Hot is probably the best word to describe this summer, although I’m talking about the astrology rather than the weather. July and August sizzle with aspects that assure that we’ll be active throughout the Dog Days (named for the time of year when the Sun passes through the same part of the sky as Sirius, The Dog Star). The energy of the summer months is one of incorporating the major changes that have dominated since 2008. That means that rather than feeling a major shift is taking place but not knowing what will happen as a result, we’ll be seeing very earthly manifestations of celestial changes.
There are plenty of challenging aspects during the summer months, but we’ll also have a lot of easy, flowing energy. Conflicts and disputes come up because we are resisting change, but we can also work towards adapting and accepting significant transitions in our lives.
We should also be aware that global changes - like the environment and economy - will be affecting our personal lives. A good strategy is to make at least one change in your life that reflects the change you’d like to see in the collective. That will contribute to our collective situation, but it will also help to get you moving personally. Even a very small change, if done with commitment, can get the ball rolling for you.
We begin July with an eclipse on the 1st. This eclipse is not visible in North America, and in fact can only be seen in the southernmost reaches of the planet. Like the eclipse a month earlier, the polar regions are highlighted, and emphasis on the environment is suggested by our planet being bookended by these eclipses. Saturn is square to this eclipse, and we may feel a very strong pull towards the traditional and conservative around this time, even as we realize the status quo must change.
The feel of the first week in July is colored by the eclipse, but we can work out the energies over the next few days. The 4th has a basically harmonious energy, although impulsiveness is likely to be strong on the 5th.
From the 6th through the 9th, Venus, Goddess of Love, is very busy. She’s in the sign of Cancer, wearing her motherly apron and baking cookies, reminding us of home and hearth. However, she is brushing up against brusk Uranus and opposing dark Pluto. Just as we are collectively saluting family values, we also feel the call to be free and independent. Other aspects around this time suggest strong sexuality and determination to be ourselves. These aren’t easy energies to balance, but if we expand beyond narrow definitions and expectations, we should find a way.
Uranus is also stationing to retrograde on the 9th, so we can expect the days before to be very charged and filled with impatience. Accepting change in our relationships is so difficult because we often cling to our partners for security, yet we often push back when they cling to us. This is a good time to say "I want you," while "I need you" might be a harder pill to swallow.
On the 13th, Venus squares Saturn, once again bringing these same questions - you, me, or us? - to the forefront. Just two days before the July Full Moon, we might be able to get some sense of resolution.
After the Full Moon on the 15th, we have a couple of more or less quiet weeks, a welcome relief, although we will still be sorting out the changes of the last few months. The intensity that began in mid-May is backing off for a bit, and we can try to get some perspective on things. The Sun enters Leo early on the 23rd, just an hour before the Last Quarter Moon.
Mercury opposes Neptune on the 29th, just a day before the New Moon. Think of the 28th through the 1st as a kind of pre-Mercury retrograde. Meditation, dreaming and creativity are better uses for this time than practical matters. Issues that began in early June might reemerge now, but it will be a while before they resolve.
Interesting energies prevail on August 1st. Venus has changed her apron for a minidress and is ready to party in Leo, and she’s making a nice trine to Uranus. Early in July, we were asking "should I or shouldn’t I?" but in early August the only question is "when can we get started?" Try something new in an existing relationship, or experiment with someone new. The Sun is square to Jupiter on the same day, so the only caveat is that our egos could get in the way. But Sun/Jupiter is just as likely to make the party all the more intense.
We might as well party it up, because Mercury is retrograding from August 2nd through the 26th. The usual caveats apply: don’t sign contracts, don’t buy electronics or a car, and so on. This is a long retrograde, all the more so because of the aspects before the official start. August will be a time to feel our way along, as thinking and communication will be slowed and foggy.
Mars is a major player in August, beginning with a harmonious trine to Neptune on the 3rd. The push is to go beyond the boundaries in any and all areas of life. As the aspect is soft, we can probably control the energy, although it’s an open question whether we want to.
On the 4th, Neptune backs out of Pisces into Aquarius. Collective issues around the internet and technology will reappear, although with Mercury retrograde and Neptune running the show, it will be hard to separate fact from fiction. Look to the 8th as a time when the issues peak - or peak out of the fog.
Venus and Jupiter have a friendly row on the 5th. These two planets get along so well and are placed in such good signs that it’s hard to imagine much of a problem. A little too much passion, too much food, too much fun is the most likely manifestation. It’s a Friday night, too!
Once again, we get a couple of weeks to back off and let things settle. Again, it isn’t likely to be calm, because we have too much going on, but mid-August is as close as we’ll get to a cosmic vacation.
On the 21st, Venus opposes Neptune. We might not realize what we’re getting ourselves into in terms of relationship and romance, but it could be a fun ride wherever it leads. It is also the day of the Last Quarter Moon - in Taurus - so the possibilities for sensuality are strong. Mercury is retrograde, so too much talk is likely to spoil the mood. The sun opposes Neptune next, on the 22nd. The Sun is very strong, in the last degree of Leo, so the issue becomes one of overinflating our egos, perhaps followed by a deflation.
On the 25th, Mars squares Saturn, an aspect I always describe as jamming on the accelerator with the emergency brake on. We want to move forward, but encounter resistance. With Mercury stationing to go direct the next day, it will be hard to accomplish all that we aspire to. Direct your energy into one thing, though, and you could find that you can move mountains. The New Moon is on the 28th. The month winds down from the 26th to the 30th. Jupiter will station to retrograde in Taurus on the 30th, a good energy to get things going as we enter September.
July has greater tension than August, and we’ll be at odds with each other and ourselves as we try to negotiate changes. Relationship is prominent in both months, although in July we’ll be struggling to make things work, while in August there’s a more sensual, pleasure-oriented feeling. Both months are hot, but the feel is very different.
It isn’t all about relationship, however. In general, we’re asking ourselves how much change we can tolerate. Most of us have already worked out where we want to go, but getting there is the new challenge. We are helped - in a sense - by a Cosmos that isn’t willing to let us stay in the same place.
Armand M. Diaz, Ph.D. helps clients make decisions that are in harmony with their greatest potential, offering a truly integral approach to astrology. Armand has practiced divination for more than twenty years, working with the I Ching and Tarot in addition to astrology. He has published in various astrological journals, including The Mountain Astrologer. His book, Transformation: The Four Keys to Thriving in Times of Change, is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com. He can be reached at 917-216-1541 or armand@integralastrology. net, or though his website at www. integralastrology.net.