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For years, I dreamt of living in southern New Mexico. I envisioned building an earthen home near the lush hot springs of the Rio Grande, where land is cheap and building codes are lenient (compared to California). So, I recently set off with a couple of like-minded friends to check out the area around Truth or Consequences. Named for the once-popular game show, "T or C" is now a budding artist and retirement community. One of the Dalai Lama's acolytes is also building a spiritual center there. I loved the town's bright pink and purple buildings and funky shops. But after wandering the empty streets in the oppressive June heat and soaking in the infernally hot water of a local spring, the "consequences" of moving there began to feel Plutonic. In my relocated chart for southern New Mexico, Pluto, ruler of the Underworld, sits on my angle of home and family. Luckily, I found a glimpse of heaven in the tiny town of Kingston--which is at a higher and cooler elevation. We stayed at the Black Range Lodge, run by natural builder friends, where I'd spent time in the past. It was great being back at the cozy, 1880s-vintage B&B, and seeing the beautiful new straw bale home going up next door. But most of all I loved revisiting the pristine creek at the edge of the forest. As I hiked up to this sacred creek, with no one else in sight, tears began to flow. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I spontaneously cried to the crystalline water, as it cascaded over rocks and meandered through trees. Drinking in the splendor, I soaked my feet and bathed my new amethyst crystal in the cool water, to take the magic of the place back with me. Whether or not I relocate to Kingston (there are other potential sites to visit) it will always feel like home to me. With four planets in watery, sentimental Cancer, a flowing creek and a cozy bed with a quilt make me feel comfortable and secure. Likewise, home to a fire sign is apt to be a toasty hearth, to an earth sign a blooming garden, to an air sign a state-of-the-art electronics system. Nowadays, with rampant foreclosures, downsizing and insecurity, we need to create "home" wherever we are. On the deepest level, home is a feeling that comes from within, a reflection of how secure we feel with ourselves and our relationship to life itself. Aiding us in finding our inner strength this month is the union of Mars and Venus in solid Taurus on June 21. Cosmic lovers Mars and Venus have been chasing each other for the last two months; they first united on April 21. Now, they take their vows in commitment-oriented, earthy Taurus. This is an enormously fertile, sensual and creative time (check where 16 Taurus falls in your chart to see which area of your life is being triggered). It's a great opportunity to formalize a "sacred marriage" with yourself or someone special. The New Moon in Cancer on the next day (12:35 p.m. Pacific time on June 22) also spotlights the need to find security within. This extra potent New Moon, falling on the heels of the summer solstice, features an opposition to power-broker Pluto. The Cancer New Moon signals a time of nurturing and creative activity, and Pluto rules birth, death, transformation and the fear of annihilation. We're called to face our demons and vanquish whatever stands in the way of birthing a more empowered self. Seeds you plant at this New Moon could show signs of sprouting at the lunar eclipse of July 7. Yet this is only the first of three eclipses, including a total solar eclipse at the last degree of Cancer on July 21 (more on this life-changing event next time). So, the birthing process that begins at the June 20 solstice through the June 22 New Moon may include a "labor" that unfolds over time. This is a labor of love, however, that brings us to our true essence--the place of comfort and serenity that lies beneath life's external dramas. At this New Moon, find a place where you feel at home. A water sign may soak in a tub, a fire sign might light a candle and stare into the flame, an earth sign may sit in a garden and inhale the fragrant flowers, or an air sign might go for a brisk walk. Breathe into your belly, and find the feeling of "at-homeness." Honor any feelings that may come up. Give thanks for this secret part of yourself. This is your touchstone, to visit whenever you feel scattered or fearful. Return to this place time and again as the next month unfolds. It will help you graciously move through any labor pains to birth a deeper aspect of yourself.
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JULY
THEME: A LABOR OF LOVE