If you follow the cosmos, you already know June is a crazy time - by the end of the month, five planets will be in retrograde (not to worry, Mercury isn’t one of them). Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto are already retrograde and this week, Mars joins the pack.

Mars is the planet of energy, action and desire - its go-getter energy and over-the-top aggression means our passions will be intensified during this retrograde. As we experience this week’s Mars retrograde, which continues through August 27, the Universe is asking us to slow down, turn inward and think about how we go about fighting for the things we want most in life.

On Thursday, June 28, just a couple days after Mars goes retrograde, we experience June’s full moon. Full moons are always a time for reflection, and with Mars retrograde amplifying the effects of this moon we’ll be forced to really look at things carefully. But don’t think that everything needs an immediate resolution - we just need to be in the right headspace to see the solution and that’s what Mars retrograde will enable us to do. It will give us the time we need to see the path forward to get to where we want to be. This is a perfect time for meditation, journaling and finding stillness within.

Here are a few recommended journal prompts from Elite Daily to use this week:

• What do you desire most?
• What are you doing to achieve your goals?
• Do you normally get what you want?
• How far are you willing to go to get it?

Strawberry Moon

In addition to a little boost from Mars retrograde, the June full moon (also known as the Strawberry Moon) is dominated by a powerful conjunction to Saturn retrograde. We should expect to feel more serious than usual over the next two weeks. And we may also experience sadness, guilt, fear, restriction or inhibition (keep those journals nearby!).

But let’s not freak out just yet - there are positive factors happening thanks to the fixed star Kaus Borealis (the Bow of the Archer). This energy won’t be as strong as Saturn retrograde, so we’ll have to work extra hard to make positive changes - but it is possible! This fixed star will give us the initiative and resourcefulness needed to break free from unhealthy situations. We also have the June 13 new moon working in our favor, continuing to bring good fortune and protection for ourselves and our loved ones. Keep in mind that lessons learned during this full moon will be extremely valuable, so pay attention to what’s going on this week and take time for self-reflection.

As we reflect, let’s think about where we were energetically at the start of the year - both professionally and in our home and family life. This full moon is the final culmination point of these energies, so whatever we needed to work on/with is now starting to clear, enabling us to keep moving forward.

Since the moon is in Capricorn, we’ll have the sign’s grounding and stable energy behind us too, so let’s all embrace this new strong-willed energy! As Forever Conscious explains:

Reflecting and releasing can be scary and bring up a lot of anxiety. Let’s be brave, face our fears and know that we’re being supported by the universe.

Full moon blessings!

Keri