by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Astrologers divide the lunar month into eight phases. These are:
New Moon: Dreaming
Crescent Moon: Beginning
First Quarter Moon: Manifesting
Gibbous Moon: Perfecting
Full Moon: Illuminating
Disseminating Moon: Sharing
Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating
Balsamic Moon: Surrendering

Come follow the Moon as we practice intentional awareness together.

“My mind is buzzing round the blue lotus feet of my Divine Mother, Divine Mother.” The words of this chant are the soundtrack for this week as the Gemini lunar cycle moves from the Crescent phase into the First Quarter and Gibbous phases. There is divine purpose to this buzzing energy and we get to build on that purpose this week as the Moon waxes into fullness.

As I wrote last week, a mindfulness practice is a good way to observe how we think. Since thinking is the beginning of manifesting, knowing our mental patterns is very helpful to knowing why our lives are the way they are and what we can do to change them if we desire. However, it is important not to jump ahead of ourselves. Rather than struggle to find ways to change right away after we observe these patterns, perhaps the best goal is to develop the skill of observation. Just noticing. Seeing patterns is a skill refined by astrology. It is the gift that astrology gives to the practice of mindfulness. A guiding question is, what am I noticing now and what are the astrological signatures that would describe what I am noticing?

As I write this, I am in New Orleans at the United Astrology Conference, an international conference of the some of the best astrologers we have. My mind is buzzing with all that I am learning and will learn here. This week begins with the Moon still in the Crescent phase, encouraging us to begin new projects. What are you doing to engage with the Gemini mission to connect, learn, and express what you know?

Forecast for May 27, 2012 – June 2

Sunday, May 27. Mercury conjoins the Sun today for a superior conjunction. This means that Mercury is on the other side of the Sun from Earth. Energetically, it feels like we’ve reached a point of saturation or a peak in taking in information. Next, we need to do something with all that data. Along with this conjunction of the Sun and Mercury, Uranus is sextile to Mercury too. When Uranus and Mercury are in relationship to each other, innovation is the theme. New ideas abound. This day encourages us to adopt change as our friend. There is a lot to learn and do.

May 28—First Quarter Moon: Manifesting. So, possibly you’ve learned something new, made new connections, and even shared what you know with others during the first week of Sun in Gemini. And perhaps you’ve taken that experience out into the world in some way during the Crescent phase of the Moon. The First Quarter Phase is where we meet our first challenges to creating something lasting from all that new energy. The Moon is in the mutable earth sign Virgo, while the Sun is still in the mutable air sign, Gemini. Virgo asks us to get practical—something Gemini forgets in all its exuberance. Remembering the practice of observation, what do you notice in yourself when these two energies clash? Virgo has a tendency to want to fix things. What if we resisted that notion and simply let it be, come back to the center, and breathe?

There is lots of energy today to observe. For instance, the Sun is now sextile Uranus, just as Mercury was the day before. The desire to innovate remains strong. Mercury makes two aspects today as well. It is quincunx (the paradox aspect) to Pluto and it is square (the challenging aspect) to Chiron. Chiron and Pluto give light-hearted Mercury a lesson in depth today. Sometimes words illuminate, sometimes they heal, and sometimes they hurt. What are you noticing about communication today? With all the Gemini/Mercury emphasis this lunar cycle, we most likely will experience periods of feeling unsettled. Mercury draws attention to those moments when shifts between states of being happen. This may be one of those days.

Tuesday, May 29. Venus has graced the skies as the Evening Star for the last eight months. Although the exact day that Venus disappears from sky varies according to local viewing conditions, by today, in most places, Venus will no longer be seen in the western sky at sunset. It is moving closer to the much anticipated Venus Transit of the Sun on June 5, when Venus will move across the face of the Sun. Venus is hidden in the glare of the Sun at the moment. There is a mythic component to this part of the Venus cycle. The story of Inanna traveling to the underworld to visit her sister Erishkigal mirrors this astronomical event. We too are invited to visit an outcast part of ourselves, especialy as it pertains to our Venus nature—the part of us that we might think of as the feminine or receptive aspect of ourselves, the part that brings beauty, harmony or graciousness, the part that desires comfort and delight, as well as the part of us that hungers for more and needs to be satisfied. From now till the middle of July, Venus is gone from the sky and then appears as the Morning Star. As we take this journey with Venus, we have the opportunity to reclaim some of our projections about the Venus archetype. We get to reclaim our own desires and bring them forth as important contributions to the world.

Wednesday, May 30. The Moon moves into Venus-ruled Libra today. Harnessing the energy of manifestation in the First Quarter phase, we are encouraged to use our Venus natures to integrate the information overload that we’ve experienced over the past week or so. Mercury squares Mars in Virgo today and it may be hard to keep things as civil as a Libra Moon may want them. Give yourself and others plenty of room to process inner conflict. Since the Sun in Gemini also squares Chiron in Pisces, those feelings may be very tender and possibily overwhelming.

Thursday, May 31. Things are much more settled today. The last aspect that the Moon makes today is a conjunction with firm Saturn in Libra. As this is the phase of meeting challenges in order to manifest our potential, we may make progress today with the aid of Saturn as long as we commit to being gracious about it.

June 1—Gibbous Moon: Perfecting. Trying to perfect the Gemini desire to learn, connect, and share what we know can feel like trying to hold onto a handful of dandelion seeds; they like to squirm out of our grasp and scatter to the winds. This is the challenge of this phase of the Moon this month. The Moon enters Scorpio this morning and we may notice a contrast to the hopeful, exuberant energy of the first part of this cycle. More difficult realities may come to mind now. Today Mercury and Venus are conjunct at 18 degrees Gemini. Both are invisible to us as they both are still very close to the Sun. However they are on opposite sides of the Sun—Mercury is on the far side of the Sun in relation to us on Earth and Venus is on the near side of the Sun. Deep, important and illuminating truths can come forward today.

Saturday, June 2. This is another relatively mild day as the Moon remains in Scorpio, a good time for solitude if you are so minded. The Moon makes one aspect today, a sextile to Mars in Virgo. There is an urge to make good use of this day to get things done and to find some satisfying solutions to complex problems.

Teri Parsley Starnes

www.starsdanceastrology.com