I have been looking forward to the month of July for the phase of the process that it brings to us all as a turning point. My heart celebrates when I lean into feelings of well being brought about by the awareness of integration and truth of wholeness available to all of us that seek it.
July 2004 is a time of arrival and a time for taking a stand in what really matters. Venus in her retrograde cycle completes on June 29th. Getting closer to what really matters, with the sense of coming home to internal roots, spiritual realizations, and confirmation of personal values certainly makes me happy.
Mars and Mercury will bring some entertainment as they travel through Leo. I don't think we will have very many boring moments. Be aware of the process of being a responsible creator. The ability to create does come with consequences if you know what I mean. Keep things clean.
The main subject from planetary cycles of interest will still be the transit of Venus. Venus has had continued oppositions with Pluto between Gemini and Sagittarius. The final opposition occurs on July 25h. Another important point in cosmic timing is when Venus returns in direct motion to the degree in Gemini when the retrograde cycle began, which will be during the first week of August. This is symbolic of a completion of the learning that has challenged inner awakening regarding our personal evolution as it relates to love, values, communication, and the material world. This turning point will be felt in late July and in early August. Venus will then move into Cancer on August 7th.
August isn't a totally clear time for manifestation, but there will likely be an internal strength and alignment that supports any of the drama that comes through us with ego's and the normal chaos connected to our wild side of living life. Mercury begins yet another retrograde phase on August 9th. Mercury will be in Virgo, thus trying to get things straight. I guess this will be a time that tests our ability to be patient and go with the flow. With Mercury retrograde often the law of reversibility can trick us into backward motion. The advice is stay focused on whatever represents improvement and progress and to go through the process with humility and a commitment to being a co-creator in cooperation with spirit.
September seems to promise more opportunity for resolutions. However, I am sure you would agree that the cosmic scheme of things overrides the mundane.
It is so easy to get caught up in things that don't really matter. From the source within you stand strong and tall and little things are like water off the ducks back. That is the idea and the affirmation for July as a part of the process of growing healthy and strong. Most important is LIVING NOW. Process and unfoldment is a wonderful ride, but getting to the reality happens when we are able to be here now. I will indulge in the process of past, present and future by sharing valuable information with the hope that it will add to your perspective on your own journey.
This information to follow is delivered by a good friend of mine and a fellow light bearer and astrologer. Rick Romero did more research than I had time for and offered this article regarding the very important impact of the transit of Venus especially during May and June. Learning from the process is personal, social, and spiritually related to evolution for all of us. In July and August you can look back to see how you have evolved and what Venus as offered you. >From Rick Romero: "During the months of May and June, Venus, the planet of attractions, desires, loves and relationships turns and travels backwards in the sky. Venus retrogrades happen every eight years and is in the same sign.
Venus retrograde is a rare cosmic event and quite remarkable. The focus and insight of this unusual event brings consciousness into a new understanding of interests, attractions and values that will ring out until the next retrograde cycle.
Astrological Venus rules two signs, Taurus and Libra. The Taurean Venus rules the second house and gives us self-definition, boundary and shape. Second house Venus defines our inner wealth and resources, which give us a sense of self worth. Taurean Venus tells us what constitutes security and what we possess and hope to possess in our material world. Taurean Venus puts us in touch with our senses and our bodies. Taurean Venus identifies and classifies what and where we find earthly pleasures and desires. Libran Venus rules the seventh house where we discover the wonderful significance of partnerships and relationships. Libra Venus also discloses our secret enemies as well as how we process and integrate close intimate connections to others. Seventh house Venus is also socially inclined and seeks refinement and beauty in our relationships with partners, community and society.
The function of Venus is to separate the revered from the disrespectful, beauty from the repulsive, value from what is rubbish, and to view our primal nature from cultured society. Venus acts as a filter to discover where one finds pleasure, enjoyment and beauty in life. Venus retrograde is a cycle when the Goddess of Love changes her direction and eventually becomes the Goddess of War marching backwards to the dark side of our desires. This can be seen as a time when we hate something once loved or when we reveal the dreaded secrets of our passion and desire. The Venus retrograde cycle continues its backward journey until it reaches the point of ushering in a new eight-year era of rebirth of newly discovered beauty and aspirations.
The Aztec and Mayan cultures venerated the planet Venus, and her retrograde cycle was well understood in ritual and mythology. In their mythology of the retrograde, Venus is in its greatest eastern elongation in the sky and is first seen as the Evening Star. At the beginning of the retrograde cycle, Venus comes to Earth in the form of a man. Here on Earth, Venus meets a beautiful Goddess who begins to seduce and turn him away from his vows of wholesomeness and proper social order. Venus spends the evening with music and drinking and eventually surrenders his purity to the Goddess in a night filled with wild passion and lovemaking. The next morning Venus discovers his exploits, and he hates the Goddess for seducing him. (The sexual union of Venus and the Goddess was actually a taboo act because as it turns out, they were brother and sister.) Their illicit coupling later produces a child, who turns out to be a terrible "sky monster." In great shame and remorse, Venus descends into the Underworld. Once in the Underworld, Venus is challenged to play the ritual game of "peylota." The Aztecs and Mayans governed their ritual lives over this game and portrayed peylota as "the game of life" with high mortal stakes. Venus looses the game and must be sacrificed by the Sun. As Venus is sacrificed and dies, he becomes invisible sleeping in the arms of the Sun. The retrograde cycle is complete when Venus becomes the Morning Star after she is reborn as a woman. The symbolism of the mythology reveals the cycles of the Venus retrograde. Venus begins the retrograde cycle as the Evening Star as it begins the backward journey. This is symbolized when Venus descends to Earth and becomes a man.
As the retrograde continues moving rearward, the symbols of values of purity and proper social values are severely challenged when his sister, the Goddess, is seducing Venus. The dark passion of their union occurs when Venus reaches its inferior conjunction of the retrograde. As Venus starts to travel westward in the sky, the embarrassment of being discovered and producing offspring occurs. The war march to the Underworld begins and Venus is challenged to play the "game of life." (To the Mayans, peylota was ritual game of combat.) As Venus looses the game of peylota, is sacrificed and dies, it stations direct in the sky and travels behind the Sun and becomes invisible to the eye by the rays of the Sun. Invisible Venus continues moving towards its greatest westward elongation point. When Venus arrives at the western elongation point it becomes the Morning Star and is reborn as a woman. Venus continues moving to the other side of the Sun, and when it reaches its superior conjunction, Venus becomes invisible again for about 50 days. This marks a time when Venus advances towards the eastern elongation and the cycle begins again.
The spiritual education of Venus retrograde has a profound impact into reevaluating our core values and aspirations. As the retrograde moves towards the point of its inferior conjunction, we are like Venus, being challenged to hold to conditioning and old ideals of wholesomeness and purity. As we are being seduced by our desires, we are shamed and often try to hide the secrets of our actions and thoughts. When we realize the results of our actions, monsters are created and we try to hide them from view. Sinking to the Underworld of our heart and mind, we declare war on ourselves and then play the game of life. Loosing the game brings us to a point of surrender and releasing old values, which no longer serve us. We are then reborn with new ideas and ambition.
The lessons in the retrograde cycle are relative only to the person experiencing them. These lessons take place on a very deep level. Of all the retrograde cycles, Venus appears to be the most unconscious in its immediate effects, but, in the long term, the most rational. It would serve the individual well to review the last Venus retrograde to pick up unfinished business and dormant Taurean and Libran issues not integrated from the past cycle.
The Sabian symbol for this Venus retrograde is: "A Young Gypsy, Emerging From The Woods, Gazes At Far Cities." The gypsy dances, and has music with vibrancy and love of life. This symbol shows someone leaving familiar surroundings and moving towards new exciting horizons. It is a symbol of progression and love of life. There comes a time when even a gypsy must move out of the woods and seek out new opportunities in life and culture "
THANK YOU RICK
Another important transit for this Spring/Summer is the activities with Mars, Saturn, Chiron, and the influence of the Summer Solstice emphasized by the planets in the signs of Cancer and Capricorn. The Capricorn Full Moon on July 2nd and the Sun's conjunction with Saturn on July 8th seem to be important in terms of the orientation toward identifying what really matters and doing something about it. The Cancer New Moon cycle beginning on July 17th also can help in getting a grip and grounding from the consciousness of the Goddess energy that we all can honor.
So our job is to return to the home within and to nourish what really matters. We begin with our relationship to ourselves and let that expand to our family, our community and our world. Always with the intention to return to the true home, which is in the heart of God that is the kingdom within for all of us to discover?
The month of July ends with another Full Moon. This time it will be a Full Moon in Aquarius on July 31st. Mercury in Virgo helps to bring some mental restraint to the outrageous energy that Mars in Leo provides. Mercury will be opposing Uranus, which brings us a big hit of rebellion and an orientation toward progressive thinking. What a time this is and how amazing is the set up for transformation throughout August as Mercury enters into a retrograde phase. We have support for advancing beyond the limitations we have bought into. The transformational forces are very strong so go with the flow and accept the guidance as it comes through. Blessings are always available when you are surrendering to the highest plan.
