ADDRESSING OUR HESITANCY TO BE POWERFUL
We start off the seventh month of the year addressing feelings that are not typically pleasant to focus on. The two placements influencing us as we begin the month happen to be Mars and Pluto. In Greek Mythology, this is Aries ( God of War) and Hades (God of the Underworld). This is not a gentle walk in the park kind of energy. Mars represents aggression, justified anger, frustration, motivation, self-defense, and our physical presence. Pluto rules over fear, emotional depth and heights, our survival instincts and early coping mechanisms. It must be noted that Pluto supports our awareness of our environment, the possibility within our influence and the potential of our impact. When these two planets square one another during a transit, it can reveal fears and destructive tendencies that leaves us inclined to confront others and or our own shadows.
During this Pluto transit , which began in 2008 and ends in 2024, Mars inparts bravery and courage- the permission to express the hidden and necessary emotions living beneath our survival instincts. We are encouraged to understand that not all forms of power are inherently corrupt and evil. Instead we are learning how anger and resentment are not immature emotions, yet necessary in the activation for illuminating the shadow work that needs to be done in order to lead ourselves into an elevated experience of life. This is about believing that we are justified and deserving of enacting that kind of power.
In the sky, these planets are forming what we call a Square aspect. This means that there is some tension between the agenda of Mars in Aries, the sign of bravery and independent action and the agenda of Pluto in Capricorn, the sign of responsibility, authority and structure. It may feel as though there are outside forces that are beyond our control. Sometimes our best efforts can feel weak in the face of adversity. It will be important to not get discouraged this week if we are made to feel powerless to our current situations. This squaring aspect can intensify challenges we are already facing. It is no joke sometimes and because of that, we really need to give ourselves a break and show ourselves some kindness.
Questions To Ask Yourself:
Why am I afraid to take control of my circumstances?
Why do I hesitate to dismantle my current situation and reassemble it by my own design?
How can I become more comfortable with claiming power and influence in a healthy and respectable way?
REMAINING DISCIPLINED IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY
Even though the beginning of July is right in the middle of Cancer Season, there will still be quite a bit of influence coming from planets in Gemini. Mercury, the planet ruling over our communication and Venus, the planet ruling over our sense of value, will both find themselves making a connection with Neptune, the planet ruling over illusion and confusion. Simultaneously, Mercury and Venus are connecting with Saturn, the planet ruling over responsibility.
Mercury sits comfortably in Gemini, the youngest and most mischievous of the Airs signs. Gemini is curious, open-minded and eager to be mentally stimulated. It wants as many answers as it can get. It resembles an elementary school student, open to the limitless education of the world around them. However, when we are dealing with Neptune and Saturn, our questions require patience. Saturn is in Aquarius, the eldest and the most influential of the air signs. Aquarius is the community leader, willing to use its inventive ideas to influence progress and advancement on a larger scale. As Saturn sits comfortably in the sign it rules, Aquarius, it makes us work and earn whatever we are desiring. If we are looking for some clarity and some decisiveness, it’s important to decide what we aspire our futures to look like and what communities we are willing to invest our time and energy into building. When Mercury and Saturn form this connection, they work to connect us to people that will help us spread the message we believe will be of most use to the world around us. So, try your best to be clear with yourself and intentions amongst all the surrounding energy of curiosity, imagination and responsibility.
Cultivate the knowledge of when and how to respond!
July can be a great time to work on becoming comfortable with moving slow, working steadily and being patient with the process. We don’t want to make quick decisions right now. A lot is changing and transitioning, and we do not want to impulsively take the harder path if we can avoid it.
Questions To Ask Yourself:
How can I organize my thoughts, ideas and plans for the next couple of months while leaving some wiggle room in my schedule for any kind of unknown factor that may pop up?
How can I better exercise patience when the desired results seem further and further away?
How can I appreciate the steps that progress takes?
REFLECTING ON OUR GROWTH
At the very end of the month we will see Jupiter, the planet of wisdom, learning and opportunities station retrograde. We will have until late November to work with this energy. Any planet retrograding is a period that gives us time to reflect and digest everything we have been through while the planet was direct. In the case of Jupiter, we can use this time to inwardly process the growth we may or may not have experienced for the past ten months.
Jupiter has been moving through Aries since May 10th of this year. We are being exposed to fresh experiences that are encouraging the development of our self-respect. We are learning how to take up space in an honest way. We are learning how to hold onto our integrity, keep firm in our identity and build up trust in our own capabilities by challenging ourselves to meet our own needs without the guilt of feeling selfish or too confrontational. In fact, Jupiter may push us toward confrontation so that we can develop healthier ways of defending our stance while also respecting the other individuals involved.
Questions To Ask:
How has my worldview broadened in the last year?
How has my perspective on life become more accepting and forgiving?
What am I learning about bravery?
What am I learning about my own will to rise to challenges?
What learning opportunities created the most significant change in me over this year so far?
What has been the greatest life lesson I have learned recently?
What do I want to do with this expansive wisdom moving forward?
THE TIME IS NOW
On the very last day of July, leading into August, one of the most influential configurations of this year will be occurring. This isn’t to say that something crazy will happen exactly on July 31st, but it is a very loud start of a new chapter that will be affecting us from then on. Three malefic bodies, Mars, the planet of self-respect and assertiveness, Uranus, the planet of liberation and rebellion, and the North Node, a calculated point of destiny that serves to aggravate us towards growth, will be conjoining in the Fixed Earth sign of Taurus. Malefic, in my opinion, does not always equate to bad but does tend to bring on discomfort. All three of these placements, in their own way, disrupt and disturb what they touch.
This combination of energies looks like a breaking point of sorts. Enough is enough!
We are finished with the games and the non-sense and we want a fresh sense of agency. These planets create a desire to cut ties or separate from something draining and exhausting. Both Mars and Uranus are hungry for independence and possessing a self-directed life. This energy is daring us to sever ourselves from anything we have come to lean on too heavily or whatever is leaning on us too much. Remember that the pile-up of planets in Taurus is asking us to become more self-reliant and trust in our own abilities to support our way of life without needing to beg for permission.
The transit that we are experiencing between Mars, Uranus and the North Node is very rocky and quite unpredictable. That is the nature of Uranus- erratic and full of unexpected changes. Who knows how this energy will affect each one of us, but it will cause some sense of liberation from something in our lives. Whether we are seeking that freedom or it comes as an unexpected surprise, we will have to find out.
Questions to Ask:
What draining attachment do I need to break free from inorder to have enough energy, time and resources for my own well-being?
How can I challenge myself to be more self-sufficient?
What am I afraid to do alone? Am I ready for more independence?
If my sense of security is shaken from beneath my feet, do I feel comfortable relying on myself to regain stability?