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.

In true Gemini fashion, as I sit down to write this week’s forecast, I’ve got about four things going at once. Dandelion seeds are a wonderful metaphor for Gemini energy. The barest movement of mind sends the seeds dancing into the air. This is the dance of life,
Shiva’s dance—spinning and weaving invisible potentiality into concrete manifestation, then back into invisible potentiality, and so on and so on without end. The world is in transition right now. Many sense that things cannot go on as they have but there is not yet consensus on where we need to go next. Ideas, states of being, emotions are all up in the air, like those seeds. Some people really like this kind of energy, the mutable types, others have a harder time with it, the more fixed types of people. There is no right or wrong, but it is good to be aware of your type and tend to your needs as Shiva dances us through change.

A lot is happening this week in the skies—important things to note and integrate in the ways that work for you. But be aware: overload is possible. It is good to simplify our lives and minds so that we can invoke joy, balance, and compassion into them.

Forecast for June 3, 2012 – June 9
Sunday, June 3. Early this morning,* the Gibbous Moon moves into Sagittarius, preparing us for the partial Lunar Eclipse that occurs the next day. In a sense, that is what the Gibbous Phase of the Moon is all about, preparation for the illumination and  release of the Full Moon. How do you work with anticipation? What is coming next? Will I like it or hate it? Perhaps that type of attachment diminishes what we can experience at this time. How do we stay present and unattached to outcome? That may be the clue to reaping the most benefit from this day. Mercury in Gemini and Saturn in Libra are the allies to call upon for this intention. They are in a strong, harmonious trine with each other. If Mercury represents the mutability of mind and desire, Saturn represents the firmness of  intention, especially in ways related to balance and relationship.

June 4—Full Moon: Illuminating. Lunar Eclipses happen at the Full Moon phase when the plane of the Moon’s orbit and the plane of the Earth’s orbit line up with the Sun. An eclipse intensifies the already dynamic relationship between the Sun and Moon. There is a lot of aligning this week, as Venus, Earth, and Sun also align for a rare Venus transit of the Sun on June 5. This week you may want to use this image as you open to your own alignments.

The chart for the Full Moon shows a mutable grand cross. This means every mutable sign in the zodiac has a planet in a challenging relationship with each other. The wonderful things about mutable signs are their flexibility in tough situations and their desire to understand everything. There is potential for a lot of this at this time. However, the challenge comes from the difficulty we may have in letting these qualities mature into focused action and stability.

The primary axis of this lunar eclipse is Sun in Gemini opposite Moon in Sagittarius. We are called to align with the concepts of microcosm and macrocosm—what happens in the immediate environment is mirrored by what happens in the big story of what we think it all means, and vice versa. This alignment says, “Pay attention to all coincidences.” The cosmos is alive and communicating with us, and we too, are able to communicate back. Remembering your New Moon intentions, what is being communicated to you? Become aligned with this meaning for the good of all.

Venus is also right there with the Sun. “Become what you love,” was the theme of Caroline Casey’s talk about Venus at the United Astrology Conference last week. I could get more complicated than that, but why? It is more than enough. Let us all shapeshift
(Gemini) into what/who we love and use this to help us in our alignments.

Gemini and Sagittarius are the yang mutable signs of mind and spirit. The yin mutable signs of Pisces and Virgo emphasize heart and dedication. Today, Neptunein Pisces is stationing retrograde giving a very watery and open feel to this Full Moon. From this open place, we sense the qualities that Chiron in Pisces adds to the energy, which is a sense of dedicating ourselves to helping everyone transition from wounds to wisdom.

Mars in Virgo (dedication) is opposite Chiron (compassion) and is exactly square to Venus (shapeshifting into love). We will need all our tools to refine this energy into the alchemical elixir of bliss, but it is possible and worth trying.

Tuesday, June 5. There has been a lot of anticipation for this day among those who follow the dance of the stars. The Venus transit of the Sun happens today. [To find out more about what this is: http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/last-transit-of-venus-
in-21st-century-will-happen-in-june-2012.] In the CDT zone, the core of the transit happens at 8:27 pm, begins at 4:04 pm, and ends after sunset at 11: 49 pm.

We are still within the energy of yesterday’s Lunar Eclipse with its mutable grand cross. It is as if Venus is the secret ingredient to the alchemical working. This planet of love, justice, wealth, and desire intercepts the Sun’s rays to give us the gift of wholeheartedness—wholehearted love, justice, wealth, and desire. Whew. It is even making my spine tingle!

The Moon is in Capricorn at this time conjunct Pluto, further heightening the potential for transformation of base desires like greed into elevated desires like responsibility and stewardship.

Wednesday, June 6. The Moon remains in Capricorn on a much quieter day than the previous ones this week. This is a good day to take care of business, climbing a little closer to your own mountaintop.

June 7—Disseminating Moon: Sharing. In yoga practice we often dedicate any merit we have accumulated in our practice to others. This describes the urges of the Disseminating Moon—a desire to share the fruits of what we’ve experienced in this lunar cycle. Over the next three to four days, let yourself share some inner truth you’ve recently realized. Today the Moon moves into Aquarius, the sign of community. How do you share your visions in community?

The Sun squares Mars today. This waning square was described by astrologer, Dane Rudhyar, as a crisis in consciousness. Today we might be challenged to think our way to perfection. If you are like me, that won’t get you far. Perfectionism is a mental construct
that leads to shame. Recently, I’ve adopted the practice of telling myself “good enough” when I spiral into defeated thoughts of inadequacy. Mars in Virgo has been asking us to investigate how and why we serve and how and why we dedicate ourselves to a greater
mission. Does perfectionism serve you in that work?

Friday, June 8. Mercury in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces today. I can’t imagine a better day to go for a swim. Let the waters take you.

Saturday, June 9. The water theme of Friday continues today as the Moon moves in the mutable water sign, Pisces. Notice the relationship between mind and heart today and notice what you do when you feel over stimulated by mental activity. Water helps us to let go of doing and relax into being. This might be a wonderfully rejuvenating day if you allow yourself to be.

* All times are CDT.