NorthPoint Journal: Your guide to planetary energies for June 11 to 17, 2018 By Pam Younghans

Photo: "Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms" (photo by Yuri Beletsky of the Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory, TWAN, posted on apod.nasa.gov) NorthPoint JournalYour guide to planetary energies for June 11 to 17, 2018 By Pam Younghans ​ Highlighted Aspects this Week MON: Sun quincunx Pluto TUE: Mercury sesquiquadrate Jupiter, Mercury enters Cancer WED: Mercury sextile Uranus, New Moon 12:43 pm PDT (7:43 pm GMT), Mercury square Chiron, Venus enters Leo THU: Sun sesquiquadrate Mars, Venus square Uranus, Venus sesquiquadrate Neptune FRI: Venus trine Chiron, Mercury opposite Saturn SAT: Uranus semisquare Neptune, Mercury quincunx Mars THE AIR is ubiquitous and contradictory. It is everywhere, but due to its invisibility, we rarely ponder its presence. It can be hot or cold, pristine or polluted. Even when it seems still, it is constantly moving -- but unless we are a dog who can track scent, we are unlikely to catch its subtle flow. It is essential to our very existence, but we usually take it for granted. Our thoughts are similar to air -- ongoing and yet changing from moment to moment. Invisible but all-pervasive. Pure and uplifting or dark and polluted. And, unless we practice mindfulness, we are usually unconscious of our train of thought, letting it move at random from one track to another. WE HAVE A NEW MOON on Wednesday of this coming week. It occurs at 22°44′ Gemini, and perfects at 12:43 p.m. PDT (7:43 p.m. GMT). Gemini is an air sign, ruling our thoughts and ideas and our ability to communicate same. A New Moon in Gemini is a time to consider how we want to direct our thinking process rather than passively allowing our minds to dictate our flow of consciousness. Our thoughts are the doorway to our emotions. As we go through life, we consider our experiences as good or bad, happy or sad, joyful or depressing, and of course all variations in between those extremes. Our feelings, then, are strongly affected by how we choose to think and what we choose to think about. If our minds are intact and healthy, the choice is truly ours, even though at times we all feel under the control of our thoughts. THIS CONNECTION between thoughts and emotions will be even more apparent starting this week, due to Mercury entering sensitive Cancer on Tuesday. Mercury represents our thinking capacity; with the planet in Cancer until June 28, our thoughts will more naturally turn to those issues that provoke an emotional response throughout the next couple of weeks. In the positive, Mercury in Cancer increases our capacity for empathy and for communicating in a caring way. As we hear information, we open our hearts and allow ourselves to feel what another feels. But, in the negative, Mercury in Cancer can increase our sense of vulnerability, so that we more easily become defensive and may shift quickly into fight-or-flight mode. MERCURY is the planetary "ruler" of Gemini and so has a significant role in the lunar cycle that begins with Wednesday's New Moon in Gemini. At the time of the lunation, we find Mercury involved in a tense t-square configuration, being very closely square Chiron in Aries, and opposing Saturn in Capricorn. According to astrologer Bil Tierney, a cardinal t-square such as this propels us into "activities that require much aggression, courage, straightforwardness, and active personal effort." The t-square requires that we "develop greater self-discipline, inner timing, outer patience, and a general sense of thoroughness and organization" if we are to succeed in our ventures. These lessons will be strong this week -- especially on Wednesday and Friday, when Mercury is in exact aspect with Chiron and Saturn, respectively. If we follow Mr. Tierney's advice to "consciously analyze our impulses to see if they actually help us move ahead toward the realistic attainment of our goals," we can channel this energy into tangible accomplishment. THE MESSENGER PLANET is also "out of bounds" right now, which means it is traveling outside the plane of the Earth's orbit. When Mercury is out of bounds, we have the opportunity to stretch our minds beyond their usual confines, and to be open to alternative views and ideas. But, as Emily Trinkaus writes in the current issue of The Mountain Astrologer, Mercury being out of bounds and ruling the New Moon "could also bring in a 'wild card' kind of energy -- unexpected or over-the-top communications and connections." Astrologer Pamela Welch wrote that "people with an out-of-bounds planet tend to know no boundaries and accept no limits. However, an out-of-bounds planet can also be negatively expressed, leading to abnormal or unstable behavior which is outside the accepted standards of society. Its energy can indicate a tendency toward mental imbalance or at the very least create a lot of pressure and stress in an individual’s life."  As an example of how an out-of-bounds Mercury can play out in life, radio talk-show host Howard Stern, who loves to shock his audience, has Mercury out of bounds in his birth chart. Mercury was also out of bounds at the time that Donald Trump was born. WEDNESDAY’S NEW MOON is aligned with the fixed star El Nath, which has a reputation of being aggressive and quarrelsome. Roderick Kidston tells us that El Nath is "a star for warriors (spiritual as well as literal), for activists and advocates and sometimes for agitators." But there are positive potentials in all this energy: "When El Nath is working well, it seems to bestow vigour and strength, along with the opportunity to gain from talent and generally get on well in life. [The key is] to keep your focus and don't get too carried away, either by excessive, unfocused enthusiasm or by complacency." URANUS AND NEPTUNE are exactly semisquare for the third time this Saturday. This is a long-term influence, with the first two exact aspects occurring in August and October 2017, and the fifth and final aspect occurring in May 2019. Uranus and Neptune were aligned from 1991 through 1993, and this semisquare marks their first challenging aspect since then. ­­­­­­­Many of us experienced major changes during those years; Uranus implies that it was a radical or unexpected change, and Neptune indicates there was some disillusionment or denial involved. With these two transpersonal planets now semisquare, it’s time to reassess where we are with respect to those changes. As we understand the deeper implications and higher purposes of what occurred, we can move beyond any lingering attachment to the events. This opens us to new potentials in our growth in consciousness and in our spiritual awareness. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! My next teleclass, covering July through December 2018, is set for eclipse day, Thursday, July 12! The working title is "Entering the Chasm," and I'll be including more details in next week's Journal. I hope you can join us, either live or in replay! IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: As a Gemini, you are very aware that the mind can be either a life-enhancing tool or a liability. This year brings you an even greater appreciation of that truth, along with opportunities to construct new thoughtforms -- not through self-denial or harshness, but through a combination of self-care and objectivity. As you maintain that centerpoint of calm balance, you are able to successfully navigate your way into new experiences that invigorate and enliven your life. In light, Pam  http://www.northpointastrology.com/northpoint-journal.html Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2018. All rights reserved.