Astrological Forecast for July & August 2019

Eclipses, Mercury retrograde, planetary stations, and sizzling aspects – the usual summer stock characters makes their appearance in July and August. They’ll be playing out through the Sun’s passage from Cancer to Virgo, including his time at center stage in Leo.

What we won’t be seeing much of this summer is major aspects between outer planets. It’s not that Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto won’t be active and making their presence felt – but it’s mostly through the changes in our daily lives that we’ll be aware of them. That’s both a comfort and a concern, as the action is on a smaller scale, but hits closer to home.

It looks like July sets up situations that resolve in August. It’s certainly the more tense of the two months, while later in summer we should see things calm down a bit.

July

July starts off with a total solar eclipse in the sign of Cancer on the 2nd. While not visible in North America, the effects of these powerful new moons are felt everywhere (the eclipse is most prominent in Argentina and Chile, so look for news from those places over the next six months). In the sign of the crab, this eclipse is likely to have us focusing on our security needs – from our personal homes to national security, we’ll be wanting to know what’s really safe. Financial markets may react to the protective feel around this eclipse.

Mercury stations to retrograde on the 7th, backpedalling from Leo into Cancer until he turns direct again on the 31st. Mercury retrograde in a Water sign tends to be particularly irksome, so take the usual precautions around contracts, communication, and technology.

Chiron’s station to retrograde a day later has a different flavor. With the centaur stopping in the sign of Aries, we may question our ability to maintain independence in the face of opposition. The Sun opposes Saturn on the 9th, another indication that we may not be feeling so all-powerful. While a little ego tempering is good, don’t get too down on yourself as you go through this testing period.

I’m sure you’re strong enough to survive the trials of Saturn, and so you’ll be ready for the very volatile period from the 11th through the 16th. Mars squares Uranus, the Sun opposes Pluto and we have a full moon lunar eclipse (not visible in most of North America) during these five days. This is a time when simmering tensions are likely to find a release, and it will be challenging to direct the energy in any particular direction. Try to let off steam constructively, and if possible diffuse tensions earlier in the month.

Stresses could mount for relationships from the 17th through the 21st, as Venus opposes Saturn, trines Neptune, and then opposes Pluto. Romance during this period may be a little intense, or there could be a push-pull between relationship and work or family obligations.

The Sun strides into his home sign of Leo on the 22nd, marking the peak of summer season. He’ll find Mars already in the house, and Venus joins them five days later. With a nice trine between Mars and Jupiter exact on the 25th, the last week of July looks to hold a great deal of creative potential, and hopefully a lot of fun.

A solar square to Uranus in Taurus on the 29th, just before the new moon and Mercury station on the 31st could indicate a little stress, but it’s more or less likely that we’ll handle this energy constructively.

In outline, July begins with a rather serious, intense vibe, a concentration of energy that releases at mid-month. The back half of the month is active but not quite as charged as the first half.

August

Venus is the star of the show as the month begins, trining Chiron and squaring Uranus on the 1st and 2nd. If relationships were under stress last month, this is likely to be the point at which tensions find release. For most of us, though, this is an opportunity to break out of routines, trying something (or someone) new. It’s also an invitation to mix things up in terms of our art and entertainment preferences, maybe listening to some new music or even just watching something different on television.

The second week of August is quite jovial, as the Sun and Venus take turns trining Jupiter, who stations to go direct on the 11th. If July began with Saturnian restraint, the first half of August is definitely on a more upbeat track. Make the most of this for creative projects, work matters, and most of all for getting out for some summer fun. Yes, there will be a few blowhards who get overinflated with all the energy from Jupiter, but tune them out and do your thing!

Speaking of overdoing things – August 11th boasts not just one but two stations. While Jupiter turns around to go direct, Uranus stops to retrograde. The 10th and 11th are sure to be high-energy days, when folks will have a hard time containing themselves.

Give others a wide berth, and take space for yourself as needed. Enthusiasm will be abundant, but patience may be in short supply. If you can enlist others for your trip, that’s great, but be ready to go it alone if needed. Mercury stepping back into Leo right between the two stations should help our quest for independence, as he approaches a trine to Chiron in Aries.

The energy keeps right on building as we reach the Full Moon on the 15th, and Mercury squares Uranus a day later. Jupiter and Uranus together often signal technological innovations, so keep an eye of the news from the 11th to the 16th, especially with Mercury getting into the act, and the full moon located in Uranus’ home sign of Aquarius.

Mars and Venus precede the Sun into Virgo on the 18th and 21st, while the Sun packs his bags for his tour of the zodiac and enters Virgo on the 23rd. The waning days of summer often focus us on the work that needs to be done. Try as we might to extend the festive mood, we find that the Back to School ads become more prominent than images of rooftop parties and backyard barbeques. With the planets entering work-oriented Virgo, the change in mood will be palpable.

Yet there’s still some fun to be had in August. A nice trine between Mercury and Jupiter on the 21st keeps the fires burning a little longer. Once again, some folks will use this as an opportunity to get up on their soapboxes, but it’s a great aspect to open up communication and start a dialogue.

And even if the planets are in more reserved Virgo, they are making some very nice aspects as the month ends. Venus and Mars meet up and then trine Uranus from the 24th through the 28th, and Sun follows suit on the 29th, just a day before the new moon in the sign. While not quite the raucous fun of Leo, this Virgo energy suggests that we focus on our health and wellbeing. Do some cooking (or eat some nice raw salad – I suppose that’s even more Virgoan), cleanse and detox, and get yourself ready for the coming months, when we’ll be quite busy before we brake for the holidays.

Armand M. Diaz, Ph.D. uses an intuitive and heart-centered approach to astrology to help his clients. Armand has practiced divination for more than thirty years, working with the I Ching and Tarot in addition to astrology. He has published in various astrological journals, including The Mountain Astrologer. Armand’s most recent book, Separating Aspects: The Astrology of Breakups, Divorce, and Other Partings, is available through Amazon and on Kindle. He can be reached through his website at www.ArmandDiaz.com.