13 Aug Summer Wine ~ August 14th-20th, 2017

“…with hot ardor

love’s ascendancy

in summer–

In summer the song

sings itself…”

-excerpt from The Botticellian Trees

by William Carlos Williams

This is the week that falls in between the lunar eclipse in Aquarius and the much anticipated Solar Eclipse in Leo. The season of Leo is now in its final phase, with the Sun traversing the final decan of its sign of rulership. When the Sun is in the culminating degrees of Leo, you are offered a warm place to bask and luxuriate in the golden light of summer.

This is not a week to stress out over making big decisions or to demand quantifiable signs of progress. Instead, in the face of life’s joy and sorrow, seek to embody noble repose and patient poise.

Mercury’s retrograde in Virgo is now well underway and thus there will be a sigh of reminiscence woven into these days and nights. The retrograde cycle of Mercury asks that you pause for reflection, relinquishing some of your control in favor of submitting to life’s natural ebb and flow. Thus, this week is a good time to stop trying to control the outcome of everything. Instead, remember that in summer, the song sings itself.

Strawberries cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring

My summer wine is really made from all these things

The most notable astrological influence this week will be Venus in Cancer’s aspect to the lingering square between Jupiter in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn. Thus, an intensification and magnification of your desires for love, luxury and comfort will be born.

The story told in the 1966 pop song, Summer Wine, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra is evocative of this opposition between Venus and Pluto. In the song, a traveler is seduced by an alluring woman. The next morning, he wakes up alone and hung-over finding that he has been robbed.

When I woke up the sun was shining in my eyes

My silver spurs were gone my head felt twice its size

She took my silver spurs a dollar and a dime

And left me cravin’ for more summer wine

The emotions in the song are brooding and complex, revealing that the pleasure the traveler took in this woman’s presence remains intact despite the dark consequences. The woman remains exalted as a shimmering memory of beauty and he accepts that he was a victim of his own desire.

There is no doubt that summer wine is an allusion to the mysterious woman’s sexual power. But summer wine is symbolic of any desire and its intoxicating promise of fulfillment. This week, when desires, hungers and craving are inflamed, you can either avoid giving into them altogether or you can humbly accept the inherent consequences. After all, intoxication is usually followed by sickness. Over-excitement is usually followed by fatigue. Too much of a good thing can be just as destructive as anything negative.

But the season of Leo is not so much about moralizing your choices in life. Instead, the season of the Sun is focused upon character development. Succumbing to the throes of passion may create chaotic conditions, but this can be invaluable for learning more about yourself. Giving in to your desires is often the best way to learn about the full breadth and scope of your character with all of its vulnerabilities and strengths.

Whatever happens this week, accept yourself with love even if you feel you have acted irrationally or have made a mistake. The solar eclipse next week will offer you an opportunity to set a clear intention for a new direction in your life. A fresh start is coming, so be patient with yourself until then.

She saw my silver spurs and said let’s pass some time

And I will give to you summer wine

Ohh-oh-oh summer wine

 

As Venus opposes Pluto and squares Jupiter, your powers of seduction will increase but so will your vulnerability to the seduction of others. As the sweetness of life ripens, you will grow heavier with desire.

My eyes grew heavy and my lips they could not speak

I tried to get up but I couldn’t find my feet

She reassured me with an unfamiliar line

And then she gave to me more summer wine

Mmm-mm summer wine

All influences of this week will create an intoxicating elixir, a summer wine that will invoke the Dionysian, unearthing the ardor and darkness of human passions. You will be reminded that it is the devastation of loneliness that catalyzes the ecstasy of romance. And it is the pain of sadness that all humor is born from.

Leo season focuses its gaze upon the human drama, offering a glimpse of the whole repertoire of complex motivations and emotional fervor. Rapt with pleasure, you will feel how your heart bleeds with feeling. Overcome by sorrow, you will taste the salt in your tears. 

Monday/Tuesday: Strawberries, Cherries and an Angel Kiss

The week begins with the Moon waning in the sign of Taurus, her place of exaltation. Thus, the sensual elements of experience will be more fully developed, making the principle of pleasure all the more important.

On Tuesday, Venus in Cancer will make an exact opposition to Pluto in Capricorn. In a healthy romantic relationship, this aspect may renew the passion and enjoyment you have for your lover. However, in an unhealthy relationship, this may be experienced through a sudden uproar of jealousy and possessiveness.

When personal planets aspect Pluto, they are swept up by a tremendous wave of evolutionary force. An opposition between Venus and Pluto is an elixir that will summon a new lust for life. So long as you are aware of your own desires and motivations, this transit will reveal new levels of eroticism, wealth and psychological insight. However, if you are unprepared for the unearthing of this unconscious energy, you may feel overtaken by an insatiable and rapacious hunger for something that seems to dangle just out of your reach.

Wednesday/Thursday: Mmm-mm Summer Wine

On Wednesday, Venus will make an exact square to Jupiter in Libra, adding more tension to the opposition with Pluto. Under this influence, you may be sorely tempted to overindulge in a plethora of pleasurable distractions. Any penchant you many have for extravagance will be illuminated at this time. Under the light of the Sun in Leo, it may feel deliciously glamorous to engage in the most decadent behaviors.

On Thursday, the waning Moon will shift into the sign of Cancer. With the light of the Moon growing so dim in its place of rulership, you will likely feel an urge to swathe yourself in as much comfort as possible. Owing to the decadent qualities of the t-square between Venus, Jupiter, and Pluto, remain cautious of your urge to find comfort in things that you know will leave you empty-handed.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: The Song Sings Itself

On Friday the waning Moon will conjunct Venus in Cancer, opening the weekend to sweetness and softness. This is a day for sharing extra kindness and affection with others. Embrace everyone in your life with greater appreciation. In preparation for the intensity of the solar eclipse, this weekend is an excellent time to sow seeds that will grow the fruits of the spirit, especially love, joy and peace.

On Sunday, Mars in Leo will sextile Jupiter in Libra, aligning your will to accomplish great things with an expanded sense of optimism. This is the day before the Solar Eclipse in Leo and this fortunate aspect between Mars and Jupiter will enable you to set a new intention for your life that is imbued with great confidence and spiritual fulfillment.

This is also the night of the Dark Moon that precedes the Solar Eclipse in Leo. Thus it is a night for divination and revelation about what the next chapter of your life should hold.

The Sun in Leo will be making an exact trine to Uranus, planet of Promethean fire. Endowed with exuberant optimism, this is an aspect that will encourage you to be a visionary for your own future. In the arc of your own character development, you will realize that it is now time for you to try something new.

Use this Dark Moon in Leo to connect to your sense of destiny, envisioning yourself reaching new heights of creativity, prosperity and fulfillment.