We spend the balance of July recovering from the cosmic whiplash of the past two months or more.  There is notably less planetary activity this month giving us a chance to take a breath, catch up, and take stock.  We are still mid journey through these tremendous energetic shifts, learning how to navigate the new terrain.  Like being a visitor to a foreign city, it will take us a while to get the lay of the land, our sea legs if you will, and figure out what is where.  Above all, be patient and gentle with yourself and others.  One thing we can all agree upon:  this is an extraordinary and unprecedented time in our lives.
As July opens, we are in the home stretch of eclipse season.  This past month has been a really tough time.  A particularly rough patch in a very difficult year.  And while we are not done yet, or rather 2020 is not yet done with us, July and August do offer a bit of a reprieve. 
First, we must pass through the final eclipse of the summer series.  A lunar eclipse, the Full Moon bears culmination, fruition and endings.  It occurs on July 4-5th depending on your locale.  It is indeed significant for this eclipse to occur on the birthday of the USA, our Sun.  We are closing chapters on our history that are better left for the record books.  Done and gone but not forgotten.  In no nonsense Capricorn, this is one tough love Full Moon as it joins Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn in tight formation.  Opposite the Sun and Messenger Mercury in Cancer the Crab, we are pushed to get our house in order. 

A repeating, notable theme pervades July:  we are being shown exactly who we are in no uncertain terms.   The question is:  will we respond to what we see?  If so, how?
For many, this is a time of restructuring Cancerian domain:  your home, family unit, our nation, how we feed ourselves – literally, both individually and on the whole.  With our identity and will, the Sun, and our mind and thoughts, Mercury, in Cancer, we focus on everything related to how we nurture.  Opposite the planetary heavy hitters, our awareness rises:  do we nurture?   How exactly do we take care of our bodies, minds, spirits, each other?
This Lunar Full Moon Eclipse puts front and center the level of our care, compassion and concern for loved ones, our country or Mother Earth herself.  It shows with unmistakable clarity what must be addressed.  The heavy weights Jupiter-Pluto-Saturn demand we get back to basics, fundamentals and the rudimentary structures of our lives.  For the second time this year, Gigantic Jupiter joins Transformer Pluto while Saturn has returned to its home sign for one last pass.  Opposite the eclipse, the trio mandate deconstruction of old systems that no longer function and rebuilding from the rubble what will work well going forward.
If you know your astrological chart, you can see how this lunar eclipse impacts you by the house, or life sector, in which it occurs.  Remember:  eclipses are neither good nor bad, but draw into focus what demands our immediate attention.
In the days that follow, Motivating Mars joins healer Chiron in Aries, aligning to Venus in Gemini.  The troika invites us to heal our deepest wounds, including those we have carried for generations, in brand new ways.  You may opt for a brand new therapist, become involved in community activism for the first time, try alternative healing modalities such as acupuncture or Reiki.  This urge to experiment, at least one time, what you thought you never might, is exactly what we are called to do now.  In the wake of three eclipses, we cross through gateways and thresholds to new ideas, people, opportunities.  In a year of utter upheaval, this aspect affords us one of the most helpful and useful to find our way with clarity and to heal.
Then Sunday, July 12th, what we have ALL been waiting for:  Messenger Mercury turns direct motion.  Hooray!  Anything you have put on the back burner is cosmically blessed to proceed.  Sign the documents; make the big purchases; commit to the deal, relationship or pursuit.  For the next two months, a period of clear cosmic energy graces us.  Take advantage.  If you have key decisions to make, the second half of July and all of August afford calm to move forward, claim opportunity.  These summer months are a time to invest in ourselves and all we deem worthwhile.
The days leading into the New Moon on the 20thhighlights a continuing theme of the summer eclipses.  The Sun still opposes the planetary big guns, Jupiter-Pluto-Saturn in Capricorn, testing our will, even our identity (…who we are or, who are we?) within the context of our family, profession, home, our nation.
How do we want to structure our lives, beginning with basics of self-care, such as the food we eat, the quality and type of nourishment, how often we eat…overindulgence or not enough?  Our care ripples outward – to the residence we live in, or not, as some are homeless or on the verge.  What kind of home do we live in or want to live in someday?  Our psychological roots – consider your conditioning from childhood:  can you let go of outdated belief systems or shape them to more a more relevant framework that suits you current life?  As well as stewardship for our country and Earth:  how do we revise and restructure our care for, or lack of, both of these essential homes?
The New Moon on Monday, July 20, 2020, is the second New Moon this year in Cancer the Crab.  This is highly unusual, particularly in the same sign.  Along with Messenger Mercury’s extra-long tour through this sign, Cancer dominates the early summer landscape.  In the final degrees of the water sign, the Moon, our emotions, the very essence of Cancer, pairs with the Sun, our identity as an individual and global whole; while Mars-Chiron challenging Mercury catalyzes us to heal our deepest wounds, feelings and psyche.
Cancer is ruled by the Moon, a gigantic planetary mirror reflecting the Sun’s light.  The prevalence of this water energy gives us a prolonged reflection, shown in pristine clarity exactly who we are.  As Maya Angelou said, “when people show you who they are, pay attention.”  Will you pay attention to what you see in the cosmic mirror?  Do you like what you see?  If not, will you do anything to change the image?   Jupiter-Pluto-Saturn opposing this second New Moon in Cancer gives us yet another chance to deconstruct, purge and re-order what is outdated, dysfunctional and in need of overhaul.  Beginning with our SELF.
With each of the interior planets now in direct motion through Labor Day, Venus-Mercury-Mars, take small steps toward building what you most want to be in this world, how you choose to live from day to day.  Be the change you want to see in the world – Mahatma Ghandi taught.  The rest will flow from there. 

Two days later on July 22nd, the Sun enters festive Leo firing up our creative energy.  The Sun gradually aligns to Mars-Chiron in Aries during the remaining days of the month.  Our motivation to source new methods of healing overflow.  We may even create our own healing modalities from scratch through art, movement, sound, and more, from skills and talents we discover or recover.  Necessity is the mother of invention indeed.  What will you create?