Cardinal Fountains: Cancer New Moon

Hecate, Kinský Palace, Prague

Hecate is a goddess much older than the Olympians. She aided Zeus in overthrowing his father, Cronus, and the Titans. Perhaps because she protected the birth of his new reign, even Zeus honored her.

Goddess of crossroads, journeys, transitions — of the liminal space between death and life — Hecate holds power and guardianship over the darkest time of night: the hour just before dawn, the pregnant pause before the Sun’s emergence from the Underworld.

Only Hecate and Helios saw Hades abduct Persephone into the Underworld, and it was Hecate and Hermes who would guide Persephone back from it.

As guardian of home and women in labor, she protects the sacred triplicity of mother, birth and child. Because of these rulerships, she was often honored during the darkness of the new moon, and later in antiquity, became a moon goddess depicted as three-faced (waxing, full, waning). So it is fitting Hecate also watches over the rebirth of the moon every month, overseeing that transition from pure darkness to a sliver of silver light.

The new moon in Cancer this year is an extremely powerful and pivotal transitional event. A new era is being birthed now. Multiple cycles are renewing  — Sun/Moon, Sun/Moon in Cancer, Sun/Jupiter, Sun/Jupiter in Cancer, Moon/Jupiter — and many seeds being sown. You could say Hecate is watching over them all.

The five days between the summer solstice and this new moon witness a very dynamic series of potent and challenging transits.

On June 22 the Sun squares Saturn, then Neptune on June 23. It then conjoins Jupiter on June 24 to initiate an empowering rebirth of Jupiter. The Moon then swiftly passes over these same points, conjoining Jupiter just an hour before finally uniting with the Sun at 5:30 a.m. CST on June 25, 2025.

This triple conjunction (Sun/Moon/Jupiter) is a good omen of new hope and enriching times ahead for many of us in the Cancer house of our chart, however this could be a slow build due to Jupiter’s current condition. More on that later.

There could be a feeling of newfound promise swelling within you now, or an event or gathering that ignites optimism in an area of life you’ve experienced some healing in recently. But just as easily, this swelling, increasing, expanding quality could go too far and become an overflowing and flooding force.

The possibility of overwhelming emotion — positive or negative — is high with this new moon. Explosive catharsis could lead to healing growth, or the opposite: a thick, protective shell might increase in density and size around you. Overprotection is a real risk now, as is over-indulgence, over-reaction and over-inflated egos.

Possibilities for a very personal and internal matter might begin to open up. Maybe it’s a healing conversation with a parent; or your perspective on a past trauma or deep memory widens and you gain more insight; perhaps your family is growing and new life is on the way; or you reach a new level of understanding in your spiritual/philosophical growth or academic progress.

There might be a powerful redirection toward internal, emotional matters now. Your conscious attention becoming more focused on home, family or ideologically affiliated groups is a possibility. Ethical, national, and religious tribalism could be lighting up with more shared purpose now — in your near-by surroundings and across the world, for better or worse.

Overall, the greater benefic Jupiter is bestowing many gifts and granting deep potential as it travels through Cancer until June 30, 2026. The Cancer New Moon is our opening into that potential.

However, Jupiter’s condition is somewhat depleted now. It’s invisible for a time, “hidden under the beams”. Due to their recent conjunction, Jupiter’s power is drowned out for a while by the dominant radiance of the Sun.

And, though separating, the cardinal square between Sun/Moon/Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn/Neptune in Aries is still very active and will delay the more positive effects of this new moon. Both of these factors hold Jupiter back a bit.

As this cardinal square continues to separate, and as the Sun continues its journey,  eventually moving far enough away from Jupiter where it can finally be seen again, the benevolent promise of this new moon conjunct Jupiter in exaltation should become more apparent, perhaps around the Capricorn Full Moon on July 10.

On June 26, Mercury enters Leo, the sign of its upcoming retrograde in mid-July.  Once in Leo, Mercury immediately applies in opposition to a retrograde Pluto in Aquarius. This implies expressive, proud communication flies in the face of transformative, humanitarian wishes and concerns. There’s a standoff between group-think and self-think, between society and a sovereign. What’s communicated by leaders now could be met with protest from powerful groups seeking radical change, and these exchanges are likely heated with zealous fervor due to Mercury’s simultaneous trine with Neptune and Saturn in Aries.

Mars, ruler of Aries and host to Saturn and Neptune, is at 4 Virgo and tightly sextile the Sun, Moon and Jupiter. This adds an opportunity for precise action taken in service to the Cancerian stellium, emphasizing a sense of protective purpose regarding home, family and/or nation.

Interestingly, however, Mars in Virgo is in aversion to Pluto, Mercury, and the Aries placements at this time, suggesting Mars can’t really see how his house guests (Saturn/Neptune) are interacting with Mercury and Pluto. This could indicate that some actions taken around this time will not have all the necessary information and insights needed to be effective. Mars in Virgo’s strategies and plans might fall short or completely miss the mark because of this.

The Cancer New Moon is the last lunation before Uranus moves into Gemini on July 7, and for 8 weeks (until September 1) we’ll get a taste of how this new era might feel. During this short window, all of the outer planets will be in their new fire and air positions: Pluto in Aquarius, Saturn and Neptune in Aries, and Uranus in Gemini, together forming a minor grand trine configuration. One-by-one, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus will then retrograde back into water and earth until late winter early next year. On April 25, 2026, Gemini makes its final ingress into Gemini, sealing the new era now emerging into history.

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Wherever Cancer and Aries fall in your chart, the topics of those houses could be amplified emotionally by new challenges around this time; yet as summer unfolds, new initiatives will develop out of these tensions — internal or external — allowing growth away from past limitations.

Are there situations in your life that are in the process of being worked out between restrictive beliefs and romanticized ideals; limiting delusions and growth opportunities; or personal boundaries and dissolving foundations?

Is there struggle in some area of your life between themes of Self and Family, Adventure and Safety, Risk and Security, The New and The Known, or Independence and Belonging?

The challenges signified by cardinal squares force us to wrestle with how we get to the future we want. They can spark innovation out of necessity and ultimately serve to push life forward. Though change is inevitable now, new solutions are as well.

As tensions clear, bold new chapters open up; and hopefully the Aries and Cancer parts of our charts are renewed with optimism. Take time to slow down, to guide and watch over what you are bringing into being now. Allow emotions to flood you if that’s what it takes to water your inner garden.

As we descend from the summer solstice down this side of the solar mountain, what we’ve struggled so far this year to grow and bring to life will be taking root, slowly becoming our new foundation.

This is a general reading. If you'd like to learn more about how the Cancer New Moon could affect you personally, please consider booking a reading.