StarWatch by James Jarvis, M.A. By adding the universal year 2000 (2+0+0+0=2) to the 6th month of June, we come up with the vibration of 8. The 8 month represents an opportunity to achieve greater mastery in our lives. It's a great month for taking a look at your goals and brainstorming new possibilities for accomplishing them that you might not have thought of before. Try to suspend the critic, the cynic, and the skeptic and move into new, uncharted territory. June 1-4 Mars trines Uranus Mars in Gemini is in positive relationship with Uranus in Aquarius from June 1-4. Mars/Uranus energy tends to speed up the nervous system, so if you feel wired, take some time to do some deep breathing. Mars/Uranus energy is very good when you have to be daring or audacious in your work or home life. It's a time to take risks and push the envelope. Let Mars and Uranus help you to take the next step in your evolution: moving beyond what you once thought was possible. June 2-6 Venus opposes Pluto and Chiron Venus in Gemini is in a challenging relationship with both Pluto and Chiron in Sagittarius from June 2-6. Venus represents what has heart for us, or what we value, and when in opposition to Pluto and Chiron, it is an indication that we want to tell others how we feel. Venus/Pluto energy can be very volcanic, particularly if we have withheld the truth from others. With both of these transits, it is a good time to "clear the air" of resentments or anything you have been ruminating on for a while. It is also a good time to speak out about what you are passionate or righteously indignant about. Many times, I ask my clients what they are passionate about, and they often say they don't know. When I ask them what they are indignant about, however, that's another story. Let yourself feel where you are resentful or "pissed off" during these transits. What you will find out is that underneath the anger is a core value of which you have perhaps not been aware. By tuning in to what you are indignant about, you are also tuning in to your passion, which is the fuel for self-actualization. June 2 New moon in Gemini The new moon in Gemini presents the opportunity this month of nurturing ourselves through connecting with others for the purpose of giving and receiving information. It's a great time to take a class, read up about a subject that broadens your knowledge base, or just get together with friends for stimulating conversation. With the new moon in Gemini, the challenge is to expand our personal network of friends and associates so that we can grow intellectually. Oftentimes we forget about our need for intellectual stimulation, so use the new moon to nurture yourself in this area of your life. June 16 Mars enters Cancer Mars will be in the sign of Cancer from June 16 through August 1. With Mars in Cancer and Saturn just completing its journey in Taurus, we can expect to feel a strong urge to get things done, albeit in an altogether different way. The reason this is so is that Mars in Cancer wants to go with the flow, while Saturn in Taurus is concerned more with productive action. There is an opportunity here to be free-flowing and spontaneous (Mars in a water sign) and to get a tremendous amount done on the physical plane (Saturn in an earth sign). One way to deal with these somewhat different energies is to find ways of getting into your body through physical expression: dance, yoga, martial arts, or physical exercise. This will help you to balance the emotional body and get a lot done at the same time. June 16 Full moon in Sagittarius The moon is full in Sagittarius at 3:27 p.m. today. The full moon in Sagittarius brings a sense of renewed enthusiasm and spirited adventure. With the full moon in Sagittarius, the focus this month is on emotional self-expression, heightened idealism, and nurturing ourselves by embracing our spiritual quest. With the moon in Sagittarius, we have an opportunity to learn what nurtures us spiritually. Moving beyond the love of spiritual knowledge (books, classes, workshops), the moon in Sagittarius invites us to move into our own wisdom by practicing and experiencing the presence of Spirit in our lives. The challenge this month is to tune in to our natural optimism, awe, and trust that there is indeed a larger, more inclusive reality that is guiding us. The full moon in Sagittarius is asking us to take whatever steps are necessary so that we can be more fully nurtured and inspired by higher self. June 18 Venus enters Cancer With Venus in Cancer from June 18 through July 13, the emphasis this month is on finding ways to nurture others and ourselves. Many associate the traditional nurturing quality of Cancer with that of the "smother mother," the overbearing, codependent, and disempowering nurturer. This month, we have an opportunity to take a deeper cut at what nurturing can be. Venus in Cancer asks us to open up to become instruments for Divine Mother to flow through us and into the lives of others. When we ourselves are in touch with the Divine Mother, who is compassionate, all-nurturing, and protective, then we don't have to work so hard to nurture others. As we open to the grace of Divine Mother flowing through us, there is no sense of being sucked dry by the needs of others, because we have established our connection with divine nurturance. Ask yourself this month: Who nurtures the nurturer? If you find that you are better at receiving than giving, take time this month to find out what really nurtures you. As you establish that nurturing connection, you will find that it will be much easier to unconditionally nurture others. June 21 Sun enters Cancer The sun moves into the sign of Cancer on June 20 at 6:48 p.m. At the summer solstice, the light is at its zenith. In nature, the budding plant has assimilated nurturing from the environment and is beginning to manifest an identifiable form. The Cancer principle involves the assimilation of impressions from the outer world, particularly intimate experiences of nurturing. Our job during the sign of Cancer is to create a secure and stable sense of belonging for ourselves and others that stems from our experiences of positive familial imprinting, or that is centered in our awareness of belonging to a greater spiritual family. June 23 Mercury retrograde in Cancer Mercury will move in retrograde motion from June 23 through July 17. With Mercury in retrograde in Cancer, we have the opportunity to blend our intellect with our emotions. It is a time for us to speak out more honestly about what we are feeling. If you consider yourself emotionally centered anyway, this is a time to communicate more clearly about what you are feeling, as you will be able to use the natural discriminative qualities of the mind to clarify your emotions. If you are more intellectually centered, this is a time to suspend the critical faculties long enough for the underlying emotion to be heard. In other words, this could look like going with your emotional prompting despite your mind's objections or analysis. June 29 Jupiter enters Gemini Jupiter will travel through the sign of Gemini from June 29 through July 13, 2001. With Jupiter in Gemini, we combine the principles of expansion (Jupiter) with knowledge (Mercury, the ruling planet of Gemini). Globally, we can expect that the expansion of the communication and information industry will continue to dominate the headlines. Since Gemini is the sign that represents the dissemination of information, we can also expect that further development of the Internet, Web broadcasting, global communication technologies, and the integration of television, radio, and personal computers will all be a strong focus for the next year. Al Gore, in one of his campaign speeches, even mentioned that his goal was to have Internet access for every household in the United States. I guess this is the high-tech version of the "chicken in every pot" promise that politicians made in the past! Individually, Jupiter in Gemini calls each of us to expand our knowledge base to increase our effectiveness in our work and in our daily lives. Many have said that knowledge is power. One of the incredible advantages of the Internet is that it makes knowledge available equally to the masses. The challenge, however, is to balance accumulation of knowledge (Gemini) with wisdom (Jupiter). If we get too caught up in the pursuit of knowledge and the glut of information available to us in this information age, we can lose track of the big picture: our values, ideals, and connection with Spirit. With Jupiter's passage through Gemini, there is no doubt that our world will continue to speed up. To avoid overstimulation, we can call on the power of the discriminating mind to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. In other words, with Jupiter in Gemini, we are being asked to learn how to discern between useful and expansive knowledge and knowledge that is without intrinsic meaning for our lives. James Jarvis, M.A. is a master astrologer, professional life coach, and transpersonal counselor, combining an M.A. in transpersonal counseling, 29 years' experience with Eastern and metaphysical traditions, and 15 years coaching and empowering clients to actualize their full potential. See last month's display ad or call East West Bookshop, (206) 523-3726, for his June schedule in Seattle. James is available for astrological consultations and life coaching sessions by phone. For a brochure of his services, or to schedule phone or mail consultations, call (831) 688-0574, e-mail <jjarvis@lifeqwest.com>, or visit <http://www.lifeqwest.com>.