Only a day late. 
Here’s what’s going on in early July:
As July begins, Pluto, in retrograde motion, has just re-entered Sagittarius on its final journey through Sagittarius. We’re seeing its influence on the airline industry (travel is associated with Sagittarius), along with a resurgence of fears (Pluto) over differing religious beliefs (Sagittarius also rules religion and shared ideals and theologies). With Pluto in Sag throughout the rest of the year we are sure to see religion raise its head even more in this year’s US presidential election. Pluto in Sag has also had a great deal to do with xenophobia – the fear (Pluto) of other cultures (Sagittarius).
We are in a heavy retrograde period now, with four traditional planets plus Chiron all appearing to travel retrograde now. Retrograde periods force us to re-examine all that we do; we are constantly re-negotiating and re-vising our plans. Forget about two steps forward and one step back; we’re retracing our steps now so that we can perfect all that we do with clarity and intention.
Uranus has just turned retrograde and we saw the tendency of Uranus to create shocking reversals mirrored in the news in the fall of the stock markets on the last few days of June, and the new Supreme Court decision that legitimizes gun ownership by individuals. Mercury will be moving into position to square Uranus over the next few days, and information and communication (Mercury) will be subject to misunderstandings and disruption as Uranus seeks to break us out of our routines and create new neural pathways for information to travel through.
Chiron is exactly conjunct the North Node, as it will be for the next few months. The North Node of the Moon is a signpost rather than a planet; it marks the path of the moon along the path that we see the Sun travel each year. The North Node marks the portal of our evolutionary direction into the future; the South Node gives us an exit into the past. Chiron’s presence conjunct the North Node signifies the healing energy (Chiron) that is available now to bring us into our future (North Node) and release the bonds of the past (South Node). The Chironic healing process is not always easy; it requires that we enter fully into our emotions and mind – what Eckart Tolle calls “presence.” Once we are fully connected to ourselves internally, feeling completely whatever wound we have tried to avoid, we are able to release the past and move forward once and for all.
On July 1 Mars leaves the showier sign of Leo for the more subdued Virgo. Mars is our aggressive urge – our anger, our rage, our desire. In Virgo, all of these take the back seat to what is appropriate and orderly, both items of concern to Virgo.
The New Moon takes place on the evening of July 2, with not only the Sun and Moon in Cancer, but Venus as well. The triple shot of Cancer means the focus will be on the home and our loved ones – not just our family of origin, but the tribe we have chosen to affiliate with as well. New Moons are times of new beginnings, and this new beginning includes an opposition of Venus in Cancer to Jupiter in Capricorn. This is a marvelous time to invite friends (Venus) into our homes (Cancer) for social events (Jupiter) that share a common goal or purpose (Capricorn). Responsibility is also highlighted as Mars (drive, energy) approaches a conjunction to Saturn (discipline, hard work and goals).
Mercury forms an exact trine to the Chiron/North Node combination which brings our mental function and communication abilities to the table so that we can better communicate and express (Mercury) the healing process that we are going through either willingly or not. Mercury is in its own sign of Gemini where it is nimble and quick and can manifest in its Trickster aspect more easily than not. The Trickster knows how to manipulate matter in order to manifest ideas, and this is a fertile time for that sort of activity.
The square of Mercury to Uranus mentioned above perfects on July 5, and in tandem with the Chiron influence may create difficulty in our dealings with others and the processing of our own experience. This is not a good time to plan a court trial or a job interview! However, the influence of a trine to Neptune from Mercury is already felt, and when these two planets move into alignment on July 6 there is more harmony and more understanding (Mercury) on a purely intuitive (Neptune) level. Relationships with others become easier as well under a trine from Venus (relating to others) to Uranus (in fresh new ways).
Entire article here. If you’d like to sign up for a subscription to Skywatch which includes an abridged translation in regular English, visit my website!
posted July 3, 2008 at 4:44 am
posted July 3, 2008 at 6:55 am
Hi Kestrel – oppositions create a tension between two polarities, so the best way to work with them is to bring the two polarities together. So instead of ditching your job (Capricorn) to spend time with your loved ones (Cancer) or some other such expression of the opposition, incorporating the two energies helps to bring the poles into balance
posted July 3, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Lynn, what is up with Obama’s recent total capitulation?
First it was expanding Bush’s faith-based inititives and now he says he is open to not withdrawing troops from Iraq pending his trip there later this year.
Is there any Neptune (blackmail) transiting his chart right now or is he what everyone said he was–a complete chameleon?
Do you see another candidate emerging from the Democratic convention with the nomination?
Please say yes!!!
posted July 4, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I am so happy I found this beautiful and informative blog. I LOVE astrology and I will visit here more often. I hope that these changes will bode well for me. I am a Leo with Pisces rising and I desperately need to work. I am suffering financially and otherwise as a result. Thanks for this informative post
posted July 4, 2008 at 4:42 pm
To Roderick – The mark of any great leader is the ability to adapt, learn, expand and create a path for others to follow. The last thing I want in a leader is a “fixed” position on anything. Rather, I want to see flexibility to rapidly changing situations. Also, it’s important for his election he creates more room in the middle ground – otherwise we’ll have 4 more years of a right winged politician.
Personally, I don’t see anything “weak” in Obama’s positions. And he did not say “he is open to not withdrawing troops”. Read the transcript before you blather on about what you think you heard.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/d…dreyfuss/
334486
As far as his natal chart, Uranus currently opposes his Mars in the 7th, while Mercury moving out of its shadow is squaring it. This leads to possible “misinterpretation” or “misspeaks” in the communication realm, but also Uranian like shifts to clearer waters
posted July 5, 2008 at 8:18 am
Roderick, I’m going to write more about this turnaround, but the timing coincided with the Mars/Uranus opposition. I’m with you – I’m disgusted at this turnaround. He did finally post a response to his supporters about the FISA bill, and a certain amount of centrism is to be expected in the election.
Lots of people like Joseph seem to feel that Obama’s new positions are clear. Obama did post a long explanation of his new position on the FISA bill, and I agree that we do need leaders who consider every position carefully and unlike the stubborn president we have now, are willing to adjust their position. What we DON’T want is someone who says something just to get elected, and then turns out to be just like all the others. And there are some indications that Obama is turning in this direction.
Which I don’t really get, because he can win this election WITHOUT making those changes. Which then leads me to wonder if he isn’t being driven by the corporate government after all.
And David, welcome! And thank you for your kind words. It’s more important now than ever to maintain a clear vision of the life that we want to lead and remain positive, because there is a lot of negativity working in the background now
posted July 5, 2008 at 2:05 pm
>What we DON’T want is someone who says something just to get elected, and then turns out to be just like all the others.
Totally agree with this. Yet, in our current political reality many dynamics are at play which have tremendous impact on perception and popularity. Add the Internet wild-card to this mix (thanks to Uranus) and political reality/survival can seem like a fast paced video game.
I’m a huge fan of the show “The West Wing”. If it is anything close to current reality (many critics say it is), I can’t image why anyone would want to be President. Yet, of all the choices I’ve seen, Obama seems to possess the qualities necessary to be an effective leader – much like Tony Blair was (for a time) for Britain. His chart certainly has that dynamic. Will he rise to the occasion? Only time will tell.
Within the next year, Obama’s greatest challenges/growth may occur when Pluto once again creates the opposition to his Venus in Cancer (direct 1/15/09) , while creating a quincunx to his Mercury in Leo and Moon in Gemini. Add the semisextile to Jupiter in AQ and either a very transformative stage is set for redefining the Presidency and its impact on the Country, or dark months lie in front of him. I guess the choice ultimately is his. His first pass with this dynamic came into play during the Pastor controversy. Hopefully, Obama learned his lesson
posted July 7, 2008 at 4:28 am
Obama was strong until he had that secret meeting with Hillary on that Thursday night. The look on his face (through the car window) looked as though he had seen a ghost. After that very quiet family weekend, he emerged somehow neutralized, and Arianna Huffington spotted his shift first, now the New York Times Editorial writes of the changes.
What happened (astrologically) on that night to have altered his purpose? I believe Hillary did not concede, but kept her delegates. I am in Australia, so would appreciate any insights you might have on this situation