The Skies this week....

The Week of July 9-16, 2007 - Mercury goes stationary direct, Sun trine Uranus, New Moon in Cancer, and Venus enters Virgo

by Robert Wilkinson

Mercury comes out of retrograde this week, so crank things up after recent weeks of rehearsal, review, research, and preparation. This week we have the New Moon at 22 degrees Cancer occurring at 5:04 am PDT July 14, showing we will open to "longing to live life as a great adventure," and we are told this will demonstrate "the compelling power of all sustained desire and of the dreaming of dreams." This would imply we will open to a greater life and see the results of visions we have held for a long time.

This New Moon will be quintile Mars, trine Uranus, quincunx Neptune, and triseptile Pluto. Expect unique stabilizing events that may be more pleasant than dramatic, where we can return to "simpler joys for pleasure and revitalization" until we "become more sure of ourselves." Go for the unified view, and open to contact with higher elements of Being.

The quincunx to Neptune shows there will be adjustments, sacrifices, and expansions in strange directions, and many illusions and ideals will be busted due to immediate necessities. Areas of growth show productivity through seeing what values should be preserved and venerated, safe returns to "ancestral patterns of behavior," and an "easy poise" based in retreating within after some notable outer activity.

The triseptile to Pluto is the major event, since the Sun is moving through the Cancer zone of The Grand Irrationality this week, which is the next major fork in the road for all of us. In late May, June, and early July we went through a very strong activation of this 7 pointed Star pattern, and many who have planets or angles in any of the 7 zones of this configuration confronted major decisions, or forms of compulsive behavior in others, or forks in the road of their destiny, aka, character choices. These are now bearing fruit, or have shown us that some parts of our lives are done, since we took a path different from the one we were on. Expect rapid and expansive growth in the next few weeks.

As noted in other articles,

The Grand Irrationality is why everything feels much weirder than it used to, with hard edges and widespread irrational and/or compulsive behaviors more and more evident. Sometimes these energies grow stronger than at other times, depending on where the planets are. The link to The Grand Irrationality will explain more about this widespread long term influence in depth, along with internal links in that article that explain more about the larger field and what we can do to maneuver it successfully.

Right now the hot zones of The Grand Irrationality fall at approximately 27 Sagittarius-1 Capricorn, 20-25 Aquarius, 11-14 Aries, 2-7 Gemini, 24-27 Cancer, 15-19 Virgo, and 6-10 Scorpio at this time in history. This pattern is setting up the generally strange atmosphere, a lot of compulsions coming to surface as well as forks in the road of our destiny in several areas of life, and overall one long hard edge of choices, changes, and a future that never is quite as logical as we may like.

In dealing with the generic weirdness, remember that even if things get very bizarre or irrational, we are not powerless. Even if destiny is "on the move," we still can steer the process to some degree, if we don't lose our cool in the midst of the great weirdness. We’re learning in these strange times not to lean too heavily on "things making sense," and how to fly by the seat of our pants, not going funky places we shouldn't, and making choices that will propel us into an evolving future that may not make much sense but is perfect for the uniqueness we are.

Every time the Moon triggers the Grand Irrationality we experience a form of a turning point of sorts, where the seeds of the future will stand revealed. Besides July 10-11 when it's in Gemini, it will also trigger this larger global configuration on July 14-15 when it crosses the Cancer zone making the New Moon.

As I've previously reported, we also have a powerful configuration adding to the general weirdness of the Grand Irrationality. Of major importance to us all is that we're in the heart of a several-weeks long very powerful Saturn triseptile to Uranus. I described this briefly in this article, with more in the previously mentioned "Spiritual Astrology" article. For more information about how the Outer Invisible Triad is influencing all signs, please check out Spiritual Astrology in July-August 2007 affecting Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

The Saturn triseptile Uranus irrationality pattern is creating another whole set of "forks in the road of destiny" involving 18-20 Pisces, 9-11 Taurus, 30 Gemini-2 Cancer, 21-23 Leo, 12-15 Libra, 4-6 Sag, and 25-27 Capricorn. Obviously the Moon will trigger this entirely different field of choices and decisons when it moves through these zones on July 9, 12-13, 16-17, 20, and 24-25.

Of special importance in these areas of choice and change were when the Sun moved through the late Gemini- early Cancer zone between June 19-24, when Venus moved through the Leo zone at the end of June and beginning of July, and July 5-9 when Mars is in the Taurus zone while Mercury hangs out in the Cancer zone between July 5-13. Mercury's stationary degree being septile Saturn and biseptile Uranus promises to make this irrationality sequence very active for some weeks to come, so heads up!

Just think! For the past and present few weeks we have weirdness, irrationality, compulsions, and major decisions to make, individually and collectively, over 20 times. To remind you, July 5-6 are very important days, since the Moon, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Uranus will all be activated. For advanced astrologers, look out for the times when the Ascendant and Midheaven cross through these zones wherever you live, since it could show very important events that move lives dramatically in directions that will fulfill "destiny" somehow.

Venus conjuncted Saturn for the first of three times on July 1 at 23 Leo. It is now slowing down, preparing to go retrograde on July 27 at 10:27 am PDT at 3 degrees of Virgo, a point of "divine help when human efforts fail," as well as discovering inner powers that bring us assistance wherever we feel "lost in the wilderness."

The second time this conjunction occurs will be when Venus is RX conjunct Saturn at 28 Leo on August 13, and the final one will be October 13-14 at 5 Virgo. This will rearrange several areas of our lives, finalizing some things while launching new one in whatever areas these planets rule and occupy.

Conjunctions are fusions and beginnings, and the degree of the first conjunction this week involves taming and training to bring our vital energies under a skillful self-control. Areas affected are Taurus, Leo, Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius, and any house the conjunction occupies or rules. We should have recently begun new interpersonal activities, either gone through disillusionment and/or realizations, and are preparing to take a look back at recent Venus experiences to get a new angle of vision on what has happened and why, and what new rules, responsibilities, or maturity we've already begun to live.

The recent Full Moon of Capricorn-Cancer featured Moon opposition Mercury RX, the very prominent Venus opposition Neptune and conjunct Saturn, Uranus making a wide trine to the Sun and quintile to the Moon, and Mercury sextile Mars. This will continue to dominate affairs until the coming New Moon.

The light at this time comes through reaching out for elementary understanding of life, learning to be discriminating in finding your originality and expressing your authentic self freed from social restrictions and judgments, and learning how to listen so you can be given guidance from within. Follow your curiosity, and see the relative place, function, and importance of what you find.

Though the Saturn opposition Neptune is past, marking the end of a certain type of tension we've been living with off and on for two years. However, it's important to remember that for the next few weeks, when the Moon is in late Taurus on July 9-10 and August 6, and in late Scorpio July 23-24, we'll have to deal with a Fixed T-square that will help us demonstrate whatever skills and wisdom we've gotten from the opposition.

We'll experience the last major Fixed T-square involving these planets at the Blue Full Moon of the Eastern Hemisphere on July 29, 5:48 pm PDT, falling at 7 Aquarius-Leo. The T-square at that time will involve Mars in late Taurus squaring Saturn opposition Neptune. Expect radical new developments to stem from that lunation, where we will see what is permanent and what is springing forth from Cosmos Itself. After that, there will be no more Fixed T-square lunations until the Full Moon of November 2008.

As I've written previously:

These past Fixed T-squares involving Saturn and Neptune were triggered every time the Moon was in Taurus or Scorpio, teaching us how to act appropriately. Saturn opposed Neptune was exact from mid-February through mid-March 2007, and is again exact from now through mid-July 2007. Every time the Moon triggers this effect it reminds us of strengths we've cultivated from breaking up old patterns the past 18 months.

As I've noted, these squares ... broke some things up forever, challenged us to see what to clear out, made us evaluate what to "put on the shelf for the future," and opened paths of personal, social, and spiritual development associated with things, heart, magnetism, ambition, and idealism. We were challenged to persevere despite difficulties, cut our losses when blocked by intransigent obstructionists, stabilize what which was unstable, or break apart that which was stuck in the mud.

Any square to the Saturn opposition Neptune shows us how to release important Fire energies through Saturn, transcend old limitations and generate new heart power and brought important questions. What is our message? Where is our heart's interest? Where is our play, our creativity, our enthusiasm, our spontaneity, our pleasure? These can show us the way to our higher purpose.

... Though T-squares are usually considered a negative and frictional influence, the ones we've just been through were chances to purify and drop old ways to create space for more appropriate efforts now. We've shifted magnetism, letting go so we can attract the assets, resources or values will support our next outreach. That has meant a shift in both perception and action.

These T-squares burst things wide open... Since the Taurus energies sextile and quintile Uranus, renovate, revolutionize things, and go for the unique, unusual, or innovative. We've opened a Neptune cycle while fulfilling the old Saturn cycle started Summer 2006... Recent weeks brought many major decisions breaking old deadlocks, ambivalence, or procrastination. It's been a great time for accepting greater responsibilities and duties and leaving lesser concerns behind. We can achieve clarity around roles we want to play, overcoming any hesitation around doing what we must to make some new way of being real.

We've solidified many things even as we've turned a big corner... and had opportunities to see what's been jamming our gears in relationships, and what we needed to end while embracing actions and attitudes that will bring us results we want in the future. Due to the on-going Jupiter square Uranus we've also had a sensation like something very BIG is coming. Welcome to the NOW!

As I've explained before, though squares are usually associated with difficulty, they mark important points where we shift direction, breaking free of old ideas about who we used to be. When we confront squares and oppositions we are shown ways to reorient to find the balance and turn the corner in crucial areas. Squares are either the emergence of something (waxing square) or the fulfillment and culmination of a process (waning square), while oppositions bring forth awareness. These times are not necessarily great for launching new things, but they can be great at moving things forward that have already been planned in the past.

Saturn opposition Neptune is behind the tension of the gap between ideal and reality, the theoretical and the practical. Continue not allowing nerves, temperament, or unexpected diversions to cause sideways explosions result in messing up perfectly good opportunities. Get oriented, get your drive in gear, open your vision and understanding, and be compassionate while bringing closure to old life movies.

As noted earlier, Venus is now slowing, even as most of the signs from Sag through Leo are occupied creating a Locomotive Pattern, one of imbalance and power. With the Moon transiting Taurus through Leo this week, the Moon continues to occupy the heart of the sector, accenting the pattern. When it's in Gemini and Cancer this week, it activates the Grand Irrationality which I explained earlier. Saturn and Pluto are the brackets framing the Locomotive pattern that most predominates for months to come when the span on the close side is less than 51 degrees. Right now, Venus is closing the empty span a little, but will go RX, so the defining planets are still pretty much Saturn and Pluto.

The week begins with the Moon in Taurus. As I noted in last weeks article about the weekend leading up to the week ahead:

The Moon enters Taurus 10:54 am PDT July 8, and it too does an amazing run of great aspects, including quintiles and sextiles to the Sun, a powerful conjunction with Mars septile Mercury, and a septile-sextile with Uranus just as Mercury goes stationary direct at 3 Cancer on July 9 at 7:16 pm PDT.

Though the Moon makes a Fixed T-square in late Taurus on July 9-10, with the supporting Sun trine Uranus culminating July 10-11, this time should be a marvel of quick, efficient changes that are quickly stabilized in particularly enjoyable ways that nurture all involved.

All in all, this week should be great for getting things accomplished, culminating in a burst of fire that settles into something we can truly enjoy. Launch what needs launching, be a cooperative bridge builder, and see how the chaos dis-structured the old and was prelude to a new quality of life being revealed rendering the old patterns obsolete.

Use knowledge and skill to plan with an eye to the future. Be the light in the darkness or the warmth against the cold, and by next weekend you may find you are a more consecrated being than you previously imagined, and here to be effective in a larger realm of service.

The Moon enters Gemini 1:10 pm PDT, July 10, entering the Grand Irrationality zone then afterwards triggering the wide (but still a powerful influence) Jupiter square Uranus. I've written articles in the past describing this influence that has been and will again be a force majure in our lives, so please site google them and refresh your focus, since this is an aspect of genius or temperamentalism. Even if things get peculiar, adapt, learn, and take care of practical details. The quintiles/sextiles to Saturn and Venus and tredecile/trine to Neptune should bring gifts and unique circumstances that are very satisfactory.

The Moon enters Cancer 3:39 pm PDT on July 12. It is said to be a good time for planting, pruning, and haircuts, but because it is an "old Moon," things may be almost at a standstill, so you may want to take a pass, unless you want very slow growth. In early Cancer, it moves through one irrationality zone, while in late Cancer it triggers another, so don't expect much to make sense, but it will mark a turning point wherever we have Cancer in our charts in a BIG way. And since the New Moon only makes significant aspects to the outer Triad, the coming weeks will be marked by a lot of Transpersonal activity described earlier.

The Moon enters Leo at 7:43 pm PDT on July 14 just before Venus enters Virgo. Moon in Leo is said to be a good time to get rid of garden pests, so plan accordingly. It makes a very beneficial trine to Jupiter on July 15-16, though the square to Mars while opposing Neptune and occulting Saturn does activate the Fixed T-square discussed earlier. Eliminate, regenerate, transmute, and find a way to anchor major realizations in new forms of living.

Allow your desires to become a little more socialized, become warmer and friendlier, and cultivate your knowledge of structural flaws and strengths, whether in action, thought, or feeling. The trine to Pluto on July 16-17 should help us get to the heart of any matter and strengthen what we need to by eliminating all that is not necessary for stabilizing our Fiery understanding which will become solid foundations for our future in August.