by Linda Kaye | Jun 13, 2023 | 2023, Current Astro News, News
Wednesday, June 21 at 7:58 a.m. PDT
(0° Cancer)
Solstice is derived from two Latin words:
Sol meaning Sun and sistere to cause to stand still.
Summer officially kicks off on June 21.(1) The Summer Solstice marks the Sun’s movement into the sign of Cancer as well as the longest day of the year.(2) Annually, on the Summer Solstice, the Sun appears to stand still as it reaches its furthest point in the Northern Hemisphere. Marking the beginning of its southward journey, our days grow shorter. As the Sun enters 0° Capricorn on the Winter Solstice (December 21), it joins the Southern Cross for three days, where it is reborn, before once again beginning its journey back to the Northern Hemisphere.
Celebrated throughout the world, the changing of the seasons is a mystical astronomical occurrence. These solar celestial events have been recorded for millennium at countless ancient sacred sites. One such example is depicted in the above photo taken at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. In 1977 during the Summer Solstice, it was discovered that the Sun created a dagger-like illumination directly through the center of this spiral petroglyph, lasting 20 minutes in duration. It’s noted as a sacred pilgrimage site by the ancient Anastasi or “ancient ones” some thousand years ago to mark the Sun’s light at the height of summer.(3)
Cancer, the watery sign of the crab, is ruled by the Moon and associated with the womb, security, family, and balancing our inner versus outer world. With the Sun’s entrance into Cancer, we naturally gravitate to playful activities outdoors with family and friends, often near or in water. Since the fiery Sun purifies and water cleanses, we can embrace these warm summer months as a time to purify and cleanse our spirit. Immersing ourselves in large bodies of water and letting the liquid light of the Sun wash away stagnant pent-up energy, caused by spending too much time indoors.
By honoring this season of light, we can embrace a renewed awakening of consciousness. Go outdoors and share, rejoice, and celebrate the Sun’s gifts of warmth, inspiration, and life. The changing of the seasons is also a wonderful time to honor our ancestors who left us sacred reminders of the greatness of our solar system and universe.
Key Cancer New Moon Themes: the womb, motherhood, women, feminine, emotional security, early conditioning, family and domestic priorities, inner vs. outer world, intuitive, nurturing, protection of others, feelings, moody (crabby), tenacious, enjoys the water
Important Skywatch News:
Look up and to the west 1-hour after sunset! On the morning of the Solstice, the Moon and the cosmic lovers — Venus and Mars — are joining in a triple conjunction in the sign of Leo and will each rise, respectively, three hours after the Sun. Unfortunately, they’ll not be visible due to the Sun’s brightness. However, later in the evening, without interference from the Sun’s rays, the trio will put on a spectacular show until approximately 10:30 p.m. The Moon will separate from Venus and Mars the next night, but these two cosmic lovers will continue their nightly dance until mid-July.
Notes:
1. The Summer Solstice typically occurs on the 20th or 21st and occasionally (albeit rarely) on the 22nd.
2. In the Southern Hemisphere June 21 is the shortest day of the year and December 21 is the longest.
3. Aptly referred to as the Fajada Butte Sun Dagger, this beautiful spiral petroglyph is located near the entrance of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, behind three stone slabs. Photo Source: YouTube / Mystery History.
© 2023 by Linda Kaye
by Linda Kaye | May 18, 2023 | 2023, Current Astro News, News
Friday, May 19, 2023
8:53 a.m. pacific time
28°25′ Taurus
You are the soul of the soul of the Universe,
and your name is Love. ― Rumi
Venus, the planet that governs over the sign of Taurus, is rising in the Western United States during this month’s New Moon (see note below). Venus is synonymous with LOVE and when associated with Taurus, she encourages us to foster a loving relationship with self.
The Moon is exalted in the stable peaceful sign of Taurus. When it moves through this sign, we feel the need to relax and enjoy the sensual realms — romance, massages, gourmet food, fine wine, and of course, chocolate. Spiritually, Taurus can instill a deep calling to study the sacred mysteries.
Jupiter joined Mercury, Uranus, the Moon, and the Sun on May 16. That’s five planets currently in Taurus. Both the Sun and Moon will move on to the sign of Gemini in just a couple of days and Mercury will follow in a few weeks. With Jupiter remaining in this sign alongside Uranus through May of 2024, we will be witness to more and more dialogues regarding “value,” especially around earthly goods, such as food, as well as global financial markets, etc.
Because Taurus and Venus are also associated with our personal financial security, it is common to associate our self- worth and value with our growing or diminishing financial status. Therefore, this Taurus New Moon is an excellent time for each of us to ponder and set intentions around the following questions:
- What do I value most and how do I love myself and others based on those values?
- Do I believe my security comes from external resources?
- Is my inner worth based on my possessions and/or financial status?
- Can I appreciate things (and even people) without a need to possess or own them?
- Am I consistently generating self- love and worth?
Note:
The significations associated with Venus rising at the time of the New Moon will be felt more intensely for those living or visiting the Western United States during this New Moon.
Related Articles
The Sun–Moon Lunation Cycle
2023 Lunations
© 2023 by Linda Kaye
by Linda Kaye | May 4, 2023 | 2023, Current Astro News, News
The second eclipse of this year will be visible in Africa, Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe and will last four-and-a-half hours in the sign of Scorpio.
Friday, May 5, 2023
10:33 a.m. pacific time
14°58′ Scorpio
All conditioned things are impermanent,
when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.
— Buddha, Dhammapada, verse 277
Astrologers have studied eclipses and their effects since the Babylonian era and have found that they often coincide with earth changes, political upheavals, and modern stock market fluctuations. With the advent of external events, eclipses can become powerful indicators of needed change in our personal lives.
Full Moon Eclipses can also encourage emotional transformation as they shine a probing light deep into the recesses of your psyche. This is especially true with this eclipse because it’s aspected by Uranus and retrograding Mercury, which can bring intense moments of Uranian clarity and Mercury–retro confusion simultaneously. A Lunar Eclipse’s influence will be felt for as long as it takes to sort through and resolve any dormant emotional dynamics that are exposed.
This Scorpio Full Moon Eclipse is considered spiritually auspicious as people all over the world celebrate Buddha’s enlightenment. It was while the Moon was in her full phase in Scorpio that Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree over 2,500 years ago and obtained Nirvana.1 The sign of the Scorpion encourages us to go deep within and embrace the mysteries of death and rebirth — impermanence — that will awaken us to the wisdom of enlightenment.
Change is the natural byproduct of impermanence and can be invigorating and restorative. Change can be both positive and negative: even when restorative, it can involve loss. Grief arises when we’ve loved and placed great value in something or someone. Therefore, impermanence and loss provide an opportunity to recognize and appreciate how deeply we are able to love.
The energies of an eclipse can be felt a few days before and after an occurrence and the ancient sages believed eclipses were a time for meditation and learning; a special time to honor the spiritual aspects of your life. Try to keep your schedule light, remain internally focused, eat only pure foods, and do not consume alcohol. The veil between Earth and the heavens is thinner during an eclipse, allowing you to more easily connect to the eternal universal wisdom that is your divine essence.
Themes to watch for under a Scorpio Eclipse: power dynamics, super intense experiences, security, possessions, other people’s money, passion, sexuality, and deep internal transformations.
Note:
1. In the practice of Buddhism, Nivana is the transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the individual is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth.
Related Articles
2023 Eclipses
The Sun–Moon Lunation Cycle
2023 Lunations
© 2023 by Linda Kaye
by Linda Kaye | Apr 17, 2023 | 2023, Current Astro News, News
The first eclipse of 2023 is a rare Hybrid1 Solar Eclipse (New Moon) with visibility in Australia and parts of Africa and Indonesia.
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
9:12 p.m. PT
29°50′ Aries
The way must be in you; the destination also must be
in you and not somewhere else in space or time. If that kind
of self-transformation is being realized in you, you will arrive.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
Eclipses typically occur in pairs, within two weeks of one another, and each pair generally takes place twice a year. The second eclipse of this pair occurs on May 5 — a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in the sign of Scorpio. The second pair of eclipses will occur in October: a Solar Eclipse on the 14th in the sign of Libra and a Lunar Eclipse on the 28th in the sign of Taurus.
Astrologically, Solar Eclipses provide opportunities for transformation — the ending of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one. All eclipses are powerful, but this one is especially so because:
1) The Sun is exalted in the sign of Aries.
2) It occurs at 29° Aries — a degree that’s super-charged with possibility.
3) This is a rare consecutive New Moon in Aries (the first was on March 21).
4) The planet Pluto is in close aspect.
Eclipses occur on the Astrological Destiny Points (the nodal-axis of the Moon). As they revolve around our horoscopes, they bring about inner and outer revelations that support our soul’s intentions and evolutionary growth. Eclipses provide profound periods of regeneration when we align to our destiny and embrace needed change.
During last month’s New Moon in Aries Pluto was in the sign of Capricorn (29°) and this month it’s in Aquarius (0°) making very close aspects to both New Moons. You may recall from my last newsletter, which highlighted Pluto’s movement into Aquarius, that Pluto will be moving back and forth between these two signs until November of 2024.* This is important because each time it shifts from one sign to the other it will bring about further reorganization and the potential collapse of archaic patriarchal global systems.
Powerful psychic energies give birth to new information as the light of the luminaries darken during an eclipse. Just like the phoenix rising from the ashes anew and purified (Pluto), after an eclipse, we are presented with opportunities of rebirth — to get clear about the areas of our lives that are outmoded and in need of transformation.
Pay close attention to the revelations occurring in your life during this eclipse period as they are intended to guide and move you into your future. Set intentions that harness Pluto’s intense power and focus on the Aries themes of courage, exploration, and adventure so you can blaze brand-new trails of self-discovery and regeneration.
The ancient sages felt that eclipses were a time for meditation and learning — a special time to honor the spiritual aspects of your life. Try to keep your schedule light, remain internally focused, eat only pure foods, and do not consume alcohol. The veil between earth and the heavens is thinner during an eclipse, allowing you to more easily connect to the eternal universal wisdom that is your divine essence.
Note:
Hybrid Solar Eclipses look like either an Annular or Total Eclipse, depending on the viewers location. They are considered rare because of their infrequency: The last one was in 2013 and the next one won’t occur until 2031.
*Dates for Pluto’s movement back and forth between Aquarius and Capricorn:
Aquarius: March 23 – June 11, 2023
Capricorn: June 11, 2023 – January 20, 2024
Aquarius: January 20 – September 1, 2024
Capricorn: September 1 – November 19, 2024
Aquarius: November 19, 2024 – January 19, 2044
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2023 Eclipses
Pluto in Aquarius: The Awakening
The Sun–Moon Lunation Cycle
2023 Lunations
© 2023 by Linda Kaye
by Linda Kaye | Apr 3, 2023 | 2023, Current Astro News, News
16°07′ Libra
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
9:34 p.m. pacific time
Love may be all around us, but it won’t matter unless we can receive it.
— Marisa Franco Ph.D.
This month’s Full Moon occurs in the Venus–ruled sign that represents harmonious loving relationships and the equalizing scales of balance — Libra. Astrologically, the Moon is considered the luminary that lights up our unconscious, bringing attention to those dynamics that are connected to the zodiac sign that it’s passing through.
A Full Moon always occurs when it opposes the path of the Sun on the zodiac ecliptic. This month, the Sun falls in the desire-oriented sign of Aries. The opposing energies of this Full-Moon Lunation is highlighting the need for integration between the Sun in Aries (self) and the Moon in Libra (others).
The Libra archetype is associated with maintaining balance within relationships through giving and receiving. Are we able to give and receive love? Do we feel we give more than we receive? Are we able to know when not to give, thereby allowing others to independently determine their own needs — Aries.
The Sun in Aries denotes freedom, independence, and action. During this Full Moon, both the Sun and Moon are in aspect with Chiron and Jupiter, also in the sign of Aries. These planetary combinations instill the qualities of healing (Chiron) any imbalances associated with our individual autonomy (Aries). It also speaks to our desire to seek the truth (Jupiter). Since Full Moons represent balance and integration, it’s equally important that we recognize and honor these needs in others.
Libra is the sign of beauty, grace, and diplomacy. Ruled by Aphrodite’s planet, Venus, Libra thrives in healthy, balanced, and loving relationships. Therefore, this Full Moon is supporting the unveiling, understanding, and healing of any potential relationship imbalances: giving/receiving, equality/inequality, independence/dependence, harmony/conflict, truth/untruth, love/hate.
Lastly, from a health perspective Libra is the sign associated with the kidneys and blood-sugar balances. Therefore, this is a great Full Moon to commit to consuming less sugar, foods high in carbohydrates, and alcohol. Look for healthy alternatives that support your overall wellbeing.
Related Articles:
Relationships and Compatibility Sessions
The Sun–Moon Lunation Cycle
2023 Lunations
© 2023 by Linda Kaye
