When the moon is in Cancer, you can find me in the bath.
Working with the moon is one of the first things I learned on my journey and is one of the primary ways I encourage new folks to connect with astrology.
For the moon in Cancer, I choose the 4 of swords as our anchor card. The 4 of swords in the Moon Void Tarot 4th edition depicts a woman in the bath, with 4 swords hanging above her, arranged horizontally.
When I pull this card, or when I work with this card as an anchor card, it is a reminder to rest. For me, the bath is one of the first places where I was able to rest when dealing with chronic pain. But beyond what I was feeling in my body during that time, I started to realize that I deeply struggled to rest at all! My body was consistently in a state of tension, my shoulders up to my ears, and my focus was on anything but feeling those feelings.
When the moon is in Cancer, I find that I cannot avoid feeling the feelings! Whether emotional or physical, the moon in Cancer surfaces it all and asks us to feel and process instead of avoiding and ignoring. Using water as a way to move through these times has been a lifesaver for me. When experiencing this lunation, I spend a lot of time in the bath: thinking, reading, journaling, crying, and just processing.
I am a Cancer moon myself, so this lunation is usually particularly strong for me. Cancer moons have this lunation present in their chart all of the time! Finding time to bathe regularly is now one of the biggest parts of my practice. I lovingly say that I’ll treat myself like a tea bag or an ingredient in a stew.
This practice also connects me to my inner child - bubble baths and reading fantasy soothes little Reese and provides me a way to disconnect. Constantly focusing on healing and processing has not served me well either, and finding healthy coping mechanisms and short periods of time to dissociate through practices like these resonates with my body more directly. Maybe this is my Aquarius rising showing up, reminding me that sometime disconnecting is healthy!
When the moon is in Cancer, it also shows up in my 5th house, which explains why I often feel really creatively connected during this lunation. The 5th house rules creativity and expression, and while its ruler is Leo, it is something that I personally connect with through water. Taking regular trips to the ocean or rivers helps to connect me with my creativity. Even doing the little things, like hydrating and caring for my body, helps me sustain my creative practices.
