Skywatch for July now posted!

As July begins, the difficult patterns of the June cycles are behind us, but with five planets in retrograde motion (Jupiter, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), we are still looking backward to make sense of it all. When planets appear to move backward from our perspective here on earth, the issues associated with that planet become more pronounced and require greater attention. When Mercury turns retrograde on July 5, there will be six planets retrograde which is a rare event! Mercury retrograde periods come with their own challenges (see this article for more details), but with this number of retrograde planets we may feel somewhat stuck and find it difficult to move forward.

Since Venus left the grounded sign of Taurus for Gemini in late June, no planets have been in earth signs and therefore there has been little earth energy available to us. In early July there is a strong fire and air influence, creating much dialogue and a flurry of activity, but without an anchor to lend a sense of practicality to our endeavors. The combination of the lack of earth energy combined with the retrograding outer planets may make it difficult for us to find our footing. When Jupiter (retrograde since March 4th) turns direct on July 6 we will begin to encounter more opportunities and possibilities.