The Month of Cancer contains the beginning of a period of difficult energy known as the Negative Three Weeks. Spiritually speaking, we are without our ozone layer. The normal layer of protection that helps us filter life and make sense of things will be on summer vacation.

It’s our opportunity to give our patience muscles a healthy workout.

Why do we have to experience such things? Where’s the smooth sailing we all yearn for? What’s with all the choppy seas? Let’s face it, we’re creatures of habit. As soon as we settle into our habit, we lose appreciation for the positive times and the progress we’ve already made in our spiritual growth.

That’s why the Light constantly gives us opportunities such as these next three weeks to shake things up a bit and really push ourselves to our best level. Sure, it requires a challenge here, and a bit of not jumping to conclusions there, but we need this to keep us from falling into a state of stagnation.

The month of Cancer is a time when we have to keep vigilant about treating everyone with human dignity.

Remember it’s not just about being nice people. We’re protecting ourselves here. The Zohar explains that this time of year is the seed level for dangerous diseases that can manifest in our lives. Just like there are only certain times of the year that you will actually grow a tomato if you plant a tomato seed in the ground, the same is true for disease.

Forget about all the physicality of it. We know that anything, disease or otherwise, that we experience, begins on a spiritual level. First our soul gets sick. The Zohar explains it’s as if a filthy piece of cloth gets gluedto our soul. Then in that area of consciousness that we have that dirty piece of cloth attached to our soul, (much like a piece of cloth covering a lightbulb) we can no longer reach the Light. Thus our soul gets cut off from its source and there is an entry point, a space in which disease can enter.

What’s the bottom line? We need to dig deep to find love every morning, and be extra careful not to be super- reactive for the next three weeks.

This way, when it’s all over, we can laugh in the face of chaos instead of chaos laughing at us.