The Summer Solstice 2018: the chart for the season!

Astrologers interpret world conditions from the solstice or equinox chart that precedes them. Thus Summer 2018 , in the northern hemisphere, is indicated in the chart for June June 21^st at 6:07 AM EDT for the capital of your country. Thus Washington DC for many of us. (If you come from a smaller country, you may want to cast the chart for the nearest large country that influences life in your country.)

The chart for Washington DC has one tight aspect that will appear in charts cast for any world location. Another important aspect only exists in certain world locations. In Washington DC a stationary direct Neptune sits on the Midheaven! This is a big deal. About once in every 250 years will you get a stationary Neptune on any angle of the horoscope on the solstice in a given location. Even this solstice only has the Neptune-Midheaven conjunction over just a few degrees of longitude. This is a rare event.

Planets that are stationary are extremely powerful, the same can be said for planets conjunct an angle of the chart. Finally, of all the angles, the Midheaven, which this is, is the most important for public affairs.

Before we look at what Neptune and the Venus-Mars opposition mean, let’s talk about where they are operative. The Venus-Mars opposition is in effect all over the globe. However it will hit different houses in the solstice charts set for different locations. It will also hit different houses of people’s personal horoscopes. The stationary Neptune, though, will only be angular on four lines over the world map. These lines represent where that stationary Neptune is rising, where it is overhead, where it is setting, and where it is at the bottom of the chart. These areas are where Neptune’s influences will be strongest.

Neptune is overhead on the US East coast, especially in New England, then the influence travels south on a specific longitude line, going through Dominica (thus influencing Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), the Columbia-Venezuela border, western Brazil, the Peru-Bolivia border then passing down the axis of Argentina. Only three other lines on the earth’s surface are so strongly influenced by Neptune, and this is the only one for which the influence is on public life.

Neptune is the planet of make-believe, illusion, filmmaking, deception, self-deception, smoke and mirrors, financial crimes, oil and pharmaceuticals, the oceans and fish, cosmetics, and glamour. Neptune is the Gaslighting planet. Neptune intentionally or unintentionally deceives others. This is intentional when we pretend we are a princess in a fairy tale. We knew we were not the princess. But when we deceive ourselves or are deceived by others, Neptune is difficult. The remedy is Saturn, hard reality.

Neptune on the Midheaven for the seasonal chart suggests that things will be slow. Neptune is just “hanging” in the sky, at its most prominent point. Neptune’s tarot correspondence is the Hanging Man. It looks like summer will be a slow season in public life. Do not expect much action by the US congress, supreme court, or executive branch. Though the United States is in an off-year election, this summer will be pretty quiet. Don’t worry, everything will return to business after Labor Day.

In people’s love lives, though, Venus-Mars is a lot of action: sex and drama. Venus, the planet of charm and sexual attraction, is in Leo opposing Mars, the planet of sexual and athletic drive,  in Aquarius. Neither planet is in a very favorable or very unfavorable sign, thus neither holds an advantage. Venus in Leo is prideful, passionate, and pampered. Mars in Aquarius is rational, quick to utilize social media, wordy, and group-oriented. Anyone with planets or points at 5-11 degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) is ripe for some Venus-Mars drama this summer. Since Leo and Aquarius are both yang and masculine signs, they are extroverted. This configuration makes for a summer of romantic hijinks. Expect to see your favorite Hollywood actors in the gossip pages more than usual… and expect local community shenanigans as well.

This will be a summer to remember!

Lalia Wilson

To see my 2018 astrology guide click here: 

The April 2018 Shift

            The middle of April finds a time of major astrological change, all involving the sign Aries. Look to the Aries part of your horoscope to see where the action may be. Most important of these is Chiron’s entry into Aries on April 17^th in the United States, the 18^th in the Eastern Hemisphere. Chiron, the planet of wounding, healing, and mentorship, has a 50 year cycle. For those under 50, most of the world’s population, this will be their first encounter of Chiron in the warrior sign Aries. But Aries is further activated by Mercury’s direct station on Sunday morning, April 15^th, and the Aries New Moon that same evening. (The New Moon is on the 16^th in the Eastern Hemisphere.)

            The astute student and consumer of astrology will use these planetary energies, and others, to surf the tides of life.

            Given this emphasis on the sign Aries, the pioneer, we have a great chance to observe different degree symbolisms to see which ones work best for us. Here are five different sets of degree symbols, two of which are both derived from Jones’s Sabian Symbols, namely those of Hill and Bovee.

            I ask you to watch events over the next week to see which of these degree systems seem most useful to you.

Chiron Ingress into Aries at 0 Aries 00, 5:09 AM EDT on 4/17 is in Aries until September 25^th when it retrogrades into Pisces, and returns to Aries on February 18^th 2019 until June 2026.

Lynda Hill: “A woman has risen out of the ocean; a seal is embracing her.” Cycles starting. Beginnings. Emergence into concrete manifestation. Embracing and honoring the shadow. Recognizing our animal side.

            Bovee: A woman rises out of water; a seal rises and embraces her. Aries. A butterfly made perfect by a dart through it. Libra.  “A pinpoint of light capturing a tender moment;” emergent moments that initiate a new life cycle; photographic moments; freeze the moment; adeptness on land and in water.

            Goldsmith: “A Rebel commander leads a charge down the gangplank of a huge warship.”

            Janduz: "A sturdy man wearing coarse animal skins or fabrics stands firmly on the ground with a cudgel in his hand. He seems prepared to respond to any danger."

Aggressive, tough, and passionate character well-equipped for facing life struggles. One is able to use physical strength as well as intellectual weapons, according to one's social background. One is mainly interested in life's materialistic aspects and protects efficiently one's rights and assets. Nevertheless, there is a potential danger of loss and/or lawsuit related to inheritance matters. One must be careful not to let temptations, whether sex, gambling, or any other passion, prevail over one's major goals. Indeed, this degree is associated with Hercules, a man who can achieve amazing feats, but who can also fall into the traps of seduction.

            Adriano Carelli: “An armed warrior of herculean build tilling the soil.” An outstanding, original, independent personality. His ambitions and aims are beyond the common mark, He is up to great undertakings and can stand the hardest tests, not so much with the forces supplied by a spiritual faith, as with the inborn energy of his own character—endurance, positivism, and practical sense. “Through imagination, a lost opportunity is regained.”  Creative imagination and visualization. Hopes renewed when all seemed lost. Second chances. Last minute reprieves. Retracing your steps. Being exonerated or forgiven. Retrieving things. Making up for lost ground or time. Changing your mind, thus changing your outcome.

New Moon in Aries 26 Aries 02 at 9:57 PM EDT on 4/15. We have a New Moon every month, sometimes twice, but this one is more important. First, it is the New Moon in Aries, thus the energy startup for the Astrological year. Second is its close proximity to Mercury direct in Aries earlier the same day, and Chiron’s entry to Aries two days later.

Lynda Hill: “Through imagination, a lost opportunity is regained.”  Creative imagination and visualization. Hopes renewed when all seemed lost. Second chances. Last minute reprieves. Retracing your steps. Being exonerated or forgiven. Retrieving things. Making up for lost ground or time. Changing your mind thus changing your outcome.

            Bovee: A Lost opportunity regained in the imagination. Aries. An airplane hovering overhead. Libra. Powerful possibilities that capture one’s attention; promising potentials that stir excitement; thoughts of superhuman achievements.  Being lost in a world of imagination; human pride so excessive as to offend the gods.  Fantasies of extraordinary accomplishments, talents, and dreams; feeling of having found oneself again.  Reclamation; retrieval.

            Goldsmith: “A private investigator sits in front of a piece of paper and plots out possible methods to outwit a criminal.” 

            Janduz: "A man who stumbles over a stone is about to fall near a dragon watching him."  Inventive, non-conformist, and obstinate character. One does not share the ideas prevailing in one's social background and believes that obsolete traditions need to be reformed. After having reached the peak of one's career, one is threatened by a reversal of fortune which can be overcome after many years of hard work and much courage. However, total ruin can be avoided if one displays wisdom and persistence. If this degree is on the Ascendant and in conjunction with Mars and the Moon, there is a risk of violent death or serious eye condition. This degree also portends family estrangement and loss of traditions.

            Adriano Carelli: “A high-grown tree under the blast of a hurricane.” Whether the native is pushed upward by his noble household’s fortunes or by his own luck, he is likely to climb unhindered the ladder of honor and power. Should he have chosen a clergyman’s career prelacy [high office in the church] expects him and nearly belongs to him by birthright. [Since his rise in the world is relatively easy, he is not inoculated against hardships and dirty deeds.] He may lose his brilliant position, and his family’s star may dim and set forever.  

Mercury direct in Aries at 4 Aries 42, 5:21 AM EDT on 4/15 indicates projects can now move forward.

            Lynda Hill: “A square brightly lighted on one side.” Illuminated solutions that provide ways out of tight situations. Having to put up walls to protect or defend versus taking down the barriers. Putting all your eggs in one basket. Feeling fully contained. Walls and fences.

            Bovee: A square brightly lit on one side.  Aries. The ideals of a man abundantly crystallized. Libra. Compelling personal affinities that form a basis for individuation, realization, and idealization; a perspective that is a lens for viewing the whole.  Hardened ideals.  Seeing the world in a grain of sand.  Inner visions; being satisfied in the mind but frustrated in the world; working with lenses and filters.

            Goldsmith: A honeybee wrestles a large piece of debris from the hive, while other bees work on the walls of their palatial new abode.

            Janduz: "A man rides a horse up a winding and steep path at the brink of a ravine. He proudly looks further down into the valley where workers are bustling about."

A person meant to dominate others. Extreme circumstances put him/her in the highest positions, which is not devoid of danger. Although many disasters are experienced, one remains undisturbed and pursues the challenging path. This degree indicates that one belongs to a powerful and wealthy family. If of royal descent, and this degree is in conjunction with the Ascendant, this heralds that one will access the throne. If one is of modest origins, then, one enjoys the protection of the head of state or that of most prominent figures. There is also the possibility that one becomes the power behind the throne. In any case, one has real decision-making powers and becomes a leader in one's field, be it the arts, business, or politics.

            Adriano Carelli: The subject will lead all his life or most of it in obscurity. He will be either bodily disabled by blindness, deafness, or otherwise; morally or intellectually adrift; or steeped in the darkest misery. Whatever his plight, he will have to face a long and hard ordeal. If he emerges at all from his gloom, that can be ascribed only to a powerful, stalwart, plucky character, not to any favorable circumstances.

See more about this year in my book The Astrology Guide to 2018 at Lulu.com. Lalia Wilson