July looks suspiciously like a game of two halves, as they say in football. The ‘big three’ of Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter are all sliding backwards from our viewpoint on planet earth. So too is the little communications planet Mercury, whose retrograde has become legend even among those not exercised by the planets. ‘Astrology is all rubbish except for Mercury Retrograde,’ I was informed by one senior magazine editor, chafing at chewed-up deadlines.
Add into that a lunar eclipse on July 5 and the picture looks slow and uncertainly, at least until Mercury straightens out and flies ahead from July 12. The second half of the month looks brisk by comparison.
Two planets certainly looking brisk are Venus, now out of retrograde in Gemini, and Mars, now resident in Aries for six months, rather than the usual six weeks, as it completes its own retrograde cycle, more of which in months to come. Mars is strong in its own sign, and this is the first time it has spent six months in the Ram since 1988, so we planet-plotters will be following with interest, especially in October.
Wishing all my readers a glorious summer, as much as the present situation allows.
Cancer
It’s tempting to see June and July as months when push comes to shove and action must be taken. Perhaps – heaven knows you face a demanding planetary picture – but Mercury crawling backwards and forwards through your skies advises caution, cogitation, and the gathering of information before you do anything drastic.
Mercury is out of retrograde on the 12th and a week later comes the new Moon in Cancer (on the 20th) to supply a following wind. Before either date you face an eclipsed full Moon opposite you on July 5, promising a giddy weekend at best and perhaps a fundamental shift in a relationship or the way you earn (or don’t) your living.
With Saturn back in opposition until December, alongside Jupiter and Pluto, alliances are key but likely to be put to the test. Saturn, as you may have noticed over the last two years, is apt to bring matters to a head, and tough choices may need to be made (birthdays between 12 and 20 July take note), but having survived the last six months you should know what the issues are and what you must do to solve problems. Slow, incremental changes work just as well as dramatic action.
Up at the peak of your chart is Mars, potent int its own sign and keen for you to make your mark on the big wide world; not just in July but for the rest of the year the message is see and be seen. Happy Birthday.
Leo
That rumbling you can hear in the background is the clash and heave of planets in Cancer and Capricorn, behind the scenes across the mind-body-spirit axis of your solar ‘scope. As your astrologer suggested last month, diligent work, mindfulness and meditation are the message being sent for you of royal lineage.
If that sounds more like worthy than fun, you have livelier options. Venus, now out of retrograde in your zone of fellow travellers, promises good company, socially distanced or somewhat closer and more romantic than that. Old flames and sidekicks are something of a theme. Seize your moment to catch up with them.
New on the block is Mars in your fellow fire sign of Aries; an important transit if only because it goes on for a remarkable six months. This may also be about getting in touch with friends from afar – normally one would suspect that travel might feature – but it also spells an opportunity to extend your reach across the Leo empire and to deepen your understanding of the world. Creative and intellectual work is favoured.
Your personal mojo is re-empowered once your Sun ruler arrives in the Lion on July 22 after which only the most foolish Leo will be caught loafing around. The outlook for late July, August and September is auspicious; time to pursue your destiny with vigour.
Virgo
As your astrologer has previously suggested, there are currently more problematic places around the zodiac than Virgo to have your birthday Sun. True, some of you have a Neptune opposition to handle (specifically birthdays 11/12 September), but providing you are not being tortured by addiction to meds or by a cruel love affair, even that is no biggy.
And on the other hand, no sign is better placed to handle the current rumpus in Cancer/Capricorn. Your Mercury ruler remains in the midst of its retrograde cycle, sigh, but your usual patience and attention to detail will see you through that. The lunar eclipse of the full Moon on July 5 is another matter, threatening to bring relationship grievances, real or imagined, to the surface. If you can tiptoe past that, the new Moon of July 20 brings a fresh breeze to clear the air in troubled personal relations.
One-on-one partnerships, not just romantic, do call for a just division of financial responsibilities. Mars, newly ensconced in your eighth house and remaining there for the next six months, looks insistent on this score. Venus is meanwhile completing its long sojourn across the roof of your ‘scope, a cue for a professional charm offensive if there ever was one. You may have to take a few rude remarks in your stride – those making them can get payback later.
Libra
Beleaguered? Get used to it as they are coming at you from all sides in July, ‘they’ being assorted planets and the individuals and institutions they represent. Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn have been pitted against you for most of 2020, asking hard questions about profession and property and where you fit into the great impersonal scheme of things. Those questions are given extra urgency this month as the Sun and Moon pass opposite them in Cancer. An eclipsed full Moon on July 5 and a retrograde Mercury have a feeling of intractability, but this is temporary, and by the time the new Moon of July 20 arrives, the way forwards should be clearer.
That trio in Capricorn is nonetheless weighty and ongoing until December, so your chances of dodging challenges to your status – or your need to prove yourself to the world – are low, especially for October birthdays.
And now you have Mars in opposition to contend with, not just in July but all the way through to new year. As much happens every couple of years but it hasn’t occurred in Aries – your opposite sign – since 1988. July and August are perhaps the easiest months for this cycle – you are provoked (or attracted), you flip out (or take the bait) and then things hopefully move on. Autumn looks more complicated. Best keep your cool when under provocation and employ your fabled powers of diplomacy (stop laughing at the back) when dealing with significant others, be it friends, lovers or sworn enemies (Librans usually have a few of all three).
Thankfully your ruling planet, Venus, just emerged from its own retrograde and is onside in July. Old and/or secret affairs and crushes can be resolved, new associations sought, overseas links pursued, and greater wisdom and creativity found. The month of Leo, starting July 22, as ever adds pals and gaiety to the mix. As the old songs says, nice work if you can get it…and you can get it if you try.
Scorpio
That some you are in a rush for adventure is understandable – especially birthdays close to Halloween October 31 – but your ‘scope is dragging its feet for the first half of July. Mercury is retrograde in the zone of open spaces and bright ideas, which also sees an eclipsed full Moon on July 5, both of which urge caution before taking a plunge. Some decisions have to be made, Merc Ret or not, but do a full information trawl first. Details count.
Your horoscope remains emotionally volatile – in a good way. True, your Mars ruler is now out of Pisces and some of that sign’s touchy-feely qualities have been sacrificed in favour of hard graft – Mars spends the next six months urging you keep your shoulder to the wheel. That imperative is doubled up by the inclining season of Leo, with the Sun cresting your ‘scope on July 22, a demand to be seen around the no-doubt virtual office.
Still, the season of watery Cancer is fuel for your passions, which will be further fed by Venus in August. After a somewhat murky start to July, the new Moon of July 20 has a liberating quality. So too does the ongoing presence of Prometheus in opposition. Sudden departures and startling arrivals are one of the planet’s signatures; but whatever brings you liberation is the underlying theme.
Sagittarius
Is it love or money that makes the world go round? Your July horoscope advises it’s a judicious mixture of the two. The heavy weather that’s raged over your financial axis all year now reaches a peak, what with the second lunar eclipse of the season on July 5, plus with a retrograde Mercury clouding the picture you should be super scrupulous with spread sheets, bank statements and those on-line scamming rogues. Deals get easier to make and contracts better to sign after Mercury’s go-slow ends on July 12, while the new Moon of July 20 could bring a hard-won decision, perhaps one pertaining to how you and a partner divide financial burdens.
As for love, whether it’s the general variety (“bring on the love’ etc.) or the more specific variety (‘the love I saw in you was just a mirage’ etc.) your ‘scope is brimming with the stuff. Venus’s long opposition now moves out of retrograde and into its final six weeks of allure (hopefully), meaning that you should finally get clarity about any turbulent romances.
Simultaneously Mars arrives in your firth house of flirtation and passion for a super-rare six month stay. Mars is powerful in Aries – a fellow fire sign – so whether you use its energies to go a‘courting, write or paint your masterpiece or achieve sporting glory, you have a following wind, especially in June and July, before the tale gets tangles in a retrograde.
Adding its month of annual glory is the Sun in the third fire sign, Leo, from July 22, a lovely position for the Centaur, emphasising that even in lockdown, your spirit is never truly fenced-in.
Capricorn
Consider the season of Cancer – until July 22 – a high water mark in your affairs. The Crab is your opposite and complimentary sign. It delivers a full Moon in your skies every year, but not always an eclipsed one, as on July 5, a partner to the eclipsed new Moon on June 21. Eclipses are enigmatic; points of instability and change, and this month’s pair are made more complex by the accompanying serenade of a retrograde Mercury in Cancer.
Add to that the return of ruler Saturn to the Goat’s skies, joining Jupiter and Pluto in retrograde, and you have a picture best described as uncertain, a work in progress. The solution is attention to detail, the patient clearing of tasks, and a wariness about taking big decisions before you have to. Heaven knows that major changes are in the air, especially for mid-January birthdays, but you are on firmer ground once the eclipses are out the way, along with Mercury resuming normal service on July 12.
Planets in Cancer always highlight partnerships, either to accommodate the views of your other half, or to throw over your association. Such things happen on Saturn transits! The new Moon in Cancer on July 20 is a chance to reboot a relationship or consign it to history. You get the chance to play the great romantic in August, when Venus moves opposite.
Opening a new front in the Goat’s affairs is Mars, which now begins its epic, six month stay in Aries at the root of your chart. A square aspect from Mars is far from the worst the cosmos can fling at you – ‘Irritable? Who me?’ – but matters may turn problematic in autumn when Mars squares Saturn. If you are planning a renovation of Capricorn Towers, sooner is better than later. Home and family look a lively, noisy place, especially, in July, for December birthdays.
Aquarius
Saturn’s retreat from your skies is over on July 2, and the ringed planet is back in the twelfth house of mysteries, secrets and things that go bump in the night, leaving you six months in which to prepare for a couple of years handling Saturn’s demands. Just sayin’!
In the here and now Saturn (and Jupiter and Pluto) are opposed by the Sun and Mercury in Cancer, with an eclipsed full Moon on July 5 completing a daunting line-up across the mind/body/spirit axis of your ‘scope. Many Aquarians are well tuned into that axis of health and spirituality and July is certainly an apposite time to renew your yoga/meditation practice or simply to rest up and beautify yourself. If you are at work, remember that Mercury is retrograde, meaning old work is as good as new work.
Much more in the here and now is Venus in your fifth house, the perfect position for romantic trysts, picnics in dappled meadows, painting en plein air and general showing-off and enjoyment. Venus is here, in Gemini until August 7 so seize the day as the astrologers like to urge.
Mars in your third house of communications and siblings is not quite so sweet – Mars always has a piquant twist even when well aspected – but favours bustle, business, buying and selling; an antidote to too much time in the spa.
Finally, there is the season of Leo, your opposite sign, where the Sun arrives on July 22. Let past experience shape your opinion about high summer. It’s halfway from and until your birthday, and the Sun in opposition can be testing, energy-wise. Still, the Sun is pretty much alone in opposing you, and with any luck may represent a regal partner there to support and delight you. Here’s hoping.
Pisces
Belonging to arguably the most adaptable sign of the zodiac, Pisceans are able to make the best of a difficult situation, and while July has its challenges, this is far from a tricky planetary picture. The daunting trio of Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter, for example, lie well placed for you to tap into the cold and indifferent world of professional ‘small p’ politics. You may have to do so in incremental stages rather than by breakthrough, especially in July, when Mercury is in one of its retrograde sulks – until the 12th.
That said, having both Mercury and the Sun in Cancer and your fifth house of pleasure is good news. The only danger is you spread yourself too thin when pursuing good times (they are available, even in lockdown) while also attending to work duties. With two eclipses involved during Cancer’s season in the Sun, the odd man or woman be found to have gone missing, presumed lost overboard, but the new Moon in the Crab on June 20 has a pleasing feeling of liberation to it.
At the root of your ‘scope Venus is now in the final stage of its passage through Gemini, signalling the odd provocative or downright rude remark, likely from within your ‘family’. Of more concern is the arrival of Mars in your zone of ready cash; concerning because it’s an encouragement to spend funds you don’t necessarily have. As Mars is here for six months, keeping a level head about finances is an ongoing issue. The answer, of course, is to find a way to get more of the folding stuff coming in.
In your own skies Neptune maintains its seemingly endless presence. The planet of glamour and dissipation (voice your choice) is quiet in July but aspects to it late in the month promise to bring out its best qualities of enchantment. Make it so.
Aries
Everyone loves a rootin’ tootin’ Aries – well, anyone with a little fire and adventure in their soul – and the summer offers you ample opportunity to show the world what a great sport you are. With your ruler Mars marching through your skies, you are empowered, and able to contest even the rough blows that an impersonal world might throw your way. More of which in a moment.
In early July, however, best proceed with caution. Like everyone else you are caught up in a Mercury Retrograde (slow traffic, old issues) until the 12th, and the eclipsed full Moon of July 5 is likewise no great time for a major call, though it may well bring a professional issue to crisis point. Let things settle for a few days before you jump.
Impersonal pressures from ‘the system’ are back to bug some of you (birthdays April 14-19 especially), but you have a few months grace before that muscular trio of Capricorn planets (Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter) gets as fierce as earlier in 2020. Meanwhile, plan for the medium term – say Christmas. Rain or shine fix the damn roof. The new Moon of July 20 is ideal for domestic and professional initiatives.
As ever, the Sun’s move into fiery Leo from July 22, favours the Ram. With Venus out of retrograde in airy Gemini and Mars doing its thing in your skies, you should be able to conjure up a decent summer, one full of pals and playmates and the chink of glasses on a socially distanced patio. Enjoy.
Taurus
Straight answers to straight questions don’t come easily when communicator Mercury is retrograde, but while other signs can tolerate ambiguity – even revel in it! – Taureans prefer certainty. You might usefully put that demand on ice for a few weeks, firstly because Mercury doesn’t fly direct until the 12th. Plus, with your Venus ruler just out of retrograde, catch-up on financial welfare is high on the agenda.
The sluggish cast of the planetary picture is not necessarily negative for the Bull. The emphasis on the Cancer-Capricorn axis fits your earthy self just fine, though it’s old business not new that is most pressing. Mid-May birthdays in particular look nicely set to make peace with the establishment and the ‘system’. A plan for the next six months is in order; what’s coming down the turnpike in 2021 is another matter altogether.
April birthdays remain in a far more exciting (mildly terrifying?) position. Planet Prometheus is no respecter of old ways and a steady-as-she goes approach; thrills and spills is more the agenda; not least where personal relations are concerned. You may surprise yourself just how much ambiguity you can handle.
The season of Leo, beginning on July 22, should feel like coming up for air. The Sun here represents challenge, but of the sort that makes you take action and get things done. August looks busy!
Gemini
Against the odds, perhaps, given events in the wider world, July holds promise. A single planet is the key to success, Venus. The goddess of romance, good taste, good times and artistry now completes her three month stay in the Twins’ skies, ending early August. Your prevarications about which colour is right for your new bedroom, which prints to hang there, which lover to share your bed, which actor must play the lead in your forthcoming, much-delayed masterpiece, or simply whether you can pull the one you have your eye on, all those issues are up for resolution in July.
It isn’t as if there is much else going on. The go-slow of your Mercury ruler in your cash zone, along with a lunar eclipse there, ask for clarity about money, but there is no rush until the new Moon of July 20, after which financial issues may become uncomfortable. Be prepared, not complacent.
Two fire signs will be energising your social life, however. In Aries newly arrived Mars favours as much networking as conditions allow and as much as you can tolerate. There are deals to be done but don’t imagine you can simply skip away from any promises you make (like some Gemini politicians); you will be held to account in autumn.
The season of Leo, beginning on July 22, has much the same message. Circulate, call in favours from your ‘homies’ and siblings and keep the world fresh.