Dynamic Mars shifts into gear, undaunted by Mercury retrograde just in time for one more eclipse in this wildly unfolding story.
After weeks of slowdown, followed by the twists and turns of eclipse season, the energy runs high in July as Mars, planet of action, races into its home sign of Aries, where it will settle for the next six months.
Nimble Mercury has been taking the scenic route through the sensitive sign of Cancer (until the 12th), where he’s retracing private matters and visiting old ghosts along the way. It’s been emotional to say the least. With one more lunar eclipse (on the 5th) yet to go in what has turned out to be an intense eclipse series, we can’t help but feel disquieted from the next wave building. Meanwhile, action-packed Mars has left dreamy Pisces in the dust, ramming full-steam ahead in its rulership, Aries, where he’ll be kicking ass and taking names through the end of the year. Typically, the Red Planet spends about two months in a sign, but since he turns retrograde in mid-September for two months, he’ll be throwing down speedbumps in front of our plans and blocking forward movement until mid-November. During that period, the God of War hits the crosshairs of the powerful planetary lineup in Capricorn, attributed to the pressures brought on by the pandemic and uprisings led by folks who have had enough of systemic racism. Add to that the image of the colossal Saharan dust cloud blanketing the southeastern United States and well, you get the idea. All of this portends bigger and more prolonged fireworks than the nightly bottle rockets we’ve been hearing since the beginning of June. As Mars heats up, urging us to leap before thinking, several major planets remain in retrograde, backtracking through territory already covered. There’s a lot of work to be done—the new structures are barely under construction and the old structures have yet to be toppled. This month offers an opportunity to secure your foundation, map out a strategy, and figure out what it is you want to build. Having a steadfast plan will serve you well come the Fall when Mars instigates the next installment in the developing story. Pro tips: Expend aggressive Mars energy physically via sport or exercise and avoid overconsumption of the ever-maddening news cycle. When tempers flare, take a step back, and remember to take time out for fun. Pace yourself. We still have a long way to go.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) Are you dragging your conch around, doubting your sparkle and picking apart your visage? It’s time to redirect such scrutiny and consider your relationship to your relationships instead. Your shell is sublime, it’s your soft insides that need a little TLC. Petition your beloved for assistance as the lunar eclipse on the 5th in your partnership house uncovers some holes in an outworn story regarding reciprocity. Meanwhile, fresh found courage coming from your professional life fuels you to reevaluate your priorities. You can see clearly what it is you want to protect. Whether it’s your time, integrity, autonomy, or self-worth, you’re fired up to get your needs met this month. In your zeal to put yourself first, take care to not pinch other’s toes; allow space for heated words to cool off before you hurl them. As the month progresses, your confidence resurfaces, and you’re ready to stand firmly in a decision that sets you off on a new course. Since long journeys begin with a single step, how about starting with that new coif you’ve been fussing over. Don a rehydration mask and schedule some chair time with your furloughed stylist. With the makeover box checked, by the end of the month you’re set for a dreamy mini break with your sweetie.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Lions start off the month quietly, perhaps pawing through the past, reflecting on their connections with family and friends. As you revisit these ghosts, take time to turn off your Zoom video and sink into dreamtime. Go ahead and practice being an indoor kitty. Even as the rockets glare red, white, and blue on the Fourth, your introspection comes well-timed with a full-moon lunar eclipse the next day, which shines a light on your health and every-day rhythms. Maybe it’s time to release an old habit that no longer serves. Commit to no sugar until your birthday or to an exercise plan that sets you up for better habits for the rest of the year. As you reconfigure your self-care regimen and recalibrate how you spend your time, recognize that your wealth is in your health. Meanwhile, Mars revs up in your house of meaning and long journeys, sparking a philosophical perspective. You may feel frustrated that you can’t travel because of COVID restrictions. Whether you stay put or take off, you’re energized to expand your horizons, and share what you know. Remember to vet your sources and leave the high horse in the barn, pontificating pumas are a bore, but we love you when your magnanimity shines. Toward the end of the month, you’re ready to pop some bubbly and celebrate, at a safe distance, of course.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Attention busy bees of the zodiac, it’s time for a break. You’ve been reassessing your personal and professional relationships as your ruling planet, Mercury backpedals through your house of friends and groups. Maybe you’ve sacrificed too much personal happiness in the name of productivity and it’s time to place your creative life front and center. Who you choose to play with is an important question as a full-moon lunar eclipse flashes the high beams on your house of pleasure. Play, laugh, and have fun. Allow a few old acquaintances to make a graceful exit. It will free up space for you to get to enjoy yourself more. As you explore what truly turns you on, you may notice the temperature rising on your sex drive, as Mars, the planet of desire heats up in your house of intimacy. Toward the end of the month, go unplug for a few days, dust off your meditation cushion, and tune in to your inner light.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) For Libras, the balance between work and home life tips into high relief this month, as a full-moon lunar eclipse on the 5th casts its shadow in your house of home and family. You may be thinking about moving, renovating, or perhaps a new position could cause you to relocate. In any case, a shake up in a professional direction may have you looking at your roots and your notion of home and stability. With combative Mars burning brightly in your partnership house this month (and through the rest of the year), tension between work and personal relationships could raise the roof. We suggest raising your profile instead by taking a page from your own diplomacy playbook–take a breath or 10 before entering any conflict. Express any competitive urges on the playing field. Make a subtle shift toward patience and watch how your career grows. Your superior social skills put you in good stead this month. If you can think outside the box around your resources, particularly with property and play the long game, you could land yourself in completely different circumstances–in a good way–by the end of the year.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You’ve got energy to burn this month. As your co-ruler, Mars blazes through your house of health and habits, the Red Planet takes on a practical bent, breathing new life into your daily routines. After months of inertia, you’re motivated to ramp up your exercise program, increase hydration, and get on a steady sleep schedule. While a no pain-no gain training program may not feel super sexy, applying your laser focus to your physique over the next several months will help siphon off some of your mind’s heavier burdens. Physical health = mental health. With a full-moon eclipse in your house of communication amping up the planetary houseparty that’s already rewiring your mind, you need an outlet. In fact, a meditation or journaling practice would aid you in the progress you’ve made since early last year. All this hard work grants you a lucid perspective to support you in seeding any new writing or publishing projects that might crop up given the two new moons occurring in your knowledge house early this summer.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Your famous faith and free-spiritedness buoys you through the leanest of times. But a full-moon lunar eclipse early in the month implores you to secure your reserves and double check your contingency plans. Reviewing the budget you created when things were tight that filled in gaps when you were in a pinch doesn’t have to fence you in now. It’s just fiscally wise. The finances and resources you share with others have been on your mind, as well as thinking about how deeply you want those ties to go. A new moon in your house of intimacy later in the month asks Archers to risk being vulnerable and share themselves more deeply. Meanwhile, Mars is juicing up your creativity and pumping up love planet Venus, who’s been sashaying through your relationship house. It doesn’t take a cosmic genius to sense that romance is in the air. Toward the end of the month, you’re roused to scout new territory. We’ll all be asking, who’s that yummy masked paramour riding side-saddle?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Stiff upper-lipped Goats have been carrying too heavy a pack for far too long. As the full-moon lunar eclipse in your sign on the 5th highlights your self-sacrificing ways, it’s time to lay that burden down. While you’re at it, pay a visit to your chiropractor to work on releasing the tension that hawling such a heavy weight around has cost your skeleton. While self-sufficiency and determination may be a source of pride, life can get lonely at the top. And even a solitary mountain Goat would do well to ask for a hoof up sometimes. The Sun in Cancer and a new moon in the same sign later in the month light up your partnership house, highlighting your softer side and a need for family or family-like companionship. At the very least, consider setting intentions at the new moon (on the 20th) around gently examining the walls you build around your heart and how you might dismantle those bricks. Speaking of which, right now Mars is burning through your homebase (where he’ll be for the next six months), lighting a fire under your hooves to get your house organized. We hear the queue outside Home Depot clips along at a good pace. Jump on in with your remodel lists now!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Whether you’re writing op-eds for the local newspaper or knocking on doors to raise awareness around the social justice issues closest to your heart, Water Bearers, you’ve got something to say. As fiery Mars revs your communication engines over the next six months, you’re ready to initiate uncomfortable conversations effectively, thanks to your detached and light-touch diplomacy that enables you to draw on your creativity to get your point across. Later in the month, a new moon in your house of health and routines nudges you to recommit to new habits. Fitting a regular workout into your already ambitious schedule can put you more in touch with your body’s innate intelligence, making it more cooperative in helping you get done all. the. things. you do in a day. As you nurture your body, you nourish and support the transformative process that’s been taking place deep within your psyche. The balancing of your mind, body, and soul is the essential work required as we officially enter the Age of Aquarius in December, when Water Bearers’ sincere humanitarian efforts, paired with their gift for bringing healing to wounded communities will be called to the forefront.
PISCES (Feb. 19–March 20) Ever the compassionate souls of the zodiac, a full-moon lunar eclipse at the beginning of the month in your house of friends and groups beckons Fishes to rein in your tendency to keep on giving. Fish have been hard at work culling their social school and cutting back on volunteer commitments. Yet there is likely more detritus to be cast off. You’ll be surprised at how much freedom you have to swim in those bottomless pools of creativity of yours. Perhaps now is finally the time to pursue that new project or devote yourself fully to learning a new instrument. A new moon in your house of creativity on the 20th calls you to dive deeper into the cool waters that feed your spirit. Meanwhile, with Mars pulsing through your money house, you’re motivated to bump up your cash flow. We know it’s one of the hardest things for you to do, but you’ve got to ask for that long overdue raise. Babe! You are beyond worth it! Taking care of yourself financially is the focus for the next six months. Meanwhile, with lovely Venus dancing through your house of home and hearth, you have the desire to redecorate and beautify your home to your liking. Get that raise, and you’ll have the means to do it right.
ARIES (March 21–April 19) Ready get set go! As your ruling planet Mars picks up speed in your house of identity, your self-confidence (and temper?) are clipping along at breakneck speed. Whoa, Nelly! Moderate your swagger so you don’t trample over anyone in the way of your goals. Heed the difference between self-confidence and overconfidence. As you continue to work out a balance between your career goals and personal life, a new moon later in the month in your house of home and family shines a light on a need to prioritize your private life and nurture your loved ones over any kind of outward productivity. Toward the end of the month, it’s time to kickback and enjoy some fun, as the Sun moves into your house of relaxation and pleasure. This sets in motion a fiery planetary combination that heats up your passion for play as well as your desire for steamy connections. Whether you hangout with kids or take time to feel like a kid again, it’s your inner child’s time to have fun in the sun.
TAURUS (April 20–May 20) Much of the action this month (and the next six months) for Bulls happens behind the scenes. As zesty Mars fuels your subconscious and catalyzes your dreamlife, be sure to keep a pen and paper at your bedside to capture any pertinent subliminal downloads. In fact, these nocturnal rumblings could benefit you financially as your ruling planet, lovely Venus moves forward in your money house. After her long retrograde motion here over the last several weeks, you have a clearer picture of your material resources and a deeper understanding of what you truly value at this time. One thing is for sure, this is a great month to build your nest egg; at the same time, with your account balances in better focus, you may feel more confident to loosen the purse strings and splurge on a multi-course, fancypants dinner or those cheeky new asymmetrical strappy sandals. On the 5th, a full-moon lunar eclipse casts a shadow on more existential matters, beseeching practical-minded Longhorns to consider the meaning of life beyond the safety and security of the pastureland. This necessary philosophical conversation happens to be taking place in your house of long-distant travel, keeping you grounded, like two thirds of the world’s passenger jets right now. That’s fine by most Bulls, although some of you might balk at feeling more restricted than usual. Not to worry, you’ll all eventually find pretty prairies to play in closer to your current home base.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Twins, you look mah-velous. With Venus, adorable goddess of winsomeness finally high-heeling forth in your house of self-image, your popularity soars, and your silver tongue scintillates. However, your ruling planet, speedy Mercury is still backtracking in your money house (until mid-month), causing a momentary fret over your bank balance and a quick question concerning your material security. Never one to commit, you may find yourself idling your engine on that road trip. Good on you! Stay home and let the pennies pile up. On the 5th, a full-moon lunar eclipse darkens your house of shared resources and psychological traumas possibly activating anxieties and tripping open some subterranean unease. It’s high time you looked that fear in the eye and said goodbye to ghosts for good. Follow the wise words of recording artist Lizzo’s mantra to promote healing during the pandemic: “Fear does not exist in my body. Fear does not exist in my home. Love exists in my body. Love exists in my home.” Twins, you’re just done with the out worn fear loop. As you let go, you’ll find you’re more open to a hidden treasure, figurative or even literal in the form of pensions, inheritances, investments, or partners’ resources. On the 20th, a second new moon in your house of livelihood opens up the possibility for fresh income streams. By the end of the month, the Sun moves into your house of communications and you’re ready to switch on the PA system.
If you know your rising sign, read that too; it’s often more relevant.
*Lisa Awrey and Lisa Carroll