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Before we begin - while not required, it’s super helpful to have your natal chart to peek at to see where things will ping you the most. Pull out the one I sent you if you did a reading with me, or go to astro.com to pull up a free one.
Got it? Ok, ONWARD!
July 3 - We have a full moon in Capricorn at 7:38 am. Challenges, responsibility, business acumen, ambition, pursuing goals. Sure, these are all keywords you could attribute to Capricorn. It’s also poetic (and frankly more interesting) to remember the mythological creature behind the Capricorn zodiac sign: the Sea Goat. Its hindquarters and back legs in the shape of a fish, and its torso, fore legs and head in the shape of a goat, Capricornus straddles the dual realms of the unconscious (the sea) as well as the conscious (the land). Many artists, creatives, and mystics have strong Capricorn energy present in their natal chart. Capricorn is not just all about “doing” and “getting”, nor is it “the most capitalist sign”. It’s deeper and wider than that.
A full moon in this sign illuminates the pathway of hard work or long-term labor that leads to rich, worthy reward. To embrace the Capricorn in you, you have to engage with your inner fire, determination, and trust your ability to navigate in the dark.
Full moons are culmination points, or harvest events, for seeds we planted (either consciously, or by unfinished business below our conscious awareness) around the preceding new moon, 6 months prior when the Sun was in the same territory, and/or the Capricorn full moon the previous year.
YES, all of those time periods can be taken into consideration! It’s your story, you get to decide how it unfolds for you.
So, think about 2 weeks ago, six months ago, and a year ago. What’s stayed the same in the realm of your chart that has Capricorn in it? What’s shifted or changed? If you keep a journal, start there. If not, take a peek at your camera roll to get an idea of what life events were happening, and what sorts of pictures you were taking (this gives you clues about your mindset and perspective.) How has your mindset altered, and also (perhaps more importantly?) what patterns are still chugging along that could use an overhaul, or at least a closer look? Now’s a great time to do meditation, journaling, yoga, and other contemplative practices.
July 10 - Mars enters Virgo just after your morning coffee. Mars is a spicy, fiery, go-getter, with a penetrating gaze. Almost laser-like. Wherever this energy is focused will be amplified, made bigger and more potent. With Mars moving into earthy, intense-in-its-own-way Virgo territory, all things Virgo shaped (look at your chart for where this lives, and which planets are there) will be activated during this window. Virgo themes include sovereignty, bodily health and autonomy, discernment, organization, wisdom, and intuitive activation, often through the twin engines of the body and the mind. If a Virgo tells you they have “a feeling” about someone or something, listen. This area of your chart could also experience burnout without intention and dedication to your self care practices (be proactive about this - exercise is an excellent ally with Mars in the mix).
July 11 - Mercury enters Leo for most of July, and it’s a beautiful opportunity to infuse our communication and thinking (including about ourselves) with confidence. It’s time to be SEEN, be PUBLIC, and let your inner child OUT TO PLAY - you know, the one who had their instincts perfectly intact before people and circumstances began to program you otherwise. The area of your chart with Leo will receive lots of ideas, inspiration, and joyful bubbling language for how it wants to express itself. Be your own “hype” person. Tell the world all about how fantastic you are, the way that your best friend would. And be other peoples’ hype person too. Celebrate one another, celebrate this magical thing called “aliveness”. Write down the people, places, and things you’re grateful for as a daily practice. Tell at least one person they look good today, or that you like something they said. Appreciation is the king currency right now.
July 17 - We have a new moon in Cancer friends, and oh how sweet the moon is in this section of sky. Whatever we decided to let go of (or fell away on its own) around the full moon a couple of weeks ago has made way for beautiful new seeds to be planted. The sign of Cancer is focused on hearth and home, family, memories, ancestors, the emotional body, and caregiving in the form of nurturing and nourishment.
Questions:
How do you want to “be” in relationship to caregiving, or even motherhood specifically?
How do you want to nurture your children, your creative projects, and your relationships with others?
What does it look like to “hold space” for others, without expecting anything in return?
When was the last time you sat in circle with others, around a campfire or in a living room, and had a conversation that pulled you out of linear time and straight into the timelessness that is the present moment?
What core memories do you associate with Who You Are, and why those?
What gives you a sense of safety in your own skin, and a sense of belonging just as you are? How can you cultivate more of that?
Your answers to those questions are the seeds you’ll plant. Choose with intention.
ALSO July 17 - The Lunar North Node enters Aries (with the South Node entering Libra). We’ve had the lunar nodes in Taurus and Scorpio for the past 18 months. These are the points in the sky that the Moon and Sun travel through when they’ll form eclipses. When we have eclipses (both solar and lunar), these are fated events, where massive leaps, shifts, and transformations take place in the themes (or realms) of the signs they’re in. The North Node is the energy we’re moving toward incorporating, and the South Node is the energy we’re letting go of and integrating lessons from.
More on this soon, but Aries is a hyper individualistic sign, focused on the “Me” in the situation. Headstrong, determined, self-focused, expressive, fiery, and thinks they have the best answer (they often do). Libra is a hyper relational sign, focused on the “We” in the situation. Justice oriented, patient, thoughtful, focused on refinement, with a softer aesthetic and desire to beautify people, places, and things.
Is it possible the collective could use more “Me” and less “We”? Or are the lessons we’re about to step into more interesting and nuanced than that? Perhaps people may learn to trust their inner guidance and wisdom, rather than keep the peace for the sake of saving face? The next 18 months will unfold this story for us!
July 22 - Venus finally moves into Retrograde in Leo. She’s been slowing down to a crawl (known as the “shadow” phase or retroshade) for the past few weeks, and stops dead in her tracks and begins to move in apparent backwards motion in the sky. This is just from the perspective of Earth, by the way. No planets orbit the Sun backward. But from our vantage point on Earth, it will look like she’s doing just that.
Venus is the planet of love, sex, intimacy, money, beauty, creativity, art, and fierce protectiveness of what she values. This retrograde period lasts all the way to September, and gives us a moment of deep reflection, and prismatic refraction, of all things Venusian in our lives. Venus invites awe and wonder into our sensory experiences.
It’s a gorgeous time to be fully present, rather than do more things, to slow down and become more intentional in our movements. Now is a time to make your sensuality an offering on your altar, your relationships intimately connected to your spiritual practice. “How slow can you go?” would be an excellent question to ask yourself, and/or your partner. Think slow food, tantra, creative exploration without time limits, painting with your body instead of a brush, getting your hands in the dirt or the sand or the moss, carefully pulling apart flower petals to see what’s inside, and soft kisses well into the night.
Venus in Leo wants to be witnessed - so as much of these activities as you like can be in the company of others. But no audience needed - it’s also a time to go inward. My gentle suggestion would be to oscillate between the two.
July 22 - The Sun enters Leo, and Leo Season begins. The Sun adores being in Leo, and energy permeates our days. Leo is a heart-led sign, and the Sun makes this especially vibrant and shiny. At the same time, with Venus having just barely stationed direct, there may be some push and pull between these energies. The Sun wants us to GROW, and Venus submits, but slowly. Allow yourself a whole lot of space to move shimmy and shift however you need the next 30 days, and listen well to your instincts. Leo Season is known for a whole lot of heated discussion, pride, and bluster. You may need to take a beat (or three) before responding to someone, to see how you really feel about a situation. Allow your heart and your intuitive wisdom to light the way. This becomes especially important as we look at what’s happening tomorrow…
July 23 - Chiron - the Wounded Healer - goes retrograde until December 26th. Chiron is a minor planet that represents our core wounding, and the medicine to heal it. This is often a place of the wounds that run us from the deep, repressed aspects of ourselves that we’ve rejected, and where our shadow lives. Whenever Chiron goes retrograde, it’s an opportunity to look at, process, and potentially integrate material, memories, and deep wounds from childhood all the way up to the present. By actively engaging with our shadow, and with these parts of ourselves we’ve previously separated ourselves from, we can invite the energy they hold to return to us. It’s always a fine time to go to therapy, to join in circle with other people, to explore these themes with a coach, mentor, teacher, or compassionate friend. Chiron Retrograde invites us to do this with slowness, focus, and intention.
When we do this work, what we are seeking is nothing short of personal liberation, which leads to collective liberation, through wholeness.