Spring 2018

The Sun enters Aries on the 20th of March at the Vernal Equinox heralding the advent of the Spring season. If we are not encumbered by past obligations and by old outstanding matters, we can begin to plant the seeds of new ambitions. We may be willing to push the envelope against ‘correctness’, choosing instead to accentuate our personal ambitions even to the point of taking the path less traveled.

We may feel adventurous as we start the Spring season, seeking to expand our horizons and move beyond the restrictions of our familiar patterns.

While our intentions may be grand and our confidence heightened, we could encounter various impediments as we step forward.

Mercury turns retrograde on the 22nd, the first of this year’s three Mercury retrograde cycles. This retrograde cycle has Mercury going back through the second decanate of Aries, the Leo decanate, and back into the first decanate of Aries before turning direct on April 15th and just prior to the Aries New Moon. Our creative juices may be flowing and we might wish to express our individual talents, but we could find the energy to be more effective internally than externally.

It would be wise to also keep in mind that the Spring season truly begins in earnest after the Aries New Moon, which this year will be on the 15th of April.

Before we get there, we might hit some bumps in the road, especially under the Mercury retrograde cycle when Murphy’s Law of ‘whatever can go wrong could go wrong’ is in effect.

Shortly after Mercury turns retrograde, we have the Aries transiting planets of Venus and the Sun bumping up against the Capricorn transiting planets of Pluto and Mars.

On the 23rd, Venus squares Pluto. Relationship issues could be dicey at this time. If we are stepping away from our familiar patterns, we might create anxiety in someone who would prefer that we fall back in line of their definition of us. Any plans to expand our reach could be met with blockages and impediments placed in our way. We may have to draw upon our own personal instincts to forge ahead, but let’s be aware that we could be stepping out of bounds regarding what is proper and correct and can even encounter blowback from someone willing to clip our wings.

A sense of being Sisyphus-like and trying to roll the boulder up the mountain can continue on the 24th with the Sun square Mars. Our intentions could be met with stiff resistance. These days of the 23rd – 24th may be frustrating but also provide a good lesson — the realization as the lyric in the Kenny Rogers’ song The Gambler warns us:

‘You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.’

The 23rd – 24th are days when it might be best not to push too hard, for we could easily find ourselves blocked, frustrated and exhausted by unsuccessful efforts.

Delays and frustrations are often to our benefit. They are like braking actions that make us reconsider, reevaluate and see whether what we are doing and how we are doing fit into the bigger picture of our future and not merely our immediate gain.

The 28th of March gives us Venus conjunct Uranus. Strange unexpected encounters may provide a blessing. We might choose a different trajectory and one that seems far more in line with where we want to go rather than proceeding on a straight-line trajectory from where we have been. Let’s appreciate that these times call for us to do things differently, to free ourselves up from old expectations that no longer work for us. We are crossing the threshold of a paradigm shift, a time when we can become far more independent and autonomous in our actions and in our goals. A large measure of the Information Age with its technological advances provides us with the ability to streamline our operations all the while offering us tools by which we can be more creative and more productive in our efforts.

Responsibilities and old identities may get in our way, but it would be wise to see any delays or frustrations as solely a tempering process with the opportunity of our tweaking and refining both our movements and our intentions.

A further braking action can occur on the 29th as the Sun squares Saturn. While we might have had some ‘ah-ha’ moments over the past few weeks, we may be unable to cast off our past or our responsibilities. And there is no need to do so. If we would keep in mind the concept of developing a suspension bridge from where we have been to where we are going, then we can take things step by step. We can lay down the slats of our suspension bridge to the future, all the while going back to deal with our present responsibilities and outstanding matters that need to be completed before we arrive to the other side. The idea of the suspension bridge allows us to see that there is a process for us to get from where we have been to where we may go in the future. Until we complete situations that could hold us back, we would be unable to cut the ties that bind. No leaping without looking. No crossing the threshold into our future before the inventory taking with us deciding what baggage to leave behind. In moving forward we are not interested in being encumbered by past and outmoded involvements.

We never have to rush the river, for the river always finds its course to the oceans, often moving rapidly with the currents, other times slowly meandering and even times when the appearance seems so still. So too for us. There are times when events are fast moving and we seem to be on a bullet train. Other times when we might feel as if running in place. And even times when we seem stuck in neutral unable to move ahead. And yet, the process is always unfolding. We shall get to where we are going, and the timing itself is largely inconsequential.

We end the month of March with the Libra Full Moon at the time of the Sun Moon opposition, also the day that Venus exits Aries to enter Taurus. Venus is in Detriment in Aries, where Venus is not all that comfortable due to a liability of self-absorption to the extreme of narcissism. Venus entering Taurus has Venus coming into its own Sign with the potential of showing ourselves off with grace, charm and panache.

We end the Month of March raring to go and wanting to get on with things, but also with a tendency to consider other people’s interests and our own responsibilities. We may ratchet up our energies, choose to take care of any number of things but with due consideration as to our present obligations and the impact of our actions on other people.

April begins with us considering how best to develop our creative talents. We might feel blocked by our responsibilities and the interests of someone else, but even if we are delayed we are refusing to be thwarted.

The Sun conjuncts retrograde Mercury on the 1st. We can give thought to what we want to initiate, but the actual implementation might best wait until Mercury turns direct on the 15th, the same day that we have the Aries New Moon, which truly signals the beginning of the Spring season. Up to that time, we are all in preparation mode, readying ourselves to spring out of the starting gate with any attempts to jump the gun liable to be hindered.

The early part of April can have us banging up against our responsibilities, standards and traditional measures. We may have to do a strong inventory taking, consider what works for us and what doesn’t, and yet still hew to our obligations.

April 2nd has Mars conjunct Saturn. More power is best utilized in dealing with those tasks at hand, outstanding matters and past situations in need of completion.

We may feel the springtime thrust of getting on with things, initiating new projects and starting up new activities, but it would be wise for us to keep in mind that we are in the midst of a Mercury retrograde. We can put the pedal to the metal, but if the transmission is in neutral, we may only be gunning the engine and getting nowhere.

The first half of April is more geared to cleaning things up, going over matters that still need to be resolved and making our plans for initiations that are better executed as we come into the second half of the month.

On the 4th, Mercury squares Mars, followed by Mercury square Saturn on the 5th. This juxtaposition of the Aries energy [retrograde Mercury] and the Capricorn energy [Mars and Saturn] can have us asserting our ideas but being perceived as a rebel without a cause. We might seem to other people as the contrarian solely for the sake of being contrarian, with us appearing to emphasize our individuality but without clear intent only strong conviction. This early part of April is a time for us to watch our tongue, to think things through before speaking and then to have substantial evidence to back up any claims that we make. We might feel frustrated at this time with a sense that no one truly understands what we are saying or what we mean. We could easily fall into depression as though in our communications we are spitting into the wind. Timing is everything and this is not a time to present our case or to win our arguments.

While this first week of April could prove vexing, it is also a time to apply the brakes to any impulsive actions or impetuous statements.

The 7th of April with Venus trine Saturn could have us in contact with an old friend, someone who has seen us through past experiences of thick and thin. We may be reliant upon someone to provide us an objective critique of our plans and how we present ourselves. We can find comfort in that person we recognize to be solid, no-nonsense but a solid support system.

The second week of April might be more comfortable than the first week. Social occasions can be fun events, and we might feel that we have gotten back our pizzazz.

The 11th has the Sun square Pluto and Venus trine Mars. Even if we have experienced some knockdowns by the vagaries of life, we might realize that everyone, not only ourselves, have been going through some rough patches, all with the intention of helping us transform ourselves, getting rid of the extraneous to focus on the essential. There may be a stripping away of the dross, but such eliminations allow us to come from a soulful level. We could be feeling far more real, doing our own individual life journey according to our own particular needs and with little concern as to how other people react to us.

The fascinating aspect of coming from substance rather than mere appearance is that such a disposition becomes magnetic, drawing the ‘right’ people and connections to us, like moths drawn to our flame.

The Venus trine Mars on the 11th is followed on the 12th by Venus sextile Neptune. Connections made at this time could seem karmic with contacts providing assistance to help make our dreams come true. There can be an idyllic quality at this time, a sense of extra-dimensionality whereby we have stepped away from mundane reality and the rules of normalcy and entered into a magical, mystical time when people, things and situations come to us easily without our making things happen — an indication of the paradigm shift from linear, sequential reality where we believed we had to MAKE things happen into the asequential, nonlinear reality where life occurs by our being in synch with the natural unfolding of what seem to be random events of mini-miracles and magical being.

This altered disposition is spurred on by the energies on the 14th, when we are on the dark side of the Moon prior to the New Moon on the 15th. The 14th has Jupiter sextile Pluto and Mars sextile Neptune. We may feel on top of the world, and as though everything can go our way. Our sense of possibility may be strong, but it’s important that we keep in mind the fact that Mercury is about to turn direct on the 15th, and whenever Mercury is about to turn direction, whether from direct to retrograde or from retrograde to direct motion, things can get squirrely. We can enjoy our exuberance and enthusiasm, but it would be wise to temper it with a ‘wait and see’ attitude. This is a time when we can line our ducks up in a row, consider what our priorities and our resources are, and ask for divine guidance that our forward movements are done with finesse and right action.

The 15th has Mercury turning direct just shortly before the Aries New Moon. Although we are almost four weeks into the Spring season, we come fully into the springtime with the Aries New Moon and certainly made easier by Mercury turning direct. With a strong emphasis on the third decanate of Aries [the Sagittarius decanate] and with the Sun Moon conjunction being within orb of a conjunction with Uranus, this New Moon and the two week period it influences up to the Full Moon on the 29th provides the energy for us to engage new directions that are attuned to our philosophical beliefs as to how we choose to do life. We might consider foreign travel, distant trips, higher education and taking a more thoughtful approach to our days ahead. This New Moon would be suggested as a time for us to consider our resolutions for the astrological year ahead with optimism and confidence that no matter what our journey entails we have the talents, abilities and support from those we meet along our way and from the universal forces to successfully grow and evolve through our walk along our path.

The third week of April has a great deal of change occurring with Saturn turning retrograde, the Sun entering Taurus and Pluto turning retrograde.

On the 17th of April, Venus opposes Jupiter, Venus trines Pluto, and Saturn turns retrograde. Now is a time for us to be astute, to marshal our resources, avoid excess and to realize that there are times when things take longer than we might like. We might have to pick and choose what we wish to engage and with whom we wish to participate. If we are conservative with our resources and selective in our choice of collaborators, we can be highly effective, productive and successful. But with Saturn turning retrograde, we may realize that things often have to percolate longer before implementation.

The Sun conjuncts Uranus on the 18th, the day before the Sun exits Aries to enter Taurus. We can discover new aspects of ourselves, determine how we can incorporate freedom of movement in our daily affairs, and consider where we shall place our energy in the days ahead. We are all looking to be free and autonomous and liberated from binding restrictions. It may take some time and effort to free ourselves from the ties that bind, but the first step in doing so is by our intention.

As the Sun moves from Aries into Taurus on the 19th, the Stellium of three planets in Aries ends. Increasingly, we may find ourselves less impetuous and more willing to take things step by step. That does not necessarily mean linear steps of one in front of the other but could instead allow for side steps at times, leaps and bounds at other times. We’ve entered a brand new world, a brand new year, and with the Sun moving into Taurus we can transition from the impulse of new directions to the seed planting for our intended new trajectories. From concept into manifestation.

The 22nd has Pluto turning retrograde. Earlier in the week we had Saturn in Capricorn turning retrograde and on the 22nd Pluto turns retrograde. With these two slow-moving planets transiting Capricorn and now retrograde, we could experience various traditional and stable institutions revealing inherent weakness and structural malaise. Bombings and geophysical activity of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes often occur when Pluto turns direction. This week is a time for us to tread carefully and be mindful of our surroundings. People can be acting out, venting their frustrations in irrational acts.

Mars sextiles Jupiter and Venus exits Taurus to enter Gemini on the 24th. Our persistence and determination could have us pushing through any obstacles. Not only can we be highly productive; nothing is likely to fall between the cracks. We are able to cut to the core and deal with the essential ingredients of any situation all the while that we are keenly aware of the specifics. With Venus exiting its own Sign of Taurus to enter Gemini, we finally have a planet transiting the Air Element after two months of having very little Air, except for the occasional transit of the Moon through the Air Signs. We can be engaging and in contact with any number of people. Our communications, even despite the Mercury retrograde, can be pleasant and charming and range a wide variety of topics.

The 25th of April has Mercury square Saturn. While we may have been more attentive to our personal matters, and especially those that are forward-looking, we might discover some outstanding matter that needs to be addressed. Things overlooked may have to be dealt with, but let’s not put on blinders, close off our peripheral vision, and fall into a funk of feeling obstructed or delayed. Sometimes the bumps in the road provide the opportunity of review and reworking issues we once thought resolved. It would be wise to give thought to any lingering situations that need to be concluded.

Mars conjuncts Pluto on the 26th, and this energy configuration can be incredibly powerful. Pluto is the higher octave of Mars and they both co-rule Scorpio, the Sign accentuated over the weekend with the Scorpio Full Moon to close out the month of April. There can be explosions, implosions, geophysical activity, people acting out and other forms of dramatic, even violent, release. If we use the energy wisely and can harness this powerful configuration, then we could virtually move mountains. We can be like bulldozers forging ahead and knocking down anything that gets in our way. It is far wiser to be proactive with this energy than subject to it.

We come to the end of April with the Scorpio Full Moon on the 29th and with the Sun trine Saturn. The intensity generated on the 26th with the Mars Pluto conjunction can continue through the end of this month with a crescendo occurring with the Scorpio Full Moon on the 29th. This is a time of sorting through our various involvements, considering what to keep and what to be rid of. Coming as it does on the weekend, this may be a good time for a good Spring clean up and clear out. We can be more focused on the truly important activities that we wish to encourage and at the same time aware of areas of our life that we need to shed. This is a time for us to work smarter rather than harder and to cut away the dross while accenting the real purpose of our daily activities.

May begins with us considering many varied options. We might have more of a spring in our step and feel as though we have embraced the promise of renewal and rebirth that the Spring season offers. Nothing may be too much for us, but we do have to be wary that we do not start juggling so many activities that we exhaust ourselves or find ourselves doing a lot without getting much done.

The 6th of May has the Sun sextile Neptune, and we might prefer to laze the day away. We are not interested in conflict or doing too much on this Sunday. We would prefer to reflect and contemplate and consider possibilities that have no limitations. This Sunday might be a time for a walk in the park or down by the seashore or just sitting back and enjoying a cool one. No pressure today, as we step off into our own reveries, a most mystical space where ideas flow and abstracts and concepts all have the prospect of becoming real. A nice day to get away into our own personal realm.

If we were able to step away from mundane reality into a perfect world of our own on the 6th of May, we might have been able to recharge our batteries. And that would have been a good thing, for the second week of May can prove daunting with us attempting to turn the maze of our lives into a labyrinth, going from mass confusion into the centering of our soul.

This second week of May starts on Monday the 7th with Mercury square Pluto and Venus square Neptune. This could prove a no-win time when we are besieged by belligerence and we discover different, and quite possibly unappealing, characteristics in someone. We might want to keep our head down, not engage in discussions that could become heated or try to win our point. This may be a time for us to tiptoe through the day and avoid stepping on any landmines, if only we could know where those mines lay hidden. It would be wise for us to be careful out there, maintain vigilance, be mindful and keenly aware of dramatic shifts in the energies.

The 8th of May has the Sun opposed Jupiter. Whether we stepped in it yesterday or not, we could be trying to justify ourselves on this Tuesday. A liability to overreach might be strong, and we can be overgenerous, extravagant, blindly optimistic and in the process digging ourselves a hole from which it would be hard to get out. These first two days of this second week of May may prove challenging, but it would be wise to take a Taoist approach to these days and keep in mind the sentiments of Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching: “The soft overcomes the hard; and the weak the strong.”

The end of the second week of May could allow us to prioritize our involvements and draw upon our inner resources to accomplish our goals. The Sun trines Pluto on the 11th. We can dig deep into ourselves and concentrate on what has true purpose and significant meaning for us. Determination and persistence combined with ‘right’ action might be the necessary fuel to get us moving. Once we gird our loins and focus our intent, we may be able to virtually move mountains.

The 12th of May has Mercury square Mars. This energy configuration asks us to engage brain before brawn, to think things through before launching forward. If we are impetuous in our thoughts and in our actions, we may find ourselves slamming up against a brick wall of resistance. The key to this day is patience. Recognizing that timing is everything both in astrology and in life itself goes a long way in avoiding or, at the very least, mitigating pitfalls and engaging more opportune times for successful results. We may be champing at the bit on this Saturday, but Sunday can provide openings we cannot imagine on Saturday.

Mercury conjuncts Uranus on the 13th just before Mercury exits Aries to enter Taurus. With Mercury in the Sign ruled by Venus and Venus in a Sign ruled by Mercury, we have a Mutual Reception enhancing the power of each and of both. Mercury conjunct Uranus asks us to have our antennae up and work with peripheral vision. We may have some startling insights and learn remarkable news. If we didn’t push the envelope yesterday and run smack dab into a brick wall, this Sunday provides the element of serendipity whereby things can occur in a most unexpected, even magical, manner. We might evidence the truth of the paradigm shift where we do not have to make things happen but rather need to be open to receive in even miraculous ways. This can be a time of revelations. We do have to watch this high frequency energy whereby Uranus combines with its higher octave of Mercury. We can either be close to genius or fall into a maddening state, all determined by how we can work with the energy.

The third week of May is a highly charged and highly changing week. We have four Sign changes, as various planets move from one Sign to another. We have a New Moon, and perhaps the most significant Sign change is Uranus exiting Aries to enter Taurus for a brief prelude before Uranus moves into Taurus in March of 2019 for a seven-year cycle through the Fixed Earth Sign.

The Taurus New Moon on the 15th of May is the same day that Uranus exits Aries to enter Taurus. We now have a Stellium of three planets in Taurus as Uranus joins Mercury and the Sun in the Fixed Earth Sign. Our relationship with money, finances, our self worth are all likely to be issues that may go through significant review and important changes. I’ll write in a separate post the significance of Uranus in Taurus and what this transit is likely to entail.

On the 16th, Mars exits Capricorn to enter Aquarius. In so doing, Mars ends the Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Earth Sign and triggers a strong impetus for independence. People are likely to accentuate their individuality with few restrictions and little willingness to accommodate social correctness. Everyone may be doing their own thing, marching to their own drummer with clear delineations giving way to a kaleidoscope of characteristics.

The 18th has Mercury trine Saturn. We can be quite adept in presenting things both with substance and in an appealing manner. We may seem to have a certain gravitas regarding whatever subject we choose to speak on. It would be hard to dispute what is said, for the empirical can back up the case, and the way things are said can be convivial and engaging. How can one argue with a combination of facts and pleasantries?

The third of four Sign changes during this third week of May comes with Venus exiting Gemini to enter Cancer on the 19th, shortly followed on the same day by Venus sextile Uranus. We might consider home projects and investing monies into creating a greater comfort zone for ourselves. We could also become aware of new technologies or inventions that would make our life far easier. This is a time when serendipitous encounters can feel like meeting a good friend or extended family member. We may be making plans for family get-togethers and consider hosting reunions in our home or traveling for our reconnections.

The Sun exits Taurus and enters Gemini on the 20th, the fourth of this week’s Sign changes. The move into Gemini by the Sun also ends the Stellium of three planets in Taurus. We may feel impelled to have the world as our oyster and engage any number of activities. Our commitment to any one thing might not be strong, for we may be more taken with the idea of sampling many, varied things. A greater sense of being ‘young at heart’ can also give us a greater thrust of energy as we fly from one thing to another to yet another. This is the time of year when we truly believe and engage the concept that variety is the spice of life.

An other-worldly quality can be a large feature of this latter part of May. It will be important that we stay grounded, even if our tendency may be to lose ourselves in reveries.

Mercury sextiles Neptune on the 22nd of May. Our intuitive sense can be heightened and we can blend visionary foresight with a detailed approach to come up with a solid understanding of what is going on. We might also be doing some springtime projects to brighten our home and enliven our environment. Creating sanctuary for ourselves can provide a base of operations that is mental, emotionally and psychically supportive.

It is important that we are not carried away by mental meanderings and lose our footing or lift off the ground. The liability to becoming ungrounded might be pronounced on the 23rd when Mercury opposes Jupiter and the Sun trines Mars. We might assume that we can do it all and then some. In such a case, we could take on more than we can truly handle, and in the process stretch our resources beyond reasonable limits. We may need some braking action to keep us from our overdoing.

A truly primo period seems to be Friday, May 25th when Jupiter trines Neptune and Mercury trines Pluto. This is a day when we can truly excel at ‘rendering under Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto god that which is god’s’. Our spiritual sense can be strong and we match it with a due diligence that can be laser-like in focus. We have an inner confidence, a faith that is not blind but a faith in ourselves and in our guiding destiny that impels us forward. We may feel that we are in the right place at the right time and that we are being divinely guided. At the same time, our mental abilities are acute and able to concentrate on the truly meaningful with strict attention to detail. We can have an understanding that all is right in the world — that every thing in our life is occurring in accord with a master plan, the divine design.

Let’s recognize that moments of full awareness are often offered us to affirm our journey and to bolster our faith in going forward. But they are often moments, brief interludes, times when we connect with spirit and the universal forces and get a breather from mundane reality.

Mundane reality can stare us square in the face on the 26th of May as Venus opposes Saturn. There can be reconnections with old friends or with family members. Obligations to get together on this long Memorial Day weekend in the US, the unofficial kickoff to summer, may be obligations too strong to resist. Let’s be wary of our interactions with other people. We might prefer to hide out but at least making an appearance can assuage any feelings of how one should engage social situations.

The highlight to the end of May is the Sagittarius Full Moon on the 29th, the same day that Mercury exits Taurus to enter its own Sign of Gemini. We could be giving thought to our summer travel plans and thinking about the weekend trips for reunions and get-togethers. Our sentiment may be ‘the more, the merrier’ with the intention of spreading our wings and avoiding any wing clippers. We are looking to expand our reach and have many irons in the fire as we move towards the end of Spring season and into our Summertime activities.

June begins on a high note with the likelihood of various social occasions or casual get-together.

The 1st of June has Mercury trine Mars and Venus trine Jupiter. We can be talking a blue streak, engaging anyone and everyone within earshot. Our thoughts could revolve around our future plans, but all with the desire of being available to any and all who are in need of our comfort and support. We might be idealistic, assuming that the world is a beautiful place [and it is], but without taking into account the negatives or downsides in daily life.

The early part of June can seem quite idyllic with us being on something of a high. We are more likely to embrace the concept that everything is beautiful in its own way and that everyone is beautiful in their own way. This first weekend in June can have us seeing the glass as half full and filling up to overflow with good tidings and joy.

This feel good quality is further enhanced on the 2nd with Venus trine Neptune. We can feel as though we are cavorting with the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. Relationships can be close to ideal and we might have the sense that we are engaging with our soulmate[s].

This first weekend in June can be close to perfection. Let’s savor our interactions with people and consider the prospects for a better future for ourselves and for those people we know. Intention goes a long way to manifestation. But it is also wise to appreciate the cycles in life — that there are good times when we feel like we’re riding the crest of the waves, other times when we can get discouraged and feel like we’re down in the trough of the waves or getting body slammed.

Early June can be incredibly pleasant but as we come into the first full week of June we have to be careful that we are not finding ourselves in a fool’s paradise, wanting things to be a certain way but deceiving ourselves and falling prey to the vicissitudes of life.

The 5th of June has the Sun conjunct Mercury and Venus opposed Pluto. We can continue to believe that everything is wonder-filled [and it truly is], but disassociation with reality can come with a heavy price. We have to be careful that we don’t get hoodwinked by someone friendly to us only because of something they want or expect from us. I often suggest to ‘check the source and check their agenda’ and such an admonition would be wise at this time. We could easily feel taken advantage of by someone if we let down our guard.

A lack of clarity could be strong on the 6th and the 7th when first Mercury, on the 6th, and then the Sun on the 7th, both square Neptune. We might feel confused, misunderstand what is being told to us, and fall prey to self-doubt. These two days are days when it would be wise to avoid significant decisions, for we might not have a true picture of what is going on and we might feel in a more reactive, even victimized, mode than a proactive stance.

The 5th through the 7th can be considered ‘mental health’ days, days when we step away from our routine and provide ourselves with self-care.

The discrepancy between the first weekend in June and the 5th through the 7th can be stark, and may be indicative of going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

On the 12th, Mercury exits its own Sign of Gemini to enter Cancer. Our thoughts can turn to home and family, and we might seek the safety and comfort of our own sanctuary. We could find respite in the ‘tried and true’. We are on the dark side of the Moon prior to the New Moon on the 13th, and this day would be a time for us to relax and refresh and prepare for the next round of the waxing Moon.

The Gemini New Moon on the 13th of June is in the third Decanate of Gemini [the Aquarius decanate] and speaks to all things being possible. This imprint for the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 28th opens doors to surprising and thrilling options and alternatives. The New Moon imprint is further energized by Mercury sextile Uranus and Venus exiting Cancer to enter Leo. We may have some startling insights with ideas as to how to transform our environment — our home, our work, the many different venues of our ‘space’. We are willing to embrace our uniqueness and looking to engage the iconoclastic and avant garde in what we do and with whom we choose to do it. We are moving into a highly creative time, but also a time when we are willing to march to our own drummer no matter how discordant our sounds might seem.

A sense of the discordant can occur both on the 14th and 15th of June when Venus squares Uranus on the 14th and Mercury opposes Saturn on the 15th.

Our creative pursuits and our desire for more fun in our lives could come with extreme expense. We might want what we want but with little regard to our financial expenditures. In our wish to accentuate our individuality, we may even step across social correctness with a possible blowback from someone we know or finding ourselves losing favor with certain people. Either we can gird our loins and heighten our presence of uniqueness even to the point of bizarre quirkiness or we might retreat into our own safe, happy place but feeling somewhat despondent by the lack of appreciation for our stepping out.

In a society that has been celebrating individual uniqueness over collective responsibility, we may be surprised that our own personal stamp could have such a nasty reaction. Like a metronome, the extremes are eventually brought into balance, and so it might be if our touch of creativity in our personal expression seems extreme to others that we then flip into a withdrawal until we finally find a happy mean of creative self-expression that other people can accept if not appreciate.

The end of the Spring season comes with Neptune turning retrograde on the 18th, followed by Mercury triggering a Water Grand Trine as Mercury transiting Cancer trines Jupiter in Scorpio on the 19th, and Mercury trines Neptune in Pisces on the 20th. Even if we suffer discouragement on the 15th, we end the Spring season feeling encouraged and nurtured with the realization that each of us truly has our own personal happy, safe space where people like us and love us.

Spring 2018… finding our way…