Astrology Report: June 2023

For those who listened to our year-ahead astrology report, back in January, you already knew that the first and second quarters of this year were going to be crazy. The good news is that crazy is just about slowing down by the middle of June. The whiplash-inducing series of tectonic shifts, changes in energy, and cultural adjustments is going to grind to a retrograde-induced slowdown in the next several weeks that will govern much of the third quarter and give us all plenty of time to ask “what the hell just happened and what can I learn from it?”

For now, June has a number of opportunities for us to reclaim ourselves and assert our shine. For anyone out there who is feeling like they’ve lost themselves a little bit or have just woken up from an ages-long slump (and I have heard from a great deal of you about this!), this month has some amazing opportunities to reclaim, reassert, or reinvent ourselves.

1-5 June: Starting out with a bang

3 June at 22:41 - Full Moon in Sagittarius (chart)

We start out the month with a big Full Moon in Sagittarius that has some interesting characteristics. The Moon in Sagittarius will oppose the Sun in Gemini (a dynamic of opposition we see with all Full Moons). Venus in Cancer will be opposing Pluto in Aquarius. Saturn in Pisces will be squaring the Sun in Gemini. Jupiter in Taurus will form a degree-based-square with both Mars in Leo and Venus in Cancer. Finally, Pluto in Aquarius will be squaring Jupiter!

So, what does that all mean? Well, it looks like there is some three-way tension playing out in the Sagittarius area of your chart which puts our bold desires <> our deep seated emotions <> and our material needs in conflict with one another.

An example of this would be a Pisces rising with Sagittarius governing the 10th house or midheaven. Perhaps during this time our native realizes that their bold desires for a new, fulfilling job are in conflict with their fear of big changes (deep-seated emotion). Simultaneously, they are concerned that a new job would mean a pay cut and they need to provide for their household (material needs).

5 June at 8:47 - Venus enters Leo (chart)

When Venus enters Leo on June 5, she will form an immediate opposition to Pluto in Aquarius (chart) which will highlight just how much we’ve put of ourselves aside for the good of others.

Venus is a planet of love, relationships, friends, pleasure, aesthetics, and joy. Meanwhile, Leo is a generous, sun-drenched, superstar of a sign. Venus in Leo is a time for us to feel the pleasure and the joy of being our best selves and of the generosity of the Sun. Look to where Leo is in your chart and don’t be surprised if you feel a sudden urge (maybe even entitlement or unfamiliar sense of passion) to reclaim a part of yourself in this area.

This transit is setting us up for the Venus retrograde which comes next month and will ask us to rethink some part of ourselves in the Leo area of our life. Venus will luxuriate in Leo from June 5th to October 8th, 2023 (and will spend July 22 - September 3 in retrograde). Especially if you were born at night, this is going to be an invigorating move for you!

While in Leo, she forms a sign-based conjunction with Mars which will highlight the Mars/Venus interplay (possibly a tension, for some) that’s been playing out through this year.

Anytime between now and July 22 is a great time to do any kind of working related to Sun energy or Sun-oriented deities, especially if you’re trying to attune yourself to that energy or reclaim that feeling of your own internal sun. Radiance, generosity, and bold self-love are all appropriate themes of this period and are ripe for attuning. Any Venusian influence, divine-feminine related work, or female deities would be well-suited for this period, as well.

11 June: Excitement on, pressure off!

11 June at 5:27 - Mercury enters Gemini (chart)

Mercury in Gemini is fun! Okay, maybe I'm biased, but while the messenger planet is at home in its domicile of It will form a sign-based conjunction with the Sun and this supercharged energy will bring excitement, enthusiasm, and curiosity back into our lives.Because this happens just after Venus' ingress into Leo this is going to feel like some of us are really getting our groove back! Especially if you have Venus-governed (Libra or Taurus), Leo, or Gemini placements.

When Jupiter in Taurus square Venus in Leo (chart) later that same day on 11 June at 10:39, we may feel like we're scared to lose any of the comforts we've found at home and in the safety of our own space during the past month or so. But find a happy medium. Allow yourself to follow your curiosity during this time and definitely make time for any Mercurial pursuits: writing, reading, making art or music, traveling to new places around your city, museums, galleries, going down YouTube rabbit holes...

11 June at 4:46 - Pluto egresses back into Capricorn (chart)

This is part of Pluto’s dance as it begins it’s twenty year transition into Aquarius which will have the outer 'planet' dipping in and out of Capricorn during retrogrades before its final ingress into Aquarius on 19 November 2024.

• 11 June 2023 - Pluto(Rx) leaves Aquarius for Capricorn

• 21 Jan 2024 - Pluto re-enters Aquarius

• 2 Sep 2024 - Pluto leaves Aquarius for Capricorn

• 19 November 2024 - Pluto re-enters Aquarius (and stays there until 2043)

Pluto is not a personal planet, but it does still have some major influence on us. Especially as we’re experiencing the other transits of this month, we might start feeling like we’ve lost ourselves a little bit in the support of the collective (whether that’s our own personal collective or maybe some lofty vision of the future that we're chasing at the expense of our present reality).

During this period when retrogrades start lighting up, don’t be surprised if things you thought you’d kind of sorted out or resolved yourself on start coming back up again. Look to the Capricorn area of your chart to see where this may come back into focus in the way it has for the last 20 years.

15-19 June: Something old or something new

17 June at 12:27 - Saturn retrograde in Pisces (Until Nov 4) (chart)

Saturn is a planet of restriction and it’s been bringing changes, disruptions and, yes, restrictions to the Pisces area of your chart. During a nearly 5 month retrograde period for this planet, we’ll be trying to make sense of these changes and how they can work in the long haul.

Look to where Pisces falls in your chart. I think the New Moon energy that’s coming in through Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon in Gemini will be bringing us some creative inspiration at how and where we can work these changes into our lives and adapt to them.

17 June at 23:36 - New Moon in Gemini (chart)

Not all important lunations are great for spiritual works, but this one seems well positioned to fuel two specific kinds of workings.

If, when we get to this New Moon you’re feeling in need of that infusion of inspiration, energy, excitement, curiosity, fire - use this working at night (ideally right around the time of the New Moon in your region) so we can dignify Venus and Mars and the Moon.

If you arrive at this New Moon and you’re feeling more in need of grounding, patience, honoring your deep-seated needs over your in-the-moment desires, or even a more patient sort of expansion, then definitely use this working during the day so that we can dignify Saturn, Jupiter, and the Sun. Ideally use the time between sunrise and 12:27PM (when Saturn stations retrograde).

Truly this is a nice lunation that could work well for either goal, because it’s buffered by minor transits in the following days which support both modes (like on 17 June at 10:29 when Venus in Leo is sextiling Mercury in Gemini (chart) or on 19 June at 10:52 when Saturn(Retrograde) in Pisces is sextiling Jupiter in Taurus (chart)).

21: Summer Solstice

21 June at 09:58 - Sun enters Cancer (Summer Solstice) (chart)

This is a really beautiful solstice moment that can serve as a major "Look at me!" working. If you start at the time of the transit, you'd see the Moon and Venus conjunct the ascendant in Leo. Mars conjunct the Moon and Venus there as well. You'll have Jupiter in Taurus in a supportive square to the Moon there and Mercury in Gemini sextiling Venus in Leo (adding that Gemini excitement and curiosity to the mix).

This could be a really powerful time to reclaim some energy from the Sun, attune to the Sun with some Sun salutations, work with Sun-based deities or doing Sun-homage rituals. While all the Leo placements make this moment well-suited for Sun work, if you're more of a nocturnal being, this moment could also be used to celebrate the waxing presence of the night as it draws ever longer in the coming months.

Usually I recommend doing a little research into these traditions but this looks like something very intuitive and internal that is exploding out. Trust yourself and your curiosity even if it doesn’t make a ton of sense in the planning and lead up. Whatever you are feeling and whatever you decide are RIGHT for you. Just try to get it started right around the time of the transit in your region.

26-30: Waning into Q3

26 June at 19:24 - Mercury enters Cancer (chart)

Mercury in Cancer is a great wind up to the increasing onslaught of retrogrades which will have us all slowing down through September and taking stock of ourselves and our lives. Mercury is a planet of curiosity, intellect, thought, and expression, and Cancer is a place of deep-feeling, conversation starting, nurturing ourselves, our spaces, and those we love. This is going to be a shift through the end of the month that will have us using all our new excitement, pride, and invigoration to not just go down rabbit holes and try random new things, but to apply what we’re learning to ourselves, our spaces, and those we love.

Especially with some minor transits to close out the month (like 28 June at 20:42 when Saturn in Pisces is trining the Sun in Cancer (chart)) and as Neptune stations retrograde in Pisces, don’t be surprised if you start to feel like you’ve misled yourself or overestimated yourself a bit. Try to resist that feeling and ride the wave of confidence. Instead, invest in robust self-reflection–not the kind with no purpose or end in sight, but the kind with specific goals and take aways that you can use to improve your life.

30 June at 16:07 - Neptune retrograde in Pisces (until Dec 6) (chart)

Neptune is a planet of transcendence and super-consciousness and is sometimes even so big picture we can find ourselves verging on delusion. In Pisces, this likely has anyone with Pisces placements feeling pretty profound and psychic and in-tune (even if, perhaps, nothing has changed or we aren’t putting in the work). Once Neptune stations retrograde, we’ll be getting a little reality check in the Pisces area of our chart, which is likely getting glossed over one way or another.

This is especially underscored by Saturn also stationing retrograde in Pisces (and some minor transits like on 30 June at 1:23 when Saturn in Pisces is trining Mercury in Cancer (chart)). This area of our life is getting some major restrictions and reality checks! Try to leverage the exciting Gemini curiosity and inventiveness of the the first part of the month and use tit to fabricate a few bandaids for this latter part of the month.

As always, I encourage you to reach out to me at 9livesatrology@gmail.com if you need help making sense of this report or anything else going on in your life. Even if it's just to provide feedback on the show or report, I love hearing from y'all every month!

Notes on process:

All referenced times are CST (but will be relevant within an hour or two for anyone in North America); Find exact times for your location by using a Transit calendar like this. I use traditional Hellenistic and modern techniques within a Western/Tropical astrological framework and calculate using Whole Sign Houses. Astrologer Chani Nicholas has a fantastic and equitably made tool to generate your whole sign house (different than some other apps) natal chart with Whole Sign/Fixed houses that is free to use here. For more information about astrology, witchcraft, and other pagan paths, visit the Pathways of the Pagan discord channel here.