It would be tempting to predict that all hell is going to break loose this week, but outer planetary aspects don’t work that way.

I’m referring, of course, to the Uranus-Pluto square, which is exact on Sunday, June 24 – the first of seven exact alignments between now and 2015. You may recall that we came very close to an exact square in July 2011. The fact is, we’ve been feeling this alignment for more than a year now, and we’ll be feeling it for the next few years. It is the defining aspect of our time.

To get an idea of what this aspect signifies, we need only look back to the beginning of the cycle, the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the mid-1960s. The aspect peaked in 1965 and 1966, and yet the year we remember as the most volatile from that decade was 1968. If you were too young to remember that year or weren’t born yet, I highly recommend a documentary film called 1968 with Tom Brokaw. You can find it in segments on YouTube. The first part alone will give you the general idea.

Two words you often hear to describe that era – “revolution” and “transformation” – are spoken by people with no interest in or knowledge of astrology, and yet these are the keywords for Uranus and Pluto. Funny how that works. According to astrological theory, the crises and conflicts we’re experiencing now have their roots in the sweeping changes that occurred back then. Much has been written about how the 60s drug culture contributed to the awakening of the collecting consciousness. And we can bet that law enforcement authorities, faced with the Occupy Movement and other mass protests, learned a lot from the riots in the 1960s. With Pluto in Capricorn, expect crackdowns against unrest to be faster, heavier, and more brutal. Governments learned from experiences in the 1960s that media control is vital. If you watch 1968, you may be startled by the raw footage that came out of the Vietnam War. Those shocking images motivated large numbers of people to protest in the streets. We don’t have anything like that coming from Iraq or Afghanistan. You need only look at what happened to Julian Assange to foresee what will happen to anyone who tries to expose the truth independently.

In any case, major events that marked the 1960s – the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, the growing civil rights and women’s movements – occurred over time and not on or near an exact date that Uranus and Pluto aligned. Incidentally, pardon me for taking an American view of things. There were sweeping changes around the world in the 60s. France had its own version of 1968. I don’t mean to suggest that the changes here were any more important than elsewhere or that the United States is the world center of revolution and transformation. If anything, the world is a much smaller place than ever, thanks to instant communications over the Internet.

So, with that long introduction, let’s have a look at this week. There are several other planetary aspects to suggest that changes will come fast and furious in the short term.

On Tuesday, we have another New Moon in Gemini. This is the second in a row. The first one occurred with a solar eclipse on May 20. At first glance, the Uranus-Pluto square dominates the New Moon chart. However, what draws my eye is the sextile from Uranus to Venus, exact by degree (technically called “partile” in astro-speak). Venus still has another week in retrograde phase before turning direct on June 27. Saturn, meanwhile, turns direct in Libra on June 24. In the final degrees of Gemini, the New Moon has a “looking back” flavor to it, not unlike a retrograde. We’re still in critique mode, especially regarding our closest relationships, as we review what we didn’t do so well and what we might do better in the future to get more of what we want and less of what we don’t want. As I’ve mentioned before, the review may include experiences in other dimensions of time or space – more commonly called “past lives.” Awareness of these parallel relationships is helping us clean up some difficult karma so that we can move on, either by entering a new phase in a current relationship or getting closure in some other way.

The Venus-Uranus sextile typically brings a surprise element into the picture. It may not be pleasant, given that Venus is retrograde and inconjunct Pluto. However, if you can keep your nerve through the discomfort, you may come out in a pleasantly surprising place in another week or two. For some of you, the discomfort may simply be the waiting and uncertainty. It’s hard not knowing how things ultimately will shake out. The Venus-Uranus sextile is exact on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, Mercury squares Saturn and the Sun enters Cancer. Saturn is moving very slowly right now (what it looks like from down here anyway) as he gets close to changing direction. The square from Mercury likely will bring all the worst flaws into sharp focus, be they personal weaknesses, relationship issues, the need for improvement in your work, or other problems. It will be hard to see the bright side, so try as best you can to balance out all the negatives with something positive. Make a list if you have to, even if it seems like an exercise in futility. Mercury’s waxing sextile with Mars (exact on Thursday) will help. Overall, Wednesday could be quite an emotional day.

The Sun’s entry into Cancer marks the summer solstice and longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Normally, this would be the highlight of the week, but there are too many other major aspects happening that overshadow the seasonal landmark. For me, it’s an outward sign that the academic year is over after a hair-raising final quarter in which I lost not one but two (and almost three) hard drives with all my work on them. That means no rest this summer. I start an internship next week, and will have to spend the next several weeks reconstructing my final project, which, ironically, is about astrology.

Incidentally, I’m working on the StarGuide Summer Forecast this week and will have it up soon. The July monthlies also will be available, for those of you who have pre-ordered. I’ll post an announcement when they’re ready. And, while my consultation hours will continue to be limited, I will have greater availability in the next few months.

Last but not least, the Sun and Neptune form a dreamy water trine on Saturday. It’s a great day for a picnic at the beach or poolside. If you don’t have access to a beach or pool, set up the sprinkler in your backyard. Keep your dream journal handy, as intuition is high and open for major downloads.

Wishing you all infinite love and courage,
Pat