We launch our month with four retrogrades and end the month with four, two of them different than what we started with. The two that remain the same throughout the month are two of our favorite retrogrades, Saturn and Pluto. In esoteric astrology we consider retrogrades the most sacred expression of a planet, whether beneficial or challenging. Retrogrades, which are the illusion of a planet moving backward due to that planet’s and the Earth’s differing ellipses around the Sun, means more opportunities and deeper meanings than the direct motion of a planet, which has more limited and specific characteristics. The qualities of Pluto and Saturn are both less lovely when direct, though we love all of our planets for the lessons they are meant to teach. When Pluto, which is about darkness, hidden things, and the underworld turns retrograde, all is revealed—brought into the light of day. Saturn, the planet of limitations, heavy burdens, and chronic conditions now carries a lighter burden and the limitations are not as strict.
Many bemoan Mercury retrograde which starts June 1, along with Vulcan, its constant tag-along. While it’s true
we may experience computer glitches and organizational hitches, this is the time for pondering your future decisions rather than making them. More interior understanding and motivations can be discovered during this time. Vulcan, on the other hand, assists in releasing attachments when it goes retrograde, loosening the grip of the material world and concertizing ideas. These two sashay back to direct around Summer Solstice, just in time to welcome Jupiter and Neptune to the dance. Neptune, when retrograde, is the most spiritual expression of all the planets and while a retrograding Jupiter may lessen our joy or abundance, it also enables one to examine who one is within their own peer group, in order to better determine how best to serve.
Everyone: Day and Night are equal dance partners on June 21.
—Carl Jung
Wisdom never forgets that all things have two sides.
ARIES Planet: Mercury MARCH 20 – APRIL 19
Dynamic: You may feel mentally clumsy the first
half of the month.
Direction: Try non-mental things – meditation,
dreaming – until the second half.
Soul Thought: “The mind is the slayer of the real.”
—Helena Blavatsky
TAURUS Planet: Vulcan APRIL 19 – MAY 20
Dynamic: A great time to be the Observer.
Direction: Attachment to results is a good thing to release.
Soul Thought: What does Caring Detachment mean?
GEMINI Planet: Venus MAY 20 – July 20
Dynamic: Busy time slows a bit; maybe more than you like.
Direction: Try being more interior than you usually are.
Soul Thought: The language of dreams.
CANCER Planet: Neptune July 20 – JULY 22
Dynamic: You may not care for the light-hearted bantering of important things.
Direction: Catch the light and take it into the depths.
Soul Thought: Plato’s Cave
LEO Planet: Sun JULY 22 – AUG 22
Dynamic: Moving is over; time to settle in.
Direction: Into a house, a family, a belief system, a life.
Soul Thought: “The personality is the home of the Soul.” —Dr. Douglas Baker
VIRGO Planet: Moon AUG 22 – SEPT 22
Dynamic: It’s an active month on many levels.
Direction: Use it or do it, well.
Soul Thought: “You will illumine as you have been illumined. It is the law.” —Arcane School
LIBRA Planet: Uranus SEPT 22 – OCT 22
Dynamic: Your troubles may not be getting any easier…
Direction: …but with pondering, they could be more easily understood.
Soul Thought: “Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.” —Carl Jung
SCORPIO Planet: Mars OCT 22 – NOV 21
Dynamic: That which was lost can be recaptured.
Direction: Ask if it wants to be recaptured.
Soul Thought: “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” —Henry David Thoreau
SAGITTARIUS Planet: Earth NOV 21 – DEC 20
Dynamic: Your direction is always direct.
Direction: Direct doesn’t necessarily mean straight lines.
Soul Thought: If you can’t go backward, can you dance?
CAPRICORN Planet: Saturn DEC 20 – JAN 19
Dynamic: This could be a time to ask for help.
Direction: Friends are especially valuable now.
Soul Thought: A rainfall in the desert.
AQUARIUS Planet: Jupiter JAN 19 – FEB 18
Dynamic: It’s true it might be a huge conspiracy.
Direction: Revelation is needed.
Soul Thought: What does it mean to be a disciple?
PISCES Planet: Pluto FEB 18 – MAR 20
Dynamic: The affairs of the world could gain clarity.
Direction: Apply that clarity to self IN the world.
Soul Thought: Is it secular or sacred?
