Fortune’s Moon—Full Moon in Sagittarius—June 4th.
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Break the tyranny of your ordinary awareness. The rest will begin to unfold itself—Cynthia Bourgeault.
A full moon bastes the earth with liquid buttery light tonight, seeping moon magic into the pores of our skin, penetrating deeper than words as we stand in her beauty. As the stars flicker and fade into moonbeams, some say that an energetic portal opens and that what has been concealed in the spaces and cracks of our lives suddenly becomes quite clear. This full moon, in the expansive sign of Sagittarius, points at possibilities. Reminds us of what neuroscience now validates: what we practice consistently—qualities like honesty, generosity and gratitude, or those skills that we tend to and nurture—become embedded in our spiritual muscle. What we practice, we become.
This confident lunation trines energetic Mars in Leo and Chiron in Aries, a hyperbole of powerful energy that may compel us to take that first brave step towards our heart’s desire. The moon also squares Saturn which may represent a set-back or emotional state that demanded our attention around May 27th and 28th when the Sun made a fleeting square to Saturn. Sagittarius is ruled by jovial Jupiter, hedonistic, entitled King of the gods in Roman mythology. In the language of astrology, Jupiter is often simplistically described as bringing “good luck.” Yet “good luck” is as ephemeral as happiness, as fleeting as our attention. We invoke the buoyancy and resilience of Jupiter when we keep the faith, when we dare ourselves to hold the white feather of hope long enough to notice the silver lining in the dark clouds of circumstance.
Venus joins Mars in Leo on June 6th, energising the square between Jupiter/Pluto and the Nodes of Destiny, which was activated by the entry of Mars into Leo on May 21st. Pluto squares the Nodes from June-September, tasking us to break the tyranny of our ordinary awareness. Venus opposes Pluto till mid-June, and Venus/Pluto aspects so often accompany what spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle calls the pain-body. He explains: “the pain-body, which is the dark shadow cast by the ego, is actually afraid of the light of your consciousness… if you don’t face it, if you don’t bring the light of your consciousness into the pain, you will be forced to relive it again and again.” As Venus and Mars move in tandem through the fiery sign of Leo, we may see an enactment of the Venus/Pluto tension in the public lives of celebrities and politicians, and in explosive acts of war in our own relationship dramas if we deny the pain that lives within.
Venus enters her Retrograde Shadow on June 19th and will descend into darkness for 40 days and 40 nights from July 23rd (28° Leo) to September 5th, finally leaving the shadowy Retrograde landscape on October 7th. This Venus Retrograde ingress has a disruptive energy as Venus will consort with unpredictable Uranus on July 1st, a call to be creative, resourceful and wise. Venus Retrograde periods invite us to reflect upon who and what we hold dear to our hearts. Venus presides over love and beauty, aesthetics and quite literally, money and social events. Many astrologers suggest it might be wise to postpone a marriage or commit to any important financial venture, invasive “cosmetic” procedures, home renovation.
Ancient sky watchers plotted the tight inward loops of Venus’s eight-year Retrograde cycle that form a perfect pentagram or five-petalled rose in the night skies. In 2015 (July-Sept), Venus moved Retrograde in Leo and it may be helpful to reflect on events and themes in our lives eight years ago as we prepare for this next Retrograde cycle. Retrograde periods lead us back over well-worn paths, quite literally as we circle back once more to deal with the residue of something that still lingers. Retrograde periods invite reflection. Out of the blue, a circumstance or a reunion with someone we once knew, and what was left undone can now be healed or resolved as with the wisdom gained from experience.
This Venus Retrograde cycle will activate Ukraine’s birth chart as well as the birth chart of Volodymyr Zelenskyy (who has Mars at 0° Leo, possibly a Leo Moon, and Saturn at 28° Leo). This could be a critical pivot point in the gruesome course of the war.
Pluto’s 15-year passage through Capricorn is not yet over. Pluto, planet of death, decay, and rebirth, slides back beneath Capricorn’s dark underbelly again, stirring up unconscious material which may feel ominous, even fearful. Pluto returns to Capricorn on June 11th, and will continue to stir up toxic sediment that has not yet been purged collectively. Pluto transits unleash primal forces that may coalesce as irrational obsessions, trauma, power plays, and ruthlessness. We will continue to witness the exploitation of the powerless, the hypocrisy of those who hold power as old structures decompose.
Pluto enters Aquarius in November 2024 and will stay there until 2044 as we collectively and personally experience what it is to be human and begin to deal with the Frankenstein’s Monster of AI.
The opposition of the sun and the moon tonight is a reminder that what we relegate to the dark side of the moon will emerge in our experiences and circumstances—the peace loving yoga teacher who meets a confrontational student, the idealistic social worker who encounters hatred and bigotry.
This full moon reflects the light of a mercurial and ambiguous Gemini sun. We may be challenged to acknowlege another point of view as we practice (again) patience and kindness. We may choose gratitude and hope even when we don’t feel grateful or hopeful. In this light-infused moment may we notice the silver lining in the dark clouds of circumstance. Mary Oliver asks: “Do you bow your head when you pray or do you look up into that blue space? Take your choice, prayers fly from all directions”.
Get in touch for a personal astrology consultation by email please: ingrid@trueheartwork.com
Midsummer Celebration of Light June 24th at 2pm BST.
