Welcome to July, the birth month of the United States of America and also the birthing of new changes ahead. This month the Sun continues to transit the emotional and safety-driven sign of Cancer. The cautious crab sign symbolizes our foundational needs. It is about nurturing, caring, and protecting on a fundamental level that which helps us distinguish our emotions in our early childhood and throughout our formative years. This sign is all about trust and who we let in to our inner circle. As newborns, our first inclination is to trust. After all, we don’t know any better. We enter this world immediately dependent on those around us to tell us how to navigate this world we are born into, and as result we are subject to their interpretations of this world through their actions toward us and their choices for us.
Our first and deepest emotional impressions come through our “families”, through birth and/or circumstance. These are the people who give us life and give us the environments which surround us in our earliest and most formative years set the tone for our own personal choices and therefore, for our lives. These days we are certainly taking notice of the people that surround our lives and the many changes that are happening in government, banking, and our perception of reality. On some subconscious level we are all trying to understand what all of these changes mean. This month we are looking for the security that comes along with knowing we are safe.
On July 4th, (Independence Day in the US) the Cancer New Moon once again emphasizes the need for emotional security. Cancer is the sign of the Great Mother, the feminine archetype par excellence- the primal water sign in charge of the birthing process (including labor pains), the nurturer of family, children, community and country (Even Homeland Security). Since the birth chart of the U.S. has a Cancerian Sun sign (born on the 4th of July), money, as well as domestic, home and family issues will be a big concern, as both the Sun and Moon will pull this into sharp focus. The U.S. housing “crisis”, as well as the banking and monetary system will be addressed one way or the other…there is no escaping this one. On a personal level we must face our fears of the unknown and find sanctuary with those we love that make us feel secure that everything will be just fine.
A few days later on July 7th, the transiting Sun will oppose Pluto indicating some sort of crisis either with self-esteem, a relationships or an event. This may be due to a self-destructive character trait such as addiction, spying or stubbornness. In relationships, you may be the subject of, or the perpetrator of, manipulation, jealousy, domination or spying. Events may include the breakdown of an appliance or car, theft, or the destruction of a possession by people oo a natural disaster. If something like these examples were to happen at this time, it is important not to be overly assertive, egotistic, or resistant to change. Things like this will more likely to happen if you have been stubbornly resisting change, or have been engaging in some habit that is destructive to yourself or others.
The cosmic winds begin to shift on July 11th when partnership-minded Venus enters proud Leo and begins to shine in elegant glory. Talk about Love and Romance! Leo is big and bold and loves applause, so when Venus is here, we start wanting to get out of the cocoon and into the lime light. Romance and having fun become the main interest. Shopping for luxurious, tasteful things fits right in too. Just watch out for too much of a good thing. Leo energy can be overwhelming in the beginning, but it often fizzles at the end.
On July 13th, the Leo limelight continues to shine when mental Mercury enters Leo as well. As Mercury moves into the fire sign of Leo, we all begin to want applause for our dramatic, big-picture concepts. Mercury in Leo brings a tremendous surge of activity, like the wind whipping up a fire storm. This is what you could call an extremely symbiotic relationship. Mercury, that little instigator, stirs Leo's already strong and active passions into a frenzy of doing things. Then, as Leo's heat intensifies, Mercury's little winged feet have to move even faster to stay one step ahead of the next flying cinder. By the end of Mercury's stay in Leo, don't be surprised to find yourself exhausted.
This month we have a Full Moon in Capricorn on July 19th. Full Moons expose the shadow sides of both signs involved. The shadow side of Cancer is emotional immaturity and self-indulgence. Until healed, our wounded child lives on sabotaging our happiness. The dark side of Cancer also manifests as martyrdom: sacrificing ourselves in hope that eventually our needs will be seen and met. Either way, emotional denial is at the core. Water must flow and feelings must be fully acknowledged (not necessarily acted out, but felt); otherwise stagnant emotional “ruts”, illnesses, or other negative situations may result.
The shadow side of Capricorn avoids taking responsibility and accepting consequences. It worships power and authority, it attempts to dominate and control, win at any cost. The dark side of Capricorn also manifests as projection of our power and authority (it’s not my fault, not my job, not my problem). Blame, shadow and guilt are all part of the Capricorn shadow. Although both Cancer and Capricorn are yin signs (receptive, feminine), Capricorn has come to be associated with more masculine qualities. For the last 5,000 years in the West, yang (aggressive masculine) qualities have been valued over yin. Competition, domination, and conquest have been valued over inner development, cooperation and sharing. This Full Moon highlights the longstanding inequality between the masculine and feminine and the necessity of returning to our spiritual intentions. The positive expression of Cancer is creation, nurturance, and the protection of life. The positive expression of Capricorn is integrity, discipline and dedication.
All the world’s a stage on July 22nd when the radiant Sun enters its home sign of Leo the Lion. During this transit the Leo Sun is proud, outgoing, and playful. Sun in Leo is intensely individual—not content with simply being just one of the team. It’s time to shine, add a touch of color and drama to our lives. Like the flowers and fruit of the season–blossoming and ripened–this is a time when we want to enjoy ourselves and express ourselves. We are more generous and grand in our gestures and attitudes. On the shadow side, we can also be self-centered and vain. Taken to extremes, Leo’s energy can, of course, lead to arrogance and obnoxiousness. Thinking of others is the last thing on our minds. For the next month, we'll all have a chance to feel more confident about whatever we might be doing. And we'll have a giant energy boost to help us along. Just try to remember that other people are feeling exactly the same way.
On July 29th, Uranus, the planet of surprise events, radical change and innovation backs into a low-powered retrograde until December. Retrogrades can cause slowdowns and setbacks. They also connect us to the past, reminding us of unfinished business. Uranus is in Aries, the impatient self-starter and the sign of independence. Aries is the star, and having brash Uranus here stokes people’s appetite for the spotlight. But Uranus retrograde will show us the limits of the saying that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Seeking negative attention will backfire during this reversal. Yes, sometimes it is better to put the ego in time-out and be anonymous — especially when a bad reputation is the only thing you’ll gain by speaking out. Uranus retrograde is an important time to find healthy outlets for anger and nervous energy. Since Aries is such a physical sign, I suggest vigorous exercise to clear the buildup of stressful energy.
Our focus turns to details on July 30th when Mercury moves into analytical Virgo, bringing a period when we want to get down to working on those big ideas we had while it was transiting Leo. Mercury is the ruler of Virgo, and for good reason. Virgo is focused on figuring out how all the little pieces of the puzzle fit together. Since Virgo is an earth sign, the ideas that appear during this time do have at least one foot on the ground, so they tend to be useful and well thought out. Our only problem now is not to get so hung up on the details that we forget why we're there in the first place.
For more insights..just out this month's New Moon Outlook video below!!
