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.

Forecast– June 15, 2014 – June 21

Life’s been interesting lately, hasn’t it? Mutable signs have been loosening up the works after an early spring of tense standoffs during the grand cardinal cross transits. That is one of the functions of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces), to move things along. These signs occur at the end of a season when weather patterns shift back and forth between one season and the next. Mutable signs ask for flexibility and require us to improve adaptability skills. Mutable signs inhabit the in-between places where we hold duality and paradox. From this place, we can be quite clear and quite confused about our perceptions. The million-dollar question is: How do you tell the difference?

The complexity of the transits of the last two weeks of this Gemini lunar cycle* has reinforced my appreciation for the complexity of human interaction. I am grateful for astrology in times like these. Astrology’s complexity mirrors our complexity. Astrology helps me appreciate how unique and complicated we are and how essential each of us is to the whole. Difference is necessary, even when our differences are sometimes hard to navigate, such as during Mercury retrograde. Another gift of mutable signs is an ability to let go of a fixed point of view. This can feel like being wishy-washy at times, but it can also feel like being a peacemaker and a co-creator. Have you noticed these types of shifts occurring this month?

This Gemini lunar cycle is halfway done. The waning phases of the Moon invite us to assess what we are learning from the first part of the cycle. Since mutable signs are about learning and synthesizing, this impulse may seem even stronger the next two weeks. Influential transits of the next week include these hightlights: Mercury retrogrades back into Gemini, mixing up the messages and asking us to be even more patient as we learn new perspectives; Sun and Mercury come together in the inferior conjunction on the 19th, offering insight into learning and perceiving styles; Chiron stations retrograde in mutable Pisces, adding a strong influence of emotional sensitivity to our perceptions; and the ingress of the Sun into Cancer at the Summer Solstice, shifting the focus away from perception and into action based on what we have learned.

Forecast– June 15, 2014 – June 21

Moon enters Aquarius 12:27 pm CDT

Sunday, June 15. Yesterday may have felt a bit tempestuous. Today, we make use of the Aquarius Moon to get some perspective on emotional experiences. This would be an excellent day for fathers and children to visit a science museum for Fathers Day. Don’t expect others to show you their sensitive sides, we been through enough of that lately. More of that will come this week. Enjoy a breather.

Moon in Aquarius

June 16—Disseminating Moon: Sharing. Truth becomes toxic when we over-attach to our beliefs. Truth becomes a healing force when we welcome it as a visitor. Thinking back over the lessons in perception you’ve experienced the last two weeks, what kind of truth do you want to take away? This is the phase of the Moon where we share our insights, our revelations, our wisdom. Every one of us has a truth to share. That is abundance.

Venus in Taurus reminds us that we dwell in abundance. The Moon in Aquarius and Saturn in Scorpio add to the complexity of achieving that awareness. Notice feelings of scarcity and judgment. These can be transformed by embracing a light-hearted approach to truth. Many things seem possible today. Take a chance.

Moon enters Pisces 1:26 pm CDT

Tuesday, June 17.  Mercury, still retrograde, moves back into Gemini, where it remains for three and a half more weeks. Keep rechecking your facts and what you think you’re hearing in communication with others. Midday (CDT), communication issues clear up for a while when the Moon trines Mercury. Take note of inspiration and insights because we dive back into the ocean of Piscean feelings by the afternoon. Good to give yourself time to take in the information important to you and let go of the rest.

 Moon in Pisces

Wednesday, June 18. Were you having wonderful dreams as you woke this morning? While we slept (in the CDT) the Moon contacted Neptune, and Venus in Taurus formed an encouraging connection with Jupiter in Cancer. Chances are good that some resolution happened during those vivid dreams. Feeling more grounded and confident, let this feeling carry you into your day even if you can’t remember your dreams. With the Moon in Pisces making favorable contacts with Pluto and Saturn later today, we are able to acquire strength and stability even in tricky emotional terrain.

 Moon enters Aries 4:26 pm CDT

June 19—Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating. Maybe this is your reality too, does it seem like you’ve been on a mutable sign roller coaster during this lunar cycle? Has it been a challenge to adapt to fluctuating information coming from a variety of sources? Putting aside the challenges you may have encountered, what have you gained in the experiences of the last three weeks? Sometimes the most challenging interactions give us the biggest gifts.

Early in the day (CDT), we feel expansive. The Moon in the final degrees of Pisces favorably contacts Venus and Jupiter. With a strong sixth sense, we just know the answers. Is it possible to hold onto that confidence while at the same time question the information? Certainty and curiosity can support each other if we practice dual awareness. Later in the day, the Sun and Mercury come into an inferior conjunction. This is a seed moment of insight into what this Mercury retrograde cycle is teaching us. Possibilities include, expanding our point of view, synthesizing contradictions, and if nothing else, remembering that a sense of humor goes a long way when we’ve reached the end of our capacities.

Moon in Aries

Friday, June 20. Emotional vulnerability may erupt as angry reactions today. Chiron in Pisces stations retrograde while the Moon in Aries contacts Pluto, Mars, and Uranus through stressful aspects. It could take all we’ve got to remain compassionate and not turn our disappointments into retribution. So, how do we step back from reactivity? The very trigger of the Chiron station may also be our greatest resource. Chiron in myth was a great teacher. As half horse and half man, he embodied paradox and the ability to synthesize extremes and differences. He also faced his greatest challenge through an unhealable wound that initiated him into even more service. The challenges we are facing call for such qualities in our selves. Who are the teachers in your life? What are you teaching others through service to intention? Hold tenderness towards self and others.

Moon enters Taurus 10:03 pm CDT

Saturday, June 21. Summer Solstice. The Sun’s ingress into Cancer today represents a foretaste of the Cancer lunar cycle that begins on June 27. We’ve still got one week to synthesize and release the Gemini cycle. In the rhythm of the year, every mutable sign is followed by a cardinal sign. The mutable season helps us let go of the past, orient ourselves to present information, and then hands the task over to the cardinal sign to initiate new action in response. Cancer’s supreme goals center around nurturance. Although Cancer can go out of its way to tend to the needs of others, that is not all this sign is capable of. Fierce protection, excellent management skills, and a reliable assessment of survival needs are also expression of Cancer’s nurturing character. A good place to start in helping others is to help our selves first. Notice where you need self-care and be fierce about providing it for yourself. The Moon enters Taurus after the Sun’s ingress into Cancer; feel the earth welcoming us to sustainable action. Feel the strength of knowing what you need.

*The Gemini lunar cycle began on May 28 at the New Moon. Read more about the beginning of this lunar cycle on my Starsdance blog.

Contact Teri at teri@starsdanceastrology.com and visit her website at www.starsdanceastrology.com