Image by Ken Grimm
Horoscope: July 1 - July 7, 2019
Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this weekly astrological journal based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.
Highlighted Aspects for This Week
All times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours. For Greenwich Mean Time, add 7 hours.
MON: Mars enters Leo
TUE: Total Solar Eclipse/New Moon 12:15 p.m. PDT
WED: Mercury sesquiquadrate Neptune, Uranus square Juno, Venus enters Cancer, Mars trine Ceres
THU: Saturn conjunct South Node, Mars sesquiquadrate Jupiter
SAT: Sun square Pallas Athene
SUN: Mars sesquiquadrate Neptune, Mercury stations retrograde 4:14 p.m. PDT
WE BEGIN the month of July in grand fashion, with a Total Solar Eclipse on Tuesday, July 2. Totality occurs at 12:15 p.m. PDT, with the full spectacle visible from the South Pacific and parts of South America.
All eclipses augur a time of significance. A solar eclipse--especially a Total Solar Eclipse such as the one this week--is like a New Moon with an attitude. It represents an opportunity for a fresh start, birthed from a completion.
The additional component of any eclipse is that it brings forward larger life concerns and karmic issues. Thus, we tend to see grander events during eclipse season. Our experiences at these times are often memorable in some way, as we work to release long-held patterns and find the courage to embark on an unfamiliar path. It is fortunate that this particular eclipse is a "North Node eclipse," meaning that the Moon is close to the northern point of its nodal axis. This type of eclipse is said to help us move in the direction of our highest evolution.
TO HELP INTERPRET the influence of an eclipse, astrologers run a chart for the time of the event to see how the planets are arranged. Of primary importance is how the other planets interact with the Sun and Moon ("the lights"). In the chart for this week's eclipse, we see that Chiron in Aries is square the lights. Pallas Athene in Libra is also in square aspect, and Saturn in Capricorn is in opposition.
Essentially, we have a cardinal grand cross in effect. This configuration indicates that we are dealing with a fair amount of tension, causing us to be less patient and more impetuous than we might otherwise be. Because of this, we are cautioned to take our time in all endeavors, to avoid missteps. This enables us to learn the lessons associated with a grand cross such as this one, which are to build greater self-control, inner strength, and maturity.
AND YET, it's not about simply demanding that these qualities come forth, or that they wondrously appear like a rabbit from a magician's hat. With Chiron, the Wounded Healer, involved in the eclipse, we must first put effort into healing the fears and insecurities that have been undermining our capacity to take charge of our lives. This usually involves both acknowledging that we have a part of us that is afraid, and taking the time to love and comfort that part, much as we would a frightened child.
Also in the eclipse chart, we see that the lights are in helpful sextile aspect to Uranus and the asteroid Vesta, currently aligned in Taurus. This indicates our willingness and commitment to making necessary changes--even if those changes are uncomfortable at first.
THIS ECLIPSE is also highly significant in that it sets the energy that will carry us to the lunar eclipse that occurs on July 16. That eclipse, as we'll discuss in the next two Journals, is pivotal, being aligned with Pluto, Saturn, and the South Node. Through the events that occur throughout the next four weeks, we should have some good clues as to how the Big Event--the Saturn-Pluto alignment in January 2020--will affect us.
At the time of the eclipse, the Sun and Moon are aligned with a quasar that has been given the call letters "OH 471." In her book Introduction to Karmic Galactic Astrology, Mary Elizabeth Jochmans writes that this quasar is about:
"Reaching out into the depths of the unknown. Knowing what is going on, on a larger scale, and why, brings emotional security and peace."
We've all heard that "Knowledge Is Power," and perhaps this quasar and the eclipse are reinforcing that truism. We could interpret this as meaning that we should be ultra-informed about what is going on in the world--and for some people, this may be their calling. For others, this quote could be reminding us that our true security and peace will be found only when we observe life events on the very largest scale--the scale that weighs the evolution of humanity and acknowledges the spiritual purposes that are behind all that occurs.
ON THURSDAY of this week, Saturn aligns with the karmic South Node in Capricorn. This is the second of three alignments for these two heavy hitters this year--the first pass was on April 30, and the last pass will be on September 18.
The South Node reveals patterns and traits that we must leave behind in our evolutionary journey; as Saturn and the South Node travel together throughout this five-month period, we are coming face-to-face with the dark side of Capricorn.
Saturn always provides us with a reality check, asking "How's that working for you?" a la Dr. Phil. During this time, we are observing clearly how patterns of control, fear, materialism, separation, self-centeredness, pessimism, and distrust have fueled the deterioration of society and of our own well-being.
The good news here is that the Total Solar Eclipse is aligned with the North Node in Cancer. This shines a light on the qualities that will extricate us from the quagmire we are slogging through--trust in our heart’s wisdom, emotional generosity, empathy, inspiration, appreciation, and the ability to be vulnerable and ask for help, which then creates connection instead of separation.
THROUGHOUT this week, Mars is in hard aspect to both Jupiter and Neptune, activating the influence of the Jupiter-Neptune square. These aspects represent another caution about taking action without being clear on possible results.
With the Mars-Jupiter aspect, we tend to take action in a big way, spurred by the inspiration of the moment--the problem being, of course, if we haven't thought through next steps. And, with the Mars-Neptune aspect, idealistic leaps of faith can propel us into a fog bank that is hard to find our way out of.
In other words, while it's often good to Dream Big, we might want to bide our time on taking action this week, especially if our vision is at all blurry.
AS THE WEEK draws to a close, Mercury will come to a standstill, going retrograde on Sunday, July 7, at 4:14 p.m. PDT. Mercury will travel backward until it goes direct on July 31.
As I was preparing for the webinar last week, Wile E. Coyote suddenly popped into my mind--and I thought, what a great mascot for Mercury retrograde! We all know, from watching Road Runner cartoons, that our canine friend just didn't think things through. It was easy, from our elevated perspective, to tell exactly how things were likely to go wrong. And, of course, they did. To our delight, Wile E. was never successful in catching the Road Runner, but graciously provided us with a good belly laugh through his antics.
This can be what Mercury retrograde is like. If we rush through things and don't consider all the ramifications, we can crash to earth or launch a boulder that lands on top of us instead of our intended target. This is why Mercury's retrograde phase is said to be best spent in reviewing plans, making adjustments, and rethinking our strategies. It does not mean we can't make decisions--it's just that we're well advised to take our time and make sure we read the fine print.
And, be ready to laugh at yourself and your own antics.
IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: This year, you are charged with the task of advancing your evolution through getting more deeply in touch with your heart. Your heart is the center of wisdom in your body, and leads you to make decisions from a highly intuitive place within. Although you may be challenged by the desire to please others, this is your opportunity to seek your own truth, to know who you are, and to align more fully with your soul's path. Be aware of tendencies toward pessimism, those thoughts that try to convince you that "it will never be OK." Trust not only in your heart, but also in the knowing that there's a higher plan unfolding. Hitch your wagon to that star. (Solar Return Sun conjunct North Node, opposite Saturn, square Pallas Athene)
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SUCH A GREAT TURNOUT for last Thursday's webinar! My appreciation goes out to everyone who either joined us live, or will be watching the replay at leisure. I hope that the insights and tools I offered will be helpful in the weeks and months ahead. What a powerful time of change we are entering!
If you missed the class, no worries! You can still purchase the video replay, and learn about the energies we'll be working with through January 2020. Just send an email with "Webinar Replay" in the subject line to
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For previous weeks of the Astrological Journal, click here.
About the Author
Pam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail
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