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The last month,
June through July . . .

By the end of June, the opposition between Saturn in Leo and Chiron in Aquarius was over, and Jupiter had squared them both. Every situation of conflict could be seen as a clash between Saturn-type authority and Chiron-type efforts to heal social wounds – which side looks like which depends which side you are on. We could also see this as Saturn and Chiron forcing us to face the truth within social situations, in order to release the pent-up pains of old wounds; this is, perhaps, a necessary step if any positive development is to last. Jupiter connecting to both planets, in a T-square pattern, ensured maximum emotional pain, and, hopefully, release.

In mid-July, Mars in Leo gave Pluto a boost of fiery energy, and the destruction of anything old or out-of-date would have escalated. Those of us caught up in old ways, and out-of-date attitudes, would have suffered most: the harder I cling to how life has been, or what I consider to be mine, the more it appears that life (time) would take it from me. As always, we can best help ourselves, and world situations, by refusing to blame anyone for our own difficulties, and dealing with what happens, the best we can, as we go along – ‘acceptance’ and ‘flexibility’!

New Moon in Leo

Leo is the sign of the radiant heart. There is such a huge difference between how we think of ourselves in our daily lives, and what we really are, what we extend towards, the unutterable wonder of All . . .

When the Moon joins the Sun in Leo, we have another opportunity to start again expressing more of our brightest self, loving, generous, honest, whole-hearted. The Moon and Sun in this chart are opposite Chiron in Aquarius, representing the pain of a society that is afraid to believe in the true radiant heart. But when our hearts are radiant, we can be ourselves safely in society, bringing courage to others to be true to themselves. It is only when we identify ourselves as a bunch of personality traits that we suffer from feeling misunderstood, alone and rejected.

The pattern formed in the chart of this New Moon in Leo is quite striking and balanced (see my website under Current Comments). Venus, Uranus and Jupiter form a triangle in the three water signs (a smooth flow of energy, encouraging relationship at a deep level, yet with the detachment to see clearly). This triangle is linked to last month’s T-square by two quincunxes (aspects most easily used to serve and assist). Jupiter is the one planet in both patterns, so as it emphasised the difficulties of the T-square last month, this month it emphasises the potential harmony of the triangle. As Jupiter may have exaggerated the disasters, so now it encourages the solutions.

Planets in service to each other

The quincunx aspect is a span of 150 degrees between two planets, and the relationship it shows between them has two sides: when we are in our survival mode of thinking, each planet’s energetic behaviour undermines the best the other planet can do, so it’s practically impossible to work them together positively. A quincunx used this way looks like ‘shooting oneself in the foot,’ self-sabotage, continually doing the very thing that brings about what we don’t want, and then complaining about it.

On the other hand, when we recognise that what we want to do can also be of service to others, and we choose to offer that service, the two planets work inventively together for everyone’s benefit, including ours. Charts with quincunxes show people who really do need to be of service to others in order to feel OK. But it’s not about sacrificing anything, because real service is the sharing of a talent we enjoy using, or simply sharing ourselves.

In this chart:

Venus in Cancer (trine Jupiter) quincunxes Chiron, and on 31 July trines Uranus. Her service through Chiron is to relate to the pain of others so that they feel their wounds are recognised, while Jupiter emphasises her loving support. The result is a lessening of defensiveness and angry justification. Then, working with Uranus, Venus stands back to see the results clearly, rather than being emotionally blinded. This last week of July could be a good time to look at solving difficulties you may have with those you care about, bearing in mind the following Saturn suggestion.

Saturn quincunx Uranus, on the first day of August, can use that loving observation to bring light to any situation you may have felt heavy over the last few months. Rather than cutting off completely, your painless way to a solution is to bear in mind what is best for everyone in the situation. Saturn in Leo is about being our true selves, instead of acting out of our personality identity. When we let ourselves feel for each person involved, we open ourselves to a sense of connection, recognising how we are all doing the best we can from our own perspective, and how difficult it can be for everyone to find the balance point – we connect deeply as human beings, and solutions evolve naturally.

This whole chart pattern could show a sense of drawing back after the last few months of battling with life, to lick the wounds, our own and other people’s. And we learn again, as we are often told, that life rolls on best through love rather than fear.

Mercury – thinking, communication, and movement

In the New Moon chart, Mercury is still retrograde and makes no connections to the other planets. This could suggest that growth and changes this month come not so much from what we say, but rather what we express through action and mood. On 29 July Mercury will be moving forwards through Cancer again, and gets to Leo on 11 August. Our thoughts, words and actions should all be smoother than last month, leading to a greater sense of positivity about life. On 20 August, Mercury meets and passes Saturn - personal statements made around this time could be very effective, so it would be well to check that they come from your expanded heart so that you can enjoy the results fully. With Venus also in Leo from 13 August, perhaps it’s party time! J

Just a thought, inspired by Venus trine Jupiter . . .

I’ve probably said this before, but when you’re relating to a person, have you ever noticed a tendency to overdo those behaviours that you wish the other person did more? Let me try that again! When you wish they would behave more like you in a particular way, do find you start doing that thing even more, as though emphasising it would encourage them to copy you? Like being super tidy when you want them to be less messy, or super-positive when they’re depressed, or looking at your watch a lot when you think they should hurry.

What actually works better is seeing, in what they do, something you could benefit from doing yourself, and doing more of that. The result tends to be that they unconsciously take on more of what you do, and the situation becomes balanced. Imagine, when you are both likely to be late, just sitting down and calmly watching them or reading a book. When someone’s down, try sympathising with them for how life looks when in that mood. Faced with someone’s mess, think of something you’ve been meaning to sort out, and try taking all the space you need to do that . . . just a thought . . . Actually, with Mars moving through Virgo at the moment, it’s a great time for sorting out those things you’ve been putting off – just don’t get cross about them!