Cosmic Weather Report
By Catie Cadge
“It is only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn’t be make-believe
If you believe in me”
Welcome to the Santa Cruz Cosmic Weather Report – Evolutionary Astrology of the moment, your moment in time, our collective moment of change! Early June promises light showers of Gemini merriment, even if under the continuing confines of shelter-in-place. These are accompanied by ongoing Piscean fogginess, making this time not an easy one to think clearly, nor to set boundaries, yet good for fantasies and dreams.
Enter the springtime challenge…One I’m sure you all know and feel.
During June, Mars is traveling through the zodiacal sign of Pisces. There is an old saying that goes, “Mars in Pisces is like trying to hammer a nail with a fish.” Mars is not easily expressed in Pisces; Pisces, the watery, sensitive sign of the fishes, is characterized by a lack of boundaries, a dreamy, passive, more emotional side of Mars. If we take the low road of Mars in Pisces, we seek escape, we wallow in fantasy.
But Mars in Pisces gives us a choice; we can choose to be the spiritual warrior and act with compassion. Now is not an easy time to think clearly about anything. Got a fuzzy brain? Spring fever on steroids? The challenge lies in finding a balance between claiming the pleasures of all June offers us, while trying to remember a little bit of commonsense, a little bit of caution, that merits our attention and brings us to the higher road.
Astrologers like to see the month – literally the “Moonth” – unfold following the phases of the Moon; New Moon waxes to Full Moon, waning to New again. In June, we continue to ponder how to make real the dreams we set in action on the New Moon, May 22nd. I say “ponder” because there are many planets moving retrograde now; Venus, Jupiter and Saturn all turned retrograde mid-May, joining an already retrograde Pluto. Mercury and Neptune join them in the retrograde dance in June. When thinking about retrograde planets, just “re-member”: everything with a “re” – reevaluate, reconsider, revisualize, reimagine, recreate!
And just re-member: “it wouldn’t be make-believe, if you believed in me.” Time to dream big and trust our hearts to manifest. Most importantly, now is the time to reimagine our world and our part in it.
Venus retrograde provides us a time to reflect upon what we need and what we value in our communication with our partners. We may reassess our resources, as well, our sources of income, and reconsider how we spend. Venus brings us beauty, love, harmony and creative expression. Now in Gemini and retrograde, we can awaken in us new, fresh perspectives on what Venusian needs we have and deserve to experience through our interactions with others. Look to see where in your birthchart Venus moves now and where the sign Gemini is located.
Meanwhile, I must say, I hold a lot of hope in the planet Mercury in June! Mercury enters Cancer near the end of May. Considered “out of bounds,” at extreme declination, Mercury is operating beyond the scope of the Sun, and can awaken in us radical new ways of relating and engaging the other; one that is sensitive, emotional, protective and nurturing. By mid-June, no longer out of bounds, the trickster of communication and our guide to bringing in new perceptions, new ideas, will turn retrograde, at 14˚ Cancer. Think of the Cancer crab seeking protection in her shell or scurrying into her hole in the sand, finding comfort and safety in her nest, her home. Cancer, sign of the Moon, defends the vulnerable and feels the need to care for those close and in need. Following an out-of-bounds period of Mercury and retrograde now, how conducive a time to “think outside the box” in how we respond and care for those we love and how best to protect our community, our clan.
In Sagittarius, 15˚34’, at 12:12 PM PDT, June 5th, and featuring a penumbral lunar eclipse, the Full Moon sets a mood of wanting to burst open with a fiery enthusiasm for fun, new adventure, with a desire for travel and novel experience in abundance. Grab that mask and lead the festive procession! Sun, 15˚34’, and Venus, 12˚18’retrograde, conjunct in Gemini, add that playful curiosity and desire for social engagement we all think of in springtime. ALL form a square to that Pisces Mars, 15˚52’. The planet Neptune is a little further along in Pisces, at 20˚53’. Mars will actually conjunct exactly Neptune the following week on Saturday, June 13th, 7:13 am. Neptune can help manifest the highest of spiritual consciousness and self-sacrifice, but the planet is also eager to delude us, make us wish to escape and to seek solace in too much wine, too much pleasure, too much feasting in springtime bliss! It is important to keep in mind Neptune in Pisces is associated with the spread of disease and epidemics. Mars may trigger this now.
During both weekends, the cosmic chemistry underscores the need to take that higher road of a Pisces Mars – play with caution and seek the compassionate route encouraged by Mercury in Cancer. Temptation for a good ol’ time abounds! Please play safe!
Happy Full Moon folks!
