Key Dates for July
- Full Moon July 13th
- New Moon July 28th
- Sun into Leo July 22nd
- Mercury in Cancer 5th into Leo on July 19th
- Venus in Gemini then enters Cancer July 18th
- Mars in Taurus July 5th
- Jupiter retrograde in Aries July 28th
Cancer
Be brisk. Your birthday month (including June birthdays) comes unusually well starred. The new Moon of June 29 marked a new chapter, and here is messenger Mercury to speed things along while in your skies between July 5 and 19. Plus you have the asteroid Ceres and the non-existent but popular entity Black Moon Lilith (aka the wild feminine) in your skies for the rest of the year. Venus, an actual planet and one that’s in your skies between July 19 and August 12, may also represent the wild feminine on occasions, but is more customarily an omen of delight, ease and fine parties.
Other reasons to have a bounce in your step; Jupiter on the roof of your solar ‘scope, suggesting that you seek out favours from high places, and Mars in Cancer, supplying support (perhaps qualified) from your work team. Catches? You have the annual full Moon in opposition on July 13, perhaps asking difficult questions about partnerships (of all stripes) and stoking resentment from open enemies, though even here you hold the upper hand. The pace of events slackens at the end of the month, but Venus allows you to celebrate until mid-August. Happy Birthday.
Leo
The month prior to your own birthday season customarily calls for down time and reflection rather than dynamic action, and in that respect this year is no different, especially since you should still be assessing the no doubt tough lessons that Saturn in opposition has been to impart this year. However, two major planets in have other ideas; Jupiter in Aries signals the renewal of a favoured quest, whether it’s a geographical mission (‘I always wanted to go to…’) or a more intellectual affair.
Mars at the peak of your ‘scope is also demanding, perhaps asking you to field hostility from work colleagues higher up the totem pole than yourself, or more simply to pump up extra energy into your career arc. You must be used to as much in 2022. The meeting of Mars and Prometheus at month’s end could signal fireworks.
Your undisputed ruling planet, the mighty Sun, arrives in your skies on July 22, preceded on the 19th by Mercury, to recharge your batteries and reassert your status as monarch in your own right. Let lesser beings be in awe! The new Moon of July 28 is cannily aligned to Jupiter and opens a regal birthday season that, with Venus’ help, you can extend into early September. Enjoy.
Virgo
It looks an emotional month, not in the sense of getting over heated or disappointed (though, as ever, those possibilities exist), but in the sense of being asked what you feel about things. You can put down the burdens of duty – to which many Virgoans are called – and concentrate on what most matters to you. If that’s work, then planets in Cancer offer your personal network and team in support. If it’s a strange and individual quest – a journey you must make, a book you must complete – then Mars in Taurus offers its energies.
And if it’s partnerships and the lurve thing, then the full Moon of 13th, conjunct spooky Pluto, promises to delve the depths of feeling and perhaps come up with a secret or two (whether your own or someone else’s).
You can likely put matters on cruise control should you wish, but that would be to cede control over events, once you have decided what must be done. It’s as much about what you feel as what you think – the two aren’t mutually exclusive. The Sun’s shift into Leo and your twelfth solar house, with a new Moon there on July 28, signal a need for down time and contemplation.
Libra
The need for public profile is something that even modest Librans recognise as necessary. The Sun and, from July 18 ruler Venus in Cancer should lend a hand here, even if you have to endure some criticism, not least at the full Moon of the 13th. Sometimes it’s lonely at the top (or on your way there). The important thing is that you keep beavering away at your principal objectives – Saturn’s ongoing retreat allows you to go back and fix anything that’s gone wrong and paint over any mistakes. Easier climes arrive with the Sun in Leo from the 22nd, with the new Moon there on the 28th favouring teamwork rather than a solo act.
You also have Mars to contend with – that the red planet has moved out of opposition is a relief where relationships are concerned, but joint finances now beckon for your diplomatic touch. You and a partner, perhaps a business partner rather than a lover, both need to feel they are getting a fair share of what’s available.
Scorpio
That your Mars ruler now moves into opposition for six long weeks is a double-edged blade. Provocative but attractive people arrive to spice up personal relations, but some are likely to be more critical than supportive. Any hostile response from you should be tempered with a sense of justice if things are not to degenerate into open warfare; you need partnerships rather than enemies. Mars’ conjunction with Prometheus at the close of July may wheel in an unexpected suitor or escalate antagonism further. Tread daintily.
Elsewhere in your ‘scope the Sun and, from the 18th Venus in Cancer offer more gentle pleasures, perhaps involving travel or people from far shores. As ever, the Sun’s arrival at the peak of your solar chart on the 22ndd points to a more public role; the new Moon there on the 28th asks where you might gain attention, even glory, from your career.
Sagittarius
With your ruling planet, Jupiter, so splendidly sited just now, there should be excitement in the air, whether that’s generated by yourself and your creative juices, or by a passionate liaison. Venus in opposition until July 18 should certainly be putting happy partnerships and possible affairs in the frame. Between them Jupiter and Venus make the first half of the month something of a love-in. The major obstacle in some cases may be finances, and how you and a significant other divide financial responsibilities – the full Moon of July 13 is a time when dissatisfaction – on either side – comes to the fore.
The Sun’s shift into your fellow fire sign Leo on the 22nd offers a less complicated phase. Indeed, the new Moon of the 28th, splendidly aligned to ruler Jupiter, may signal the start of a beautiful friendship/love affair and even if not, your own self-confidence and idealism are promised a massive boost. Whatever dreams you entertain, here’s the moment to try and turn them into reality.
Capricorn
The annual full Moon in the Goat’s skies arrives on July 13 and being next to Pluto is likely to stir up deep and seemingly intractable issues, not least for birthdays circa January 11. Scrupulous fairness to partners can remove any resentments and toxicity in close relationships, or it may be a solo affair with ‘me, myself and I’ as the battleground over what you most want from life. Venus moves into opposition on the 18th to soothe troubled waters over the coming weeks, and to suggest possible partners for those of you in the dating game.
There’s an element of raw passion involved in much of what goes down in July. Mars in earthy Taurus promises to fire your creativity and to make authenticity your calling card in both your personal and professional lives. Finances, even if you are already sitting on a tidy pile, are also in the frame – happily, an alliance between Jupiter and the new Moon of the 18th, suggests you are owed! Collect, as ever, what’s rightfully yours.
Aquarius
The astrological weather looks a mixed bag for Urn Bearers. The issues that have dominated your outlook this year look less pressing but remain where your long-term outlook must be focused. An achievement you can be proud of before your next birthday? You can do that. You have a following wind from Jupiter through the summer. In July you also have some moments of twinkling delight (parties, romance) on offer from Venus – until the 18th anyway.
With the Sun’s move into opposition on the 22nd, however, your physical energies are being challenged, so health and welfare need all the fine-tuning you can muster. Oppositions frequently bring partnerships – and enmities – into contention, and the Leo new Moon of the 28th opens a new chapter here – maintaining an open dialogue with your other half is called for, not mere stubbornness. Something similar applies to any uproar within the family – keep the noise level down! If you have the builders in, of course, as much may not be possible.
Pisces
One strand of July looks plain sailing. The Sun in Cancer smiles on your social life, and even after Sol has moved onto Leo, Venus remains in the Crab to supply a party, a flirtation or simply the delights of good company. Can you afford la dolce vita? Your ruling planet, Jupiter is resident in your cash zone until autumn, on the one hand bringing a handy windfall, on the other luring you into spending you can’t afford. Streamline your finances as much as you can bear.
High octane mars is also keen on streamlining, principally by urging you to discard stuff (and to a lesser extent people) that are no longer relevant in the here and now. At the end of the month Mars passes by Prometheus; a recipe for the unexpected, be it a major departure or an exciting arrival. Steady as she goes.
Aries
Jupiter is, in part, about the future, one with a rosy glow, and with the giant planet in your skies across summer, there should be reasons enough to envisage as much. In the here and now, however, old issues may dog your steps. The full Moon of July 13 highlights sticky, persistent career issues and work colleagues who are changing their tune, and with ruler
Mars in your cash zone, opportunities to make (and lose) money are a feature of July (the end of the month is not the time for a gamble btw).
Social and romantic matters are under more positive stars, with Venus accentuating your friendship network until mid-month. Shortly afterwards the Sun moves into fiery Leo to stoke your own fires; the new Moon of July 28, powerfully aligned to Jupiter, promises a new chapter in your love life (especially if you are a March birthday), and a creative surge, the more radical the better.
Taurus
The steadiness and patience of the Bull is well attested, but in July you may find other qualities calling. Warrior Mars in your skies brings an up-and-at-’em energy that pushes on projects and sweeps aside those who oppose you. You’re in the driver’s seat – vroom, vroom at best, a bull in a china shop at worst. The meeting of Mars and Prometheus at the end of the month is a volatile moment in your year when sensitivity may serve you better than angry confrontation. It should remind you, too, that the same-old is not a given but a choice, and that your most radical ideas are those that serve you best.
The Sun’s shift into Leo on the 22nd should help you find a just balance between the past and the future, adventure and conservatism, with the new Moon of the 28th emphasising, home, hearth and family, while Venus reminds you of the support available from chums and siblings.
Gemini
With fair Venus in your skies until mid-month, you should be in a ‘hello world’ mood, seeing the best in everyone, and making sure they see the best in you, not least by pulling on a favoured frock and splashing the cash. Enjoy it while it’s there. At the same time, there is much work to be done behind the scenes. Warrior Mars’ move into Taurus your twelfth house – a pre-natal mystery zone – is in itself no biggie (unless you have planets in Taurus). What is important is that in six weeks’ time Mars arrives in your skies, not for a mere six weeks but for six whole months, an indication that mighty deeds should (indeed must) be undertaken. Consider July as preparation time. Clear all decks, mop up festering issues from the past that dog your thinking.
Fortunately, you have a major asteroid, Pallas Athene, in your sign until September and, like the goddess after which it’s named, a symbol of capability and vigilance. Helping out, too, are planets in Aries and Leo, providing fire for your airy self and support from your varied gang of friends and supporters. The new Moon of July 28 helps lift the mood.