July 2013: Star Stuff To Know About

STUFF TO KNOW - JULY 2013

Mercury is retrograde in Cancer from June 26 to July 20

Mercury, messenger of the Gods, goes swimming with the crabs.  What happens to you during Mercury retrograde weeks?  Me?  I say c-r-a-p more than I normally do. Just now when I opened WORD to do this document a blank page appeared that I had never seen before. The margins were wrong (1.5 inches on left & right). The font was 16 and in blue.  Then I remembered that you can open an existing document, click on new document, and it will style itself after the opened doc.  It seems that when Mercury is retrograde electronic imps jump into equipment and have a cocktail party

Mercury in Cancer, messenger of the Goddess

With the messenger in the sign of Cancer (mother, nurturance, food, home, family), we might expect to hear from relatives long forgotten.  We might take on some home projects that have been on our minds for quite a while.  Yesterday I did a closet cleanup.  What a great feeling to get some home project checked off the list.  On the more serious side, Mercury in the sign of Cancer suggests attention to the mother and to women in general.  In Texas, we have the women’s reproductive rights on center stage in Austin.  The Republicans did not manage to get their law passed regarding abortion clinic regulations last week.  Wendy Davis did a filibuster and thousands of protestors demonstrated in the Capitol.  The Governor immediately announced there would be a special session so the Republicans could pass their bill.  The abortion issue would fall under more than one archetypal heading, but for sure it falls under the sign of Cancer, ruler of the moon, of a woman’s menstrual cycle, of pregnancy and the Great Mother (the archetypal symbol of what it means to be a woman).  What is interesting is how the Legislature can proclaim they know what the Great Mother wants.  A woman lawmaker brought this bill to the legislature and that would require a complicated analysis of the feminine aligning with the patriarchy.  Most of the Republican lawmakers are men. Men have no vaginas or uteruses and cannot get pregnant, but these particular men feel compelled to ordain what women should do with their bodies and their reproductive lives. These same individuals believe in liberty; believe the government should not interfere with their precious freedoms.  At the same time, they irrationally believe it is okay to deny women their freedom.  The bill will probably pass since the Republicans are the majority in the Texas House.  However, Mercury, messenger of the Goddess, is retrograde!!  The bill will eventually be revised, discarded or found unconstitutional in some way.  It is being birthed in dirty water and will not survive.  Mercury retrograde brings the abortion issue back to the table and back to the community for consideration.  In Ohio and North Carolina restrictive anti-abortion laws were inserted into the budget and passed without discussion in the past few days.  Basically it was an ambush.  Did I mention that Mercury is also a trickster?  With Mercury retrograde in Cancer I am asking what this says about the Republican Party’s relationship with the feminine principle. No one is forced to have an abortion so what interest do they have, exactly?

The Moon rules Cancer.  

Mercury retrograde in Cancer takes us back to many female issues. On the personal level it could mean a return to the issue of motherhood. Some couples might be trying to decide whether or not to have a child.  It could mean a return to a fertility doctor to try one more time to get pregnant.   And, as already stated, there is a return to the odd belief that a small group of individuals can dictate what women do with their sexuality and reproductive potentialities. 

Jupiter entered the sign of Cancer on June 25 for a one-year visit

It takes Jupiter one year to travel 30 degrees through a sign (and it takes 12 years for Jupiter to go through the entire zodiac).  In 2012 to June 2013, Jupiter visited Gemini, a ruler of information, learning and teaching.  There was plenty of data to go through.  There was lots of chatter and debate.  Now, in the sign of Cancer, Jupiter amplifies the feeling nature.  Cancer is a water sign, one of the emotional signs of the zodiac.  Jupiter makes whatever it touches BIGGER.  Old worn out water pipes might break.  There could be flooding, literally and figuratively.   Feelings will be bigger.  We will be asked to process a lot of emotional information and we are asked to maintain emotional balance.  Jupiter is excess so we can get out of control emotionally, we can get out of control with all things Cancerian (see information on Mercury retrograde in Cancer—mothering, food, comfort, needing to be babied).  Here are some other possibilities to think about: 

·      Being too much of a mother!  Practice the balance of nurturing with proper boundaries.   Avoid suffocating other people.

·      Too much focus on food and drink and emotional eating. Solution: focus on nutrition and appropriate diet and exercise.  Avoid the sofa!

·      Stomach upsets and problems.  Solution:  talk about your troubles or journal about your upsets. Find creative outlets for pent up emotions.

·      Being a CRAB.  The totem for Cancer is the crab, the critter that sidles away when it feels threatened.  It crawls into its shell and stays there. Or maybe that crab grabs on with its pincher and doesn’t let go.  Ouch! Anytime the sign of Cancer is in the spotlight, we need to practice expressing what we feel rather than repressing what we don’t want others to see or hear. Learning how to express without using the pincher is the trick!!  You know what I’m talking about, Cancer folks. You can complain and complain and get crochety.

Rather than let Jupiter in Cancer make our crotchety tendency bigger, let’s pay attention to our emotional climate and balance.

Jupiter in Cancer:  Trust Your Belly!

We have a year to experience the abundant gifts of Jupiter in Cancer.  For many people this is a wonderful year to be a parent.  For some it’s the perfect year to get pregnant.  It’s a great time to deepen our family connections.  The Moon rules Cancer. We want to have a happy home.  Jupiter in Cancer can help us align with our feminine aspects and with our psyches.  The crab lives in the sea. We have a year to embrace the ocean and to support the protection of our seas.  Cancer and the Moon rule the breasts and the stomach.  Become more mindful about what you eat, both literally with food and figuratively with energy.  What energy are you eating?  What gives you a bellyache?  What is your abdominal area telling you?  If you have an eating disorder, now is the time to address it because Jupiter in Cancer may make it bigger.  Get help if you have an eating disorder or get out of control with food or alcohol. If a person or situation in your life is giving you a bellyache, then some correction is necessary.

Last year, with Jupiter in Gemini, we had more Mercury associated disorders.  Mercury rules Gemini, so people had to watch their anxiety level. They had to be careful not to get so over-amped by media, the news and excess data. This year the focus is more on the physical body and emotional body rather than the mental/ neurological body.

Saturn leaves retrograde phase, resumes direct movement at 5 degree of Scorpio on July 8^th.

We are swimming in a Grand Trine

After 20 weeks in a retrograde phase, Saturn picks up speed and goes direct.  We are invited to take action.  What plans have you been making?  It’s time to get stuff done.  Saturn in Scorpio; Sun, Mercury & Jupiter in Cancer; and Neptune in Pisces form a big triangle in the water element.  We can float in the whirlpool or we can take advantage of the positive current and swim.  It is times like this I wish I still kept an everyday journal.  How cool it would be to go back to mid February and see what I was thinking about.  What kinds of goals or plans were in my mind?  With Saturn transiting Scorpio, the goals are both internal and external.  Perhaps we have a project that now can move ahead, but we also have internal issues that are demanding attention. If you prefer to stay on the surface of things, then Saturn in Scorpio might be a confusing and perplexing time, because Scorpio is deep.

Saturn is the teacher in the sky. Remember that long ago people could not see anything beyond Saturn.  So Saturn represented the boundary of our solar system. Boundaries are practical.  If you get too close to me, I might not be able to breathe.  You will rob my oxygen!  Saturn is the planet that rocks our world when we forget to be practical and pay attention to reality.

Saturn in Scorpio puts the practical emphasis on relational dynamics.  Scorpio is the 8^th house of the zodiac. That 8^th house represents the results of partnering.  These results include intimacy and sexuality, money, shared resources, inheritance and taxes.  It also includes the inevitability of change and death.  So much of our behavior is unconscious.  Scorpio is the detective that shines a light into the unconscious.  While Saturn is traveling through Scorpio we are learning about intimacy and sharing.  How close do we want to be? What boundaries do we need to establish?  Is the communication open?  Is it veiled in unconscious innuendos? How far do we want to go with the partner?  And what about money? How much to share?  Is the relational dynamic working?  If a person is not in a relationship, these issues are still very important.  If a solo person wants a union and doesn’t have one, then Saturn in Scorpio may make that person feel extremely lonely.  A person suffering from Scorpio loneliness will hopefully reach out to family and friends for companionship. Also, Saturn in Scorpio is a period of time in which to probe into one’s unconscious for information and guidance. Like Persephone and Inanna, we can travel into the dank deep underworld to visit the realm of death and rebirth.

Saturn entered Scorpio in October 2012 and will not complete its work there until December 2014 (and then a brief re-visit to Scorpio from June to September in 2015.)  While Saturn visits this sign, we can dive deep and dig deep.  We can find some answers to our life long issues and bring reality into the light. 

A Grand Trine in water gives us a chance to swim into new territories.

In July we have the help of that big triangle formation in the element of water:  Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune in Pisces, the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter in Cancer.  A Grand Trine is about flow and relationship.  That means relationship between people, between people and animals, or between life events.  It’s about synchronicity and meaning. We can admire the Grand Trine, we can float in its emotional pulse, we can dive into it, and we can use its energy to swim into new territories.

Full Moon is in Capricorn on June 23.  What is a super moon?

 You’ve seen it on Facebook and the news. This full moon in Capricorn on June 23rd is a super moon.  That means the Moon will be closer to earth than it normally is.  The moon’s proximity to Earth will give us the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.  We can enjoy the beauty and we can soak up the energy of the full moon.  Hopefully it will give us insight into our hearts and minds.

Moon and Pluto are conjunct in Capricorn.  Sun and Jupiter are conjunct in Cancer. 

The Moon is sharing the stage with Pluto.  When these two energies join together we tend to get some intense emotions.  Pluto is about death and transformation so maybe some of us will have some cathartic moments during the two and one half days that the Moon transits the sign of Capricorn.  The Moon/Pluto duo opposes the Sun and Jupiter. Interesting!  Sun and Jupiter get together and create big ego. Moon and Pluto get together and throw a hissy fit.  Fortunately this strong opposition is contained in a Grand Trine (in the water element) between the Sun and Jupiter in Caner, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio.  The easy flow of these planets in water should help tone down the ego and the intensity of old emotional patterns trying to transform.  The whole shebang forms what we call a “kite” formation.  If we can get that kite air born, we feel lighter and more optimistic.

The energy polarity of Cancer and Capricorn:  Mom and Dad

The Sun entered Cancer on Friday, June 21, at the summer solstice.  We have moved into a new season.  Where do we want to put our energy this summer? The sign of Cancer is associated with the home and with security.  What do you need in order to feel more secure?  The opposite sign, Capricorn, is about achievement and accomplishment.  These signs seem very different, but they are actually the parental polarity in the zodiac.  The Moon, the emotional barometer, rules Cancer.  The Moon is the mother so Cancer is associated with the caregiver and with nurturance and creative activity.  Saturn, the taskmaster who tells us what to do and where our shortcomings are, rules Capricorn.  Capricorn is the father.  Capricorn is associated with practicality, accomplishment, achievement, and with climbing the totem poll in the patriarchy. Both signs have elements of insecurity.  We must feel secure in ourselves before we can be creative and achieve something.  We all have gifts and talents to share with others.  While the Sun is in Cancer we should strive to feel more emotionally secure about our gifts.  When the Moon reaches its fullness in the opposite sign of Capricorn, we can envision how to share our talents.   Another way to think about the Cancer/Capricorn polarity is this:  Capricorn builds a container to hold the creative, nurturing energy of Cancer.  In its purest form, the full moon in Capricorn encourages us to build something out of our unique gifts because it is just the right thing to do!

Meditation from The Essene Book of Days 2013

The following Meditational words are from The Essene Book of Days 2013 by Danaan Parry.  It’s a fitting meditation for the summer solstice and this full moon in Capricorn:

“With the electric limits of my aura,

My personal energy field,

I tap the power

Of the earth in summer.

The earth current flows in me

And strengthens my body

For the work that only I can do

As a channel for the Light.

I feel it shine in me.”

New Moon in mercurial Gemini

There are two ways to think about Gemini.  The first is fundamental:  Mercury rules Gemini.  Therefore, Gemini is associated with the mind, learning, communication, trade and travel.  Geminis are known to gather information and to chatter.  Gemini can be a teacher and Gemini can be a truck driver using a CB radio. Because of the connection with rapid moving Mercury, Geminis are easily distracted and find it hard to focus on one thing for an extended period of time.  They need diversity and they need to be on the go.  Gemini is mutable, changeable energy.

The new moon in Gemini on June 8^th sits close to transiting Jupiter in Gemini.  We will probably get together with friends or family, plan a trip or take a trip, have big conversations with someone, study something new or lay the groundwork for some heady project.  How we communicate right now is covered by where Gemini’s ruler, Mercury, is located.  Mercury (along with Venus) has moved on into the sign of Cancer, a water sign.  Our communication will be more emotional than analytical.  This new moon energy is good for communicating with family, partners, and loved ones. We can clear out relationship problems if we keep ourselves connected with our hearts as well as our heads.

Gemini, the Sign of the Twins

The second way of looking at the sign of Gemini is through mythology.  The twins,
Castor and Pollux go back to the Greek/Roman times.  Zeus seduced a mortal woman named Leda, who conceived twins.  Perhaps one offspring was the product of Zeus, the other the product of Leda’s mortal husband.  The twins were born from two eggs. One was destined to live among the gods; one would live among the dead.  In the end Castor is killed and Pollux, the divine one, finds too much suffering in being separated from his twin brother.  He asks to share his immortality with Castor.  They become united as the Gemini constellation.  In antiquity, this constellation was important to travelers and especially to sailors. Gemini, an air sign, is thus associated with the hope for favorable winds and safe journeys.

Think of Gemini as a black and white photograph.

The Gemini twins have one foot in this world and one foot in the other world--the world of the dead.  When we contemplate Gemini, we need to think about light and shadow.  It is easy to assume that we are all light and airy but in fact we all have our shadow that lives in the other world.  It takes little to trip the switch that opens the hatch to the shadow realm—to the dark side.  Perhaps Gemini is the best astrological example of Carl Jung’s theory of “complex” (unconscious material around a particular life theme or difficulty).  While the Sun is visiting the sign of Gemini, we can let the Sun shine on our shadow (our unconscious complexes).  There is nothing wrong with having a shadow but the shadow becomes menacing when we fail to become conscious of it and when we neglect it.  With big planet Jupiter finishing up its one-year visit in Gemini (Jupiter enters the sign of Cancer on June 25^th), we have time to look at our shadow.  There is still time to study it, talk about it and heal it.  I think of Gemini as a black and white photograph.  Without the dark shadows the light would not stand out.  Without the dark shadows, there would be no depth or mystery to the image.

Twin Flames, another Gemini theme

The theme of twins is huge.  It would be hard to exhaust the subject.  Think about the profound connections documented between identical twins that often report knowing what the other is thinking and feeling even when separated by geography.  In recent times we have the subject of twin flames or twin souls.  Many people want to be reunited with their other half.  There is a longing to connect with a missing part of our self.  Perhaps we are hoping that finding our twin flame will ensure our soul’s immortality, just as Castor and Pollex are united in the heavens.  Is that twin flame another person or is it a sacred marriage of wholeness in the self?

The impact of water on Gemini

Gemini days are deeper this time around due to a grand trine in the water element: Mercury & Venus in Cancer connecting with other water energy…Neptune and Chiron in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio.  I can’t help it that I dove deeply into the meaning of Gemini.  That’s what water energy is for.  We can feel the touching love of the Gemini twins because of the water surrounding them!  And how difficult it must be to BE a Gemini!  A Gemini individual must be looking for his or her twin, looking for someone who will totally understand and bring completion to who he or she is, and looking for that one soul who will never abandon the union.

As we go through these Gemini days that last until June 21^st, when the Sun enters Cancer, there will be less emphasis on the chatterbox Gemini and more attention to deeper knowledge gained through traveling to “the other side.” 

“A large archaic volume reveals a traditional wisdom.”  The Gemini steps into another world seeking seed knowledge and growth.

From An Astrological Mandala: The Cycle of Transformation and its 360 Symbolic Phases by Dane Rudhyar