Summer Solstice 2018 Greetings!

The Summer Solstice arrives on Thursday, June 21, 2018, and marks the longest day of the year. Enjoy the growing light of  the sun in the days leading up to the Summer Solstice. The solstice sun also provides an auspicious opportunity to use affirmations, prayer, and meditation to focus your energies on the positive outcomes you would like to create. You may make much spiritual, mental, emotional, and material progress at this time. Your prayers are powerful, so remember to pray for the highest good for yourselves and for our world!

The summer season portends surprise changes at lightening-speed with electrically-charged Uranus in Taurus aligning in a potent angle with energetic Mars in the forward-thinking sign of Aquarius, and a series of eclipses on July 12,July 27, and August 11, 2018. New energy is available for new ideas, especially beginning 2 weeks before the eclipses and 2 weeks after (June 28 to August 25, 2018).

As a society, we are moving along an upwardly spiraling path in our evolution. Even if the manifestations of the energy seem sometimes unenlightened, old ideas are simply arising in a final effort to survive. Ultimately, new ideas will continue to gain strength and supplant the old patterns. In general, the current atmosphere of chaos is masking greater forces of positive change at work under the surface. These forces of consciousness are bringing us to a higher level of awareness, compassion, and spiritual connection. The old reliance on systems, structures, governments, and corporations is giving way to an era where individuals and smaller groups of citizens will be empowered to advance society in a more conscious and compassionate direction. 

During the summer season, expect more revelations and upheavals in governments around the world during the summer months (you don’t have to be an astrologer to foresee this!). Please know that as extremes are reached, the pendulum is preparing to move in the opposite direction. Corporate and governmental trends initiated in 1999 are likely to reverse themselves with lightening speed in 2018. Events kicked off during the summer of August 2017 also will arise for resolution. 

As a solution to unsettling events, the words of  Mahatma Gandhi ring especially true at this time: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies of the world would also change.” So practice the principles you would like to see manifest in the world. “Be the change you want to see!"

Revolutionary Uranus will travel through the earth sign of Taurus from May 15, 2018 until 2026. This planetary position will set the tone in the coming years in the following ways:

·  Erratic Weather Patterns, Strong Winds, Sudden Temperature Changes

·  Fluctuating Financial & Real Estate Markets

·  Wide Disparity in Prices

·  Difficulty in Knowing the Monetary Value of Things

·  More Bartering, E-commerce, Cryptocurrencies

·  Disparities Eventually Will Lead to Greater Emphasis on Non-Material Qualities (such as Love, Spirituality, God, and Peace & Harmony)

·  Greater Harmony Between Humanity & Nature Will Ensue (includes more environmentally friendly manufacturing & building practices; new kinds of housing & construction that better harmonize with nature)

·  Blind Power will be Tempered as it Encounters Greater Resistance & Obstacles

 
In the meantime, energy patterns could become more erratic as the new way vies with the old way for ascendancy. If you feel disoriented, slow down, take a deep breath and think about what is really important. Immerse yourself in water to cleanse your aura from disruptive energies. 

Distractions, human, technological, and energetic, will potentially multiply. So, develop strategies to strengthen your concentration, including deep breathing, stretching, yoga, and meditation. Try to integrate, harmonize, and balance your intellectual and emotional reactions. See your life from a different perspective, either through the eyes of another person whom you respect, from a distance, or from a distant time frame, such as 10 or 20 years from now. Focus on and think about one thing at a time. Try to maintain objectivity and balance. Be realistic about what is currently possible—and be easy on yourself.  Don’t forget to take period electronic breaks and block out extraneous noises and electronic intrusions. Periodically sit quietly and experience the beauty of your being-ness and your soul!

Key Dates * Days of Change 
These dates present opportunities to meditate and pray for the highest outcome for all) 

·  June 21: Summer Solstice

·  June 26 *: Mars Retrograde in Aquarius (until August 27) — Energy initially spikes up, then slows down to a more relaxed pace.

·  July 12 *: Solar Eclipse in Cancer (visible in southern Australia, Antarctica, and over Pacific & Indian Oceans) This eclipse is opposite transformational Pluto. This is a fruitful time for introspection. Expect issues that have been brewing under the surface to come to the fore for healing.

·  July 25 *: Sun in Leo Aligned with Uranus in Taurus — Experiment with new ideas but wait before making commitments.

·  July 25/26: Mercury Retrograde in Leo (until August 18/19) - Re-visit and rectify the past.

·  July 27  *: Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius (visible in Europe, South America, Australia, Asia & Africa) — Volatile energies prevail. Act judiciously.

·  August 1 *: Mars in Aquarius Aligned with Uranus in Taurus - Exercise forethought before making important decisions. Proceed with caution.

·  August 11 *: Solar Eclipse in Leo (visible in Greenland, Northern Europe & Northeast Asia) - Think about new beginnings.

·  August 18/19: Mercury Direct in Leo - Plan for new directions. 

·  August 27 *: Mars Direct in Aquarius - It’s time for new beginnings.

·  September 12: Venus Aligns with Uranus - You may change your mind about what you thought you wanted. Think carefully before breaking a past commitment.

·  September 18: Mars Re-Aligns with Uranus - Get ready to implement well-thought-out plans!

·  September 22: Autumn Equinox

* June 26, July 12, July 25-27, August 1, August 11, and August 27 are highly energetically charged days! Events that occur up to 2 weeks prior to these dates have the high potential to reverse themselves within 2 weeks of their occurrence. Try to slow down and consider consequences before taking action.

And as always, remember to practice positive thinking, visualization, affirmations, meditation, and prayer for the highest outcome for all concerned! 

Many blessings for the summer season,
Laurie

Please Read on for Your Personal Astrological Predictions for Every Sign:
(For further information on planetary predictions for 2018, please visit: https://www.lauriebaum.com/predictions.php)
 
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
Energetic Mars, your planetary ruler, turns retrograde from June 26 to August 27, 2018. This celestial activity will give you time to reconsider past actions and  convey greater understanding and compassion in unresolved situations. Under the influence of “Mars retrograde," you will sort out who are your friends and who are not. You will discover who you may truly count on. By November, you will have a good sense as to which people will travel forward with you into the next chapter of your life.  This also is a time to let go of obligations that no longer serve your soul’s purpose. Sit quietly to meditate every day to gain clarity about the larger direction of your life.  After Mars resumes direct motion in late summer, you will implement plans you have been considering for as long as 7 years. You will experience extra activity and change, although not all of it in a coherent direction, under the influence of a series of eclipses on July 12, July 27, and August 11, 2018. The solar eclipse in Leo on August 11, 2018 will temporarily heighten your emotional reactions. Breathe deeply before making impulsive decisions. You will feel many energetic impulses during the late summer season, so think before acting. Ask others for their opinions, and wait before taking action.  Definitive action is best after the retrograde of Mars completes on August 27, 2018. Then, you easily will move ahead to new things.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
The summer eclipses on July 12, July 27, and August 11, 2018 will heighten your awareness of information that previously escaped your notice. Be open to new avenues of information and interest! The passage of innovative Uranus through Taurus until 2026 will heighten your creativity and help you let go of attachments to things you either no longer need or have become overly dependent upon. You will realize a new freedom and ease. You also will experiment with new facets of life. As old patterns melt away, you will experience a “quickening,” where your perceptions and understandings will be “lightening fast.” It won’t be necessary to ponder important decisions for as long as you have in the past. Your impulses will be quick, strong—and accurate! A solar eclipse in Leo on August 11, 2018 will boost your reputation when you honestly express your feelings. Another positive alignment between lucky Jupiter and spiritual Neptune on August 19, 2018 will fortify your intuition and help you see yourself and others in a clearer light. The direct motion of energetic Mars on August 27, 2018 will help you take decisive action.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
A series of eclipses on July 12, July 27, and August 11, 2018 will help you devise an inventive method for enhancing your financial wellbeing. Energetic Mars will be retrograde from June 26 to August 27, 2018, so pursue all worthwhile ideas prior to or after this retrograde period.A short trip will change your perspective in a positive way under the influence ofthe Sun in Gemini until June 21, 2018. You will re-think an important concept during the retrograde of your planetary ruler, communicative Mercury, from July 25 to August 18, 2018. A solar eclipse in Leo on August 11, 2018 will help you articulate feelings you rarely express. The revelations that spring from this expression will help you feel greater inner coherence and wholeness. If you tend to express different aspects of your nature differently in different times and places, this will be a time to unite the disparate parts of your personality. Communicative Mercury, your planetary ruler, resumes its forward motion on August 18, 2018, opening the way for even greater self-expression. This is a time to show who you really are! A positive alignment of lucky Jupiter and spiritual Neptune on August 19, 2018 will heighten your intuition. 

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Communicative Mercury in Cancer from June 12 to 28, 2018 will help you express diverse feelings in an effective way. You will feel further strengthened when the sun enters Cancer at the Summer Solstice on June 21, 2018. The sun will continue to fortify you while it remains in your sign until July 22, 2018. A solar eclipse in Cancer on July 12, 2018 will potentially dislodge a worn-out pattern. You have been repeating something for at least 19 years, and you will be ready to experiment with new and exciting ideas after the upcoming eclipse. Share generously the material resources you have with the people you are close to. What you give away will come back to you many times over. You are expanding your contacts with people outside of your inner circle and beginning to feel safe exploring new relationships. Meeting new people and experimenting with new ideas will renew your enthusiasm for life. A lunar eclipse on July 27, 2018 will help you discover a budgetary solution that will be financially fortunate. A solar eclipse on August 11, 2018 will show you another financial alternativethat you will feel intuitively drawn to. Get all the facts and seek the assistance of someone who has the expertise to evaluate your prospects. The forward movement of energetic Mars on August 27, 2018 will bring you greater prosperity when you collaborate with others. 

LEO (July 23 – August 22)
A lunar eclipse on July 27, 2018 and a solar eclipse August 11, 2018, both under the sign of Leo, will inject an element of surprise into your summer. Situations that first arose in August 2017 will arise again for resolution. Prepare to bring matters to a close. You may also think back to events transpiring in your life in 1999. Events re-occurring in 2018 may seem vaguely related to those that last occurred 19 years ago. Draw parallels between your experiences today and 19 years ago to see what you can learn! Loving Venus in Leo from June 13 to July 9, 2018 will help you put your best foot forward. Communicative Mercury in Leo from June 28 to September 5, 2018 will help you express your important insights. The Sun in Leo from July 22 to August 22, 2018 will fortify your energy so you may handle challenges with ease.You are a big-hearted, generous soul, but you have been in a situation that has restricted your self-expression by requiring you to follow more rules than your creative nature is comfortable with. You will break free from previous restrictions under the influence of the direct motion of Mars in your opposing sign of Aquarius on August 27, 2018. You also will reconsider a relationship from the past. You may have overreacted to a perceived slight or become more inflamed than necessary. You will go back and rectify any misunderstandings with a clear-minded, diplomatic, but direct approach. 

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
You will focus on the big picture instead of details during the summer season under the influence of communicative Mercury, your planetary ruler, in the warm and expansive sign of Leo from June 28 to September 5, 2018. You also will have a fresh perspective on the past while Mercury is retrograde from July 25 to August 18, 2018. Stay open to new insights. Letting go of old attitudes is a sign of strength rather than weakness. Your new attitudes will promote “neuro-plasticity,” which gives you the ability to think creatively, quickly, and extemporaneously. The eclipses of the summer season on July 12, July 27, and August 11, 2018 will bring new people into your life who will help you experience the more spontaneous side of your nature.The sun in Virgo from August 22 to September 22, 2018 will raise your spirits and heighten your powers of discernment about what to attend to and what to let go of. You will most clearly be able to analyze important details of your life under the influence of the Virgo Sun, combined with mentally versatile Mercury in Virgo from September 5 to 21, 2018. Disciplined Saturn in the compatible earth sign of Capricorn and innovative Uranus in the compatible sign of Taurus during the summer season will focus your mind on how to systematize your daily life. Make sure not to get too swept up in the details by remembering your larger goals.

LIBRA (September 23 – October 23)
The summer eclipses on July 12, July 27, and August 11, 2018 will awaken your creativity and inspire you to try something new. Best results will come from focusing on resources that will benefit a large number of people rather than one person at a time. You tend to be most comfortable relating one-on-one, but you will have an opportunity to interact with a large group of souls during the summer months. Your loving nature will serve as an example for others to follow. The retrograde of energetic Mars in the compatible air sign of Aquarius from June 26 to August 27, 2018 will help you re-think a previous position. Consider how you would like to express your latest thoughts and feelings.Loving Venus in Libra from August 6 to September 9, 2018 and again from October 31 to December 2, 2018 will continue to attract important people to you who will have goals that are similar to your own. An alignment of lucky Jupiter and intuitive Neptune on August 19, 2018 will heighten your intuitive perceptions. Trust your impressions of others and follow your intuition!

SCORPIO (October 24 – November 21)
The summer eclipses on July 12, July 27, and August 11, 2018 will open your mind to a new spiritual philosophy that you will be able to translate into profitable work. Perhaps you will teach, write, counsel others, or simply apply this new philosophy to your daily endeavors. Either way, you will be enriching your own life and those of others with the depths of your awareness and insights. Your awareness is ever-growing throughout your life, and will be especially strong under the influence of an alignment of philosophical Jupiter in Scorpio and spiritual Neptune in Pisces on August 19, 2018. You have so much richness inside of you. It’s time to bring these qualities out into the world! Energetic Mars, your planetary co-ruler, retrograde from June 26 to August 27, 2018, will help you compassionately express your profound insights. Staying silent is not always the best course of action. Loving Venus in Scorpio from September 9 to October 31and December 2 to January 7, 2019 will strengthen your magnetism and attract people to you who will bring you good fortune. You feel life is best lived with others, sharing resources, ideas, and time together. You will feel in sync with many other people during these 3 months, as others will have the same urges as you do—and they will have the ability to help you. The direct motion of energetic Mars on August 27, 2018 will provide the vitality you need to reach out to others in need of your attention or help.This also will be a time to review the past and rectify any situations that have left you on shaky foundations.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
Your planetary ruler, Jupiter, makes a positive alignment with spiritual Neptune during the summer season, giving you an opportunity to expand your awareness of subtle spiritual influences. Tune into your perceptions and otherwise imperceptible sensations that come through your dreams and fantasies. These hold keys to the directions you should pursue during the summer months. A series of eclipses on July 12, July 27, and August 11, 2018 will give you time to introspect about the meaning of your life. Write down your goals for the rest of the year for greatest success. Your travel plans may change under the influence of a partial solar eclipse on August 11, 2018. Remain flexible and be open to new—and better—ideas. Situations will work out in your favor when lucky Jupiter makes a positive alignment with spiritual Neptune on August 19, 2018. Think good thoughts, visualize positive outcomes, and pray for the highest result for all concerned. Your unconditional positive regard for the people with whom you come into contact will help you attract the most positive outcomes from your interactions. Just remember to stay open to the ideas of clear-thinking people and strategize about future plans. Energetic Mars turns retrograde in the humanitarian sign of Aquarius from June 26 to August 27, 2018. You will make great progress in promoting your ideas after August 27, 2018 and you will realize your goals by the end of the year.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
Lay solid foundations for success during the summer season as you prepare for the passage of energetic Mars through the sign of Capricorn from August 12 to September 10, 2018. Now is a good time to plan for the completion of outstanding projects in August and September. A solar eclipse in Cancer on July 12, 2018 will help you let go of something you no longer need. A lunar eclipse on July 27, 2018will challenge your financial plans. Prepare a safety cushion to cover unexpected expenses. A solar eclipse on August 11, 2018 will bring resources from an unexpected source. You will re-consider a past decision during the summer season and may reverse direction under the influence of Mars retrograde from June 26 to August 27, 2018. You will make your greatest progress on projects that have been delayed after August 27, 2018. An honest assessment will be accepted by all and will leave you feeling very good about yourself and all you have accomplished! Forward progress will continue to accelerate throughout the fall season. Obstacles will be removed and decisions will be made quickly. Trust in the divine order of the universe and know that the delays served a positive purpose—to help you refine details that may not have been properly worked out. 

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
A lunar eclipse in Aquarius on July 27, 2018 will bring new people into your life and expose you to new ways of thinking. A solar eclipse on August 11, 2018 may temporarily put you at odds with someone you trust. This is a temporary situation that will clear within 2 weeks. Don’t blame yourself, but practice patience and non-attachment. By the arrival of the full moon on August 26, 2017, your relationships will resume their normal balance.In addition to the full moon eclipse in Aquarius, energetic Mars is in Aquarius from May 15 to November 15, 2018. The spotlight will be on you more than usual during this 6-month period. Think about the ideals you represent and be prepared to lead others by speaking your truth in an inspiring way that will uplift them. Your ability to step back, see the big picture, and react in a way that is equitable and fair for all will set an example for others to follow. Your humanitarian attitude is one that will be copied by many in the coming years. You understand that sometimes-chaotic events actually teach us to grow, evolve, and become stronger, and eventually lead to more innovative solutions. Try to show others that forward progress is accomplished through change rather than stagnation. Mercury retrograde from July 25 to August 18, 2018 will temporarily bring people from your past back into your life. When energetic Mars resumes its direct motion on August 27, 2018, you will feel ready to tackle a complex project that has been delayed during the summer months.
 
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
You will have greater access to talents you have developed earlier in your life (and in previous incarnations) while energetic Mars retrogrades in Aquarius from June 26 to August 27, 2018. You also will be re-meeting people you have previously been close to during this period. Keep a writing instrument next to your bed to record important insights that come to you during dream time. When communicative Mercury retrogrades from July 25 to August 18, 2018, you will have a chance to examine your daily activities with a fine-tooth comb so you may let go of any patterns that no longer work for you. This is not a time to mechanically repeat past actions. Re-consider every action as an expenditure of precious life force. Make sure everything you do is a reflection of the beauty of your soul and takes you closer to the divine nature that so eagerly wants to express itself through you! You will have clear insights about a complex relationship under the influence of a positive alignment of your planetary rulers, lucky Jupiter and spiritual Neptune on August 19, 2018. Communicate your insights diplomatically. But try not to be too subtle. There is a fine line between being discrete and being invisible. It is okay for you to assert your wisdom when you feel it will enhance another person’s understanding of themselves and you. This will help you establish a more balanced and healthy relationship. You do not have to take on the burden of accommodating others onto yourself. Your healing presence is more than a sufficient contribution!

-OM-