It is generally accepted in the study of astrology that if you see an archetype repeat three times from different vantage points, then the themes represented therein are so strong in how they correlate to conditions and events in our lives that they are truly impossible to ignore. If we are able to contemplate the signs, the events, the impressions we are having and deal with them directly, we may achieve an integral approach that takes us to the next level of awareness. For personal interpretations or in mundane astrology, which looks at the correlation between planetary cycles and world events, themes recurring across the natal chart, transits, secondary progressions, harmonics, etc. can focus an individual on a specific area of their life at specific times. We either go willingly with awareness, or are thrust into situations that force our individual or collective attention on the subject whether we like it or not. At this moment in time, the theme of transition is unmistakable within the various transits happening at this time and it seems we’re all feeling it in spades. So the questions we could be asking ourselves, collectively and individually are: what are we transitioning from, and what are we transitioning to? Where are we taking ourselves to the next level? What personal belief systems are we now seeing as limiting and are we ready to let them go so we can experience new perspectives? Looking at the astrology of the moment can help us to identify the archetypes at play. If it isn’t already obvious, looking into how these transits are affecting your own natal chart will help identify the areas that are transitioning and would corroborate what you may already be sensing but can’t quite yet articulate.
Transition sign #1: The Sagittarius Full Moon on June 20th in itself contains several levels of transition. As the second Full Moon in Sagittarius in a row, this is an astrological blue moon that asks us to revisit the polarity between data and meaning. Whereas the May 21st Full Moon took place with the Sun at 1° Gemini opposite the Moon at 1° Sagittarius, this one is at 29° of those signs. The degrees themselves are one layer of transition, representing beginnings and endings. Akin to the archetypes represented by Aries and Pisces as the first and last signs of the zodiac, we are in the skin-shedding, end stage chrysalis mode of being, ready to let go of old dysfunctions and burst forth with a new life of soul beingness. The second level of transition symbolism represented here is that this is the first Full Moon occurring with the Sun in the same sign as the immediately preceding New Moon since January-February 2015 when we had two New Moons at the beginning and ending degrees of Aquarius. Since then it seems the cosmos was asking us to focus on lunar themes of feeling, memory, conditioning and raw, unfiltered emotional expression (U.S. presidential primary cycle anyone?). With the return of a lunar cycle unfolding while the Sun transits through a single sign, we are shifting into a solar focus on core principles of the heart and how we express our creative beingness in the world. Venus, which was closely conjunct the June 4th Gemini New Moon, is still travelling in tandem with the Sun so figures into this Full Moon as well less than three degrees from the Sun, underscoring the themes of connectedness and an artful way of living. Correlating to the Sun in data focused Gemini and the Moon in meaning focused Sagittarius, we’re being asked to identify the important stuff out of the explosion of data we’re exposed to on a daily basis and to integrate it into the life we want to create with others. As the culmination of the current lunar cycle that began with the last New Moon, which was part of an extraordinary mutable grand cross (more on that in the next paragraph), we have the opportunity to evaluate how we are transitioning into compassionate beings able to hold the space for ourselves and others as we experience a frequently uncomfortable metamorphosis. May we remember the gifts of Gemini and Sagittarius, as articulated by Dane Rudhyar, and develop “the art of letting things happen” (Gemini) that will then lead into “the art of living together” (Sagittarius). If we allow others to process in their own time and their own way, we in turn allow ourselves to develop our own unique path to greater self-awareness. Experiencing compassion for others brings about a fuller understanding of the human experience with all the joys and pains of growth.
Transition sign #2: Literally as the Full Moon unfolds, Mercury comes into the forth leg position of the mutable grand cross that was the theme of the Gemini New Moon. As discussed in the last AstroCast, at that time the Sun, Moon and Venus in Gemini were square to Neptune in Pisces and Jupiter in Virgo, and opposing Saturn in Sagittarius. The exact square between Saturn and Neptune only occurred a few days before Mercury now pulls into the grand cross vortex with its emphatic vibration emanating from the four mutable corners of the zodiac that are all about transition. To mutate means to permanently become something new and generally represents a way of adapting to a shifting environment. In this case, the theory of evolution can be broadened from the physical universe to include our consciousness. Mercury puts his unique perspective on this dynamic configuration into play June 20th through 22nd with his quick succession through the aspects to the slower moving planets from his home sign of Gemini, bringing into focus how we communicate that which we perceive. By activating the sacred geometry of the grand cross, Mercury becomes the conduit for the energies of Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune in an alchemical process cosmically engineered to open our hearts and minds, bring order to our lives and understand there is something much greater at work than our earthbound physical existence. The Orlando pod of beings who transitioned en masse under tragic circumstances as the grand cross was unfolding became symbolic sacrifices on the altar of the machine state that we’ve become. In this era of 24/7 everything, we are acting like data processing units disenchanted by the cosmos and completely disconnected from our being’s role in the larger consciousness system. As we ask the question what are we transitioning from, on the world stage it would be this: moving from a body in a constant state of automaticity to an awake individuated unit of consciousness. Shocking acts such as Orlando and the increasing number of terrorist attacks occurring all over the world seem to be occurring in greater frequency in order to wake us up to what we’ve become. Now the question remains, are we yet collectively ready to transition to a state of love where this type of occurrence simply would not happen? If not, how many more defibrillating events do we need? This dark night of the soul may need to continue some time longer before we get it, but we seem to be experiencing an initiation into the bootcamp of consciousness training.
Transition sign #3: Mere hours after the emotional Full Moon, and Mercury activating the grand cross vortex, the Sun’s ingress into Cancer by mid-afternoon on June 20th marks the change of seasons, the summer or winter solstice depending on your hemispheric location, and the longest or shortest day of the year. This is the triple transition whammy all happening before the day is done. Transitioning from light to dark or vice versa, this major astrological marker also galvanizes the energies of the mutable grand cross into the next three months, which means “changeable” will be all our middle names for a while. No sense in seeing anything as solid just yet. One day we feel strongly about something and the next new information is received that completely changes the picture. Cancer is an initiating cardinal sign so again the beginnings and endings theme run concurrently here and the Sun in this archetypally feminine space ruled by the Moon is focused on receiving with acute sensitivity signals of the interconnectedness of being, hence her symbolic association with home and family. As we transition into compassionate beings it is essential that collectively we re-awaken our feminine nature to bring about balance. The solar (masculine) principle operating through the lunar (feminine) principle presents an opportunity to experience how the two can work together in harmony to create with passion in a way that may make the human family finally feel at home in their own skin.
Giving us a boost through the transition portal, Jupiter in Virgo makes his third and final trine to Pluto in Capricorn on June 26th. Since their first encounter in this sacred geometric alignment last October, the effects of this pairing between the planet of expansion and the planet of power can probably be seen in the increased responsibilities we may have been asked to take on, or increased influence with others. We may have come to master our shadow side and put our soul in the service of a purpose higher than that which our self-involved ego could muster. Perhaps we have come to understand that we are not the generator of power in all its creative and destructive potential, but the humble steward of the elemental source that governs life and death.
Picking up on a trend of aspects to the transcendental outer planets, Mercury in Gemini sextiles Uranus in Aries on June 26th, firing our synapses on all fronts in order to open neural pathways to a direct experience of the constant download that is always being sent from the cosmos but which we don’t always receive due to mental blockages. Allow the brilliance of the higher and lower minds making impact in this dazzling alignment to free the consciousness from the shackles of ego.
Venus in Cancer follows with the outer planet alignment theme on June 27th when she trines Neptune in Pisces, in this case the meeting of the higher and lower octaves of relating. Venus is always concerned with other and achieving balance in her interactions. In Cancer her expression is focused on collectively established values that allow the tribe to function as a whole. Neptune, strong in his home sign of Pisces, sees how each member of the tribe is connected spiritually and gives us a broader perspective on what it means to be united with the cosmos of beings. He teaches us that compassion is the vibration of connectedness: without it we can’t truly relate to, much less understand one another; with it we can celebrate another’s individual expression no matter how different from our own, and at the same time know they are part of us.
Mercury tips the scales to the feeling water signs when he joins the Sun and Venus in Cancer on June 29th, trading his airy intellectual expression for a sensory approach to receiving data from his environment. Because Mercury feels on such an acute level in the sign that seems to have invented sensitivity, every harsh word or hard mental construct can be felt as a personal attack. If he remains neutral, that taking-everything-personally shadow side can be transformed into an uncanny psychic translator able to sense what’s really going on under the surface of our ego masks.
June 29th also marks transition symbol #4, a bonus indication of times of change, when Mars turns direct in Scorpio after two and a half months of review that spanned two signs and what seems like an eternity of challenges in gaining traction on new projects. “The Mars retrograde time period,” wrote Jim Sher in his April blog written at the time Mars turned around, “is exactly the time to look into our styles of self-assertion. We may do so on our own or we might be asked to do it by the feedback we get from other people with whom we may be in conflict. This is the advantage and positive aspect of a Mars retrograde period. It is a time to reflect on our ways of asserting ourselves into the world and examine how we are being received.” As Mars is at one of his most potent moments in passionate Scorpio gathering strength, stamina and drive while he hovers in the same degree space for ten days on either side of his station, he is holding space for the new way of asserting himself he has discovered during this review. He may not yet understand fully what must be done as new information takes time to digest, but if he remains open it will naturally integrate into an experience that doesn’t include a fight or excessive striving as his outmoded way of being may have encountered. “When our acts are pure, natural, creative, simple, clean and without thought of reward,” writes Jim, “our actions are joyful. We will feel we are acting in harmony with life and with our own highest destiny.” With Mars turning direct, it appears the cosmos itself will also gain major traction – over the next couple of weeks there are twice as many aspects as normal, so much so that the Cancer part 2 AstroCast will be split into two articles! We’ll all be raring to go by the time Mars picks up speed in mid-July and while he remains in Scorpio through August 2nd, we can channel our passion into new projects with the pure delight of soul directed movement.
When Venus in Cancer plugs into the Jupiter/Pluto trine, her feminine sensibilities direct their expanding sense of power to be more inclusive. When she first opposes Pluto, exact on June 30th, she may be faced with her fear of assuming power, or realize she has given up her power to another. If she makes the effort to embrace the Plutonian gift of purging and renewal, her fears may melt away in the smoldering fire of transformation. Her sextile to Jupiter, exact on July 1st, will give her the confidence to confront her deepest feelings and offer a glimpse of the reward waiting for her once she comes through the challenging experience: true intimacy in all her relationships. On the world stage, feminists (women and men alike) may take a stand for their cause with a refreshed sense of purpose and empowerment. The Venus/Pluto opposition is strongly activating Elizabeth Warren’s chart, as it did last year around this time when Venus opposed Pluto right on her natal Venus conjunct her midheaven, which represents her work for others in the public arena. She was prominent in the news frequently at that time speaking out for greater economic equality; today the stakes in that conversation are being channeled into the U.S. presidential campaign and she again may prove to be a strong public voice leading into the party conventions in July.
Here’s the data (using Pacific Time and planetary positions rounded to the nearest whole degree, unless otherwise noted):June 20 – Moon opposite Sun (Full Moon) at 29°33’ Sagittarius/Gemini at 4:02 a.m.
June 20 – Mercury opposite Saturn at 12° Gemini/Sagittarius at 7:56 a.m.
June 20 – Mercury square Neptune at 12° Gemini/Pisces at 10:11 a.m.
June 20 – Sun at 0° Cancer at 3:34 p.m.
June 22 – Mercury square Jupiter at 16° Gemini/Virgo at 3:59 p.m.
June 26 – Jupiter trine Pluto at 16° Virgo/Capricorn at 5:10 a.m.
June 26 – Mercury sextile Uranus at 24° Gemini/Aries at 7:31 p.m.
June 27 – Venus trine Neptune at 12° Cancer/Pisces at 6:53 a.m.
June 29 – Mercury at 0° Cancer at 4:24 p.m.
June 29 – Mars station direct at 23° Scorpio at 4:38 p.m.
June 30 – Venus opposite Pluto at 16° Cancer/Capricorn at 8:29 p.m.
July 1 – Venus sextile Jupiter at 17° Cancer/Virgo at 12:18 p.m.
Dearest Kimberly,
Once again, you have hit this report out of the park. Thank you for so eloquently articulating the transiting planets and how they are affecting us over this time frame. I simply love your writing style and I’m wondering if you are planning on writing a book for I would love to see what offering beyond the Astro-Cast you would be interested in gifting the world. Many thanks, Patricia