**Times where noted are Pacific Daylight Time; degrees where noted are rounded to the nearest whole degree.
On July 3rd, Mars finally leaves Virgo after nearly eight long months of methodical, detailed focus on our health and the practical connections between mind, body and spirit. With his move into Libra, we can finally take our reconditioned, healed and whole selves to the next level in the pursuit of relationships. Virgo is the last sign in the first half of the zodiac, which is the domain of self-development and the final frontier in refining all that we have learned as individuals in order to prepare us for the next big step into the world of Other. Libra, the first sign in the second half of the zodiac, is synonymous with Relationship. Just as the Greeks had many words to describe the different kinds of love, Libra isn’t focused just on lovers but all forms of relating from family to business partners to anyone you have a contract with, written or symbolic. Mars here will add a burst of energy to all our relationships and will certainly want to start something with the opposite sex, but Libra is not all about romance (that is more the domain of Pisces). She is the diplomat, ever weighing the attributes of both sides in order to find the happy balance between them. Mars in the sign of the scales will champion justice and fair play. This also marks a shift of elements, from practical earth to intellectual air. With the recent ingress of Jupiter from resourceful Taurus (earth) to talkative Gemini (air), Mars’ change of sign makes the energetic shift even more palpable, and it will reach its peak when the two trine each other in a couple of weeks.
Adding clout to the day is the Full Moon at 12° Capricorn opposite the Sun at 12° Cancer which brings to a peak the lunar cycle that began with the New Moon on June 19th. This may be one of the more ironic polarizations between the two luminaries, since the Moon, which rules Cancer and has a highly sensitized feeling nature is in the opposite sign of Capricorn where it is generally considered that feelings may be at their most distant or inaccessible. Or perhaps because Cancer’s need for safety and love of family can actually be satisfied by Capricorn’s ability to provide sound structures. But in order to meet Capricorn half way, Cancer will need to come out of her shell to demonstrate her sense of response-ability in dealing with external situations. This Full Moon also aligns with the ongoing Uranus/Pluto square, increasing the intensity of the opposing forces with the element of surprise that may include the revelation of something that had not been noticed before or that was quietly hiding in a dark corner. It’s how we react to whatever happens that will show us where we live. Can we act with care? Can we powerfully provide the space for the energies at play, no matter how chaotic they may seem?
On July 4th, Mercury in Leo creates a sparkler of a configuration with Venus in Gemini and Uranus in Aries to make this a socially rousing Independence Day. This is a great opportunity to transform into a peacock and flash that spectacular tail! Whatever is that unique special something we know we have, now is the time to put it on display to impress and excite those around us. The Moon moves into Aquarius in the evening to emphasize the brilliance in all of us. Let’s just hope we don’t get so caught up in how fabulous we are that we fail to acknowledge the extraordinary talent in those around us.
Just before noon on July 9th, the Moon in Aries faces off against Mars in Libra. This agitating alignment may set off flared tempers or impulsive behavior and sets an emotional tone for the day, which will be kicked up in the evening when Luna moves on to activate the square between Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries. Uranus has slowed to a stand still in preparation for going retrograde on July 13th so we may find our feelings drawn to the intensely focused Uranian themes of innovation and independence in the struggle against the Plutonic hold on outmoded structures. What happens if things shake up so much that we have to let go?
Mercury hangs in the sky at 13° Leo all day on July 14th to begin his second retrograde phase of the year. The planet of communication changing direction generally represents some about face in our own way of thinking. Since he is in a tight aspect to Venus, it may be in how we are viewing a current relationship. For the next 23 days we have the opportunity to review ground recently covered and address issues we’ve been ignoring but will inevitably now require our attention. Many recommend that we back up our computer hard drives before Mercury goes retrograde. What an interesting metaphor for the occasion – what if we could take a picture of all the information in our brains so that we could have access to it in case it is lost or corrupted, or experiences such an overload that it completely crashes? This is when our ability to manage an intense flow of information is most tested.
Further tests will come on July 15th when the Sun at 23° Cancer squares Saturn at 23° Libra. This aspect represents obstacles. Where do we need to prove our mastery in order to move forward? Saturn is the gatekeeper to authority and if we can’t surmount the hurdle standing in our way we have to keep practicing until we can. This is probably one of the most humbling aspects in that our will to achieve may appear to be thwarted at every turn. This is where perseverance comes into play. If we know this is what we want then we will keep at it no matter how fearful we are of failure. If the Sun in Cancer’s will is to feel at home, safe and secure within the confines of the family, then Saturn in Libra’s task is to constantly test the boundaries of that definition of home and in the process help the individual to seek an every broader focalization that will encompass the family of man.
July 17th – 18th marks a period of powerful signatures that could define the summer with Mars as the fearless warrior taking on heavy hitters Jupiter, Pluto and Uranus. Newly flexing his muscles in Libra to fight for fairness, Mars will first trine Jupiter on the morning of the 17th. With these two planets now in air signs, actions may be less physically inclined as they were in the previous earth signs, and more intellectually motivated. Thus Mars will energetically arm his mission with Jupiter’s philosophical sword. Later in the day he takes on Pluto in a tense square that ramps up the pressure, finding a foe that will not yield quietly or easily. It is when he faces off with Uranus in Aries by evening of the 18th that the big bang release could happen. What is being asked of us as individuals and as members of humanity is nothing short of transformation. It is times like these that force us to act, hopefully with the consciousness of the evolutionary process and not with reactionary fervor that fears change. There are many stages around the globe that could see a climax in their particular story playing out. Syria comes to mind. But we should also look to where in our own lives are we feeling tremendous pressure to change. We need to pay hyper attention and make every effort to act with integrity. It is diamonds we are after. That is the reward for putting ourselves through the pressure cooker of life.
A couple of hours later the New Moon at 27° Cancer takes all that powerful transformational energy and infuses it into the new lunar cycle. Symbolically, the icon of Cancer, the crab, moves around safely in his protective shell. Yet inherent in that archetypal image is the need to emerge from that shell in order to expand and grow into a new one. With all the potent energy produced at this time, augmented by the Moon being in her ruling sign, it may be this particular lunar cycle that will focus on our struggle for emergence into a new way of being that is more wide-visioned and inclusive. The best tool to access for this purpose would be Cancer’s inherent psychic ability that will sense with perfect timing the moment to commence the transition.
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