Mercury direct, Pluto and Venus deepenings

In Flight                                                                                             Catherine Al-Meten

The New Moon in Cancer on Friday, June 27, with its trine to Neptune in 7 degrees Pisces, retrograde started the weekend and the new lunar cycle in the watery depths of dreams, idealism, hopes, and visions of a brighter future. Mercury is preparing to station and turn direct in Gemini. Our concerns are focused, during this next lunar cycle, on that which solidifies, strengthens, and creates greater harmony within our relationships, families, and within our selves. Our ideas about what is necessary for a creating a safe,  nourishing, and protective sense of home and belonging now makes us feel home-centered and self protective. 

The biggest news this week is Mercury’s turn from its retrograde path to its forward movement. Still in the late stages of Gemini until July 12, Mercury is in one of the houses of its rulership, and thus communication is highlighted. Communication increases through whatever form the house/area of your life in which Gemini resides. For example, if Gemini is your Ascendant, you may be making more of a name for yourself, making public appearances, or taking on a more public role. If your 7th house, of relationships and partnerships is featured, this area of your life is highlighted. Remember that each house represents some aspect of how you live, and Gemini affects whatever area of your life that house rules.  

Some basics about Mercury. Mercury, a mutable sign,  is in its glory in the 3rd house. Mercury in Gemini forms challenges when squared with either Pisces or Virgo. When in opposition with Sagittarius it can either create a harmonious meeting or result in a tug-of-war. Mercury in Gemini forms trines with Aquarius and Libra, and sextiles with Aries and Libra bring unexpected opportunities. Mercury is all about all forms of communication, and those who make their living communicating (writers, artists, singers, song writers, journalists, scholars).  

Mercury’s re-entry into Gemini has given us a prolonged period to focus on how we communicate and on getting involved in a wide variety of interesting topics. We may have gained superficial knowledge about a lot of different subjects. Gemini scans the seas of knowledge for interesting points to focus in on. 

More is going on with us at deeper levels in areas of the subconscious, memories, dreams, the shadow elements of our lives (behavior, development, challenges, and growing edges). We recognize what needs fixing, and we find a variety of interesting ways to approach growth and healing, however, the real challenge is allowing ourselves to recognize within what needs to happen in the day to day course of our lives. Enlightenment is not the goal; enlightenment shines light on the path, if we are willing to see it. With Mercury’s retrograde phase, we also have opportunities to recognize and deal with challenging aspects that stand between our intentions and goals. Mercury is a planet that focuses a great deal of our attention on thinking and doing as well as recognizing how our intuitive, intellectual, and unconscious drives and hidden desires affect the life we live on the surface of our being.  We may feel disturbed, aroused, perplexed, or confused with all the internal growth and activity going on at the interior levels of being. 

Depending upon your stage of life and your spiritual development, you may feel you are dealing with more information, ideas, connections, or situations than you can manage.  What is needed when Mercury and Venus are in the airy Gemini and Neptune and Chiron are in Pisces,  the Sun and Jupiter are in Cancer, and Saturn is in Scorpio, it is no wonder that for some, it is hard to get grounded or feel like your have a grasp on all that your mind, heart, spirit, and psyche are dealing with. 

The grounding force of Pluto in Capricorn gives us a hint of what we ought to be doing to stay in touch with our earthly life and being.  Our spiritual essence, our minds and intellect, our memories, dreams, and visions are working overtime, and much seems to be coming to a head, requiring that we act on some sort of impulse that might be better reigned in until we have  a clearer understanding of what we really need, require, or seek.  Often we are given a flood of information, experiences, or other type of input that challenges our beliefs, faith, way of life, understanding of ourselves. This happens within the natural course of life, and sets off crises. Sometimes the crises are caused my our choices, actions; other times they are a result of what happens as a result of someone else’s action/choice, or of natural occurrences. Everything is interconnected, so we are all in the network of cause and effects, that challenge us to determine for ourselves, what the next best step is on our life path. 

Pluto in Capricorn until 2013, affects the generations that live during this time. Whatever is brought up to the surface of our individual and collective consciousness during this period of time, calls for transformative measures, done in a very grounded, solid, and creative way. If we use Pluto’s (also called Vulcan) powers of destruction, disruption, or force, we create one kind of experience. If we use that power for positive, healing, and transformative change, we create an entirely different one. We make decisions every day in our own lives, that affect the bigger  picture. We are each responsible for taming the forces within so as to generate energy that calms upheaval and disruption around us. Some of the most challenging times comes during periods like this when there is so much happening on the level of inner consciousness, self awareness, transitions on all levels.

As the week begins we find: 

Sun at 7/54’14” Cancer

Moon 4/26’31” Leo

Mercury 24/30’28”r Gemini

Venus 7/23’51” Gemini

Mars       17/51’36” Libra

Jupiter 26/19’46” Cancer

Saturn 16/ 59’58”r Scorpio

Uranus 16/ 18’24” Aries

Neptune 7/29’27”r Pisces

Pluto 12/24’22”r Capricorn

North Node 25/21’32”r Libra

Chiron 17 Pisces

Venus in Gemini joins Mercury, so much of what we are focused on communicating about has to do with our relationships, partnerships, ideas about love, marriage, beauty, and art. We may feel a bit ambiguous about our feelings and ideas, and this may translate to not being able to settle in on anything for very long. In a sense this has to do with being detached from our emotions and operating too much out of our heads. If you are in a serious relationship which has challenges and conflicts, this is not the time to ignore your feelings.  Our emotions are often masked by habits we have grown into over time, needed at one time to protect ourselves, but often creating a shell that allows too much suppression of emotions and the tendency to rationalize or deny real issues that put you and your relationships in peril―or that cause you peril. 

Avoid forgetting that your emotions are signals to what we are struggling to understand, first and foremost about ourselves. If we only define ourselves though what others see, think about us, or convince us of, we are missing the point that we have the power, knowledge, and capacity to discern what is best for ourselves. Unless we have been so damaged or wounded that we no longer have any idea of who we are, each of us must make the decisions that help us determine what is true for us and our own lives. 

Addictions, abuse, and unhealed wounds have been causing some more and more trouble, and are a sign that we can only overlook an issue or misconception about our relationships for so long. Venus’ activity in Gemini may distract us somewhat. Knowing this, we have the power to slow ourselves a bit and use what is going on inside and out, to help us discern what is healthy and good for us. This might be a good time to get some help with areas that you have been trying to deal with. Good counseling and guidance can be helpful when we are ready to address issues that bring us unhappiness, too much stress, or are a result of being overwhelmed by something. Support and understanding are gifts we can give and receive to those who seek it. 

Sunday, June 29.  Just past midnight, the Sun in Cancer formed to Neptune in Pisces. We also feel stronger within, and this helps lift our spirits. Relationships can be a bit testy, especially if our expectations or someone else's’ are not in synch. Notice whether elements of your relationships are not as you would like. Are your expectations  unrealistic, delusional, or covered with a mist of emotional dependency? The energy in relationships intensifies, and is hopefully drawing you to recognize the reality of a connection that was based in dreams, illusion, or projections of what you desire.  

Venus is contra parallel to retrograde Pluto in Capricorn. For the next four days this strong  aspect raises all kinds of issues about power, control, abuse, and perceptions of self worth. Since this is a tense aspect, the issues arise from the shadowy elements of our passions and intimate connections. We struggle between our experiences of passion, intensity and depth in relationships,  and those of our own self worth, personal values, and sense of dignity. 

For some, being ego-driven leads to abuse of others, issues of control over, and of needs related to using power to control and own. For those whose egos are not strong, whose self worth is weak, or who depend on others for definition, the need is now for strengthening one’s own sense of personal power, worth, and dignity. Any attempt to undermine your own value, dismiss abuse, addictions, or weaknesses perpetrated on you by others (yes, it’s that strong), needs to be acknowledge, not ignored. Self preservation, self protection, and the building up of a strong central core and ego is essential for anyone dealing with wounded relationships, abusive situations, or broken commitments, vows, and relationships. 

Also on Sunday, Mars forms a quincunx to Chiron.This aspect has us doubting our ability to solve problems, handle disturbances, or deal with life issues in general. Self doubt is a sign that we need to slow down a bit, do something we do well to ground us in our own power, abilities, and strength, and to acknowledge whatever it is that we fear, are upset by, or have need of changing. Notice your physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual senses, and let your intuition guide you to some simple answers. Notice too, how your beliefs might be interfering with your trusting your own intuition. Be wary of taking in information, guidance, or advice from a source that you do not truly understand or whose intentions are not clear to you. 

Around midday, as I’m writing, Venus squares Neptune in Pisces. We tend to feel that we are in somewhat of a fog about relationships. We may be feeling, sensing or seeing things that are not really part of our experiences. We see what we want to see, not what is. Caution is against starting anything based on the emotional or spiritual high or elation you might feel. 

With the use of your resources, avoid being overly optimistic or unrestrained. Whatever is truly good, will still be truly good when the haze of emotions or spiritual intensity  wears off or gets more integrated into our being. Just because something has elements that meet your desires, that set off your passions, or look like the answer to your prayers, does not necessarily mean your perception is accurate. Give yourself some time, distance, and a bit of distance to let your ideas, feelings, and perceptions come into greater focus. What you are seeing may be out of focus right now. 

Monday, June 30. The Moon in Leo all day, makes some aspects that draw us into some dramatic emotional energy. The Moon trine Uranus in Aries may make us feel like we need to make changes immediately, or we might get some new flash of news or understanding about a situation about which we need clarification. Since this is the last day of Mercury’s retrograde journey, we may be reminded of something that is related to how we gain and lose, start and end, or determine and decide what is best for us. Look to the past―yours―to decide when you have made the best choices, been the most attuned to what is best for you, and who/what has been of help or hindrance in the process.

Later in the afternoon, the Moon squares Saturn in Scorpio, stirring up the pot again with our emotions being triggered by deep-seated fears, hopes, desires, wounds, grief, or anger.  Notice what comes to the surface. In the evening, the Moon sextiles Mars giving us some new opportunities and a greater flow of energy to do things that bring us a greater sense of peace. 

Tuesday, the Moon is in Leo until late afternoon, when it enters Virgo. Virgo moon gives us a greater sense of grounding, and desire to fix things, organize our ideas, maintain a scrupulous level of behavior, and find a fair way to define needs. Mercury stations direct in Gemini, and begins its forward path. We should begin to feel that communication starts improving over the next few days, and our own thoughts seem more calm on some level.  

Keep in mind the ideas, memories, desires, and issues that have been stirred up over the last week or so, and keep your eye on the intentions you set for this period of time. Notice what inner guidance and outer signs, opportunities, or offers come your way.

Wednesday. The Virgo Moon semi-square Mars, strains and pushes at areas where we are emotionally vulnerable and where we are either pushing or being pushed to act.  Hold your ground, and be firm with yourself. The Moon opposes Neptune and we have the chance to find unity between polarities between our emotions and our inner vision, intuition, and desires.  If the shadow side rules, we can get caught up in a pointless and endless cycle of confusion, self doubt, fear, anger, projection, and disillusion. Later the Moon sextiles the Sun, again offering ways to deal with your emotional energy. The Moon semi-square Jupiter and  square Venus, highlight the issues that we have been struggling with during this very important Venus cycle. 

The station of Mercury occurs in the middle of the night (2:50 AM PDT/5:50 AM EDT)With Mercury moving forward, we may feel the need or urge to make changes or move quickly.  Pay particular attention to dreams, intuitive sensations, and whatever mood you find upon waking. When Mercury is at a standstill, we receive the full brunt of what issues may have characterized this retrograde cycle. We see what is left to be dealt with or integrated into our lives.If we do so, we are using emotional energy ad may not have the inner strength, vision, and understanding that we need just yet. Find ways to channel your emotional energy―art, exercise, hard work, service to focus on other’s needs. Get outside and get out of your head. Slow down, and give yourself permission to take a break. Muster up your strength, courage, and resources (inner and outer) knowing you can deal with whatever comes your way. 

At night when the Moon trines Pluto, you might finally feel a bit calmer, and have a clearer idea of what is fueling your impatience or the need to purge, flee, or alter some major aspect of your life. The real change is in your thinking and attitude, not necessarily in the way you are living―that is of course unless you are living in a situation, relationship, or role that is harmful, unhealthy, or dangerous. To deal with this, you must be honest with yourself, or you simply foster illusions and live in a set of unrealistic expectations. Call them what you will, when we put up with abuse or dishonor ourselves by letting unhealthy connections define us, we have problems in our perspective and expectations.

On Thursday, the Moon continues its transit in Virgo. Venus forms a semi-square to Jupiter, and we are encouraged with options, opportunities, and offers that help us recognize what it is we are meant to be doing, understanding, or seeing. And the final day and stress of the Venus Pluto counter parallel aspect comes to a head. Pluto is pulling Venus into the depths and shadow parts of our views on love, beauty, nature, and partnerships. We need to feel it, see it, hear it, and allow whatever needs to be healed to come to the surface so you can face what is really at the heart of the matter.

The power of this struggle with the shadowy side of Venus and Pluto intensifies and is crucial for understanding the depth and traits that feed the fires of conflict and that point us in new, safer, and more productive directions in our relationships. 

Friday, July 4, a holiday in the U.S., starts off with the Sun in Cancer opposing the retrograde Pluto in Capricorn. This aspect sets off more of Pluto’s oppositional, potentially destructive, power-obsessed energy. The struggle between ego/self and the energetic power of transformation, Pluto Uranus and Pluto are square one another, and the Sun’s opposition sets both off in an explosive way. Again it is crucial to pay attention to where this is happening, and to avoid projecting this out into the collective consciousness. Where we fail to control our emotions, ego-driven needs, or need to manipulate, control, or use others, we let loose a flood of negative energy, and we get caught up in power struggles, conflicts, and dissension. What is dying or ending? What needs to be released and disconnected from your energy and activities? Nothing new, healed or transformed can happen when we are trapped in the idea that we can only change through our own means and vision. Be receptive to how what is falling apart or what has disappeared from your experience has made space for a new, more positive way of life for you.   Mercury trines the North Node in Libra in late morning, and we have the chance to see the first glimpses of what is beyond the present, what is opening up for us, and what is calling to be done, answered, or changed. Use your senses, your mind, your dreams, memories, and intuition to tune into the Truth that you are seeking. 

Saturday, the Moon is in peaceful Libra all day. However, early in the day, the Libra Moon comes out of the shadows and the role as peacemaker, negotiation, and balance, to stand firm in the lessons that have been coming to the surface. With the Moon in Libra triggering the Sun-Uranus-Pluto T-square, deep, intense, and volatile and extreme emotions are forming or reasserting themselves. Particularly, if we did not face what the conflicts in our lives are about, this will set off more deep-seated energy. A growing Grand Cross is beginning to form, and may remind us of issues we were dealing with in April. . The Moon conjuncts with Mars later in the day, making us feel energized, anxious, and feeling the pull to move or act differently.  it is a day to exercise caution and pay attention to what is becoming conscious. Avoid repressing, denying, or escaping into addictions, excuses, or denial. 

This week is strmindfulnessngly weighted to long-standing issues that are affecting the ways we relate to one another, perceive ourselves, form and maintain relationships, and define who we are individually, in relationships and roles, and in the Collective. It is essential that we use this time to connect to our Divine purpose and gifts, and to honor the purpose we are here to develop and use our talents, gifts, opportunities, and experiences. Regardless of the past (ancient or recent) we are here and have this time, this space, and this being that we have become to love and serve others, to be our best selves, and to honor the Source of all Creation as one engaged in co-creating. There are no insignificant people, moments, jobs, times, or relationships. Everything serves a purpose, and we are here to find meaning and purpose in our lives and with our relationships. Use your grounding and mindfulness practices to stay in the present and to find a home within and around you wherever you are. 

Powerfully Charged Week Leading to New Moon in Cancer

Summer Solstice, 2014                                                                             Catherine Al-Meten

As the week begins, this is where the planets line up.

Sun 1 Cancer 12' 5"

Moon 7 Taurus 36'55"

Mercury 27 Gemini 2' 1"r

Venus 29 Taurus 2' 6"

Mars 15 Libra 17'53"

Jupiter 24 Cancer 49' 7"

Saturn 17 Scorpio 16' 4"r

Uranus 16 Aries 9'42"

Neptune 7 Pisces 33' 5"r

Pluto 12 Capricorn 34'47"r

TrueNode 26 Libra 24' 2"r

Chiron 17 Pisces 45'24"r

The Summer Solstice, and the Sun’s entry into Cancer occurred over the past weekend.  This week we build up to the first New Moon of Summer on Friday, June 27. The New Moon in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces opening the doors of perception to intuition, imagination, creativity, dreams, and illusions.  We have had a lot of experience with the unconscious, watery energies with Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, and Jupiter in Cancer.  On a number of different levels of our unconsciousness, we have been awoken from whatever deep slumber or illusions we may have been living under. This New Moon gives us yet another opportunity to acknowledge what our desires, dreams, and decisions require us to release, respect, and embrace in order for personal and collective fulfillment. 

On Sunday, June 22, the Moon in level-headed, beauty-seeking Taurus grounds us to emotionally focus our attention on appreciating our lives and gifts, and in taking some practical and concrete steps toward expressing that appreciation and using those gifts. Simply being more mindful in your daily routine, or on your daily walk, can help provide simple ways of noticing how this Taurean energy affects your emotional stability. The Moon stays in Taurus for another day or so, and the week gets off on an even keel as a result. How we begin and end things, our first and last impressions, and how we envision and create are examples of what we need to remember as we frame the life we live and make sense of it for ourselves.  This seems crucial at this time as we are struggling, as a whole and individually, to walk in harmony while respecting our path and those of others. 

From Sunday on, the Moon will transit Taurus and Gemini before the New Moon in Cancer on Friday.  Notice how your emotional stability is affected by these three different energies, and you will learn something important about how the lunar energy changes daily. Notice what is going on around you―other people, the tides and weather, animals and birds, and the general energetic feel.  Rather than having any expectations about this, simply notice and see if there is anything useful in what you learn about yourself and about the general milieu in which you are living. 

On Sunday, the Moon in Taurus makes some minor aspects to different planets: two sextiles, one to the Sun late last night and  one to Neptune this morning. Sextiles offer a pleasant connection between two planets, the Sun, or Moon, making things flow more easily. There are also two semi-squares between the Moon and Chiron and Mercury. This adds a little urgency or conflict to the mix. The Moon’s trine to Pluto in Capricorn this evening provides positive energy to whatever areas of your life are involved. In the flow of energy from the Summer Solstice, Sunday provides a pleasant day for tinkering, tootling, and trying out new recipes―putting our ideas into some kind of meaningful and practical action. Sunday is also the last day for this year’s transit of Venus in Taurus.  Notice what you might feel the need to pack up and put away for now. 

Monday, June 23. The night may be a little difficult to get a good night’s sleep as the energy is a bit edgy.  The Moon semi-square the Sun and in opposition to Saturn in the middle of the night (early morning in the East of the U.S.) makes for a rough night. Notice your dreams and/or night time thoughts and energy. By 5:30 A.M. PDT, you may feel the shift of Venus entering Gemini. Venus in Gemini is  lighter, less grounded energy for Gemini than it has been in Taurus.

On Monday, the Sun in Cancer forms a seisquiquadrate to Saturn in Scorpio making this a difficult time to feel like we are accomplishing much or being appreciated for the work we do or the gifts we have shared. This aspect occurs just before noon. Watch how you respond to this, and keep your focus on doing what you do for your own sake and interests. Jealousy, envy, and neediness may be the shadow sides of this aspect.  When we do not feel ‘enough’, we tend to expect others to fulfill us, or at the very least, appreciate us. When we act with the expectation of receiving accolades, praise, or recognition from others, we set ourselves up for disappointment. We need to do what we do for the sake of doing it, and then when and if we receive recognition, it comes as icing on the cake; not the main course. This presumption is based on the idea that we need to like what we are doing, and do our best at all times regardless of what response is.  Today with this aspect, this is how we might find some philosophical peace. 

Feelings are indicators to remind us what matters. Feelings are normal; they remind us what matters and are the automatic expression of truth to us. Though we cannot control what we feel, we can control our expression of them. Just because you have a feeling doesn’t mean it needs to be expressed or used as a weapon. Use it to learn something about yourself; something that needs to be accepted, changed, or expressed in positive ways. When we repeatedly complain about our lives, but never do anything to make necessary changes, our real desires often come out in the form of negative expressions―explosions of passion, anger, frustration, spite, or fear.

Tuesday, June 24. Tuesday is a day when some harsh aspects highlight some of the struggle that may have been going on for the past month or so. The Moon moves into Gemini in the early morning hours, and forms a seisquiquadrate with Pluto a little over an hour later. Our emotional tone is affected by the hard lessons that transition and transformation have brought into our lives. Even when we have made the choices that were necessary, the pathway has not been easy, to say the least.

Venus is seisquiquadrate Mars in Libra on Tuesday and Wednesday. Relationships may be volatile at this time, and again, we need to look within to see what it is we need to do to respond to the changes, needs, and desires we have. What do our relationships mean to our happiness? What do we expect, of ourselves and of our spouses or partners? How do our relationships provide for healthy growth? Am I able to both give and receive love in relationships? This may be a challenging time in the area of romance, marriage, and intimate relationships of all kinds. Venus’ aspect to Mars today is tied into the bigger picture and Mars’ ongoing transit through Libra and approaching opposition to Uranus. 

Impulsiveness and/or the desire to have our needs met, regardless of the consequences, are two very outcomes of this aspect.  Energy is high, competitive urges are great.  Feeling the need to act, we may find ourselves creating problems that are greater than we imagined. This is a volatile time; use discretion and restraint. Back off and get some distance from strong and powerful feelings and desires. 

The Moon in Gemini, conjuncts Venus in Gemini on Tuesday night. Emotions and desires are fueled by thoughts, possibilities, and powerful drives. Anything within our personality that is not conscious or is unhealed, now seeks contact and may result in inappropriate or undesirable behavior and conflict. 

Venus forms a semi-square to Uranus in Aries on Tuesday, just before 6:00 A.M., PDT. This sets off a series of impulsive and odd attractions. Relationship issues including freedom versus independence are challenging right now. Whatever relationship issues you have been dealing with on Mars’ transit of Libra, now come to a head. If unresolved, we may feel the urge to act without restraint or to make rash decisions. Whatever has been repressed, now bursts through the surface to be acted upon. Those who make denial their main mode of emotional transportation, may face some very difficult experiences. Facing what is true for you is crucial now. Acting without through or consideration for others and the long-term consequences, is not. Something quite unexpected may catch us off guard, in the area of relationships. 

Wednesday, June 25. Just past midnight, Mars in Libra forms a powerful and challenging opposition to Uranus in Aries. Part of the Grand Cardinal Cross that has been affecting us throughout the year, this opposition between Mars and Uranus brings us to the boiling point where pent up and unexpressed or unhealed grief, anger, and frustration can boil over or explode. If we look at this on the personal level, we may understand feelings that have been welling up within us, especially in areas related to our relationships and our need and desire for personal fulfillment and freedom. If we look at this with the collective of all humanity, we can see that unresolved wounds, issues, grief, and hostilities may be ready to erupt.  What we can do on a personal level is attempt to be clear with ourselves about who we are, what we expect and need in our relationships (family, marriages, friendships, intimate connections, and whatever area Libra/Aries rule in your chart. 

You probably don’t need a chart to tell you where pressure is building in your life.  If you have been working with this energy, this time might not be bad at all. When we are paying attention to how we are tending to our emotional, psychological, and spiritual gardens, we are able to avoid the crises that are triggered. For example, if you have been dealing with an ongoing technical problem that relates to how people relate to technology, this may be a time when you recognize that the system that was designed for one purpose, is flawed and not appropriate for another. If you are in a relationship related to work and your physical health, you may find that you have pushed yourself too far, and now will need to deal with the collapse of your physical system and work style or place. If you are dealing with first and seventh house issues, you might see that your public persona is at odds with your marriage. 

Where opposition and violence seems to be pushing at your or triggering disruptive and crisis-ridden problems, one way of meeting this energy is with peaceful resistance.  I think of Tai Chi movements that meet oppositional energy and movement with the release and movement away from the incoming blow. We can fight with peaceful resistance and creative solutions and alternatives. We can walk away from a situation, and release our connection to that energy. We can stop the fight. I recall my mother telling me when I was in the heat of battle with my sister, “It only takes one person to walk away.” At some point, fighting is a losing battle, and walking away is an answer that stops the  battle. We have to be willing to give up the need to control, ‘be right’, or win. 

This is a time to choose your battles, and opt out of the ones you just can’t win. It is also the time to recognize that if you are unhappy and unfulfilled, you, and you alone need to do something differently. Your unhappiness or lack of fulfillment is an inside issue; not the problem of where you live or what you do. Find ways to live more peacefully with yourself. Stop doing and being what you are not. Find some peace within, and learn to appreciate what is rather than what dreams you have yet to fulfill, or expectations you desire someone else to fulfill. It’s within you to create peace within, and where you are. That does not mean you might not want to move, change jobs, get into or out of a relationship. It means that ultimately, whatever you do, you have to be at peace and content with who you are. That travels with you everywhere you go. 

The energy that has been building to this point, is not something to be feared; it is instead a call to us each to do something about that which we can affect―ourselves. If we have bottled up feelings, lived according to someone else’s dictates, or fooled ourselves about how we have dealt with old wound, grief, or anger, we will probably find this a difficult time. It’s still a gift. Notice who you blame for your unhappiness, and then try to see how that person is like you somehow. What has trapped you in old wounds, past losses, or unfulfilled desires? What has stopped you in the past, and what is stopping you now? What can you do about what has built up? For many of us, whatever has been suppressed, comes out in illness, depression, negative addictions and behavior, or explosive upsets, or any combination thereof. This week provides us with ample time and experiences to notice how this type of energy affects not only others but also yourself.  Time is now to try out some new ways of responding to suppressed feelings and uncontrolled behavior. Before you make grand sweeping changes, do some good soul searching, recognize what within you has triggered the pain, anger, frustration, or disappointment you feel, and then take a long walk, get some sleep, eat a decent meal, and spend some time connecting to what is working in your life. 

As the New Moon at 5 degrees of  Cancer peaks on Friday, we all will have had a long week in the shadow of the lunar month of Gemini. What has dropped away, risen to the surface, and shown itself as needing healing, tenderness, care, and more love? This New Moon in Cancer with its trine to Neptune, allows us to finally get some intuitive insight on what has been going on for quite some time. The disruptions, disappointments, and digressions of the last few months, now begin to lessen.  The New Moon in Cancer is a special new moon that highlights our need for personal security, peace, and well being. Coming in close proximity to where Mercury went retrograde in Cancer, all the themes, issues, and connections related to Mercury’s retrograde come to the foreground. The aggressiveness of Mars and its opposition to Uranus in Aries, requires that we learn the lessons within and before us.

This New Moon has the water trine of Neptune in Pisces, Jupiter in Cancer, and Saturn in Scorpio. This New Moon triggers all the lessons we have been learning with these major planets. With Neptune, we absorb, discern, and better understand the power of our intuitive gifts and the areas of illusion and denial that stop us from using our gifts. Saturn in Scorpio is releasing and burrowing through all the deep-seated unconscious memories, desires, drives,  and wounds. What is released is in the process of being sorted through, healed, and used to shape a more fully formed you.  

Jupiter in Cancer provides optimism and creative and abundant ways of approaching our search for fulfillment, safety and security, nourishment, and a sense of being and feeling at home―with yourself and in whatever place feeds your soul.

One of the most important questions you have to ask yourself at this New Moon in Cancer is this: “What feeds your soul?” Whatever the answer is, set your intentions, make your plans, and envision yourself receiving the greatest and highest good from the Universal Source. Sit in peace where you are, and make choices according to what your answer is. Your answer is not about light or fleeting fancies, but about what truly feeds your soul, supports your life and purpose, and enables you to appreciate, acknowledge, accept, and use your gifts and talents for your good and the good of all. Look to the areas of your life and your chart where the trine of water sign planets are transiting, and see if you can discern more clearly, what is calling you to create, understand, and receive.

The retrograde transit of Mercury and its trine to the North Node in Libra. The New Moon, shining on the seeds planted by Mercury when it turned retrograde, shows you where the changes you seek or that are meant for you to discover, are developing. The North Node is the gateway to new stages of life. The New Moon is the time of planting, envisioning, and setting intentions. Mercury’s retrograde transit is going over those areas that need to be smoothed out, worked out, rethought and more clearly developed for the changes that are ahead. When Mercury goes direct on July 1, movement will pick up. Now is still the time to rethink and reflect on what it is you truly seek. Despite some of the powerful and challenging aspects this week, this is a very good time to enter into new experiences, plan new trips, set new goals with the full awareness of what it is you must deal with in order for fulfillment and success to be yours. When we live ruled by the unconscious, it rules us. When we face our fears, and allow ourselves to face the facts of who and what we are, we are stronger and more capable. 

This New Moon in Cancer is a time to revel in your plans, dreams, and visions. Plan parties, invite in goodness and grace, and welcome the best of what is possible. Plan parties to celebrate victories. Make plans to launch your books or open a new office. Use your imagination and intuition to envision greater success, deeper love, and an all around more fulfilling life. Stop acting like you are less than or in need of. Feel fulfillment, and drop the unnecessary masks that make you feel you are not enough or you don’t have enough. Dip your hands, hearts, and minds into the wellspring that holds such promise for you. 

Join body, mind, and spirit into a complete expression of yourself―full of life, love, and joy. This is a great time to involve yourself in all the plans and preparations for the good times ahead. Be ready for when Mercury goes direct, the life you planned now will get under way. What we envision becomes our reality, and if we have no dreams and make no plans, we are like feathers in the wind. Be bold and creative with your dreams. Be courageous and strong in dealing with what needs to be dealt with. Live life fully whole and discover that happiness comes in those moments between the highs and the lows when we realize, we are, in the paraphrased words of Winnie the Pooh,  stronger than we thought we were, smarter than we knew, and more capable of love that we imagined. 

Summer Solstice, Sun Enters Cancer! Celebration of Fire and Water

Monterey Bay Shoreline                                                                     Catherine Al-Meten

Happy Summer Solstice all readers North of the Equater, and Happy Winter Solstice all South. Today in the North is the longest day of the year; the shortest in the South. The Sun has been up on my section of the world since 5:23 A.M., and will not set officially until 9:03, although the sky stays light until nearly 10:00 P.M. PDT. The birds, the animals, including my cats, have been up busily exploring and starting their day’s hunts and chases, and we human folk have been energized and will exhaust ourselves, hopefully having a wonderful start to the Summer or Winter, wherever we are. 

The Sun is at 0/13, just 13 minutes into  Cancer already, having left the constellation of Gemini.  The Moon is at 24/8 Aries, Mercury is at 27 degrees of Gemini in its retrograde phase until July 1.  Venus is at  27 degrees of Taurus, Mars is at 1/57 Libra, Jupiter is at 24/35 Cancer, and Saturn is at 17/17 Scorpio, still retrograde as well.  Uranus is in 16/8 Aries, Neptune is in Pisces at 7/33, and Pluto is at 12/36 Capricorn—the two latter still in retrograde motion. The North Node is in Libra at 26/24 and Chiron is at 17/35 Pisces, also retrograde.  What may have seemed like a time when much energy has been generated but movement has been slowed down, hampered, or nearly non-existence in some areas of our lives, is because the energy has been affected by all the retrograde movement. The outer planets, those furthest away from the Sun, and the inner planets, those closest, move at different rates.  When the outer planets are in retrograde, they travel in their orbits furthest from Earth. The inner planets retrograde cycles are of shorter durations as their orbits around the Sun are shorter. 

As we celebrate one of the four great turning points of the year, the Summer Solstice finds the Sun in its northernmost position relative to the Earth as it hovers over the Tropic of Cancer. The Solstice occurs twice a year—at the start of Summer and the start of Winter. This year, the Summer Solstice occurs today, June 21, and the reverse is true in the South. The word solstice comes from the Latin roots, sol meaning Sun, and sistere meaning to stand. The Solstices occur when the Earth completes half of its circuit/orbit around the Sun. 

All cultures celebrate the return of Summer, in different ways. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have watched as the Sun’s path has slowly moved northward, coming into sight from behind the coastal mountains for the brief period it is visible rising over our northeast horizon in the mornings. It is the time of the year when we celebrate our festivals of the returning light—Midsummer Festivals (being celebrated by many, including the Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, and Swedish communities). The tribal communities and fishers celebrate  the Return of the Salmon, and people gather in other general celebrations that include bonfires, grunion run parties (something we celebrated at full moons in the southern beaches of North America), and outdoor barbeques—all reminiscent of ancient fire and water celebrations to welcome summer. 

In some cultures, including Russia, fire jumping celebrations mark the start of Summer. June 21 is St. John’s Day, a Christian celebration marking the Feast Day of St. John the Baptizer. The Scandinavian and Baltic countries celebrate Midsummer’s Eve and Day in a big way. In Romania, for example, Sanziene or Dragaica is celebrated by a dance of 5-7 girls, one girl dressed as a bride and the others dressed in white wearing veils of bedstraw flowers. The celebration grew out of the ancient custom of Sancta Diana and the marriage customs as well as customs of death. The celebration is symbolized by the fertility and circle of life customs that involve our ongoing desire and need to see ourselves as part of the cycle of life. Summer reminds us that we are alive and capable of loving and producing life. 

The Sun in Cancer at its zenith, sits at 23/5 degrees. The transition from Gemini to Cancer took place as we on the West Coast, slept. We awoke in the opening hours of Summer, 2014. At about the same time, Chiron, the Wounded Healers, turned retrograde in Pisces. This moves Chiron back inside to give us time to reflect, rengerate, and renew ourselves on a deeper level than we might ordinarily be inclined at a Full Moon. Chiron, the Wounded Healer, in watery and mystical Pisces, stirs up our emotions and dredges up some of the turmoil and grief that may have been buried beneath the surface. It is a time when we can heal on a deep emotional level, and continues a long phase of slow, reformative healing that has been occurring through Neptune and Chiron’s transits of Pisces, and Saturn’s transit through Scorpio. Now more than ever, we may be able to understand and act upon whatever has been keeping us from the full expression of love, forgiveness, and joy in our lives. If we listen, and let go of our need to control, predict, or live according to expectations and demands that have nothing to do with our true nature, we have the opportunity of growing, developing, creating, and transcending to a higher level of energy in all areas of our lives. Astrologer, Emily Trinkaus describes Chiron retrograde in Pisces as disturbing us  where we “feel separate from the Source”, and this shows up in those unhealed places and untransformed behaviors including addictions, escapism, or simply by our unwillingness to face the truth of what is working in our lives, and what is not.  

Rather than guessing and letting ourselves be ruled by unconscious desires, urges, and habits, spend some time exploring honestly, those areas in your life where you feel disconnected from meaning, purpose, or fulfillment. Chiron’s turn retrograde in Pisces, goes back over those places where you have been working out issues, wounds, losses, and grief leftover or continuing to keep you bound to what has already been removed from your life. If we keep playing the game according to someone else’s rule,  and acting as if we were still engaged in a relationship that is no longer, we will continue to be caught in illusion. If we are still allowing ourselves to be controlled by someone else’s choices, actions, or ideas, instead of discerning what is right and good for us, we are trapped in a dead ends cycle. For all the areas that you have worked to heal in your life, notice the areas where you still can be caught off guard. Those are the areas that signal what needs tending to. No matter what our intentions or what our successes, if we are not making headway in some area of our lives, we can probably find a way that we are allowing some past hurt or wound to interfere with our growth.  To change this, we must first be honest with ourselves—willing to see what we have been trying to avoid or have been hiding from.  Then we must make conscious efforts to change the way we both act and think—one without the other is a recipe for failure. 

Congruence is the key ingredient in real change. Notice the areas where  you have really made headway, and see if you can determine what it was that was the key moment or the single most important awareness you needed to take the leap. Being congruent between what we say we believe and how we act is crucial to our health, happiness, and development. Trusting that we are not doing this alone, is the other piece of the puzzle. As long as it is “me against the world”, I’m a goner. There is more at play than my own choices, decisions, and viewpoints. What is crucial in your life, and what is the guiding force that helps you discern and learn to trust?

Saturn in Scorpio has been stirring up unconscious debris for months now, and retrograde Chiron in Pisces’ trine to retrograde Saturn in Scorpio is making this Summer Solstice and the rest of the month of June like one large baptismal fountain for our rebirth. When we combine the strengths and elemental power of both Pisces and Scorpio, we have a powerful tool for healing shadow elements of our being. Scorpio has knowledge of Mystery and constantly desire and seek power. Once committed, Scorpio is loyal and holds confidences. Scorpio reigns over trust and power, and so receiving the best of Scorpio’s qualities in this aspect can be helpful for long term healing and commitments. Pisces mystical understanding, compassion, and imagination combined with the emotional sensitivity and ability to empathize provide necessary ingredients for healing, when focused in on what needs healing within one’s self and one’s own relationships. Pisces, unlike Scorpio, needs to learn to take care of one’s own garden, whereas Scorpio is self protective and needs to learn to trust others more. 

When we look to these two influences in whatever areas of our lives Chiron, Saturn, and Neptune are transiting, we can see how we can use the best qualities of both to help us find greater balance and harmonize emotional disturbances, and deep-seated injuries that still affect our behavior. Avoid being too hard on yourself, for self pity is not the answer. Empathy for one’s self is necessary, however if we are to make progress, grow, and heal.   

So Chiron the Wounded Healer asks us to pay attention to those areas within that we need to acknowledge, address, and tend to. Saturn, the Great Teacher in Scorpio, continues to work on us from the inside out. Now, however, the powerful trines in water signs, add to the reservoir of healing energy and cleansing waters. We more naturally allow ourselves to receive the messages we need through our intuitive knowledge, and through grace and blessings. One key that may seem antithesis is slow down and stop trying. Yes, stop pushing yourself or others to be or not be a certain way. Allow yourself to simply be still, listen more, and hold quiet vigil in the space that is now created in your life. Instead of trying to fill things in or fix everything in order to meet unrealistic and unnecessary expectations and needs, let yourself rest in place. Get the sleep you  need, and rest more. Adapt habits that allow for a moderate, and simple lifestyle. Summer in the Northern Hemisphere can be more relaxing than the other seasons, so take advantage of the seasonal changes to slow your pace, release the unnecessary or outworn, and avoid overdoing, overworking, or overindulging. 

Another major influence at this Summer Solstice is the retrograde Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun providing a subtle if not emphatic reminder that what we release, frees us to be more ourselves. Think back to a time when you thought you would never escape an unhealthy, unhappy, or challenging situation. Recall what a difference there is between then and now. See if you can’t recall what might have changed or what it took for you to be able to release, let go, and move on.  Did you set yourself up to be a victim of circumstance—couldn’t change until change was thrust upon you? Were you the ‘decider’—making change even thought you were not sure what the results would be? Did things change, evolve gradually, until one day, slowly but surely the situation ended, and you had moved on? What is slowing down in your life now? What has been released recently, and what is still hanging on? Where do you feel ‘latched onto’ or overwhelmed, and what might it take to step away, step back, let go, or simply turn around and walk the other way? Only you know the answer to these questions for yourself. 

Perhaps all is well right now, and you have what you want and need. In that case, find time to appreciate just that, and express gratitude for what is working. Keep the peace by feeding the soul and nurturing yourself and those around you in kind and loving ways. And enjoy the calm, the lull, the slowing down of the seasonal changes. 

Much of this year has been full of activity, and some of the most recent aspects have been difficult, so enjoy this period of relative calm to regenerate for we know that nothing stays the same. We need the calming times to nourish, refresh, and find ourselves a place of inner peace. Now is the time. With the exception of the Mars-Uranus opposition coming up mid week, this is a time when we need to complete our tasks, take some time out to rest, and find ways to balance and nourish ourselves in the light of the Summer Solstice.

The Moon is in Aries, just past its conjunction with Uranus and just before its meeting with the South Node. The Aries Moon at this Summer Solstice is stirring things up for us emotionally. The Moon currently is at 25 degrees Aries, Uranus is at 8 (so the conjunction took place yesterday) and the South Node is at 26 degrees. The Moon and South Node are in conjunction as I write, signaling the call to take action in areas of life that need an emotional overhaul. As much of this column has emphasized, the need for emotional truth and adjustment is paramount in making any change or taking any course of action to improve or set forth on henceforth. Both the Moon and Uranus cause a great deal of high energy, frenetic actions and reactions, and the urge to purge and act on impulse. This is not great, but can signal those areas of your emotional life where you have suppressed too much or been under too much pressure to live ‘on alert’ for too long. Besides the fact that such a lifestyle is neither efficient nor effective, it also can be downright dangerous and can lead to extremes in behavior and high levels of stress.  

When we think we are in control of the runaway horses of our life, we can pretty much count on the fact that we’re not.  Pull back on those reins a bit, and slow down, even when the energetic impulses may seem too push you forward. You can breathe more deeply, take slower steps, stop acting and reacting, and practice more mindful ways of being right now.  When Uranus, and later Mars are at work, and when the Moon is affecting our emotions and the tides of all watery beings and bodies, we can be sure that we need to be more open to riding with the current than riding against it. Not sure how else to warn you to not push yourself over the edge at this point or during the next week. To do so might lead to setting a crisis off before it is necessary, or finding yourself shipwrecked or tripping over your own energy and feet. 

On top of the energy and aspects between Mercury, the Moon, and Uranus, we also have a square between the Moon and the South Node in Aries, and Jupiter in Cancer. This indicates that we may not feel that we can understand nor even identify how we really feel in a situation. Our feelings, nerves or stress levels may be so ramped up that we cannot seem to connect to our intuition or to envision a future without strife.  What we can do when we hit this kind of wall, is to understand that spirituality and human healing is dependent upon trust and faith…and again, by recognizing that we are not in control of anything much. Even in our best times, our imagination, intuition, dreams, and intellect provide us with just a shadow of what is possible, and a hazy, vague view of what is inevitable. Now is the time to use some of your physical, mental, and spiritual practices to quell the inner storms, calm the mind, and allow yourself to release some of the burden of having to save the world, fix everything today, or head off disaster—none of which are probable or possible. I use these examples as a way to throw light on just how little we actually control results and conditions. Some form of faith in a Source beyond and more powerful than yourself, or trust in a somewhat orderly Universe, can be two ways to function, even if you do so with doubt and skepticism, at times like this. For those who have a strong faith life and are grounded in a religious or spiritual tradition, you will find ways to manage the struggles, doubt, fear, or upheaval that may seem to be looming.  Most of what we fear, never happens, so what you might want to do if you feel out of sorts during some of these aspects, is simply rest on that one thought. Find positive ways to connect to something meaningful, and get out and help someone who is in need of some assistance.  Get outside, get into the mood to celebrate the blessings that do exist, and join your energy, thoughts, and feelings to the Greater Good and dance with those who celebrate life. 

The North Node in Libra, continues to call us to the path of change, especially in the way we understand our role in relationship, in creating peace, in creating beauty and in walking on the path of harmony. Again, Emily Trinkaus suggests asking yourself the question, “What brings you more into your heart?” and I cannot think of a more beautiful or pertinent way to describe the North Node, gateway experience as we try to form a new way of behaving, relating, and co-creating our world.

And finally, as if you have even glanced at a headline or heard a moment of a newscast, you know that Mars’ violent shadow side is active and alive in our world today, as it seems to feed on the trail of fire that has been wreaking havoc throughout the world for decades now. In the throes of a world that is changing on so many levels, Mars in Libra has been making a series of aspects with the Uranus-Pluto square. What has been making its appearance in our lives is Mars’ slower than normal and longer than normal transit through Libra where we feel the pressure, frustration, edginess, and anger characteristic of suppressed and unfulfilled desires, disillusionment, and lack of vision and hope.  This continues on for several more months, and in the third decant of Libra, that which needs to go pushes to the top and emerges, perhaps through anger, outbursts, or a general sense of dissatisfaction.   What we see when this happens, in the Collective, are some of what is flashing across the headlines in the shape of abuses of power and authority, violence and abuse, and power struggles and attempts to control others—all issues related to how we relate to one another, North Node in Libra, opening the doors and Mars in Libra, causing us to shape our attitudes, behavior, lives, and communities to reflect more harmonious ways of loving, creating, and sustaining our world. In times like these, the power and energy of Love are crucial for combating what seem to be overwhelming odds. Beginning where you are, within yourself, create peace, alleviate violence, release the need to control others, and practice more living, kind, and generous ways of behaving. There is more than enough to go around, if we choose to act according to the Universal principle of Love.  

On this Summer Solstice, 2014, celebrate the bounty that is ours. Celebrate the gifts we have to heal, help, and grow to be more loving and kind. Celebrate the power we have to control our responses and to channel our energy in ways of beauty, love, and grace. Find ways to celebrate and in the process, heal yourself, the Earth, and the ways of human kind. Celebrations go a long way to help us heal, mend, and recover what we have lost in the past

Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, is a piece of music inspired by Summer Solstice and St. John’s Eve celebrations.  A beautiful piece of music for Summer Solstice is Lisa Thiel’s Litha (Summer Solstice Song) illustrates some of the symbols and meaning of Summer Solstice. 

Fire and Water are the two elements that are the focus of Summer

Solstice Celebrations. Build a bonfire or light a candle today. Spend some time on the water, go fishing, or dabble your feet in a stream. Walk along ocean’s shore, or dive deep into a cool mountain lake. 

Plant some seeds or plant a tree. Sing Om or Hallelujah! Go outdoors and share a meal under the beautiful sunny sky. Take some time to listen to the birds singing, and watch as they fly overhead or fish in the river near you. Walk barefoot in the sand or grass, and take some time to let your hair down, put on your prettiest dress or shirt, and put some flowers in your hair. Celebrate life. Pack up a picnic, put a book in your bag, and head out with a blanket to rest on the ground for a relaxing day. Celebrate with firedancers, or sing with friends around a campfire. Whatever you do today, celebrate the return of Summer, and the essence that is life-giving and life-sustaining.  Without the Sun, we would not be. Remember, “We are stardust, we are golden, and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the Garden.” The Garden is within us, and is in how we live the lives we have been given. 

This week in astrology: water and air signs lifting us

The last few days have been a time when you might have felt as if you were in some kind of whirling eddy of energy and maybe wondered, “Am I losing it?”  If that is the case, you can find some of the answers here. When I first began this column two days ago, I felt like my mind was open to 10 different channels at the same time. Then I looked at my Ephemeris, and saw why that might be.  On Wednesday, May 28, Venus changed signs, and is now in Taurus. On Thursday, while I was traveling, Mercury, the planet that reigns over all forms of communications, changed signs, and is now in the watery realms of Cancer.  The Sun is in the second, very-Gemini decan of Gemini, and the Moon has been in Cancer, also water, since Friday. With the very watery and air energy mixing it up, it’s no wonder that we might be feeling highly energized.  The Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter are in Cancer, Saturn is in Scorpio, and Neptune and Chiron are  in Pisces.  The Sun is in Gemini and Mars,  in direct motion, is in Libra. It is no wonder that it has  been a little difficult for some of us to get grounded or feel like we have a grasp of earthly matters. 

Air energy heightens our senses and activates our minds and lives. Watery energy awakens all the dreamy, subconscious, illusory energy that sparks our creativity, imaginations, and desires for beauty, romance, and pleasure—in whatever areas of your lives these planets are transiting. The energy of the collective is so strong that it is difficult to escape the sense that everyone seems to be full of energy and desire. And then Venus leaves the fire-ruled sign of Aries and enters earthy, grounded Taurus. The longing to ground ourselves in the ‘lovely’ is strong, and now should be a highly creative time, if you can channel some of that energy and get focused. If you find yourself unable to concentrate, then simply be present to the energy within and around you and allow it to inspire, energize, and fill you with the beauty of life.  Listen more, observe and take in the beauty of others, and simply let yourself feel what it feels like to absorb the that which in fairly intangible, mystical, and inspirational. 

The Sun at 11/16 Gemini has entered the 2nd decan of Gemini, increasing the potency of Gemini’s energy. Ideas fill our minds, and our emotions are energized by the Moon in Cancer. Mercury just entered Cancer as well, sending emotions and all forms of communications into the watery realms.

1st quarter square on Thursday with the Gemini Sun forming a square to the Virgo Moon at 15/6 degrees. Whatever we began on the New Moon a week ago, now begins to show it’s first signs what is working and what is in need of adjustment.  Gemini spurs us to use our ideas, thoughts and creative imagination in ways to bring unity to diversity and chaos, however this may be harder to do with all the active energy.  Absorbing what is meant to be absorbed into your being, consciousness, and experience is one way to approach this time. Enjoy who you are and where you  are, and especially appreciate those whom you are with. 

Mercury is in Cancer from May 29-June 17. At the end of this week, on June 7, Mercury enters its retrograde phase (June 7-July 3). This can be a period where you may be needing to deal with a bit of confusion, miscommunication, delays, or mixed messages (within and without). 

Mercury  is retrograde in Cancer and Gemini and when  Mercury is retrograde in Cancer from June 7-17, it is a good time to nurture yourself and those around you. What is it that feeds your soul? What have you been needing to do or eliminate to be healthier in body, mind, emotions, and spirit?   We need to understand that any choices, decisions, or new paths we may opt into require that we have an integrated approach to looking at what we choose. Reflect on the past, and make choices that help you avoid getting into relationships, experiences, jobs, or any other choice that brought you heart ache and grief. Honor choices that allow you the freedom you need, and nurture your soul as well as that of the other—whatever the other may be. Remember the expression, “the past is prologue”, and avoid repeating poor past choices. 

While Mercury is retrograde in Gemini from June 17-July 1, we will have the opportunity to look at past choices, and will no doubt find ourselves reflecting, dreaming, or re-meeting—in actual meetings or memories—the past that we have outgrown or left behind. On the 19th of June, the retrograde Mercury conjuncts the Sun and at that time we may be reconsidering an old friendship, romance, job, or experience. Be aware of how you may have changed, grown, or developed, and make choices with your own happiness, health, well being, and future in mind as well as what others need or require from you. 

Venus will be in Taurus from May 28-June 23, and Mars continues in its journey  through Libra where it’s been since last December 7, 2013 until this  July 25, 2014.Venus in Taurus will put us in touch with what it is that grounds us practically in what grounds our ideas about romance, love, desire, and pleasure in the practical experiences of daily life. Between now and the end of July, we can become more aware of what is best for us, and may make better choices about how we want to direct our lives.

The larger and more distant planets have transits that are much longer than the inner planets, the Sun, and the Moon. Therefore, the effect of their transits are more long-lasting and cause deeper and more transformative changes not only in our personal lives, but in the collective life and activity of the whole planet. Keep in mind, as you study astrological movement, the following long-term trends. And these are the transits that affect everyone. There are also long term transits going on in your own life, and it would be helpful to learn something about those. For example, every 28-30 years, Saturn makes a significant transit in our lives. While the moon’s transit of 2 1/2-3 days is somewhat fleeting, the longer transits affect whatever area of our lives they pass through for much longer times and in highly significant ways. 

Saturn continues in its transit through Scorpio (October 5, 2012-2015), and will meet with some interesting counterpoints in terms of energy. Where Saturn has been weighing us down in some periods of it’s heavy journey into the underwater and depths of our psyches, we may now feel quite a release of energy, and feel able to lift up out of the heaviness that Saturn has brought to us. Depending upon where Scorpio falls in your chart/life, other aspects are balancing the learning that has been bringing you to places where you have learned so much about yourself. 

Jupiter in Cancer from June 25, 2013-July 16, 2014 continues to move through our lives lifting us up and making us appreciate those simple creature comforts that make us feel at home with ourselves and others. We may feel better able to deal with issues, challenges, and relationships in the areas where Jupiter and Cancer reign in our lives. Sometimes Jupiter has us feeling we are capable of more than we can handle, but use the energy and optimism to build plans, create space in your life for letting dreams come true, and let yourself enjoy life a little more than you might ordinarily do.

Uranus  which has been in Aries since March 11, 2011, continues to surprise, shock, and jolt certain areas of our lives with its unexpected news, opportunities, and upsets. So much is determined by our ability to roll with the punches when Uranus surprises us. If we are so set in our ways and expect life to turn out according to plan, we may feel ourselves upset and edgy.  If we can come to understand that whatever comes or goes in our lives is meant to teach us something of value—about ourselves and our resiliency and/or about others and their devotion or lack thereof. Uranus strikes at areas of life in general, where something is ready to be eliminated,uprooted, or brought to the surface.  Uranus’ long journey in Aries is a fiery road, and the sooner we get accustomed to the energy that shows up as actions meant to shake things up, the better our experience during this long transit will be. We can really benefit by learning that life is dynamic, and our lives in particular, are fluid, every-changing, and growing. Learn to enjoy the surprises.

Week of June 1-7, 2014. 

Sunday, the Moon in the final degrees of Cancer and the first degrees of Leo. Dreams may have been intense and full of symbolism and activities to highlight what needs to be done, to show how you are meeting or not meeting your own and the needs of others, or how you may be seeking security in ways that are not necessarily in line with the reality of others.

Monday. The Moon in Leo makes some aspects to Chiron, Venus, Neptune, and Mars before sextiling the Sun in Gemini. 

Tuesday. Sun quincunx Pluto in Capricorn. Whatever changes need to be made in order for our lives to move forward in the direction we are working towards, now need to be discerned. Whatever comes up, or has come up recently, allows us to remember what we need to do to be, do, or create what we desire. Pay attention to the signs, messages, opportunities, or inner discomforts that signal the need for changes. Look to the house/part of your life where these the Sun and Pluto are calling for and setting off change.

Wednesday. Venus sextile Neptune (6:15 PDT/9:15 EDT) lends a sense of creativity, imagination, and beauty to whatever we are engaged in. This is a time when we can gently approach those we are with, and spin beautiful and mystical dreams into reality in playful, joyful, and loving ways. 

Thursday. Sun sextile Uranus

“Sun sextile Uranus. We are willing to adapt to new circumstances, ideas, and unfamiliar situations. It's a good time to join organizations and groups and to attend meetings or social events, as these can be enlightening. We can find creative solutions to problems now and effect positive changes. Flexibility is the key to success under this influence.

Friday. Mercury sesquiquadrate Saturn Mercury sesquiquadrate Saturn. Red tape, re-doing tasks you thought you finished, problems getting from point A to point B, delays in communication, negative thinking, hyper-sensitivity and criticism. on Friday.

Venus quincunx Mars Friday and Saturday lends to the feeling that we have to choose between two opposing forces/sides/options.  Avoid allowing yourself to act impulsively or as if you had to choose  between two options. The energy of the  either/or feeling may challenge you to feel like you have to act, when in fact, you don’t. What may arise as a result of this aspect is the awareness that there are great challenges between what you feel and need in romance and love relationships, and what your partner or choice of partners want and need.

Saturday. The Venus and Mars quinqunx continues into Saturday, spotlighting differences between what we need and want, and what we have. Misunderstandings and feelings a loss or lack, may highlight this into the weekend.

The Sun starts the month in Gemini decan 2 which is ruled by passionate Mars. This is a passionate aspect, and will manifest as a strong sense of the romantic chase and the passionate dynamics between partners and within all types of romantic relationships. Where we have misunderstood the nature of certain attractions, we may now become more acutely aware of what desires we may have and what desires others also have. 

Venus  which just entered Taurus, is moving toward an opposition with  Saturn in Scorpio. This is a testing aspect, and not only will our patience be tested but also our willingness to stand in our own truth will be challenged. This doesn’t happen until next week, but will be building up, and the roots of some pretty challenging oppositions and obstacles will begin to arise this week. Notice what is going on that could lead to more interesting struggles later, especially when we’re dealing with any type of love relationship, partnership, or marriage.  This is a very passionate and down-to-earth period of pleasure and revelry, so be sure to enjoy the energy of life and life-affirming enjoyment. As tempers and passions heat up, be sure to find ways to cool off and channel energies.  

June’s Highlight.

Something that is rather spectacular is the star,  Betelgeuse, the  famous bright red star in the shoulder of Orion that is currently transiting Gemini, at 28/45 degrees. Betelgeuse is part of the constellation Orion, and is one of the most easily identifiable constellations in the night sky.  With three stars in a row with the sapphire blue Rigel at Orion’s foot, Orion is probably one of the most easiest constellations to recognize in the sky.  In ancient Egyptian lore, Orion is equated to Osiris, the chief god. The Greeks version of Orion has him as the counterpart to Artemis, the huntress. Orion stalked Artemis, and she grew tired of this, and placed a scorpion near his foot to keep Orion away from her. The blue star, Rigel at the foot of the constellation, symbolizes the scorpion—that which keeps us in check of our more shadow-like impulses.  What negativity we send out, comes back to bite us. 

Beteguese, the bright red star on Orion's’ shoulder, is  a 0.5 magnitude star, giant, red, and aggressive. While it can represent brute and volatile power, it also represents great worldly power and strength—the kind of strength that doesn’t need to be acted out as it’s appearance is intimidating on its own. es worldly power, great strength and success. Some interpret this star to represent military force, and some even indicate that it represents violent tendencies. A regal star, representing great power and authority, Betaguese, it equates to the Egyptian god, Osiris, and the Fool in Tarot. It represents the masculine principle, and themes that revolve around the use of power and energy (self discipline, strength, control, leadership, hunting, creation and destruction). The shadow side of Betaguese is the misuse of power as represented by power struggles, political intrigue, war, and deception on the collective level, and spiritual blindness, coarseness, over inflated egotism, and other negative personal attributes. Orion, depicted in mythology as the Hunter Warrior, has the capacity for both good and evil. The challenge is how do we use our power, energy, and strength for the betterment of all. Do we engage in the search for spiritual goals and victory over our lower urges and desires, or do we give into our weaker impulses and needs? Do we search for Truth, or give into disorder and illusion? Because of the power inherent in each of us, we have to choose and pray that those in leadership positions opt for, using their freedom, potential, passions, and energy for the good of all. We too have the choice, regardless the size of our realm of influences, to use our own power for the betterment and spiritual health of both ourselves and others, or not. 

When we feel tempted to give into an offer, opportunity, or choice that seems too good to be true, we need to discern what the underlying motivation and intention is behind the options before us and those who offer.

What holds Orion in check is the Feminine principle, represented by the Scorpion who stings his foot. The process of refining our use of power falls into the realm represented by this constellation. We learn how to move from the early discovery of our talents, skills, energy, and power to the exploitation or misuse of power. Through the mistakes we make in our perceptions, use of power, and experiences and relationships, we learn and gain greater wisdom and understanding of who we are, what we are capable of doing/being, and how we are here to love and serve others as well as achieving our own goals and living out our dreams. 

Watch to aqsee how this area of your chart, 28 degrees of Gemini, is affected during June, and near the Sun’s final degrees in Gemini later in the month. Aspects and transits are dynamic, buidling up and waning in influence and intensity. It is important to get away from the idea that if an aspect happens on a particular day or at a particular time, that something should or should not happen. The process is much more subtle than that, especially with the effects of the larger planets. Enlightenment is a process and our perceptions and experiences are being shaped all the time. When we become more aware of what is going on both within us and around us (affecting other people and the planet itself), we become more aware and tuned into the natural rhythms of life. Living with a practice of presence and mindfulness is crucial to being tuned in and in balance.