Astrology of June 2007 by Henry Seltzer (www.astrograph.com)

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Our mind has faculties which are universal, but its habits are insular.
- Rabindranath Tagore

The Astrology of June focuses on the numinous other worldly energy of the outer planets in contrast to the hard-nosed and practical reality represented by Saturn, as the Saturn – Neptune opposition returns for its last exact configuration of this cycle. The transformational energies of Uranus and Pluto are also present. Pluto, representing necessary transformation that often sweeps everything before it, is highlighted by the opposing Gemini New Moon, while wild-card Uranus also participates in June's planetary alignments, being in separating aspect to Saturn near the beginning of the month and conjoined by the Last Quarter Moon that ends the first full week of the month.

Neptune opposed to Saturn means that we must somehow mediate the uneasy balance between Spirit and matter, and avoid being brought down by the apparent contradictions (does God really care?) and try to encompass both the unreality of the spiritual solution and as well its equally obvious over-arching presence. The June 14th New Moon trines Neptune and sextiles Saturn, while it opposes Pluto, so this mid-month period represents a time when we have the opportunity to transform by really tuning in to the paradoxical nature of the human condition in general and our own situation in particular.

Mercury retrogrades on the 15th, just after the New Moon. This Mercury retrograde period in Cancer, lasting until late July when the shadow period is finally completed, augments the Neptune emphasis of the month, taking us to a more internal place. We may participate in our own version of aborigine dreamtime, where the world "out there" is seen as only part of the story, and the smallest part at that. In this condition we can embrace the spiritual assumption that our ideas are fully capable of moving mountains, if we can actualize our true nature. The environmental disaster we face as an Earth tribe would melt away if only we could all get on the same page.

The elemental balance is also interesting this month, with the Earth element missing, and the Water element limited to Uranus in Pisces and a retrograding Mercury in Cancer, at least until the Summer Solstice. There is an emphasis on thought process and intuitional growth of a more or less introspective nature, as we try to see more closely into our own deepest motivations. The Summer Solstice of June 21st, when the Sun enters Cancer, a Cardinal point in the circle of the zodiac, is therefore placed within the context of this deeply internal and paradoxical period of time, reflecting a nature that is less outgoing than the season would normally demand. We in the West are at the point culturally when we must begin to wake up to the madness of our surrounding institutions and begin to do something about it, or else lose the beauty of the Earth that ultimately sustains them. There is plenty of food for thought in all this, in the scenes that we see all around us, and in the landscape of our own hearts and minds, where we are collectively so blind and yet, somehow, all-seeing.

Transits to the U.S. Chart

Last month we mentioned that the mid-month period of each month this year represented a crux of transit activity for the U.S. chart, since all the New Moons aspected transiting Pluto which in turn aspected U.S. Moon, Mercury and Pluto. Indeed these periods have all been interesting, especially in terms of fresh revelations regarding deception in high places. In mid-April came the first news about missing emails – that the White House "lost" over five million emails generated between March 2003 and October 2005 potentially related to the politicized ousting of federal prosecutors. In mid-May came the resignation in disgrace of Paul Wolfowitz, another White House neo-con insider, from the World Bank, while on May 16th Senate Judiciary Committee heads Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter sent a letter to Karl Rove's attorney asking him to turn over the missing emails from Rove's RNC account, as further details continued to surface in the federal prosecutor firing scandal.

In June's configurations, the mid-month New Moon once again triggers transiting Pluto, still aspecting U.S. Moon, representing public opinion in this country, so we can safely say that more revelations are still to come. The New Moon conjuncts U.S. Mars, representing the military, as it squares U.S. Neptune, and that can relate to deception in the pursuit of military goals, something that is already deeply embedded in the U.S. natal chart. Since transiting Neptune is also close to the 22 degree mark at this time, as Saturn moves to oppose that degree, we might expect particularly strong results this time around. Transiting Jupiter on the U.S. Ascendant means that there is an opportunity now for positive change to take place. The American public has been fooled many times but the indications are there that they are beginning to tire of it.

Current Configurations

The Sagittarius-Gemini Full Moon of May 31st () that precedes the current month trines Mars and conjuncts Jupiter, making for an intellectually active time and setting the tone for the next two weeks.

The Last Quarter Moon of Friday, June 8th (), is powerful, with the Moon conjunct Uranus and the Sun opposing Jupiter. The Saturn – Neptune opposition is coming to its last exact pass and is aspected by the Sun and Moon, so this last quarter phase represents a paradoxical and intellectually charged period of time. Although inspired by our dreams we are stymied by the conflict between desire and actualization, and the gap leads to wisdom. The Sun also trines Chiron, so we may choose to see our past woundings in a different light at this time, and attempt to gracefully transcend them.

The Gemini New Moon of Thursday, June 14th (), is another powerful lunation, coming at the 24th degree of the sign. The Sabian Symbol for this degree casts some light on our present condition: Children skating on ice. This is the nature of the times that we in the West find ourselves in currently, fraught with uncertainty, but still intent on having our fun. This New Moon squares Uranus, bringer of unexpected events and cosmic epiphany, and also closely aspects Neptune and Saturn, drawing ever nearer to an exact opposition. As we have been saying for months now, Saturn with Neptune represents both the dark despair at never realizing our fondest wishes for ourselves and our world, and as well the opportunity to rise above the seeming paradox into the bliss of a new order, one in which we can concretize our ideals of spiritual union without losing ourselves and our physical plane presence in the process.

Mercury retrogrades on June 15th () for a period of slightly more than five weeks, counting the shadow. The direct motion is on July 9th, and the original degree of Cancer is reached once more on July 24th.

The Summer Solstice of June 21st () and subsequent First Quarter Moon of Friday, June 22nd (), form the nexus of another powerful turning point, when Saturn opposes Neptune almost exactly, and Mars trines Pluto. The Sun – Moon square also aspects Pluto, with the Sun nearly opposite, and Venus opposes Chiron exactly. The indications are once more present for a time of tension and transformational change.

The Cancer – Capricorn Full Moon () that comes at the end of the month, on June 30th, features a Venus – Saturn conjunction and also takes place at the height of the Mercury retrograde period, as Mercury sextiles Mars in Taurus. This will therefore be a time of slowed responses and mechanical and communicative break-down, but will be a good one for providing plenty of food for thought, grist for the mill of our process of growth during these climactic times.