July opens with the first of two Full Moons, on July 2ndand the latter, July 31st. The July 2nd full moon is supercharged. The Sun is tightly conjoined to Motivating Mars in maternal Cancer, aligning our will and energy. Both oppose the Moon (our emotions) and transformer Pluto. In other words: something’s gotta give…and explosively since Mars challenges the lunar nodes, the directional points pushing us away from the past and pulling us into the future.
Because of the action-oriented signs and planets involved, family dynamics are drawn into special focus. Mars is not comfortable in nurturing Cancer and can really make waves. Emotions are at a peak the first week of July. Expect movement and decisions regarding the home front, real estate/property, children and family figures, and relationships of all sizes. Including your nation. Cancer rules one’s native land and your relationship to it. With Mars-Sun challenging the Moon and Pluto in tough-minded Capricorn, an impact to and/or a transformation of the homeland is indicated. Since ISIS is in the global picture, terrorist threats are very real around the beginning of the month.
The silver lining of the July 2 Full Moon is Venus (love) tightly conjoined to Jupiter (abundance) in creative Leo. This pair forms a beautiful angle to change-agent Uranus all month long granting radical, abundant love in the most unexpected places: our work, our creativity, our homes and family, our nations, or ourselves. Discovering how much we do in fact treasure our very own talents and gifts is one of the greatest benefits of this planetary mix.
Absolute Love abounds all month long with Venus-Jupiter-Uranus. In many cases, this means breaking out of the old mold and starting fresh. Discoveries, breakthroughs and revelations abound both interpersonally, personal ah-hah moments, as well as scientifically and in business. Wow. If someone, something, a person or job, has not been working for you in any capacity, remember: you do have rights. Venus-Jupiter in brave, courageous Leo will give you more than enough strength, support and downright chutzpah to make the necessary changes incited by Radical Uranus. Thus there may very well be drama with huge showdowns. Expect show offs and those seeking to show-up and upstage others. Leo rules bigtime drama and Radical Uranus is sassy. This cluster doesn’t care whose toes it steps on, insults or hurts. Despite the potential for enormous love with this mix, terrorists will use the power of this for maximum effect as we’ve seen already in the last week of June with three attacks on Friday, June 26th.
Struggles of the deepest and most serious kind are at play now as Venus-Jupiter in Leo increasingly squares off with heavyweight Saturn as it dips back into Scorpio for a final passage. Saturn rules current events and in the last degrees of intense Scorpio, we are asked to dig deeper than we ever thought possible to work through psychological, financial, sexual and power struggles. Saturn’s challenge to Venus-Jupiter calls us to be brave like never before, to transform ourselves, situations and relationships. To tap into the mighty brawn of this energy and use it for constructive, positive purposes (not destructive as in the case of ISIS or the Charleston shooter), we can effect change for the better far faster than ever possible. The miraculous power of forgiveness exhibited by the relatives of the Charleston victims spawned a tidal wave of love and unity precisely the opposite of what the murderer intended. Calls for the Confederate flag, a symbol of slavery and oppression, to finally be removed from official government buildings in the South are falling like dominoes, one after the other. This is the power of LOVE. It can blast through the most hardened of hearts and outdated systems. Radical love: the outpouring of community and national love. That is Uranus’ twist to this troika: surprise, radical shifts and outcomes.
This too applies to the hard-fought win by gay activists in their battle for marriage equality under the US Supreme Court. Love indeed conquers all. Under this Full Moon on July 2, our messages are clear and targeted as Messenger Mercury aligns beautifully with our hearts/gifts (Venus-Jupiter) sparking change by Uranus. Over the July 4th weekend, we feel lighter as the Moon joins this cluster. Freedom can be found. Be ours.
July 8th, Mercury moves into nurturing Cancer joining Mars and the Sun. This second week of the month the Messenger planet sharply challenges the lunar nodes, testing the accuracy of our message(s), challenging our ideas and thoughts about relationships and the direction these need to take. A particularly nice aspect this week from July 11th – 14th is Neptune’s harmonious angle to Motivating Mars and Messenger Mercury, joined by the Moon at mid-month, to heighten our intuition, energy, thoughts and emotions. Lovely. Stop and listen: if you feel a vibe about someone or something, TRUST it now.
July 16th brings the New Moon in Cancer. Both Mercury (thoughts and speech) and Mars (directed energy) in nurturing Cancer oppose Pluto in hard-nosed Capricorn. So mean what you say and say what you mean especially in regard to any family members or matters pertaining to house, home, food, trusts/estates, children and the elderly. Mars rules fire and in its opposition to Pluto (the undertaker), use extra caution in the home. Be sure all cigarettes, gas stoves and appliances are extinguished or turned off. It wouldn’t hurt to be a little OCD (obsessive compulsive) around the time of the New Moon – go back and check to make sure the front door is locked and equipment is unplugged if you are leaving on vacation.
July 18th, Venus enters Virgo, the sign of work and health, offering level heads and practical solutions both interpersonally and at work. Venus is not especially comfortable in analytical, hardworking Virgo but adds exponentially to our work ethic. In Virgo, Venus gets the job done. And she headlines the news this month as she first tightly conjoins Jupiter but then turns retrograde on July 25th. The planet of love and money revisits Leo all through August and will station direct motion (go forward again) just after Labor Day. Relationships of all kinds, sizes and natures, family, romantic partnerships and work are given a thorough review and housecleaning. Our relationship to money, be it healthy or not, is also under scrutiny. This is an excellent time to take a hard look at your spending habits. Are your credit cards maxed out? Do you have a rainy day fund or college fund for the kids? Is your homeowners or life insurance paid up? Do you even have any? All monetary accounts are due for a hard look. Take stock while you have a day off in the summertime to go over your financial files.
The very next day, July 26th, Uranus turns retrograde too! This motion in combination with Venus’ retrograde can truly make us feel like we are at 6s and 7s with the world around us. What on earth is happening here? It can be deeply unsettling and unnerving. Uranus rules earthquakes and lightning strikes, the unexpected in everything. Surprise and Eureka are its watchwords. Prepare as best you can for your day and week as we are often caught off guard around Uranus retrograde.
July ends with a Full Moon on the 31st leading us under its daring, creative bright light decorated by festive Venus, Jupiter, Messenger Mercury and the Sun in Leo. Be bold. Be daring. Be courageous. Make like a lion and roar.