Sun Trine Neptune: Dream On

The Sun-Neptune trine only happens twice a year, so don't let this one slide or you'll have to wait till October 25.

Visualize your ideal self, no matter how ludicrous or unrealistic. This is not a "practical" aspect, so don't lowball yourself. Besides, your dreams are no one's business to judge, unless you are one sick, twisted puppy. Are you a shaman? A star? A latter-day Lancelot? A mad scientist? An unstoppable wheeler-dealer? A hermit? The best and most intriguing lover in the world?

Once you have something (or more than one thing, as there is no reason why your dream self can't be large and contain multitudes), meditate on it. Watch your ideal self in action -- doing -- and at rest -- being.

Good. Now, meditate on this question: Why aren't you that person in "real life"?

This is not a trick question, and your answer can be complicated or simple or perhaps both. It might boil down to: "I don't have the money," "It's not legal," "It's not physically possible," "My (sweetie/boss/mother) would kill me," or "I don't have the (talent/luck/ambition) and it's too late for me to be that person now."

Well, maybe all true dat. But just for today, the cosmos is encouraging you to fantasize. Let yourself become that poet or hero while languishing in your cubicle, taking pointless orders, giving pointless orders, hustling for chump change, or washing endless dishes. Your soul will thank you for it, and perhaps this little excursion will bring you an inch or two closer toward integrating your dream self into your real-life self. After all, it is your dream.

Shifting Gears: Welcome Jupiter in Cancer; Hello Mercury Retrograde; Crab Cake Deluxe

Now that summertime has officially arrived, and we finally had a Full Moon that was not a Lunar Eclipse (albeit one that appeared bigger and brighter than usual because it was closer to the earth than all other Full Moons for 2013), we are about to experience some major changes: Jupiter departs Gemini and enters Cancer at 9:40pm ET, and less than twelve hours later Mercury turns retrograde in Cancer. Venus is also in Cancer, although not for much longer; it enters fun-loving, party-animal Leo on Thursday. But there is still a lot of Cancerian energy out there, especially since Jupiter magnifies whatever sign it's in. If you are a Cancer, you will definitely be feeling it -- and if you are someone who keeps company with a Cancer, you will definitely be feeling it by proxy.

Cancerian energy is paradoxical in nature: Cancer is a cardinal sign, meaning it likes to lead and excels at getting whatever ball rolling. Yet Cancer is also of the water element, so it is introverted and reflective, and needs a lot of downtime. Cancer could never be mistaken for the premier cardinal sign Aries: while pioneering, hotheaded Aries must be at the front of the line at all times and at all costs (and fellow cardinal sign Libra is so other-directed it can only define itself by its relationship to others, and cardinal sign Capricorn's natural place is at the top of the literal or figurative mountain), sensitive Cancer prefers to rule the roost. And the roast.

This does not mean there are no famous Cancers -- far from it. Many Cancerians have the uncanny knack of intuiting what the public wants before the public is aware of those wants, and can embody lunar magic at its finest, weaving a spell on hundreds of thousands of earthlings. This is because Cancer's ruling planet is the Moon -- which rules the public. That said, it's also common for Cancerian celebrities to have a strong 10th house, or planets in Leo (increasing the desire for attention and glamour), or a strong Jupiter (increasing the likelihood of luck). A "pure" Cancer with Sun, Moon, and Rising Sign in Cancer, or a heavy emphasis on the 4th house, is more likely to want to be a homemaker, or if this is not possible, then work from home and be a confirmed homebody, the unofficial mother (regardless of the native's gender) of the neighborhood. Of course, a stable home can be a space in which Cancer's natural creativity and imagination can blossom -- so even a "pure" Cancer could wind up becoming a celebrated writer or artist.

Jupiter is said to be exalted in Cancer. On the surface, this seems odd; Jupiter is the ruling planet of Sagittarius, which has literally nothing in common with Cancer. However, before Neptune was discovered, Jupiter co-ruled Pisces, a sign that is extremely compatible with Cancer. For the next year, as Jupiter traverses Cancer, the urge to expand and the occurrence of good luck will be concentrated on the home, family, memory, imagination, intuition, collecting, antiques, nostalgia, women's issues, travel by sea, the sea itself, and recycling (Cancer is extremely environmentally aware). On July 17, we get two potentially magical Jupiter trines: Jupiter will trine Saturn in Scorpio immediately followed by a trine to Neptune in Pisces, just two days before the trine between Saturn and Neptune. This configuration is called a Grand Trine, in which three planets of different signs, but of the same element, are in perfect tune with one another. In the water element, this Grand Trine will encourage emotional depth. You may feel, however briefly, that you can achieve a balance between risk taking (Jupiter) and hard work (Saturn) -- and you can safely follow your dreams (Neptune) because both luck (Jupiter) and structure (Saturn) are in rare agreement with each other.

True, Mercury will be Retrograde for the next three weeks -- so yes, there will be delays, second thoughts, and secrets. But Mercury in Cancer is reflective and likes to take its time hatching its plans anyway. Mars's entry into Cancer on July 13 (my birthday!) should add some interesting heat and spice to this current crustacean-filled brew.

Fuck the Venus-Uranus Square

Hell hath no fury as a Pluto Rising, Moon-in-Scorpio native who realizes she's been scammed by a tech support site that has willfully misrepresented itself and parted her from a nice chunk of change.

I really should've seen it coming. Late last night, I realized that I could not open my trusty Norton, nor my IE browser. AOHell browser was (in the irony of ironies) just fine, and with the help of Goo-Goo-Ga-Google I found the contact number for Norton Symantec tech support. Actually, it was not THE number, just a number...which my spidey sense desperately tried to tell me as I conversed with Swami Scammer. But my tired, scared, left-brain self was having none of it. All I knew was that for only $180.99, my problems would fly away as ducks at the end of the summer.

I paid no attention to the fact that Venus (money, among other things) had finished trining Neptune and was now approaching a square to Uranus (technology). I also failed to take into account that the Moon was void of course at the end of Cancer.

I was the one who was void of course, apparently.

Fuck the Venus-Uranus square.

Oh, and if you feel like breaking up with your sweetie, or fucking with his or her head, this is a great aspect for any and all heartbreaking activities...but you may really regret it once the square is over. You have been duly warned. And for god's sake, don't call tech support unless you are doubly, triply, quadruply sure you have The Official Contact Number. Better yet, turn off all of your electronic devices for the next few hours. And try not to get electrocuted.