JUNE THEME: SPEAK YOUR TRUTH
by Simone Butler

A portal to the other world arches above the San Diego Hospice, Joan Kroc's exquisite legacy to the dying. As my mama lies there, awaiting her passage, I feel soft wings enfolding us. In quiet moments, the air is thick with the breath of angels.

Mama cannot speak since ALS paralyzed her throat two years ago. It is a cruel end for one whose life was built around singing. Sometimes it's difficult to recall that this thin, pale figure, struggling for breath as she drifts in and out of consciousness, was once a glamorous vocalist with big bands. A local sensation in the San Diego area, she got on a bus at 18 for an audition in L.A. that could have been her break into stardom. But it wasn't meant to be. Her throat closed up from nervousness. So she came back home, became a secretary and sang in the Methodist church choir for 55 years.

E. Kathryn Hewes was born on August 27, 1920, the day after women got the right to vote. Her astrology chart reflects the free-spirited qualities of that planetary window in time. Yet as independent as she was, my Virgo mama had a hard time using her lovely voice to speak up for herself. Being married to my father, a domineering Leo, didn't help. Things might have been different for her if she had left that marriage, as she often contemplated. Instead, she became pregnant with me and resigned herself to making the best of things. Always a cheerful person - she was born with the Sun conjunct optimistic Jupiter - she taught me the meaning of unconditional love. As I performed my childish antics in the swimming pool, shouting "Mama, look at me!" she never failed to give me her loving attention. Still, her heart held dreams that would never be fulfilled.

At a recent talk on the Toltec teachings, my message for the evening was, "Ask for what you want." As with my mother, speaking up has never been easy for me. Yet this is the lesson of Gemini, the busy, mental sign the Sun travels through until June 20. It helps that we've reached the midpoint of the Galactic Cycle of the Mayan Calendar as of June 1 - when the consciousness of ethics and integrity starts to eclipse the consciousness of power and dominance. It should be easier now to make our voices heard. Jupiter, planet of knowledge and wisdom, moves forward June 5 after four months in retrograde motion, further emphasizing the progressive theme. (This is especially fortunate for Gemini, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius and Pisces types.)

It's time to speak our truth and make big plans for the future. For me, this means a tour of the Greek Islands in Sept., a trip that never seemed possible before. And, I'm giving a lecture to the San Diego Astrological Society June 10 called "Chiron in Aquarius: The Re-emergence of the Feminine." The next six years on the planet represent an upwelling of deep feminine powers-intuition, fierce compassion-unlike anything we've seen in 5,000 years. The vision I've synthesized of this upcoming period is radical stuff that some may find hard to swallow. Yet like many women, I have been silent for too long. Mama would approve of my "coming out." Open-minded and supportive of my quirkiest doings, she has always been my biggest cheerleader. As she passes, I am finding my voice. And that is her special legacy to me.

© 2005 Simone Butler.

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