In July, we experience the full opening of a portal into a new energy pattern. Increasingly now (and through July 2014), the energy moves into the Cardinal zone. July is always the season of zodiac sign Cancer, one of the four Cardinal signs (with Aries, Libra, and Capricorn). Most notably, two significant and palpable shifts have just occurred as July opens, mimicking last year’s encounter with relationship fate in the same time frame, the last week of June. First is Jupiter’s ingress into Cancer, on June 25, followed by Mercury’s retrograde station, on June 26, at 23°07′ Cancer, lasting until July 20. Both events place striking and immediate emphasis on the emotional wisdom of this Water sign. (See the July Planetary Overview for more on the Cardinal pattern in your life.)
In addition, the Sun, and by July 13, Mars, are passing through Cancer as well. Venus completed her transit through the sign in June, giving us insights into what we need and can do with our increased sensitivity. This would certainly be a challenge by itself. But when we add to it Uranus and Pluto, which have taken up long-term residence in Aries and Capricorn, a lot of connections are being made beneath the surface to bring about the effects we have been working hard to create for so long. Fireworks could result, a series of piercing truths that reverberate deep into the soul, then explode in a flashing display of life realignment.
This Mercury retrograde will pass through an empty patch of sky, in stark contrast to the one in February-March, which contacted nearly all of the planets. What happens when Mercury meets thin air? Mercury is the Messenger of the Gods (planets), and when he doesn’t run into any of them in the course of his backward travel, he has no packets to carry to us. There are no special messages about how to adjust to make things flow more smoothly, by direct action. In Cancer, this has to do with our feelings and “instinctuitions”, which our mind often blocks. During the retrograde the mind (Mercury) is disengaged, and we may find ourselves compelled to take certain actions, perhaps even unconsciously. We may respond to long-standing dilemmas in a new way.
There is great wisdom in our instinctual knowing, our irrational senses, and our intuitive insights, because they give evidence of the soul’s true desires and purpose. This is the time to let them come forward and become firmly ensconced in our core, where our purpose and intention lie. If you are celebrating your birthday on any date from June 26 to July 20, Mercury will be retrograde in your chart for the coming yearly birth cycle (solar return) chart. Lucky you! You’ll be learning about something you never knew before, treading in unfamiliar territory. The years when Mercury is retrograde in your birth-cycle chart (once every eight years) are exciting and memorable. (Cancers, think back eight years to see if that isn’t true.)
How can we use the new four-month Mercury season for our greatest benefit? For each person, the effects are individual, especially when Mercury encounters none of the planets we hold in common (the transiting planets). If your birth chart carries placements at 13-23° in any Cardinal sign, a spotlight will shine on those planets, prompting a transformation involving a situation symbolized by those placements. You will experience an unfolding of personal growth, with inner transformations during the retrograde.
While we can introduce outer changes during this time, they will deal with the past until July 9, when we enter the next four-month Mercury cycle. We turn to what’s new on July 9 (the Sun-Mercury conjunction or New Mercury), and we have the next 3½ months to bring those changes forward in our visible world. To use this energy well, do not hesitate to take action during a Mercury retrograde if it is called for, but don’t contrive anything just to get a response. We are tempted to do this especially when we feel like nothing is happening.
Other planetary milestones come as Saturn’s retrograde finally ends on July 7, and Uranus’s commences on July 17. Venus in Leo challenges us to use Saturn well by outlasting the obstacles and masks of separation. In these Fixed signs, we succeed by using attrition (to dissolve the old energies) and perseverance (to build the new). Doubts must be cast out. If you want it, stick with it unwaveringly.
As Uranus enters its retrograde, we get to see what seeds we planted at the end of March, whether we’ve been tending them well. They carry the gift of love, and the nurturance we give them will not be wasted, even if success seems unlikely now. With flighty and reactionary Uranus, a light touch is all that is required to bring the right amount of fertile shock into the situation that needs shifting. Above all, Uranus wants freedom, and in Aries he stands up for the sanctity of individuality. Stand up for yourself without impinging on others, and you’ll have the balance right.
Our selfhood is a work in progress that Uranus will help us see in a more nuanced form that has been evolving since 2010. Before we can reinvent the world, we have to reinvent ourselves. We have to make up new stories about ourselves, and rewrite the tales we tell about our past in terms of the “wins”—the lessons we learned—and our inner reality, not the way others see and judge what occurred.
As we get our doses of “Full Pluto”—the awakening to transformation throughout June-July, we understand with growing clarity what we stand for, and how we need to reimagine who we are. When we are doing well in society’s terms, we tend to hang on to the structures we have built around us; but when things aren’t going so well, we often feel have less to lose and are willing to step more fully into living by what we know to be inwardly correct.
This is what the planets of July offer us. As we go through three more years of the intense and revitalizing Uranus-Pluto square, we will find ever more peace in living by what feels right. Knowing our heart’s truth is the unique gift of Cancer to this mix. By the end of the month, we’ll be able to graduate summa cum laude in Self-Awareness.
(Except as otherwise noted, all interpretations in this astrological forecast are based on a natural chart, using the beginning of Aries as the ascendant, and times listed are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC–7).
A “Void Moon” or “Void of Course Moon” (or “VOC moon” for short) makes no significant aspects until it enters the next sign. Its void period is thought to be a poor time for starting new projects or making concerted effort toward existing plans.
According to William Lilly, the Moon in Cancer (Moon’s rulership), Taurus (Moon’s exaltation), Sagittarius and Pisces (signs ruled by Jupiter, the Great Benefic) “performeth somewhat.” Lee Lehmann reports that she has tested this, and “you can take it to the bank.” Another way of putting how this works in an astrological forecast is that, when an action is taken during the void period in one of these signs, you get “unanswered success.” That is, the lack of planetary action prevents your action from being denied.
Daily Success Guide Astrological Forecast, July 2013
As the door opens on July’s room of opportunities, we find the Moon alight on its own in fiery Aries, void of course, until it enters its exaltation in Taurus at 2:43 pm PT (5:43 pm ET). We benefit from this anchor of security as two major connections occur over the day, Venus’s waning square to Saturn and the Sun’s opposition to Pluto. The current Venus-Saturn cycle is closing, and it’s time to fully integrate the emotional strength we have gained since their conjunction on November 26 last year.
The Sun’s opposition to Pluto brings full illumination to the ongoing transformative processes we took on at the end of December, the third of four such illuminations since June 7. This makes for one intense day, but the energies are softened by the Moon, whose only contact is an opportunity connection to Jupiter. We can indeed make some fantastic lemonade out of today’s lemons if we stay calm and centered. The opportunity will come whispering, so listen closely.
We get a little break from the intensity today, but recent events have left us much to consider and assimilate. The Moon in Taurus reiterates the impact that all this has on our relationships and finances, making us more aware of how we feel about it all. An initial impression of being stuck gives way to many glimmers of hope as the Moon shows us the opening each planet provides us. By day’s end it is possible to have a plan of action.
Although the Taurus Moon goes void at 8:51 am (11:51 am ET), we can still use its energies for beneficial action. However, we may want to maintain a flexible schedule today, as the Sun’s opening square to Uranus brings a Big Reveal.
At 2:22 am (5:22 am ET), the Moon enters lively Gemini, to take us into the Wishing Moon period, when our thoughts participate in co-creating our experiences of the next lunar cycle (starting Monday July 8). Although things feel a bit foggy to start, we are clearer after lunch. We are more social; it’s a good time to hang out with friends and family, perfect for the holiday.
We get a boost in our healing process as the Sun trines Chiron, its last major contact before it enters Leo on July 22. We have more insight into what’s going on with our health on all levels since Chiron’s June 16 station, and with the favor of a Grand Trine involving the North Node we can make big inroads into difficult circumstances that have arisen since mid-May. The Moon in Gemini augments the release as it harmonizes with Uranus.
At 5:30 am PT (8:30 am ET), the Moon enters a day-long void in Gemini, lasting until its entry into Cancer at 3:14 pm. It’s a good time for chit-chat, puttering in the garage, or cleaning and organizing, but not for major purchases or new initiatives. The evening brings a pick-up of energy, with Jupiter introducing a party atmosphere. Time to celebrate life!
The Moon is strong in Cancer as it makes contact with the Big Players over the course of the day, bringing forward both major patterns (Water Grand Trine and Cardinal Grand Cross) for the first time. If we observe closely what we experience, we will see how these energies are likely to operate each time they come up (once each week). If we don’t like what we experience, we can change it in the course of the many contacts still to come. We are assisted by two releases. As Saturn returns to forward motion, we may feel lighter, even giddy as we are freed from Saturn’s energy of downward pressure. And Venus lifts our spirits even further with optimism for the future as she trines Uranus.
Just after midnight (0:14 am PT; 3:14 am ET) the Moon reaches the Sun at 16°18′ Cancer to mark the start of the next lunar cycle, the New Moon. Embedded in this new beginning is the Water Grand Trine of Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune/Chiron, augmented by Pluto to form a Kite. The focal point of this cycle is how we will use recently revealed truths to continue the transformation of our life.
There’s more insight to come, as Mercury Retrograde conjoins the Sun to start the next four-month Mercury cycle tomorrow. We’re very internalized now—unlikely to feel moved to act as Moon and Mercury melt down in the light and heat of the Sun. However, actions taken now will seed both these cycles and empower our transformative process if we feel clear about doing so.
Healing our deepest pain is emphasized as Chiron trines North Node (transiting eclipse point), and we’ll know where the discomfort stems from as Venus squares the Nodes and quincunxes Chiron, even though resolution is not suggested by the cycles now. The Moon goes void of course at 4:44 am PT on an unsettling note as it conjoins Mercury, a time when the psychic wireless is wide open.
The chart cast for Washington DC shows a calm in the nation’s “weather”, both meteorological and human. School’s out, vacations are in progress, with many families choosing staycations over travel. The economy looks promising, but much of this is window-dressing. The well-being of the people is still being artificially suppressed.
The Sabian Symbol for 17 Cancer is “The seed grows into knowledge and life.” This symbol underscores the power of this new beginning. Every thought, feeling, and impulse that we harbor now becomes a seed with roots extending to the very deepest layers of consciousness because of the new Great Year (26,000-year cycle) that has been leading us into a new way of being human since December. Full awareness of what we’re planting brings optimum results.
At 3:48 am PT (6:48 am ET), the Moon enters Leo to revive our inner glow. The Sun-Mercury Inferior Conjunction (New Mercury) arrives at 11:41 am/17°42′ Cancer, the peak of our internalization process. Introspection is especially fruitful now in focusing our energies in the best direction for the opening Mercury cycle. A Moon-Saturn contact leads us into sober evaluations after midday, injecting a note of what’s needed immediately into our longer-range plans.
The Moon continues in Leo, finding a sweet spot where creativity and love flow forth. Allow the inspiration to come, share it with others.
Our mood is upbeat as the Moon finishes its stay in Leo, going void at 12:54 pm PF (3:54 pm ET). When it enters Virgo at 3:12 pm, harmonious energies are on the rise as the Moon opens us to enterprising thoughts via a link to Jupiter.
The Moon in Virgo makes a series of easing contacts that refresh us with logic and practicality. Analysis is especially valuable now after all that swimming in the sea of emotion.
At 6:22 am PF (9:22 am ET), Mars enters Cancer, the sign of its Fall. This may raise our mood level into the extreme zone periodically, which is advantageous if we aren’t sure how we feel. However, if we take action based on those extremes, we may not be happy with the result. The Moon in Virgo enters its void period at 8:26 am, giving us a day-long breather from the need to take forward-moving action.
At 0:41 am PT (3:41 am ET), the Moon moves into Libra, opening us to the next round of Cardinal challenges. This brings forward the first Cardinal Grand Cross. This energy may bring forward everything that is bothering us, which is too much to take on all at once. We are likely to feel a bit overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of what we’re thinking of doing, as we change our identity, relationships, and basis for living. If we can find one thing that allows us to take a step away from the past and into the future, it will affirm our new life.
After a meet-up with head (Mercury) and heart (Venus), the Moon reaches its First Quarter square to the Sun at 8:18 pm PT/23°46′ Cancer/Libra (11:18 pm ET). This is the void-of-course event, giving us time after this moment of peak activation to take in inside for assimilation before moving on to other activities. We’ve already seen the dramatic potential of this month’s lunar flow. Now we get a few hours to consider what to do with our insights before we take the coming week to turn them into results we can rely on.
With the goad of the Cardinal energies, the fluidity of the Water Grand Trine, and the productivity of the Pluto-topped Kite, we will be equipped to make great strides in traveling our chosen path, and fulfilling our goals. There is much less interference from the heavenly bodies to block us than a week ago.
In the chart cast for the US, the distribution of moisture and rainfall is uneven, with the potential for flooding. Attention is drawn inward and homeward in response to need, and people are distracted from the real, underlying issues by immediate concerns, as domestic affairs trump foreign/international matters. The President is deft in wielding his power to provide emergency support if needed, as well as spearheading the drive for real reforms.
The Sabian Symbols affecting us this week are: “A woman and two men (or a man and two women) cast away on a small island.” (The Sun at 24 Cancer); and “a third wing on the left side of a butterfly” (the Moon, 24 Libra). Watch for things in threes and threesomes, often where one seems odd or unnecessary. We may face and deal with situations where we are out of place, or where we find someone else intruding. This can also point to situations where unique approaches are required or provide great benefit.
The Moon enters Scorpio at 7:24 am PT (10:24 am ET), challenging us to bring our plans for the week to pragmatic fruition. Contacts to Mars and Jupiter bring out our hurry-up eagerness, but we’re reminded of the need to go more slowly as Saturn enters the mix. If we go with the flow, we’ll find the way through the rapids.
Set aside the need for a schedule today. Uranus holds sway as it commences its 5-month retrograde period at 12°31′ Aries. The Moon smoothes the way for whatever plot twists arise. This augments the Water Grand Trine, which is especially strong as Jupiter reaches its first of three exact trines to Saturn and its one-pass trine to Neptune. What happens today carries deep impact that we will work with for the rest of the year.
The Moon in Scorpio goes into its void period at 4:13 am PT (7:13 am ET), lasting until 10:54 am with its entry into Sagittarius. We gain lift and mobility now, but it may be lost in the shuffle of a hook-up to Neptune. We need a break!
The big event of the day is Saturn’s final trine to Neptune, the third of three. The first two occurred October 10, 2012 and June 11, 2013, fostering a manifestation now based on how we have been able to base our new structures on our spirituality since then. The Moon opens the channels for quantum change with a trine to the powerful, still-stationary Uranus.
Finally! At 11:22 am PT (2:22 pm ET)/13°22′ Cancer, Mercury stands still before reclaiming forward motion through the Zodiac and in our life. We’ve been able to take actions in support of the new cycle since July 9, but now we feel the wind at our back in doing so. Mars echoes Jupiter as it trines Neptune and Saturn to reiterate the Water Grand Trine yet again, as its speeds toward Jupiter. This sets up a positive dynamic in our current story that will play out from today through July 22, when Mars conjoins Jupiter. Let the blessings flow! The Moon enters its void period in Sagittarius at 8:00 am PT, with us until it goes into Capricorn at 11:39 am, boosting our motivation and courage to use these energies for real changes.
The Moon carries on in Capricorn, connecting with the engines of transformation, Pluto and Uranus, before bringing a post-retrograde crescendo of insight with a connection to newly direct Mercury. This leads us into the empty space of the Moon’s void-of-course at 8:53 am PT (11:53 am ET), which stays with us until tomorrow’s Full Moon.
The Moon’s long void-of-course in Capricorn ends minutes before the Full Moon, which occurs at 11:16 am PT/0°06′ Leo/Aquarius (2:16 pm ET). This Full Moon is very active, as Mars and Jupiter finally reach their conjunction to bring a flurry of events. Illumination and fulfillment are at hand as we grapple with how we can break through a immovable obstacle that has been with us since at least October. Now we see enough of the equation to be able to solve it, and Saturn, the marker for this blockage, will not stand in our way if we are willing to be patient, continue to work hard, and stare down our doubts.
By the time of the Full Moon, Venus has entered Virgo (5:41 am), softening the glow it expressed through Leo. In addition, the Sun goes into Leo at 8:56 am, adding joy and vitality as it reduces our emotional sensitivity. With so many planets in the first degree of their sign, this is a new beginning for many, with unexpected opportunities coming to the surface.
In the Washington DC chart, there is focus on the hard work and hopelessness people have been experiencing—or in many instances the inability to find suitable rewarding work despite every willingness to do it. The legislature and many in the Administration are getting ready for their summer break. A lot of attention is focused on the well-being of ordinary, unarmed people around the world, where civil disobedience has been greeted with military force and weaponry. Americans are staying on their home continent now, if they are traveling at all. Although the Administration may not come out in direct support of those people threatened and weakened by conflict, the nation is providing humanitarian aid to those in need through several channels.
The Full Moon activates two Sabian Symbols, “Under emotional stress, blood rushes to a man’s head.” (The Sun, 1 Leo); and the Moon at 1 Aquarius, “an old adobe mission in California”. These two symbols juxtapose new/intense energies with enduring tradition. The first imparts a sense of eagerness, perhaps overwhelm at the prospect of so many unfamiliar circumstances; or it could be the blush of first love or a sudden humiliation. A pause before taking action might be wise. The Moon symbol reminds us of the enduring peace that can be found through spiritual pursuit and the reliance on ancient wisdom to get through tough experiences.
The Moon in Aquarius is in a relative blind spot with respect to the planets. It enters the longest void period of the month at 7:01 am PT (10:01 am ET), with us until midday tomorrow. Its sole contact of the day, a sextile to Uranus, juices up our ingenuity before sending us into this quiet time.
At 11:22 am, the Moon goes into Pisces, but it will take a while for the energies to ramp up on their own. Just when you’re ready to call it a day, things start happening, and inspiration may keep us awake till later than usual as it taps into the omnipresent Water Grand Trine.
As the Moon continues through Pisces, it makes a few more pit stops in the morning for a highly active period that is sure to bring a positive response, whatever we do. By applying a thoughtful plan to our efforts, we enhance our outcomes. At 11:43 am (2:43 pm ET), the Moon enters its void, although we can still continue to take action while the Moon is void in this sign.
At 2:29 pm PT (5:29 pm ET), the Moon enters Aries, for a burst of last-minute activation before the weekend fully commences. But Venus is the real story, as she opposes Neptune and sextiles Saturn to set the stage for the Grand Sextile that is formed when the Moon enters Taurus. For now, we have several harmonious patterns that we can use to build the forms and structures of our new life, with the emphasis on planning and organization. Today and the next few days is a good time to get some of the nuts and bolts foundation work done.
The Aries Moon hooks up all the energies today, lighting up the sky. Overnight, the Cardinal Cross energies send messages through our dreams, and it’s a problem-solving plus if we can remember them. These feed into the larger pattern and some fiery connections from the Sun and Mars. The biggest insights come from Mars as it opposes Pluto, with the potential for explosiveness as new factors come to light. Ways in which we have given away our power or had it taken from us provide us with renewed motivation to free ourselves from such oppressions. This will true around the world. We discover a revealing awkwardness as the Sun quincunxes Neptune, and it puts us to work as Sun squares Saturn, so that we can continue to build while incorporating what we have learned. The Moon gives us some down time when it goes void of course at 7:19 pm PT (10:19 pm ET).
The energy is softer today as Venus sextiles Jupiter. The Moon in Aries contributes to the quietude, remaining void until 9:43 pm PT (12:43 am on July 29 ET), when it enters Taurus. This opens the energies of the first Grand Sextile of seven through May 2014.
The Last Quarter Moon falls in the midst of a cascade of connections, at 10:43 am PT/6°45′ Leo-Taurus (1:43 pm ET), imprinting us with the perspective that shapes our actions of the coming week. There is much to assimilate on this very active and fulfilling day, the denouement to a powerful Full Moon. The connections today are more conducive to results. Harmonies abound as the Grand Sextile is activated by this blissfully placed Moon, with just enough friction from the Sun to motivate us to do something. Thankfully, fruitful action is now possible where we have been blocked before. The chart of this lunation (regardless of where you are located) is spookily identical to that of the Full Moon, with the same degree rising. However, the planetary patterns grant us much more openness and fluidity to take action and achieve positive results than last week.
The chart of the lunation cast for the US is also identical to that of the Full Moon, but carries the potential for more effective action in response to events. The President is looking better—more productive and statesmanlike, suggesting that he is able to roll out some subtle but harmonious changes that will make all the difference further down the road. President Obama has always moved in response to the long game, the biggest goals that will leverage the most powerful positive results for the people, despite the entrenched powers he is forced to deal with in doing so. Some of the results of his far-sighted efforts may be quietly activated now. Humanitarian efforts to help those in greatest need around the world continue to flow.
The Sabian Symbols of the Last Quarter Moon are, for the Sun (7 Leo), “the wonder of the constellations of stars in the night sky”, and for the Moon (7 Taurus), “The woman of Samaria comes to draw water from Jacob’s well.” Despite what happens on the ground, the sky still amazes and inspires: The beauty of Jupiter in the dawn sky, the impending appearance of Comet ISON, the magnificence of the Milky Way draped across the summer sky—they lift the spirits and inexplicably give hope for tomorrow through their timelessness. We find optimism through the dissolving of social barriers as well; and the sleeper issue of water rights and availability is becoming more urgent as corporations attempt an end-run on owning them in small, troubled countries and municipalities around the globe.
We receive a blessing today as Venus trines Pluto. The Moon continues to endow us with a feeling of security in Taurus, going void of course at 8:58 am PT (11: 58 am ET) until tomorrow morning, giving us time to catch up with ourselves.
At 8:42 am PT (11:42 am ET), the Moon enters Gemini to activate our social proclivities. Mars does some activating of its own as it trines the North Node and squares Uranus, the drop of the other shoe that has been pending since last Saturday’s opposition to Pluto. This has brought to a point feelings of unrest and rebellion in all beings, resulting in resurgent conflict in the pre-existing trouble spots around the world. However, in ourselves we can use this restlessness and discontent to improve our situation—perhaps not immediately, but by taking the long view and bravely taking on the large task that is required to accomplish our dreams.
For more than 20 years, Terry Lamb (M.A. Linguistics, UC San Diego; C.A. NCGR, EEMCP) has been helping people to understand how cycles and energies work and interact in their lives. She augments her astrological acumen with energy medicine, Yijing (Chinese Book of Change), cosmology, psychology, and a broad range of health and spiritual studies.
Terry is among the nation’s most knowledgeable, insightful, and engaging astrologers. With pragmatic optimism and compassion, Terry’s approach has helped clients and students find their own way to “walk among the stars”. She is dedicated to using astrology as a way to create our future and free ourselves from “fate”. She goes along with Abraham Lincoln, who said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Her unique approach to astrology can be learned through her home study and apprenticeship programs (contact her directly).
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