The Astrology of July

The start of July feels a bit bumpy as the opposition between Mars in Leo and Saturn in Aquarius goes exact on July 1, activating a fixed t-square with Uranus in Taurus. Mars in Leo is bold and brash. Saturn in Aquarius is restrained and severe. This transit brings experiences of delays and frustrations as the immovable object meets the unstoppable force. Mars incites the impulse to rush towards something you desire only to be met with a limitation, restriction, or consequence. The tension and strain of this moment is exacerbated by the disruptive, destabilizing energy of Uranus. 

The power of fixed signs is in their tenacity to go the distance and their capacity to hold the line. They are the peak of each season, and, as such, resonate with the deepest vibration of Summer (Leo), Winter (Aquarius), and Spring (Taurus). Consider which houses these signs rule in your chart to unlock the most elevated expression of this moment for you. The second Saturn-Uranus square on June 14, brought new challenges and developments to your doorstep. Expect a revisiting of those themes when Mars squares Uranus on July 3. It won’t make for the most chill holiday weekend, but it should prove to be interesting, at the very least. Seek to de-escalate situations whenever possible. Whatever stymies your progress around this time will feel more like a boulder in your path than a pebble under your shoe. The good news is that once you identify this obstacle you can use Uranus’ unique inventiveness to build your bridge around it. The Sun lends a hand to this innovation with a sextile to Uranus on July 6. 

The signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, has been publicly identified as the inception point for the United States. The most popular natal chart used by astrologers, the Sibley chart, set at 5:10PM in Philadelphia, PA, gives the USA a Sagittarius ascendent with an Aquarius Moon in the 3rd house, the Sun in Cancer in the 8th, and Pluto at 27 Capricorn in the 2nd house. The celebration of the birthday of the USA is a time to contemplate the origins of the nation and how the country has grown and evolved. The United States is moving towards its Pluto return in February 2022, and this year the Sun in Cancer squares Chiron in Aries on July 4, activating our collective wounds over the history of military domination. 

Pluto is connected with evolutionary growth, deep subterranean processes, intensity, and transformation. Its transits bring about a confrontation with the shadow. It takes Pluto 248 years to complete a transit, much longer than a human lifetime. But these themes become activated within nations during the Pluto return. Depending on the orb used for transits, the USA’s Pluto return began around the time Trump was elected, will peak in 2022, and conclude in 2023. From now until then, the USA is in a confrontation with the origins of our country and what has been overlooked or omitted in the telling of this history. The 4th of July is a holiday of freedom and emancipation, but the celebration of these ideals has always invoked the lived reality of oppression and enslavement in the United States. The Sun’s square with Chiron asks us to add some new medicine into the mix to elevate the healing and hasten the transformation. For more information about the USA Pluto return, see my in-depth post on Patreon here. 

Venus in Leo ignites our desire to be celebrated for our beauty and radiance, but that witnessing is denied when Venus opposes Saturn in Aquarius on Tuesday, July 6. This aspect can make us feel outside of love, like we’re pressing our faces to the glass of a wonderful paradise and what we long for is within sight but just out of reach, which is a painful experience. But it can also give us insight into why we feel that way--is there a story we’re telling ourselves or a position we’re taking that makes us feel on the outside? What would it be like to count ourselves in instead of out? Mars in Leo can gas us up to the point of arrogance. Saturn teaches us humility through limitation. Mercury in Gemini squaring Neptune in Pisces on July 6, can bring confrontation with fantasy. If you were feeling like the greatest, and the bubble got popped, now you feel like the worst, know that the truth is in the middle. You are a perfectly imperfect human and endlessly lovable that way.  

Venus trines Chiron in Aries on July 7, lending support for whatever healing process Saturn incited, and you may experience a romantic breakthrough when Venus squares Uranus on July 8. This transit may destabilize an existing partnership or bring someone new and unexpected into your life. It's a great time for experimentation with art and fashion. Savor the inspiration but let some time pass before making permanent decisions. Venus will conjoin Mars in 19 Leo on July 13, that is going to ignite your passion and make it happen. Be bold and brave in pursuit of love and let yourself take risks--chances are good things will work out better than expected.  

The Sun moved into Cancer, the home of the Moon, on June 20, heightening our sense of home and belonging. The Moon brings comfort and care, and the past three weeks have been a meditation on family--that which raised you and how you now take care of yourself. The Cancer New Moon on July 9, offers a powerful emotional reset on these themes. Jupiter in Pisces is making a supportive trine, allowing us to transcend the boundaries that Saturn has set. The Cancer impulse to turn inwards facilitates the Piscean spiritual quest towards a more magical and mystical distant shore. The Moon and Sun are moving into an opposition with Pluto in Cancer so the foreshadowing of the USA Pluto return is present. This new Moon invites us to consider the felt sense of a nourishing home environment, and how the new world we’re dreaming into being could be structured to produce that.

Mercury, thankfully, exited its retrograde shadow on July 7, signaling it is now clear to move about the cabin and start making all those purchases or signing contracts you put on hold during the retrograde. Mercury entered Gemini on May 3, and has been there ever since. There’s been more of a focus on communication and how all the little pieces of our lives work together. Mercury in Gemini takes a more cerebral approach to life, dissecting and analyzing, and making new shapes with things. We’ve been trafficking in the realm of air, but our feelings come into focus when Mercury enters Cancer on July 11. Mercury in the cardinal water sign of the Moon helps us to articulate what has been swimming beneath the surface this Cancer season. A helpful trine to Mercury from Jupiter in Pisces on July 12, facilitates a release and a return to optimism. Whatever emerged for you at the Cancer New Moon on July 9, begins to recede as the tides of life carry you in a new direction. Things change quickly in Luna’s domicile so make like a little crab and roll with the tides.

Astrology is all about love and the stars have many stellar pairings. The Gods are known for their epic romances, and different couplings create different kinds of legends and offspring. This grand energy of lust and fulfillment is ignited when Venus conjoins Mars at 19 Leo on Tuesday (Mars’ Day), July 13, activating the archetype of the romantic adventurer. Venus and Mars are the principles of attraction and desire. Venus is what we want and Mars the will to go after it. The story is even more glamorous when their pairing is in Leo. This is the s/hero who would risk it all for love, go to the ends of the earth, and emerge victorious in the end. Set your sights on what you want most and believe it is possible. This is a window of opportunity to both take action and improve your thinking. Steer clear of romantic triangles or unnecessary competition. Surprise your lover with something delightful and you’ll be the one reaping the rewards.

The Sun in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces on July 15, spurring us towards spiritual pursuits and fierce compassion. Neptune is associated with mysticism, mystery, and the veils of illusion. Appropriately, it was first sighted in 1795, but astronomers were not sure what they beheld. Neptune was officially discovered on September 23, 1846. Its orbital period is almost 165 years, twice as long as Uranus and two-thirds as long as Pluto. It spends approximately 14 years in each sign. Modern astrologers take Neptune to be the ruler of Pisces, but traditional astrologers do not. We’re going to get real familiar with Neptune next year when transiting Jupiter expands its effects. For now, let yourself become enraptured by the raw beauty of the natural world, but remember to keep your head below the clouds. It is easier to get deceived during such a transit.

If things get cloudy because of Neptune’s effect, the Sun’s square with Pluto in Capricorn on July 17, brings us back down to earth. The theme song for this transit is P.M. Dawn’s 90s classic Reality Used to Be a Friend of Mine. Pay attention to any issues around power in love and relationships that emerge at this time because they will become activated again during the Venus retrograde in Capricorn this December.

Venus enters Virgo (ViV) on July 21, which normally signals an end to fun in the Sun. ViV, as I like to call Venus in Virgo, has the desire to tidy up anything that got messy during the Mars-Venus conjunction in Leo. This is not as enjoyable a transit as the last, but order and cleanliness has its place. Over the next 4 weeks, Venus will sweeten up the Virgo area of your life, and help you to get right with friends and partners. Normally this can feel like a constraining transit, but the opposition between Venus and Jupiter in Pisces on July 22, starts us off on the right foot. We see the beauty and possibility inherent to ViV. Virgo activates the nervous system and is associated with anxiety. If you’ve been going hard with Mars in Leo, Stellar nurse ViV is going to smooth out any rough edges for you. Venus will move into Libra on August 16, so until then, ground into the wisdom of the earth and notice how taking care of your physical body supports your mental and emotional health.

The Sun moves into Leo on July 22, and we begin a whole new season. Get ready to roar.