We are now in a new season, defined by today being the first full day of 2016 with the Sun in the cardinal water sign Cancer. In the context of the rest of the astrology, this new season has an apparent theme. That theme is definition.

More specifically (and realistically) one might say we are now in a season defined by an imperative to re-define on both the individual and collective levels. You can see the process playing out in recent days through individual writers expressing themselves here at Planet Waves.

You can also see at least the potential of collective redefinition taking place in the U.S., Great Britain and other places as regards to political issues and candidates currently in contest. In all probability you are also facing either the necessity of adapting to, or the incentive to create, new circumstances in your life.

For astrologers, an all but stationary Mars in Scorpio is part of the picture. For you, it’s probably a big part. Normally, Mars moves around the zodiac at the pace of a degree every two days or faster. Like all planets nearing the end of a retrograde period, however, Mars is now all but stationary.

Specifically, Mars is currently in in the midst of moving very slowly in the narrow confines of one single degree of Scorpio for more than three weeks. Imagine being an energetic little kid attempting (or being obliged to) hold still for more than a few seconds, and you will get a clue about how Mars may well be said to be manifesting in your life now.

Even as much as you may be feeling it, a restless Mars only begins to define our new season on the whole. There is a deeper, more widespread and more prolonged level with which the impatient energy of Mars is connecting. That connection is so precise as to be profound in its implications.

Exactly 150 degrees away from Mars in Scorpio, Uranus and Eris are sharing the same degree of Aries at the same time. Astrologers refer to two planets in close proximity as a conjunction aspect. Hence, Uranus and Eris are conjoined. A separation of 150 degrees, in turn, is called a “quincunx” aspect. In general, the more precise an aspect, the more powerfully it expresses.

Among other things, a conjunction represents a marriage of sorts — two objects merging into one. When you take the revolutionary nature of Uranus and combine it with how Eris seems to correlate with issues of identity, the implication is a redefinition of self. Having Uranus and Eris conjoin in Aries reinforces the picture. That’s because the nature of Aries may be expressed through the declarative statement “I am.” Add in the fact that both Aries and Scorpio are ruled by Mars, and the current quincunx relationship between the Uranus-Eris conjunction and Mars takes on an even greater potency.

Among other things, a quincunx represents a time for adjustment. Depending on the constituent planets that make up the quincunx, and its context in rest of the zodiac, the adaptation implied may be either desired or required. It would not be surprising if you are now experiencing a bit of both.

Any proverbial itch currently originating from inside you probably correlates with Mars. That’s because Mars is usually thought of as a so-called personal planet. One reason personal planets are so called is because they complete their cycles many times in the space of an average human life. You can think of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars as being quite personal.

Uranus and Eris, on the other hand, take a long time to orbit the Sun and make a circuit of the zodiac’s 12 signs. That length of orbit corresponds with the more impersonal forces expressing in your life — such as economics, politics and history. As such, the role of Uranus and Eris right now correspond with any push to adjust that originates from outside you at this time. The phenomenon may take the form of social pressure, the actions of an employer or the behest of a governing body, among the many possibilities.

Your place in the astrology of this new season very much parallels your relationship to what a change of season most usually corresponds to: a change of weather. When the weather changes, you need to adjust in order to attain or regain comfort. It’s not so much a question of whether you adjust to changing weather, either. It’s more a matter of when and how. The same might thus be said for who you are and your place in the world right now.

Whether any discomfort you are feeling about your identity or place in the world originates from the inside, the outside or both, it’s not so much a matter of whether you will adapt. It’s a matter what form the adjustment takes and how long it will take before you can feel right again.

As such, in these days of a restive Mars combined with Uranus and Eris to provide motivation, you should be more concerned about the consequences of inaction than the results of action. That’s especially true when you consider what the other planets are doing and how other parts of the holistic astrological picture are giving your some guidance. We will examine at least one of those other planets, and its role in the big picture, later this week.

For now, let your need for comfort guide the choices you make and the actions you take. Also, pay attention to whether and how the phenomenon of resistance (whether originating from inside or outside of you) may be contributing to or detracting from your ability to make mature and responsible adjustments to the current climate of your life.

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The Planet Waves Boutique has plenty of balm for your soul. Come pay us a visit, put your feet up, and enjoy discovering all the wonderful readings we have to offer.

Several months ago, after a long tenure as the so-called ‘morning star’ rising in the east before sunrise, Venus disappeared into glare of the Sun. The brightest planet has not been seen in the night sky since that time. It would be fair to say it has been missed.

Venus has not been visible since March because it has been moving on the other side of the Sun in relation to Earth. Next month, it will finally be possible to see Venus again on a new horizon, in the west after sundown. It would be fair to say the sight will be welcomed.

Today, shortly before 3:39 pm EDT (19:38:41 UTC) Venus will enter the sign Cancer almost exactly three days before the Sun does the same thing on Monday. With its ingress to Cancer today, Venus anticipates both a new season and its return to visibility.

When the Sun enters Cancer shortly after 6:34 pm (22:34:07 UTC) Monday, it will initiate a solstice and the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. Among other things, a new season represents a fresh start. It’s more than just symbolism. It’s something you can see. After nearly six months of rising and setting farther and farther towards the north, the Sun will quite literally turn around. After Monday, sunrises and sunsets will begin taking place a little further towards the south with each passing day.

Interestingly, this year’s Cancer solstice will be preceded by a Full Moon in the very last degree of Sagittarius just hours before — at about 7 am EDT Monday. The implication is that our current season and all that came with it is even now coming to a grand culmination.

Hence, our astral environment this weekend is one of overlap. Old trends are implicitly on their way out of your life, moving towards a final lunar crescendo. New trends are indicated to be on their way into your life, clearly anticipated but not yet palpably precipitated by the Sun and Venus.

Based on the symbolism of the zodiac and the implications of events in the sky, you might think of yourself as about to enter a liminal state. It is almost as if you are now about to transition between worlds, and even between lives, without having to go through the inconvenience of physical death first and starting over as a baby after. It would thus behoove you to be aware of how rare and special this weekend can be made to be.

Without your conscious awareness and participation, all that takes place above will not have anything but incidental correlations here below. That’s because you are not incidental to the universe. As a sentient being, gifted with self-awareness you have a role to play.

Your part is first to comprehend through observation, and then to manifest through corresponding action. Your job is to bring the heavens down to Earth, or not. Through you and other people, events here below are made to be coherent and consistent with events above, or not. Such is your place in the order of things. It is more than reflecting on old trends culminating. It’s more than anticipating new trends. It is your place to participate.

If you want to see world events turn around in coordination with the Sun turning around on the horizon, you will need to turn at least one thing around in your life. If you want the return of Venus on a new horizon to have meaning, you have to do something to bring it.

Being in a liminal state can feel a little apprehensive because you are neither entirely here nor totally there. Yet, there is an advantage to being between worlds, in that you can see both from a single perspective. If there is anything to astrology, such a perspective will be yours this weekend. If you want to do something with the perspicacity even now becoming available to you, allow an anticipation of better (or at least different) times to temper any apprehension of uncertainty and guide you to the other side. See you there.

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The Planet Waves Boutique has plenty of balm for your soul. Come pay us a visit, put your feet up, and enjoy discovering all the wonderful readings we have to offer.

There is nothing wrong with you if you feel affected by the scale and depth of the recent tragedy in Orlando. It is not a flaw for you to be both weary and wary of senseless violence. It is also important to remember that fear and grief are not your natural state of being.

You are a living being. You are naturally suited to sustain and nurture life. That’s a good thing, not a weakness. You are also a very human being, not a machine. Your feelings, vulnerabilities and needs are not liabilities, they are assets.

While none of us are perfect, there is reason to believe that nearly all of the people you meet share your goodness and assets. For that reason, there is also a firm basis to believe that there is a way to turn things around and make the world safer for its children.

The astrology of this coming week is emblematic of what you can do. The metaphor developing on the zodiac since last Friday is one that implicitly empowers you. It has to do with the so-called ‘personal planets’. That would include the luminaries (Sun and Moon), along with Mercury, Venus and (probably) Mars.

But it is not the personal planets alone. It is their relationship with the rest of the zodiac’s components in a holistic picture. That picture started to develop late on Sunday night.

As Sunday segued into yesterday, Mercury left Taurus behind and entered Gemini. A few hours later, the Moon left Virgo behind and entered Libra.

Gemini is one of two signs (along with Virgo) where Mercury is said to rule. Mercury is now more at home than it was during its long retrograde tenure in Taurus (nearly two months). Implied by Mercury’s transition into Gemini is a greater potential to quicken and refresh the largely (but not exclusively) mental qualities of Mercury as they manifest in your life.

What Mercury is to the intellect, the Moon is to emotions. Having the Moon move away from a weekend in Virgo to spend a few days in Libra implies a more suitable environment for a flow of compassion to prevail.

Then, yesterday, Neptune commenced a long retrograde of its own, nearly in the middle of Pisces. The relationship between Neptune and Pisces is much the same as Mercury’s relationship with Gemini. It’s home. It is the planet’s domain. Neptune, however, moves a lot more slowly than Mercury does.

Neptune is also a lot more impersonal (albeit deceptively so) than Mercury is. Hence, it will take a while, but eventually we will probably be able to look back at yesterday and note that a turn-around commenced. More specifically, before the end of this year, we will very possibly be able to look back to yesterday and note how a period of collective deception culminated, yielding to a time of communal reflection.

Speaking of culminations and beginnings, next Monday (June 20) will bring the second Sagittarius Full Moon in a row. That is followed hours later by the Sun leaving its present place in Gemini, and entering Cancer to initiate a solstice and a new season. The most personal and familiar of the sky’s objects (Sun and Moon) will have the symbolic last word as regards to what transpired over the weekend just past. The implication in your life is that the actual last word will be yours to speak and act on.

If there is anything to astrology, it is you — and people like you — who will make the difference. If there is a difference to be made in the wake of the fear and grief felt by so many since last week, it will not be made by nations. Nor will corporations, or even cultural institutions be the ones to lead the way. Rather, it will be you.

In your hands is the power to begin a new season for humanity and the world. You can begin simply. Give others no reason to fear you. Act so as to give others no reason to grieve. It will mean being vulnerable, and transparently so. It will also entail being tolerant, especially when you are strongly tempted to be critical. Perhaps most of all, you should consider publicly gathering with others of like mind to demonstrate that you are not afraid to affirm and support the sustenance of life and the support of love, whatever form they take.

Whatever their form, life is preferable to the alternative, and love is answer. And right now the answer needs you. Come out from behind locked doors. Divest yourself of violent means. Be the safe and compassionate quality the world needs to have. Let a new season of peace on Earth begin with you.

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Curious about what the epic Uranus-Eris conjunction means for you? Intrigued by the dance of Neptune and Chiron in Pisces? In our exciting new class with Eric Francis, The Astrology of Now, your questions will receive thoughtful and insightful answers — and you’ll have lots of fun in the process. You may sign up here.

Unlike what is usual for the sky, events in the world and your life are not always regular and predictable. Even so, the cycles and patterns evinced by the Sun, Moon and planets above often find striking correspondence here below. Hence, the fundamentals of astrology: observation and correlation.

Observations make you aware. Correlations establish context. Context is fundamental to making connections. Some sense of connection might be useful (or at least comforting) for you right about now. That’s where Uranus sharing the same degree of Aries with Eris comes in.

You might reasonably ask how two distant planets might have anything practical to do with your life (or even the world). That would be a very good question. You deserve a good answer.

It’s not about influence. Uranus and Eris do their own thing far away. They do not, and will not, intercede to make a discernible difference on Earth. Yet, they both orbit the same Sun you (and your world) do. That means Uranus and Eris are part of the same system with you and your planet — the solar system.

One definition of a system is that any of its parts give you information about any other part, and about the system as a whole. No scientist, no matter how hostile to astrology, would deny that definition is true of the solar system. That single fundamental is the justification science has used to justify the effort and expense of exploring our local solar neighborhood, its place in the galaxy, and in the universe. You have witnessed the results.

It’s the technology developed to conduct cosmic explorations, and the data obtained that has undeniably influenced your life, not the planets themselves.You might fairly say something the same of astrology. Uranus and Eris cannot be demonstrated to directly cause anything or effect anybody in your life. Even so, you can observe how the symbolic nature of Eris and Uranus (in the context astrology provides) correlates with events in the world, and act on those observations to be the real and actual agent of cause and effect yourself.

Turns out the nature of Uranus and Eris have something in common. In both cases, their discovery upset the sense of order people projected on the universe. In each case, there was controversy as result. Finally, both Uranus and Eris were discovered during times when the sense of order on Earth was also being upset. To simplify things (but not too much), you might say that Uranus and Eris both correspond with revolution.

As for astrological context, there are three big factors. First, Uranus and Eris are currently sharing the same degree of the same sign for the first time in nearly 90 years. Astrologers call that a conjunction aspect.

Conjunctions have a nature of their own. First the aspect is thought to merge the qualities of the two constituent planets. Next, conjunctions are interpreted to represent an old cycle ending and a new cycle simultaneously beginning. Finally, due to their close proximity on the zodiac, conjoined planets imply a blind spot of sorts that can only be resolved with the detachment that will inevitably take place with the passage of time.

The second big factor in correlating the observation of Uranus and Eris in conjunction is that their symbolic merger is taking place in Aries, just like their immediately previous get-together in 1928. Aries is where the zodiac’s cycle of signs begins.

A second consecutive conjunction in Aries (among other possible interpretations) is thus a second chance to start over as regards to what Uranus and Eris in their conjunctive aspect symbolize. In this particular case, this being the first conjunction of Uranus and Eris since Eris was discovered, the implication is a second chance after having learned something vital and intrinsic since their previous conjunction.

The third big contextual consideration is the astrological background of the Uranus-Eris conjunction. It is happening just as Uranus is separating from an era-defining square aspect (a separation of 90 degrees) with Pluto in Capricorn. This offers a plausible image of one thing leading to another. In other words, cause and effect. That’s where you come in.

Also included in the astrological setting for the Aries conjunction of Uranus and Eris is this year’s defining mutable T-square, consisting of Jupiter in Virgo on the other side of the zodiac from Neptune in Pisces, with both of them in a simultaneous square aspect to Saturn in Sagittarius. Once again simplifying (but not too much), the overall indication is that something has to give.

So add it all up. Two planets associated with revolution. Both planets in conjunction in Aries for the second of two widely separated times.

That conjunction is, in turn, taking place as cause and effect — manifesting through you. You are being handed the baton of history, and the necessity to stop persisting with what cannot be sustained.

If astrology were arithmetic, the sum total would look something like the product of a multiplication.

Specifically implied is the multiplication of two like amounts (implied by the revolutionary nature Uranus and Eris have in common) which is what the word “square” means for mathematicians. The result of a square function involving any number bigger than one is at least the sum of its parts (as would be the case with two squared), if not more. In this case, all the things the Uranus-Eris conjunction alone correlates with indicates at least the possibility of much more.

Given the nature of conjunctions, it appears that you are in a good position to make your own calculations about what the ongoing merger Uranus and Eris means to you. You have the detachment that goes with 88 years separating you form the last time it happened. You have an awareness of Eris that people experiencing its previous conjunction did not have. You also have the astrological context, some of which represents a second chance, and some of which implies the necessity of a whole new ballgame.

You also have time. Uranus and Eris both move slowly. Their conjunction will continue to be in functional range for at least another year. What you might want to do with that time is to figure out what your role amounts to, and where you fit in the equation. If there is anything to astrology, you would be wise not to play small.

Odds are that your potential to directly influence the world is much bigger than Uranus and Eris combined.

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One of the things that makes 2016 special are two Full Moons in Sagittarius. The first such opposition of the luminaries (Sun and Moon) took place on May 21. The Sun was less than 31 hours into Gemini at the time, and the Moon less than three hours into Sagittarius on the other side of the sky and the zodiac.

The second Sagittarius Full Moon of 2016 will take place on June 20. The luminaries will oppose from the very last degree of the same two signs they occupied back on May 21. The Sun will still be in Gemini. The Moon will have returned to Sagittarius after moving all the way around the zodiac and then some.

Less than 12 hours after the Sagittarius Full Moon of June 20, the Sun will move from Gemini to Cancer, marking a solstice and initiating a new season. As you have no doubt already seen, the period between the two Sagittarius Full Moons of 2016 is shaping up to be a rather distinctive time.

So far, that distinction goes beyond this period simply being the last four weeks of our current season. The time that has elapsed since the Full Moon of May 21 has been chock-full of events you just don’t see every day.

That particular distinction applies to the astrology, for sure. Since the New Moon at the midpoint of Gemini this weekend also represents the midpoint between Sagittarius Full Moons, it would implicitly be a good time to count the ways.

You don’t see Mercury station direct every day. That happened on May 22 for the second of three times this year. You don’t see Venus enter Gemini every day, either. That will happen only about once a year, and took place on May 24. An exterior (or ‘superior’) conjunction from the Sun to Venus is also a more-or-less annual event; that will also take place this weekend, as Venus moves to be exactly on the other side of the Sun in relation to Earth.

On May 24 (or May 25, depending on where you live), Venus opposed Mars for the first time in about two years. On May 27, Mars changed signs in retrograde motion for the first time since the last day of 2007; at that time, it retreated from Cancer and back into Gemini. Additionally, you would have to go back to May of 1937 for the prior occasion when retrograde Mars returned to Scorpio from Sagittarius, such as was the case one week ago today.

What’s more, the last time Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune were in anything near the mutable T-square they are now exhibiting was 1936. That’s when Neptune was in Virgo (instead of Pisces, where it is now), Saturn was in Pisces (instead of Sagittarius, as it is now) and Jupiter was in Sagittarius (instead of Virgo, where it is now). 

Last, but certainly not least, the immediately previous occurrence of Uranus and Eris occupying the same degree of the same sign (to form a conjunction) was in 1928.

Yet, all of the seldom-seen astrological events just noted (and more) have already taken place, or will soon take place, in between the two Sagittarius Full Moons of 2016.

It is a similar situation with the world at large. Since the first Full Moon in Sagittarius last month, it has been one day of world news after another distinguished by what one does not often, if ever, see. If you think on it, there have probably also been some exceptional events in your life since May 21. You are implicitly being given a means to orient yourself as regards to both the sky above and the world below.

All you need to do is think back to May 21 or so and isolate at least one person, place or situation that represents something out of the ordinary for your life thus far. Think ‘horse of a different color’ but don’t confine yourself to horses or colors. Then again, it could be you who represents such an exceptional personage for somebody else. Or you might have been thrust into an unfamiliar role, or seen the same thing happen to somebody you know.

Whatever has taken (or will take) you from routine to revelation, don’t dismiss it. Rather, seize on your own seldom-seen experiences, the more personal the better. Examine them. In what you do not see every day will be something of a connection for you. It will be where your life is interfacing with the astrology and the world at this time.

Once you do figure out what it is in your own personal, everyday experience that has impressed you as not everyday at all, reflect on how you did (or will do) with it. Remember how you account (or will account) for it. Note how you have explained (or will explain) it.

It is not only in what has recently happened (or will soon happen) to you that you will find important information. Indeed, the most vital thing for you to observe and work with right now would be what you do with what you don’t see every day. Above all, don’t be discouraged if your first response to the rarely seen does not represent you at your best. For it is implicitly those who learn the most (not those who do the best) during this period between Sagittarius Full Moons who will enter the next season with the most valuable and useful keys to the future.

Offered In Service

Curious about what the epic Uranus-Eris conjunction means for you? Intrigued by the dance of Neptune and Chiron in Pisces? In our exciting new class with Eric Francis, The Astrology of Now, your questions will receive thoughtful and insightful answers — and you’ll have lots of fun in the process. You may sign up here.

Many thanks for wishing me well over the U.S. holiday weekend. Ailments normally associated with winter should stay there. Having the Moon in Aries again today should be consistent with getting things underway again after a period of adjustment.

Besides a weekend flu bout for yours truly, a few significant astrological events are now history. On Friday, retrograde Mars left Sagittarius and returned to Scorpio. Along with Aries, Scorpio is ruled by Mars. Hence, you could say Mars has come home — albeit by the back door.

If you have clear weather on any night in the near future, it’s a good time to be viewing Mars. Look toward the South-Southeast well after dark for the steady and bright stoplight-red visage that only a relatively close Mars could be.

Even though Mars is at home in Scorpio, its return through the back door might have entailed your having to make some adjustments of your own over the last several days. You also may very well have had to adjust to some possibly tense situations during the Last Quarter Moon on Sunday.

Today, however, should give you a chance to both reflect on and shift your focus away from what occupied you over the weekend. Indications are that you should reflect because making further adjustments in your life could very well function to make the near future more comfortable. Even if accompanied by similar themes, however, the days to follow will almost certainly distinguish themselves from days immediately past. Knowing the probability of such distinctions in store should be more than enough incentive to keep your eyes on the road ahead.

As an example of similar but different, consider how the luminaries (Sun and Moon) will not be alone in their zodiac degree when they come together at 14+ Gemini this coming weekend (the Gemini New Moon).

Just as the Sagittarius Full Moon of May 21 was nestled next to retrograde Mars, the Gemini New Moon late on June 4 (or very early on June 5, depending on where you live) will take place in close collaboration with Venus.

While Venus will indeed be on the other side of the Sun at the time of the Gemini New Moon, its alignment with the Earth, Moon and Sun will constitute a nearly straight line (like a string threading pearls) through outer space. Applying the earthly perspective used by astrologers, then, Venus will thus be conjoined with the Sun and Moon as Saturday segues into Sunday.

This upcoming Gemini New Moon would therefore serve to complement, but not repeat, your experience of the immediately preceding Full Moon. That’s a piece of good news. It implies that means, motives and opportunities to bring harmony, balance and wholeness to life are likely to present themselves. The only way to assure that happens, however, is to make it happen yourself.

The many possible earthly manifestations of Venus and Mars (yin and yang, active and receptive, even male and female) tend to complete each other in the process of creating the continuum of a greater whole. Knowing that ahead of time, you can participate in harmony with the astrology by making some adjustments this week.

Those adjustments may ultimately complement who you were, where you were and what you were doing shortly after the Sun entered Gemini to oppose the Full Moon in the very first degree of Sagittarius ten days ago.

This does not mean you have to contradict yourself, or be anything that you are not. Venus and Mars as they express in your life are not opposites so much as reflections on and of each other. The same is true of the Sun and Moon.

That’s how this coming week, at least in part, represents a time when you might want to present another side of the whole that is you. Specifically, you might want to favor, if not feature, another side of yourself to complement (but not contradict) how you were presenting yourself to the world when the Full Moon accompanied Mars on May 21.

If you can do that, you will show that you can retain an awareness of the past without being stuck there. That’s always a fine skill to practice, but especially so this week. For in many ways, the astrology of weeks to come looks to represent a scenario of one practical step following another towards your becoming an ever more perfect union of your best tendencies, traits and talents. Even as good as it may be to be you, the cosmos is now implicitly supporting your making a few adjustments to become even better.

Offered In Service

Curious about what the epic Uranus-Eris conjunction means for you? Intrigued by the dance of Neptune and Chiron in Pisces? In our exciting new class with Eric Francis, The Astrology of Now, your questions will receive thoughtful and insightful answers — and you’ll have lots of fun in the process. You may sign up here.