JUNE SOLSTICE: Polarity and Potential

Polarity is the fundamental principle underlying the practice of Astrology.  At no time is this more apparent than during the June solstice.  In June, the solstice marks the zenith of the Sun’s northward climb, resulting in the longest day of the year for the Northern hemisphere and the shortest day of the year for the Southern hemisphere.  The day is defined by the Sun’s movement into the sign of Cancer, whose planetary ruler is the Moon.  During this time, we celebrate the dynamic interplay of the two luminaries--one the essential engine of fire, and the other the magnetic maestra of the waters.

This year, another polarity reaches it climax on the same day as the solstice.  Venus and Mars, the basic feminine and masculine expressions that each individual embodies.  The two come into opposition as the Sun occupies the threshold of Cancer at zero degrees with the Moon in Libra, the sign of balance.  The following week, Mars stations retrograde, his first backtrack in two years, the day before the Full Moon (June 26th/27th).  

This solstice is highly energized by the dynamic tension between opposites.  As the Sun moves into Cancer, we look to its sign’s ruler, the Moon, for guidance.  The Moon in Libra asks that we honor cooperation and compromise.  Mars stationing retrograde in Aquarius opposed Venus in Leo cautions us that as we cultivate our desire and drive (Mars) to fulfill our humanitarian mission (Aquarius), we must remember to act from the heart (Venus in Leo).  Meanwhile, the Moon moves on into Capricorn to conjunct Saturn, the sign’s ruler, for the full moon. 

Although this full moon occurs along the Cancer/Capricorn axis, it was seeded by the new moon in Gemini (See: https://www.celestialdawnastrology.com/writings/gemini-new-moon-mind-over-matter).  Gemini is the master at seeing both sides of a situation.  Attune with the energy of Mercury to stay neutral and encourage a conversation between opposing sides.  Whatever conflicts may arise--internal or external--the celestial patterns show it is not the time to fight, but to mediate.  As the Moon reaches her fullness and meets Saturn in Capricorn, we will be called to face our challenges with emotional maturity and heart-felt responsibility. 

The solstice is a time of celebration.  While not always comfortable, this tension is the pulse that drives the growth and evolution of life and consciousness.  It is our catalyst to discover a deeper and greater dance of being--it takes two to tango afterall!  This is an excellent time to attune directly with the planets.  Four of the five visible planets are currently gracing the skies after sunset.  Stay up after sunset on the solstice to see the opposition of Venus setting in the west as Mars rises in the east.  Approaching his retrograde, Mars is currently brighter even than Jupiter!  It will be a stunning sight to behold this classic pair, now the two brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and Moon, creating their symmetry in the sky.

                                                          Botticelli's Venus and Mars

GEMINI NEW MOON: Mind Over Matter

Shorty before the solstice, the Sun and Moon will meet in the sign of Gemini.  Traditionally, the new moon is a time of turning inward and setting intention, a practice which is born of stillness and introspection.  Gemini, however, is known for its sociability, possessing an active mind and tittering tongue.  As the Mutable Air sign, its modality and element combine to make Gemini the most versatile of all the signs of the zodiac.  However, when not properly grounded, versatility can become inconsistency, a quality that can complicate the singularity of focus required in the intention-setting process.

Gemini is the archetypal messenger of the zodiac, ruled by the planet Mercury.  In the Greek pantheon, Mercury was known as Hermes.  Hermes was a youthful god whose duties included carrying messages between the other gods and goddesses, presiding over trade and short distance travel, and escorting the dead from their earthly existence into the Underworld as a psychopomp.  Through this diversity of roles, we find a common thread--the energy of Mercury serves as a conduit between different realms of experience, forming a conceptual structure we call our daily reality.  

As an archetype, the element of Air is a fitting representation for this phenomenon.  Its concurrent ability to permeate a space while remaining invisible is a fitting metaphor for how our cognitive filters shape our reality.  Unseen by the eye, thoughts move quickly and lightly through the mind, as words find their expression upon the body’s breath.  It is an easy matter to underestimate what remains hidden from view, and if we are not careful, we can find ourselves blindsided by our own biases.  In its positive expression, this energy is able to move like wind to penetrate borders and bridge differences--minds connect by way of conversation, nations ally according to trade agreements, and the greatest bridge of all, the soul transitions from life to death.  The inconspicuous nature of this element fits Gemini well, as its ruling planet, Mercury is itself often obscured from sight, lost in the bright light of the Sun.

Gemini is mutable by modality.  Mutable literally means “changeable,” and is the modality assigned to the signs that come as one season transforms into another.  Mutable signs are known for the quality of adaptability, something in which Gemini is particularly adept.  As the communicator, Gemini has the ability to move easily between minds and to perceive a single idea from a multitude of perspectives.  Thus, Gemini learns to employ a wide arrange of approaches and responses to best fit the social group they find themselves within.  By encouraging this common ground, Gemini excels at the brainstorming process, but can feel hampered by the process of implementation.  Manifestation requires working ideas down into the denser layers of reality, which feels restrictive to the mutable air sign.  

Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac, preceded by Aries and Taurus.  Ruled by Mars and Venus, respectively, these two signs represent the primary masculine and feminine forces, the pulsing duality that is the engine of life on Earth.  In Gemini, these two forces find communion in the gender-neutral Mercury.  The constellation for Gemini is the Twins, the glyph for Gemini shows two connected pillars, and it corresponds with The Lovers card in the Tarot, which shows a male and female standing together.  In every depiction of Gemini, we see the union of opposites.  Gemini is the magical third that emerges from the primary two.  Gemini rules pairs in the body, such as the lungs and the hands.  Less often mentioned is the two hemispheres of the brain, which stand alone in their governing functions, yet operate through cross communication.  It is this cross communication that creates the magic of conscious awareness.

             The glyph for Gemini

           The Lovers card,               Rider-Waite Tarot deck

Air is a stimulating force, which if not channeled properly can become restlessness.  This new moon stands alone, with no obvious lines of communication to the other planets.  The only major aspect involving this moon is a quincunx to Pluto.  The quincunx aspect is itself a discomfiting one, as it occurs between two signs that share neither element nor modality, and therefore have no inherent common ground between them.  This moon’s ruler, intellectual Mercury, is in emotional Cancer opposed the disciplinarian Saturn.  These aspects asks that we consider if our emotional baggage is hampering our progress on our life’s journey, while the Moon in Gemini asks that we remain curious as to why we decided to carry it in the first place.  Gemini prefers to keep things lighthearted and has two common responses to discomfort--talking it out or taking flight.  If not handled properly, the first approach can overburden the issue, while the second can be avoidant.  Although Gemini is greatly assured when surrounded and stimulated by likeminded peers, remember the greatest affirmation is that which comes from within.

There is much to be learned by sitting alone and finding the stillness within one’s inner stirrings.  This new moon, turn the focus inward and pay attention to how your own internal dialogue is shaping your perceptions.  The Sun represents our waking consciousness while the Moon represents our dreaming mind.  By holding space for the rational/intellectual mind to converse with the symbolic/intuitive mind, we complete the circuitry of our own consciousness, thus enlivening our awareness in action.  From here arises the Gemini quality of adaptability.  Gemini reminds us that reality is malleable.  An open mind is an invaluable tool, while a light heart will keep you true.  Use the power of mind over matter to shift your perspective when you need to create a bridge over troubled waters.  Allow fresh air in to reinvigorate your routine reactions, giving yourself clarity to contemplate each response from all angles to best actualize your greatest potential within each given moment.  

TAURUS NEW MOON: Nurturing the Seed

This month’s new moon is electrified by the coinciding ingress of Uranus into the same sign.  While the Sun and Moon meet in the later degrees of the sign, Uranus sits at 0 degrees, occupying the threshold between the fire sign of Aries and the earth sign Taurus.  The archetypal disrupter, Uranus has spent the last eight years in Aries, challenging how we defend our personal boundaries and define our inner masculine.  Now moving into Taurus, there is a radical shift in focus to the inner feminine and our essential resources.

The sign of Taurus is ruled by Venus.  As an archetype, Venus is one of the figures with the greatest consistency across world mythologies.  Known to the Greeks as Aphrodite and to the Hindus as Lakshmi, this energy is indisputably one of beauty and grace.  More than receptive, this energy is attractive, with the ability to form bonds.  Through the earth element of Taurus, the Venusian energy is channeled through the richness of the material realm, and the many ways its raw components are bonded into physical form.  We can learn much about the Venus-Taurus connection by observing the invocation of springtime--the emerging seedlings embody the strength and determination of Taurus, while their Venusian blossoms allure the senses.  This benevolent magnetism is exemplified by the flowers, which draw sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil together to create unique forms of beauty that beckon one’s awareness and stimulate the senses.

       Glyph for Taurus

Taurus is symbolized by the Bull.  In Taurus, there exists a beautiful balance between the delicate nature of Venus and the indomitable power of the Bull.  The Bull is a significant symbol for the raw resources of the earth.  These themes come into optimal focus in the spring.  The Bull turns the fields, and fertilizes them too.  In simpler times, the Bull was a highly valued material asset directly tied to one’s livelihood.  Like Venus, the Bull itself is a symbol of a wealth that can be expressed in a variety of ways.  However, the Bull is obstinate and/or destructive when not properly handled.  The rulership of Venus teaches us that successful manifestation is a matter of heart, not mind.  It is predicated on a goodness of disposition in the face of obstacles and the gentle handling of one’s intention in the light of other’s expectations. 

       Glyph for Venus

The glyph of Taurus echoes the themes of the Bull, evoking the silhouette of the animal as seen face on.  It is  the circle crowned by the crescent, whose points rise like horns on either side of the circle representing the bull’s head.  Analyzed by its components, this glyph has more knowledge to yield.  In the Northern hemisphere, the season of Taurus is one in which we till the soil, penetrating and impregnating the land in preparation for the fall’s harvest--such cultivation of food is the cornerstone on which civilization itself exists.  As such, the glyph of Venus is essentially the Ankh, an ancient symbol for life itself--the circle of spirit descending into the cross of matter.  With the Taurus glyph showing the circle of spirit with the crescent of soul above it, we see a nod to its receptive quality--the crescent acting like a bowl to gather, or antenna to detect, our celestial resources.  In this glyph is embedded a lesson in how the spirit enshrined in matter is guided in its development by the Moon.  Indeed, the Moon is of the utmost importance in mediating the light of the Sun, creating the rhythms that govern the natural cycles.  Though spirit is primary, without the regulating rhythms of the Moon, we would have no life on Earth.  It is the diversity of phase that guides the plant from seed, to sprout, and onward to blossom and fruit.  It is the transmutation of the unity of Spirit into the diversity of Soul.

 With its emphasis on manifestation, Taurus is home to our values.  How we define our values emerges organically from our prioritization of resources, whether those resources are physical (like food and fuel), or energetic (such as intellectual support and emotional belonging).  The themes of Taurus have immediacy in our lives, yet Uranus is an outer, or transpersonal, planet.  Its slow-moving orbit means its influence is generational in influence, with its transits having global ramifications.  As Uranus moves through this sector of the sky, there may be upheavals that revolutionize economic currencies and commodities, as well as the social traditions that define cultural values.  Indeed, it is our shared values that create the bonds that connect individuals into community.  This new moon is a potent time for setting the tone of how these Uranian effects will ripple through our personal lives.

Being of the Earth element, Taurus imparts the importance of grounding.  The intoxicating charms of Venus may tempt us to indulgence, or they may teach us the power of intuition.  By engaging our sensual awareness, we learn to more fully embody our physical beings, tapping into the intuitive awareness that binds our consciousness with the plants, animals, and celestial bodies around us.  Uranus stimulates the nervous system, and transiting Taurus, may rattle our sense of security.  Use your five senses to continually refresh your consciousness, giving a channel to ground the erratic psycho-emotional energies Uranus may stimulate within you.  Consciousness is but an interface existing between the animating essence of spirit and the regulating rhythms of soul.  

As the new moon approaches, consider the last eight years.  What situations served to alter your perception of self, and illuminate where the boundaries lie between you and other?  As Uranus moves from Aries into Taurus, these boundaries will help you to understand what values have been ingrained through social conditioning, and which ones genuinely resonate with the rhythm of your heart.  In Aries, Uranus asked that we take a radical approach to reforming our identity to find the clearest path from seed to blossom, but our highest character --our greatest expression of self-worth within the world--only flowers when we nurture the growth of our individual identities with the values we share.  As Uranus moves in to upset the previous value structure, intentions may go awry.  The motto of Taurus is I want.  Uranus in Taurus reveals the key to manifestation--ask yourself what it is you truly want.  Listen to your heart.  Mis-manifestation results from unclear intentions, which are often confused by the influence of others’ expectations and/or a feeling of low self-worth, a false sense of undeservingness that sabotages our ability to receive the Venusian blessings of wealth and pleasure.  Uranus teaches that only when we are utterly honest and humble with what needs remain unmet in our heart will we be able to attract the abundance we desire.