Astrology Highlights for June 10-16, 2024: Flavor, Pleasure, Throw Pillows

Electric Fence

Mars is formidable in any sign or circumstance. It symbolizes the determination to conquer territory, get things done, and protect ourselves from threat.

If you think you have nothing to fear from Mars in a sanguine sign like Taurus, think again. Taurus’ symbol is not a contented cow in a pasture, but a bull. And as anyone knows who has watched the crowds in Pamplona trying to keep pace alongside a group of them without getting hurt, you simply don’t mess with a bull. Likewise, when Mars in Taurus sets its sights on a goal, it will not stop until it succeeds. So it’s generally wise to stay out of its way.

If this sounds daunting, it is. And when this very determined Mars in Taurus squares Pluto (June 11, 2024, 6:21 am PDT, 1º45’ Taurus/Aquarius), a destructive foe in the equally stubborn sign of Aquarius, sparks fly.

At this aspect, both planets are on Sabian symbols about storms: Mars on 2 Taurus, An electrical storm, and Pluto on 2 Aquarius, An unexpected thunderstorm. Our most determined efforts encounter unexpected challenges at this square, and some of them are actually dangerous. Picture Pluto in Aquarius as an electric fence that even a bull can’t get through. The lesson this week is to restrain anger and urgency, because there are some forces that even the most determined of us can’t overcome.

Beautiful Proof

I studied Communication in college and had a liberal arts major’s typical fear and suspicion of mathematics. But in all my years of school, one of my favorite classes was the one that fulfilled my math requirement: symbolic logic.

How elegant, this system of statements and proofs! They looked beautiful, dancing neatly across sheets of paper on my dining table. And although I found them sorely difficult and frustrating, I worked on them night and day, determined to master them. And in the end, I did. I received one of only two A’s in my class of 40 students. It remains one of my prouder achievements.

This week’s Mercury/Saturn square (June 12, 2024, 3:47 am PDT) calls back to the conjunction between these two planets on Feb. 28, 2024. Since then, you may have been working on something that’s really stretched you intellectually. You’ve already gotten your A, but you’re haunted by a concept that only you are aware that you never really grasped. So you’re cracking open your books this week, and by the time Mercury and Saturn are finished with you, you’ll have mastered your proofs.

Streamlining

The Sun and Moon are both in Mercury-ruled signs at the Virgo First Quarter (June 13, 2024, 10:18 pm PDT, 23º39′ 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. But this year I’m busier than ever, handling my usual work while preparing for a sabbatical later this summer. There’s not a lot of time to clean house, but I’m doing what I can to make my business, at least, run more smoothly.

This First Quarter Moon calls back to the Virgo New Moon on Sep. 15, 2023, at 21.58 Virgo. That degree is practically right on top of my 10th house Mars, and it was an unusually hectic time for my business. At the time, I remember thinking, “I really have to start doing things differently. I’m going to drop dead at this rate.”

I’ve made some moves since then to streamline the systems and daily routines of my work, 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 three years. Big changes take time, and if you’re paying attention to this cycle (read about it here), you can see the whole story.

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 22 Virgo (or Gemini, Sagittarius, or Pisces), try to remember what you might have whispered to yourself then, at some critical moment, maybe something about streamlining some area of your life and improving efficiency. It was a little promise you made to yourself, and now’s the time to do something – anything – to keep that promise.

Facts as they Should Be

Mercury makes a conjunction with the Sun this week (June 14, 2024, 9:32 am PST, 24.06 Gemini), and disappears in the Sun’s glare for several weeks.

Mercury rules the facts, and the Sun rules the self; so, this is a combination that can incline toward intense subjectivity. Facts may be so much less compelling to us than our convictions about what they should be – especially since the Sun and Mercury are making a square aspect to Neptune at the same time.

With the Sun and Mercury both in Gemini, none of this will restrain some of us from talking incessantly about our ideas. Take heed from the Sabian symbol of this conjunction, 25 Gemini, A man trimming palms. Make your points, but be concise – and remember that when you feel surest of your opinions, you may actually be seeing the least clearly.

Loving What Is

We want to believe the best about the people we love. But no one is perfect, however much we love them. And this week’s Venus square to Neptune (June 16, 2024, 8:46 pm PDT, 29º52’ Gemini/Pisces) prompts us to consider whether we can still love those closest to us even after we know what’s not so lovely about them.

Even if your relationships are doing just fine, this aspect can signal a challenge to our basic values. Our politics, our ideals, our approach to earning and managing money… any of these can suddenly be revealed as naïve or wrong-headed.

Venus moves quickly, so this transit has only a glancing influence, no more than a couple of days. But if Neptune has been leaning on your chart during its long stay at the end of Pisces, this transit could trigger a larger shift in what and whom you cherish. Is there anyone, or anything, you once believed in that needs to be let go? Walking away is not always the right response to disillusionment. But sometimes, it’s the only one.

Flavor, Pleasure, Throw Pillows

I hate to shop – with one exception: I love buying nice things for my house. I was born with Venus in Cancer, the sign of home, and it’s my happy place. I’m never happier than when I’m painting a wall, evaluating a throw pillow, or cooking dinner for friends.

Venus, symbol of pleasure and harmony, enters the sign of Cancer (June 16, 2024, 11:20 pm PDT, through July 11) this week. Cancer is the sign not just of your physical domicile, but also the people whom you consider family. Some of them were assigned to your family at birth; others have become dear members of your clan over time.

Even if it’s hard to find time to get together with some of these people due to geography or schedules, make that time through July 11. Take the flight, ride the train, hop in your car and take to the highway. Venus reminds us what gives flavor and pleasure to our lives. So in between shopping for throw pillows and experimenting with new recipes, gather your loved ones together to eat those meals and enjoy the comfy, Venus in Cancer environment that you’ve created.