Forecast by Armand Diaz
If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to slow down, July of 2023 might be your best bet in a long while. Not that we won’t have our share of sparkling aspects (about every ten days), but with Venus slowing down and retrograding, we can expect that many things won’t be moving as quickly as usual.
It’s a time to enjoy what you have rather than reaching out for something new. As you probably know, Venus retrograde isn’t considered a good time to begin a new relationship, but it won’t have much of an effect on existing partnerships. It’s also a very poor time to have anything appraised or assessed, as it’s hard to get accurate valuations (that goes for property, jewelry, and especially artwork). This isn’t a time to indulge in excessive luxuries, either: you don’t need to lead a Spartan lifestyle all summer (Venus goes direct in early September), but you’ll feel better if you dial back your spending. Extravagance doesn’t go over well with Venus retrograde.
This is a period of reflection on what we value. Doing without can help us to recognize what we really care about. The 40 days of Venus retrograde relates to the 40 days of the flood, as well as the roughly 40 days of Lent. Stepping back from pleasure is a healthy way to cleanse our senses and center ourselves – too bad it happens in the summer this time around!!
July 2023
We begin the month coming away from Neptune’s station to retrograde on June 30th, an energy that we’ll still be feeling all the way through the Capricorn Full Moon on the 3rd. This can make for a somewhat unrealistic period where practical matters are best kept to a minimum, but it should make for a fun weekend (especially with the Moon in Sagittarius as the weekend begins). Take it easy, and let serendipity guide you through the first few days of July.
Moving through the rest of the week, we have helpful celestial energies that should make for a productive period, especially in the area of communication, as Mercury is busing making aspects to Chiron, Uranus, and Neptune. The last quarter moon in Aries on the 9th is a great time to wrap up projects.
July 10th is a day to watch. Mars and Pallas Athene both move into Virgo, where they meet in the very first degree. Mars is the Cosmic Warrior, and Pallas Athene is the spear-carrying goddess of wisdom, the ‘truth teller’ asteroid who can deliver inconvenient truths. With these two meeting at the very beginning of Virgo, a keyword is strategy. This is a time for careful planning – but Mars likes to act, so don’t be surprised if folks get moving around this time. Mercury opposes Pluto on the same day, and at the very last degrees of Cancer/Capricorn, we’ll see people getting their messages across very directly. It’s an opportunity for candid conversations and speaking truth to power.
After the activity around the 10th, we have another period of relative calm. Jupiter sextiles wife Juno on the 11th, and relationships that had significant events back in January may reach a turning point. Mercury enters Leo on the same day, so communication may become a little more dramatic over the next few weeks, and maybe also a little more self-centered.
On the 17th, Mercury squares Jupiter, always an opportunity to say too much. Yet this loquacious aspect is tempered by the Cancer New Moon. Set intentions around home and family around this new moon.
The ‘hot spot’ of July is the period from the 20th through the 23rd. Mars opposes Saturn, suggesting that we maintain focus and avoid multitasking, although with Saturn sloshing around in Pisces, that could be a challenge. The Sun opposes Pluto, asking us who really has the power – again, at the very last degrees of Cancer/Capricorn, this opposition could be quite dramatic, and will likely play out on the world stage as well as in our lives.
Venus stations to retrograde in Leo on the 22nd, and less than twelve hours later Chiron stations to retrograde in Aries. Venus retrograde we’ve already covered, and I’m no Chiropractor, but Chiron’s station could indicate that self-doubt flares up for some of us. The Sun moves into his home sign of Leo, also on the 22nd, and that should help boost our confidence. Mercury squares Uranus on the 23rd, and so we may have brilliant ideas, or incendiary arguments. Be careful driving, as patience is likely to be in short supply, especially with the high energy of recent days still rattling around.
The rest of the month is a bit calmer, helping us to again appreciate the everyday, perhaps with a little spice added now and then. Mercury enters his home sign of Virgo on the 28th, easing communication channels open. As the month ends, we build towards the Aquarius Full Moon on August 1st, suggesting a fun last weekend of July. Get out with friends, and maybe even participate in community or collective groups.
This month’s image is of course of a dandelion. The ‘dent de leon’ or ‘tooth of the lion’ refers to tooth-like leaves below the lion’s mane flower. Dandelions are a great image for Venus retrograding in Leo (the sign of the lion), as they are generally considered weeds, but every part of them – from root to flower – is edible, and they have helpful properties (the leaves are a powerful diuretic). Plus, they are rather beautiful, if only one can stop thinking of them as a nuisance.
