Speak Gently
There are many sorts of intelligence and lots of ways to communicate. While Mercury has been in Gemini (since June 3), we’ve had a front seat view of the strictly cerebral sort of intelligence, the kind that aces exams and becomes a Jeopardy! champion. But as Mercury enters Cancer (June 17, 2024, 2:07 am PDT) it’s time to hone your emotional intelligence. Cancer doesn’t move in a straight line, so be prepared to tune into more subtle communication clues in the coming few weeks.
Especially as Mercury, a few hours after entering Cancer, makes a fleeting conjunction with Venus (June 17, 2024, 5:42 am PDT). Speak kindly and gently, under this combination. Or better yet, don’t speak at all. Demonstrate your affection by quietly setting a cup of tea in front of your partner, who is toiling away at some absorbing task. Write a thank you note to a neighbor who helped you with your watering system. Share a warm, genuine smile with a stranger you pass on the street.
And when you do speak to someone, look into their eyes; watch for tell-tale flickers around the corners of their mouth when they answer you. Listen more than you talk – and when you do speak, do it as gently as you can.
Sitting Ducks
What if you were a duck? You’d be at home both in the air and in the water; that versatility is a tremendous advantage. But you’d also be vulnerable. Have you ever watched ducks floating atop a pond with their beaks underwater, looking for food? They’re literally “sitting ducks,” an easy target for hunters.
As Mercury squares Neptune this week (June 17, 2024, 00:41 am PDT) we might have our heads stuck underwater and fail to notice the hunters at the edge of the pond until it’s too late. And the Sun square Neptune (June 20, 2024, 11:12 am PDT) can feel physically drained and psychologically undermined. Under the influence of this aspect some years ago, I was exhausted from a conference, wouldn’t slow down, and fell ill with a digestive complaint. I felt rotten, but it gave me an excuse to take to my bed and rest up for a week.
And honestly, that’s something we all could probably use about now: time out from the pressures, stresses, and speed of daily life. So, lay low, get some rest, get reacquainted with yourself – and stay out of the sight of hunters.
Midyear Progress Report
On the first day of this year, I swore I would make no resolutions beyond trying to be a kinder and better version of myself.
I lied.
Well, that’s not exactly true; I was sincere, actually. But old habits die hard, and I didn’t stick to that no-resolution resolution. I soon returned, like a swallow to Capistrano, to my calendars and planners and markers, sketching out an ambitious schedule designed to increase my market share of the planet.
Half a year later, those calendars and their neglected goals look a bit faded, have curled up slightly their yellowing edges. They are a little bit embarrassing, like old photographs taken when you were very young and gawky and hadn’t quite filled out yet.
Near the beginning of each calendar year, after the Capricorn Solstice in late December, a Capricorn New Moon (this year, that was on Jan. 11) signals a fresh commitment to becoming your best, most successful self. At midyear, the Capricorn Full Moon (June 21, 2024, 6:08 pm PDT) – the first of two in this sign (the other is on July 21) – is its mirror image, the response to its call. It’s time to face the optimistic pages of those calendars and planners and compare them with your progress to date. There is still time to change your strategy—or even your resolutions.
But we can’t speed our way through this transition. Just as the Sun at the Cancer solstice (June 20, 2024, 1:51 pm PDT) appears to stand still in its climb to midday heights (or lows, in the Southern Hemisphere), then pauses for a moment before it moves the other way, that is our job at midyear: to stand still for a moment, look around, and take stock of where we are. It’s usually too late in the year to start from scratch in an entirely new direction and hope to achieve anything by year’s end. But if we take the time to look back over our shoulders and reevaluate our progress, we can then refine our goals to fit the six months that are left, reviewing our plans and filling in the missing gaps.
Diamonds in the Rough
Mercury sextiles Mars this week (June 21, 2024, 9:23 am PDT) at 9º12′ Cancer and Taurus. Mercury’s Sabian symbol is 10 Cancer, A large diamond not completely cut; Mars is on 10 Taurus, A Red Cross nurse. It’s likely that some of the ideas Mercury in Gemini gathered and left for us are currently diamonds in the rough, at best. While some of them might prove to be very good ideas indeed, they’re not quite fully developed yet.
But I’m willing to bet that somewhere in your life there is some capable, Red Cross nurse type who knows just how to help you nurture your potential. Probably, this person sees a practical solution more clearly than you do, and can help you refine your thinking and approach.
If you’re working on a project for school or work, maybe a creative project, this week is probably not the best time to launch it out into the world. Rather, it’s time to reach out to that helpful person, a sensible book, or a helpful video, to help you refine your ideas, so that you feel confident to act upon them.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
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