Dear Friend and Reader:
How did you come out of the three-fer series of eclipses that ended last Friday night? The sudden release of energy left many people feeling frayed, others like a sack of potatoes, and others like they emerged from an initiation ordeal.
To recap, we just lived through a partial eclipse of the Moon in Scorpio (a Full Moon) on April 25, an annular eclipse of the Sun on May 9 (a New Moon), and a penumbral eclipse of the Moon (a Full Moon) in Sagittarius on May 25.
Usually eclipses come in pairs; three is a substantial increase in the energy. There was also a reference to the past, with one extra eclipse along the Gemini/Sagittarius axis, which was so 2012. (Eclipses come in weird, interesting patterns, and are a topic of their own.)
We have all been through the paces. In the collective world, the proverbial poo hit the turbine with the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15 and the energy has barely relented since. The closest we’ve come to a break was last weekend’s Full Moon in Sagittarius passing by. That may have felt like climbing a high mountain, taking a look around and then falling asleep next to your backpack for six hours.
If you’re feeling stirred up, unsettled, or restless, I would not be surprised. This kind of astrology can provoke anxiety and depression. A Gemini friend said to me this week that it feels like the decline of civilization is making itself known these days. Whether he’s right or not, many people feel this way. A good few have given up, and others wish they could.
This is not an easy time in history to be alive. It’s lovely that most of us in the Western world live in dry spaces that keep out the rain, and might even have enough food to eat. Yet the spiritual and psychological strain at this time in history is unlike any other, and in truth it’s more than most people can bear.
If the strain gets to be too much, the typical approach is denial. There’s never been a more opportune moment to practice blissful ignorance as a way of life — that is, until something deeper calls you.
That may be happening soon, if it’s not happening now. This week, the cluster of planets that’s been following the Sun all year begins to enter Cancer. There’s a lot of energy in that first degree of Cancer (where the Sun is when summer begins, which happens in a few weeks). Any time planets cross the spot where a season changes we get what I call an Aries Point effect — individual and collective realms converge into one. We feel world problems more poignantly. This will persist till those problems get our attention. It seems like one purpose of the hyper-extended nervous system of the electronic media is to make sure we have access to the full picture of what is going wrong with the world, the better to get capable people to respond.
Friday, May 31, Mercury enters Cancer, where it will be into early August. That’s in part due to a spell of Mercury retrograde that begins at the end of June, though we’re a bit ahead of ourselves on that topic.
In the next few weeks, Venus, the Sun and Jupiter enter Cancer. There’s a lot going on in the water signs this year, and what happens this month is central to that.
Saturn is in Scorpio through early 2015 and Chiron and Neptune are in Pisces for the long haul. All these planets about to ingress Cancer will complete a grand trine in the water signs. This is rare and beautiful astrology. It’ll be excellent for anyone with a strong water sign signature in their chart (Sun, Moon, rising or any strong planet in water signs). And as previously mentioned here and there, Mercury is about to make its second of three retrogrades in a water sign this year.
This ongoing arrangement may be challenging for those who are overwhelmed by the rising tide of their emotions, or who are not good at sitting with their own emotions. For those with strong water sign charts, you might feel like you really do belong on the planet, at least a bit more than usual.
In any event this is a time when it’ll be necessary to adjust to an extended moment when feelings really count and are more palpable than usual.
Remember that water signs imply that things may make less sense on the rational wavelength and more sense on the intuitive wavelength.
Once that grand water trine really takes hold in late June, with Jupiter’s arrival (and we’ll get our first taste of it this weekend), emotional patterns will tend to increase in momentum as if in a vortex. Therefore, make corrections as soon as you see something that needs to be addressed. Keep clarity with people. Put crazymakers as far away from the action as possible, which means don’t invite them into your house.
As Mars in early Gemini works its way into a square with Neptune, this is especially true. This aspect is potentially deeply creative, poetic and experimental — and also potentially self-destructive. See if you can stay on the creative side by giving yourself healthy outlets for your emotional energy.
Mars square Neptune is one of those aspects where I extend a substance use/abuse caution. Know when you’re doing things for fun and when you’re self-medicating (both have their moment). Know when enough is enough. There’s a calling here to embrace a spiritual level of experience rather than an escapist one. This aspect is an accelerant, but it can be directed inwardly as a kind of catalyst.
Planets in Cancer are a reminder to stay emotionally connected. Now is the time to get into the mode of slowing down a little and taking better care of yourself. Eat real food. Get actual rest. Get near some water. Don’t forget to drink some of it, too.
Lovingly,
Inner Space Horoscope for June 2013, #952 | By Eric Francis
We’ve had a lot of intense months lately; June promises to be an interesting one. Eclipses are out of the way for a while, which will help everyone sleep a little better. Planets are gathering in the sign Cancer, which is a reminder that we need to take care of one another on the planet, as much for everyone else as for ourselves. You want the people around you to feel safe and strong, and the small gestures you make honoring that fact will come right back to you. Jupiter enters the sign Cancer for a year right after the solstice. Then on June 26, Mercury stations retrograde for three weeks. This may come with the feeling of re-evaluation, and the need to tune up your emotional body so that you may focus on what you want rather than what you define as a need.
Aries (March 20-April 19) — Get ready to make a stretch — of your living space, of your emotional capacity, of your ability to take care of yourself and others. You don’t need to be afflicted by the same ‘there’s never enough’ bug that so many others seem unable or unwilling to shake off. You can afford to feel safe, and you will only benefit from encouraging the people you love to understand that they too are safe. Humans are critters that belong in broods, tribes and caravans. Our society falsely promises benefit and gain by striking off on one’s own or ignoring the needs of others. Everyone needs some time to themselves, but that’s a different thing. Anyone who feels the pleasure of cooperation and the benefits of solving collective problems collectively is unlikely to go back to the old way.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) –You may think you know what you’re saying, but do others understand what’s on your mind? I ask not for their sake but your own. You need to feel understood. You also need to feel like you understand yourself, though over the next couple of months that’s likely to come in layers rather than to burst out of the ground like a gusher. I suggest you be patient with yourself, and express your uncertainty gently. If you do, what you may notice is the presence of a rare kind of confidence that has roots going deeper than any questions your mind could come up with. Therefore, if you ask a question, assume that it has an answer. If you see a problem, assume there is a solution. It may not manifest overnight, though it will help move things along if you keep adjusting your point of view. You will see different things from different perspectives.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — How you feel about yourself determines what you think is possible. That in turn is the most dependable metric on what is possible, for you. Events this month seem determined to teach you what you have to offer, and the many ways your gifts and your efforts can be of service to the world. One thing is for certain: if you think you have nothing to offer, you must think again. It may take you a little time to figure out what your gifts are and what you can do with them, but that’s different than doubt or despondency. If you’re just not seeing the possibility, it’s likely that something is blocking your view. That something may be an outdated attitude or value about the meaning of work, or a negative emotional attachment that you can now, at long last, dissolve.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Stay as close to the edge as possible, for as long as you can. Keep your options open. You may be inclined to take the ‘safe’ route because the thing you want seems impossible, too challenging or too remote to be viable. You may feel like your deepest desire has gone missing. Please be patient, and appreciate the experience of uncertainty as much as you can, and remember that your main job right now is to keep the door open for the best potentials when they begin to show up, which could stretch out a few weeks from now. You will feel when they arrive; you’ll recognize them. My sense is that you will feel the tide is turning and know that you can move with it. What arrives is not a one-off but evidence that you have entered a new time in your life, one that will offer you many gifts that you merely need to open up and receive consciously.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — There seems to be so much you can’t do anything about, though what you have going for you is the ability to access what I will call spiritual help. Any mystery, any problem, any challenge, is inviting you to ‘offer it up’ to natural healing forces and ease your mind. One thing is certain: those forces are real, and they are willing to help you. Since you’ve got the responsibility to take care of so many people, count it as a good thing you have support. Yet you have more help than you may know. While it’s clear that you will need to help guide certain events in a positive direction, your leadership style would benefit from a major revision from anything your parents or early authority figures inflicted on you. There’s a new way to do things — and you’re bringing it into existence.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — As the month develops, you may feel like you’re swimming against the tide of social opinion, or perhaps more subtly, that you just start to feel different than the people around you. What I suggest is that you not try to prove yourself or allow any discussion to degrade into a power struggle. You have a right to be independent, particularly in your emotional response. Who is right or wrong doesn’t matter; what matters is that you’re at peace with yourself. If you recognize that there is only a limited extent to which anyone is entitled to an opinion about your life, this will be a lot easier. There’s also missing information, though you’re the one most likely to be ahead of the curve figuring out that the knowledge that’s coming will validate your hunch or point of view about what is right for you.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Events that develop this month will be enough to focus your priorities on what you know matters — what you’ve said so many times is your top priority. You may start to feel like you have some catching up to do, yet I would caution against acting like you have to make up for lost time. Rather, work with the idea that what you’re doing and the choices you’re making now are right on time. Take the steps you need to prepare for the steps you’re about to take. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is how much you’ve learned the past year. Make sure that you consider what some call ‘both’ sides of every issue and what I would say amounts to taking a circumspect, open-minded approach, never being too invested in your own opinions.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — When you have faith in yourself, the universe will provide for you. Or rather, it will provide for you anyway but you may not notice that’s what’s happening. It’s your faith that will inform you and that, thankfully, is something you’re learning to make friends with. Here are some clues that this arrangement is working well: One is that you have enough of what you need. Another is that you have a vision for the future that you trust. Rather than being a vague hope or wish, your vision is something that you can see in a focused way, even if it doesn’t exist yet, and that you trust despite any questions you may have — questions I suggest you ask gently, and wait earnestly for the answers. You know more than you think, though to access the information you must listen and trust.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Relationships are about an exchange of something substantial, be it feelings, resources, ideas or effort. What happens this month will be enough to illustrate the point. You’re ending a phase of your life and beginning another where ‘too much of nothing’ is no longer enough. Once you’re clear about that, it’ll be obvious who is offering you something, without needing to understand the motive. This may be the exercise in trust that you’ve been planning to embark on for so long. Remember that it takes some trust to trust, and at first you may seem to have no special reason to do so. Not at least based on certain elements of your past — though there are others you may not have considered. And they are reminding you they exist. They’re reminding you there is something about yourself that it’s time to reclaim.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Suddenly you have more options than you know what to do with, or you will soon. As you consider these options, you may also be inclined to hesitate. But rather than do that, you have an opportunity to experiment, and to explore who makes you feel how. Relationships are not theoretical. They are not about pondering who or what might work, or how a situation might feel. They are about experience, and an experiment, and you don’t need to commit to more than that when you want to explore someone. You are not married after the third date, you don’t have to have sex, and the person is not your boyfriend or girlfriend. You can explore sex and you’re still not married. Rather than the social conventions, the thing to pay attention to is your own need for contact. Remember, this is more important than your need to bond. Start with contact and see where things go.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — What your life hinges on is your ability to state your needs and your desires. It would help if you could tell them apart, and have clear ideas what constitutes one or the other (clue, you will have very few needs, and a good few more desires). Knowing about this is not enough; being clear with yourself is not enough. You need to put this information to use. You may have been taught to ‘expect’ your needs and desires to be met, or to hope that doing so for others would result in someone showing up and doing that for you. Many things preclude that, including the aura of independence you put out, however what I suggest you do is tell people — the ones that matter — what your life is about and what role you want them to have. How they respond is up to them, though you’ll learn a lot either way.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The more fun you have, the better you will feel. While on one level this is a serious time in your life with so much at stake, what matters more is your motivation to succeed. What some call luck will play a role in this; you’re about to have a rare collection arriving in your solar 5th house, including Venus and Jupiter. This is an invitation to take action rather than to wait for good things to happen. For a Pisces there is no better incentive to live well than play, creative exploration and sex. It’s not every day that you get an opportunity like the one you have now, and if career questions or business are on your mind, you will get better results from fun than from labor. Along a similar line of thought, working in a creative mode is more important than working hard.