Astrology of July 2010 by Henry Seltzer (www.astrograph.com)

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The Astrology of July again features Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn and Pluto, as was the case for the past month as well. This is because the Cardinal T-square between Uranus, Pluto and Saturn, now aided and abetted by Jupiter and Mars, is more powerful than ever, and only becomes stronger as the month unfolds. After an important Last Quarter Moon, on July 4th, the next day Uranus stations retrograde, halting its forward movement into Aries, but also further emphasizing the continuation of its square with Pluto, urging profound transformation.

Then, another dramatic eclipse comes along mid-day on Sunday, July 11th, and it serves to drive the stake even deeper into the very center of our issues. We are called upon to make an important movement in our individual and in our collective lives. If we heed the call we will get busy, and if we tune in to the tenor of the times we will not despair but rejoice that the moment for action has undisputedly come. This Solar Eclipse New Moon in Cancer makes aspects to Neptune and to Mars, just as Mars begins to close in on Saturn in the last decant of Virgo. Saturn itself is less than a degree away from its entrance into Libra, where it will form an almost perfect square with Pluto, and where we will experience the most potent expression yet of its ongoing opposition to Uranus, representing the polarity of stasis versus dramatic change.

Saturn with Pluto in its waning square represents tough love, urging transformation upon us whether we think we are ready for it or not. This configuration reminds us of the 2001 opposition between Saturn and Pluto, the single most important indicator in the chart of 9-11. If we are wondering how the current collision of these powerful archetypal forces will manifest, we have to look no further than the aftermath of recent catastrophic events that have already occurred, and that will go down in history as two of the greatest disasters of our time. The tragedy is ongoing, since the challenge that they represent continues to reveal further complications. I am speaking, of course, of the massive earthquake in Haiti that has left over a million people homeless and living in tents with the hurricane season approaching, as of this writing, and of the world-changing Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill of late April 2010, still gushing as of mid-June. This environmental debacle of unprecedented proportions will also be greatly exacerbated by the storms of this summer. Perhaps the time has finally come when the balance tips away from constantly encouraging this nation's over-dependence on fossil fuels.

July includes another powerful Full Moon, taking place on Sunday, July 25th, with the Sun and Moon in the early degrees of Leo and Aquarius. This Full Moon triggers once again the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto T-square. Saturn has entered Libra, as of the 21st of July, so that the configuration of these powerful archetypal energies is now at one relative peak. The Uranus-Pluto square remains potent throughout the 20-teens. We might expect during this final week of a pivotal month to see some early warning signs of the tumultuous decade that awaits us.

July 4th Last Quarter Moon
This is traditionally a time of reassessment regarding the impulse that arose from the recent New Moon, in this case the one from early June. Seeds are being planted for the next cycle. There could be a moment of tension that arises now in the body politic as the Sun conjuncts the Sun of our national chart; and individuals will also feel this tension as they attempt to understand what is going on in their lives. That the Moon is in Aries emphasizes once more the Uranus-Jupiter conjunction with its offer of brilliant solutions to dire circumstances, and also the revolutionary T-square Uranus makes with Pluto and with Saturn that presages radical activity.

July 11th New Moon
This eclipse chart is powerful just because of the nature of an eclipse, being a particularly strong New Moon where the effects last for six months or more. This New Moon is in Cancer and there are implications for a fresh start with home and family and whatever we consider our community or tribe. The Sun and Moon aspect Saturn and Mercury just as Mercury comes to an exact inconjunct with Pluto, so that Pluto's square with Saturn is becoming more pronounced. This square, further emphasized by the 21st when Saturn enters Libra, predicts that radical changes and challenges are on the way this month.

July 18th First Quarter Moon
This is traditionally a time of minor crisis, of seeing what part of the impulse from the New Moon is truly viable. The tension of the square between Sun and Moon makes itself felt, and adds to the inherent tension in this month's configurations. The Sun aspects Saturn, and the Mars/Saturn midpoint even more exactly, as Mars begins its conjunction with the planet of limitation and of holding back. Saturn opposing Uranus re-emphasizes the polarity of opposite sides that we see all around us in the political arena, as well as in our own lives. Reconciling these contrary impulses by rising above them is the key.

July 25th Full Moon
Once again, this configuration is an extremely strong one with the Sun and Moon acting as trigger for the Cardinal T-square now completely formulated since Saturn has moved into Libra. Mars is also close to conjuncting Saturn, perfecting in a few days time on the 31st. Rather than seeking to escape the consequences of our actions, we must strive to find a way not around them but through. Only by examining our innermost truth with courage and conviction will we be able to accept necessary transformation and begin to move on with our lives. It has been famously and extremely well said that everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. But spiritual death and subsequent re-birth is not the worst thing that can be imagined; stagnation is worse.