#48 | Cancer the Crab

07/08/23 • 52 min

In this episode we explore the first water sign of the Zodiac: Cancer. Ruled by the moon, Cancer is linked to the archetypal mother and so rules over the lunar side of our consciousness; fluid, emotional, imaginal, creative, nurturing and receptive.
As this 'night world' consciousness responds best to images, sounds and sense impressions, the episode begins with a look at a few Cancerian artists; DJ Shadow and Frida Kahlo. We then settle in to a look at Cancer key words and ideas, followed by a deep dive into the crab itself as it scuttles sideways between land and see, carrying its home on its back.
Mythologically Hestia, goddess of the hearth comes to the table. Tantalus shows us what not to do at a dinner party, especially one where the gods are the guests. We look at the Earth Mother lineage of Gaia, Rhea, Hera. And then go deep into the tensional point between Hera and Herakles as it plays out through the image of the terrifying nine-headed water snake, the Hydra.
Resources for this episode:
Mort Garson - Cancer 1969
DJ Shadow's album Entroducing... especially the song Changeling.
Frida Kahlo - The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth, Myself, Diego and Senor Xolotl, 1949 (cover art)
Brian Clark - Mythic Signs
Crabs Trading Shells - BBC Earth
Nami · Chihei Hatakeyama · Federico Durand

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

Previous Episode

#47 | Melanie Reinhart | On Gemini (Pt. Two) | Castor & Pollux | Hermes/Mercury | Laughter as Medicine

Welcome to Part Two of my discussion on Gemini with the astrologer, Melanie Reinhart. If you’re just jumping into this episode I suggest going back to the previous one to hear part one of our chat on the mystical experience of the lost twin.

In this episode we will spend more time in the mythic and the astrological, discussing Gemini’s position in between the earthy Taurus and the watery Cancer and its struggle to keep enough air in the room. We also touch upon the twins of Greek Mythology - Castor and Pollux - who are the bright stars of the constellation of Gemini.

The Messenger God, Hermes/Mercury, then helps us fill in the gaps as the ruling deity of this sign before we turn our attention to laughter as medicine and how it can help us recharge in times of deep grief, sadness and loss.

I hope you enjoy this conversation. If you do please feel free to send Melanie a message to let her know, or leave it as a review on your podcast app of choice.
Episode Artwork: Castor and Pollux Rescuing Helen - Jean-Bruno Gassies
References
Swami Beyondananda
Lewis Hyde - Trickster Makes this World

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

Next Episode

#49 | Indigo Melrose & Rose Harvey | Mothers at Midnight | Part One

Today I’m joined by two dear friends, Rose Harvey and Indigo Melrose, from the Mothers and Midnight Podcast. The three of us were all part of a two year program at Metavision Institute in Australia where we learned Process Oriented Psychotherapy.

For the occasion of the Cancer New Moon, we talk about Mothers. The light, the dark and the many shades in between. It ended up being such a rich area of exploration that I’ve split it into two episodes.

Here in part one we open up the fairy tale lens through old stories like Hansel and Gretel and Sleeping Beauty. We explore the 13th fairy or wise woman and uncover the wisdom of these stories to help us sit in the fire of transformation that is the hearth - the eternal flame at the center of the home.

Through this lens we talk about Rose’s encounter with a shadow component of motherhood that she talked about in their podcast during a pivotal episode on the dark mother.

Then Indigo speaks of her early childhood, growing up deaf in a Vipassana center and how that shaped her experience of the inner and outer world.

We also discuss, and challenge, the idea of Tabula Rasa - that human beings are born as a clean slate. And look to what astrology might be able to add to the discussion about the pre-existence of the soul.

The episode begins with a poem by Rose that takes us into the lived experience of Motherhood. Through her eyes we enter and inhabit the world of Mother.

Cover Art is from the Sacred Cycles Oracle by Jill Pyle and Em Dewey

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.