Molly's Astrology

Welcome to Summer. Mercury is retrograde, and so am I. Sorry for posting this forecast late.

Overview

The energy of Saturn trine Pluto is building, and reaches a peak when the aspect is exact in early August. As it builds in power through July, you can use this very positive energy to improve just about any situation. This is not a hedonistic, wish-fulfillment idea, but a removal of obstacles that stand in the way of true fulfillment. Sometimes removing a blockage is a painful process. But if you work with the energy creatively, you can set a course for a bright future.

Saturn represents tangible reality, the achievements that you build over time, and the work it takes you to get there. The trine combines this idea with Pluto�s powerful healing and renewal. Dark corners of the psyche can be reached more easily and negativity purged with minimal stress and tension. Pluto is sometimes called the “cosmic garbage truck,” because these times facilitate you clearing away clutter, such as excess stuff, bad relationships, or psychic garbage, to make room for more joy, lightness, and happiness in your life.

This transit is very good for business, especially banking and finance. According to Ebertin, Pluto Saturn combinations bring “the participation in achievements brought about by large groups or masses of people.”¹ This is rules, structures, boundaries, legislation, or establishment of something (Saturn) that has the potential to bring about evolution (Pluto) of our collective (Pluto) world-view (Sagittarius).

Mercury retrograde supports the inward nature of this process. Green lights come on for matters �in the world� when Mercury retrograde ends on July 9.

July 1-8

The end of Mercury retrograde just looks draggy. The weekend is a little more lively, July 7 and 8, with Venus trine Pluto to keep us interested in and attracted to deeper things. It’s a good weekend for lovers and artists. If you’re feeling really adventurous, why not paint your lover..? Pluto represents alchemy, lead into gold, a crummy situation into a positive one. It’s a good weekend for compromises and solutions.

July 9-14

Mercury retrograde ends Monday night, and not a moment too soon. The end of Mercury retrograde kind of feels like a slingshot. Pent up or backed up energy is released outwardly. So it’s a good week for getting things checked off of your to-do list. Monday and Tuesday are especially good for anyone involved with technology, broadcasting, reiki and other forms of energy work as the Sun in nurturing Cancer trines Uranus in intuitive Pisces. Uranus deals with awakenings and truth. But the trine probably won’t force the issue. You have to want to see things as they really are.

The rest of the week is quiet. There’s a New Moon on Saturday morning, making this week the dark phase of the Moon, a quiet time when we all need to clean house, sort through stuff, and recharge our batteries on some level. Friday and Saturday are especially good for giving up a bad habit or trying to break an addictive cycle.

The New Moon in Cancer— gentle but powerful. Cancer rules the tides, and anything that waxes and wanes in our lives. New Moons are great for setting wishes and intentions. Farmers use the New Moon, especially the fertile Cancer Moon, to plant seeds for above ground growth. The energy of the Moon increasing in light also brings fullness to the plants. We can plant seeds in our lives too, by focusing on the things we want to bring into our “above ground” lives (as opposed to the inward focus of the Full Moon).

July 16-20

The week of the 16th starts with the Leo Moon opposite droopy Neptune on Monday morning. But the fogginess doesn’t last, because the Lunar cycle is still young, and Mars is approaching a sextile aspect with Uranus— sure to bring out the provocateurs in people. In a good way, most of the time. Mars with Uranus is excitable and rapid-fire. If you’re like me, you might wish you had snuck a little decaf into the office coffee pot on Thursday and Friday.

July 21-24

The weekend looks mellow, yet you may find yourself and others somewhat lacking in focus as Mars approaches a square to Neptune. Mars wants action and wants it now, but Neptune calls upon us to pay attention to subtleties, and perhaps delay a decision. Clarity is hard to come by. Many people’s energy is low, unfocused, but we’re all more sensitive and touchy than usual as well. Monday, the day before the transit is exact, is when it’s strongest. (Mars tends to blow his wad early.) Easy does it on Tuesday. It’s a great time for quiet reflection, but not the time to try to persuade someone to see things your way.

July 25-29

You have probably heard the news by now: Venus retrograde will begin in a few short days, and will last until September 9. Venus is the energy of love, connections, values, and things of value.

Our perception of beauty and worth is skewed when Venus is retrograde. It�s a great time to shop for bargains if you know what you�re looking for. Something of value may be cloaked under a drab exterior. On the other hand, it’s a terrible time for “retail therapy,” emotional or impulse purchases.

All that glitters isn’t gold in relationships, either. Our perspective is distorted, and the love lights are refocused temporarily on our inner world, our self-worth and self love. It is a difficult time to be dating. A common error people make is mistaking the reality of your intensified feelings inside for the reality of the other person. If this happens, you may misjudge the situation and either fall for the wrong person, or toss aside the right one.

Make up your mind now that you’ll enjoy the lovey-dovey feelings, or explore the darkness that comes up, but do not let them make up your mind for you. This is a time to get straight internally; the external is secondary right now. This is temporary, and times will change. It’s difficult, letting go of the need to think we KNOW, that we NEED TO UNDERSTAND RIGHT NOW. Nuh-uh. We don’t, and oftentimes, we can’t.

Saturn is trine Pluto in late July. There has never been a better time to let go of some old, outdated idea of who you are and what your true worth is.

The Sun is in Leo now, so the Full Moon is in Aquarius, sign of uniqueness, invention, and individualistic yet group-oriented energy. Aquarius has two ruling planets— Saturn, planet of the conventional and established, and Uranus, sign of the iconoclastic and revolutionary. Interesting dichotomy. During and after the full Moon, Mars is square one of those ruling planets, Saturn. Careful with this one, folks. Mars is the accelerator pedal, and Saturn is the brakes. Good time to apply self discipline, but this energy does tend to frustrate people, and sometimes brings out intense reactions. Be careful in traffic— there will be aggressive drivers out there!

Mark your calendar!

Best days for your top priority plans are July 4, 8, 9, 19-21, 25, 26, 28.
Scale back on July 11, 23, 24, 29-31.

Adorable Cancer drawing by Hannah.

¹ Ebertin, Reinhold. The Combination of Stellar Influences.