By Camille Liptak
This month, things are twisting and turning like the plot of a Goosebumps book. The two biggest twists involve a Cancer solar eclipse on the 2nd and Capricorn lunar eclipse on the 16th.
I’m sure you’re wondering, Cosmic, why the hell should I care about solar and lunar eclipses? Simple: because they herald significant new opportunities and emotional endings. Basically, eclipses add a significant something and take away some other significant something. Whatever arrives on the solar eclipse will be sudden; whereas the week leading up to the lunar eclipse, serious feelings build slowly.
Mars enters Leo on the 1st; Venus enters Cancer on the 3rd; and Mercury in Leo goes retrograde on the 7th. On the 23rd, the Sun enters Leo. Venus enters the fire sign on the 27th, and all the pain, strife, and mental strain will be worth it come the 31st: Mercury turns direct and there’s a Leo New Moon. The brain fog clears just in time to make new intentions for August.
Emotions are high this July. Most of the signs want to press pause on life and hide until August. Whether that sign is yours or not, you’ll have to read and see…*
ARIES
Always seeking attention and recognition, you’re craving it this month more than ever. Mars and Mercury in Leo are urging you to soak in the praises of everyone in your orbit. Here’s the problem though: if they don’t, you’re not afraid to voice your complaints. (Because you’re never afraid, are you Aries?) Heed Cosmic’s warning during Mercury Retrograde: don’t overreact, and don’t let your ego fight your battles; your volatile temper often clouds the truth, you’ll regret the cutting remarks you make, and any likelihood of being taken seriously will vanish. Remember: not everyone is as forgiving of mistakes and temper flares as you are. (Similarly, not everyone is as explosive as you are either.) Those home renovations that have been on your mind since June get moving again starting the 2nd. On the 16th, a brief but valuable spell of introspection is aimed at your career and professional status. When Mercury turns direct and the Leo New Moon join forces with Mars and Venus in Leo, your energy levels and creative drive mushroom.
TAURUS
That sense of urgency isn’t a heart attack; it’s the solar and lunar eclipses. On the 2nd, an extraordinary idea about a writing project or side-hustle seems to fall from the heavens and you’re feeling inspired. Starting the 3rd, your intuition is unassailable and best directed at the solar eclipse’s lightning-like idea. But don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Taurus. On and leading up to the 16th, heavy and hidden emotions surface, forcing you to face the facts about your opportunism. At home, drama surges thanks to Mercury Retrograde. Communication is tetchy at best, and temper tantrums are unavoidable. Good news: this transit gives you the chance to revise any creative and/or home improvement projects (just don’t buy anything new). Plus, on the 27th, tensions with the family smooth over. (How that’s exactly good news, I don’t know, as the month is practically over by that time. But whatever.) On the 31st, the Leo New Moon further shines a light on your home and family environment, and a new phase of drama begins…
GEMINI
Getting you to commit to one single sentiment is no easy feat. July’s no different. The Solar and Lunar eclipses, and Venus in Cancer are bringing up nasty emotional family-related wounds that aren’t exactly stabilizing or easy to cope with. Well, suck it up, buttercup. (That’s not a salve or anything, but it is sound advice.) After the 16th, you’re better equipped to move on and start healing. Mercury, Venus, and Mars in Leo brighten your thinking and stir creative and networking juices. But you’re still split between staying home and feeding your inquisitive mind, or going out satisfying your cravings for social interaction. Both activities are too tempting to resist. In the first half of July, you’ll choose the former but still pine after the latter (which is smart, because Mercury is retrograde); and in the second half of July, you’ll do the reverse (which isn’t as smart, because Mercury is retrograde). No one said it was easy being a Gemini. But if anyone can randomly change their fickle mind and habits, it’s you.
CANCER
Can you act surprised by these lunar activities? July essentially belongs to you, as your sign is ruled by the Moon, so the waxing and waning of life isn’t as a surprise. On the 2nd the solar eclipse in your sign brings an unexpected opportunity. (Is it unexpected if I tell you about it beforehand? I suppose it will be since I have no clue what that opportunity looks like. Nevertheless, seize it!) On the 16th, the Capricorn lunar eclipse brings troublesome career and/or partnership news that appears more important than it really is. Still, it shouldn’t be avoided completely. With Venus in your sign, and Mars in Leo, the summer wind remains in your sails. Hours at work may be longer, but you’re getting paid handsomely — and noticed — for your efforts. Similarly, the charm of Venus has everyone in the palm of your pincer. Just watch your spending, and don’t make any major financial decisions while Mercury is Retrograde. Best to wait until after the New Moon, when the ebb and flow is over.
LEO
Lots of changes are happening for you behind the scenes. On the solar eclipse, vulnerabilities percolate. The next day, more insecurities and sentimental feelings eek out, and both your head and heart feel as hectically crowded as a Walmart parking lot. Mercury retrograde isn’t helping you think any clearer. And you’re fighting tooth-and-nail against it all. Do yourself a favor: Open up to the unknown and surrender to whatever is there. Come August you’ll wake renewed, and your intuition and creativity will be razor sharp. While patience isn’t one of your strengths, fortitude is. Mars in Leo gives you the fortitude you need to get through a stormy July. On the 16th, questions about your long-term professional goals and relationships bubble up. And you, being you, react dramatically (albeit fabulously so). OK. But did you lash out simply because you feel overlooked and outshone? By the 27th, Venus in Leo gives you a boost of confidence and swagger. And the New Moon on the 31st allows you to finally conjure your deepest desires.
VIRGO
Vagueness doesn’t satisfy you, Virgo. You’re looking for concrete explanations. Unfortunately, all I can offer are my likely-to-be-spot-on-yet-admittedly-and-perhaps-purposely-vague predictions which may, in fact, prove better than a so-called lucid elucidation. An opportunity to mingle with eccentrics (who may or may not belong to a group dealing with social media, technology and/or science) arises on the 2nd. The following day, when Venus enters Cancer, you’re feeling flirty (in a weirdly motherly/let-me-cook-and-clean-for-you sort of way). On the 16th, anxiety about your children and/or romantic relationship peaks, and also gives you some power to wield. But your psyche remains in flux. Mercury Retrograde makes a fool of your reasoning abilities. And you’re still wondering why… why can’t the pieces of life fit together like a perfect puzzle? Aggression and ambition waft in overwhelming waves, as do many creative ideas. Yet as easily as they come, so too do the sensations depart. And so it will remain until the 31st, when you look to the New Moon, and wish for something bigger than a reason why.
LIBRA
Let’s be mindful of swift opportunities at the office on the 2nd, shall we? And be even more mindful of how you can benefit from them. Starting the 3rd, you charm your boss and workmates so well, they overlook how ambitious you really are. Mars in Leo has you socializing and networking your Libran butt off, with an added bonus: you get the chance to strut whilst also sharpening your wit and complementing skills. Despite the warming summer temps, on the 16th, you get extra cruel towards someone at home, and feel pangs of resentment that cling to your heart with an unrelenting grip. That, paired with the muddled communication of Mercury Retrograde (as well as a few cutting remarks from an outside party), sends spewing venomous words of spite… and just like that, it’ll be over. But the guilt over having let yourself lose control lingers. By the New Moon, the guilt subsides, you forgive the family member whom you slighted, and you’re back to being generous with your charms, grace, and adorable dimples.
SCORPIO
Self-reliant, sensitive, and secretive, Scorpio, you are an enigma even to yourself. That changes this month. Shifts in consciousness are unavoidable. On the 2nd, opportunities for spiritual growth (or, perhaps a research/travel/writing project) materialize. Creatively and intellectually, you’re inspired. You more than the other signs will enjoy the emotional turmoil of the Capricorn lunar eclipse on the 16th, for it further opens the numinous door on which you were knocking on the 2nd. Why else do endings exist if only to make way for new beginnings? Mars in Leo amps up your confidence and determination to succeed at work. But your nasty habit of stirring up trouble just so you can watch conflict unfold should be curtailed. At least until Mercury goes direct on the 31st; after that, by all means, cause as much office drama as you want — just know you can’t use any backwards transits as a scapegoat, and the higher ups at work might start searching the shadows, which is, after all, your favorite — and safest — place to conduct business.
SAGITTARIUS
Starting the 1st, Mars in Leo galvanizes your inner Pollyanna, making you feel unstoppable, and like anything you desire can — and will — happen. Hold onto that optimism, Sagg, on the 16th, you’re gonna need it. The emotions and sense of powerlessness brought by lunar eclipse are all-consuming. Though hectic and eclectic, this isn’t totally unmanageable. Mercury Retrograde in Leo is slowing down your reasoning and intuition; you want to start a new project, but there are so many buzzing in your brain, and so much momentum building, you haven’t the slightest clue as to which one should be first. You’re impatient with this creative turbulence. So, just do what you normally do: procrastinate and distract yourself with escapist activities until you figure it out. By the 31st, the tactics will be worth it. Venus joins Mars in Leo, and you’re feeling spontaneous. The New Moon hums a siren song of adventure, and that is when you’re struck with the irresistible urge to escape somewhere for real. Why not listen to this lightning-like idea from the Leo lunar siren?
CAPRICORN
Could the unfolding of a partnership opportunity on the 2nd be so sudden and sneaky, that it passes you by? Well, being the shrewd ol’ Goat that you are, you won’t let it pass you by. Unless, of course, you don’t find it all that useful, lucrative, or advantageous. In that case, you’ll sigh, roll your eyes, and move on. I hope you’re getting your rest, though; your intuition needs it. Mars in Leo has you digging deeper into your creative depths (and maybe some transcendent topics), but Mercury Retrograde makes it a challenge to get any serious work done. Nevertheless, your muse is communicating with you, and you should really listen to her, even amidst the interference. The 16th brings a swell of emotions — some positive, but most of them negative (like you). For all their intensity and maternal undertones, these feelings give you the clarity you need to take back some power. The low visibility of the New Moon on the 31st doesn’t phase you; your next step forward is clear as day.
AQUARIUS
Admit it, Aquarius: you’re ruled by logic. Well, this month, you should take a break from over-thinking. The solar eclipse on the 2nd opens a connection between family and work; work feels like home, and home feels like work. But that’s OK, because you’ve still got your friends. Your quiet and quirky magnetism is even harder to resist with Venus in Cancer; you’re catching everyone’s eye. They spot the Mars-in-Leo spark in you. And when Venus joins the Leo ranks, watch out! Before that, the lunar eclipse forces you to resolve issues from your past. Notice I said resolve, not repress. You can’t repress them or try to detach from and/or daydream them away this time; so don’t try. Mercury Retrograde creates some bumps between you and your partner(s) — business and/or romantic. Rationalizing and running away from confrontation is near impossible. Treat any interpersonal problems like a hard-to-crack puzzle that needs solving. Give them your full attention, and by the New Moon, the pieces come together.
PISCES
Perhaps you’ll find the most meaning in the transits this month. As you should, Pisces, since you find more meaning in life than all the other signs combined. On the 2nd, romance blooms. You either meet your soulmate in a very meet-cute sort-of-way, or a lucrative creative project arises. Either way, when Venus enters Cancer the next day, you’re even more magnetic, and stay that way until the 27th. Mercury Retrograde creates a few bumps, though. Communication is rocky, the pace of your thinking slows, and daily to-dos at work seem insurmountable. They aren’t; you’re just slipping into martyrdom. The lunar eclipse on the 16th worsens this, shaking awake some slumbering feelings about your siblings and sibling-like friendships. You’re feeling eclipsed by their lack of attention/affection/appreciation/etc., but also motivated by this discovery, and ready to move forward. And move forward you should. Mars in Leo revs your work engine, and you feel like an entrepreneur for awhile. Then complacency sets in, and you’re bored of July. Newness finally arrives on the 31st.
*for the most accurate prediction, read horoscopes for both your Sun and Rising sign. Don’t know your Rising Sign? Neither do I! But this birth chart generator does. (You’re welcome.)
