Eclipses, Mercury retrograde, planetary stations, and sizzling aspects – the usual summer stock characters makes their appearance in July and August. They’ll be playing out through the Sun’s passage from Cancer to Virgo, including his time at center stage in Leo.
What we won’t be seeing much of this summer is major aspects between outer planets. It’s not that Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto won’t be active and making their presence felt – but it’s mostly through the changes in our daily lives that we’ll be aware of them. That’s both a comfort and a concern, as the action is on a smaller scale, but hits closer to home.
It looks like July sets up situations that resolve in August. It’s certainly the more tense of the two months, while later in summer we should see things calm down a bit.
July starts off with a total solar eclipse in the sign of Cancer on the 2nd. While not visible in North America, the effects of these powerful new moons are felt everywhere (the eclipse is most prominent in Argentina and Chile, so look for news from those places over the next six months). In the sign of the crab, this eclipse is likely to have us focusing on our security needs – from our personal homes to national security, we’ll be wanting to know what’s really safe. Financial markets may react to the protective feel around this eclipse.
Mercury stations to retrograde on the 7th, backpedalling from Leo into Cancer until he turns direct again on the 31st. Mercury retrograde in a Water sign tends to be particularly irksome, so take the usual precautions around contracts, communication, and technology.
Chiron’s station to retrograde a day later has a different flavor. With the centaur stopping in the sign of Aries, we may question our ability to maintain independence in the face of opposition. The Sun opposes Saturn on the 9th, another indication that we may not be feeling so all-powerful. While a little ego tempering is good, don’t get too down on yourself as you go through this testing period.
I’m sure you’re strong enough to survive the trials of Saturn, and so you’ll be ready for the very volatile period from the 11th through the 16th. Mars squares Uranus, the Sun opposes Pluto and we have a full moon lunar eclipse during these five days. This is a time when simmering tensions are likely to find a release, and it will be challenging to direct the energy in any particular direction. Try to let off steam constructively, and if possible diffuse tensions earlier in the month.
Stresses could mount for relationships from the 17th through the 21st, as Venus opposes Saturn, trines Neptune, and then opposes Pluto. Romance during this period may be a little intense, or there could be a push-pull between relationship and work or family obligations.
The Sun strides into his home sign of Leo on the 22nd, marking the peak of summer season. He’ll find Mars already in the house, and Venus joins them five days later. With a nice trine between Mars and Jupiter exact on the 25th, the last week of July looks to hold a great deal of creative potential, and hopefully a lot of fun.
A solar square to Uranus in Taurus on the 29th, just before the new moon and Mercury station on the 31st could indicate a little stress, but it’s more or less likely that we’ll handle this energy constructively.
In outline, July begins with a rather serious, intense vibe, a concentration of energy that releases at mid-month. The back half of the month is active but not quite as charged as the first half.