StarCrossed: Start Summer 2024 with Loving Yourself Completely
This is the season to get to know yourself fully and redraw the boundaries of your comfort zone.
StarCrossed follows a hobby that keeps my passion for reading and research alive—astrology and astronomy. My love for the Universe goes beyond the spiritual and includes the scientific wonders of space.
Sometimes, I don’t care about astrology. I know I can apply it in daily life and that it can guide me to better paths, but I don’t want to take the time to research and choose to struggle in the dark. I’ve learned that this is a cycle I go through and that the cycle itself is essential to illuminate the importance of astrology—and other interests of mine. Can’t figure out the importance of light without the dark.
That was a long-winded way of letting you know that I haven’t been thinking about astrology for a while, but I’m getting back into it now as my season approaches.
Cancer Mercury-Venus Conjunction
Cancer represents emotions, memory, self-care, and feminine or maternal energy. Of course, my season is Cancer. My birthday is July 11, my Sun and moon are in Cancer, and I have a Cancer stellium.
Become Your Ideal Self
On June 17, Mercury enters Cancer. As someone with Mercury in Cancer on their natal chart, I’m already familiar with this energy—it’s part of who I am. With a Mercury ruled by memory, I am all about nostalgia and drown in it often when I’m not careful. Mercury is all about intellect and logic, which doesn’t match Cancer’s emotional perspective.
This cosmic event would be a great backdrop to planning the rest of your summer—and beyond, especially regarding family events like birthdays and vacations. I would focus on how to make small changes that prioritize yourself alongside your loved ones. 2024 is the year of feminine energy—let’s lean into the desire for self-care.
Reach Out and Build Relationships
When Mercury enters Cancer, it will join Venus. You may still be reeling from the Venus cazimi last June 4—you may have felt a rebirth or purification of something you love or are passionate about. Venus rules love, beauty, pleasure, and the expression of what you value. But Mercury is also all about communication, which is the core of all relationships.
While you’re planning out your near future—and learning how to navigate the world as your ideal self instead of the self you’ve shed and let go of earlier during the eclipse sandwich season—it would help to talk to your loved ones about it. My intuition has urged me to connect with my family members and close friends for about a week now. Maybe you’re also feeling the same! That’s probably just foreshadowing for this Mercury-Venus conjunction on June 17.
Gemini Sun Squares Pisces Neptune
We’re in Gemini season now—a sign ruled by Mercury, so it’s right at home. This urge to connect may also have something to do with that, plus the upcoming end of spring and the summer solstice.
Focus on Expressing Who You Are
On June 18, the Sun in Gemini squares Neptune in the sign of Pisces—this configuration will be in the background until after the summer solstice. Expect to feel the effects of this square from the 18th to the 21st. Whenever the Sun is in any configuration with Neptune, there is what I like to think of as a pull to “main character” energy. Neptune rules evolutions, fantasy, idealism, and illusion, and the Sun rules the self and vitality.
Before the solstice, though, we also have Vesta entering Leo on June 19—before we leave Gemini season. What is Vesta? It’s an asteroid named after and linked to Vesta/Hestia, the goddess of home and fire. In astrology, it’s looked at to understand how to balance your deep desires and typical ambitions and often represents passion for life. Yes, this is the season for self-care, but that doesn’t need to happen only in your comfort zone. Let everyone else know all about you—and practice not caring how they think of what you share with the world!
Expand on the Longest Day of the Year
On June 20, the Sun enters Cancer during the summer solstice or Litha. This is supposed to be the start of summer, but I think summer came early here in Vegas. It’s been HOT. The summer solstice is always a magical time because it’s the longest day of the year—this is an excellent time for manifestation rituals that center on what you want to occupy your time. If you’re wanting an expanded family, business growth, or more networking opportunities, it would benefit you to do affirmations on this day.
Cancer Season with Sextiles
On June 21, as the effects of the Sun-Neptune square fade, you’ll start to feel the Mercury-Mars sextile—the first of three sextiles happening this June. And while most calendars will show the full moon on June 22, it will be full for about three days—from the night of June 20 to the morning of June 23. It’s the Strawberry Moon, which usually happens during the strawberry harvesting season in the northeast United States. It’s also the Honey Moon, named for the same reason—the end of June in Europe is when honey is ready for harvesting.
This full moon is in Capricorn, which rules ambition, diligence, and discipline. If you do moon rituals, you may want to show gratitude to the Universe for work-related blessings or maybe do a cleansing ritual if your work team or office needs it. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, which will soon retrograde in Pisces on June 29—right before the Mercury-Uranus sextile. To prepare for that, you may want to meditate on how to be more of a grown-up, more mature, and more responsible.
Don’t Sugarcoat or People Please
While Mercury is in Cancer, Mars is in Taurus for this first sextile. Mars rules aggression and assertiveness, and in any cosmic combination, it provides energy to the mix. But Taurus is connected with comfort and coziness—particularly when grounded in solid and material things. This would be a great day to have difficult conversations you need to maintain your boundaries.
Redraw Your Comfort Zone
On June 27, the Venus-Mars sextile begins. This transit, lasting until the 30th, would be an excellent time for socializing and engaging in physically creative activities like sculpting or creating jewelry.
On June 30, we get the Mercury-Uranus sextile. Uranus rules experimentation, imagination, innovations, and unpredictability, often signifying radical changes. Read in the context of the endcap of this month filled with astrological events, this sextile could point to stumbling into new solutions to old, annoying problems—or just finding something positive in a change in routine. At this point, you may feel more at home with prioritizing yourself, and you could be thinking of expanding your comfort zone.
Happy Summer! Put Some Sunscreen On
I’m serious. That’s the big takeaway from my astrology and astronomy passions—sunscreen is life-changing! Please put some on, at least on your face, before going out for the day.
Remember—any self-care is magic. Think of putting on sunscreen as an age-reduction spell. Anyway, that’s it for this StarCrossed post. Talk again soon!
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