Before the Sun leaves Cancer and enters Leo tonight, I want to be with the Cancer archetype a little. Some images associated with Cancer, such as the turtle (who carries its home on its back) and the great mother — are all about the nurturing, safety, and comfort we associate with the sweetness of feeling at home. Having a place to call home — where we don’t have to be “on,” where we can gently remove any personas and just be — is so utterly important and basic to a solid sense of well-being that sometimes we take it for granted. Any success “out there” is dependent on having a place to come from and return to for rest and rejuvenation. A given sign of the zodiac follows the sign before it and grows out of it, is its fulfillment and completion in a sense, and produces a wholeness-making circle of the 12 signs. So Leo, which follows Cancer, is able to walk out all shiny and ready for creative self-expression after Cancer has taken care of basic needs and created a stable home from which to emerge.
“I feel for myself that being at home happens whenever I enter into the vibration of feeling completely, 100% invited to be what I am, to feel what I am, to abide in the sense of safety and wholeness in whatever is being experienced. An unconditional acceptance that I belong, I am loved. I am held.” ~Ari Moshe
Jupiter entered Leo on July 16th for a stay of approximately one year. Every sign gets its turn and now it’s Leo’s turn to host larger than life Jupiter, who confers a touch of his divinity, buoyancy, and confidence wherever he goes. This is a welcome shift for Leo people everywhere! The Sun will enter Leo on Jul 22nd and there will be a New Moon in Leo on Jul 26th, ushering in the radiant, playful, noble, and fiery Leo vibe in a tangible and personal way. By the time Mercury and Venus reach Leo on Jul 31st and Aug 12th respectively, they will mark the final welcome celebrations of Jupiter into the sign of Leo. Leo is all about honor, dignity, and regalia, but also fun. Most importantly it is critical for the Leo archetype to have an appreciative audience to applaud Leo’s unique and shiny self-expression. Whatever house in your birth chart in which Leo resides will be the area of life to experience Jupiter’s expansive and beneficial influence over the next year. Read more...
(As an aside, I am especially thinking about my Leo rising friends who had Jupiter going through their 12th house for the last year, expanding their “troubles” [Jupiter tends to increase everything, not just the positive]. In actuality the 12th house is only “trouble” for the ego. In the 12th house we are forced to face karmic debts, look at repressed hurts and undeveloped parts of the self, and transcend personal desires and attachments. Focusing on spiritual pursuits and tuning into the Oneness is one of the purposes of the 12th house. Another is to offer a span for the completion of life lessons. Wonderful in theory but it’s usually a relief to have respite from 12th house work, which often goes unseen and unappreciated, and can even be hidden from oneself. Now, Leo rising people will have Jupiter in their 1st house over the next year, offering a new beginning and expanding their sense of self, so that will feel quite different from the 12th house transit.)
The Sun opposed Pluto on Jul 4th and squared Uranus on Jul 8th, once again triggering the life-changing Uranus/Pluto Square that started in 2012 and won’t complete until 2015 (I have written a lot about this in other posts, so I’m not going to focus on it here).Then the Sun squared Mars on Jul 19th. For the preceding week while this aspect was building, and for a few days after, irritability and impatience could be high, especially for Cancer and Libra people, yet this same aspect also lends the energy, enthusiasm, and readiness to plunge into action as needed.
Saturn in Scorpio and Uranus in Aries are quincunx for the whole month of July, but this aspect peaks on Jul 20th & 21st. Saturn and Uranus are very different energies — Saturn, being the old man father archetype who demands hard work, discipline, tradition, structure, precaution, practicality, and doing things by the book. Uranus, on the other hand is the wild card of the gods — associated with unpredictable, sudden, lightning bolt change, with a quick and brilliant spirit. Uranus seeks freedom at all costs no matter how shocking to the system and the old framework... The quincunx is an aspect that represents a relationship that is not in harmony, yet not in conflict either. Rather it is one in which there is no grounds for connection at all. The quincunx is where we must learn to make colossal adjustments so that we expand beyond the perspective that we are identified with and the modus operandi we are accustomed to. In this case, the quincunx is between the signs of Scorpio and Aries. A mitigating factor is that both signs are ruled by Mars, which gives the two archetypes some common ground. Yet their ways of expressing the warrior energy is what contributes to the disparateness between them. Aries represents Mar’s diurnal face — a direct and visible approach. Whereas Scorpio represents Mar’s nocturnal face — an undercover, concealed approach. The archetypes of Saturn and Uranus already correlate with two very different agendas and motivations within us, and now a quincunx is also in the mix. So right now it might feel especially difficult to reconcile the different functions of Saturn and Uranus (and Scorpio and Aries). Nevertheless by recognizing the value of both, we support the unfoldment of the the long-term process of reconciliation.
Saturn turns direct on Jul 20th while Uranus turns retrograde on Jul 21st. When a planet is retrograde, its qualities are more subtle, less apparent, and more turned inward instead of manifesting outwardly. This suggests that when Saturn was retrograde (since the beginning of March) and Uranus was direct, the need for freedom had the upper hand, whereas the need for security was more subdued. But now that Saturn will be direct, and Uranus will be retrograde (for the next 5 months), the need for security and stability could gain the upper hand, whereas the urge for freedom could be more subordinated.
On Jul 22nd Mercury opposes Pluto, and on Jul 24th Mercury squares Uranus (two pretty stressful aspects), but then trines Saturn (a flowing aspect). There is a potential for severe mental agitation, dark thoughts, and sudden outbursts over these days, along with huge opportunities for positive transformation and breakthroughs. As they say in Psychosynthesis, the more we can tolerate becoming aware of the lower unconscious (suffering, conflict, turmoil, etc.), the more easily we can access the higher unconscious (healing, beauty. bliss, etc.). These aspects are very motivating to practice self-empathy by getting in touch with underlying feelings and needs, and self-empowerment by setting and sticking to good boundaries and healthy limits. It’s hard work but the more we can do this for ourselves the more we can experience peace and practice compassion in our relationships with others.
There are other notable transits in July, such as Mars entering Scorpio on July 25th, after being in Libra for an inordinate amount of time (since Dec 2013), but this is enough for one blog!! Thanks for reading. :-)
Venus is in Leo Sep 6 to Oct 3, 2012. Girls Just Want To Have Fun! Venus = girls (or your inner feminine). Leo = play and fun... Besides fun, Venus in Leo also relates to a dimension of art, relationships, and love that includes and inspires the highest and noblest qualities of human potential.
(The following is not comprehensive — just some observations. And it is important to recognize that no one is a pure archetype. The Sun sign holds a central place in the personality but other important factors in the birth chart — especially the rising sign, the Moon sign, and strongly placed planets — combine to make us each unique and complex.)
Aries ♈: to be held back from acting on an impulse, to be suppressed, to be prevented from expressing contentious and/or passionate energies, to be slowed down.
Taurus ♉: to be rushed, lack of financial or emotional security, to be deprived of touch, to be deprived of beautiful sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and textures.
Gemini ♊: boredom, lack of information, being “out of the loop” or cut off from communication, pressure to commit to one thing, having to stay still.
Cancer ♋: no one to nurture and protect, no one to be nurtured and protected by, thwarted from cultivating one’s “baby,” not having a safe and comfortable home.
Leo ♌: no loving audience, not being seen, not being appreciated, not being adored, not enough attention, cold-heartedness.
Virgo ♍: lack of attention to detail, skipped steps, orderless chaos, not adhering to thorough technique and “proper” procedure, lack of refinement, lack of purity.
Libra ♎: having to go it alone with no one to bounce off of, having to make a quick decision without being able to weigh the pros and cons, that which is unjust or unfair, insensitivity, lack of empathy, inconsideration, ugliness.
Scorpio ♏: superficiality, inauthenticity, feeling powerless, revealing vulnerability, failing to do one’s deep inner work, lack of emotional intimacy, lack of meaningful bonding.
Sagittarius ♐: the everyday routine with nothing exotic mixed in, lack of freedom, lack of access to philosophical perspectives, lack of ethics, narrow-mindedness, a life with no adventure.
Capricorn ♑: that which is unrealistic, inefficient, wasteful, impractical, or theoretical only; losing status, losing authority, lack of mastery, lack of having a respectful place in the world.
Aquarius ♒: conformity, exclusive hierarchical systems, social inequity, being confronted with ignorance, self-centeredness, or drama queens/kings.
Pisces ♓: the mundane details of life, no way to escape ordinary reality, lack of inspiration, lack of vision, lack of art, lack of feeling connected with the divine.
The Sun has one more day in the sign of fixed fiery Leo before moving into mutable earthy Virgo tomorrow. Every sign of the zodiac has its own unique path to happiness. For the Leo archetype, winning your love and adoration is paramount. So of course they must look their best and put on a good show, but an authentic one, which comes from the heart.
“A finer octave that emerges from this theme is Leo’s innate sense of themselves as being a living role model of truth, nobility, and all that is highest, finest, and truly beautiful — at deep soul levels. We all have Leo somewhere in the chart.” ~Diane Applebaum
The Sun, Venus, and Mercury (retrograde) join in radiant Leo
Today the Sun, Venus, and Mercury are closely aligned together in Leo. The Sun is all about creative self-expression, Venus desires [or demands] love and affection, and Mercury needs and must communicate! This is a potentially sweet combination of energies. With these three celestial bodies in the extravagant sign of Leo, the archetype ruled by the radiant Sun itself, there may be a strong pull to share one’s unique expressions of love and beauty that pour forth from the heart... (But with Mercury still retrograde, and an extra long Void-of-Course Moon yesterday and today, patience is helpful to deal with possible misunderstandings, confusion, and delays.) Read more...
One side of Leo is the playful, spirited child who expresses love innocently and freely. Yet another side of Leo is the noble king or queen who expresses love in a dignified manner, and only to those who truly deserve it. Who is deserving to the Leo king or queen within us all (everyone has Leo ♌ somewhere in their chart)? Those who see and honor our authentic, divine selves. To those special ones, the Leo king or queen bestows with fervor the rare gifts residing in the precious inner heart.
In honor of the New Moon today in Leo ♌, joining the Sun and Venus also in Leo - here is one of my favorite expressions of the grandness of Leo Lion Love.
Today the Sun entered its home sign: warm-hearted, radiant, and noble Leo ♌. The Leo time of the year is about playfulness, self-expression, and taking center stage in your own life. Acknowledgment and applause is a must for those who have the Leo archetype prominent in their charts!
*Note: Everyone has each of the 12 signs functioning significantly somewhere in their birth chart. But the signs of your Sun, Moon and Ascendant (rising sign) are most significant.
The evolution from Cancer to Leo goes something like this: Out of Cancer’s visceral creativity and maternal nurturing, grows Leo, who wants to come out of the nest and into the limelight. All the fundamental tending which was received through Cancer builds an inner radiance that now wants to shine out its light.
Heads up - another Mercury retrograde phase coming soon!
7/15-8/2: Mercury’s shadow
8/2-8/26: Mercury retrograde
Important communications from 7/15 thru Mercury going direct on 8/26 may need to be reviewed & corrected, so it is wise to be extra conscientious now. If certain communications are delayed during this time, one may take comfort knowing that it is all part of a cyclical pattern and will resolve in time.
Mercury’s retrograde route consists of a movement (that from earth’s vantage point appears to go backwards), reviewing the zodiacal span from 1º Virgo ♍ back to 19º Leo ♌. Wherever this falls in your chart will give clues as to what may be up in the air for you during this period.
Mercury trine Uranus, Mercury square Jupiter, and Mars trine Saturn
7/4-7/5: an abundance of Mercury ☿ (mental) energy flying around: a continual flow of intuitions, learning, travel, and sharing - calls, emails, texts, and short trips - back and forth, back and forth - with possible surprises mixed in (note that some people may experience the abundance of activity more internally in the realm of their creative projects). All this communication and activity may have a dramatic or playful flare while Mercury is in Leo ♌. Today with Mars ♂ trine Saturn ♄, we put the ideas into action and get to work. Yet the Virgo ♍ (detail-minded, health-aware, and service-oriented) Moon is Void-of-Course all day, so it is not the best day for beginning important new projects.
