying trauma regarding Independence Day. What we can do is learn about our history (from indigenous people as well as our history books…the history books don’t give us all of the information!) then strive to build a better America.

The American Flag is supposed to represent justice for all, but I don’t believe we in current or past America have obtained justice for all. I think this goal is reachable though. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities. Growing up, I was told we have freedom’s in America that many other countries don’t have; but, I don’t think all American citizens are free. I think we have work to do and I see that we have a younger generation full of people who truly believe justice is achievable. I see they are willing to be involved and fight for equality. I also see that we have older generations that did the best they could with the tools they had. I believe they lived in fear and some of them stayed in the status quo comfort zone, while some did actually push the boundaries to pave the way for us to see the corruption and manipulation that many of us see so clearly today.

America is my home. I believe America is beautiful. But I believe America needs to be better than it was and what it is now. I don’t believe that it can be great “again”. It had to be great in the first place to be great again. But once we observe our history for what it truly was and strive to learn from it and be better every single day, we will be great. I have hope!

For now, I still acknowledge the American flag as a symbol for change, equality, and justice for all. Even though we aren’t there yet, we will be someday.

I’m not comfortable celebrating 4th of July like I used to. Chillin at the lake and drinking heavily while shooting off fireworks and hoping to not get burned, just doesn’t feel right. Alas, America is where I live. It is my home and I respect anyone who chooses to celebrate it, or not. I just ask that those of you who are continuing to celebrate, listen to your fellow American’s, hear their stories on why this day is traumatic for them. Respect that and think about what this day means for you. Think about how not being traumatized by this day is a privilege. Think about ways you can use your unique skills and contribute to making a greater America for ALL.

And to the people who love the big boom boom fireworks, respect the poor little doggos on this day!! Make sure they are safe inside with some music as a distraction.

My new 4th of July routine is cuddling my dog when he quivers in fear from the unnecessarily loud Missouri Fireworks.

Notes:

I typed this article up on July 2nd, but it felt incomplete. What really brought it together for me was listening to this Highest Self Podcast episode: Why We Need To Embrace Our Duality Now with Sahara Rose

This episode is really insightful on why we should embrace Joy and Sadness and how we cannot have one without the other. It was really helpful for me especially as we navigate the current climate of America right now. Give it a listen if you are struggling with this balance right now.