The first Eclipse Season of 2020 starts with a violent bang. The nationwide protests against police brutality cropped up and grew from Memorial Day Monday the 25th when George Floyd died in Minneapolis. Now in their second week, the protests are likely to continue through the Lunar Eclipse of Friday, June 5th despite curfews established in 37 cities across 22 states.

A Lunar Eclipse in the sign of Sagittarius can indicate religious or philosophical extremism. At the time of the June 5th Lunar Eclipse there are many planetary transits that fan the flames of these protests. At 14 degrees Sagittarius, this Lunar Eclipse falls firmly in the 1st house of the U.S. “Sibly” birth chart calculated for 5:10 p.m. on July 4th, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence received its first signature. A Lunar Eclipse in the 1st house signifies being unable to constrain our emotions. Events move very quickly and many things are “said and done” before we even have a chance to realize what is happening. 

This June and July we will actually experience two consecutive Lunar Eclipses. The first takes place on June 5th and the second on July 5th with one Solar Eclipse between them on June 21st. Lunar Eclipses take place at Full Moons when the Sun and Moon oppose each other. As “Full” Moon Eclipses they begin a new 6-month cycle until the arrival of the next Lunar Eclipse (this year on November 30th). But because we have two Lunar Eclipses this June and July the effect of the first one will be shorter lived, lasting about a month until the July Lunar Eclipse which will have the 6-month effect until November 30th. Now that the nodes of the Moon have moved into the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius, both solar and lunar eclipses will occur in the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius for the next 18 months.  As I mentioned in my column in May, both the 911 and the Corona Virus disasters took place with the nodes in security-conscious Cancer and Capricorn and it is with the nodes in Gemini and Sagittarius that the communications-centered and philosophically-oriented nodal period that solutions to the Cancer/Capricorn issues are found. 

June’s Lunar Eclipse on the 5th takes place on Friday the 5th at 3:12 p.m. EDT. The degree of this Lunar Eclipse is 14 degrees Sagittarius. If you have a copy of your natal chart, locate where 14 degrees Sagittarius falls in your house cusps. This will give you an idea of the life issue or issues that will be brought up between June 5th and July 5th with increased emotional intensity: 1st House: physical body, survival issues, self-defense, anger, entrepreneurial work; 2nd House: finances, personal values, physical beauty, feeling of being valued or not being valued; 3rd House: communications, short journeys, siblings, neighbors & friends; 4th House: family of origin, your physical house or home, deep emotions; 5th House: creativity, children, romance & risk taking; 6th House: daily work, diet, exercise, self-improvement and house pets; 7th House: marriage and business partners, diplomacy, grace, legal matters & the public; 8th House: sexual partners, shared resources, taxes & inheritance; 9th House: higher education, foreign or long-distance travel, philosophy & religion, large animals & publishing; 10th House: career, authority figures, position in society, management of resources; 11th House: charities, friends and people of like mind, unforeseen change, improvements & upgrades, adopted children, aunts uncles & cousins; 12th House: endings, meditation, disillusionment, change via dissolution, music, poetry, dance intuition & faith. 

From Thursday, June 4th through Saturday, June 6th The Lunar Eclipse Full Moon will oppose Venus at 13 degrees of Gemini and square Mars at 16 degrees Pisces. This potent mutable T-Square with aggressive Mars at its apex causes major disagreements even between people who normally get along very well.  With the Moon opposing Venus we are feeling extremely sensitive to criticism right now and can be very reactive to negative comments or slights. With the Moon squaring (or challenging) Mars, irritation and arguments are likely to come up regarding personal security, homelife and the balance between work and home life. This square (or challenge) can further inflame (Mars) emotional moods (Moon) creating a great sense of irritability, disagreement and even violence from June 4th to the 6th.

 During the week of the Lunar Eclipse, Venus at 13 degrees Gemini makes a close 3-degree square to transiting Mars. In relationships, with Venus representing women and Mars representing men, partnerships will be put to the test of emotional strain during this time. Tread lightly and give your partner the benefit of the doubt where possible but do hold your ground when needed. There are strong indications too of disagreements over finances (ruled by Venus.) With this Venus rising in the morning during this phase, she is currently in her aggressive “Morning Star” phase which the ancient Maya interpreted as a “Call to War.” Recent conflicts in China over whether the business-rich independent territory of Hong Kong should be re-absorbed as a Chinese territory, beginning as early as May 23rd, show us that major political and military conflicts are brewing. Starting with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on the evening of May 25th, many will find themselves walking the fine line between organized protest and lawlessness. 

Saturn entered the sign of Aquarius on March 23rd and stays in the sign until July 2nd when it retrogrades back into Capricorn until December 17th. Saturn or “Chronos” represents the evolutionary clock. With the killing of George Floyd marking the first overtly public act of police brutality and discrimination of the Saturn in Aquarius period, it is time for issues of equality to come front and center in human consciousness. The symbol for Aquarius is the wavelike equals sign. The Aquarian ideal is a planet where race, gender, sexual preference and religion are not a basis for discrimination. 

Former CNN news anchor, Bernard Shaw, speaking on CNN on Monday, June 1st was very eloquent in describing what is happening in the streets across the country now. “The American People, this great country of ours is under assault……This is a new movement against hatred, racism, anti-semitism and xenophobia. White Americans are realizing that they must step in to do their part. Black and brown people are realizing we must all do our part. The 1960’s had the Civil Rights Movement. This is a new movement underway RIGHT NOW.” To see Shaw’s actual commentary go to: https://www.chanute.com/news/national/video_30cf2a39-81f9-5af8-91f1-71f5f6ef679a.html

Try to get business accomplished by the 15th of June. Communications planet, Mercury, will go retrograde on Thursday, June 18th-- for 21 days-- until the 12th of July. This Mercury retrograde in the sign of Cancer will cause confusion and scarcity consciousness in the global marketplace. To counterbalance Mercury’s overthinking, financial goddess planet, Venus in Gemini, returns to shining directly and brightly on our world on Thursday the 25th.  Venus in Gemini has the power to initiate a return to positivity through swift multi-level, multi-tasking maneuvers. 

Happy Birthday Cancer! The Summer Solstice brings the Cancer Sun to our skies at 5:44 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 20th. Mars makes a potent square to the Moon in Gemini on this day making it a touchy day for emotional relationships especially because it arrives one day before the Solar Eclipse on the 21st. The Cancer Sun period will continue through Tuesday the 21st of July when it enters the sign of Leo. 

Sixteen days after the June 5th lunar eclipse, an annular Solar Eclipse at 1 degree Cancer takes place on June 21st. At this time the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun so the Moon covers all of the mighty Sun except for a small “annular” ring of light. This Solar Eclipse takes place on Father’s Day and just one day past the Summer Solstice. Each month the Sun conjunct the Moon begins a new 28-day cycle between the Earth’s luminaries. A Solar Eclipse magnifies this powerful time to initiate new action even further. Surprising and powerful events take place within a month on either side of a Solar Eclipse which can have a major effect upon our lives for ill or for good.  At the time of this Solar Eclipse, Saturn (newly arrived to 1 degree Aquarius) makes an almost exact quincunx to this Solar Eclipse New Moon. A delicate balance teeters on the brink between freedom and responsibility/restriction. At this time, we feel torn between Responsibility-- what we have to do (Saturn) versus Ego-- what we want to do (Moon.) It’s important to to make adjustments, no matter how slight, in order to create balance between the two principles. The Fourth of July holiday is just two weeks away and business owners and workers alike need to feel a renewed sense of encouragement and patriotism. We also need to practice restraint in order to stay healthy. With Covid resurgence in a number of states, most notably Florida, there is no room for relaxing safe health practices. Please wear a mask!  The fact that Solar Eclipses occur at the times of New Moons indicates that there are likely to be improved opportunities for Cancer-ruled restaurants and Mom and Pop businesses to get ahead now. This may occur through rollout of an improved and extended economic stimulus package. Owners of small business need to keep tuned to the news between 12th of June and the 3rd of July for details that may make life a whole lot better. 

In order to know how this June 21st Solar Eclipse will affect you, consult your astrological chart to find 1 degree of Cancer: The astrological house of your chart that contains 1 degree Cancer shows the area in which your life will be affected: 1st House: physical body, entrepreneurial work, survival issues; 2nd House: finances, personal values, physical beauty, feeling of being valued or not being valued; 3rd House: communications, short journeys, siblings, neighbors & friends; 4th House: family of origin, your physical house or home, deep emotions; 5th House: creativity, children, romance & risk taking; 6th House: daily work, diet, exercise and house pets; 7th House: marriage and business partners, diplomacy, grace, legal matters & the public; 8th House: sexual partners, shared resources, taxes & inheritance; 9th House: higher education, foreign or long-distance travel, philosophy & religion, large animals & publishing; 10th House: career, authority figures, position in society, management of resources; 11th House: charities, friends and people of like mind, unforeseen change, improvements & upgrades, adopted children, aunts uncles & cousins; 12th House: letting go of things that no longer serve us  endings, overwhelm, meditation, disillusionment, change via dissolution, music, poetry, dance intuition & Faith with a capital F! As in—I have Faith that I that all will be well despite the extreme ups and downs of these times. The human race and life on this planet is evolving, just as it should. 

The second of two very rare conjunctions of Jupiter and Pluto in the sign of Capricorn takes place on June 30th at 1:46 p.m. EDT. The first occurred on April 4th when both planets were direct. The second will take place in the very early morning of June 30th when both planets are retrograde. Major shifts in power, religion, and economics have occurred around 1771, 1522 and 1285 AD when other Capricorn Jupiter/Pluto conjunctions took place. Jupiter, also know as Zeus, the father of the Greco/Roman gods, represents the principle of expansion. As per astrologer Stephanie Austin, Pluto, the lord of the underworld, reveals where something must "die" in order to be transformed and evolve. In Capricorn, this means vanquishing old authoritarian beliefs around power and authority, ethics and responsibility. The April 4th conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto took place at the time of the early height of the COVID 19 pandemic. This second conjunction in retrograde June 30th has the potential to indicate a time of lessened new cases and deaths from the Corona Virus OR an increase of re-infections caused in great part by people protesting across the country without wearing masks. The third conjunction of the titans comes in November when both planets are direct again. 

Happy Birthday Gemini! The Sun arrives to your sign bright and early on Wednesday, May 20th at 9:49 a.m. From today through most of Saturday, June 20th the Gemini Sun will shine for us all. For the entire month of June, Saturn is newly arrived to Aquarius for the first time in 28 years. Having this major outer planet of self-discipline and life structure in a harmonious air-sign trine to your Sun makes May and June productive and inspiring months for the Twins. Saturn’s retrograde from May 11th until the 29th of September will see Saturn return for its last pass through the sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is the sign ruled by Saturn and, as such, it’s a heavier energy relating to old, paternalistic power hierarchies. This is a time for conservative politicians to take their last stab at maintaining their dominance in world politics and economic structures. As of December 18th, Saturn will return to egalitarian Aquarius and two days later, Jupiter will follow suit. Dominance by the few will no longer be tolerated and it is likely for police brutality protests to continue through 2021.  From mid-December of this year through the end of 2021, Geminis will experience a positive energy exchange with Jupiter, which expands your viewpoint on the world. Saturn in Aquarius will also be simpatico which makes work and taking on responsibility a whole lot easier than it’s been for quite some time. Knowing that you’ll have “a leg up” on the coming year, can allow you to expand your career, education and travel goals a bit. Effort will be required, as always, but some extra approval and assistance from higher ups and friends will smooth your path. 

Each year we look to the aspects your Sun makes to inner and outer planets to determine the type of year that awaits you. Please note: If you don’t see your birthday included in the aspects discussed you are not being forgotten or left out. This means that you are blessed to experience a year in the essence of Gemini: (Twins born between the 21st and the 31st of May and on the 18th and 19th of June will have an un-aspected Gemini year.)With an un-aspected Gemini year, you are likely to be involved in a stimulating area of research or practical study to help you get ahead in your career. Despite Covid 19 restrictions, you are also likely to travel nearby and perhaps abroad both for pleasure and business. Siblings and/or neighbors will be important to you this year. Do everything possible to mend bridges where it is needed and try to understand each other better.  All in all, this will be a great year ahead! Gemini Sun sign folks born between the 14th and the 20th of May will be blessed to experience a year in which their Sun trines (or is in harmony with) Jupiter, planet of expansion and good fortune. Your outlook is very positive and optimistic this year. You will feel like you can accomplish a lot, and you will be able to! Travel abroad or across the country is likely to come up and you will gain a lot from the practical experience this gives you. A new area of philosophical study is likely to come up or you may find yourself going back to school. Go for it! Your enthusiasm this year rubs off on others who feel they want to help. Enjoy! Twins born between the 1st and the 7th of June will experience a year in which their Sun will make a harmonious trine to Venus, planet of attraction and finance. This positive transit makes you feel well, both emotionally and physically. Relationships will tend to go smoothly for you this year as will friendships and business partnerships. Because Venus relates to our appreciation of beauty, the major pitfall to watch out for is overspending on a new home, furniture, clothing or beauty treatments. You are likely to want to invest in things that you find beautiful this year. They may be good investments but temper your spending with careful consideration. Don’t break the bank! Twins born on the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse of Friday the 5th will experience a year in which the Moon opposes their Sun. Tension between personal issues and feelings and your professional side can cause you to feel somewhat torn and overwhelmed this year. You may find yourself second-guessing yourself too much and losing sleep by overthinking your interactions with others. Your relationships with your romantic partner and your family are especially prone to be emotionally intense. If your relationships with family and romantic partner are stable however, this can be a year of finding balance between work and home life. Gemini Sun sign natives born between the 2nd and the 7th of June will experience a year in which their Sun makes a challenging square to Mars, planet of motivation, physical energy and aggression. Your energy levels fluctuate this year between high and crashes. Impatience on your part is likely to cause disagreements with others when things don’t go as you want them to. It’s important to be self-assertive but also to NOT overdo it. Be especially careful of creating conflicts with authorities. Finding a form of aerobic exercise that will help you work out your extra energy this year is important. You can get a LOT accomplished if you channel your energy into your work effectively. Gemini folks born between June 8th and the 14th will experience a year in which their Sun makes a challenging square to Neptune. Your energy levels are prone to being lower this year. At times you may not feel able to handle the demands of your normal work routine. You’ve been buzzing about a bit too much this past year and you will need to take more time off this year than usual. The effect of this transit is also psychological such that you feel beaten down and disillusioned by your surroundings. 2020 is not a year in which to expect to start new enterprises but the situation will improve in the first six months of 2021 once Jupiter and Saturn stand together in fellow air sign Aquarius. Go easy on yourself when your self-confidence wanes and allow yourself to just “be.” Self-compassion is called for.  The best days for Geminis to celebrate their birthdays this year are the Memorial Day weekend of May 23rd and 24th with the Moon in social butterfly Gemini on Saturday and Sunday and in homey Cancer on Monday,  Saturday, June 6th with the Moon in celebratory Sagittarius and the weekend of the 13th and 14th with the Moon in assertive Aries. Enjoy Twins!