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SKYWATCH
FOR JULY
7/1
Mars enters Virgo All times are Eastern Daylight Time As July begins, Pluto, in retrograde motion, has just re-entered Sagittarius on its final journey through Sagittarius. We’re seeing its influence on the airline industry (travel is associated with Sagittarius), along with a resurgence of fears (Pluto) over differing religious beliefs (Sagittarius also rules religion and shared ideals and theologies). With Pluto in Sag throughout the rest of the year we are sure to see religion raise its head even more in this year’s US presidential election. Pluto in Sag has also had a great deal to do with xenophobia – the fear (Pluto) of other cultures (Sagittarius). We are in a heavy retrograde period now, with four traditional planets plus Chiron all appearing to travel retrograde now. Retrograde periods force us to re-examine all that we do; we are constantly re-negotiating and re-vising our plans. Forget about two steps forward and one step back; we’re retracing our steps now so that we can perfect all that we do with clarity and intention. Uranus has just turned retrograde and we saw the tendency of Uranus to create shocking reversals mirrored in the news in the fall of the stock markets on the last few days of June, and the new Supreme Court decision that legitimizes gun ownership by individuals. Mercury will be moving into position to square Uranus over the next few days, and information and communication (Mercury) will be subject to misunderstandings and disruption as Uranus seeks to break us out of our routines and create new neural pathways for information to travel through. Chiron is exactly conjunct the North Node, as it will be for the next few months. The North Node of the Moon is a signpost rather than a planet; it marks the path of the moon along the path that we see the Sun travel each year. The North Node marks the portal of our evolutionary direction into the future; the South Node gives us an exit into the past. Chiron’s presence conjunct the North Node signifies the healing energy (Chiron) that is available now to bring us into our future (North Node) and release the bonds of the past (South Node). The Chironic healing process is not always easy; it requires that we enter fully into our emotions and mind – what Eckart Tolle calls “presence.” Once we are fully connected to ourselves internally, feeling completely whatever wound we have tried to avoid, we are able to release the past and move forward once and for all. On July 1 Mars leaves the showier sign of Leo for the more subdued Virgo. Mars is our aggressive urge – our anger, our rage, our desire. In Virgo, all of these take the back seat to what is appropriate and orderly, both items of concern to Virgo. The New Moon takes place on the evening of July 2, with not only the Sun and Moon in Cancer, but Venus as well. The triple shot of Cancer means the focus will be on the home and our loved ones – not just our family of origin, but the tribe we have chosen to affiliate with as well. New Moons are times of new beginnings, and this new beginning includes an opposition of Venus in Cancer to Jupiter in Capricorn. This is a marvelous time to invite friends (Venus) into our homes (Cancer) for social events (Jupiter) that share a common goal or purpose (Capricorn). Responsibility is also highlighted as Mars (drive, energy) approaches a conjunction to Saturn (discipline, hard work and goals). Mercury forms an exact trine to the Chiron/North Node combination which brings our mental function and communication abilities to the table so that we can better communicate and express (Mercury) the healing process that we are going through either willingly or not. Mercury is in its own sign of Gemini where it is nimble and quick and can manifest in its Trickster aspect more easily than not. The Trickster knows how to manipulate matter in order to manifest ideas, and this is a fertile time for that sort of activity. The square of Mercury to Uranus mentioned above perfects on July 5, and in tandem with the Chiron influence may create difficulty in our dealings with others and the processing of our own experience. This is not a good time to plan a court trial or a job interview! However, the influence of a trine to Neptune from Mercury is already felt, and when these two planets move into alignment on July 6 there is more harmony and more understanding (Mercury) on a purely intuitive (Neptune) level. Relationships with others become easier as well under a trine from Venus (relating to others) to Uranus (in fresh new ways). The Sun forms an opposition to Jupiter on July 9, making this a good day for learning and expanding our awareness in exciting new ways. We may find ourselves blocked on the 10th as Mercury forms an opposition to Pluto (endings and compulsions) and may become bogged down with the intensity of all that goes on under the surface which is Pluto’s domain. Because the conjunction of Saturn mentioned above aligns that same day, there may be some frustration as Mars seeks action, and Saturn puts on the brakes. Mercury enters Cancer on the 10th, marking the end of the Trickster. Now emotions provide the key to balance as Cancer seeks to find a healthy expression amidst the acute sensitivity of raw emotions. At this point four planets will be in Cancer until Venus moves into Leo on July 12. Spirits will begin to lift and become much more sociable and more willing to leave the house (Cancer so loves to stay at home!). The next few days are harmonious ones, with Mercury forming a sextile to Saturn (adeptitude) on July 14th, clarifying our thoughts and intentions and facilitating our communication skills. The trine of the Sun to Uranus that day offers an extra burst of imagination and innovation. On the 15th Mercury makes a sextile aspect to Mars, and we have more energy (Mars) and a greater mental acuity. The Full Moon on July 18 includes the Capricorn Moon and the Cancer Sun, the polarities of achievement and success (Capricorn) balanced with home and family (Cancer) requiring alignment and balance. Virtually all of the major aspects from the New Moon are still in play: the conjunction of Mars to Saturn, the conjunction of Chiron to the North Node. This lunation will shine a bright light anywhere in our lives where we have not yet balanced our outer (Capricorn) and inner (Cancer) worlds. An opposition from Mercury in Cancer to Jupiter in Capricorn echoes the Sun/Moon polarity and seeks to bring a more conscious element of choice and understanding (Mercury) that will serve to expand our awareness (Jupiter). This opening into a new awareness continues on the 22nd when the Sun enters Leo and a creative energy suffuses us with the desire to express ourselves in new ways, and a trine of Mercury (thought and communication to Uranus (innovation and authenticity) inspires us to accelerate our understanding and learn new ideas and new pathways. Mercury enters Leo on July 26, increasing the Leo creative impulse within us and encouraging us to express (Mercury) this creativity to others. Mars (drive and energy) makes a trine to Jupiter that day as well, and for a few days before and after there is an abundance (Jupiter) of vitality (Mars) available to us to help fuel the expression of our creative instincts unleashed by the new Leo energy of the Sun and Mercury. This will help to offset any negative effects of the opposition from Venus (relating) to Chiron (wounding and healing) on the 28th which may serve to bring into consciousness old wounds (Chiron) around our ability to receive and express love (Venus). This aspect only lasts for a couple of days, and the creativity that abounds at this time will help to unravel any painful places. The Sun and Mercury conjoin on the 29th making this an excellent day for all ventures having to do with communication: meetings, negotiations, court dates. On July 31 Venus opposes Neptune. Neptune is the “higher octave” of Venus, both having to do with love and inspiration on different scales of existence. This can be an incredibly beautiful time of romance and creativity, but for a day or two we may be especially susceptible to illusion if our desire to believe exceeds our ability to discriminate. Enjoy, but be careful. This aspect leads us into an opposition between Mars and Uranus that will build during the first week in August that could generate conflict and change. The most challenging factors in July are the retrogrades, but this sense of rolling that big boulder up a hill does not have to discourage us. If we expect and understand that we will not be making great headway in achieving our desires until Jupiter and Pluto turn direct in September, then we can better appreciate the process of going back and rediscovering aspects of our life that we had not noticed the first time around. |
