Looking Over the Edge. © Pat Paquette.

Most of you know by now that there will be a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon on June 26.

As we approach the eclipse, the Earth, Sun, and Moon are steadily moving into alignment, exerting a powerful gravitational force on our planet. This is just a partial eclipse, but it will be followed two weeks later, on July 11, by a total eclipse of the Sun.

This alignment overlaps with an astrological alignment of several planets in a T-square, which is exerting a different kind of force — one that scientists dismiss as superstition and that astrologers admittedly don’t understand completely. Based on many centuries of observations, we know that certain events on Earth correlate with planetary cycles, but we aren’t able to explain exactly how or why this happens.

Although astrologers don’t agree on the mechanism, most of us are in agreement that an eclipse conjunct Pluto at the apex of a cardinal T-square will correlate to extreme events in our material world. It’s possible that some of these developments will be positive. Perhaps BP suddenly will find a way to staunch the gaping wound they opened in the Earth’s surface and make all of the oil slicks vanish. Maybe manna from heaven will fall on all of the unemployed, displaced, and dispossessed. Perhaps the Israelis and Palestinians will line up, hold hands, and start singing, “We Are the World.”

I wish I could remain optimistic, but as of this writing, I’m exhausted, weary, and unnerved. As dramatic as events have been over the past three months, it appears that they’ve been only the tip of the iceberg, and we’re going to have to rally our spirits and resources to get through the weeks and months ahead.

Events related to this lunar eclipse may occur earlier in the week, which is why I’m posting this analysis a bit earlier than usual. The Sun’s ingress into Cancer on June 21 activates a tight cardinal T-square, with the Sun square Uranus and Jupiter in early Aries and opposite Pluto. I’ll have more in my weekly forecast, which I’m hoping to publish on Sunday evening.

The Full Moon peaks at 7:30 a.m. EDT (11:30 UT), at 4°46 Capricorn opposite the Sun at 4°46 Cancer. The Moon will be in the same degree as Pluto, with Sun, Moon, Pluto, and Mercury in a tight square with Uranus at 0°33 Aries and Jupiter at 2°14 Aries.

That’s a lot of pressure on the Earth. I do not feel qualified to use astrology as a predictive tool for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms at sea, and so forth, so I will leave that up to others. All I will say is that I wouldn’t be surprised by such an event. Continued financial collapse and political unrest I take as a given, whether at this eclipse or later in the summer.

Now, I have to say that there is some question in my mind about the role of Saturn. As ruler of Capricorn, Saturn is lord of this Full Moon, so he definitely is a key to our interpretation. Further, he is closely square the Sun and Moon, but technically, he’s not part of a cardinal configuration, as he is in the final degrees of Virgo, a mutable sign.

Saturn can be a stabilizing influence that keeps all hell from breaking loose. This is important. Using the example of BP, it could make the difference between a successfully drilled relief well that decreases the flow of oil into the gulf and a miscalculation that causes the whole well to collapse.

However, in a mutable earth sign, Saturn literally could signify moving earth. I don’t like the sound of that.

Further complicating matters, if I were a sidereal astrologer, I would consider this eclipse to be a tight mutable grand cross. That would still create a lot of change, although a cross is more stable than a T-square, and Saturn’s influence would most definitely be stabilizing. Isn’t this a nice little dilemma? Either we have a cardinal T-square, in which case Saturn is the “release” point across from the apex, or we have a mutable grand cross — two different interpretations, with different sets of implications.

Take your pick.

Regardless of which astrological system we use, there are two possible release paths in this eclipse, represented by the soft aspects that allow energy to flow.

The first is Mars, which at 10°23 Virgo is at a wide sextile to the Sun and Mercury and a wide trine to Pluto and the Moon. Mars is the planet of war and aggression, but he’s also the sign of action. Virgo is analytical and results-oriented, and it’s also the sign of detail-oriented work such as engineering and financial accounting. Geniuses in either of those fields would be most welcome on the planet right now.

The second soft aspect is to Neptune and Chiron, conjunct in the last degrees of Aquarius and first degree of Pisces. This places them in a wide trine to the Sun and a wide sextile to the Moon and Pluto. I’ve written a lot about the healing potential in these two outer bodies. As individuals work on our personal healing, we are contributing to a collective that is healthier in mind, body, and spirit. Many of us are horrified by recent events, all the more so when we realize the small ways we have been contributing unconsciously to environmental degradation, war, and human rights violations.

If I can’t predict anything else, I can say with certainty that events this summer will be a wake-up call for those who have been half asleep. As I commented in the last Full Moon post, We often forget, as we plod along in our daily grind, that it takes only one extraordinary moment to change our lives forever. This is true for individuals and for society as a whole. In these tumultuous times, we can’t take anything for granted.

Unfortunately, those who are in sound slumber aren’t likely to wake up at this point. I’m sorry to have to say this, but let’s face the reality.

As for Venus, the lonely planet of love and beauty is unaspected in this eclipse. I suppose I could stretch and put her in a wide semi-sextile with somebody or do a mathematical sleight of hand and make her a midpoint of something, but I like to keep things real simple. Look at the chart, and you will see her alone, hanging out all by herself at 14 degrees Leo. Girls just wanna have fun, and there’s no one to party with.

So here’s what I would advise her to do: Bake treats for your family, take some to your neighbors and co-workers, and do whatever you can to spread as much cheer as possible in the world.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun at 4°46′ Cancer is an automobile wrecked by a train, with the keyword DISPERSION. When we act in a certain way, individually or collectively, we set off a chain of events that reach a logical and even predictable outcome. Yet, at any step of the way, if we recognize that we’re on a destructive path, we can change directions, but we have to have a good idea of where we’re going and how we’re going to get there, or we could end up in even more trouble.

For the Moon at 4°46′ Capricorn, the Sabian Symbol is Indians rowing a canoe and dancing a war dance, with the keyword MOBILIZATION. In keeping with the nature of cardinal signs, this symbol is about action. External circumstances sometimes require us to set aside our ideals and focus on practical necessities. Tough times demand hard decisions and aggressive leadership.

It will be important for us to remember these symbols and their messages in the two weeks ahead. Following this lunar eclipse, we’ll be in a difficult inter-eclipse period that will culminate with a total eclipse of the Sun on July 11. I will have more on these trends in the days ahead, so check back.

Wishing you all strong hearts filled with love and courage,
Pat

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in the early 1920s. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.