Dunthor.com - Cancer 2003

About Cancer

On June 20th, the Sun enters the 30-degree portion of the Zodiac we know as Cancer. Cancer is the first astrological sign of Summer, its beginning indicated by the Summer Solstice. The constellation of Cancer is one of the least visible in our time but was probably more noticeable in antiquity since it was one of the first constellations to be named. The Sun in Cancer indicates a caring and nurturing time of year, a time of involvement with home and family including patriotism, our world and home. We want to focus on home as an inclusive, rather than derisive energy; not my home vs. your home but Earth as our entire home. It is no coincidence that family vacations, reunions, and weddings fill our calendars this time of year.

Cancer is complex and variable in temperament coinciding with the variability in appearance of its ruler, the Moon. This yin, cardinal, water sign is nurturing, protective, tenacious, and emotionally sensitive, with strong roots. It can also be smothering, unwilling to let go, timid and reclusive. The energy of Cancer is often invoked in Real Estate dealings and I think it is important to clarify that Cancer relates to safety, security and long-term investment. It does not relate to risk taking or “making a killing” in the market.

The monthly installment of The Great Astrological Light Bulb Joke:

Q. How many Cancerians does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Just one. But it takes a therapist three years to help them through the grieving process.

Note: I have no idea who originally wrote this. Erika sent it to me years ago and I still think it’s as funny as it is insightful!

Inga's Celebration Calendar

June 21st - The Summer Solstice, Litha, Alban Arthuan in the Celtic Calendar, and the day the Sun moves into the constellation Cancer.

The word Solstice is Latin in origin and means, "The Sun stood still.” On June 21, the North Pole is tilted most directly Sunward. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere experience this as the longest day and shortest night of the year. On December 21, the Winter Solstice, the North Pole is pointed away from the Sun giving us in the Northern Hemisphere, our shortest day, and longest night. This tilting of the Earth's rotational axis gives us our seasons. During each Solstice, the Sun appears to both rise and set at the exact same spot on the horizon. This helps to explain how the Solar Calendars like Stonehenge and the Sun Dagger in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico operate.

Litha is a Fire Festival, usually celebrated with a bonfire or community Bar-be-que. Traditionally, there would be mummer's plays and dancing culminating with dancers actually leaping through the flames as the fire burned lower. Amulets or magickal tools that have served their purpose or have broken are added to the fire at this festival. The solstices were known in Babylonian astrology as "the portals" identifying Cancer and Capricorn as the time when the "veil between the worlds" is most permeable. This is the origin of the European tradition of seeing fairies and ghosts or spirits on Midsummer's and Midwinter's Eve. It is also the setting of William Shakespeare’s “ A Midsummer Night’s Eve”. By the way, this is Yule, the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

Visit the Fremont Fair’s website for art and details.

June 21^{st - "}Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is Released in the USA.

Click on the link to learn more on Amazon.com.

June 21st - White Nights Festival begins (to mid July) in Russian Federation countries

June 29^{th -}New Moon:

The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision and consecration.

July 3^{rd -}Festival of Cerridwen in the ancient Celtic Calendar

July 4^{th -}Independence Day and the monthly Duncan & Thornell open house.

I always leave Lost and Found items on the little table on the porch, so feel free to stop by and reclaim your stuff!

July 7^{th -}The Running of the Bulls in Spain

July11th - La Fete de la Magdalene in France:

Time to re-read "The Moon Under Her Feet", and "Holy Blood, Holy Grail". These are two of the books linking Christianity to its pagan roots and the Virgin Mary and the Magdalen to the Goddess. Visit our “Reading Room” for our reviews and links. You can also find our Reading Room by clicking on Library in the navigation bar at the top of each webpage on our site.

A discussion from a Wiccan site: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/2310/Christ.htm

Correspondences between the grail, the chalice, and the cauldron: http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/grail/

July 13^{th -}Full Moon:

The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision and consecration.

July 13^{th -}O - Bon / Festival of Souls (lunar date) Shinto

July 14^{th -}Bastille Day and Emmeline Pankhurst Day in Great Britain:

Ms Pankhurst was a Suffragist and founding member of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903. “The argument of the broken pane of glass is the most valuable argument in modern politics.” -- Emmeline Pankhurst

July 17^{th -}Hurricane Supplication Day in the US Virgin Islands

July 22^{nd -}The Sun Enters Leo and National Hot Dog Day in the United States of America

Stone of the Sign - Pearl

Cleopatra reportedly dissolved a single pearl in a glass of wine and drank it, simply to win a wager with Mark Antony that she could consume the wealth of an entire nation in just one meal.

Pearls are formed within an oyster or mussel. An irritant is introduced into the shellfish either through ingestion (natural pearl) or the introduction of a glass bead (cultured pearl) The shellfish deposits layer after layer of the mineral aragonite (called nacre) out of its tissues onto the irritant in order to render it harmless and a pearl is formed. The luster of a pearl is caused by the way light refracts among the overlapping layers of nacre. Spanish explorers of the New World found the natives in possession of rich pearl fisheries. For many years, the New World was known in Europe as the land where pearls came from.

For centuries, Pearls and amber were considered the world’s most valuable gemstones. A fragment of the oldest known pearl jewelry, found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC, is displayed in the Louvre in Paris. In the romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian), margarita means pearl. Pearls feel beautifully silky and luxurious against the skin. They resonate to Cancer both because of their milky color and the way they grow nurtured and hidden like a baby within the mussel. This is why the rainbow colored inner shell of the oyster is named Mother of Pearl.

To learn more about how to use Gemstones in your daily life, click here to see our "What Gemstones Should I Wear?" guide in our Library.

Click here to learn more about purchasing Inga's Earth Magic Jewelry.

Letters from our Readers

We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, are welcome to participate. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in be it Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc., as long as it reflects Love. You may choose a one-time holiday to write about or have a regular column. We'll give you space and a byline! Please send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, your journal excerpts, your experiences and most of all, ask us questions. We love answering questions!

From Teri:

Occupied Rooms

While we have never planned to visit "haunted" hotels, in our travels, my husband and I have found ourselves in the company of some residents that had checked in long before we did.

While on vacation in Cape May, NJ, we found a really beautiful, ancient hotel that overlooked the Atlantic coast. The hotel boasted that it had the oldest working elevator in the nation. I sensed that the place was full of spirits, and mentioned it to my husband as we checked in. The place had a lovely historic, welcoming feeling to it. Later on, at dinner, to our surprise, one of the spirits in residence forcefully blew out the candle that was set inside a glass hurricane lamp at our table! Something of this nature had never happened to us before. My husband, who normally isn't as in tune with sensing spirit activity said, "I don't think we're alone". We also noticed a profoundly chilly spot to the right of me. I had always heard about cold air when a ghost is near, but had never experienced it as clearly as I did there. We were quite bemused and I let the spirit know that we thought it had good taste as to where to live and thanked it for its ability to let us know it had joined us for dinner! There were no "living" hotel guests nearby, due to the off-season. So we were able to share the experience fully, without interruption. While we stayed at the hotel in Cape May, it was also the first time we had experienced the same type of dreams at the same time. As we slept that evening, we both had very vivid visitations from our deceased loved ones. My husband had a dream that he was visiting with a favorite uncle, and I had a rare dream of my deceased son. We both woke up happy and astonished. The veil was obviously very thin at that hotel. My husband normally doesn't remember his dreams, and if he does, they never parallel mine. It was so wonderful, a real treat.

We recently vacationed at the Beach Club hotel at Disney World. We had vacationed there before and had a good time, so weren't anticipating anything unusual. But we were in for a surprise... Up to that point in our vacation, we had been having a lovely time. We had been at a different hotel for 5 days, than we transferred to the Beach Club Hotel to be closer to Epcot. The first evening of our stay, both of us had our sleep disrupted with dreams that created feelings of profound despair and sadness. Even though the dreams had different plots, the themes of despair and sadness were profound. We both remembered our experience in Cape May, but passed off the dreams as a mere coincidence. The next night, we both had terrible dreams, and tossed and turned all night. We then accepted that it was more than just a coincidence. Plus, I hate to admit it, but I was a bit annoyed to have my vacation interrupted. Being sleep deprived didn't help my mood either. For the first two days, the only rest we got was in the afternoon for a nap. We weren't interrupted during the day, only in the wee 3 - 4 am hours. The hotel was full of vacationers for the upcoming holiday, so moving wasn't an option. Plus, what do you say, "I need to move because my room is already occupied?" When I got over being mad and approached the situation with compassion and love, things were thankfully resolved. It appeared that our room was occupied by a sad, despondent spirit that disrupted both of our dreams for 3 out of the 5 nights we were there. I cleansed the place after the second night of disrupted dreams. That helped during the day, but it didn't do anything for the wee hours of the morning, between 3 and 4 a.m., or so. What finally worked was to remind the spirit that in each plane there is a choice as to whether we turn towards or away from the loving light which is our Higher Spirit or God. I shared my near-death experience through visualization and tried to give it a glimpse of the love that encompassed me when I experienced a Near Death Experience (NDE) so many years ago. I sensed it was a very wounded female spirit. I encouraged her to embrace the love within the light that she so richly deserved. But reminded her, that I wasn't forcing her go. It was completely up to her. Choice here, choice there, and choice beyond. I just wanted her to know that I could really sense her pain. But most of all, to convey that she was entitled to a better life experience no matter where she chose to reside. The last two nights of our stay in that hotel room, the sleep for both of us was completely uninterrupted.

I didn't know what had happened to the spirit until I was typing and editing an email to tell Inga & Scott what had happened. While editing the email, checking punctuation, etc., all of a sudden, I received a huge swell of love; a celestial hug. The surge came out of nowhere, and was so loving and powerful it made me well up with tears from the tingles. It was a message from the spirit who let me know that she had passed into the light during our visit at the hotel. She thanked me for helping her on her journey. It turned out to be a wonderful gift for both of us.

From Johanna:

Dog Robs Gas Station

From Stephanie:

Thought you might enjoy the Edward Lear Home Page when you're looking for a little entertainment. Click here to see "There was an Old Derry down Derry...Edward Lear's Nonsense Poetry and Art"

From Trevor:

I'm writing to ask you to take part in MoveOn.org's presidential primary. Too often, the real choices in presidential nomination processes are made long before the real primaries. Pundits, pollsters and big donors shouldn't be the only voices that count at this early and important stage of the process.

MoveOn's primary will give at least 1.4 million people the opportunity to make their voices heard. You can be one of them by registering to vote in the MoveOn Primary here: http://www.moveon.org/pac/reg/

Click here for a Washington Post article about MoveOn.org’s primary.

The Duncan Domain

I've spent just about all of my spare time this past month documenting my last two annual motorcycle trips. You may recall my write-up of the metaphysical details of last year's ride, "What I Did On My Summer Vacation". (Click here if you'd like to read it.) That journey was quite a painful trial for me and took a lot out of me. After writing about the cleansing and healing that I experienced, I didn't have any energy or interest in creating a travelogue about it. It actually took this year's ride to the Grand Canyon's North Rim, Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon, and the healing that came from it, to enable me to playfully revisit last year's ride and write more about it.

So this month, I'll turn you on to the web pages I've created for those rides. I'll detail the metaphysical aspects of this year's ride in our next newsletter. I have so much to share that I've been wrestling with how to clearly convey it to you. That's a reflection of how profound the healing has been for me and how hard I'm working to integrate it into my daily life in a sustainable way.

My ride write-ups are located on my Duncan Domain website on the Scooters page. Look under "Trips" for the "ODMC Rockies Tour 2002" & the "ODMC Canyons Ride 2003":

-- Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)

Cancer 2003 Edition

About Cancer	Letters from our Readers
Inga's Celebration Calendar	The Monthly Dunthor Open House
Stone of the Sign	The Duncan Domain
Inga's Space	New and Updated Pages on our Website