Sunday the Sun; Monday the Moon

When a season changes from one to the next, the sun is passing over the angles of all of astrology. If you are an astrologer, have you ever met someone whose Sun is conjunct your Nadir? to translate this into non-astrology language, have you ever met someone where food, nurturing and a kind of parental taking care of each other came to light? This is the feeling of the northern solstice: when Sun meets the northern angle, security become a priority as does nourishment. Issues of parenting arise. What makes the solstices since 2008 so powerful is that Pluto is sitting on the southern angle. With Sun opposing Pluto, a reminder for the first day of summer is to be aware of our own powers and resources and to own them as they are the root of our security.












When the sun passes from Gemini to Cancer, this is the moment summer in the northern hemisphere begins. The climate changes from conceptual experience to nurturing safety, like the difference between analyzing a conceptual composition of the painter Morandi, to collapsing into comfort in the domestic still lives of Cezanne. This pair of paintings came to my mind as I thought of think of the change of seasons. As well, both paintings are constructed from clear lighting. Shadow, like in the Pluto opposition, is not denied.

On this year's solstice Sunday, Sun is conjunct asteroid Vesta both at 0° Cancer. At the moment of the Sun's ingress, Moon is in Gemini, and will trine the Jupiter - Chiron - Neptune triple conjunction later in the day. On New Moon Monday, Moon ingresses Cancer as well, creating a second triple conjunction: Sun - Moon - Vesta. Both triple conjunctions are in an out-of-sign trine. With intentions set on nurturing and being nurtured by community, this solstice ushers in a time when we can start trends we want to follow. The rituals of sharing a meal with people important to us may help maintain focus through the Autumnal equinox..

It is a good time to tend to the root of security in our lives. We can devote ourselves to our friends and family, protecting them from all threats and dangers and focus our intentions on providing emotional safety and robust sustenance. Over this coming weekend, have a happy first day of summer, the longest day of the year.

A Door Opens to Summer of Eclipses by Deirdre Tanton

Although we have a month to go, I consider eclipse season to be in full swing now. The June 8 lunation opened a door to some specific geometry: 17°+ Sagittarius was the June 8th Full Moon. The July 7th full moon will be at 15°+ Capricorn and it will be an eclipse, too. Being so close in degree, these full moons will both effect charts sensitive at the mid-degrees, a port of entry for the first in a triplet of eclipses this summer.

Looking at a list of eclipses between 1980 and 2020, seventy-five percent of summers have one pair of eclipses on just one axis. This summer is now in the twenty-five percent and has three eclipses on two axes. From what I see, usually when three eclipses occur in a summer, this pattern will repeat every other year three times. This means the summers of 2009, 2011 and 2013 (when Pluto is in early Capricorn) will have have three eclipses each on two different axes, as did 1998, 2000 and 2002 (when Pluto was in early Sagittarius), as well as 1980, 1982 and 1984 (when Pluto was in early Scorpio). It started to be a tidy geometric package, and then I noticed 1991 was a irregular, isolated summer of three eclipses and it had the nodes freshly in a new sign. Besides 1991, the eclipse pattern I am diagramming seems to roughly parallel Pluto's ingress into a sign. As I stated in a previous post about eclipses, I notice that eclipses start to get clumped together during times of rapid and accelerated change.

The way I started to understand the feeling of eclipses was in the years 2006 - 2008, the years when the eclipses were spanning the Virgo - Pisces axis. I had heard about the eclipse dimension before, but it wasnt until the eclipses being in my sun sign that I got sensitive to it. Since then it doesn't matter what sign the eclipses are in, I look forward to the dimension like getting to read a new favorite book. Eclipses turn the wheel of fate and are integral to altering the general plot. On the days around eclipses, do what you feel comfortable and safe and enjoy doing, because what you are doing may start to be a big topic for the next six months or year. Lunar eclipses help us let go and solar eclipses help us open up. This summer, the pattern is let go - open up - let go. It's always good to let go of fear — a kind of clean sweep so we can open to love. The eclipses are in the signs Capricorn, Cancer and Aquarius. If your sun or personal planets are in any of those signs or in Leo as well, I wonder if you may start to feel what I am talking about. July 7 will be a full moon lunar eclipse at 15° Capricorn; July 22 will be a new moon total solar eclipse at 29° Cancer and August 5 will be another full moon lunar eclipse at 13° Aquarius.

Spring 2009 was a time of retrogrades. Relationships may have ended or at least been up for reflection, review, or a bit of chaos. This may now be firming up to some solid footing as Venus and Mars move toward conjunction at 15° Taurus (there's those mid-degrees again) on the first day of summer, the Northern Solstice. After so much deliberation all spring long, it's time to catch the waves of change in the coming summer of three eclipses. Stay aware, steer the course and enjoy the ride.

A Full Moon, From Suffering To Enjoyment by Deirdre Tanton

A cosmic and spiritual highlight happening now is the Full Moon in Scorpio which will be exact on Saturday, May 9. According to the Farmers Almanac, the name of this full moon is Full Flower Moon, named originally by Native Americans. According to Buddhist tradition, this is the Wesak moon, which is celebrated as Buddha's birthday, enlightment and death. Featured are photographs of lanterns, incense, altars and shrines of Wesak celebrations from around the world.

I am not a pure Buddhist at all, although I like everything about Bhuddism I read and know. What I like about Wesak Moon is it helps to concentrate on this intense energy and keep ego to the side.

Posts ago I wrote about the different phases of the Venus retrograde. We are now at the end of the last shadow period. From February until now, we have been tuning in to our values, friendships and relationships. All kinds of people showed up! What is important and what is not? It feels different now compared with February, doesnt it? I think it is starting to get clearer around who is supporting us and who are we supporting, I mean energetically. It's interesting for us astrologers seeing that a Mercury retrograde is following right on the heals of a Venus retrograde. To me its like the cosmos opens a space for us to reflect — and reflect long, hard, vigorously and deeply. This full moon is like a big long comma between two long phrases, the kind of comma that really brings you to another place.

Mercury just did go retrograde yesterday in Gemini. During this week while Mercury moves so slowly, just one degree, look for signs leading us to support. Then for the following two weeks when Mercury passes back into Taurus, this will be the time to put the finishing touches on the spring season which has been all about planning an approach.

According to Buddhist tradition, one ritual for the Wesak moon is to release a caged animal. This ritual is a magical act to open ourselves up, to become psychologically or emotionally free of any clinging or dark thoughts that plague our minds and keep us gripping so tightly to the past. We can go beyond these perceived and limiting views of ourselves. A best kind of friend can hold space for these fears and witness us opening to solid, comfortable, self esteem and to trusting our lives. May this deep Full Moon in Scorpio shine the light on our transformations and move suffering energy toward an enjoyment which nourishes us.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
For readings and consultations contact:
deirdre (at) cosmicguidelines dot com.

Baby Girl New Moon

Hi Deirdre,
Guess what — my brother and his wife just had another baby.
Will you please do the chart of his second daughter?
Thanks, Paul

Baby Girl New Moon
by Deirdre Tanton

On the day this baby was born, the Moon and the Sun were in the same place in the afternoon sky. This is called a New Moon. Those who are born right at the New Moon may love beginnings, such as birth, for example; here is a little girl who truly wanted to be born. And with a Sun and Moon Taurus, she will thoroughly enjoy cuddling, massage and lying in bed with the whole family — this is the first and foremost immediate reason for coming to Earth!

This baby is an individual born into an established group, a dynamic which may recur over and over in her life, in school and in work (North Node in Aquarius in the 5th). She may feel very much feel like an individual (South Node in Leo) who needs a team (all personal planets on the western side of the chart) and the challenge will be to adjust to different situations in the interplay (to balance the Node axis). She may especially talk with her father (Saturn on the first house) about "give and take" and she will strive to see and learn the fair (Mercury in the 9th house of justice) solution from him, although this may be serious (Saturn) and challenging (Saturn retrograde, karmic lessons).

Playing dress-ups will be very fun (Mutable Virgo Ascendant). Most coveted accessories could be a bridal veil (Sabian Symbol for 11+ Virgo Ascendant is the bride degree), transparent scarves and long pieces of material to wrap like a sari. She may really enjoy the difference between being covered with a veil and then revealing herself – much like peek a boo. Once she reveals who she is, she will experience being born again, and starting anew (New Moon in 8th house of transformation).

As a girl and later a woman, she may merge toward a pure kind of Jill Sander (Virgo pure minimalism) look in just whites or creams or black, but always the gesture of going from cloaked to revealing her inner self (the veil theme), will have great meaning with the timing (Saturn) carefully considered (Sun in Taurus in the 8th).

Shecould at some point be timid about her beauty (Saturn in Virgo retrograde on the ascendant), questioning and a little doubtful, although of course this has nothing to do with her appearance. Having a full-sized mirror in her room may help with confidence (Neptune-Chiron-Jupiter triple conjunction). You may want to remind her that it is perfect not to be perfect.

She is no doubt extremely and passionately creative (Venus and Mars conjunct in Aries conjunct Uranus in Pisces) with a love of getting out paints and crafts and energetically splashing around with warm, sunny (Venus and Mars in Aries) glowing colors. This is a force that must come out rather impulsively (Uranus) and quickly and she may not want anyone getting in her way (Pluto squares Venus, Mars and Uranus).

She will love it when her Mom bakes (Sun and Moon in Taurus). I think she will be a big, consistent fan of her Mom’s most conservative, least freaky recipes (Moon in Taurus). Try as much variation as possible, yet it could be she will have only a certain favorite repertoire (Moon in Taurus, also fixed sign).

I think she would love it if your household does big grocery shopping trips and a meal plan gets posted for the week (Moon in Taurus in the 8th, fixed, knowing in advance is security). She would love knowing consistently that Tuesday is chile, Wednesday is chicken, etc.

As she gets older her interest in food for its nutritional value (Saturn in Virgo) may increase. She may be very interested in grain (Ceres in Virgo in subconcious 12th house of dreams, pre-natal memories and experiences). A soothing day for her would be to go for a drive on a country road and see fields of wheat growing in wide fields (12th house meditation for a Taurus feeling good in abundance).

She may like a family vacation to a farm where she could work planting herbs and organic vegetables (Sun, Moon and Ascendant in earth signs especially Taurus). She will love the garden. Even this year while she is so small I think she will enjoy trips to go strawberry picking or being held standing in a garden admiring tomatoes, birds and nature in general.

Welcome to Earth, Baby Girl New Moon.

My Brother and his Ceres in Taurus Voice by Deirdre Tanton

My brother Carter is in the middle of his Saturn Return and he is accomplishing a lot. As an Aries, he has just had his solar return during all this delicious astrology happening now with the Venus, Mars and Uranus part lining up in his 9th house. This is the part of the chart that has to do with going further than you usually go, learning beyond what you normally know and laughing along the way. Natally my brother has his Sun as well as Chiron conjunct Ceres in Taurus also in the 9th house too. Expanding his horizons is familiar territory for Carter.

Carter is finishing up recording his most recent album in Chicago, and then off on a world tour supporting his friend Marissa. Part of what makes this so nice for both of them is they are so used to having sound checks, performing, traveling, EVERYTHING all alone and now they are traveling together for a while.

Whereas I find Marissa's work reminiscent of Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks, Carter's direction is more toward a Townes Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen. I dont have Marissa's chart (yet) but of course I have my brothers. If you think about Chiron conjunct Ceres in Taurus in the 9th, that's a voice with authority, coming from the divine, Venus in Gemini lyrics wafting around mysteries of initiation, dirges and love.

I cant wait until Marissa and Carter are in Hamburg later in May. I went to Marissa's solo show last year in Hamburg and that venue was shimmering at the end of the night. The pairing of these two musicians, it comes to my mind is like the Jupiter, Neptune Chiron conjunction in Aquarius which is exact all during their tour. No wonder they havn't performed together until now.