June will carry forward last month’s intensity, as we experience the second eclipse of the year. Once we pass this eclipse, then the atmosphere will be much calmer. The retrograde phase of Jupiter will also start in June, and we will see Mars and Saturn in a standoff whilst Mars goes into debility in Cancer.
Mars Debilitated in Cancer June 1 till July 20
Mars will be transiting the sign of Cancer, which is opposite to Capricorn. This puts Saturn, in Capricorn, into a strong relationship with Mars. Mars, as the planet of strength and power, falls into a state of debilitation in the Moon’s sign of Cancer, which can be frustrating to the indications of Mars, who relies on precision, strategy, and efficiency to bring us positive results.
Mars and Saturn interactions can end up feeling like we’re trying to drive forward with the brakes on; the desire to courageously move forward can be muddled by fear, reticence, or practical realities that cause delays. The Moon rules the sign of Cancer, which causes Mars to come under the moody and changeable influence of the Moon. This is a ‘shades of gray’ challenge to the powerful force of Mars who tends to lead with logic and ‘black and white’ thinking. This transit through Cancer could also lead to domestic quarrels, and passive aggressive behaviour.
From Cancer, Mars aspects the signs of Libra, Capricorn and Aquarius, which are all quite activated at this time. Saturn is transiting Capricorn, strong in his ability to limit and constrict. Jupiter is transiting Aquarius, attempting to get our stalled projects off the ground and urging us toward growth, innovation, and a positive trajectory. The sign of Libra has been receiving the aspects of both Saturn and Jupiter, which can create a very potent environment where growth and limitation are well balanced.
With Mars moving to Cancer, he lends his strength to the activated sign of Libra via aspect. His other aspects from Cancer fall into Capricorn and Aquarius, hitting both Saturn and Jupiter, the two planets who are giving that energy to Libra. This is creating an energetic platform between Saturn, Mars and Jupiter that is activating all the signs mentioned: Cancer, Libra, Capricorn and Aquarius.
With three of these four being movable (chara) signs that are associated with initiation and beginning new projects or phases, this points toward important work during this time that finds us driving toward new horizons.
New Moon Solar Eclipse in Taurus in the nakshatra of Mrigshira on June 10
Continuing the eclipse drama, we experience the second eclipse of the year. The Moon and Sun join at 26° Taurus, within one degree of retrograde Mercury. This trio is close to the north node of the Moon, Rahu, at 17° Taurus. Close enough to cause an annular eclipse (when the Sun is darkened but its corona is visible) but not a total solar eclipse.
The last solar eclipse was a total eclipse on December 14, 2020 in Scorpio. After this current pair of eclipses, our next pair of 2021 will occur in November/December. That will be the last eclipse cycle in Taurus/Scorpio as, the nodal axis moves to the signs of Aries/Libra in mid-April 2022.
Those who have significant placements in the later degrees of Taurus or Mrigshira could experience these effects more strongly. The idea of an eclipse is that it puts a shadow on the light. This creates an environment of obstruction, obscurement, and possible confusion. With the addition of a retrograde Mercury in the mix, we could all experience a feeling of instability, unexpected changes, or events that cause a temporary but significant stalling.
Since the effect of eclipses is coming from the nodal axis, the same advice applies to dealing with the churning, chaos, and unstable ground: it’s not a great time to make major decisions that can wait; keep calm, step back, create an environment that is nourishing and peaceful and wait to see what happens, if anything. Not only is an eclipse active at this time, but Mercury remains retrograde, Saturn remains retrograde, and Jupiter is about to join the retrograde tide. Things are not always as they appear. Make sure you have all available data before making decisions. Sometimes, there is no time to wait and choices are made under duress. So be it.
Sun Transits Gemini from June 14 till July 16
The eclipse cycles are predicted by the Sun’s transits through the signs occupied by the nodes, Rahu and Ketu. When the Sun exits Taurus and enters Gemini on June 14, we may find ourselves thinking about the storms that have recently passed and how to move on to reorganizing, reconnecting, and editing recently laid plans.
This will be a good time for the Gemini things that need to be done. Mercury’s air sign, Gemini, supports communication, networking, management, scheduling, educational pursuits, analytics, marketing, writing, speaking, and work done for hobbies and enjoyment. The first week of this Sun transit through Gemini, Mercury will still be retrograde, so it may be a good time to revive projects that have been shelved, reorganise workspaces, edit and re-boot.
Jupiter Retrograde from June 20 till October 17
During 2021, the transit of Jupiter will give us quite a bit of variety, moving between Saturn’s earth sign, Capricorn and airy Aquarius, co-ruled by Saturn and Rahu. On April 5, 2020, Jupiter moved to Aquarius, which was a positive step that fostered some expansion and progress for many people.
Jupiter and Saturn are not natural friends, but together create a basic framework for most things in life. Saturn builds foundations and structure while Jupiter encourages growth and evolution. Saturn insists upon practical action while Jupiter rides on faith to create future growth. Saturn contracts while Jupiter expands.
Retrograde motion makes a planet’s effects difficult to predict. The planet is stronger while retrograde but can also push into the realms of acting in an opposite manner. With both Jupiter and Saturn in retrograde motion through the summer months, we may be surprised at how things progress. Issues that we may have had anxiety about could move easily and quickly. What we thought would grow quickly and easily could find some obstruction and become stunted.
Even though retrograde, Jupiter while in Aquarius can still help us to grow; it may just be in an unconventional manner or require some very creative or innovative thinking. Rather than an ordered, predictable growth rate, we may experience fits and starts, with surprising ups and downs.
Jupiter stations and begins his retrograde cycle on June 20 at 10° Aquarius and marches through the previously traversed degrees of early Aquarius, returning to Capricorn on September 14. Retrograde motion continues and takes Jupiter back to 29° Capricorn, where he resumes direct motion on October 17.
This retrograde phase of Jupiter could be quite surprising, with some disappointment and frustration coming from interruptions to an upward trajectory. The surprising factors could come from the tandem retrograde phase of Saturn, whose slow deliberate moves could be sped up and smoothed out by his own retrograde motion.
Venus Transits Cancer from June 22 till July 16
Venus moves out of Gemini and into Cancer on June 22 for a rather quick transit, and joins a debilitated Mars. By mid-August, Venus will pull ahead of Mars and end the conjunction, but between June to August, we will have this conjunction moving through Cancer and Leo.
Venus and Mars come from different camps and rule the elements of water and fire, respectively. While there is a strong attraction between these two planets that embody feminine and masculine principles, the harmony that comes from foundational similarities is often lacking.
For the Cancer portion of this transiting conjunction of Venus and Mars, we have Saturn aspecting this pair from Capricorn. Saturn can cause uncomfortable pressure or limit our output. The flip side is that due to Saturn’s retrogradation, Saturn’s influence could be unusually positive in that there is the demand for practical solutions and reliable foundations during the creative process. Taking time to think through both the underlayment and the finished surface, trying various combinations and battling through the disagreements on how to form the function will likely result in a good end product.
This Mars /Venus in Cancer with Saturn in Capricorn dynamic really has some promise, but there is a demand for creativity in the face of negativity and patience. For those with this axis prominent in their horoscope, this could be a time when it feels exhausting to hammer out details. This too will pass. Don’t let these weeks be deal breakers.
Mercury Direct in Taurus from June 22
Mercury slows down and stops for a moment before resuming direct motion on June 22 at 22° Taurus. Mercury direct in Taurus will help us get grounded in what still may be a very confusing or unstable environment. The compound retrograde status combined with eclipses and a strong Rahu could have dug up that which had been hidden and revealed flaws or weaknesses that demand to be addressed.
This is a good time to assess and analyse resources, project plans, and envision short and long range goals. Mercury will begin his forward motion slowly, ambling toward his own sign of Gemini which he reaches on July 7. Don’t feel frustrated to see the drawing board back in your face. There may be new data at this point that will improve the path forward.
Rahu and Mercury alone in Taurus could actually be quite connective. Of all the planets, Mercury is wired to keep up with the genius of Rahu and could perhaps persuade that genius toward good.
Full Moon in Sagittarius in the nakshatra of Mula on June 24
After the solar eclipse of June 10, the Moon begins to wax and grow, gaining strength as she moves through Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo and Libra. The other planetary factors have perhaps created some upset.
On June 24, the Moon reaches its monthly peak at 10° Sagittarius, in the nakshatra of Mula, fostering an environment where high hopes may actually play out in positive directions. This point receives the support of both Jupiter and Ketu, as rulers of Sagittarius and Mula, respectively. The overall planetary arrangement is quite balanced during this full Moon.
The Moon is flanked by Ketu and Saturn, both powerfully placed in their own signs. Jupiter is adjacent to Saturn, creating a team around the strong Moon that is calling for a clearer view of how to birth the next phase of the cycle that begun when Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in late December 2020. Think of this as providing an elevated perspective that could prompt further pruning of branches that aren’t promising fruit.
With the Moon being strong, but by nature vulnerable, the hardness of Ketu and Saturn squeezing the Moon could play out as feeling forced to do difficult actions that may feel like severing or crushing deep ties.
The Sun is at 10° Gemini, in the nakshatra of Ardra, coming under the influence of both Mercury as ruler of Gemini and Rahu, as ruler of Ardra. Mercury and Rahu will still be conjoined in Taurus at this time, making their influence perhaps even stronger on this full Moon situation. Just like the Moon is flanked, so is the Sun during this June 24 full Moon. On one hand, Sun has Mercury and Rahu in Taurus and in the other hand Sun has Venus and Mars in Cancer. Quite a different entourage than that of the Moon, but set up to identify channels through which to pour resources and creative juices.
The months of July, August, and September will be coloured strongly by the retrograde outer planets, Saturn and Jupiter, which may call out a pattern of forward and backward steps that don’t seem to make sense. The Sun, Venus, Mars and Mercury will be passing through the signs opposite these retrograde giants, creating a series of events with opportunities to manage the wobbling surfaces from which many are attempting to find foundational stability that will provide a steady platform for positive growth.
Retrograde motion by nature sees a planet’s energy concentrated in one area for an extended time due to the forward-backward-forward pattern. This can indicate the need to focus strongly, apply continued effort and foster patience with having to re-do, revise or re-visit. The Sun and Moon, who never assume retrograde motion, will be placed in nakshatras ruled by the nodes, who mostly travel in retrograde motion, highlighting the challenge of reckoning the duality that appears everywhere.
