July is a BIG month! In July we have 2 major transits that only happen every 1.5 years on average: the Lunar Nodes change signs and Venus goes retrograde.
When big shifts like this happen, life gets busy. Changes arise. We shift our focus. In July, big things are coming your way!
Pluto (at the anaretic degree, 29° Capricorn) squares the Lunar Nodes for pretty much the entire month, inviting us to “break the generational cycle” and heal deeply ingrained behavioral patterns.
Chiron stationary retrograde will help us take ownership of our generational wounds. Our wounds are not our fault – they have been inflicted on us just like they have been inflicted on our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on.
But just because our wounds are not our fault, this doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility – for ourselves and future generations – to heal them.
Venus retrograde, Pluto square the Nodes and Chiron retrograde all align to help us heal what we believed it’s unhealable. This month’s auspicious Full Moon and New Moon will offer us the support and resources we need.
Let’s take a look at the most important transits of the month:
July 1st, 2023 – Neptune Goes Retrograde
On July 1st, 2023 Neptune goes retrograde at 27° Pisces. When planets change direction, their energy is intensified.
When Neptune goes retrograde, everything “Neptune” – intuition, dreams, longing – gets awakened and becomes more vivid, providing us with valuable insights and messages.
Neptune is where we want to find a deeper connection and sense of unity with ourselves, with others and with the world at large. We are no longer satisfied with the mundane. We want to go beyond the physical. We long for something deeper.
When Neptune stations retrograde, follow your longing. See where it takes you.
July 3rd, 2023 – Full Moon In Capricorn
On July 3rd, 2023, we have a Full Moon at 11° Capricorn.
This is a positive Full Moon that is trine Jupiter, opposite Mercury, and sextile Saturn. The beneficial Jupiter-Saturn sextile is “put to work” by the Moon in Capricorn. Some longer-term projects are finally moving forward.
At the Full Moon in Capricorn, we may discover that we already have all the resources we need to succeed – so it’s more about taking a leap of faith and making things happen for real.
At the Full Moon in Capricorn, your hard work is finally paying off. But instead of doing what the Capricorn Moon does – work even harder, embark on even greater challenges, – don’t forget to pause and celebrate, even the smallest of wins.
Long-term success comes one step at a time. When we don’t celebrate the small wins along the way, we lose sight of the big goal and then we’re just too energy-drained to continue.
At the Full Moon in Capricorn, remember that your hard work is making a difference. And that every little thing that you do will eventually bring you, one step at a time, closer to your goal.
July 10th, 2023 – Mars Enters Virgo
On July 10th, 2023 Mars enters Virgo. When the planet of action enters the sign of diligence, perfectionism, and detail-orientation, it’s time to pull up our sleeves and get to work.
Mars in Virgo loves to do stuff – so the upcoming weeks are a great time to look at that area of your life that is a tangled mess and sort it out.
We all have that metaphorical messy cupboard that needs clearing out – what’s yours about? With Mars in Virgo, there’s never a better time to do what you’ve been procrastinating on for months. You’ll feel so much better afterward!
July 11th, 2023 – Mercury Enters Leo
On July 11th, 2023 Mercury enters Leo. That’s quite a change from Mercury in Cancer! If Mercury in Cancer is a sensitive, private, gut-instinct-driven Mercury, Mercury in Leo is loud, dramatic, playful and creative.
The word “intuition” is used to describe both the sign of Cancer and the sign of Leo – and while it’s true that both signs are intuitive, these are 2 different types of intuition.
Cancer’s intuition is driven by a sense of security and emotional comfort. When Mercury is in Cancer, the way we think, the way we communicate, our entire cognitive landscape – is motivated by the need to preserve and nurture what we already have.
With Leo, we have a different type of intuition. Leo is a fire sign that looks for inspiration in the outside world. While Mercury in Cancer reflects, ponders and is careful with what it says, Mercury in Leo is bold and brave. This is a very confident Mercury placement.
Mercury in Leo wants to roar the truth, it wants to make a statement. Mercury in Leo doesn’t care what you think. Mercury in Leo cares about presenting itself in the most authentic, truthful way possible. The result?
In the next couple of weeks, our thinking and communication will become more proud and confident. Speak out. Deliver that message. Roar the truth.
July 17th, 2023 – North Node Enters Aries, South Node enters Libra
On July 17th, 2023 the Lunar Nodes switch signs. The North Node leaves Taurus and moves into Aries, and the South Node leaves Scorpio and moves into Libra.
This is one of the most important transits of the year. When the Lunar Nodes change signs, something fundamental about our priorities and focus will shift.
The Lunar Nodes are our soul’s compass. They show us the overall direction in life (the North Node points towards the North, or the future, and the South Node towards the South, or the past). Our life is nothing else but a continuous pendulum between our past and our future.
When the Lunar Nodes change signs, they draw our attention to a different area of our life, asking us to integrate the lessons of the opposing signs – in this case, Aries and Libra.
Aries and Libra are the signs of “Me” vs “The other”. The upcoming 18-month transit will help us find the “middle ground” between showing up for ourselves and having healthy boundaries (Aries) and having mutually-beneficial relationships (Libra).
The Lunar Nodes will highlight a certain pair of houses in your natal chart (the houses where you have Aries and Libra) that need rebalancing.
July 17th, 2023 – New Moon In Cancer
On July 17th, 2023 we have a New Moon at 24° Cancer. The New Moon is trine Neptune (at 27° Pisces), sextile Uranus (22° Taurus) and opposite Pluto in Capricorn.
The New Moon in Cancer opposite Pluto will ask us to deal with themes surrounding power.
The opposition is a ‘projection’ aspect. At the New Moon in Cancer, we want to take an honest look at the role WE play as individuals, or how WE instigate power struggles, and where we tend to project our own lack of power and inner authority onto others.
Thankfully, the New Moon in Cancer has 2 great allies: Neptune and Uranus. A higher integration is now possible.
July 22nd, 2023 – Sun Enters Leo
Happy b-day to all Leos out there! On July 22nd, the Sun enters its favorite sign, Leo.
There is a certain magic to the Leo season. No matter what your Sun sign is, this is the best time of the year to embody Sun’s qualities: authenticity, confidence, courage, radiance, warmth, and generosity.
July 22nd, 2023 – Venus Goes Retrograde
On July 22nd, 2023 Venus goes retrograde at 28° Leo. This transit – like all Venus retrogrades – is hugely important. Venus only goes retrograde once every 1.5 years – and when it does, it impacts us in profound ways.
Venus is our subjective inner world. Venus is how we feel about things and people – what we like and dislike, what we value, what we find important and relevant.
We all know what we want, right? Well, most of the time. When Venus goes retrograde, all this subjective inner reality is up for review. Is that thing still important? Does that activity still bring us joy? Do we still love that person?
And while of course, some people have sudden changes of heart, they break up or experience a more “black and white” expression of Venus retrograde – Venus retrograde is not necessarily about going back to exes, or going bankrupt (Venus rules money too, since money is a framework we use to ‘value’ things).
Venus retrograde is here to help us pay attention to our inner world: what is still relevant? What it is not? What needs to change? What really matters to us?
Venus retrograde is a great time for self-reflection, contemplation, but also of deepening our relationships with others.
July 23rd, 2023 – Chiron Goes Retrograde
On July 23rd, 2023, Chiron, the wounded healer goes retrograde at 19° Aries.
Chiron retrograde invites us to take a closer look at our wounds. How do your – conscious and unconscious wounds – shape your life? Our Chiron wounds are not always obvious – but they sabotage our life in subtle ways. We don’t even know who we could be without our wounds!
Maybe we don’t start a new relationship out of a fear of abandonment. We don’t go for what you want out of an unconscious fear of embarrassment.
Chiron retrograde is our opportunity to take a look inside and make friends with our wounds. Before anything, Chiron wants us to OWN our wounds. Healing will eventually come, but the very first step is owning that wound – accepting that it’s part of who we are.
Many times, we go to great lengths to convince the world – and ourselves – that the wound doesn’t exist. If we have feelings of inferiority – we might brag about how self-confident we are, and look for circumstances when we behave in self-confident ways to “prove” our point.
It’s not that we are doing this on purpose – this is a largely unconscious process. That’s how the Chiron wound works initially – by overcompensation.
Overcompensation is the very first part of the healing process. But we don’t want to stop here. There are certain windows of opportunity – when we have a personal Chiron transit – or when Chiron changes direction (like it does now) when the healing portal opens.
Now that Chiron goes retrograde (the transit in effect a few days before, and a few days after the exact station) – purposefully look for feelings, thoughts, events that stir your wounds, and go deeper.
July 25th, 2023 – Pluto Square The Lunar Nodes
On July 25th, 2023, Pluto (at 29° Capricorn) squares the North Node (at 29° Aries) and South Node (at 29° Libra). Pluto squares the Nodes is a transit that evolutionary astrologers call a “skipped step”.
Pluto is at the midpoint of the two Lunar Nodes, so it’s with one foot in the past, and the other in the future. Pluto acts like a bridge, like an evolutionary step forward.
Pluto square the Lunar Nodes’ mandate is to heal generational wounds, and re-write healthier, more constructive behavioral patterns.
The North Node is the future. Who am I growing into? Who do I want to become? The South Node is our past. What’s in the baggage I carry? What’s a structural part of my identity – and what is not?
Pluto square the Lunar Nodes will help us understand the subtle ways our identity is shaped by our upbringing, by our family and our formative years. This transit is a huge opportunity to release karmic patterns that we’ve been carrying for decades.
July 28th, 2023 – Mercury Enters Virgo
On July 28th, 2023 Mercury enters Virgo. Virgo is Mercury’s favorite sign! Mercury in Virgo is the only planetary placement that is both in domicile and exaltation in the same sign.
That says quite a lot. The planet of thinking and communication just does very well in the analytical, organized sign of Virgo.
When Mercury is in Virgo, our communication is articulate and clear. Other people actually get us. Mercury in Virgo quickly grasps new concepts AND it also has the discernment and analytical capability to follow through complex mental tasks, one concept at a time.
No wonder the Virgo season in general is when children go back to school – and adults get back to work.
Mercury in Virgo is an excellent transit for any type of communication or mental activity. If you want to enroll in a new class, if you want to set up your website, or write that book – now is the time!
Subscribe to Astro Butterfly’s Weekly Newsletter
If you want to keep up with the future transits, subscribe to Astro Butterfly’s weekly newsletter.
Join other 49.000+ subscribers:
The post Astrology Of July 2023 – North Node Enters Aries, Venus Goes Retrograde appeared first on .
