Current Transits for July 1997 Current Transits for July 1997Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Aftershocks from Uranus and Pluto continue...
A Grand Cross all month
New Moon at 12Cn48, 7-4
Ceres Retrograde Station at 13Pi58, 7-8
Jupiter sextile Saturn, 7-14
Full Moon at 27Cp28, 7-19
The upturn in energies that kicked in at the end of June continues full force through July and into August. If anything, the kinds of forces we experienced last February are coming back. The sextile of Uranus and Pluto that's been affecting us for a number of years now continues to be triggered into activity periodically, unleashing more potential for deep personal overhaul. These changes aren't always easy to incorporate into our everyday lives (if they were easy, we'd be done with them already!), but we're getting plenty of opportunities to make these shifts in July. Take note of the conflicts and roadblocks you encounter this month. The going may not be very smooth in coming weeks, but the difficulties are a kind of testing grounds for improving your plans and goals. If you hit a roadblock, step back and see if you can approach the situation from a different point of view. Old ways of looking at problems are most likely part of the problem; novelty is the path to lasting solutions.
There are two main configurations to watch for this month. The first revolves around the ongoing sextile of Uranus and Pluto, which is being triggered into action numerous times these days. The other is a large Grand Cross pattern that forms and reforms at different times. Neither of these influences are all that easy to deal with.
As I've said so many times in recent issues, the Uranus-Pluto sextile is an ongoing affair. Despite having completed the 5th and final exact contact on February 5th, it will take about 2 years for these two heavy hitting planets to go their separate ways. During this time, the faster moving planets will repeatedly retrigger the transformative energies of the sextile, bringing a little more chaos and change into our lives. I call these contacts "aftershocks". We started seeing some of these aftershocks at the end of June and July is full of many more. For starters, the first week sees both Venus and Mars kicking off a significant aftershock as they form a large fan-shaped pattern with Uranus and Pluto. In fact, Mars is returning to its retrograde station (5Li55) of 2-5 on the 1st, a sure indication that the old Finale energies are being activated. (Incidentally, this Mars is setting in Hong Kong as the city is returned to China, an omen of possible trouble or violence in the future.) Expect relationships to be on the topsy-turvy side this week. Mercury, the thinking and symbol-using mind, is next to stir up the pot for a few days around the 11th. Take note of any inspirations or brilliant insights you have around now, but mull them over carefully. The thinking mind may be inspired, but it isn't working very reliably. Double-check new ideas carefully. The Sun and Juno have their turn around the 29th. Since Juno rules partnerships, close relationships may be under great stress at this time, although the possibility of some great breakthroughs is also present. Represent your position fairly, without any emotional or manipulative overtones, but be receptive to your partners point of view, too. It's a delicate balancing act to be with others this week.
The other main complex is a huge, sprawling T-square that sometimes turns into a Grand Cross. If these names aren't familiar to you, suffice it to say these large cross shaped formations of planets are known as some of the more difficult and stressful patterns around. This cross starts with Chiron in Libra in square to Neptune over in Capricorn -- the "Wounded Dreamer" aspect that's been going on since last November. Right now, Saturn and Vesta over in Aries have joined the picture. Of course, all this sensitizes the late degrees of Cancer as a power point -- so obviously a succession of fast moving planets simply has to pass through late Cancer. Venus started out the show in late June. It's followed by Mercury, Juno, and the Sun during the first few weeks of July. I've discussed this "Wounded Dreamer" before (most recently in April) -- learning the new skills and energy sensitivities needed to bring about changes in the physical world by playing with the subtle energy fields, as well as redeeming our idealism from too many hard knocks. Saturn and Vesta relate to the balance between giving our power away to others (especially "authority figures") vs. exercising your own authority and power from a position of maturity and integrity. It's a struggle between what others "allow" you to do or believe and what you know deep inside you that you can really do. This much alone is a real plateful to swallow. And all those Cancer planets give us the chance to explore these themes in our thoughts and feelings, and in the way we interact with the people around us.
For most of the USA, there's a strong split in this chart between the inner planets (which represent more conscious experiences) above the horizon and the outer bodies (more unconscious) below. Since this new moon is nearly a solar return chart for the US, it's well worth asking what national issues we're sweeping under the rug these days -- and what we'll need to face in the coming year. The 7 degree planets fall in a big fan-shaped pattern that reminds me strongly of the Grand Finale. We're looking at reexamining the relationship of the sexes (Venus and Mars) from a whole new perspective (Uranus and Pluto). It's important to understand the two sexes have complementary roles to play -- there can be no thought that one is more important than the other. In fact, this kind of partnership is an ideal ground for our continued growth, since these two perspectives can mirror back to us what a person can't see in themselves directly. Spiritual growth these days seems to require partners and groups -- the days of solitary, inner work seem to be over. But such insight can only happen if partnership is lived in the deepest sense of the word. The many planets in the Grand Cross seem to echo some of these themes. The tendency for patriarchal forces to run roughshod over the feminine is powerful and destructive -- it needs to give way to better communication and cooperation, not matter how idealistic and "pie in the sky" it sounds. There's a revolution of the heart that's opening up, a tapping into deeper layers of the soul than most people are used to (or can even recognize). It may not be easy, but this new moon engages the national birthchart in so many ways, it seems inevitable that these issues must be faced. Beware of forces that will try to manipulate the debate and cloud the discussion with irrelevancies (Neptune continues to criss-cross the US Pluto) for their own purposes. Trust your own judgment and come from the heart. This, of course, applies to the individual situation, not just the country as a whole. Follow your instincts and intuitions more...
The asteroid Ceres, the Great Mother, is standing still on the 8th at 13Pi58, about to start 3 months of reverse motion. Ceres is about the themes of nurturance and giving, the idea that the great Web of Life is furthered by the strong helping and guiding the weaker so they may grow and take their rightful places in the world. This is a two-edged lesson, however. Not only must be learn to give to others (hard enough), but also to humbly accept help from others when we need it (even harder). As Ceres shifts into reverse gear, our experience of nurturance changes. It may seem like the world is not supporting us; the overall feeling is one of lack or privation. Since this retrograde cycle takes place in Pisces, the sign of selflessness and sacrifice, it may simply be a problem of looking more at "what's in it for me?" than tuning into the greater good. Too narrow of a focus on your own condition translates into the greater world seeming to ignore you now, forcing you to fall back on your own resources. In the Web of Life, the individual is simultaneously wonderful and precious, as well as small and insignificant. If you turn your back on others that need your help, they'll do the same to you. During this 3 month cycle, you have the chance to experience a new sense of abundance and support, but only to the extent that you open up fully to Life at all levels.
The big aspect of the month is the sextile of Jupiter and Saturn on the 14th, the second of 3 such contacts. The first contact, on February 9th, was part of the Finale pattern; the last contact is on 11-14. Jupiter and Saturn deal with our connections to the outer world, what I sometimes call "the social contract" we have with others. In a nutshell, if we accept responsibility for our actions, behave respectfully towards others, and play by the rules of the social game (Saturn), we are rewarded by entry into the world at large and the expanding horizons that provides (Jupiter). Since this is part of the Finale and its aftershocks, we are being asked to make our expanded spiritual perspectives an integral part of our day-to-day social interactions. In order to reap the benefits of contacts with others in an enlightened setting, we need to accept the spiritual disciplines necessary to work with expanded energies. Obviously, this update of the social contract at this higher level of spiritual awareness is still a work in progress, since Jupiter and Saturn are only halfway through their contact. As you work on yourself, transforming old egotistical behaviors into a more group-centered way of operating, you experience greater acceptance by others working at this same level (or trying to, at any rate). If you don't make the shifts, Saturn (the planet of discipline and hard lessons) will hold you back and postpone the benefits that are waiting for you until you finally get the message. Remember that Jupiter is already in reverse gear and Saturn will follow on 8-1, so the rewards and goodies are not automatic at this time. They must be earned the old fashion way. Nonetheless, we are all being groomed for entry into a "spiritual brotherhood" of sorts, and the sooner we accept the responsibilities of such a calling, the sooner the privileges will flow. Note that Saturn is part of that Grand Cross pattern I just discussed, which should give you some hints of the wider implications of this calling.
This sextile is reinforced by the Sun, Moon, and Venus on the 15th. Be with people that are pleasing to be around, if you can. That sense of harmony and pleasure are signs that these companions are opening up horizons for you that may have been closed off for a long time. Some activity with an artistic streak may be an ideal excuse for getting together. Exchanging perspectives and points of view can be eye-opening.
The 27 degree planets form yet another Grand Cross pattern in the sky. There's a lot of feminine energy in this grouping, between the Moon, Venus, Neptune (frequently a goddess, in my imagination), and 3 female asteroids. Yang influences need not apply at this time. It feels like this feminine approach to life is standing up and demanding some recognition from us. This way of living, emphasizing our connectedness with the world and each other at all levels, is sorely unappreciated in the hustle and bustle of our goal-oriented activities. And what is unappreciated and unrecognized in the psyche retreats into the unconscious, where it stagnates at an immature level of development and casts an entrapping net from the shadows upon our existence. It's bad enough for women to be in this subordinate role, but the situation is even worse for men in some ways. We hide "the inner woman" deep in our psyches, beyond our reach. We've lost track of our softer, more mystical side. In fact, we tend to take out this loss on the women about us, putting them down because they resemble (more or less) this part of ourselves that we can't come to terms with. Splits within us, splits between us -- there are gaping wounds all around that beg to be addressed.
The bodies in this cross speak of various approaches to healing these splits. First and foremost, we need to get back in touch with our dreams and visions. As our sensitivity to these subtle forces increases, we find that we can actually bring about a more perfect world, if we stay commited to it. One such ideal worth living every day is a love based on true partnership, a respectful acceptance of the other as an equal in every way. It requires we come from a position of strength and independence, able to stand on our own, so that we don't drag down others with our own neediness. We need to make contact with this forgotten inner world, bringing its powerful psychic forces into the light of conscious awareness, so that our inner life supports, rather than undermines, our outer life. All this activity is primarily emotional and intuitive, even "visceral" (felt in the body), all the neglected parts of our experience. The intellect has its role to play, too, as communication is a necessary tool for refining the details and boundaries of interpersonal interactions, as well as opening new doors and opportunities. But we rely too much on our thinking minds already, trying to make life dry and rational when it should instead be sweet and juicy. If anything, this "common sense" perspective needs some major demolition and remodeling if we're going to make the next phase of growth successfully. Think less for awhile. The weeks following this full moon are an important window of opportunity for us, as we open up to a powerful planetary storm that can help us make these changes more easily. Step out of the mundane, material world awhile, and savor the more subtle, refined realms where imagination is queen...