July hosts fifteen dynamic aspects: 4 ingresses, 2 squares, 2
conjunctions, 2 oppositions, and
one each, new Moon, full Moon,
occultation, one retrograde station
and beginning shadow point (BSP).
For most of July a feeling of impatience and needing to
act "Don't just stand there, do something!" erupts from within.
Whatever was in preparation before may be put in motion now.
Creativeness, self-confidence and support of family values, and
considerate communications are needed from many different
perspectives throughout the first 2/3 of the month. Feelings turn
into emotions when we share them. Be alert, and know that feelings
will change quickly so, think it over before you speak. Someone's
expanded ego and need for attention may elicit your empathetic
understanding.
7/1 Projects that depend on your conscious awareness must go
through a last-minute inspection. Keep things simple, and be ready
for hard work to gain success. If you feel as though careful plans
begin to unravel, know that you can rely on your inner consciousness
to keep you calm. Have contingency plans ready to put into action.
Sun squares Jupiter 10:10 AM 9:57 Cancer/Libra.
(Heliocentric Saturn enters Leo just before midnight on 7/1,
so expect to feel an inner tension associated with life-structure,
authoritarian limits, and personal responsibility, and the need to
challenge dogmatic ideas, even before Saturn's geocentric ingress on
the 22nd.)
7/4 The section of the zodiac between 8 and 20 Leo will be
impacted by Mercury in this Rx sub cycle ˆ between now and August 30.
Use this time to develop creative thinking, and create an environment
of enthusiasm, using your mental abilities to enhance conscious
awareness of your potential to promote healing. Mercury BSP 12:PM
8:40 Leo. **Deep Impact ˆ see below.
7/6 Creative projects may begin and lead to success, if they are
supported by a joyful attitude. Let your intuition guide you, and
respect those who work with or for you. West coast: be protective of
those who are vulnerable. Unusual circumstances may arise involving
travel or education. East coast: Work from behind the scenes to
nurture those who are in need. Good time for writing or publishing,
and support may come from an unusual source. New Moon 14:31 Cancer,
west coast 5:02 AM, east coast 8:02 AM.
7/9 Biographies or personal journals may be read or written under
this energy pattern. Feelings of increased mental and emotional
vulnerability may keep you involved in quiet activities. Just before
this conjunction, Mercury reaches maximum eastern elongation.
Referred to as a trailing Mercury, this often manifests in a slow-
down of mental processes. Take extra time, and think before you
speak, even when you are urged to act quickly. Mercury conjoins Venus
2:42 AM, 13:32 Leo.
7/11 You may gain new insight or a new perspective. Keep your
options open, and continue your inner work, or support someone who is
involved in spiritual or creative work. Venus opposes Neptune 9:45
PM, 16:55 Leo/Aquarius.
7/13 Your imagination can receive a boost, and can be articulated
in transactions that contribute to transformational processes for
yourself and others. Mercury opposes Neptune 4:22 AM, 16:53 Leo.
7/13 Is a relationship issue not resolving? Need to adjust a
developmental pattern? This is the energy to accomplish just that!
Agree to release the old pattern, and find a new possibility to agree
upon. Agreement and adjustment are the most important ingredients.
Moon occults Jupiter 10:46 AM, 11:02 Libra.
7/16 Issues dealing with life-structure, limits imposed by
authorities, and your own understanding of personal responsibilities
can be revealed. The inner tensions and pent up feelings that have
been building need to be brought to light. Dogma without reason is no
longer sufficient. Identify and release any guilt you feel for not
blindly accepting the tenets of others, and move on. Saturn enters
Leo 5:30 AM.
7/21 At the fruition of your project, there are conflicting
perspectives as to its success. It's difficult to be confident in the
face of these opinions. The important judgment belongs to you ˆ did
it meet your expectations? Are you satisfied with the outcome? If
not, take charge make it right. West coast: it may be important for
you to address the concerns of significant colleagues, but first be
sure of your own assessment. East coast: delegate someone to handle
loose ends that need attention and make sure that you are comfortable
with the way you handle your own responsibilities. Full Moon 28:47
Capricorn/Cancer, west coast 4 AM, east coast 7 AM.
7/22 There is pure joy available to all this month with this
perception of the Sun. Tune in to that part of shared consciousness.
You've made decisions, hopefully according to your own sense of
responsibility. If others attempt to second-guess you, share your
ideas and your joy with them. Gifts of the Sun in Leo are self-
discovery and self-determination, which lead to self-mastery. Sun
enters Leo 10:40 AM.
7/22 You may need some nudging to define your desires. If the
tendency is to defer to someone else's aspirations, use this
experience to more perfectly find what you truly want. Stick with
practical matters. This energy lends itself to getting necessary
tasks accomplished, and finding the beauty in everyday events and
objects. Venus enters Virgo 6 PM.
7/22 Are you in the middle of a transformational process? If you
are aspected by this energy, you may have second thoughts, or may
experience interruptions in your creative thoughts. The next three
weeks may bring up a lot of self-esteem issues. Recall your
experiences from 7/4 to now, and know that they will have different
or clarified meaning that may assist you in your process between now
and 8/30. Mercury turns Rx 8:01 PM, 20:28 Leo.
7/23 This will be a good time to get a handle on your self-respect
and conscious awareness. Bottom line questions: are you living up to
your potential? The next two years may serve you situations to enable
you to assess your reliability, your ability to stand up for what you
believe, your will power, and your tenacity. Sun conjoins Saturn 10
AM, 00:56 Leo.
7/27 If you need guidance for connecting your desires to your
ability to realize them, it is available now. Insight of others'
needs challenge you to act responsibly. Develop the ability to pace
yourself ˆ it will add to your endurance, and allow you to "smell the
flowers" along the way. Mars enters Taurus 10:11 PM.
7/31 Practical timing will help you to gain control over your
ambitious tendencies and reach your goals. It may take you a little
longer, but success will be more lasting. There may be pressure from
others to include them in your life in unusual ways, but be sure to
set priorities and stick to them. Mars squares Saturn 6:59 AM, 1:57
Taurus/Leo.
** Deep Impact is the NASA experimental mission that takes place
at
1:52 AM EDT on 7/4/05 (10:52
PM PDT on 7/3/05. A spacecraft weighing
820 lbs. will crash into the
nucleus of Comet Tempel 1 at 23,000 mph
with a collision equivalent
to 5 tons of TNT. Comet Tempel 1 is an
oblong body about half the
size of Manhattan Island, and the crater
is estimated at anywhere from
the size of an SUV to that of a
football stadium. This mission
has been undertaken to observe the
stages of the development of
the crater and to reveal the composition
of the comet. The spacecraft
is made of ∏ copper. NASA has deduced
that there is no danger to
the Earth from this comet or the results
of the collision, as Tempel
1's orbit does not cross the path of
Earth. It may be observed in
the USA from the southern portion of the
Pacific coast, and some sections
of the southwest. Its location is
near Jupiter and the star Spica ˆ near the end of Libra (square
Saturn), in the constellation
of Virgo. Please join me in visualizing
healing energies around the
comet at that time.
July 2005 Symbolism
July was named for the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, organizer
of the
Julian Calendar in 46 BC, which
remained in use until 1752, when the
Gregorian calendar was adopted.
The birthstone for July is
the red ruby. It symbolizes love, and an
open heart. The ruby is the
carrier of the red ray, and helps the
wearer to gain courage. Ruby
is worn to improve circulation and the
richness of the blood. Associated
with the sign Leo, it strengthens
the heart center leading to
the will, and through compassion turns
personal love into love of
humanity. The ruby is not limited to Leo,
but is supportive of all fire
signs. Its contrasting properties are
associated with Shiva the destroyer,
and correlated with the process
of purification.
July 4th is US Independence
day, when the Sun is passing through the
Mars/Pluto (Scorpio) decanate
of Cancer. Mars is now in its own sign,
and is in the Solar (Leo) decanate
of Aries, we can expect a great
emphasis on national pride
and self-determination. July 4th is also
the day of Earth's aphelion,
the farthest point from the Sun in her
orbit. Like a full Moon, this
is a turning point towards a time of
increase. Be strong in standing
for your truth, and you will gain
momentum through the next six
months.
July 6th is the birthday of
the Dalai Lama.
Saint Swithins Day (July 15)
is named for a ninth century Bishop of
Winchester, who loved the rain.
Saint Swithin, who asked to be buried
outside of the church under
the "sweet rain from heaven, and so that
the feet of ordinary men could
pass over him. On July 15, 871, nine
years after his death, the
monks of Winchester thought it more
appropriate to move his body
inside the basilica, but a heavy rain
made that impossible for 40
days and 40 nights - apparently Saint
Swithins' spirit didn't like
the idea. Folklore gives us this rhyme:
St. Swithin's day if thou dost
rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be
fair
For forty days 'twill rain
nae mair.
The Muslim era is dated from the first day (July 16, 622, in the
Western calendar) of the lunar
year in which the Hegira took place.
Muhammad and his followers
were forced into exile from Mecca. Hegira
or Hejira, which means "the migration", occurred because
Muhammad and
his followers believed in one
God, and the Meccan religion was
polytheistic.
The seventh Moon of the year
(the full Moon of July ˆ This year on
7/21) is known in ancient Teutonic
folklore as the Mead Moon, named
after the mowing of the meadows
(or meads), and the first issue of
ale. In Teutonic tradition
it honors the sacred children of the Moon,
Bil and her brother, Hyuki.
On their way to draw the sacred song-mead
for their family from Bryger,
the enchanted spring, they were
kidnapped by Odin's handsome
chariot driver, Mani and taken to the
Moon in his chariot. There,
the water was transformed into sacred
mead, elixir of the gods, which
is symbolic of wisdom and strength.
Earth elders call out to the
children when the Moon is full, to
sprinkle a few drops on their
lips so they may gain the brew's gifts.
The children, seen during the
full Moon as twin shadows on the Moon's
face were then praised and
venerated by mortals for their gift of the
elixir. This myth became the
source of the nursery rhyme, Jack and
Jill∑ The Mead Moon celebrates the time of the year when honey
is
harvested. Honey, yeast, and
fruit juice fermented together for
months are the main ingredients
in mead. Many additional ingredients
have been used for flavoring,
including gingersnaps.
In the Wiccan tradition, the
July Full Moon is known as the Buck
Moon, when male deer grow their
first velvet antlers. Masculine in
tradition, it is an appropriate
time to work on the physical body or
answer the challenge of mastering
physical objects.
July 25 ˆ Furrinalia, honoring the ancient Italian goddess
of
springs. This festival reminds
us of our vital reliance on sources of
water. Ancient peoples blessed
the springs.
July 26 is the birth date of
Carl G. Jung, father of analytical
psychology. This date also
honors Sleipnir, shamanic steed used to
travel to other levels of consciousness.
The festival of Asatu
commemorates Odin's eight-legged
steed who took him to the three
worlds. From the upper level
of the Gods, Asgard - through our middle
one, Midgard - into the underworld,
Utgard. In the television series,
Stargate SG1, the friendly
alien race is called the Asgard. Is this
an example of Jungian synchronicity?
The July 28 - 29 the Delta
Aquarids meteor shower bestows the gifts
of the spirit through lights
in the sky. This year's show will take
place between midnight and
3 AM. Expect them to come from the south
at a rate of up to 20 per hour.
The Moon is past the last quarter, so
there should be nothing to
hinder viewing.
July 31, at sundown is the
beginning of Lammas, the two-day
festival
of the blessing of bread from
the first grain harvest. As
a symbolic
gesture, blessing a loaf of
bread can remind us to be grateful
for
what we have, and to discover
what other riches are possible
when the
cooperative work of the harvest
is complete. Lammas comes at
the
middle of summer, and is the
third fire festival, the rituals
of
which we can use to feed our
spirits. Spirituality seems
to come
after the needs of the body
have been tended. However,
in some belief
systems, attending to the spiritual
needs is a necessary step in
ensuring that the physical
needs will be met. After extending
gratitude to Earth goddesses,
Demeter and Ceres for nourishing
their
bodies from the bounty of the
Earth, the ancients called
upon fire
deities who bestowed and encouraged
inspiration: in the Celtic
tradition, they are Ceridwen
and Brighid; We may invoke
them to grant
us the nine gifts of the Cauldron:
Poetry, Reflection, Meditation,
Lore, Research, Great Knowledge,
Intelligence, Understanding,
and
Wisdom.
July is the birth month of
several members of the family
of
Pythagoras, noted philosopher/mathematician/astronomer.
Pythagoras
himself was born on July 24,
569 BC in Samos, Ionia. His
daughter,
Damo (seeress, disciple and
inheritor of his secrets and
writings)
was born on July 21; his mother,
Pythais was born on July 28;
and his
wife, Theano (who, with her
two daughters carried on the
Pythagorean
School after her husband's
death) was born on July 11.
Many sources
state that it was Teano who
developed the principle of
the "Golden
Mean".
July is associated with goddesses
such as Rowana, patroness of
the
secret knowledge of the runes.
Wood cut from the Rowan tree
was used
to make magical runes. Holda,
the white goddess, and Hela,
the black
goddess are also honored in
July. They were the twin daughters
of
Norse trickster god Loki, and
are the goddesses who shared
rulership
of the underworld. On the last
day of July, Loki and his consort
Sigyn are honored.
Twin daughters were born on
July 4, 1918: Esther Pauline
Friedman
(aka Ann Landers), born at
9:52 AM (DAV database, courtesy
Astrodienst) in Sioux City,
IA. Her sister, Pauline Esther
(aka
Abigail Van Buren) was born
17 minutes later. Both found
prominence
as advice columnists; both
were positive thinkers.
"If I were asked to give what I consider the single most
useful bit
of advice for all humanity
it would be this: Expect trouble as an
inevitable part of life and
when it comes, hold your head high, look
it squarely in the eye and
say, `I will be bigger than you. You
cannot defeat me'"
"Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live
rent-
free in your head."
Both quotes by Ann Landers
"The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats
people
who can't do him any good,
and (b) how he treats people who can't
fight back."
By Abigail Van Buren
