Yesterday the Sun and Saturn conjoined in Virgo, ouch, if we allowed our shinning light to dim in self dissatisfaction or our feet to become leaden upon the fallow Earth. The sign Virgo signifies the annual harvesting of the fertile productivity of Mother Earth providing a time of abundance tempered with cautionary concern directed at successfully managing our bounty so that it will last until the next harvesting. When the Sun is in Virgo our individuality is filled with the bountiful harvest of our life experiences which we then diligently work to preserve for the benefit of others.  When under the influence of Saturn our gaze turns toward responsibility, and this Sun and Saturn conjoining adds to our sense of self-discipline and self-sufficiency. This transit can bring us a deep comfort in accepting responsibility for who we are if we have successfully integrated our imperfections with our accomplishments, and if not, not to worry, we are offered another opportunity to try again.

Today, is one of those lucky days when what we need to evolve in self understanding is generously handed to us by the celestial heavens. The Sun in Virgo makes a harmonious trine with Jupiter in Capricorn guaranteeing that we will give form to one of the perfected aspects of our individuality. It is not important what aspect of our individuality is being perfected is as long as we take time to acknowledge what we are accomplishing. When the Sun solarizes* Jupiter our belief in our self can be magnified, enlarged, expanded into the world, bringing us an optimum opportunity to be positive about who we  are and what we have contributed to our society. This may sound inconsequential in the bigger scheme of life but do not be fooled, the first path to an enlightened society is for every individual within that society to feel positive about who they are and what they are contributing to the continuum of that society.

The Sun, moving faster than Jupiter, will translate the jubilant energy shared with Jupiter to an opposition with Uranus on September 12th, at which time, we may experience  disruption in the way we are creatively expressing our self.  We could be challenged in how we share our radiant light with others when something that we are trying to accomplish requires an unorthodox solution and we find our self having to dissolve our ego attachments. This is an important testing of our resolve  not to internalize the problem as a deficiency in our self, instead, to answer the call from our higher Self, set a steady path, and accomplish our intended goal.

*I borrowed this visualizing word for the process of the Sun from astrologer, Steven Forrest.

Hurray! Mercury stations direct today and all our mishaps magically disappear, well not entirely, nothing is ever as it seems when we are under the influence of Mercury. The last 21 days of life on Earth have been a series of obstacle courses testing our reflexes under stress, challenging our attachment to obsolete ideals, and demanding that we look into the eyes of our emotional denying which is often the culprit for things “breaking down” during a Mercury Rx.* If any one reading this post thought Mercury’s Rx was tough, take a deep breath and exhale slowly, because our real work is just beginning if we are serious about creating the life we want. Mercury is our celestial messenger traveling between our dreaming and our waking translating our every sensation into image and form, which is one reason why Mercury retrogrades three times each year encouraging us to re-consider what we have created in our life.

Mercury is the androgynous personification of our conscious and unconscious perceptions of our self and our life. As princely ruler of Gemini, Mercury is operating full force giving us the mental strength to change our perceptions of what life has to be. Our mind is our most powerful ally determining the quality of our life, and yet, we understand so little of what it actually means, primarily because science has traditionally focused on “what something is” rather than “what something means”. Understanding our mind requires experiencing our mind and that is a mysterious and uniquely individual journey requiring that we join hands with Mercury, our teacher, our navigator, our liberator.

What is significant about Mercury’s directed motion, besides facilitating our ability to actualize whatever lessons we recently learned during the retrograde period, are the celestial conversations exchanged with the outer planets which are indicating long term change and lasting transformation. In early July Mercury will make a second trine with Chiron, the North Node, and Neptune indicating that our mind is once again receptive to new ideas and information. When under the influence of Aquarius we are learning how to receive from others, usually in the form of ideas, on the deepest level love, and our toughest lesson under the tutelage of Aquarius is our accepting what we are given as an act of genuine acknowledgment and appreciation for the contribution of another.

Mercury will quincunx Jupiter in Capricorn and square Uranus in Pisces softening our rigid attachment to the images and forms of our reality, and challenging us to be more inclusive of the thoughts and feelings of others without sacrificing what we think and feel. When under the influence of Pisces we feel the long shadow of our longing for union tempting us to sacrifice our individuality so it is important to create clearly defined boundaries between our ideas and the ideas of others. Are you hearing the voice of independent thinking? The last aspect Mercury makes before leaving Gemini is an opposition to Pluto Rx in Sagittarius promising us mental freedom if we open our mind and encourage our wild child spirit creative expressing rather than the destructive expressing of frustration, fear, and fanaticism.

*Terry Lamb offered this sensitive understanding of Mercury Rx in her June Forecast.

We begin this week with a once in a blue moon celestial phenomenon of two Full Moons in one month. From what little I have read on the subject of blue moons there are differing opinions about what actually constitutes one.* What I can say with assurance is that this second Scorpio Full Moon reflects something unusual in our unconscious which is fighting for conscious awareness. Before the Moon moves to an exact opposition with the Sun it will make challenging aspects to Mercury, Chiron, Venus, the Nodes, and Neptune, tempered with harmonious aspects to Jupiter and Uranus. Unlike the previous Scorpio Full Moon heralding the harmonious experiencing of our conscious illumination, this Scorpio Full Moon is reflecting our frustration, but don’t despair frustration is our impetus to change and change is our lead -in to consciousness illumination. This Scorpio Full Moon promises just that, conscious illumination, if we are willing to examine the mental and emotional boxes we put ourselves inside and ask ourselves if the choices we make in life are out of obligation or in celebration of life?

When the Moon and Mercury connect it is a time for emotional questioning and the quincunx suggests that now is the time to adjust how we process and express what we feel. The square between Scorpio Moon and Chiron in Aquarius is asking us to examine if our need for emotional security is preventing us from opening our mind and seeing other possibilities and choices. We are being challenged to ask ourselves, without social pretense, tough questions that may disrupt our emotional security but ultimately bring us deeper emotional satisfaction. The fixed Grand Square with Venus and the Nodes is a dynamic aspect stimulating a lot of internal tension and forcing us to examine our emotional attachment to what we have built in life, using the resources we have, and ask ourselves if the material reality of our life truly reflects the fullness of our potential.

If the answer is no then this is the time to work with the creative energy promised by the Grand Square and make changes that honestly reflect the fullness of our life purpose and potential, which are not necessarily measured in the things we own. Venus in Taurus, square the Nodes, sextile Uranus, and trine Jupiter is helping us give form to what we like best about ourselves. The Nodes in Leo and Aquarius tell us that our unique value, our personal taste and style, cannot be dictated by society. Privilege, prestige, social status are not the guardians of our self – confidence, in fact, many times they actually diminish our appreciation of our unique individuality because we feel compelled to conform to the social norm.

Venus and the South Node are square at the same time that the South Node is quincunx Jupiter and Uranus sextile to each other. This celestial configuration is outlining the cosmic signature of a yod, a finger of God. This yod is at the heart of the Grand Square adding potency to our experiences of frustration under the illumination of this Full Moon. The astrologer, Julie Demboski, suggests that the yod is a sign of divine direction from a benevolent God. And so it can be. The South Node, the celestial point of least resistance, is where we can fall into complacency if we do not use our unique talents to expand our consciousness. The Leo South Node is telling us to become less dependent upon public opinion, to think independently, and use our creative talents in ways that express who we really are and not whom society dictates we should be. The finger of God is pointing our attention in the direction of our untraveled road which just may be gaining personal freedom, the promise of Uranus, once we accept responsibility for the choices we make, the promise of Jupiter in Capricorn. It seems that this Full Moon is reflecting the intensity of impending change and I can’t help wonder if the Sun and Moon, minutes away from changing signs, reflects the ending of a road and the marking of a change in direction?

* Blue moon is the name given to an extra full moon during a year. Most years have twelve full moons, which occur approximately monthly. However, each calendar year contains those twelve full lunar cycles plus about eleven days to spare. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years there is an extra full moon. On average, this happens once every 2.72 years, and different definitions place the extra moon at different times. The extra full moon is called a blue moon.

If you are feeling tension it could be because of the celestial double dose of one planet changing sign and another changing direction. On Friday, Mars enters Leo and mighty Jupiter stations retrograde; adding to the tension both planets are moving toward a quincunx suggesting that we on earth need to make an adjustment in how we achieve success. We may feel frustrated for not having received the recognition we wanted for something we have achieved. The coming month we need to use patience and perseverance to continue in our efforts with whatever we have been accomplishing and believe in what we are doing even if no one else does.

When we enter the Mars dimension of ourselves our instinct to survive is on alert and we become warriors defending, conquering, overwhelming. When Mars is in Leo passionate egos can flare; our impulse to be ourselves and our impulse to express ourselves are walking arm on arm and explosive fireworks are sure to ignite. We can take solace knowing that the brash bravado of a Leo Mars is masking insecurities, and our need for approval from others is our attempt to heal wounds of rejection and exclusion. Mars is leaving the sign Cancer the symbol of family and home and we are like the baby bird pushed from the nest flying solo for the first time. We may feel clumsy and awkward, we may even fall, but we have the courage and daring to try again and eventually we will fly with grace. The trick with Mars is learning patience and not aborting what we have started out of frustration. The trick with a Leo Mars is to be aware that we instigate dramatic episodes to hide our insecurities. The gift of a Leo Mars is the courage and honesty to face our insecurities and fear of rejection.

When we enter the Jupiter dimension of ourselves we are inspired to expand our conscious awareness beyond the boundaries of the familiar so we can experience something different than what we have thus far experienced. When Jupiter is in Capricorn our expanding consciousness takes a traditional turn to the right and our cosmic flowing is restricted forcing us to consider the structures supporting our achievements. As Jupiter travels back through Capricorn we are given the opportunity to re-examine the structures we have created in our lives and decide which are working for us and which are working against us. This can be a very creative period of adjustment as long as we do not get discouraged and feel that change is manifesting too slowly. Jupiter moving backwards in Capricorn will bring a heaviness to our lives, a seriousness which if we use wisely, we can manifest lasting changes in the practical structures of our lives which will continue to support our growing in consciousness for many years to come.

Venus, Mars, and Jupiter have been circling one another all week warming up for their inevitable confrontation as they prepare to challenge our ability to assert ourselves, relate with others, and broaden our consciousness. Yesterday, the last aspect the Moon made before leaving Scorpio was a square to Neptune and to the Nodal Axis suggesting that we may be feeling a little confused about where we have been and where we want to go in our lives. Today, the Moon in Sagittarius is quincunx the Sun and Mercury indicating a point of irritation between our emotional and mental well being; our emotions are ready to explore new terrain but our mind is stubbornly holding onto an old way of thinking not entirely convinced that change is a good thing. Mercury in Taurus is notorious for taking time to slowly digest a new idea especially when the idea concerns change. Not surprising, this is irritating the planets in cardinal signs ever ready for action. Learning to be patient is one of the celestial lessons offered this week and the sign Taurus is the master of patience in the zodiac. Taurus does require more time than any other zodiac sign before making a decision or taking action but that is because once action is taken Taurus will endure what ever needs to be endured to finish what has been started.

Today, an Aries Venus, a Cancer Mars, and a Capricorn Jupiter are in open conflict their battle cries reverberating throughout the week and we on earth stand with our tempers flaring on the threshold of change. Venus is the dimension in ourselves seeking relationships with others so that we can experience ourselves reflected in our experience of others; one reason why Venus rules Taurus the sign of self worth and Libra the sign of partnership. Venus is that aspect of ourselves weighing our value and for most of us on earth this means looking into the eyes of the world to see what we are worth. But this doesn’t have to be so, we always have the opportunity to take our gaze within, and this is the challenge offered us today and throughout the week.

When Venus is in the sign of Aries our impatience with others is quick to ignite and we may find ourselves in conflict with those around us. While writing these words I am suddenly reminded of a minor confrontation I had on Monday evening with someone who was trying to give me helpful information and I became annoyed with him because it wasn’t the information I wanted. If this is sounding familiar, take heed, this week we have the opportunity to learn the graceful art of negotiation so that everyone’s needs, ours included, are considered. Better be prepared for some minor frustration along the way and remember that frustration is an important component for change as long as we can refrain from blaming our frustration on others.

Mars is the dimension in ourselves seeking to actualize our desire and in Cancer our desire is to be emotionally secure. With the influence of Mars we have a warrior on our team ready and willing to do battle on our behalf. But this week we are learning to include the other guy’s feelings as well as ours, something Mars has difficulty understanding, so we may need to tone down how we assert our needs in order to get what we want. Remember we are learning the art of negotiation which is practiced as such a refined skill that people never realize that they have given to the negotiator what the negotiator wanted in the first place. This week we are learning to disarm our Martian tendency to crudely oppose our opponents and with Mars and Jupiter opposing we are well advised to make the effort all the more.

Jupiter is that dimension in ourselves seeking to expand beyond our conscious understanding of ourselves so that we can connect with something greater than ourselves. When Jupiter is in Capricorn our aspirations to expand into the Universe are brought to earth and take place within the material realm. This is the week to give form to a new aspect of ourselves something that has been brewing within ourselves for the last months. It is not likely that we will while away our hours this week in gossamery dreaming, not as long as, Mars and Uranus are working together encouraging us to take risks and make the changes. And with Uranus close to hand we can always expect the unexpected.