By David Ockrassa
The Summer Solstice this year is on June 20th, at 7:08 PM EDT, 4:08 PM PDT.
We have the Sun, of course, at 00° Cancer at this time of year, every year. As with all four of the Cardinal Ingress charts, the Sun’s position isn’t the key factor to consider, since, by definition, it will always be at the same zodiacal position at these times. The Aspects the Sun makes to the other bodies-and the aspects they make to each other-in the chart tell the story. How that all interacts with your natal chart is what makes it personal to you.
While a bit on the wide side, the Sun continues its dance with Pluto, now in a rather wide opposition to the transformer. While the pressure of the square between them that was in the Spring Equinox chart felt like “outside” pressure requiring some adjustments in the changes you started with the Winter Solstice (where they were conjunct each other), now it seems that that same outside pressure is more overt. Rather then coming at you from the side, as it were, the opposition aspect is a more “in your face” pressure to reconsider the choices you’ve made. A time to honestly evaluate those decisions and actions and either modify them (more than what you might have done at the square), abandon them and go back to the “old” ways, or to recommit to them and continue on the path of change and growth.
Neptune is a key energy tied into this Sun - Pluto opposition, as it sits in a trine aspect to the Sun and a sextile to Pluto. Neptune, of course, is a key indicator of hopes and dreams, of our ability to transcend the mundane and pursue ideals. And, at the same time, and indicator of our capacity to engage in self-deception and our potential to idly wait for those ideals to happen, rather than acting to help them happen. Being trine to the Sun, it brings us the potential of infusing our consciousness with the thoughts of what would be ideal for us, but not necessarily the energy to make it happen. The sextile of Neptune to Pluto may help us to bring the energy of transformation to bear on manifesting those ideals. Neptune also happens to be square both Jupiter and Venus, the two benefics, and square aspects tend to be a bit challenging. Actually, a good arrangement for this chart, since the soft aspects like the trine and sextile, often need some hard aspects to kick start us to use their energy. (Soft aspects, especially the trine, often seem to be so easy that we neglect to put in the energy needed to fully capitalize on their potential. A concurrent hard aspect often provides the stimulus we need.) Jupiter, of course, is all about expansion and growth. Venus is a symbol of what we value and what we deem important, and in this chart they are together in Gemini. So while Neptune in Pisces speaks loudly (or whispers quietly and insistently) about our dreams, Jupiter and Venus bring in a need to gather and process information from a variety of sources, all Gemini concerns.
So, rather than just viewing the Sun-Pluto opposition as an in your face confrontation, we should take the opportunity to listen to the feedback from others and evaluate it in relation to what our hopes and dreams are. Some of what we hear will not be comfortable, but we shouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. Neither should we automatically accept the feedback that reinforces the ideas and actions we’ve taken. In both cases we need to objectively consider the information itself, and how it might-or might not-enhance the path we’ve chosen.
Adding to the mix, Uranus is square to both the Sun and Pluto, bringing in a pressure to break from the normal way of doing things. Pluto opposite the Sun is already a strong influence for change, although usually a slow and steady building until the volcano erupts! Uranus tends to be more sudden and unexpected, and often wants change just for the sake of change. So be very aware of feelings that you might have to toss out everything, as once the Uranus aspect changes, you might realize that what you’ve gotten rid of is something that you might have actually wanted to keep. Be selective in what you let Uranus change, and try to not burn any bridges! At the same time, be open to the potential need to drastically alter some part of the changes you’ve been making. Just don’t reflexively go with the flash of insight, but examine in in the context of what your goals really are, the steps you’ve taken to manifest them, and the other feedback you’re getting at this time, along with the flexibility and variety that Jupiter and Venus in Gemini are bringing into the mix.
Summer Solstice, familiarly known as the start of summer, really marks mid-summer, as the Sun has reached its highest point in the sky and now starts is descent. So it’s a time when we should be starting to think about reaping the benefits of what we planted back at the last Winter Solstice. While the crop isn’t yet ready to harvest, the fruits of our work are visible. It can be a time to cull the plants that aren’t healthy, and, of course, also continue the necessary weed control. Both of these activities are, of course, a constant part of our lives, but the Summer Solstice is a reminder to us to keep on with the work we decided on back in December, and the chart provides pointers to the best way to proceed.
