Jupiter, the planet of optimism, expansion and big ideas will be in a tense square aspect to the Sun today. Jupiter in combination with the Sun always reminds me of the Greek myth of Icarus and the Sun. Icarus and his father were being held captive by King Minos on Crete and were given wings made of wax so they could fly away and escape. As they were leaving, Icarus's father warned him not to fly too close to the Sun. Icarus ignored his father's warnings his wings melted, and he fell to the ground.

When Jupiter hits the Sun by aspect it can make us feel as though we are invincible, we have the truth, we know exactly what to do and we can pursue our wildest dreams. It can have a bit of a manic quality as we feel buoyed by the Spirit. With Jupiter in Taurus, a sign that can have to do with luxury, sensual pleasures and good food, you might be tempted, for example, to spend money on something that makes you feel special today, the Sun, after all is in Leo where it loves to be seen and adored.

If you feel the impulse to do or buy something "big" today, it may be good to reflect on the tale of Icarus. Especially if you find yourself in a situation where you are riding high, sure of yourself and ready to jump into something new. Take a moment to ground yourself and sit with the impulse to act. Bring forth the part of you that is like Icarus's Dad and get a feel for your limits before you act. After all, his father did not tell Icarus not to take the trip, just that he should use care about how high he flew.

There will be a full moon in Aquarius on August 1. A good way to get a feel for the energy of Aquarius is to compare it to Capricorn, the other Saturn-ruled sign. Capricorn is an earth sign that relates to our capacity to build something in the material world through hard work, effort and responsibility. It's easy to see how this relates to Saturn, the planet associated with boundaries, hard work, and responsibility.

The planet Mercury (Hermes) enters Virgo today, its home sign and place of exaltation. It goes retrograde on August 23 and will remain in Virgo until early October.

Hermes was the messenger of the gods who was a shapeshifter with a trickster energy. With Mars and Saturn, the malefic planets, in hard aspect to Mercury for most of the month, each of us will likely confront some puzzle/problem to solve over the coming months in the house where Virgo lies in our chart. Mercury is quite strong in Virgo and will need every bit of that analytic skill and playful shapeshifting energy to tackle whatever problem presents itself in the coming weeks.

Rest in Peace, Tina Turner. When she re-emerged on the music scene at midlife with Private Dancer, she spoke a truth that could not be ignored. Her voice in What’s Love Got to Do with It?!! That album fulfilled the promise of Turner’s natal T-square with Jupiter (truth) opposite Neptune (dreams) squaring Venus (receptive beauty, art). I imagine Venus in the 5th house in Sagittarius sitting with the Sun and Mercury as demanding its freedom from oppression, its right to create, to speak and be heard.

The Moon is in Scorpio today and tomorrow. It’s raining here and there is a heaviness in the air that fits the Scorpio mood. If you find yourself a bit weepy today or tomorrow for no reason, don’t be surprised, Scorpio is the sign that carries the symbolism of death and letting go and the moon is our physical body and emotions.

When the moon is in the deep feminine watery sign of Scorpio feelings of loss can bubble up to the surface without any apparent cause. This will be especially true for this moon since it is ruled by Mars which is conjoining Chiron, the wounded healer. Feelings of loss or letting go will peak tomorrow morning when the moon meets the South Node. The South Node with the moon can bring up feelings of loss or letting go around people who have nurtured and cared for us in our lives.

Scorpio is a fixed sign and does not let go easily, so if these feelings do come up, be kind to yourself and let them in. Find a place that feels sacred and safe, whether in nature or in a corner of your home and devote yourself to inviting the sadness in for a while. Take some time to grieve and peel away the painful old bits that want to come to the surface. Perhaps a memory of some way in which you were wounded by a person who nurtured you when you were a child will arise. If you can, feel into that loss, weep it out and release it knowing that you are no longer a child, and it is safe to be with the hurt and let it go. Feel the lightness that envelops you after you release the memory to the past.

Monday’s new moon fell at the very end of the first decan of Gemini. Mercury, the god of communication, and Jupiter, the god of expansion, optimism, and big ideas rule this decan and can bring a rush of new ideas and pleasant fantasies of how these bright ideas might become something beautiful in the world. With Neptune sextiling Mercury, the ruler of the lunation, the ideas feel ever more enchanting to us. And, as the Bard said, “therein lies the rub.” We can feel so much pleasure at big ideas (Jupiter) or be overwhelmed by all the options presented by the idea (mercury) that we fail to act. We miss the opportunity to see what that seed of an idea might become if we did the work to plant it in the ground, water it, and watch it grow.

This new moon provides an opportunity to learn about how we relate to the big ideas that befall us. Mercury, the ruler of this lunation is retrograde, indicating that this lunation will involve reflection—a learning that helps bring us back to ourselves. With the new moon at 9 Gemini, the very end of the decan, we may be called to take a leap of faith, commit to an idea, risk the ego death that comes with giving ourselves over to the unknown. In numerology, 9 represents completion, the culmination of wisdom and experience. The tumultuous energy of the first decan of Gemini comes to fruition at the 9th degree, giving us an opportunity to integrate lessons around what the influx of new ideas and dreams means to us. Asking us to experiment with what it means to take the risk to plant them in the ground and let them die to a new way of being.

Today the moon is in the early degrees of Cancer, offering us the chance to commit to an idea that came to us at the new moon. To plant the seed in the ground, mother it, nurture it, and like any good mother, be curious about what it will become, accepting that once it takes root, it will have a life of its own.

At the full moon on June 14, any leap of faith will come to fruition. We will gain some new understanding of the seed we planted. More importantly, we will gain some new understanding of what it means to let go and step into the void. And, if we are lucky, regardless of the outcome, we will experience the exhilaration that comes after the leap of faith—the incomparable feeling of being alive, being “in life” that comes with landing on the other side.

Moon Conjunct Chiron in Aries: From Wound to Action