The Wednesday Witch: June Astrology

Astrology evolved over thousands of years through observation, by people staying up all night and watching the stars. It was a major impetus for the development of complex math. The first ephemerides emerged in the 5 Century BCE. Once humans had the ability to calculate where a planet had been and where it would be, astrology and astronomy began to diverge. Thousands of years later, the advent of computers and development of software has enabled us to all become astrologers, which is wonderful. But visually witnessing the night sky continues to be a most powerful tool to understanding the nature and behavior of planets, especially their synodic cycles.

I’d often told myself I wanted a more intimate connection with the planets beyond staring at their glyphs on my computer screen, but I was too busy to take the time. The Venus retrograde has been one of the blessings of quarantine. Or rather, quarantine created the conditions for me to observe the Venus cycle up close and personal. It’s not a coincidence that this social lockdown was necessary for my communion. The etymology of quarantine is from mid 17-century Italian quarantina, “forty days,” from quaranta for forty. The word emerged during the Renaissance when astrology was having a revival. The Venus retrograde cycle is 40 days long. That length of time is woven throughout many spiritual traditions as a marker, but it comes from the Goddess passage through the underworld. It is said that 40 days is long enough to make or break a habit. The Sumerian myth of the ancient Goddess Inanna, queen of heaven and earth, from the 3rd millennium BCE, details her journey. She must pass through seven gates and at each one a piece of her magnificent regalia is removed. She enters into the “land of no return” stripped of her power amulets and coverings. She is naked and crouched low. This is the process Venus has been preparing us for since early April. 

The pandemic has ground our modern world to a halt, and in doing so, forced us to live more locally based lives. People are driving less, staying at home more, and existing most frequently in their immediate community. This is how it has been for humans for the majority of our existence on earth. My great-grandmother, Francesca, who immigrated from Italy told me a story of how she and her brother needed to deliver a message to a neighbor, so they walked all day to get to their farm. That drive might take 15-30 minutes now, but for Francesca it took days to complete a roundtrip. The Saturn-Jupiter earth cycle that fully began in 1842, around when Francesca’s parents were born, and will conclude this year, has created a world that would be unrecognizable to them. I think of my great-great-grandparents, the last generation of my descendents to farm the land in Italy, when I ask myself what good can come from this situation. I look at my young nieces and nephews, as I contemplate where the Saturn-Jupiter air cycle that commences December 21, 2020, will take us. It truly feels like a return to the past is necessary in order to evolve into the future. 

We live much faster lives than humans have ever known, and one of the questions of this pandemic is whether that is working for us? People in industrialized nations have access to technological conveniences designed to ease the difficulty of mundane life. Yet people are extremely stressed out, and not all together happier. Anxiety, depression, and substance abuse is widespread. Many people can’t bear the idea of sitting still and being with themselves without distraction. It’s torture to keep their mind where their feet are planted. Yet one of the core lessons of this crisis is that we need to pay careful attention to what is happening in our immediate environment. The personal is political and the local a gateway to the global. 

Uranus entered Taurus in March of 2019. It was foretold that this 6 year transit would bring about massive changes in banking, agriculture, food production, and environmental justice. Movements through earth signs in Fall 2019 and Winter 2020, began to activate this revolutionary spirit. A defining feature of Saturn in Aquarius (Dec 2020-March 2023) will be the aspect of tension made through squares with Uranus. The debate between these two is how to incorporate Uranus’ innovative energy into the restructuring process for society Saturn is undertaking. The first Saturn-Uranus square will happen February 2021. Those of you with planets or points between 6-8 of fixed signs (that includes me) should be on the look out during this time. The second square will be in June (13 degree), and the third in December (11 degree) of 2021. These will be the hot spots, but the grappling continues through October 2022 when there is a final square (18 degree). Beyond meat is just the beginning of it. Aquarius wants us to go beyond everything we’ve ever known before. How we react to circumstances over the next three years will determine whether we move in a beneficial direction for our children’s children or not. Spring is usually a time to shake off the heaviness of Winter, but this year has felt more somber as we get a preview of what’s to come with Saturn in Aquarius from March 21-July 1, 2020. 

Since quarantine began, I’ve gotten to know my neighborhood a lot better. I explore at night when there are less people out and I can look at the stars. I now know where the Trump supporters live. They make me feel virtuous and mature because I don’t take advantage of the cloak of darkness to rip down their signs, flags, and bumper stickers, or key their cars, as I would’ve been tempted to do in my youth. I appreciate the people who chalk “It's Going to be OK,” and, “Stay Healthy,” on the sidewalk in front of their homes. I see lots of bunny rabbits hop across lawns, and sometimes send them energy healing. I hear chipmunks rustling in the bushes I pass by. I know better who I am surrounded by, and the contours of my walkable part of the planet. I’ve also gotten more familiar with the sky. 

It’s cloudy a lot in Boston. The sky is low and overcast much of the time. I don’t mind so much except when I want to see the Moon or some particular transit. It felt fortunate that Venus entered her brightest phase as an evening star just as quarantine began. Maybe you noticed her too? From March 25 to May 13, Venus was at her maximum height, light, and separation from the Sun. It was glorious to witness the queen of the heavens shining so clearly above. She immediately caught my attention on my first walk and I knew it was her. It felt like she was sending a signal down that we’re not alone. The heavens were watching, witnessing what we’re going through, as they always have. I’ve read books about Venus’ retrograde cycle, but this is the first time that I was able to observe it in detail. What a thrill. Before, I would only glance up at the sky at night getting out of my car before walking into my house. The quarantine allowed me to cultivate a new habit: the quiet pleasure of communing with a living embodiment of the divine feminine as I walked around my neighborhood at night. 

Venus stationed retrograde at 21 Gemini on May 13, and I noticed she hung in the air, in the place she had been. I will not pretend that my eye is yet keen enough to discern a single movement by degree. I could not tell she was moving backwards, but I noticed she began to drop down closer to the horizon. I had to head West and climb hills at dusk to see her. I lost sight of her about 10 days after she stationed. The disappearance of Venus into the setting Sun signifies the change from an externally defined self-image to an internally defined one. From the visible lover of the night who is available to all, to one who is self-focused and self-referential. Venus withdraws as the retrograde gathers momentum. She is no longer concerned with pleasing others, but with reviewing what has happened to her, seeking out deeper meaning in her life, and deciding what must be changed. She becomes more concerned with what is significant to herself. Venus’ transition began on May 28, when she dipped fully below the horizon and moved within 10 degrees of the Sun. This phase signifies the Goddess releasing the form she has taken over the past 578 days, and returning to the primordial heart of the universe. She is invisible, traveling backwards, and accelerating in speed. This is the only time in her cycle when all three of those factors coincide. It only lasts for 6 days. 

June begins with Venus speeding backwards towards the heart of our solar system. She makes an uncomfortable square with Mars in Pisces on June 2, before fully exploding into the Sun. Venus goes cazimi on June 3. There is a release, a death, and a rebirth all at once. A surrender to what is greater and best, and an offering of oneself for a higher purpose. This is the moment that defines the cycle for the next 584 days. Venus has brought to a close what has manifested since Fall 2018, and is now set on a new mission. She will spend the better part of the next year integrating the shadow of Gemini into herself, before sharing her newfound wisdom with the world. For we must understand ourselves before we can be of any use to anyone else. Whatever information comes through during the first week of June about love, relationships, or work, is of great significance. It will crown your experience for the next 18 months. 

The Sagittarius Full Moon solar eclipse on June 5, lights up the counterbalance to what Venus is exploring. There is tension coming from Mars in Pisces, creating a mutable t-square that demands to be grappled with. Double bodied signs want to move in multiple directions at once. Let the insights flow forth and don’t feel you need to commit to anything, but also don’t let yourself get carried away. This is the first eclipse in a new cycle along the Sagittarius-Gemini axis that will be active for the next two years. The North Node is transiting Gemini, and this is the energy that we are moving towards and growing into. The South Node is transiting Sagittarius, and this is where we will experience loss or letting go. We won’t have the official start to this cycle until Fall, but this Sag Moon may hold clues for what’s to come. 

June is not a month of forward motion. Mercury goes retrograde at 14 Cancer on June 18, a week before the Venus retrograde in Gemini concludes. Mercury in the Moon’s sign makes our minds more influenced by our emotions and environment. The physical needs or our body are more present in consciousness. Mercury will inquire into the style in which we take care of ourselves, the way we nurture our loved ones, and the compassion we extend to ourselves (and others) for having needs that can sometimes get very loud, or expressions that can be illogical. Holding space for the nocturnal (feminie) side of our nature that often requires rest and recuperation can be challenging in a solar (masculine) dominated culture that values productivity above all else. But if the future is non-binary, and I believe it is, the genderqueer god, Mercury, knows we need to tip the scales towards balance. Let yourself get lost in the feelings during the three weeks of the retrograde. Trust that you’ll emerge better for it when Mercury stations direct on July 12. As always, Mercury Rx is not the best time to sign contracts, book plans, travel, or purchase electronics--postpone till mid-July if you can. 

Gemini season is when the Sun ascends to its peak of solar power and the daylight grows until we get to the maximal point on the Summer Solstice. The Sun enters Cancer, the cardinal water sign that initiates Summer, on June 20, and the wheel turns again. In our world of ceaseless movement and change, the Sun achieves its zenith, and immediately begins its descent back down. This is a brief and fleeting moment, but one of great and lasting power. People associate Winter with darkness and Summer with light, but the paradox is that we are gaining hours of sunlight from January to June, and losing for the rest of the year. Aries season, in March, begins the solar time of year and Libra season, in September, the lunar. The solar is when we feel the strength of the Sun most obviously, even though the pinnacle was reached on the longest day of the year.  

The Cancer New Moon solar eclipse on June 21, is a powerful inception point at the 00 degree Solstice marker. Plant your seeds wisely because they will have an extra dose of magic behind them. Cancer is ruled by the Moon. The luminary who signifies fertility, abundance, and things coming to fruition in the material realm. The pagan holiday of Litha at the Summer Solstice celebrates the powers of nature achieving their highest height. The earth is awash in the glory of the Goddess and God’s love and bounty. This is a time for Sun worship, lighting bonfires, and purification rituals, before calling in what one desires. It is the Sun’s touch that makes the world come alive. At Litha we celebrate the union of the Goddess and God, in all their gorgeous variations, and the joining of unlike things to make something wonderful and new that’s never existed before. 

Some witches believe magic done under eclipses can result in unintended (or unwanted) outcomes. Foretold is forewarned. The Cancer New Moon is the beginning of the end of the eclipse cycle that began January 2019. Consider what has revealed itself and blossomed in the Cancer-Cap areas of your life over the last 18 months. Now is the time to put the finishing touches on it. You’ll come to see and know the truth at the finale on the Capricorn Full Moon lunar eclipse on July 5.

Venus stations direct on June 25, and Mars enters Aries on June 27. This is going to be a long stay for our brave warrior. Mars will remain in his home sign for the remainder of the year. This placement is incredibly empowering and will give all the martial ruled folks (Aries and Scorpio) some extra fire in your belly and spring in your step. However, he will be sending some heat towards the other cardinal signs, including Capricorn. This will become more uncomfortable when Saturn returns to Cap on July 1. Mars will be retrograde in Aries from September 9-November 13, making Scorpio season a little funky this year. But he’ll enter his retrograde shadow by late July. Expect more developments from Mars in the coming months.  

The Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn on June 30, is a massive movement to close out the month. After the intense tilling of the fields that Saturn put us through the last two-and-half years, Jupiter arrived in December to water the seeds. Pluto adds some Miraclegrow to Jove’s great expansion. Their first meeting on April 4 at 25 Cap, amplified whatever Jupiter wishes to work with you on. The second meeting on June 30 at 24 Cap, will give you greater insight into the nature of effort required to move these mountains. The final conjunction on November 12 at 22 Cap, will put the final pieces in place. Nature abhors a vacuum. You didn’t think that massive purgation process was to leave you empty, did you? Pluto wants to dig into your riches and bring some gems up to the surface. 

June is about reveling in plenty. Celebrate what you have to offer, what’s yours to share, and don’t forget to receive in equal measure the Goddess’ divine love.