Thursday morning at 11:39 a.m. Pacific time the Moon at 3 degrees of Capricorn opposes the Sun in Cancer which in the USA chart is conjunct both natal planets Venus and Jupiter. We, as a nation, need to remember this remarkable conjunction between Venus, the planet of love and divine inspiration, and Jupiter, the symbol of abundance, faith and optimism. In the 7th house, it reveals a theme of our collective spiritual path which is evolving into a belief system based on harmony with nature and good will toward one another. Ultimately we’re here to learn to love one another – the message of Jesus and proclaimed doctrine of Christian theology, as well as the directive of the Aquarian Age for the next 2500 years.
Venus, Jupiter and the Summer Solstice
June has been a busy month in the heavens. Since the Solar Eclipse on the 10th we’ve had the Summer Solstice, the ingress of the Sun into the cardinal sign of Cancer – the home of our collective Sun. For the following month we can reflect on our national identity and our relationships with friends, partners, lovers, communities and countrymen/women. And we can take a look at our shadow side – our fearfulness, our intense need for security, our resultant defensiveness and aggression. With the Sun so close to natal Jupiter and Venus, we have an innate love for humanity. Perhaps we can tap into that, if only in meditation, but 4th of July brings collective celebration, when the Sun returns to its birth place. As we picnic and party, we can commemorate shared values – our love for the beauty and diversity of this amazing experiment called the United States.
Twelve hours before the Sun entered Cancer, Jupiter turned retrograde. Let’s take a brief look at the symbolism of retrogradation. Perhaps this is an oversimplification, but easily remembered. When a planet is direct, our focus is outward on the physical world. When it turns retrograde, it is time to integrate what we have learned from what we have seen. It’s like watching a movie and going home to write a review. The question we ask of a direct planet is “What are the consequences of my thinking, my beliefs, my emotions and attitudes and the choices and decisions I made during this cycle?” Because the world outside of us is the byproduct of our consciousness.
When a planet turns retrograde, it’s time to turn the search inward. Now we ask, “What lies inside of me that is creating the reality without?” Retrogrades of outer planets can take half the year. In the case of Jupiter, it will be the next four months, bringing us to October when it turns direct along with Pluto and Saturn. At that point we can take a look at the products of our new consciousness – the tweaks we made during the retrograde period, the insights we gained into any dysfunctions, the progress we made with faith and hope and a sound vision of a better future.
Remember the main theme for the year. Saturn retrograde made its second square to Uranus on June 14th – Flag Day – symbolizing the struggle between old value systems, authorities and institutions that constitute our past social structures and the visionary hopes and dreams of a brighter life, a kinder world in which we live together in peace and the recognition of our rootedness in one Source. Uranus has awakened our need to go beyond the known, to cross new frontiers, to free ourselves from whatever drags us down or ties us to an unwanted past.
Full Moon June 24th
A Full Moon is always the climax of a cycle. Much like the rhythm of direct and retrograde, the cycle of the Moon has an ebb and flow of consciousness from inner to outer. The Full Moon is the brightest reflection, in the outer world, of our inner state. It’s time to bathe in its fullness and enjoy the fruits of our labors. What themes have come to fruition? It’s a point of greatest receptivity, when we can look at the blessed light of the Sun without damaging our eyes.
Capricorn is about mastering our talents, taking responsibility for our ego projections and defenses, and developing integrity, that is building an inner consistency between our values and our behavior, our words and our actions. It’s about walking our talk. It’s about authenticity, the source of our inner authority. As we live what we believe in, our inner consistency is mirrored by the increased integrity we encounter in the world around us.
At the moment of New Moon, the Sun is trine retrograde Jupiter, while the Moon is sextile. The key word is Faith. Ride a moonbeam into the center of your heart where faith lies. And while you’re there look for your inner authority. Venus is opposite Pluto. Remember that Pluto is within a degree of its birth place and will make its return next February. What happens to our nation next year depends on how Saturn and Uranus work out their differences. Since they both rule Aquarius, we know they can work together.
Pluto is about transformation, about our personal and collective underworld – everything that lies in the darkness beneath everyday awareness. In Capricorn Pluto is tilling the soil of our institutions and the collective authority to which we have surrendered. As he digs, more and more secrets will be revealed to help us open our eyes to the reality of now. We cannot create something better until we acknowledge the reality we have created so far. Much of it is beautiful, to be cherished and preserved – like the belief that all are created equal, that we have a right to pursue liberty and justice and happiness. That we have the freedom to create our own lives. But much is diseased and needs healing – like repressed racism, like fearful emotions which make us so defensive, like the belief in our separateness, and the vast gap between haves and have nots, or that we are sitting on the throne of some kingdom with Earth’s riches at our disposal.
All along Pluto has been asking us to tap into the evolutionary spirit that inspired our forefathers – the dream of freedom. All we need to add to that formula is compassion for one another and faith that there is a much bigger dream in the Mind of the Divine that envisions a future beyond what we can comprehend. And that brings us back to beautiful Venus who relays these messages to our hearts.
Juno
In Greek Mythology, Juno was the consort of Jupiter. Queen of the Heavens, she took her commitment seriously and suffered the endless disloyalties of her husband. Thus Juno has come to represent marriage and our commitment to union. As a nation we have forgotten the prime directive set forth in the Preamble to our Constitution:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
I needn’t repeat that our Democracy is undergoing its greatest test, but we would do well to think about the commitment we made to one another, the oath that every official takes upon election to office, and the values of our founding fathers which every immigrant seeking citizenship embraces.
So why do I speak of Juno? Because she is transiting retrograde over our collective Ascendant in Sagittarius and is conjunct our South Node, asking us to reconsider outworn commitments and renew our vows to our highest ideals. Opposite Juno and the South Node are Black Moon Lilith conjunct the North Node in Gemini in the 6th House. We have to take a stand for our freedom and self-governance if we want to see the world of our dreams come true.
Mercury Stations Direct, Neptune turns Retrograde
Mercury turns direct on June 22, as I write this message. If you recall, it turned retrograde at the end of May and retraced its steps from 24 Gemini to 16 degrees. As Mercury transits back to its retrograde station degree, watch for the shifts in your thinking. He will have gone over this section of Gemini three times allowing us to take second and third looks at our version of reality and open our minds to new insight. By the 7th of July he will be out of his retrograde shadow and moving into new territory.
Neptune turns retrograde on June 25th. Neptune is in its home sign working silently, yet relentlessly behind the scenes, washing away the traces of the past, blurring the edges of our sharp or rigid boundaries, inviting us to let go and trust the journey. This retrograde will last until December 2nd. Neptune will move from 23 degrees of Pisces back to 20 degrees. Let Neptune wash away what clouds your vision or blocks your progress. It’s time to stop struggling. Release the tension. If possible, spend time in water. Immerse yourself, play in it, rest on its buoyancy, float. Practice letting go.
I know this is a lot of information, but this Full Moon has the potential to bring a lot of themes or issues to fruition and release us into new territory. My next post will be about the New Moon in Cancer on July 9th. Expect it early because my daughter and grandson are coming to visit right after the 4th. I plan to take that week off to enjoy them.
Happy Summer to one and all.
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