The waxing Moon cycle begins with some powerful shifts and changes and a strong solar focus.

Jupiter has freshly stepped into the Sun’s sign, Leo, for the next year and starts this cycle deeply sandhi (in the gap between signs) at less than a degree. He gains strength and degrees as the Moon waxes, helping us feel more supported by his wisdom. Read more about Jupiter in Leo and the year ahead. Change, momentum and release abound as Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars all change signs in this cycle. Try to stay grounded.

Sun moves to the Moon’s sign, Cancer, on July 16th at 15:08 Pacific time, instigating a new solar cycle with increased heart wisdom and emotional body awakening.

The light comes to the heart, the home, land and experiences of mother. This is a powerful month of rooting into the heart and finding a sense of alignment with one’s needs. Use your compassion, empathy and desire to nourish others, as a way to share, shine and be seen. Let relationships be resources to deepen your need for comfort and support. Lead with your heart in all matters and be sure to connect and co-create.

Work diligently with harmonizing your masculine and feminine energies. The feminine wants to expand, move and flow continuously, while the masculine wants to contain and create support systems.

How can we work with both intentionally for maximum balance and alignment?

Sun in Cancer can be a powerful cycle that provides greater emotional body support. As we get used to Jupiter in the Sun’s sign of Leo for the coming year, the solar energy of the Sun in the heart-centered sign of Cancer provides us with a chance for inner/outer balance. Auspicious timing in many ways that can truly help us navigate the masculine and feminine paradigm within us in more intentional ways.

We must work with both of them consciously or we will be misaligned with our inner power and sense of self.

In the progression of planetary changes, Mercury is the next to move. Our mental body shifts from its own sign of Gemini, into the watery, emotive planet, Cancer on July 20th at 10:21, providing an opportunity to integrate mental and emotional bodies more consciously. Mercury’s conjunction with Sun and Ketu’s drishti on these two planets, offers spiritual wisdom and flashes of insight and awakening to occur. Listening to your heart and its messages becomes more important.

The cycle will intensify at the end of the month once Mars moves to Cancer as well.

In the meantime we get a window of time to focus on listening to our inner wisdom. How can you create space for deeper listening and expanded awareness? Can you catch your mind dictating outcomes, rather than listening to the feeling level of your being? How can you surrender to spirit more intentionally?

In the wee hours of the morning on July 25th, Venus retrogrades. This begins an unusual and lengthy dance of returns that lasts until Venus goes direct on September 6th. Venus must re-trace his steps back through the first part of Leo, returning to Cancer for an extended stay. As he moves back through Leo, he works his way through Magha nakshatra, the domain of the ancestors, most notably the father. This increases our attention with power, authority and the need to pay special attention to our personal mythology connected to these themes.

The planet of relationships, creativity and artistry, Venus is also connected to all things feminine. It offers beauty, fluidity, wealth and life giving powers, most essentially, shakti. Worldly comforts and resources can increase through Venus’s benevolence and help us feel more stable in material ways. As Venus moves through Leo, we can expect passions to increase for relationships and connection, while strong desires may emerge.

Expect intensified strength, determination and power to materialize, while aggression and agitation may increase as well.

The transit of Venus through Leo is the instigation of an unfolding theme that is ripening within the planets right now. Working with power and authority dynamics is vital, especially the masculine energy within you. Notice where you are pushing, using excessive force and using an over-active drive to accomplish and succeed.

Take time to contemplate the meaning of success from different angles. Your ego may feel challenged by this.

How can you soften your action steps? Where can you let go and surrender more? How can you be a winner on all levels of life?

How can you meet your relationships with more compassion—both with yourself and others? This work with power dynamics is especially relevant while Venus retrogrades back through the first portion of Leo. Retrograde planets intensify the implications of a planet because they are acting like the nodes Rahu and Ketu.

As the waxing Moon cycle peaks, another planetary shift occurs as Mars moves to its debilitation sign, Cancer, joining Mercury and Sun here. On July 30th at 13:14, the warrior, fire planet moves to the watery and emotive sign of Cancer and will be here until mid September. These two forces naturally oppose each other as Mars is reactive and action oriented and Cancer is connected to feelings and the emotional body.

Mars is not a thinker or a feeler—he is a doer.

Conflicts between thoughts, feelings and actions occur in this cycle, however there is opportunity to bring light and greater awareness to our heart wisdom. If you feel irritation and anger, it’s time to dig deeper. What are the needs underneath the outbursts? What expression needs to be released, rather than repressed?

How can you tend to your emotional body wisdom with greater compassion and clarity? Where are you pushing too hard? Matters with home, heart, mother, land and property feel the extra level of fire and complexity right now. Be gentle and soften your heart wherever possible.

The second full Moon of July occurs on the 31st. This is the most auspicious full Moon of the year in the Vedic calendar. This full Moon is Guru Purnima, a day when we honor our gurus, teachers and guides.

Read the rest, including horoscopes for each rising sign.

 

Author: Saraswati J

Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: Pixoto