Looking For Trouble? No Need - This Full Moon Will Bring It.

This Full Moon falls across the Cancer/Capricorn axis.  Saturn in Capricorn sits on the Moon and opposes the Sun.  The Moon/Saturn combination is involved in a configuration with Uranus in Taurus and Ceres in the last degrees of Leo. This configuration is called a Grand Trine.  A Grand Trine is considered an aspect of ease and as such it makes it easy for the various energies to blend and does not hinder the action. 

While Jupiter may rule the law, courts and the judiciary Saturn rules the obeying of that law.  If you cross that line, Saturn is there to step right on your toes.  Saturn supports the traditions and structure of society. Uranus on the other hand flouts tradition and looks for the novel and the new.  When traditions and structure become rigid ruts that is when Uranus steps in to shake things up. Ceres rules agriculture, motherhood and sacred law.  These three are in compatible aspect which infers that the energies they represent will be able to work together. 

The chart of the Full Moon set for Washington, DC has Aries on the ascendant with Chiron close by.  Chiron is a weird little dude called a minor planet, an asteroid or comet, folks just can’t seem to make up their minds about him.  Chiron was considered the wisest of the Centaurs.  Called the wounded healer, it was Chiron who trained the heroes of Greek Mythology.  Here he forms a dynamic aspect between the Sun/Moon/Saturn opposition.  This is called a T-square and is an aspect that creates a lot of action and movement.  This aspect does not make things easy.

The ruler of the Aries ascendant is Mars.  Mars has just turned retrograde.  In Aquarius it is situated in the 11^th house and straddles the Nodal axis.  The nodes of the Moon are the points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic. When a New Moon or Full Moon falls near these points we have an eclipse.  Where it hits the ecliptic going north is the North node and directly opposite that is the South Node.  Nodes are important in relationships. This is Nodes in a nutshell, volumes can and have been written about them. To keep it simple, Mars likes to fight.  Retrograde he’s apt to lose. 

Jupiter in Scorpio makes an easy connection to Neptune in Pisces.  On the high road this aspect can open you to the higher realms.  Spirituality, Zen, the Buddha and the road to Nirvana can be found under this aspect.  Taking the low road, Jupiter can bring excess, exaggeration, and too much of a good thing.  Neptune in Pisces can be quite beautiful but also lead one down the primrose path.  Booze, drugs and any way to escape reality fall under Neptune’s purview.  Hope for the best, but expect the worst. This aspect makes the “big lie” easy.

In Mundane astrology, the astrology of world events, the 10^th house rules the head of state. The Sun, which also refers to the head of state is in Cancer in the 4^th house.  The Moon and Saturn oppose it from the 10^th.  An opposition, is just that, the people (Moon) and tradition (Saturn) oppose authority (Sun).  Uranus, the game changer and Ceres, agriculture, women and law are pulled into this mix via their connection to the Sun/Moon. When Saturn opposes you, glib phrases won’t work.  Saturn prefers due diligence and will call you out if you don’t do your homework. The Moon signifies the public.  In Capricorn with Saturn nearby indicates worry, fear and general unhappiness.  With Saturn there, they will do their homework.  Ceres says that women will be active. Uranus brings the revolution. You see this in Egypt where women are finally being allowed to drive and in Iran where women are removing the hijab and waving white scarves in protest. 

This Full Moon has a lot of divergent energy coming together, some of it will clash, and some of it will blend.  The week may seem calm at the beginning but Mars goes retrograde on Tuesday the 26^th.  Mars sits still and the Martian energy concentrates.  People take action under this energy for good or ill.  This will be a week where the news cycle keeps you dizzy and unable to find your footing.  A good antidote is to get outside, preferably in the countryside or at the shore, and plant your feet on the ground.  Ground and center yourself wherever you are.  You need to be grounded in order to withstand the turbulence around you. 

Some of this stressful energy may dissipate by the next New Moon on July 12, 2018.  This is an all-important New Moon as it is a Solar Eclipse as well. Stay tuned.

Happy Summer Solstice or Not?

Maybe not so happy. The Summer Solstice chart for 2018 set for Washington, DC has Neptune in Pisces prominent conjunct the MC, the highest point in the chart.  It is in a Grand Trine configuration with Mercury in Cancer and Jupiter in Scorpio.  Neptune at the highest level is about spirituality and being one with God.  We can only hope.  Most often Neptune is involved with illusion and delusion.  It can indicate the fraudulent and misleading.  Mercury is all about communication and transportation.  Mercury is the news media.  Jupiter brings growth and expansion ruling higher education, the law, religion and philosophy.  It can bring overconfidence, exaggeration and promising more than can be delivered.  With this configuration imprinting our summer days it would be wise to stick to that old adage, “don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.”  Be ready for smoke and mirrors and now you see it, now you don’t.

Venus and Mars oppose one another across the 2^nd/8^th house axis.  In a Mundane chart this axis is about money and debts owed and owed to the nation.  Income tax, tariffs and budgets will need attention.  Jupiter is in this pictures as well.  Jupiter in the sign of Scorpio brings debt and interest rates into the picture. 

A few days after the Solstice that 8^th house Mars goes retrograde.  Mars goes retrograde about every 2 years.  Mar is the warrior, the athlete and the initiator of action.  During retrograde periods our initiatives don’t turn out as expected. This is not a good time to start a love affair or a war.  Your sizzle will most likely fizzle.  Mars is retrograde from June 26^th until August 27^th.  Mars will square off with Uranus twice during the summer season.  While retrograde on August 1^st and again when direct on September 18^th as the summer closes.  This is a volatile and explosive aspect which can manifest through natural causes, i.e. volcano or earthquake or through human action.  Either way, it’s not pretty.

 Mercury retrograde overlaps this period from July 26 to August 19^th.  Mercury is retrograde a couple of times a year and it is especially important during these periods to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.  Scheduling mishaps, delays, and unexpected snafus require the ability to make adjustments at a moment’s notice.  Be especially vigilant during the periods when both Mars and Mercury are retrograde.

Into this mix are the summer eclipses.  The first one on July 12^th is a Solar Eclipse in Cancer.  The eclipse point opposes Pluto in Capricorn.  Pluto rules terrorism, guerilla warfare and issues of power and control.  This eclipse may act as a trigger for Plutonian energies.  The accompanying Lunar Eclipse on July 27^th has retrograde Mars conjunct the eclipsed Moon.  This is not a warm and fuzzy aspect. Mercury is now retrograde.  A Lunar Eclipse with Mars and Mercury retrograde fosters a knee-jerk reaction.  Emotions are awry and information is not clear. The final eclipse of the season is the Solar Eclipse on August 11^th in Leo.  Echoes from last January and the 2017 summer eclipses reverberate as issues and events from that time resurface raising questions and bringing pressure to bear in the search for solutions.

Saturn in Capricorn sits on the 7^th house cusp.  This is the house of partnerships and open enemies.  Saturn calls you to duty. Whatever it is, Saturn makes you face it.  The Sun in Cancer opposes this Saturn from the 12^th house.  The Sun is symbolic of the Head of State.  In the 12^th house it points to something secretive going on.  Saturn, the opposition, exposes those secrets. 

Uranus in a grand trine with the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres reminds us that the women of the world are waking up, speaking out and running for office. Women and children and how we treat them will a major theme over the summer.

There is a lot of energy in this Solstice chart which reflects the turbulent times we are in.  Real fake news is a real problem.  If you want the truth, you’re going to have to dig for it.  And if you find it you will find that some would rather believe the lie.  Neptune’s influence has many looking through rose-colored glasses believing what they want it to be, not what it really is.