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Astrology Highlights for June 26-July 3, 2023: When You Don’t Speak at All

True Inner Knowledge

The Sun’s Cancer season encourages incubation, gestating particular ideas until they’re viable to be put to good use. But the Libra First Quarter Moon (June 26, 2023, 00:50 am PDT, 4º29’ Libra/Cancer) compels us to take action, and specifically to share something we’ve been thinking about since the New Moon – whether or not it’s fully hatched. We don’t necessarily have to share it with the entire world, but maybe it’s time to share it with one trusted person.

The Libra First Quarter Moon is on the Sabian symbol, Man teaching true inner knowledge, suggesting we’re called upon not only to share what we know with the world, but also to be willing to listen to what others have to say. And with the Sun and Moon in aspect to Neptune, the “true inner knowledge” goes beyond logical understanding and into the part of us that perceives what isn’t necessarily obvious to our senses. So don’t be afraid to trust your hunches and your instincts, and listen carefully to wisdom from others. Somewhere in the middle lies the true inner knowledge.

Constancy and Change

Mars and Uranus are an explosive and unpredictable combination, especially when they’re square each other (June 26, 2023, 2:23 am PDT) and in the inflexible signs of Leo and Taurus.

And yet… what looks like stubbornness from one angle appears as constancy and dependability from another. In Leo, Mars wants to devote the power of its sword to noble pursuits, and will not be swayed in its purpose; in Taurus, Uranus has demonstrated the challenge to overcome intransigence and move the very earth itself in order to change.

The tension of this aspect, then, is around reconciling the power of constancy with the inevitability of change. Both Mars and Uranus, at 21º29’ Leo and Taurus, are on Sabian symbols featuring birds; Mars is on 22 Leo: A carrier pigeon, and Uranus on 22 Taurus: White dove over troubled waters. One moves with purpose, the other sails effortlessly above tumultuous seas. But both offer a vision of what it’s like to disconnect from earthly struggle and fly free, high above it all.

When You Don’t Speak at All

You’ve spent a long, happy few weeks tramping through the countryside. Along the way, you’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting fellow travelers, telling stories, and enjoying the fresh air, camping under brilliant night skies.

But after three weeks, you’re tiring of the wind biting your face, of never seeing anyone familiar, of eating nuts and berries. One evening around dinner time, you find yourself walking past a cozy-looking cottage, the delicious smells of dinner wafting out of the window and the curl of wood smoke coming from the chimney. Someone calls from the backdoor and the family dog bounds inside. You hear the familiar sounds of children complaining about their baths and a tv murmuring. And all of the sudden, you’ve never wanted anything as much as you want to be sitting in your own little home, with your own little family – secure and loved amongst people with whom you don’t need to say a word. You don’t have to make them laugh or entertain them with your stories. They love you even when you don’t speak at all.

That’s what Mercury wants as it leaves Gemini and enters Cancer (June 26, 2023, 5:24 pm PDT – through July 10).

Gold Star

Have you been working hard on some creative project since May 28, when the Sun was square Saturn? This week, as the Sun trines Saturn (June 28, 2023, 6:42 pm PDT),  your efforts begin to pay off. Perhaps someone in a position of influence, someone you knew or worked with in the past, offers praise, or you receive an offer to operate on a larger scale. There will still be plenty of hard work involved before you reach the finish line – that’s Saturn for you! – but that’s a lot easier to do when you feel the wind is at your back.

Mercury is the planet of information gathering, and its trine to Saturn the next day (June 29, 2023, 11:23 pm PDT) favors long-range planning and strategies. It’s the day to ask yourself the dreaded job interview question: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” But while you’re making big plans, don’t forget to give yourself a gold star for the obstacles you’ve overcome and for all your hard work so far.

Tide is Out

Neptune stations retrograde this week (June 30, 2023, 2:06 pm PDT, through December 6, 27º41′ Pisces). It’s retrograde for roughly half of each year, alternating in a sort of exaggerated version of day and night. Retrogrades of the slow-moving planets are mostly noticed, I find, in the few days either side of the station. In the case of Neptune turning retrograde, these are moments when mysteries are unveiled, blind spots are removed, and we are revealed to ourselves in new and often surprising ways. The tide has gone out, leaving the shore littered with all sorts of fascinating objects; it’s time to sort through them and see what might be valuable.

We’re highly sensitive when Neptune is retrograde. Keep this in mind over the next couple of days, as the Sun and Mercury sextile exuberant Jupiter. Just because you can do All the Things doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to do them all at once. Be sure to honor the quieter rhythms of Neptune with plenty of rest, quiet, and spiritual reflection.

State of Readiness

Even when the schedule is already packed, we’re out of groceries, and we’ve been wearing the same clothes for days because there’s no time to do laundry, it can be surprisingly hard to turn down tempting opportunities to do even more. But the Sun’s and Mercury’s sextiles to Jupiter (July 1, 2023, 3:26 am and 00:10 am, respectively) are, like Neptune’s retrograde station earlier in the day, a reminder that we needn’t take every opportunity that comes our way.

The Sun and Mercury came together the day before (June 30, 2023, 10:06 pm PDT) at 9º08′ Cancer, and both sextile Jupiter on the Sabian symbol, A large diamond not completely cut. Jupiter persuades us that if we don’t take chances, we’re unlikely to grow. But this Sabian symbol reminds us of the other side of that coin: if we set off on a journey before we’re truly ready, it can backfire on us. Rely on what you learned earlier in the week, as the Sun and Mercury aspected wise Saturn, about your state of readiness.

More or Less Free

Are you beautiful? Worthy? Lovable? And who gets to decide that, exactly? Venus in square aspect to Uranus (July 2, 2023, 7:33 am PDT) offers an opportunity to break away from other people’s opinions about our worthiness and instead, to celebrate our true, unique beauty – of face, body, mind, talent, and spirit.

Venus is also a financial planet, and money is another way of evaluating what things – and what we ourselves – are worth. During her skirmishes with Uranus, we might encounter sudden gains or reversals (Uranus). That’s noteworthy from a practical standpoint, but also because our relationship with money reveals scads about our confidence, security, and values. Sample questions: Are you giving more than you’re getting? And is money making you more or less free?

Writing and images © 2017-23 by April Elliott Kent

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2 comments to " Astrology Highlights for June 26-July 3, 2023: When You Don’t Speak at All "

  • Rae Bell

    I had a dream last night that I was told: “You can’t clap with one hand”. I responded: “Yes I can!” as I slapped my thigh repeatedly with one hand.
    Neptune retrograde?

  • Ughhh, the one song that just hits this week hard “To Be Loved – Adele” Anthem to call out into the void and summon the light that we truly are.

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