Current Transits for July 98Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Neptune-Pluto Yod Point -- the "Finger of God" is active this month!
Vesta enters Cancer, 7-5
Mars enters Cancer, 7-6
Full Moon at 17Cp15, 7-9
Chiron Direct Station at 12Sc25, 7-11
Juno enters Libra again, 7-12
Jupiter Retrograde Station at 28Pi03, 7-17
Pallas Retrograde Station at 2Ar15, 7-20
New Moon at 0Le31, 7-23 -- starring a rare and potent Grand Hexagram... for starters!
Ceres enters Gemini, 7-28
Mercury Retrograde Station at 28Le16
July is quite action packed -- and it looks like a bumpy, demanding ride at that. Most of the month is low-grade planetary storm material, based on the no-nonsense planets Saturn, Neptune and Pluto. There's plenty of stations and sign changes, so this is a big "shifting gears" kind of time. I've tapped into a very heavy, even oppressive mood to this energy while studying the patterns -- don't underestimate the power and intensity of July! It seems connected to deeper, underlying cycles and evolutionary processes, giving this time a fateful, karmic feeling, so approach your decisions and actions with more than the usual care and attention. Take things slowly...
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One of the "invisible" aspects of our time is the sextile of Neptune and Pluto. Despite being one of the most transformative aspects around, astrologers just don't seem to talk about it. Part of the problem is the length of time involved. The first inklings of this contact kicked in about 1944, while the first actual exact sextile appeared in 1950. Repeating twice a year or so, this same sextile continued until '84. With Pluto travelling so fast in its orbit, it has now pulled ahead of Neptune, but in 2027-2030, it falls back and the sextile repeats 7 more times! Any process that takes 80 years to complete is not going to get much press these days, but just think about how much our society has changed since 1950 and you'll understand why I think it's important.
Despite being in the resting phase of this sextile, it still makes it's existence known each summer through its Yod point. On the opposite side of the zodiac from Neptune and Pluto (150 degrees from each planet), is a very sensitive point. Whenever a third planet passes over this Yod point, it forms a planetary pattern known to astrologers as a "Yod", aka "the Finger of God". It gets this dramatic nickname from its tendency to present us with a "fork in the road" in our lives. Decisions must be made, often with no clue about the consequences, that will have a lasting, irrevocable effect on our lives. There's no rational reason for choosing one possibility over another, you simply have to trust your gut level intuition. It sounds a bit scary (and often is, at the time), but this is how we meet our destiny.
Currently, this Yod point is about 3 degrees of Cancer. During June and July, all the fast moving inner planets cross over this degree: Mercury on 6-16, Sun on 6-25, Mars on 7-11, Vesta on 7-13, Venus on 7-22 (just before a powerful new moon!). All these times are potent, fateful occasions, but the Mars contact will probably take the cake for drama. Mars, the warrior and fighter, when in connection with the unconscious (Neptune and Pluto) often breaks out in a violent way, triggering quite a scene in our lives. This is definitely a time to play it cool with others, put on your diplomacy hat, drive safely and watch your backside. It's a time to be as wise and aware of your actions as you can possibly be.
As an example of this Yod point's power, it's not a surprise that China is in the news at this time. There was a new moon on 89-6-4 that consisted of a potent Yod (low Koz Alert pattern) hanging like a dagger over Beijing: Pluto in Scorpio, Neptune-Saturn in Capricorn (they had a triple conjunction in '89), and the new moon itself over in Gemini, about to rise in the first house. Who knows when the shooting started, but by daybreak, as the Sun and Moon crossed the horizon, pro-democracy protesters were lying dead all over Tiananmen Square. A fateful time indeed! Not just for the people in the streets that morning, but for China's relations with the rest of the world ever since then. In the chart for last month's new moon (6-23), these same planets (new moon, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto) are forming a very similar pattern. The only difference is that now Saturn and Neptune are square, not conjunct -- a very crucial "turning point" in the 36 year cycle of these two planets. In fact, there are two Yods in this planetary grouping! The square was exact on the 25th, as was the Sun's passage of the Yod point -- and the next day, Clinton lands in Beijing. Whatever you may think about this controversial trip, it's evident that Clinton and Jiang Zemin are playing some parts in a great cosmic dance that's bigger than mere men. The echos and ghosts of Tiananmen still hang over China. Decisions must be made...
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Vesta enters Cancer, 7-5Vesta's 9 week stay in Cancer sounds like a balancing act between maintaining one's own integrity in the midst of our commitments and emotional connections with others. Vesta needs to stand alone from the crowd on occasion in order to regroup her energies -- that can be difficult in the sign of emotional contacts with others. Reexamine the reasons for your relationships, discerning which ones truly reflect and support who you are at a deeper level. Many relationships are based on lesser motives. You'll know which ones they are since they will feel very tedious in coming weeks. Pull away from people if you need to for a time -- your true friends will be there waiting when you return.
Mars enters Cancer, 7-6Mars in Cancer is a quite a misfit. I always imagine this placement as a Roman centurian in full battle armor and a frilly kitchen apron -- the forceful directness of Mars is smothered in a watery, feeling sign such as Cancer. If you feel the emotions of others, it's harder to simply barrel ahead with your plans unhindered. This is not a natural way to express your will-power. All that repressed drive can turn into anger or peevishness unless it has some useful outlet. Working for the good of family or clan may do the trick. Fortunately, Mars only has to put up with this until August 20th.
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Full Moon at 17Cp15, 7-9The main group of planets in the full moon chart forms a double Yod pattern. Things could get rather weird for the next two weeks. I suspect many people will be pushed to some kind of "breaking point" and either snap (don't be on the receiving end!) or be forced to make some far-reaching changes in their lives to cope. Things just don't work the way they used to, and no amount of stubbornness and will-power can alter this. Frustration levels are sky-high and the instinct is to let other people know how much you're annoyed. It really is best to operate from a detached, dispassionate point of view, since it's so easy to get caught up in this emotional storm. The intellect, our "rational" side (no snickering, please) is also in a quandary. It's as though our common sense views are completely at odds with the higher intuitive self, with no compromise position in sight. It's like the classic Zen koan -- the only way to resolve this paradox of the intellect is to bust through the tyranny of the thinking mind. This blinding initiatory event may be indicated by that Chiron station. Mind you, Chiron is good at dangling enticing carrots in front of you, but he never makes you chew -- if you don't actively seek out this "ah-ha!" experience, you may miss out on the opportunity. Don't expect it to be easy to integrate any of this inner struggle into your everyday life -- the connections from the full moon itself to other parts of the chart are mostly stressful. Keep your feet on the ground while dealing with the powerful shifts going on inside.
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Chiron Direct Station at 12Sc25, 7-11On the 11th, Chiron reaches its direct station and slowly resumes forward motion through Scorpio. Since Chiron started backing up, we've been faced with making some pretty difficult inner changes. It's involved recognizing our weaknesses and our shadows, both parts of ourselves that most people try to hide away in the closet. We've had to look at the fears that keep us from changing, that keep us from acting on the faith that a different future can work for us, that frighten us from saying "Yes!" to our spiritual growth. Scorpio is the sign of transformation, of dying to parts of ourselves that are holding us back so we can let new capabilities be born. Transformation can be troubling even in the best of times, but Chiron is making sure we look these fears right in the eye. You're probably feeling stuck in a situation that requires a drastic break with the status quo in order to move at all, worried that any change in this order will prove worse than "hanging in there" with a situation you know in your bones is bad for you. The transition may be painful in the short-term, but ultimately it's very liberating. It's time to open the psychic closet and honestly look at all that "icky" stuff we hide in there. There's no possibility of growth unless you're at least honest with who you are -- all of you! Prepare to let you guard down and handle these issues now, before the world makes your decisions inevitable.
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Juno enters Libra again, 7-12On the 12th, Juno returns to Libra after a long back-and-forth journey across the Virgo-Libra border during its retrograde cycle. This placement is a natural for concentrating on close partnerships. The trick is to be completely honest and above boards with the other person. Juno will allow no hint of manipulation or cheating in a relationship (it brings out the scheming, vengeful woman in her quickly), so you have nothing to lose by treating her well. This is a time to practice ideal love with your partner, bringing a sense of beauty at all levels into your lives. The next 3 months can be quite lovely, if you put your heart into it.
Jupiter Retrograde Station at 28Pi03, 7-17Jupiter is about reaching out to the world, expanding your boundaries, making connections. So when he goes into reverse gear, these connections tend to dry up for a time. This can be disconcerting if you're in business, since clients and customers seem to sit on their wallets instead of supporting your efforts. It can be a time of going inward, withdrawing from the world, falling back on your own resources, or a time of feeling deprived or cut-off from the world. If you prepare for the lean times, you'll come through fine. In fact, when things start flowing once more (Jupiter's direct station is 11-13, 18Pi09), you'll be in better shape than ever.
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Pallas Retrograde Station at 2Ar15, 7-20Pallas is the next planet to hit the brakes. Pallas is about thinking, strategy, planning and creative expression. There's a need now to focus these traits inward, focusing them internally for an extended time in order to bring about some new creative project that requires a great deal of effort. Pallas is sometimes associated with a split between the head and the heart, so the emotions may take a back seat in favor of the intellect, or else the feelings may become overwhelming and eclipse your thinking. Either way is an unhealthy development, so try to bring the head and heart together whenever possible. You may need to reexamine plans and goals in coming months.
New Moon at 0Le31, 7-23This is one of the most interesting and action-packed charts I've seen in years! Almost all the activity is in the 28 to 5 degree range of the sky. Lying in this region are Pallas, Saturn, Ceres, Venus, the new moon, Juno, Pluto, Neptune, and Jupiter -- quite a cast of characters! Within this main pattern is a giant Grand Hexagram (a very rare 6 pointed star around the zodiac), a powerful T-square, and 3 Yods. While some charts represent changes in life, this one has the potential to knock reality right off it's pedestal!
Where to start with a chart like this? With the new moon directly opposite Neptune, there's a mysterious air of magic and illusion about us, a feeling that our usual notions of what's real and what's possible are losing their focus, subtly shifting into a new way of relating to the world. Many people have woken up in recent years to these "subtle energies" I talk about, to the point where it ceases to be an theoretical idea or a helpful metaphor and becomes a living, perceptible sensation in everyday life. We've been told this background of potentials and possibilities is really what life is about, even though in practice, the old heavy-handed point of view about the material world (a view even science is abandoning) rears its head all too often. This clash of points of view is our latest spiritual puzzle. Depending upon the way we decide to resolve this conflict, we will make some interesting conclusions about what is possible in our lives. It requires we abandon the "daylight" world of the rational mind, where everything is black or white, and follow our feelings and intuitions into the "nighttime" realm of the unconscious, where things fade together in a dream-like tapastry, where the true power of the Life Force works without hindrance from our limited notions of what it means to be human. It's a good time to imagine for yourself where you want your path to lead in 6 to 12 months, because imagination is the power of the psyche that creates our futures and shapes our reality. Send your intentions out into the world, knowing it will come back later (though probably not exactly in the way you intended). Know that the intellect is useful but sterile, while emotion is creative and juicy -- don't let a hardened outlook on life rob you of the joy that is possible. Learn to attract to you what you desire instead of needing to go out and conquer the world to get what you need. It's a whole different way of looking at things. Perhaps the truth is somewhere between Saturn and Neptune, or maybe off to the side somewhere, but you'll never know if your illusions of the world are real unless you have the courage to test your limits. Happy sailing on uncharted seas...
(This Hexagram is active on the 28th as well.)
Incidentally, this chart strikes me as a preview of the powerful solar eclipse that occurs next year on 99-8-11. That chart is truly rough, so do your homework now.
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Ceres enters Gemini, 7-28Ceres enters Gemini on the 28th for an extended stay. Due to Ceres' upcoming retrograde cycle, she spends most of the next 9+ months in Gemini (except for a few weeks next January, when she dips back into Taurus briefly). This placement reminds me of a teacher, someone who nourishes and supports a young intellect as it explores the world. There's a need now to feed the mind and seek out new mental landscapes. Watch out for the tendency to intellectualize your feelings and distance yourself from the people and things you love, or to "live in your head" and miss out on the connections to the physical body and the feelings that give living its juice and spice. The best teachers are the ones that touch your soul, not just your rational mind.
Mercury Retrograde Station at 28Le16, 7-30Mercury's retrograde periods are reknowned for turning the brain to mush. The thinking and symbol-using mind is not operating up to capacity, producing foggy thinking, unclear communications, and plans that have more holes than Swiss cheese. This is a lousy time to start new projects. If you make allowances for the mental mix-ups (they can be very amusing and often quite illuminating) and don't take them seriously, you'll get through the next 3 weeks just fine.
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