In the Daily Guides of last month’s Science of Mind Magazine, Cynthia James shared about her rescue dog, Rusty. Abused as a puppy, Rusty was an anxious mess—tearing up furniture, barking incessantly, running away. For nine years James and her husband put up with Rusty’s difficult behavior and loved him anyway.
Then a friend told them about Thunder Shirts—a garment that wraps around a dog’s (or cat’s) midsection and exerts steady pressure which calms the animal, even in the face of thunder storms. James was skeptical, but thought it worth a try. She put the garment on Rusty and within a day, he was much more relaxed. “It was amazing,” she reports. “It was like he was wrapped in love.”
This story reminded me of the Squeeze Machine, which the autistic Temple Grandin devised as a college student after seeing cows calmed by the pressure of a holding device. Plagued by acute anxieties and unable to tolerate a human touch, Grandin found that spending time twice daily in the Squeeze Machine calmed her and provided a sense of safety—as it did for others in her research project.
With four planets in security-loving Cancer, the idea of such a device appeals to me. (After all, our loved ones can’t always be there when we need a serious hug). In her Daily Guide, James imagines wearing an invisible Thunder Shirt. What would it feel like, she wonders, to be wrapped in love all the time? “That would mean we would feel safe, whole, nurtured and comforted in every situation. We could walk out each day with confidence that love guides our paths and handles every experience.”
The upcoming Cancer New Moon (Friday June 27, 1:08 a.m. PDT) carries the potential for such a wondrous embrace. Magical Neptune trines the Sun and Moon in nurturing Cancer, heightening our powers of visualization and ability to give and receive love. If you’re lucky enough to have a significant other, hold each other tightly at this New Moon. If not, just imagine yourself being held within the arms of the Divine—the ultimate Squeeze Machine. Later that day, the Moon opposes Pluto and squares Uranus, which could present a few emotional hiccups. And, Venus squares Neptune early Sunday morning, promoting higher love but also veering toward melancholy or confusion—which could be accentuated by Mercury’s current stationary status as it prepares to turn forward on July 1.
So it’s a deep, emotional weekend in which we could all benefit from a hug. Gather friends and family around you now. The Cancer New Moon trine otherworldly Neptune is also an exceptional time to contact your ancestors for support. Check out this ritual from my book, Astro Feng Shui: Making Magic in Your Home and Life. At the bottom of that page, you’ll also find a mini-makeover in which I helped one woman transform her Family gua and improve relations with her daughter.
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