The astrology of July was mostly smooth, except for one major transit, and that one major transit has pretty much just blown everything up. I’m talking about the Mars-Uranus conjunction that was exact on Monday, July 15th.
What a doozy, huh?
I had drafted a post that I ultimately didn’t publish, but the gist was this: Mars, the planet of action and aggression, was going to be aligned with Uranus, the planet of disruption and upheaval, and that was occurring in Taurus in alignment with a particular star (Algol) that is associated with beheaded Medusa and referred to as the “demon star.” So on the world stage, the news was likely going to be wild and tumultuous at best, violent and scary at worst. And on a personal level, some of us may feel particularly anxious, paranoid, and under threat.
I was definitely feeling the vibes of the Mars-Uranus conjunction a few days leading up to it and a few days after. The crackling energy has been palpable everywhere. As far back as last Friday, the 12th, it felt like tempers were short and people, men especially, were acting out. I mean, obviously. Besides the T***p rally, which was a very literal manifestation of the Mars-Uranus-Algol combination (he almost actually lost his head), there was also the scary, chaotic situation at the Copa America final.
Mercury is approaching a square to Uranus, meaning that on top of the Mars-Uranus effects, there are also communication disruptions. Cue Friday’s global technology outage. And Mercury is in fire sign Leo to boot, making our interpersonal communications more self-focused and more incendiary.
On the morning of Sunday, July 21st, there’s a full blue moon in Capricorn. A blue moon occurs when there’s a second full moon in the same sign within the month. The Capricorn full moon a few weeks ago was at 1 degree, and now we will get the second, this time at the last degree of Capricorn. In whatever story has been unfolding in your life since June 21st, the other shoe is now dropping. This full moon is conjunct Pluto, which signifies intensity and hidden things. Secrets will be illuminated, and there will likely be some high-profile denouements.
The full moon is also in a helpful relationship with Mars, so on a personal level, it’s a good time for taking actions to let go of unhealthy and unwelcome compulsions and to take a break from anything that’s been driving you crazy. If you are curious to know what topics this may touch on in your own life, look for 29 degrees of Capricorn in your birth chart and see what house it falls into and whether you have any personal planets (sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) or sensitive angles (ascendant, MC, IC, or descendant) at or close to 29 degrees of a cardinal sign (Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Libra).
There are more intense moments to come in a few weeks. Mars and Jupiter come together, signifying the expansion of action, on August 14th. On August 15th/16th, Mars makes a tense aspect with Saturn; then on August 19th, Jupiter follows and makes the same tense aspect with Saturn, and we have a full moon in Aquarius (which is answering to Saturn). Saturn is like a stop sign. It represents structure and order, so it looks like we can expect to see conflict between proliferations of assertiveness and heightened emotions, and structures and systems.
Between the events this week and mid-August, Mercury goes into Virgo on July 25th. We don’t get much downtime, but look at this period as a little bit of a break. While in Virgo, Mercury will station and then go retrograde overnight on August 5th/6th. It gets to 4 degrees of Virgo before it starts to go back.
Virgo is an earth sign that is associated with pragmatism, discernment, and efficiency. Mercury retrograde is treated with fear and dread in the zeitgeist, but when Mercury goes retrograde, it’s a chance to reflect, reassess, and reconsider.
Last week, I attended an excellent webinar from Kepler College on the Solar Return of the United States, and the astrologer who presented, Dorothy Oja, pointed out that Mercury’s transit through practical, critical Virgo marks an auspicious time to reflect because this transit will aspect the moon (in Gemini) and Neptune (in Pisces) in the U.S.’s solar return chart. She referred to it as an “antidote to confusion,” which I loved. And while it’s particularly useful in that context, I think it’s also useful for us on a personal level as well. Our anxiety and emotions may be clouding our perspective, but Mercury going into Virgo and then the Mercury retrograde offer us the chance to re-see things in the world, in politics, and in our own lives, with more discernment and ultimately clarity.
There’s so much to unpack right now. We’re living through truly wild times, so we have to look for opportunities for calm reflection. More to come as we gear up for the August planetary alignments…stay tuned.