Leo (23 July – 22 August)
The month of July begins in fine style as there’s a glorious conjunction of the two best planets in the heavens, Venus and Jupiter, in your sign of Leo on July 1st.
Venus rules love, money, beauty and Jupiter expands what it touches. This is the planet of new opportunities, abundance and good times. Put the two together and the 1st of the month promises happiness, gifts and blessings.
There’s a flow of energy on or around this date and what you give out, you receive in return. The Venus/Jupiter combination invokes the law of attraction. This all takes place in your sign and the focus is on your personal goals, your ambitions, your image and appearance. This is about how other people see you and how you come across in the world.
This suggests popularity, an opportunity to look good and feel good, to be true to who you are, express your talents and skills. It feels creative, and joyous in the best sense of the word. It’s also a brilliant symbol for a celebration, a party and embracing life to the full. You might meet someone new on or around this date, fall in love and feel your own emotions expand and swell.
Venus remains in Leo until the 18th and she has a smooth run through the heavens apart from one limiting planetary aspect. This is a clashing square aspect between Venus in Leo and Saturn in Scorpio. Saturn is currently down at the base of your charts, representing your home and family your past and where you come from.
Saturn represses Venus and doesn’t allow her feelings or true beauty to shine. Something or someone puts a dampener on events, they act as a reality check or perhaps you feel weighed down when you’re around them. You might have to stop what you’re doing to fulfil a duty or to be responsible. If this is the case, all well and good but don’t let someone else blot out your light.
Things pick up again for you from the 23rd onwards when your ruler the Sun and Mercury, the planet of communication, both enter your sign of Leo. You’re back in the limelight when this happens and there’s an ease and a flow about the way you partake in life. The focus is back on you to take centre stage and ensure your own wants and needs are met. It’s a happy time when sociable planets are in your sign and a chance to do more of what you love.
As the month comes to an end there is a powerful Full Moon cutting across the Leo/Aquarius axis of your chart on July 31st. This puts the spotlight on you and your relationships, both personal and professional. It’s a powerful Full Moon for love, a time when emotions are heightened and you see your situation clearly. Celebrate love, and declare your true affections.
Yet there is a secondary factor that suggests you can’t rush things now when it comes to love and relationships. This is because on July 25th, Venus, the planet of love and relating, turns retrograde in the heavens. Venus remains on go slow until September 6th. Traditionally, this is not the time to marry or to indulge in expensive beauty treatments.
Instead it’s time to reflect on love, to explore your own wants and needs and to ensure you’re on track within a relationship or in your search to find new love. Venus turns retrograde in Virgo and your money sector but re-enters your sign of Leo on the 31st.
The combination of the Full Moon and Venus suggests that you might declare your heart only to have to wait to find out what someone else is feeling. Perhaps there’s physical distance between you and someone close or the timing isn’t quite right for you to come together as a couple. Be patient, be reflective and be guided by your feelings.
In some respects there are two sides to your astrology this month. There’s what’s happening for you personally out in the world and there’s what’s going on behind the scenes. This is because there’s a strong emphasis on the sign of Cancer throughout the month. Your ruler the Sun is in Cancer until the 23rd, Mars, the action planet, is there all month and Mercury, the planet of communication, joins them both from the 8th until the 23rd.
Cancer rules the hidden sector of your chart and it feels like a volatile energy bubbling away behind-the-scenes. This might infer a secret or confidence, rumours or hearsay, things that you suspect but don’t know for sure.
Mars in Cancer feels frustrated, it wants to proceed in a direct fashion but it can’t. Plus, all three planets in Cancer clash with the Uranus/Pluto square throughout the month. The key dates are the 15th until the 19th and the weekend of the 25th/26th. This might indicate rumours at work, changes that are unseen or unannounced but you’re aware of them nonetheless. It might be question marks around your health or a lack of information about a course aorproject in which you’re involved.
It would be easy to get upset if this is the case and to feel emotional about the situation. If you think that engaging in a conflict or argument will help you, then that’s one way forward. However actions have consequences and it might be best to wait until you can see your situation more clearly.
You will get an inkling of what this is about on or around July 2nd when there’s a powerful Full Moon in the heavens which focuses on the same sectors of your chart. Plus, there’s a New Moon in Cancer on July 16 and again this might bring new information to light that can help guide you.
Yet it’s best to wait until the 23rd when the Sun and Mercury in your sign restore your confidence and boost your energy levels. When planets are hidden away in the sign before yours, you can find that your energy or confidence is low. Embrace the good times this month and use the positive planetary energy to boost your spirits and to put yourself and your own needs first.