There’s something about our personal power matrix today that seems to violate our own highest values–but ‘seems’ really is the operative word, as what we’re actually experiencing are external blocks to our power manifestation, ones that can’t actually hurt us except by worming into our minds and attempting to stir some kind of guilt. ‘Don’t be selfish’ and ‘Quit showing off’ may be the refrain. These aren’t legitimate critiques, but instead sour grapes, or in some cases an attempt to subdue us for some other entity’s benefit. If we can avoid succumbing to this thought-assault, we can benefit greatly from our own efforts and from our willingness to share in some form those skills unique to us that we’ve mastered. That’s where the action, and the reward, are today.

(Vesta sq Juno, Saturn semi-sq and Venus trine Ceres, Mercury sesq Black Moon Lilith and parallel Mars, Sun trine Chiron)

For those born with the Sun at 05 Leo. 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 Leo, through to your next birthday, may be filled with what feel like fresh, even raw, experiences (no, please don’t call them lessons) on Love and Power. No matter how much you’ve been through, you’ll likely be surprised by the elemental and new-to-you events in both areas that will come your way. The other big headline this year is about your wounds; will you wallow in them, or will you heal from them, and in doing so access your most potent skills? It’s your choice, but really, you already know that wallowing, though sometimes enjoyable, will ultimately just waste time–so why not commit now, during this big Love/ Power year, to shed your hurt and claim your abilities? That’s right, no reason not to. Good luck!

We find ourselves in some form sorting, discarding, or safeguarding things, relationships, decisions, even beliefs or memories from the past. The trick is to hold onto what empowers us, assessed in as objective a manner as possible, and then to find a way to utilize these as assets, to put them out into the world and then to enjoy the benefits that come back to us. In short, we embrace what we’ve learned, what works, and then profit from it. We may have to modify our beliefs, our means of reaching out and sharing with others, and we may have to change what we see as beneficial, but all these modifications only serve to build both our sense of Self-worth and our store of assets, talents, and wisdom. Don’t hesitate to throw out what’s no longer useful or necessary–it only makes the load that much lighter.

(Juno qnx and Vesta trine SN, Venus enters Leo and sesquiquadrates Jupiter)

For those born with the Sun at 04 Leo. 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). Love or finances reach a ‘do-or die’ point this solar year, dear Leo, and it’s up to you to choose, respond, or act in a way that’s best for you. Yes, some may call you selfish, but what good are you to others if your needs aren’t met, if you aren’t happy? Not much, is the answer, and that’s something that those who want to take advantage, who want to keep you where you are, won’t tell you. Coincidentally, this is also the time for you to heal a sense of personal authority, to be the one to grant yourself permission, rather than waiting for someone else to give the go-ahead. This is also slated to be your most creative and inspired year, yet, if you can only embrace completely your sense of responsibility–that is, if you can see that in reality what you make of your year, and yourself, is really up to no one but you. Good luck!

Our attention today may go directly to those things we see as ‘most dark’: destructive things, ones we’ve tried to ignore or deny the existence of, things forgotten but lingering at the edge of consciousness, things we fear, extremes, and those things that haunt us vividly in the middle of the night. Consciousness drags them into the light and dares us to stand up to them, and it feels like we’re alone, the only adult, or authority, or force, in the room. How to handle it? Only accept visions and expressions of power that vibe with your idea of who you are at a Soul level; remember values and measure all against them; and rely on trusted relationships, ones to which you are firmly dedicated. That should turn darker things into chances for Self-knowledge, and occasions to learn a little something about life, as well.

(Mars qnx Black Moon Lilith and contra-parallel Ceres, Venus sxt Vesta, Sun opp Pluto)

For those born with the Sun at 22 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, I want to be the first to assure you that scary sh*t from last year is all behind you–but can anyone ever be sure? No, but it does look like at the very least it’s in abeyance, allowing you time to dedicate yourself to shaping exactly the future you hope for. Will this period of undistracted momentum last forever? Of course not, but it will last long enough that, if well played, you will be in a very different, and much more emotionally secure, place than you were last time things went south–and that will make all the difference. Too, you may notice a kind of contest between your emotional perceptions and your instinctual ones. You would do well to parse these influences carefully; I lean toward saying that your instincts are the ones to be followed and trusted. Good luck!

Mercury begins its apparent retrograde motion, and we enter a period of review of our own actions and choices, specifically those that make statements about our identity. Those times when we’ve roared, and those matters in the natal chart affected by Leo, are reviewed, reacted to, re-visited, renewed, reflected on. Our statement about who we are and what we can do gets edited; we assess whether our Self-presentation has been adequate to convey the full fire of our Soul. Now that won’t be hard, will it?

The turnaround, which can shock a bit with a sudden withdrawal of mental acuity, of the ability to be certain, especially when it comes to ourselves and our talents, happens just as Mars sesquiquadrates Neptune, which suggests misguided actions or incorrectly acted upon creative energies or ideals. So, we misstep, and can’t quite figure out why. That’s the signal to step back and pause; since the retro period is one of review, and also one where pertinent details or facts might not be known to us until direction, we do best to wait for more information. That doesn’t mean all effort or progress stops, but it does mean we don’t force things, that we respect circumstances enough to have the humbling thought that there’s something we don’t know, that we must wait to learn.

The Sun is also sesquiquadrate Ceres, which doesn’t help as it focuses our attention on all those ways we don’t hold power, aren’t in charge. The key is to be clear as possible on those areas where we do hold dominion, where we are empowered, where we can affect things–and then to tread carefully from there.

Remember, Mercury retrograde in Fire asks us to reconsider what we’ve done. Are we satisfied with our efforts, our methods, our results? We find that out over the coming three weeks, and enter direction (late on the 31st Pacific time) better aware of how to move forward.

For those born with the Sun at 15 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 coming solar year, through to your next birthday, dear Cancer, emotional harmony may feel like it’s slipping away–but it’s not, you’re just reconciling what still exists from the past with what is now, and that sees certain inclinations toward nostalgia (the pain of the past) stripped away. What results is a lean and accurate awareness of the state of the material environment and surroundings, and a highly effective ability to deal with those things. As such, you become more creative as the year goes on, as well as more adept at finding and taking advantage of opportunities. You go, crab! Good luck!

What you found unacceptable yesterday you must ‘lose’ today; that is, purge what needs to go, especially those things you’ve been pretending weren’t there or that you’ve been telling yourself don’t need attention. In doing so we must face what is really practical or wise, and what we’ve been classifying that way even when it causes conflict on our path. It’s a day for being real with yourself, which is almost guaranteed to align you more closely with the reasons you came here in the first place.

(Pluto semi-sq Black Moon Lilith and contra-parallel Hygeia, T-sq with Sun-Earth axis sq Pallas)

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

For those born with the Sun at 14 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). It’s a showdown this solar year for you, dear Cancer, with the need to work out the smart way to proceed in life. You may have been skirting the real issues lately; in the months ahead, through to your next birthday, this won’t fly, especially when it comes to matters of with whom you should partner, and who belongs in your life, and who needs to move along. Unfortunately all this partner-changing may occur very publicly, so be sure that the other areas of your life, the ones you count on for stability and support, emotional and material, are sturdy and in place. Your big advantage this year is in knowing yourself and fully accepting responsibility for your choices–it gets you ahead even when you think standing your ground might put you at a disadvantage. Good luck!

Three rules for today: the social order seems to be trying to drag us back into the past–don’t allow it; our own thoughts or the messages we receive will be contrary to our personal authority and power–don’t listen; and what draws our attention is what is worthy of Love–so invest in it.

(Jupiter parallel SN, Mercury contra-parallel Ceres, Sun parallel Venus)

For those born with the Sun at 09 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). Focus for you this solar year, through to your next birthday, should be on health, dear Cancer. Do all you can to give yourself an optimum diet, and the optimum environment for your Soul growth. Too, make sure that relationships are, in some form, supportive of your best interests. This may require you show a little Self-discipline, and maybe that you reject anything pleasant but debilitating–if you do, though, you’ll be glad of it, as pursuing what’s good for you will bring all kinds of advantages, many of them unanticipated. Good luck!

That headline says it all. Free your mind from the way thinking has been distorted by the social sphere, listen to instinct and follow highest values, and everything gets a solid and very necessary refurbishing.

(Pallas and Mars parallel Hygeia, Mercury sesq Jupiter, Sun nov Sedna and sxt Vesta)

For those born with the Sun at 08 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, optimism and pessimism may war inside you this solar year, through to your next birthday. It seems that you see the opportunities but also the barriers, and your keen perception of both may paralyze you, making it difficult to go forward, even as you feel a growing push internally and externally to change. Go ahead and take those possible paths that appeal to you–don’t let a keen awareness of dangers stop you, but rather allow it to inform your preparations and choices–and as long as what you do honors your highest values and what really matters to you, you should have a very good year. Just don’t hold your breath for emotional clarity–that might not be coming anytime soon. Good luck!