On July 5, two planets change signs almost simultaneously.
Mars leaves Aries and enters Taurus at 02:04 AM ET, while Mercury leaves Gemini and enters Cancer at 02:25 AM ET. Mars remains in Taurus until August 20, and Mercury remains in Cancer until July 19. Let’s see in more detail what these shifts are about.
Mars enters Taurus: Building Solid Foundations
The last couple of weeks have been marked by a Mars-Pluto square. Their alignment has been increasing our willpower and determination while intensifying our anger, our compulsions, and potentially destructive impulses. Mars and Pluto have been inviting us to examine the nature of our desires and the true intentions and motivations they stem from.
Mars entering Taurus while separating from Pluto has a stabilizing effect on our energy levels. This transit offers us opportunities for the consolidation of what we started while Mars was in Aries. Taurus, a Fixed Earth archetype, is associated with our survival instinct and our need to create conditions that allow life to continue to grow and blossom. After the initial spark, impulse, and desire to take new directions coming with Aries, we realize the importance of building good foundations and structures that allow us to take care of our primary needs.
When Mars, ruler of Aries, travels through the sign of the Bull, it is traditionally considered to be debilitated or weakened, as it rules the opposite sign of Scorpio. Taurus’ slowness doesn’t suit Mars, as the Red Planet seeks quick action and sharp decision-making. However, this combination of energies has a lot to offer.
Mars’ transit through Taurus supports endurance, sustained effort, resilience, and perseverance. This transit reminds us that hard work pays off and that we should not give up if the results aren’t immediate. While Mars is traveling through the sign of the Bull, we appreciate the pleasures of the material plane. During the upcoming weeks, we will feel more grounded in our physical body and attuned to our sensuality, while we may have a stronger need for security and predictability in our relationships and our lives in general.
Mars conjunct Uranus & North Node
During its journey through Taurus, Mars will join Uranus and the North Node, sextile Neptune in Pisces, square Saturn in Aquarius, and trine Pluto in Capricorn.
The triple conjunction of Mars, Uranus, and the North Node goes exact on August 1. However, it will be felt before and after the precise alignment. Uranus and the North Node are within the orb of conjunction for the entire month, and Mars getting closer to them will activate and energize this potent aspect. This alignment is powerfully innovative, groundbreaking, and rebellious.
Mars conjunct Uranus indicates a strong urge to liberate ourselves from any restriction and limitation and a need to feel truly free to follow our own path. Explosivity, impulsivity, and erratic reactions are possible. The alignment to the North Node reminds us of the importance of separating from old emotional attachments in order for us to be able to individuate and evolve. These days, there may be abrupt and sudden changes in our journey that push us out of our comfort zone before we feel ready for it.
Mars square Saturn, sextile Neptune, trine Pluto
The Mars-Uranus-North Node conjunction is going to square Saturn in Aquarius. The square between Mars and Saturn, exact on August 7, indicates feelings of frustration that have a resonance with the long-term Saturn-Uranus square, which is activated again as the two planets are getting closer to each other.
The Mars-Uranus-Saturn alignment signals a tendency towards self-restriction, self-punishment, and self-repression, as well as a feeling that external conditions are restricting us, repressing us, and impeding our freedom. In the current delicate historical context, this aspect highlights the difficulties of leaving known paradigms and systems behind, exploring different solutions, and allowing the future to unfold without knowing what it will look like.
Later, Mars sextiles Neptune on August 11 and trines Pluto on August 14. These are harmonic aspects that, respectively, support our empathy and our capacity to act in alignment with our values and ideals and increase our determination and willingness to do what it takes to get closer to our goals and dreams.
Mercury in Cancer: Bridging Rational and Irrational
On July 5, the planet of communication is also in the spotlight. While with Mercury in Gemini the focus is mostly on the rational, the logical, and the intellectual, Mercury entering Cancer slows down the pace of our thought processes and inspires us to connect with our intuitive faculties as the primary way of perceiving the reality surrounding us. This transit highlights how our emotions, thinking, and speaking intertwine, inspiring us to reflect on how each of these affects the others. While Mercury is in the sign of the Crab, we will be more sensitive to unexpressed feelings and emotions, and to all the undercurrents of conversations and interactions. We will feel drawn to speak from our hearts and be more kind and caring to those we meet.
Our way of gathering, elaborating, and processing data and information will be more intuitive and less rational. We may have the feeling that we come across the information we need right when we need it. During the upcoming weeks, we have an opportunity to notice how our emotions and feelings affect the way we express ourselves and our needs, learning to let our inner state settle before making important decisions or taking part in conversations and discussions. Mercury in Cancer invites us to explore how to best communicate and convey the way we feel to others, and how to bridge the rational and the irrational.
Mercury square Jupiter & Chiron in Aries
While transiting Cancer, Mercury will square Chiron and Jupiter in Aries, sextile Uranus in Taurus, trine Neptune in Pisces, and oppose Pluto in Capricorn.
Between July 9 and July 13, Mercury squares Jupiter and Chiron. The Mercury-Jupiter square reflects some resistance around incorporating and accepting information that contradicts what we already know, difficulties taking critiques, and questioning our habitual ways of thinking, solving problems, and communicating. There may be some forcefulness in how we try to get our point across and perceive that same forcefulness coming at us, and we may gain new awareness of how our beliefs are affecting our opinions. The Mercury-Chiron square could bring up wounds relative to the feeling that we are not smart, astute, or intelligent enough. It will offer us opportunities to release disempowering thought patterns and ways of perceiving the world.
Mercury sextile Uranus, trine Neptune, opposite Pluto
Also on July 13, Mercury perfects its sextile to Uranus, an aspect that supports intellectual creativity, inventiveness, and originality. When Mercury and Uranus align, we are tapped into the future and the possibilities of receiving unexpected downloads and insights are very high. This sextile helps us think outside the box and find creative solutions to problems. A few days later, on July 17, the Mercury-Neptune trine goes exact. This aspect magnifies our intuitive capacities, our sensitivity, and our capacity to know what others are feeling, thinking, and perceiving. Mercury trine Neptune brings a surge of inspiration, particularly favorable for pursuits such as creative writing.
Towards the end of its transit through Cancer, on July 18, Mercury opposes Pluto in Capricorn. Their alignment could point to the revelation of secrets or previously hidden information and signals a tendency toward compulsive and destructive thinking. Positively, Mercury-Pluto aspects support our capacity to deepen our psychological understanding of ourselves, others, and reality as a whole, and indicate a need to dive deeper to uncover the root causes or motivations behind what we are dealing with.
Mars in Taurus & Mercury in Cancer: Slowing Down, Turning Inwards
Both Mercury and Mars are shifting from a Yang or Masculine archetype to a Yin or Feminine archetype, which supports the internalization of our energy and focus, inspiring reflection and introspection to allow the integration of the changes that have been taking place. These transits are inviting us to look inward and connect with our physical and emotional bodies.
As they enter Taurus and Cancer, Mars and Mercury align in a sextile, an aspect of opportunity and potential that supports clear communication and self-motivation, and accelerates the pace of our learning. During these days, the Mercury-Mars sextile supports productive explorations of healthy assertiveness and honest communication, encouraging us to share our ideas and thoughts with others, and motivating us to take action on them.
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