Pallas enters Gemini the following day, reminding us that while “independence” has always been in short supply, resistance is both a verb and a noun — a place where lovers meet. Mars enters Taurus on the 5th of July, the same hour that Mercury enters Cancer. They form a radiant sextile in the sky, a reminder that to our heartfelt words we must put our tenacious actions.
The following day, Venus in Gemini makes a sextile to Chiron in Aries, giving us new ways to say the unsayable, turning the stories of survivors into swords — a perfect offering for the first-quarter moon in Libra on the 6th, who knows a thing or two about the swords that are forged in the spirit of defiance. Vesta, the keeper of the sacred flame, stations retrograde in Pisces on the 7th. Meanwhile, 8th July begins with a square between the Sun in Cancer and Chiron in Aries, reminding us that there’s healing to do on all fronts. Our reconnaissance occurs in the realm of dreams, where new fires must be kindled and relit to keep hope alive.
Aries Sun & Aries Rising
It’s true that Mars knows how to get the fire started under the stars of Aries, fully fuelled and ready to go on his home turf. That kind of energy can do an Aries good — can remind a ram of who they are and what they are capable of. Especially with Jupiter co-present. But too much fuel and not enough runway can certainly cause frustration. Perhaps there’s a relief in Mars’ ingress into the sign of Taurus, a reminder that everything you need, you already have, and if you don’t have it now, then you have the will and the follow-through to get it on your own terms. Doing things on your own terms doesn’t have to mean doing things alone, however. Learning to define your own terms based on what you value and factoring in your relationships as part of your value system is key. Ambition is just as powerful when it’s cultivated in solitude as when it’s cultivated in partnership. But the latter often proves more dynamic and — a lot of times — a lot more fun.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Taurus Sun & Taurus Rising
With ardent Mars moving into diligent Taurus come 5th July, and charming Venus still in over-committed Gemini, it’s probably true that there’s never a dull moment in the Taurean landscape! Especially with Uranus continuing their chaotic path beside the north node under your stars. If your motto these past few months has been something along the lines of “que sera, sera,” then what’s transpired has certainly given you a great sense of the universe’s ability to surprise you. And even if you haven’t been surprised — even if both large- and small-scale abuses of power (in the words of the great Jenny Holzer) come as no surprise —you’ve certainly been offered a wide range of emotions to explore. With Mercury in Cancer making a sextile to Mars in Taurus on the 5th, a day before Venus in Gemini makes the same aspect to Chiron in Aries, you’re invited to step to the side of your nonchalance and acknowledge that insight doesn’t diminish emotional magnitude, no matter how much you wish that it did.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Gemini Sun & Gemini Rising
This week begins with an uncomfortable aspect between Mercury in Gemini and Pluto in Capricorn and it may make you feel a little uncomfortable, too, like there’s something going on that you just can’t put your finger on. Perhaps it’s information overload or perhaps the heat has got your brain as melted as a Dali clock. In either case, it’s wise to trust your spidey sense and it’s sensible to stay curious — even if you can’t always stay alert. With your ruling planet still under your stars until the 5th, chances are good that you’re bound to figure it out. If not, then Mercury’s ingress into the intuitive sign of Cancer should offer you the answers you seek in more sensual ways: through your body, your muscles, and even the weather. These messages should prove especially potent because Mercury’s ingress into Cancer makes a sextile to Mars in Taurus, a placement whose self-assurance is a source of great power.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Cancer Sun & Cancer Rising
It’s your party, Cancer, and you can cry if you want to. When I say party, I mean everything that the Sun in Cancer touches and everything left to the moon and her big prying eye. If your private world or the world at large has got you down, it’s your right to feel it out until you feel it all the way through. In your big Cancerian heart, you know that feeling is not antithetical to acting, one catalyses the other. Perhaps that’s why it can be easier to cry for others, with others, and ride the waves of those tears to the steady shore of action and assistance. Perhaps that’s why it can be hard to let your feelings for your own self move through you until they settle at the shore of who you are and what you need to feel safe, seen, and cared for. To ride those waves is to admit that something you are doing needs to change and own up to all the reasons you don’t want it to. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Leo Sun & Leo Rising
The Sun’s sojourn through Cancer is a moody one, alright, and despite your best efforts, you may have become susceptible to the moods that be, including but not limited to exhaustion, numbness or a general feeling of forlornness. Of course, as a scene-stealing Leo, you know very well that anyone is capable of changing a mood, or at least complicating matters! So why not complicate things deliciously? There’s cardinal energy afoot and cardinal energy is all about turning the wheel, no matter where that leads the ship and no matter how choppy the waters. The solution you seek is very much social, even if isolation feels simpler, less messy, less visible. The missing ingredient is ordinary rituals with loved ones and siblings, like sumptuous meals, picnics, dance, a renewed commitment to each other even (and especially when) no one is at their best.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Virgo Sun & Virgo Rising
Mercury’s shift into the sign of Cancer this week should have you ready to reconnect with your people and move the conversation forward, especially if the conversation is about something that you are building together. With the Sun co-present in Cancer, the energy is there and the heat is on. Of course, with Mercury applying a square to Jupiter in Aries, forward movement might not mean steps as big as you’re dreaming of, especially if there are financial negotiations in the mix. Thankfully, the same day that Mercury shifts into Cancer, it also applies a helpful aspect to Mars in Taurus, reminding you that steady movements have a way of steadying your faith when big leaps feel uncertain. The first-quarter moon in Libra on the 6th doubles down on these reminders, encouraging you to nurture what offers you a sense of balance and security.
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Libra Sun & Libra Rising
As your ruling planet, Venus, continues her path through Gemini, you may find yourself feeling hemmed in. Possibly by others or the powers that be, but mostly likely by the contracts — however silent — you once made with them. Venus applies a trine to the first-quarter moon in Libra on the 6th, who aches to bring a little balance back into the equation. Under your stars, this lunation is determined to refine the deal so that you have space to be yourself. The tense aspect that this quarter moon makes to the Sun in Cancer is part of the conversation, especially with Mercury in the mix. Sometimes you can’t anticipate who you’ll be and what you’ll need until you get to where you’re going and then all you can do is adjust the margins. In the words of the late, great Cancerian, George Michael, “I think there’s something you should know/ (I think it’s time I told you so)/ There’s something deep inside of me/ (There’s someone else I’ve got to be).”
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Scorpio Sun & Scorpio Rising
I know you’ve heard it before, Scorpio, and it can only hold true for so long before you don your detective hat once more, but shit really doesn’t have to make sense. You don’t have to know why things are unfolding as they are; you don’t need a private message from the universe detailing the reasons behind each plot twist and new development. You are more than capable of riding out the strange turns, navigating the unknown, and surrendering to the ever-changing schedule. Time is as flexible as it is finite — a resource that you can run out of one minute and re-create the next — and, while you may feel like the oldest (only) living boy in New York, you are only beginning to understand your own relationship to time. Understanding, it turns out, can happen completely outside the realm of logic. It’s often the most transformative when it occurs that way. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Sagittarius Sun & Sagittarius Rising
Sometimes people seek peace by seeking out something bigger than themselves. Occasionally, they find that peace in spiritual practices, rituals that honour one god or many gods. More often, or more subconsciously, humans seek out reminders that the universe is unfathomable — by visiting the ocean, exploring the desert, loving an animal, or taking sacred medicine. We do this because it helps us remember that just because a feeling or situation is familiar, the outcome is anybody’s guess. And we do this because it feels good to feel small and still a part of something. Dear Sagittarius, if you’ve found yourself separating and feeling inconsequential, try to remember that spirit and erotics of place can teach you a lot about relating to others. You belong, always. Each grain of sand is an integral part of the shore, each sea creature is a necessary steward of the deep.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Capricorn Sun & Capricorn Rising
The influence of Saturn’s long sojourn through Aquarius isn’t exactly news to you, Capricorn, but the building pressure of the north node in Taurus — the tension between them — might have you spending more and more of your time trying to transform the way you express yourself so that others might see you the way you’ve worked to be seen. As ever, you have a right to your own personal makeover extravaganza and you’re more than likely to turn out a dazzling result. But the truth is, while everyone loves a big reveal, it’s hardly something you owe others and it’s more likely to live in your imagination than anyone else’s. The first-quarter moon in Libra on the 6th makes an affirming trine to Venus in Gemini, reminding you that, whoever you’re becoming, the results are hard won and hard to peg. The moment you try to prove you’re one way, you’re already another way. You lose your footing waiting for others to catch up.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Aquarius Sun & Aquarius Rising
Investing time into something and making plans can have an air sign feeling like what’s laid out is laid out in stone. There’s the trouble, too, of being fixed, of meaning what you say and doing it, too. And, all of a sudden, finding yourself stuck between your word and a hard place, especially if you offered your word to someone very dear. The truth is, despite rampant cruelties, most Earthlings worry a whole lot about the impression they make and the consequences of their choices on the lives of others. While some conscientiousness is necessary for the sake of the Earth itself, most of it proves to be an exercise in codependence — in wanting to control the emotional experience of others. At the end of the day, there are lots of reasons to change your mind, Aquarius, and lots of reasons to change your approach to a situation, but reasons are hardly necessary. Do what feels right, not what you hope makes other people feel good.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Pisces Sun & Pisces Rising
It’s true that Cancer, as a sign, has a moody reputation. But you know well enough that a reputation is a narrow gate. For you, Cancerian energy is emotional and emotions are a wild resource that is endlessly generative. Past the gate of reputation is the field of experience, where one thing begets another and one emotion begets countless creative outlets. The choice is yours and isn’t choice beautiful — where and when we can get it? The quarter moon in Libra pushes you into beauty and out of your depth, that delicious place where discomfort lies side by side with opportunity. She winks back at Venus in Gemini, the experimenter, the magician, and inventive Saturn in Aquarius, too, in her own way. You are here, it seems, to make something. And, in making something, remember who you are.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
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Your July Horoscope Is Here—Things Are Heating Up