Welcome to the Stella Starwoman AstroUpdate for June. The cosmic events of the last three months with Mars
retrograde, a solar and lunar eclipse and the Cardinal Grand Cross have been particularly challenging and
confronting, but June promises to be an easier month with the late May new moon in Gemini heralding a fresh new
start.
Key Astrological Events – June
Last year while discussing the current planetary energies with Scorpio healer and clairvoyant Fiona McDougall, she
said to me: “Life is a wild ride, Stella. A new level of reality is now required of people. Those operating from inner
truth and the heart centre will see their lives flourish and expand, while those operating from fear and contraction
will no longer be able to keep up the front - they will be forced to change” I’ve thought a lot about her words since
then, because my own experience from listening to stories from students and clients is that those who have the
courage to be authentic are indeed moving forwards in leaps and bounds, whilst those with their heads in the sand
are floundering.
The Mars retrograde transit officially finished on the 20 th May, but it will take another two months before Mars
reaches the point he turned retrograde at 27°Libra in early March. June is
a month for getting things back on track and dealing with the fallout from the
past couple of months. While things will start to move at a faster pace, there
are still challenges to be faced.
Relationship planet Venus will be in ruling sign Taurus until the 23 rd bringing grounded and sensual energy to
everyday life. Venus in Taurus delights in the pleasures of the physical body – food, drink, sleep, sex, massage,
warmth and loving connection. She also brings us closer to nature helping us appreciate the cycles of the seasons,
gardening, the great outdoors and the beauty of nature - parks, beaches, forests and wilderness. Think about how
you could incorporate more physical pleasure into your life this month.
Is Abbott Mad, Bad or Simply Brave?
On the 13 th May as the moon entered Scorpio, the Federal Government handed down its controversial and incendiary
2014 budget, begging the question: “Is our Prime Minister Tony Abbott mad, bad or simply brave?”
Abbott is a Scorpio with rising sign Libra, whereas his predecessor Julia Gillard is a Libra with rising sign Scorpio.
The Sun in a birth chart represents the essential self, whereas the rising sign or Ascendant represents the persona or
face we show to the world. Libra (ruled by Venus) is a charming energy, adept at PR, compromise, fairness, justice
and equality and on the more negative side, indecisiveness and a tendency to want to please everyone. Scorpio (ruled
by Mars and Pluto) is a far more ruthless energy – at its best, fearless, loyal, courageous, combative and able to deal
unflinchingly with difficult and dangerous situations and at worst, aggressive, secretive, manipulative and
destructive. So, both Abbott and Gillard have the same planetary energies, but have chosen to use them in different
ways.
Gillard was famous for her Libran consultative style – as an MP she invited constituents to her office to discuss their
concerns. She maintained this same interactive style as PM, was hugely popular with staff and those who knew her
personally, and showed courtesy to other MPs, public servants and stakeholders - every person entitled to a view was
given a chance to express it before a decision was made. With her background in law, scintillating intellect and
down to earth manner, Gillard was a shrewd and talented parliamentary tactician and of course Australia’s first
female PM. But many in Australia saw only negative Scorpio in Gillard, labelling her a godless, childless,
unmarried, dishonest and backstabbing witch. The public never forgave her for the manner in which she came to
power, ousting Kevin Rudd in a behind the scenes Scorpio style coup. Her career as a politician also ended in
spectacular style with accusations of betrayal and disloyalty from her colleagues. She had the grace to leave politics
once defeated, the sign of a mature Scorpio.
In Opposition Abbott used his Libran PR qualities to convince the electorate they would be safe in his hands
promising no new taxes, no surprises and a return to steady, prudent and predictable government. At the same time
he used his Scorpio qualities to aggressively attack Gillard and her Labor government, accusing them of
misleading the nation and reneging on the promise of no new taxes with the carbon tax. Abbott’s Libran spin
doctors led the electorate to believe that the increase in Australia’s budget deficit was caused by irresponsible
spending by the Labor government, whereas in fact the deficit resulted from a fall in receipts from the resources
boom, a lack of confidence due to the 2008-09 GFC and a subsequent program of stimulus spending to boost
Australia’s economy.
Once Abbott had won the election and become Prime Minister, he used his newly acquired powers to implement
his hidden Scorpio agenda and the Libran charm went out of the window along with his pre-election promises.
Before the election Abbott had promised no cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change
to the GST and no cuts to the ABC or SBS. He has reneged on all these promises. But the biggest surprise in his
government’s ‘no-surprises’ budget was the plan to save $80 billion over 10 years by simply withdrawing health
and education funding from the states, potentially forcing an increase in GST.
Abbott is everywhere being labelled a liar, an uncaring traitor and a turncoat, but do the ends justify the means?
Let us not forget that Abbott is an iron man both literally and figuratively. His Sun in Scorpio and Moon in Aries
are both ruled by Mars the warrior and we all know that he competes in Iron Man contests which require enormous
mental and physical strength. Abbott’s cast iron promise on coming to power was to turn Australia’s budget
deficit into a surplus. His budget cuts, if approved, will certainly fulfil that promise. Has he perhaps modelled
himself on Britain’s Iron Lady, right wing PM Margaret Thatcher whose harsh and unpopular budget cuts and
motto of ‘tightening the belt’ divided the UK in the early 1980s.
Whatever we may think of Abbott, he seems willing to accept the public outrage and mudslinging that will
continue to come his way, perhaps even at the eventual cost of his job. He will do so for the same reasons as
Margaret Thatcher – because he believes it will produce a stronger economy and eventually be for the greater good
of Australia. Whether Abbott turns out to be a mad, bad Scorpio who lied shamelessly to the electorate or the man
who became Prime Minister because he had courage and a vision, will be borne out by the big bet he has made.
Like all politicians who introduce an austerity budget he is betting that a majority of the electorate will see that
hard decisions on Australia’s economy need to be made now and to act otherwise is the greater hypocrisy.
Mercury Retrograde
In mythology Mercury was the messenger of the gods, able to move from the divine to the earthly plane and back
again. He forms a bridge between our conscious and unconscious mind. From 8 th June to 1 st July, Mercury can be
seen travelling backwards through water sign Cancer and air sign Gemini.
Mercury retrograde occurs three to four times a year and is known as a time when everything seems to go haywire. Delays, cancellations, computer problems, broken gadgets and relationship conflict are typical manifestations of Mercury retrograde.
Problems with transportation and crucial bits of missing information that prevent us from achieving understanding or "moving forward" are also common. The advice is to avoid starting new projects, but rather to focus on completing or revising existing ones.
If Mercury is a messenger from the unconscious, we could also view the thrice yearly Mercury retrograde transit as
an opportunity to access important information or hidden messages. As Mercury travels backwards through Cancer
and Gemini, ask yourself: “How can I be more honest and caring in my relationships with friends and family; how
can I maintain a balance between head and my heart and how can I better speak my truth?
Winter Solstice
The midwinter solstice is an important turning point in the seasonal calendar, marking the longest night of the year.
From midwinter day on the 21 st June to the summer solstice six months later, the nights grow shorter as the days
grow longer. Many of the customs associated with the winter solstice (and with other midwinter festivals such as
Christmas, St Lucy’s Day, Saturnalia, Hanukkah, New Year and Twelfth Night) originate from stories of a fierce
battle between the dark and the light, where the light finally conquers the darkness. Other traditions record this as the
time that a saviour or sun-child is born to a virgin mother.
In Australia, our winter solstice is marked by the passage of the sun into Cancer on the 21st June. If you observe the place in the sky where the sun rises from the 21st-23rd June, you will see it is at exactly the same spot on these three
days. “Solstice” means “sun standing still”. On the eve of the winter solstice, surround yourself with all things nourishing: the warmth of an open fire, brightly coloured candles, piping hot food
and the company of close friends and loved ones. Sip warm spiced teas and mulled wine and decorate your home with winter greenery. Acknowledge and celebrate
the gift of life on the longest night of the year. As the fire burns brightly, picture the sun rising to conquer the darkness and our ability to create new light and life through the warmth of our thoughts, words and deeds. The winter solstice is the
perfect time for a ritual to cleanse and release old energy and honour winter, the season of death and decay.
Featured Sign-Gemini
From the 21 st May to the 21 st June the Sun travels through mutable air sign Gemini. Gemini is the third sign of the
zodiac with keywords “I think” and “I communicate”. Gemini’s symbol is the twins, one mortal, one immortal, the
dark side and the light side. Geminis are extremely curious and like to accumulate information and process data.
They think at lightning speed, are versatile and adaptable and love gadgets, mobile phones, books and surfing the
net. Easily bored, Geminis need lots of intellectual stimulation and often have a youthful appearance. Negatively, the
Gemini individual can be fickle and nervous with scattered energy and a tendency to gossip or make cutting remarks.
Some are over-reliant on logic and dismiss emotions as irrational or unimportant. When Geminis are out of balance
they suffer from nervous tension or problems in the lungs, arms, shoulders and hands. Gemini’s greatest challenge is
to learn constancy and mental discipline and to accept the importance of emotions and feelings in both themselves
and others.
June Moon Calendar
Launch projects at the New Moon, bring them to completion in the period from just before the Full Moon to the
Third Quarter phase and wind them down and reflect on developments in the week before the next New Moon. The
period between the New Moon and the Full Moon is the waxing moon (moon getting bigger and fuller). The period
between the Full Moon and the New Moon is the waning moon (moon getting smaller and thinner).
You can use this moon table to select the most favourable days to slow or increase hair regrowth. Full instructions
can be found in my Lunar Hair Care guidelines at www.stellastarwoman.com/files/LunarHairCare.pdf but to get you
started I’ve marked the best dates for waxing/shaving to slow regrowth in yellow and the best dates to cut hair for
thicker, lusher growth in green. If you’re serious about Lunar Hair Care - order your own Moon Calendar from the
Stella Starwoman Store then you’ll know exactly what time of day the moon changes from one zodiac sign to the
next meaning you can fine-tune your activities with confidence.
Thanks for being part of AstroUpdate. If there’s something you’d like to see featured, or have something you think
would interest others, please contact me at stellaw@ozemail.com.au
PS – Don’t forget to check out your June Monthly Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com
to see what’s coming up for you this month.
Happy Stargazing
Stella Woods