Midlife Transits

Lots going on in June, Mr. or Ms. Gemini. Helper planet Jupiter moves from Aries to Taurus on the 4th. This will put Jupiter in a quiet spot in your chart for about a year. Whereas Jupiter in Aries encouraged aggressive communication, Jupiter in Taurus is of the opinion that silence is golden and that selfless acts of unsung charitable devotion are even more golden. Adjust as needed.

Not that this means a lonely year ahead. Uranus is still in Aries, encouraging you to go toward your dreams with your favorite companions in tow. Uranus is strong in June because it will reach the degree at which it will station in July. Which is a fancy way of saying that your life is intended to be in rapid motion this month.

That motion-y thing is intensified greatly by the presence of 4 inner planets in your sign during June, plus a solar eclipse. The sun in your sign is a creative force, urging you to make changes or shape your presentation of yourself to your liking (yes, that can mean a makeover!). It’s there until the 21st.

As for your year ahead, it’s a connect-y type year with the eclipse series in your sign continuing and connect-y Uranus still in Aries dancing with awkwardly with wary Pluto in Capricorn until the two big clumsy oafs actually collide about a year from now. It’s also a year of potential extremes, which the planets apparently think you need to prevent you from experiencing the worst horror known to the Gemini mind: boredom. Here are some sample affirmations to test out: I love connections! I love extremes! Connections are safer than Pluto thinks! Extremes are safer than Uranus thinks! I’m safer than I think! It’s gonna be a great year! And so on.

As for eclipses, there are two of them this month. The first is in your sign on the 1st and the second is a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on the 15th. These eclipses fall along the axis of your chart that relates to relationships. It’s not at all uncommon for people to get married during a series of eclipses in their own and the opposite sign. This series lasts through 2012, so if you haven’t made wedding plans yet, there’s still time. Look for permanent adjustments to your relationship status this month or next.

If the relationship status of your dreams does not appear imminent, your ruler Mercury in your own sign can help. Mercury’s in Gemini from the 2nd to the 16th, wedged conveniently between the eclipses. Mercury can help you plot out a systematic yet clever series of actions directed toward securing that proper relationship status. If you don’t want any changes in your relationship status, then use Mercury’s systematic cleverness for another goal. If Mercury’s not working on something, he causes trouble!

Venus is in your sign also this month, from the 9th on. Venus will help you woo with language, something your sign excels at. You’ve also got a little bit of Mars energy on your side in June, during the last 10 days of the month.

Jupiter leaves your sign this month, on the 4th. If you have unfinished business from the first half of 2011 that you can wrap up, now would be a good time to do so, as Jupiter is zooming past his interest in your pet projects and moving on to your finances and such. Uranus is still in your sign though and quite strong in June. Uranus is the planet of groups and friendship and part of his job is to give you the emotional courage to connect with others.

The paradox of Uranus is that it is also the planet of individualism, so handling this planet is partly about learning to balance connection and individuality. With Libra in your sector of committed relationships and also strong this month, you may feel a push pull between the desire to be committed and the desire to be single. The resolution involves figuring out how to be part of an entity such as a couple or group, while not letting it swallow your individual identity.

Your ruler Mars spends the first 20 days in Taurus and then moves on to Gemini. Mars actually entered Taurus on May the 11th, so it represents a continuation of last month’s energy, an energy that usually increases desire for material objects. If you’re still questioning whether you should get that thing, whatever the thing may be, Mars will probably try to persuade you to go ahead and splurge. Mars in Gemini meanwhile specializes in going with the flow, which is usually a rapid and busy flow under his tutelage. He also specializes in learning, so from the 20th on, expect his curiosity to lead you down new paths.

Speaking of learning, we have two eclipses this month, and for your sign they are both learning oriented. The first one is a solar eclipse in Gemini on the 1st, and the second one is a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on the 15th. Sample manifestations include acquiring some new information from the solar eclipse and bringing an end to some program of study from the lunar eclipse (it is, after all, graduation time). You could also start acquiring a new skill under the promptings of the solar eclipse.

June is also summer action movie season, and action movies are generally a good way for Aries folks to relax and blow off steam. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to head out to your local multi-plex to blow some bucks on a blast of mindless entertainment.

Jupiter leaves Aries in June (on the 4th) and moves into your own sign. Jupiter in one’s own sign often has an effect on relationships because it stirs up a need for freedom. You may feel those stirrings as early as this month, and if you do, you need to share this info with your partner. The need for freedom is often a bit scary to a Taurus person because Taurus would generally rather be suffocated than alone.

This equation changes under Jupiter’s influence, and it’ll catch your partner off guard unless you update him or her on your evolving personal reality. It may seem impolite to tell a partner, ‘hey I gotta get out and breathe a little,’ especially since Taurus often doesn’t like hearing that kind of news from others. But…if you catch things early, your partner is likely to consent to larger horizons for you without too much drama. That should probably be your first priority this month, to head off trouble before it starts.

This is especially true because another freedom seeking planet (Uranus in Aries)  is rumbling around in your sector of subconscious motivations, just waiting to explode if it doesn’t get its independence-loving way. It’s triply true for June because Mars, another independence-craving influence, is still in your sign until the 2oth. Mars just wants you to set things up so that everybody gets their fair share in the relationship and so that it’s all sorted out who contributes and receives what. If things are unfair, Mars gets all mad until they get more fair; that can lead to unexpected conflicts unless you know what’s going on in your chart. This dynamic applies to group situations as well as one-on-one relationships by the way. When Mars moves into Gemini, the focus shifts a bit to stuff you are required to do for work or school assignments, for productivity.

June is also eclipse month. There’s a solar eclipse in Gemini on June 1 and a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on June 15. The most typical manifestation of these types of eclipses are gains and losses with regard to money. For example, you could earn more through a change in your salary status. Guard your valuables as thefts are possible during this type of eclipse series. Occasionally, the lunar eclipse may also relate to letting go of a bad habit you’ve wanted to change for a long time.

There’s a lot going on astrologically in June, Cancer. First off, Jupiter leaves Aries for Taurus on the 4th. This pushes Jupiter out of your solar career sector and into your solar friendship sector. Jupiter is the planet of travel, so you may find over the next 12 months that you are traveling to see friends rather than for business.

Uranus is still in Aries, which isn’t a change, but he’ll be slowing down in preparation to station at 4 degrees. What that means is that those with Cancer planets near 4 degrees of the sign (born around June 25, 26, 27 or so) will be feeling the heat. Also, the sun and Mercury move into your sign this month. Mercury enters on the 16th and the sun on the 21st.

The sun pushes toward action, whereas Mercury pushes toward getting in the car and driving around with the top down. Well, not necessarily with the top down if you’re not lucky enough to have a convertible, but Mercury is a restless planet and the patron saint of hopping in the automobile for quick trips. There are usually plenty of reasons for quick trips during the first month of summer, and you’re scheduled to think of them all.

If that’s not enough to get you moving, then a whole mess of Gemini energy should be. Ruled by Mercury, the sign of Gemini loves to get in the car too. Its motto is something like “Anyplace is better than here. Let’s go somewhere!” The sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and a solar eclipse all spend some time in the sign of Gemini in June. More about the eclipse in a second, but suffice it so say that  by the time Mars moves into Gemini on the 20th, your chart should feel positively compelled to go somewhere.

Saturn also stations in your sector of home environment this month. Saturn tends to bring forth crises to be dealt with in the area he’s affecting in your chart, and he’s quite strong all month. This could indicate a semi-continuous state of crisis on the home front in June, or it could give you just more reasons to hit the road before you go stir crazy.

Okay, now the eclipses. The first one is on the 1st in the sign of Gemini in a quiet, hidden part of your chart. There is a pretty decent chance that absolutely nothing will change in your life as a result of it. The other decent possibilities are that you will stumble across some information that was previously hidden from you or discover the nature and identity of a hidden enemy.

The lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on the 15th is potentially more problematic. If it affects you, it most commonly relates to job layoffs (I hope not) or to changes in personnel or environment in your workplace, or to upsets that arise due to miscommunication. If misunderstandings or job-related upsets pop up  this month (or next), forget everything I said earlier about hopping in the car and make attending to the job situation your first priority. Many Cancer folks will not be affected by this eclipse, but if you are, you’ll want to deal with it expeditiously.

Bit of a jumpy month, June is. Jupiter moves from Aries to Taurus on the 4th, which is theoretically good because Jupiter will now inhabit your career sector for a year. Uranus in Aries is slowing to a crawl in your solar 9th house, which will also be theoretically good for Leos born near the end of July. Uranus in Aries wants to get on a plane and leave the country though, which is great if you can actually do that, but jumpy-making if you can’t get the vacation time.

And you probably can’t get the vacation time because Mars is also in Taurus and your career house during the first part of June, until the 20th. When Mars is in your career house, you generally have to stay put to attend to the fires Mars likes to start in your professional life. One way out of this would be to hop on a plane for business travel to put out fires in some far-flung destination your career takes you to. That would make Jupiter, Uranus, and Mars happy if you can swing it. If you don’t have that kind of a job, then the energy most likely translates into a need for you to be direct and even confrontational this month in asserting your desires.

We also have a couple of eclipses to address in June. The first one is on June 1st, a solar eclipse in Gemini. The second one is on June 15, a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius. The second one is the one you probably want to hear about, for a couple of reasons.

One, lunar eclipses are often more emotional and noticeable than solar eclipses. Two, this lunar eclipse falls in your love life house. This is the type of eclipse that can make you want to dump someone. Occasionally, the other party will beat you to it, but a relationship that ends during such an eclipse is usually wisely ended no matter how the ending occurs.

For Leo parents, this Sagittarius lunar eclipse can also relate to children. Typical examples would be children graduating from high school or college while you, the parent, realize that an era has ended. Children become less dependent as a result of such an eclipse and move out of your orbit in some way. In some ways this is joyous, but in other ways it can be hard for loyal and devoted Leo. Prepare yourself psychologically.

Meanwhile, the Gemini eclipse on June 1 could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Jupiter moves from Aries and your dark and mysterious solar 8th house on the 4th of June and into the more supportive sign of Taurus and your solar sector of travel and education. Uranus is still in that dark and mysterious 8th house, though, and gaining strength. The good side of this is that Uranus is in useful angle to a whole bunch of planets in Gemini in your career sector. It may not be easy to see the help you are getting in your career from circumstances, but it is there.

This help will supposedly be most dramatically revealed at the solar eclipse in your career sector on June 1. In reality, you may have experienced an unexpected and useful boost as long as ago as late April. Or you may not see it until mid-July, when Uranus will station and become particularly powerful. But one way or another, a lot of Virgos are scheduled to get some sort of a career bump from this eclipse.

Eclipses come in pairs, solar and lunar. The lunar eclipse occurs on June 15 in the sector of your chart relating to your home environment. This eclipse could be a bit dark and mysterious itself. It could relate to a surprise regarding someone in your family or it could have to do with your private self.

The eclipse in Gemini on June 1 is partly about your image as well as your career. The eclipse in Sagittarius is more about the shadow or the effect your image has upon you. Your solar 4th house, which is where the lunar eclipse will fall, is also about your sense of being grounded or not grounded. Sometimes an eclipse makes things seem temporarily unstable.

Sometimes, on the other hand, such an eclipse is more about you taking control of some situation and bringing an undesirable circumstance to an end. Lots of possibilities, including the possibility that you’ll experience no effects from either eclipse. Not all eclipses affect any given individual, and it’s possible that your current life is stable enough that you don’t need much of a change.

If you’re sick of changes by the way, and I wouldn’t blame you if you were because Virgo has seen more than its fair share over the past several years, you’ll like Jupiter in Taurus. Jupiter in Taurus loves for things to remain exactly as they are, exactly as it likes them. Taurus is the patron sign of the phrase “I just got things all arranged the way I want them; don’t move anything!” And sometimes there’s something comforting about that.

June is eclipse month, Libra, and things can get a little wacky during eclipse month. The first eclipse is a solar eclipse in Gemini on the 1st. The second is a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on the 15th. Jupiter also moves into Taurus this month.

So…let’s start with Jupiter. Jupiter has been in your solar house of relationships, and the planet Uranus is still there. Among other things, Uranus is the planet of groups of people, so it may be affecting your relationships with groups or perhaps introducing new groups into your life. Jupiter moves into your solar 8th house, where there is still a focus on relationships, but more specifically intimate relationships where two people unite for a common purpose or form a couple. A keyword might be ‘we.’ Mars is also in this sector until the 20th, making your intimate relationships and joint ventures of any sort the first priority of the month.

Uranus is still strong, by the way, this month especially so for people born around the 26th of September, for Uranus is opposing the suns of September born Libras this year. Even if you weren’t born in September, you may feel its effects as its apparent motion slows in June. Uranus is the planet of sometimes-ness. It affects relationships and couples by making things sometimes great, sometimes not so great. Part of the trick of learning how to handle Uranus here is figuring out what to do with the normal sensation of sometimes wanting to be with a person and sometimes wanting to get away from them. Jupiter moving into Taurus helps this process because it adds a dose of stability to the relationship equation.

While we’re on the subject of your relationships, I should mention that Saturn is stationing in your own sign this month, too. It is mostly strongly affecting those born during the first few days of October, but all Libras will probably feel some effects. Saturn is trying to force you to be aware–to just see what is going on in your relationships without reacting wildly. He just wants you to observe how you behave so that you can gain some control and choice over that behavior. Observing can be a trial of patience, but it is also ultimately quite liberating. This pause to observe started in May and lasts all month, and even creeps into July. Make good use of it.

Now for those eclipses. Eclipses change things. The eclipse in Gemini on the 1st goes along with what I said about learning to observe, for Gemini is an observant sign. If the eclipse affects you it will most likely change what you see and perhaps how you communicate. It’s an enlightenment or learning eclipse. The lunar eclipse on the 15th is likely to be a bit more irrational because lunar eclipses are supposed to be that way. It will probably not affect your life dramatically, but it may make you briefly crazed, absentminded or feeling that you need to run around like a lunatic. It falls into the sector of your chart most associated with the busy tasks of daily life and may throw them temporarily into a disarray.

The big news of the month involves two eclipses, one on June 1 and the other on June 15. The one on the 1st is a new moon eclipse in Gemini, and the second is a full moon eclipse in Sagittarius. Eclipses are periodic exclamation points in the flow of life. The first one combines relationships and money in some exclamation point-y way. Perhaps a new financial relationship will begin.

The second eclipse brings your methods of handling money closer to the surface so that you can observe them. This could have something to do with your chart’s ongoing attempts to figure out your employment situation. Or maybe not. Full moon eclipses like to be contrary, and they tend to be surprising. Whatever you are expecting, the moon will probably try to take your financial situation in a different direction.

Meanwhile, Mars, the ‘I want it now’ planet traverses your relationship sector until the 20th. The implications of that may be fairly obvious. If they’re not, Jupiter in Taurus will attempt to make them obvious as soon as he moves into that sign on the 4th of June. For the moment, these two planets would like nothing better than to have you enact a systematic campaign to secure the relationship of your desires. They want both to bring you closer to someone and to close the deal on a relationship, make is permanent, stable, lasting. Jupiter will be in the relationship sector of your chart, by the way, for a full year, so don’t expect your relationship energy to end in June.

On the 20th, Mars moves into Gemini, which is where the bulk of the energy of the month is concentrated. This is energy you can use to move toward a point of getting a handle on your expenses. It might even be that you have to get a handle on your expenses. The 8th house, which is where Gemini is located in your solar chart, often has to do with obligations, especially financial obligations we take on so that we can purchase something. If the eclipse had you taking out a loan to buy new stuff (hence a new financial relationship with a lender), then the rest of the Gemini energy this month can help you prioritize the items in your new budget. Important stuff, that.

Last but maybe not least, this eclipse season can potentially bring a new part-time, commission-based, or independent contractor type job for some of you. If you have a chance at such a position this month, put on your best face and go for it.

June is a touchy month, partly due to a lunar eclipse in your sign on the 15th. Jupiter also leaves Aries and Uranus behind to move into Taurus  and your solar work sector on the 4th. Jupiter will join Mars there. Put all these things together and your chart may be a bit irritated.

The eclipse touchiness comes because in any eclipse in one’s sign can relate to how one comes across to people, and a lunar eclipse often signals some sort of an emotional loss or ending. This can be a good thing, the ending of a burden, but the eclipse often roils up the atmosphere and sometimes makes people feel hypersensitive. On the other hand, an eclipse in your sign almost always means that you are advancing in some way in your life, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.

The Jupiter touchiness comes because it is leaving a sign very compatible with yours, Aries, and moving into the same sign as Mars, an irritable planet to begin with, where it has to deal with many people in your workplace. Then Mars moves into Gemini, where it has to deal with even more people! One way to neatly summarize the situation is to say that the planets in June are mostly arranged so that other people by and large hold the cards.  Another way of looking at it is that you are coming to a point of learning more about other people, not just in your own life, but in general. Of course, your rising sign makes a difference too, so you may want to check the horoscope for that sign as well.

There’s also a new moon eclipse in Gemini this month, on the 1st. This eclipse is likely to be friendlier. It’s the sort of eclipse that can bring a companion into your life, whether that be a romantic companion or a new best friend. You may find, with Venus in Taurus as well, that the person you are getting to know better may be someone you meet through your workplace. Whoever you meet is likely to be intriguing, exciting, or a puzzle that you want to study to understand his or her fascinating facets.

Note that eclipse effects are not confined to the actual day of the eclipse and may not even occur on the day of. Allow about 4 days of play on either side of the eclipse.

The Capricorn chart is a bit complex at the moment. For all of 2011, one planet or another has been stoking the Arian competitive fires at the base of your chart. This trend continues in June, but the energy shifts a bit.

First, we have to understand a bit about the role of competition in the Capricorn solar chart. The basic idea is that part of the Capricorn character is formed by an experience of having to contend or compete, during childhood or at home, with other people for the kind of basic acknowledgement that all people need. This is just something Capricorn internalizes so that it forms part of the Capricorn approach to life and then the Capricorn forgets about it and doesn’t even realize how much he or she is always competing for acknowledgement. In the past couple of years, Jupiter and Uranus have come along to inflame that particular part of the Capricorn experience and bring it back into play. In June, Jupiter moves on to Taurus, leaving Uranus by himself to figure out how to connect with family members or at home so that the vital acknowledgement keeps coming from the people most likely to take you for granted.

To add to this, Pluto in your own sign is ready or even itching to fight for you. Now that buffer Jupiter is out of the way, Pluto is gearing up for a knock-down, drag-out battle with whoever is not giving you your due. Fortunately, perhaps, during June, you can use some of this building energy in your chart in an area that Capricorn finds comfortable–work. There’s a lot of energy in your solar work sector, including an eclipse.

Eclipses represent shocking events or news and the first one of the month is in Gemini on the 1st of June. Typical events in this sector would a very surprising job offer (even if you’re out of work). Since Gemini also represents your solar sector of health, an eclipse could signal a scary piece of health news that propels you into getting into shape permanently. Even if you don’t get any eclipse news, you can use this new moon to start some healthy habits.

There’s also a rather flammable lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on the 15th. This is the type of eclipse that can bring hidden enemies or hidden information to light and make your chart mad, as it is in no way in a mood to see you dissed right now. It will be up to you to set the record straight.

The big news for the month is that adventure planet Jupiter moves from Aries and your solar 3rd house of communication to Taurus and your solar 4th house of home and family. Jupiter moves in on the 4th of the month, joining Venus and Mars already in Taurus. Taurus is a quieter placement for Jupiter in your chart; in Aries it was especially chatty. Although Taurus in your chart is most explicitly concerned with domestic affairs, the 4th house of your chart is also concerned with your inner sense of self or destiny. During the first week of the month, when Taurus energy is strong, you might give some consideration to what you feel your destiny truly is. Ask yourself what your true values are and act on the answers you get.

There are also two eclipses this month, a new moon eclipse in Gemini on the 1st and a full moon eclipse in Sagittarius on the 15th. You may feel the eclipse on the 1st; you may not. Not all eclipses will affect you. In case this one does, be prepared to use the energy for pleasure, children, or a fresh start in your love life. This is the type of eclipse that can bring someone new into your orbit.

The eclipse on the 15th falls in your humanity-oriented solar 11th house, the house associated with your sign. On a small level, it can affect relationships with a person who is a friend or someone you know through a group. On a broader level, it can signal a shift in your orientation toward people in general. Your ruler Uranus is associated with this house as well, and Uranus is  in your solar 3rd house of communication. During the week or so before this lunar eclipse, give some thought to how you communicate with people in general. Are your communication practices in line with the values you dug up during the first part of the month? If not, adjust accordingly.

Eclipses aside, this is a good time to get together with your family or to invite people over to your home. Mars in Taurus will give an extra boost to your entertaining efforts, so try to schedule your get-together for the days before the 20th, when it leaves for Gemini. In Gemini, Mars will jazz up your interactions with lovers and/or children. Pay special attention to both as the month ends.

June is an emotional month,  maybe even a passionate one if you get lucky with the Cancer energy that slips in during the second half the month. Your ancient co-ruler, Jupiter, moves from Aries to Taurus on the 4th. Taurus is a more compatible sign for you than Aries and it is both emotional and passionate when aroused. It puts an emphasis on communicating your feelings, and it will do so for the next 12 months. Meanwhile, Mars is also in Taurus for the first 3 weeks of the month, putting double emphasis on the theme of connecting through words in June.

I should mention that the Aries vibes aren’t completely gone. Uranus is still in Aries, and it is slowing down this month in preparation for going retrograde next month. Uranus is the planet responsible for trying to make your financial fortunes and attitudes move to and fro, as the universe attempts to slowly and fitfully find a new financial balance for you.

Back to the emotions, though. There are two eclipses in June, and eclipses are often emotional. The first one is on June 1, a new moon eclipse in Gemini. The second one is on June 15, a full moon eclipse in Sagittarius. Eclipses are usually surprising in nature, and they require your attention and thought.

Gemini is another communication oriented sign. In your solar chart it falls at the bottom, in the area that deals with home and family. Around the time of the Gemini eclipse, the right words or phrases can help you get a fresh start in a relationship with one or more family members.

The eclipse feeling may not occur right on the day of the eclipse, but within about 4 days or so on either side of it. The eclipse may also affect your physical home rather than relationships. You may have an unexpected expense or need to get rid of something in your home and replace it with something new.

The second eclipse, in Sagittarius, is aimed at your career. It can be useful in helping you to shed yourself of something in your career (or reputation) that you no longer need or want. If you’re not prepared to let something go in this area, the eclipse can be upsetting. Try to look on the bright side when it comes to career developments around this time. Even something as drastic as downsizing can work to your benefit in the long run.

Another interesting topic, although not very astrological. I recently had an Ayurvedic consultation for a puzzling physical condition and wanted to share more about it. Ayruvedic medicine is a traditional medicine practice from India and is often used as a form of complementary medicine in the West for cancer patients and other people with chronic conditions. If you’ve ever heard of doshas or looked into Deepak Chopra’s writings, you’ve undoubtedly run across references to Ayurvedic principles.

My guest for this podcast is a recent graduate of an esteemed medical training program in India, and she talks about the ideas and practices behind this ancient wisdom. A great introduction to a fascinating topic. Click here to listen.

Earthquakes in Japan! Nuclear crisis! Revolution in Egypt! War in Libya! Capture of Osama bin Laden! Shootout in Tucson! Union protests in Wisconsin! Flooding Mississippi!

The past several months have seen more than their share of big news events. What is going on?

In this week’s podcast, we tackle some of the astrological symbolism behind world news today.

Some of the topics addressed include:

Can astrology predict earthquakes?
Why 2011 might be more rocky than the so-called doomsday year of 2012
Global structural reform
What does the Uranus square Pluto configuration mean to you?
Egypt, Libya & the Middle East
Union-busting in Wisconsin
The symbolism of the Japanese nuclear crisis
and more….

The guest is Scott Wolfram, an evolutionary astrologer and relocation specialist.

We’re living in interesting times. Learn a little bit more about them.