We’re entering a different astral domain this week, and while daily life can’t be quite characterized as an episode from the Twilight Zone, you could find yourself muttering more than once, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Of course, some of us won’t feel as if we’ve been swept away to another dimension or that we’ve landed on the moon.
But for those who can’t find their ruby slippers or an inflatable astronaut suit, the new terrain is sure to feel surreal, and the experience of dislocation—physical, mental, spiritual, but mostly emotional—could have a profound impact on the rituals and routines of daily life. Patience is key to handling the change of terrain, skillfully. And as if to assist, Mercury Retrograde begins today, so even if you want to hurry the adjustment process, you’re not likely to move through it too quickly. The best solution is to breathe, deeply, as often as necessary, and to give yourself and those you love plenty of time to acclimate.
A concentration of planets Water Signs sets the new tone. The Sun is in Cancer, and as of yesterday, so is Jupiter. (Last week’s column had a typo: Jupiter entered Cancer on June 25, not July 25.) And while Venus is only in Cancer until June 27, Mercury is retrograde, in Cancer, until July 20. All the Water Signs—Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces—are the deeply emotional members of the astrological pantheon. Cancer, ruled by the Moon, represents the maternal principle, and therefore symbolizes nurturing, the longing to belong, family, and home; its shadow side often manifests as deep issues of safety and security. Jupiter represents expansion; at its best, Jupiter symbolizes the capacity to move beyond a limited worldview into a broad and encompassing perspective; at its worst, Jupiter signifies the waste of excess. During the next year, as Jupiter moves through Cancer, we’re likely to experience a desire for greater comfort and care. Some of those urges will be altruistic, and that will feed the desire to care for others. But we can also expect strong urges to cocoon.
Saturn is in Scorpio, also a Water Sign, and as Jupiter moves into Cancer, it forms an immediate trine to Saturn. This is a positive configuration that culminates in the middle of July, but we will feel its supportive presence all month. Saturn has been transiting Scorpio since October 2012, a journey that continues until December 2014. Scorpio represents the mysterious undercurrents—physical, psychological and spiritual—that inform human experience, undercurrents that are beyond our reach and often cause us to feel powerless. As Saturn, the principle of structure, plumbs Scorpio’s depths, many of us are probing the limitations of personal as well as collective power as we confront all those areas we can’t seem to control—weather patterns, anyone?
Neptune began a fourteen-year transit through the dreamy waters of Pisces—its primary domain—in April 2011. Pisces signifies receptivity. Neptune symbolizes imagination. And Neptune’s presence in the Sign it rules, amplifies the infinite expanse of creative inspiration. We’ve been under the influence of a Saturn/Neptune trine—a positive combination that produces the potential for penetrating insight—since mid-April 2013. This week, and over the course of the next several weeks, Neptune joins the Jupiter/Saturn trine to create a Grand Trine in Water, turning the days and nights on our planet rich with sentimentality.
It will take some time getting used to the emotional tides of the next several weeks, so again, make patience your constant companion. As the atmosphere fills with feelings, hearts may find it hard to contain the intensity, making it all the more important to spread compassion, liberally, everywhere you can.
If you know your Ascendant and/or your Moon Sign, read that, too.
Aries March 21-April 19
Be objective about what you’re feeling. Listen closely to your intuition, but be sure to separate hopes and wishes before you assess reality.
Taurus April 20-May 20
Communication continues to be the key to your heart. Listen carefully to what’s said, and take as much time as you need to respond authentically.
Gemini May 21-June 21
Work related opportunities have the potential to be successful, but seizing this moment requires determined intention combined with crystal clear creative visualization.
Cancer June 22-July 22
You are actually supported by a deep and abiding self-confidence. Trust these feelings, and allow yourself to move into positive action that will garner beneficial results.
Leo July 23-August 22
Get grounded in the truth of who you are by acknowledging your deepest values and doing whatever it takes to integrate those principles into the fabric of your daily life.
Virgo August 23-September 22
Honest conversations with significant others about significant matters are necessary. As you speak from the heart, be clear, direct, and do your best to stay on topic.
Libra September 23-October 22
There doesn’t need to be a conflict between work and home. Rather than feeling polarized, do your best to synthesize your responsibilities by prioritizing your time and efforts.
Scorpio October 23-November 21
Own your wisdom. There’s no need to shy away from questioning authority—yours or others’—especially if you’re in a process of refining your expertise.
Sagittarius November 22-December 21
Handling these emotional tides requires looking beneath the surface conditions to the causal level of your situation, and then doing what’s necessary to facilitate transformation.
Capricorn December 22-January 19
The focus is on relating, especially learning to trust that friends and family may actually have your best interests at heart.
Aquarius January 20-February 18
Follow your feelings and allow them to lead you into the previously uncharted territory of your heart, and you’ll deepen your capacity to open to yourself and to others.
Pisces February 19-March 20
The emotional challenge is to be all of you—to risk leaping into life, heart first, with the determination to express yourself uninhibitedly. It sounds simple, but it requires great courage, which you have.
Ralfee Finn specializes in Transformational Astrology. For readings, call 1-888-937-9264, write P.O. Box 343, New York, NY 10025, visit AquariumAge.com, or e-mail ralfee@aquariumage.com.
Copyright © 2013 by Ralfee Finn