If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT).
The future has a way of arriving unannounced.
-- George Will
We're done with SuperMoons and eclipses for a few months, but don't let that lull you into complacency. It's true that the May 16 SuperMoon was the last of its kind until the fall, and there won't be another eclipse until the end of August. However there are many kinds of extreme moons, of which SuperMoons and eclipses are only a couple of the more notable varieties. As it turns out, there are several such potent soli-lunar factors afoot in June; at the beginning, middle and end of the month. These are times of extreme lunar activation in their own right: the full moons at the beginning and end of the month are within a day of the Moon's south declination extreme (greatest distance south of the equator), while the new moon on the 15th is within hours of the Moon's maximum north declination (greatest distance north of the equator). What this means is that June will have more than its share of powerful storms and seismic activity - more, probably, than last month. Details follow. But first . . .
There's plenty more to June than big storm and seismic news. Equity markets, currencies, trade and all such manifestations of socio-political infrastructure - the big story of the year as a whole - remain in a heightened state of flux this month. This is partly by way of follow through from Jupiter's square to Uranus back on May 11, which remains within a few degrees of exact until mid-June; and gets a kick from the Uranus retrograde station on the 23rd. Likewise Neptune's retrograde station on May 24: the gas giant spends all of June within less than a degree of its station point last month. And then there's the biggie: the third and final instance of the current Saturn-Neptune opposition series, detailed in my 2006 and 2007 forecasts. It's exact on June 25, and stays within a few degrees of precise alignment well into July.
The Jupiter-Uranus square and the Saturn-Neptune opposition were both in effect at the same time last month, and in January and February: look back, check out the major market swoons in both time frames, and you'll get an idea what to expect this month. Think stock market drops, currency panics and the like. Be ready. For more on this, see my forecast for the year as a whole. And remember: this isn't some 1929-style crash. (It's a new kind of crash, a settling of the soufflé that takes years.) Think "how the mighty hath fallen" and look for bargains amidst the debris. (Think political debris too.) Don't make a fetish of exact dates, since these are slow cosmic functions and they're not far from exact for a good part (if not all) of the month. There may be peak moments around the 25th, but this is one of those situations where we're within one snowflake of an avalanche just about the whole month long. And the Uranus factor suggests that the tipping factor can come from the most unexpected quarters.
The pending fiscal and political messes are not helped by Mercury's intersolar circus coming to town this month, starting on the 2nd. In the same sense that a SuperMoon or high declination new or full moon is an extreme moon - akin to Luna on steroids, if you will - Mercury in its intersolar cycle is extreme Mercury. Mercury goes intersolar as seen from Earth more than any other planet; several times a year in fact, including the infamous Mercury retrogrades of astrological legend. While most astrologers pay a fair amount of attention to Mercury's retrograde, few realize that it's only a part of the more fundamental intersolar phase in the orbital interaction between Mercury and Earth, as they both orbit around the Sun.
Mercury's intersolar phase this time around begins on June 2nd, when the little Sun-grazer reaches its maximum elongation east of the Sun - its evening star phase. This happens when Mercury has come 'round to the same side of the Sun as Planet Earth, and is relatively near us. The little planet is then pulling up to pass Earth on the inside track, as it were; catching up to us from behind and then passing between us and the Sun. Just as it catches up with us, Mercury passes directly between Earth and the Sun. This is Mercury's inferior conjunction with the Sun, and it happens on the 28th of this month. After the inferior conjunction, Mercury continues pulling ahead of us until it reaches its greatest elongation west of the Sun (its morning star phase), at which point the little planet is headed toward the far side of our parent star: that's July 20th, the end date of the Mercury intersolar phase that begins this month. Between these two extremes, the greatest east and west elongations, comes the fabled Mercury retrograde period of astrological lore.
Retrograde means moving backwards, which is what Mercury appears to do in our skies when the little inner planet catches up on us and passes us on the inside, between Earth and the Sun. First Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation, then it appears to stand still in the sky (the June 15 retrograde station this time around), and then it appears to move backwards through the heavens for a period of several weeks: that's Mercury retrograde for you. It ends when the little Sun-grazer's backwards motion comes to an apparent halt (the direct station, which next occurs this coming July 10); after which, Mercury moves forward again, until it reaches its maximum elongation west of the Sun. The reality of course is that Mercury never stops in its orbit, and never moves backward: this is only how the relative motions of Earth and Mercury around the Sun cause Mercury to move through our night sky. (Maybe the animated illustration in this paragraph will help convey the idea.)
Mercury retrograde is the cycle when everything goes wrong, to hear some astrologers tell it. The truth is not so simple-minded. All things Mercurial are crucial during the intersolar Mercury phase; infrastructure, commerce, information, communication and transport being prime examples. Absent careful investigation and planning, and conscientious follow-through, all such things are apt to go off track during these cycles. There is "a time to every purpose under heaven," as the Preacher wrote (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Mercury's intersolar phase is a time for focus, concentration, planning, follow-through and communication - all the qualities of the active and involved mind, in short. In case you haven't noticed, most people are not especially alert and focused most of the time. When this kind of sleepwalking runs into Mercury's intersolar cycle, with its focus on mental acuity, it doesn't take long for things to go awry. If you're sharp and focused and alert, you can avoid a certain amount of this mess. In fact, you can even prosper by concentrating on tasks that center on thought, planning and communication. But you'll still have to dodge all the messes created by the people who are sleepwalking. So be ready. This is extreme Mercury, so you must be extremely aware and attentive just to keep pace in the midst of the overload.
Among the sort of things to be ready for during the above mentioned Mercury intersolar cycles: strikes and other disruptions affecting transportation and communication (e.g. postal, phone, mass transit, trucking, airline, shipping, dock and warehouse workers, teachers and all manner of media). Weather both terrestrial and solar (including geomagnetic storms) can play a part in the kind of breakdowns described here, but human effort (and sometimes malicious action) is a part of the mix as well. Power failures due to infrastructure breakdown and computer network disruptions caused by hacker attacks, software vulnerabilities and the like are also just a crossed wire or a keystroke away from a major mess at these times.
If I had to pick a day to have a backup generator all fueled up and ready to go, a backup plan in place in case the scheduled or expected didn't come to pass, a day to be especially sharp and steady and focused - it would be during one of these Mercury cycles. In particular, I'd pay heed to the dates the intersolar period begins and ends (June 2 and July 20), the dates the retrograde begins and ends (June 15 and July 10), and the date of the Mercury-Sun inferior conjunction (June 28). Note these dates; be ready with a fallback plan just in case. It's not so much that disaster is destined to strike when Mercury is in its intersolar phase. Rather, it's that everything pertaining to Mercury becomes crucial; and unless it's treated as such, then it goes awry. Unfortunately, few people keep their eye on the ball with any consistency and diligence. And that's the reason these Mercury cycles tend to turn into Murphy's Law festivals. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Weather-related messes tend to tangle the intersolar Mercury cycle into a great big knot, and there'll be plenty of them this month. And seismic messes too. As mentioned earlier, these geophysical stresses are largely concentrated at the beginning, middle and end of June. The full moon on the first and south lunar declination extreme on the 2nd point to a heightened potential for strong storms with heavy precipitation and damaging winds, as well as a surge in moderate to severe seismic activity (Richter 5+ quakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.) carrying over from late May to June 4.
The storm and seismic upheaval level normalizes after that - with the exception of a brief up-tick around the 9th - until the period from about the 12th through the 18th, surrounding the new moon and north lunar declination peak on the 15th. A period of relative normality ensues until the 27th, apart from a brief surge around the 22nd. June ends on a turbulent note that extends into July, associated with the south lunar declination surge on the 29th and the full moon on the 30th.
The lunar surge dates bracketed above are times to be respectful of the elements, to be prepared for the artifacts of civilization to get some rough handling from Mother Nature. If you live in, or plan to be in, a seismically active location, these are the times to brace yourself and know where the exits are. And the same currents stirring Earth's crust whip up the atmosphere too, so keep a weather eye peeled and your emergency gear handy. Given the intersolar Mercury cycle afoot this month, people and goods in transit are apt to experience extra delays between Point A and Point B - maybe even extreme delays.
SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)
