Summer Solstice 2008

If you celebrate the Solstice, chances are that you’ve already done so by the time you read this. For many in the U.S., that celebration was Thursday evening. That is probably true in the UK and Europe as well. Some of you, though, may choose to celebrate this weekend because the gathering of friends, most convenient on a weekend, is more important than gathering slightly BEFORE the event occurs. Frankly, I like that idea in this case. Why?

The reason why is that we’ve all done intense energy work all weekend long. As much as possible, this weekend should be about rest & relaxation. The Aquarian Moon will tend to help with that, and most people will find this to be a pleasant weekend. A few possible “potholes” exist; this forecast will serve to illumine them.

I know some of you want only the “high points” without detailed analysis, so we’ll do those first.

High Points of the Summer Solstice of 2008

1. Have fun this weekend. That is very possible.

2. Watch out for lying and deception this weekend.

3. Watch out for a squabble particularly about money or taxes or fines, particularly on Friday night.

4. Do NOT “loan money” this weekend. Especially watch out for cheats & cons.

5. *DO* have fun with your friends. This is another GREAT “movie weekend.” Consider a sleepover with a ‘movie marathon.’

6. This is a GREAT weekend to spend on the water, possibly at a lake. BUT, this is a very BAD weekend to mix alcohol and boating. (No good weekend for that, but this one is even worse.)

7. Homebodies can get a great deal of cleaning this weekend, and might find old photos from “the good old days” that bring a strong sense of nostalgia. Pay debt.

Now, for the rest of you, on to the “nitty gritty details.”

Analysis by Sign

Aries: You can be very strong this weekend. Watch out for overspending on that nice new toy, and definitely do not create any new debt. Like ALL other signs, don’t loan money. Otherwise, this will be a great weekend for you. Try, though, to be an observer, if you can. You’ll LEARN a bit about others if you do so.

Taurus: Read Aries. You’ll be tempted to buy items for your home, and you’ll get some great buys if (1) you already wanted them and they are NOT something you were “talked into” by the salesperson and (2) you don’t create any new debt. You might not be as thrilled by the movie as some others, but you’ll have fun anyway.

Gemini: You need a break. This was a really busy week. Just relax, and resist ANY temptation to deceive someone. You CAN deceive effectively now, but you don’t want that karma. Watch the movie with your friends.

Cancer: Hold tight to your birthday. Like Aries, you should “watch the show” that others put on for you this weekend. Do *NOT* (did I emphasize that enough?) lend money or create debt. Like Taurus, you might get a nice item for your home.

Leo: Why are you so angry? You need a good workout this weekend. Finances tend to worry you this weekend. Focus instead on the most vigorous exercise you can safely participate in; a punching bag could bring you both physical and emotional relief. Friends are okay, but watch for trickery, possibly from an entire GROUP, maybe a conspiracy of family members against you!

Some of you are starting to enter your “Solar 12th house” and are in danger of “self-undoing.”  This is particularly true if your birthday is in July.

Virgo: You find yourself in the job of disciplinarian, especially if you are a parent. You’ll have the job of being the “voice of reason.” You can do this well, but secretly you want to play this weekend with the other boys & girls. Take time to recharge your batteries this weekend. You CAN take a break. Maybe you need a treat.

Libra: Read Aries. Keep in mind that your insights may be especially important to others this weekend. But, don’t offer advice unless asked. Keep your comments short & to the point. Use humor. Have fun.

Scorpio: Read Taurus & Leo. You can get some great buys; use your usual sense of prudence. Don’t beat up on people, though you’ll be tempted. If you are a police officer, then you’ll be busy this weekend. That means you’ll need to stay sober yourself.

Sagittarius: You are ordinarily a nice person, but you really need to watch your temper this weekend. Don’t go off the deep end. Instead, take some time for yourself. This does NOT mean you have to hide and be alone, but it does mean you’d better have some fun. Unlike most others, you’ll probably have a good eye for cheats. No reason you can’t turn the tables on them and have the “last laugh.” In fact, they deserve it for even thinking about taking you on. Go for it, just don’t get mad about it. Laugh instead.

Capricorn: Okay, it is a tough weekend in some ways for you. People seem frivolous and a bit unpredictable. You can still have fun, though, and you might even make a little money if that is your desire. Just make certain it is money coming in rather than money going out. (You’ll be tempted to spend.)

Aquarius: This is *YOUR* weekend. Okay, you’ll have other weekends, too. But this will be an outstanding weekend for some, make that MANY, of you. Please do play. Take nothing seriously. Refuse to believe anything anyone says, probably even including me! Your sense of art and proportion are good this weekend, so if you are an artist of some kind then (as Captain Picard would say) “Make it so.” (But don’t incur debt for that purpose.)

Pisces: Yes, you can get your way this weekend. BUT, is it really what you want? If you succumb under pressure to some strong personality, or especially a group of them, and then cheat or deceive someone who could be your best ally, then what will you gain? Think about it. Your ally might be tired of that kind of behavior.

If you are a poker player, you might “clean up” this weekend. (No “markers,” though.)

If you channel that “creativity” of yours in the right direction, then you might have some fun without anyone getting their feelings hurt. Maybe you are the one who needs to organize “sleepover movie night,” but without any grandiose expenditures.

If you do host a party, you’ll be at the center. Do you want to be? (It is okay if you really do.)

The Planetary Players of the Weekend of the Summer Solstice of 2008

Besides the solstice, and the previous planetary events of this week (especially the Full Moon and Mercury Direct Station), three events will color this weekend: (1) Sun Opposite Pluto (which is an “after statement” to the Full Moon Energy); (2) Mars Opposite Neptune; and (3) Venus Sextile Saturn (which requires a LONG discussion). We’ll cover the first one and dispose of that, and then we’ll dive in greater depth into #2 and #3 (together). So, we have Part #1 (Sun Opposite Pluto & the Full Moon Wrapup) and we have Part #2 (Mars Opposite Neptune and the Finger of God).

Sun Opposite Pluto & the Full Moon Wrapup

The first few days of the week, tied to the Full Moon of Wednesday June 18th, will be “wrapped up” by Sun Opposite Pluto on Friday June 20th. Of course, Astrology studies cycles, and one story blends into another. But, this punctuation mark (and that is what this kind of aspect is) comes with the Solstice. Other variants will occur in a new season and be more tightly tied to newer stories to be told. So, what does it mean?

Pluto has returned to the end of Sadge, and that is the key issue here. The final degrees of any sign are said to be “fated degrees,” and these particular degrees are especially associated with deception and theft. All the negative aspects of Sadge will tend to be highlighted at this time: religious extremists, possibly terrorists, murder in the name of God, court rulings that are either wrong or unjust or both, and a sense of “playfulness” applied in very wrong ways. (Do you remember in the original “Highlander” movie where we learned that the Kurgan, and “his tribe, the Kurgans, were infamous for their cruelty, and were known to ‘toss children into pits full of starved dogs, and watch them fight [for the] meat’ for amusement.” THAT is the kind of “playfulness” associated with the END of Sadge. Not pretty.)

Now, that said, the type of PLANET in that space makes a BIG difference. In this case, the planet is PLUTO, ruler of death in general, death by assassination in particular, death by poisoning even more so, and secrets, torture, and a number of other horrible things.

Frankly, myself, I don’t like this combination of planet and place.

One big issue here will be “human rights abuses.” On a smaller scale, it will be injustice. The “mean girls” will tend to win. But, Sun OPPOSING Pltuo may mean that, in some cases, authority figures of some kind may “step in” to halt some of these problems. The Sun can’t really win against Pluto on a long term basis, so the key will be for Pluto to move direct (in a few months) and return to Capricorn. The downside to this will be a profound “belt tightening” in our economy. We’ll already had a taste of this, but it will get stronger. Your mantra should be “no debt.”

If you can’t achieve that, then it should be “no new debt.” If you are in the business of lending money, you shouldn’t take on ANY new risky loans; you can count on them deceiving you now (Pluto Rx in Sadge) and defaulting later (when Pluto returns to Capricorn).

I know some of my readers might be thieves. Yes, this is your weekend. Sigh.

Practically, as an individual, this could lead to power struggles this weekend, particularly over money. Taxes (also Pluto) may be the biggest issues of all. Count on them (taxes) showing up in political dialogs. Like new debt, new taxes should be avoided. They might seem very attractive NOW, but Pluto in Capricorn can make them very ugly later.

One other thing, this particular drama indicates that the solution to human rights abuse in other countries CAN be found in the decisions made by Corporate America (and UK and Europe). The key, of course, will be to give Corporate America “tax incentives” to do things that “encourage” foreign countries to protect human rights. (Maybe that is the approach Amnesty International should use: lobby Congress to give tax incentives to Big Corp. to protect human rights in foreign countries.)

On a small scale for certain readers (you know who you are): you know that Aunt or Uncle who saved money all of their lives and lived very conservatively? The one you never liked but now is in a GREAT position financially while you are worried about FORECLOSURE? You should NOT ask them for a bailout (and deceiving them will cause you painful karma you don’t want to have). But, you SHOULD get their insights and advice and “take your medicine” to clear out the debt & financial problems. If you don’t listen to the Dave Ramsey show, then you should consider doing so.

Like Father’s Day, if you can “avoid the fight,” you’ll probably have a pretty good weekend. But, again, some people will have terrific struggles over money and spending this weekend.

Mars Opposite Neptune and the Finger of God

At this point, I’d like to tell you some great story about Mars Opposite Neptune and how powerful that aspect is. I’d like to discuss how some commentators noted Mars/Neptune activity in the birth chart of Bill Clinton, and how they claimed that this is the REAL reason that he was “Teflon Bill.” (Monica Lewinsky proved that name wrong, though.) That’s what I’d like to tell you.

Instead, I must say that this is an extraordinarily complicated “big planet” configuration that, frankly, might be a little beyond my ability. In addition to Mars Opp Neptune, we have Venus Sextile Saturn. Venus & Saturn are another story entirely. The problem is, Venus & Saturn are NOT playing separately from Mars and Neptune. If they were, analysis would be much easier. In fact, the configuration looks like a huge “peace sign” in the sky, with Neptune “by itself” (not true, but pretend so for the moment) and Mars opposite of it as the “center leg”, with Venus and Saturn forming the right and left legs of the “peace sign.”

Now, I am NOT saying that this configuration will “bring peace.” Sun Opposite Pluto (described above) won’t let it. Actually, Neptune has both the Moon and Chiron as neighbors. All three are in Aquarius, and this metaphorically speaks to the needs and desires of “the people” for healing and dreams of hope. Last weekend we had illusions. This weekend, we HAVE to believe in a “better way,” despite the Evil of Sun Opp Pluto. Primarily Neptune (but also the other planets) form the “Finger of God” that I’ve described before (credit: Stephanie Azaria). The choice seems to be between Venus (in Cancer, the home of the Moon) and Saturn (in Virgo, the home of Mercury and sign of the Earth Mother).

I try to avoid politics, but this weekend seems to speak of how profoundly tired “the people” are of war. Sun Opp Pluto tells us we can make some terrible mistakes with wrong decisions based on poorly thought-out approaches. Regardless, we are tired of war, we are tired of being cheated, and we are tired of the no longer “playful” aspects of Gemini & Sadge. The time has come for a return to the source of our sustenance.

So, you’ll have a choice to make this weekend, and it will almost certainly affect many people around you. Given that you “handle” the power struggle “correctly,” (and this doesn’t mean that you “win” in the ordinary sense of the word), you will have to choose between being a source of sustenance and being a provider of discipline. Neither position is necessarily right or wrong. You’ll have to apply your own sense of discernment, keeping in mind that deception is afoot.

I suppose I should say that, as the weekend progresses, I might “tune” this forecast. Making it stronger will lay a foundation for the forecast for next week, probably to be published on Sunday.