THE MOOD: The Long Exposure
Summer is the season to see and be seen. With so much light, it is harder to hide who we are – our moods, our skin, and our spirits are exposed. The temps make our emotions rise to the surface; we shed our clothes and reveal what’s underneath; we shine, play, and glimmer under the sun.
Summer spotlights ourselves, our vitality, and our subjectivity. It is no surprise that the luminaries, the Moon and the Sun, steward (or rule, in traditional terms) the first two signs of summer, Cancer and Leo.
Cancer’s primordial waters sustain the conditions for life to thrive and grow. Under the reflected light of the Moon, Cancer nurtures and protects us from being burned directly by the Sun. By responding to our comforts and sensitivities, Cancer allows us to be our most tender, messy, and vulnerable selves. Cancer creates the safe haven that gives Leo the confidence to burst onto the scene. Rather than reflecting, Leo is the source of light, and light is also Life. Like the Sun, Leo is the center of the universe: radiant, spirited, glorious, the biggest star, purely and unapologetically shining upon all.
When we reach Virgo, the house lights turn on, and we see ourselves in starker, and perhaps more objective, relief. While the Sun dazzles and dazes with its brilliance, Mercury – now at the helm in stewarding Virgo – scrutinizes our specialness. How have our emotions and ego led us astray? What needs to be refined and optimized for us to become better versions of ourselves? What tangible individual contributions can we make in service of a greater whole? Virgo asks the hard questions and puts us to work, preparing us for the harvest of fall.
In the zodiac, summer has a longstanding archetypal meaning. Given that this summer is the hottest on record, however, our delicate seasonal rhythms are under threat. As a practitioner of astrology deeply informed by movements towards justice, liberation, and self-determination, I can’t help but think of climate change alongside its astrological context. Will it become too hot for Cancer’s waters to grow and sustain life? Will the Sun, rather than offering confidence and vitality, instead burn and destroy with increasing force? While summer is about exposure and vitality, spotlighting our personal goings-on is easier than confronting the drastic and overwhelming climate emergency. However, this is where we must be even more honest with ourselves and each other, and perhaps where we need Virgo’s keen (and practical) eye: what are we doing, individually and collectively, to reset our global thermometer upon which all life depends? How may our individual contributions be in service to the greater global whole?
Summer is the season to be seen and to see – and we must develop the sightlines towards action.
A few recommended resources for learning and action: