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July 2017 – Respond vs React?

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Sidereal. If you’re curious about your chart using the sidereal zodiac you can find a guide with instructions on plotting your sidereal chart here, and a post outlining some of the philosophical differences between tropical and sidereal here.

Overview

July is in many ways the follow-up to April. Sun square Jupiter, Venus opposed Saturn, and Mercury entering its retrograde shadow are all continuations of the stories and cycles we experienced then. I outlined the details of that month in two separate posts because it was so eventful (here and here). But this time, I’m gonna lay July out for you in one long read.

Planets move into Cancer starting with Mercury on July 2 and culminates with a Sun- Mars conjunction at 10 Cancer on July 27. Mercury enters its retrograde shadow near the New Moon in Cancer, officially opening the door to eclipse season. You’ll need your seat belt for this month.

So is much happening in Cancer this month. Women take center stage and make or break the progression of the narratives we live during this time.

Being under the governorship of the Moon makes these transits and configurations visceral. You feel them in your body, you want to act or react. My keyword for Cancer is responsive. That’s how Cancer moves when it’s present and aware.

Reaction is great when there is an imminent threat, or an opportunity that must be captured in the moment. Responsiveness is a muscle that must be worked and strengthened. It’s what we become when our reactionary minds pause, reflect, and decide on the best course of action. For champion boxers it happens on autopilot because it is approached as a discipline. It’s in their muscle’s memory.

Let this be your meditation for July.

Cancer rising, Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali vs Ernie Terrell

This blog post and its sections are truncated. The full text of this article, approximately 4,000 words, is available for purchase here.

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July 2 – Mercury enters Cancer

Mercury answers to the Moon when it’s in Cancer. One’s use of language—when and how one communicates—is a tool of the emotions. Physiology and psychology teach us that every emotional state has a corresponding physiological state. Emotions are our intellectual concepts for the way we categorize those physiological responses to our experiences.

Fear forces the body to limit energy use to life sustaining processes only so that you can take off and run or fight back in the face of a threat. This is why prolonged fear induced worry and stress can have a detrimental effect on the body. I’m sure those with prominent Cancer in their chart know all about digestive issues and unwanted weight gain.

But, Cancer is hyper sensitive and responsive to these states; how the body responds to people, circumstances, and the environment, and the emotions associated with those sensations. Following the lead of the Moon’s every 2.5 day or so sign changes, Mercury’s face and motivation change, too.

Mercury’s job is to communicate the reality and perceptions of the Sun. In a Moon ruled sign, however, there may be a disruption in transmission. Even if the Mercury in Cancer can think lucidly, the urgency of their emotions and their physiological expression may override otherwise sound logic.

Emotional outbursts, saying things one doesn’t really mean can cause problems emotionally and professionally. But speaking the honesty of the moment can also be liberating. Can Mercury in Cancer discern between the two?

July 6 – Sun in Gemini square Jupiter in Virgo

The synodic cycle of the Sun and Jupiter represents the evolving relationship between our perception of reality and our beliefs about what is possible.

At the conjunction (in Virgo September 2016) our perceptions and our beliefs are unified. In Virgo, there is a calculative experience of reality, seeing the world as sets of data, rather than actual people, and equations to be solved rather than experiences to live, enjoy, and learn from.

The first square was at 90°. The Sun had moved on to Sagittarius while Jupiter remained in Virgo (January 2017). The dissonance between …

July 9 – Full Moon 23 Sagittarius

Moon in Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter in Virgo with Jupiter in a tight square, angular to the Sun and Moon. That’s astrology for Jupiter in Virgo being the boss of this Moon.

Jupiter in Virgo:

Jupiter at this Full Moon represents a narrative that challenges our perception of reality (Sun) & our physical experience of it (Moon). Seeing is, in fact, NOT believing. Who and what do you trust?

Both the Sun and Mars are in Gemini. Gemini is a parrot of sorts. It’s job is to say what it sees and repeat what it hears. It isn’t the most conscious or thoughtful sign. But that’s not in its job description anyway. Mars in Gemini can be reckless and distracted, causing accidents. It can also be playful and not take things seriously.

Sagittarius, the sign of the Full Moon, finds its limitations in the fact that individual personal experience can’t speak for everyone. Sagittarius LOVES to be right. It wants to prove & persuade. And it has to know why.

So, we have a setup here of a search for answers, looking for ways to explain what is happening. There is much difficulty in discerning the truth. There is a lot of info to sift through (Gemini), some of it disruptive and upsetting (Mars). Jupiter wants to weave together the facts (Virgo). But, Sagittarius must know why. It’s not enough to have information. There has to be some measure for truth.

Look to the missing piece of this configuration. It’s Pisces. Sometimes you can know things and not know how you know. This is the lesson of Pisces, the only mutable sign not occupied by a planet. This Full Moon asks us to cultivate our intuition. Close your eyes. Transcend your body. Set aside your beliefs. Tap into that other way knowing.

July 11 – Mars in Cancer

Mars in Cancer is in fall. It’s ill-equipped for the task at hand, or at least forced to do it’s job in an unstable environment and less than ideal circumstances. Mars’ task is to …

July 16 – Sun in Cancer

Five days after Mars, the Sun enters Cancer, the sign where it will finally catch up to and overtake Mars for a bodily conjunction.

The Sun is our perception of reality. It’s the eyes we see through that determine what we see and how we see it. Sun in Cancer perceives reality through the lens of what is familiar. The past is a filter that shades its awareness.

Women take center stage as influential leaders and power figures during this time. Just like Mars being in Cancer, the Sun is subject to the changing face of the Moon …

July 18 – Venus in Taurus trine Jupiter in Virgo

A trine means support, but it says nothing about the benevolence or malevolence of what is being supported.
As the narrative that defines what we believe is possible, Jupiter met by Venus in a trine aspect says that what we desire is supported by a belief that we can get it. This is the definition of optimism. Whether or not this optimism is warranted is another subject all together …

July 20 – Mercury in Leo

When Mercury enters Leo on July 20, it is entering the sign where it will have the most important retrograde of the year. It rivals the retrograde from April, but is much more significant …

July 23 – New Moon at 6 Cancer

This date and the days surrounding it are probably the most important days of the year. If you have read my Twitter thread interpreting and offering predictions using Donald Trump’s solar return you’ll know that these days are important to whether or not Trump remains president. In that thread I talk about the New Moon in Cancer triggering his chart in 4 different ways: by transit, time lord, progressed chart, and eclipse trigger. (link to a long thread of tweets analyzing Trump’s solar return)

This New Moon ushers in eclipse season. The August Full Moon at 17 Capricorn that follows is a Lunar Eclipse. While the August 21 Total Solar Eclipse has been the focus, don’t underestimate the punch of a Lunar Eclipse.

Now, about this New Moon in Cancer …

July 24 – Venus in Taurus opposed Saturn in Scorpio

In case you forgot, Venus and Saturn had a series of intense squares back in April. Venus was stationing direct and Saturn was stationing Rx. They sat within orb for at least 2 weeks.

When Venus in Pisces was in that extended square with Saturn, it brought important decisions regarding commitments and contracts., re-negotiations and changes in the terms of agreements. It brought an end to many relationships.

Venus in that extended square with Saturn required some to establish boundaries where there were none or where they were weak. Inconsistency and unsureness was magnified. Discrepancies between what you said you wanted and what you were willing or had the power to do where illuminated.

This time they are in opposition which is different from a square. Squares are …

July 24 – Mercury enters Retrograde shadow at 4 Leo

Four degrees of Leo is hot, hot, hot! And Mercury is the brave planet that will first trigger that sensitive eclipse point. That happens on July 24 …

 

July 26 – Venus in Gemini

Venus’ transit through each of the signs colors our interactions with others and the tone of our personal relationships. In general, its job is to illuminate the common ground that allows people to cooperate. In Gemini, that common ground can take on a variety of forms …

July 27 – Sun conjunct Mars, 10 Cancer

I’ve outlined above what the Sun and Mars mean when moving through Cancer. But, what does it mean for Mars to meet the heart of the Sun while it is in Cancer?

The month ends with Mars stepping up to once again disrupt and divide. All year long Mars has been the author of confusion, here to remind us that our sense of peace and normalcy is tentative at best. Change must eventually take root, and Mars is the one that sows the seeds

A planet is cazimi when …

This blog post and its sections are truncated. The full text of this article, approximately 4,000 words, is available for purchase here.

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Musings on Venus in Aries

What does it feel like for love to be in a hostile land? That’s Venus in Aries. That social, reasoning, consensus seeking, courteous planet in Aries is in a place where manners don’t matter.

Love becomes a challenge, a fight. Love that divides. Maybe you seek partners that see your love as a threat, or at the very least a challenge. Or maybe it’s you who recoils from intimacy. Just when your partner is vulnerable and receptive, you put up your dukes.

Venus in Aries by @PeoplesOracle
Venus in Aries could also be a love that separates one from their community. It could be a marriage that challenges cultural norms and the antagonism that brings to the relationship (or that the relationship brings to the community).

Venus in Aries is a consuming love., like the consuming fire of Mars. It’s a love that burns quickly and brightly, but just as soon fades. Love serves one’s need assert their individuality and will separate from the tribe.

Venus in Aries bonds with soldiers. It’s community in combat—cohorts of a revolutionary movement, banding together against a common enemy.

Do you have Venus in Aries in your tropical or sidereal birth chart? Talk to me about it on Twitter.

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Saturn in Scorpio, Redux: June 20, 2017 – October 26, 2017

Since January 26, 2017 Saturn has been giving us a brief introduction to its transit in Sagittarius. But beginning June 20, and ending October 26 of 2017, Saturn in Scorpio will handle some unfinished business. Saturn stations direct at 27 Scorpio on August 24, 2017

All transits are in sidereal. If you’re curious about your chart using the sidereal zodiac you can find a guide with instructions on plotting your sidereal chart here, and a post outlining some of the philosophical differences between tropical and sidereal here.

Mars ruler of Scorpio, has had a lot to say over the past few months. Between Mercury’s retrograde in Aries and Uranus entering Aries permanently for the first time since 1933, the planets, and our lives have been answering to Mars. Saturn in Scorpio will soon be answering to Mars.

Saturn in Scorpio Redux - 2017 - The People's Oracle

Saturn in Scorpio in the Natal Chart

In the natal chart, Saturn shows where and how we are establishing ourselves as competent adults; what we are building over time in our external lives; and where we bump up against limitations and expectations that admonish us to grow up and be real.

Saturn generally needs evidence to change or relinquish control. Ideally that evidence is competence and sovereignty: proven ability (Capricorn) and self-determination (Aquarius).

Is Mars supportive, indifferent, or hostile to Saturn’s agenda? It’s complicated. There are places where their agendas overlap and places where they conflict. Ultimately, Saturn in Scorpio, the domicile of Mars, is volatile.

Being malefics, both Saturn and Mars lend themselves towards separation, loss, and even death. But where Saturn denies, blocks, and resists, Mars persists, cuts through, and explodes. They both can bring endings, but it’s a matter of how and why.

Saturn in Scorpio maintains with an indomitable will; it controls using subversive tactics and coercive force. In the natal chart, Saturn in Scorpio lends towards power struggles; but it also challenges us to harness our power and wrestle with our need for control. It questions how we go about getting it or keeping it.

Natives with Saturn in Scorpio often deal with themes of domination and surrender in the house where Saturn is in their chart. During their Saturn return they may come face to face with their own powerlessness or even struggle to use their power effectively. Natives with Saturn in Scorpio may ask themselves:

Are you prepared to accept the responsibility that comes with having the final say? How much will it cost you in the end? Is it better to surrender or can you find a balance?

The Saturn in Scorpio lesson is to learn when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.

Transiting Saturn in Scorpio

Saturn in Scorpio can be stealthy and relentless. Whether that’s good or bad depends on where Mars is at any given time during Saturn in Scorpio’s transit. Where will Mars be during Saturn in Scorpio’s upcoming transit?

Mars in Gemini, June 20 – July 11
Mars in Cancer, July 11 – August 26
Mars in Leo, August 26 – October 13
Saturn enters Sagittarius, October 26, 2017 – January 24, 2020

In the next part of this article, I will talk about Mars in each of the signs as it pertains to Saturn’s final movements through Scorpio.

Do you have Saturn in sidereal Scorpio? If you aren’t sure, use this guide to cast your sidereal natal chart for free. I am offering a special Saturn Reading for those going through their Saturn return (Saturn in sidereal Sagittarius and Scorpio). It is also for those interested in how these transits affect their chart even if you’ve been through your Saturn return or haven’t had it yet. It may especially be helpful for those with natal planets in sidereal Scorpio and Sagittarius.

You can also read more about the first Saturn return here.

View all of my available readings and book them online.

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Venus in Aries

Venus has been in sidereal Pisces since January 27, 2017. Normally in one sign for 4 or 5 weeks, Venus has been in the domicile of Jupiter for 4 months due to its recent retrograde. Venus enters sidereal Aries, the domicile of Mars, on May, 30 2017 at 10:26pm CST.

Shea Rose: Little Warrior
Shea Rose: Little Warrior courtesy of Wikipedia

Where Venus seeks consensus via pathways to a common end, conscientiousness as the awareness of oneself within the context of others; Mars (ruler of Aries) abandons the middle line compelled to choose sides. Mars is self preservation and the will to live, the courage to deviate from the status quo. It’s the answer to the stagnation of contentment.

Venus in Aries brings the courage to take a risk for the common good. Who is willing to deviate from the consensus which has shown itself to be spoiled? Who will relieve the pressure of progress pressing against the complacency of comfort?

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Mercury through the Signs

People love to talk about planetary heavyweights, but don’t let this magician escape your understanding: MERCURY! This article focuses on the sign of Mercury in your natal chart.

Mercury is the planet responsible for putting words to what the Sun perceives. It communicates our perception of reality It is language we use when we talk to ourselves; it’s the words we think and the words we speak.

Have you ever felt like you and the person you are talking to are speaking different languages? Have you ever felt like you couldn’t get on the same page with the person you’re talking to, no matter how hard you tried? On the other hand, have you ever experienced telepathy and the ability to communicate without words? Have you ever felt like you could complete their sentences effortlessly?

All of these experiences can be traced back to the symbolism of Mercury in your natal chart.

Mercury is the fastest moving planet and is never more than 28° from the Sun. Its phasal relationship to the Sun, its speed, and its sign each say something important about you and your communication style.

Mercury through the Signs by @PeoplesOracle

Mercury Through the Signs

Mercury in signs ruled by the Sun and Moon

Mercury in Leo is ruled by the Sun. This placement here can be brilliant and intellectual with the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly what one perceives. This communication style can be dogmatic and obstinate in communication, unable to pick up on nuances. Mercury in Leo speaks with authority and may dominate discussions believing that their way is the only way.

Mercury in Cancer is ruled by the Moon. Its mode and method of communication waxes and wanes. At times they can be talkative, others mute. These natives can be intense and forceful in their language if their emotions precipitate such a response. Because Cancer tends to take things from one extreme to another (just like the Moon’s light), Mercury here is dramatic, running hot then cold.

Mercury in Mercury Ruled Signs

Both Mercury in Gemini & in Virgo are concerned with the symbols that hold the space for the thing itself. Mercury in Virgo’s symbol can be number and image, Gemini’s word and mannerism, sound.

Mercury in Gemini is air. It can be a ‘say anything’ kind of communicator because they are detached from the meaning of the words they say. The epitome of “don’t shoot the messenger”, it’s another placement where nuance and subtlety can be lost. Remember, when a planet is in its own sign—like Mercury in Gemini and Virgo—it’s its own boss. That authority equals power and responsibility.

Mercury in Virgo is earth. Earth is concerned with what is tangiblee. Here, Mercury is its own boss. It’s concerned with both the technical and practical aspects of communicating. Mercury in Virgo can be quite literal. A messenger too, Mercury in Virgo is precise and seeks accuracy over “perfection.” It translates using symbols, bringing down to earth what is perceived.

Mercury in Venus Ruled Signs

Mercury in Taurus is ruled by the earthy Venus. Rather than speaking to be understood, Mercury in Taurus speaks to be accepted. It uses its faculty of communication in order to find social validation via race, class, gender, and sexuality. Mercury in Taurus often says what they feel people want to hear in a tone that will elicit a particular response, for good or ill.

Mercury in Libra is focused on using language as a tool of reason, one that unifies and finds consensus. Mercury rules all air signs (by triplicity/element) at night so it has some dignity (authority) here. Striving for consensus and an honest appraisal, Mercury in Libra brings detachment, seeking fairness, equally acknowledging the various ways to communicate. Communication is a function of connecting people and ideas.

This detachment can be problematic when an empathetic or personal approach is needed.

Mercury in Mars Ruled Signs

Mercury in Aries is fire. Fire is the will and the light of conscious awareness. Don’t sleep on Mercury in Aries as an intellectual who can speak with clarity and willfulness. think. Still their word cut, burn, explode. Words as an axe that chop right down to the essence. Distilling and delineating difference. Being the exaltation of the Sun, Aries Mercury brings unification of perception and word.

With Mercury in Scorpio language is used to conceal and protect rather than to reveal. It’s more about what isn’t said. Mars is always about separation and division, though not always in a negative way. But with Scorpio expressing the watery side of Mars there is this feeling that words are creating closeness, but they are really creating division, maintaining boundaries of separateness. Mercury in Scorpio uses language to guard. It doesn’t want to reveal what it perceives.

Mercury in Jupiter ruled signs

Debilitated (lacks authority) in both Sagittarius and Pisces, their ruler Jupiter is indifferent and somewhat hostile to Mercury’s agenda of using symbols to communicate what one perceives. Words often get in the way of what Mercury in Sagittarius and Mercury in Pisces really means,

Mercury in Sagittarius may have issues with hyperbole or saying what they really mean. Mercury here can get caught up on controlling how others interpret them leading them into paralysis, saying nothing at all. Words limit their ability to articulate their intention so they may speak in story or myth rather than succinct concise language.

Mercury in Pisces seeks to give word to the unspeakable. It’s language as a means to connecting to something bigger than the individual self. Pisces is the exaltation of Venus. With Mercury there it can be poetic and prone to soliloquy. Mercury in Pisces speaks in images. It communicates by creating pictures rather than quantifying specifics. Mercury in Pisces wants to say things perfectly rather than precisely. Perfectly as in articulating the meaning even if the words don’t literally translate.

Mercury in Saturn Ruled Signs

Saturn is the planet of death, loss, fear, anxiety. But it is also the planet of conceptual reality and reimagining what is.

Mercury in Capricorn is the earth side of that power. It uses language to express competency. Communicating methodically, efficiently, and concisely, Mercury in Capricorn uses words as a tool to establish order and impose structure.

Where Mercury in Capricorn uses language to manage the world and people around them, Mercury in Aquarius is the word as self-determination. Mercury in Aquarius uses words to conceptually reimagine the self and the world. Mercury here can be quite technically adept in writing, the sciences, and music.