July
10 July: Venus into Virgo; Jupiter direct
13 July: New Moon/partial eclipse (20° Cancer)
22 July: Sun into Leo
26 July: Mercury retro (23° Leo)
27 July: Full Moon/total eclipse (4° Aquarius)
For the whole months of July and August (until 27 Aug.), Mars is retrograding. Mars does so once every two years or so, hindering your activities and movement ‘forward’. While Mercury retro affects commerce and communication or daily exchange of words and minds (and Venus retro more aesthetic side), Mars retro frustrates us in our ‘doing’. On a mundane level, military or bellicose actions are likely to fail or get reversed during Mars retro. Do not strike – iron is not hot and will not remain so.
The Sun’s trine to Jupiter (5 July) is a contrast to Mercury’s opposition to Mars right afterwards, along the Moon’s nodes in Leo-Aquarius to be charged with coming eclipses. The Sun makes trine to Neptune (8 Sept) while Mercury squares Jupiter (9 July). Venus moves into Virgo (10 July), an earth sign where she is a triplicity ruler, thus having a strong footing. Later on the day, Jupiter goes direct (10 July).
Venus’ trine to Uranus (12 July) followed by the Sun’s opposition to Pluto is a busy prelude to a new Moon/partial eclipse (13 July GMT: 2:48), which opens this year’s second eclipse season. The Moon opposes Pluto before being new and squares Uranus afterwards – deeply re-structuring energy, if you dare to follow it through.
Venus’ trine to Saturn (14 July) gives us some grounding. The following week is rather quiet, while the Moon moves through ‘via combusta’ (15° Libra-15° Scorpio), known to be her least favourable place to be. The Sun enters Leo (22 July) and sends us its brightest beams from its ruling sign. Venus’ sextile to Jupiter on the same day is a lovely addition to positivity in the air.
The atmosphere gets charged once again, as Venus opposes Neptune (24 July). The Sun squares Uranus (25 July) in which Uranus has the upper hand via ‘superior square’ (from an earlier zodiacal sign, i.e. Taurus → Leo). Mercury goes retro in Leo (26 July GMT: 5:02) – we now have Mercury + Mars double retro! Muster extra patience in the following weeks, in order to get things done.
The Sun’s opposition to Mars (27 July) precedes a full Moon eclipse in Aquarius (27 July GMT: 20:20). Mars is present but still retro; the eclipse is followed by Venus’ trine to Pluto and the Moon’s square to Jupiter (28 July). Changes are rife under eclipse while ‘portals’ are open. Leo-Aquarius in your root (natal chart) will be most affected.
August
6 Aug. Venus into Libra
7 Aug. Uranus retro
11 Aug. New Moon/partial eclipse (18° Leo)
13 Aug. Mars (retro) into Capricorn
19 Aug. Mercury direct (11° Leo)
23 Aug. Sun into Virgo
26 Aug. Full Moon (3° Pisces)
27 Aug. Mars direct (28° Capricorn)
Mars’ square to Uranus (2 Aug) is second of a sequence of three, due to Mars retro under way. Uranus is effectively not moving, as it prepares to go retro (7 Aug) – frictions in the air.
The Sun squares Jupiter, while Venus moves into Libra at the same time (6 Aug). Venus is fully in control in Libra as ruler of the sign, ready to ‘converse’ with Mars via trine (8 Aug) and with Saturn via square (10 Aug). Retro Mercury conjoins the Sun (9 Aug) and squares Jupiter (11 Aug). New Moon in Leo soon afterwards (11 Aug GMT: 9:58) is another eclipse, coloured by retrograding Mercury, as the Moon becomes new in Mercury’s bounds/terms.
Mars’ retrograde back into Capricorn (13 Aug) is followed by a few quiet days, while the Moon moves ‘via combusta’. Mercury goes direct (19 Aug GMT: 4:24) and Jupiter makes trine to Neptune within a couple of hours – a big sigh of relief.
The Sun moves into Virgo (23 Aug) and things get strange: the Moon moves into Aquarius (thus out of sight of the Sun), makes square to Uranus (23 Aug GMT: 21:55) and then goes ‘void’ (=makes no aspects to other planets), until it opposes Mercury (24 Aug GMT: 20:27). Absorb what comes your way and contemplate.
The Sun makes trine to Uranus as well as to Saturn (25 Aug), transferring light between them. What Uranus and Saturn each stand for is very different, yet such translation of light brings awareness, outlining our revolution (Uranus) and structure (Saturn).
Full Moon in early Pisces (26 Aug GMT: 11:56) is followed by a square between Venus and Pluto. Mars is finally direct (27 Aug GMT: 14:05) near the end of Capricorn (at his exaltation degrees so positively strong) and things can get back on track. Mercury’s square to Jupiter (28 Aug) adds optimism to our movement forward.
September
6 Sept. Mercury into Virgo; Saturn direct (2° Capricorn)
9 Sept. New Moon (17° Virgo); Venus into Scorpio
11 Sept. Mars into Aquarius
22 Sept. Mercury into Libra
23 Sept. Sun into Libra (Equinox)
25 Sept. Full Moon (2° Aries)
Mercury makes sextile to Venus (3 Sept) before entering its ruler and exaltation sign of Virgo (6 Sept). Mercurial capacities are maximised in Virgo: study, write, trade – anything and everything about our winged messenger is favoured now. On the same day Saturn goes direct (6 Sept GMT 11:09); it is effectively stationing from 2-10 Sept. If time feels slowing down, Saturn may be tricking you.
Mercury so empowered makes trine to Uranus as well as to Saturn (7 Sept), just like the Sun did a few weeks back. It is a more personal exchange between Saturn and Uranus via Mercury. Also on the same day, the Sun opposes Neptune; previous square between the two happened on 7 June, so a culmination of what happened then is expected.
Venus makes square to Mars (8 Sept) before moving into Scorpio (9 Sept), Mars’ home. Venus is in its fall in Scorpio, without proper voice or audience. New Moon in Virgo later on that day (9 Sept GMT: 18:01) is preceded by the Moon’s opposition to Neptune and followed by its sextile to Jupiter. Jupiter holds the key, as the Moon becomes new in Jupiter’s terms/bounds. Give honourable expressions to your vision.
Mars enters Aquarius (11 Sept) and re-traces the degrees it occupied in May prior to going retro. Later in the day, the Sun makes sextile to Jupiter, and then trine to Pluto, again translating its light between them. Jupiter and Pluto actually make sextile to each other the following day (12 Sept), not avoiding social/reformative issues at hand.
Venus’ opposition to Uranus (12 Sept) and sextile to Saturn (13 Sept) is how we hear Venus now, making such forces as Uranus or Saturn an affair of heart. Mercury’s opposition to Neptune (14 Sept) completes or culminates what is perceived as challenge (or opportunities) at previous square between the two on 6 June. Mercury’s trine to Pluto as well as its sextile to Jupiter (16 Sept) is a re-play of the recent Jupiter-Pluto message.
Beware of the Moon’s long ‘void’ hours, lasting for about 19 hours (17 Sept GMT 22:03 until 18 Sept GMT 16:54). The Moon before void makes sextile to Venus; after void sextile to Neptune. It is as if the Moon enters in a long and solitary meditation, between these soft (sextile) contacts. The third and last square between Mars and Uranus (19 Sept) makes us wide awake, though.
Sun and Mercury conjoin (21 Sept) before both move into Libra, first Mercury (22 Sept) and then the Sun (23 Sept) which marks the occasion of Equinox. Mercury’s square to Saturn (23 Sept) and trine to Mars (24 Sept) is repeated by the Sun’s square to Saturn (26 Sept) and trine to Mars (28 Sept). Full Moon in Aries happening in the middle (25 Sept GMT: 2:52) has a flavour of something new. Streamlining action (Mars) and strategy (Saturn) is easier than you think – use your communication skills (Mercury) and charisma (Sun).