As May drew to a close, you may have noticed the fires of this spring beginning to die down. Maybe your big projects are coming to an end or recent changes have begun to feel more routine. The cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn – may be feeling particularly battle weary at this stage. However, there is still work to do, as the changes you’ve initiated must be tended to and fostered through spring of 2012 to truly take hold.

June starts off with a bang with a solar eclipse on the 1st at 11 degrees of Gemini. Solar eclipses occur at the new moon, the start of the lunar cycle. New moons are usually times of initiating new actions, but this solar eclipse, tied to the south node, also asks we release or surrender some past pattern to move forward.

The theme of this new moon/solar eclipse is communication. If there are persons in your life with whom communication is difficult, start there. You can’t change them, but you can change your approach. For instance, try praising them for the things they do well. Do you have mental assumptions and expectations that color your interactions? Release your biases and pay attention as the dynamic between you shifts.

With Neptune in a whole sign square to the solar eclipse, part of the challenge may be communicating your dreams to others. Can you make a clear case for your ideas or are you hopelessly hazy when asked about the details? With Saturn influencing the new moon, it’s time to start formulating a concrete plan that you can share with others. The eclipse ruler, Mercury, in pragmatic Taurus underscores the need to take your dreams and ground them in the real world, as does Jupiter’s entry into Taurus by month’s end. Make your ideas tangible.

In short, if communication issues arise, it’s you who needs to adapt and make the changes.

The obstacle – be it a person or an institution or your own fear – has shown up to help you hone your message, nail down the details, test your ideas, or expose the cracks in your interpersonal communication. Don’t shirk from feedback: use it to figure out what you need to release to better express yourself. Then take the first half of the month to structure your ideas and work on your communication so by the full moon on June 15th you can effectively state your case.

By the time Saturn stations on June 12th, you should be able to reach some decisions, especially in connection to relationships and personal values and resources. At this stage, externalizing what you’ve learned by setting boundaries and walking your talk is particularly important.

If you haven’t done the work, a second eclipse at the June 15th full moon may bring issues to a head. This lunar eclipse falls at 24 degrees of Gemini and conjoins the messenger planet Mercury, so the theme of communication continues. Again, integrate the feedback, let go of any limiting ideas, blocks to communication, or attachments that hold you back. Sometimes to make progress we have to sacrifice long-cherished ideas, move off an established position, take down our defenses, or give up the insistence that we be right.

Those who make the effort will find their relationships and values mature and that shedding past behaviors, especially tied to mental patterns and communication, brings newfound clarity and a more substantial foundation from which to operate.

Note: If you know your rising sign (the ascendant), read that sign for your gemstone recommendation for the month. Otherwise, you may read your sun sign for this month’s recommendation.

ARIES: Examining limiting beliefs can prove fruitful this month. If you are holding yourself back or have held assumptions that no longer serve you, now is the time to kick those beliefs to the corner, especially around relationships. Recommendation: Copper

TAURUS: Take this month to scrutinize your values and get your finances in order. Do you spend time actively pursuing what really matters to you or do you just pay it lip service? If it’s the latter, restructure your day-to-day routines and work environment to bring things back into balance. Recommendation: Petrified Wood

GEMINI: With the both eclipses falling in your solar first house, the spotlight is on you. How do you define yourself and how do you communicate your identity to the world around you? If your skin is starting to feel a bit tight, maybe it’s time to molt. Let go of any self-definitions that no longer serve you or your maturing sense of play and self-expression. Recommendation: Moonstone

CANCER: This month hidden material comes to light and you may see things you don’t like about yourself. It’s okay. Rather than beating yourself up, recognize it for the opportunity it is: a fast-track to expelling a lot of old material and ways of being that at one time served you, but no longer do. Schedule plenty of alone time to explore the depths. Recommendation: Smoky Quartz

LEO: Friends and associates are a rich source of feedback this month. Use their input to restructure your ideas. You might need to let go of old dreams and goals to truly embrace the new opportunities coming your way. Testing your ideas in public and letting others respond bears the most fruit. Recommendation: Amazonite

VIRGO: With this month’s eclipses falling in your career house, take time to take stock about your direction. Use this month to communicate and plan who you want to be in the world. Long-held dreams and ideas may need revamped or recycled, but nothing happens unless you structure a plan and figure out the resources you’ll need to bring it into being. Recommendation: Turquoise

LIBRA: You’ve been working on setting boundaries and this month they’ll be put to the test. If you discover you’re still doing things you’d rather not be doing, look at your beliefs. Do you tell yourself that others’ needs are more important than yours? Are you communicating directly or indirectly about your needs? Set limits, strengthen your resolve: embody these lessons. Recommendation: Chyrsocolla

SCORPIO: Relationships, and work relationships in particular, may have been tense this year. If you are honest about your own culpability, releasing the past will be easier and you’ll avoid the similar pitfalls in the future. Either way, expect one phase to end and another to begin. It just feels a lot cleaner when you own your share of the blame. Recommendation: Blue Lace Agate

SAGITTARIUS: The focus is on relationships this month. If the people in your life have a lot to say about how, how much, and what you’ve been communicating, don’t take offense, take notice. They care about you and they’re giving you pointers on how you can better care for them. If you can receive this advice with grace and without defensiveness, you flower. Recommendation: Jade

CAPRICORN: Pay attention to what is being said at work. If things have been hinky, June is the month to make a course correction. Good planning, attention to details, and double checking with others can offset confusion. Avoid gossip as it will have a tendency to boomerang back. Expect things to smooth over toward month’s end. Recommendation: Calcite

AQUARIUS: Your view of the big picture is being tested a bit. Part of this may be finding out that sometimes you’re part of the problem, not the solution, and having the humility to acknowledge it. Try realigning your sense of play and lightening your self-expression. Sometimes your point lands a lot more effectively when made with goofball humor. Recommendation: Peridot

PISCES: With so much up in the air these days, it can feel especially disorienting when things don’t flow smoothly at home. Now is the time to talk with family and your family of choice about your feelings and not just isolate at home. Sometimes just placing your cards on the table can get you back in the game. Recommendation: Unakite