Yesterday was the Summer Solstice, something I completely whiffed on recording in last week’s transits. Oops. Still a little rusty. Anyway, Happy Solstice, Juneteenth and Father’s Day.

This, of course, means that the Sun has made its ingress into Cancer, and due to a contentious aspect to Jupiter, the general mood might be a little testy/pissy this week, but should also come with a flavor of “onward and upward.” The Sun in Cancer wants to reconnect to a self-image of fecundity, domesticity and nourishment of both the self and of those held dear – Jupiter in Aries seeks expansion beyond the confines of the home, pushes the self to make its mark on the world, to learn to be more capable, to be tougher and stronger in both will and form. So these impulses are at odds, though time can be made to honor both, and pressure can create diamonds that encapsulate them. Jupiter finds its exultation in Cancer (where to Sun currently sits) and the Sun finds its exultation in Aries (where Jupiter resides,) so there is a special foundation behind this relationship that makes it more promising even through the friction. Conditions such as these are known as Reception.

If I’m spending a lot of time on this one, it’s because it seems to be all over this season’s news, and one hopes for some positive results. Protecting our children from gun violence (Sun in Cancer) vs. the freedom to own weapons (Jupiter in Aries.) A woman’s right to choose (Jupiter in Aries) vs. the biological mandate to reproduce (Sun in Cancer.) The established-but-craven U.S. political base (Sun in Cancer) deciding what to do with the information presented by the Jan 6th Committee (Jupiter in Aries) who seek to hold Trump and his cronies accountable, and thus defend democracy. Russian military expansion (Jupiter in Aries) vs. Ukrainian sovereignty (Sun in Cancer.) Regular Joes (Sun in Cancer) feeling the squeeze of inflation caused by insane corporate growth (Jupiter in Aries.) I am not saying any of these stories will neatly wrap up this week, only that it would be nice to hear some good news in these areas where the spotlight clearly lies.

Anyway. The Moon makes the contentious mood itchier still, as it stokes both insecurity and a call for action, sandwiched between Mars and Chiron as it is. Have a care before you fly off half-cocked, as it’s this type of configuration that causes bad decisions. There is also potential here for active and positive restructuring and reorganization, as the Moon moves into a sextile with a retrograde Saturn.

Venus is not herself today. A planet is said to weaker on the final degree of a sign, even a sign where they are naturally strong. (Venus is at 29 degrees Taurus today, one of her two home signs.) Not only is it classically weak here, it is also on top of a powerful fixed star cluster, The Pleiades. A planet should be more pronounced and powerful on top of a fixed star, and indeed, that is likely the case here, but it will also absorb the qualities of that star. As the Astrology King site points out, the Pleiades are “noted in astrology for their association with deep sorrows and tragedies, bereavements showing strongly with this star.” Many tragic tales across many cultures are associated with the Seven Sisters, as the Pleiades are often known. Many of these tales deal not only with loss, but the loss of innocents and or innocence. The Ojibwe people have a myth about losing their children to the stars, after they performed a ritual meant only for adults. To me personally, I think the Seven Samurai is a great Pleiades story. At any rate, maybe not a day for wine and roses, but a good day to process grief. This general mood may persist for a day even after Venus makes her ingress into Gemini.

Some other notable features of the week:

• Friday 6/24 sees the Moon in Taurus hit Uranus and then the North Node by evening. This is an echo of Venus’ walk through Taurus from last week: potential for sudden shake-ups, potential to capitalize on material opportunities, potentially running up against ethical barriers or actual authority figures (trine to Pluto and square to Saturn.)
• Sunday 6/26 has the Moon in Gemini running across Venus first (now free of the Pleiades’ influence) and then Mercury in his dignity. All of this is bolstered by a positive relationship to Jupiter. This feels like a fun day: a great day to socialize, to play games, to make plans and schemes. There’s also an opportunity to descend into gossip and shit-talk, but that may all be part of the fun.
• Monday 6/27 may feel annoyingly foggy, as the intellectual Moon is caught between the vivifying-but-abrasive influences in Aries (Mars and Chiron) and Neptune’s quagmire-of-all things.
• Then we get a New Moon in Cancer on Tues 6/28. If my hopes (NOT predictions) from the top of the article bear out, we might see some lunation-style “new beginnings” around some of the news items covered. Or perhaps just on a personal level, if those two flavors seemed resonant. By now, Venus will have moved into a nice sextile with Jupiter, which may soothe some of its bellicose overtures.

This Wednesday opens on the heels of the Full Moon in Sagittarius, which presented a call to take bold steps forward, a challenge to articulate the messy space between or hearts and our dreams, and an opportunity to actively do some restructuring work on a foundational level. What’s more, Mercury has made his re-entry back into Gemini, bringing the train of thought back to the station it visited at the beginning of May, freeing us to fly higher and think bigger while talking all the shit we care to. Venus is fresh off of a conjunction to Uranus and is about to transit the North Node – if any shake-ups or surprises blew up your life in the past week or so, this may be a good time to capitalize on your new position, especially where it concerns the ol’ love life.

Another big story is the Mars-Chiron conjunction. Mars is strong in Aries; drive-to-accomplish levels should be running higher than average, as well as general hot-blooded feistiness. But Chiron throws a whole mess of insecurity onto the powerful warrior spirit. This is a time to invest in mistakes, to step back and analyze after a frustrating experience, though the impulse may be to dive right back into the fray. Don’t fly off the handle at the wrong person. (Or at all, if you can help it.) Outlets for rage recommended. Pour it into a workout, a work bench, an art project.

Building on this scene, we see the following notable shifts throughout the week:

• Thursday, the Moon will conjoin Pluto midday while touching the Venus-North Node conjunction. An opportunity to plumb hidden depths and bring hidden treasures into the world. A good day for artistic expression, deep self-exploration, for considering power dynamics. The Moon makes it into Aquarius by the evening, supporting Mercury’s recharged push toward writing, conversation, and multi-textured thinking.
• Saturday, the midday Moon in Aquarius conjoins Saturn retrograde. Potentially a taxing day emotionally, but one with the potential to examine structures and thoughts around the heart. Are there boundaries that you’re avoiding putting up, or that you’re running up against? Could an objective view on your desires be of assistance?
• Sunday through Tuesday, Venus is right on top of Algol, a powerful fixed star. A good window for the goths, as dark aesthetic and cathartic art sees a moment in the deepest shade it can find. Beware losing your head in matters of romance. Algol is often tied to the retribution of those who have been victimized.
• Monday sees the Moon on Neptune, leading to a more slippery grip on reality until it makes its evening ingress into Aries, where it will meet Jupiter on the following day, once again stoking the impulse to grow through decisive action. With Mars on the other side of Chiron now, this course of action may appear with more clarity and reduced friction.