The Astrology of July
🔥 July arrives hot on the heels of the intense configurations that June has just introduced us to. Mars stationed for his bi-yearly retrograde on June 26th and will be a leading figure in setting the tone for the entirety of the summer, one full of imperfect movement and increased fiery feelings. There may be times when we feel like we’re sinking in quicksand, and any sudden movements will only make us descend faster into trouble. This summer calls upon our ability to strategize and to call upon a sense of calm in times of chaos. Ultimately, July is jam-packed with astro activity, including Mercury retrograde and an intense lunar eclipse at the end of the month. Let’s dive in.
On July 1st, Venus and Pluto face an uncomfortable aspect, prompting us into some relationship transformation and romantic reworking. When Venus and Pluto face off, we can sense tension in the partnership areas of our lives and we need to seek some healthy adjustments in order to have the relationship keep evolving. This transformational relationship energy can rear its head sexually, verbally, or power dynamically. July 2nd sees a stand off between Mercury and Saturn, one that may have us feeling mentally blocked or potentially caught in a web of depressive, isolating thoughts. Mercury/Saturn pairings tend to make us feel mentally inferior to others, or unintelligent, and incapable. Know that these mental blockages will pass and that you are perfectly capable, despite any mind tricks Saturn may be playing.
On July 3rd, Mercury conjoins the moon’s nodal axis, an axis in astrology that’s representative of fated events. Mercury is conjunct the north node this go around. The north node is symbolic of an intake of energy, the goals we’re moving towards in this life - which is a place that’s not always comfortable for us to lean into, but when we do we feed our souls journey in a big way. Mercury moving over the north node speaks of intaking new thoughts, new ways of communicating, or sharing fated dialogues. Watch the conversations you share around this day, for some of the words exchanged may be ones that stick with you for a long time. July 5th sees a tense opposition between mental Mercury and aggressive retrograde Mars. This configuration typically fires up our mental energy and our ability to be sharp tongued with others. We also can have an increased boost in our ability to get work done, but as it’s an opposition, a balance needs to be sought between overdoing or overthinking.
🌀 Retrograde Mars in this case can create some internal anger and frustration, and with the opposition to talkative Mercury, we can impulsively mouth people off and cut ties in a big way. Watch your communication around these days, especially with Mercury on the nodes, it’s clear here that a major story lies in the responsibility of our words. July 8th sees a moment of relief from the tense whirlwind of aspects with a buoyant Sun/Jupiter trine. This pairing can raise us up, make us feel more spiritually inclined and generally more optimistic about life, if even for a moment. Sun/Jupiter can also be a time of over doing and over indulging, which is Jupiter’s downfall so often. The sun represents our ego as well, and with Jupiter involved, we may take our good feelings too far and become potentially arrogant. This is a more extreme example of Sun/Jupiter, which typically is quite a pleasant aspect.
❤️♍️ On July 9th, Venus, our planet of relationship, enters the sign of Virgo. Venus, the giver of unconditional warm love, isn’t very comfortable in Virgo’s territory because Virgo is notorious for being too critical or judgmental in partnerships. We may find that we nitpick at our partners or in romance during this time, finding faults at every turn and second guessing if we should really even be in our current relationship. If you’re single, you could be more discerning and picky with who gets to enter into your life. Try not to be too judgmental or harsh on your lover during this time, since we are so hell-bent on finding faults in others, we may need to turn that critical eye inward to see what’s really going on. Another expression of Venus in Virgo is taking an interest in our health, lifestyle, and daily habits. We may find that we’re interested in eating better for our bodies or getting ourselves in better shape, again with Virgo sometimes being a critical workaholic towards its goals, make sure you don’t beat yourself up for the rate of your progress or if you slip up and eat a burger - it’s all good!
🦀🦁 On July 12th, a potent new moon in the mothering sign of Cancer is born, resetting the lunar cycle for the month ahead. This new moon is opposite the wielder of transformation, Pluto, telling us the month that lies ahead is one of deep emotional reform. Plant seeds of intention surrounding your home life and family, for this is what Cancer is concerned with. This new moon is particularly potent because it’s also a solar eclipse. Solar eclipses are known to be amplified with energy, and are powerful indicators of new beginnings and opportunities. They bring in huge periods of growth by removing us from our comfort zones and by showing us where we’ve been unbalanced. On July 22nd, the Sun happily leaves Cancer behind and marches into Leo, the sign of its rulership, and in turn, honors all of us to feel proud, self-interested, and creative. The sun revels in the sign of Leo, giving us all a boost of vitality and force behind our creative actions. Leo energy likes to be seen and praised, so enjoy some self expression and a fresh dose of self confidence.
☁️🌹🌟 July 24th sees Venus in Virgo opposite Neptune in Pisces. When Venus and Neptune work together, dreaminess is enhanced and illusions become enchanting. These two beautify and make things magical, but they also make idealizations strong and unrealistic. Venus and Neptune basically created rose-colored glasses. When they’re opposing each other, we may need to find a balance between the illusion and the reality. Our relationships are involved in this dream with Venus as the forerunner here. What illusions do we put upon on our relationships? What can we envision that’s healthy or helpful for them to grow? All this aside, it’s bound to be a great day to day-dream, watch a movie, see a concert, or get lost in an ethereal escape of your choosing.
🌀⏲ Mercury joins the retrograde crew on July 26th, the day before the full moon / lunar eclipse. Mercury will be moving backwards through Leo until August 19th when he goes direct. The usual and obvious cautions apply here of course, but at this point they bore me to tears. I rather stand in support of Mercury retrograde as a time of mental reflection. The whole movement of summer is one of picking up lost pieces in time. Join the backwards movement, you can’t fight it. What have you forgotten? Where have you left off? What details can be revisited about the chapters in your life’s story? This retrograde will have us moving backwards through Leo, which is representative of our creative endeavors, our ego’s self expression, our heart center. What do you need to go back and find that you’ve misplaced in your heart?
🌕♒️ On July 27th, a revolutionary full moon blooms in Aquarius, and with it comes a brooding lunar eclipse. The full moon in Aquarius is not typically the most emotional moon, as it is ruled by a detached and mentally stimulated air sign, but because it comes hand in hand with a lunar eclipse it’s likely to be more emotionally potent. Aquarius moons get us in touch with our friend groups and urge us to find ourselves in the bigger picture of humanity. Lunar eclipses tend to be more emotional than their solar counterparts. Our minds become flooded with dreams and memories as they make us conscious of time passing before us. Eclipses are wildcards in general, bringing new things in and old things out, often in a sudden way. This full moon lunar eclipse has added importance because it’s tightly conjunct retrograde mars, the main character leading the story of summer ‘18. Mars being so strongly involved in this eclipse/full moon configuration is absolutely no coincidence. We will likely be shown exactly what our Mars retrograde story is all about during this eclipse, like it or not. We will be diving head first into our Mars material, exploring our will power and drive, our sexuality, our anger, and the men from our past.
Love,
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