StarWatch by James Jarvis, M.A. By adding the universal year 1998 (1+9+9+8 =27) to the sixth month of June, we come up with the vibration of 33/6. The 33/6 month is about healing and creating balance in one’s life. This could be physical healing through attention to nutrition and mind/body balancing, emotional/spiritual healing through developing greater capacity for unconditional love for oneself and others, or mental healing by beautifying one’s environment to create greater harmony and peace of mind. This is a great month to write letters, make short trips, take a course that enlivens your mind, or just get together with friends. June 1 Mercury enters Gemini Mercury journeys through the sign of Gemini from June 1 until June 15. With Mercury in Gemini, the focus is on communication and the dissemination of information. What is it that you’ve wanted to communicate or share with your friends that you haven’t had time to? How are you growing on an intellectual or mind level? Mercury in Gemini is a time when our minds want to be active: studying, reading, researching, and certainly chatting with others. This is a great month to write letters, make short trips, take a course that enlivens your mind, or just get together with friends for some lively and far-ranging conversations about what’s going on in the world. After entering Gemini, Mercury makes several aspects to the outer planets. Mercury trines Neptune June 1-2, opposes Pluto June 3-4, and trines Uranus June 6-7. Mercury/Neptune and Mercury/Uranus helps us open to the intuitive mind, so it is an excellent time to receive guidance and new ideas. Mercury/Pluto focuses the mind and facilitates direct and convincing communication. June 8 Saturn enters Taurus Saturn begins its two and a half-year journey through the sign of Taurus on June 8 and will be there until August 2000. When Saturn, the planet representing form, structure, and consolidation is combined with the sign Taurus, ruled by the planet Venus, the principle is the constructive formulation of values. Saturn is associated with the first chakra: your rootedness, your ability to take a stand and manifest your dreams. Venus is associated with the fourth chakra: what you are passionate about and value. Saturn’s two and a half-year transit through Aries was a time for initiating new action in our lives that provided a structure for the accomplishment of our long-term goals. Saturn in Aries asked us to walk our talk, to be accountable for our actions, and to take a stand for what we want to manifest. Now that Saturn is moving into Taurus, the next step is to formulate our game plan. What kind of support system do you need in order to take action? What are the specific, measurable results that would have to be produced in order for you to know that you have reached your goals? Saturn in Taurus helps us move from initiation to formulation: using all available resources to implement our plan into tangible form. The moon in Sagittarius calls us to discover our vision about what is possible for our lives. June 9 Full moon in Sagittarius The moon is full at 19 degrees Sagittarius on June 9 at 9:19 p.m. For this next month, the emphasis is on developing whatever nurtures us spiritually. The moon in Sagittarius calls us to discover our vision about what is possible for 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 14 Mercury enters Cancer Mercury moves into the sign of Cancer on June 14 and will be there until June 30. With Mercury in Cancer, we have the opportunity to blend our intellect with our emotions. It is a time for all of us to speak out more honestly about what we are feeling. For those who consider themselves 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. For those who 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 21 Sun enters Cancer The sun moves into the sign of Cancer on June 21 at 7:02 a.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 New moon in Cancer On June 23 at 8:50 p.m. we start a new moon cycle at 2 degrees Cancer. With each new moon, we have an opportunity for a new quality to emerge into our consciousness. This month, the quality that is emerging is our ability to nurture ourselves through becoming aware of and taking care of our own needs. In other words, "what nurtures the nurturer?" Take some time this month to tune in to what nurtures you. You might find hints from the past. Maybe you used to take long walks in nature or by the water or indulged yourself in long, steamy baths or showers. Now is the time to rediscover what nurtures your inner child. With Venus in Gemini this month, the focus is on sharing your heart energy by linking up with other like-minded souls. June 24 Venus enters Gemini Venus moves into the sign of Gemini on June 24, and will be there until July 19. With Venus in Gemini this month, the focus is on sharing your heart energy by linking up with other like-minded souls. I'm amazed by the number of stories I’ve heard about familial relationships that have been greatly enhanced through the advent of e-mail! Parents who hardly ever hear from their children now get instantaneous responses to their communications because of the ease and "user-friendliness" of electronic communication. The bottom line this month is to link up with others. It’s a great time to take a class, get your e-mail up and running, or catch up on your correspondence. It’s also a great time to share with loved ones that article, book, or information that you feel would help them in their efforts to achieve greater growth and understanding in their lives. Venus/Pluto asks us to go deeper than our normal pattern of superficial day-to-day communication. June 28 Venus opposite Pluto Venus in Gemini opposes Pluto in Sagittarius June 28-29, and trines Neptune in Aquarius June 30-July 1. What does all this mean, you might ask? What it means to me is that in this period of time, there are several challenges and opportunities that we all face in the area of relationship. Venus/Pluto asks us to go deeper than our normal pattern of superficial day-to-day communication. In other words, if someone asks you "How are you?" you have the opportunity to really tell the truth. Venus/Neptune asks us to learn to speak from the heart. It has been discovered that the heart actually generates one hundred times the energy of the brain, so coming from the heart is not all that bad an idea. Try to listen and speak from the heart from a space of unconditional love at this time. June 30 Mercury enters Leo Mercury moves into Leo on June 30 and will be there until September 8. With Mercury in Leo, the emphasis is on using the imaginative and playful aspects of the mind to create your own reality. Since the subtle or intuitive mind is a non-linear or non-analytic function during this transit, the best way to benefit from the power of the mind is in playful, creative ways. Try art, dance, or creative writing using the non-dominant hand (usually the left hand for most of us), and the techniques of brainstorming to further your creative efforts this month. As we suspend the critical and analytic part of our brains, we often can come up with undreamed-of solutions to everyday and major life decisions. By using the power of imagination and play, we free the mind to generate new possibilities that far exceed the dualistic "this or that" mentality of the concrete mind. James Jarvis, M.A. is a professional astrologer, intuitive counselor, seminar leader, and musician. He is available for astrological and numerological LifePath readings and psychospiritual counseling for individuals and couples Tuesdays and Thursdays at East West Bookshop in Seattle ([206] 523-3726) and Fridays at Bayside Center for Healing in Kirkland ([425] 821-3394). Join James and Karen Hunt, L.M.P. for their "Astrology of the Chakras" workshop at Breitenbush Hot Springs, June 14-16. For a brochure of his services, upcoming classes/workshops, or to schedule appointments, please call (425) 774-4975 or e-mail <lifquest@gte.net>.