What’s Happening this Week?
Apologies for the late blog. There’s not a lot you can do when your house gets hit by lightning and the router box explodes … then you (and hundreds of others on the island) have to spend literally hours getting through to the phone company to register for a new box, which you then have to go and pick up. This whole process has taken two days!
This inevitably made me think of Uranus newly arrived in Taurus. There was so much speculation about what this ingress (change of sign) would mean – and there’s a lot more to find out as Uranus will be travelling through this sign for years yet – but when the explosive planet arrived in the sign of Fixed Earth there was an immediate physical showing of erupting volcanoes. And it’s a powerful symbol for electricity (Uranus) finding the quickest route to the ground. It really reminds us of the random nature of Uranian symbolism – it’s the thing you’re not prepared for, the thing you can’t see coming and the thing you can’t stop.
And it can work in good ways too! I recently predicted money for a client which I had thought would be some kind of inheritance. She assured me that she wasn’t expecting to inherit from anyone, but yesterday she emailed me to say that as Uranus transited opposite her Venus she received news of an amazing payout from a pension scheme that she’d paid into years ago and had forgotten about. Her own words were “out of the blue”. That’s Uranus.
Uranus is in the news this week as it’s Summer Solstice time – when the Sun (Sol) appears to stand still – but there’s little time for letting the grass grow under your feet as the first aspect is to this Lord of surprises –
Thursday 21 June
- Spring Equinox Sun ingress Cancer 11.06 BST
Saturday 23 June
- Sun 2 Cancer sextile Uranus 2 Taurus 06.59 BST
This indicates that new cycles and especially those related to Cancerian issues (home, property, family, children and care) could hit the floor running. The sextile aspect is a harmonious one so changes should be for the better, even if they seem whacky or come wrapped up in a box of fireworks.
There’s another outer planet grabbing attention too as the week starts with Neptune switching to retrograde motion. This event happens once a year and lasts for about five months. Here are the dates of these turning points over the last three years which will give you a better sense of this planet’s long and winding road. You can see that during the five months of retrograde motion, Neptune “reverses” back three degrees. During the seven months of forward moving motion Neptune travels five degrees. So it’s five steps forwards, three steps back –
Tuesday 19 June
- Neptune turns retrograde at 16.29 Pisces 00.28 BST and will turn direct again at 13.42 Pisces at the end of November
- June 2017 – Neptune turned retrograde at 14 Pisces and turned direct again at 11 Pisces in November
- June 2016 – Neptune turned retrograde at 12 Pisces and turned direct again at 9 Pisces in November
If you have planets or angles in between the two positions mentioned (16 and a half and 13 and three quarters degrees Pisces or in the opposite sign of Virgo) then you are in the middle of a long Neptune transit.
If you don’t have planets or angles in between these degrees then Neptune’s turning point is still important but at a more universal level.
Either way look out for Neptune’s themes. From Be Your Own Astrologer, the Neptunian world is one of “confusion, uncertainty, delusion, illusion, deception, soul searching, a lack of purpose or direction, being “all at sea”, grief, events that make no logical sense, escapism, mystical experiences and all issues related to altered states of consciousness including anesthesia, all drugs and alcohol, surrender, sacrifice, the arrival of those who mesmerize, manipulate or idealize us, falling in love, total infatuation, those we want to rescue or vice versa, or with whom we feel a spiritual connection.”
So Neptune runs the whole gamut from intense love experiences, fusion and the urge to merge, to feeling alone and adrift. This is why Neptune (and the other outer planets) transits are very difficult to interpret in advance as the tide can turn either way. The most important points to remember for now is to operate from a position of empathy but also to clock where you need to draw lines, or make some kind of reversal in any situation that is not doing you a lot of good. Similarly, stop doing what isn’t working, or expecting things from those who clearly can’t meet your needs. A cherished dream may, for now, prove to be no more than a fantasy, so be willing to redirect your creative energy. Neptune’s link to illusion versus realism can bring sad or painful wake up moments, but these in turn can also save us from wasting more of our valuable time.
Look out for Neptunian issues midweek as Mercury the Communicator is moving quickly and aligns with lucky Jupiter first and then Neptune, re-invoking the trine (harmonious aspect) between these two planets that was exact for the second time on 25 May (first one was 3 Dec 2017 and the third and final one will be 19 August 2018). If either of these dates was significant for you, especially in terms of long running concerns or relationship issues of any kind, then there’s more to come.
Look out for important news, conversations or decision making. Note that Mercury’s last aspect, before changing sign next week, is the challenging opposition to Pluto – the stuff of irrevocable decisions, doing something for the last time, or closure of any kind, such as selling a property. Also note that the love planets Venus and Mars are opposing each other in the middle of all the Mercury aspects so there’s little chance of getting agreement on touchy subjects. It’s more important to respect opposing points of view rather than locking horns.
Tuesday 19 June
- Mercury 14 Cancer trine Jupiter 14 Scorpio 20.44 BST
Thursday 21 June
- Mercury 16 Cancer trine Neptune 16 Pisces 05.00 BST
- Venus 9 Leo opposite Mars 9 Aquarius 17.55 BST
Saturday 23 June
- Mercury 20 Cancer opposite Pluto 20 Capricorn 10.26 BST
The love planets in opposition are not necessarily a bad thing for love stuff. There’s a lot to be said for the view that relationships start with the things you have in common, but they stay passionate because of your differences. So if you’re trying to make someone think in the way that you do, especially a partner or lover, beware! You could be turning into a passion killer without realizing it!
Mars is now “stuck” on 9 degrees of Aquarius in readiness for turning retrograde next Tuesday and I’ll be talking more about that next week, along with Mercury’s change of sign and a Capricorn Full Moon.
I’ll leave you with a reminder to look out for this beautiful monthly conjunction and hope you’ll have clear skies –
Saturday 23 June
- Moon conjunct Jupiter 13.46 Scorpio 22.12 BST
Jupiter is also “stuck” at 13 degrees of Scorpio in readiness for turning direct in a couple of weeks time. If you have planets or angles at or very close to this degree then the wheel of fortune is turning in your favour and you should soon hear the machinery cranking up! Universally all Jupiter matters will get a big boost and, again, I’ll be talking a lot more about this in the weeks to come…. But please no more lightning strikes Jupiter, God of thunderbolts!
With love from Greece
Joanna