HONORING EARTH'S ANCESTRAL ENERGIES
By Pythia Peay

Today's new moon initiates a new spiral along the cosmic wheel: It is both new moon, solar eclispe, and the summer solstice.  On midsummer's day in centuries past, communities celebrated the longest day of the year by lighting up the hills at nightfall with bonfires. For herbalists and healers, summer solstice was considered the best day to gather herbs for protection against disease and sorcerers' spells; the bright yellow blossoms of St. John's Wort were harvested as they reached their peak beneath the blazing sun. A branch of hazel cut on Midsummer's Eve was thought to be endowed with special powers as a divining rod. In the Christian tradition, June 21st was celebrated as St. John's Day. In other words, with the sun at its height in the heavens, the forces of light triumphed over the despair of the human condition.

Along the astrological wheel, the year's quarterly solstices and equinoxes are ruled by one of the four cardinal signs that, in turn, govern the four angles of the chart. Each marks the four directions of both nature and the soul, a doorway of initiation. Aries (spring, first house) leads to the path of individuation; Cancer (summer, fourth house base) reveals the roots of our ancestral past; Libra (fall, seventh house) guards the path of relationship; while Capricorn (winter, tenth house, midheaven) governs worldly achievement. 

Thus what is new about this eclipse and summer solstice may be about what is oldest: the return of earth's ancient ancestral energies. Cancer is the sign of the Great Mother, and who is our most revered maternal ancestor, if not earth herself? The doorway through which we pass today leads back in time to our heritage as creatures of earth. If we let them, our prayers, rituals, and meditations can take us deep into the roots of creation. They can reunite us with our pagan ancestors, who once celebrated nature's cycles with devotion. They can reconnect us to nature's cycles, heightening our sensitivity to the animated energy circulating throughout humans, animals, and plants. They can even reconnect us to our original self, our eternal soul. 

How can you mark this sacred day? Most importantly, hold earth in your consciousness. Visit a local farmer's market and glory in the fruits and vegetables of your local region. Seek out fresh herbs and, like your forebears of old, make a wreath or scatter herbs on your altar at home. If you can, attend a local solstice celebration. Or, gather together with several friends and create a communal ceremony honoring the alignment of the earth, the sun, and the moon. 

Because Cancer rules family inheritance, you may wish to ritually honor your own lineage. Make an altar with photos and mementos of relatives. Beginning with your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and so on, trace your matriarchal line back in time until you reach the maternal source of life: the original "Earth Mother," or the woman anthropologists call "Eve" and who dates back to Africa. Reflect upon your body, fashioned from the elements of earth. Give reverence to the divine feminine energy that birthed creation. 

Then, contemplate the mystery of your physical incarnation on this particular planet in the universe. Just as you traced your family heritage, so, too, unearth your spiritual inheritance. Sort through any memories you may have of past lifetimes, seeking the thread of a storyline. Summon your spirit guides, as well as those visible and invisible beings who make up your soul family. Tunnel downward to the deepest roots of your original self - to the time before time began - and recall the purpose for which your soul took on human form. As the Sufi teacher Pir Vilayat asks, "Can you remember your face before you were born?" Who were you then - who are you now? Are your soul, personality, and body - like the sun, moon, and earth - in cosmic alignment? Are you fulfilling the task for which you incarnated? 

The sabian symbol that marks this eclipse degree portends the birth of a revolutionary new force. And while Cancer may embody the energy of the receptive and the feminine don't forget - she is still one of the cardinal pioneers of the zodiac. So one way to align with heaven and earth this powerful new moon may be to take action and join in the grass roots environmental movement. If you really love your mother the earth, then write a letter to President Bush. Call your local representatives, and urge them to support energy conservation. If you support the Kyoto Treaty that calls for reductions in greenhouse gases, let them know. Or, finally, participate in the worldwide "rolling blackout" organized for this day (7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in each time zone) and turn out your electric lights, unplug appliances, kindle a candle, gaze at the skies, and let the starry lamps of the heavens light up your soul.

Look for the Full Moon Capricorn Lunar Eclipse, July 5th, 2001!