Current Transits for June 98Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Saturn enters Taurus, 6-9
Full Moon at 19Sa06, 6-9
Pallas enters Aries, 6-20
New Moon at 2Cn27, 6-23
Jupiter octile Uranus, 6-24
Saturn square Neptune, 6-25
Jupiter tri-octile Chiron, 6-29
Unlike May, which was kind of a "flat-line" month astrologically, June returns to a more typical pattern of moderate sized storms separated by low energy times. The month includes a number of important milestones in the form of several big aspects (all of which are starting long-term growth processes that extend into next year) and the passage of Saturn into Taurus. In short, it appears that many energies that have been with us for a long time are passing away, making way for new influences that will challenge us for many months to come. This is not simply a continuation of what has gone on before, so be prepared to lighten your baggage and let go of old approaches.
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Saturn enters Taurus, 6-9One of the most crucial shifts in June is the transition of Saturn from Aries into Taurus on the 9th. Due to Saturn's upcoming retrograde cycle, it slips back into Aries on 10-25, eventually settling into Taurus on 99-2-28 for an extended 2+ year stay. Saturn's passage through Aries seems to have unleashed an orgy of militant self-expression and rampant individualism (such as the "road rage" phenomenon reaching unprecedented proportions) the last 2 years. The mood in Taurus is more sedate and laid back, so perhaps some of this "me first" energy will start to settle down. Note that this is an extended transition, not a clean break with the past, so there's apt to be a number of loose ends to clean up along the way. In essence, this new Saturn position is telling us that self-expression and will-power is fine, but unless it is focused and directed towards concrete goals, there is usually little to show for it after the party is done. Taurus is about settling down to work, quietly and patiently, attending to the step by step building process instead of just running around doing things blindly. This requires more discipline and "stick-to-it-tiveness" and may not be as much overt fun, but the long-term satisfaction of building and creating has its own rewards. The Aries legacy has more resembled Sherman's trip through Georgia (especially in the political arena) -- it's time to take a more constructive approach.
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Full Moon at 19Sa06, 6-9The chart for the full moon presents an intriguing, if somewhat rough picture. It's a very scattered planetary pattern that refuses to speak with a single voice. Nonetheless, there are some very definite complexes at work in this chart.
The first group of planets (at 18-19 degrees) to note is a tight conjunction of Vesta, Mercury and the Sun -- all within a fifth of a degree! -- opposite the Moon. If you add in a bunch of planets at 25 degrees, namely Juno, Jupiter, and Pallas, this becomes a wide, but still active Grand Cross. The 13 degree bodies include Venus, Ceres, Mars, Chiron, and Uranus in a tight T-square. This leaves Saturn (just entered Taurus this morning), Pluto and Neptune filling in several gaps in the picture.
So why get excited about a chart that looks like it's all squares, the Big Bogeyman of astrology? For starters, this full moon is a break with the past, since many of the big aspects are new influences just coming over the horizon. There's a condition of high tension now that crystallizes reality into a state where change is inevitable, even if the outcome is up for grabs, a state of high "chaos". It pits opposites (intellect vs. emotions, individual vs. relationships) against each other, daring them to come to a new balance point. The center of this chart is probably that tight Gemini conjunction of Vesta, Mercury and the Sun, a call to align the thinking mind more closely with our deeper "core identities". This is not a time when falsehoods can prosper, especially in our dealings with others. Relationships often take a beating when Jupiter-Juno contacts are active, since the temptation is to take shortcuts with others or take advantage of them somehow. Obviously, this not only hurts the relationship, but it undermines one's own integrity. Worse still, it can become a habit and eventually erode the strength of character. All that "mental integrity" energy of the conjunction begs us to value intelligence and honesty, both with ourselves and with our partners. Similarly in an emotional vein, the line between true caring and nurturing on the one hand, and subtly manipulative or fear-based attractions can be very fine indeed. It's all too easy to convince yourself that your emotions are on the highest level, when the truth (hidden mainly from you, but seen by others around you) is that you're still operating from feelings that are founded in old hurts and fears. Watch for the "sticky situations" that arise the next two weeks. They don't come out of thin air, but are subtly produced by our own lack of awareness and integrity. Each of these scenarios is a mirror, a call to wake up to who you really are. Honesty is the best gift you can give yourself now.
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Pallas enters Aries, 6-20On the 20th, Pallas slips from Pisces into Aries. This transition is also an extended affair, since Pallas retrogrades back into Pisces on 8-17, reentering Aries on 99-2-3. Pallas is the strategic or planning part of the mind, the general that sees the desired goal off in the distance and makes the plans for getting from here to there. The Pisces influence on Pallas most certainly dulls this kind of crisp mental activity -- the end goal may be seen, but the means for getting there is not clear. Aries brings some of the sharpness back to our planning. The main downside that I can think of, however, is that Aries is typically a selfish placement, implying that all goals revolve around "Numero Uno" instead of the greater good. Pallas is usually noted for looking after the underdog, so try to stay in touch with the bigger picture. A good way to express some of this energy is through creative or artistic work, since Pallas is associated with arts and crafts in general, including the healing arts that we now call "holistic therapy", and not just the martial arts long connected with being a warrior goddess. Overall, this is a good time for beginnings, for initiating activities that will bear fruit in the future, although that upcoming retrograde cycle says there may be some false starts before plans take off smoothly. Enjoy the increase in mental energy and focus -- frankly, I'm tired of living in a perpetual fog.
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New Moon at 2Cn27, 6-23In the next few days, all the big aspects in June kick in all at once. The new moon itself is powerfully accenting the Saturn-Neptune square, hinting that it's the most important of the 3 aspects we discussed. It's crucial now to keep an open mind, since reality is hardly as simple as it appears. Confusion is probably the norm. Even if you do see clearly, that view is so at odds with how you expect reality to behave that it's still confusing. Things are shifting, new beginnings are opening up. Yet through all this mayhem, there's a need to stay grounded and in contact with the here and now. These changes don't happen in a vacuum, they happen in our lives. So we must slow down, recognize the shifts, and incorporate them into our daily routines. Avoid the tendency to freak out, space out, or otherwise numb your awareness to the necessity of bringing this higher perspective into your everyday affairs. Hang onto your hats as we shift into high gear for the next month!
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Jupiter octile Uranus, 6-24This aspect is a crucial turning point in the 14 year Jupiter-Uranus cycle that began with their conjunction on 97-2-15, at the height of the Grand Finale configuration. The start of this cycle was heralded in the astrological press at the time as the beginning of a scientific, technological, and cultural rebirth, although you haven't heard much about it since then. On a personal level, this is a cycle concerned with overhauling the "mental environment" we each live in, since both planets have their intellectual overtones. OK, so where's the change?
Unfortunately, it seems to be a law of the psyche that people don't change their minds until they have to, until the mismatch between the world and our points of view become too great to ignore any longer. That's where the harsh aspects in these cycles come in. Octiles are known for introducing friction and "grit" into the system, of pointing out the disagreements between people and making the flaws in their thinking more noticeable. If anything, I suspect the difference in styles between Jupiter and Uranus are starting to grate on each other. Jupiter is big and ponderous, trying to get the big picture, but in a very traditional way. Uranus is more daring and quick moving, into change for change's sake, a kind of intellectual guerrilla warrior. I see this 3 part aspect as a time when conventional wisdom tends to fall flat on its face, when we come face to face with our blindspots, prejudices and biases. This conventional manner of approaching the world makes "civilization" possible, but mainly by operating as a strait jacket that we all volunteer to slip on. In fact, if we all operate from a more enlightened basis, many of these restrictions become unnecessary -- and undesirable. It's time to lighten our load and take off these mental blinders. Things may get worse before they improve, but if you "get the message" quickly, you'll be amazed at how much easier life can be.
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Saturn square Neptune, 6-25The next day on the 25th, Saturn is square Neptune. Again, this is a 3 part aspect, with the next contacts coming on 10-31 and 99-4-6. It's hard to imagine two planets that are as different in energy than these two. Saturn is about form and substance, creating boundaries and definitions, putting up the fences that separate one thing from another. He's the pragmatist, the curmudgeon, and sometimes the Head Teacher at the School of Hard Knocks. Neptune is the dreamer and idealist, however. His role is to dissolve boundaries and strip some of the "hard reality" away from our experiences. Neptune is less concerned with the individual "things" in the world than the subtle energetic connections that bind them together into one indissolvable whole. Obviously with a hard square, these two approaches are butting heads big time. This is a crucial turning point in the 36 year Saturn-Neptune cycle which began in 1989. The triple conjunction that year triggered the first cracks in the old Eastern Bloc in Europe, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall within days of the final contact; not to mention the Exxon Valdez and other environmental disasters and our first looks via space probes of Neptune itself. Obviously, ideals can conquer over cold hard reality, but just as often the status quo can fight back. I suspect we'll see more news stories coming out of Eastern Europe and the old Soviet Union (now a hodge-podge of separate states) in coming months, since there's so much unfinished business in this part of the world. On a more esoteric level, this is a battle between two ways of looking at the world. As people evolve into higher spiritual awarenesses, they need to incorporate these new perceptions into everyday life. Maybe we're reaching a point where the old version of "everyday life" can't accommodate any more changes. Something's got to give in order to allow further growth -- the alternative is spiritual stagnation. This is a crisis of our commonly held version of consensus reality -- boundaries need to shift, beliefs need to be released. With reality up for grabs like this, situations may feel "unreal" and even "insane" at times -- the illusory is Neptune's realm. This may be a scary ride for all of us, but it opens up some great new possibilities. Don't shrink from the task. (Note: both Saturn and Neptune are changing signs this year -- can you say transitions?)
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Jupiter tri-octile Chiron, 6-29The last big aspect is Jupiter's tri-octile to Chiron on the 29th. Due to the curious orbit of Chiron, this aspect repeats 5 times total. The other contacts are 7-31, 99-4-27, 99-12-18, and 2000-2-21 -- talk about a long term connection! Even weirder, the trine aspect between these two planets is still going on until next March, so this cycle is hopelessly confused! I'm not sure what to make of this bizarre contact, but knowing Chiron's role as an initiator into higher levels, this is another major shift in awareness going on. Jupiter is about going beyond our boundaries and limitations, making contact with the outer world. With Chiron so busy (not to mention Uranus), it certainly appears our Jupiter issues are up for work. Where are you holding back from reaching out to the world, what fears keep you from making your mark out there? What old painful experiences are blinding you to the benefits available by linking up with others? These are some of the options of this odd cycle -- obviously there's more to come.
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