by Heather Roan Robbins

Like the fruit and burgeoning vegetables around us, it’s time to ripen, to grow personally, rather than run around and try to be efficient. Because we just can’t see clearly this weekend, we’re unusually permeable and processing strong ambient currents of feeling. Like the ripening fruit, we need to provide nourishing circumstances for one another and fertilize healing and growth as Mercury squares Neptune and the Sun enters Cancer on Sunday at 10:37 AM MDT.

Since late April we’ve been under a magical but confusing, sometimes crazy-making square between Mercury and Neptune. This week we’ve also dealt with an energizing Sun-Mars conjunction that has had lethal results. This aspect can make us eloquent, can promote great verbal sparring, but makes it all too easy for irritation to spike quickly into snapping anger, but an anger that doesn’t need to entrench. Together with the Neptune square, this anger can stem from delusion or misunderstanding. Both aspects taper off after this weekend and let us heal and build steadier, saner, momentum in the weeks ahead.

Over the weekend, look west just after Sunset to see a beautiful Venus, Moon, Jupiter conjunction, an aspect that can confer unusual luck and feeling. Let’s let this energy in and open our hearts bigger than our own heart’s ache. Individual relationships can flourish under this aspect or they can suffer from the overflow of our heart which can pour into a surplus of emotional expectations and imaginary projections and bring a melodramatic response. Keep opening the heart wider, with more compassion and acceptance.

Leo rules the heart; this conjunction calls us to our heart chakra. It can crank up our expressive reactions and turn any simple event into Shakespeare in the park, whether a tragedy or comedy is up to us. It can help us turn a real tragedy into an opportunity for radical love.

Venus and Jupiter run together all summer long, we’ll be talking a lot about this extra bounty of the heart– the compassion, creativity, and crimes of passion it can bring– for the next few months. This weekend it hits the spotlight as the Moon joins in. New relationships can spring up, old commitments can feel renewed. Our hearts could stretch into healing camaraderie across racial and social divides. To use this aspect wisely we have to care, to treasure the love we find. Because it turns up the volume of our emotion, this aspect could either mitigate or inflame otherwise difficult aspects of this summer, depending on how we use our emotional surplus.

Under this weekend’s conjunction, our solstice gatherings and arts festivals may be memorably creative. We might as well enjoy this magic because although we want practical changes, the nuts and bolts of them will be challenging through the weekend but get easier towards the end of the week. A bittersweet mood hits late Sunday as both the Sun and Moon leave extroverted signs and turn inwards, the Sun enters Cancer and the Moon enters Virgo a few minutes later, bringing our attention back to our family, back to our memories and our soul’s longing.

Next week brings a wake-up call for some of us. We may feel we’ve woken up from a dream or feel a cloud of uncertainty begin to lift. Whatever we’ve been avoiding or have misunderstood begins to become more transparent, whether we like it or not. If we’re lucky, will be presented with exciting new opportunity, or we may just itch for a break in our normal routine as Mercury finally clears it square to Neptune just as expansive Jupiter trines ingenious Uranus.

Summer solstice gatherings and social events will be memorably creative. Magic is in the air, prayer is strong, though we may feel an urge for more practical change we won’t be very efficient about it for a few more days, our thinking is fuzzy and our practical efforts may be temporarily blocked as Saturn semi-squares Pluto. This aspect can also bring up some interesting debate around the benefits and troubles of a limiting force, like our police force, our military or our personal disciplines. Let’s adjust our expectations to be more in line with our circumstances and make the most of this time.

A bittersweet mood hits later Sunday as summer begins as the Sun and Moon move from two extroverted signs (Gemini and Leo) to two introverted signs (Cancer an Virgo) aroundnoon time. By Sunday night the stars ask us to bring our attention back to our family of choice or origin. Venus forms a challenging, bittersweet, Pluto that leaves our heart a little haunted and aware, longing for more scope or more healing.

Next week we may itch for a break in our normal routine or find an exciting new opportunity presents itself next as Jupiter trines Uranus. Necessity or boredom may be the mother of invention, we can dream up ingenious new ways of solving a problem. Our engineering skills or intuitive abilities can up for any lack of practical common sense. Towards the end of the week with have an opportunity deepen our relationship to ourselves and to one another or have an opportunity to open to new friendships of the soul.

Friday, June 19: Abrupt but friendly, warmhearted but fierce, it’s hard to get out of our own perspective and act with objectivity with the Sun and action-oriented Mars so close together and the Moon in expressive Leo. We may be easily but reasonably ticked off; we need to do something about what bothers us. But as the day progresses and the Moon approaches a conjunction to Venus tonight, our hearts warm up and we’re ready to engage. Creativity and attraction abound, but our swords stay close at hand. This is not a weekend to sit alone on the mountaintop but a time to engage our community wholeheartedly.

Moon enters Leo 12:22 AM, Moon sextile Mercury 1:35 PM, Moon quincunx Neptune 7:11 PM Moon semi-square Mars 11:35 PM,

Saturday, June 20: This serendipitous day may bring magical connections or miracles of compassion or solidarity as the Leo Moon conjuncts Venus, Jupiter, and trines Uranus. We’re not thinking too clearly, maybe it’s the dust of fairy dust in our eyes; the portals between the mundane and the magical thin. Our hearts may ache for something extraordinary and wonderful, something that soothes our soul longing. Given that, we still may not notice what other people need, though we can be gracious and generous when we do notice. Objective observance can be tricky. Dive into life fully tonight.

Moon conjunct Venus 1:58 AM, Moon semi-square Sun to 50 a.m., Moon quincunx Pluto4:38 AM, Saturn semi-square Pluto 5:44 AM, Moon conjunct Jupiter 2:13 PM, Moon trine Uranus 3:07 PM,

Sunday June 21: Our intention and energy will matter more than the details, but we need to pay attention to the nuts and bolts of what we do as the Moon squares Saturn this morning. Summer begins as the Sun enters self-protective, family-oriented Cancer at10:37 AM MDT, the Moon enters thoughtful Virgo a few minutes later, and our mood shifts, grows more internal. The energy is pleasant, warm if a bit defensive; our attention comes back from the collective and returns to the personal. Follow up on any opportunity to connect with old friends, family, or with the garden.

Sun quincunx Saturn 12:51 AM, Moon sextile Mars 6:53 AM, Moon squares Saturn 10:09 AM, Sun enters Cancer 10:37 AM, Moon enters Virgo 10:58 AM, Moon sextile Sun 11:00 AM, Venus quincunx Pluto 4:48 PM

Monday, June 22: There’s a fresh, curious if nervous and unrealistic vibe, this morning, which can bring both a desire to start over and a desire to drift away in the hammock on this first full day of summer. The Moon opposes dreamy Neptune today, Mercury squares confusing if inspired Neptune tomorrow, so there’s no point in pushing the river even though the industrious Virgo Moon can ratchet up our to-do list. We may feel so permeable, so aware of the aches and pains of the world. Our crazy may be showing. An ingenious Jupiter-Uranus trine seeds our thoughts and encourages us to make good changes in the long run, so let’s bring that Neptune in imagination and put it to work; what can we heal, grow, invent, or come to know.

Moon square Mercury 4:27 AM, Moon opposed Neptune 6:39 AM, Jupiter trine Uranus7:46 AM, Moon trine Pluto 4:23 PM.

Tuesday, June 23: We may need a minute to hold still today, to tune into the demands of our inner world, of our prayer life, our empathy, or need to deal with some confusion, lie, or water damage this morning as Mercury squares Neptune. But later the waters received and the fog (mental and physical) begins to clear, and we could see some damage that we only in now realize needs repairing, or have to face a tough reality we have been avoiding. But all this can feed our ingenuity. Midday can be very industrious, let’s just avoid blame and help one another instead.

Moon quincunx Uranus 3:28 AM, Mercury square Neptune 12:08 PM, Mars quincunx Saturn 12:35 PM, Moon sextile Saturn 10:32 PM, Moon square Mars 11:12 PM then VOC, Moon enters Libra 11:40 PM,

Wednesday, June 24: Our defenses can spike in response to anything edgy or abrasive, but we may not want to admit it. Watch for a passive aggressive streak, we both want peacefulness as the Libra Moon squares the Sun and Mars, and need to know we’re safe as Mars enters Cancer. We can turn this impulse to nesting instead of defense, to domestic policy instead of military funding. Note people’s prickles and choose diplomacy; offer a blooming rose instead.

Moon semi-square Venus to 40 9 AM, Moon square Venus 5:02 AM, Chiron retrogrades5:36 AM, Mars enters Cancer 7:32 AM, Moon semi-square Jupiter 10:40 AM, Moon in conjunct Neptune 7:30 PM, Moon trine Mercury 10:08 PM.

Thursday, June 25: Melancholy drifts amongst the verdant beauty this morning as the Moon challenges Saturn and Pluto, it leaves us tired in the face of some unfairness or worldly challenge. Afternoon brings more support to make creative changes as the Moon sextiles Venus and Jupiter. Gratitude of what we do have can refuel our efforts.

Moon semi-square Saturn 4:47 AM, Moon square Pluto 5:07 AM, Moon sextile Venus11:15 AM, Moon opposed Uranus 4:20 PM, Moon sextile Jupiter 5:22 PM, then VOC.

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