If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. 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, aka GMT). Location for all mundane charts is set for the Great Pyramid at Giza; the choice being strictly arbitrary in any case. Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.

PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) my complete 2018 World Forecast Highlights (41 8-1/2 x 11" illustrated pages); focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. The full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights is available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Orders may be phoned in toll-free anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761, and charged to any major credit or debit card. Orders may also be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page.

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer
the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months,
and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade."
-- Gertrude Jekyll
 

The Skinny

June features a lot of geocosmic drama, from the macro (storms in Earth’s magnetosphere, atmosphere, crust and mantle) down to the micro (the bioelectrical networks in and between you and me). It starts with the May 29 full moon (in effect through June 1), peaks with the June 13 SuperMoon, and goes out with a bang under the auspices of the June 28 full moon. Along the way are several significant cosmic mileposts, including the June 6 superior (far side) alignment of Mercury and the Sun, Neptune’s retrograde station on the 18th, the Venus-Mars opposition on the 21st (vive la difference!), and the Mars retrograde station on the 26th. And it all happens against the backdrop of the 2018 Mars Max cycle, which is headed toward its July 27 peak. It’s a heady mix . . .

Full Moon Drama Lingers into June

The May 29 full moon shock window stretches from May 26 to June 1, as described in my free online May forecast (published in April). While this isn’t SuperMoon or eclipse class – that’s waiting in the wings - it’s no snoozer. It christens June with the tail end of an outbreak of strong storms (powerful winds, heavy precipitation, localized flooding) and seismic activity (M5+ quakes and volcanic eruptions).

Speaking of volcanic eruptions, as I wrote in my May 21 update:

With the first report of a lava bomb casualty, Kilauea continues to loom large in the headlines as we approach the May 29 full moon. Full moons, SuperMoons and explosive Kilauea eruptions have a history, as described in my May 14 update. There have already been a couple of minor eruptions in May, but I expect that much bigger blasts lie ahead. Watch the period from May 26 to June 1 (the full moon shock window), and June 10-16 (the Stealth SuperMoon shock window). See pp. 25-35 in the full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights for more on the upcoming SuperMoon.

Incidentally, if you were born under important celestial placements in the neighborhood of the 8° Sagittarius full moon on the 29th – and this includes anything around 8° in any of the other mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo and Pisces) – it’s a good idea to stay centered, poised and focused during this full moon window. This isn’t so much a matter of staying strong and steady, as it is a question of keeping balanced and going with the flow. Be a willow, not an oak; a surfer, not a motorboat.

Superior (Far Side) Sun-Mercury Conjunction

Mercury, from the far side of the Sun, aligns directly with our home planet on the 6th; a superior conjunction. This raises electrostatic storms on the Sun, facing away from us at the time. But two weeks later, our parent star’s rotation turns the storm in our direction, initiating a period of Earth-directed solar turbulence from June 17 to June 23.

What to expect? An uptick in M and X-class X-Ray bursts from the Sun, as well as coronal holes and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). All this excess Gigawattage powers up geomagnetic storms in the range of KP5-6. The obvious visual cue will be an outbreak of auroras reaching well outside the usual polar regions. This will be accompanied by breakdowns in electrical/electronic infrastructure, including radio transmissions, plus satellite, power and communication networks – with the attendant disruptions in travel and commerce. Have your backup plans ready!

Remember that the human nervous system, being a bioelectrical network, is also susceptible to disruption during these geomagnetic storms. Not everyone experiences this directly and personally, but many do: headaches, difficulty concentrating, anxiety and insomnia are common complaints. If you’re one of the sensitives, stay well hydrated and get plenty of rest and exercise. (If you don’t have a full-fledged Faraday cage, a stucco house wouldn’t hurt.)

All that excess solar radiation stirs up the atmosphere, seas, crust and mantle of our home planet during this period. This ensures that disturbances are manifest at the macro level too, in the form of increased storm and seismic activity (M5+ earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). These will be especially intensified in the earlier part of the June 17-23 solar shock window, thanks to the Stealth (new moon) SuperMoon on the 13th. Speaking of which . . .

The Stealth SuperMoon Shock Window

A trio of consecutive Stealth (new moon) SuperMoons begins on the 13th this month; and the last two of them are eclipses. This promises a lot of geophysical drama for the northern hemisphere summer, and it starts with a bang under the aegis of the June 13 SuperMoon alignment.

When I created and defined the term SuperMoon nearly 40 years ago, I took pains to specify that it refers to a new OR full moon that occurs when the Moon is at or near its perigee (cyclical closest approach to Earth). When the term caught on with the popular media nearly ten years ago, it got focused on the full moon - and forgot all about the new moon. We’ll be remembering the dark of the moon this month, when the first new SuperMoon of the year takes place on the 13th.

I have come to refer to the new moon flavor of SuperMoon as a Stealth SuperMoon, simply because it so often passes under the radar of public notice. The reason is obvious: there’s no new moon analog to those dramatic photos of a gloriously big and bright full moon rising in the east, or (more often) setting in the west. No photos, no eye candy, no publicity. But, as the fox told the little prince, "What is essential is invisible to the eye."

The SuperMoons of 2018 that you won’t see in the media – or anywhere else, because they’re invisible – commence with the new moon at 22°44’ Gemini on June 13. Like all SuperMoons, this one has an effective shock window, when the magnified tidal pull on Earth’s atmosphere, crust and seas is at its greatest amplification. This time around, that window extends from the 10th through the 16th – a stretch which includes the Moon’s maximum declination north of the celestial equator on the 15th. That’s when you’ll see a notable increase in extreme tides, powerful storms with high winds and heavy precipitation, and a surfeit of moderate to severe seismic activity (including M5+ quakes and volcanic eruptions).

Being astronomical in scale, every SuperMoon is planet-wide in scope. That said, astro-locality mapping can point the way to zones of particular vulnerability, by tracing the meridian and horizon arcs of the Sun, Moon and sometimes other planets as well (depending on whether they’re involved in related configurations at the time). The target zones this time around include the Sun/Moon meridian and horizon lines The meridians run north-south through western Canada and the US and down through the Baja Peninsula out into the Western Pacific to cross the pole and drop through Russia, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The horizon lines arc across China and Japan, across New Zealand; sweeping from there across the very southern tip of South America and across the Atlantic to the western coast of Africa and on through western Europe and northern Russia.

Don’t forget the personal dimension of this SuperMoon, especially if you were born with planets or other sensitive points around 23° in the mutable signs - Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. For example, there’s Donald Trump, born under a lunar eclipse in this zone – whose natal Pluto is opposed by Mars at the time of the June 13 Stealth SuperMoon. (An explosive configuration.)

Check your chart! Barring strong configurations to natal Pluto as in Mr. Trump’s chart, there’s not a lot of interpersonal conflict associated with this or any other new moon. It’s more introspective than outwardly aggressive. But sometimes people do get lost in introspection, to the point of losing touch with reality – in which case, anything goes.

Last among this month’s geophysical warning signals is the full moon at 6° Capricorn on the 28th. It sets up a shock window that runs from June 25 into July 1. The level of storms and seismicity associated with a garden variety full moon, while still above the level of normal background noise, is nowhere near the intensity typical of an eclipse or SuperMoon. (Wait ‘til next month, when we have a SuperMoon eclipse.) That said, June 25-July 1 would be a good time to keep your weather radio and emergency kit ready to hand, just in case.

(See pp. 25-35 in the full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights for more on the upcoming SuperMoon, and background on the SuperMoon phenomenon.)

Lest We Forget

Neptune spends the whole of June within just a few arc minutes of its retrograde station at 16° Pisces on the 18th. There’s an undertone of illusion, deception, uncertainty and unreality throughout June – and inspiration too, on the plus side. The trick is to know the difference. Pay special attention to this dilemma – most particularly if you were born with significant cosmic placements in the neighborhood of 16° in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces – check your chart).

Take President Trump for example, whose fourth house Moon-tenth house Sun-Uranus axis is squared by Neptune’s station in his seventh house. The Presidential penchant for fake news and propaganda will be at full tilt this month – and anyone who dares believe him or attempts to negotiate with him is playing a fool’s game.

This same Neptune factor makes crazy gyrations look likely in the financial markets, in response to rumors and scandals and manipulations. The June 10-16 SuperMoon shock window looks particularly vulnerable in this regard.

Hitching a ride on Neptune’s fantasy wagon is the June 21 Venus opposition to Mars, from 9° Leo to 9° Aquarius (a direct hit on President Trump’s natal Pluto – steer clear of porn stars and non-consensual assignations, Mr. T). Strong Venus-Mars alignments out in space coincide with peak passions here on Earth – for better or worse. It’s for the better if you’re madly infatuated and out to share a good time. Seduction and a slow hand are mutually rewarding; that’s the good side of Venus-Mars oppositions. Rapacious, sociopathic desire is the bad side. (Both Venus and Mars have been considered war gods in various cultures and epochs.)

If you want to have a good time, get with a heart-throb born under major placements around 9° in the fixed signs (Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius – especially the latter two this month). Just agree on a safe word in advance.

Mars Max Waxes On

The current Mars Max cycle – the first one since 2016 - has been in effect since late March (see table below), but it’s gaining momentum more and more now. The peak in this cycle is still a couple months away, but this high cycle for "fires, crashes, clashes and explosions" is already running strong.

2018 MARS MAX CYCLE

SUN-090-MARS	MARS S-Rx	SUN-180-MARS	MARS S-D	SUN-270-MARS
MAR 24	JUN 26	JUL 27	AUG 27	DEC 3

SUN-090-MARS = Sun-Mars Waxing Square (Max begins)
MARS S-Rx = Retrograde Station (Retrograde Begins)
SUN-180- MARS = Sun-Mars Opposition (Mars Perigee)
MARS S-D = Direct Station (Retrograde Ends)
SUN 270 MARS = Sun-Mars Waning Square (Max ends)

I won’t belabor the rationale behind Mars Max, since you can find it in full detail on pages 2-12 of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights. (As described in that reference, this month features on of the five critical moments in the Mars Max cycle; the retrograde station on the 27th.) For now, suffice it to say that Mars Max is the cycle in which the Red Planet and Earth make their biennial close approach – when Mars is biggest and brightest in our sky. Look back at previous Mars Max cycles, and you’ll see a sobering correlation with wars, massacres and big fires. Get ready – to the extent that any of us can.

There are two notable Mars signposts in the sky this month: the Venus-Mars opposition on the 21st (within a few degrees of exact from the 18th through the 25th), and more importantly the Mars retrograde station on the 26th (Mars remains within a few degrees of this point from June 3 into July 19). That’s a lot of calendar to eat up on Mars alert, but there you have it. You know what to expect: a crescendo of "fires, crashes, clashes and explosions." This isn’t run of the mill, garden variety mayhem. It’s uber Mars, ultra violence. You’ll see it in the headlines.

Dates of greatest Mars potential include the Moon-Mars alignment on the 3rd, the Venus-Mars opposition on the 21st, (effective from the 18th through the 25th) and the Mars retrograde station on the 26th (effective from June 3 to July 19, and particularly potent from June 23 through the full moon on the 28th and into early July. These are times to breathe deep, to stay calm and focused on the situation at hand. Think safety and security, take precautions, and watch out for "the other guy."

Acknowledgments

All mundane astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are set for the Universal Time (UT) of the event, and calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8. Charts are set for the location of the Great Pyramid - a purely arbitrary choice, since location is irrelevant to these charts. Unless sotherwise noted, sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe or Star Rover apps for iPhone, or produced by Starry Night for Windows; storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone; and earthquake maps are screen captures from the QuakeFeed, QuakeWatch or QuakeZone apps for iPhone. Any market images are screen captures from the default iPhone Stocks app, unless otherwise noted. Weather images and storm tracks are screen captures from the Weather Channel app for iPhone.

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/message 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com