The first solar eclipse of the year
lands on June 10, while the new
moon is in Gemini. The new moon
heralds a new beginning for the
signs, and the eclipse magnifies
its effects. The moon in Gemini
indicates an examination of how
we communicate with others and
learn new information. The sun’s
conjunction with Mercury on the
same day adds an extra emphasis on
communication. Mercury still lingers
in its retrograde orbit, but perhaps
the conjunction and this solar eclipse
will provide much-needed clarity
in these confusing times. Just be
careful not to chase every pipe dream
following this eclipse.
Mars enters Leo on June 11,
which brings immense passion and
intensity. You may feel even more
inspired than usual, but watch out
for any fights that may break loose
during this time. The moon enters
Cancer on the same day, which
encourages alone time and self-
healing: a calm start to a potentially
chaotic period with Mars in Leo.
The Venus sextile with Uranus
on June 13 brings surprising gifts to
all signs. On the same day, the sun
squares Neptune, which may cause
communication issues and overall
sluggishness.
The moon enters Leo on June
14, which may inspire our creative
pursuits but incite petty conflicts.
Saturn squares Uranus on the same
day, indicating either unwanted
change or the inability to change.
It will be easy to feel frustrated
and stagnant at this time, but try
to remain level-headed and do not
force change if it is not working for
you.
Aries (June 8-14)
You may often feel that your ideas
are the best, but this solar eclipse and
Sun-Mercury conjunction may lead
you to re-evaluate your methods of
living and how you can communicate
with others in a more effective way.
You will feel powerful enough to do
anything when Mars, your ruling
planet, enters fire sign Leo. The week
ends with Saturn squaring Uranus,
which means you may re-approach
your
friendships
and
consider
whether or not your values align.
Taurus (June 8-14)
The solar eclipse may cause some
sort of unexpected changes to your
finances, so perhaps monitor your
spending and be careful with your
money. You may rearrange your
living space to feel more comfortable
when Mars enters Leo. When Saturn
squares Uranus, you may reflect
on your aspirations and come to an
unexpected conclusion.
Gemini (June 8-14)
The new moon and solar eclipse
occur in your sign. You will undergo
the most major changes out of all of
the signs, and you may be revisiting
parts of yourself that you have
hidden away in the past. Embrace
the growth that comes with this new
moon cycle. Mars in Leo will allow
you to speak clearly and honestly.
Not all introspection is easy, though;
Saturn’s square with Uranus may
cause you to question some of your
long-held beliefs.
Cancer (June 8-14)
The solar eclipse indicates a boost
to your intuition, so trust yourself.
You may also feel more tired than
usual, and Mars’s transition into
Leo may only further demotivate
you. Venus’s sextile with Uranus
is a great time to take a break from
your solitude and connect with
other people. When Saturn squares
Uranus, you may reflect on your
relationships and set new standards
and expectations.
Leo (June 8-14)
You’re fulfilling an important
role in your group (whether this is
a community, social or professional
environment), and this solar eclipse
is asking you to find the courage to
lead everyone on the right path. Mars
enters your sign, which will give you
a lot of energy for socialization and
creative pursuits. The Venus-Uranus
sextile also brings inspiration, but
expect some setbacks when the sun
squares Neptune on the same day.
You may want to restructure your
schedule and relationships when
Saturn squares Uranus at the end of
the week.
Virgo (June 8-14)
You
may
discover
new
opportunities under the light of the
new moon, so be open to any shifts in
your career goals. You will feel more
energized than usual when Mars
enters Leo, but do not bury yourself in
work to repress your emotions. This
is a fiery period of time, so you should
resolve your frustrations before you
explode in anger. You may want to
restructure your daily routine when
Saturn squares Uranus. Don’t just
aim to be more productive, but think
about your own mental well-being as
well.
Libra (June 8-14)
Reevaluate your views about life
because the new moon may bestow
a new revelation about life onto you.
Be open to receiving these new ideas.
Socialization comes naturally to you,
and Mars’s transit through Leo is a
perfect time to connect with others.
You may find that your usual routine
isn’t working anymore when Saturn
squares Uranus. This is a great time
to change your goals and thought
processes, especially regarding love
and money.
6
Thursday, June 10, 2021
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MICHIGAN IN COLOR
Read more at michigandaily.com
“Dear Susan Muaddi Darraj,
My name is Reem Hassan, and
I am a first-year undergraduate
student at the University of Michigan-
Ann Arbor. I identify as a Muslim
Palestinian American woman, and
I am currently studying on a pre-
law track with hopes of majoring in
public policy and minoring in Arab
and Muslim American Studies. I was
first introduced to your piece “It’s
Not an Oxymoron” during my first
semester in university, where I took an
introductory course to women’s and
gender studies (WGS). To say the least,
I found myself absolutely astounded
by your work. Having registered for
the course on a whim and expecting
to only mildly relate to the material,
I was shocked to be so completely
moved by our first reading. I explicitly
remember feeling as though you had
taken my thoughts on the intersection
of my Arab identity on my feminist
experience straight out of my head and
put it on paper. I felt heard. Your short
piece had the ability to influence my
work for the rest of that semester and
inspired me to take my understanding
to new and deeper levels and enroll in
our Arab American Feminists course
this semester. Upon interacting with
your piece yet again this semester, I was
reminded of why it had such an impact
on me, and how deeply I resonate with
your story.”
This is an excerpt taken from one
of the first “Feminist Love Letters”
I wrote last semester while taking
an Arab American Feminists course
with
Professor
Charlotte
Karem
Albrecht — an absolute icon in the WGS
department. We were asked to address
a “love letter” to one of the authors
we had read in class, both celebrating
and critiquing their work. I was
immediately drawn to write to Susan
Muaddi Darraj, who authored “It’s Not
an Oxymoron: The Search for an Arab
Feminism.”
****
Although I have always considered
my feminist awakening as something
deeply personal, I have come to learn
that many other Arab American
women empower themselves in a
similar experience. It is an experience
where we constantly question the
grounds upon which we are allowed
to call ourselves feminists, where we
never feel as though we are allowed to
call ourselves such a phrase because
of western impositions onto the
definition of feminism, and where we
live an experience that we never feel
like we have the right to articulate.
In all truth, “Middle Eastern” (in
quotations because the phrase is a
colonial invention that I am not exactly
fond of) or Arab women are not exactly
regarded as the token feminist figures
in the western lens. We are forced
to carry a stereotyped reputation
of arranged marriages, housework,
oppression, being forced to cover up
and countless other baseless tags and
labels. And beyond this, even after
I have finally come to understand
what feminism really entailed, it was
something that was treated with so
much animosity by the people around
me. In high school, boys amped up
their “women belong in the kitchen”
jokes and poked fun at the girls who
identified as feminists for being “crazy.”
Girls who were not interested in saying
anything else only laughed with them.
I remember watching in disgust and
confusion as girls at my school —
some of whom were even my friends
— would proudly announce that they
don’t consider themselves feminists
just so that they’d be applauded by
the boys. I could not fathom why they
chose to view feminism as a surface-
level ideology, fixating on buzzwords
like “man-hating” and “wage gap”
while overlooking the societal benefits
from the overarching goals of women’s
liberation.
On the other hand, I realized that
feminism came so naturally to me
because it did not defy the values or the
practices that I was raised upon — it
actually gave them a name. I grew up
in a household where my sisters and I
were encouraged to shoot for the stars
and be ambitious with our goals, to
defy gendered career expectations and
to never give in to socially constructed
gender roles. Both of my parents
worked full time and distributed
chores among themselves equally. I
grew up watching my dad cook and
clean and my brothers being given
equal responsibility in maintaining the
home. The contradictory attitudes that
I encountered while coming to terms
with my feminist identity motivated
me to take Introduction to Women’s
Studies upon starting at the University
of Michigan.
While much of the class was
introducing and giving names to
basic concepts like intersectionality,
patriarchy and male-gaze, I noticed
a
vast
difference
between
the
backgrounds of the students who
were enrolled in the course and how
that influenced the ways in which
they absorbed and comprehended
the course material. I found myself
engaged in productive conversation
with students of color more than I did
with the white students in the course.
During the weekly discussion sections
where we would share individual
interpretations
of
the
readings
based on our own experience, I was
shocked by how uninformed many
of my white, straight, financially
privileged, cisgender classmates were
about the struggles that marginalized
communities
confront
without
reflecting on their own privileges.
And while I would never deny the
fact that objectively, being a woman
in itself is a marginalized identity that
suffers from patriarchal oppression,
for me and other women of color, it is
our intersecting identities that really
amplify the impacts of being a woman.
The yearning to have conversations
with more people who understood
how my intersectionality impacted my
feminist experience prompted me to
enroll in an upper-level Arab American
Feminism course during my second
semester.
Celestial Motion 5/17-5/23
Intersectional feminism is real and alive
ANDREW NAKAMURA
MiC Columnist
REEM HASSAN
MiC Columnist
Read more at michigandaily.com