Spring 2020

The Sun enters Aries on the 19th – 20th at the Vernal Equinox to begin the Spring season.

We now have the Fire Element engaged, which has been lacking since mid-February when Mars exited Sagittarius to enter Capricorn.

The imprint for the Spring season has the Stellium of four planets in Capricorn with Mars, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn all in the Cardinal Earth Sign, and all in the third decanate [Virgo] of Capricorn.

With the thrust of ‘Spring fever’ from the Aries Sun and the Moon in Aquarius to begin the season, we may be looking at forging ahead in new directions, all the while that we focus on our goals without losing sight of the specifics involved.

On the 20th, Mars conjuncts Jupiter. We may be determined to advance our interests and willing to do so with persistence and keen attention to detail. Similar to the sense of the Spring season being the season of rebirth and renewal, we are likely to be ready for new beginnings and for reengaging projects we might have put on the back shelf. We do need to be wary that we don’t push too hard with the idea that our optimism and confidence can carry us through whatever circumstances we might encounter along the way.

The 21st has a major Sign change as Saturn exits Capricorn to enter Aquarius. The transit through Aquarius this year may be brief, a relatively short introduction to the two and a half year transit of the Fixed Air Sign. This Saturn transit through Aquarius continues into the 1st of July when Saturn retrogrades back into Capricorn until mid-December when Saturn enters Aquarius for its full transit of the Fixed Air Sign until Saturn exits Aquarius and enters Pisces in March of 2023.

This brief introduction of Saturn in Aquarius over the next three plus months will provide some clues as to how the longer transit of Saturn through the Fixed Air Sign may play for us. Saturn rules Capricorn.

In traditional Astrology, the ‘ancient’ planets ruled two Signs, one of the masculine, positive Signs and one of the feminine, negative [not pejorative] Signs. With the discovery, really re-discovery, of the modern planets of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, several of the ‘ancient’ planets and their rule of two Signs have been discounted.

In truth, three Signs now have a co-rulership with the ‘modern’ planets and the ‘ancient’ planets. Scorpio has both Pluto and Mars as co-rulers. Pisces has both Neptune and Jupiter as co-rulers. And Aquarius has both Uranus and Saturn as co-rulers.

With Saturn’s entry into Aquarius what can we expect? Certainly, one area of universal unfolding during the Saturn transit of Aquarius will be technological development.

We have merely scratched the surface of what can be achieved. Further development of A.I. [artificial intelligence], robotics, bio-technology are likely to make rapid advances. The quantum leaps in technological development may seem an incredible boon to humankind, but will we lose our humanity along the way?

One time frame to be concerned about the question I raise may occur as early as mid-winter 2021 through the Spring of 2021 and again at the end of 2021 into early 2022 when Saturn and Uranus will be in square aspect. We could see some of the liabilities associated with the technological revolution — e.g. the displacement of human labor in the economy by robotics, and artificial intelligence to the extreme of what Arthur C. Clarke wrote about in his book Childhood’s End and co-wrote with Stanley Kubrick in the screenplay for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey where the computer HAL 9000 with its artificial intelligence turns villainous. Will we be left wondering: what hell hath mankind wrought?

That is then, this is now.

It would be wise to notate how the Saturn transit of Aquarius is impacting us directly and specifically.

The 22nd and 23rd of March are two very powerful days, days that can be highly productive with remarkable insights, fascinating encounters, and a determination to build upon solid foundations.

The 22nd of March has Mercury sextile Uranus and Venus sextile Neptune. Considering the law of octaves, Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury, and Neptune is the higher octave of Venus. We can get some remarkable insights, uplifting news, and surprising information. As if channeling from a higher realm, we may figure out the most expeditious ways to accomplish our goals. In addition, our relationships can be close to ideal with a soul-like connection with other people. Whatever we touch today can turn to the alchemical gold. These two energy configurations could prove the truth of serendipity and the idea of ‘being in the right place at the right time’.

Virtually in tandem with these two highly pleasant and rather extraordinary energy configurations, the 23rd has Mars conjunct Pluto, possibly one of the most powerful configurations as Pluto is the higher octave of Mars. The passion and intensity may know no bounds. The effect can be an either or situation. Either we have the indefatigable energy to virtually move mountains or things could come crashing down. It is essential that we harness the energy with a focus and concentration. Otherwise, this energy might provoke belligerence, explosive behavior, and a liability of leaving in ruins everything in our wake. This energy is an all or nothing quality with liable explosions, implosions and unstoppable force. Let’s just hope the force on this day is with us.

The 22nd – 23rd of March are two highly significant days, days when we may be privy to the magic and miracles of the paradigm shift and could provide us with the will to transform our lives or accept the transformation to our lives forced upon us by the universal unfolding.

This latter part of March may turn out to be one of our most productive and scintillating periods.

The 28th of March has Venus, transiting its own Sign of Taurus, trine both Jupiter and Pluto both in Capricorn. The two ‘good guys’ of the planetary realm, Venus and Jupiter, are in harmonious aspect. This Saturday would be a day when we might be engaged in makeovers — shopping for our wardrobe or home accessories, altering our appearance, or cleaning out the old and replacing it with the new. The key element to this day is to embrace the transformations that each of us is going through. A clean up and clear out may be called for. The more we can focus on the essentials, what is truly important to our new sense of self, the less clutter we shall have to attend to. What we have to be wary of is any tendency to overdo, for there is a liability of spending too much, getting too much, and engaging in excesses galore. And we are likely to easily justify our expenditures as a necessary part and process of our major makeovers and our alchemical transformation. While we can be impelled to put a good face on everything in our lives, there are times when less is truly more. This Saturday may be one of those days.

We end the month of March with our focus on our future.

The 30th has Mars exiting Capricorn and entering Aquarius where on the 31st Mars conjuncts Saturn. The Mars exit of Capricorn brings closure to the Capricorn Stellium of three or more planets in the Cardinal Earth Sign that has gone on since early December of 2019.

Our energy turns toward our options and our alternatives, ways by which we can embrace our autonomy, greater freedom of our movement, and our independence. We are truly on the threshold of quantum leap advances in the Technological Revolution.

While fear mongers may wring their hands in despair about the doom and gloom of our society and the apocalypse of these times, those people who are willing to lift their heads to the far horizons will see the limitless possibilities that inventions and the innovative can bring forward with the mantram ever repeated of ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’.

We come into April somewhat akin to Noah’s Ark with twosomes of planets in Signs. The month begins with Venus and Uranus in Taurus, Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn, Mars and Saturn in Aquarius, and Mercury and Neptune in Pisces. The Moon is in Cancer, the Sign that the Moon rules. And the Sun is in the second decanate [the Leo decanate] of Aries with the Sun ruling Leo.

Nothing is likely done in half measure as we begin this month. It may seem an all or nothing attitude. And therein lies a problem, for with Mercury in Detriment and in close conjunction with Neptune our imagination may rule our thinking with a liability towards generating anxiety, fear, panic. Here we go again!

Although much of society is on lockdown with various closures and calls for self-quarantining, we can use these times to reestablish a connection with our faith, the spiritual aspect of our being. While the balance has been lost in the old admonition to ‘render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and unto God that which is God’s’ with a recent emphasis upon the material realm, the concern over the pandemic upon us offers us the opportunity to reengage our spirituality.

As the Spring season provides evidence in nature of rebirth and renewal, we too could use this season for our own renaissance, a rebirth and realignment with our true purpose in our present earth life’s journey. We may reconnect on a soul level with the real meaning to our existence.

We might not have used the power packs of Capricorn and Pisces to our advantage over the recent weeks, whereby we could have used our foresight and intuition to develop a best practices approach to address our challenges. But we still have the Pisces – Capricorn influence, so not all is lost. If we don’t fall prey to the fear-mongering and play the victim card, then we may be able to take a proactive approach, clean up our style of living so that we concentrate on our personal responsibility for our own well-being through engaging a healthy lifestyle which includes disciplining our mind and our attitudes.

The 3rd of April has Venus exiting its own Sign of Taurus to enter Gemini, and Mercury conjunct Neptune. We may be far more willing to open wide the realm of possibilities, but we have to be wary as to whether our considerations are practical or nonsensical. Certainly during this paradigm shift whereby things can occur in a most unexpected manner, even to the point of seeming magical, our imagination can run riot with a vast assortment of ideas and propositions. The key to the successful development of ideas is a strong filtration process with the essential element being our deep passion for the projects we are considering.

Fortunately, on the 4th of April we could gain some assistance in our evaluations. With Venus trine Saturn, someone could be a valuable asset in objectively assessing our options and providing pros and cons to our wide range of considerations. Once we hone our interests, the Jupiter conjunct Pluto later on the 4th would instill confidence for us to push forward with certain projects in a practical and manageable fashion. Now is a time for us to embrace an ‘up’ disposition with the recognition that we can successfully handle anything thrown our way.

The 7th of April has the Libra Full Moon. Similar to any Full Moon, our intensity can be ratcheted up. Our focus may be more geared toward our future rather than our present. Needless to say, things always seem far easier achieved in concept than in practical implementation. By Sign, we have a Grand Trine in the Air Element, with all three Signs of the Air Element being engaged. On this day of the Full Moon and prior to it being exact, Mars squares Uranus and Mercury sextiles both Pluto and Jupiter. We have to avoid being impetuous and rash in our actions, for we could be accident prone on this Tuesday. Let’s take a defensive approach when driving and not rush into anything. We might need to instill braking actions into our day. Without it, we could go headlong into the fray with brawn overriding brain with liable drastic consequences. If we slow things down, take braking actions in evaluating and reevaluating, then we can use our thrust of energy in a pragmatic manner with attention both to the bigger picture and to the smallest detail.

The 11th of April has Mercury ending its transit of Pisces and entering Aries. Can we get a ‘hallelujah’? For almost all of the time since the beginning of February, Mercury has been in Pisces, a Sign of Detriment for Mercury, where our thinking is emotional rather than rational, our fears trump the empirical, and we are liable to devolve into a roller coaster of anxiety, fear, panic and various other negative attributes [e.g. hoarding, belligerence, erratic driving and the like]. In addition to Mercury being in Pisces, we also had the Mercury retrograde, and Mercury impacted by Neptune. Perhaps it has felt to many of us as though our lives have been upended and we found ourselves in a horror film of increasing dystopia. Our world was falling apart, a sentiment given greater import by the ‘news’ media presenting the bad and the ugly and negating any semblance of the good.

Except for those people who have worked upon themselves, have done the internal work, and consequently have greater resources to cope with challenges, many other people fell apart. Others of us have experienced severe disruptions in the past. I, for one, grew up in a British household and was constantly reminded of wartime experiences during the blitz bombings in London and the food rations. Many other people have experienced similar situations or worse.

Not to discount the severity of any illness or disease, the furor over COVID19 is more reminiscent of the historical pandemonium over the Spanish Flu [probably a term no longer politically correct] pandemic of 1918. That was then and this is now.

Let’s remember that the influenza of 1918 came during the last year of World War I. The global stress was accentuated whereas today we have been living during an economic boom time. Back in that earlier time, little known was about viruses, the medical infrastructure didn’t exist and what medical services were available were largely deployed to the wartime activities. We have come a long way since then, and eventually the crisis will pass.

With Mercury entering Aries on the 11th, followed that same day with Mercury sextile Saturn, we can turn the corner. Our imagination no longer needs to get the better of us. We could feel more proactive, better able to handle whatever comes our way, and with a ‘can do’ attitude.

The movement of Mercury into Aries adds more Fire to our makeup. Prior to the Vernal Equinox last month when the Sun entered Aries, we had no Fire in the collective chart since mid-February, except for the occasional transit through a Fire Sign by the Moon. Now we may be more self-focused, more willing to take a proactive approach, and less susceptible to being reactive or playing the victim card.

I have written before that these times are times of incredible disruption, times of paradigm shift. While unsettling and liable to be uncomfortable, these times demand flexibility and adaptability. These times speak to realignment and a complete RESET.

The 14th – 15th of April may be a little dicey with the Sun square Pluto on the 14th and the Sun square Jupiter on the 15th. Evidence might suggest a flattening of the curve regarding the incidence of COVID19. We are likely to feel that the worst is behind us, but we could still experience the restrictions and limitations placed upon us by the societal lockdown that has been imposed. Other nations may be in the throes of the pandemic, but we are more than ready to get on with our lives.

Patience is called for, a rare quality these days.

And there may be little patience on the 18th of April when Mercury in Aries sextiles Venus in Gemini and Mercury sextiles Mars in Aquarius. Egged on by someone or by something we hear, we could push ahead blithely, assuming that nothing can stop us, much less get in our way. We might be looking at the distant horizon rather than the steps necessary in between to get us from where we are to where we want to be. As the saying goes: ‘the pathway to hell is paved with good intentions.’ We may have the right intentions, feel confident in our abilities, but perhaps not draw upon the necessary due diligence to seriously consider the circumstance and conditions along the way ahead.

A slowdown can occur, braking action engaged, as the Sun exits Aries to enter Taurus on the 19th of April. A go-slow attitude with a tendency to take things step by step might be more characteristic now. No leaping ahead for us especially during these disruptive times when we don’t know whether leaping ahead will be fortuitous or land us in a deep hole.

Caution may be a little too prevalent on the 21st of April. The Sun squares Saturn. On the one hand, we might have high hopes for our planned projects and activities. On the other hand, we may question whether we have the resources to move forward. If we rely upon the circumstances and the experiences of our past, we could be sorely disappointed. There is no going back. We are on a threshold crossing from one paradigm with its distinctive set of conditions into a new paradigm with a totally different set of circumstances. This is a time for each of us to make a realignment. We might have to look back as to where we’ve been, discard that which no longer serves us, but also not be held back by our past or accepted responsibilities that are more of a drag on us than a benefit.

The Taurus New Moon on the 22nd of April and its imprint on the next two weeks calls for us to think outside the box and to implement streamlined methodology. Now is not a time to go whole hog with changes. Nor is it a time for us to hold back out of trepidation of embracing change. The more we can shift things, even ever so slightly, we might discover that there is almost a natural transition and alteration that occurs. Let’s keep in mind, always keep in mind almost mantram-like, that we are in a paradigm shift moving into asequential reality where things can change suddenly and dramatically without a moment’s notice. It may rock our world at times, open doors of unexpected opportunities at other times.

The weekend of the 25th – 26th could be overblown. Mercury squares Pluto just before Pluto turns retrograde on the 25th, followed on the 26th with Mercury square Jupiter and the Sun conjunct Uranus. People could be a little too self-absorbed, even narcissistic, and willing to argue for their point no matter the damage they may wreak. The shift in direction with Pluto often coincides with explosions, blasts, and major actings out. This is a weekend that calls for caution in what we say and how much we do. We might feel like a legend in our own mind and unwilling to brook any interference. We are likely to do whatever we want to do no matter how it plays to other people or to the prevailing standards.

The 27th of April has Mercury exiting Aries to enter Taurus. We may have a better handle on how we express ourselves. We are less likely to speak impulsively, more likely to consider our audience and how best to present our thoughts and ideas. The entry of Mercury into Taurus triggers a Stellium in the Fixed Earth Sign as Mercury joins the Sun and Uranus in Taurus. Similar to much of the Winter season, we are losing any planet in the Fire Element and consequently losing some of the fire in our belly. We may be less impatient but also more reactive to situations rather than taking a proactive stance. We also have to watch for a tendency towards stubbornness. Let’s keep in mind that these times demand flexibility and adaptability. Even if we don’t like some of the situations that arise, there is no point in stomping our feet and being rigid to the point of negatively impacting ourselves.

The 28th could test our ability to adjust to the changing landscape of our lives. Mercury squares Saturn. If we went off on someone over the previous weekend, and certainly a possibility, this Tuesday may be a day when we might have to eat some crow. Making amends for past indiscretions or mistakes could have us apologizing, making nice, and admitting our mea culpa. We can have our prospects in mind but question our ability to realize our future trajectory.

During these times, it is essential that we realize that we are not alone in our journey. We may still be social distancing, a behavior that began far sooner than the COVID19 virus and began with the mass adoption of social media. But this paradigm shift encourages us to realize that we are co-creators with the universal unfolding with things sometimes occurring in a most magical, even miraculous, manner.

We could see evidence of the magic of these times on the 30th of April to close out the month as Mercury conjuncts Uranus. The sense of serendipity, of being in the right place at the right time, can be apparent as we hear about something or have a significant encounter, any of which provides ‘ah-ha’ moments of startling revelations.

These times speak to the push-pull between old and new, as we shift from one paradigm into a totally different style of paradigm. We many not always feel in control of situations, but we might become privy to the truth that ‘the universe has far greater plans for us than we could ever imagine for ourselves’.

Again, the key elements of flexibility and adaptability are called for. We need to be open to the components of the changing landscape in order to receive its blessings.

We come into May with a greater appreciation that things can occur in a most unexpected manner if we are willing to take off the blinders and be willing to look with peripheral vision rather than the narrow focus of what merely lies straight ahead of us.

The question of balance is key during these times of push-pull between old and new. We might feel as though we are crossing a narrow balance beam and trying to maintain our balance. Our old self can be in conflict with our new interests, new hopes and new sense of self. Certainly, much of our past may have to be discarded in order to make room for our new circumstances, new conditions, and new ambitions.

A factor of confusion as to what is real and what is hype, between true substance and vapid appearance, can test us on the 3rd of May when Venus squares Neptune. In our relationships we have to be wary for dancing with the trickster, someone who appears one way, the reality being quite different. Venus squares Neptune on the 3rd, and we might be lulled by the haunting sirens. In the native American traditions, the coyote is considered the trickster, for the coyote has a beguiling call that draws its prey only to have the coyote pounce on it. There were many nights on our ranch property in the southern part of Monterey County in rural California when I heard the lilting sounds of the coyote call. This time on the 3rd of May asks us not to buy into the idyllic, the presentation or the appearance, without being certain that what we see is what we get.

Even if we are momentarily deceived, our clarity of thought can be strong on the 4th of May as the Sun conjuncts Mercury. Our reasoning mind could analyze issues in stark detail without letting emotion get in the way. We are less likely to be led astray as we put things under our scrutiny. If we have a case to be made, our arguments may be irrefutable and presented in a most appealing manner.

The 7th of May has the Scorpio Full Moon with Mercury sextile Neptune. We might have a greater sense of what our personal journey is truly about with our intention to focus on the meaningful and our true purpose. Our spiritual being is enhanced, and we are likely to consider removing those matters in our life that don’t contribute to our well-being. While our soul and spirit are highlighted, we can determine what superfluous and what dross in our lives we need to be rid of. Our intuitive nature heightened, we instinctively see how best to eliminate the extraneous and concentrate on the meaningful.

The upcoming weekend of the 9th – 10th of May would be a good time for a Spring clean-up and clear-out.

The 9th has Mercury trine Pluto, followed on the 10th with Mercury trine Jupiter. The Sun sextiles Neptune on the 10th. This weekend heightens our mental acuity. We can dissect whatever is going on, cut to the core, and focus on the essential fundamentals. We are not interested in diversions or distractions but rather on creating the foundation stones of the ‘new normal’ for our lives. Just as the Spring season is a time of rebirth and renewal, this weekend allows us to concentrate on our own personal renaissance. The imposed hibernation of the past few weeks and the hysteria of reactivity can lessen. Our sense of restriction may not be as imposing as it has been, and out of all of this frenzy we can determine what really works for us and what is a needless interference. As though unencumbered by weighty obligations that might have tied us down, we may be looking at creating greater space, even a blank slate, from which to draw over the ensuing days and months. The restrictions imposed by the reaction to the COVID19 have allowed us to reflect, contemplate and consider how to do life rather than our merely reacting to how life is doing us.

Many of us may have had a spiritual epiphany as a result of the recent craziness operating in the world-at-large. We might have deeply considered what we are doing with our lives, and we could have given greater thought as to the changes – TRANSFORMATIONS – that we wish to make to our lives.

The next week of May 11th through the 17th has a great deal of retrograde motion going on and two significant Sign changes. We might feel like we’re doing the Texas two-step where we have taken one step forward and now have to take two steps back.

The week begins on the 11th with Saturn turning retrograde. A yearly cycle that lasts about four and a half months, Saturn retrograde has a tendency to increased delays and consequently frustrations. We might have to go back over matters we thought once completed. The 11th also has Mercury square Mars just before Mercury exits Taurus to enter its own Sign of Gemini on the 11th, followed by Mars exiting Aquarius to enter Pisces on the 13th.

The 11th may be a day when we try to ‘rush the river’. Our belief, an old mindset, that we can make things happen is liable to land us Sisyphus-like with everything rolling back on top of us. Born from an increase in confidence by our past weekend’s successes, we might try too hard to do too much, and then the pushback could occur.

The Mercury entry into Gemini, a Sign that Mercury rules, ends the Stellium of three planets in Taurus. Our mind is more engaged with a wide assortment of possibilities.

With Mercury trine Saturn on the 12th of May, we can begin to focus on what is truly attainable. Interactions with other people can give us good suggestions as to what we should pursue and how best to pursue it.

The 13th of May has Mars exiting Aquarius to enter Pisces. Our physical energy can go through wild swings largely determined by our moods and our emotions. This Wednesday also has Venus turning retrograde, followed on the 14th by Jupiter turning retrograde.

Three planets turn retrograde between the 11th and 14th of May. Forward movement may seem harder to come by as our forward progress may seem more like a slog through the quagmire.

No matter how expeditious our movements may be, the 15th and 17th provide us with the confidence and determination to pursue our dreams and concentrate on our ambitions. The Sun trines Pluto on the 15th, and the Sun trines Jupiter on the 17th. Our focus on the most significant may help us overcome any obstacles or impediments in the way. We have the perseverance to see our intentions made manifest. From the sense of our success in accomplishing our plans, we are likely to gain greater confidence in our abilities and increased enthusiasm for our goals.

The 20th of May has the Sun exiting Taurus to enter Gemini and creating a Stellium in the Mutable Air Sign as the Sun joins Venus and Mercury in the Mercury-ruled Sign. Venus squares Neptune. Increasingly, our attention and our interests may be to a wide range of activities and pursuits. Where a problem might arise is in the fact that things often look far more intriguing on first impression than when we actually get involved. Let’s not be seduced by the hype or the appearance and not rush into anything until we have taken a serious look into the matter.

While caution is advised, the suggestion is likely to be dismissed. The 22nd has the Gemini New Moon with the Sun Moon conjunction trine Saturn, Mercury conjunct Venus but Mercury and Venus by orb square to Neptune. If we do not rely upon past experience and the input from someone with an objective, detached viewpoint, we could easily enter a Fun House of possibilities replete with illusion, delusion, deceptions.

This New Moon configuration influences the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 5th of June. What we see may not be what we get, but we are still liable to be seduced by enticing words, fascinating images, and our own desire for good times after a period of panic and frenzy. Now is NOT a time to let down our guard, assume that we can take our hand off the tiller, and merely be accepting of whatever is happening. Let’s keep our wits about us.

May 25th is Memorial Day in the US, the unofficial start to the Summer season. With the Moon in Cancer and Mars sextile Uranus, there can be grand displays of appreciative remembrance for those who have served — the military and the first responders of fire personnel, police officers, paramedics and doctors and nurses. This day could be highlighted by some unexpected and uplifting event. We may gather with family and friends with a belief that the worst is over.

The Stellium in Gemini comes to closure on the 28th of May as Mercury exits its own Sign of Gemini and enters Cancer. Our thoughts may turn towards our home and family and plans we might have for reunions and summer staycations.

June begins with our attention turned to our relationships, those people that add so much to our lives. Whether the transitions in relationships through social media to social distancing have created a personal divide, we may be more considerate of our friends and family, our neighbors and strangers.

The upsets of these times of intense disruptions, realignments and reset may have proven difficult for people and especially difficult for those people who have not developed the skill set of coping, much less adapting to changing circumstances and changes which have occurred without even a moment’s notice.

Our compassion for those people suffering from the weight of the alterations to our lives, the insecurities and the fears, could be engaged on the 2nd of June when Venus squares Mars. While we can make people aware of healing techniques and ways by which to learn how to cope with these changing times, we do have to watch that we do not become co-dependent, trying to fix things for people when they are being asked to fix things for themselves.

Misery may love company, but I suggest you not make it your company. Instead, maintaining an upbeat attitude, providing helpful hints and encouraging other people to find their way may prove far more effective in the long run.

Peter McWilliams and John-Roger wrote a book published in 1988 entitled You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought, a sentiment especially true during these times of reset.

When we are open to receive and embrace an attitude of gratitude, good things happen. When we allow fear to take hold, we draw to us negative consequences. Years ago when I was in my early twenties [yes, years ago], I was in a spiritual group many of whose participants were living in an apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. While doing some of our spiritual work together in one of the apartments, one of the children of parents in the group became quite ill. This child’s parents were across the street in Central Park. I went to get them. I was agitated and fearful and as I crossed the street a dog lunged at me. I realized my fear attracted the lunge, and it taught me that fear is a magnet for negative consequences.

Now more than ever, we cannot afford the luxury of negative thoughts.

Good times can be had on the 3rd of June when the Sun conjuncts Venus. Our relationships can be scintillating and comforting. Perhaps we can pull back the veil of Maya, see beyond the illusions and come to a realization that in truth everything does in deed work out.

This sense of good times may be enhanced thanks to the Mercury sextile Uranus on the 5th of June, a day with the Sagittarius Full Moon, a Lunar Eclipse. Good aspects of Mercury Uranus provide us ‘ah-ha’ moments, those times of inspiration, and times when we receive surprising news that reaffirms the magic and mystery of these times. The Sagittarius Full Moon triggers a Mutable Sign T-Square with the liability of taking on too much, trying to do too many things, and filling our heads with too many possibilities. This is a time when it would be wise for us to get out of our own way, not try to force anything, and allow the universe to work its magic.

Change is hard, especially breaking free of our conditioned past of assuming that we need to be in control of situations, when in truth we hardly ever have been.

We could see this play out on the 6th of June when the Sun squares Mars. Whether it’s our own stuff or someone else’s agenda, we could run ourselves ragged on this Saturday trying to do too much. We might find ourselves running in circles without getting much done.

A sense of confusion with too many options of future prospects might flummox us on the 11th when the Sun squares Neptune. We might consider all sorts of possibilities, each one seeming wanting in some regard.

The early part of June may have us champing at the bit, wanting to get on with things but totally unclear as to what to get on with. It would be important for us to slow things down, engage due diligence, and consider the pros and cons of each situation one by one. We could be in such a state of excitement and agitation that all the individual possibilities meld into one kaleidoscopic mess with the outcome only being total confusion and lack of clarity.

The 13th of June ratchets up a sense of overwhelm with the liable consequence of doing something, anything, without taking into account the intention of our actions, much less its likely impacts. The Mars Neptune conjunction on the 13th can have us acting like Wrong Way Corrigan, more interested in heading out rather than having itinerary or direction in mind. This is a time that demands that we keep it real and not chase after illusions or phantoms.

The 18th of June begins the second of this year’s three Mercury retrogrades. This Mercury retrograde transits back through Cancer and lasts until July 12th when Mercury turns direct. This Mercury retrograde asks us to review and rework matters associated with home and family. We may wax nostalgic about the ‘good old days’ that are better remembered than the way we experienced them.

We close out the Spring season with the Mars in Pisces sextile Pluto in Capricorn on the 18th, and Mars sextile Jupiter on the 20th prior to the Summer Solstice.

Although our society conditions us to be assertive, aggressive and controlling, recent challenges provide us an indication that the bellicose and belligerent may not be truly effective. By being flexible and adaptable, we might discover that we truly are the co-creators of our destiny with the universal unfolding.

This end of the Spring season offers us to be softer rather than harder, receptive rather than aggressive, adaptable rather than stubborn, effective rather than stymied.

We are given a good reminder of true reality in nature by the Taoist sentiment expressed by Lao Tzu:

“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”

Spring 2020… renewal, rebirth, reset…