Because Cancer is a water sign ruled by the Moon herself, the following meditations offer reflections on several of the many spiritual and mythological aspects of La Luna - Mother Goddess of the Moon and all earthly creatures. 

As a child, I still recall those secret moments when I would steal outside to be alone with the Moon. Gazing up at the luminous half-globe hanging in the ebony sky, I felt stirred by something old and mysterious. In fact, from earliest times, the Moon has been synonymous with the Mother Goddess. The Crescent Moon as sacred image dates back millenia, adorning Goddesses such as the Babylonian Astarte, the Egyptian Isis, and the Greek Selene, as well as the Chinese Shing-Moo and the Christian Mary.

In the symbolism of the crescent Moon can be seen the spiritual qualities of receptivity and reflection. The Moon has no light of her own, but, like a chalice, opens to receive the light of the Sun. As she journeys across the sky from Crescent to Full Moon, she slowly fills with the Sun's bright solar energy. Then, at the peak of the Full Moon, she begins her waning cycle, dispensing the light of knowledge gained from the Sun. Thus the Moon Mother, like the Divine Mother, has always been seen as both the receptacle and conveyor of wisdom - intercessor between the realms of the human and divine.

MEDITATION:
To cultivate an inner, lunar receptivity to the Divine Light, imagine that an exquisite silver chalice of ancient origin sits within the altar of your heart. In reflecting upon this chalice, contemplate its emptiness and simplicity. Let this feeling of emptiness extend throughout your body and mind, until your whole being is void of the distractions of everyday life.
Like the slender sliver of New Moon that receives the Sun into itself, imagine that brilliant beams of light are streaming into the chalice in your heart. With your breath, inhale light in and exhale light out. Feel your body become transparent light, until you have become a luminous vessel overflowing with radiance. This radiant light is not the same as the golden light of the sun; rather, it is silvery, cool light. Then, slowly, feel this light flowing out into the world around you, lighting up the darkness with wisdom and beauty. Soon, the chalice in your heart is empty once more - only waiting to be filled, yet again and again. next >>>