STAR GUIDANCE

Breaking the Relationship Recession with  Spiritual Compatibility

The Full Moon is at 6 degrees of Aquarius. Aquarius is the sign of humanity—enlightened, progressive, and intellectual. It is symbolized by the figure pouring water from a jar, with the water representing spirit. In this way, it is a deeply spiritual sign. As the sign associated with astrology, it is connected with cosmic knowledge and gnosis.

In my last post, I discussed the “relationship recession” we are currently experiencing. People are opting out of relationships. They are “lying flat,” rejecting the social expectations tied to relationships—marriage, the white picket fence, and traditional responsibilities. This is reflected in the Pluto–Juno conjunction, which has been part of the basket (or “cradle”) configuration that influenced us throughout July. This Full Moon brings a culmination to that relationship recession, supported by a deeply mythological relationship story reflected in the asteroids.

The Moon is conjunct Pluto and the asteroids Juno and Arawn. At a Full Moon, the Sun is always opposite the Moon, and here the Sun is joined by Jupiter and the asteroids Psyche, Aphrodite, and Hygiea.
Pluto and Juno have been travelling together, transforming relationships. From my last post:

“If you look closely at the myth of Juno, she was long-suffering—defined by constant jealousy and anger at her unfaithful husband, Jupiter, and by deep insecurity about her beauty and worth. For too long, relationships have been modelled on this insecurity and co-dependence. Yet there is a hopeful angle to the relationship recession… a deep transformation is happening in how we relate. ‘Wildflowering’ is an approach that allows relationships to develop without labels or pressure—an approach once simply called friendship. In the context of modern relationships, it is revolutionary and very Aquarian. We also see ‘nun girl summers,’ where women step back from dating to focus on themselves.

Within the relationship recession lies the potential for deep relational transformation. It’s very Pluto conjunct Juno—it holds the promise of greater emotional clarity and, ultimately, more balanced and egalitarian partnerships.”
Asteroid Arawn, named after the Welsh underworld god and king of Annwn. The name means “ploughing the field.” It represents preparation—getting the ground ready for what comes next.

At the heart of “nun girl summers” and wildflowering is this process of preparing the landscape. It mirrors the journey of Psyche—a process of overcoming seemingly impossible tasks….

And this brings us to the story of Jupiter, Psyche, Aphrodite, and Hygiea opposite the Moon!

In mythology, Jupiter (Zeus), Psyche, and Aphrodite are linked through a powerful story. Aphrodite grew jealous of Psyche because mortals began to worship Psyche for her beauty more than Aphrodite. Out of jealousy, Aphrodite instructed her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with a monster. However, Eros accidentally wounded himself with his own arrow and fell in love with Psyche instead.

Because Psyche was mortal and Eros a god, he made her promise never to look at him. She agreed, but her sisters planted doubt in her mind. Eventually, she lit a candle to see him and discovered his divine beauty. But a drop of wax woke him, and he fled.

Desperate to win him back, Psyche appealed to Aphrodite, who agreed—but only if Psyche completed four impossible tasks. The final task required her to journey to the underworld and retrieve a jar of Persephone’s beauty cream. With help from ants, reeds, an eagle, and a talking tower, she succeeded. However, tempted by the promise of beauty, she opened the jar and fell into a deathlike sleep.

Eros, still in love with her, sought Jupiter’s help. Jupiter revived Psyche by giving her ambrosia—the divine nectar—making her immortal and resolving the imbalance between them.

The core conflict in this myth is that mortals and gods are unequally yoked. This doesn’t refer to differences in background, belief systems, or status—it speaks to spiritual imbalance. Their incompatibility was spiritual.
A “god” represents someone who has done the inner work—someone with agency, power, and self-mastery. This kind of spiritual liberation comes from facing life’s challenges, doing the work, and growing through experience, often with the support of nature.

This is where the asteroid Hygiea comes in. Hygiea represents healing—here, the cure comes through ambrosia. But ambrosia is not just a drink; it is a transformation. And you do not receive it without first doing the work.
In relationships, spiritual incompatibility often means that only one person has done that work. This Full Moon asks us to do the work necessary to bring balance and co-creation into our relationships. You don’t have to be perfect—Jupiter, aligned with the Sun during this Full Moon, offers blessings to those who have at least made the effort. Jupiter offers that symbolic cup of ambrosia.

Traditionally, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, which has just gone retrograde, asking us to review lessons around courage and responsibility. In modern astrology, Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, now in Gemini, forming a mini grand trine with Pluto and Neptune. This suggests that your personal transformation contributes to broader societal evolution.

The Sabian symbol for this degree is “A child being born out of an eggshell.” This symbol suggests the birth of a new human—emerging not just from lineage, but from the cosmic egg itself. It points to a consciousness that can transcend inherited patterns and karmic history.

Full moons are a great time for ceremony, release, and integration.

Happy Full Moon in Aquarius!

Including the Asteroids Borasisi and Juno and Exploring The Lull of Doom and Gloom Astrology/CosmologyThe relationship phenomenon of Lying Flat

The astrology of July is truly fascinating. Every astrologer is talking about it – “Barbault’s Basket” – a RARE astrological configuration. I haven’t seen a post that includes the asteroids, so here I throw my two cents’ worth in…

Barbault’s Basket, named after the late astrologer Andre Barbault who wrote extensively on it, is the shape of a basket formed with the major outer planets all at 4 degrees and forming trines and sextiles. Two of those planets are in opposition – Jupiter and Pluto. There are many articles on this astrological configuration; all see a huge shift in society – some see it as good, others, looking at the context within which we find ourselves, are not altogether sure. Barbault himself was very optimistic. And yet it does seem hard to imagine.

So will the asteroids provide some clarity? There are just three that join the picture. Here is what we are dealing with:

• • • • Neptune conjunct Borasisi – 4 Aries
      • Uranus – 4 Gemini
      • Jupiter – 4 Leo
      • Pluto conjunct Juno – 4 Aquarius

Also, on July 19, there is a short window when the Basket (or Cradle) turns into a Star of David

• • • • Moon – 4 Libra
      • Asteroid Sauer – 4 Sagittarius

 

Neptune conjunct Borasisi

At the July full moon in 2025, with all the planets newly in their respective new signs, I wrote about the asteroid Borasisi. In that post I wrote:

Borasisi is conjunct Neptune at 4 degrees of Aries. Borasisi was the mythical personification of the Sun in the fictional religion called Bokononism described in the book Cat’s Cradle. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was published in 1963 and can be described as dark humour or satire. It’s also considered a classic, touching a nerve in the Zeitgeist in the midst of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear destruction; the book is now a staple in high schools and universities, studied by thousands of students across North America.

At its heart, the story is about unchecked scientific discovery and meaning found through a twisted, fabricated religion based on a mythology of the planets.

The religion, called Bokononism, is named after Borasisi, the mythological name of the Sun in the book.

“Borasisi, the sun, held Pabu, the moon, in his arms and hoped that Pabu would bear him a fiery child. But poor Pabu gave birth to children that were cold, that did not burn… Then poor Pabu herself was cast away, and she went to live with her favourite child, which was Earth.”

If you haven’t read the book (or you have and you forget), here is a summary:

The Cat’s Cradle explores and satirizes issues of science, technology, the purpose of religion, and the arms race, often through the use of morbid humour. The first-person narrator, a professional writer, frames the plot as a flashback set in the mid-20th century, when he was planning to write a book called The Day the World Ended. He describes his concept for that book as an account of what people were doing on the day of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The story revolves around Dr. Felix Hoenikker, one of the fictional founding fathers of the atomic bomb, who left behind a deadly legacy in the form of “ice-nine,” a highly lethal chemical that can freeze the entire planet. The narrative follows the narrator’s research into the events surrounding the atomic bomb, which leads him to become the president of a small island in the Caribbean and ultimately to the destruction of the world. A central theme of the novel is Bokononism, a fictional religion that is self-aware about being made-up. Followers of Bokononism find meaning in the lies of the religion, which offer a way to cope with the indifferent machinations of the real world. The novel also critiques the senseless futility of war and the dangers of scientific advancements without ethical considerations.

The title of the novel is derived from the children’s game “cat’s cradle,” which is played by making a series of shapes with a loop of string between one’s fingers. In the novel, Newt Hoenikker (the dwarf son of the scientist Felix Hoenikker) recalls his father showing him the cat’s cradle when he was a child. But Newt reflects that there was no cat, and no cradle — just a meaningless pattern of string. He reflects that it’s a cradle of lies!!

A cradle of lies!

I should mention that a basket in astrology is also called a cradle – named for the pattern it makes, not with string, but with the sextiles and trines crisscrossing and making that cradle pattern within the chart.

Cat’s Cradle, the book, essentially embodies the energy of the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in its potential negative expression. Saturn in Aries is discipline and control (Hoenikker’s scientific pursuit), which is challenged by reckless impulses (the unchecked creation of Ice-Nine). It embodies the Neptune in Aries conjunct Borasisi, where illusions (Bokononism) and the destruction of those illusions when confronted with the reality of a global disaster caused by Ice-Nine reflect our current disillusionment.

The book continues to touch a nerve in the Zeitgeist… do I need to name all the ways?

The fictional religion where Borasisi is worshiped in this satirical science fiction book brings in themes of Science vs. religion, the absurdity of war and the search for meaning. In the book, society follows a faith that is knowingly false but comforting. And, strangely, it’s comforting because the male god has rejected and banished his wife (the moon) and children (the Earth and the planets). They are comforted by a religion based on a withdrawn, divorced parental god who blames and rejects his goddess, and in so doing, they are lulled into doing nothing about their corrupt world.

I mean… does it sound familiar?

Yet with Barbault’s Basket we are in the midst of sextiles and trines, and these energies always open opportunities… but they can also make us complacent. The basket is good if we make it good and bad if we sit at home reading Cats Cradle, allowing ourselves to be lulled by doom-and-gloom astrology – and there is lots of it!

Also inherent within the cradle is tension – it has one opposition! I’ll return to the oppositions shortly. But first, a look at the second asteroid in the mix… Juno.

Pluto conjunct Juno

We are in the midst of a global “relationship recession”. People are choosing to ‘quietly quit’ (stop putting in the effort) or stay single, or to use the Chinese term, “lay flat”. The problem is we have lost our social skills (smartphones, working at home and COVID), and things cost too much. The term Lying flat (Tang Ping) really captures it…. it is a phenomenon that apparently originated in the world of work as a rejection of the “rat race,” extending to homeownership, marriage, and career…. It’s much easier to just do nothing!

If you look closely at the myth of Juno, she was long-suffering, defined by constant jealousy and anger at her cheating husband, Jupiter, and by deep insecurity about her beauty and looks. For too long, relationships have been modelled after this insecurity and co-dependence. Yet there is a hopeful angle on the relationship recession… a deep transformation is happening in relationships…. ‘Wildflowering’ is an approach that allows relationships to develop without labels or pressure. An approach that was once called frienship. In the context of relationships, it is revolutionary and very Aquarian. And then there are ‘nun girl summers’ that see women taking a break to focus on themselves.

Within the relationship recession is the potential deep relational transformation… It’s very Pluto conjunct Juno. It holds within it the potential for more emotional clarity and ultimately, once we evolve out of it, more balanced and egalitarian relationships.

If we evolve out of it!

We are now moving toward healthy co-creative relationships, or nothing at all.

The idea of the Twin Flame comes to mind here. Twin Flames are the concept that our souls have a twin. Twin Flames meet each other to heal trauma and karma, with the relationship catalizing and speeding up that process. The ultimate goal of the twin flame is to come together after this healing and, as a power couple, serve humanity, bring about global awakening and usher us into the new golden age.

You can see how deeply healed co-creative relationships could help heal our world… but it requires us to do the work!

So the question is: are we embracing this transformation to transform ourselves and to aid the overall transformation of the world… or are we lying flat?

Now let’s look at the momentary Star of David

The Star of David

 

The Star of David is a configuration of sextiles and trines that appear like a Star … it’s also called a Merkaba.

On July 19, 2026, the moon will join in on the action, reaching 4 Libra. The Moon moves fast, but it can help to trigger events. The moon in Libra, again, brings in the theme of relationships. The only spot left that needs a planetary body to complete a Star of David is 4 Sagittarius… and there we find the asteroid Saucer.

First, about the Star of David – This configuration is composed of two interlocking Grand Trines connected by six sextiles. It also has three oppositions within it.

The oppositions represent the tensions that we must integrate in order to take advantage of the opportunity of the star. They are:

• • • • Jupiter opposite Pluto
      • Moon opposite Neptune
      • Sauer opposite Uranus

Jupiter opposite Pluto is probably one of the most volatile aspects in astrology. Jupiter expands whatever Pluto is doing. Remember Juno is also with Pluto. This could be the Twin Flame power couple taking the world by storm! But it’s also, and probably more likely, a deeper rebellion of people ‘quietly quitting’…. lying flat on the expectations of life… opting out as rebellion!

The Twin Flame idea is also challenged by the tension with the Moon opposite Neptune. The Moon in Libra is relational, and this brings me to an important point about the twin flame phenomenon… nobody believes in it anymore. Wasted time, profound disappointment, disillusionment about what is healthy, with the realization that toxic behaviours were normalized under the pretense of something profound and soul-fated, have left many disillusioned.

Yet healthy power couples do exist! And they may save us!

Finally, the Sauer/Uranus tension

Astrologer Eric Francis has some strong opinions on its expression astrologically. He discovered the asteroid Saucer is named after “Dr. Carl G. Sauer — a flight dynamics engineer who worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory — the private entity behind NASA, which is part of Caltech University — starting in 1952.”

Sauer, he says, is related to engineering and carefully planned trajectories. According to Francis, it was on the ascendant with Mercury at the moment the first plane hit the Twin Towers on 9/11. It has led him to believe that the event was engineered… and has also led him to delineate Sauer as showing up when events and plans are engineered.

If I’m honest, I’m with Francis on this one.

Uranus in Gemini has brought AI and digital technologies to the forefront. These are technologies that have been long planned/engineered and earmarked for social and economic transformation… some even say the transformation of humanity – Cyborgs! Yet, while it seems the Dr. Felix Hoenikker’s, “Papa” Monzano’s, and the other cast of amoral, indifferent, selfish, and misguided characters designing society have the upper hand, Uranus, the planet of upsets and the unexpected, may throw a wrench in long-held plans with Uranus opposing Sauer!

But the well-planned always have a plan B and C…. they have contingencies…

…and so must you!

So it seems that the basket provides an opportunity within which society is deeply changing. With the asteroids we get a picture that includes a tension between apathy, beliefs, new ways of relating and the idea of opting out of life, aka Lying Flat.

Opting out never really means opting out… instead it places the control in the hands of whoever feels driven to take advantage of the opportunities present…

There are opportunities. We live in powerful times that will shape the world that we are now stepping into. They depend on you doing your internal work and taking responsibility for the world that you want to live in.

You get to decide if it’s a Basket or a Cat’s Cradle!

Capricorn Full Moon – June 29/30, 2026

The Structure of Our Emotions

The Full Moon on June 29 is in Capricorn. Capricorn is structure, restriction, and constraints. It rules lessons and hard work. It rules mountains and the mountain goat—it’s the long, arduous climb, but once summited, it brings rewards. Capricorn also rules old structures, old money, large established corporations, bureaucracy, and government. Finally, Capricorn rules time and cycles of time.

This Full Moon brings a culmination to all things Capricorn. It is square to the midpoint of the Saturn and Neptune conjunction in Aries. These two met at 0° Aries and are now separating, and it’s within that separation that this Full Moon makes its square. This reactivates both of these energies. It brings up our false beliefs and insecurities, making us feel them deeply and uncomfortably.

Saturn rules this Full Moon, and while the Moon is not comfortable in Saturn, sometimes it needs it. Processing emotions is a Saturnine act—it requires rules and structure to get to the heart of the matter. Without that, we can become stuck in melancholy, sadness, or depression. Depression is a state of pressing down, and it’s also an astronomical term meaning “angular distance of a star below the horizon.” When a star is below the horizon, we can’t see it. And if it’s the Sun, it still shines, but is losing its light.

At a Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are opposite each other. As the Sun sets on the western horizon, the Moon rises in the east, shining with the Sun’s reflected light. When the Sun is “depressed,” the ego feels dimmed and dampened, losing its light—but we can turn to the Moon, our emotions, to reconnect.

Saturn and Neptune in Aries call on us to be courageous—warriors of light—but it can feel fearful, exhausting, and oppressive. Things may feel meaningless, and meaninglessly hard. Yet we are challenged to find the “subtle and hidden structure,” as astrologer John Sandbach puts it, and use structure to uncover it.

Here’s what I mean. When you feel an emotion, do you know what it is? Do you name it? That’s the first step. Once named, what do you do with it? Let it run wild? Acknowledge it? Try to understand it? Do you nurture and soothe it—parent it, so to speak? Parenting brings its own set of rules. Do you lovingly tame your anger, set limits, and look for solutions?

The Moon is conjunct the asteroids Ixion and Memoria, and opposite the asteroid Xewioso.

In Greek myth, Ixion was a thug and a murderer who, even when given a second chance by Zeus, squandered it—going so far as to pursue Zeus’s wife. He’s a “hide your kids, hide your wife” kind of figure. In astrology, he represents the violation of social and moral values—murder, betrayal, and ingratitude. It makes you wonder what drives someone like that. Ixion was the son of Ares (Aries), so perhaps it was his nature. This Full Moon brings up the shadow side of Aries—all the ways we aren’t nice, and the reasons, or lack of them, behind it.

Memoria is connected to memory. In astrology, it’s nostalgic, bringing up the past. Memories carry feelings, and the question becomes: do we hold on to them, or let them go? Memoria can be helpful here, because processing emotions often requires looking back. We can examine memories for their emotional truth. A memory formed at age seven, for example, was shaped by a seven-year-old mind. As adults, we may be able to see it differently, and in doing so, reframe the emotion.

Mercury stations retrograde in the Moon’s sign of Cancer at the time of this Full Moon, further supporting the reexamination of emotions, memories, and family dynamics.

Xewioso, a thunder god from the mythologies of the Fon and Ewe people of West Africa, carries Saturnian themes of punishment and justice. Astrologically, it is associated with frustration, unhappiness, and being thwarted—adding another layer to this Full Moon’s tension.

The Sabian symbol for this Full Moon is “an angel carrying a harp.” Everything is harmony and frequency. Disharmonious emotions are like the strumming of an out-of-tune harp—but with the structure of this Full Moon, we can create an emotional, angelic masterpiece.

Happy Full Moon in Capricorn!