Summer 2021

Summer officially starts late on the 20th of June at the Summer Solstice as the Sun enters Cancer [11:32 PM EDT]. Although we might have grand hopes for our summertime activities, the season begins impacted by delays, frustrations, hopes unfulfilled. Not only do we have a Fixed Sign Grand Cross for the signature of the summer season. We also have five planets retrograde. We may have experienced a winter of discontent, but will this summer also fall far short of our expectations?

Many people could have hoped, even anticipated, an eventual return to ‘normal’. Reality suggests that there is no going back to the ways that things were. Whether we see life as an increasing dystopia or utopian promises as of yet unfulfilled, we can come to terms with the way things are, not the way they were, and adjust to changing circumstance. These times demand awareness and mindfulness with a willingness to be flexible and adaptable to the present currents unfolding.

Even in the midst of chaos and confusion, blight and despair, the sun can shine brightly amidst the darkening clouds. In the pacific northwest they refer to moments of the sun’s brilliance as sun breaks, and so it may be for us. No matter what ‘seems’ to be going on, we can always look at life from a positive perspective.

The 21st of June allows for such glimpses of light. Venus trines Neptune on the 21st, and we might have a sense of the idyllic in our relationships. Everything is made so much better by the soulful connection with another person, and so it may be on the 21st. There is an ancient wise saying that states ‘what you are seeking is also seeking you’. We are like magnets drawing to ourselves those experiences, people, events that we vibrate to. Comfort and nurture can come in our interactions, and we could be filled with a greater appreciation that there is more to life than what we often perceive.

The 22nd has Mercury ending its three-week retrograde cycle and turning direct [6:00 PM EDT]. With Mercury having gone back through its own Sign of Gemini, the past three weeks could have had us experiencing confusion, and the various misses of miscommunications, misunderstandings, misdirection and misapplications. Things are liable to be highly convoluted during a Mercury retrograde when Murphy’s Law of ‘whatever can go wrong could go wrong’ is in effect, and even more so when Mercury is empowered by being in its own Sign, as this Mercury retrograde has been with Mercury retrograding through Gemini.

Whenever Mercury changes direction, whether from direct to retrograde or from retrograde to direct motion, things can get especially squirrely. It would be wise for us to maintain a degree of caution both as Mercury turns direct on the 22nd but also while Mercury goes through its ‘shadow’ until the 7th of July when Mercury comes back to the degree of Gemini at which Mercury had initially turned retrograde.

With Mercury direct, we are better able to ‘straighten up and fly right’. If we experienced various screw-ups during the preceding three weeks, we can begin to straighten them out and rectify any ill-conceived actions.

The push-pull of these times may be no more evident than on the 23rd of June when the Sun trines Jupiter and Venus opposes Pluto. Blind faith, overconfidence and extreme enthusiasm can lead us down the garden path oblivious to the briars and brambles along the way. If we move blithely along with an assumption that our intentions will win the day and that things will work out in accord with the manner in which we desire, then we could be in for a rude awakening. These times demand braking actions with an understanding that neither boundless optimism nor fathomless despair are the true reality of these times and that our challenge and our goal are to find and adhere to the middle path.

The Capricorn Full Moon on the 24th [2:40 PM EDT] combines foresight with productivity. We can draw upon the expertise of our experience and upon our essential understanding of our personal destiny to accomplish a great deal. We are not ego-driven but willing to do our own thing, all the while that people are more collaborative and interested in helping each other. Our compassion comes into play as we appreciate the proverb “there but for the grace of god go I”.

On the 25th, Neptune turns retrograde [3:21 PM EDT]. Our expression of faith and spiritual understanding may turn inward as we concentrate on our own personal development amidst the confusion and chaos evidenced in the world-at-large.

June comes to closure with Venus exiting Cancer on the 27th [12:27 AM EDT] to enter Leo. Increasingly, we may choose to participate in summertime activities. We are likely to be more social and more interested in creative ventures, whether our own creative self-expressions or the attendance of other people’s creative talents. We are up for good times with our friends or on our own.

We come into July feeling the nemesis of this year thwarting our plans, stifling our energy. We may want to engage summertime activities, participate in re-creational events, only to find delays and frustrations obstructing our way.

July begins with the Saturn Aquarius – Uranus Taurus square triggered by Mars in Leo and creating a Fixed Sign T-Square. With first Mars and Venus and then later the Sun and Mercury transiting through Leo, much of this summer has us dodging and ducking the impact of the Fixed Sign T-Square until the third week of August, a time when children are either going back to school or preparing to do so, no matter what format school might be this year.

Mars opposes Saturn on the 1st of July. We might feel as though we are pushing against the tides with our intentions frustrated. Although many of us may be looking at some form of getaway over these summer months, our plans could be restricted either by the powers-that-be or by the costs involved. We can be doing the Texas two-step of one step forward, two steps back and then two steps forward, one step back. A sense of frustration is liable to be exhausting. Our best efforts may be stymied. We could even throw our hands up in despair and decide to stay put rather than venturing forth.

The double punch comes with Mars square Uranus on the 3rd completing the Fixed Sign T-Square, for the time being. If we have been oblivious to the financial costs or merely had a ‘devil may care’ attitude, the stark reality of how things have changed in a relatively short period of time can be like a lateral lobotomy with a wakeup call to what a difference several months have made. We could have a strong economic lesson regarding the devastating effects of inflation and how the factors of costs and prices within various economic sectors have a profound effect. Perhaps we are only now noticing the increased costs of… EVERYTHING. Already, gas prices have risen 50% since last December. Material costs of lumber have virtually quadrupled. Food costs have soared, often masked by smaller packaging so that even when the price seems to be the same, the quantity in the product has been sharply reduced. The realization of spiraling costs might dampen our summer plans or at least curtail some of our intended activities.

Remember this one-two punch of transiting planets through Leo hitting off Saturn and then Uranus continues into the third week of August. So much for ‘summertime and the living is easy’… NOT.

The 5th of July has the Sun sextile Uranus. With an affirmation that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, we might determine to streamline our involvements and be far more resourceful regarding our expenditures, whether our physical energy, finances, or activities. This is a time for us to consider options and alternatives, make changes to the ways we have been doing things, and consider how we are going to be operating under the parameters of the new reality.

Things can get dicey on the 6th of July. Mercury squares Neptune, and Venus in Leo triggers the Fixed Sign T-Square as it opposes Saturn on the 6th, followed on the 8th by Venus square Uranus. Situations might be confusing, communications off with misinterpretations and misunderstanding liable to create relationship problems. We could feel as though people are fixated in their opinion, unable to hear anything other than what they have accepted as fact. Yet, fact can easily morph into fiction, especially during these times when we concentrate on the subjective in our interpretation of the objective. It’s all about the story, the narrative, as opinion wins over the empirical, and emotional thinking wins over rational judgment.

Mercury comes out of its ‘shadow’ of the Mercury retrograde on the 7th as Mercury reaches the degree at which it first turned retrograde back on the 29th of May.

The 8th of July has Venus completing its Fixed Sign T-Square. The 6th had Venus opposed Saturn, the 8th Venus square Uranus. In our society, narcissism seems to have taken a tight grip, which can be evident during this second week of July. Either people may need to come up to our unrealistic standards, or we might take our marbles and just walk away.

Relationships this second week of July can be fraught with tension and turmoil, and largely a result of personal arrogance and an unwillingness to be collaborative. The ‘either you’re with me or against me’ sentiment might be strong and may leave relationships in tatters with some people alone again.

The Cancer New Moon on the 9th [9:17 PM EDT] has the Sun Moon conjunction in the second decanate of Cancer with its Scorpio sub-influence. Are our standards too high? Are we expecting extraordinary transformations in the people with whom we associate? Are we ourselves measuring up to these god-like standards that we are imposing on everyone else?

With the differential being almost like night and day between what we consider an idyllic relationship and the reality of most relationships, this New Moon configuration impacts the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 23rd and can have our interactions with people a little strained. Even if we engage other people, we may want to do so on our terms and with a tendency to slip away now and again and go off by ourselves.

The 11th has Mercury exiting its own Sign of Gemini to enter Cancer [4:35 PM EDT]. Mercury has been transiting Gemini since early May, and now with Mercury in Cancer, much of our attention may turn to home and family matters. We might be a little more reticent in what we have to say, which could be a welcome relief for some people who felt under a barrage of constant communications, wide-ranging ideas, and brief interactions over the past two and a half months.

This mid-July period is prime for good times as we participate in various summertime activities. Many people will be traveling, others will be enjoying recreational activities around home. Whatever we choose to do, we’re focused on taking a well-deserved break from what we have experienced and instead concentrating on going for all the gusto.

Mercury trines Jupiter on the 12th. We may be feeling as if we have finally come out from under a dark cloud imposed upon us by the virus and by the restrictive ways the global governments reacted. We might have the sense that we dodged a bullet with no black swans evident from our perspective. We can be upbeat, thinking about all good things with a belief that things do in deed work out in the end.

The 13th has Venus conjunct Mars. We are looking for good times. Whether we stretch our wings to fly away to some distant land or we stay put, either way we are stretching into having fun, enjoying ourselves, and re-creating. Our creative energies are likely to be flowing, and we wish to stand out in whatever creative format we express ourselves. It’s summertime, and we are fully geared to grab our summer with full gusto. If our energy has been flagging, this is a day when we might feel supercharged, ready to take on the world, and put our personal imprint on everything we do.

The pleasant times of mid-July continue with the Sun trine Neptune on the 15th of July. An inner peace could be evident even in the midst of frenzied good times. Reflections and meditations can strengthen our inner peace. Despite the topsy-turvy of all the ups and downs of the past year, we may come to a greater realization that we are on our own personal journey through this life experience. Our spiritual nature might be heightened as we appreciate the beauty in all living things. The narrative can preach dystopia and all the wrongs in the world and in ourselves, but we are far less likely to be buying it. Negativity may be seen as little more than ants at a picnic. The sun is shining whether literally or figuratively or both. No parade rainers for us right now.

The 17th has the Sun opposed Pluto. Obligations and someone’s demands could be calling, but we are likely to tune out the static. This week has been too good a week for relaxation and recreation for us to shut down the music and get back on track of what needs to get done. Necessities can wait, for it is summertime, a season for ‘time outs’ as we enjoy ourselves and let our responsibilities linger.

Being smarter and not working harder may be our sentiment on the 20th of July when Mercury sextiles Uranus. During this paradigm shift things can occur easily and effectively as long as we don’t get in our own way. Life has taken a turn with an element of magic and mini-miracles allowing random things to happen. We just have to have our antennae up, work with peripheral vision, and be open to receive some wondrous surprises. This is a time when we might get some ‘ah-ha’ moments, glimpses of genius, revelations. Every now and then we get reminders that we don’t have to do it all and that the universe works. This is one of those times.

Venus exits Leo to enter Virgo on the 21st [8:37 PM EDT]. The entrance of Venus into Virgo may take some of the fun out of our relationships with people being slightly more critical of the flaws they perceive in each other. Venus in Virgo does trigger by Sign a Grand Trine in the Earth Element. On the one hand, summer is a time for fun and games. On the other hand, due to the topsy-turvy nature of the past year plus, we might discover an attempt to get back to work as ‘normal’. School starts may be earlier this year, workers returning to the office after their long home ‘stays’, and a greater seriousness towards our responsibilities can impinge upon our summertime activities.

Not willing to let our summer go, we might have a push – pull between tending to our habitual tasks and our ‘time outs’ on the 22nd as the two ‘good guys’ of the planetary realm, Venus and Jupiter, duke it out in opposition. We might try to both put an end to our obligations and engage recreational activities with the result being excess and indulgence. The belief that we are deserving of this and so much more could be encouraged by the Sun exiting Cancer to enter Leo [10:26 AM EDT]. Arrogance and narcissism may be in play as we consider ourselves deserving of good times without much effort on our part. Entitlement is liable to crescendo with people doing their ‘thing’ without any regard of rules or regulations and little consideration of other people’s interests.

The 23rd of July has the Aquarius Full Moon [10:37 PM EDT] with the Sun Moon opposition impacted by the earlier Sun Pluto opposition, the Venus Jupiter opposition, and the approaching Mercury Pluto opposition, and a Mercury trine Neptune exact on the 24th. Despite a tug-of-war between individualism and collectivism likely to be debated on the national stage, each of us could feel the pull to look towards our individual future plans, no matter how fantastic we make them out to be, and disregard our present surroundings, surroundings on the collective level that seem to be veering towards a dystopia.

We might prefer to be oblivious to the bigger picture of life as we concentrate on our own personal realm. With Mercury trine Neptune on the 24th much of our attention can revolve around the idyllic, limitless possibilities, and otherworldly dimensions. Perhaps we have all been too traumatized over the past few years by what we have endured and need now just to tune out and escape to our own personal sanctuary, that happy place in our mind where we can luxuriate and not be impacted by the problems or issues that would otherwise just bring us down. Fantasy land also provides a semblance of reality, even if non-physical in tone. And why shouldn’t we concentrate on a belief and hope that ‘everything is beautiful’?

Hard, cold reality could puncture our imaginative ramblings on the 25th of July as Mercury opposes Pluto. Whether the powers-that-be impose new restrictions or we have a sense of the wheels coming off the bus, we could be easily upset that our prancing through the imaginative meadows is abruptly halted by our thoughts turning from the idyllic to the catastrophic. We could feel like pawns in someone else’s chess game, and we have to be wary of falling prey to victim mode. During these tumultuous and disruptive times, truly a transformative phase, we have to determine and then choose whether we are going to take a proactive approach of being aware of the conditions around us and then forging ahead to the best of our ability or if we are going to succumb to being reactive and passive to life and living to which many of us have been conditioned. Each of us has the opportunity to be the hero in our life journey or to be the martyr — always our choice.

The times they are a’changing. We have to decide how we shall navigate the swirling currents.

The last week of July has a great deal of activity with several of the planets making Sign changes. Mercury exits Cancer to enter Leo on the 27th [9:12 PM EDT]. Jupiter exits Pisces and retrogrades back into Aquarius on the 28th [8:43 AM EDT] for its brief and final foray through the Fixed Air Sign. And Mars exits Leo to enter Virgo on the 29th [4:32 PM EDT].

Mercury exiting Cancer on the 27th to enter Leo can give us greater impetus to voice our ideas and express our creativity. Our imagination and our sensitivity may have been ratcheted up over the past two weeks. We might have preferred attending to home matters and keeping our opinions to ourselves. With Mercury entering Leo and joining the Sun in the Fixed Fire Sign we are likely to be more attentive to our personal needs, willing to take a stand regarding what we want, and looking to enjoy our summer re-creational activities. Although brief, a Stellium in Leo is created as Mercury joins the Sun and also Mars, although Mars will end the Stellium on the 29th as Mars exits Leo to enter Virgo.

This entry of Mercury into Leo followed by Jupiter retrograding back into Aquarius on the 28th reinforces by Sign the Fixed Sign T-Square with Uranus in Taurus, the Sun and Mercury and briefly Mars in Leo, and Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius. We have to be wary of rigidity and getting fixed in our beliefs where we put on blinders and only accept what we see, although probably from a limited perspective.

For those people with planets in Scorpio, such as Joe Biden with four planets in Scorpio, this next three-week period can be fraught with delays, frustrations and feeling like Sisyphus trying to roll the boulder up the hill only to have it fall back on one.

Jupiter coming back into Aquarius may increase our social engagements and have us considering the far horizons of where we would choose to be. We may see some technological wizardries revealed [quantum technology? med beds? Tesla free energy?, et al.] as advances become ever more evident in artificial intelligence and robotics.

On the 29th, Mars opposes Jupiter just as Jupiter has retrograded back into Aquarius and Mars is about to exit Leo. Arrogance could lead us to take too forceful an approach both in our interactions with other people and in pushing forward with our plans. Discretion and strategy are called for, but both liable to be lacking.

The entry of Mars into Virgo on the 29th ends the brief Stellium in Leo. This would be a good time for us to attend to our health, determine a best practices approach and keeping the idiom in mind that ‘the devil is in the details.’

We may have been a little too gung-ho over the past few weeks. The insertion of the Fire Element may have allowed us to switch from a more passive tendency into an overdrive proactive quality. The Virgo Mars provides a concentration on specifics and the particulars so that nothing falls between the cracks. Although we are still in summer mode, the game of life has changed with drastic alterations to traditional schedules.

This end of July and as we come into August may have us preparing to get back on track whether we are shopping for school supplies or going back into the office after the work from home we have become used to as a consequence of the virus lockdown. Not that life is going back to the way it was. We might experience more hybrid situations where we go into the office once or twice a week and work at home the rest of the week, where students attend school but increasingly draw upon virtual instruction. We are also likely to see an increase in both work-at-home scenarios as people become entrepreneurial and home-schooling, a choice more appealing to parents who have been introduced to the concept during the lockdown and for some parents in response to the teaching of critical race theory and / or gender identity classification instead of biological gender classification.

The beginning of August can prove dicey with our individual expressions and physical vitality dampened by the nemesis of our year — the Saturn Aquarius square Uranus Taurus — triggered by both the Sun in Leo and Mercury in Leo creating the T-Square in the Fixed Signs.

We start the month of August with the Sun conjunct Mercury and Mercury opposed Saturn on the 1st, followed the next day with the Sun opposed Saturn on the 2nd. We may feel upbeat and confident as we begin the month, only to be challenged and thwarted by past issues or present limitations. We might feel as though we are unable to move forward with our plans.

If we do feel blocked in advancing our intentions, let’s keep in mind that we are in a paradigm shift, a dramatic changing in the way of life and living as we move from the linear, sequential reality of beginning middle end into the asequential reality where things occur in the most inexplicable ways that we might refer to as magic and mini-miracles. Even when things seem to stand in our way, things can shift suddenly and unexpectedly, and even clear our path. It’s all about timing and trust in the natural unfolding. We might not understand the whys and wherefores, but things are changing, even in spite of ourselves.

The Sun Mercury opposition to Saturn on the 1st and 2nd respectively are followed by the Mercury square Uranus on the 3rd and the Sun square Uranus on the 6th. Not only can we be flummoxed by delays, frustrations and outstanding matters all blocking our path. Unexpected situations and costly errors could force us to alter our plans and draw upon contingency options.

The Mercury square Uranus on the 3rd of August is my least favorite energy configuration for air travel. With Mercury in Leo we may be looking for ways by which we can streamline our operations, wish to go our own way, but all with the liability that arrogance and too much of a self-focus could be our undoing.

While we have the Mercury square Uranus, we also have on the 3rd Venus trine Uranus. If we would concentrate on the details and the specifics, not try to rush things or get ahead of our self, then the sum of the parts can prove greater than the whole. Someone could be helpful in our accomplishing our tasks, if we would only be willing to be collaborative.

The 6th of August has the Sun square Uranus, completing this week’s Saturn square Uranus inflammation from the Leo transiting planets. We might be looking at how we could be more autonomous in our actions, take a different tack and find something that energizes us. We have to be wary that the new and the shiny isn’t like pyrite, fool’s gold, or that we expend too much energy following liable pipedreams.

The Leo New Moon on the 8th [9:50 AM EDT] may have us spreading our wings, expanding our interests, all with an overblown confidence that things will go according to plan, our plan. Although we could have the great beyond in perspective, often looking at things in the far distance seem easier attained than the reality of implementation. Add to the fuzziness of possibilities conceived before executed the fact that we are living under conditions of unexpected occurrences arising, and our plans well-conceived might not take into account the changing parameters that are likely to challenge, even thwart, the successful manifestation of our goals.

The Texas two-step of one step forward, two steps back; two steps forward, one step forward; may have to be danced to effectively proceed with our plans. On a curved dimension, where wavy lines disrupt the curvature, the assumption that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line is mixing apples with oranges or mixing one dimensional template with a totally different dimensional template. Increasingly during this paradigm shift, we have to be aware, mindful, flexible and adaptable to the shifting circumstances.

The 9th of August has Venus opposed Neptune. Either we could be enamored by the holographic image of someone or some thing or our critical analysis might focus solely on the warts and flaws of the situation. If we could find the balance between these two extreme attitudes, then we might be able to see the good without discounting the weak points and avoid throwing baby out with the bath water under the illusion of only the most perfect will suffice. It would be wise for us to always keep in mind the sage advice of the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi with its affirmation of ‘the perfection of imperfection’.

Mercury opposes Jupiter on the 10th of August prior to Mercury exiting Leo on the 11th to enter Virgo. We may feel the last vestiges of summer on the 10th of August. Not that the summer season is over. We might just have a greater sense that the so-called ‘normal’ autumn activities are upon us and possibly advanced due to the past year plus of imposed lockdowns and restrictions in reaction to the virus contagion. Children and their parents may be preparing for school. And like school children, workers who have been telecommuting, working from home, may be preparing to go back into the office and work on-site or in a hybrid configuration of days working at home, other days working in the office.

We might be unwilling to let go of our summertime activities, and some people may use this time to fly away, travel, get out of Dodge, while others prepare for a return to traditional schedules.

Mercury exits Leo and enters its own Sign of Virgo on the 11th [5:57 PM EDT]. We now have a Stellium in the Mutable Earth Sign as Mercury joins Venus and Mars in Virgo. Venus trines Pluto on the 11th as well.

We are likely to take a more serious turn. We may not be done with fun summertime activities, but much of our attention reverts to our habitual responsibilities, our usual routine. Whether we are back on track with our daily lives or not, we certainly are aware of the train coming down the track.

Summer is slip, sliding away but not fully gone. It’s just that our focus reverts to our obligations and usual involvements.

The 16th of August has Venus exiting Virgo to enter its own Sign of Libra [12:27 AM EDT]. The Virgo Stellium comes to closure briefly until the 22nd, when the Sun enters Virgo, replacing Venus in the Mutable Earth Stellium. Having an infusion of Fire from the Leo-transiting planets over the summer, we may have been more self-absorbed than considerate. With Venus in Libra, we are likely to be collaborative and interested in what is going on with the other person, with other people.

Combining brain and brawn together, Mercury conjuncts Mars on the 18th. Our mind is sharp, and we can devise the most effective means to accomplish our ends. Nothing is likely to fall between the cracks, for we are considering both the details and the big picture of what we wish to achieve. Due diligence and physical stamina give us the impetus to virtually move mountains.

A sense of ‘one more time’ might be our attitude on the 19th of August as the Sun opposes Jupiter. Uranus turns retrograde [9:40 PM EDT]. Our plans for the upcoming weekend, which has the Aquarius Full Moon and the Sun exiting Leo to enter Virgo, can be a summer blowout of good times with good friends. We might not have done everything we wanted to do over the summer, but there’s still time for us to engage re-creational activities. We do have to be wary that we’re not over the top in what we plan to do over the next few days. We could overly schedule in an attempt to wring out every single fun event we can imagine. Our expansionary mood may be just too much. Let’s try and tone things down.

Before we get to the weekend, Friday the 20th of August has Mercury trine Uranus. While much of our interest may be on upcoming weekend festivities, we can work ‘smarter rather than harder’ in tying up loose ends, streamlining our operations, getting more done by utilizing our technological tools, and drawing upon various insights to be effective and expeditious in our actions. ‘Ah ha’ moments can reveal the way for us to quickly advance what we wish to accomplish.

The 22nd continues our high productivity and effectiveness. Mars trines Uranus, and we have the Full Moon [8:02 AM EDT] in the last degree of Aquarius with a Jupiter influence just before the Moon enters Pisces and the Sun enters Virgo. We may be in overdrive as we balance our productiveness and our enjoyments. We can be highly effective and still enjoy good times. Perhaps we have learned to better juggle our needs and our desires. Our physical energy is strong, and our mood likely upbeat. The entry of the Sun into Virgo [5:35 PM EDT] reestablishes the Virgo Stellium as the Sun joins Mars and Mercury in the Mercury-ruled Mutable Earth Sign.

Contacts with people on the 23rd when Venus trines Saturn can be pleasant interchanges with positive input for future plans. We often need a detached objective viewpoint for us to see the worth of our efforts, and under the influence of this aspect we could receive encouraging words and sage advice as to our best course forward.

Whenever we have an energy configuration in opposition, it is like a metronome of possible extremes between two energies or the opportunity of a balance of the extremes into integration. The 24th of August has Mercury in its own Sign of Virgo opposed Neptune in its own Sign of Pisces. This aspect could be the extremes of being so detail-oriented that we lose sight of the big picture of the whole, or of being so focused on the big picture that we forget the details with our vision becoming at best impressionistic or amorphous. If we would combine the two and not bounce from one extreme to the other, we could blend our foresight with attention to detail. Another liability would be our expectations where we have our head in the clouds and our feet nowhere near the ground, or we become critical in our analysis and see only the downside with the extreme of becoming negative, anxious and fearful. Choice, always our choice in how we perceive things.

Whether we are able to blend our intuitive foresight with rational analysis or seesawed from one to the other on the 24th, the 26th can give us laser-like perceptions as Mercury trines Pluto. If we have presentations to make, cases to argue, opinions to share, this energy allows us to express our passion with searing, spot on points that cut to the core and hard to counter. Our thoughts are incisive, and this would be a good time for us to do strategic planning, for we are likely to take a best practices approach. While there may be great intensity in how we converse, we are likely to be aware of our audience and unlikely to be stepping on any toes. In a way, there can be an iron twist to the velvet tongue.

The 30th of August has Mercury exiting its own Sign of Virgo and entering Libra [1:10 AM EDT]. The Stellium in Virgo is ended. Mercury entering Libra can make us more of a receptive listener, a quality lacking in our modern world where people are more concerned about what they want to say rather than truly hearing what the other person is saying. We can now hear what someone is telling us. We might be more collaborative, willing to take into account another person’s interests or needs. Instead of being self-absorbed, people may enquire as to what is going on with the people they are involved with.

Early September could prove rocky, and we have to be careful regarding our personal safety and interactions with those people with whom we might disagree.

The 2nd of September has Mars opposed Neptune. Distractions and carelessness can have us liable to accidents or miscues. Our energy may be flagging, and self-esteem issues are liable to have us falling into victim mode with a sense that whatever we do never turns out right. We might be in too much of a hurry to get things done, gloss over significant particulars, thereby affirming the proverb that ‘haste makes waste.’

The long Labor Day weekend in the US, this year September 4th through the 6th, is the unofficial end to the summer season. We may already be back on track, dealing with our regular routine under transformed conditions.

The 4th of September has Mercury trine Saturn. With a long holiday weekend, we may either get together with friends and family or contact them by text, phone or social media. With the waning of the summer season, a reach out to various people could be in our plans for this day. With each of us having only recently come out from our imposed solitary confinement, we might use our interactions with other people as a mirror for us to compare who and where we had been pre-pandemic and where we are now. No matter what we did during the lockdowns, we are likely to have grown and transformed in some way or another. This weekend allows us to reflect on our individual selves and those various people in our life.

Venus squares Pluto on the 5th. With a sense of ‘that was then, this is now’, we might determine that some of our connections are better in our past and for our memories rather than our present or future engagements. Certain relationships may go by the boards, especially under our present divisive climate where we tend to involve ourselves only with those who agree with us and see those who do not share our opinions as being against us. Evidently in our society now, we prefer the echo chamber that affirms and reinforces our own personal view of the world with anything contrary to our opinion threatening and to be dismissed out of hand.

September 6th is one of those times that rarely come along. Wow! WOW! All flags may be flying on this Labor Day holiday in the US. Unofficially, this long holiday weekend closes out the summer season and heralds the autumn. Energetically, the astrology for this day is hard to match. There is the Virgo New Moon [8:52 PM EDT] with the Sun Moon conjunction and both trine Uranus. Mars trines Pluto, and Venus trines Jupiter. This is a day for us to get our motor running in anticipation of moving forward with our professional goals and our social desires. The New Moon impacts the two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 20th. The combination of energies as the signature of this New Moon allows us to be highly productive and fully appreciative of our personal relationships. The Mars trine Pluto with Pluto being the higher octave of Mars and both in the Earth Element gives us the persistence and determination to virtually move mountains. Our physical energy is ramped up, our passion engaged, and we can advance our plans and their implementation as if operating on greased wheels. The two ‘good guys’ of the planetary realm, Venus and Jupiter, being in trine and both in the Air Element creates ease of interaction and mutual admiration in our personal relationships. And with the New Moon trine Uranus we have the ability to determine streamlined methods by which we can be more effective and highly productive in our endeavors. Did I write Wow? WOW in deed. It doesn’t get better than this, and gives us a great start to the ‘autumn’ season.

The 10th of September has Venus exiting its own Sign of Libra and moving into a Sign of its Detriment, Scorpio [4:39 PM EDT]. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in a poem:
When she was good
She was very, very good
And when she was bad she was horrid

Certainly, the New Moon signature on the 6th was very, very good, and it does impact us up to the Full Moon. And not that the Venus entry into Scorpio is necessarily horrid. It’s just that our personal relationships may not be as pleasant and mutually appreciative as when Venus was transiting Libra. With Venus in Scorpio, people can become more possessive, jealous and envious with relationships liable to be mired in secretiveness and passionate intensity, even to the point of being ‘too hot to handle’. Time for us to tread carefully with each other.

With everything during this paradigm shift seeming topsy-turvy and where the subjective becomes the objective and fiction overrides fact, it’s not surprising that many people are adopting the attitude ‘trust no one, believe nothing’. The craziness in the world instills confusions and even leads to a question on an individual level as to: why are we here? What is our true purpose? What is the meaning? What’s it all about?

This anxiety about our purpose and worth in doing our living could be profound on the 14th when the Sun opposes Neptune. Everything might just seem so blah. We have to be wary that we don’t fall into the savior – martyr syndrome, either feeling like we are a stranger in a strange land bearing the light that is continually threatened of being doused, or we play the victim card where we accept being nothing more than a pawn or a minion to the powers-that-be. Through self-reflection and meditation, we might build up our spiritual strength and appreciate that we are an integral factor to life and in the world now. Remember, our attitude, our perspective and our actions are our choice, always our choice.

The 14th also has Mars exiting Virgo to enter Libra [8:14 PM EDT]. Whether acknowledging the importance of collaboration or we look to engage others out of sheer desperation, we are likely to recognize that we cannot do it alone or go it alone. Other people provide an objective perspective and can provide valuable assistance in realizing our goals. Similar to Venus presently in Scorpio, Mars in Libra is in Detriment and tones down our self-assertiveness as we also take into account someone else’s needs or input.

September 16th has the Sun trine Pluto. If we used our confused state earlier in the week for some serious self-evaluation, then this energy would allow us to plow forward and accomplish a great deal. Whatever we put our mind to, we can prioritize our activities and focus on the truly meaningful. Each of us is looking for quality of life, quality in our living, and that quest may be different for each one of us. With this indefatigable energy, we can successfully put our intentions into action.

From the transitions of these times and the transformations we have been through, we have changed, grown and shifted. In the process what has worked for us previously may no longer work for us now and much less in our future. This may be evident on the 17th of September when Venus squares Saturn. The bridge between where we have been and where we choose to go could come with some significant costs. Our finances can be depleted as we seek to branch out and expand our interests into future projects. Friends to whom we have become accustomed might seem no longer on our same page. We are liable to feel frustrated wanting to put ourselves in drive while feeling stuck in neutral and racing our engine.

In nature, and often in life itself, it seems as if it’s darkest before the dawn, and so it may be with the contrast between the 17th and the 20th. Our social interactions can be tense on the 17th with Venus square Saturn but like the sun breaking out from behind dark clouds, the 20th provides us Mercury trine Jupiter and the Pisces Full Moon [7:55 PM EDT]. Someone could point out the light, provide uplift and encouragement. We might realize what has been does not have to be the final determiner of what can be. We are likely to feel more upbeat, see the half glass of water as half full rather than half empty, and appreciate that we may need to accomplish some resolutions and endings before we open the door to the new and the beginnings.

We close out the summer season on the 22nd. Just before the autumn equinox, Mercury squares Pluto on the 22nd. Although we may have felt pumped up, confident and enthusiastic about our prospects from the influence of the Mercury trine Jupiter on the 20th, a more realistic perspective on the 22nd could make us aware of loose ends and outstanding matters that need to be completed before we are free to engage our future plans. Mindful of the parameters in which we are operating can narrow our options but certainly need not squelch our dreams.

On to the autumn, doesn’t have to be a fall.

Summer 2021… wouldn’t it be nice…