I’m going to be on an annual retreat at the time this column goes into effect on 11 July 2025. I’ll be publishing it a few days early. I would appreciate it if you took the time to get the word out about it, and shared it with your colleagues, friends and family.
The Sun enters Cancer III The Overflowing Cup, on 11 July 2025 at 9:58 pm EDT over my home in western Massachusetts. He remains there, pacing through the ten degrees from 20° to 29° 59′ Cancer, until 22 July 2025 at 9:30 am , making ten days, 11 hours, and 32 minutes. While the name that I use for this decan comes from Austin Coppock, it’s worth noting that T. Susan Chang called it Refusing The Call, from its associations with the Four of Cups in Tarot. In the Rider-Waite Tarot deck designed by Pamela Colman Smith, this card depicts a young man seated in meditation beneath a tree with four cups on the ground before him. A magical hand emerges from a cloud to offer the fourth cup, but he doesn’t seem interested.
The ancient Greeks looked to Hecate at this time of year. The three-faced goddess of magic, associated with dogs and keys and the three-fold crossroads, she’s often depicted as a middle-aged to old woman today, or as the maiden-mother-crone archetypes of traditional Wicca. There are few ancient or Hellenistic depictions of her though, other than an unusual three-faced statue where all three faces are the same youthful woman, bearing a staff and a snake and a libation pitcher — as well as a torch. There’s something there about poison and journeys, and making offerings, in order to know which path is the right one to take into the future. Of course, the three-way crossroads offers more than just three possibilities: back the way you came, or off in one of two new directions — or stay where you are, stuck and indecisive. The presence of Hecate’s loyal but hungry hounds might motivate you to move on quickly. So might the gallows with its grisly cargo.
The three-way crossroads isn’t just a place of magic, though. Ancient writers regarded the trivia, or “three-roads place” as an important metaphor for understanding the action of another three-roads-crossing place in the mind — the intersection of grammar, logic, and rhetoric in the formal process of education in the Mediterranean world of the first century CE. Grammar was for teaching you the right and correct way to say something; Logic was the necessary underpinnings of reason by which you would not only say something correctly, but also say correct facts; Rhetoric was the methodology of saying things in a way that an audience would find compelling. Each of these disciplines was a goddess (or at least a spirit) in the Greco-Roman cosmology — Rhetorica with her iron pen and tablet of black wax; Grammatica with her broom and brush; Dialectica (or Logic) with her pointed finger and decapitated dog’s head. The idioms that may have been associated with these symbols have faded with the centuries — but the spoken word clearly benefits from having a temporary but planned outline; while grammar follows the laws of first drafts (sweep away what doesn’t serve) and finished copy (don’t alter what’s already published); and logic…? Apparently knows who to accuse of killing the dog.
How strange… how apropos? … that the three goddesses at the three-way crossroads who preside over the schoolroom, somehow morph into a single goddess with three faces by night — lifting up a torch to see through the irrational and dangerous darkness; a key to go to hidden places unannounced; a snake to terrify or destroy enemies; a dagger and a libation jar for sacrifice and offering; a staff for quickening the journey or mounting a stout self-defense. The three goddesses of the schoolroom offer a rational path to power — Hecate offers the danger of the irrational short-cut through the realms of mystical approach to the Old Powers of the Earth, and the opportunity of sorcery. Which one is more effective? Both is probably the correct answer — utterly rational and genially persuasive by day, sorcerous by moonlight.
The four dodeks (from the dodekatemoria of Hellenic astrology) of Cancer III are associated with Pisces, Aries, Taurus and Gemini. They represent the indecisive person finally taking the plunge and choosing which way to go at an intersection, and finding contentment along this path for a while, before wondering if they should turn around and go back to the last place. Yet it is almost always after the “wrong turn at Albuquerque” that we find adventure, no?
This decan is ruled by the Moon, and for most of its arc it coincides with the Ninth and Tenth Mansions of the Moon, The Lion’s Eye, and The Lion’s Mane. These two Mansions are alternately associated with protection from evil magic, or for sorcerously bringing together the conditions that are favorable to success: good friends, a passionate lover, wealth, health, and the successful completion of complex projects. It seems that the prosperity of the Overflowing Cup can take many forms… even if we don’t always remember how magic got us there.
Yet the waning Moon in this chart is in the Twenty-Fourth Mansion, Luckiest of the Lucky, and inconjunct. Ancient astrologers considered it good for the increase of herds and flocks, to increase one’s goods for sale, and to have goodwill between spouses or significant others. It also brings about good reports of victory from soldiers in the field.
I’ve written about Cancer III several times before, in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
House Delineations
The First House of self and self-presentation is Aquarius, ruled by sextile Saturn; and hosting the Moon, and Pluto retrograde. Triplicity ruler Mercury opposes from Leo. Seek to present yourself as a fair-minded critic and a responsible business partner intent on using study and research to offer fair evaluation of current circumstances. Disentangle yourself from unsuitable connections and responsibilities — but communicate clearly with your closest friends, your relatives, and most of all your important romantic partner or spouse, about how far you need to go into your analysis. Be clear about when your services are free, and when you expect to get paid.
The Second House of money and possessions is Pisces, ruled by trining and exalted Jupiter, and hosting the North Node. Triplicity rulers Venus squares, while Mars opposes. Big financial matters are in your wheelhouse, and no doubt you have big purchases to make for gear that supports your hobby or would delight your kids. Your actual responsibilities may nix these plans; check in with a significant other about likely long-term expenses that may not be on your radar yet.
The Third House of extended family and intimate friends is Aries ruled by inconjunct Mars, and hosting Saturn and Neptune who is retrograde. Triplicity rulers Sun and Jupiter are both square. There are ambitions to see friends and family in your neighborhood, but these are often blocked by the challenges of travel, the obligations of home, and the expenses associated with upending your daily routines. Plan for a longer vision of the future than just “someday” and start getting specific about dates and times.
The Fourth House of home, household, and parents is Taurus, ruled by inconjunct Venus and hosting the Lunar Perigee (usually called the White Moon). Triplicity ruler Mars is trine while the Moon is square. Fulfilling your duties to house, home and family is both physically easy, and mentally challenging — suffering seems to accompany otherwise simple tasks. Try to get out of your own psychological way; concentrate on what is rather than what might have been.
The Fifth House of pleasures and pastimes and children is Gemini, ruled by a sextile Mercury at almost their greatest point of elongation from the Sun; Venus and Uranus are present (see the article on Uranus in Gemini for more details). You’re likely to divide your time between a number of different projects this week, but they’re also likely to teach you new skills and (if you plan it right) bring you closer together with your spouse or significant other and any children you have. If you’re single, make a point of inviting someone to join you for creative time together.
The Sixth House of daily routines, pets, and injuries is Cancer, ruled by the inconjunct Moon, and hosting exalted Jupiter and the SUn. The triplicity ruler Mars is sextile. It will be easy to fill up the days with chores and responsibilities; there are a number of subordinates that will require direct instruction and that will seem tedious at times. However, you’re in a good position to take the lead in a number of people’s lives, and teach good habits and give people strong structures for self-reliance in the future, as well as coordinated action together. Be sure to act as a responsible leader.
The Seventh House of spouse, peer partners, and rivals is Leo, ruled by the inconjunct Sun and hosting Mercury. Triplicity ruler Saturn is trine. You may find that it’s time to perform for your lover or put on a show for a rival in order to communicate your intentions or express your concerns. A big show may be necessary in order to be clear about the limitations on your current situation or environment. However, it’s worth dreaming about your big dreams, for your community and your family. Don’t get hung up on what’s wrong — celebrate what’s right, and what you can do to extend it further.
The Eighth House of obligation, duty and legacy is Virgo, ruled by inconjunct Mercury, and hosting Mars and the South Node. Triplicity ruler Venus is square but the Moon is trine. Your chores are a source of trouble and suffering, but there are larger forces at work bringing misery to your daily slog through the worst parts of your working and personal life. The line at the bureaucracy office is longer than usual; the wait times at the hospital are troubling; the cashier’s register is malfunctioning right when you’re in a hurry; the bank officer keeps you waiting on a routine update. Expect that things will go harder and take longer than you like: bring extra documentation just in case, and keep family members apprised of your whereabouts at all times.
The Ninth House of higher learning and long-distance travel is Libra, ruled by trining Venus. Triplicity ruler the Moon is also trine. Travel for higher learning in your chosen craft or artisanal fields, or for your children’s entertainment, is likely to be time and money well spent, but luxurious or particularly costly travel indulgences should be avoided; everything is likely to be more expensive than you planned for. Remember that you are going on these trips in order to expand your own mind, but that means you can’t be running your mouth or critiquing everything in view.
The Tenth House of career and professional reputation is Scorpio, ruled by sextile Mars and hosting the Black Moon (otherwise known as the Lunar Apogee); the triplicity ruler Moon directs from the square. The advice “show me the money” has both never been more relevant, but also never before so easy to weasel away from. Your boss is likely to break the normal rules around paying you or otherwise protecting you while you’re in the workplace, and is likely to get away with it; at the same time you have an obligation to protect yourself. Mike Rowe, of the TV show Dirty Jobs, was once told flat-out by a captain in a tiny fishing boat, “it’s my job to make you rich; it’s your job to keep yourself safe out here on the ocean.”
The Eleventh House of friends, associates, and allies is Sagittarius, ruled by inconjunct Jupiter. Only the triplicity ruler Saturn is available to help from the trine, but lies in close proximity to Neptune. Some battles are lost for the next three years; others may take a decade and a half to adjust to. The time for drawing lines of delineation between who you admit to your counsels and inner thoughts, and who remains in the light and airy realms of sharing jokes and light-hearted stories is becoming clearer. Know who your real allies are.
The Twelfth House of both obstacles and opportunities is Capricorn, ruled by squaring Saturn in close relationship with Neptune. Mars as a triplicity ruler assists from the trine of responsibilities. You’re likely to be tripped up by misjudging or misreading a friend’s commitment to your point of view, or their loyalty. Make no sure plans, draw clear lines around your expectations of your friends, and make no sure commitments for the future with others. Rash actions get people in trouble in times like these, and you’re not as smart as you think you are. Plan, plan again, critique your plan, and go forward with nothing until you have identified at least three holes in your plans.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.
Aquarius: Personal identity and self-image will be really important to you this coming week. Take the time to dress for success; but recognize that you also would like to keep clear of tension and release some of the stresses you currently hold. Be prepared to issue favorable reports. If you must break rules this week, it’s better to break the official policies at work, but to be true to the unspoken norms of family and household. At the same time, it’s easy to get your financial life into some trouble — make creative use of the materials you already have rather than buying “fresh stuff.” You might want beautiful new goods, but you would do better by bringing new skills to bear on old stuff. Generous ideals should support a rational approach to your daily routines. Communicate with your spouse, business partners, or even rivals, in order to bring about a shift in your obligations or to “reset your head” around your entertainments.
Pisces: Financial matters require a greater degree of attention. Even if your analysis shows that you’re well-paid for your work, start asking for resources that are commensurate with your risk-assessment over the next three years, not just current needs. Have a longer-range vision in mind for your financial future? It may be good to review where you’re coming from, and where you’d like to go. Some beautiful new options for entertaining others and yourself may appear quite suddenly — keep some extra space free in your car for a chance encounter with a great new chair or worktable for your office. If you’re in a relationship, be scrupulous about hammering out your agreements and keeping them; a rough conversation with an underling at work may require that you treat them more like a peer than a subordinate.
Aries: Siblings, cousins, family members, and close friends are a source of trouble and new opportunity in the coming week — but you may find that you have to engage in reminiscence and nostalgia before a new path opens for you; and that you may find the flashes of insight only come through the use of recreational chemistry of various kinds while in good company. It doesn’t have to be overdone, either — coffee, alcohol and cannabis (where legal) may be enough to get beyond basic social nicety. Household and family matters require you to step into a more generous and leaderly role every day — make a plan, rather than offer suggestions, and communicate that plan clearly to your team. You can expect trouble to go down as others resist your plan, but the correct strategy is to change your mind and then lead to the revised goal, rather than bow out completely.
Taurus: What do you want your family and household to look like in six months? What sorts of rule-sets will help you get there? Does it mean getting more creative with household finances and setting up savings plans for particular goals? Does it mean establishing clearer communication and rules? Do you need a chart of daily tasks, with stars for achievements and prizes? You have many potential delights on your schedule, but it’s unlikely that any of them will please or bring joy at the moment — you’re feeling lonely and isolated, and you want to spend time with friends but you’re also throwing up boundaries and barriers because you just want to be a professional and seen for your grand capacities. Home matters require conversation and communication that you’re not ready to have yet; some income has come your way but also some unexpected expenses that are liable to bring unhappiness — remember with gratitude how those expenses came to be and take delight in what they made possible.
Gemini: There’s contentment in self care and personal management of your life right now, although you may be going through a period when your personality seems to be changing and going through some adjustments. It’s ok to go in the direction of your new imagination, and start to become what you want to be. Yet you may want to take it in small stages; try to bring one part of the new you out through how you dress, what you say, on a daily basis. It’s a good time to start keeping a journal to track which of these changes is bringing you benefits and which aren’t suitable. Your home may be a place of challenge and difficulty right now, and that’s likely to continue for some time yet; talking to friends or close family about what’s bothering you may be valuable, but if there’s need for a heart-to-heart with a spouse, it’s possible that the time hasn’t arrived yet. Holding boundaries with some of your more ambitious acquaintances is needed, especially if you’re preparing for a big trip somewhere; don’t take on more social engagements than necessary in the immediate future, but do make plans for farther out.
Cancer: Your health and emotional well-being requires being more forgiving of yourself and a more rational approach to the irrational aspects of your life. Recognize that some of your more obvious challenges and triggers are best addressed through non-rational means, like candlelit ceremonies in the dark of night. OK, that trick won’t work for managing your household budget, or keeping your relatives in line with their odious demands on your time — but it might work better than you think at breaking through your current roadblocks, or solving the trouble of finding (or keeping) a job in challenging times. You may want to go traveling, but there are issues related to maintaining your boss’s view of you as a responsible and motivated employee that would be difficult to square with summer adventures in far off places. Can you schedule a few weekend ambitions instead, or have a secret game that you play closer to home?
Leo: It will be easy to focus on your isolation or solitude in the next ten days, but a more expansive idea of your friendships and connections to others will be beneficial. Conduct ongoing outreach to others and extend the hand of closer connections to people who are now merely acquaintances. Some of this is going to have to be traditional networking — you need a wider range of contractual obligations to deal with some financial shortfalls in your budget and planning. Some of it is based on a desire to build up a “war chest” for travel or new projects you’d like to undertake. And some of it, frankly, is about finding a housemate or special friend with whom to share both time and bed (This doesn’t mean that you’re going to break up with a current partner or spouse… but there’s something about that relationship that needs a more particular level of care than it’s currently getting).
Virgo: Your spouse’s (or significant other’s, or business partner’s) financial needs are greater than yours, and as a result it’s your job to suck up the challenges in the budget and resolve the conflict in someone else’s favor. This is going to cause long-term issues that you had best figure out how to communicate and document to the right people, now, as a CYA for the future. Putting copies of this document into friendly hands is also a way of making sure it doesn’t vanish down the memory hole, because even if it’s a friendly partner now, there’s always a chance the conversation in the future will be hostile to history. Setting appropriate boundaries around what you can and cannot do, and what hopes you have for a long-term future, is a great way of making sure that the daily overruns don’t create unsustainable frictions. Despite the personal difficulties, there’s a good chance that what you’re working on is a source of personal happiness and contentment, even if it involves some revolutionary new developments. Spend time with friends near the water to relax and enjoy yourself.
Libra: You’re on the verge of an amazing new intellectual breakthrough, but it will require you to engage your hands in the creative labor of learning — take notes, create small cartoons, draw diagrams. Fill a few pages in a notebook or journal about what you’re thinking and feeling, and take delight in what you’re discovering. A boss or supervisor is very forgiving and open to your ideas and suggestions about process; help make your workplace a more feeling and open-hearted place in the next ten days. Similarly, you may find it valuable to reach out to a peer within the organization and establish a new friendship or playful rivalry for the sake of your growth. It would be easy to let romance pass you by or put up an unnecessary boundary with a lover this week — identify what vision of the future you want to have with this person, though, and act accordingly. Having fun requires spending money or time on yourself; are you engaging with your hopes and dreams enough?
Scorpio: A friendship may be under some strain or difficulty if you don’t break the rules at work; but it would be a good idea to discuss your plan to break policy with a significant other, or a housemate, who may have strong feelings about the situation if you get caught. And you will get caught; you should expect that whatever you’re trying to do, you’re not nearly sneaky enough to avoid notice in this set of circumstances. The question is whether or not anyone will care; a near-peer with some level of management may agree with your opinion; you may be given the opportunity to see this as a “learning experience” for why such policies exist; or you may find that you’ve only sorted the problem temporarily while also compromising your ethics or limiting your own power in some way. Be aware that you’re more likely to react in this situation than make good choices with forethought and planning. Accordingly, spending some time thinking about your ethical boundaries before someone asks you to transgress them would be time well spent.
Sagittarius: You’re about to move into a time when many eyes will be on you, and you’ll be surrounded by friends; but the economic and emotional challenges of your current family or community issues may wind up distracting you from the professional roles you’d like to play. Your attention is likely focused on home and household and family rather than on purely careerist goals. And the happiness of a significant other may be more essential than having fun — you may find it necessary to put up walls or restrictions against a wider social circle, for the sake of meeting your commitments to your existing tribe. Meet your obligations with an easy-handed generosity, and dispense the transformative grace of your emotional temperance with a lightness and ease. You’ll have to be more technically precise in your communication with a spouse or significant other — your long term patterns will have to be broken for the sake of maintaining health in the short term, but plan to get back on the program as soon as practicable.
Capricorn: Financial troubles and personal limits imposed by household issues may have you feeling isolated and lonely this week. Yet good things come to those with patience to endure the current difficulties. Give yourself some time to plan for the long term, by reviewing past actions — if you know what got you into this current situation, you can probably see your way free. You’re likely to earn a reputation as a Good Friend® this week, in part by casting your eyes and goodwill toward your spouse or significant other’s friends and daily companions, and doing what you can to make their life easier. Some of your planned recreational activities are likely to be disrupted or delayed; travel plans may also take considerably longer than you’d like. If you have a road trip in the next ten days, think hard as you pack the car about how you’d get the spare tire from the trunk — and make eye contact with the stewardess during the emergency flight briefing rather than sending one last text from your phone.
Colophon
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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
