AstroCast: June 19 - July 6, 2013

Posted on June 18, 2013
Posted by Kimberly Maxwell

** Times where noted are Pacific Daylight Time. 

** Degrees where noted are rounded to the nearest whole degree.AstroCast Calendar

The Sun is the principal player during this period so it seems appropriate to first talk about the aspect he makes just before marking the Solstice that appropriately launches us into summer with indispensable enthusiasm.  (OK, winter below the equator but those down under can still feel the zeal!)  On June 19th the Sun and Jupiter join their energies at 29 degrees Gemini.  This conjunction between the archetypal core of our being and the vehicle that takes us to an ever expanded understanding of our world thus colors this seasonal three month cycle with broad hues of joy, creativity and faith that it’s all going to be OK.  That is, if we can turn our attention away from the overload of data we’re expected to input, calculate and otherwise respond to on a daily basis – which seemed to get seriously pronounced while Jupiter was in Gemini – and return control of our destiny back to the most advanced super computer in existence, the human spirit.

Mercury conjunct Venus on June 20th at 22 degrees Cancer also imprints the Solstice with a sense of grace, beauty and lyrical expression.  The Love Goddess embracing the God of Communication makes sweet music that can soften even the most fortressed positions to allow for greater alignment of purpose.  These two planets traveling together in Cancer create a sensitive, caring environment for all manner of relating and communicating, creating a safe environment for expressing our true needs.  Let’s hope the diplomat in all of us has tuned into the supportive energies to soothe agitated debates and temper hard liners.  In effect for most of June, this charming pas de deux is finally suspended with Mercury’s retrograde turn followed by Venus entering Leo in about a week’s time.

The exact moment of the Solstice is 10:04 p.m. on June 20th when the Sun enters the zodiacal space of Cancer.  Creating safe and secure environments is a primary concern for the Sun while in this initiating sign, the ability to sense and meet the needs of others its exquisite talent.  Selfless, compassionate caring is Cancer’s hallmark and the Sun here has an uncanny, mysterious way of seeing into the soul of another.  Like x-ray vision, the Sun in Cancer’s intuitive insight gets to the core instantly, bypassing the mental processes that had a lock on him in Gemini.  The symbol for Cancer is the Crab whose protective shell represents the boundaries of its world that protect his uber sensitive nature from the cacophony of stimuli without.  The shadow side of this expresses when only the familiar is allowed in and all foreign elements are kept at bay.  The challenge under this influence therefore is to courageously emerge from a limited sphere of existence to a more inclusive one and still be able to love at such a profound level.

The Full Moon at 4:32 a.m. on June 23rd marks the annual opposition of the Sun in Cancer and the Moon in Capricorn, this year at 2 degrees of their respective signs.  Archetypally, Mother Moon steps into father’s shoes and finds that from his point of view life is secure only with a solid structure from which to operate and lots of hard work.  Being wholly occupied in labor, however, doesn’t leave much room for a steady supply of feelings.  The Moon in strict Capricorn teaches us to survive in the face of all odds through disciplined mastery of emotions.  She may appear cold as she often chooses to go it alone but she is dependable and gets the job done.  This wholly feminine symbol is forced into a masculine model that is not only uncomfortable for her but also limits the best of her intuitive attributes from expressing, except perhaps in business!  Looking across to the opposing Sun at 2 degrees Cancer, the Moon gets a mirror of her softer side of survival where the instinct is to hover over her brood in order to protect, to sustain through the finest nurturing skills in all the zodiac.  While survival is each other’s main goal, they have vastly different ways of achieving it.  The Sun expresses the feminine Cancerian energy with an intuitive, personal approach that makes each individual feel special and cared for.  The Moon in Capricorn must apply her intuition broadly to the collective, which limits her ability to sense the individual’s internal needs. The opposition teaches us to reach across the chasm of difference to integrate the perspectives of each side.  By working together, these two can hold the tribe to a higher purpose yet make each member feel secure enough to risk vulnerability and venture out to contribute his unique gifts.

The Understanding the Big Picture gears shift considerably when Jupiter enters Cancer on June 25th.  The reliance on data Jupiter had during his stay in Gemini is now deposed in favor of growth and expansion through feelings – as in a vast array of sensory tentacles that record and decode the environment.  As Jupiter moves through the permeable, watery home of Cancer for the next year, he will pick up subtle information that he missed in externally oriented Gemini that will broaden his awareness with nuanced, intuitive knowledge.  The family gains deeper importance under this influence, the more extended the better – even the family of man may not be big enough to contain Jupiter’s big-hearted hospitality in Cancer.  Our capacity to care is equally expanded to the point where we may want to help everyone we meet.  Knowing and setting our own limits will be crucial, and allow others to function as givers as well as receivers.

Buoyed by Jupiter’s entry into Cancer, the Sun in Cancer continues the Summer of Support theme discussed in the last AstroCast when he enters into a grand water trine on June 26th with Saturn in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces at 5 degrees of their respective signs.  Following Venus and Mercury’s star steps of two weeks ago, the Sun infuses his vitality and heart into the ongoing dream machine aspect between the planet of mastery and the planet of enlightenment.  While the more heavyweight Jupiter will also have his exact rendezvous with this configuration in three weeks, his proximity to the Sun is stimulating the possibility of a Grand Opportunity.  Also on the 26th, in the midst of this season’s series of grand water trines, Mercury stations retrograde at 23 degrees Cancer.  This is the second of three retrograde periods Mercury will make this year in water signs – making it a very emotional year for all of us.  Happening the same day the Sun forms the grand water trine, the entire retrograde period is thus imprinted with a potent sensory energy.  We may use this review period to deeply reflect on our feelings and make a conscious effort to put our full attention to the subtle influences from the past that are operating outside our conscious mind with powerful, sometimes sabotaging effect.  Bringing them to conscious awareness will allow us to choose whether to let them continue to operate or not.

Venus lightens up the atmosphere when she enters outgoing Leo on June 27th to bring out the playful romantic in all of us.  Relationships become noble pursuits, art a royal calling with Venus in the sign of the Monarch.  She will also be very demonstrative with her affections.  Love, however, is put to the test when Venus enters into a square with Saturn at 5 degrees Cancer/Scorpio, which becomes exact on July 1st.  If we are open to the obstacles put before us in relationships, we may find out just how well we have learned to love.  While it may be easier to fall back into feeling unlovable or worthless, the Leonian energy gives Venus the courage to admit her own value in the face of external forces that would have her think otherwise.  This is our opportunity to become the Love Master.

July 1st through 3rd, the Sun again follows Venus and Mercury’s trail when he transitions from the Summer of Support grand water trine into the Summer of Discontent T-square with Pluto at 10 degrees Capricorn and Uranus at 12 degrees Aries.  As the faster moving planets aspect the epoch defining signature between the outer planets representing revolution and rebirth, we get glimpses of how our world will profoundly change.  This flash in the pan aspect lasting only a few days as the Sun passes through the 10-12 degree space of Cancer can incite a reckless drive to freedom from any manner of perceived imprisonments.  Strategists on the other side of that extreme behavior may have the edge over any spontaneous outbursts that aren’t grounded in a many-steps-ahead chess playing mentality.  Looking to previous cycles involving similar challenging aspects between Uranus and Pluto – the Great Depression of the 1930s or the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s for the most recent examples – may help to understand the magnitude of shifting our current paradigms are in for.

 


AstroCast Transits
Kimberly Maxwell

A student of the Sher Institute since 2008, Kimberly has been writing AstroCast since 2012. A long-time Los Angeles resident, Kimberly gives astrological consultations, has various artistic pursuits including the development of a burgeoning creative hub in her community, and works in international television distribution at a major studio.

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