Today is the Cancer New Moon. New Moons provide a burst of energy and emphasize the sign in our zodiac that takes some precedence over the next two weeks in a more active way. Cancer is a very self protective cardinal sign which means it may act in aggressive ways but not necessarily overt in the same way as Aries. As a matter of fact I always like to say that Cancer is Aries energy turned inside out. The fierce action this sign takes can often be triggered by unconscious urges that push ones fight or flight instincts. A good image around Cancerian energy is that of a Mother bear fighting to protect her cubs from outside danger. Cancer is very, very concerned with keeping a protective shell around its soft, delicate and sensitive center. A Mother bear is very nurturing and yet when she feels her den, cubs or home is invaded she will lash out with a ferocity that is a force to behold in order to protect her own, her family, her security and her emotional center. Another image that comes to mind is the monster from the movie ALIEN. If you examine the theme of that movie she is just looking for a place to nest, start a family and lay her eggs and she will do anything to make a new home for herself and her family.

Family means so much to this sign so we will focus on what that means in our lives right now especially as we are coming out of a long period of Covid lockdown. What, who, where, and why are the questions to ask concerning how to satisfy one's needs regarding the issues and definitions surrounding the word "family". How are you defining that term? How are you establishing a stronger sense of bonding and security so that your core needs are being met? It's of utmost importance to feel safe and sound with a strong concrete base from which to go out and explore the world knowing that there is always a loving home waiting for you upon your return. It's time to focus on establishing a strong home base.

Cancer is always determined to get its needs met even if it acts in selfish ways. When it feels safe and secure then it opens up its home to others but when it feels threatened it holds on for dear life and doesn't allow anyone into its inner sanctum.
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In this time period nurture your heart, your family and honor your roots and history and remember from where you came and where you are going. This sign often can be sentimental about the past and lost memories of youth. Memories are wonderful if they inform the present and future but they're not so great when the tendency is to escape into the past because you're afraid of the future. We should learn from the past but its never a good idea to live in the past for too long. Take a trip down memory lane but don't stay to long at the fair!

2020 was shaped by the evolutionary forces of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn. 2021 will be dominated by Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus which perfects three times: February 17, June 14 and December 24. Saturn is in charge of the material world and preserving our earthly existence. He is a task master, making us conscious and accountable for the productive use of time. He pressures us, sometimes through fear and guilt, to build careers, reputations and, perhaps, leave a legacy behind showing an impact of our existence on planet Earth. The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) don’t really care about mundane earthly existence. They deal with psychological and transpersonal changes and themes beyond our immediate personal awareness and therefore have a tendency to throw things off balance and spinning out of control. It is Saturn’s job and responsibility to ground and make sense of the simultaneously creative and destructive forces of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in forms that we can practically utilize. Saturn must filter alien energy in a way that makes the unknown less fearful and more constructive. The outer planets can be experienced as a destructive transpersonal power or can transmute, transform and transcend by being woven into our earthly fabric in ways that enlighten and contain energy rather than short circuit it.

2020 was the year of a pandemic that was a catalyst for revealing cracks in our society, systems and century old structures and institutions. Pluto’s terrain encompasses death, disease, destruction and evolutionary power. Pluto may violently erupt and break through Saturn’s protective walls and boundaries and in the process cause much terror, but it is Saturn’s job to responsibly limit destructive power. Saturn must fix what is broken by doing the necessary work to rebuild and reestablish the balance of law and order. Lest we forget, Lord Saturn is exalted in Libra.

The Saturn/Uranus square of 2021 is about reining in chaotic craziness so society can incorporate the new, innovative, progressive and technological into some sane form of earthly manageability. The square signifies that the new, progressive and innovative will meet up with blocks, frustrations, limitations and restrictions in how it is assimilated. We all know this will have a great deal to do with the speed and effectiveness in rolling out the Covid vaccine, as well as its efficacy, and whether or not half the population refuses it. The configuration will also continue the political polarization in our country and throughout the world. All you need to do is watch the news to see these planetary configurations playing out in real time.

What was put into action on the first square of 2/17/21 is confronted once again on the second square of 6/14/21 to see just where we stand. An example of this is the roll out of the vaccine on the first square and revisiting how well we are doing with that rollout on the second square and questioning what further needs to be done to integrate the access of the vaccine to the remainder of society. There’s also the philosophical dilemma of social pressure from certain segments of society putting pressure on others to get the vaccination. Another development on this square is the use of Bitcoin and crypto currencies. Uranus in Taurus is about new and innovative ways to use money and resources with more technological savvy. Saturn must teach how to incorporate the shift around values, money and resources. There’s an acceleration of technology and digitalization in society and Saturn must responsibly incorporate the new for practical and sensible usage. There’s a sense of zoom fatigue that we are now experiencing on the second square. We want to talk and experience others with more human connection on a personal level rather than the one-sidedness of communication at a distance. The square says to slow down the speed of the new communication and integration and remember the sense of touch and personal connection. Saturn always suggests approaching things with caution while Uranus wants to evolve and break apart. Uranus speedily moves towards a new definition of socializing while Saturn says don’t forget what’s good about old ways and traditions. We are also witnessing the ongoing struggle with integrating minority groups into a more equal power dynamic in our society, as well as the continuing conflict of our two party political system and the debate surrounding cancel culture and other social paradigm shifts. A milestone in the advancement of civil rights occurred on June 17 when President Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The second Saturn/Uranus square is also about how we as a society are facing the labor crisis. How well is government dealing with the crisis of low wage workers going back to work and getting paid a livable wage? Some are making better money by receiving much needed government assistance during the pandemic. There is a rethinking of how to distribute money and how to get the middle and lower class back to work to earn a livable wage. What is the appropriate level of compensation for living a decent life in our society? Many are also transitioning from a situation of working in an office to working from home, and this has shifted that experience and those relationships. Another issue society is grappling with is the question of how we raise and distribute food to the masses? How does technology affect our access to the food supply?

Jupiter has an important role to play in the dominant Saturn/Uranus story. Jupiter entered Pisces on May 15 and is no longer being ruled by Saturn, so he is unrestrained and has more dignity and power. At the moment of his Pisces ingress, the CDC announced that vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks in many indoor or outdoor venues. This transit brings more optimism and hope for the future as socializing once again returns to normal. Social distancing has shifted our perceptions of relating. There’s a difference of knowing someone live vs. knowing people virtually. With the increase of travel, people are more confident to openly connect and give new meaning and definition to the social re-expansion. The Saturn/Uranus square helps tame Jupiter’s enthusiasm and warns of some caution throughout the rest of the year with incorporating the expansion and opening of social constructs. Jupiter encourages us to open our heart and compassion to those who have suffered and continue to suffer with the pandemic, especially in places like India. The rapid expansion that Jupiter provides can also increase the spread of illness in certain areas as it has free rein in this sign to move in invisible ways. When Jupiter retrogrades back into Aquarius there will be some unfinished business to take care of. That will be a time to examine some of the flaws of expanding too quickly. Actions taken in May, June and July will need to be reassessed in the fall.

Pay attention when important action planets like Mars enter the fixed signs because he will activate, heat up, exacerbate and inflame not only the Saturn/Uranus square, but the powerful 0° of the fixed signs set into motion on the December 22, 2020 conjunction of Jupiter/Saturn at 0° Aquarius. An example of this is the insurrection at our nation’s Capital when Mars ingressed into 0° Taurus on January 6, 2021. This was about one group of society forcefully expressing anger over the fear that their long cherished values (Taurus) were being thrown out the window. The Leo ingress of Mars on June 12, 2021 is a time when the FBI took more prominent action to open up investigations and prosecutions of politicians who may have been personally connected with fueling, planning and participating in the events surrounding the insurrection. More optimistically, social restrictions were busted open and lifted to almost normal levels with a warrior action and strong desire to reignite the urge to party and get out of hiding and spend more energy and time in the sun. There’s a tremendous push towards releasing the inner child that has been banished to a dark place for so long.

I’d like to talk more about the psychological effect on us personally, and how we can use the Saturn/Uranus square to better prepare for inevitable change and make way for a “new order,” so that the energy has some place to be received within our body, mind, heart and spirit.

The mythology of Saturn and Uranus is fairly violent, and the imagery gives us some glaring lessons and insights on how to deal with this challenging square. Uranus mated with Gaia (Earth) and produced the first race of Titans, of whom Saturn was the youngest. Unfortunately, Uranus viewed his progeny with horror because of their imperfections. They were ugly and made of flesh, so he banished them to the depths of the underworld where they could not offend his sight. Gaia naturally became enraged and planned revenge. She recruited the services of her youngest, Cronus (Saturn), and gave him a sharp scythe. While Uranus lay asleep, Cronus castrated his father and cast the bleeding genitals into the sea. The genitals floated to the surface producing a white foam out of which rose Aphrodite (Venus). Thus we get the phrase, “Out of chaos comes creativity.” It’s also a symbol of the procreative powers of the sky god Uranus.

Saturn square Uranus says we have to prepare for the future now, in the present, so that we have a vessel to hold and contain the new procreative power that is coming out of the ensuing chaos. Revolutions are bloody. Uranus in Taurus suggests that Gaia is unleashing something from her bowels, and that can be pretty terrifying unless Saturn takes control and channels that unleashed wildness with a new infrastructure.

Uranus is the first planet beyond Saturn, so it beckons and says there is light in outer space that has the power to transmit further enlightenment and knowledge. He wants to break through the ceiling and walls of Saturn, and if he has to crash into that ceiling, he will, in order to capture attention. Saturn’s initial negative response to foreign forces is to block, but once the fear is faced a more positive and constructive Saturn realizes that he must assimilate. Saturn in Aquarius says, “I’m willing to allow that enlightenment, but you have to let it in according to the dictates of time. I will not permit you to crash into the psyche of mankind and short circuit my children.” There are flashes of brilliance coming through the dark from beyond, and you have to make sure your wiring and hard drive is up to date and ready to receive the voltage, otherwise you can check out.

Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus can easily be fearful of the eruptive changes to material security forced upon us by technology, ideological shifts, climate change, and political upheavals, as well as the general disruptive nature to our material security. Yet, don’t forget that Saturn has dignity in Aquarius, so he’s at home doing the necessary work to incorporate the change by filtering all the new stuff through a new set of rules and regulations. If you do the Saturn homework, then the fear of the unknown gradually subsides as you start saying to yourself, “Ah, I can work with the new; I can learn to integrate more diversity; and I don’t have to allow fear to banish me into a smaller and more narrowed group of like-minded people that only support a special interest community.” That way of thinking is like the stereotypical rich, white wasp that moves into a restricted community that blocks Blacks, Jews, different religions, ethnicities or anyone that does not earn a certain amount of money or think a certain way as dictated by the group in power.

As we get older, Saturn has a way of making us pay attention to our knees, bones, teeth and skin as they start to break down and cause more physical problems. On a daily basis we are constantly reminded to pay attention to these parts of the body. Saturn in Aquarius says it’s time to pay attention to what we are doing in the present moment, for it will determine our future. When a wise person pays attention to a problematic knee, they will work with it, go to the doctor, do more exercise, listen to the pain and put in the effort to buttress and support it in some way. That’s what we have to do psychologically in the Aquarius part of our chart. If you ignore the pain and sweep it under the carpet or hide it away, it festers and only gets worse, and then like all Gaia’s banished children, the ignored comes forth in more grotesque terms. Yet, by working with it and doing what you can to meet the challenge, you may not alleviate all the pain but you are able to discover ways to work with it.

Saturn rules the end of time. We can gain a lot of knowledge and understanding from watching our elders and how they prepare for death and leaving the physical realm. No one can escape the vicissitudes of time. Everyone’s body breaks down in some way. It is a common theme we all share, but how we prepare for that on a mental, spiritual and soul level can make a monumental shift when dealing with pain and suffering. You see the difference in those that enter their golden years with a continued, albeit more restrained life force, vs. those whose light is visibly extinguished and a crippling darkness takes over. The Saturn/Uranus square begs the question, “How will you deal with life now in preparation for the future?” Those that prepare for the inevitability of death both physically and psychologically are better equipped to deal with the unknown. Investing in our personal infrastructure prepares us for the revolution and evolution coming down the pike. The government has to work on the infrastructure of society by putting money into public services. Likewise, we have to take care of our own internal wiring to be ready for all the technological, scientific, political and social upheavals that are changing society.

The generation born with Saturn in Aquarius (February 1991 – January 1994), and Uranus in the first decanate of Aquarius (January 1996 through December 1998) will have to mature, step up to the plate and start taking responsibility for their vision of the future. This generation plays an important part in breaking past the old, ossified and outworn by actively making their voices and actions heard to restructure laws, rules and regulations into something that holds more hope for the future. Saturn/Pluto said the old guard is dead, and Saturn/Uranus pushes past the old forms into a new paradigm based on the past template.
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Look at the positions of transiting Saturn and Uranus in the natal chart to see the areas of life where the two energies play out the back and forth game of building and rebuilding, structure and re-structure, old vs. new, young vs. old and any other combination you can think of. I subscribe to the ancient rulership scheme in which Saturn rules both Capricorn and Aquarius. Therefore check out the houses ruled by both signs for further insight. Pay attention the entire year when this fixed square is triggered by lunations in the fixed signs, as well as Mercury, Venus and Mars transiting the fixed signs and the stations direct and retrograde of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. And of course eclipse months are other important trigger times. Saturn has dignity and power for the next two years while being in Aquarius positioned in a superior square overcoming Uranus. In traditional astrology, this is a dignified position for Saturn, so while there will be struggle, there is also great hope for the Uranian energy to enter our consciousness with more self-conscious care. Finally, because Uranus is in a sign ruled by Venus, pay careful attention to shifts in the structure of your value system, including money, career, earning potential and relationships when Venus enters her shadow and turns retrograde in the sign of Capricorn beginning on November 17, 2021 and lasting through March 2, 2022.

The Moon enters Libra at 4:54 am (ET) where she'll remain through early Sunday Morning. Her sextile to Mars today provides a perfect opportunity to assert yourself in effective ways especially in collaborative efforts with others. You can express creativity by debating, balancing and bouncing thoughts and ideas off of others and achieve rewarding results. It's a very good energy for tying up loose ends at work before the weekend begins.
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There's an important healing energy Friday night that can be used for gaining insight and understanding in a close personal relationship. It's time to clear the air and move forward and tonight is a perfect time for that.

Mars entered Leo a couple of days ago. Let the party begin!! This transit is triggering the important 0° of the fixed signs that has been so sensitive since the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction of late December 2020.
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At that time the vaccine was announced proving that science was leading the new energy in delivering hope for the future. Mars triggers that degree from the sign of Leo creating warrior action and a strong desire to reignite the party and get out of hiding to spend more energy and time in the Sun. Jupiter having entered Pisces in mid-May was a broad sweep of hopeful, expansive energy towards more freedom. Mars is the second phase in the process of getting out and busting through restrictions.

Eclipse energy is still floating around with a retrograde Mercury squaring Neptune along with the second profection of Saturn square Uranus so don’t take things lightly. You still are figuring out who your friends are, and how to align yourself to the group or herd. There still must be a certain amount of caution for several months to come as society makes many, many more adjustments. There will be a certain amount of one step forward two steps back and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I’ve been talking about the eclipses a lot recently and I’m conscious of repeating myself (although the eclipse is in Gemini, a sign of doing things at least twice ) but it’s worth saying once again that this is an eclipse that will ask you to question over and over again how well you’re doing with communication.  You will have issues erupt that beg the question are you clear about what you’re saying to other people whether in conversation, emails, texts or any of the varied modes we use in modern society to communicate with others.  It is abundantly important to listen to your internal voice and make certain adjustments.  Be very aware that any problems right now are definitely important to tackle but that you may also be blowing things out of proportion.  What is coming up is important to address but it is not necessarily as monumental as you may be making it out to be.  Be conscious, aware and cognizant of circumstances without making a mountain out of a molehill.  If you are making mountains out of molehills about something then it’s just your inner voice trying to get you to pay attention to fix something in an adult fashion and not berate or whip yourself into an overly emotional frenzy. 

With the sign of Gemini it is always good to double check things so ask a follow up question and repeat information just to make sure you’ve dotted your “i’s” and crossed your “t’s” even if the other party is annoyed at the slight micro management.  It’s better in the long run than making an assumption and causing more problems later on down the road.  You may have to more energetically prioritize and organize through a muddy array of details coming down the pike so treat your mind like an old library catalogue system and don’t trust your memory without having things written down.  It’s important to have a paper trail. 

This is a great time to have a therapist, best friend or other such person you can trust to bounce ideas and thoughts off of.  A sounding board can help reflect things back to you with more objectivity.  The house that contains the sign of Gemini is the area of life where there is a maturation and intensity around issues of communication, socializing, education, siblings, friends and travel and how you re-direct those topics and re-process the information surrounding that area of life. 
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Eclipses have a way of letting something go that has outlived its purpose and introducing new ideas and plans.  Those new ideas and plans may cause some anxiety but that is where the growth and opportunity will eventually be.  

Today is a very special time within the spring eclipse season of 2021. We're smack in the middle between the lunar eclipse at 5 Sagittarius on May 26 and the solar eclipse at 19 Gemini on June 10. Everything right now is very heightened and sensitized. Today also happens to be the second of three transits of Mercury square Neptune. This is the 2nd hit of the trickster's retrograde cycle, so it's reviewing and taking things even deeper in terms of understanding what new information the cycle can offer you. This is the most intense time for trying to fix something.

Mercury square Neptune is very fishy and has a sense of being lost at sea, confused, in la la land, mentally fatigued, forgetful and generally not good for logical choices. There could be more lies and deceptions right now, or I would say more accurately the discovery of past lies and deceptions. Those discoveries of hidden information are important in bringing something new into your awareness.
On a psychological level you'll be going through a review of friendships and what they mean to you. You may spiritually transcend your opinion of others, or a situation, based on something having been revealed. This would be a wonderful period for escapism with old friends and the reconnection of those ties. Going back to good times of drinking, socializing, beach time, and rediscovering a new music and poetry to friendship. Reconnect and reopen the heart.

You really must look at things on a deeper level and not judge a book by its cover. Read what's underneath the cover, and beneath the surface of superficial personality traits. You may look at flaws of yourself and others on a more intuitive level and gain a greater sense of compassion for something you've been superficially judging.
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The perennial Mercury retrograde advice of not buying a new car, phone or piece of machinery (unless it's a replacement) holds now more then ever. Oh, and for God's sake be EXTRA CAREFUL when texting in group threads. There could be the accidental sharing of information with others that you had wanted to keep hidden or secret. Double and triple check before you hit the SEND BUTTON!

Lots going on in the sky especial the lunar eclipse at 5.26 of Sagittarius. Eclipses eclipse things! So what often happens is that you feel knocked off balance and thrown off center in an area of life that you may already be experiencing as being highly pressured. Often we don't see what's being eclipsed necessarily coming our way, but then again, sometimes we do if we're perceptive to energies building up for months before. Pay attention to what was going on at the end of November into December of 2020 because what comes to light now can be significantly related to that time. If the eclipse degree is within 3 degrees orb of 5 degrees of the mutable signs (Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo and Pisces) then that is the piece of your character that is eclipsed along with whatever the planet represents. If it is Mercury then your communication is going to be mentally short circuited as well as transportation, education and siblings. Venus would have to do with relationships, money and values, Mars with anger, violence, attack, ambition and taking immediate action, Jupiter with generally something more positive having to do with serendipitous luck, growth, expansion and foreign travel. Saturn tends to bring more somber, dour and serious offerings particularly if it has to do with making endings and breaks in life. The Moon and the Sun often are parent related as well as deeper soul and spiritual concerns about our goals and security.
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It really depends on whether the aspects to your natal chart are more accepting and free flowing or challenging and frustrating. That means everything in interpreting the eclipse. Just remember for the next few weeks everything is being turned upside down and you may be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. A good rule of thumb that you've heard me repeat is: Nothing is as bad as it seems and nothing is as good as it seems. There are usually fated endings an beginnings around eclipses. Of course if the eclipse degrees don't hit action oriented points or make unique geometric configurations in your chart then you won't feel the energy with as much potency or wham. If that's the case then look to the house position of the eclipses for those are the areas of life where you may feel an extra pizazz of energy.

There is a lot of haze, confusion, fog, deception, mystique and over imagination with the eclipses due to what's going on with transiting Jupiter, Neptune and Mercury. Logic is not the name of the game but poetry, imagination and art is - so if your mind goes into that creative realm the energy will have a better pay off then if you have to be focused, logical, organized and functioning through minute detail. If you work in joint partnership with someone and one of you is very left brain, while the other right brain then the eclipse energy may work out very nicely indeed.

Another thing to point out about the past few days is that Venus is coming out from under the beams of the Sun and will start to be seen in the night sky as the evening start just after the Sun sets. She's beautiful as the evening star and many Venusian issues that have been percolating and being birthed since the superior conjunction of March 25 will start to blossom. Love is more easily accessed and has the potential to bloom now. Just in time with Jupiter having entered Pisces.  Everything is opening up and we are all behaving more like busy little bees pollinating in the Gemini time of year.

Today Mercury is at the degree of the upcoming solar eclipse on June 10th. Make a mental note of anything interesting happening today such as contacts, contracts, connections, phone calls, messages, texts and arrangements made with others. Events of today may play out further around the day of the eclipse.

On Wednesday the first part of the day the Leo Moon makes a tense aspect to the Taurus Sun so there could be a battle of wills between someone's creative vision and the support their seeking from others. This is a very creative square about doing the extra work required to fully express your talent.
The Moon is void for a short period from 3:13 pm till 5:00 pm ET. After which it enters Virgo for the night. A good sign for preparing a gourmet feast or if cooking isn't your thing then go out for a finely crafted meal.

The entire day is also colored by a very important trine between Venus in Gemini and Saturn in Aquarius that culminates at 9:58 pm ET. This is a great aspect for building solid communication in all relationships. It's a good day for political networking and expressing ideas in a forum where everyone is heard. Getting the point of view on important matters from colleagues, employees, coworkers and clients is of utmost importance in order for a business to deepen trust and sustain a valuable product. In marriage and romantic relationships it's important to dialogue and engage in conversation that enhances a more solid bond. It's important to appreciate a loved one for their ability to stand on their own two feet as a separate entity because that ability to be a mature, separate individual is what is attractive. It means someone wants to be with you instead of needing to be with you.
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A harmonious aspect between Venus and Saturn suggests that listening to your elders may be a wise thing to do today.

Just a reminder that we're heading into eclipse season, a Mercury retrograde in challenging aspect to Neptune and the ingress of Jupiter into Pisces so things are heating up, becoming highly sensitized and there will be much over reaction and confusion. Try not to keep the finger on the trigger even if you feel justified. It's always good to take a step back before making an advance these days. Double check, double feel and double think everything. There will be a constant switching of direction so nothing is written in stone. Remain flexible and adaptable. Remember nothing is as bad as it seems and conversely nothing is as great as it seems.

Today the Moon enters Leo and we'll be basking in a lovely Sun/Pluto trine. It's a good day to be determined and passionate about what's going on in your life and take a journey deeper. You can start to uncover some deep information with an insistent probing curiosity. Being determined and passionate does not mean holding fiercely on to something for dear life. Keep uncovering more and more answers and perhaps what is uncovered in the next week will push you in another direction that was unforeseen.

​Whatever your talent is, and I mean whatever, even if it's about being the greatest plumber that ever existed, take that talent to it's limit and express it with as much heart and soul as you possibly can.