Astrological update for the week of May 30 – June 5, 2022
A New Moon in Gemini, the sign of communication and experiences, offers an opportunity for a new perspective. The ruler of the New Moon is Mercury, the messenger planet, adding to the focus on communication and adaptation. In mythology, Mercury was the only god who was able to travel back and forth to the Underworld, facilitating communication between the gods. Mercury-ruled Gemini teaches us to accept and integrate a wide variety of ideas different kinds of experiences; under its influence everything is considered to have value for its own sake, and there is a keen desire to learn about many things. The Gemini New Moon is the perfect time to set aside our prejudices and look at our world through new eyes.
Making this a little more difficult is the fact that currently Mercury is in Taurus, a fixed sign which does not adapt easily to new situations, and Mercury is retrograde where we are looking more at the past than into the future. There may be some situations that need to be wrapped up before these new eyes can see clearly, especially since Mercury is within range of a square to Saturn which begin in late April before Mercury turned retrograde. Saturn tends to put the kibosh on new ideas, especially if they are half baked, so this is an important time to consider all details before venturing head-first into a new adventure.
The conjunction of Mars (action) to Jupiter (confidence) which dominated the astrology last week is still in effect and can encourage just that kind of head-first impulsivity so care should be taken. Mars and Jupiter are both in Aries, the sign of Mars’s domicile where it is the strongest, so impulse and the desire to take action without a lot of forethought is fairly strong. The conjunction is just beginning to wane, but it makes a nice harmonious aspect (sextile) to the New Moon which acts as a nice grace note to facilitate greater understanding.
Mercury turns direct in the wee hours of the morning (EDT) on June 3rd. Mercury will be in Taurus and will be moving slowly for a week or so before re-entering Gemini. While Mercury is in Taurus there is a tendency to move more slowly anyway, and to be more deliberate in our thoughts and actions. Care should still be taken next week as Mercury retrograde effects (communication snafus, delays, etc.) may still be somewhat of a threat.
Saturn turns retrograde. The first of the summer retrogrades, Saturn changes direction on June 4th and until then it is at a standstill as it prepares to change direction. The power of Saturn to encourage practicality and hard work to achieve our goals is at its most potent now, especially if you have any planets between 20 and 29 degrees of the fixed signs: Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, Scorpio.
Here are the details for the week! Dates and times are for the Eastern time zone, please adjust for your locality.
Monday May 30. The Gemini New Moon occurs at 7:30 am, and the fresh new energies and Geminian thirst for experiences and new ideas dominate the day.
Tuesday May 31. The energies of the New Moon begin to fade but the Moon, still in Gemini, squares Neptune around 4 in the afternoon which may put a damper on the Gemini sparkle for a couple of hours.
Wednesday June 1. Are you subscribed to Planetary Illuminations? If so you’ll receive your monthly report on Wednesday. The Moon enters Cancer at 1:48 am EDT on Wednesday, marking the shift to an increase in emotions and deep feeling. You may suddenly feel like cooking and spending time with people you care for.
The Moon is quite active on Wednesday and an active Moon can lead to sudden changes in mood. That is particularly true when the Moon is in Cancer which can be quite moody anyway. In the morning you may find yourself feeling out of sorts or like your dreams are out of reach, and in the afternoon you may feel irritable for no apparent reason (Moon square Jupiter 9:34 am, Moon square Mars 1:30 pm), but harmonious aspects to Venus and Ceres will help to soften the harsh edges and facilitate smoother connections. (Moon sextile Venus 11:23 am, conjunct Ceres 4:39 pm.)
Thursday June 2. The Cancerian Moon squares Chiron (wounding and healing) in the morning which can lead to hyper-sensitivity, but harmonious lunar aspects for the rest of the day, including harmonious aspects to the lunar nodes of past and future, bode well for smooth sailing from late morning for the rest of the day. (Moon square Chiron 9:17 am, sextile Uranus 11:04 am, trine South Node of the past 11:14 pm, all EDT.)
Friday June 3. Mercury turns direct on at 4 am EDT but will still be virtually stationary for a few days before picking up speed, so the usual cautions about Mercury retrograde apply. Do not put your life on hold during these times! Just be aware that communication may not be as easy as other times, and user error is usually the culprit with machine failures or glitches of various types.
Meanwhile the Moon continues to make its way through Cancer and encouraging activation of emotions and feelings, harmonizing with Neptune and Mercury in the early morning for enhanced creativity and inspiration. Around 11 when the Moon opposes intense Pluto there is potential for a brief but unexpected truth bomb – this could pose a challenge but ultimately the creative destruction of Pluto creates lasting transformation.
The Moon enters Leo at 2:37 pm EDT, shifting the mood from deep feeling to a much lighter sense of joy and fun, especially with a harmonious aspect to Jupiter that evening.
Saturday June 4. Another big astrological day: Saturn turns retrograde at 5:46 pm although I doubt you will notice anything in particular on that day – just now that Saturn is watching and while Saturn is retrograde (until October 23) we may encounter delays and disappointments until we get things right.
That’s big picture though – on Saturday the Moon is quite active in Leo so this would be a good day for doing something for the sake of pure enjoyment. A harmonious Venus/Ceres aspect ensures positive human relations and personal integration. (Moon trine Mars 6:15 am, Moon square Venus 6:46 am, Venus sextile Ceres 7:19 pm, Moon sextile Sun 7:22 pm, Moon trine Chiron 9:56 pm, Moon square Uranus 11:46 pm.)
Sunday June 5. The Gemini Sun harmonizes with Chiron today – a lovely day to find healing for difficult experiences or trauma and achieve greater integration. The Moon leaves Leo for Virgo in the wee hours of the morning EDT, marking the shift into the more practical side of life which can assist with that integration as challenges are unwound and painful memories released. A square from Mars to Ceres could make this integration more difficult, especially if you feel angry at yourself for something. This is a good day to let that go, and the solar aspect to Chiron will help to facilitate this evolution.
A lot to unpack there! I hope you find it useful, and blessings for a good week. ❤️
For the interface between astrology and current events, follow me on Twitter. Love the art? You’ll find it on my Pinterest board here.
Leave A Comment