June represents a bridge to a better part of 2016, to come in July and to improve even more in August. You are almost halfway through 2016, and so far, life has been tough. Sleepy retrograde planets, five in all in May, have made you feel as though you have been walking through glue. It was hard to make progress, but the slow pace of recent months - Mars has been retrograde since April - has forced you to look closer at some of your most important relationships, projects, and future actions to find ways to get things right. Retrograde planets can be frustrating but they often do allow extra time to improve things.

June brings a challenge from the moment the month takes off, for taskmaster Saturn will oppose the Sun on June 2. This is a tough, deflating aspect so you may feel like a black cloud has moved over your head. Everyone will feel this, so you are not alone. Fortunately, the depressing circumstances only last a short time, but they can be quite noticeable. Saturn is now in Sagittarius, and the Sun is now in Gemini, in your seventh house of current or former partners, whether in business or your personal life, in terms of an established partner you are committed to in love. This is all cutting across your first and seventh houses, so you will rightly feel things personally.

Ever since Saturn moved into Sagittarius, to your first house of your personality and desires, you have been determined to set the foundation for a new future. Saturn has not been in Sagittarius since 1985 to 1988, so visits from Saturn are rare, last almost three years, and can be life changing in the benefits they bring as long as you work with Saturn.

This month we have a difficult vibration, for Saturn is cold and icy, and the Sun is hot and fiery, an incompatible confrontation to say the least. A male partner (or ex-partner) is about to concern you. I say male, for the Sun points to masculine energy. You may see a side of character of this person that either enrages or depresses you, OR, you may be worried about the health and well-being of your partner. In that second possible translation of this aspect, you may feel your partner is under too much stress, and may feel moved to help him. This would be a terrible day to get engaged or married, or to sign a business partner or collaborator (such as a writing partner or new agent or publicist), as it would carry the aspects of this day throughout your term together.

If you don't have a partner in love or business, when this house is under pressured aspects, like now, you may be challenged by a competitor, for the ancients called the seventh house not only the marriage / partnership house, sealed by contract, but also "the house of open enemies." In modern day we call these enemies competitors, unless we work in government or the military, in which case we would call them people who want to do us harm. I admit, this is a tough aspect, and fortunately it will come and go within a few days. If anyone criticizes you on June 2 plus or minus one day, you will likely feel wounded. Don't let those words crush you - you can go on, for just because one person is critical, it doesn't necessarily mean that person is right. Take a deep breath, dear Sagittarius. Those born near December 4 will feel this the most.

Two days later, on June 4, we have the new moon in Gemini, 15 degrees. This will light your house of partnership and marriage in a bigger way, and this new moon would normally mark a time to get married or to form a serious business partnership. This new moon has some lovely aspects and some tough ones. On the plus side, the Sun, and the new moon will arrive with gentle Venus in your seventh house of commitment. It's lovely having Venus in your partnership / marriage house - Venus softens and soothes all she touches. However, Saturn will oppose that new moon, Sun, and Venus directly, and this means you may come up short on money, perhaps with more than usual bills to pay. (Don't worry too much about money, for your outlook is good, and your fears may be assuaged by month's end.) Saturn will be in hard angle to Neptune in your home sector, so a problem may pop up there, and to Jupiter in your prestigious career sector (Jupiter never sends affliction, so no worries there). Saturn's strong role in this new moon suggests your best way to handle things is to be practical and realistic. A new moon in Gemini is mainly intellectual, so do your best to remain unemotional.

This new moon will be fending off many planets, and creates a box pattern, and forms what we call a Mutable Cross - when planets move into almost exact calibration to form a perfect square. Energy bounces off the walls of the box, trying to find an escape or release, but finding none, creates tension. You are a mutable sign - those include Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo, and Pisces. (The other two kinds are the severe Cardinal Cross and the not easy Fixed Cross.) Mutable crosses are the easiest to untangle, as these crosses are not rigid - in fact, mutable signs are flexible, adaptable, communicative and open-minded. The person you are dealing with may not want to change their opinion or plans, and may be making demands, but little by little you may be able to get them to compromise. The way out of the bramble bush quagmire is to listen to others' opinions, debate them, and to keep talking, for that is what mutables like you do best - talk. You are good at this, so you can do this.

Travel may prove very difficult in the first week of June, and for this, blame Saturn's challenge to the Sun. It would be best to put off an important business trip or vacation for later in the month. All kinds of media projects will go smoother in the latter part of the month too, from June 13 onward. If you are in a court case, nearing a verdict or settlement, see if your lawyer can delay things to the middle of the month, when the tide begins to turn to your favor.

A good sign that things will work out, despite the problems that might be generated that the new moon June 4 creates, is that Mercury, the planet that rules Gemini will be in friendly conversation with Neptune, the planet of vision, love, and creativity. I feel the results of your efforts will have a happy resolve, even though you may have to get over bumps and lumps along the way.

Later in the month we will have a full moon in Sagittarius, June 20, at 29 degrees, the degree of completion. This will be the second full moon two months in a row in the same sign, Sagittarius, but of different degree (1 degree). Last month, if you have a birthday that falls on or within five days of November 22, you would have felt that May 21 full moon most directly.

This month, if your birthday falls on December 20 (minus five days), I know what you are thinking - "Great. I get two full moons in a row in my sign! Why is the universe picking on me?" No, this is not necessarily bad news, for full moons bring conclusions and closure. You are getting closer to what you truly want in life, and to what will bring you the greatest happiness.

All Sagittarians will feel both full moons, but as delineated, some more than others. I love that the full moon of June 20 will be in elegant angle to Uranus, the planet of surprise, ruling your third house of agreements and contacts. You may be able to make a surprise agreement with the person who has given you pause. Uranus is currently based in your fifth house of originality, so your creativity will be very high, and you may be finishing a project that gives you great satisfaction, industry attention, and praise. You may also, as a side bonus of great magnitude, have a romantic interlude that keeps you breathless, no matter what your marital status happens to be.

No discussion of June would be complete without a nod to Mars, a planet that has been driving us all a bit crazy since it started to retrograde. We feel planets that orbit close to earth (Mercury, Venus, and Mars) more directly than the outer planets. Venus has been in fine shape, but Mercury went retrograde most of May, along with Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. Mars was, and still is, the one to watch. Mars first entered Sagittarius on March 5, but went retrograde April 17. Mars will still be retrograde this month, but will turn direct on June 29.

Mars has actually been in your sign Sagittarius, since March 5, and for the first time won't be in Sagittarius - Mars retrograded into Scorpio on May 27 and will stay in Scorpio during June and July, and won't move back to Sagittarius until August 2 through September 27. Mars' move into Scorpio for June and July suggests you'll get the rest and feeing of ease that you will dearly need, as this year the pressure has been almost relentless. You will get a chance to catch your breath and plot your course.

On June 26, Jupiter and Pluto will be aligned perfectly, a rare aspect that almost always signifies success and financial bounty. Jupiter is your ruling planet, so when it has conversations with powerful other planets, that is important for you to note. Jupiter, giver of gifts and luck, is currently in your solar tenth house of career, and Pluto is in your solar third house of earned income. The two planets will be linked in a very powerful way, for both planets are considered heavy duty, expansive financial planets. You are likely to come into an important career opportunity at this time that you may or may not recognize instantly as one that has enormous moneymaking potential when first is presented. Trust that if you plant a seed at this time, it is likely to grow to the sky and flourish beautifully. Pluto is known to take the good fortune that Jupiter provides and multiply it many times over.

This aspect won't return in a similar way until October 2018, but will not be nearly as strong as the one coming to you this month. A better alignment of Jupiter and Pluto will come in April 2020. You see how rare this aspect is, so you need to take full advantage of it - it will bring you prestige and money, both.

Big aspects like this one usually come in threes, often, each time in the same sign. That is true for this one too. The first "pass" of this aspect came last November 26, 2015, which was last Thanksgiving Day for Americans. Next, the second pass of Pluto's alignment to Jupiter came March 16. What discussions did you have, and decisions did you make? You might want to look at your past emails to see what you were thinking about at that time, and the plans or actions you made.

Those two dates are when Pluto and Jupiter made the first of three alignments and you will have the last one now, on June 26. That is a Sunday, but you will feel this aspect on the days leading up to it during the work week. I feel an enormously important opportunity to grow in stature in your industry may come to you on or near June 26. That date falls on a Sunday, but you will feel this on the days leading to the weekend of June 25-26, as well as the days that come after it, See if you can plan to have a meeting or to sign a contract near June 26. However, ideally I would like you to wait for Mars to turn direct June 29, because Mars helps you compete to win in any arena you enter. Sign on July 1 if you can - Venus and your ruler, Jupiter, will be in sync, providing you with an ideal day, filled with profit potential.

This month will emphasize your closest relationships and your desires. If you are single, you will have one dazzling weekend over June 11-12, and including June 13, Monday. Perhaps you can take a little three-day trip - you certainly would benefit from spending time in fresh air and a different setting to sort out recent events and what you'd like to do next. These three days sparkle brightly, so see if you can plan a quick getaway.

By the time you reach June, you have reached your "winter." This happens when the Sun moves as far away from your Sun sign as is possible - the Sun has now moved six months away from your birthday month. As the Sun continues his journey, he will make a U-turn and loop around the circle to begin his long journey back to Sagittarius. By December, that transiting Sun will coincide with the place your Sun occupied at your birth, your solar return, marking your birthday. When the traveling Sun conjuncts your natal Sun, you feel warm and protected - it is your metaphorical summer. Things will start to go your way AFTER June is over, but that's quite soon. For now, you will need to work in tandem with others, and not expect to get all things your way. That may be fine with you. While you may feel pressure to be conciliatory and cooperative, your partners may actually have a few brilliant ideas.

Things start off with a once-a-year aspect, Saturn opposed to the Sun. This is a tough aspect, for Saturn is in Sagittarius, and the transiting Sun is in Gemini, the sign that lies 180 degrees from yours. You may see a side of a partner that depresses you or gets you upset, or, you may be very worried about the health and welfare of a male partner (the Sun always points to a male).

The new moon of June 4 will bring up partnership matters (the moon is mixed in outlook) but could easily have a happy ending, despite your doubts to the contrary. Venus will be conjunct the Sun and moon in Gemini, a lovely omen. Saturn in Sagittarius will oppose this gang of three, putting you in a very serious mood. Money may be very tight at this time, but by month's end you may see that money is on the way to you - your chart is quite topsy-turvy now. You may want to get engaged or married. Or, you may want to sign papers for an official partnership in business, say, If you need a new agent, manager, publicist, lawyer, writing partner, or any other person you feel would bring talents to the table to help you get ahead. Or, you may be taking a former partner to court because you are so upset with this person.

I feel you can open talks at this new moon June 4, but ideally you would not sign papers until the week of June 13 or beyond. Neptune will be at hard angles to the new moon, so ask a lot of questions, assume nothing, and have your crackerjack lawyer take a look at all deal points before the contract is written.

Saturn teaches lessons, so it is possible that a partner will give you grief, and reveal a side of character that simply horrifies you. If this is how things turn out, it will be because the universe feels you need to see this reality and asks that you look upon it objectively - it is better to know these things about your partner than not know. I cannot say how this relationship will affect you. There are many crosscurrents here, meant to bring information to the surface. You may be very happy, or you may break up, or you may have a dispute, but I am very encouraged by Mercury in such beautiful angle to Neptune. Neptune's message is always to bring enlightenment and spiritual insight, and if warranted, love and forgiveness. See how you feel. This month, if your relationship is good and strong, things will be exciting and happy, but if bad, events could go from bad to worse. It is a month of extremes.

The full moon, June 20 at 29 degrees Sagittarius, will focus on you and your interests. It will bring something dearly important to you to fruition especially if your birthday falls on or near December 20. You may change your mind about the future of a relationship, or a former partner may give you pause.

Mars has been retrograde since April 19, and will go direct late this month on June 29. Put off making any important decisions or actions until next month, or better yet, August, when the Sun will be in fellow fire-sign Leo, and the friendly new moon will appear on August 2. Mars is the warrior planet and teaches us how to compete effectively with others, whether in athletic, business, or even romantic situations. When Mars is retrograde, he sleeps and cannot be helpful to anyone. That is why you shouldn't begin massively important actions in June, for if you do, the weakness of Mars will be built into the birth of your endeavor, and lessen your ability to compete effectively in that endeavor, for the length of its term.

You will experience one enormously positive aspect this month when Jupiter, your ruling planet and planet of good fortune, will receive magnificent beams from powerhouse Pluto, June 26-27. Financial news should be stunningly happy. Your "luck" would due to your recent successes, emerging industry reputation, and the compensation you are now able to demand. This will be a watershed moment - deals that are seeded now will begin to grow like Jack and the Beanstalk's beans in the days and weeks after Mars goes direct June 29.