June 2018 Forecast: Transforming Water into Wine (and Vinegar)
Big Picture
Before we look at the big picture, a quick reminder about the REALLY BIG picture, namely our ride with Uranus in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn through 2025. On May 15th, Uranus entered the sign of Taurus. (Have you noticed a quickening, an awakening of possibilities or a disruptive wake up call in your life since then?) Think “fiery yet impersonal inspiration” (Uranus) transforms abundant, stable matter (Taurus). The word ‘matter’ derives from the Latin ‘mater’ for mother (earth as our creative mother), so we’re talking high voltage experiments in how we manifest and engage with possessions, money, agriculture, food, and other Taurean areas. With Pluto in Capricorn (along with Saturn through 2020), we are excavating and restructuring our institutions, purging what’s no longer vital, and re-imagining our approach to ‘security’ and social infrastructure.
So with that context, here’s the Big Picture this month: time for upping your manifestation skills and training your Mars. With five major planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto) in water or earth signs, June is a super-active petri dish in which to experiment with how our emotional states and beliefs influence, accelerate or block what we want to invite and co-create. And to make it more interesting, Mars is very active and potentially temperamental through the summer. If you’re tempted to rattle a saber this month (or run, hide, or freeze), that’s a clue to work on your Mars, your protector/defender who is seeking to perform with excellence in order to serve your ambition and your safety. Look for an area where you can up the ante and perform with more excellence (think dedicated warrior, not out of control thug), and see how the fear/frustration level drops away.
Which brings us to wine and vinegar, chemically related but profoundly different in their effects. Wine loosens the imagination and dissolves boundaries. Vinegar cleanses and adds depth to flavors. Neither works well in excess. As you play with creating your life this month, consider their differing functions and see how well you can balance them in your life.
. Take-aways for June
· First week (June 1-6): Good time either for emotional richness, spiritual expansion, or overdosing on your favorite ‘let’s just relax’ mode. The temptation is to go with the flow, but with Venus and the Moon making pit stops to Pluto, the wiser option is to also utilize conflictual moments to uncover what really matters to you now. It may be changing from when you last checked, since Uranus is out to disrupt and shake up our values.
· June 14-24 If what you value and what you are actively protecting are out of alignment, you’ll get that message loud and clear now. Think of this as a Chaos period of creativity, where we can constantly re-align and shift, but not control. Dance, don’t stride.
· June 26-31 Projects (especially those begun in mid-May) come up for reappraisal, refinement, and/or redirection as Mars moves through its retrograde period all summer. Clear out or reform whatever is no longer supporting a sense of vitality. These are not quick fixes but serious clearing the decks (or in my case, cleaning my desk!). The rebuilding period is late August through early October.
· “Don’t forget to look up!”, a reminder from astrologers Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock and Kelly Surtees that several planets (including Mars and Saturn will be visible towards the end of the month. Mars and Saturn are closer to the earth than usual and (sans heavy cloud cover) should be highly visible—say hello!
June Highlights
6.5-6.6 Great time for creative and spiritual work. With discipline you can use it well; otherwise, enjoy an artistic, meditative, or Dionysian adventure. But don’t necessarily believe everything you see or hear. [Sun conjunct Mercury in Gemini, squaring Neptune]
6.12 Mercury enters sign of Cancer, moving from ‘hey, let’s talk about this’ to ‘how I feel is strongly influencing what I think”. (Donald Trump has Mercury in Cancer in his natal chart.)
6.13 This super New Moon in Gemini is a great time to begin or make a shift in any creative project. Mercury was the god who could travel between realms, so cast your anchor and set sail under this inspired new moon. [A ‘dark’ New Moon in Gemini 22 °, trine Neptune, inconjunct Pluto; Venus enters sign of Leo]
6.14-6.15 Roadblocks can be useful, inviting you to take a larger view and also pay attention to the details. Don’t get frustrated, work on your Martial practice of excellence. [Venus square Uranus; Mercury opposes Saturn]
6.18 Neptune, 16° Pisces, begins retrograde period until November.
6.21-6.23 An intense summer solstice; go deep if you can’t go high but you might be able to do both. [Sun enters Cancer; Venus opposes Mars; Mercury opposes Pluto; Venus square Jupiter.]
6.26 Mars, 9 ° Aquarius, goes retrograde until August 26.
6.28 This Capricorn Full Moon joins Saturn, the ancient god of Saturnalia and agriculture and the ‘Lord of Time. So it’s either a full moon ripe for Saturnalia or a serious reckoning about the choices we made earlier this month. Excellent for working in the garden (physical or metaphysical) and tending to growth. Although the full moon occurs technically on the 28th, we’ll start feeling it on the 27th, because Saturn is so closely involved. [Sun at 6° Cancer opposition Moon/Saturn]