EMPOWERING ASTROLOGY

Happy Solstice! As of yesterday we're officially in Cancer season, a time in the astrological calendar when we shine the light on home, family, connections, feelings, heart, soul, emotional security, roots, nostalgia, memories, and the past. In the northern hemisphere it is the summer. Daylight stretches long into the evening and we enjoy the bounty of the physical world. Cancer is one of the signs that has a connection to food and the Cancerian table is high on comfort, generous portions, and just like mom used to make.

Cancer is ruled by the Moon and in astrology the Moon is a transmitter. It picks up the energies of the planets and signs it visits every couple of days. That's why emotions and energies vary under Cancer. The Moon is the fastest moving body in the heavens from the perspective of earth.

The other thing worth mentioning is that Jupiter and Uranus make their final trine today. The other two dates this happened were March 3, 2015 and September 25, 2014. If Jupiter is growth, faith, and optimism, then Uranus is a flash of brilliance and the inspiration to leave the confines of the old. Jupiter in aspect to Uranus is a breakthrough aspect, especially in the sciences, and its conjunction was present at the time of the first flight of a manned hot air balloon, the Wright Brothers, and landing on the moon.

Only one more day until Mercury turns direct! Since Mercury is slowing down and getting ready to step out of retrograde, we're in something that astrologers call the "station." Any time a planet stations, wether it's Mercury or Neptune, the archetype of the planet fills the collective. Communication is a big focus this week. Do we have all the information? Can we trust it? The lines are a little fuzzy right now between reality and the beyond. This is good for meditation and dream work. Signing paperwork and making commitments? Not so much.

Speaking of Neptune, I had a conversation with someone yesterday about how his dreams have been super crazy of late. He's a Gemini and seeing how Mercury and Neptune have been having a square dance, our dream life may be more vivid than usual.

Hi everyone! We're still getting pulled along in Neptune's undercurrent this week. That's because the planet Neptune will make something called a station on Friday, June 12. (It will turn direct on November 18.) Further, Mercury and Neptune have been doing a dance of late, casting a bit of a haze to the Gemini Sun.

So what does this all mean?

I think Neptune is one of the most misunderstood planets in astrology — no surprise considering that Neptune is the planet of illusion. It's also the planet of compassion, unconditional love, mysticism, universality, and spiritual acts of service. But the shadow side of Neptune is addiction, loss, sacrifice, and grief. Additionally, Neptune is film and television, helping us to create the illusion of real life. I see it prominent in the charts of actors, musicians, poets, and photographers as well as healers and those who are driven by a need to give back to humanity.

We all have Neptune somewhere in our chart depending on when we were born. But when you strip away all the different manifestations of the archetype, Neptune is ultimately a planet that reveals to us where we are sacrificing the needs of the ego to something greater. Neptune in the chart is where we give back to something higher than ourselves. It's a call for compassion and a recognition that this 3D world we live in is an illusion, that we're spirits incarnated into physical.

Today Venus, the planet of love, beauty, and peace arrives in regal Leo! In fact, she'll pretty much spend the next four months in the sign of creativity, art, and romance. Not a shabby place for her! Leo is dramatic and loves the luxe life. So get out your finest clothes and your best jewels.

Hi guys, the Moon is wrapping up its stay in Sagittarius today, playing out this energy we experienced with the full moon yesterday. Sagittarius is faith, exploration, expansion, wisdom, and the search for truth and meaning. Missed my write up? See below.

Enjoy Sag's patented exuberance and optimism while it lasts. This evening the Moon will slip into Capricorn and turn our attention to career, business, and achievement.

I also want to address a request to expand on spirit's remark that blocks are when will and potential are out of alignment. I'm going to open it up to them and see what they have to say:

"Greetings. We are speaking of will and potential today. We want to impart upon you this idea of free will. It is your right to make choices. How perfect that the Sun is in Gemini now, the sign of choice. But sometimes the choices you make, through your will, through your ego, are not a match for your potential. What is potential? Potential is your karma, your energetic vibrance, your agreements.

"Sometimes you want something so badly that you fight for it. You use negative ego to obtain something or you reach and reach for something that never materializes. We show you an image of someone trying to walk through a wall thinking its a door. The wall never had a potential to be a door. We are not saying that there isn't a door, but rather the door is elsewhere. Go towards the door that is there. That is potential.

"We also want to talk about expanded potential as potential isn't always fixed. The more work you do on your healing and your consciousness, which allows you to have a better perspective of what is in true alignment with your path, will open up new avenues. To stay at the level of the karma that you are working out at present ensures that your potential will remain the same. We are asking all of you to level up, to expand your potential. Many doors will open when you do. All will be in alignment with the highest potential of your karma and expression on this planet.

Hi everyone. Happy June! Where's the time going? June means we're coming up to the midpoint of 2015. Yikes! (Or yay if you're already over 2015 and can't wait to move onto 2016.)

May was a bit of a tough month for me with a lot of stuff occupying my bandwidth, especially around the Taurus New Moon (conjunct fixed star Algol no less). Lots of travel coupled with death, a funeral, parental illness, and profound personal openings and transformations. Subsequently I'm super behind on a lot of things, including June horoscopes. God(dess) willing, I'll have them up by Wednesday. Mea culpa.

But I know you all are keen to know what June 2015 has in store. In a word or two? Saturn in Scorpio. Yes, your old friend Saturn in Scorpio. After spending the last five months checking out Sagittarius, Saturn moves back into Scorpio on June 14 to tie up loose ends and check back on the themes we were working on from October 2012 to December 2014. Saturn will leave Scorpio for good on September 17.

Happy Friday everyone! We're surfing a strong Neptune current today and into this weekend, especially after the Moon arrives in Scorpio on Saturday morning. Think illusions and distortion as well as forgiveness and letting go.

Neptune is a bit of a tricky planet to understand. It's higher function is to remind us that something exists beyond this world. It's a planet that calls on us to help others, enrich our spiritual lives, and give selflessly. Not all of us can be Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr., but there's always room for everyday compassion and kindness.

Just like all the other planets Neptune has a shadow side. This is where we run into themes of addiction and substance abuse. Be aware of its shadow this weekend as Mercury and the Sun square off with Neptune. What are you hiding from? Are you numbing out? How are you preventing yourself from seeing reality? Where do you need to forgive? What are you not saying? What is sacrifice?

Channel healthy Neptune by meditating, creating sacred space, making music and art. Enjoy!

The Moon in Libra is dragging up the past today, especially with Venus in Cancer. Through in an opposition to Uranus and a square to Pluto into tomorrow morning and we may be looking at the not so pleasant aspects of our past. On days like these don't forget your self care. If you need to talk to a trusted friend, make a date. If you need some alone time, make sure you have it. (Although the Sun, Mercury, and Mars in Gemini wants to talk it out.) Uranus and Pluto, although confrontational in their own ways, are planets whose job it is to get you to release. So, how are you releasing the past? How are you breaking free?

If you need some handy pointers on how to step up your self care game, check out an article I wrote in March.

While the Moon is wrapping up its stay in Virgo today, the energy is thankfully on the quiet side. Virgo wants us to hunker down, get things done, get organized, and focus on health and nutrition. Mercury Retrograde as well? We're going back to something, working it out again, tying up loose ends. But with the Moon void of course (aka making no aspects) it's a good time finish things instead of starting something new.