Astrology for June 6-12, 2022: Lightning, Names, and Promises

Lightning, Names, and Promises

Dates and times are given for U.S. Pacific Time zone.

The Promise

T he Sun and Moon are both in Mercury-ruled signs at the Virgo First Quarter (June 6, 2022, 7:48 am PDT, 16º51′ Virgo), and this is often the time of year when my work slows down a bit and my thoughts turn to cleaning house and clearing clutter. I imagine I’ll get to that sometime this week; my fingers are itching for the pruning shears. But Mercury is in the last degrees of Taurus and has its hand on the throttle, slowing me down a little bit – in a good way.

This First Quarter Moon calls back to the Virgo New Moon on Sep. 6, 2021, at 14.38 Virgo. That degree is practically right on top of my Midheaven, the career angle of my chart, and it was a ridiculously hectic time for my business. I lost hair over it. At the time, I remember thinking, “I really have to start doing things differently. I’m going to drop dead at this rate.” But then things got even busier, and it’s only now that the tide has gone out and spilled me onto the shore. At this First Quarter Moon, near that same degree of Virgo, it’s time to take a minute, take stock, and put that Virgo New Moon’s insights into practical action.

I’ve made some moves since then to try to get my life under control, but I’ve got a long way to go. It’s really helpful for me to watch myself navigate this crossroads through astrological eyes, and to recognize its origin point. When you have a New Moon very close to an important point in your chart, it’s worth watching its Lunar Phase family unfold, with a new important phase every 9 months for 2.5 years. Big changes take time, and if you’re paying attention to this cycle, you can see the whole story. (Read about the Lunar Phase family here.)

What did that Virgo New Moon time look like for you? Particularly if there’s something in your birth chart within a few degrees of 14 Virgo (or Gemini, Sagittarius, or Pisces), try to remember what you might have whispered to yourself then, at some critical moment. It was a little promise you made to yourself, and now’s the time to do something – anything – to keep that promise.

The Power of Names

M ercury’s trine aspect to Pluto (June 10, 2022, 2:21 pm PDT) opens a portal for reinvention. It’s like a young person going away to college and recognizing the opportunity to adopt a new nickname (or drop an odious one), and drop their “slacker” reputation for a spot on the Dean’s list.

Names and titles matter. They’re Mercury’s way of telling the world what to think of us. In recent weeks, Mercury has made two previous trine aspects to Pluto, on April 28 and May 25. So this has been a more consequential than usual time of reinvention.

Mercury in aspect to Pluto calls attention to the power of names, words, and definitions to influence how we’re perceived. Usually, that begins with how we think and talk about ourselves. This week, take notice if you find yourself using self-deprecating jokes or putting yourself down. Note how often you apologize reflexively, when no apology is required, apologizing for simply existing. When Mercury connects with Pluto, it’s time to take control over our labels, names, and stories. They matter. So do we.

There Will Be Lightning

M ore than thirty years ago, I met my husband when he came to me for an astrology reading. But I’d first heard his voice several months before, on my answering machine. The minute I did, I felt an intense rush of something I can only call electricity. I’d never experienced anything like that before, nor have I experienced anything remotely like it since.

Which is weird, because when I actually met him in person, he seemed like fun but not romance material. That took a lot longer, after many months of getting to know each other as friends. But something in me knew, from that first phone message, that this person would change my life.

Within two years, I’d left my fledgling, pre-internet astrology business, moved to another city, and married him. I was a deeply entrenched Los Angeleno, and nothing short of electricity would have relocated me.

We don’t like to change much, most of us. Oh, there are a few renegades who live for it; but generally, as long as we’re in a fairly comfortable position, we’d prefer to stay put.

But watch. Look at that fellow over there, who’s fallen madly in love with some divine creature. Watch as overnight he quits his job, gives up his apartment, and moves across country to be with the object of his desire. Oh, he can’t change his life fast enough.

Given a chance, love can change us. Watch as Venus, the goddess of desire – powerful, seductive, in her own sign of Taurus – makes a conjunction with Uranus, the god of change (June 11, 2022, 3:57 pm PDT). If you’re paying attention, Venus might kiss your cheek. If you’re lucky, there will be lightning – and there’s no telling where you might end up from there.