New Moon in Cancer

This is on the 24th June, 3:30 am (GMT).

For this we have a stellium in Cancer: the sun and moon conjunct at 2 degrees Cancer, with Mercury and Mars also nearby. This speaks of emotionally charged, potentially painful communication about family and the past - the kind that opens up some kind of new start.

Home, heritage, family, food and feelings. That's Cancerian stuff. Feeding and nurturing your dependents and defending your home ground. Mom, apple pie and the atavastic sentimentality those ideas call up. Tribalisms and nationalisms of all kinds – Cancer at worst is clannish and clingily focused on “my” people, distrusting outsiders.

As Mercury is involved with this new moon, there will be discussions of feelings, primal needs and family issues. Emotions / thinking / communication will be bound up together.

With Mars involved, interactions will be tense. Mars in Cancer has to do with intense emotional energy and rapidly shifting moods, and it can be touchy and defensive. In this case, Mars also squares Jupiter exactly, which amps up the emotional energy and edgy "hangriness". (It's a good idea to fill up on comfort food before approaching tense discussions.)

Hangry care bear

Mars-Jupiter aspects are about leaping before you look, and getting yourself into hot water via careless aggression. In this case, the aspect speaks of relationship imbalance and disharmony brought on by emotionally-driven aggression.

Pluto is also involved, meaning the issues here are profound and disturbing. This is a cardinal T-square that will be in effect till mid-July, and there's nothing light about it - it's harsh and full of potential ugliness. A lot of painful shit (especially family shit) is likely to be exposed, and you can expect some rage attendant upon that. But deep structural change is demanded here, and the point is balance and fairness - there are wrongs to be redressed. Resisting this will do nobody any good.

Anyway, heading into these choppy waters, please remember: just because you feel something is true doesn't mean it is! Hold back and try to ascertain the facts. Try to stay balanced and to see the other's point of view – this is an important theme, with Jupiter in Libra.

You can either speak your deeply held convictions here, or blurt hurtful things out of irrational rage - it's up to you. Fighting things to the death is possible, but also pointless. Neptune aspects the new moon beneficially, meaning softness, compassion, forgiveness and acceptance will be helpful.

For this new moon, Venus in Taurus also trines Pluto exactly. There's solid love underneath the conflict - something valuable to be protected. Please try to remember that.

We're dealing with a lot of intensity this month, in the next two weeks especially. The run-up to the full moon in Capricorn on the 9th July is very heavy, and that full moon itself is a doozy of emotional violence.

The changes we're undergoing, in the context of family especially, are powerful and long-term. Conflict on the world stage is to be expected as well. It will be hard to keep a cool head about any of this stuff, when so much emotion is involved, but here's hoping cooler heads will prevail.

These are dangerous days. Women especially are likely to feel under fire. Please be nice to your mom - she'll need it.

Full Moon in Sagittarius

James Comey, Sagittarius sun

This is Friday the 9th June, at about 2 pm GMT.

Sagittarius is expansive, optimistic, enthusiastic, ideological. Also sometimes inflated and over-the-top – the sign is ruled by Jupiter, who embiggens everything he touches, for good or ill.

Sagittarius is the storyteller of the zodiac, the teacher, and also the traveler. It's fitting, as every story is a journey of sorts: it has a beginning, a trajectory and a destination – like the arrow released by the archetypal archer of the sign. And it has a mark to hit: a moral or purpose to impart.

Concerned with seeking capital-T truth, Sagittarius is opposite in the zodiac to Gemini, which frenetically networks and communicates and tweets bullshit without being particularly concerned about truth or falsity or overarching meaning. Gemini represents the Trickster archetype: fast-talking, manipulative, and as good at using language to get into trouble as out of it.

DJT, Gemini sun

Sagittarius is the faculty that connects the dots and finds the story in the disparate data, and also the moral of the story. The sign can be tediously moralistic and philosophical, pontificating at length, too earnest to notice how bored everyone else is of listening. But it does see the forest where Gemini sees...just a bunch of fun trees to swing around in.

OK, so a full moon in Sagittarius will always involve some tension between raw information (Gemini) and intuiting an overarching meaning (Sagittarius)... Or  trickery vs. truth and morality. Or multiple stories, and the task of figuring out which to believe in.

This full moon is kind of extra though – kind of over-the-top. For one thing, it's bound up in the grand fire trine between Saturn in Sagittarius, Uranus in Aries and the north node in Leo, which is a big rush of future-oriented energy and inspiration.

But the really yuuuuge news here is Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius (hence dispositor of this full moon). He is stationing direct after a five month retrograde – and on the same day and at the same time as the full moon (around 2 pm GMT). It's a bit mind-blowing – you couldn't make this stuff up. It's happening in Libra, a sign preoccupied with relationships and justice -  so you can expect some progress in these matters.

Jupiter is all over this full moon. In addition to ruling it and resuming direct motion during it, he also beneficially aspects it. It's a LOT of Jupiter action, nearly too much. But as Jupiter is known as the “Great Benefic”, bestowing blessings, hope and good cheer, this should be OK!

It's full speed ahead, basically. But there is a catch. Actually there are a few catches.

Firstly: Jupiter is squaring Pluto in Capricorn, meaning there is some deep, systemic rot to be cleaned up before you can proceed, and it's not likely to be an easy or pleasant task. It will have to be dealt with, though. It's likely this rot has to do with issues you were dealing with at the new moon, when we had a Venus-Pluto square dragging relationship skeletons out of the closet. Some imbalance or injustice will have to be addressed -- and this is the right time to do so, because you'll be able to see the bigger picture.

And secondly (and connected), Saturn in Sagittarius is involved with this full moon. Saturn brings blocks, delays, trials and commitments. The moon will conjunct Saturn 12 hours after the full moon, meaning you get your jolt of elation and then you're faced with a sober reckoning. You can work with this by being absolutely truthful (Saturn in Sagittarius demands truth), walking your talk, keeping your commitments and putting the necessary work in. Provided you do the work and are willing to make a commitment, Saturn will help you build a solid path toward wherever your inspiration is leading you.

The third catch is Neptune; a dreamy, deluded, dissolute influence. Neptune squares this full moon and uncomfortably aspects Jupiter – meaning you probably shouldn't take too much on faith, or believe too wholeheartedly in your (or anyone else's) victim-stories. Strive to see and think clearly. There will be plenty of lies swirling around.

Overall though, it's an inspired, hopeful, truth-telling moon – and very consequential. We are seeing the outlines of the future take shape, and we are finally moving in a viable direction. It should feel pretty good, and we can afford to hope that justice will prevail. Keep in mind, though, that there is some not-so-pleasant work to do and some sacrifice demanded before you can achieve your goals.