This summer may not be longer than any other, but it’s sure to be hotter than most. There are a host of charged aspects in the sky that will keep us jumping down here on the ground. We may not feel that we’re getting much of a vacation this summer, as the cosmic weather heads towards hurricane season. For many of us, it’s time to move or be moved.

   Mars and Venus do a dance all summer. Although the two planets we associate with relationship don’t come into a major aspect with each other in July or August, they tend to make aspects to other planets around the same time. Mid-July, late July, and mid-August could all be pivotal times in relationships, although it may be late August before we fully see the results of the changes that have occurred.

   Much of the energy of the summer months will be played out on an individual level, yet we may be more focused on the collective. After all, the collective is the pond in which we are swimming as individuals, and changes to one affect the other quickly and directly. Social and political issues may not seem so abstract or remote as the inner planets bring home changes made while the outer planets were dueling with each other over the past few years.

   One major collective shift that will affect us personally is the movement of the nodes of the moon from the Virgo/Pisces axis to Leo/Aquarius. The nodes represent the points where the orbits of Sun and Moon cross, thus they show a focal point for the two most powerful energies in the sky. 

   With the north node in Leo, we need to act with heart, and from the heart. The south node in Aquarius can represent difficult vibes coming from the collective, a kind of subtle peer pressure or groupthink. The challenge is to have the courage (cour = core = heart) to stand up for ourselves, to live our lives with creativity and joy, in the midst of a more restrictive and limiting environment.

   The summer gets off to a cracklin’ start, with Mars opposing Pluto on July 2nd, while Mercury squares Uranus on the 4th. These aspects may rile up patriotism, especially of the fear-based variety. Many of us will be checking our resources and focusing on our comfort zones. 

   There’s a tension between primal safety needs and the desire to assert ourselves as individuals that colors early July, peaking around the full moon in Capricorn on the 9th. This full moon suggests that we keep our end goals in mind, and not be too ready to run for cover when the going gets challenging. With the Sun opposite Pluto at this full moon, power struggles may be real, and could be especially tense between social/political leaders and financial power brokers.

   On the 17th, we get a mixed bag of energy, as Venus squares Neptune while Mars squares Uranus, two edgy aspects that pull us in different directions. Venus/Neptune can heighten the desire to merge with someone, to dissolve the boundaries between us. It’s an energy that stokes romantic fantasy, but not necessarily reality. 

   Mars/Uranus, on the other hand, is anything but romantic or inclined towards romantic fantasy - it’s about asserting ourselves as individuals, and the struggle to be free in the midst of fear.

With these two contrasting energies both very strong in mid-July, it could be hard to get on the same page with someone else, or even with yourself. Some folks may really go off the rails, tilting at windmills or giving all to a lost cause. 

   Most of us, however, will probably just feel energy fluctuations for a few days leading up to these aspects. Sort of cosmic sugar high and low. The next few days should help us to straighten things out, thanks to easy aspects between Venus and Jupiter and Mercury and Saturn. But as the Sun squares Uranus from the very tail end of Cancer on the 20th, the (inner) revolution is likely to start again. Mid-month is likely to be bit of a rough patch.

   The Sun enters his home sign of Leo on July 22nd, less than a day ahead of the new moon. With Sol and Luna both in Leo, look for dramatic evidence of how the north node will play out in the sign over the next year and a half. This new moon is also a preview of the significant and powerful solar eclipse that takes place in August.

   A Venus/Saturn opposition on the 24th could mean that it’s deadline time for relationships and economic transactions. A bit of bargaining can lead to compromise, or it may be time to step back from a potential deal. With the Sun meeting Mars only two days later, the tendency may be to act rashly, so be sure before you agree to something or give up on a project entirely.

   The first week in August features some of the most dramatic cosmic activity of the summer. Uranus stations to retrograde on the 3rd, Jupiter squares Pluto on the 4th, and there is a full moon lunar eclipse on the 7th. While each of these has its own particular flavor, our experience is likely to be of this celestial stew as a whole. Patience is likely to be at a minimum, activity levels will be high, and reflection and proportionality missing entirely. This could actually be a good time for some things, like activities that have been planned already and which require a lot of energy to get off the ground. Impulsive decisions made around the first week in August could have troubling results, however.

   On August 12th, Mercury stations to go retrograde. The Cosmic Messenger will be backpedaling through his second home in Virgo for the rest of the month, then stepping on the tail of the lion for a few days in early September. Avoid the usual Mercurial mishaps as much as possible by refraining from new technology and being sure to double check your work. Precision may be time consuming, but it’s likely to pay off with Mercury in reverse.

   Venus tangles with Pluto and Jupiter on the 16th and 17th, aspects that can demand a change in our relationships. With Mars also in the Plutonian action, there may be some subtle power plays and indirect actions that color our experience. Financial transactions should be scrutinized with extreme care, especially as Mercury is retrograde.

   A total solar eclipse of the Sun takes place on the afternoon of August 21st (it is visible, but not in totality, in the Wisdom reading area). Many astrologers are calling this The Great American Eclipse - and for more reasons than one. The path of this eclipse crosses the United States, moving from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast, and eclipses are often thought to be most powerful in the areas where they are visible. 

   Another reason why this eclipse is thought to be so significant for the United States is that it occurs at 28 degrees of Leo - just one degree away from the ascendant of President Trump. In some branches of traditional astrology, the chart for a country is associated with the chart of it’s ruler (Trump isn’t technically a ruler, but symbolically he fulfills that role). Significant transits to the chart of the ruler are thought to indicate significant changes to the country as a whole. 

   Keep in mind that eclipses tend to have rather long shadows, and sometimes they are cast before as well as after the exact eclipse. With both Mercury and Mars passing over the eclipse degree in the weeks after the eclipse, we may see the most over manifestations at the beginning of September. Hopefully, changes and transitions will be  both conscious and peaceful.

   On a more personal level, Venus squares Uranus on the 24th. We may find changes to the status quo in relationships, and the desire for security could be challenged by a need for freedom. Change up the routine, try something new with your partner (or try a new partner), or agree to spend a little time alone.

   The last option may be the most likely, as Saturn stations to go direct on the 25th. Saturn stations have a heavy, serious, glass-is-half-empty feel to them. Take care of yourself around this time, bolstering your immune system and taking a step back to rest and recharge. True, Saturn would like you to work, and it pays to put out some effort, but don’t overdo it.

   This summer holds great potential for change and transformation. Make the most of it, but find some time to sip some lemonade, too.