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Dear Friend and Reader:
Imagine you are focused intently on making your car fit into a tight parallel-parking space. You get it partway in, but maybe your approach wasn’t quite right. At a certain point, you realize that going back and forth at the same angle isn’t getting you where you want to go.
A Goat’s-Beard seed puff in front of the setting Leo Sun in Portland, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.
You need more wiggle room. But the other cars are not going to give it to you. The curb is not going to give it to you. Even your own car is not going to give it to you.
You are the only one who can give yourself more wiggle room — and you do that by pulling out and realigning, giving yourself space and perspective.
You have to try something new — even if just subtly. Your pride at typically being a great parallel parker will not help you, nor will letting your ego flare up at the nerve of these other people not giving you more space. You might need to try an approach that is different in its speed, angle, head start, and so on.
You might even experience the epiphany that you don’t have to keep trying that same parking spot, let alone keep trying it in the same way. Far from abandoning the process, you have given yourself the space to see the process for what it is, and negotiate it differently.
Hello — were you looking for my usual Thursday blog post? Eric has asked for it to be featured in tonight’s members’ issue, so keep your eyes on your email inbox if your a member (and look here on the website later this evening) for the full Thursday issue, which will include Eric’s fabulous horoscopes for this week. Sorry for the delayed note! — Amanda P.
Tonight on Planet Waves FM, Eric will be covering the unusual and beautiful Full Moon that takes place Friday at 6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC). This is the Aquarius Full Moon, which can only happen with the Sun in Leo.
The waxing Moon viewed through the Casco Days Ferris wheel. Photo by Amanda Painter.
Amy Elliott wrote Monday’s Astrology Diary previewing this aspect. You might think of this Moon as evoking a humanitarian spirit, where individual consciousness meets the world around it in a meaningful way. This is not easy for many people, trapped as we often are in false concepts of individuality, and conditioned to obsess over separate interests.
Len Wallick has also interpreted Friday’s Full Moon here in his Moonshine horoscopes. These horoscopes are written for your Moon sign (where the Moon was at the time of your birth). There are instructions on the Moonshine page for how to find your Moon sign out if you do not know it, but you can also read these horoscopes for your Sun and rising signs for additional layers of insight.
The Moon/Sun opposition makes some interesting aspects, including a provocative alignment with Pholus in late Sagittarius. The Moon aspects Pholus at 45 degrees while the Sun meets it at 135 degrees; these are not aspects you hear a lot about, though they can have a way of getting things going, and it will be interesting to see what collective events develop toward the end of the week.
Wednesday night at about 11:30 pm EDT (Thursday 3:30 UTC), the Sun entered Leo, ushering us into the middle month of the season. This sets the general tone astrologically (and it’s a warm, golden one), but another significant event Saturday is contributing an undercurrent you’ll want to begin working with consciously: Venus stationing retrograde in Virgo.
Photo by Amanda Painter.
Let’s start with the Leo action. Leo is the sign of kings, but monarchy is not a terribly relevant construct these days.
At its essence, Leo is not about lording over all you survey and being bowed down to, though some Leos can get caught up in that unfortunate posture. In its most evolved state, Leo is about leading through love — which can seem to take courage, especially in this era where personal online PR is everything.
Now, Mercury joins the Sun in Leo at 8:14 am EDT (12:14 UTC) and the two form a conjunction about seven hours later. Having the planet of the mind so close to the Sun (consciousness) can really boost communication in positive ways. It can also make it hard to see what your ego is up to; so far, I’ve not heard of anyone making polarized sunglasses for the psyche.
So the question is: How often do you actually fill the role of ‘spiritual royalty’ — that is, not by your own ego’s assessment, but through unassuming actions (leadership) clearly guided by your heart?
Thankfully, the Sun and Mercury are conjunct the asteroid Eros. Eros’ main theme is love, especially in erotic form. The message here is that there’s support in being loving, especially if you’re willing to shine it out on others, rather than waiting to ‘get some’.
As of this morning, the Moon is in cardinal Libra, bringing a desire for more diplomatic and graceful interactions than might have occurred yesterday. Did you get a little inflammatory on social media yesterday, like I did? Whoops. Today’s Libra Moon might urge some finessing of your stance — not backtracking per se, but a reconsideration of what is truly justified.
Photo by Amanda Painter.
The bigger story, or at least part of it, is the Sun in the next-to-last degree of Cancer. Wednesday night at 11:30 pm (Thursday at 3:30 UTC) the Sun will ingress Leo.
Leo is a fixed sign, which means we’re in the middle of the season — yet the big news of this season is Venus stationing retrograde Saturday.
In today’s Planet Waves FM, Eric will be looking at the station retrograde of Venus in the first degree of Virgo. This is happening conjunct an unusual point called Transpluto, which has a way of hyper-focusing Virgo tendencies.
Eric will also begin the discussion of his Astrology for Artists approach to reading charts and putting astrological information to work.
For some preliminary thoughts on the Sun entering Leo and Venus stationing retrograde, check out Monday’s Astrology Diary — a collaboration between Amy Elliott and Eric. With these two astrological events happening so close together, “the effect is multiplied, and you may feel a condensation of experience.”
At the risk of appearing to reinforce dismissive stereotypes about women, the following image might help you to get a handle on some of the current astrology, which is still in effect after last night’s Cancer New Moon: the planets seem to be indicating a kind of ‘cosmic PMS’ that you might be noticing in yourself or others.
Even when the waves are small, riding them takes skill and awareness. Photo taken at Higgins Beach, Scarborough, Maine, by Amanda Painter.
Or, at least, the potential for that sort of experience is there, especially if you (or someone you interact with) ignore inner reactions before they get expressed.
Now, before you write off the current astrology as not applicable to you because either ‘you’re not like that’ or you’re not a woman, please consider a few things. First: according to astrology, we all contain an inner feminine and inner masculine, thanks to the archetypes of Venus and Mars. We each also contain an inner androgyne (androgynous self), thanks to Mercury.
Second: one of the prevailing aspects today involves a Mercury-Mars conjunction in a feminine (or receptive) sign, Cancer. They’re exactly opposite Pluto (named after a male god) in another receptive sign, Capricorn.
Third: we’re all ruled by our hormones, to some degree. We associate testosterone with men and aggression (there’s Mars again), but women have it too: for both sexes, it’s key to libido. Estrogen and progesterone regulate women’s menstrual cycles (associated since ancient times with the Moon, which rules Cancer), but men’s bodies also produce those two hormones.
We’ve all met that one person who’s always talking about all the cool, adventurous things they’re going to do “someday,” but who never takes even the smallest step toward writing the blockbuster screenplay, or saving up for the trip to Antarctica, or what have you. The same is true for ‘spirituality’ — it’s one thing to talk about it, another thing to live it.
Children: the original perpetual motion machines. These two were playing during an Indian tourism festival near Times Square in Manhattan last September. Photo by Amanda Painter.
Right now, the astrology is suggesting it’s a perfect time to bring your inner awareness and vision into some tangible, external expression. That is, to harness the energy you feel moving within you by actually doing something with it. You have to claim it through action to ‘own’ it.
The astrological pattern conveying this message is called a grand fire trine. On a chart, it looks like an equilateral triangle, where each of the points aligns with planets in signs of the same element.
In this case, that element is fire, and the action is happening late in the three signs involved. We have: Uranus and Eris in Aries; Venus and Jupiter in Leo; and Pholus and the Galactic Center (not a planet, but a very important point — the center of our galaxy) in Sagittarius. The Aries Moon is also part of the pattern until Thursday afternoon, when it ingresses Taurus at 3:49 EDT / 19:49 UTC.
Fire signs imply a lot of active energy, and trines represent harmony and flow. But the thing about a grand trine is that it’s a closed circuit: the energy is flowing continuously through the three points, but without an outlet — unless you give it one.
Believe it or not, Mercury is getting ready to leave Gemini tomorrow. Due to its recent retrograde, it has spent a little more than nine weeks in a very mentally oriented, verbal, dualistic sign; chances are you’ve gotten rather used to it.
Photo by Amanda Painter.
When it enters Cancer at 2:52 pm EDT (18:52 UTC), you can imagine it as a shift to feeling your thoughts. Traditionally, Mercury in Cancer has often been classified as a placement that’s ‘too sympathetic’ and ‘too receptive’. I suspect, however, that you might actually experience the change of expression as more like a quick, refreshing dip on a hot, dry day.
We are, after all, emotional creatures; a solid dose of empathy and heart is important to balance the tendency to get stuck in our heads. And Mercury will zip through Cancer in about two weeks, so you don’t need to worry about getting waterlogged.
Until then, Mercury is opposing the Galactic Core, the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, which lies in the direction of late Sagittarius. It might be an interesting experiment to try a little meditation or similar exercise and see if what Eric describes as ‘our cosmic homing signal’ comes through.
Speaking of Cancer, Eric has been absorbed in recording the Cancer birthday reading, which he should have ready for you later today. That means you can still snag it for the lower pre-order rate now; it makes a great gift, and is fantastic for those with Cancer rising, too.
Not everything is all about Cancer, however; with Venus moving into late Leo, it’s time to start talking about Venus retrograde. Stay tuned to the Planet Waves website and watch for your Thursday issue for more information. Eric is also planning a fantastic Midyear Reading based on the upcoming Venus retrograde.
On Planet Waves FM, Eric will look back at this weekend’s Grateful Dead 50th anniversary concerts and their place in American social history. That program should post around 5:00 pm EDT or shortly after this evening.
Amy Elliott was kind enough to stand in for Eric on the Monday Astrology Diary. Focusing on the Cancer Sun’s opposition to Pluto in Capricorn, she writes that this week is an opportunity to understand when a line has been crossed, and to begin to work out how to respond.
Venus conjunct Jupiter in Leo on July 1, viewed from Portland, Maine. They can still be seen after dusk in the western sky, though much further apart. Photo by Amanda Painter.
Fe Bongolan parses and cheers Greece’s populist stand against economic oppression (Greek citizens voted resoundingly against the bailout conditions proposed by the EU) in her latest column.
Pausing for a moment of mid-year reflection, Amanda Moreno works through some ideas about hierarchy and the process of ‘othering’ that she sees around her at all levels.
In a tarot reading that sees two major arcana cards and one from the minor arcana, Sarah Taylor explores what it means to experience illumination after a period of reflection, and how that has the potential to shift you from one state, or place, to another.
And on Saturday, Planet Waves celebrated the USA’s birthday with several offerings, including Eric’s archived article on liberating sexual pleasure, titled Coming to the Revolution; and Judith’s Gayle’s heartening take on Sen. Bernie Sanders (and others) entering the presidential race. As she notes, “There’s energy stirring from the bottom up to take on the greed and avarice at the heart of our social and political problems.”
Visit the Planet Waves website later this afternoon for Len Wallick’s column; I’ll be back there Thursday with a look at the weekend’s astrology.
