Expand under Pressure

Astro Notes for Cancer Season 2023

We are in an interesting phase at the moment where the new moon is occurring in one sign just before the Sun moves into the next sign. For example, this weekend we have a new moon in Gemini just before the Sun moves into Cancer on June 21. This means we have more of a blending of zodiacal energies during each astrological season than usual, which may be a tad confusing energetically. The general milieu of Sun in Cancer is one of emotional sensitivity, kindness, and inwardness. We are supported to feel our feelings, to take time to heal and be gentle to ourselves, and to enjoy nurturing our loved ones. With the influence of the new moon in Gemini, this year’s Cancer season may have more of a sped-up, mental quality than usual — we are being invited to stay curious in order to find new solutions that help us to heal.

New Moon in Gemini - We don't have all the answers (but God does)

This weekend’s new moon in Gemini brings pleasant feelings but it might be hard to feel like we are making strong progress toward our goals. The ruler of the new moon, Mercury, is in sextile to Venus, which brings a sweet and relaxed vibe. But the new moon is also in an exact square to Neptune in Pisces. Hard aspects (like squares) to Neptune can make us feel ineffectual, since our normal drive to achieve simply dissolves into the ocean of being. This might result in us feeling weakened or depleted in some way. The deeper purpose is to compel us to surrender to a higher perspective to find a new way forward. It’s not all up to us!

Jupiter sextile Saturn - Grounded hope for the coming age

If Gemini season was dominated by an intense pressure to change (wrought by a tense t-square between Pluto, Jupiter, and first Mars, then Venus), Cancer season brings more harmonious opportunities for growth. The stand out aspect is a beautiful minor grand trine between Jupiter, Saturn, and Sun/Mercury that is strongest around June 26-30. Jupiter in Taurus in sextile to Saturn in Pisces (strongest from June 14-22) is a significant transit in its own right as it is the first major aspect between Jupiter and Saturn since the so-called ‘Great Conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn in December 2020. That conjunction occurred at 0 degrees of Aquarius, and was thus seen to represent a seed for the emerging Aquarian Age.

If the conjunction represented an Aquarian seed, the sextile offers an opportunity for that seed to become visible in a concrete form. Regardless of our age, we are all growing into that version of ourselves that is in resonance with the principles of the dawning age. With Jupiter, the archetype of wisdom, in sextile to Saturn, the god of time and structure, we have the chance to gain insight into the long-term commitments we need to make to support our growth into what we are becoming. With Jupiter in Venus-ruled Taurus, these insights can include a clarified awareness of what it is we truly love, so that we can bring into the structure of our lives more of the joy and meaning that makes it all worthwhile. When the Sun and Mercury join the party toward the end of June, we have a beautiful opportunity for this vision to become fully illuminated by our conscious awareness, and to experience a balanced, grounded confidence for our future. The full moon on July 3 also involves a number of harmonious aspects that will further extend this window of opportunity.

But it’s not all plain sailing.

Mars square Uranus - unexpected shift of fortune

On June 25, a square between Mars in Leo and Uranus in Taurus may present an unexpected shift in material circumstances that compels us to make an abrupt adjustment to how we express ourselves creatively. While we may not initially welcome the change, it’s a necessary re-alignment that will ultimately serve to enhance our creative freedom.

Pluto in Capricorn - the final purge

Then we have the movement of Pluto back into Capricorn, which occurred on June 14. Pluto will remain in Capricorn until January 20, 2024. It will then be in Aquarius until early September 2024, when it returns to Capricorn for a short final stay before re-entering Aquarius ‘for good’ in mid-November.

Pluto in Capricorn has been with us since 2008. In that period we’ve witnessed the world being pulled deeper and deeper into crisis. Pluto brings total transformation to whatever it touches by remorselessly exposing to consciousness whatever is out of alignment with reality. In Capricorn, this has involved the pulverization of the established public structures of society — politics, finance, media, health, medicine, education, and so on. Nothing is working anymore.

In its final passage in the last degree of Capricorn over the next year and a half, Pluto will finish the job. Any structures — whether in the world or in ourselves — that are misaligned with the emerging operating system of the Aquarian Age will not be able to get through the gate. It’s a tough lesson. It’s not going to be pretty for our legacy institutions. It’s not going to be easy for any of us.

Yet Pluto’s goal is not to destroy us or our world, but to let the old forms die to make room for something new to be born. Humans have lived through countless times of crisis in the past, which have always served to activate within us deeper reserves of courage and fortitude than we thought we had. We’ve all heard stories of people who lived through periods of crisis like wartime speak almost fondly of those times for what it brought forth in themselves and their communities, despite the great strain. We are being asked to discover a new level of grit within, one that cuts through the more superficial layers of our personality to access something more real and substantial.

Summary

These transits exemplify the ‘preview and post-mortem’ dynamic that is an overarching theme of this astrological year. With Jupiter sextile Saturn, we have an opportunity to set our sights with optimism on the developmental journey that will carry us forward into the Aquarian era. With Pluto in Capricorn, we confront an immense evolutionary pressure to discard old structures that are no longer serving our growth. Holding the tension between these expansive and constrictive forces is one of the primary tasks of our moment.

Win the Peace

Astro Notes for Gemini Season 2023

On Tuesday (May 16) Jupiter entered Taurus, where it will stay for the next 12 months or so. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Jupiter and Venus are considered the two ‘benefic’ planets in astrology, ones that bestow grace and good fortune. Thus when Jupiter is in Venus-ruled Taurus, it’s fair to say that sweet opportunity is likely to come knocking in some area of our lives. Furthermore, when Jupiter aligns with Uranus (which it will do in April 2024, though we will start to feel its effects as early as this northern hemisphere summer), we could find ourselves very pleasantly surprised by an unexpected breakthrough that will open a big channel of creative energy propelling us toward the future. Jupiter-Uranus has been called by some the “Praise the Lord” transit. After everything we’ve been through over the last few years, Lord knows we could use a little relief.

But before we open to these more expansive possibilities, we have to make it through a very sharp test.

Gemini season (May 20-June 20) actually began this year on the heels of a beautiful new moon in Taurus (May 19) that made only harmonious aspects — a sextile with both Neptune and Mars and a trine with Pluto. The harmonic energy of the new moon carried the promise to deliver a Taurean gift of relaxation and abundance.

But we might not have perceived this pleasant note amidst the overpowering clang of an extremely tense T-square taking place between Pluto, Mars, and Jupiter. On Saturday May 19, Pluto at 0 degrees Aquarius was exactly opposite Mars at 0 degrees Leo, with both in an exact square to Jupiter at 0 degrees Taurus. We'll feel this transit intensely until the end of the month at least.

Phew. Pluto opposite Mars is as feisty and confrontational an energy as it gets. With Jupiter squaring both planets, the energy is likely to be magnified. Be mindful of the high potential for volatility. Treat it as a spiritual test of your ability to master the wild forces within you, rather than lashing out at others.

Yet every transit has its purpose. The universe is asking us to take decisive action in some area of our lives to bring it into alignment with our true values. (With Jupiter in Taurus, this may well involve our relationship with money or resources.) We can’t simply sit on these energies. We have to ‘win’ the peace promised by the new moon. Do whatever you can to keep your vibration high over the next 10-14 days. Let your sincerity guide you to take the action you need to bring your life into greater integrity. Arm yourself with courage to meet the challenge of this T-square with the fullness of your life-force, knowing that there’s a sweet reward if you do.

This T-square action takes place against the backdrop of our shift into Gemini season. Sun in Gemini provides the base note, while the other planets provide the flourishes. Taurus is fixed Earth, while Gemini is Mutable Air. So the baseline mood or rhythm becomes significantly lighter, faster, and more mental. In developmental terms, Gemini corresponds to the phase of an infant’s life when language first emerges. Along with language comes an innocent curiosity that expresses itself through endless questioning. The function of Gemini season is to return us to that state of beginner’s mind. We cooperate with Sun in Gemini by being in the aliveness of the question.  As the zen saying goes, “not knowing is the most intimate”. If we allow a true question to pop the bubble of our certainty, we become immediate to the mystery of existence again. What assumptions about yourself or the world are you willing to question this month to make space for new possibilities to come in?

Mars and Venus both move into Leo during Gemini season. Mars enters Leo May 20 and Venus follows on June 5. Mars and Venus in Leo can turn up the razzle dazzle factor by a few welcome notches. Having the archetypal masculine and feminine personal planets together in the extroverted sign of Leo is likely to invite us all into a more sexy, playful, expressive mood. Creative or artistic activities in particular should receive a spunky boost of energy.

On May 30, Jupiter is conjunct the North Node in Taurus. If we have navigated well the challenge of the T-square, this transit could coincide with real opportunities for increased prosperity and abundance in a particular area of our lives (depending on where Taurus falls in our charts). It also favors building solid foundations — both internally and externally — for our long-term aspirations and the enjoyment of the simple pleasures of life on Earth.

Finally Pluto moves back into Capricorn on June 11, where it will stay for the remainder of 2023. Awwwwah! (Not sure if I’ve spelled that correctly.)  If you’re like me, you’ve been enjoying this little taste of the fresh new energies of Aquarius since mid-March. But Pluto still has an important job to do in Capricorn. We are in the intense final clean-up operation over the next 18 months or so as Pluto dredges up all the old patterns and structures in ourselves and society that will not survive our transition into the Aquarian Age. It’s still an intense time of purging, personally and collectively. It’s definitely no walk in the park, yet it presents an extraordinary opportunity for rapid spiritual purification for those of us willing to examine our shadows.

Go Slow to Go Fast

Astro Notes for Taurus Season 2023

This year at EarthRising, we are telling the story of the astrological year, from Aries 2023 to Pisces 2024. Attuning to the astrological year helps us to re-orient to the natural rhythms of life, rather than to the artificial overlay of the Gregorian calendar. In our ORACLE Event last month, we gave an overview of the key themes of the astrological year. In these monthly Astro Notes, I’ll be unpacking these themes for each astrological season.

The story thus far….The astrological year began with a bang on March 21 with a New Moon at exactly 0 degrees of Aries. One could hardly imagine a more precise symbol of new beginnings than a New Moon on the first degree of the first sign of the zodiac on the first day of the new year. It was a jump start to help us all awaken out of the slumber and fog of the Covid years and take bold strides toward the emerging Aquarian era.

A few days later, Pluto moved into Aquarius — the biggest astrological event of the year — initiating a 20-year revolutionary cycle of social change. (This year we have a short preview of this momentous development with Pluto peaking into Aquarius until June only before returning to Capricorn for the remainder of the year.) Earlier in March, during Pisces season, Saturn moved into Pisces (where it will stay for two and a half years), also heralding a significant shift in mood. Saturn had been in Aquarius since March 2020 — the Covid years — so its movement into Pisces was another key signifier that we are closing that chapter and beginning a new one.

Did you feel the reverberations of all this new, initiating energy during Aries season? Was your spirit stirred from its early 2023 slumber into bold action? What new initiatives did you begin? What new seeds did you plant?

Now we enter Taurus season, a time for sustaining and fertilizing the new growth initiated during Aries season. Taurus is fixed Earth and typically brings a slower, steadier rhythm. In the northern hemisphere, Taurus corresponds with Spring in full bloom, nature at her most abundant, sensual, and beautiful. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the goddess of love and pleasure. Taurus teaches us to attend to our practical needs for food, shelter, and security, and to enjoy the simple and natural pleasures of the body. The goal is not to overcomplicate things with unnecessary drama.

This year, though, Taurus season begins with a bang, starting the day after a rare solar eclipse on April 19. A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon, and one of the lunar nodes are together (conjunct) in the sky. It’s basically a new moon on steroids, a cosmic reset that brings about big changes. This eclipse is conjunct the North Node (which represents our evolutionary endpoint) and thus asks us to step outside of our comfort zone to take in something new. It’s also in Aries, so it’s another opportunity for new beginnings in the realm of personal courage, drive, and self-assertion.

Aries season began with a new moon at the first degree of Aries and ends with a new moon (and solar eclipse) at the last degree of Aries. If your (Covid-weary) heart wasn’t revived by the electro-shock of the first new moon, the second one is another jolt to get you jump-started! Yes, indeed, we really have turned a corner.

This time, though, we are in Taurus season, so there’s solid ground to stand on while we step forward bravely again toward a new adventure. The new inspiration now wants to materialize into a solid form, a stable structure that can sustain the initiating impulse over the months and years ahead. Be open to this structure itself being novel, of the future.

Mercury (our thinking function) will be retrograde April 21 through May 14. This suggests we’ll be navigating this passage primarily by instinct. We may not have the cognitive clarity to understand just yet all the pieces that are coming together, but we are encouraged to move forward anyway, trusting our gut feeling.

On May 5, we have a South Node lunar eclipse in Scorpio. A lunar eclipse occurs at the Full Moon, which is a time of culmination of that which was initiated at the new Moon. If a solar eclipse is like a new moon on steroids, a lunar eclipse is like a full moon on steroids. A South Node lunar eclipse brings to a culmination a long cycle of karma. The outcome may be positive or negative depending on our karmic history. Taking place in Scorpio, we could see a karmic outcome manifest in the realm of sex and intimacy, or in our finances. For better or for worse, this outcome will be linked to our purpose and new direction. Now we will know what cards we are playing with.

On May 16, Jupiter enters Taurus, where it will stay for a whole year. Just as the Sun entering Taurus is a time for fertilizing the new seeds we planted when the Sun was in Aries, Jupiter entering Taurus is a time for solidifying the growth we initiated when Jupiter was in Aries. It’s essentially the same process but over a longer time scale. Jupiter was in Aries from May-October 2022, and again from late December 2022 to May 16 this year. Whatever you began in that period, you now have a year to stabilize those new beginnings by developing the concrete structures that will support their growth over the next 11 years (when Jupiter reaches the end of its current cycle in Pisces and begins a new one again in Aries).

Even though the eclipse window brings a lot more action and drama to this Taurus season than usual, Taurus demands that we slow down and take care of the body. Don’t think that building in down-time or rituals of self-care is separate from the project of creating the structures to support your vision. The wisdom of Taurus is that the creation of these outer forms only emerges from a relaxed body that knows what it wants.