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2018 June Solstice Mars in Aquarius Retrograde QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF OPA Career OPA’s Quarterly Magazine Astrologer The MARS in AQUARIUS RETROGRADE and the FIXED CROSS ECLIPSE The Organization for JUNE SOLSTICE Professional Astrology V27 2018 02 V27-02 JUNE SOLSTICE 2018 page 1 QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF OPA Career Astrologer The Welcome! JUNE SOLSTICE V27 02 2018 PA’s new term began on June 17 as the vote of confidence Ocame to a close. We are excited to begin a new cycle and take OPA to its next developmental process, with you, for you, and for astrology. We hope to fulfill the creative promise of this new chart and shine our Mars Venus, North Node, and Moon in Leo to warm hearts and ignite brains. Retrograde and the Eclipses Our focus for the next term 2018-2020: • Further solidify OPA’s certification process which includes the Peer Group process, 2018 Integrative Consulting Skills, Astronomy for Astrologers, and forthcoming, an over- view of the History and Development of Astrology. President’s Report P.2 • 2018 I-Astrologer event in Tucson, Arizona. MARS RX AND ECLIPSES P.3 • 2019 - lead a complete OPA certification program in the UK (including PG, ICS, Astronomy for Astrologers) in the UK. Astronomy for Astrologers P.30 • Translate more Astrology articles and OPA related content in all foreign languages of our Satellite countries. Astrology, Mindfulness P.33 • Organize medium scale OPA events outside the United States. Enhancing Your Practice P.34 • Organize the next OPA Retreat end of 2019, early 2020. • Fundraise for scholarships for promising students and practitioners in astrology. Secret Chart Lord: James Joyce P.39 • 2019 release of the next OPA book: Essential Astrology. • 2019 release of the New Edition of the Professional Astrologer book. Divination and Science P.42 • 2019 plan for OPA’s third book: Why Astrology Matters – Answering Critics. Interview: Russ Von Ohlhausen P.44 • Increase awareness for Evidence based astrology. • Increase cooperation between OPA and other astrology organizations. Transits of the Season P.48 • Continue our ongoing online programs. Notes from a Queer Astrologer P.56 • And much more… Editors: Arlan Wise and Maurice Fernandez Thank you for being part of this movement and helping us in our goal to make a difference Proofing: Nancy Beale, for Astrology. Jeremy Kanyo, Geoff Gronlund Maurice Fernandez Design: Sara Fisk President, OPA Cover Art: Water Media by Marjorie Lutz PRESIDENT’S REPORT [email protected] - www.marjorielutz.com © 2018 OPA All rights reserved. No part of this publication MARS RETROGRADE (AQUARIUS) AND GRAND CROSS ECLIPSES An extraordinary Mars retrograde cycle conjuncts the lunar South Node and the Total Lunar Eclipse (July 27) – With Mars’s rare proximity to the earth and being out of bound, we can THIS ISSUE expect strong currents and swift changes in the coming weeks. OPA collected a number of arti- cles on the subject, with each author offering a different perspective on these powerful cycles. The Organization for With better understanding of these planetary alignments, we can better navigate the cur- Professional Astrology rents. Enjoy and blessings for all! MARS RETROGRADE AND GR AND CROSS ECLIPSES OPAastrology.org The Career page 2 Astrologer MARS RX and the ECLIPSES If we could role-play the planets, we would Mars in Aquarius challenge the opportunity imagine Venus in Leo yearning for romance, that VenusA offers – “I don’t do tanned and Mars generosity, and creative sensual expression, platinum hair” would say Mars retrograde in Uwhile Mars in Aquarius in a doubting, cyn- Aquarius, “please surprise me with more wit Retrograde in ical, and bored mindset, yearning to get and better taste.” out of a “same old, same old” repetition of We already see the effect of relation- Aquarius and relationships and engagement. The separat- ship tensions within groups, with Donald the upcoming ists and defensive qualities of a retrograde Trump polarized from G7 allies. At worst, this Eclipses by Maurice Fernandez truly fiery cycle 2018 is upon us. While A Mars retrogrades every two years, this time Mars will retrograde in Aquarius the first time in 47 years and will conjunct the Nodes and the Total Lunar Eclipse of July 27. WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS MARS RETROGRADE CYCLE: The rarest retrograde in Aquarius: every 47, or 32 years… The last time was in 1971. The next time will be in 2050. Mars Retrograde will conjunct the nodal axis and the July 27 Total Lunar Eclipse Mars will be the closest to the Earth: the same as it was in 2003, roughly 35 million miles distance (compared to an average of 140 million miles). This will make Mars’s red glow particularly bright. Planets are always closest to the earth when retrograde and always farthest from us when they conjunct the Sun (with exceptions to Mercury and Venus inferior conjunctions to the Sun). As Mars and Earth get as close as can be, it may intensify the “Mars effect” and increase both breakthroughs and volatility. MARS RETROGRADE (AQUARIUS) OPPOSING VENUS ON THE NODES (LEO) – Solstice Day June 21 Our planetary neighbors, Mars and Venus, choose to celebrate the Solstice in quite the festive (or feisty) alignment—a per- fect opposition on the Nodes at 9 degrees Aquarius/Leo. V27-02 JUNE SOLSTICE 2018 page 3 MARS RX IN AQUARIUS and the ECLIPSES 2018 opposition can bring a spike in cost of living Flying kites on fire – An interesting (Venus in Leo) because of the broken treaties Mars in Aquarius symbolism is captured in (Mars in Aquarius retrograde). the Gaza and Israel conflict where Gazaens The change of On a personal level,U our intimate relation- fought back the Israeli regime by setting kites U ship may also suffer setbacks and challenges, on fire that eventually set dry fields on fire jobA you have and even lead to a spike in the divorce on the other side of the dividing fences. Mars been yearning for curb. We may feel rejected with wounded is the weapon, the fire, while Aquarius is the self-esteem. heights and the flight. or the new At best, new connections or ways of When Mars turns retrograde, it is far away project you always relating may take our relationships to new from the Sun, in other words, the knight is heights. A time when we may meet people far from the king – at such distance, he or dreamt to start who open completely new doors to our lives, she becomes more reflective and can doubt can indeed be and elevate the value (Venus in Leo) of what the original intentions of their mission. activated during we have or who we are. In our lives, this is a time when we may not resonate anymore with what we have been this time. From one doing and can feel a sense of depletion or week to the Mars retrograde in loss of interest. In more extreme cases, life may divert the course of our trajectory and next, your Aquarius can throw us off to completely new pathways. life may look intensify our In other words, Mars retrograde is a time quite different. when we are inspired, or compelled, to feeling of alienation reinvent ourselves—we start anew: new and therefore place, new job, new relationships, new make new ones, or feel the need to revamp the urge to direction. In the sign of Aquarius, we may feel a the dynamics of a group or an organization break away. need to completely upgrade our lives. This we belong to. can take the form of buying new equipment We all need to look at the house in our that can better serve our personal or profes- chart where Mars will retrograde between sional needs, or change the direction of our 9 degrees Aquarius and 28 degrees WHAT IS MARS RETROGRADE IN lifestyle altogether. Capricorn, as this will be the house most AQUARIUS ABOUT Mars retrograde in Aquarius can intensify activated by this sense of restlessness, disso- Life begins as a battle—whether it is in our feeling of alienation and therefore the ciation, and transformation. This is where we a baby pushing through the birth canal to urge to break away. may most strongly feel the urge to reinvent separate and become, or a baby turtle hatch- Such a change can affect our social asso- ourselves. ing the egg and rushing toward the ocean, ciation, we may break away from friends and hoping to dodge predators, Mars activates MARS AND THE TOTAL LUNAR our self-preservation instincts right from the ECLIPSE – July 27 start—it reminds us, our success is in our Mars will reach the peak of its retrograde hands, with enough determination, it is up cycle on July 26, when it opposes the Sun— to us! Mars ignites the spark of life, and we this is when the knight will be in direct oppo- need to fight to preserve it. Generally speak- sition to his or her king, and the greatest time ing, Mars reflects what we do, the need to for both inflammation, separation, volatility, succeed doing, and where we are headed in or completely new realizations for a break- this process. through. Mars in Aquarius conquers challenges The next day, the Total Lunar Eclipse occurs and obstacles through mental sharpness and as the Moon joins the Mars/Sun opposition speed of action – there is a need to try new on the Nodes. Eclipses can bring “larger than methods and perhaps new equipment that life” and unexpected events in our lives. will get us where we need to go much fast- Everything is intensified and accelerated er—sometimes this also means going higher, during this time, and this can mean that many for heights decrease gravity and density to things we have been waiting for can occur.
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