 Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than 10 years. He is an
accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.
His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His
special interests are the human subtle energy system and all
the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all
aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese
astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great
Western and Oriental systems on such matters.
Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.
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Cancer's Moon:
The Cancer Solar Festival
Subtle Meanings of the Full Moon in Capricorn 2006
Malvin Artley, our regular esoteric commentator examines the subtle meaning of the Full Moon in Capricorn for 2006, the Cancer Solar Festival. This is Cancer's Full Moon, as the Moon is full in the sign opposing the Sun. The full moon of Cancer (full moon in Capricorn) takes place on the 11th of July at 3:03 AM GMT.
Greetings, my Friends!
Firewood never lasts for very long in the Adelaide winter. As I sat down to write this letter the rain fell softly outside and I felt the cold air from under the door make its way around my ankles. Time to throw another mallee stump in the stove, I thought to myself. Great fire wood, those mallee stumps. They burn for a long time and make for a very warm hearth through the night if you load the stove up before going to bed. Time for another cup of tea as well. It was going to be a long night. I really do need a bottomless tea pot on these “letter days”.
In thinking of what I was going to write about this time, I had been musing over recent events. People appear to be preoccupied these days, as if there is some strange inner drama that engages them and takes all of their attention. There have been so many changes for folks recently. Entire eras in people's lives seem to be closing and new ones beginning. The impacts of the Goodwill Festival would appear to be having the effects that were predicted in the relationship arena in my previous article. I know a fellow who just retired after 20 years in his business, for instance. Now all of his ex-customers are left wondering where they are going to get someone good enough to service their own businesses. We don't really think of the long-term or far-reaching effects of our decisions upon people, especially if we work in some kind of service capacity. Still, we all have to rattle on through our days and bend and adapt to circumstance.
“There are no constants in life except death, change and taxes, son”, my Dad was always fond of saying. That's the thing about the present times-the only thing we seem to be able to be certain of is that things will change, and sometimes radically-our situations changing often as quickly as the weather, and seemingly just as capriciously.
Instinctual Consciousness
As we enter into the cycle of the more purely human solar festivals throughout the remainder of the spiritual year, we come into the influence of the sign that often has the greatest disdain for change – the sign of Cancer. Cancerians are renowned for their resistance to anything new, and especially anything that upsets their established routine or sense of foundation. Being the sign most associated with the mass consciousness, it is an influence that always tends to support the status quo in any given circumstance. As such, then, when it appears as the Sun-sign or ascendant it is the sign that can be slowest to change, the most instinctual in its consciousness, extremely sensitive to all emotional nuance and most ready to defend what is perceived to be the best tradition of things, situations or people.
All persons under strong Cancerian influence are long of memory, short of sight when it comes to anything new, patient to a fault when it comes to a loved one or circumstance and displaying the most amazing ability to fathom the depths of the psychology of a crowd. People with strong Cancer in their chart are great crowd-pleasers because they have the capacity to make all with whom they come into contact feel right at home and like they belong to something greater. Curiously, they also have a love of gadgetry from what I have observed, but any new device is always seen for its value in relation to the home, the 'family' or the established order – not for its inherent technology.
The Light of the Soul
Cancer transmits 'The Light within the Form: the diffused light of substance itself' – the light that awaits 'the Light' – the Light of the Soul. As such, Cancer represents 'the prison of the Soul' and it is of interest to note that one of the terms that is commonly used to describe childbirth is confinement – esoterically, that moment when the Soul is finally and totally enclosed or bound to its sheaths (bodies). In the orthodox interpretation the term refers to the fact that the new mother and child are sequestered away from the world and they are allowed to properly bond without intrusion from others.
It is said that in this sign lies hidden the entire problem of rebirth. This is so because the human soul (the causal body) is given birth in the sign Cancer and it thus links the higher worlds with the lower, albeit tentatively at first. As such, Cancer thus has a lot of vagueness associated with it because it represents the embryonic quality of the 'newborn' soul. In other words, the Soul-qualities brought forward through ages of experience have yet to be built into the human soul. That is the gift that the true Soul has yet to instill into its newly-formed human charge. Always with Cancer there is an implied stewardship and shepherding that takes place as the Soul seeks to guide the development of the human soul on its long journey to perfection. As a result, Cancerian types often make very fine educators because they have that innate understanding of what it means to demonstrate patient guidance of those less experienced than they. There is also always the idea of 'fanning the nascent flame' of spiritual life with Cancerian types, whether recognized consciously or not. As my Cancerian school-teacher brother is fond of saying, “Molding the minds of tomorrow.” We seldom realize how often we are living examples of some archetype or another.
So, in its fullness, Cancer represents both the infant human soul and the accumulated wisdom of ages of development, the legacy or Soul-heritage. Cancerians are always keenly interested in heritage and history. The human causal body (the human soul or Soul-in-incarnation) steadily grows in Light as it gains in experience and the dim light of substance itself eventually becomes the flaming and glorious Light of Wisdom. What is given birth in Cancer and imprisons the Soul as the human life evolves is eventually burned up by the intensity of its own Light and is finally released in the sign of Capricorn. The two signs are both great gateways for the human family. In Cancer we have the door into human existence and the imprisonment or confinement of the Soul. In Capricorn we have the doorway into full spiritual Life and the liberation of the Soul from the confinement of human existence and its bondage to the wheel of human karma. Thus, in the solar festival of Cancer we have both poles represented in Cancer and Capricorn and the entire history of humanity recapitulated for us each year-birth, experience and liberation. Thus, through the experience and stewardship of Cancer, the causal body is fully seen as the 'Home of the Soul' (Houses of the Holy, for Led Zeppelin fans) and the meaning of the phrase “I build a lighted house and therein dwell” is known in its truest sense, which is the esoteric statement for that sign. With that, let us examine the meanings for the full moon figure this year.
In part 2 of this article, Malvin examines the astrological meanings and the way the degrees interact in this Full Moon Festival.
Go to Part 2 of The Cancer Solar Festival, 2006.
 Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism.
He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These letters are sent out as a gift and a service. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list please let me know. If you feel inspired to pass them on please do so, but do so without alteration or charge. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.
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