Aries
June 2009

1st House
Conjunction, beginning of a New Cycle - Directly in your sign

Power dates: 1^st and 6^th June

The power couple of the cosmos is definitely Mars and Venus, the planets of passion and desire and it's here in your sign that they have been working as a team since Mars arrived on the 23^rd April and Venus returned on the 24^th April, after a brief 12 day reprieve.

Venus is the planet that set things in motion when she first returned to your sign on the 3^rd February, a visit that she makes once a year, spending around 4 weeks. This not only marks a period when you have Venus in your sign but is also the foundation for a brand new Venus cycle. But here we are 4 months on and she's only just getting ready to leave. It was Venus' retrograde period and the 12 days that this took her back out of your sign in April, and the Sun and Mercury's impact during that time that has allowed you to view things from every possible angle, to a point that during Venus and Mars' 6 weeks here, you've been able to pull things together.

When a planet is in your sign, you have the confidence and the enthusiasm to begin new things, take the initiative and take advantage of the fact that you have a fresh slate to write on. This puts you at the start of a new cycle, giving you a sense that you're able to start over, with an opportunity for a do over, with the wisdom and experience gained in the past, combined with an opportunity to open new doors.

With Venus, planet of love, desire and attraction and Mars, planet of passion, drive and ambition and your ruling planet, in your sign, it also means that they are giving you their full attention, focused on giving you the opportunities you need, but also challenging you, making sure the time they spend in your sign isn't wasted. They both need to know that you're going to make the time they're here count. So while there is a huge amount of opportunity, there is always going to be some pressure, which is par for the course. You need that pressure, to keep you on your toes and to make sure that you don't miss the bus, because your head is in the sand.

It was Mars who managed to move into your sign before Venus had a chance to return and while Venus usually travels a lot faster than Mars, still recovering speed after her retrograde period, she has been unable to catch up. This means that throughout Venus and Mars' time in your sign, it was Mars that has been in the lead and for most of the time gaining distance on Venus, so that she has been constantly in his shadow, her only view of him, from the back a position she is neither used to nor likes. This also means that it has been Mars that has been leading and driving things and as the planet of passion, drive and ambition and your ruling planet, this has meant you've been able to take a bold approach, that is likely to have had you leaping first before you've had a chance to decide if it's what you wanted or not. However, it's that kind of risk taking that is bringing you back into your own familiar territory, so is likely to have been giving you a real boost in confidence. Mars is your ruling planet, so to have him take the lead from Venus may have been a problem for other signs, but not for you. This is just the way you like it.

While it will be sad to see Mars leave your sign on the 1^st June, bringing your Mars return to an end, it means that Venus is finally able to take the lead. This creates a situation where the planet of love, desire and attraction and the planet that rules through the heart, is able to finish what she started, without Mars' adrenaline. It is the few short days between when Mars leaves on the 1^st June and Venus leaves on the 6^th June, that you have a chance to really listen to your heart and Venus has a chance to pretty up what she started, cleaning up any blood left on the floor from Mars' battles and ensure that things are not only as good as they were when she arrived, but so much better.

Venus doesn't spend 4 months in your sign only to see you emerge with things the same as they were when she arrived. This has been an exceptional opportunity to understand, listen to and follow your heart and it's in these final few days, between the 1^st and the 6^th June, that she'll be moving heaven and earth to ensure that you not only get the results you want now, but that things are on a path where they can continue, long after she's gone.

Once Venus leaves your sign on the 6^th June, apart from the Moon's visit once a month and a Full Moon in October, there'll be no more activity here until March next year, when once again it will be Venus who will reach here first. It's in the first 6 days of the month then, that you're wrapping things up and putting them on the path that you want them to continue on. With Saturn due to move into your relationship sector at the end of October and with some stunning romantic time kicking in at the same time, it's more important than ever that you let your heart decide, where to from here.
 

2^nd House
Income, Earnings and Self Value

Power dates: 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 8, 9^th, 14^th, 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, 21^st, 22^nd, 23^rd and 24^th June

It's on the 1^st June, the very first day of the month that Mars, planet of passion, drive and ambition leaves your sign, temporarily putting him on a different page from Venus as he turns his focus onto your income sector, which then becomes his next battlefield.

Mars moves into your income sector at around 8.30 in the morning on the 1^st June, New Zealand time and at that stage Mercury, in retrograde motion since he returned here on the 14^th May, had only turned direct 18 hours before, mid afternoon on the 31^st May. Mercury, still groggy, slow and sluggish from having had to come to a standstill to turn direct and still shaking off his retrograde lethargy, is suddenly swept up in a maelstrom of Mars energy, which has arrived to get things moving now. Mars is the planet of both passion and war and he's in your income sector to fight for your rights and he's here to get things moving, from the moment that he arrives.

This takes an area of your chart that just 24 hours before was slow and very focused on the past and the area where there were caution and 'go slow' signs everywhere, to something that is now moving at high speed. Just as Mercury turns the lights green and gives the okay to focus on the future, but not necessarily move forward too soon, Mars comes along and puts his foot on the accelerator. While Mercury would have favoured a gradual building up of speed, Mars doesn't have time for that, so from Day 1 of the new month, as far as your income situation and getting what you deserve and are entitled to across the board is concerned and whether you're ready or not, you're hitting the ground running.

Over the course of the week, as you adjust to the abrupt change of focus and as Mercury slowly gains some momentum, you'll get a handle on this, but at the start Mars, who normally moves 3 times slower than Mercury, is moving much faster, asserting this authority from the get go. Mercury will eventually build up speed, but to start with Mars is moving at a much faster speed, stirring things up and creating a hunger and a drive for more and the willingness to either fight for what you want or to defend what you have.

When Venus, planet of desire and money, arrives on the 6^th June she restores some order, creating a situation where heart, mind and passion are all focused on not only knowing what you want, creating a sense of entitlement, but also on how to make it happen. Here you have the confidence, daring and the desire needed to turn desires into reality.

Having all 3 in your income sector and with all, at the start anyway, moving at relatively the same speed, creates a very balanced state of affairs. It is not often that you have heart, mind and passion working in unison, especially with Mars giving you the confidence and the audacity to start breaking through some glass ceilings.

Your income sector is the area of the chart that the ancients called the 'house of earned income and self value'. While this is a rich, fertile and abundant part of your chart, it's not just about the money. At its core, this is about desire and a sense of entitlement. When your income sector is active you're not only a lot more confident, you feel a lot more deserving and genuinely affronted when you don't get what you want or when others fail to recognise your worth or respect you. Add the fact that the laws of attraction are working in your favour and you can see that when your income sector is active, that you're more likely to get what you want.

You want it and you know you deserve it and that puts the laws of attraction into overdrive. It's the sense of entitlement and belief in what you deserve, that often sees you set more bottom lines and defend them more vigorously. You know what you want, what you deserve and how you should be treated.

Having Venus, planet of desire and money, Mars planet of passion, drive and ambition and Mercury, planet of communication and smart thinking, in your income sector has turned you into a money making machine, sure of what you want and deserve and how to make it happen. Even if you don't feel that confidence straight away, move into the new month willing to fake it till you make it.

As well as the benefit that comes from having Venus, Mercury and Mars working as a team in your income sector, this also puts them at a very complimentary angle to both Pluto and Saturn. Your income sector is ruled by Earth Sign Taurus and this puts Venus, Mercury and Mars at a very positive angle to Saturn, moving through Earth sign Virgo and Pluto, moving through Earth sign Capricorn.

It is Pluto, moving through your career sector that Venus and Mars will impact first, Mars moving into a very positive trine on the 4^th/5^th June and Venus on the 8^th/9^th June. This puts your income sector and your career sector in a situation where they are actively supporting each other, just as things are starting to move forward on the job front.

While Venus, Mercury and Mars come together early in the month, they will only spend just over a week together, with Mercury leaving your income sector on the 14^th June. It is just 4 days after that, that Venus finally manages to catch up with Mars, aligning with him on the 18^th June and staying aligned until the 24^th June. It is this 6 day period that is going to see the balance of power shift and some very powerful forces come into play, so much so that this is a 6 day period that has the power to change everything.

It is during the course of the 6 days that they are aligned that Venus catches up with Mars and when this alignment ends on the 24^th June, it's because Venus finally takes the lead, which means that it is your desires, rather than Mars' bold sense of daring and leaning towards battle that is now in charge and is the lead planet here.

It is also during this time that two other events happen, that makes this a history making time. Having Venus and Mars, the planets of money and passion, in your income sector at the same time, is good news and not an every year event. While Venus visits your income sector once a year and Mars once every 2 years, the last time that they were together here, in your income sector was 5 years ago, in 2004. Even though they were here together, the last time that they aligned here, was in May 1979, just over 30 years ago. So this is a rare opportunity to not only have Venus and Mars aligned in your income sector, but for 6 days. It is during those 6 days that 2 special events take place, which because of when they take place puts even more significance on things.

The first happens on the 20^th June when, with Venus and Mars still aligned, the Moon becomes involved, forming a triple alignment between the Moon, Venus and Mars. It is so rare to have the Moon, Venus and Mars align, that the last time that it happened anywhere, in any area of your chart was in August 1987, 22 years ago. This takes an already powerful alignment and allows you to get right inside it, emotionally, intuitively and spiritually. This allows you to become 100 percent engaged and enveloped in the energy of this amazing alignment.

As if that wasn't support enough, it is the very next day, after the Moon has moved on and while Venus and Mars are still locked in the embrace of their alignment, that they move as one into an exact trine with Saturn, moving through your work sector.

Saturn is the patriarch of the solar system and in direct motion since the 17^th May, he's fast becoming a power house. In this positive trine position, Saturn is saying to both Venus and Mars, 'how can I help you', while Venus and Mars are saying back to Saturn, 'how can we help you'?  This is extremely positive for both your income and your work sectors and gives you the opportunity to move forwards on both fronts.

It is during the 6 days that Venus and Mars align, that they effectively gain a blessing from first Pluto, then the Moon and finally Saturn, at a time when you would have already been happy with an alignment that is giving you the kind of advantages you haven't had in 30 years.

No wonder Mercury had to spend time in retrograde motion, ensuring that things were in place and that the ground work had been done, for it's giving you the mental focus and has allowed you to take the trial runs, that will position you to make the most of the advantages this brings.

Once this alignment finishes on the 24^th June, Venus will take the lead and it's from that point that Mars will fall to the back of the field, where he'll stay for the rest of the year. Venus and Mars will stay in your income sector for the rest of the month, Venus leaving on the 5^th July and Mars on the 12^th July. 

3^rd House
Communication, Smart, Intellectual thinking - The conscious Mind

Power dates: 14^th, 16^th, 17^th, 18^th and 21^st June

When Mercury, planet of communication and smart thinking, eventually returns to your communication sector on the 14^th June, a month to the day since his retrograde period took him back out, he joins forces with the Sun, who has kept things in motion since late last month. It was the Sun, who arrived a week after Mercury left, that has taken the ideas that Mercury originally evoked and the blueprints and half finished designs left on the drawing board and run them through reality checks, putting as much insight into things as possible.

This means that when Mercury returns on the 14^th June, not only is he a lot wiser, having had a chance to put things into perspective, but the Sun has made things a lot clearer. This means that you're able to very quickly get things moving, with Mercury adding to what the Sun has already created, by bringing a sharp, intelligent and astute focus to an area of your chart that Mercury rules and where he is right at home.

With the Sun spending the first 3 weeks of the month in your communication sector, leaving on the 21^st June and Mercury arriving on the 14^th June and not leaving until next month, this creates continuous coverage by either the Sun, Mercury or both, throughout the month. With Venus and Mars both arriving next month, this gives you a chance to become a lot more mentally focused, as well as open the communication lines.

This is the intellectual hub of your chart and when there is planetary activity here, it has an impact on every part of your chart and every aspect of your life. When your communication sector is active, you're smarter, more mentally focused, your mind is sharper, you're more astute and you're a lot more articulate.

When your communication sector is active you have your finger on the pulse across the board and are a lot more astute in situations, personal or professional, and is the advantage that you need when it comes to tying all the themes at work in your income, work and career sectors together. Any situation or aspect of your life that is going to benefit from a smart and intelligent approach or from having open communication lines, will be better off

You're able to see things more clearly. Your perception is sharper, more objective, more astute, savvy and on the ball. Because this isn't confined to any one specific part of your chart or your life, this is an advantage in any situation where smart, sharp thinking or being able to express yourself is an advantage.

When there is any kind of activity in your communication sector, regardless of the planet and even regardless of the aspects, and even more so when it's the Sun and Mercury, you're always a lot more likely to succeed, for you have the mental skills to put you at the top of your game, overcome challenges and seize opportunities, turning even challenges into opportunities. Most of all it allows you to communicate effectively.

The Sun moves through your communication sector at this time every year, so this is where your focus is usually at this time of the year. Your aim, by the time that the Sun leaves, is to have things in focus, to know where you're going, what you have to work with and you have a game plan, strategy or blueprint to work from and that the communication lines are open.

Having the Sun in the lead and staying that way all year, apart from the times when Mercury will temporarily take the lead, means that you won't be going into things with your eyes shut. When Mercury returns this month and Venus and Mars next month, they won't be flying blind. This is the difference between night and day, with the Sun literally throwing the spotlight on things so that you know exactly what you're dealing with, ensuring that not just now and not just here in your communication sector, but for the rest of the year, you won't be going into any new situations under cover of night or with the shades pulled down, you'll be able to see what you're dealing with.

Moving through your communication sector the Sun is calling for reality checks, but they are the kind of reality checks that come with the confidence that comes from knowing that you have Mercury, Venus and Mars on the way, to back you up.

By the time that the Sun leaves on the 21^st June, your aim is to get things out in the open and to a point where you know exactly what you're dealing with, without the pressure that Pluto would have put on things, in the past. 

9^th House
Travel, Exploration, Learning, Study and Freedom

Power dates: 8^th June

Before the Sun leaves your communication sector and before Mercury even returns, the Sun will be challenged by a Full Moon in your sector of travel, adventure, learning and discovery, on the 8^th June, a Full Moon that always challenges your excuses and urges you out of a rut, at this time of year.

A Full Moon always falls when the Sun and Moon are in opposition, so while the Moon is moving through this very adventurous part of your chart, the Moon itself has no light, so the light you see and the light being beamed into your sector of travel, adventure, learning and discovery, is sunlight coming from your communication sector, so is very, smart and savvy, able to cut through your own excuses.

This is part of the reason why Full Moons are so complex, because they bring two very different agendas to a head at the same time.

As well as challenging the Sun and challenging things on the communication front, this is a Full Moon that very much has its own agenda. Falling in your sector of travel, adventure, learning and discovery, this is the first real activity you've had here since last December and the first real chance to bring things to a head, since Pluto finally left at the end of last November.

Your sector of travel, adventure, learning and discovery was active from 1995, right through until late last year when Pluto, planet of change and revolution, finally left. So this Full Moon is going to be making sure that you haven't forgotten to challenge the status quo and that you haven't fallen asleep at the wheel, letting life become all work and no play.

When your sector of travel, adventure, learning and discovery is active, it isn't just a time when you feel a greater sense or need for freedom and adventure, it is a time when you are feeling a lot more curious, hungry for richer, more meaningful experiences, more knowledge and understanding and the freedom to make your own decisions and choices. You're also likely to feel a lot more confident, with the Moon in a trine and therefore positive position to your sign. It is the fact that the Moon is only here for such a short time that brings a sense of urgency to take action.

This is the area of your chart that is often referred to as the 'house of travel' or the 'house of learning'. That's because this is the area of your chart that evokes a sense of curiosity and hunger for knowledge, adventure and discovery, with the curiosity and sense of daring and confidence to follow where that leads.

When your 9^th House is active, you're more likely to take risks, go off script and to want to move out of your comfort zone or out of a rut. A curiosity for life and for learning is evoked and soon becomes a hunger that creates an appetite for more.

This is the most exciting, most dynamic and vibrant part of your chart, waking you up to not only how exciting life is, but to the fact that regardless of how long you've been an armchair tourist in your own life, that it changes, right here, right now.

For the whole time that the Moon is in your sector of travel, adventure, learning and discovery, which is the day of the Full Moon and a day either side, expect life to be a lot more exciting and your tolerance to boredom a lot lower.

So heed any messages that this Full Moon brings, for they'll be aimed at getting your attention, both to the things that you've let slip without Pluto continually reminding you, but also where you need to have a plan or strategy or to give any strong feelings a voice, putting them into words. After this Full Moon delivers its wake up call and the Moon moves on, there'll be no more activity here until November, when the Sun and Mercury arrive, ahead of Venus. 

4^th House
Home, Family and Property

Power dates: 21^st and 23^rd June

When the Sun leaves your communication sector, on the 21^st June, he moves into your home, family and property sector, bringing the first lot of activity here, apart from the Moon's monthly visit, since last July. It is going to be immediate from the start that this is no usual annual catch up, for while the Sun moves into your home, family and property sector at this time every year, you are being almost immediately challenged to up your game, especially when it comes to having the right work/life balance.

This is the area of your chart that rules your home, family and property situation and also the habits, rituals and routines that collectively create a lifestyle that is unique to you, the cushion that comforts and protects you from life's pressures and gives you a sense of identity. It also represents your heritage, your roots, your sense of belonging and your parentage, all the things that mean 'family' to you.

Because these are the things that create our sense of 'normal', we don't usually appreciate or even notice them, until there's pressure, we're away from home or our routine is thrown out. This is the wallpaper behind our lives, the backdrop that the rest of your life plays out against. When it's functioning well we hardly even notice it or it is simply a soft place to fall at the end of a busy day, but when it's not functioning well or we're cut off from it, we struggle to cope, we feel vulnerable and feel a real lack of support.

Your lifestyle, your home and your family are so much part of you that what is happening there is often a reflection of what is happening internally. We usually take where and how we live for granted, for so long as there are no squeaky wheels, things usually run on autopilot, so much so that it's common for things to veer off course or get forgotten, simply because life gets in the way.

Within just 36 hours of the Sun arriving in your home, family and property sector and when you're still getting a feel for where things stand this year, the Moon moves in, aligning with the Sun to form a New Moon. To have a New Moon fall so early after the Sun arrives, means that you've hardly even taken your shoes off at the door and had a look around, before you're being asked to take charge and start making decisions, decisions that may even have to be made under duress. For not only does this bring all the opportunities, the chance for new beginnings and the opening of new doors that a New Moon always brings, except with hardly a chance to get your bearings, it puts both the Moon and Sun, aligned at the same degree, in direct opposition with Pluto, moving through your career sector.

This is the first time since Pluto moved permanently into your career sector last November, that he has been opposed by the Sun and while for the next 16 years this is destined to be an annual event, this is the first time this has happened in your lifetime, here in your home, family and property sector. So while this is an annual event and a time of year when your focus turns to your home situation, never before have things seemed so urgent nor the perceived pressure so great. To have this happening right on a New Moon, could see things coming to a head very quickly, with a chance for new beginnings or choices to be made, not only when you haven't had a chance to consider all your options, but under pressure from Pluto.

 hat's enough to cause anyone to panic, especially if you feel that you have to get it right the first time or that this is it, your one chance and then it's gone. The reality is that this is likely to seem more dramatic, pressured and urgent than it actually is and in fact, it brings to mind my cat Stimpy.

To be kind and to put it mildly, Stimpy is a wimp, a fly would frighten her and if you move too fast, she'll run for cover. The reason that I think of Stimpy when I think of what's happening during this New Moon, is that a couple of months ago, not long after we moved into our new house, the cat over the back fence came over to check out its new neighbours. Stimpy, the wimpiest cat in the world puffed up like a peacock, her hair completely on end, making her seem twice her normal size and she howled and hissed so you could hear her across the neighbourhood. The other cat took one look at her and ran, never daring to come back again. Go Stimpy!

The reason why this Pluto opposition with the New Moon reminds me of Stimpy, is because it's a lot like that, all puffed up, angry and seeming to put you under a lot of pressure, but it's a lot of hype compared to the reality.

Yes, you do have a New Moon just 36 hours after the Sun moves into your home, family and property sector and yes, it's coming under direct pressure from Pluto, but it's not nearly as formidable as it seems. To start with, because this New Moon falls so soon after the Sun arrives, the Moon will be back before the Sun leaves, which means that next month you will be getting a second New Moon, along with all the second chances this brings. Not only will Pluto not be in opposition next month, but next month's New Moon will be a solar eclipse and a total solar eclipse at that, the most powerful of all eclipses. If a New Moon can open new doors, then the total solar eclipse next month has the power to blow the door off its hinges.

Even the pressure from Pluto is something that Mercury, Venus and Mars will all face when they each move into your home, family and property sector over the coming months and it will be your reality for the next 16 years, so it's something that you're going to get used to. So while this may scare you and make you feel pressured and threatened, it's more hype than anything else. Don't dismiss it though, for the solar eclipse next month is going to open the door to some huge new opportunities, so respect the power behind this New Moon and the input from Pluto, but don't by any means think that it means that you have to pull off some super human feat, solving things on the spot or that you're in a do or die battle. It's a wake up call and an important one, but not a frightening or a daunting one.

With this pressure coming from Pluto, moving through your career sector and with such a supportive alliance between your income, work and career sectors, it is more important than ever that you create the right work/life balance and that you make your home your castle. Heed any urgent wake up calls, but view it as an alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning, not a fire alarm that once set, won't turn off. This could create a sense that you've got to accomplish everything right away, which isn't the case, but it does give you a wake up call early enough in the game, that you're able to point things in the right direction. 

11^th House
Friendships, Teamwork and Hopes and Wishes

Power dates: 14th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st June

The exceptional forces at work in your sector of friendship, teamwork and networking continue this month, but also change direction. It was last month that Neptune, in your friendship sector since 1998 and Chiron, here since 2005 aligned, for the first time in the 4 years that they have been here together. It has taken Chiron, who travels approximately 3 times as fast as Neptune, this time to finally catch up and as fate should have it, this happens just as Jupiter, planet of luck, also reached Neptune.

Neptune is the planet that represents our dreams and our spirituality. He is the planet that allows us to put on our rose coloured glasses and escape from reality, into the world of dreams, fantasies and illusion. He is the planet that creates a sense of magic and allows us to aspire to things beyond the norm and beyond our current reality. He is the planet of dreams. Chiron, only discovered in 1977, is not a planet in the traditional sense, but orbits between Saturn and Uranus and represents the wounded healer within all of us and is the planet that holds onto our cosmic or karmic wound, creating the opportunity to heal and grow. He is the planet of healing.

Neptune has an orbit of 165 years and Chiron of just over 50 years, so it is very rare for these planets to meet up in the same sign, let alone align. The last time that this happened was in September 1945, when they aligned just once and the time before that was in March 1880, so this is a very rare event, bringing an opportunity to bring the part of us that can dream and imagine, together with the old wounds and therefore old triggers. What are the odds then that this would happen just as Jupiter, the planet of luck, good fortune and expansion, should not only be in the same sign when this happens, but at the same spot. Talk about being in the right place, at the right time.

Neptune and Chiron aligned on the 10^th May and will stay aligned until the 21^st June, but it was on the 21^st May that Jupiter, planet of luck, joined this alignment, creating a rare triple alignment between Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron, from the 21^st May to the 12^th June. This alignment only breaks up on the 12^th June because Jupiter moves on 1 degree but just 3 days later, on the 15^th June he turns retrograde, moving back into alignment with Neptune and Chiron from the 19^th to the 21^st June. This time it's Chiron that breaks away from the alignment, with Neptune and Jupiter aligned from the 21^st June to the 11^th July.

The reason why there is so much coming and going, with these alignments that only just came together last month, moving together, apart and together again, is because while all 3 were aligned Neptune and Chiron turned retrograde, Neptune on the 30^th May and Chiron on the 31^st May and then Jupiter, on the 15^th June. It is as though the part of the sky, which is 26 degrees Aquarius, ruler of your sector of friendship, teamwork and networking, where they have aligned is a post, that they have all slowed down to turn around and then once around, are each moving away at different speeds. They will all come together here again in December, at roughly the same degree and even after Jupiter leaves in January next year, Neptune and Chiron will continue to align, throughout next year.

So there is something deep and profound happening here, playing out through your interactions with others, that is far more significant than what's happening on the surface and while Jupiter visits here once every 12 years, it has never been this significant and it never will be again.

Your friendship sector is the friendliest and most social part of your chart, but this is also the area of your chart where the laws of synchronicity operate. This is an area of your chart that is all about people and connecting, a sense of community, of belonging and about companionship and networking.

When there is planetary activity in your friendship sector a need to connect and to be part of something or to belong is a lot stronger, as well as a need to have a purpose, to feel you're contributing to something and that you're making a difference. This evokes a real sense of community and a sense of being drawn to do your part or a knowing that it's through others and those you associate with, that you'll find yourself and your true path. It is a basic human need to know that you matter, that you make a difference and that need is stimulated, when your sector of friendship, teamwork and networking is active. 

This is an area of your chart that reminds you of your humanity and of your need to contribute, that the mortgage or the price you pay for being alive, is that you owe something to others, whether it's through being involved in your community, practicing random acts of kindness or just being a good friend, a good neighbour or a good citizen of the planet.

This is also the area of your chart that operates through a sense of synchronicity or coincidences that aren't really coincidences, sometimes known as fate or chance. You're more likely to find yourself in the right place, at the right time.

With Jupiter not turning retrograde until the 15^th June, he will spend the whole month almost stationary, as will Neptune and Chiron, deepening the impact and giving you an opportunity to pay attention. This also marks the real turning point in Jupiter's transit through your sector of friendship, teamwork and networking, bringing the first of the three stages, all about exploring your options and the possibilities, to an end. It is on the 15^th June that you begin the second or middle phase, where you review how far things have come since Jupiter arrived here on the 6^th January, pulling back and revising and also going back over old ground, looking for missed opportunities, when Jupiter first crossed over this point. In retrograde motion until October, this is more about taking the connections you have already made to a deeper level, spending more time with old friends and reconnecting to the past, in order to re establish or strengthen connections or bonds and in the process learning more about yourself. 

6^th House
Work, Employment and Health

Power dates: 1^st, 15^th, 21^st, 22^nd and 28^th June

While Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron are all slowing down and by the 15^th June will all be in retrograde motion Saturn, the planet that had been in retrograde motion since the 1^st January, is now in direct motion and staying that way until he leaves your work, employment and health sector, on the 30^th October.

This brings you into the final chapter of a transit that began on the 3^rd September 2007, when Saturn first moved into your work, employment and health sector. His focus now is on wrapping things up and even though he will return for a few months next year, that will be more about checking in that you haven't forgotten your mission and that things are on track. Even though Saturn will return, his function then won't be to get things moving, as it is now.

By the time we move into June, Saturn will have been in direct motion for just 2 weeks, so he is still moving extremely slow, but he is focused on the future and he is moving, which at this point, is all that matters. It's a case of, it doesn't matter how fast things are moving, so long as you're on the right path, moving in the right direction, finding your own pace and putting the kind of energy you need into a situation, either on the work front or in terms of your own energy levels, no more and no less.

This is the area of the chart that rules your work, employment and health situation, as well as being the busiest, most active and productive part of your chart. Some of the key words associated with this area of your chart are productivity and practicality. The ancients called this area of your chart the 'house of service to others', which means putting your own needs aside in order to serve others, either for someone else's direct benefit in that you are caring for them, or because it's your job to.

This is a busy and selfless energy, one that allows you to delay your own gratification in order to get the job done, in order to help out or just because there are too many demands. This is an energy that is all about taking a head down, tail up approach to just getting in there and getting the job done. 

When your work, employment and health sector is active, you're likely to be busy and driven by a force that says it can't wait, it's got to be done now and there aren't enough hours in the day. This is also the area of your chart that rules your health, more specifically your energy levels and your overall approach to your health and sense of wellbeing. Because you're more likely to be busy and on the go, with lots of demands on your time, anything that isn't right, if you're getting enough sleep, eating the right things or taking care of yourself, becomes a lot more significant and has the power to trip you up.

Saturn is known as a tough planet and he wasn't the most popular planet in the solar system in the first 4 months of the year, when between November 2008 and April 2009 we experienced 6 Saturn oppositions, but those are behind us, for now anyway. Saturn is the planet that brings challenges, because he is the 'tough love' planet, aware that we learn by making mistakes, through taking responsibility and through overcoming challenges and dealing with the consequences of our choices and actions.

In retrograde motion in your work, employment and health sector, Saturn was urging you to pull back, take a slow and deliberate approach and focus more on taking responsibility for the past, holding you back on a leash if you tried to move forward.  Now in direct motion, Saturn has taken the tether straps off and has pointed you towards the future, with support coming from Venus and Mars, moving through your income sector. No matter how much you may want to run before you can walk, with Pluto still in retrograde motion in your career sector, it's all about baby steps at this point. 

10^th House
Career and Professional goals and ambitions, success

Power dates: 4^th, 5^th, 8^th, 9^th and 23^rd June

Pluto, planet of change and revolution, has been in retrograde motion in your career sector since early April and until now has been minding his own business. When the Sun and Mercury first moved into your income sector last month, they moved into an extremely positive angle with Pluto, creating a situation where there was mutual support between your income and your career sectors, giving you a real boost in confidence.

That's also the case when Venus and Mars move into your income sector, with Mars moving into a very supportive angle to Pluto on the 4^th/5^th June and Venus on the 8^th/9^th June. In retrograde motion and on such good terms with the other planets, you could be forgiven for thinking that Pluto has lost his sting, but when the Sun moves into your home, family and property sector on the 21^st June, it will be a very different story.

It is the challenges coming from both the Sun and Moon, aligned to form a New Moon on the 23^rd June, that is going to give Pluto a wake up call, ensuring that even if he is in retrograde motion, that this is not a time to fall asleep at the wheel.

Moving through your career sector, Pluto is very much a back seat driver at the moment, ensuring that you don't fall asleep at the wheel or put things on auto pilot, but he's not above jumping over the seat, pushing you into the passenger seat and taking the wheel himself, if he believes a detour is called for.

Your career sector is the most competitive, driven, motivated and success focused part of your chart and when your career sector is active, you are hardwired to succeed, whatever it takes and whatever is required of you. There's no doubt that you're being pushed and that the bar is being raised, but it's because of that, that you're a lot more likely to succeed. Normally you might walk away from that kind of pressure, but an increased sense of competitiveness and a hunger to succeed is unlikely to let you.

This is the area of your chart that the ancients called the 'house of fame and public recognition' and while your work sector is a busy and productive area of your chart, this is a more challenging area and an area where you're coming into a lot more attention, which can create some performance anxiety. There is no hiding in the shadows when your career sector is active.

While this is an area of your chart that is all about professional success and achieving and striving for goals and following your ambitions, both professional and personal, it is not necessarily an easy ride, even though to someone looking in from the outside, it might look that way.

The reason that, even though this is a successful part of your chart and also a challenging part of your chart, is that for any planet to be in your career sector, this puts them at an aspect known as a 'square'. A square pushes you and makes things harder, even putting roadblocks in your way, so you're forced to raise the bar and lift your game. It is by overcoming challenges and rising above them, that you're able to become more than you thought you could be and achieve and accomplish more than you thought you could. This gives you something that having success handed to you on a silver plate never could, which is a sense of pride and of accomplishment.

It's that feeling of 'I did it' that comes from prevailing against the odds, triumphing over adversity and overcoming all the challenges that makes all the pressure worthwhile. When your career sector is active, your inner champion takes to the battlefield and a drive to succeed, regardless or even because of the odds, takes over.

Pluto is in your career sector for the next 16 years, so his agenda isn't urgent, but with a lunar eclipse due here next month and the North Node shifting here in August, you're not going to get away with putting things on hold, while Pluto is in retrograde motion, hoping to pick them up again when he turns direct in September. 

12^th House
Waiting, Preparation, Subconscious Mind - End of a cycle

Power dates: 16^th June

For now Uranus, moving through your sector of subconscious thinking, imagination and review, is taking a more background role, having played a starring role over recent months, both because of his own oppositions with Saturn, moving through your work, employment and health sector and because of the focus that the other planets brought as they moved through.

Since early January Venus, Mercury, Mars and the Sun have all moved through your sector of subconscious thinking, imagination and review on their way to your sign, each aligning with Uranus and in turn, each moving into opposition with Saturn. This brought a lot of focus and also pressure, which may have challenged some of your beliefs, but with the other planets now having well and truly moved on and with Saturn no longer in opposition, Uranus is moving into a much more behind the scenes role, where he's making sure that things remain on track.

In the same way that a new cycle begins when a planet returns to your sign, an old cycle ends here, in your sector of subconscious thinking, imagination and review. This is the part of the chart that marks the last stop in your current Uranus cycle, a cycle that began when Uranus first moved into your sign in 1919, before most of us alive now were born. It is here that your current Uranus cycle and all the experiences gained along the way are being wrapped up, reviewed, appraised and made sense of. While this is the part of your chart that represents endings, this is part of the natural cycle, where the old makes way for the new, for with every end comes a new beginning, just over the horizon. In the case of the concept that 'when one door closes another begins', this is part of the process where old doors are closing, in order for new doors to open. It is now that you have an opportunity to lay some ghosts to rest, close old doors or de clutter your life.

This is the area of your chart that rules your imagination, your fantasies, daydreams and your intuition. This is the spiritual and intuitive part of your chart and where a sense of nostalgia hangs in the air. With a cycle of around 84 years, experiencing a Uranus return is a rare event, happening once in a lifetime, if at all, but with Uranus due to return to your sign in May 2010, already he is urging you to examine your beliefs and attitudes and deciding which belong to the past and which to the future.

As the month progresses Uranus will continue to slow down, to a point where by the end of the month he will come to a complete standstill, ready to turn retrograde on the 1^st July. As the month progresses, you may find that your imagination is tuned more towards the past, with a sense of hindsight putting a lot of things into perspective.

Uranus' role in your chart over recent months and during the rest of the year, is part of a practice run for some very big things destined here, in the New Year, when Jupiter beings the process of wrapping up your old Jupiter cycle.

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