Prophesies Upon This Summer Solstice, 2025
from “The Cosmological Letters”
The itinerant 16th-century European physician and scholar remembered as Paracelsus Magnus has returned once again to Sonoma Valley, accompanied by his obedient donkey Ananiüs. Defying the boundaries of space and time, he brings to us these observations and admonitions for the season that lies ahead.
The horoscope drawn for the summer solstice on the evening of Friday, June 20th, shows the Sun entering tender Cancer, where kindly Jupiter awaits, for he is exalted in that sign. However, both are under harsh aspects from Saturn and Neptune in bumptious Aries— where Saturn is in his fall and acts compulsively, while Neptune’s vision is impulsively galvanized. Furthermore, a supercilious Mars prods Saturn and Neptune with his quincunx from disdainful Virgo, while offering the Sun and Jupiter some steadying, if patronizing, concern. Enjoy calm moments, but expect the entire season to be sporadically volatile, with unpredictable and upsetting events.
The New Moon in Cancer, early in the morning the following Wednesday, suggests a time for self-reflection and emotional renewal, with attention paid to home, family, and personal well-being. Mercury then enters Leo at noon the next day, allowing confidence and enthusiastic communication, while encouraging us to speak from the heart.
On Friday, July 4th, Venus enters Gemini in the morning, loosening inhibitions, while Neptune slips into retrograde, dissolving boundaries. Be slow to judge, yet careful to discern. Uranus enters Gemini soon afterward, quite early on July 7th. All the outer planets— Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto— move into new signs this year, causing profound tectonic shifts in society. Uranus moved into Gemini during your Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and again during World War II. Do not be alarmed, but do be prepared.
In the early afternoon of July 10th, the Moon is full in Capricorn, known as the Buck Moon. It is a time for accountability, for living up to the plans that have been made, and for setting boundaries while committing to long-term goals. Then Saturn turns retrograde on the evening of the 12th, doubling attention to details, concerns, and ambitions. In the evening of the 17th, Mercury too turns retrograde, potentially entangling communication and interrupting considerations with non sequiturs that can either frustrate or introduce interesting new possibilities.
The second month of summer, Leo, begins as the Sun enters that sign at dawn on July 22nd. This is always a dramatic time but it is especially so this year, marked by sweeping change, breakthroughs, and the emergence of charismatic leadership. The New Moon in Leo, midday two days later, reemphasizes these themes, resetting intentions and commitments. Those of you who cannot adapt may become overwhelmed by the events of the time.
A cascade of falling stars will then fill your skies night after night, leading up to July 31st and then slowing back down; this will be the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower. Always seen throughout time as auspicious, it is wise to witness this display, for it will remind you of the vast cosmos that always embraces you. Afterward, in the afternoon of August 6th, Mars enters Libra, making him less demanding and somewhat more diplomatic. There should then be less rancor in the world, and more willingness to work together.
There is a Full Moon in Aquarius just past midnight on August 9th, called the Sturgeon Moon or the Grain Moon. With the Sun in Leo, this represents the engagement of all society and every citizen with leadership, and the opportunity for collaboration for the highest good of all concerned. Emotional detachment does not mean disregard; it demonstrates integrity.
Mercury becomes direct in the early hours of August 11th, to the relief of many. Issues and concerns will be more easily understood as clarity returns, and what had been confused and delayed can at last move forward. Then the second cascade of falling stars, the Perseid meteor shower, can be seen for a few nights, reaching its peak August 12th. However, the faintest meteors may be obscured by the Moon’s presence in the sky.
As the Sun departs his home in fiery Leo for the more grounded sign of Virgo in the early afternoon of August 22nd, the third month of summer begins under a focused, practical influence. That evening’s New Moon in Virgo brings clarity to pressing issues, encouraging thoughtful decisions over hasty reactions. A few days later, in the morning of August 25th, Venus enters Leo, igniting a period of glamorous indulgence that may temporarily disrupt the prevailing calm. Balance can be restored when Saturn enters Pisces early in the morning of September 1st, reestablishing a sensitive order through the integration of intuition and discipline.
At dawn the next day, Mercury also enters Virgo, his natural home, further organizing and clarifying thoughts and communication. However, unpredictable Uranus turns retrograde on the evening of the 5th, likely upsetting matters and prompting a general reshuffling of the cards while a new deal is in the making. Two days later, on the morning of the 7th, a total lunar eclipse occurs in Pisces. Although it will not be visible due to the late morning timing, it will most certainly be felt. This Full Moon, traditionally called the Harvest Moon, aligns at the Moon’s north node opposite the Sun at the south node, and so is a harvest of seeds planted long ago.
Intelligence and eloquence are brought forward as Mercury joins the Sun in the early hours of September 13th. Mercury has been epimethian, the evening star, all this time; now he becomes promethian, the morning star, and so is less deliberate while more articulate. Now leaders and the people they represent and rule will communicate with clarity and purpose, fostering thoughtful discourse and debate even while definitive decisions will remain elusive. True harmony between mind and heart arrives about a week later, for Mercury enters Libra, the home of Venus, in the early morning of the 18th, while Venus enters Virgo, Mercury’s domain, just before sunrise on the 19th. This mutual exchange makes possible a genuine collaboration and mutual understanding.
Summer comes to its conclusion after a partial eclipse of the Sun during the New Moon in Virgo, early in the afternoon of September 21st. Like the eclipse of the Moon two weeks before, it will not be visable, but it will be felt. This cosmic event takes place at the south node of the Moon, triggering straightforward confrontation with unresolved matters and the settling of any unfinished business before moving on. Then, the following day, the Sun enters Libra at the autumnal equinox. This is his most difficult sign, which is perhaps why the name of this next season is “fall”. I will speak of this horoscope, and the season beyond, when next I visit your valley.