June 2014

This June can be largely enjoyable except for occasional explosive blow-ups. Communications and relationships may be a fine line between pleasantries and discord and can shift from the former to the latter in a nanosecond with no recognizable cause.

There can be times this month when we might be mimicking the refrain from the classic country-pop song Queen of Hearts introduced by Dave Edmunds in 1979 and a hit by Juice Newton in 1981: “Playing with the Queen of Hearts knowing it ain’t really smart”. To the extreme, we might either engage the attitude of, or fall victim to, the sentiments repeatedly expressed in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by the Queen of Hearts: “Off with their heads!”

Perhaps we can avoid extreme reactions to feelings of slight, being underappreciated and not being heard or noticed. But avoidance necessitates an ability to maintain a level head and resistance to getting caught up in the volatility that goes along with the hurly-burly nature of these times. And such a disposition demands the character of a bodhisattva or saint.

Early June can be an especially pleasant time. We may enjoy the warmth of Spring and the comforts of home with a desire to get together with family and friends for special occasions and celebrations. We may have a lot going on, but much of it likely to be enjoyable, and it would be wise for us to use this time for recharging, recreation and re-creating.

And, please, no knee-jerk reactions. On the contrary, this early part of June allows us to imagine the idyllic, the possibilities and to consider how good life can truly be. If there are parade rainers that we encounter along the way, let’s not get defensive or offensive but wish them well and send them on their way to rain on someone else’s parade.

Love is in the air in the first week of June, as are various opportunities that we might not have taken into account.

Venus sextiles Neptune on the 4th of June, the Sun sextiles Uranus on the 6th and Venus trines Pluto on the 8th.

We can find ourselves infatuated with someone or some thing, but let’s bear in mind that appearance must be matched by substance. Images and presentations can be appealing, even seductive, and may play to our desires to incorporate positive changes to our daily life experience. Feeling good about things, we could even have a new take on who we are becoming. A sense of lushness as seen in nature can fill us with a feeling of abundance, prosperity and the warmth of close connections. Life is good, and we may revel in the sense of dark clouds parting and the sun shining brightly on our lives.

In the dualistic nature of life on the earth plane, it is important that we recognize the metronome swings of emotions between being upbeat and feeling downtrodden, of movements between acting proactive and being reactive, and seek to find and maintain a balance between the two — a level of detachment whereby we can deal with whatever comes our way in a dispassionate but highly effective manner. The balance being reflected in the middle path of Buddhism, the middle pillar in the Kabbalah.

As we move towards the end of Spring heading towards the Summer, the intensity can ratchet up again. We have the second of this year’s three Mercury retrogrades, with Mercury turning retrograde in Cancer on the 7th of June and retrograding back into its own Sign of Gemini on the 17th. This Mercury retrograde cycle continues through the rest of June with Mercury turning direct on the 1st of July. Various home and family matters may need to be dealt with. Some of our grand plans for our future might need to be reconsidered. Issues with friends and family members may come up for us to clarify.

Let’s keep in mind that a Mercury retrograde can enlist Murphy’s Law of ‘whatever can go wrong could go wrong.’ Significant matters probably would be better postponed or only tentatively determined. Often actions taken and decisions made under Mercury retrograde come to naught or have to be reworked at a later date when there is greater clarity of thought. During the Mercury retrograde, it would be wise for us to take things told us with a grain of salt. The hypesters and spinmeisters can be out in full force and fully believing their spin, their hype and the pap they are pronouncing.

Although not as significant a retrograde cycle as the Mercury retrograde, Neptune turns retrograde on the 9th of June.

From the 7th of the month through the end of the month, communications can be off with liabilities towards misinterpretations and misunderstandings. Our moods, feelings and thoughts could be foggy and somewhat confused. Let’s see everything, life itself, as always subject to change.

Extreme flipping from ‘all’s right in the world’ to ‘everything’s wrong, nothing is right’ could be evident with the Sagittarius Full Moon on June 12th – 13th, a time when Venus opposes Saturn, followed by Mars square Pluto on the 14th.

A parade of the past could take place with reunions, family celebrations and reconnections. It might remind us of Carlos Castaneda’s significance placed upon recapitulations, the importance of going back over past issues and matters to see them in full light, to resolve any unresolved issues in order not to bring the outmoded past into our present, much less our future.

Things that are foreign to us could be upsetting, and we could easily imagine being severely impacted by situations that lie far beyond our control or our daily encounters. Why go there? Whatever influences could affect us can be dealt with on their incoming, their approach, before becoming catastrophic.

The 12th – 14th can be a highly explosive time, a time when actions may be over-the-top. There can be bombings, mine disasters, and earthquake / volcanic activity occurring at this time. This energy demands that we harness our energies without any extreme actions. People may be acting out at this time, drawing lines in the sand and willing to wreak havoc on relationships. This is also a time when we have to be wary of shooting ourselves in the foot by impetuous actions or putting too much force behind our intentions.

With Mercury retrograding back into its own Sign of Gemini on the 17th, there can be a great deal of discussions but with little relevant information. We have to be wary not to fall prey to hype or suggestions that may be long on allusions but short on factual information. To remind ourselves again, it would be wise for us to take things with a grain of salt, allow the jury to be out, until by our due diligence we have determined what is truly going on.

While we could easily get upset by the goings-on in the world at large and by the people around us this month, there are some feel good and uplifting energies to counter the times of intensity. Venus sextiles Jupiter on June 18th and the Sun conjuncts Mercury on the 19th. With such exuberant energies, we end the Spring season and enter Summer on the 21st on a high note, feeling good about what we have created for ourselves and the prospects for our future. We may choose to feather our nest, purchase some necessary fixtures or equipment in order to better entertain friends and neighbors at our home. Enough may not be enough and our exuberance can allow us to spend more than our budget, finances or reason would suggest.

Venus exits its own Sign of Taurus on the 23rd to enter Gemini. We may be looking for fun social interactions, going here, there and everywhere in search of good times with good friends and new acquaintances. We might be scattering our forces, trying to cover a lot of bases in a short period of time and more interested in quick interactions rather than singular, in-depth connections. Superficial engagements now might prove a great deal easier than the conundrums of intimate interactions.

The 25th could be another intense time, a time when we have to use care to avoid accidents and mishaps. With Mars opposed Uranus, actions can be impetuous with little consideration, if any, given to the ramifications of our actions. We may just go for it even when we don’t realize what the ‘it’ might be. We want to be active, virtually in turbo-thrust, but we could be lacking both destination and itinerary. Things may be done on the spur-of-the-moment with a great deal of force. During this time, defensive driving is called for. We may need to have eyes in the back of our head and certainly able to adapt to dramatically changing situations in a nanosecond or less. On a global level, this could have various attacks going on and saber rattling between opposing forces. It would be wise for us not to make any snap judgments or decisions at this time, but rather take things into consideration before acting.

The Cancer New Moon on the 27th could initiate a dreamy two week period, a time when we imagine the possibilities and engage the dream-like idyllic. We may embrace the concept of creative visualization and the belief that what we can conceive, we can achieve. While many of our interests may focus on the reveries and summertime activities, we might keep in mind that for new doors to fully open to us, old doors might have to be closed. This New Moon speaks not only to possibilities but also eliminations with some of the old structures and traditional formats weakening to the point of falling apart or being replaced by more appropriate methods and state-of-the-art scenarios.

June comes to a close with the Sun trine Neptune and Venus square Neptune on the 29th. The dream-like state that the Cancer New Moon triggered on the 27th can be in full gear. We may go on a visionquest as we seek within ourselves the true purpose of being, our soul’s destiny and what areas of living sing to our spirit.

We also have to be aware that we could become infatuated with someone or something, but we might have to learn that appearance is not always matched by the content. Although our intuitive, feeling sense is heightened at this time, we need to be highly aware and mindful that what seems to be happening is not always the true reality of what is going on. The end of June might allow us to sharpen our skills of discernment.

The 30th of June is the last day of this three-week Mercury retrograde cycle with Mercury turning direct on the 1st of July. Whenever Mercury is changing direction, whether from direct to retrograde motion or from retrograde to direct motion, things can get increasingly squirrely. Communications can be off. Travel might be disrupted with traffic delays, and things can take longer than we like. The volatility of these times speaks not only to the wild swings between irrational exuberance and unreasonable despair. The volatility also talks to the swings between things moving instantaneously and other times when things are delayed and situations protracted.

Like life itself during these times, this month of June has its swings between some highly pleasant times and a few very intense and challenging times. The highly difficult times this month seem to be around the 7th, the 13th – 14th, and the 25th. We may be surfing the waves this month, enjoying ourselves and engaging outdoors activities, but we have to watch for riptides or body slams particularly around these three times of this month.

June… bustin’ out all over…