Any given time in your life has a particular quality of tone. That quality is always a combination of things. Your perception and focus are a big part of your reality. There are usually some fundamental issues going on underneath everything else — like health, food, shelter and survival.
Finally, there are often overtones that vary with place, time, relational patterns and seasonal cycles.
Astrology can help you perceive and understand the tone and timbre of your life (often in relation to other lives) because you live here on Earth.
Earth, in turn, is part of a system called solar. Hence, so are you.
Any system (including the solar system) is defined by the fact that one part can convey information harmonically resonant with any other part, and with the system as a whole.
Nearly all systems of astrology derive their information from the cycles and patterns exhibited by the apparent motion of the Sun, Moon and at least some of the planets that make up the solar system.
By the same token, nearly all systems of astrology will (at least upon occasion) take points outside the solar system into account as part of the harmonic whole. This week is just such an occasion. It is one of those times because the Gemini Sun always opposes the Galactic Core (GC) in Sagittarius at this time of year. This year, however, that opposition will implicitly come to pass with an unusually energetic tone, which is likely to carry over to your life in some way.
As with all opposition aspects, that from the Sun to the center of our “Milky Way” galaxy finds Earth moving between the two points in question; this aspect will be exact on Thursday shortly before 11:05 am EDT / 15:05 UTC, but is in effect now. The alignment is symbolically represented by the Sun and GC on opposite sides of the zodiac. Unlike any other time in recent memory, however, another planet besides Earth is part of the composition: Mars.
Mars will be lending its distinguishing ruddy color to the overall tone of the annual opposition from the Sun to the Galactic Core on Thursday. Not that you will be able to see it. The visual countenance of Mars is still lost in the solar glare from our perspective. Nonetheless, you should be able to anticipate and detect a Martian timbre in this year’s alignment of the Earth, Sun and GC, because Mars will be a functional part of the composition.
As Robert Hand succinctly put it, “Mars is an energy planet.” The Martian emblem of energy was in an exact conjunction to (sharing the same degree of Gemini with) the Sun only two days ago, when Mars was precisely on the other side of the Sun from Earth. This week, that conjunction remains close enough to serve as an energetic overtone of emphasis on what the annual alignment of the Earth, Sun and Galactic Core have always represented: the prelude to a new season.
That’s because the Galactic Core, like a star, is basically a fixed point. It does not move through the signs. Over a very long term of nearly 26 thousand years, the precessional “wobble” of Earth’s axis will make the GC appear to move through the signs, but for all intents and purposes from the perspective of your life, the center of our galaxy is continuously situated near the very end of mutable Sagittarius.
Hence, the Gemini Sun’s annual opposition to the center of our galaxy always means that the Sun is also just a few days away from entering the cardinal sign of tropical Cancer. When the Sun enters Cancer, it always precipitates the crescendo of apparent northward solar motion called a solstice, and initiates a new season for everybody on Earth at the same time — a metaphorically new movement in the cyclical symphony of seasons.
Because of Mars, this year’s prelude to the new season initiated on June 21 looks as though it will come with a tone more dynamic than is typical for the days before the Cancer solstice. Implied is something more like Beethoven at his most bombastic than Mozart at his most muted.
In anticipation of such an energetic prelude to what is always a notable solstice crescendo, you should prepare to pace yourself. Don’t get unconsciously caught up and burned out before the weekend arrives. Rather, be the muting influence in your own life. Take it easy with your own tone. Make it somewhat less than strident. Allow yourself to breathe between beats. That way, you will stand a better chance of entering a new season with rhythm and harmony come next week.
Offered In Service
Len is available for astrology readings. You can contact him at lenwallick [at] gmail [dot] com.
Len – are you a musician by any chance? Even if you’re not – there’s so much music in your soul. Thank you for this lovely piece.
Extra energy . . yes, I’ve noticed it . On Saturday I took two lady friends to lunch. It was their birthday and no, they aren’t twins, they aren’t even related but they are both my neighbors, a 3rd house/Gemini association (neighbors that is, not birthdays), and yes they, along with me were very energetic, as was the noisy crowd already there.
A light on my car’s dashboard has lit up; I don’t know what it means. Looks like it symbolizes a liquid probably so I’m guessing oil. Will have to have that checked when I go out next and there’s a Jiffy Lube next door to my bank which I need to go to as well. Killing 2 birds with one stone I guess you could say.
I got my annual reminder to pay my motor vehicle tax and re-registration in the mail today and it’s also time to get my drivers license renewed, something I must do every 4 years or 2 Mars cycles. Somewhere I read (maybe here or maybe Boots Hart said it) that news reporting is a Gemini-Sagittarius team effort; Gemini asks “who, what, where, when” and Sagittarius asks “why”.
Maybe transiting Mars’ co-incidental (or synchronous) arrival in late Gemini just as the Sun makes his annual opposition to the GC wants us to ask more questions and get more information because the GC wants to know why what is happening to us is happening. And maybe it might have to do with cars or neighbors, ya think?
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Len:
This retrograde has been particularly nuts, and would have been more so without you, Eric and Planetwaves keeping me SANE. My MC is in Sag, so I feel GC vibes in my psyche feels like a radio picking up shortwaves. The inner voice get loud and insistent.
Thanks brother, for all your hard work and for having all our backs. PW is my family and I am proud to shout that out!
Oh Mars is cruising over the last of Gemini? I thought it was just new tires. Bike rolls like a charm.
Given that the GC acts as a spiritual homing signal, and this year Mars is closely involved in the Sun/GC opposition, isn’t it fitting that there have been 3 big sports scandals so far this year? We have Tom Brady & the Patriots getting caught deflating balls, the FIFA fiasco, and now the FBI is investigating the St. Louis Cardinals for hacking into the Houston Astros “internal networks”. Given Mars is “an energy” planet, and dare I say a sports planet it appears as though it’s time for some spiritual accountability in the professional sports arena. Although I’m sure there is much more to be desired of professional sports teams, owners, players, coaches, etcetera, to play their respective games with honor, in other words, without cheating. Sometimes when I skateboard, I have a little mental trick that I use when I’m feeling particularly “in flow”. I’ll imagine I’m riding for the Gods, like an offering.
“…you should prepare to pace yourself…” – indeed! Life for me lately has been a bit too much of what I believe Eric once called “everything all at once”. One major issue gets dealt with (though a few inconvenient but not crucial details remain) – & the next matter on my list proves to be both difficult & time consuming. All on the heels of that really challenging retrograde Mercury – Yes, Fe, “particularly nuts” covers it for me also.
One thing I’ve been doing a bit is trying to recover my music, abandoned long ago – tinkering on my old, out-of-tune piano (tuning’s a ways down on my list right now) – despite the off notes, it feels good. Hence, I appreciate your musical analogies today, Len. I hope the Solstice won’t contain TOO much that is “bombastic” !
Remind self: one thing at a time. One doesn’t recover/repair from many years of neglect in a week or a month or a year. Along with pacing myself, I know I need to give myself patience, & some praise for progress made.
I realized today that I need to give myself some credit/praise for having gotten this far – it’s too easy to see the empty half of the glass.
Please excuse the redundancy in my comment – may I plead that Mercury-retro shadow did it?? My proofreader self was awol?
Lizzy: Thank you for your question and kind appraisal. The definition of who or who is not a musician will vary depending on the standards of defining who and who is not a musician. i do play an instrument. i play music with other people on occasion. i like to think of myself as a musician, but i would not want to insult those with standards of musicianship i do not meet.
Barbara (be): Thank you for so brilliantly bringing us news of your world and how it harmonizes with the ambient astrology. The way in which you describe (as well as inquire about) what, for many, would seem mundane events is a be-autiful demonstration of how the overall of the tone of life on Earth at any time can be shown to correlate with what is going on in or sky. Just having such awareness is one of the things that sets you apart and makes us grateful to have you here.
Fe; My thanks to you in turn for you being so generously collegiate and (as always) full of grace in your means and content of expressions. Such grace is typical of those with a strong component of Sagittarius in their personal astrology. It makes you a blessing for those of us who know enough to be grateful for manifestations of the divine when we see them.
wandering_yeti: It is good to receive word from you. i think of you often. It’s especially good to know you are on a roll.
Michael: Thank you for so cogently correlating current events from the world of sports with the ambiance of the astrology as represented in this piece. Mars does indeed prove to correlate with sports, as a glimpse of nearly any famous athlete’s personal astrology will often reveal. i wish more sporting institutions felt and exhibited the sense of devotion you bring to your own means of athletic expression.
Bette: Thank you for once again taking us along on a walk through your hard-earned and constantly growing store of wisdom and perspective. If i were to emulate anybody so as to lead a more conscious life of greater integrity, you would be one of the examples i would look up to. Thank you so very much for sharing that example here once again.
Was sure you were a musician, dear Len! And a very sensitive and lovely one too – I’m sure….
Lizzy: i wish all musicians were as generous as you are.
Very enlightening, Len, thank you. Question – what’s with this extreme lack of concentration and lethargy today (Thurs). Lots of people are complaining of it and I’m feeling it myself. Is it this Sun-Mars opp GC? Is Mars being debilitated by the Sun?
Christina: Thank you for your question. If the phenomena you have observed and asked about is indeed widespread and salient, it’s probably due to a combination of factors. The Sun in the late (anaretic) degrees of any sign can feel like molasses in January for some people no matter how implicitly energetic it is in aspect. Mercury is still not up to even half of its full speed following its recent station direct less than a week ago. Venus is slowing down before its retrograde station on July 25. Uranus is slowing down on approach to its retrograde station on July 26. Chiron stations retrograde on June 24, and is practically standing still now. Burnout of some sort might be a problem, especially if Neptune is having its way through excessive consumption of alcohol and/or other psychoactive substances in recent weeks. Maybe the solution is a good rest. Maybe the solution is a long walk, or a long drink of water. Mars is a featured part of the astrology right now because it is not annually aligned as it currently is with the annual alignment of the Sun and GC. Nonetheless, when asking a general question such as yours, it’s usually better to look for a holistic answer. Finally, every individual is different, with a unique and individuated personal astrological make up, resulting in a unique and individuated correlation with any given transit or set of transits. Please let me know if my answer is somehow not satisfactory. If i were to point to any one of the factors noted, Mercury may well be the key. We will see as it leaves its shadow phase on June 27, and gets back up to speed.
Christina, I’m blaming it on Saturn’s return (retrograde) to Scorpio – once again in a mutual reception with Pluto and the tightening of the semi-square with him, exact on Saturday. We will get used to it. We’d better, it will be with us through much of September!
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Barbara (be): Thank you for a point well taken. One must never underestimate the role of Saturn, even in retrograde, correlating wit the shape of things as they have been, as they are, and as they might yet be made to be.
Thank you Len and Barbara. I’m in a group of sensitives, mostly women, and I posted this morning if anyone else was in a funk and as of recently it got over 100 comments of people mostly saying yes – they feel rejected, snubbed, disconnected, like like throwing in the towel. It does sense alot like the Saturn regress into Scorpio. Possibly still the Sun-Mars square to Chiron. And I had no idea of so many planets slowing down, so thank you Len. Eric’s post about the “sexlessness” of the Gemini New Moon seemed to come into play, but it seems more like lack of desire to connect and create, feelings of hopelessness. It was very unusual to see it so widespread in this usually vibrant community. Hoping it will shift when the Moon changes signs to Leo. Thank you for your insights.
Oh and my initial question, I didn’t know whether Mars combust the Sun made it debilitated. I thought it there was a widespread sense of lack of desire this could be the case. But I’m not entirely clear on the Sun-Mars combust or cazimi effect.
Christina: Thank you. Love it. Because, in a way, you answered your own question. Please note that your own admirable persistence in getting a direct answer to all your questions is evidence that Mars is manifesting very well, with no evidence of debilitation, albeit through your consciousness (as represented by the Sun). Astrological doctrine is a guideline. Technical lingo is for making fine points. Simply witness your behavior, which today serves as proof positive that Mars is not debilitated in the least. It’s simply conjunct (merged with) the Sun. Also, to reiterate, one planet does not astrology make. It’s holistic. There are other emblems of energetics, many of which are moving slow and/or in the latter degrees of a sign. Look at the whole, find your place in it. Thank you again, your wonderful questions will always have a valuable place here.
Haha well I didn’t intend to come off as Martian – more Mercurian curiosity and clarity. But Mars features prominently in my chart so I guess it’s rarely debilitated for me personally.
Christina: Mars was unmistakable in your indomitable and assertive quest for an answer. That was no Mercury in shadow manifesting through you. It was Mars. It was inspiring for me, frankly. You are inspiring. Keep manifesting that Mars which is so prominent in your chart and you cannot go wrong. As you just pointed out in this most recent comment of yours, personal astrology does make a difference in how any one planet manifests on the whole at any given time. For your part, please allow Mars to be at least one of your trademark undertones, never let the proverbial bastards get you down. Thank you so much for the effort you put into collecting your observations and for the generosity with which you shared them. Please keep doing so.