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Magickal Monday: Your Guide to the Week Ahead - 6/11/12

Welcome! This is the first edition of Magickal Monday: Your Guide to the Week Ahead. Every Monday, I’ll take a look at what kind of planetary energies are available to weave into magickal workings — and not just formal, ritual workings. An awareness of the planetary energies is also very helpful for the kind of small, spontaneous  magicks Witches and Pagans often do when we are tending our altars, doing a little energetic cleansing and blessing at work while straightening our desks, or soothing a child who has had a bad day at school. Astrology also helps us focus our meditations and other personal spiritual practices so we can work with the prevailing planetary tides and align ourselves with Nature.

(Please note that all times are in EDT. Add or subtract depending on your time zone)

For the week of June 11, we are working with a waning Moon, which will be traveling through the last degrees of Pisces, then into Aries, then Taurus, and on into Gemini on Sunday.

  • The quarter Moon falls in 21 degrees Pisces at 6:42 a.m. Monday, and encourages inner work, as well as psychic development, and spiritual attunement. 
  • A waning Moon in the “let’s get started” sign of Aries (beginning Tuesday, 12:22 a.m.) can be challenging to work with (Aries is not a sign that blends well with waning energies), but think in terms of courageously pruning away the deadwood, consciously releasing what no longer serves. This Aries Moon conjuncts Uranus early on Tuesday, so watch out for sudden emotional outbursts — yours and others. If you have an amulet that helps you ground and stay calm, wear it!
  • She moves into Taurus at 12:23 p.m. Thursday, and this is a good time for protection spells, work on finances that involves consolidation and saving, spells to increase self-esteem, and building personal boundaries.
  • Her move into Gemini early Sunday (1:26 am)  brings her over the eclipse point of May 20th, quickly catching up with Jupiter. See more on that below.


Mercury entered Cancer last week, and will be there until the 25th of the month. On Tuesday, Mercury and the Moon form a T-Square configuration with a very large elephant that is sitting in the middle of the cosmic living room right now — the Uranus-Pluto square (more on that in an upcoming post). I expect the early part of the week to set up challenges, particularly for those with significant personal placements in the early degrees of Cardinal signs. There is a real danger of unclear, highly-emotional communication fueled by deeply-rooted anger and self-righteousness. This would be a good time to do personal work that focuses on anger management, if that is an issue for you, and prepare yourself to handle anger from others.

To use these energies constructively, spend some time thinking about what other people might be feeling in any given situation before you respond. Strive for honesty as well as kindness in your speech, and be ready to counter the emotional outbursts of others with calmness and clarity. Ground and center, ground and center, and do whatever work you normally do to balance the Elements within yourself. In this age of over-abundant Fire energy, however, finding that Elemental balance always requires plenty of conscious working with Water. If you feel overwhelmed during this time, take a short break, go wash your hands, consciously releasing negativity as you do, and visualize a clear, deep, calm lake.

I expect this configuration to play out on a larger stage as well — in a highly-emotional and quite possibly jingoistic manner. Sudden shocks and explosions — literal or metaphorical — incendiary communication, breakdowns in communication, secrets coming to light, standoffs between large, entrenched organizations and revolutionary forces, as well as plenty of straight-up weirdness, and issues around nourishment, both emotional and physical. Watch for it on your favorite news feed…

Another major planetary focus this week is the ongoing Venus retrograde in Gemini. This is not a good time to do any work around new relationships, or finances (except consolidation). It is a good time to carefully consider the state of current relationships in your life, and think carefully not only about how you communicate with others in relationship, but what communications you will accept from others, and how that affects your self-esteem. Spells and rituals around issues of self-esteem and conscious communication in relationships will be favored. Also, watch that you do not become careless with money. Keep track of your wallet and your investments. Don’t let haste or distraction cause losses. Use financial protection spells. As happened last week, market moves through the end of the month may well be sudden and extreme — and reverse just as quickly.

Finally, I want to note the entrance of Jupiter into Gemini late Monday, where it will move over the point of the May 20th solar eclipse. A planet moving over a recent eclipse point can often be a trigger for events related to the eclipse, and, with the eclipse — and now Jupiter — squaring Neptune, we need to watch for bombast, deception, scandal and high-flying pronouncements filled with moral certitude. When faced with that kind of aggravation, channel the energy into art, imagination, compassionate and visionary work.

These aspects also raise concern over the state of our oceans and other bodies of water. Pollution, flooding, and storms are likely to show up in the news, and in your personal environment, if the eclipse hit a sensitive point in your chart. It’s a good idea to look at where the eclipse fell in your natal chart, and take into consideration both house placement and aspects.

While I can point out what’s going on in the sky, what is going on in your individual natal chart is at least equally important, and having a basic understanding of your own chart can be very useful for magickal reasons as well as personal growth. A book I recommend for beginners is Astrology For Yourself, by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch. (If anyone has any great recommendations for beginner astrology books specifically for magickal practitioners, please let me know in the comments — and I’m happy to answer some questions there as well. You’ll need to login to comment.)

There’s a lot more astrological excitement happening next week, so stay tuned!


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Diotima Mantineia began studying astrology in 1968, taking classes from Zoltan Mason in New York City. For the next 22 years, she practiced astrology only for herself and her friends, continuing her studies while watching an increasingly humanistic, psychologically oriented, modern astrology blossom through the work of leading astrologers such as Noel Tyl, Liz Greene, Rob Hand, Marion March, Stephen Arroyo and Howard Sasportas. In 1986, Diotima began her study of Wicca and started reading Tarot, discovering that she is a gifted intuitive. In 1991, she began practicing both astrology and Tarot professionally. She majored in plant and soil science both in college and grad school, and grows much of her own food and "materia magica" on her land in the mountains of western North Carolina. Diotima’s personal spiritual path is rooted in the Western mystery traditions, the principles of Yoga, and a profound connection with the natural world. Wicca gives structure to her spiritual journey, and she utilizes shamanic practices for healing and to live in harmony with Nature. Over 15 years of studying Chinese martial arts has given her a deep appreciation of Taoist thought which has strongly influenced her magical and personal philosophy. You can find her at www.uraniaswell.com

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