June 1, 2023 — June begins with Gemini leading the way just as Mercury, his ruler, moves out of the shadow zone. Our minds and channels of communication are becoming clearer and more activated. We may feel expansion and illumination as Jupiter, planet of wisdom, crosses the North Node—our evolutionary potential. Two days later, the Sagittarius Full Moon furthers themes of novel exploration and growth. But with Saturn’s square, we need to slow down and ground into truth, integrity, and care. 

Karma is ripening as the planets make sure that we remain in proper alignment all month. Pluto returns to Capricorn on June 11, and Saturn begins his annual retrograde on June 17. Old habits and harmful patterns are ready to recalibrate. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work—observing where we need to make adjustments and implement discipline to redirect our course.

Venus enters Leo on June 5, beginning an unusually long four-month journey in a sign. Venus retrogrades in late July and enters her shadow period on June 19. We’re ready to revamp our self-worth, relationships, values, and creativity.

Where have we gone amiss? How can we deepen and become more genuine, experiencing true pleasure, while releasing our addictions to the fleeting and superficial? Where have we become too focused on our desires for outside approval rather than prioritizing authentic connection, beauty, and artistic expression?

All month, we’re finding the balance between our dreams and what’s real. Truth and authenticity can be painful. They require us to strip away fantasies, illusions, and projections. However, this process is also freeing. 2023 is a year of strengthening our self-confidence and moving into healthier, deeper love and intimacy. The transits of June are furthering us in this pursuit. We can conjure Gemini’s intelligence and open-mindedness to see our stuck cycles more acutely, altering our steps until they fall along the path of liberation.

June 2023 TRANSITS

JUPITER CONJUNCT THE NORTH NODE

Jupiter conjoins the North Node on June 1, presenting us with perspective shifts, opportunities, teachings, and wisdom that could help guide us toward higher evolution. We’re ready to adopt new beliefs and see ourselves, relationships, situations, and life from fresh angles.

SAGITTARIUS FULL MOON

A Sagittarius Full Moon arrives on June 3, trining Mars in Leo and squaring Saturn in Pisces. And with a trine to Mars, the planets are pushing us toward the future. We’re feeling the desire to leap into joy, pleasure, courage, and creativity. Normally, a Sagittarius Full Moon is expansive, beckoning us to explore new territory in the world and in our minds. However, Saturn’s square is constricting us at the same time. We need to know where we’re going, while keeping our feet planted firmly in reality, care, and intentionality. We’re ready to expand into new heights, but this can only happen if we do the work. By maintaining sanity and a commitment to integrity, we can steady ourselves as we move into new terrain.

VENUS IN LEO

Venus enters Leo on June 5, falling opposite transformative, shadowy Pluto. This holds extra significance since Venus will be retrograding in Leo from July 22 to September 4, remaining there until October 8. That’s four months of Venus in Leo—when she usually only transits a sign for six weeks. Her shadow period begins on June 19, when she’ll enter the underworld, submerging us into reflection about our relationships to romance, sex, money, self-worth, and values. This means that Venus, planet of beauty, love, and creativity, is now beginning a massive journey of profound change.

PLUTO RE-ENTERS CAPRICORN

Pluto entered Aquarius on March 23, beginning a new era in humanity—but we’re not in the clear yet. He’s in retrograde, and on June 11, he Pluto returns to Capricorn, where he’s been wreaking havoc since 2008. Pluto remains in Capricorn for the rest of the year, until January 20, 2024. At that point, he’ll move back into Aquarius then return to Capricorn for a final forty-day stint in September 2024. This means that we’re revisiting the past and the perils of patriarchy and societal and governmental resistance to progress. Ultimately, we’ll be moving into an age of great advancement and rapid change—but the stop-starts are still in effect. The good news is that the retrogrades will ensure that we move into the future with a proper foundation. We can test ourselves and make sure that we are slowing down before catapulting into the vast space of technological evolution and exponential growth in all domains of our lives. Ultimately, Pluto facilitates transformation, but only if we surrender and trust the process, even in moments of pain.

SATURN RETROGRADE

Saturn’s annual retrograde begins on June 17 at 7º Pisces, and he’ll station direct at 0º Pisces on November 4. It’s time to reflect on Saturnian themes. Where are we limiting ourselves? Where do we need to exert more discipline and constraint? What do we want to accomplish, and what hard work and focus are required to achieve it? If we’ve been struggling with Saturn’s journey through Pisces, which began on March 7, we now have the chance to recalibrate our structures and obligations so that we can fulfill our ultimate dreams.

GEMINI NEW MOON

Our minds are very active as the New Moon forms in Gemini on June 17. The Moon is squaring Neptune while Mercury, Gemini’s ruler, is in his natural domicile, sextiling Venus in Leo. With Juno close-by, commitment is on the table. However, Neptune’s thick fog is obscuring our clarity. Are we believing stories that aren’t true? What’s fact, and what’s fiction? The planets are imploring us to focus on our inner work. We need to find the proper balance between our dreams and the practical steps needed to take to make them real. Accepting harsh truths could be key to manifesting our beautiful visions of what could be.

SUN ENTERS CANCER / SOLSTICE

The Sun enters Cancer on June 21, marking the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, winter in the southern. We’re now turning toward home, family, roots, and nostalgia. Who is most important to us? Who are we closest to, and how can we prioritize our emotional connections? This is a season of feeling our feelings, nesting, and creating a sense of coziness and intimacy in our lives, especially if they’re lacking. We can ground the mental energy of the month into our emotional bodies, feeling the arms of unconditional maternal love surrounding us, encouraging us to rest into a deeper sense of safety and security.

June 2023 Aspiration

In the bright light of the summer sun, may we feel our hearts expand and undergo epic transformation. May we anchor into truth as our creativity bursts forth and we learn to balance our dreams and pleasure with discipline, integrity, and restraint.

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