Does it sometimes seem like the lunatics are running the asylum? Is it possible the rebels are in control? Are ordinary citizens, who have heretofore lived a peaceful, accepting, dutiful existence, been struck once to many times with the spark of injustice, inequality, suppression and other disrespectful treatment so that the revolutionary fire within has been ignited? Instead of aligning with the establishment and taking it for granted that those in positions of power are truly looking out for the common person, are we heeding the call to capsize the status quo? The perception of what seems right just may be turning topsy-turvy. The archetypes of the establishment and the revolutionary – Saturn and Uranus – have been heading into an awkward relationship for the past several weeks as they have each slowed down in preparation for their respective direction shifts on July 20th and 21st respectively. While they barely miss making an exact aspect before they reverse course, they reach a closeness of only eight minutes (16°38’ and 16°30’ respectively) from a 150° quincunx and stay in orb of this irritating relationship through most of August. The Sun activates this configuration from Cancer on July 8th, with an agitating square to Uranus and supportive trine to Saturn, bringing light to zones of disorder that may seem unimportant but are certainly manageable. Ultimately, however, they may mirror the deeper stressors at work. Triggers to the uneasy alliance between Saturn and Uranus recur when Mercury and Venus follow the Sun’s path through the 16-17 degree space in late July and early August. We would do well to pay attention to where we feel the urge to rebel – wherever there is grit in our oyster, or a pea in our mattress. It may be an indicator that if traced to its source can lead to freedom from self-created fears we indiscriminately obey. In her dis-ease the princess may find pearls of wisdom.
The theme of the current lunar cycle – to honor the feminine – is challenged when Cancer’s ruler, the Moon, enters the industrious sign of Capricorn, culminating with her opposition to the Sun in Cancer on July 12th. What the Cancer New Moon initiated is now fully illuminated by the corresponding Full Moon, which represents the point during the lunar cycle when the accumulating energy climaxes with complete integration. This Capricorn Full Moon, therefore, presents an opportunity for male and female alike to reach clarity on what it actually means to operate with “feminine” qualities, allowing them to be fully incorporated in the workings of society. The Moon in Capricorn has the opportunity to bring her exceptional receptivity and intuitiveness to Capricorn’s governing table and become an equal partner with the pragmatic, material energies. The Sun, going through his own sensitivity training in Cancer, offers tender loving care and a safe space for those he loves. In order to flourish on this earth, we need the full spectrum of care taking, from individual to societal, from the impersonal large-scale structures that keep society humming, to the warm and supportive intimate care that keeps us loving. The lights in the sky opposing each other from the matriarchal and patriarchal signs are a reminder to us to give our anima balanced representation as we go about the business of living, and in the process elevate it to art.
Mercury joins the feminine circle when he enters Cancer less than six hours after the Full Moon on July 12th. With his perspective sensitivity meter set to acute, Mercury’s way of seeing in Cancer is much more than simply impartially processing mega loads of data. He bypasses the mind, sensing information directly with seemingly no discerning mental buffer in sight, which means that forcefully spoken words can be received like a jolt. Even if he has the wisdom not to take anything personally, the rapid-fire delivery Mercury revers when operating from his home turf of Gemini can appear through his Cancer lens as if the offender were recklessly speeding by the exquisite nuances that are essential to a holistic understanding of any concept or situation. In Cancer through July 31st, Mercury will probe underneath surface appearances to feel the vibrations on which everything travels and comeback to tell the mysteries of the deep.
We may be motivated to share our new awareness and actively connect with others when Venus in Gemini trines Mars in Libra on July 13th. Relations, especially between the sexes, have the potential to be easy going and playful, with the planets in air signs keeping it light, intellectually stimulating and friendly. As this is the only aspect that does not involve a water sign during this period, the Lovers give us an opportunity for a tactical adjustment. Time to come up for a breath of fresh air!
Bailing out of the touchy feely load up of planets in Cancer, Jupiter jumps into enthusiastic Leo on July 16th where he will inspire us to create, have loads of fun, and tune into our generous nature knowing that abundance is as infinite as the cosmos. Lack will not be a word in Jupiter’s vocabulary while he is in Leo, which gives us until August 2015 to cultivate our faith and confidence in the joy of living. Jupiter in Leo breaks the six-week period during which Uranus was the only planet in a fire sign (outside of the fast moving Moon), amping up our desire to move out of the past and live in the now, expressing openly and dramatically, to anyone in our own personal audience who will give us their undivided attention.
The third planetary ingress within a week occurs on July 18th when Venus enters Cancer, bringing the total number of planets in water signs back up to five, if only for a few days pending the Sun’s departure for Leo. More interested in a strong emotional connection with those in her closely guarded circle than the lightness of diversity she sought in Gemini, Venus in Cancer reigns in her external networking activities in favor of a more personal approach to relating. Expressing her love in a way that evokes home and family, she puts a premium on TLC and always has safe havens available for those she loves, as well as for her material assets.
Planetary cross currents continue on July 18th, pulling us in different directions when Mercury in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces, and the Sun in Cancer squares Mars in Libra. The Mercury/Neptune contact enhances the tenderness evoked by the planets in water signs, inspiring poetic expressions and visionary flights through vast dreamscapes. The Sun’s run in with Mars will not be content to dream in the safety of our own imagination and could very well prod us out of our interior escapades with a demand for some kind of decisive physical action to get what we want.
Saturn has barely moved for weeks in preparation for his shift change from retrograde to direct motion on July 20th. In the penetrating water sign of Scorpio, Saturn’s laser like focus intensifies his authoritative imperative to understand the unwieldy urges of powerful emotions, and to learn to express them with integrity. Do we over react to others and in the process make them responsible for how we feel? Or do we recognize our triggers and own them? Can we share how we feel with love instead of laying blame on someone else? Saturn has five more months of lesson plans for us on this subject (he will be in Scorpio until December 23rd) so at the moment he stations direct may we embrace the notion that achieving emotional discipline will lead us to discovering just how powerful we are.
Also barely moving for more than two months, Uranus stations retrograde on July 21st, making this an extra potent time that takes Saturn’s message and uses it for fuel to launch us into another dimension. Uranus will spend eight years in Aries so this is only one of many retrogrades he will have in this initiating fire sign, giving us many occasions to tune into his far out frequency until he enters Taurus in 2018. As with the other outer planets that were discovered only after advancements in viewing devices and relentless focused observation, we must make a concerted effort to tune into Uranus’ transcendent freethinking archetype. Many live their entire lives without so much as a glance at the extra-personal dominion of thoughts where we find the concept of individuation and the ability to question what is. As Uranus pivots in pioneering Aries, may we contemplate the nature of a lifetime of conditioning and how we can apply our Saturnian forged power to overthrow all that stagnates our growth.
Also on July 21st, Mercury in Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn, aiding and abetting the Saturn/Uranus dispatch with an intense focus on cutting through the mental noise in order to recognize that which is essential. Probing the depths of consciousness is like reading a fascinating whodunit filled with intrigue, subterfuge and ultimately, if pursued to the end, profound awareness.
Here’s the data:
Times where noted are Pacific Daylight Time. Degrees where noted are rounded to the nearest whole degree.
July 8th Sun square Uranus at 16° Cancer/Aries at 9:23 a.m.
Sun trine Saturn 17° Cancer/Scorpio at 5:29 p.m.
July 12th Moon opposite Sun (Full Moon) at 20° Capricorn/Cancer at 4:25 a.m.
Mercury at 0° Cancer at 9:45 p.m.
July 13th Venus trine Mars at 24° Gemini/Libra at 1:22 a.m.
July 16th Jupiter at 0° Leo at 3:30 a.m.
July 18th Venus at 0° Cancer at 7:06 a.m.
Mercury trine Neptune at 7° Cancer/Pisces at 10:37 p.m.
Sun square Mars at 26° Cancer/Libra at 11:32 p.m.
July 20th Saturn stations direct at 17° Scorpio at 1:36 p.m.
July 21st Uranus stations retrograde at 17° Aries at 7:53 p.m.
Mercury opposite Pluto at 12° Cancer/Capricorn at 11:47 p.m.
Some hard aspects to my 5th house Cancer made more acceptable by Kim’s reminder TLC is also for myself. Thanks Kim xo
You are striking the tones of elevated thought and deep realization with your writing these past few weeks! I am delighted that you have peeled back the coverings. May the unfolding New Reality shake the complacent, and bring the aware into service and action! By the time July has come to a close, we may see things very differently. Thank you for Astro-Cast!