Author: Amelia Shea

“Owing to its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is visible to us only thirty-two to forty- four days during its eight-eight day orbital cycle. It can only be seen, close to the Sun. before dawn or dusk. Dawn and dusk are transitional times; hence the mysterious and elusive god Mercury  presides over all times and places of transition, all crossroads.” Caroline W. Casey

Mercury, the trickster god, is slowing down now  to station direct on Thursday July 23.  Mercury has been retrograde since June 29 and will station direct at 16 degrees of Cancer. Over the next few weeks, problems we encountered during the retrograde period should  start to improve. Situations that have been stalled should start to move forward.

Mercury stations can also represent a culmination of information. It’s wise around this time to raise awareness for any information/intuitions that surface that have this quality.

The Sun is in Leo now which can increase self confidence and  the desire for personal expression. In the Tarot deck Leo is correlated to the card of the Sun- a card of happiness, clarity and freedom from forces that have felt constricting.

Thursday’s alignment of the Sun square Chiron may dim Leo’s bright lights, momentarily. Square aspects indicate a certain tension and also the need to overcome something. Chiron square the Sun can put us more in touch with our vulnerabilites. This is a short lived aspect and things should improve as the day goes on.

On Sunday the 26th the Lunar Nodes enter Aquarius and Leo. This is a two year transit with the North Node in Aquarius and the South Node in Leo. The Nodes govern destiny and life path. This transit indicates the collective move towards cooperation and collaboration  and away from systems that keep us isolated from one another. Wherever the North Node is transiting in your chart with bring growth and evolution.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A hen is scratching for her chicks.”

Sabian symbol from Linda Hill

 

 

“We do not live in a predetermined, clockwork, mechanistic universe. The door is always open for revelation, emergence, newness and  transformation.”David Spangler

You may have heard recently about the work of Andre Barbault and his  planetary predication called  “Barbault’s Basket.” This is in effect now  as Pluto, Uranus, Neptune and Jupiter align harmoniously.

Barbault was born in France  in 1921 . He was well known for his work on mundane astrology – the  study of how long term planetary cycles are correlated to historical events.

Barbault was also known for making accurate predictions based on his historical studies and his work on astrological cycles. One of the predictions he was best know for was the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

Barbault wrote about this special alignment taking place in July 2026 (now named after him) and described it as associated with a time period  (2025 – 2030) as a time of a “breathtaking leap in human progress,” a time of “technological magic” and scientific revolution. He also described it as a time when  “creative genius would prevail.” He indicated a shift in consciousness as a result.

The outer planets – Uranus, Pluto and Neptune are associated with cultural shifts and define generations. They move slowly and have long term effects. This alignment does not necessarily indicate a sudden event but a gradual shift in consciousness over time..

Some astrologers believe it indicates a significant evolution in the way we see life on the planet – such as the shift from Darwinism to Quantum physics – which posits that everything is interrelated.

This alignment  offers good timing for imagining or reimagining new possibilities- not only for our personal lives but also for the life of the world. There can be personal breakthroughs and revelations that come through now.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “A Hindu healer glows with a mystic healing power.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

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“If we can be courageous rather than fearful, trusting more than we are anxious, cooperative more than we are competitive, forgiving more than we are vindictive, loving more than we are hateful, we will have moved closer to our next breakthrough in our evolution.”Arianna Stassinopoullos.

“The universe is evolving towards an even greater destiny  and we are the means of this global transformation.” Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan

I was down at the library last week to prini a couple of charts .(I still prefer to work in hard copy these days,) When I went to check out my books and pay for the charts.  the woman behind the desk became very enthusiastic and said,” You study the stars too?”she asked.

She explained that she had been studying astrology in a serious way. And how surprising and inspiring the journey continues to be to her.

One of she things she loved about her new field of study, she said,  was how it spoke so strongly of the interconnectness of the stars with our life here on earth.  She compared to it the discovery of high powered telescopes that enabled us to see far into space – which has also expanded our understanding of our connection to the universe or to the stars, as she said.

She was studying her own chart and asked me some questions about it. One of the very notable things about it was the  conjunction of Uranus and Neptune in her twelfth house. This is a very visionary combination and associated with imagination and expansive, innovative vision.

These two  planets are now in a sextile (positive)  alignment.) They are part of the basket or cradle aspect which is in  exact effect this week but will have long terms ramifications.

The other two planets involved in the basket are Pluto and Jupiter. This alignment heralds  a time of singificant evolution on the Earth. It signals an awakening on the part of the collective.

The evolution it is hearalding will take time to roll out in full. Some astrologers have compared it to the growth of the worldview of physics evolving from Darwinism to Quantum physics (leading to a widespread understanding of the interconnectness of all life.)

These are slow moving planets and although in exact alignment this week, their influence can been felt already in certain circles or areas of life on the planet. It’s about seeing the future in a new and expansive way rather  than a more limited paradigm.

With Tuesday’s  New Moon in Cancer widely involved, tying your intentions to something larger and more expansive would bode well – such as a wish for your intention to strengthen the positive evolution of the planet at this time.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, ” A young woman awaitung a sailboat.”

Sabina symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“Authority contains the word author. To accept the responsibility of being the author of our own lives, we must reclaim our authority. Saturn often gets a bad rap from people who associate this god with hardship, fear and loneliness. But these negative associations are symptoms of fending off rather than embracing the Saturn parts of ourselves.”

The week started off with Saturn squaring the Sun and the last quarter Moon on Tuesday was conjunct Saturn in Aries. These alignments can slow things down and create a certain kind of tension, heaviness or frustration. Saturn rules the authority in our lives and where it comes from. Where you give your power away may be more visible now. It’s a good time- if need be- to reclaim your personal  authority.

Venus enters Virgo on Thursday ushering in a good time to catch up on paperwork, organize your living space and office. Attend to the details of what needs to be done and pace yourself. This transit will last through August 6.

On July 12 Mercury will conjunct the Sun on his retrograde journey. This is the midpoint of the retrograde cycle which will end on July 23.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”The seed grows into knowledge and life.”

Sabina symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“We look to the universe, to the world around us, to each other and, if we are believers, to the invisible world of the sacred, and we have one basic desire -voiced or not, recognized or not- it is that all these things be on our side. We want life to be our ally, helping us, empowering us, enabling us to be safe and happy. We want good things to come our way, our wounds healed, our loneliness banished, our power restored, our fears allayed. We want alienation to be relaxed with belonging, impoverishment with abundance, bondage with liberation and darkness with light.” David Spangler

I was reading this excerpt from David Spangler’s book, Blessing and it, in some ways spoke very much of Jupiter’s recent entrance into Leo for a year’s stay.

Jupiter is Leo brings the opportunity for expansion, opportunities and interesting develpments in the house of your chart where it is transiting.
It can bring the desire for more fun, more recognition and more creativity, There often can be rewards for work done under this influence.

The Tarot Card associated with the sign of Leo is The Sun. in Waite’s deck this card portrays a sense of joy and freedom. A young child rides happily on the back of a white horse – bareback. The child is riding away from a tall wall behind her. The wall symbolized things that were holding her back. Sunflowers tower over the wall – symbolizing  clarity and happiness.

With Jupiter now in Leo, this is a good time to see where your life could benefit from some kind of expansion that would bring more joy, creativity and freedom from burdens of the past.

As Jupiter enters the early degrees of Leo it forms a challenging alignment to Chiron and the South Node  in Taurus. The South Node represents what holds us back in our lives. Conjunct Chiron can mean that old wounds can be triggered calling for a new level of understanding and release.

Jupiter will start to move away from this conjunction on July 7th as he moves up to an opposition to Pluto in Aquarius. This provides a good time for deepening spiritual connections or strengthening belief systems that bring more of a sense of hope or inspiration.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “A Hindu healer glows with a mystic healing power.”

“There is a great deal of unmapped country within us which would have to be taken into account in an explanation of our gusts and storms.” George Eliot

Mars in late Taurus will soon move into Gemini and join Uranus.  Gemini is a versatile sign and people with this air sign prominently placed in their natal charts often can do many things well. There is, with the busy sign, the tendency to become scattered though and not  direct energy well.

Uranus speeds up the energy of Mars and when hen Mars meets Uranus there  is the tendency to act impulsively and sometimes angrily given Mars is also the god of aggression .

This alignment will be in effect widely through July 9. It’s wise to take extra care when moving around or driving and be on the lookout for impulsiveness on the part of others.

Mercury is slowing down to station retrograde on the day of the Full Moon, June 29. Mercury will staion at 26 Cancer and remain retrograde through July 23 when he will station at 16 Cancer.

The Moon will be Full at 8 degrees of Capricorn opposing the Sun at 8 degrees of Cancer. This Full Moon and Mercury retrograde can illuminate family issues that may not have been visible before.

It’s also wise to remember that Chiron is now in Taurus and events may occur which may call for a revisioning  of issues dealing with scarcity in the emotional, material and spiritual realms.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”An angel comes carrying a harp.”

 

 

“Home sings me of sweet things
My life there has its own wings
To fly over the mountains
Though I’m standing still.” Bonnie Raitt

“Healing is a journey deep within oneself- a search for soul, the essence of the self. It seeks to balance the inner and outer worlds, to connect and to integrate. Healing is the reuniting of the body, mind and spirit.” Diane Mariechild

The Sun entered the sign of Cancer on Sunday at the time of the Summer Solstice. Cancer’s symbol is the crab who carries her home on her back and retreats into it when necessary. It is the sign of home, of  nurturing and mothering. The Sun will transit this sign through the 22nd of July.

Chiron, the asteroid of the Wounded Healer departed the sign of Aries last week and entered the sign of Taurus for a brief stint through September when it will retrograde back into Aries until the Spring.

Chiron governs the evolutionary journey towards wholeness of body, mind and spirit. The process involves healing and growing from old wounds in a way that creates increased inner harmony and peace.

The sign of Taurus governs our values and what we value. It governs the material side of life, the body , the senses and the things that bring us  pleasure and a sense of security.  It governs self esteem and the things we own. Chiron in Taurus brings an opportunity to attend to and  grow in a direction of increased wholeness in these realms of life.

The Three of Pentacles is a card in the Tarot deck that I think is a good symbol for the kind of wholeness created through the Chironic journey.
Waite’s deck portrays a painting of three men inside a cathedral. One is the carpenter, one the architect and one the priest working to build the cathedral. They represent the body, the mind and the spirit working together in harmony.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “A clear mountain stream flows steadily downstream.”

 

 

“New ways of thinking about familiar things can release new energies  and make all manner of things possible.” Charles Handy

Sunday’s New Moon in Gemini heralded the start of a new cycle as Mercury in Gemini – like Mercury in mythology-  likes learning, considering new ideas and new means of communication.

In general this is a good time for fresh thinking and thinking about improving communication and writing skills.

The Gemini influence provides good timing for meeting new people, socializing and being open to considering the views of other people.

This is a good time to organize paperwork, make needed repairs – particularly with the car, make sure important information is backed up  and take care of details in advance of the retrograde cycle which starts on the 29th.

Mercury was still widely squaring Saturn at the New Moon – indicating  that there can be delays. Patience will bode well throughout the month.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Three fledglings in a nest, high up in a tree.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

“Life is simple and gay
The bright sun rings with a quiet sound
The sound of the bells has quieted down
This morning the light hits it all
The footlights of my head are lit again
And the room I live in is finally bright.”  Pierre Reverdy

This week on Wednesday Venus, the planet of love  will move up to a conjunction with Jupiter, the planet of optimism, hope and increase. The conjunction occurs a 25 degrees of Cancer.

In the old texts they described this conjunction as a time of of increased luck and blessings. Isabelle Hickey calls the conjunction with Venus as “one of the most fortunate aspects of them all.”

It provides a good time to appreciate the beautiful things in life – a visit to an art gallery, a beautiful place in nature, listening to a favorite piece of music or  enjoying a favorite meal.

Mercury the Messenger God is squaring Saturn now. This is a reminder to watch for Jupiter’s tendency to excess and overindulgence.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”An empty hammock hangs between two lovely trees.”

 

 

“One must choose in all things a mean,  just and good.  Error and confusion lie in the extremes.” Pythagoras

The Sun is in the busy, curious, sociable sign of Gemini now and we are just past the Sun opposing the Full Moon in Sagittarius on Sunday.

Mercury entered the domestic sign of Cancer on June 1st and will leave the sign on August 9.

Mercury will be in Cancer for a longer period  this summer due to the Mercury retrograde period which extends from June 29 through July 23. The retrograde will  occur entirely in the sign of Cancer.

Mercury can be more sensitive and psychic in this sign – more sensitive to the moods and feelings of other people. In the old texts they referred to psychic people as ‘sensitives” because they can have porous energy fields and feelings  of others are often picked up on.

Mercury will be forming a challenging alignment with Neptune early  this week. It’s best to be extra clear in communications. If there’s any question about texts or emails etc, double  check them to make sure there hasn’t been some confusion. In general it can be a fuzzier time  for thinking – best to avoid impulsiveness.

Mars is moving away from his volatile and explosive square with Pluto this week. Midweek he will square Juno, the asteroid of commitment as Mercury squares Neptune. Under this influence there can be a tendency to be stubborn and argue Best, though  to refrain due to the potential for inaccuracy or confusion.

Thursday provides a welcome change to the end of the week as the Moon enters Aquarius and make a trine to innovative Uranus. This can break the spell of Neptune and lead us in a better direction – with fun and collaboration as Venus moves up to pleasure loving Jupiter.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Two guardian angels bringing protection.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill