Obscured by Clouds Dear Friend and Reader: As the northern solstice approaches and the Sun comes to an apparent halt along the horizon, the planets are making many moves. Among them is Mercury in Gemini pushing into a 90-degree meeting (a square) with Neptune in Pisces, exact Tuesday.
Mercury square Neptune illustrates the question of what is true and what is not. Both planets are strong in their signs, with Mercury in Gemini (classical ruler) and Neptune in Pisces (modern ruler). Neither has an advantage over the other; seen one way, the square is a kind of stalemate. And that is how it is with truth and lies in our society. This third and final contact of the square also describes some kind of resolution or gaining of clarity. It could represent gaining sufficient information to make a decision. It is, in any event, a turning point in whatever this extended Mercury retrograde phase has represented for you, and in particular anything involving the square. In our culture, truth and illusion seem to meet one another as if they have equal value. There are philosophies that say there is no need to bother with a distinction. In a sense they can assert themselves in consciousness with similar emphasis, though it would seem that the agenda of deception has more purveyors than any agenda of truth. To say there's no such thing as truth clearly serves one agenda and not the other. Taking this discussion out of the abstract realm and into the pragmatic, the issue seems to be one of applying discernment. Even if we only need to reach the place of true enough, or true for me now, or true as far as I can tell, or this is what the data points to, there is a difference. To see that difference, it's necessary to apply discernment. You might say that Mercury square Neptune both demands extra discernment and at the same time makes it difficult to have any. Seen another way, the aspect can act like Chiron, which might provoke a crisis when clarity is needed. It's just that with Mercury and Neptune engaging one another as they are, it may be a subtle crisis, evading easy detection, definition or expression. This is a slippery aspect, the kind where you need to throw sand on the floor so your feet can keep a grip. Sun-Mars Conjunction Other aspects in the chart are helping us to power through the misty quality of the square; for example, the ongoing conjunction of the Sun and Mars in Gemini. That's helping to burn off some of the fog. The Sun and Mars are helping by making contrasts more visible, though you have to be careful -- you might have the sensation of turning your high beams on along a fog-covered road, and see your own light reflected back to you. Right now it's dry heat we need more than light, and I would say that the Sun and Mars in Gemini count as hot and dry.
When the Sun reaches solstice on Sunday (at 12:38 pm EDT or 16:38 UTC), Mars will be in degree 29 of Gemini, conjunct fixed star Betelgeuse. I call this the Atlantis Degree for a number of reasons that you can read about in this article from 2011 called Here at the Edge of the World. I have no special prediction here, just the suggestion to be aware that this placement sends a surge of energy through a diversity of charts that are linked together by that one degree. Among them are the Sept. 11 incident, the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, WikiLeaks, the Fukushima quake and nuclear meltdowns, the Titanic and a few others. This is indeed a very strange phenomenon and it took me about 10 years to figure out what was going on. If you're curious about this I do suggest you read the piece I just mentioned, Here at the Edge of the World. The solstice means that the Sun has entered the first degree of Cancer. This in turn lights up the Aries Point, that group of zodiac positions in ‘hard’ aspect to the first degree of Aries, where our zodiac begins. [Note that the Aries Point therefore comprises a group of eight separate degrees -- the first degree of each of the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn; and the exact midpoints of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. They are all sensitive to Aries Point effects.] I often look to emphasis on the Aries Point for some kind of external event that provokes ‘personal is political' consciousness. Under this astrology, we might be looking more at a ‘political is personal' scenario -- opening up to more personal involvement from currently unfolding events. Today I bumped into one of my consulting clients in town, and she said she woke up worrying about the 2016 election. She can't really do much about it personally, though her concern shows that she's allowing her mind to go to the transpersonal level. This remains a choice. What you allow into your awareness is, to a large degree, a personal decision. And there may be something beyond the individual level trying to get your attention. Minor Planets in the Solstice Chart When the Sun ingresses Cancer, it's making exact (less than one degree) aspects to four minor planets. It will be conjunct Pandora, from whose box sprang all the problems in the world, and also hope. To my mind, hope is one of those problems, and I would suggest that the themes false hope and abandoning hope in favor of something more tangible are valid here. The Sun is opposite Chariklo (a centaur planet), which is about abiding with and abiding love. The water-nymph wife of Chiron, Chariklo remained present with him through the long struggle that followed his injury. She was therefore also present for the compounding of innumerable remedies and could be considered a partner in the healing process. Chariklo has some resonance with Vesta as a holder of space and of purpose.
[Personally I am guarded about the term 'unconditional love', as it seems to exist most often as a theoretical romantic state rather than a real-world one. In the quantum universe, anything can and must exist. My point is that most of the time there are indeed conditions and we need to know what they are so we can address them.] Amycus, a long-period centaur, is conjunct Chariklo in Capricorn, opposite the Sun. According to minor planet researcher Marc Andrew Holmes, Amycus “seems to indicate the proper way to treat people; the consequences of not doing so; innocent victims of violence or getting caught up in violence (‘when elephants fight, the grass suffers').” So we have a description here of the conditions that surround relationships, and which influence the potential for feeling safe and nourished (Cancer-related themes). I believe that these things are worth careful study. Relationships all involve contracts, whether spoken or not; whether understood or not; whether ‘conscious' or not. Mercury square Neptune is guidance to look closely at the specifics of those agreements, many of which you may need to identify by inference. Among those conditions are the constant threat of violence (Mars-related) and the obsession with money (one perspective on Venus and Jupiter in Leo). We might say that the creation of a safe space begins to be real where money matters have been set aside or addressed, and where there is no threat of violence. Saturn Returns To Scorpio After two years in Scorpio, Saturn ingressed Sagittarius on Dec. 23, 2014. It stationed retrograde in Sagittarius on March 14, and on June 14 retrograded back into Scorpio. It will be there until it re-enters Sagittarius on Sept. 17. (To see a Saturn ephemeris, visit this link.) Saturn will now be spending three months in Scorpio, which looks like an opportunity to clear up and resolve certain financial and sexual matters dating back to the beginning of the Saturn in Scorpio era, which began in late 2012.
It can also represent both delays and biding one's time. So the use of time, and the use of delays, is a factor with Admetus, as is understanding the nature of obstacles within time. It's interesting that Saturn, the traditional lord of matters involving time, is in this encounter with a modern point that describes and refines the same themes. If there seems to be something unusually stuck, Saturn's presence may help to break it free. Saturn is a dependable agent of progress. Admetus is a reminder not to force the issue, and also to be aware of various forms of shunning or avoidance. There is the implication here that Saturn's three-month return to Scorpio is calling for slow, steady work. Scorpio's presence indicates that sexual matters are involved. These tend to respond better to the setting of clear intentions and to gentle persistence. Mercury square Neptune in the equation describes the sensation of isolation. With the world more crowded than ever and everyone more interconnected than ever, it's some wonder that people are still dealing with loneliness. This is partly a matter of the individual mind that has the experience, and partly the obsession, with social conformity and its results, which include in-group bias and various forms of shunning. I would propose that under the influence of the solstice chart, we'll get to look at these issues closely between now and the next major stop, the Libra equinox. It will help immensely to see through or clear away the clouds of the mind. With love,  P.S. Please note that this week's horoscopes have been written by Len Wallick, who has graciously filled in for me. I will be back with a reading of the solstice chart with the July monthly horoscope next week. Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York, by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $97/year. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Office Manager: Lauren Gdovin. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Astrology Fact Checker: Len Wallick. Copy Editor and Fact Checker: Jessica Keet. Client Services: Amy Elliott, Lisa Gatto. Media Consultant: Andrew Marshall McLuhan. Research, Writing and Editing: In addition to those listed above, Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.
Cancer Solstice Chart as a Solar Return -- Cancer Birthday Summary Dear Cancer Reader: I thought I would offer a few ideas on the Cancer chart as a solar return chart -- that is, as an indicator of your upcoming four seasons (actually more, because this chart points far into the future). The first image that emerges is that of Mars in late Gemini when the Sun has ingressed Cancer. That places Mars in the 12th house, where it can represent fear, hesitancy or the question of where your drive and determination went. There's no shortage of energy in your chart. To the contrary, you have an abundance of it, but Mars in the 12th can reveal the question of connecting with your drive.
There's a fixed star there (an actual star, rather than a planet) and that fixed star is associated with things going well. We see it in news charts as bad things that went well. You can apply this factor yourself. To do so, you will need to do two things. One is consciously connect with your ambition. The other is to connect with your fear, which could be anxiety or hesitation or even, in the rare moment, panic. Your chart illustrates fear as energy, which you can then re-apply and use in a creative way. Ok, that covers thing one. Thing two involves Aries, your solar 10th house. That's the house of achievement, and of reputation. It's the most extraverted house, because to use this house you must take a chance and assert your leadership and your authority in some way. There are two stories developing here. One is that Vesta has recently entered Aries, where it's going to be for a while due to a retrograde, which spans from Aug. 12 through Nov. 13. Vesta finally leaves Aries in March 2016. This is a VERY long time for an asteroid to be in such a prominent house, and the message of this placement is obsession with service. In a phrase, that is your key to success. You must do what you do to do it, and make sure that it serves who it can serve. There is another story in your 10th -- an even more momentous conjunction between Uranus and Eris. These two planets in Aries are an old story, but their joining forces is a new one. The message is that you're poised to contribute something revolutionary to the world over the next few years, if you focus your energy and are brave and determined. This is a conjunction that will shape the world and describe changes in society to rival the Uranus-Pluto squire that we've been living through. For you this is about being boldly who you are, with no hesitation -- inventing yourself as you go.
The message here is that you will be revealing yourself in some bold way. Secrecy, privacy, concealment; these things are not your friends. You are the most free where you can be the most open, and that is where you will succeed. Where you must conceal yourself, take notice that there may be something toxic in the environment. The Moon is square Saturn, now in the last degree of Scorpio. That again points to the theme of secrecy and why it's such a menace. In this aspect, concealing oneself is described as the very essence of what causes stuckness. You're likely to be fully engaged with this issue, and in a sense, called upon to draw on the strength of radical honesty. As you do so, keep your sense of humor, and remember, the 'scary' thing about this is the reminder to everyone else, so obsessed with concealing themselves, that someone else has the guts to do something different. One last bit -- Pluto in your opposite sign Capricorn. Pluto is now at the midpoint of its trip across your relationship house. This is calling for a review, and a reorientation. Your ideas about traditional relationships are falling away even as you recognize the strength and power inherent in building new, living, relevant traditions. These are based your actual values rather than what others in the past imposed on you. If you are fueled and inspired by anything, it's the beauty and radiance of what actually motivates you, at your core. You have many, many gifts to offer the world and by all indications, you are about to get many chances to do so. The catch is that you must reveal yourself as human at every turn. Lead with your vulnerability. Experience your fear and let it be burned off by your own creativity. I'll be elaborating on these points and many others in my Cancer birthday reading.   'What the heck happened to the TV?' he seems to ask. As the video notes, "Tablets and tantrums were thrown...but the world did not end." Since technology has hacked family dinner, Dolmio has figured out how to hack it back. And yes, that gadget in her hand even cracks pepper.
A New Twist On Family DinnersBy Amanda Painter Mercury might have stationed direct in Gemini Sunday, but for many people its retrograde effects have not abated; in fact, for some, they've intensified. Think of it as Mercury just trying to make sure you’re paying attention to (and committing to memory) whatever it was you had to learn these last few weeks. Australian pasta sauce brand Dolmio’s ‘family dinner hack’ -- the Pepper Hacker -- could easily pass as just another Mercury retrograde SNAFU in an unsuspecting household. Their YouTube video debuts what looks like a large pepper grinder; in actuality, it’s wired to be able to shut down all TVs, WiFi and mobile devices with just a simple twist. After some initial frustration in tech-dependent kids of all ages, the result appears to be worth it: a family dinner in which all the members talk, connect and laugh. Just like in the old days. At least, until the kids catch on and de-program the Pepper Hacker -- or until Mercury’s next retrograde.   Dr. Eric McLuhan.
Gemini New Moon and Eric McLuhan InterviewIn this week's edition of Planet Waves FM, I focus on the Gemini New Moon, which was exact Tuesday morning just past 10 am EDT. And I play my long-awaited interview with Dr. Eric McLuhan, son of my philosopher-hero, Marshall McLuhan. We also have included some excellent music -- to ring in my visit with Eric. Planet Waves TV #7 -- Cancer Ingress / Summer Solstice  In this week's edition, I cover the Cancer ingress of the Sun, also called the northern solstice. I talk a bit more about Mercury square Neptune, which is exact Tuesday, and the last three months of Saturn in Scorpio. If you would like to take my class Saturday, please visit this link.  Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes Your extended monthly horoscopes for June were published Thursday, May 21. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for May Thursday, April 23. Your Moonshine horoscopes for the Sagittarius Full Moon were published Tuesday, May 26. Please note, we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.  Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 18, 2015 #1054 | By Len Wallick   
Your 2015-2016 Cancer Reading
To Achieve the Most, Take Care of Yourself Dear Friend and Reader: The sign Cancer is associated with food, emotions, nurturing and bubble baths. Yet the astrology influencing your sign is about some stunning achievement. Your focus is being drawn ever-outward into the world, and if you have not noticed it yet, you will be soon.
It would be an understatement to say that this describes a breakthrough of some kind. Note that no astrology has happened like this in our lifetimes. The last time this aspect took place was in 1928! This conjunction is developing in the most outgoing, dynamic house in your chart -- the 10th. That's the one associated with career, reputation and what you achieve in the world. The planets are putting you on notice that your life is developing in some bold and positive ways. Going well beyond career, this astrology describes your overall role in the world, as a leader, as a creative force and as one contributing to solutions. I am about to prepare your 2015-2016 birthday reading. I'll be recording a clear, practical guide to working with your astrology over the next four seasons. In that reading, I will read this aspect that guides you to toward some unusual success. Yet there's a cautionary note here -- about the need to keep a clear focus on your home life and your relationships. Simply put, you can accomplish great things, if you take care of yourself. My Cancer reading will help you do just that. I will offer you a complete picture of your astrology, which looks at your life holistically. I'll remind you of the many facets of who you are, all of which add up to the whole person that is you. The key to this astrology is drawing on every facet of your creativity, strength and intelligence. Read more...          To unsubscribe, click here e Wiki | Friends | Editors | Contact Us Copyright © 2015 by Planet Waves, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other copyrights may apply. >> Some images used under Fair Use or Creative Commons attribution. |
