Current Transits for June 2012 Current Transits for June 2012Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Full Moon / Partial Lunar Eclipse at 14Sa13, 6-4
Neptune Retrograde Station at 3Pi09, 6-4
Venus Transit of the Sun, 6-5
Jupiter enters Gemini, 6-11
Chiron Retrograde Station at 9Pi45, 6-12
New Moon at 28Gm43, 6-19
Ceres enters Gemini, 6-23
Uranus Square Pluto, 6-24 -- get ready for a disruptive ride!
Jupiter Square Neptune, 6-25
Saturn Direct Station at 22Li45, 6-25
Venus Direct Station at 7Gm30, 6-27
Hindsight...
An online ephemeris for the month is available.
Thank goodness that June is not as powerful overall as May was. We got a good taste of these chaotic and disruptive energies last month and June is more of the same. Of all the major themes this month, I'd have to say the Uranus-Pluto square on the 24th is the dominant story. This aspect has been building for several years now and is going to be a powerful influence for the next 3 years and then some. Both of these slow moving planets affect the world on a global scale and are known to be highly transformative. This overhaul has both positive and negative outcomes, however, so don't expect the changes to happen smoothly or without conflict. There are also a large number of planets at their stations in coming weeks, a kind of "shifting gears" effect as problem areas take us in new directions. Another big mood changer is when Jupiter moves from Taurus into Gemini on the 11th, which tends to speed up the pace of living. It seems that most of the important planetary groupings are based on square aspects -- stress and conflict seem to be in the background most of the time. Pace yourself and keep in mind that current circumstances are likely to be shifting radically this summer. These are tough energies to surf well...
The list of news items this month is fairly extensive. It includes 4 planets at their stations, 2 sign changes and 2 "big aspects". The full moon on the 4th is a partial lunar eclipse. And on the 5th is a very rare transit of Venus across the face of the Sun that's gathered a lot of attention in some circles. We should be quite busy.
The lunar eclipse falls in the middle of the transition period, which implies that the chart is fractured into a number of separate, loosely connected planetary groupings. Each of these groups has its own "message", but there's little in the way of unifying theme binding them together. The most prominent pattern is a T-square formed by the Sun, Venus, Mars and the Moon, with Vesta on the side. Uranus, Chiron and Pluto form a second group. The last pattern is a loose mixture of Ceres, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and Juno. Neptune is the most isolated planet, but it gains some influence due to it's retrograde station in a few hours.
It's tempting to think of the T-square as a big relationship issue, particularly the square between Venus and Mars. It requires flexibility with others and a light touch, as a Sagittarius Moon makes people value their freedom of action. Back off! The Uranus-Pluto square continues to grow in strength, although its effect may still be subliminal for most people, a kind of irritation and dissatisfaction with "things" that can't be nailed down concretely. Unless you're very careful, the tendency is to project this discontent onto others, blaming them for your own woes, which only makes relationships more testy. Mercury in Gemini closely trine Saturn in Libra is a recipe for proper communications during this time, a contradictory mixture of quiet, deliberate talking and listening that respects the other person, but is also light and playful. Not an easy balancing act, so don't be surprised if emotions blow up anyway. It's easy to feel picked on now. As for Neptune, it is stirring up powerful emotions and putting you in an idealistic mood that may be at odds with the outer world commotion going on. Again, this is mostly subliminal and won't come to full awareness for months. In short, it's difficult being around people, so go easy on each other. The heart is a challenging teacher.
Neptune stands still at 3Pi09 on the 4th, starting a 5 month retrograde period. It will reach its direct station of 0Pi21 on Nov 11. Neptune only recently set up shop in the sign of Pisces, his home sign, so this will be his first retrograde cycle entirely within the Pisces influence. As such, this cycle tends to set the standard for what to expect from Neptune for the next 13 years (until 2025). Of course, it's always hard to pin Neptune down since he's the master of shape-shifting and elusive energies of all kinds, but there are some hints we can probably rely upon in coming months. First of all, it will effect relationships in some subtle ways. Neptune has an affinity for the heart chakra and anything that promotes deep connections with others, while Pisces is a sign of emotions and profound, soul shaking experiences. You may not notice this influence in your more casual relationships, but there's something mysterious going between you and the people you're closest to. The best approach is to open your heart as wide as you can and then some, as any tendency to "small heartedness" will slowly sap the magic out of the relationship. You may also have to face some misunderstandings or self-deceptions that you hold dearly. Neptune tends to inflate the ego, making you the lead star in your own soap opera and the center of everyone's attention, when most people are really clueless bit players in life's drama. This placement works best if you're honest and take off the rose colored glasses that fog your vision. You may stumble into some of these areas by looking for the glamour in your life, those people, things or situations that unconsciously grab your attention in a powerful attraction that won't let you go. Glamour is a clue that something is arising from the unconscious mind that you need to study and assimilate. The problem is we project this attraction outward onto others, confusing the inner reality for the outer world, sometimes with very negative results. Don't let such obsessions take you over. However, if you can steer clear of these typical traps, Neptune in Pisces reveals his other side to you, a side that offers you incredible insights and spiritual growth. More precisely, the effort of learning how to avoid the traps is how you learn these lessons. The next 5 months are a time to move past your normal emotional reactions to daily life and learn to live with compassion and insight. You probably won't know how well you've done until the direct station in November. By the way, the retrograde station today is only hours past the lunar eclipse, while the direct station is 2 days before a solar eclipse. Eclipses "up the ante" astrologically -- this cycle and the lessons you gather from it are bigger than you can presently imagine.
Venus is conjunct the Sun at 15Gm44 on the 5th. Well, actually the conjunction is so exact that Venus passes right between Earth and the face of the Sun, a phenomenon astronomers call a Venus Transit. It's like a miniature eclipse, in a sense. Venus transits are quite rare events, happening in pairs 8 years apart that are separated by more than a century. There was a similar event back on 2004-6-8. The pair before that happened in 1874 and 1882; the next ones are in 2117 and 2125. In other words, this is a rare, long period cycle of possibly profound importance, even though Venus is usually a light, fleeting influence. The modern symbolism of Venus is mostly feminine and heart centered in nature, which is why this conjunction is viewed by many in feminine spirituality communities as a powerful time to anchor goddess energies onto Earth. (Curiously, many ancient cultures before ours thought of Venus in strictly masculine terms, even as a god of war!) Astrologically, these conjunctions are thought of as a "New Venus" time, the beginning of the next Venus cycle similar to how new moons start the lunar cycles; the eclipse effect makes this one more significant. Like the Neptune station yesterday, this is a call to open your heart more than usual and experience a closer connection to the world around you. Falling in the middle of the retrograde cycle, it's helpful to examine your basic likes and dislikes, attractions and repulsions -- your unspoken instinctual ways of behaving in your world. You may need to make some changes and adjustments to these emotional responses if you're going to free up your heart energies. Granted, these lessons are spread out over the entire 19 month Venus cycle, but this is a time when the insights are easiest to grasp. Turn off your loud thinking mind awhile and just feel...
Jupiter moves from Taurus into Gemini on the 11th. He'll be in this sign until 2013-6-25 when he shifts into Cancer. Whereas Taurus is physical, embodied and slow moving, Gemini is quick, mental energy, interested in thinking up and sharing ideas. This placement emphasizes the more thoughtful and philosophical side of Jupiter -- the exchange of ideas and opinions takes on importance. The main downside of Gemini for Jupiter is the usual scatteredness of this sign. This placement is about breadth, not depth, so if you're faced with a mental project that requires great mastery, you really need to focus to stay on task. Discipline is not part of this energy. But it should be great fun and you might open doors to some people that will be helpful later on. Enjoy the coming year!
Chiron reaches his retrograde station of 9Pi45 on the 12th. This retrograde cycle continues until Nov 14, when he goes direct at 4Pi58. Time to clean out some of the emotional baggage stuffed in your psychic closet! Chiron in Pisces represents all those old and shameful emotions that you disown and hide away early in life, the kinds of things you never want others to know you feel. We spend a lot of time and effort hiding these things away in the first half of life and with luck, we try to own up to and accept them in the second half. The cosmic joke is that everybody has these hidden areas -- it's part of being human. Worrying about them only puts up separations and false masks between people. The deeper side of Pisces is figuring out how to move beyond these separations and realize the connections that bind people together. The next 5 months are an exercise in learning how to stop running away from your emotions, the good ones as well as the "bad" ones. It may not be easy, but it's worth it in the end.
If anything, the new moon chart is even more scattered than the lunar eclipse chart was. Once more, the chart divides up into 3 or 4 separate groups of planets. First there's a large fan-shaped group consisting of Vesta, Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Juno. The second group contains Venus, Pluto, Chiron, Pallas and Uranus. The third is Jupiter and Neptune, about to be joined by a fourth pattern of Sun, Moon and Ceres. Lots of stories, no center.
The quality of the first pattern is summed up by Vesta opposite Juno -- the urge to be alone and go within clashes with the desire to connect with others. This must be achieved via sensitive communications with others and some skillful activity so that no feathers get ruffled in the process. Good emotional boundaries are necessary that allow loved ones into your world, but are firm enough to set your inner world apart from them. Boundaries must be fluid and permeable, not rigid and forbidding. Venus is trying to bring the Uranus-Pluto square into daily life and mundane awareness. She's closing in on her direct station and the end of her retrograde cycle, so relying on your emotions and intuitions may not be the most stable way to tune into these refined, but chaotic energies. She may be shocked at first by what she sees and experiences -- the outer planets are definitely an acquired taste. Jupiter and Neptune add a dreamy, optimistic perspective that softens the harsh edges of this chaos. Which brings up back to the new moon in late Gemini. The thinking mind wants to make sense of all this but is having only limited success. As we move into the summer solstice shortly, the rational mind must give way to a more feeling/intuitive way of knowing, even if you're uncertain about how reliable that way of knowing is currently. There are lots of messages and insights coming in on many levels, both from your inner world and through interactions with the people around you, maybe too many. It's all a blur after awhile. Maybe this is why Vesta is telling you to go within, so you have enough quiet to make sense of the confusion somehow. Hopefully this will all come together somehow in coming weeks...
Ceres leaves Taurus and enters Gemini on the 23rd. She'll be in this sign until Sep 26 when she moves into Cancer. This is a funny place for Ceres to hang out, but the association of Gemini with young children is suggestive. This is the role of the Teacher, the mental nurturing of the young children in your care. Metaphorically, it also represents your "brain children", the ideas, dreams and images that need to be helped along before they are ready to give to the world. But the air quality of Gemini is missing the emotional element so important to Ceres. After all, she's the Great Mother, not a disinterested bystander. If you express this energy more as a work of art than a mental chore, you might balance out the emotional side that is missing. The heart has its ways that rationality can't understand. Make sure the two sides are in balance and harmony.
Uranus is square Pluto on the 24th, the first of 7 such contacts over the next 3 years. The second contact falls on Sep 19; the entire series lasts until 2015-3-16. This 138 year long cycle of Uranus and Pluto is turning into one of the most formative influences on a global scale of modern times. It started with their conjunction back in 1965-6, a time of the Counterculture, antiwar resistance and an opening up of America to ideas and forces from beyond the 1950's mainstream. Now that we are reaching the first square of this cycle, this attitude of resistance and dissent is rampant on both the right and the left. The country is in a polarized state like we haven't seen in decades, with the extreme camps barely able to talk to each other anymore. Of course, there is plenty in this world worth putting in the effort to fix, but unless there's a common vision of the best way to proceed, it's going to degenerate into dueling factions instead. How curious that this aspect checks in during one of the most divisive election seasons we've seen in some time, fueled by unlimited special interest money. Recall that Uranus is revolutionary change, Pluto is evolutionary growth and squares are conflict and tension. This polarization is a first step in this process of change, but until these divisions are transcended, the full potential of this aspect won't be realized. It's going to be a long 3 years! I do find it intriguing that the loudest voices now are on the conservative-libertarian side, unlike the 60's. It's almost as if the pendulum has swung fully in the other direction, a kind of reaction against the perceived excesses of the left in past decades. Looking past the partisan divide, the country is going through a rebirth process on the time scale of a few decades, fueled by the upcoming Pluto return in the US chart in 2022. We need to cut through the "weeds" that are choking our ability to govern ourselves and rediscover the national spirit that we seem to have lost track of. The slogan may say "taking America back", but "returning" to a mythical and unreal past is not an option. We need to forge a new spirit and paradigm that we can agree upon, that will form a firm foundation for further growth into a more adult version of our national ideal. In the short term, this square will create much stress and antagonism, much to the detriment of our politics and governing bodies. Work for the best...
Jupiter is square Neptune on the 25th, a quick single pass aspect. This aspect is not quite as momentous as Uranus and Pluto, but it does bring several more outer planets into the larger picture. Jupiter and Neptune both have spiritual overtones, but they operate on very different levels. Jupiter is the more conventional of the two, an outlook on life that is widely shared by others. Neptune is more of the private mystic, the spiritual seeker that looks for his truths all on his own. In more psychological terms, Jupiter is the social mask we wear to engage with others, but Neptune is a doorway to the deep unconscious. These two perspectives are often at odds, but the chasm between them is sharper than usual these days. Fortunately, this is a short lived influence, not a major crisis. This is a good time to explore your inner world briefly and then get back to "normal"...
Saturn is standing still at his direct station of 22Li45 on the 25th. This ends a retrograde cycle that started back on Feb 7 with his retrograde station of 29Li30. This cycle has been entirely in the sign of Libra, suggesting that relationship issues and themes of justice and fairness need to be addressed. In fact, Saturn got all the way to the last degree of Libra before turning around last February, as if to say we were almost done with these issues, but not quite. Saturn never lets things go at "almost" -- he demands all karmic debts be paid in full. This is a time to get right with the people you interact with everyday, to make sure you're treating them fairly and with respect. As the direct station approaches, you'll know how well you did. Don't leave any "unbalanced accounts" with others that will hang over your head and get you later. It's best to have a clean slate and move on...
Venus goes direct at 7Gm30 on the 27th, ending a retrograde period that started on May 15 with her retrograde station at 23Gm59. Once you get past all the fancy, romantic symbolism of Venus, you get down to the level of the instinctive likes and dislikes that determine much of your behavior on a daily basis. During Venus retrograde periods, you (hopefully) get to see how "off" some of these choices can be. Like so many things in life, you learn these behaviors in childhood, only to discover that your instincts are ill-suited to adult life. These cycles are times to experience your questionable choices and ask yourself whether you really want to live like this. Often these experiences are small matters, such as a really cool object that you had to buy, but now it looks tacky to you -- I hope you saved your receipts. Other lessons can be more substantial, especially new relationships that don't seem desirable a few weeks later. Live and learn! As Venus goes direct again, this topsy-turvy world settles down -- you can start to trust your gut instincts once more. Hopefully your tastes have matured a little in recent weeks.
A taste of the disruptive energies in May can be summed up in the results of 3 elections overseas. In France, the conservative Sarkozy was beaten in a run-off election by the socialist Hollande on an economic platform of growth, not austerity. Oddly enough, on his first foreign trip, Hollande's plane was hit by lightning as he took off to visit Germany's Merkel, the prime architect of the austerity approach. The situation in Greece, with an economy in free fall, was even worse: the electoral results were so fractured, a new government couldn't even be formed. Again, the brutal economic conditions are front and center, with the Greek populace having no taste for further belt tightening. The results of the Egyptian presidential race are strange for a different reason. It looks like the run-off will likely be between a former member of the old Mubarak regime and a leader from the religiously conservative Muslim Brotherhood. The secular left parties, the ones that took to Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring to oust the old regime, are on the outside looking in, wondering what happened to their revolution. This kind of chaos could become common in coming months...