(Please note that all times are in EDT. Add or subtract depending on your time zone)
Buckle up, folks — July is a real heavy-hitter of a month. Bring out your favorite chant for change and flexibility, and repeat it like a mantra. Sudden change, the need for resilience, deep transformation on any level, instability, control, questions of authority and empowerment, communication, diplomacy, and the need to do something will be prominent themes in the month ahead. If you think in terms of surfing waves of change, instead of anchoring in a storm, you’ll ride this energy to places that may surprise you with their beauty and freedom. Want to stay in your familiar, if not exactly comfy, rut? Not recommended.
We get through most of Monday on an expansive and visionary — but also opinionated — Sagittarius Moon. If you need to do some research, get some information, or strategize long-range plans, do it now, because the next few days will be much more about doing than thinking. The Moon squares Mars (watch your temper!) then moves into Capricorn early Monday evening, bringing a “settle down to business” vibe to the after-work hours. A sextile to Neptune could help with creative work.
Tuesday morning, a little after 8:00 a.m.,the Moon conjuncts Pluto (unconscious emotional issues being brought to the surface) and squares Uranus (no one gets out of here unchanged), then moves into opposition with the Sun (the Full Moon), while Mercury in dramatic Leo trines Uranus, and sextiles Venus and Jupiter in communicative Gemini. This means that the way to deal with the heavy stuff that is likely to come up is through clear, courageous, and compassionate communication and a willingness to embrace change. But remember that Mercury is the trickster god, and Uranus defines sudden, unexpected events. So be ready to roll — either with the punches or in the direction of your dreams.
At the same time the Moon is conjuncting Pluto, Mars moves into Libra (another Air sign, emphasizing the communication strategies, above). Mars, a planet of fiery, aggressive, initiatory energy, is not particularly happy in the Mutable Earth of Virgo, where it has been for almost 7 months. If you’ve been finding yourself or others being unusually and aggressively critical, nitpicking and fault-finding, you can breath a sigh of relief — that influence moves on now. But Mars isn’t terribly easy in Libra, either — Libra is the sign of its detriment, the sign opposite the one it rules. One of the best manifestations of Mars in this sign is a fight for justice, but it can easily devolve into outrage, repressed and projected anger, and lots of passive aggressive behavior.
If you have done a lot of work with your shadow over the years, you’re in a good position to handle this energy — fight for what you believe in, put energy into relationships and creative endeavors over the 7+ weeks that Mars remains in this sign. If you’ve been sitting on unresolved anger issues for most of your life, this transit — which happens about every two years — may trigger them. If you find that there’s a lot of passive-aggressive, angry energy floating around in your life, sit down at your altar with your journal, and commit to doing some shadow work . Look to the house or houses where Libra falls in your natal chart to see in which areas of your life this influence will tend to manifest, and be conscious of how you use energy there.
July 4th dawns with a Capricorn Moon square Saturn, giving a serious cast to the day’s beginning, but there are enough planets in fun-loving Air and Fire signs to bring a holiday spirit. Use the morning for organizing the rest of the day, and plan some activities for the afternoon. This day does not have a “kick-back” kind of vibe. The evening finds the Moon moving into sociable Aquarius, trining Mars in relationship-oriented Libra — a nice aspect for hanging with friends, watching fireworks, and having fun.
Thursday starts with the Moon sextile Uranus and Venus, which may presage an interesting and unexpected break from daily routine. But it then moves on to oppose Mercury, so do try to avoid engaging with the drama queens and motor mouths — and, of course, watch that you don’t become one of them!
Friday begins with the Moon moving into a nice trine with Saturn, suggesting that this would be a good time for cooperative work — particularly planning and organizing. The Moon moves into PIsces Friday evening, in time for a contemplative, relationship-oriented weekend. Saturday morning, the Moon squares Jupiter — not a difficult aspect, but watch out for over-communicating and expecting too much — then Venus in the early afternoon. Remember that people may well be feeling more emotionally vulnerable than they are letting on.
Sunday brings Mars into an exact quincunx with Neptune. You might contemplate the meaning of the term “self-sacrifice” — how much of yourself do you sacrifice to keep the peace in your life, and to what extent do the relationships in your life reflect your spiritual aspirations?
Pulling back to look at the national stage, this Full Moon chart over Washington, DC. makes some very interesting aspects with the USA’s natal chart. Without going into a lot of astro detail, I expect that we will see some real diplomatic minefields being negotiated this month [Secretary Clinton’s chart is activated as well, as is President Obama’s], probably involving dramatic, aggressive communication, bluster, outraged egos, and a fair bit of finger-pointing. Could get interesting.
I’ll be back next week with news about the upcoming Mercury retrograde.
Bright blessings on your week ahead!