ASTROLOGY THIS WEEK: JULY 8 - JULY 14
Monday, July 8th
3:42am PST: Venus in Cancer square Chiron in Aries, both at 5°57’
It can be easy to slip into the story that nothing we do will ever be enough for love. Receiving, fully experiencing, and shepherding love into our lives is a lot of work in a culture that teaches us everything has to be earned. As Venus squares Chiron, we’re faced with the challenge of fully expressing and accepting ourselves in relationships despite worries and fears that this expression won’t be “enough” for friends and lovers. Meanwhile, we’re asked to understand that we can’t expect everyone to love everything about us. The more we act according to our true nature, the more we energetically invite people into our lives who complement us at our most genuine.
8:31am PST: Venus in Cancer sextile Uranus in Taurus, both at 6°08’
We are often so committed to ideas of what love should look like that we rarely leave room for something lovely to surprise us. How would you respond to excitement if you weren’t comparing it to the way you think things should go? How do you cultivate the space to be caught unawares and enjoy it? Venus’ sextile to Uranus encourages us to lean into experiences that are out of the ordinary. Switch up your morning ritual. Let the spark of curiosity carry you to an unmapped territory of sunrise self-care. Embrace ideas that arrive unannounced, no matter how bizarre. In this moment, whatever is weird is also attractive. Today, practice integrating honesty and gentleness with yourself and others. Practice mastering what it means to witness rather than critique.
12:35pm PST: MercuryRx conjunct Mars at 4°Leo26’
Shortly after Mercury’s station in Leo, the messenger meets back up with Mars. Leo is the bonfire that people gather around to stay warm but that doesn’t mean a bonfire can’t get out of control. Imagine this aspect like a wild gust of wind, rapidly shifting directions, sending objects flying every which way. This moment of heightened drama can cause confusion. Best to approach confusion with curiosity instead of criticism. Fire needs water to contain it when it gets out of control. Handle this moment by staying with your feelings without acting on them. Watch your emotions shift and change in your body, heating, prickling, sighing, crying. Give space to whatever wants to rise to the surface of your skin. Anger is a powerful tool but only if we understand where it’s coming from. Answer your anger by asking what’s underneath. Usually, feelings of being out of control, left out, forgotten, abandoned, rejected, unheard or otherwise are the culprit. Own this sensation for yourself. Affirm it. Then wait for the dust to settle before doing anything more about it. If you can, ask for help from someone who wasn’t at the fire. They might be able to help you hold yourself and others without observer’s bias.
4:39pm PST: Chiron stations retrograde at 5°Aries56’
As the healer stations retrograde in the early degrees of Aries, we might re-engage some questions about elements of our identity that aren’t fully formed. It’s okay to not know exactly who you are or will become. Part of becoming is exploring yourself. Part of exploring is being willing to divert from directions. Be your own map. Listen to your internal GPS. Your life is more like a road-trip than a race. You didn’t become who you are in one day.
Tuesday, July 9th
10:07am PST: Sun in Cancer opposite Saturn in Capricorn, both at 17°13’
Following in Mars’ footsteps from a few weeks ago, the Sun’s opposition to Saturn sits between the Solar and Lunar eclipses of July and asks us to do one more clearing of our conscience. What thought processes are holding you back from important action? Where is guilt getting in your way? How is fear hardening your shell in unhealthy ways? The astrology of this month is intense but it is only a few weeks in length, with this aspect indicating a potent point. Destroy the narrative “if it’s bad it’s never going to end and if it’s good it’s never going to last.” Wipe away the idea that you have any control over time. A novel has many chapters. We learn from both highs and lows and the cracks in between. This moment might have you facing a choice between work and a fully-lived life. Any time we think we are facing an either/or choice, we have usually rationalized our way out of many other viable options. Don’t isolate yourself from your ability to decide. Deciding to do nothing, just for today, is still deciding.
8:37pm PST: Sun conjunct True Node at 17°Cancer38’
Still bound up in Saturn’s signs, the Sun’s meeting with the North Node might support us in the choices we think we don’t have. Conjunctions to the nodes often open portals to alternatives we couldn’t previously see. When all feels lost, trust that there is so much not in your hands. The fate of the world is not on your shoulders but the world might be able to help you with your fate. The effects of eclipse seasons aren’t often visible until after the fact so this moment is more about finding confidence in the chaos. Trust that change is working on you as much as you are working on it. Believe that you won’t be lost by realizing exactly where you are is part of your karmic story. You can’t be lost forever if you’re willing to find yourself.
Wednesday, July 10th
9:32pm PST: Sun in Cancer trine Neptune in Pisces, both at 18°38’
Amidst all the hard face-offs on the Cancer/Capricorn axis, the Sun’s trine to Neptune can lend a flood of relief. In its shadow expression, this aspect might have us day-dreaming our problems away or sitting in a bath of denial. On the other hand, stewing over troubles usually doesn’t solve them. Sometimes solutions arrive as soon as we become willing to break our staring contest with the problem. Neptune has the power to help us imagine other outcomes. It won’t save us when we need to be able to swim but it will remind us there is more than one stroke. Being creative when it comes to pain isn’t a crime. In fact, it can be the cure. Ask for help and accept it when you’re inundated with support. Doing it alone isn’t a prerequisite to challenge. Sometimes the most difficult act is being vulnerable enough to admit you need assistance. This aspect cares about your feelings. Let it.
Thursday, July 11th
12:29am PST: Mars in Leo trine Chiron in Aries, both at 5°56’
10:59am PST: Mars in Leo square Uranus in Taurus, both at 6°13’
As Mars connects with Chiron and Uranus, it wakes up wounds around the origins and expression of our creativity. Consider what is lighting your internal fire? Where do you find your artistic spark? What mediums call you to master them? Not having mastered the tools doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make with them. Often, some of the most creative projects are born from artists who refused to use their instruments in a traditional way or who adapted a gadget to work in a way that made sense for them personally. There is a way to show up to your work with the integrity of admitting where you’re at. If you choose to abandon the well-travelled path, that doesn’t mean you stop honoring those who continue along it. Whether you develop your own methods or devote yourself to practicing in ancient ways, find some respect for where you’re at. Internal criticism comes from somewhere. Determine whether the voice is dishonest or speaks truths you want to change about yourself. When you understand why you want to make what you’re making, you might find sudden inspiration. Mars’ square to Uranus might feel like pressure to produce quickly. Ride the current of energy and release it when you need a break. Masterpieces aren’t generally made in a day.
Sunday, July 14th
7:46am PST: Sun in Cancer opposite Pluto in Capricorn, both at 21°53’
Power comes with a price. Being someone with the control to call the shots often means accepting responsibility that is difficult to bear. If you are calling on more power, be sure you want to be the one to wield it. As the Sun moves through the last decan of Cancer, consider the power you find when you put energy into your community. Do you feel uplifted when you energize with others? Do you feel more powerful on your own or in groups? Perhaps the answer is “both/and but different.” On a similar note, if you are offering something and are frustrated that it isn’t being accepted, realize that this might be the universe’s way of protecting you. Giving and sharing power requires that both parties be conscious and communicative about their impact on one another. Rather than engaging in a power struggle, practice focusing on areas where you feel powerless. Realize where you’ve taken your own choices away, rather than having them ripped from you. If you find yourself in obsession about a situation, person, or thing, you are likely giving whatever that is more power than it should have. Reintroduce yourself to the words “no” and “not right now.” Take space. There is power in patience. In returning. In belonging. You belong in the unfolding cycle and exchange of power.