July Astrology

The dance of the moon this month is notable. Beyond the standard “full” and “new” moon observances that we usually address, this month has la luna moving about and touching everything with differing degrees of joy and sorrow. All of her phases have import on us all the time, but in this particular Cancer season, she seems to be taking on this role with great gusto. Alignments that would have been something else on their own get boosted quite often with this emotional quotient that can bring about an extra layer of experience. How you feel about it all is information.

Additionally, there are certain days that just show up like, oh fuck holy wow. I can’t even begin to list everything that is happening, but it looks like a rave-style squirrel party where the guest list wasn’t properly curated. So if you bump into days when everything feels like a circus...that’s what happening. Expect that on the 8th, 13th, 16th, 23rd, and 31st. I’m not at all saying that these are going to be bad days, just a whole lot of lotta. How you handle this with grace is more information.

All this information is designed to help you find and hold the center. The concept of sacredness touches a lot of places in these charts, as does the concept of metal health. Relationships and balance is a recurring theme. So we are being tasked with determining who we are now and how we show up now. We have to determine how we move forward having completed a huge time of healing and upheaval. What is sacred? What is our center? How can we both hold the line and move ever onward?

Nothing is permanent. Everything changes. We change the most, and coming into that with peace and grace is the task of this month. Welcome to the new you.

July 1 — Moon in Sagittarius opposition Vesta in Gemini

Sun/Mercury/Juno conjunct in Cancer trine Saturn Rx in Pisces

Venus/Mars/Pallas conjunct in Leo opposition Hygiea in Aquarius *all month

The first place the moon touches this month is in our sense of sacredness and commitment. Sagittarius moon is not necessarily one that is rooted in commitment. Adventure, yes. Curiosity, yes. Generosity, yes. But it doesn’t really like to stick around and sit still and hold the line. So when it comes into opposition with a Vesta in Gemini, there is a conflict that arises between your need to do all the new things and your need to attend to the things that matter deeply. Gemini Vesta is highly mental and settles in with disciplined thinking. New ideas are to be taken in, turned around and studied from many facets. So your mind will be ultra clear and available, while your heart will want to put the pedal to the metal and get on with the good stuff. If you can marry these two opposites, you will find that your hear leads you in the right direction, and your mind can pick up that baton and handle what is found with the utmost thought and dedication.

But if you let them be in conflict, you will find yourself generally discontent and annoyed. Your call.

Additionally, while all of that is going on, you have two conjunctions that hum along for most of the month. How they aspect shifts around, but the conjunctions remain. First we see the Sun, Mercury and Juno traveling together in Cancer. Your drive, your mind and your connection are all in the sign of hearth and home. So a huge piece of you is deeply content to stay at home and nest. For the next week or so, this conjunction will trine with a retrograded Pisces Saturn. That lends a touch more emotional and depth to an alignment that is already emotional and deep—the gift is that Saturn is in play, which gives a wonderful element of structure. So this is a great week to tidy up any lingering bits of emotional chaos and set your stage for the coming events.

Venus, Mars and Pallas will also be traveling together most of the month, bringing a deep connection between your inner goddess, your warrior and your planner. They are traveling in Leo, so there is a great flair about the whole process. Use this to bring beauty and power to your nest, planning how you can carry that forward out into your world. This is hugely creative energy, so if you can dream it, you can make it. This conjunction is in opposition to a retrograded Hygiea in Aquarius, so you have to take into account how your mental health and healing is impacted by these Leo planets. They are big, so you may be moving too fast, overstepping, or acting out of impatience. Make your health your priority, not your image and you should be just fine.

July 2 — Moon in Sagittarius trine Venus/Mars/Pallas in Leo

Venus/Mars/Pallas in Leo trine Chrion in Aries

Chiron in Aries trine Moon in Sagittarius

Neptune goes Retrograde in Pisces opposition Ceres in Libra

So then the Sagittarius moon touches all of that, trining with both the Venus/Mars/Pallas conjunction as well as an Aries Chiron. So that healing gets a massive boost of fire. You have to own that maybe you need to let go of some toxic independence. Maybe you need to stop pushing your ego agenda. Maybe you just need to go on the ride that is showing up for you and take it all with a smile and a sense of adventure. Don’t overthink any of this, the moon has let go of Vesta and she is now free to do her own thing without the emotional push.

At the same time, Neptune finally retrogrades in Pisces. So expect that once you let go that a lot more lets go with it. You have been hanging on to stuff without even knowing what it is, and now it all jumps ship. It may smack you on the back of the head as it takes off, and if that happens immediately release any shame. You didn’t know what you didn’t know, and now you don’t even need to know. Once it is gone, you will easily be able to rebalance yourself. All of your relationships—notably the one with yourself—will benefit from this.

July 3 — Full moon in Capricorn opposition Sun/Mercury/ Juno in Cancer

Saturn rules Capricorn, and as the planet of contraction, it brings a certain coldness. When it mates with the moon, we see emotions that do not match the current vibe. This is a moon of seriousness and stability; it runs detached from the emotional niceties. During Capricorn Moons, we all feel as if emotions are too messy and more of a pain in the ass than anything. Logic governs the heart here. In terms of illuminating your life, this moon asks you to focus like Spock. What is the greater good? What is the best course? What will get you where you need to go most efficiently?

As ritual, you can lay down pathways forward. So much work has been done and the last few days have really tied up some loose ends. You can plot a course now based on Saturnian values freed from the chaos of impatience, emotionality and compassion. This is a highly effective moon for highly effective manifesting.

Interestingly, this Vulcan-like full moon is in opposition to that Cancer conjunction we saw earlier. That Cancer chunk wants all the emotion. It uses the emotions like whiskers. It does not know how to function without using the emotional barometer. So that can feel a little hard, mostly because you will wonder why you are being such an asshole. You aren’t. Its just the rubbing of opposites trying to find a healthy middle.

July 4-5—Pluto Rx in Capricorn trine Ceres in Libra & Sedna/Vesta in Gemini

Moon in Aquarius trine Ceres in Libra & Sedna/Vesta in Gemini

From the 4th until the 11th, Pluto Rx in Capricorn holds this trine. This gives you an opportunity to break down things in your relationships that have been hanging on past their expiration date. You may have been feeling resentful towards those in your life without being fully aware of it. That resentment had the potential to fester, turning into something that never should have been. You probably weren’t betrayed. You probably aren’t doing it all on your own. You probably aren’t the only person who cares. Break this down now, or allow it to break down on its own. You don’t need it anymore.

The Moon joins that party on the 5th, adding an extra layer into it. Aquarius moons are detached in a way that is much different from the Capricorn moon we just experienced. Aquarius gets way above the situation to see the bigger picture and to probe the possibilities. So you can see how it all needs to break down and you don’t much feel the muck of it breaking down. All of the emotionality that rises up when we start examining how we feel abandoned, betrayed, or martyred simply isn’t there. In this case, the moon is helping you to wrap this up without any drama to complete the task instigated by Pluto.

July 7-14th --Mercury in Cancer opposition Pluto Rx in Capricorn

Mercury in Cancer is not a great communicator. It feels into things, avoids confrontation and doesn’t usually say what it means. So communication right now is going to suck. You won’t be clear. You will be misunderstood. And you may rely upon passive aggressiveness to get your point across. When we ally this with Pluto, who breaks things down to their base components, we see you trying to clear something up with a truly inefficient tool. Just let it simmer for a week—you won’t make your point well until then and could risk fucking it all up and breaking it down further than it needs to go.

Jul 11-12 — Mars/ Pallas conjunct enters Virgo

Mercury enters Leo

The Venus/Mars/Pallas conjunct doesn’t break up, but both Mars and Pallas move into Virgo which gives the whole crew a hugely different vibe. Things slow down. The concept of image gets tight and a whole lot less flip and fun.

When our inner warrior and action hero moves into Virgo, we get really, really precise. You will want to know every detail, analyze every movement, break down every pattern and only take action when you intellectually understand what all the ramifications will be. However, it is very easy to analyze yourself into paralysis, or perfect everything to the point that the joy is just sucked out of it all. So try to work the balance and stay on the side of light.

Adding the Pallas into the mix, we see a strong push towards the practical. This is where you can easily see and break down anything—absolutely anything-- to create order from chaos. This placement is highly skilled at analyzing problems, creating solutions, and mastering implementation one step at a time. So you can see the power available to you going forward. I hope you can also see the dangers.

The more notable danger is when Mercury slips into Leo the very next day. This placement is naturally dramatic, and a great story-teller. It is headstrong, and stands firmly behind behind opinions once they are formed. So with the meticulousness of both Mars and Pallas behind this, you may find that you can get a touch pushy and aggressive in your delivery. This is usually done with best interests at heart, but it doesn’t always come off well—especially when you lay down that Pallas map to perfection. So go easy.

July 13-- North Node Rx enters Aries/South Node Rx enters Libra bringing with it a whole bunch of crazy shit

This is a thank gods and an oh fuck all wrapped up in a tasty burrito. The heavens are fired up today, so just take that as a given and don’t overthink it when shit feels upside down. Have a snack and watch the show.

The big news is the shifting of the Nodes. We’ve been dealing with Taurus for a year and a half, which has been super challenging. Moving into Aries will feel like somebody cut off the leash and left the gate open. So do approach it with caution. This Node has everything to do with moving away from what is expected of you socially and culturally. You will be drawn towards full independence and will care more about what makes you happy, what fills your cup, what sings to your soul than what you are told that you want by the culture at large. You will develop a strong relationship with your gut instinct and learn to trust it flawlessly. Spending independent time with yourself will help you to hone these instincts and wean yourself away from the opinions of others.

The hot point is that your temper will be on a shorter trigger. You will have less patience for bullshit. And you will be more prone to light that bridge up before you have considered the full ramifications. Learning to balance your personal needs with the needs of those you relate with will take on karmic/dharmic proportions. You can’t just blow it all up. You aren’t an island alone. You do need others, so you have to learn how to toggle between the Aries and the Libra.

You have 18 months to do so. Good luck.

July 17 — New moon in Cancer

Square Chiron/ North Node Rx in Aries

Square South Node Rx in Libra

Opposition Pluto Rx in Capricorn

So now we cycle back to the lessons of the full moon to experience that absolute opposite with the new moon. Where in the full moon, we were less emotional and more logical, this new moon asks you to dive into full emotionality to complete the healing. You have to do the mother work, the ancestral work, the work of the home and all that entails. This New moon is rubbing really hard against both the North and the South node, so you will get a taste of full resistance with those ideals.

Ritually, this is the space to get into the shadow as it deals with your home. Birth home, current home, future home, whatever works. But you have to use the mothering concept as the portal into the awareness of what home means for you emotionally. How does your home support and nurture you? How does it contribute to your sense of security and safety? How does it hold loving space for you? Or not? This is the moon to dive into the mothering you received, the mothering you give and the mothering you need. Time to get real, folks. Clear all that up and set the stage for the next piece of your dharma.

Its coming down fast.

July 20 — Sun in Cancer trine Neptune Rx in Pisces

The Cancer Sun has had all of us notably oriented in the softer aspects. Heath, home, family, etc, have all been somewhat up front as we have negotiated the outer astrology. Lots of healing has been completed and lots of changes have landed; this Cancer Sun has allowed us to nest into those changes so that we can process them in a safe space. Now, as the sun prepares to transition into Leo, we get one last push with a trine to that special retrograde Neptune.

This Neptune is a classic reality check that will be working with the Cancer Sun. So expect small revelations and awakenings that both illuminate and then obscure issues within this home space. Neptune is not obvious. It deals in illusion, so anything that it brings to you will be less than clear—even as it clears things up for you. Just be prepared to have to do some internal translations as you work through.

July 21 — Mars/Pallas/Moon conjunct in Virgo opposition Saturn Rx in Pisces

Sun in Cancer opposition Pluto Rx in Capricorn

Like, nothing about this is good. It isn’t bad either, but it all negates itself to the point that anything you do today could just as rapidly come undone. So it feels like a lot of potential, spinny effort that ultimately leads nowhere.

The Moon joins Mars/Pallas in Virgo, conjuncting for the day and bringing with it a strong drive to organize, categorize and get all the ducks in a row. Unfortunately, Pisces Saturn is in that mix, making the ducks more like fish who aren’t really interested in a row, per se. They’ll get where you want them to, but not necessarily the way you want them to. So that can feel frustrating to the Virgo, and who wants to deal with all that when you can just wait a few days for this to pass?

At the same time, that Cancer sun spends its last day opposed to the Capricorn Pluto. So while Cancer Sun is trying to build and nurture, the Capricorn Pluto is trying to deconstruct and metamorphise. Again, frustrating much? This is a day to leave it all alone and pet your cat while watching Netflix.

July 22 — Venus stations in Leo

Sun enters Leo

This happens every eighteen months, but only in eight year cycles. The last time Venus retrograded in Leo was in 2015, so think back to that time to access any lessons that you need to review or refresh. With the Sun moving into the same sign just as Venus retrogrades, expect a huge push of vibrant energy that quickly turns inward. This won’t be your usual Leo season.

Leo Venus is a dramatic, pretty kitty Venus. This shows up as needing to be wholly appreciated for everything that we do and bring to the proverbial table. There is an attachment to your appearance, and you will feel loved when someone takes the time to notice. There is an attachment to the comfort and aesthetic of your home, and you will feel loved when that is appreciated. However, with the retrograde, you are being tasked with looking inward and understanding how these pieces of you came about. You will need to know how they are triggered and what pieces of them are holding you back from your full development.

Leo Venus is actually quite easy as long as things are upright. There is a simple honesty when it comes to love—as long as everything stays on the right side. Any person who is in your emotional sphere cannot bang around your sense of pride, dignity or fairness. They cannot call those sensitive parts of you into question. They cannot question your ability to manage, grow or maintain your beautiful home and bank account. Doing so triggers pride, and you have to be able to see that before you will be able to heal these Leo style triggers.

Venus retrogrades for 40 days. This is apparently a biblical effort that takes you through the dark (the evening star) and into your light (the morning star). Be so aware of what trips your triggers during this time and work to disarm them so that when you clear this, you are clear.

Oh. And DO NOT ( I mean it, DO NOT) make any relationship decisions until Venus goes direct. Fucking trust me on this.

July 23 — Chiron stations in Aries

Oh, Chiron. Oh, Chiron in Aries. This is the wounded healer who won’t even admit that he is wounded. This is the you that just keeps on going, bruised, bloody, broken, hurt, but JUST FINE. ITS FINE. This retrograde is the call to knock that shit off and own up to what has fucked you up. You don’t have to dwell in it, but you do have to own it. That is the only way to fix it. Acknowledge that you have been nursing internal wounds and don’t shield them any longer. Get it out. Let it go. You aren’t helping anybody—including yourself—by pretending to be fine (or healed ) when you aren’t.

July 29 — Mercury enters Virgo

The transition of Mercury in Virgo eases up some of the pressure you have been experiencing when it comes to expressing what you have been learning. Leo Mercury doesn’t do this well. Virgo Mercury does this with both ease and panache.

Virgo Mercury makes you reliable in thought and consistent in deed. This means that when you talk to people, they know that you know the fuck you are talking about. Your communication style for the next several weeks will be to the point, clear and decisive. Get it all out while you can.

July 31—Moon in Capricorn trine Jupiter/Uranus in Taurus & Mars/Pallas in Virgo

And now we loop back to the beginning with the Moon in Capricorn in an earth trine with Mars/Palls and Jupiter/Uranus. The difference here is that there is zero conflict. That detachment is shared by all placements in the trine, giving you extraordinary access to your drive. Jupiter and Uranus will help you determine what you physically need to thrive on the material plane. Mars and Pallas will mastermind how you get it. And the Moon keeps all the squishy bullshit out of the way so that you can focus on your growth.

This is a far better lunar orientation for ritual than other moons this month. We are waxing, and we are organized. So getting it all laid in and done will be a piece of cake.