July 2023 : Reflect / Release
Opening
Hopefully each of you were able to find moments of relief, escape and maybe even joy in June. Personally, I escaped all of my to-do lists, scooped my most precious people (my kids) and adventured around the country to some of my favorite places. It was absolute bliss! I needed to get away and remember the subtle essence of myself : curious, fun, ability to roll with the punches and stopping to smell the flowers. But, like all good escapes, landing into reality had its rough spots… which is why this newsletter is a couple of days late.
Saturn and Neptune stationing retrograde in mid to late June dragged many of us through the emotional mud. Feelings of surrender, overwhelm and even sorrow could have been prominent in your life, and you could still be recovering from the undercurrents of these planets stationing. Planets stationing either retrograde or direct can be quite intense. As you resurface, know that the cosmos has kindly provided us some breathing room at the beginning of July. But take advantage of that time because the middle and end of July gets more challenging.
July 2023 Forecast
Capricorn Full Moon : July 3, 2023 (11° 19’)
Overall, this is a really lovely Full Moon. Saturn is the main player in the Full Moon, both the Sun and and Moon turn to Saturn - and Saturn lends a helping hand via a Sextile. What this means is that we have the chance to look at our support systems - both outside of us and within us - and make adjustments that will help us to be more productive and successful in our endeavors.
This is a soft and gentle Saturn interaction. Although Capricorn can be rigid and all-business at times, this alignment has an underlying sense of compassion towards the ways that we can be too hard on ourselves. Saturn in Pisces reminds us that part of being successful includes being free to change and explore and to love. A sturdy foundation can be built by feeling into our long-term needs, hard-calculation isn’t always required.
Because Mercury is tightly aligned with the Capricorn Full Moon, we could be communicating these ideas in a useful and meaningful way. I’m addition, Jupiter is interacting within the Full Moon dynamic in a supportive way. This implies that whatever we are building and whatever we strive for can be more and greater with the blessing of Jupiter.
Take advantage of this beautiful Full Moon. There is a lot of emotional support available … and we have the ability to share that support with one another.
Mercury Enters Leo : July 10, 2023
About a week after the Full Moon, we start to step into crunchier parts of the month. Mercury into Leo on its own is actually quite lively and bold. Mercury in Leo loves to banter and have a good time within conversation. However, just before Mercury enters Leo, Mercury creates an Opposition to Pluto RX and then Squares Jupiter a week later. I suspect that the time around July 8th - July 26th could bring up some unpleasant conversations or topics (Pluto) that have the potential of getting blown out of proportion (Jupiter) and then derailing (Uranus).
Information, news, conversations, the voice inside our heads has the potential of throwing us for a substantial loop this month, so be aware of what you say to others… and especially how you communicate to yourself. If and when challenging material comes up for us it is best to be open minded and curious instead of closed off with defensiveness. We can be conscious of the pressures we are encountering and use the potential for overblown-derailment as an opportunity to gain perspective that we couldn’t have conceived of otherwise.
Take some deep breaths before you dig into anyone, and maybe don’t dig in at all - if possible. This line-up of transits can be hard to get a hold of, so if you get swept away that’s OK.
On the up-side, Mercury will complete its wild and crazy journey through Leo with a conjunction to Venus RX (July 27). This should give us the opportunity to make amends with any bridges that you may have damaged along the way, and provide productive reflection as well.
Cancer New Moon : July 17, 2023 (24° 56’)
I hope that you soaked in the loveliness from the Capricorn Full Moon, because the Cancer New Moon is a bit of a doozy and I have a feeling that its impact will resonate for a while. Pluto, Pluto, Pluto… the planet of threshold experiences, power (struggle), obsession, intensity, riches (or lack of), deep-dark-depths, forced initiation. You get the picture, don’t f*ck with Pluto.
On its own, Cancer New Moons are lovely! Family oriented, nurturing, creative, and life-generating. However, this year, the Sun and Moon in Cancer are in a mutually applying opposition to Pluto RX in Capricorn. Expect to be confronted with intense emotional material around this time. Maybe material that you feel overcome by, that you have a hard time grasping, or that there is a power-struggle embedded within. While this is challenging on it’s own, the New Moon and Pluto are also forming Squares to the Nodes - which makes whatever is coming up more impactful on your life and your overall destiny (similar to Eclipse energy).
There is the potential that suffering and loss come to the surface, possibly centered around previous sorrow that was lodged away somewhere within you. Or maybe interactions with others can inadvertently pull out deeper issues that you were hoping to keep at bay.
Pluto in an exact square to the nodes (Southern Bending) from July 22 - July 28 will carry this sentiment forward through the rest of the month. Honestly, we have been feeling Pluto’s presence in the Southern Bending for many months now, so the material that is at hand is likely to be known already. But the Cancer New Moon will provide fresh ground to plant the suffering and loss into, to nourish the soil (and the soul) so that you can move forward and flourish.
Don’t close up at this time. If uncomfortable emotions and / or encounters emerge, sit with them. Shutting down and running away from this type of invitation will only make things more challenging in the long run. You have the power and the strength within you to sit in honor of the discomfort, otherwise the discomfort would not chose you. Step-by-step, breath-by-breath, prayer-by-prayer. You’ve got this.
Venus Stations Retrograde : July 22, 2023 (28° 36’)
As a Universal Significator, Venus represents love, relationships, creativity, beauty, and finances. These topics are up for reassessment until the beginning of October, when Venus finally exits her retrograde journey. This Venus Retrograde is highlighted by her Square to Uranus, the first one took place July 2, and the next two are on August 9 & September 29. Depending on your personal relationship with Uranus, this could indicate either a very disruptive time for Venus themed parts of your life, or you could receive the eye-opening shake-up that you’ve been looking for. Be mindful of abrupt decisions, including hair cuts and financial moves. And, find ways to have fun!
Ways to work with this transit include being preemptive in shaking up the Venus parts of your life that are a bit neglected and sleepy. Maybe your relationship needs an upgrade? Or your finances need to be reevaluated? Or maybe your wardrobe could use some sprucing up?
On a not-so-fun note : When Venus stations retrograde, she is in a Quincunx to both Pluto and Neptune (forming a Yod). What this means is that this Venus retrograde could be marked by blind spots in our relationships, money, etc. We could feel like there is an itch that we can’t scratch in regards to the topics of your Leo house and any houses that are ruled by Venus (Taurus and Libra). We could feel unable to figure out the power dynamic in our relationships (or money) and / or that we are duped by disappointment in relationships (or money). Even more unnerving could be our inability to put our finger on exactly where, what or who is causing the irritation. Overall frustration in relationships could be highlighted - particularly in regards to our desires and our empowerment within relationships.
I don’t know what else to say about this except for that Venus Retrograde lasts approximately 40 days 🙃 (Venus Stations Direct on September 3, 2023)! We can do that! Hopefully the Uranus and Jupiter Squares that are embedded into the retrograde cycle will help to give us new perspectives as we wriggle around pathetically. Know that clarity around the challenges that you encounter will not show up until October or later.
Don’t make any rash decisions in relationships, financially or with your appearance. There is a high likelihood that the information that you have during the Venus retrograde isn’t complete, you will have a massive blind-spot - and you will gain a fuller perspective after the retrograde.
Closing
Take advantage of the beginning of the month, even if it still feels a bit squishy and drenched from the Neptune Stationing. We certainly see some challenges within the month of July, but remember that you were born for this. And everything is unfolding exactly the way that it is supposed to. Also, don’t lose perspective around the bigger picture - while 2020 seems like it was a long time ago, we are still feeling the effects of the fall-outs and shake-downs from that time. Be kind and compassionate to yourself, give yourself the opportunity to mourn anything that you have lost along the way (even outside the time frame of 2020). This month is giving us the opportunity to grieve and retrace our steps so that we can lay the foundation for a better future. This work is just as important as the work that we will do to actually build, but first : release.
So much Love,
Lisa
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for additional transit information throughout the month.
