Is there something you need to say to someone or straighten out? This lunar cycle gives you that opportunity. Actually, it demands it. Mercury, the communication planet, gets a push from Mars, the planet of initiative. They are a helpful two signs apart, with Mercury in Cancer and Mars in Virgo (another sign ruled by Mercury). That's the good part. The trickier feature is Mercury in a T-square, stuck like a monkey in the middle between the opposing forces of Saturn (representing order and responsibility) and Eris (the planet of chaos, disorder and discord). There is only so long that Saturn can keep us mum before Eris bursts that dam and out comes a river of words, the emotions in motion of Mercury in Cancer.

The Sun and Moon are not strongly interconnected with the other planets. Their main link is a mildly positive semisextile (one sign apart) with Ceres, which is at the end of Taurus, an indicator of fertility and growth, which is currently approaching Jupiter (and will pass it July 9-10 at 6 degrees of Gemini). This New Moon connection will help us propagate our ideas in the coming four weeks, and then Ceres and Jupiter will help carry the ball for months afterward. So we'll have lots of second (or subsequent) chances to do all the Gemini things we have to do.

The Venus Retrograde in Gemini has also been giving us second chances in matters of the heart and finances. Its backtracking comes to an end on June 27th, just two days after Saturn concludes its annual 4+-month backward journey. With both of them slowed to an apparent stop for at least the next week, this is likely to be a difficult time for any progress in relationships and/or negotiations (natural Venus activities also related to Venus-ruled Libra, where Saturn is traveling). This gives us a moment for a long look at what our goals are and how best to achieve them once Venus and Saturn are cruising forward again. However, these may be sore spots for the coming season since these slow-downs are also present at the Summer Solstice, which will propel their influence forward for the next three months. This adds a serious tone to personal interactions, contrary to the light-hearted, flirty nature we would expect with such a strong dose of Gemini.

A happy upcoming indicator will be Venus's proximity to Jupiter, within five degrees from June 24 to July 7. This combo brings a generosity that opens hearts and wallets. They will both be in a helpful trine with Mars, which enters Libra on July 3 just hours ahead of the next Full Moon. This smooths relations between men and women and prods us to act on our amorous thoughts.

Summer begins on Wed., June 20 at 7:10 pm (E) [4:10 pm (P)]. The chart bears a lot of similarity to the New Moon the day before, with the notable difference that the Moon is in its home sign of Cancer and the Sun is entering Cancer. Together they bring a lot of emotion to bear on whatever you're involved in. Our nurturing and protective side emerges strongly in Cancer. The Sun will be trine to Neptune in Pisces, eliciting our sympathies and turning up the volume on our psychic antennae. About a week from now, the Sun and Moon at the First Quarter Moon on June 26 will form a Grand Cross with the current Uranus-Pluto square (see below), a time for big pressure to put changes in motion.

Old battles from the '60s are back. On June 24, we have the first of seven instances of reaching the first quarter of the cycle of approximately 138 years between radical Uranus and transformative Pluto. A quarter point is a gear-shifting time to assess the direction in which we are heading. As the cycle began, we were in the midst of major cultural revolutions, the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Lib and LBJ's "Great Society" (Medicare, Medicaid, educational programs, etc.) Just this week in the news there was a protest march against racial profiling by NYC police and their illegal search and seizure policy concurrent with the death of Rodney King, whose 1991 beating by LA police sparked riots. The Vagina Monologues are back in the dialogue, performed on the Michigan state capitol's steps after a state representative was banned from the floor for saying "vagina" in criticizing proposed legislation restricting reproductive rights. (Pluto rules private parts, procreation, domination, and it's in Capricorn, sign of the government, rules and regulations. Uranus rules whatever is outside the mainstream as well as individual and their rights and rebellion.)

In your own life, the current positions of Uranus (8 degrees of Aries) and of Pluto (8 degrees of Capricorn) can show where you are experiencing tension and a need to throw out or revamp what isn't working. As you may have read in Janet's Plan-its 2012 Celestial Planner, we have help from Chiron in Pisces, a strong force for healing and improvements, which will be in positive connections to Uranus and Pluto throughout the period of their clash. In the turbulent '60s, Chiron was opposite Uranus and Pluto, so we were more likely to shoot ourselves in the foot with the changes we were making. Now we can heal those wounds. Sometimes a wound has to be re-opened or a bone re-broken to set things right. So if you are facing a painful situation again, this time around you can make it better.

The June episode of my cable TV show, LOOKING UP, focuses on the Uranus-Pluto square. Check it out for more information and tips. And you can be sure I will be writing more about this square in the coming months and years. When it is stressed, we are in danger zones for more difficult times. Decisions may have to be made and life has to be lived during these moments; the best approach is to be true to yourself and act with integrity.

For guidance in making the most of astrology's influences as they affect your chart, or to discover how Jupiter in Gemini or the Uranus-Pluto square will impact your life, contact me to schedule a personal reading.