Summer Solstice, a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, and Solar Initiation - Setting your mark and hitting the bull’s eye

At Midsummer, June 21st, the Sun is at his zenith—its highest point – as he enters Cancer. He appears to stand still to us here on earth, if only for a short time. After the Sun reaches his zenith, he begins to wane...he steps onto the path that leads to the fall harvest and eventually winter (in the northern hemisphere).

Midsummer is also called the Summer Solstice, Litha, St. John’s Eve, the Oak Festival, and Sun Blessing, to name a few. It is the longest day of the year and thus, also the shortest night of the year (this is reversed in the southern hemisphere – shortest day and longest night – it is Yule rather than Midsummer).

In 2010, the Sun’s move into Cancer acts as an initiation, preparing us for the increasing potency of the (almost) Cardinal Grand Cross which will culminate in intensity at the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on June 26, 2010 at 7:30 am (US EDT). The Sabian Symbol upon the Sun’s entry into Cancer is On a Ship The Sailors Lower An Old Flag And Raise A New One…and as the Universe is always perfect, this symbol, too, is perfect for the upcoming grand cross. This IS a time of initiation for all of us, but particularly for those of us with planets resting at 0 – 4 degrees in the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, & Capricorn) as well as those with planets in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) at 28 – 29 degrees. The imagery of a flag being lowered and replaced is a sign of great upheaval and change. It is the image of one country taking over another; an image of a pirate capturing a ship and raising the crossbones; an image of a stale relationship ending while a new one is initiated. This isn’t about simply entering into a new phase of life, it is about endings as well as a new beginning. It can be exciting and terrifying all at once, depending on your own situation and personality.

Symbolically, as the great Solar god moves into Cancer, males will be asked to honor their emotional needs. Over the next few months, as we all deal with the energy of the Grand Cross (which will morph back into the ongoing T-square of Saturn, Pluto, Uranus, & Jupiter once the Sun is out of orb on June 27th - 28th) as well as the upcoming Lunar (June 26, 2010) and Solar eclipse (July 11, 2010), I would not be surprised if men begin to take the lead in asking for what they want in relationships. This is a new flag in itself as that in the past, in heterosexual endings, the woman is usually the one to finalize and sever a long-term partnership. The Cancerian Solar initiation for heterosexual men may well be a deeper embrace of their feminine side, including recognizing their emotional needs, wants, and desires in partnerships; as they recognize what they are missing, they could begin to seek it with the cardinal Grand Cross and ongoing T-square, especially as Saturn re-enters relationship-oriented Libra (think balance and equality) on July 21st. The old Karmic task-master will then move forward and oppose Uranus for the last time (this time around) on July 26th.

At the time of the Summer Solstice (Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere), as the Grand Cross is created and activated, the Moon is supporting the Sun with a trine, adding to the emotional intensity. Some of us may become overly defensive or self-protective, preferring to pull back into a shell of our own creation…unfortunately, if you are the one holding on and clinging to the past and refusing to change, you will find that your shell will be shattered before the summer is through. There is no going back. No return to the womb. No return to ‘how things used to be,’ especially in relationships. Only if both you and your partner are in a total state of denial, which means you certainly aren’t reading this blog! As men are likely to take the lead now, women trying to sort out a partnership may need to check and double-check themselves and how they are behaving in their relationship. Have you been neglecting your lover? If so, it’s time to wake up and give yourself a good shake because if a lover decides to leave now, he may be half-way out the door before you know what is happening. Of course this works both ways and women are just as likely to overthrow their relationships if their needs are not being met or they’ve outgrown a partnership…this, however, won’t be as shocking as the male leaving a long-term live-in situation or marriage. Why? As previously noted, heterosexual men who have been taught to repress their emotions are usually the last to recognize or acknowledge that their relationship is a dead-end and even if they do, they may try to make it last due to a feeling of responsibility, concern over how much money they will lose in the process of divorce, or feeling obligated due to needing to be the strong man and do what is ‘right.’ These themes can play out in gay as well as straight relationships, depending on which partner is the more ‘masculine’ or solar-oriented.

I feel it is important to note the aspects to Chiron at the Solstice, as the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto are all in a tribal meeting with the sacred healer…the Chironic energy can help us to seek new paths through deeper understanding and a shift in perspective. Chiron’s Sabian Symbol is In a Crowded Marketplace Farmers and Middlemen Display A Great Variety Of Products…this can be interpreted, in the context of unsettled relationships, as the availability of others who we may bond with on a deeper level. If you feel at a loss and are in the process of separation this summer, Chiron promises that there are other fish (Chiron is at Pisces 00’50) in the sea and they may well be better suited than the unfeeling mercenary you’ve been living with. If there is still hope to work things out with a lover and revitalize a partnership, Chiron may be reminding you that if you want your partner you should always keep in mind that there are others out there who would be just as interested as you are. Juno has also just passed out of a weak Grand Cross formation as she opposed Pluto from June 15th – 18th, so issues raised in a long-term partnership during this time period will be reaffirmed and intensified when the Sun moves into this position and passes over the same degree (4 – 5 degrees Cancer) at the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on June 26th.

The planetary ruler of the sign on your Descendant should be watched closely between the Solstice (June 21st) and the Lunar Eclipse (June 26th) for aspects made can provide clues as to what may happen for you in your relationship, as well as providing information on how to handle the energy. The aspects formed on the approach of the Lunar Eclipse will be the most powerful and resonating, but don’t expect the entire process to unfold on that day! It could take weeks to see the full results of this time period manifest in your life.

The Summer Solstice & Winter Solstice Charts are below:

The Grand Cross formation is not exactly a tight one at the Lunar Eclipse. The Moon joins Pluto at 4 degrees Capricorn and together they oppose the Sun at 4 degrees Cancer (actually 4’46 Cancer and 4’46 Capricorn; retrograde Pluto is at 4’05 Capricorn). This in itself is a powerful event. Secrets or desires can be exposed now that rock the very foundation of our perception of a relationship…or our perception of our self within that relationship. Pluto retrograde conjunct the Moon in Capricorn (approaching a sextile with Chiron) may ask us how our financial beliefs or desires are affecting us emotionally. We may come to understand that we have been sacrificing our very own Soul because our material security needs are too powerful. The Sun can shine some light on this by making us aware that our emotional needs are important too. Ask yourself, do you need to make a temporary financial sacrifice in order to improve your emotional life? If we are unhappy in our most important relationships, we are not functioning at our best…vibrating at a lower level or feeling depressed or put upon constantly means that you are not capable of living an abundant life. Monetary gain is empty and potentially difficult to come by if we are unhappy emotionally. Feeling happy gives us a glow that is naturally attractive and it raises our vibrational energy levels exponentially…happiness is a powerful attractant for all resources, money included.

Three other planets are involved in this Grand Cross…Uranus on the Aries point at 00’33, Jupiter at 2’14 Aries, and Saturn dragging behind at 28’25 Virgo. He will formally enter Libra again on July 21st, working his way toward the final exact opposition with Uranus on July 26th. Six degrees from Saturn to the Sun and Moon-Pluto is quite a large orb to use for a transit but he is pulled into it via Uranus on the Aries point…this energy will be active. In Cardinal signs, the Grand Cross suggests that we will be driven to make changes quickly, but we cannot overlook the fact that Saturn is still lagging behind in Virgo…this won’t even officially be a ‘Cardinal’ T-square until Saturn is back in Libra. Virgo, while mutable and able to shift with the tides, is a very detailed earth energy. Saturn here will slow things down as he will feel a great need to attend to the details even as Uranus and Jupiter are pulling on him in an attempt to drag him along. He will come…when he is good and ready. The Moon and Pluto are also in an earth sign, and Pluto is retrograde. There will be a need to ground the emotions and deal with all the inner turmoil and exposure as it arises. Though Saturn is going to slow things down a bit, it is likely that we need it. Aries is impatient and can overlook the importance of tying up loose ends…Saturn will ensure that the details are taken care of and will feel pressured to do so quickly. The Lunar Eclipse Grand Cross suggests that much of what we experience will take place internally as Pluto churns things up for review…we may find ourselves beginning to take care of the details as fast as possible so that we may begin to make an opening in our life for a new journey. The Sun is going to highlight our emotional needs while the Moon and Pluto examine how our security needs are preventing us from attracting all the good and wonderfully unique experiences (Jupiter and Uranus) we desire into our lives. Grand Cross energy is intense, dynamic, and motivating…but it is a closed circuit and it can bounce back and forth – corner to corner – within our beings unless we make a conscious effort to focus our energy and take small but necessary steps to create what we desire.

The good news is that while this energy will resonate for a while due to the Lunar eclipses involvement, we will not be caught up in the Grand Cross for very long. The Sun will be on his way by June 28th, releasing us back into the arms of the (almost) Cardinal T-square…and a T-square IS dynamic and will push us to push ourselves out of our stale beliefs, perspectives, and relationships. Things will really start heating up in July, with a Solar Eclipse in Cancer and Saturn’s approach to Libra, which will form the Cardinal T-square with an outlet point of 0 – 3 degrees Cancer. It’s a time where we will realize that in order to nurture our selves we must take a very close look at our relationships, our financial security issues, and our individual needs. We will come to a deep understanding of how old Soul desires that no longer suit us can capture and exhaust us. To revitalize our own Selves, we need to break out of old patterns and embrace what makes us happy now. Sometimes we must relinquish things in our lives we never dreamed we’d want to let go of but if you wake up in the morning and your relationship (or home or job) seems like a prison cell, then the sell by date has long since passed. Soul satisfaction is not just a desire, it is a need…during this unsettled yet dynamic summer (or winter, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere) find what (or who) makes you happy, aim carefully, and pull the string of the Cardinal T-square back with trust and certainty that you will hit the mark.

The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Cancer Chart follows: