Jun 10, 2022

June Message: Solstice & Saturn Mid-Year Check In

As we approach the June 21 Solstice (longest day of the year for Northern Hemisphere, shortest day of the year for Southern Hemisphere), it’s a good time to check in with ourselves: on both a personal and collective level.

As I was writing about each of this month’s themes, it was interesting to see they had a common thread – energy associated with Saturn. Ah, of course – Saturn went retrograde on 4 June. When a planet is retrograde some of its shadow qualities are highlighted more than usual. Specifically, those qualities that are needing to be noticed by you, examined, explored, excavated or adjusted.

One of the themes of this month is weariness and fatigue (be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual): “I’m tired of …” or just plain “I’m tired.” For over 2 years we were on adrenalin over-drive more often than not. Even with reduced mobility or ability to go anywhere much, even if you quite enjoyed the slower pace, our adrenals were still pumping away responding to the constant change and uncertainty all around us. As restrictions have eased (albeit still in place in various locations in various forms), it’s not a matter of picking up where we left off and carrying on as normal. We’re still out in the open ocean, no longer on the old land we started on pre-March 2020, and not yet landed onto new shores.

For anyone who has gone through something like a challenging health issue, loss of a loved one or difficult court case, you’ll know there are several emotional phases that you go through with unexpected, intense life events. There’s the shock of the initial realization as to what lays ahead, there’s the arduous journey as you go through whatever it is you need to go through – and then there is the aftermath. In the aftermath phase, the adrenals that carried you through the most intense stage of the race collapse in a heap like an Olympic runner who has finally stepped over the finish line. The runner feels as if they couldn’t take one more step if they tried.

After intense life events it takes time to come back to yourself.

It takes time for major rest and recovery.

This is the stage that many people are in right now when it comes to life.

It can be strange to have something (or at least a stage of it) ‘be over’ but wonder “Why am I not jumping for joy?” Instead you might feel like crawling into bed and saying “Wake me when at least 12 months have gone by and I know for sure it’s safe to come out.” When ones foundations have been shaken (and here we have yet another Saturn theme: foundations), it takes time to re-group. It takes time to trust again. To trust yourself. To trust others. To trust the world. There are some things or some people you might never trust again. Post-earthquake you are not the same person you were pre-earthquake. The aftershocks can continue for a while. (On the astro side of things remember that we are still in the 3 year Saturn in Aquarius window which goes from March 2020 to March 2023.*)

This Saturn Retrograde period goes from June 4 to October 23. While it’s triggering the below themes, it’s simultaneously encouraging us to take time to address them (and there it is again – Saturn is the planet associated with time).

Time to get out your journal!

Read each question below, and answer it without censoring yourself. Trust what comes through.

If you are feeling:

“I am tired of….” or “I’m tired full stop”:

· What do you need a break from?

· What do you need to retreat from?

· Where do you need to retreat to?

· What do you need more of?

If you’re usually the giver, it’s time to receive.

If you’re usually the carer, it’s time to be taken care of.

· What do you need?

All of the above usually requires reviewing of your boundaries (another of Saturn’s specialities). Taking time for self-care usually means saying no to someone or something you usually say yes to, or do automatically. Asking for help usually means letting someone in where you usually soldier on alone.

· Where do you need to firm up your boundaries?

· Where do you need to soften your boundaries?

If you feel your foundations have been shaken,

and you’re wondering where you (or we) go from here:

· What do you want your personal life to be more like?

(Trust what comes through).

- Create a daily affirmation prayer of gratitude saying thank you for everything you have listed, including both inner states of being (eg love, joy, peace) and external states of reality (eg a safe, stable home, a job I love)

· What do you want our world to be more like?

(Trust what comes through).

- Look for, or create, opportunities to create that world.

If you have lost trust, faith or hope,

in yourself, in others or in the world:

· Start with your breath. Breathe deeply in, and exhale deeply out. If nothing else, you can trust your breath. Your breath tells you that you are alive. Your breath is your life-force.

· Take time each day to simply breathe deeply, in and out, for one full minute. Notice what you might be thinking, or feeling, but keep your focus on your breath as it goes in and out.

· When 1 minute starts to feel like it comes too quickly, do it for 2 minutes, increasing in increments as needed or desired.

· Your breath will start to clear your mind, and soothe your soul. Your breath will start to whisper to you, almost imperceptible at first, but eventually with a strength and a surety that will never waiver.

This month’s message is more full than usual of self-reflective exercises and journaling prompts but of course it is. Saturn is all about taking responsibility for yourself, for owning your personal authority and sovereignty. Saturn is also all about taking action, in this case putting pen to paper and getting clear on what you are feeling, why you are feeling it, and what needs to be addressed or adjusted.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere,

wishing you a happy Summer Solstice as you are bathed in the light and warmth of the Sun,

while connecting with the light and the warmth within you.

For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere,

wishing you a cosy Winter Solstice as you find the light and flicker of a warm flame,

reminding you that this light and flame is always within you,

and always guides you through the darkness.

* Further info about the 3 year Saturn in Aquarius journey is included in many of the past Monthly Messages with the two most extensive being:

Covid-19 an astrological and energetic perspective, March 2020

2022 Energy Report, Jan 2022

Info is also included in the below interviews:

Impact the World – March 2022 interview with Lee Harris