This “inertia busting” Eclipse season is unleashing powerful waves of action connected to the crisis of COVID-19 and the uproar caused by the horrifying police brutalities of recent weeks and years that has been caught on dramatic video. As the next couple of weeks unfold, the paradigm shifting archetypal forces will likely correlate to increased pressure on those in leadership positions to draft many different kinds of legislation that will tackle the systemic problems of racism and police brutality. Furthermore, the unusual number of retrograde planets increases from four to six this period, which supports this re-evaluation of the values we want to live by as human beings. We may feel encouraged to have meaningful discussions with our representatives and be more intent on listening to those who have remained unheard and unheeded for far too long. We may be finding ourselves finally deciding that superficial solutions are not to be accepted this time and hold out for total systemic accountability and transformation to dissolve the oppressive and violent policies and structures that perpetuate the deeply painful suffering of institutionalized racism. A clear example of this is the Minneapolis City Council’s intent to defund the city’s police department following the police killing of George Floyd. Council President Lisa Bender stated the council is committed to “dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually keeps our community safe.”
The Sun in Gemini is still in close orb of its “crisis of action” square to Mars in Pisces that was exact on June 6, the day hundreds of thousands of people across the globe marched in solidarity with Black Lives Matter to protest racial injustice including police brutality, criminal justice reform, access to healthcare, voter suppression and more. On June 11, the Sun, which represents our heartfelt purpose, segues into an exact square to Neptune in Pisces, strong in the sign it rules. Sun/Neptune contacts often have a feel about them that we’re not on solid ground. That doesn’t mean they are unstable. It just means we need to operate with greater compassion and access our intuition on how best to resolve the tension. The Sun’s “crisis of action” alignment with Neptune creates a kind of friction that urges us to show up with courage and compassion to the powerful wave of energies unfolding. Waves, even tidal ones, serve a purpose to ensure the continual renewal of life. We must learn to respect them by remaining flexible and willing to evolve.
When Mars and Neptune form their exact conjunction in Pisces on June 13, it can express as a strong need to act and likely to fight for the disadvantaged or other cause with a noble purpose. Mars’ assertive nature is sensitized in Pisces and can correlate to a feeling of the weight of the world’s problems and a need to fix them, but it can also lead to confusion if one is not clear, so caution is advised to work within our given limitations and not take unnecessary risks. When we are clear and focused on serving the greater good, Neptune can come through to work its magic. Maybe this time, with so many joining together in this fight, the entrenched walls of resistance to the social justice movement will come down. Mars also forms sextiles to the retrograde Pluto/Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn June 18 to 20, which suggests that the ruling elite may be pressed upon by the powerful demonstrations of people power to give Black Lives Matters and their supporters a seat at the governing table.
The amassing of retrograde planets that began in late April increases when Mercury in Cancer turns retrograde on June 17. Five retrograde planets at once archetypally represents a major period of review of just about all aspects of life. When Mercury turns retrograde, it marks the “ebbing” part of the Sun/Mercury cycle when forward movement slows down to give us time to re-imagine and make adjustments in the how we perceive and talk about life. Mercury will be retrograde through July 12 in the nurturing and sensitive water sign of Cancer where it asks us to rise above the concerns of just our immediate family and realize we belong to the greater whole of the family of human beings on this earth. In order to do that we may feel compelled to review what it would take on an individual and collective level to live in greater harmony.
June 20 marks both the auspicious Solstice, which occurs when the Sun enters Cancer, and the New Moon Solar Eclipse which occurs while the Sun and Moon are still at the zero-degree point of new beginnings. The Moon in the sign it rules eclipsing the Sun signifies a need to bring unconscious matters to light. The Moon symbolizes the intuitive and nurturing Divine Feminine, the archetypal force that, like a mother, nudges us to grow into the talented, unique individuals we are meant to be. But it also governs our programming, which is all that we have absorbed from our environment since we were born that unconsciously dictates our behavior, often in negative ways. This powerful Eclipse on the Solstice therefore emphasizes the cosmic imperative to understand the ‘hidden persuaders’ in our minds planted there by a society that often suppresses individual creative expression. This suggests that aspects of our unconscious that need to be addressed now will be brought forward for observation. It takes courage to look into the deeper layers of the unconscious that are triggered into consciousness usually by challenging situations. We have to confront our fears and deeply rooted conditioning we long trusted as truth. But once we brave our way through our resistance and defense mechanisms, we have the potential to discover latent talents and abilities that are unique to us and simply need to be recognized and developed. Bringing the unconscious to consciousness is the hero’s journey for each person and the birth chart is our exclusive map that will help us navigate the crises in our life, but also the ongoing adventure of finding out who we truly are and where we belong.
Neptune joins the other retrograde planets when it turns retrograde on June 22, bringing the extraordinary total now to six. Given the importance of Neptune in the alignments happening at this time, it being even more intensely focused due to its stationing suggests we may be even more sensitized to the horrors happening daily around us that we have not previously had the courage to acknowledge nor be accountable for as part of the collective. Neptune asks us to give our full attention to what is happening in the moment no matter how painful it is to confront our own weaknesses, starting with our own narrow-minded programming that puts blinders on to the suffering of others. Heeding the call of Neptune can lead to the realization that when one group suffers, we all do. Being totally accountable for our false sense of separation from others can allow the healing to begin.
Another planetary station occurs, on June 24, but this time in the other direction. Venus in Gemini turns direct after six weeks of intensely investigating what we value as most important and how we communicate in relationships. The particular Venus retrograde cycle has seen a huge uptick learning, listening, communicating and protesting. Openly sharing what we are experiencing helps us discover how we truly feel about things. We’ve been reminded of how much words matter and the importance of being conscious of whether our words hurt or heal. We may also have discovered the need to disconnect from relationships where common values are lacking. Some have found new ways to stand up for what is spiritually and morally right since they can’t risk taking to the streets because of the pandemic. The old adage “put your money where your mouth is” (Venus rules money; Gemini rules communication and commerce) can also be a powerful form of civil action, and many companies, their leaders moved by what is going on, are making financial or in-kind contributions to organizations dedicated to establishing greater equality and becoming accountable in their business practices. As Venus in Gemini potently changes directions, we too can express through conscious choices about what brands to buy, or not, to support this great movement of social justice for Black and under-served communities. We can also register to vote and show up for all elections to support the candidates that share these values.
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