New Moon, Sun and Jupiter in Leo: Auspicious time in the Garden

Purple Magesty                                                                                     Catherine Al-Meten

The closest I think I will ever come to being in the embrace of Leo the Lion is in being nuzzled by my big black and white tomcat, Frederico who woke me this morning at 3:00 to hold an early morning conference. He reminded me that we have to be aware of the fire energy within each of us, that stirs us in the night, spurs us on during the day, and meets us at dawn and dusk to get moving into and out of consciousness. When we sleep, our conscious mind closes down, and our the unconscious begins tapping at our door, through dreams and through the workings of the Universal Consciousness takes us into whatever places we need to be woken up.  Our consciousness is like a garden that is always in need of care, attention, and appreciation. To care for the garden, we need to enter it. To be open to what our Consciousness is signaling us, we need to be willing to be awake. What we do with what we learn, is what our life journey seems to be about.  What is knocking at the door of your consciousness at this time? What needs tending in the garden?

Everything we experience becomes part of who we are, and we continually process this through our senses, our intellect, our heart, emotions, and physical body, and within our spirit. At each new moon, we watch as the tides rise and fall, seasons come and go, and life progresses onward. Some are caught up with the limiting thought that aging is something to fear or dread. Rather with each New Moon we are reminded of how we are coming along on our journey as a spiritual being having a physical experience. We sometimes sense our limitations and fears, and allow those both to be excuses, rationale, or bars on the cage of our own making. Look to this New Moon in Leo as a time to reexamine your own views of life, its purpose and meaning, and whatever blocks your good. This New Moon in Leo is an auspicious time when you are once again invited to honor the life and gifts you have, release what needs releasing, and be open and receptive to your highest good. 

New Moon in Leo joins Jupiter in Leo to expand energy, infusing us with an abundance of creativity and passion. Jupiter also represents generosity of spirit that comes on the wings of grace. 

Sri Ramakrishna, C19 mystic, from a poor Brahman family in Bengal, India, taught,  “The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail to catch it.” One of his first teachers, an ascetic woman, Bhairavi Brahmani,  introduced him to Tantra, most beautifully described by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, as such. One who practices Tantric yoga is “A person who, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, aspires for spiritual expansion or does something concrete {toward that end}. Tantra in itself is neither a religion nor an "ism". Tantra is a fundamental spiritual science. So wherever there is any spiritual practice it should be taken for granted that it stands on the Tantric.” Ramakrishna would go on to found a spiritual path based on the principles of God as Mother of the Universe and all religions hold the seeds of truth. 

This month with the Sun in Leo, the New Moon in Leo shines its light on the sea of light, and we are on that sea of light. During Jupiter’s passage through Cancer, our hidden nature, emotional resources, and spiritual essence have been recharged, and now as Jupiter transits through Leo, we are infused with the passion, energy, and enthusiasm to create, discover, heal, and grow. Prepare to expand your awareness, fire up your curiosity, and join your energies with those who seek to know the Divine within as it connects to the Universal Soul. 

This is one of the best times possible to begin a new venture, set forth on a new journey, envision a new path, and raise our sails in readiness for the grace that flows through our lives at this time. This is one of the most fortuitous times of this year, and is an excellent time for allowing yourself to create, dream something into life, or initiate new projects and relationships, or stages of relationships. This is the time to let loose of fear and anything else that blocks you from your good. It is a time to embrace your gifts,  and to open yourself to receive blessings, inspiration, and guidance. Become accustomed to living in the question as you cast off old patterns and perspectives and take on a new purpose and lightness of being in living ever mindful in the present. Time to let go of expectations, emotional baggage, and negativity so that you can move in light and purpose, to love and serve others and fulfill your purpose. Time to remember the words of the beautiful song by John Talbot, “Be Not Afraid”: 

Be not afraid

I go before you always

Come follow Me

And I WILL give you rest.

New Moon at 3 degrees Leo is at the place in the Leo constellation that includes the Great Bear, Ursa Major. Sitting on the front paw, the star, Talitha, this New Moon represents the biblical story of Jesus being called to revive a dying girl. Jesus says to her, “Talitha arise.” This star, Talitha, represents healing through compassion―compassion and forgiveness of  one’s self and of others. We cannot forgive others, if we have not already forgiven ourselves, for it is through self understanding and forgiveness that our compassion and empathy deepens and grows. Part of the energy of healing and learning compassion is dealing with our own resistance to learning or coping with our woundedness. The shadow side of this New Moon is becoming over protective, defensive, and if pushed too hard, striking out and projecting our own fears out onto others.  Healing is a necessary component of what needs to happen for learning how to live in peace with ourselves and with others. When we are unconscious to our selves, we  walk around striking out, judging, and viewing others through the lens of our own wounds and fears. To be able to give and receive love, we need to be ceaselessly turning our lives over to the Divine to direct and guide us toward whatever is within us that needs healing.  

With the Moon in Leo square Jupiter in Cancer, we are further reminded how necessary it is that we face our fears, actively work to heal our wounds, and transform the way we are living, perceiving, and defining who we are and how we are meant to live and behave, and create. If we get too protective of ourselves, there is a danger of becoming tough or building up a shell to keep from perceived threats.  We need to buffer from some types of energy, however, when we are shielding ourselves from our own learning, we block our own good and growth.  We may find ourselves revisiting some old, unresolved issues, and finalizing some business, releasing certain energy, or changing our habits more mindfully as the Moon in Leo reactivates the Mars squares Jupiter (from April’s Grand Cardinal Cross).  We want to find balance between being protective and being overprotective. In order to move forward, we now have to be willing to release and stop acting out of old patterns of thought and behavior. When we have seen or felt  the truth of a situation for us, we cannot forget. 

Armed with the new understanding, we can either go on as before, but be living a lie based on an illusion, or we can equip ourselves for learning new lessons that will lead us forward. The struggle within us right now, is an essential one for our own spiritual growth and evolution. This is a period when you need to incubate new ideas before moving forward. This is the time of creation and incubation―a period when ideas, visions, and goals our forming within each of us. Look to the house/area of your life where the Leo Sun, the New Moon in Leo, and Jupiter in Leo are transiting, and that will indicate where the main focus of this New Moon is actively churning things up and infusing your with ideas, intuitive knowledge, energy, and visions.  Choose the life-affirming dreams, allow yourself to learn to more clearly discern what calls for your attention, and then allow yourself to sit in mindful presence of how you are being shaped, formed, and guided to the next stage of your life.

On this New Moon in Leo, with all the accompanying energy of the cosmos moving in harmony to help us lift ourselves and one another, onto a voyage of discovery, healing, creativity, and divinely inspired expressions of Love, Peace, and Truth. Whatever areas of our lives need healing, whatever desires, dreams, and intentions have merit and value, are now infused with the winds of grace to carry you forward.

New moons are always times of transition between what has passed and what lays ahead. At this time, a great spiritual awakening is possible for us to open our hearts and minds and spirits so that we may see how we are being called to use our gifts, talents, and lives. How have we come to serve others through our art, service, devotion, and care? We can come to understand this when we look to those places where we have been prepared. Where are the places where space has been created in our lives? 

Goethe describes the nature of grace as  filling “spaces that have been empty.” Where are the empty spaces―those places that have been cleared out, washed away, or devastated through loss of one type or another?  “Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. . . .Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying:  "You are accepted."

Sri Ramakrishna taught that, “The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail to catch it.”  At this auspicious New Moon in Leo,  we raise our sails with the faith that we will receive what we need when we need it. We will be given grace for today, and we will step out in trust that we have what we need to create a more compassionate, peaceful as we heed the words of the ancient prophets (Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Micah, Zachariah as they  continuously delivered the Word of God  as instructions to “beat [our] swords into plow shares, and [our] spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

While we might feel overwhelmed as we witness the cruelties, abuse, injustices, intolerance, and violence that we humans use against one another, we need to be reminded at this particular time, that we each have the seeds of peace within us. We have the power to love and live from a place of peace and compassion within.  Thoughts and words are energy, and both carrying powerful ideas wherever they are sent. Our thoughts work like water within us, either to quench a thirst or to erode our gifts and blessings. Thoughts and words  work their way into our individual  consciousness and physical being, as they also work their way into our collective consciousness. 

During these times  we live in, we find it difficult to see how we can have any effect on the harm being done to others. We find no answers to why humans perpetrate violence against one another.  This time is   when it is vital that we set our intentions to high ideals, as we send our thoughts, words, deeds to where they are needed, and send out intentions on sacred missions. Use your power, gather your strength, screw up your courage, and send out prayers and meditations that bless and heal those in need, that honor the sanctity of life, and that trust that good outweighs bad and love is stronger than fear. Do the healing you need to do within yourself, and use the energy of the Leo New Moon, and this lunar month of Leo energy, to fire up your desires, strengthen your commitment, and open up to receive the blessings and grace that comes to you daily, helping shine a light and lift you to be your strength wherever your journey leads you. 

Our lives are abundant with opportunities to grow in soul, mind, spirit, and heart. What we tend to in our lives, helps us on the journeys we take to meet life where it happens. How we equip ourselves for each part of our day, depends on what we are willing to pay attention to. Seek some time and find a quiet, still place where you can go within and listen. Where you can watch the world around you, and where you can find the connections you need to support you. Receive the gifts and graces that come your way, and show gratitude, practice forgiveness, and celebrate each moment as a gift the the Divine. 

While I wrote this, I watched as the starry night sky gave way to the first streams of dawn's light, and then to the vivid colors of the day, the birdsong, and the movement of life, awaking, renewing, and restarting. Embrace the life you have been given, and  live your gift of life in ceaseless thanksgiving.

“Give us grace for today; feed the famished affections.” Mary Baker Eddy (translation of the line “Give us today our daily bread” from the Our Father).

Pivotal Time: Saturn turns direct, Sun enters Leo, Mars enters Scorpio, New Moon in Leo--a big week ahead

Another big week ahead. We start the week off with the Moon in Libra conjuncting Saturn, about ready to station and turn direct in Libra today, July 20 (11:41 PDT/2:41 EDT). After major shifts last week, this week is full of more. The Sun changes signs, leaving Cancer and entering Leo, and the week ends with the New Moon in Leo on Saturday, July 26. This is sure to be an active, busy, and tumultuous week.

Saturn’s transit through Scorpio will make its annual turn into direct motion within hours of my writing this column. On Sunday, July 20 the Great Teacher, will go direct.  Through hard work, pressure, deep-seated awakenings, and the urge, indeed compulsion, to master those areas of life that are calling to be mastered.  Saturn is a serious sort, and Saturnian energy sits heavy on our shoulders and tugs at our heart strings. When Saturn turns direct, all that you have been building, envisioning, and shaping rises to higher levels of excellence through persistence, hard work, and strong focus. Look to the house where Saturn has been transiting to determine what area of your life receives the benefits of Saturn’s hand of mastery. Whatever area of your life and your chart Saturn aspects, will receive the extra push, challenge, or pressure.  Whatever part of your life Saturn affects, you will notice a need to put things right―create greater congruence and  live more authentically.

Saturn reached 23 degrees of Scorpio before it turned retrograde, and it has retreated back to 16 degrees. It will turn direct at 16 degrees and push forward.  While Saturn is in Scorpio, it makes challenging aspects to Taurus, Leo, and Aquarius.  Saturn’s transit through Saturn has been a helpful and productive time for those with water sign planets, and for those areas of your chart where water signs rule. Any planet between 16-23 degrees also is affected, and these degrees of Scoropio have been receiving the strongest energy as we move toward this pivotal time.  I’ve been feeling this pressure building up for the last few days. One of the best ways to handle the pressure is to take a two-pronged approach. Tackle the hard work at hand, one little piece at a time while getting proper rest, nutrition, exercise, and relief from stress and anxiety. Stop fighting yourself and the circumstances, expecting things to change that aren’t or won’t change. Instead, tackle what is at hand and take care of business. This is no time to sit and ponder how we can get out of doing something that needs to be done, finish something that is waiting to be finished, or getting started on a long project that has to be started in order for you to achieve your goals and fulfill your dreams. Stop rationalizing, putting off, or throwing yourself into other people’s ideas about who you should be or what you should be doing. You know what is right for you, and now is the time to stand in your own truth, live honorably and with complete authenticity, and move ahead with the life awaiting you. 

Give yourself a way to keep track of major changes, plans, decisions, or projects.  For example, I’m working on three major projects, and am keeping a log of all my projects. This enables me to set goals and objectives, outline deadlines and target dates, and to write down what I have completed, and what needs to be done. Use a calendar to outline goals, make your lists, or do whatever it is that helps you envision your plans and keep track of your progress. Whatever you are beginning now under Saturn’s forward motion, is major and requires that you enter into the process fully alert, well rested, focused, and nourished.  

As we feel the pressure building for Saturn’s pivotal moment when it turns direct on Monday, we may also want to be aware that the Moon in Libra is building up to a conjunction with Saturn on Monday as well. 

Saturn’s forward motion has the benefit of Jupiter’s movement into Leo. Jupiter just entered Leo, the dramatic, action-packed sign that showers whatever you are doing for the next year, with blessings, good fortune, expansion, and forward-moving energy. Jupiter moved from its transit in watery Cancer (focused on safety, security, focused on survival needs and creating a comfortable home) into fiery Leo. Jupiter bestows blessings, gifts, abundance, and expansion. Since Leo is all about acting out of desire, Jupiter may bring the feeling for some of us, of having too much energy, and not enough time, space, energy, resources to handle it. This period requires the ability to temper our actions, thoughts, and energy. It is also a time when it is vital to actively seek balance in body, mind, emotions, and spirit. 

Jupiter, in the early degrees of Leo, forms two special aspects this week, first with the Sun in the early degrees of Leo, and then with the New Moon in Leo on Saturday. This is an auspicious time for whatever it is we are setting into motion. Whatever we are setting out to receive energy and to be activated, now receives new growth, expansion, and improvement. 

Another beneficial aspect this week is the nearly exact trine between Saturn in 16 degrees of Scorpio and Chiron in 17 degrees of Pisces. The Great Teacher, Saturn, is in harmonious alignment to Chiron, the Wounded Healer―both in water signs where they have the greatest impact and influence on our spiritual, emotional, psychological, and energetic nature.  The major areas of learning in our lives right now are helping us discern those parts of our lives where we need healing.  Whatever seems most challenging will give you some hint as to where Saturn and Chiron are creating a healing balm through experiences, dreams, mental upset and confusion (significant signs pointing toward what is broken or wounded within us), not to mention demands, drives, and urges. Learning to discern what we need to pay attention to, what we may need to alter or eliminate, and how best to behave, adapt, or seek greater clarity, is essential now. Discernment is a process of continually seeking authenticity, Divine direction and insight, and changing our perceptions, actions, and attitudes in order to follow the path we are pursuing. 

The Sun changes signs on Tuesday, July 22, moving from Cancer to Leo. Time for more dramatic activities, and a time when we do everything with more flare and playfulness.  Everyone seems to want to be a star during Leo times, so just notice where your ego may be a bit overactive at times (vanity and selfishness can be the shadow sides of Leo).  Leo focuses on the individual, and on finding ways of expressing the self and showing one’s prowess. 

Mars is also changing signs this week, entering Scorpio from July 25 to September 13. Mars in Scorpio seeks to have its own way. Along with all the pressure of Saturn, the expansion and growth of Jupiter, Mars in Scorpio adds a hefty dose of perseverance, focus, and strength. We are less threatened by the hidden or unexplored elements of our nature and that of others, and more willing indeed fascinated by the exploration of the deeper issues and elements of our own psyches and the psyches of others. We can dig deeply, learn a great deal, and benefit from some powerful understandings  We have more tolerance for the darker or wounded areas of our being, and we learn from others how we influence, hurt, misunderstand, and judge others through our own wounds and weaknesses.  While there may be more crises in our lives at this time, we rise to the occasion, handling issues, conflicts, challenges, and problem areas with more forthcoming, vigor, and clarity.

Venus in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces on July 22-23. This may seem like a magical time, when serendipity and romance place before our feet, exactly what our hearts desire. We see the world and everyone in it through the lens of compassion, and we are kinder, more generous, and loving to ourselves and others. On July 27-28, Venus forms an opposition to Pluto in Capricorn―a stressful time when we may feel overwhelmed emotionally. Fear, insecurity, and the remnants of abuse may seep into our experiences. 

Monday. Uranus in Aries, stations and turns retrograde (7:53 PM PDT; 10:53 PM EDT). When in retrograde motion, Uranus become more Uranian.  In direct motion, Uranus sparks our intuition, and we can rely on a steady flow of inner knowledge, serendipitous events, and synchronistic occurrences. When Uranus is retrograde, the energy and intuitive knowledge builds up and bursts forth in creative and fantastic visions and ‘aha!’ moments. This adds to the movement of Mars and Saturn in Scorpio that are waking up the unconscious elements of our being. Our desire to know more, go deeper, and understand more fully increases by leaps and bounds. This is an excellent time to make progress on exploring our deeper selves, of allowing our imagination and intuition to guide us, and to spend time envisioning plans, solutions, creative, and artistic visions, dreams, and goals. 

While this can be a very fruitful and productive time, it can also raise some issues that you may want to address. When Uranus is retrograde, whatever areas of your life need altering, changing, healing, are all actively being processed internally. This may not make sense, and may lead to feelings building up which will seek release. We recognize how we have been working against our own good, or have been bucking the different systems that we find constraining and limiting. This struggle is more about what is going on within ourselves, than at other times. During this retrograde phase, notice how you are repressing your own needs and desires, and how you are projecting that on other people and situations that really have little power over you. Our need for freedom is heightened wherever Uranus transits, and this is where we can learn and discern what needs changing. This is not necessarily the best time to make sudden or drastic changes. When Uranus turns direct, whatever we have processed, learned, and discerned can unfold more smoothly. This transit is really about learning to ride with the energy of the time.  Learn to know when it is best to sit still, and when it is time to act. When too many things are blocking your progress, or when you have rationalized or procrastinated, look to that place within you that is resisting or responding to deeper intuitive understanding.  When things aren’t working out in some area, there is usually something signaling that the time is not right or the red flags are to warn you. Work with the flow of energy instead of against it. Look within for the questions, the information, the answers, and the advice, and then notice how the Divine guides, guards, and governs the life you are living. It is a matter of ebb and flow, give and take, push and pull.  Our lives are dynamic, and we have to be more fluid in how we flow between different stages of life, different types of energy, and in different types of energy.

Tuesday. At 11:47 PM PDT on Monday/2:47 AM EDT on Tuesday, Mercury opposes Pluto. The energy around all forms of communication is powerful, strong, and in need of an outlet. This stress aspect can lead us into obsessive thoughts, cause disruptive sleep and nightmares, and find us seeing conspiracies and deceit around every corner. Taking things too personally, or taking communication out of context, can lead to confusion, misunderstandings, and disruption. This aspect affects us more on an emotional level than in regard to activities. We make things worse than they are, we see things through the worst possible lens, and we create a storm of confusion within―-that is if we go into this aspect unaware. By noticing the extremes and unbalanced ideas that are cropping up, we can counter the excessive and obsessive thinking. 

In the early afternoon, the Sun enters Leo, shining some light into dark places. On Thursday, the Sun conjuncts Jupiter in the early afternoon (1:44 PM PDT 4:44  PM EDT), raising energy, confidence, and lifting our spirits. We feel more energetic and encouraged to act on what gives us life and fulfillment. A bit later, Mercury square Uranus heightens our senses, and stimulates our intuition, imagination, and intellect.  We lack patience for the routine and mundane tasks of daily life. We are stimulated by new ideas, and find ourselves needing a break and little more time to integrate new concepts, plans, and changes into projects that are already in process. A good time to put off making final decisions or presenting ideas as you may not be able to present your plans in a cohesive, unified manner. A couple of hours later, Mercury trines Saturn, and our ideas seem clearer and our communication skills are sharper. If you took the time to pause earlier in the day, you may find that you can get back to whatever plan, project, or conversation demands your attention. The timing and the clarity is much better with even a bit of a break. When we take a little extra time to process and rest, we are able to present our ideas from a sounder, firmer base.

The New Moon in Leo on Saturday.  I will write about the new moon later in the week.

Out from the depths, into the light

To Each His Own                                                                             Catherine Al-Meten

We begin the new week under the influence of the Capricorn Full Moon. The fullness, activity, and energy generated by this powerful full moon, may have left us feeling exhausted or exhilarated, depending on how we experienced movement and the general life processes over the last day or so. When shifts take place in any area of our lives, we do best when we acknowledge that we are part of a much larger and interconnected pattern of energy and purpose. Individually, we have the limitations of time, space, age, skills, talents, and intention, all that help us define who we are. Each life is independent of another, yet we form interdependent relationships and seem to running back and forth on the teeter totter of life trying to find a harmonious balance.  

In seeking balance, I much prefer the analogy of riding a surf board, for that seems more apt to what life is really like. The powerful force of the ocean, lifting and tossing one tiny being on a board, back and forth, up and down, high and low.  When you fall off the board, you have to let go and become one with the depths of the sea, and find a place which will carry you safely to shore. Our search for meaning in life, brings some of us to use astrology as a way to look for some guideposts. 

Using the guideposts is up to each of us, and discovering and finding meaning within oneself, is a singular act done in the company of family, friends, and a multitude of other. This next week or so, we enter a tunnel that lifts us from a deep place of inner awareness up into the light of consciousness where we get to try out our new surfboard, roller skates, or whatever form of transport suits your imagination.  However you choose to make changes, adapt to life, or dream up a new plan, you have all the gifts and tools you need. 

We might remember  that it is not so much what we have or what we do or what good fortune comes our way or not, but how we envision, dream, and view life that really shapes us. Gandhi once noted: “Man[We] often becomes what he[we] believes himself[ourselves] to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” 

Mercury enters Cancer, leaving behind the heady, frenetic energy of Gemini. We focus more on the quality of our experiences and expressions than we do the quantity. We narrow our focus to those areas, relationships, needs, and desires that we have identified as priorities in our lives. We deepen our understanding and expression of whatever we are involved with, and now experience life on a much deeper level. Whatever has become a priority for us, now takes on a higher quality of care, attention, and focus. We might have found ourselves caught up in a whirlwind of experiences, conversations, and contacts with Mercury in Gemini—much more social and interactive than we will be with Mercury in Cancer. 

With Mercury in Gemini what caught our attention, took our time and energy, and demanded our involvement, or forced us to make changes seems to have been in the area of ideas, new connections, or external and less personal. Where we may have been caught up in all kinds of new ideas and opportunities to expand our world, we now find our focus shifting to the more personal and immediate realm of our personal lives. 

Mercury in Cancer now takes us on a more personal journey, and involves us on a deeply emotional level of our own life experiences. We are deeply concerned and involved in our homes, our families and close friends, and with protecting, preserving, and nourishing ourselves and those with whom we are most closely connected. With Mercury in Cancer, we are more in tuned to our need for personal safety, security, comfort, nourishment, and balance within the daily context of our lives. 

Venus remains in Gemini for five more days, entering Cancer on Saturday, July 18. In its final days in Gemini, Venus continues to spark our curiosity and fill us with endless ideas and attractions. We find ourselves bemused by a wide array of interests, new ideas, and possibilities. It’s as if we are being woken up to deep-seated needs, but only on a superficial level. We notice what attracts our eye, heart, and head, however, our attentions has been flitting from one idea to another, one potential connection to the next, like a bee gathering honey. 

In the final few days of Venus’ transit through Gemini, notice what has been calling for your attention, rather more consistently than other things. Notice what has touched you on more than a superficial level, and prepare for Venus’ movement into Cancer where you can begin experiencing  your desires on a deeper and more meaningful level. Venus will be in Cancer, a water sign, until August 12, and all things romantic and love-related will find fertile ground for new growth. 

We find ourselves more deeply connected to those we love, and to our own sense of what is deeply moving, meaningful, and right for us. Love is a felt experience when Venus is in Cancer, and we live have the opportunity to do more than ponder its meaning or wonder if love will find us. We discover the deeply rooted nature of how we love and who we are truly connected with.  Love is not an intellectual exercise nor is it a psychological puzzle, when Venus transits Cancer. 

Love is who you are and how you relate, particularly in the area of your chart/life that is ruled by Cancer and those areas that form  important aspects with Venus.  With Neptune and Chiron continuing their transits in Pisces, and the Sun and Jupiter still in Cancer, the water signs (and the houses they rule) are being very strongly aspected. Deep healing and intuitive knowledge is brewing within your subconscious and unconsciousness.  In ways that your mind has not yet comprehended, you are evolving on deep levels where old patterns, past memories and influences, and new aspects of yourself are rising to into your awareness. Notice what is moving into your consciousness (through dreams, everyday experiences, insights and signs, and through connections and awakenings that you are now experiencing.  

When we can let go of trying to hold ourselves in a stable but stagnant pattern of thinking, behaving, or living, we have the opportunity to grow in ways where we are more open to creativity, insight, growth, and intuitive development. This is a verdant time for growth and deepening in our ability to both give and receive love.

Venus’ transit through Cancer is not just a light-hearted, airy, fairy, prance through the garden of love. It signals a time when we go deep into our hearts and souls to find connection and long-lasting, meaningful relationships—the kind that feed us body, mind, and soul.

Mars is in the final two weeks of its long transit through Libra. This transit has found Mars, the planet of action and energy, slowed down and traveling the murky waters of indecision and ambiguity. We waver back and forth between one idea and another, seemingly unable to find the full force of energy needed to complete or focus on any one choice or option. The problem with Mars in Libra is that it does not lessen our feelings or the energy behind our need for action, but it does sent that energy into a rather suppressed or closed in part of consciousness. What often happens when Mars’ energy is suppressed is we go into the shadow side and begin behaving in a passive-aggressive manner. In some ways, we have learned to soften our rough edges in order to make progress, win debates, or meet challenges. However, we may also have felt hampered, hedged in, or blocked from moving forward in some areas.  

Before July 25, use the remaining period of this transit to go over any details, relationship issues, plans, or options we still need to consider or reconsider. Much of the energy of Mars in Libra has been in the area of how we maintain a sense of personal autonomy while maintaining healthy relationships. This transit has been about  managing conflicting needs and desires, the struggle to maintain balance in our intimate relationships while finding ways  to grow and thrive as individuals. This process is not something that is ever ‘in balance’—rather balance is about getting used to and honoring the ride. The times we need to focus on whatever relationships we are in and the times when we need to honor our personal needs.

On Sunday, July 13 as I write this column, Venus in Gemini  and Mars in Libra form a beautiful trine. This lends itself to  playful, sweet, and flirtatious interactions. There may be playful banter or  exchange of a  sweet and pleasurable nature. This aspect signals sexual attraction and fertility.  It is also a great time for starting something new in the relationship area of your life.  What is attracting your eye? What is sparking your imagination? Who has touched your heart, and sent chills up and down your spine?  Notice what is waking up inside of you, and who or what may be moving into your sphere of life. 

Another big astrological event of this week is Jupiter’s entrance into Leo. Moving from the watery depths of Cancer where it has been for the last year, Jupiter now soars into the realm of fire.  The uplifting and fiery energy of Jupiter in Leo  At 3:30 AM PDT on July 16, Jupiter enters Leo. Wherever Leo transits, it shines its light on those areas of your life where you have new opportunities, and where you faith will feel bolstered with the confidence you need to make your dreams come true through that optimism.  Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. 

Wherever Jupiter shines in your chart, you find that blessings and benefits pour into your life.  Jupiter signals expansion—of consciousness, life experience, thought, and heart. Jupiter rules philosophy and higher thought, and reigns over expansion and abundance. Jupiter colors whatever is strongest in our ideas, ideals, and in all areas that color and influences our perceptions and perspective. 

The lens through which we view and relate to the world is strongly affected here. What we think and believe becomes what is expanded. The power of our thoughts, be they positive or negative, is the most powerful tool we hold, and Jupiter is a fire sign will unfold just how we will use the power of our consciousness. The shadow or unhealed side of Jupiter, is the tendency to exaggerate, distort, become over confident or remain naive to daily realities  and to the force and strength of the Unconscious.  Without a grounding in something stronger and greater than our individual limitations and boundaries, we become trapped in our own thinking, belief system, outworn or undeveloped patterns of behavior and living.  

Jupiter  calls upon each of us to pay attention to how we are presenting ourselves to the world. What message are we telling each time we speak? What story are we telling about who we are whenever we talk or present  ourselves to others? How are we perceived, and what message are we sending out. How do we honor ourselves and one another? We are also called upon to confront and rid ourselves of negative programs, thinking, habits, and perceptions. Jupiter recognizes Divine Abundance. There is more than enough for everyone, when we share and let the energy flow. When we hoard, hide ourselves, cover our beauty and goodness, or become misers with our resources, love, and goodness, we withhold our part of the natural flow of energy. We block our own good and goodness. 

Poverty thinking works on all levels of our being. It makes us misers of our energy, talents, gifts, resources, and love. Jupiter is entering a new area of our lives to wake us each up to the responsibility we have to treat ourselves and one another with more grace, with greater generosity, and with a deeper level of love.  We reflect on the outside of our appearance, what is going on within us.  When we recognize depression, lack of joy, or a depletion of love in another, we might want to look in the mirror to see if that is what is missing or in need of repair in ourselves. Sometimes when things are falling apart around us, we need to do an inventory of our inner strengths and gifts. We need to wash up, try out a new hair do, or add some color and sparkle to our appearance. When we are down in the dumps (get that image in your mind….imagine being down in the dump!), we know we need to climb out of that dark hole and clean things up. 

Sometimes just making some superficial changes, taking care of simple hygiene, tossing out some old ratty clothes, recycling those 10-year old  clogs (yes, I finally gave them away), and dressing up. Take some positive action to change your outlook, the way your are coming across (if that is out of line with what you really feel, believe, or want to express.  And as my Godmother Dorothy would say, “Act as if….”  Using 'act' to mean 'behave' not 'to pretend', behave according to what you feel and believe. For example, if I believe you are worthy of being happy, act as if you were happy. How do you do this? Think of one action that makes you happy, and then do it. Then do one more. 

Act as if you felt better than you do. For example, think of a time when you were ill or very depressed. One of the first signs that you are improving is when you finally get out of your smelly PJ's and take a shower or brush your hair and get dressed in some clean clothes. Simple acts, but acts that indicate we are taking care of ourselves. For those who say that appearances do not matter, I say that’s nonsense. Your appearance may not matter to you, and you can wear the oldest, rattiest shirt or dress in your closet, but that act sends a message that you do not care to take care of yourself. It says you don’t consider yourself worthy of looking and feeling good. 

And when we habitually complain that we ‘can’t do or be or have’ something, we announce to the world, to ourselves, and to the general energy of the Universe, that message.  Change happens in our thinking, in our behavior, and in our relationship to the world when we alter the way we operate on each level. Sometimes the change comes from within and is reflected outward. Think of those times someone complements you on the energy you project or how happy you look. It shines from the inside out. Other times, the struggle within, reflects outwardly as a downcast or a slovenly or lackluster , or as  whiny, negativity.  How to change this? 

Act as if you had all the resources you need. Act as if you were glad to be alive. Act as if you were capable of being loved and loving with all your heart.  Try some reprogramming of the old tapes that are dragging you down or are no longer appropriate for who you are and what you want to express, experience, and extend into the world. Look to the house where Jupiter is transiting for the next year, and start making some declarations. Declare yourself free from what no longer feeds, nourishes, heals, inspires, or serves you. Declare yourself independent of limitations, limiting thought and behavior, and then start acting as if it were true. 

In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the Hamlet, calls Denmark a prison. He uses the metaphor of a prison to describe feeling trapped and confined under the pressure and spying of the King of Denmark and his spies. Hamlet aptly describes how we can create a prison for ourselves through our thoughts and words. In speaking of his plight to one of his two friends from university, Hamlet says:

Hamlet:

A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and

dungeons, Denmark being one o' the' worst.

Rosencrantz:

We think not so, my lord.

Hamlet:

Why then 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or

bad, but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison.

Hamlet Act 2, scene 2, 239–251

As Jupiter enters Leo this week, we are fresh off a year of deep-seated focus on what it is that makes us fee free and what it is that enslaves us. In Leo, Jupiter will act upon us to loosen the chains of false belief, negative thinking, poor sense of self worth, and other limiting thinking. We will have many opportunities to put thought into action, action into thought, and move more mindfully and consciously away from whatever prisons we have created to dull our senses, tie up our energy and resources, and block and challenge our delight in living. It is a year to grow in ways that allow you to honor your gifts, take care of yourself, and use your time, energy and resources to express your best and highest self in whatever you do. 

It takes Jupiter 12 years to cycle through all the houses in your chart. Think about what was going on 12 years ago, and you may have some indication of where and how Jupiter may show up this next year. Jupiter in Cancer has been focusing attention on safety, security, keeping the home fires burning, and maintaining a sense of comfort with home and family. Jupiter is the ruler of the 5th house (though it probably isn’t in your 5th house). Its realm is love, pleasure, children, creativity, and all forms of enjoyment. Jupiter enhances our sense of enjoyment and we may find ourselves being more social than usual. What Jupiter is really lighting up is our sense of enjoying life and the people in our lives. We may feel a more overwhelming sense of relaxation. We may feel more positive and optimistic. This is a highly fertile time—babies, ideas, imagination. Jupiter, ruled by Sagittarius, is at home in fire. It is an excellent time for anyone working in the performing arts, or wanting to enhance and expand their image in the public eye. Jupiter is the sign of royalty, and attracts influential, charismatic, and highly supportive people/influences. Be aware that this sign also attracts a lot of attention to whatever area of your life it is transiting. Jupiter’s presence in Leo will help anyone whose Sun or Ascendant is in Leo. This transit will soften the effects of Saturn in Cancer’s square to the Leo Sun.   

The energy of the Sun in Cancer since the Summer Solstice, has taken us into the deeper realms of our unconsciousness and our emotions. For the next two weeks, beginning with Mercury’s entry into Leo, we enter a two-week period that is like a tunnel of energy, puling us out of the depths of inner turmoil, retrospection, retreat, and discernment, into the light of Leo’s energy. The last two weeks of July will be lighter,and may leave us feeling more uplifted and happy than we have been. We feel as if a great burden has been lifted off our shoulder, While we may wonder what, if anything we have accomplished, the real growth, learning, regeneration, and awakening has taken place within over the last year or so. 

With all the larger planets transiting the water signs, we have had a heavy dose of soul searching going on, and much of what has been growing and developing is beneath our conscious understanding.  For those who have to figure everything out, take a break. Relax, let go. If your back or hop or neck are signaling that you have overdone it, get some rest and take time to heal. Allow joy, pleasure, and the sheer enjoyment of taking the next breath and enjoying life served on the plate before you to be your guiding light for now. 

Jupiter’s time in Cancer, intensified he Uranus-Pluto square, forcing us to face situations and complex needs, and in many cases, forcing us to make changes we may have resisted mightily.  We have turned the corner, and now have a period of rebuilding ahead of us. We have probably been more connected to our emotions, and in many cases, able to express emotions that may have been deeply buried or that signal significant and vital truth about who we are and what is true for us. Jupiter’s time in Cancer has strengthened our spiritual understanding and has given us some new tools for weathering crises.

Also later in the week, Saturn in Scorpio, which has been retrograde since March 2, stations to turn direct on Sunday, July 20. Birth, death, sexuality, transformation, joint finances and inheritance, and public reputation are all issues related to Scorpio. And the energy in water, is active and alive within the deep levels of the consciousness. Since March, in its retrograde phase, Saturn, the Great Teacher, has highlighted the areas that need to be awakened within to deal with and confront the issues facing us that keep us from positive transformation. We have been revisiting areas that needed further uprooting and focus, and now we move forward with a clearer sense of what is needing to be changed and transformed. And, because this is unconscious material, it is outside our complete control, and depend upon our ability  to trust our intuitive knowledge, to rely on Divine Guidance, and to get out of our heads and let loose the reins of control. 

Jumping ahead a bit, next Monday, July 21, Uranus goes into its retrograde phase. Uranus has been in Aries since March, 2011. It will be in its annual retrograde cycle from that point until December 21, the Winter Solstice. Going back over, bringing up the past, redefining and shocking us into awakening to our true nature, Uranus’s retrograde cycle takes us journey of self definition. This is a period of inequity crisis (individually and collectively). This seems to be one more of those cycles calling us to reexamine old beliefs, values, systems, and choices. It is a period for shedding old skins, rethinking and reforming plans, and of digging more deeply into who we are meant to be and how we are living in accordance with our soul call. 

This should be an interesting week, and we should notice a definite change of energy.  Notice how you feel physically emotionally, mentally, and be that quiet observer watching to see how the way you live, the story you tell yourself and others, and the what you truly desire are in harmony or discord. Enjoy the period of releasing and letting go. Joy in life’s simple pleasures, and find ways to express your love and  gratitude to others. Take care of yourself. Get rid of the ratty old stuff blocking energy in your closet and life, and make space for something new, fresh, and loving to come in. 

Full Moon Rising in Capricorn, Midsummer Reflections

Where the week begins: 

Sun is at 14/29' 9” Cancer

Moon 27/ 43’29" Libra

Mercury 25/ 26’57" Gemini

Venus 15/38’44"  Gemini

Mars 20/41’17" Libra

Jupiter 27/50’10" Cancer

Saturn 16/48’23”r Scorpio

Uranus 16/24’42” Aries

Neptune 7/24’27”r Pisces

Pluto 12/14' 0”r Capricorn

TrueNode 24/50’ 8”r Libra

Chiron 17/38’27”r  Pisces

Full Moon in Capricorn reaches her fullness at  7:25 AM EDT/4:25 AM PDT on Saturday, July 12, 2014.  A week leading up to the midpoint of summer when we look back and forward, and get our bearings for moving forward. What are you celebrating? What is awaiting completion or conclusion? What is waiting to be started or born?  What feeds your soul, and what have you done to honor those needs? This Full Moon in Capricorn, helps us discern where we are and what we are receiving as blessings and signs in our lives right now. The past is always present, and the future is within the thoughts, intentions, and desires we hold. How are we honoring, shaping, nourishing, and caring for our soul call?

This Full Moon time helps us see and feel more clearly, what our hearts are trying to show us.

Full Moon in Capricorn in opposition to the Sun in Cancer at 20/3 degrees.  Affects those with aspects between 16-24 degrees in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). The Cardinal signs rule four areas of our life, so look to see what aspects of your life are being affected. They should be quite familiar to you as these are the sings where much has been going on for the last few years.  due to the Uranus transit of Aries, the Pluto transit of Capricorn, Jupiter’s transit of Cancer, and Mars’ transit of Libra. 

The Sun in Cancer shines light on the areas of our life where we are protective of our inner home (being at peace with ourselves), our home and family, and whatever it is that makes us feel at home with who we are and where we are. The Moon in Capricorn shines its light on our public reputation, our ideas and dreams of career and life purpose, and of how we and others hold us accountable for our behavior.  The polarity between Cancer and Capricorn calls us to seek greater harmony between the two extremes of life. 

One of the key influences of this Full Moon in Capricorn is its square to Mars in Libra.  his placement of Mars in the third decan to Libra activates  emotional responses, passions, and intense feelings and moods bringing things to a crisis point. Emotional energy that has been building up, reaches the point where it needs to be released. We seek protection and safety for ourselves and our families, and guard ourselves from getting pulled into emotional and violent encounters.

The Full Moon in Capricorn finds us in touch with our survival needs, and the needs we have to take care of our families and ourselves. We may find that we are working harder than ever, and putting a great deal of energy into fulfilling our goals and living out our dreams. It is vital that the dreams we are following and the purpose we are seeking is authentic for us, and not simply linked to some ancestral or karmic theme that runs through our families.  To get off the Dharma Wheel or evolve in the process of individuation, we need to follow our hearts, listen to our soul calling, and blaze a path that is in alignment with who we really are, not what others expect us to be. We understand this calling by listening to what it is that speaks to our heart regardless of how much time or how many obstacles have been put in our path.  If we want to evolve, we need to face our fears, and move toward living in greater congruence with Life and our connection to the Source, the Divine, and our special life purpose and path.

Living out our dreams, following our path, or discovering our calling comes in the ordinary. Dreams, visions, out of body projections or fantasies may inspire or help create a vision for your purpose; however, only stepping out into your Truth, in the daily act of living, working, caring, sharing, and walking in full awareness right where you are, can connect you to purpose, meaning, and creativity. Talking about art is not creating art. Writing about love, is not loving. Thinking about prayer or meditation, is neither praying nor meditating. Put yourself into your passions. Connect to the Breath of the Divine that unites and ties us and our past, into what needs to be healed, resolved, and nurtured now. Use your experiences, your gifts, your heritage, and your dreams to move into new spaces that allow you to feel the wholeness of your being. We do not leave anything behind, but we do need to use the lessons of the past to feed the needs of the present. 

This Full Moon in Capricorn is lighting up the areas of your life where you have been transforming for the past few years as Pluto has been in transit in this area of your life. Pluto is now in retrograde motion, and that means it is bringing back issues yet to be resolved in you, from the past. With Pluto, the transformation is about you. We often tend to change our lives by changing exteriors―relationships, jobs, houses, places. What needs changing is within. Be courageous now, and face what is at the heart of what needs changing. One thing after another has been rooted out, turned over, brought up to the surface, as if a giant rototiller has been working its way through this area of your life, affecting all other areas and all your external relationships and perceptions.  Nothing is as it was. Do you recall when you first realized the power of knowledge? Do you remember that time when you first understood that once you know something, you can never ‘not know it’ ?  This is one of those times, and to assure that you are seeing clearly and acting with harmony as your goal, this will be made abundantly clear in light of this Full Moon in Capricorn.  We feel a strong connection to those who we feel powerful ties. Some of those ties help us remember who we are; others remind us that we need to break dangerous, unhealthy, and abusive connections that do not serve us well.

The Full Moon in Capricorn also transits the North Node in Libra, so we may understand how a new door is opening for us, the door of perceptions that clears the path for our growth, our healing, and reveals a new way of living our lives that requires we stand in Truth. When we are dealing with intergenerational trauma, stress, abuse, and patterns of thinking and behavior, we have the opportunity, through our lives, choices, and the example we set, to break negative, dysfunctional, distorted, abusive, and destructive patterns. When we fail to see how the ties that bind us are part of a negative repetitive patterns, we tend to fall into the traps of the past. Our purpose here and now is to recognize what is healthy, loving, kind, and true for us, and to follow that path. We can only heal the future when we heal ourselves in this present time. 

July is a month that may feel freer and less heavy than recent months. No inner planets are retrograde, and there will be no grand cross aspects this month. This midsummer time is when we have left the challenging and difficult aspects of the first part of the year behind us. We now can begin to see and understand what has happened, and what our hard work, effort, and struggles have led us to. We may feel more appreciative, and we may be much busier than we have been lately, as energy is flowing into our projects, movement is happening in many areas of life, and we are reaping the rewards of our hard work and efforts. During the period of the full moon, we may feel a deep inner confidence, having done some good work. 

Venus in Gemini represents the energy that allows communication and ideas to flow creatively, freely, and with clarity and precision. Literature is favored during this time, and being that it’s summer, you may find yourself reading, writing, and exploring new areas of poetry, literature, or thought.  Venus sextile Uranus in Aries from July 6-8, forms a yod with waxing Moon, and highlights some area of our live where we are ready to experiment, takes some risks, or explore more deeply.  On July 7, Venus in Gemini forms a quincunx to Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Scorpio.  Our desires and need to take risks may be tempered by our need to suppress our emotions somewhat. We may feel hesitant to risk rejection by expressing our affections or emotions more fully. From where does your fear arise? Are you locked into some kind of pattern, or trapped in some unhealed experience from the past?  Just notice what is going on, and find healthy, safe ways of expressing your emotions and healing from what has wounded or hurt you.   Also happening to affect our emotional and spiritual health is Venus’ square to Chiron, the Wounded Healer, in Pisces on July 7. This aspect may add to the feeling that we need to protect ourselves, and lick our wounds a bit more before we invest ourselves in relationships. Notice places where you feel vulnerable, and honor your protective instincts. This is a learning time.

On July 7/8 (9:23 PM PDT/12:23 AM EDT), the Sun in Cancer squares Uranus in Aries.  Expect the unexpected. Just when we think we have to take some action, get things under control, or figure something out, something comes from out of the blue, or plans are upset, schedules changed, or things fall through.  If you want to be in control, you might find your plans thwarted. When the sun squares Uranus, we could see how the change shines light on an old issue, or removes an obstacle, or presents a lesson that we can use.  The surprise may come within, or it may affect the external world. 

Later in the day, the Sun in Cancer trines Saturn in Scorpio, and we feel more at peace. The Cancer Sun puts us in touch with what we need for our own protection, safety, nourishment, healing, and sense of feeling at home, and Saturn awakens us to our inner needs, resources, and passions, and brings us into complete harmony, where even the most mundane tasks become harmonious places of peace helping us feel grounded and centered. 

Venus parallels the Sun on July 10-11, and that brings much greater harmony to us as we feel the energy of the Full Moon rising up within and around us. On July 12-13, in the light of the Full Moon in Capricorn, Venus trines Mars, softening and soothing us, and making us feel more romantically inclined, creative and self confident, and fertile.  

On Thursday, at 3:01 AM PDT/6:01 AM EDT, volatile Mars in Libra forms a seisquiquadrate to Neptune in Pisces. Dreams may be nightmarish in nature. The aggressiveness of Mars muted somewhat in Libra, still riles us up and causes some disruption or distortion in how we are sensing, intuiting, and thinking about details, issues, or other areas of concern. We may feel a little confused, upset, or uncomfortable about our plans or our capacity to handle things. Note that Neptune in Pisces create some distorted ideas about what is needed, possible or preferable.  Channel your energy into something more relaxing. Get up and take a walk, or do something to burn off energy, until you feel calmer and more centered.  When we find ourselves affected by energy that is disturbing or disruptive, we can use our spiritual practices and personal habits to work out of the traps that stuck, volatile, or negative energy can cause.  You are more powerful than a thought or feeling, and you have the capacity to deal with emotional upsets and negativity in ways that are healthy and strengthening. 

This week, as the moon waxes to fullness, we are assessing, discerning, and considering our lives, the paths we have chosen, the decisions we have made, and the needs and desires that have yet to be fulfilled or clarified. We are focused on survival―survival of our soul’s call and life purpose. At this turning point time of the year, we ask ourselves the questions that determine our direction from here on.  What feeds my soul? How is my life, as I have chosen it, feeding my soul, helping me fulfill my dreams? Am I open and receptive to the gifts that my life experiences, my relationships, my work, and my goals are offering me? Use the time, energy, resources, gifts, and support you have to be at peace with yourself, and to express gratitude for all you are and all you have been gifted with.  Find yourself in that Divine connection with the Source, and be receptive to signs, directions, messages, and indicators that are meant to increase our sense of connection to the Divine One, and to all that is. Feel yourself at home in the Universe, right where you are, and honor your gifts, your family, your friends, and your place in the Divine Plan.

Where the week begins: 

Sun is at 14/29' 9” Cancer

Moon 27/ 43’29" Libra

Mercury 25/ 26’57" Gemini

Venus 15/38’44"  Gemini

Mars 20/41’17" Libra

Jupiter 27/50’10" Cancer

Saturn 16/48’23”r Scorpio

Uranus 16/24’42” Aries

Neptune 7/24’27”r Pisces

Pluto 12/14' 0”r Capricorn

TrueNode 24/50’ 8”r Libra

Chiron 17/38’27”r  Pisces

Full Moon 7:25 AM EDT/4:25 AM PDT

Full Moon in Capricorn in opposition to the Sun in Cancer at 20/3 degrees.  Affects those with aspects between 16-24 degrees in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). The Cardinal signs rule four areas of our life, so look to see what aspects of your life are being affected. They should be quite familiar to you as these are the sings where much has been going on for the last few years.  due to the Uranus transit of Aries, the Pluto transit of Capricorn, Jupiter’s transit of Cancer, and Mars’ transit of Libra. 

The Sun in Cancer shines light on the areas of our life where we are protective of our inner home (being at peace with ourselves), our home and family, and whatever it is that makes us feel at home with who we are and where we are. The Moon in Capricorn shines its light on our public reputation, our ideas and dreams of career and life purpose, and of how we and others hold us accountable for our behavior.  The polarity between Cancer and Capricorn calls us to seek greater harmony between the two extremes of life. 

One of the key influences of this Full Moon in Capricorn is its square to Mars in Libra.  his placement of Mars in the third decan to Libra activates  emotional responses, passions, and intense feelings and moods bringing things to a crisis point. Emotional energy that has been building up, reaches the point where it needs to be released. We seek protection and safety for ourselves and our families, and guard ourselves from getting pulled into emotional and violent encounters.

The Full Moon in Capricorn finds us in touch with our survival needs, and the needs we have to take care of our families and ourselves. We may find that we are working harder than ever, and putting a great deal of energy into fulfilling our goals and living out our dreams. It is vital that the dreams we are following and the purpose we are seeking is authentic for us, and not simply linked to some ancestral or karmic theme that runs through our families.  To get off the Dharma Wheel or evolve in the process of individuation, we need to follow our hearts, listen to our soul calling, and blaze a path that is in alignment with who we really are, not what others expect us to be. We understand this calling by listening to what it is that speaks to our heart regardless of how much time or how many obstacles have been put in our path.  If we want to evolve, we need to face our fears, and move toward living in greater congruence with Life and our connection to the Source, the Divine, and our special life purpose and path.

Living out our dreams, following our path, or discovering our calling comes in the ordinary. Dreams, visions, out of body projections or fantasies may inspire or help create a vision for your purpose; however, only stepping out into your Truth, in the daily act of living, working, caring, sharing, and walking in full awareness right where you are, can connect you to purpose, meaning, and creativity. Talking about art is not creating art. Writing about love, is not loving. Thinking about prayer or meditation, is neither praying nor meditating. Put yourself into your passions. Connect to the Breath of the Divine that unites and ties us and our past, into what needs to be healed, resolved, and nurtured now. Use your experiences, your gifts, your heritage, and your dreams to move into new spaces that allow you to feel the wholeness of your being. We do not leave anything behind, but we do need to use the lessons of the past to feed the needs of the present. 

This Full Moon in Capricorn is lighting up the areas of your life where you have been transforming for the past few years as Pluto has been in transit in this area of your life. Pluto is now in retrograde motion, and that means it is bringing back issues yet to be resolved in you, from the past. With Pluto, the transformation is about you. We often tend to change our lives by changing exteriors―relationships, jobs, houses, places. What needs changing is within. Be courageous now, and face what is at the heart of what needs changing. One thing after another has been rooted out, turned over, brought up to the surface, as if a giant rototiller has been working its way through this area of your life, affecting all other areas and all your external relationships and perceptions.  Nothing is as it was. Do you recall when you first realized the power of knowledge? Do you remember that time when you first understood that once you know something, you can never ‘not know it’ ?  This is one of those times, and to assure that you are seeing clearly and acting with harmony as your goal, this will be made abundantly clear in light of this Full Moon in Capricorn.  We feel a strong connection to those who we feel powerful ties. Some of those ties help us remember who we are; others remind us that we need to break dangerous, unhealthy, and abusive connections that do not serve us well.

The Full Moon in Capricorn also transits the North Node in Libra, so we may understand how a new door is opening for us, the door of perceptions that clears the path for our growth, our healing, and reveals a new way of living our lives that requires we stand in Truth. When we are dealing with intergenerational trauma, stress, abuse, and patterns of thinking and behavior, we have the opportunity, through our lives, choices, and the example we set, to break negative, dysfunctional, distorted, abusive, and destructive patterns. When we fail to see how the ties that bind us are part of a negative repetitive patterns, we tend to fall into the traps of the past. Our purpose here and now is to recognize what is healthy, loving, kind, and true for us, and to follow that path. We can only heal the future when we heal ourselves in this present time. 

July is a month that may feel freer and less heavy than recent months. No inner planets are retrograde, and there will be no grand cross aspects this month. This midsummer time is when we have left the challenging and difficult aspects of the first part of the year behind us. We now can begin to see and understand what has happened, and what our hard work, effort, and struggles have led us to. We may feel more appreciative, and we may be much busier than we have been lately, as energy is flowing into our projects, movement is happening in many areas of life, and we are reaping the rewards of our hard work and efforts. During the period of the full moon, we may feel a deep inner confidence, having done some good work. 

Venus in Gemini represents the energy that allows communication and ideas to flow creatively, freely, and with clarity and precision. Literature is favored during this time, and being that it’s summer, you may find yourself reading, writing, and exploring new areas of poetry, literature, or thought.  Venus sextile Uranus in Aries from July 6-8, forms a yod with waxing Moon, and highlights some area of our live where we are ready to experiment, takes some risks, or explore more deeply.  On July 7, Venus in Gemini forms a quincunx to Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Scorpio.  Our desires and need to take risks may be tempered by our need to suppress our emotions somewhat. We may feel hesitant to risk rejection by expressing our affections or emotions more fully. From where does your fear arise? Are you locked into some kind of pattern, or trapped in some unhealed experience from the past?  Just notice what is going on, and find healthy, safe ways of expressing your emotions and healing from what has wounded or hurt you.   Also happening to affect our emotional and spiritual health is Venus’ square to Chiron, the Wounded Healer, in Pisces on July 7. This aspect may add to the feeling that we need to protect ourselves, and lick our wounds a bit more before we invest ourselves in relationships. Notice places where you feel vulnerable, and honor your protective instincts. This is a learning time.

On July 7/8 (9:23 PM PDT/12:23 AM EDT), the Sun in Cancer squares Uranus in Aries.  Expect the unexpected. Just when we think we have to take some action, get things under control, or figure something out, something comes from out of the blue, or plans are upset, schedules changed, or things fall through.  If you want to be in control, you might find your plans thwarted. When the sun squares Uranus, we could see how the change shines light on an old issue, or removes an obstacle, or presents a lesson that we can use.  The surprise may come within, or it may affect the external world. 

Later in the day, the Sun in Cancer trines Saturn in Scorpio, and we feel more at peace. The Cancer Sun puts us in touch with what we need for our own protection, safety, nourishment, healing, and sense of feeling at home, and Saturn awakens us to our inner needs, resources, and passions, and brings us into complete harmony, where even the most mundane tasks become harmonious places of peace helping us feel grounded and centered. 

Venus parallels the Sun on July 10-11, and that brings much greater harmony to us as we feel the energy of the Full Moon rising up within and around us. On July 12-13, in the light of the Full Moon in Capricorn, Venus trines Mars, softening and soothing us, and making us feel more romantically inclined, creative and self confident, and fertile.  

On Thursday, at 3:01 AM PDT/6:01 AM EDT, volatile Mars in Libra forms a seisquiquadrate to Neptune in Pisces. Dreams may be nightmarish in nature. The aggressiveness of Mars muted somewhat in Libra, still riles us up and causes some disruption or distortion in how we are sensing, intuiting, and thinking about details, issues, or other areas of concern. We may feel a little confused, upset, or uncomfortable about our plans or our capacity to handle things. Note that Neptune in Pisces create some distorted ideas about what is needed, possible or preferable.  Channel your energy into something more relaxing. Get up and take a walk, or do something to burn off energy, until you feel calmer and more centered.  When we find ourselves affected by energy that is disturbing or disruptive, we can use our spiritual practices and personal habits to work out of the traps that stuck, volatile, or negative energy can cause.  You are more powerful than a thought or feeling, and you have the capacity to deal with emotional upsets and negativity in ways that are healthy and strengthening. 

This week, as the moon waxes to fullness, we are assessing, discerning, and considering our lives, the paths we have chosen, the decisions we have made, and the needs and desires that have yet to be fulfilled or clarified. We are focused on survival―survival of our soul’s call and life purpose. At this turning point time of the year, we ask ourselves the questions that determine our direction from here on.  What feeds my soul? How is my life, as I have chosen it, feeding my soul, helping me fulfill my dreams? Am I open and receptive to the gifts that my life experiences, my relationships, my work, and my goals are offering me? Use the time, energy, resources, gifts, and support you have to be at peace with yourself, and to express gratitude for all you are and all you have been gifted with.  Find yourself in that Divine connection with the Source, and be receptive to signs, directions, messages, and indicators that are meant to increase our sense of connection to the Divine One, and to all that is. Feel yourself at home in the Universe, right where you are, and honor your gifts, your family, your friends, and your place in the Divine Plan.

Where the week begins: 

Sun is at 14/29' 9” Cancer

Moon 27/ 43’29" Libra

Mercury 25/ 26’57" Gemini

Venus 15/38’44"  Gemini

Mars 20/41’17" Libra

Jupiter 27/50’10" Cancer

Saturn 16/48’23”r Scorpio

Uranus 16/24’42” Aries

Neptune 7/24’27”r Pisces

Pluto 12/14' 0”r Capricorn

TrueNode 24/50’ 8”r Libra

Chiron 17/38’27”r  Pisces

Full Moon 7:25 AM EDT/4:25 AM PDT

Full Moon in Capricorn in opposition to the Sun in Cancer at 20/3 degrees.  Affects those with aspects between 16-24 degrees in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). The Cardinal signs rule four areas of our life, so look to see what aspects of your life are being affected. They should be quite familiar to you as these are the sings where much has been going on for the last few years.  due to the Uranus transit of Aries, the Pluto transit of Capricorn, Jupiter’s transit of Cancer, and Mars’ transit of Libra. 

The Sun in Cancer shines light on the areas of our life where we are protective of our inner home (being at peace with ourselves), our home and family, and whatever it is that makes us feel at home with who we are and where we are. The Moon in Capricorn shines its light on our public reputation, our ideas and dreams of career and life purpose, and of how we and others hold us accountable for our behavior.  The polarity between Cancer and Capricorn calls us to seek greater harmony between the two extremes of life. 

One of the key influences of this Full Moon in Capricorn is its square to Mars in Libra.  his placement of Mars in the third decan to Libra activates  emotional responses, passions, and intense feelings and moods bringing things to a crisis point. Emotional energy that has been building up, reaches the point where it needs to be released. We seek protection and safety for ourselves and our families, and guard ourselves from getting pulled into emotional and violent encounters.

The Full Moon in Capricorn finds us in touch with our survival needs, and the needs we have to take care of our families and ourselves. We may find that we are working harder than ever, and putting a great deal of energy into fulfilling our goals and living out our dreams. It is vital that the dreams we are following and the purpose we are seeking is authentic for us, and not simply linked to some ancestral or karmic theme that runs through our families.  To get off the Dharma Wheel or evolve in the process of individuation, we need to follow our hearts, listen to our soul calling, and blaze a path that is in alignment with who we really are, not what others expect us to be. We understand this calling by listening to what it is that speaks to our heart regardless of how much time or how many obstacles have been put in our path.  If we want to evolve, we need to face our fears, and move toward living in greater congruence with Life and our connection to the Source, the Divine, and our special life purpose and path.

Living out our dreams, following our path, or discovering our calling comes in the ordinary. Dreams, visions, out of body projections or fantasies may inspire or help create a vision for your purpose; however, only stepping out into your Truth, in the daily act of living, working, caring, sharing, and walking in full awareness right where you are, can connect you to purpose, meaning, and creativity. Talking about art is not creating art. Writing about love, is not loving. Thinking about prayer or meditation, is neither praying nor meditating. Put yourself into your passions. Connect to the Breath of the Divine that unites and ties us and our past, into what needs to be healed, resolved, and nurtured now. Use your experiences, your gifts, your heritage, and your dreams to move into new spaces that allow you to feel the wholeness of your being. We do not leave anything behind, but we do need to use the lessons of the past to feed the needs of the present. 

This Full Moon in Capricorn is lighting up the areas of your life where you have been transforming for the past few years as Pluto has been in transit in this area of your life. Pluto is now in retrograde motion, and that means it is bringing back issues yet to be resolved in you, from the past. With Pluto, the transformation is about you. We often tend to change our lives by changing exteriors―relationships, jobs, houses, places. What needs changing is within. Be courageous now, and face what is at the heart of what needs changing. One thing after another has been rooted out, turned over, brought up to the surface, as if a giant rototiller has been working its way through this area of your life, affecting all other areas and all your external relationships and perceptions.  Nothing is as it was. Do you recall when you first realized the power of knowledge? Do you remember that time when you first understood that once you know something, you can never ‘not know it’ ?  This is one of those times, and to assure that you are seeing clearly and acting with harmony as your goal, this will be made abundantly clear in light of this Full Moon in Capricorn.  We feel a strong connection to those who we feel powerful ties. Some of those ties help us remember who we are; others remind us that we need to break dangerous, unhealthy, and abusive connections that do not serve us well.

The Full Moon in Capricorn also transits the North Node in Libra, so we may understand how a new door is opening for us, the door of perceptions that clears the path for our growth, our healing, and reveals a new way of living our lives that requires we stand in Truth. When we are dealing with intergenerational trauma, stress, abuse, and patterns of thinking and behavior, we have the opportunity, through our lives, choices, and the example we set, to break negative, dysfunctional, distorted, abusive, and destructive patterns. When we fail to see how the ties that bind us are part of a negative repetitive patterns, we tend to fall into the traps of the past. Our purpose here and now is to recognize what is healthy, loving, kind, and true for us, and to follow that path. We can only heal the future when we heal ourselves in this present time. 

July is a month that may feel freer and less heavy than recent months. No inner planets are retrograde, and there will be no grand cross aspects this month. This midsummer time is when we have left the challenging and difficult aspects of the first part of the year behind us. We now can begin to see and understand what has happened, and what our hard work, effort, and struggles have led us to. We may feel more appreciative, and we may be much busier than we have been lately, as energy is flowing into our projects, movement is happening in many areas of life, and we are reaping the rewards of our hard work and efforts. During the period of the full moon, we may feel a deep inner confidence, having done some good work. 

Venus in Gemini represents the energy that allows communication and ideas to flow creatively, freely, and with clarity and precision. Literature is favored during this time, and being that it’s summer, you may find yourself reading, writing, and exploring new areas of poetry, literature, or thought.  Venus sextile Uranus in Aries from July 6-8, forms a yod with waxing Moon, and highlights some area of our live where we are ready to experiment, takes some risks, or explore more deeply.  On July 7, Venus in Gemini forms a quincunx to Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Scorpio.  Our desires and need to take risks may be tempered by our need to suppress our emotions somewhat. We may feel hesitant to risk rejection by expressing our affections or emotions more fully. From where does your fear arise? Are you locked into some kind of pattern, or trapped in some unhealed experience from the past?  Just notice what is going on, and find healthy, safe ways of expressing your emotions and healing from what has wounded or hurt you.   Also happening to affect our emotional and spiritual health is Venus’ square to Chiron, the Wounded Healer, in Pisces on July 7. This aspect may add to the feeling that we need to protect ourselves, and lick our wounds a bit more before we invest ourselves in relationships. Notice places where you feel vulnerable, and honor your protective instincts. This is a learning time.

On July 7/8 (9:23 PM PDT/12:23 AM EDT), the Sun in Cancer squares Uranus in Aries.  Expect the unexpected. Just when we think we have to take some action, get things under control, or figure something out, something comes from out of the blue, or plans are upset, schedules changed, or things fall through.  If you want to be in control, you might find your plans thwarted. When the sun squares Uranus, we could see how the change shines light on an old issue, or removes an obstacle, or presents a lesson that we can use.  The surprise may come within, or it may affect the external world. 

Later in the day, the Sun in Cancer trines Saturn in Scorpio, and we feel more at peace. The Cancer Sun puts us in touch with what we need for our own protection, safety, nourishment, healing, and sense of feeling at home, and Saturn awakens us to our inner needs, resources, and passions, and brings us into complete harmony, where even the most mundane tasks become harmonious places of peace helping us feel grounded and centered. 

Venus parallels the Sun on July 10-11, and that brings much greater harmony to us as we feel the energy of the Full Moon rising up within and around us. On July 12-13, in the light of the Full Moon in Capricorn, Venus trines Mars, softening and soothing us, and making us feel more romantically inclined, creative and self confident, and fertile.  

On Thursday, at 3:01 AM PDT/6:01 AM EDT, volatile Mars in Libra forms a seisquiquadrate to Neptune in Pisces. Dreams may be nightmarish in nature. The aggressiveness of Mars muted somewhat in Libra, still riles us up and causes some disruption or distortion in how we are sensing, intuiting, and thinking about details, issues, or other areas of concern. We may feel a little confused, upset, or uncomfortable about our plans or our capacity to handle things. Note that Neptune in Pisces create some distorted ideas about what is needed, possible or preferable.  Channel your energy into something more relaxing. Get up and take a walk, or do something to burn off energy, until you feel calmer and more centered.  When we find ourselves affected by energy that is disturbing or disruptive, we can use our spiritual practices and personal habits to work out of the traps that stuck, volatile, or negative energy can cause.  You are more powerful than a thought or feeling, and you have the capacity to deal with emotional upsets and negativity in ways that are healthy and strengthening. 

This week, as the moon waxes to fullness, we are assessing, discerning, and considering our lives, the paths we have chosen, the decisions we have made, and the needs and desires that have yet to be fulfilled or clarified. We are focused on survival―survival of our soul’s call and life purpose. At this turning point time of the year, we ask ourselves the questions that determine our direction from here on.  What feeds my soul? How is my life, as I have chosen it, feeding my soul, helping me fulfill my dreams? Am I open and receptive to the gifts that my life experiences, my relationships, my work, and my goals are offering me? Use the time, energy, resources, gifts, and support you have to be at peace with yourself, and to express gratitude for all you are and all you have been gifted with.  Find yourself in that Divine connection with the Source, and be receptive to signs, directions, messages, and indicators that are meant to increase our sense of connection to the Divine One, and to all that is. Feel yourself at home in the Universe, right where you are, and honor your gifts, your family, your friends, and your place in the Divine Plan.

Where the week begins: 

Sun is at 14/29' 9” Cancer

Moon 27/ 43’29" Libra

Mercury 25/ 26’57" Gemini

Venus 15/38’44"  Gemini

Mars 20/41’17" Libra

Jupiter 27/50’10" Cancer

Saturn 16/48’23”r Scorpio

Uranus 16/24’42” Aries

Neptune 7/24’27”r Pisces

Pluto 12/14' 0”r Capricorn

TrueNode 24/50’ 8”r Libra

Chiron 17/38’27”r  Pisces

Full Moon 7:25 AM EDT/4:25 AM PDT

Full Moon in Capricorn in opposition to the Sun in Cancer at 20/3 degrees.  Affects those with aspects between 16-24 degrees in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). The Cardinal signs rule four areas of our life, so look to see what aspects of your life are being affected. They should be quite familiar to you as these are the sings where much has been going on for the last few years.  due to the Uranus transit of Aries, the Pluto transit of Capricorn, Jupiter’s transit of Cancer, and Mars’ transit of Libra. 

The Sun in Cancer shines light on the areas of our life where we are protective of our inner home (being at peace with ourselves), our home and family, and whatever it is that makes us feel at home with who we are and where we are. The Moon in Capricorn shines its light on our public reputation, our ideas and dreams of career and life purpose, and of how we and others hold us accountable for our behavior.  The polarity between Cancer and Capricorn calls us to seek greater harmony between the two extremes of life. 

One of the key influences of this Full Moon in Capricorn is its square to Mars in Libra.  his placement of Mars in the third decan to Libra activates  emotional responses, passions, and intense feelings and moods bringing things to a crisis point. Emotional energy that has been building up, reaches the point where it needs to be released. We seek protection and safety for ourselves and our families, and guard ourselves from getting pulled into emotional and violent encounters.

The Full Moon in Capricorn finds us in touch with our survival needs, and the needs we have to take care of our families and ourselves. We may find that we are working harder than ever, and putting a great deal of energy into fulfilling our goals and living out our dreams. It is vital that the dreams we are following and the purpose we are seeking is authentic for us, and not simply linked to some ancestral or karmic theme that runs through our families.  To get off the Dharma Wheel or evolve in the process of individuation, we need to follow our hearts, listen to our soul calling, and blaze a path that is in alignment with who we really are, not what others expect us to be. We understand this calling by listening to what it is that speaks to our heart regardless of how much time or how many obstacles have been put in our path.  If we want to evolve, we need to face our fears, and move toward living in greater congruence with Life and our connection to the Source, the Divine, and our special life purpose and path.

Living out our dreams, following our path, or discovering our calling comes in the ordinary. Dreams, visions, out of body projections or fantasies may inspire or help create a vision for your purpose; however, only stepping out into your Truth, in the daily act of living, working, caring, sharing, and walking in full awareness right where you are, can connect you to purpose, meaning, and creativity. Talking about art is not creating art. Writing about love, is not loving. Thinking about prayer or meditation, is neither praying nor meditating. Put yourself into your passions. Connect to the Breath of the Divine that unites and ties us and our past, into what needs to be healed, resolved, and nurtured now. Use your experiences, your gifts, your heritage, and your dreams to move into new spaces that allow you to feel the wholeness of your being. We do not leave anything behind, but we do need to use the lessons of the past to feed the needs of the present. 

This Full Moon in Capricorn is lighting up the areas of your life where you have been transforming for the past few years as Pluto has been in transit in this area of your life. Pluto is now in retrograde motion, and that means it is bringing back issues yet to be resolved in you, from the past. With Pluto, the transformation is about you. We often tend to change our lives by changing exteriors―relationships, jobs, houses, places. What needs changing is within. Be courageous now, and face what is at the heart of what needs changing. One thing after another has been rooted out, turned over, brought up to the surface, as if a giant rototiller has been working its way through this area of your life, affecting all other areas and all your external relationships and perceptions.  Nothing is as it was. Do you recall when you first realized the power of knowledge? Do you remember that time when you first understood that once you know something, you can never ‘not know it’ ?  This is one of those times, and to assure that you are seeing clearly and acting with harmony as your goal, this will be made abundantly clear in light of this Full Moon in Capricorn.  We feel a strong connection to those who we feel powerful ties. Some of those ties help us remember who we are; others remind us that we need to break dangerous, unhealthy, and abusive connections that do not serve us well.

The Full Moon in Capricorn also transits the North Node in Libra, so we may understand how a new door is opening for us, the door of perceptions that clears the path for our growth, our healing, and reveals a new way of living our lives that requires we stand in Truth. When we are dealing with intergenerational trauma, stress, abuse, and patterns of thinking and behavior, we have the opportunity, through our lives, choices, and the example we set, to break negative, dysfunctional, distorted, abusive, and destructive patterns. When we fail to see how the ties that bind us are part of a negative repetitive patterns, we tend to fall into the traps of the past. Our purpose here and now is to recognize what is healthy, loving, kind, and true for us, and to follow that path. We can only heal the future when we heal ourselves in this present time. 

July is a month that may feel freer and less heavy than recent months. No inner planets are retrograde, and there will be no grand cross aspects this month. This midsummer time is when we have left the challenging and difficult aspects of the first part of the year behind us. We now can begin to see and understand what has happened, and what our hard work, effort, and struggles have led us to. We may feel more appreciative, and we may be much busier than we have been lately, as energy is flowing into our projects, movement is happening in many areas of life, and we are reaping the rewards of our hard work and efforts. During the period of the full moon, we may feel a deep inner confidence, having done some good work. 

Venus in Gemini represents the energy that allows communication and ideas to flow creatively, freely, and with clarity and precision. Literature is favored during this time, and being that it’s summer, you may find yourself reading, writing, and exploring new areas of poetry, literature, or thought.  Venus sextile Uranus in Aries from July 6-8, forms a yod with waxing Moon, and highlights some area of our live where we are ready to experiment, takes some risks, or explore more deeply.  On July 7, Venus in Gemini forms a quincunx to Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Scorpio.  Our desires and need to take risks may be tempered by our need to suppress our emotions somewhat. We may feel hesitant to risk rejection by expressing our affections or emotions more fully. From where does your fear arise? Are you locked into some kind of pattern, or trapped in some unhealed experience from the past?  Just notice what is going on, and find healthy, safe ways of expressing your emotions and healing from what has wounded or hurt you.   Also happening to affect our emotional and spiritual health is Venus’ square to Chiron, the Wounded Healer, in Pisces on July 7. This aspect may add to the feeling that we need to protect ourselves, and lick our wounds a bit more before we invest ourselves in relationships. Notice places where you feel vulnerable, and honor your protective instincts. This is a learning time.

On July 7/8 (9:23 PM PDT/12:23 AM EDT), the Sun in Cancer squares Uranus in Aries.  Expect the unexpected. Just when we think we have to take some action, get things under control, or figure something out, something comes from out of the blue, or plans are upset, schedules changed, or things fall through.  If you want to be in control, you might find your plans thwarted. When the sun squares Uranus, we could see how the change shines light on an old issue, or removes an obstacle, or presents a lesson that we can use.  The surprise may come within, or it may affect the external world. 

Later in the day, the Sun in Cancer trines Saturn in Scorpio, and we feel more at peace. The Cancer Sun puts us in touch with what we need for our own protection, safety, nourishment, healing, and sense of feeling at home, and Saturn awakens us to our inner needs, resources, and passions, and brings us into complete harmony, where even the most mundane tasks become harmonious places of peace helping us feel grounded and centered. 

Venus parallels the Sun on July 10-11, and that brings much greater harmony to us as we feel the energy of the Full Moon rising up within and around us. On July 12-13, in the light of the Full Moon in Capricorn, Venus trines Mars, softening and soothing us, and making us feel more romantically inclined, creative and self confident, and fertile.  

On Thursday, at 3:01 AM PDT/6:01 AM EDT, volatile Mars in Libra forms a seisquiquadrate to Neptune in Pisces. Dreams may be nightmarish in nature. The aggressiveness of Mars muted somewhat in Libra, still riles us up and causes some disruption or distortion in how we are sensing, intuiting, and thinking about details, issues, or other areas of concern. We may feel a little confused, upset, or uncomfortable about our plans or our capacity to handle things. Note that Neptune in Pisces create some distorted ideas about what is needed, possible or preferable.  Channel your energy into something more relaxing. Get up and take a walk, or do something to burn off energy, until you feel calmer and more centered.  When we find ourselves affected by energy that is disturbing or disruptive, we can use our spiritual practices and personal habits to work out of the traps that stuck, volatile, or negative energy can cause.  You are more powerful than a thought or feeling, and you have the capacity to deal with emotional upsets and negativity in ways that are healthy and strengthening. 

This week, as the moon waxes to fullness, we are assessing, discerning, and considering our lives, the paths we have chosen, the decisions we have made, and the needs and desires that have yet to be fulfilled or clarified. We are focused on survival―survival of our soul’s call and life purpose. At this turning point time of the year, we ask ourselves the questions that determine our direction from here on.  What feeds my soul? How is my life, as I have chosen it, feeding my soul, helping me fulfill my dreams? Am I open and receptive to the gifts that my life experiences, my relationships, my work, and my goals are offering me? Use the time, energy, resources, gifts, and support you have to be at peace with yourself, and to express gratitude for all you are and all you have been gifted with.  Find yourself in that Divine connection with the Source, and be receptive to signs, directions, messages, and indicators that are meant to increase our sense of connection to the Divine One, and to all that is. Feel yourself at home in the Universe, right where you are, and honor your gifts, your family, your friends, and your place in the Divine Plan.