Year: 2017

“History says, don’t hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.

So hope for a great sea-change
On the far side of revenge.
Believe that a farther shore
Is reachable from here.
Believe in miracles
And cures and healing wells.” Seamus Heaney 

Jupiter and Neptune are forming a very close alignment now – a quincunx. This 150 degree aspect calls for the constant need for adjustment. This duo together can indicate a need to keep grounded and pragmatic about dreams, hopes and visionary endeavors. And as the gifted astrologer and writer Eric Francis has noted – clarity is key. This aspect will remain in influence throughout most of the summer. During this time-frame, clarity – and the process of working towards clarity – will remain very helpful navigational tools.

These two planets can be asscociated with  the tendency towards overly inflated dreams, projections (believing someone is who you want them to be rather than who they are) and pourous boundaries. Best not to go with assumptions about what something means or what something means to someone else in agreements. Make it very clear.

Jupiter and Neptune both are concerned also with religion, philosophy and spirituality. It is wise to observe a code of conduct.  Despite whatever swirls around us in this sometimes contentious and uncertain time, it bodes well to maintain a positive  or hopeful view or the planet’s future as well as the good will (within safe boundaries ) towards others that will eventually help to  create it.

The Dark Moon Lilith is prominent in the sky now as well at 12 degrees of Sagittarius.  We are living in a time of great change when -as with the 60s – the personal has become political once again and the possibility of conflict arising suddenly over differing or polarized views is on the table. Instances of this kind of thing have been widely reported in the press with close and long term friendships as well as marriages coming suddenly to an end over the inability to reconcile differences.

The Dark Moon Lillith can often stir up trouble or a crisis in order to create a void out of which something new may emerge.

One of the Sabian symbols for Dark Moon Lillith’s placement now is, “In the left section of an archaic temple, a lamp burns in a container shaped like a human body.’

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda Hill

“Let me
Resign my life for this life
My speech for that unspoken
The awakened, lips parted, the hope, the new ships.” TS Eliot

There is considerable planetary activity this week leading up to Friday’s Full Moon in Sagittarius. In mythology it was Mercury who – in the end- through donning various disguises and gaining entry to forbidden realms, was often able to nimbly forge agreements and resolve disputes by presenting a variety of options. Mercury is a quicksilver sign.

Mercury- the information gatherer and in ancient times, the stone statue at in the crossroads pointing the way, is now in one of his home signs, Gemini. This brings a much more fluid and open influence to the realm of thinking from the sometimes stubborn and insistent sign of Taurus. It is an excellent time (through 6/21) to be open to different options, perspectives and opportunities. View things as in flux rather than finalized and explore possibilities. Sparkling and glittering Mercury likes to be on a journey with open horizons and constantly shifting surroundings.

There is an opportunity to break through stuck patterns in your thinking now.

Venus is now in Taurus – one of the signs she rules and is comfortable in. Venus has been in Aries – the sign of the Warrior Goddess for awhile now stirring things up and wanting things her way. Taurus is a more laid back sign and bodes well for appreciating what you have in your life, for getting in touch with what you value and for appreciating the beauty around us. It is not as driven as Venus in Aries and is a good time to appreciate, for example, the sky at sunset or the way an infant smiles at you or the beauty of a meal is presented in an artful way. It is a good time for sensuality as long as it doesn’t wander into the realm of excess.

Both of these placements can help calm things down and give a respite from the whirlwind of contemporary times.

Mars is in the watery sign of Cancer now and this is an internal placement for externally oriented Mars – the war god  – who likes to be out battling dragons. It can bring tension into domestic affairs but Venus and Mercury’s influence can soften that a bit if you are willing to be open to entertaining a variety of possible perspectives as well as just plain appreciating and enjoying the life you have, rather than getting caught up in conflict.

We are heading into Friday’s Full Moon. In some spiritual systems there is a practice of preparation leading up to the Full Moon and for a few days after,  which focuses on bringing more Light to the planet and to the enlightened evolutionary process now underway in which a new world struggling to be born.  It’s not always easy now to see how one person can contribute to bettering things and to see how to side-step the hostility and polarization so present in society. This is one example of how that might be done.

One of the Sabian symbols for Mercury’s ingress into Gemini is, “A glass bottomed boat reveals undersea wonders.”

Sabian symbol for Lynda Hill