The Daily Astro for July 11, 2013

by Valerie Sylvester

How’s your summer (providing you’re in my hemisphere) going? I took some sorely-needed vacation time last week, and when I came back I was assaulted by a backlog of work and insanely hot and humid weather that wore me out and has proven a nasty trigger for my allergies asthma. It’s taken me a while to get back to the Astro, sorry about that!

TODAY’S ASPECTS:

The Sun is moving to the last decanate of Cancer, the Pisces decanate, so our rulers are the Moon and Neptune. I guess that’s why they call it “the lazy, hazy days of summer”. (The Moon will oppose Neptune at 4:03 AM EDT tomorrow, so expect some rather exotic or confusing dreams!) Before you go to sleep tonight, ask for a message to be relayed –The Moon’s in Mercury-ruled Virgo, after all, so tell your dream-self to bring a notepad along!

Today begins with the Moon in Leo. As the Moon sextiles Mars in Gemini at 3:54 PM EDT (the Moon is Void-of-Course), then enters Virgo at 6:12 PM EDT, this day has a split personality. Earlier today is great for developing plans related to promotion, sales efforts, public relations,and figuring out how to present yourself in the best light. Take few minutes to figure out where you “shine”, and go towards the light! Don’t forget to turn on the charm today; you can draw ‘em like a magnet if you apply yourself. Strut a bit! We may find ourselves “talking it out” or looking for feedback from others, a la Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City, who used to ask “How’m I doin’?”

After the Moon moves to Virgo and out of the void state, we may be in the mood to take on more practical projects and initiate a general cleanup. If you’re a night owl, when the Moon sextiles Jupiter at 1:20 AM EDT you may find you’ve been a little too optimistic about what you could possibly plow through in one evening, but at least you’ll be philosophical about it. This combo has a Master Planner vibe, so take advantage. From small things, big things come, and all that jazz.

I didn’t get a chance to talk about Saturn going direct (at 1:12 AM on Monday July 8, right before the New Moon and the Moon/retrograde Mercury conjunction), but I’ve been thinking about it. Mercury retrograde periods are some kind of wonderful for going back and seeing connections you’ve previously missed because you were too preoccupied with blasting forward all the time. So if things go sideways, don’t freak out—alter your perspective. Sometimes we need to be stopped in our tracks because we’re heading down the wrong highway. Since Mercury’s in Cancer, we’re learning by osmosis. Be still and let it come to you.

OK, so on to Saturn in Scorpio and the New Moon/Mercury retrograde thing. “Nice” is not a word I’d use to describe Saturn in Scorpio. “Relentless”, maybe. “Taskmaster”, definitely. “Sadist”, too. “Opportunist”, yeah. One thing I’ve noticed since the New Moon is that people are being called on their “stuff”. Saturn draws lines and sets the bar—it’s time to take a look at how we’re not measuring up. We need to trade in the old models.

You may find that other people are desperately projecting on you, trying to dump their garbage in your general direction or attempting to abdicate responsibility. It reminds me of a job I had once. I was already doing shit-chute work for about 5 people, and because I did it so well, they kept dumping more and more and deciding I could (oh joy!) work for even more people. This meant that they got the opportunity to work on their own careers and skills and I got stuck with whatever they didn’t want to do. So I had no time to develop anything agita.

Being “nice” (ahoy, you Libras) or thinking that if you just accept it without complaining things will improve just won’t work right now. (Remember I said “sadist”?) Guess what? Ruthless or desperate people don’t care about you, so you have to draw the line. This applies in all situations, but especiallyin emotionally-charged scenarios. Saturn is involved in a Water Grand Trine, which is great for sensitivity, but trines can also bring too much of a good thing. Fear does funny things to people. One thing you may notice (as I have), is a certain irrationality, as though people are responding/over-reacting to something that happened in the past—a not-so-instant replay, spinning wildly through their brains, with an aim of dragging you into the maelstrom. Advice: If it’s not yours, don’t sign for the package. With Uranus set to retrograde on July 17th, “hit and run” scenarios may become more common as people go unhinged.

THE SYMBOLS:

Sabian Symbol for today’s SUN: “Gondoliers in a serenade.”

Kozminsky Symbol for today’s SUN: “A wounded Bedouin mounted on his horse in the desert .”

The Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “Sentiment.”

The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is: “Liberty.”

Today’s Sabian Symbol, set obviously in the watery world of Venice, a city of canals, calls in the water Grand Trine, especially the Neptune in Pisces section—water, water everywhere! Your daily commute in Venice involves a boat of some kind–we’re not on dry land here! An appeal is being made to our sentimental side today. With three planets currently in Cancer, a pull towards the past is strong and at times, overwhelming. Of course, our vision of the past could be quite romanticized, a picture-postcard view.

This Symbol also relates to the world of the imagination. It’s an appeal to the heart (Moon in Leo earlier in the day). Of course, for the gondoliers it’s also a job (Moon moving to Virgo) the depends on their skills at handing both the gondolas and their passengers. On the down side, we can space out or get lost in the endless canals of our mind. Don’t get talked into something you don’t want to do, or fall for a sob story designed to manipulate. Learn to navigate those sometimes-smelly waters!

The Kozminsky Symbol is strongly related to the upcoming Uranus retrograde (and the ongoing Uranus/Pluto square). Bedouin warriors are independent and able to survive in a very harsh environment. They’re always on the move and can set up camp quickly if necessary. This Symbol resonates with Uranian concepts of freedom, liberty, restlessness, and sudden change (the “sandstorms” of life). Uranus retrograde will bring in an erratic energy—we may feel we’re being electrified from within. Accidents can occur (the Bedouin is wounded) during this time, as we may feel disconnected from our body or our surroundings. We may be taken far outside our “comfort zone” as unexpected events change the course of our lives.

THE DAILY DRAW:

2 of Pentacles / Strength

“The Test”. Both of these cards involve the concept of “2”. In the Two of Pentacles two pentacles are juggled, and in the Strength card a woman interacts with a lion. This combination tell s us: “Say yes to the challenge, even if it seems extreme.” It’s time to walk your talk. In order to do this you may have to figure out how to deal with disparate elements or opposing forces. There’s a need to synthesize.

Strength is an 8 card, a power card. It’s time to focus and take aim, consolidate. This combination is very Saturn in Scorpio: powerful, intense and related to boundaries (those set and those transgressed).We may encounter situations that may bring out issues related to pride, anger, rage, or that release our inner demons. (Picture one of those cartoon devils with a pitchfork jabbing you in the ass!) We need to learn how to handle things without either going out of control or stuffing it all deep within (where it may erupt in disguised form). This combo may relate to trust—or lack of it—in our abilities. At times we may feel it’s all just too much to handle. But this is the task we signed up for –half the battle is realizing what we’re up against.