By Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy – Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja California, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40014196

Do relationships provide surprise hurt, or a difficult healing, today? Words may be aggressive, but they’re carrying the energy of the retro Merc, a need to do, to act, that we can’t wrap our heads around, can’t sufficiently organize, and the demands of the social order only add to the tension, resulting in, what else? Frustration. One thing we can be sure of: what the social sphere wants is contrary to our well-being. Something else we can count on: the spontaneous, the revelation, the shock, all ultimately deliver a reward. So, we get to the end of the day with some very positive results, even if the getting there was a little rocky.

‘A Little Rocky’–or did I mean this?

(Venus sq Chiron, sxt Uranus, and nov Hygeia, Mercury conj Mars, Sun qnx Jupiter, Jupiter contra-parallel Hygeia)

For those born with the Sun at 16 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). This solar year, dear Cancer, through to your next birthday, you may face and deal with real-world circumstances and the ways these restrict, confine, or suppress you, and you may also utilize an enhanced ability to bring what you imagine or visualize into material form. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword and may take some getting used to, but eventually you’ll catch the rhythm and find that the more you work to knock down barriers and bring the real world, especially the environment, into alignment with your Soul’s deepest intentions, needs, and reasons for Being, the better your results. Good luck!

‘Cakes, 1963’ Photo By Pplachigo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28954794

‘Actors in 1860’ By 四代目中村芝翫 Nakamura Shikan IV CC BY-SA 4.0

I don’t mean to get all real-world nitty-gritty on you, but today we might see, experience, find something contrary to our health. Now I’m defining ‘health’ in the broadest possible terms, so this might be physical, related to diet, exercise, the cleanliness or other disposition of our environment, or it may be mental, emotional, or psychic, something only recognized from the inside. In whatever form it shows itself, empowerment is only gained by careful attention to what we’ve been ignoring or denying. It’s in excavating what we’ve rejected about our own lives that we access an outlook that’s genuinely effective in dealing with those less-than-sani circumstances, making it possible to move forward–everything else is Kabuki theater.

(Juno qnx Black Moon Lilith, Saturn contra-parallel Hygeia)

Comments submitted, books ordered, and requests for service made between 5 and 7 July will be answered/ fulfilled on the 8th.

‘Cakes, 1963’ Photo By Pplachigo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28954794

For those born with the Sun at 13 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). Dear Cancer, your solar year, through to your next birthday, may be filled with challenges requiring you to decide what’s wise, or what’s practical–and there may be a further challenge that you live that wisdom, or those practicalities. It’s a time of getting your psychic house in order, and focusing your attention on Self-development. Hints for success: realize that opportunities and ‘the facts’ both demand adjustments to their truths–there’s no other way, and intuitions and feelings, even when they seem to be about others, are really about the Self, and you’ll be miles ahead if you see them that way. Good luck!

By Matthew Bargo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11564056

What is it about reality, or the obstacles we face, or the rules or requirements that constrain us, that’s tempting us to flee into the past? It’s a quicksand of already-hardened cement, capturing us if we happen to put our foot in it before it sets, and unforgiving if we’re outside trying to break it apart, to break in, to–what? Though the first refuge we think of from what’s nagging at us is the past, we’d do better to look at two things: how reactive we’re being to the social order–are we acting and choosing because that’s what we want, or because we want to be different than what we’re seeing around us?–and how much maintaining our current power position/ status/ sphere of influence is really costing us. We have to take a moment and look at these issues, as there’s no way to get their measure when we’re actively in motion with them, as Heisenberg can tell you (if you’d like a deep dive). Once we’ve paused and observed, we can see that opening to our instinctual nature, while keeping what we truly care about in mind, is the only way to divine which way, and how, to proceed.

(Saturn conj SN, Mars sesq Jupiter, Venus qnx Ceres, Sun semi-sq Sedna)

‘Cakes, 1963’ Photo By Pplachigo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28954794

For those born with the Sun at 12 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). Everything that happens this solar year, through to your next birthday, dear Cancer, is about developing wisdom, developing skills, or developing both. We might say that’s the very essence of life, but you’ll enjoy a period during which it will be easy to (you may even be required to) focus on yourself and your needs and life course. It’s important that you find a way that’s entirely suitable to you specifically–that’s what this year is about. You’ll be aided by good instincts and the ability to resist the lure of the past–what’s over is over, and you may be an excellent example of this for others. The emotions will offer special attunement to your Soul’s needs–go forth, listen to yourself, and do what needs to be done, to truly align your way in the world with who you are at core. Good luck!

‘Unconscious Rivals’ By Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1893 {{PD}}

The spontaneous or the accidental may seem to work against us, but in reality what we don’t expect serves to heal, empower, or spur wise choices. Incorporating those surprises will lend our efforts authority, and offer inspiration that shows us how to get around obstacles as well as how to allow the creative to flow.

(Chiron trine and Uranus sq Juno, Mars trine Ceres and parallel Pallas, Venus enters Cancer, Mercury sesq Neptune)

‘Cakes, 1963’ Photo By Pplachigo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28954794

For those born with the Sun at 11 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). You may spend the coming Solar year, dear Cancer, feeling your way forward, testing the waters for the smart move, the practical alternative, and the skills you need to acquire. It’s a year of building yourself, and that where you attention and efforts should rightly be. This could be rough on relationships, but will act to help you shed those who aren’t right for you, and who won’t fit into the new and improved life you’ll have by your next birthday. Use feelings and intuition as a supplementary guide, and enjoy this time when you can and should focus on You. Good luck!

The Weighing of the Heart from the Book of the Dead of Ani. At left, Ani and his wife Tutu enter the assemblage of gods. At center, Anubis weighs Ani’s heart against the feather of Maat, observed by the goddesses Renenutet and Meshkenet, the god Shay, and Ani’s own ba. At right, the monster Ammut, who will devour Ani’s soul if he is unworthy, awaits the verdict, while the god Thoth prepares to record it. At top are gods acting as judges: Hu and Sia, Hathor, Horus, Isis and Nephthys, Nut, Geb, Tefnut, Shu, Atum, and Ra-Horakhty. Photographed by the British Museum {{PD}}

Today doesn’t deliver a test in any of the traditional meanings, but one more subtle, that will measure our ideals, values, and the way these inform expression of our power. Whether actions and choices support our empowerment will be the key metric, and there might be a need to let go of certain fantasies or misinterpretations of what constitutes real agency for you. In fact, it’s vital that you rid yourself of illusions concerning your empowerment; it’s the only way you can make room for a rather amazing set of rewards scheduled to come your way.

(Neptune sesq and Venus nov Juno, Mercury trine Ceres)

‘Cakes, 1963’ Photo By Pplachigo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28954794

For those born with the Sun at 07 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). What it’s really about this solar year, dear Cancer, through to your next birthday, is power: who holds it, who exhibits it, who is able to affect the landscape and the lives of others. It may seem like the year’s events have an entirely different focus, though, and that could be confusing; you may see what occurs as pointing toward the validity of what you hold dear or find sacred, of what you’re committed to, but it’s what’s behind these matters that counts and will be re-shaped, so keep your eye on who and how power is distributed, exercised, and gained or lost, and do your best to keep your autonomy and priorities intact. Too, you may be asked to deal with uncomfortable emotions, but if you do, the reward will be an emotional safety and security that has benefits beyond just peace of mind. Strengths this year include an ability to bring forward from the past what’s useful now, and a growing clarity of focus within your creative abilities. Good luck!