Star Weather Astrology Report 6/23–6/30
©2024 Ronnie Pontiac
All times Pacific.
Friends, we have before us a quiet week, which allows for a quick look at the bigger picture astrologically speaking. Saturn is stationary retrograde next weekend with Neptune soon to follow. Stations “spotlight” planetary signatures. With both Saturn and Neptune stations we can expect to be extra tired, possibly pessimistic, maudlin perhaps rather than morbid, but certainly the potential for melancholy. We may find limitations, or that our efforts may seem to dissolve rather than progress. As always there are plenty of exceptions. Both these stations are excellent for meditation. The combination can indicate a time of rare opportunities for creatively gaining the rewards of inspiration and imagination through diligence, learning, practice, and hard work.
When the outer planets dwell in the station of their degrees it can indicate a time when pressure increases slowly, there can be a sense of stagnation, of the doldrums, and I‘ve noticed that at the end of stations some people feel a sense of being unable to tolerate any more of the issues indicated by the planets involved. With both stations in Pisces the first part of summer may be emotionally sensitive and nostalgic. Vacations by water are favored but care should be taken to avoid the potentially harsh consequences of neglected details or carelessness. Avoid over-intoxication. Saturn Neptune together can be about facing addictions and delusions. Like Pluto stations these Saturn Neptune combinations can indicate departures of celebrities, older people, and older or weakened animals, so take extra care of the vulnerable. Stay hydrated.
Saturn dwells in the degree of its station (19 Pisces) from 6/7 to 7/22. Neptune dwells in the degree of its station (29 Pisces) from 5/5 to 9/3. Yes, Neptune will dwell in that degree all through summer, a summer of Neptune: illusions, propaganda, intoxication, misunderstandings, deceptions including self deception, but also spiritual inspiration, cosmic imagination, deep compassion, and mystical insights.
2024 will be remembered by astrologers for having two outer planets at the 29th degree of a sign. Known as the anaretic degree it is traditionally thought to indicate the culmination and rapid fading of matters corresponding to the planets and signs involved. In this case we have Neptune in Pisces anaretic from 5/5 to 9/3 and Pluto anaretic in Capricorn from 9/1 until 11/19. That first week of September could be pivotal with Uranus stationary retrograde at 27 degrees of Taurus on 9/1 and both Neptune and Pluto anaretic. So what to expect individually and collectively?
Astrologer Michele Adler has called the 29th degree the point of loneliness. This relates to the feeling of the ending of a major cycle. Much that we are familiar with has faded and will more quickly fade away. But the 29th degree also indicate the ability to flourish during times of transition by straddling both the fading old and arriving new orders. Confronting the shadow is another 29th degree theme, including shadows that have resulted from adaptations that we made long ago to the status quo, but we find that they no longer apply, and are revealed as quirks of our own character we need to let go.
With the 29th degree there can be an attraction to the idea of oligarchy among those who find royalty less distasteful than the compromises and responsibilities of living in a republic. When the world once again becomes too complicated many crave a strong leader. Hopefully we can learn from the mistake the Roman republic made before we commit it again in America. Of course, the Roman Republic was itself an empire. As Bukowski wrote: “The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting.”
Above all the anaretic degree is future obsessed, pushing forward to that new sign with a sense of urgency, while feeling held back by the old one. With Neptune in Pisces this is amplified as the 29th degree is not only the end of a sign but of a whole trip around the zodiac.
Neptune will enter Aries in early 2025 commencing a new journey around the zodiac. The last time Neptune was in Aries was 1862 to 1875. Many astrologers have somewhat fixated on the American Civil War having occurred then. This was also a time when American metaphysical religion and esotericism in general became popular, especially Spiritualism. Fifteen percent of Northerners identified as Spiritualists just before the Civil War. Feminism may have taken a step back during that war because its leaders volunteered as nurses and devoted themselves to the abolition of slavery, but with the men away, many never to return, the war gave women access to powers they had not previously held. But it would not be until 1920 that white women in America got the right to vote, 1965 for black and brown women. Shameful, isn’t it?
Last time Neptune in Aries was a golden age for drugs, grand theories of comparative religion, personal spiritual seeking, and cross pollination of creeds. Perhaps a new religion or two, or further impressive revivals of ancient deities and forms of worship are just around the corner. On the other hand we can expect problems with water, especially drought, to continue and worsen until new approaches are adopted for conservation, capture and purification.
Prepare for a big change in the zeitgeist in 2025. The last such change was when Neptune left Aquarius in 2012. That was the year Xi Jinping became president of China. It also marked the decline of the Tea Party opening the way for Trump in 2016 as a new right wing GOP fermented. We can look back at our lives and see what themes might return, but the switch from Aquarius to Pisces is less impactful than the rebirth that is Neptune moving from Pisces to Aries. New generations will step forward. After a long period of looking back, of owning regret, or seeing how trivial concerns did not serve those we love or ourselves, as we ponder and perhaps grieve losses and missed opportunities of the difficult opening years of the 21st century we can approach the next chapter of our lives with greater wisdom and sensitivity.
As for Pluto at 29 Capricorn, we can expect the culmination of the U.S. Pluto return. The Capricorn traditions will be updated to reflect new tech and the needs of new generations. The presidential election may represent the ultimate result of the Pluto in Capricorn era that began in 2008 and ends in November of this year. While Pluto is anaretic we can improve our own lives by recognizing what we’ve learned and putting it into action. Close up the old and open doors to the new. I’ve discussed Pluto in Capricorn and Aquarius and the U.S. Pluto return elsewhere, here and here.
Sunday 6/23 only lunar aspects are exact. Moon conjunct Pluto in the late evening could be intense. Avoid power struggles, suspicion and rumination. Meditate. Cultivate tranquility. Get in touch with deep emotion.
Mon 6/24 only lunar aspects are exact. John Muir wrote in his journal: “Imagination is usually regarded as a synonym for the unreal. Yet is true imagination healthful and real, no more likely to mislead than the coarser senses. Indeed, the power of imagination makes us infinite.”
Tue 6/25 only lunar aspects are exact. Pessoa wrote: “All is worthwhile if the soul is not small.”
Wed 6/26 Mercury trine Saturn is exact in the late morning helping us to get organized and stay on track. Simplify where possible. Practice. Teach. Study. Meditate. Discuss with an elder. Write or otherwise communicate to strengthen your boundaries.
Thu 6/27 only lunar aspects are exact. Colette wrote: “Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.”
Fri 6/28 Mercury square Chiron is exact in the late morning. A good time for researching health issues, noticing signals the body is sending you about weak areas, imbalances, or bad habits. At 2:53 PM the dark of the moon begins. It’s said that finishing is better than beginning during these seven days. A good time for reflection, introspection, and rest when possible. Then Venus sextile Mars is exact in the late evening, calling back to Mercury sextile Mars last Friday. If we can set aside the Saturn and Neptune gravity we may find enough romance and creativity over the weekend to counterbalance the Saturn station.
Sat 6/29 Saturn is stationary retrograde at 12:07 PM followed by Mercury sextile Uranus in the evening. We’ve discussed the station above. As for the sextile, easily lost in the stormy weather of the stations, we have an opportunity for enlightening even liberating communications.
Sun 6/30 only lunar aspects are exact. Colette also wrote: “What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.”
Neptune will be stationary retrograde on 7/2. Don’t settle for gossip, propaganda and intoxication, seek the higher dimensions of Neptune. Explore imagination and inspiration, be compassionate, you might stumble into glimpses of cosmic consciousness or have a dream that changes your life.
