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)
renamed this symbol. 
)
speaks of making the most of a challenging situation. Marc Edmund Jones (
)
points out both the adventure and the danger involved when having to adapt to create order out of a complex situation.
, the GC will remain at 26
degrees until October 2010.Jun.24 � Venus enters the Shadow (until Oct.11) ("What's the Shadow?" "What is Retrograde?" Read articles about the Shadow and Retrograde.)
Venus now enters the span of the Zodiac where she will go retrograde from Jul.27 to Sep.08 (between 06:35 Leo and 02:57 Virgo). This is similar to when Mercury enters the Shadow, except that we are now building up themes and energies related to Venus � beauty, art, love, pleasure, desire, fairness, diplomacy, finances, possessions, values. As Venus approaches her retrograde station, you may notice increasing experiences and events that emphasise these areas.
For example, money and income could either increase or decrease during the Retrograde phase, and then often returns to its former state after Venus turns Direct again. Romantic possibilities may heat up during the Venus cycle, only to cool down again afterwards if there is no real substance to sustain it. Or, existing relationships might go through a period of confronting and sorting through issues or problems that have been lurking in the background. If the relationship is on shaky ground, this might push it to the breaking point, forcing you to do some serious negotiating or consider ending it.
The best way to work with this energy is to avoid too much escapism and overindulgence, but also don't crumble into too much seriousness
either. It doesn't mean you can't have fun, but things will probably work better if you strike a healthy balance between "party hardy" and being a lead weight. Aim
for joyful productivity, compassionate honesty and gentle yet firm boundaries. 
Jun.25 � Saturn opposite Neptune (21:47 of Leo/Aquarius) (Jun.26 in AU)
This is the third and final pass of the Saturn-Neptune opposition. The other two passes occurred on Aug.31.2006 and Feb.28.2007. Their peak effect is often felt within about 10 days or so before and after the exact dates, although we've been feeling this powerful energy on an ongoing basis since last August. At this final pass, we are integrating our experiences from the last 11 months.
Let me refresh your memory about what this conjunction is about. This is a very complicated combination of energies! Saturn represents the physical world�Neptune represents the spiritual realms. Saturn is about discipline and hard work�Neptune is about faith and trust in the Universe. Saturn brings us face to face with hard reality�Neptune brings us to our imagination, fantasies and illusions. These two planets mix together like oil and water!
At their best, these energies combine to manifest the highest potential and vision that we can imagine. Yet, this kind of idealism typically loses something in the translation and we can easily wind up disillusioned, disappointed and depressed. In addition, we often harbour hidden hopes, fears, dreams and illusions that can come flooding out and overwhelm us if we don't see them coming. Life does not consist of only the physical world of the sensory experience and logic. We are sentient beings who are greater than the sum of our parts. You might believe that life extends into a spiritual dimension that transcends and exceeds the physical. Or, you might believe that "what you see is what you get." Either way, our human experience stretches beyond simple creaturehood, and our potential reaches far beyond mere impulse gratification.
Saturn and Neptune challenge you to find the illusion in the reality and the reality in the illusion. This takes you into the liminal or "in-between" spaces � that transitional gap between one thing and another. When Saturn and Neptune combine, you are in both places at once, and yet, in some place that is neither. With this being the opposition aspect, it is the fruition of the conjunction that took place in 1989. At that time, you began a new relationship with that liminal space. You set off on a journey of exploring the connection between the physical and the non-physical, the logical and the intuitive, the practical and the inspirational, the known and the unknown.
By now, your journey has brought you to a new ability to recognise and be open to both of these realms. As you have wrestled with these energies, you may have found that one of them tends to overpower the other and it's difficult to keep them in balance. For instance, if you are more comfortable with the solid realism of Saturn, you may try to define, structure or suppress the more nebulous experience of Neptune. If you are more at home in Neptune's intuitive, imaginative realm, you may want to cloak the harsher Saturnian reality in "sweetness and light."
This transit is about finding a balance between these extremes that will allow you to exist in and embrace experiences from both worlds. Your humanity has elements that belong to both worlds, and this journey has allowed you to separate them and bring them back together, and experience how they clash AND fit together. Doing this has brought you to the yawning precipice that separates your highest potential from mundane survival.
So...what have you been through during the last year? What have you learned? Have you been inspired to rise above your usual experience of life? Have you struggled with disappointment or having to make tough decisions? Have you found yourself on the verge of feeling that you're within reach of something special, only to then feel like you've run into a brick wall? Have you struggled to keep moving through a difficult time and then finally felt resistance give way to hope, clarity and acceptance?
So many of my friends and clients have been feeling the effects of Saturn and Neptune these past months! It has challenged us all to stretch ourselves to new heights, depths, substance and complexity. It has been about "fighting the good fight." We have often had to battle against apathy and hopelessness, and then find solutions that both nourish the spirit and conform to the world of reality and basic survival.
We can touch our hope and faith if we are also willing to face our underlying expectations and desperation. We can survive and thrive in a world full of imperfection and disappointment, provided we are willing to acknowledge and embrace our secret longing and vulnerability to the brilliant vision of fulfilling our dreams. These experiences are inseparable, in the same way that our shadow follows us through the sunlight. If we grab hold of one, the other comes with it. That is the message of Saturn and Neptune.
It may have been a long climb for you these past months. Perhaps its true value lies not in the destination you were aiming for (which you may or may not have reached), so much as in stretching yourself to discover new horizons in yourself and in life. By encountering parts of yourself that you normally pass by or disregard or avoid, you have grown. It may take some time to integrate what you have experienced in your broader self, but there is time for that. Whether it's been painful or thrilling or both, Saturn and Neptune have brought you to a new perspective on life that may take some time to fully absorb and understand.
During this final pass, it is time to integrate your diverse experiences of the past year. If it seems like you've been swinging between extremes, it may help to accept the fact that both ends of the spectrum co-exist within life and within you. YOU and your awareness are the bridge between them. Rather than just feeling like the rope in a "tug of war," you have the power to extend your acceptance to each side without demonizing the other. Instead of trying to squeeze the vastness of life into a more manageable view, it might help to relax your viewpoint and allow it to expand to encompass more of life.
If you feel like life has been a "damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't" tangled mess, it may help to explore what advantages or learning you have from being in that in-between state. What do you see when you are in the middle of that tangle? As much as this might have been difficult for you, there may be a gift in it for you too.
Practice being in two places at once. Be aware of the part of you that hopes for the best, while also accepting the part that expects or fears the worst. Try seeing the sublime aspects of life while going to work or grocery shopping. Or, when you're in a spiritual setting (church, nature, etc.), let yourself see the sacredness of your everyday experiences, worries and fears. It's all part of the same Universe.
Another great resource to integrate your Saturn-Neptune experience is to get a personal reading.
This can help you get the most out of this rare transit and understand how these profound energies are changing your life.
Jun.28 � Sun conjunct Mercury Retrograde (06:42 of Cancer) (Jun.29 in AU)
When the Sun conjoins Mercury Retrograde, there is a new beginning in the areas of awareness, communication, use of information and
exchange of ideas. This may or may not be heralded by a recognisable event or experience, although for a day or two your consciousness may shift. Your awareness and
mental concentration may take a dip into the unconscious, becoming unusually murky and muddy, or it may rise into ultra-consciousness and become suddenly clear and
lucid (afterwards returning to the usual Mercury retrograde fog). A new awareness or perspective on what has unfolded during the retrograde cycle thus far may
surface now, or an unworkable attitude or perception of these events may fall apart under the weight of new information. This shift of awareness may be obvious or
subtle, sudden or gradual, but this transit marks a turning point in the Mercury retrograde cycle. It also marks a time when mental awareness often goes further
underground, for the rest of the retrograde period, making it a little harder to operate objectively and rationally in the outside world. Spend some time in your
right-brain, intuitive, non-rational mind, which can coax your mental creativity and inventiveness to the surface.
Sabian Symbol for the
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Jun.30, 9:47 AM EDT � FULL MOON in CAPRICORN (08:25) ("What's
a Full Moon?" Read more about the Sun-Moon cycles. Learn more about your
Capricorn nature.)
(Jun.30, 2:47 PM BST in London UK)
(Jun.30, 11:47 PM AEST in Sydney AU)
The Full Moon in Capricorn brings an opportunity to strive toward a goal and generate results out of your efforts � which is pretty typical for Capricorn! This sign brings you structure, discipline, commitment and maturity. Being an Earth sign, it is practical, down-to-earth, methodical and realistic. As a Cardinal sign, it is goal-oriented, with lots of ambition and drive.
A Full Moon involves an opposition aspect between the Sun and Moon. Although the Moon is firmly rooted in Capricorn, the Sun is nestled back in Cancer. Cancer and Capricorn form an axis of subjective versus objective, the refuge of home versus the world "out there," and the needs of the one versus the needs of the many. You may recognise these themes at the time of the Full Moon, as well as throughout the rest of this lunar cycle until the next New Moon (Jul.14).
The Full Moon participates in an aspect configuration that I call a Hard Rectangle
(two oppositions joined around the outside by sesqui-quadrate and semi-square aspects). This aspect figure can generate enormous drive to resolve tension by
fine-tuning or controlling the conflict situation. You might feel yourself (or others) become a bit obsessed with details, in an effort to "micromanage" the way it
unfolds and sway it in your favour. It's easy to become polarized, where you take up an opposite position to the other guy's position. This can lead to some intense
negotiating, which could easily go around in circles as each of you tries to gain the upper hand. On the other hand, this combination of energies can also give you
the drive and endurance you need to get through a stressful situation.
The Sun and Moon form one "strut" of the rectangle. And just guess which pair of planets forms the other one? (As we used to say when I was a kid: "You get 3 guesses, and the first 2 don't count.") Yup: Saturn opposite Neptune. You just knew I couldn't do one update without talking about these guys, right? ;-) Even though they reached their final pass back on Jun.25, they remain in orb until the end of August.
So, once again, Saturn and Neptune feature prominently in the lunation chart. The struggle of the Hard Rectangle involves the polarization between realism versus wishful thinking, certainty versus ambiguity, and rigidity versus vulnerability. The tendency for Saturn and Neptune to face off against each other could become the polarity issue described above for the Hard Rectangle. However, the Rectangle figure can also be the means by which you wrestle with those issues and finally come to a resolution. This could emerge as stress, conflict and irritation, especially with other people, so it's a good idea to try to slow down your reactions a bit and take time to breathe before you react. Mars in Taurus can help with this, enabling you to take methodical, practical action that is less about stubborn force and more about maintaining peace and acting according to your values.
Saturn is the planetary ruler of Capricorn, and as such has a lot of influence over the Full Moon energy. The Full Moon in Capricorn seems a fitting finale to the year-long process of the Saturn-Neptune opposition. This is a time when you are called upon to manifest and integrate all that you've learned during that time, about how you deal with clarity versus ambiguity, realism versus fantasy, control versus surrender, etc.
With Venus in a long conjunction to Saturn (see Jun.20-Aug.24), relationships with others could easily become entangled in this Saturn-Neptune struggle to resolve ambiguity and make rigid attitudes more flexible. Compromise and cooperation may be helpful (or necessary) to avoid a stalemate or standoff. This might feel stressful or discouraging but is probably better than the alternative.
Mercury is still retrograde in Cancer, while being conjunct the Sun and opposite the Moon. You may have noticed yourself and others being in a very introspective, sensitive or emotional frame of mind since Mercury went into the retrograde shadow (May.31) and especially since it went retrograde (Jun.15). Since the Moon is the planetary ruler of Cancer (where Mercury is now) and with the Moon now being Full, this frame of mind is likely to become more-so.
On the plus side, this can be an extremely creative time, full of inspirational ideas. You might be especially sensitive to the needs of others, which could allow you to bond more closely and be more compassionate. On the other hand, this can be a disadvantage if you become so sensitive that you lose your boundaries or "take on" their feelings and issues.
With the Moon currently in Capricorn, you might feel a little more insecure, vulnerable or "down" than usual, but don't let this swallow you up. Remember that intuitive awareness involves a lot of subjective interpretation, and this may or may not reflect objective reality. In other words, if you feel a little insecure, dependent or self-doubting, it doesn't mean you ARE those things � it just means you FEEL that way in the moment. There is more to you than your feelings!
On the other hand, you might feel extremely productive, motivated and strong, even just once in a while. These are the moments to remember, since this is the mental space you can find your way back to. Make your own choices and act according to your goals and values.
All of these themes will continue to unfold for the next 2 weeks. There is stress in the air, but this can be creative and productive stress, as much as tension or hardship. If you need some support, insight or guidance to help you make the most out of this energy, a personal astrology reading is definitely the way to go! Find out more...
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Astrology
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Get "the other story" about the powerful 2020 transits!
Jun.30 � Venus opposite Neptune (21:42 of Leo/Aquarius) (Jul.01 in AU)
Romance, idealism, fantasy and imagination are blossoming into a bright aura right now, which is likely to influence your relationships, interactions, finances and values -- for better or for worse! Compassion, caring and selfless giving can be good ideals to aim for, as long as you remember that ideals tend to lose some of their shiny glow when they're translated into hard reality. If you forget this, the end result may be disappointing or disillusioning. Disappointment may also indicate that there have been hidden hopes or high expectations that no one can really live up to. Aim to balance your innocence and longing with the judgement of your older, wiser, mature self; and do a reality check with a trusted friend or adviser if in doubt. That said, this can also be a very creative and inspiring time -- just remember to keep one foot on the ground.
This is the first of 3 passes that Venus makes to Neptune, since Venus is retrograde from Jul.27 to Sep.08. The three passes are exact on Jul.01, Aug.25 and Sep.21. This particular pass of Venus to Neptune also catches Venus' long conjunction to Saturn (Jun.20-Aug.24). Therefore, Venus becomes a channel for the Saturn-Neptune opposition energy. It mostly applies to this one pass, since Saturn is quickly moving beyond its opposition to Neptune (and will have moved into Virgo by the time Venus makes her last pass to Neptune in September).
What does this mean? For starters, the paradoxical mixture of Saturn and Neptune is likely to emerge in your relationships and your finances. For instance, you might feel caught between the shining vision of potential in your interactions with others, and yet must still deal with the reality of the situation that seems to tarnish that glittering potential. Or, you might be faced with a tight financial budget on one hand, yet also a vision of opportunity that just requires the right resources. You might need to adjust your values after taking an inventory of the resources you have (money, possessions, skills, allies, advantages, etc.) and comparing them to what you thought you had or what you hoped you would have at this point in your life. As with all things Saturn-Neptune, be careful of falling into the trap of either-or thinking. Both are important and valid � your vision of possibilities and your need to deal with reality. Aim to bring these into balance without trashing one in favour of the other.
Jul.01 � Venus conjunct Saturn (22:23 of Leo) (Jul.02 in AU)
The serious structure and responsibility of Saturn combines with the desire for pleasure, beauty and material abundance in Venus. This can be a good time to make concrete plans about financial matters (e.g., investments, budgeting, purchases, etc.), although this will work best if you do some serious research first, rather than simply going for whatever seems to "feel good." This is a time to begin a process of commitment, whether that involves developing your resources to achieve a certain goal, or negotiating the terms of a relationship or partnership. However, in order to clear the way for new commitments to flourish down the road, sometimes old commitments must be brought to a close first. So this may also be a time when previous involvements or plans may come to an end, especially if they no longer fulfil your needs or lack enough potential to reach your desired goals. In a similar way, you might find yourself blocked from being able to move forward in the areas of relationships, finances or pleasures. These areas may require some reworking or reconsideration before you're ready to proceed.
This is the first of three exact passes that Venus makes to Saturn: Jul.01, Aug.13 and Oct.13. However, during this time Venus stays within orb of her conjunction to Saturn for about 2 months (Jun.20-Aug.24). So, although the Venus-Saturn energy will peak in July, Aug and Oct, it will remain as a strong background influence in between these peaks. During this first pass, Venus also acts as a channel for the Saturn-Neptune opposition that is now finishing after almost a year.
Jul.01 � Mercury sextile Mars (04:58 of Cancer/Taurus) (Jul.02 in AU)
There is a potential now to find the courage to speak your mind and say what needs to be said, if you focus consciously on doing so. In fact, your ideas and words may come so quickly and easily that it's hard to stop them from tumbling out of your mouth before you've had a chance to evaluate the best way to say them. Communication is probably easiest and most effective when it's direct, concise and quick, although it might also be a bit blunt or pointed. If you need to confront someone about a difficult situation, this transit can provide courage and clear words to help you do that -- although perhaps a bit too forceful when a more delicate, sensitive touch is called for. It is a time when you might find the nerve to take risks, or to defend yourself if the need arises (especially verbally). This is a good transit for creative problem solving and trying on decisions to see if they fit.
Jul.08 � Venus trine Pluto (27:08 of Leo/Sagittarius) (Jul.09 in UK, AU)
Close one-on-one connections with people (close friends, lovers, partners of all kinds) will tend to gravitate to a deeper, more intense level now. Instead of automatically doing the diplomatic, "nice" thing, you may find it is more fulfilling to share more of your authentic feelings. It may be possible now to connect with people on a deeper level, while still ensuring that your interests are equally balanced with theirs. The trick is to do this without trying to control or overpower the other person, and it may be easier to avoid those traps now. You could make some deeply intimate connections with people under this transit. Financial dealings with other people may also go smoothly, although it might be wise to get clear confirmation that you're both on the same page about the fine print.
Jul.09 � Mercury stationary Direct (02:29 of Cancer) (Jul.10 in UK, AU) ("What does Retrograde mean?" "What's a Station?" "What's Mercury Retrograde?" Read articles about retrogrades.)
For up to a week before and after today, you may experience mental intensity, confusion, and miscommunications or changes in your outlook. Mercury is taking a slow turn to resume his direction motion, officially changing direction today. Mercury has been retrograde since Jun.15, urging you to rethink and rehash things that have required some fine-tuning or revision. This can be a time when a clear decision starts to emerge from issues you've been struggling with during the retrograde period. Or, it might turn your perspective around so that you're seeing your situation fresh again. Over the next couple of weeks, while Mercury is still in the Shadow, your brain may feel a bit like it's waking up after a deep sleep. It is now time to gradually put into practice the learning you've gained from your retrograde dreams and moonlight visions. It will take time to get fully back into sync with the Mercury direct energy. So, take it slow, one step at a time, and untangle yourself one strand at a time.
Jul.11 � Sun Trine Uranus (18:34 of Cancer/Pisces)
You are more open than usual to spontaneity, surprises and "flying by the seat of your pants!" Your sense of humour and fun are let loose during this transit, as is your ability to break out of old outworn habits. You may get a flash of insight, a burst of courage or a surge of inspiration under this transit. The spirit of who you are can become released now, possibly leading to you behaving a bit "out of character." It's a great time to try new things and experiment with something that's out of character for you. In fact, it may be surprising how easy it is to break out of your usual routine...so much so, that it's good to be careful not to be too reckless under this transit. If your self-confidence, self-expression or self-esteem have been stifled or dampened lately, these could come flying out rather erratically, carelessly or chaotically. Strive to have fun pushing the envelope without ripping it. ;-)
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