July 2020 Astrology: Many Moons

The month begins with Saturn’s sobering return to Capricorn on July 1, to finish up what he began on December 19, 2017. The second half of the year is for tying up loose ends and preparing for the future. Saturn wants us to plan prudently and be well supplied for coming storms. When he departs for Aquarius on December 17, 2020, he will not return to Capricorn until January 2047. The foundation he’s been laying should hold for another 30 years. That is the greatness of Saturn. His work is reliable, dependable, and lasts for the long haul. But you must earn his gifts. The past 2.5 years have been trying for everyone, but especially those with planets or points in cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn--most of all Capricorn. The glum grumpiness of Cap has caused even the most cheerful to become weary, and many who naturally default towards a cup half empty mentality have gotten depressed. Depression is a common effect of Saturn’s sobriety, but disillusionment is often a necessary step to change. 

Saturn’s test run through Aquarius from March 21-July 1, gave us a taste of the dynamic that’ll be in effect from December 2020-March 2023. What you learned this Spring, your quarantine survival skills, will serve you well in preparing for the coming Winter. If there were innovations you were called to make in work or necessary changes in home life that helped you survive the pandemic, don’t be quick to dismantle them. In fact, think about how you could improve them. Those structures will most likely serve useful again next year. Saturn’s three month preview in Aquarius highlighted paradoxes and systemic failures. We were physically isolated but technologically connected. There was an emphasis on the local, but access by the global. We were seeing people online who live far away, and going outside and exploring our neighborhoods more. Normal barriers to participation broke down as public events, like town halls and city council meetings, were live streamed and thousands participated in Zoom events.

We felt the square between Saturn and Uranus in Taurus that will define 2021, in the food scarcity issues, critiques of billionaires profiting off of crises, and strikes for essential workers labor rights. The Cancer-Capricorn eclipse axis that concludes this month was present with the tension between homelife and career. The north node in Cancer, with its emphasis on nurturance, won out over the south node in Capricorn, who desires constant productivity. The breakdown in childcare and education systems forced parents to work less and engage with their kids more; for better or for worse. The unbalanced American work week with its lack of time for family and self-care was upended. As more people became willing to admit just how unhealthy the system is, a quote by David Hollis began circulating: “In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.”Mercury goes cazimi, in the heart of the Sun, at the peak of their retrograde cycle, on June 30. This retrograde is working to assimilate what we’ve learned over the last 18 months of eclipses so we can make better decisions in the future.

Hollis’ invitation for thinking outside the box dovetails nicely with another quote that’s been on my since the mass protests against police brutality began: “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.” This quote, quite fitting for the Capricorn Full Moon lunar eclipse on July 5, is often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, one of the “founding fathers” and a principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferon asserted that all men were created equal, and deserved protection under the law. Yet he kept people enslaved at his Monticello plantation, and refused to free them, even when abolitionists offered to compensate him. He also fathered six children with an enslaved woman, Sally Hemmings, in what could never be a consensual relationship. Hemmings children were recognized as being fathered by Jefferson but they were not legally entitled to inherit his wealth as heirs. It was not until recently that Monticello, a popular tourist destination, began telling the truth about Jefferson’s paternity. The tension between Cancer, the nurturing family, and Capricorn, the system that grinds people down, has been activated since January 2019. Saturn’s mythology speaks to issues with fathering. Cronos tried to suppress social progress by forcing his wife, Rhea, to give him their newborn children so he could swallow them. Finally, she was able to trick him, and smuggle Jove to safety. The prophecy was ultimately fulfilled when his children rose against him, and the Olympians overthrew Saturn. We are in a similar cultural moment.

Jefferson is the perfect example of American racism and the legacy we are grappling with in this moment. Reparations are not an abstract concept. Slave owners kept detailed records. DNA testing provides us with further proof. The hypocritical dissonance embodied between the values Jefferson espoused and his personal practices of wealth accumulation typify the confrontation with structural white supremacy that the Saturn-Pluto conjunction on January 12, forced us to reckon with. Previous to 2020, the last time Saturn and Pluto met in Capricorn was 1518, when Europeans began sailing around the world, murdering, colonizing, and enslaving as we went. Hard alignments between Saturn and Pluto have brought about terrible moments in history, but, also, confrontations with that history. There is hope for change if we’re willing to grapple with the truth.

The Venus retrograde from May 13-June 25, brought mass revolt against police brutality and a terrible backlash. As of June 22, 5 men, 4 black and 1 Latinx, have been found hanging from trees across the country. The police are calling all deaths suicides, while their communities are calling them lynchings. Independence Day is a celebration of “America’s freedom”. The Capricorn Full Moon eclipse is illuminating the connection between the evil legacy of slavery and who is truly free. Eclipses are catalysts that set the stage for the next 6 months, and have resonance for 18 years. How we mobilize and organize this Summer will most likely determine who wins the presidential election in November. May we use the energy of this lunation to propel us forward in the movement for liberty and justice for all.

On a personal level, the Capricorn Full Moon lunar eclipse on July 5, is the perfect time to work with Saturn so he doesn’t have to work on you. Make a list of everything you’d like to complete or leave behind in 2020, especially in the Cap area of life. If you’re inclined, you can make a second list of all that you’d like to cultivate or refashion in the Aquarius sector starting in 2021. Use these lists as twin pillars to help you prioritize the next six months. Eclipses are containers and catalysts; Saturn is about self-actualization. He can help us fulfill our destiny through gaining perspective and appreciation for where we’ve been, what we’re learning, and where we're going.

The Mercury retrograde in Cancer that began on June 18, and peaked on June 30, finishes on July 12, but before then, Mercury squares Mars in Aries on July 8. This is, unfortunately, the first of multiple squares between the warrior and the writer. Mars in Aries is strong and brash, and Mercury in Cancer sensitive and emotive. Their uncomfortable dynamic will be in effect for essentially all of July, creating a disagreeably high potential for hurt feelings. The Venus retrograde in Gemini churned up a lot of emotional detritus that Mercury is working to assimilate. If there’s been something on your heart that you need to share with a lover or friend, run your thoughts by a neutral third party ahead of time. Springing things on people may result in a big reaction. Harsh or hasty words could easily cause hurt feelings. Mercury squares Mars at 6 Cancer on July 8, stations direct at 5 Cancer on July 12, and then begins to zip forward again. Mercury will not clear their retrograde shadow until July 26, which finds them in another square with Mars on July 27. People will be on the defensive that entire time, so stay calm, carry on, and wait to hit send until the second week in August.   

Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn are traveling as a pair this month. Whatever touches one, glimpses the other. Jupiter gives gifts and brings blessing. Pluto magnifies the power and peril of every situation. The Jupiter-Pluto conjunction that concluded June, was the second installment of a triumvirate designed to amplify your potential for Capricornian growth. The Sun in Cancer opposes Pluto and Jupiter from July 14-15, putting a spotlight on what you’re trying to achieve. This moment of revelation could bring an intense encounter with people or circumstances, especially authority figures and teachers. Don’t get into wrestling matches with people who just want to take you down. Be sure and take advantage of any opportunities that come your way, but exercise restraint if you’re feeling overly ambitious. Little bites of this wild feast will be the most easily assimilated (and cause the least indigestion).

As if life wasn’t weird enough right now, we have the second Cancer New Moon of Cancer Season on July 20. The first Cancer New Moon was a solar eclipse on June 21, at the Summer Solstice. This second Cancer Moon is the first to be eclipse-free in over a year, but this little crab claw is still giving us a sharp pinch. Directly opposed by Saturn, and in a square with Mars, this lunation is a revisiting of elements that made last summer challenging. With Mercury moving forward, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on how things have changed over the past month, and appreciate the shift that's happened over the past year.

The Sun enters Leo on July 22, bringing up the tempo of Summer. The Sun never burns so bright as it does in its home sign. We should take full advantage and luxuriate under these uninterrupted golden rays for the next four weeks because Saturn will be staring down the Sun for several summers starting in 2021. That promise of Winter in August is all the more reason that we must make merry now. Leos love to be adored and are protective of their pride. Be sure to appreciate at least one Leo a day for the next month. They’ll remain ever loyal to you for it. Leo Season is all about self-pride so don’t forget to give yourself permission to shine.

Venus in Gemini has been moving through the terrain she originally crossed in April before her retrograde. Venus squares Neptune in Pisces on July 27, for the second and final time. The first square took place on May 20, at 20 Gemini, at the start of Gemini Season. If you were overcome by a vision of love or a creative conception during that time, you may find yourself revising those waters, a bit more cautious and realistic than the first time. On the same day, July 27, Mercury makes a second square to Mars, in opposition to Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn in Capricorn. Things won’t feel light though they may feel confusing. The Sun is moving into a square with Uranus that will be exact on August 2. Try to keep it cool the last week of the month and if you’re going to pop off, do it for a worthy cause.