Temple Astrolog: Gods at the Breakfast Table

by Gemini Lead Minister on June 29, 2020

It’s almost the beginning of July and the Sun has just moved into the sign of Cancer. The sign of Cancer relates a lot to home, family, feelings of security and safety. When a person born in that sign—or with a lot of planets there—feels safe, they are very loving and kind. When you are around them, it feels like you are swimming in tropical water, warm and absolutely lovely. But when they feel threatened, it can feel like you have received a bucket of coldwater over your head.

If you still don’t get the message and come even closer, they can and will pinch you with their claws, hard! They demand that you respect their private space and feelings. And after all they are the opposite sign of Capricorn, another sign known for knowing how to set boundaries. (In the beginning not all Capricorns or Cancers knows how to set healthy boundaries but throughout life they are put in situations where they have to learn how to do that.)

This ability also makes them good at working with protection. When the Sun enters the sign of Capricorn at Midwinter/Yule and Christmas it’s a great time to work on protection for the home. The same is true now around Midsummer and Litha when the Sun enters to the sign of Cancer.

Getting to the Bottom of Things

Now the Sun is not travelling alone in the world of watery Cancer. In its company we have Mercury (communication) and the asteroid Vesta (dedication, protection, shelter). As you have probably heard, Mercury is in its retrograde motion until the 12th of July. When Mercury is in retrograde things related to communication—deliveries, electronics, telephones—have a way of their own. Everything from computer crashes to packages delivered wrong can happen. But, when a planet goes retrograde it also has some advantages.

The planet’s energy is turned inward instead of outward and that can help us a lot with our own processes in life. With Mercury it’s a great opportunity to re-think, re -write and re-learn. Go deeper in research and get to the bottom of things.

In the sign of Cancer, that is related to our relationships as well. Have you missed something in a relationship? What was the wisdom or gift in that relationship? What did you learn or experience? How has that prepared you for being a better person, partner, or friend in your future relationships?

In this process Mercury is making a challenging square to both Juno in Libra and Chiron in Aries. That makes deep wounds related to communication and relationships surface. You can read more about that in my previous article “We Need to Talk”. This aspect with Mercury/Juno/Chiron lasts until the end of July but is intensified with the Mercury retrograde.

Meeting the Gods at Your Breakfast Table

Right now we have five planets in retrograde: Pluto (transformation, change), Jupiter (expansion, higher knowledge), Saturn (manifestation, limitation), Neptune (soul, spirituality, illusions), and Mercury (communication) They are all moving the energy inwards, making things personal. And they are also giving us a golden opportunity to go deep, dig for the truth and learn a lot about ourselves and the meaning of our lives and incarnation.

Energies that are usually too far away from us, unreachable if you would like, are now so close to us that we can almost touch them. Like having the Gods over for breakfast. The outer planets are usually too big to embody and a name for them is the “non-personal” or “trans-personal” planets. Working with magick, this special event with them so close, might give you some magically creative ideas. Energies that for some may seem daunting, can be an opportunity looking from another perspective and with your magickal glasses on. Retrograde energies are slowing things down, so this is a good time for making magickal oils, incense or the like for slowing things down.

My Home, My Temple

Everyone should feel safe and protected in their own home. It’s a basic right, but I know that’s not the reality for many people. As witches, healers, and magickal people, one of the greatest things to learn is making your body, your personal space, and your home feel protected and safe. Right now with so many things going on it may feel like the world is spinning out of control and even the sturdiest of homes can be a bit shaken.

Now with the Sun (protection, strength), Mercury, and the asteroid Vesta (protection, home, service) together in the sign of Cancer (home, family, protection) we have a great opportunity to shield and strengthen our homes. A person who feels protected and safe and has the possibility to recharge at home, has a way better chance to make good decisions in life, more so than a person constantly on-guard and feeling unsafe.

Mercury and Practical Magick

Many don’t consider Mercury a doer. But he is, really. Mercury rules the sign of Gemini and the 3rd house of communication, friendships, and learning. He also rules Virgo and the 6th house of service. Everyone who knows a Virgo knows they are most competent and efficient at doing things. If they think it’s worth it, of course! Practical, down-to-earth magick is one of their gifts.

Now is the time to shield that house or apartment of yours and make it the Temple of love, harmony, and magick it has the potential to be. And if you are thinking “Well, it already is!” then good for you, you have a good starting point and a solid foundation to build from. The thing is that magick, wards, and protection are like all other natural, living things, affected by time and whatever they are exposed to. In stormy times like we have now, protection wears down faster, and we have a lot to gain by being diligent in keeping our homes magickally strong and safe.

Fun Practical Magick for Your Home

There are lots of fun things you can do to give a magickal twist to the things that you are doing anyway. Here are some ideas:

When cleaning the windows you can use a magickal spray for protection, you can also draw protective sigils with blessed water on windows and doors.
When planting flowers for the house, balcony or the window sill, do some research on flowers and their magickal properties. Choose one or two flowers for protection, and some flowers for other things that you want as well. Common flowers good for protection are: Geranium, Petunias, Chamomile and Tagetes.
When planting the flowers you can draw protective sigils on either the outside or inside of the flower pot before putting the flowers in. You can also write affirmations and put inside the pot. “This home is safe and protected from all kinds of harm” or “This house is a temple and all who dwell inside are protected and safe.” Personally I love writing “Protected by Witchcraft!”
Many herbs used for cooking are great magickal helpers. Put them on your porch, balcony, or in the window and ask them protect your home. They will do it anyway, but if you ask them nice they, like all other living things, will do it with extra power and enthusiasm. Basil, rosemary, and thyme are great for protection and wonderful to use when cooking.
If you are repainting the house or parts of it, imagine scraping away the old as you remove the old paint. Bless the new paint and paint your house with love and protection.
Use your broom. Sweep out stagnant or unwanted energies from your home. I love our broom and it stands outside of the front door. It’s painted and decorated with charms. It gives good protection and sends a signal that there is magick in this household and “you better behave in a good way entering into this house!”

Energy Waves and Dates to Watch

There are many things happening in the sky right now, and it will continue to come in waves for some time ahead. Dates to look out for are the 5th of July when we have a Full Moon in Capricorn and a lunar Eclipse. On the 6th the Sun and the asteroid Vesta join Sirius at 14 degrees in Cancer. At the same time the asteroid Atlantis is opposite Saturn in Capricorn. (You can read more about that in the previous article “We Need to Talk”) Strong waves of energy will move over and through us all. I would be very surprised if someone claimed not feeling anything at all.

We can not do anything about this. The energy will come whether we like it or not. What we can do is to shield and secure our homes so that we feel safe. We can use our magickal training and ability to stay grounded and clear-headed, alert and focused so that we do not get carried away in the collective energies.

Right now Pluto and Jupiter are joined together in Capricorn. On the 6th of July they will be exactly on 23 degrees in Capricorn. Next to them we have Saturn at 29 degrees (and opposite the asteroid Atlantis) and they are all in retrograde motion. Old structures being removed, creating turbulence and a hard time to distinguish right from wrong, truth from false, and real from unreal (Neptune retrograde as well).

But, do you know who’s also there, in the middle of everything? Pallas Athena! The goddess of wisdom is right there in the middle of the male gods of Zeus (Jupiter), Kronos (Saturn), and Hades (Pluto) At 23 degrees in Capricorn she is an energy we can call upon when we feel like there is a need for more wisdom, knowledge, deep thought, and revealing of the truth.

Blessings!
— Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial