July starts off with a tense T-square between Mars in Leo, Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus. Mars opposes Saturn on the 1st and squares Uranus on the 3rd. This time period promises to be nice and conflict-heavy – just in time for the US solar return! (And my own, as it happens.)
I’ve been thinking about what this T-square might manifest as. For me personally, it’s nailing my stakes really hard and it’s also directly configured to my natal Mars-Saturn conjunction in Scorpio – so when you overlay the current space weather against my natal chart, you get this unholy Grand Cross between Mars, Saturn and Uranus. Fun fucking times.
Anyone who has heavy fixed sign placements (especially if your Ascendant is in a fixed sign – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius) will be feeling this pressure. It could manifest as a sudden and almost violent need to break free (Uranus) from the constraints (Saturn) of family, partners, beliefs, jobs, money, hopes…the list of potential topics is long, and will be based on how this hits your own chart.
The way this occurs is likely to be sudden and quite possibly violent (Mars). There maybe be a push-pull where you may feel restrictions that seem intolerable so you do something rash, or something unexpected happens, which shakes up that restricted area of your life. Then a little while later you might feel guilt or fear about what this breakthrough might mean and how it has upset everything.
On a collective level, I see this as major disruption in all the fixed structures we’ve built our lives on. There is a drive to break free from restrictions, and a tension from forces that are trying to impose restrictions. The most obvious way this is playing out is the lifting of COVID restrictions in many places in the world, which seem abrupt and foolhardy to some people, or a welcome and overdue relief to others. Then in other parts of the world, lockdowns are slamming back down again after a relatively free period. Again, we see that push-pull between restriction and freedom, driven in bursts of sudden volatile action.
Even within the context of the collective, the individual is being centered thanks to Mars’ position in Leo. Individual rights have been a hot topic over the pandemic but there seems to be more serious conversation about them in the mainstream now, and a little less of that “shut up, wear the mask and stay home” hectoring narrative that was common over the last year.
With Mars in Leo, there’s more of a drive to put yourself first and maybe be a bit selfish and indulgent. You desire to reshape your life in a way that puts you first. For those of us who have a tendency to put other people’s needs before our own, this shift can actually be a good thing; maybe adopt a new form of self-care, or set up better boundaries with others in order to protect your own well-being (which also fits well with Saturn in Aquarius).
However, the danger is going too far and being a selfish prick. You could end up breaking things in your life out of a misguided sense of being owed something. If you have these tendencies already (i.e. a lot of Leo, Scorpio or Aries placements), tread carefully over the next month, lest you stomp on those who don’t deserve it.
After the T-square that opens the month, Mars and Venus conjoin at 19 Leo on July 13th. Mars jives well with the fiery vibes of Leo, demanding to be lauded and celebrated at the centre of the spotlight. Venus in Leo demands unwavering adoration and fealty – and also gold, jewels and other beautiful ornaments. The Mars-Venus conjunction in the lion’s sign puts divine masculinity and divine femininity onto centre stage, demanding that we examine the binary between these two and recognize that both aspects exist in all humans but manifest in different ways. It is the king and the queen in all their power, uniting forces to work as one cohesive unity. This conjunction calls us to look into our selves, no matter our personal sex and gender, and examine where our masculinity and femininity rules – and what we need to feel like king and queen of our realm.
The Sun in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces at this time, while at the same time Mercury in Cancer trines Jupiter in Pisces. These are both very supportive, beneficial aspects that will bolster the Mars-Venus conjunction and should make for a (hopefully) productive, sensual period of time. In mundane cycles, this period may see the celebration of a royal couple. I wonder what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going to be up to at this time.
After the divine monarchs depart centre stage in mid-July, the Sun in Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn and shines a spotlight back on the Capricorn Singularity of 2020, making us think about all the shitty things that happened last year and reflect on how things are (or aren’t) different now.
Venus enters Virgo on the 21st and then immediately opposes Jupiter at 0 Pisces on the 22nd. Venus in unhappy in Virgo, the sign of her fall, so this opposition will be flavoured with the queen’s distaste. After her auspicious conjunction with Mars a few days ago, she does not enjoy stepping into overly-analytical and critical Virgo, which immediately demands that she make a detailed accounting of precisely all the things that she was previously celebrated for just a few days earlier, and how much money she spent on fancy things. Jupiter’s opposition exacerbates this effect, blocking the queen’s ability to rule and potentially overpowering her image with his own. Still, we’re talking about the two benefits here, so this opposition shouldn’t be too heavy. It’s more a sense of being one-upped by someone who pushes past you and cuts you off, mid-sentence.
Before July is over, Jupiter slips back into Aquarius (July 28th) and out of his domicile. With a heavy sigh, the planet of expansion and optimism steps back and submits to Saturn, who rules and is currently inhabiting Aquarius. A day later, Mars opposes Jupiter at 29 Leo/29 Aquarius. Now it is Jupiter’s turn to be blocked, and it is likely to be a lot more volatile than the previous Jupiter-Venus opposition. You’ve got the night malefic facing off with the day benefic. In terms of essential dignity, Mars has a small amount of dignity by term and face. Jupiter doesn’t have any essential dignity, and he’s retrograde which is a big debility. So, Mars is more likely to win this face off.
This may mean that events at this time will have a martial quality and are more likely to cause strife and division instead of pleasure and connection. Again, we go back to Mars’ significance in Leo as being a force of selfishness, and the negative ways that could manifest. The good news is this only lasts for about a day and then Mars changes signs into Virgo, which should lighten the tension a fair bit.
July’s New Moon happens at 18 Cancer on July 9th. Venus and Mars are making their applying conjunction at this time, which will plant the seeds for that configuration. Remember this is a time to celebrate and step into your status as divine king and queen – what do you need to start at this time in order to accomplish that?
The Full Moon happens at 1 Aquarius on the 23rd. This lunation highlights Venus and Mars’ oppositions to Jupiter as well as Mercury in Cancer’s trine to Neptune in Pisces. This is a good time to reflect on what you started at the New Moon and see how far you’ve gone towards your goal of embodying the divine monarch. Are you seated on your throne already, or are you still outside the castle?