Amelia’s Blog

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Goethe

“Everything in moderation – including moderation.” Oscar Wilde

June’s New Moon is Tuesday 6/28 at 10:52 PM EDT at 7 degrees of Cancer.  The symbol of the sign Cancer is the crab  who carries her home upon her back and retreats, when necessary, inside. The sign of Cancer rules women, children, the home, family, ancestry and those things that provide comfort and a sense of rootedness in our lives.

The goddess of love and pleasure, Venus, is aligning with  Jupiter – opening up a cycle with  more fun, pleasure, openness and adventure. Mars and Jupiter are both in Aries now providing a good time to start new things, take action and be assertive.

Neptune, the god of dreams and illusions, stations on the day of the New Moon – ushering in  a cycle of increased creativity – a good time for dreams and visions of the future.  Neptune also rules illusion and in  combination with Jupiter and Venus, it is wise to keep moderation in mind. Jupiter governs the tendency towards excess and Neptune has a boundaryless quality.

One of the symbols for this time is,” A small girl bends over a sparkling pond trying to catch a fish.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“And as we walked
Through the streets of Arklow
Oh the color
Of the day wore on
And our heads
Were filled with poetry
And the mornin’
A-comin on to dawn.

And as we walked
Through the streets of Arklow
In gay profusion
In god’s green land
And the gypsies rode
With their hearts on fire
They say,”we love to wander
Lord, we love to roam.” Van Morrison

“If we surrendered
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.” Rilke

Mercury is now in the dualistic, mercurial sign of Gemini – a sign which rules travel, communication and information gathering. This sign is inquisitive and curious and able to take a many sided approach to issues and seek new and alternate solutions to problems.

In the beginning of the week Mercury will be sextiling Jupiter – the planet of expansion. This provides great timing for looking towards the future and  making plans . Jupiter’s influence also bodes well for good  communication, diplomacy and  a friendly atmosphere.

Tuesday the Sun enters the sign of Cancer marking the time of the Summer Solstice. Venus’s trine to Pluto is exact at this time. This alignment bodes well for personal and emotional transformation. It is a good time to be in touch with what you feel most passionate about or transforming and updating that area of your life. Venus/Pluto aspects also govern love in a deeper sense in terms of how we use and direct this force in our lives.  It provides a good time for the regeneration of joy, hope, creativity and imagination,

The sign of Cancer rules the home.  It’s a good time to be in touch with and appreciate how the Earth and nature provide for us . As Karen Speerstra has written,”It’s a very small planet, but so very beautiful .”

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”An arctic explorer leads a reindeer through ice canyons.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“The best reason to shed your old stories, like a snake sheds its skin, is because you cannot heal yourself within your old story.”Alberto Villoldo

“We need to hold a vision that the collective can move towards as the old is dismembered. Reflect on the vision you want to be projecting into the world right now. Project the best for all life.” Sandra Ingerman

Venus is making a challenging aspect to Saturn now. This influence is associated with feelings of scarcity. This can apply to issues of love – how we have or haven’t been loved or loving, as well as scarcity in the way we perceive of the amount of pleasure, security and abundance in our lives.

Venus is making a favorable alignment to Pluto at the same time though. This alignment is akin to the phoenix rising from the ashes – a signal of rebirth and transformation. It’s a good time to shed or transform old visions or beliefs that are no longer helpful or relevant.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A rabbit metamorphosed into a nature spirit.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“Life is the only way
to get covered in leaves,
catch your breath on sand,
rise on wings;

to tell pain
from everything it’s not;

to squeeze inside events,
dawdle in views,
to seek the least of all possible mistakes;

and to keep on not knowing
something important.” Wislawa Szymborska

June’s Full Moon is on the 14th at 7:52 AM EDT at  23 degrees of Sagittarius.

When I was  first studying astrology I had a teacher who would stress the complimentary nature of polarities. This month, with the Full Moon in Sagittarius opposing the Sun in Gemini, this theme of reconciling opposites is very much on the table.

The sign of Gemini governs the process of gathering information and of thinking about it from the viewpoint of many differing perspectives. The sign of Gemini is ruled by Mercury. The substance Mercury, when  dropped on a surface scatters into a lot of tiny, shining, silver balls. The sign of Gemini which has its own brilliance too, can become scattered from too busy a mind and too many unrelated  ideas.

This is where the opposite sign  – Sagittarius -comes in. Sagittarius is the sign which governs religion, philosophy, higher education and travel – both in the outer world and inner journeys as well.  Sagittarius represents the overriding belief system, philosophy or higher knowledge which unites the seemingly unrelated  information of the sign of Gemini.

We live in times of a lot of fragmentation and polarization of views and attitudes. This Full Moon is a good time to look at that aspect of life from the vantage point of a higher perspective.

The  Full Moon is square Neptune in Pisces indicating a  dreamy time when disillusionment or confusion may be present. The Moon is also aligning with Saturn in a favorable aspect indicating it bodes well to take things slowly and incrementally in terms of your aspirations.

Things are likely to lighten up later this week as Mercury will leave  the sign of Taurus – moving away from Saturn – and enter the sign of Gemini. This mercurial sign loves levity, fun and socializing.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A bluebird, a sign of good luck and happiness, is standing at the door of the house.”

 

“Sometimes life is so surprising there’s nothing to do but live.” Emily Dickinson

“Though the spring is late and cold,
Though the uproar of  greed
And malice shudder in the sky,
Pond, stream and hilltop raise
Their ancient songs.

The robin molds her mud nest
with her breast; the air
is bright with breath
of bloom, wise loveliness that asks
nothing of the season but to be.” Wendell Berry

Astrologers say when Uranus is strong in the sky by transit, as it is now, to “expect the unexpected.”

Pallas Athene is now conjunct Uranus, the planet of surprise . Pallas is the goddess who was often depicted with an owl on her shoulder as a reminder of what she could not see. She brought the knowledge of diplomacy and mediation to the gods and goddesses. She was known for her strategic  skills. When she had exhausted all the means to create a just peace  though, she was invincible in battle.

Pallas Athene is now conjunct Uranus and they are both moving up to a conjunction with the North Node of destiny and fate. This configuration brings up the question of how you are moving forward with your aspirations for your life. Are you being strategic enough? Are you being assertive enough?

There’s plenty of fiery energy with Mars and Jupiter in Aries which is where the strategic approach comes in. Mars and Jupiter have a tendency to “overshoot the mark” in terms of action.

Uranus can bring new and innovative approaches to the table so it’s wise now to heed your intuition and make appropriate down time so that information can surface.

Venus, the goddess of love and beauty is moving up to conjunct Uranus at 16 degrees of Taurus. Uranus and Venus together, by transit or in a natal chart,speak of love-at-first-sight occurrences as well as innovative or unconventional approaches to love and love affairs. Uranus governs lightning and electricity so there often is an electric connection between people with this connection. Like lightning, it can be unexpected and exciting.

Venus also governs finances – making this a good time for considering innovative approaches to managing resources.

It bodes well for the next couple of weeks to provide extra downtime -off the devices – for rest and rejuvenation as nerves can be frayed under these kind of influences and it’s wise to slow down and stay grounded.

Eric Francis, the  astrologer and investigative journalist, has written extensively about the “disembodied”nature of our times- with people focused on their devices, as opposed to being present in the moment in their surroundings. Several planets in Taurus provide a good time to be in touch with the beauty and grounding the natural world provides for us.

When I lived on a working farm, we would  often have dinner together at the end of the day, and a couple there would say a grace before meals, “Let us  think to the origin of our food.”

It’s an important time to stay connected to the earth.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A symbolic battle between ‘swords’, the  disciples of might and ‘torches’, the disciples of enlightenment.

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“When I create from the heart, nearly everything works;  if from the head, almost nothing.” Marc Chagall

“Only through the bringing together of head and heart-intelligence and goodness, shall humanity rise to fulfillment of its true nature.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

There’s an expression in astrology that when Saturn and Mars are aligned, that it can feel like driving with the brakes on.  This is because Mars is the god of action and desire and Saturn is the lord of restriction and limitation.

This week is likely to  have that kind of feeling as Mercury – which governs travel and communication, slows down to station direct on Friday May 3  EDT and Saturn stations retrograde on Saturday.

Mercury started his retrograde journey this time in Gemini and ends it in the sign of Taurus. This indicates that it bodes well to take  into consideration the balance of head and heart to see if a better balance can be struck.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time,”An ancient pottery bowl filled with fresh violets.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“Someone’s knocking at the door,
Somebody’s ringing the bell,
Someone’s knocking at the door,
Somebody’s ringing the bell.

Do me a favor, open the door,
And let ’em in.” Paul McCartney ( a Gemini born 6/18/1942)

“Mercury is the god of mind, intellect, thought, voice and language. Mercury has many aliases, one of which is Hermes, the Magician. Hermes presides over magic, education, culture and the connective language of correspondences in which the world is written,’As above so below.’ Caroline W. Casey

The Moon waxes new on  Monday May 30 at 7:30 AM EDT at 9 degrees of the Mercury ruled, dualistic sign of Gemini. Mercury was known as the god of the crossroads in ancient Greece and there were statues of Mercury pointing the way at intersections.

Mercury also rules times of transition including dawn and dusk.

This New Moon ushers in a more sociable time – a good time for communication and for gathering together with friends. It’s a good time to hit the refresh button on thoughts and ideas and make way for new thinking and for bringing new people into your life.

New Moons always bode well for setting or reaffirming intentions. At this time, retrograde (but soon to station direct Mercury) will be making a challenging alignment to Saturn – indicating the necessity to take concrete steps – however small- related to manifesting your vision.

Mercury will station direct at 4 AM EDT at 26 degrees of Taurus on June 3. It’s wise to be aware of information that surfaces for a few days before the station and a few days after as  planetary stations can represent a culmination of information.

One of the Sabian symbols for this times,”An old fashioned well with the purest and coldest of waters.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“When wolves perceive pleasure or danger,  they first become utterly still…statues, utterly focused so they can hear, so they can sense what is there in its most elemental form.” Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

“All summations have a beginning, all effect has a story, all kindness begins with the sown seed. Thought buds towards radiance.” Mary Oliver

There’s considerable planetary activity coming up. The Sun is now in  Mercury’s sign of Gemini and retrograde Mercury is preparing to leave the sign of Gemini and enter the late degrees of Taurus on Monday 5/23. With the Sun in Gemini, it’s wise to remain open to new ideas and to be willing to be adaptable.

Under the influence of Mercury retrograde, it bodes well to make an effort to communicate clearly as there can often be scrambled signals and mixed messages which can leave confusion or sometimes, misunderstanding in their wake.

Mercury is forming a favorable alignment with Pluto now   – indicating a time of heightened intuition and nonverbal communication.

Mars will move into the fiery sign of Aries this week and conjunct Jupiter indicating a time of increased self confidence, courage  and optimism. Venus will also move into her ruling sign of Taurus making this a more harmonious time.

The New Moon is May 29/30 conjunct Jupiter. This can bring a sense of renewal, expansion, pleasure and optimism.

One of the Sabian Symbols for this time is,” A glass bottomed boat reveals undersea wonders.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
To make me less afraid,
More accessible,
To loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance ;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom
goes on as fruit.”  Dawna Markova

Venus is in Aries now conjunct the asteroid of the Wounded Healer, Chiron. This combination encourages self empowerment and advocacy. It’s about processing experience in order to live  more fully in the present and take appropriate action.

In part, this aspect is about the wounding of the Feminine. Whether at home or abroad we do not need to look very far  to see this assault on the Feminine.  This is amplified in the upcoming eclipse by Saturn squaring the Moon.

In mythology Chiron was known as the Wounded Healer and among other things, brought the knowledge of homeopathic medicine and conflict resolution to the gods and goddesses. He was renowned for his healing abilities.

In astrology Chiron represents the wounding and healing process that goes on throughout our lives. This asteroid is often prominent in the chart of holistic healers who specialize in restoring wholeness – of body, mind and spirit.

Venus in Aries is the sign of the Warrior Woman.

Pluto is in a harmonious aspect to the Sun and Moon at the time of tomorrow’s Lunar Eclipse supporting transformation and personal evolution in a more empowered direction.

On of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A  Native American woman weaving a blanket in the light of the setting sun. ”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“And the  caravan is on its way,
I can hear the merry gypsies play…
Gypsy Robin, sweet Emma Rose
Tell me everything I need to know.” Van Morrison

“We think we tell stories but stories often tell us; tell us to love or to hate to see or be blind. Often too, stories ride us, whip us onward, tell us what to do and we do it without questioning. The task of learning to be free requires learning to hear them, to question them, to pause and hear the silence, to name them and then become the storyteller.” Rebecca Solnit

A client called me this week and asked me to look at her astrology chart and do a reading about the Lunar Nodes. She said,”I feel there are some things I need to clean up.”

This is very much the theme of Monday’s Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio.  The Eclipse is in the wee hours – at 12:14 AM at 25 degrees of Scorpio. The Scorpio/Taurus axis is about holding on and letting go. Scorpio is the sign of the ongoing natural cycles of life, death and rebirth. It is the sign of powerful transformation which  requires letting go or shedding  an old way of being. The shamans call it “shedding the old skin”-  like a snake.

This eclipse cycle which started with the New Moon in Taurus conjunct Uranus has ushered in a time of change for many people – signalling a time of beginnings and endings.

It’s wise under the influence to contemplate what needs to be shed or let go of  in order to move forward in a more unfettered way.

The Lunar Eclipse makes a favorable aspect to both Mars and Neptune. The trine to Mars indicates a time of increased courage, energy, enthusiasm and assertiveness. The eclipse trine Neptune indicates a time of when psychic  powers and the powers of intuition are strong. It is a good time for romance. Artistic and spiritual work can flourish under this influence.

Saturn will be squaring the Eclipse which can keep the Mars and Neptune influences in line. Saturn has been squaring the Lunar Nodes for the past several weeks and this influence will continue through much of June.  As Caroline Casey writes ,”Saturn lays the tracks for the reality train to follow.”  It is good for building solid underpinnings to new endeavors.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”King of the fairies approaching his domain.”

Sabian symbol for Lynda Hill