Planet Waves :: Your Monday Morning Horoscope

New York, July 16, 2017 | View as Webpage | Pre-order Your Midyear Reading
You Don't Need to Be Apollo, Just Aware

Dear Friend and Reader:

Your keyword for this week's astrology seems to be 'energy'; specifically, staying conscious of how you express it. Though it might be necessary first to realize that you need to express anything at all.

The Sun, from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck.

Aspects suggest it will be extra-important not to sublimate, repress or ignore whatever is trying to push through you and out into the world. That is not the same as simply flinging your energy out willy-nilly or excusing explosive behavior as 'just how I am'.

Think of it more as staying attuned to what a clear 'yes' and clear 'no' feel like for you. When you can do that, you can make decisions and take action in a way that not only feels emotionally freer and karmically cleaner, but that also allows those around you to respond with greater clarity.

Astrologically, we're looking at a set of squares and sign changes this week. First up, Venus in Gemini squares Neptune in Pisces, and Mars in Cancer squares Uranus in Aries, both exact Monday -- and both have been in force for days.

Eric mentioned that Venus-Neptune "is the aspect of not knowing how you feel, but thinking you know. So it's wise to interpose a delay between feeling and being certain that's where you're really coming from. It will take time to figure out."

Mars-Uranus squares can get explosive and rebellious regarding restrictions, especially with Mars in emotional Cancer: the more you try to side-step how you're feeling, the more likely it is you'll put yourself in a corner and then lash out against the constraints. If you notice explosiveness seems to keep happening 'to you', that could be a signal to get real about your own frustrated ego energies. Again: take time to figure out your emotions, and what they're actually about.

Yet as the Sun and Mars make squares to Uranus, they simultaneously make trines to Chiron, which opens the potential for healing that can emerge from any situation. Remember that when you need it.

On Thursday, Mars enters Leo (a fiery planet in a fiery sign), and the Cancer Sun makes its own square to Uranus in Aries.

Leo is a much more comfortable sign for Mars: enthusiastic, ambitious, dramatic, passionate, courageous. With that much energy coming through, it's good to remember how to be flexible.

Lust, from the Crowley-Harris Thoth Tarot deck. This card corresponds with Leo.

And that necessity seems to exist, in the form of the Sun square Uranus. There's a real caution here regarding sudden upsets, accidents and things breaking down -- whether that means your car, or a relationship (thanks to ego conflicts).

The key is to find intentional, constructive ways to break your routine and try new things -- before push comes to shove. Consciously expressing this energy can help you to avoid accidents, and might lead to new discoveries.

Finally, on Saturday, July 22, the Sun ingresses Leo -- the sign it rules, and the heart of the season. Astrologer Isabel Hickey says something about solar Leo that fits particularly well with this week's overall picture:

"Leo is the sign of self-consciousness, as Cancer is the sign of instinctual consciousness. Whether Leo people are constructive or destructive in their approach to life depends on who drives their chariot; self or Self."

Really, that is the question to ask yourself no matter what sign your natal Sun is in, and you don't need to wait until Saturday. Who is driving your chariot?

How aware are you of your needs, desires, frustrations and impulses -- and your ability to express them constructively -- as you roll through this week? Here's why it matters extra: the Sun enters Leo just one day before the first of this year's two Leo New Moons, which is on July 23. The corresponding Full Moon is the Aug. 7/8 partial lunar eclipse. Our second Leo New Moon will be the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse.

In other words, we're not only arriving at the heart of the season; we're about to enter the lunar cycle that directly feeds into (and intersects with) the upcoming eclipse zone. You don't need to play Apollo and drive the Sun's chariot across the sky, just your own. The more conscious you stay of what you need to express, the looser you can hold those reins and enjoy the ride to the Aug. 21 eclipse.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

Just in time for the Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, you'll have access to a helpful, excellent video astrology reading. These will be done by sign and rising sign; each reading is about half an hour. You can pre-order now for the best price: $66 for all 12 signs. The price for all 12 will gradually increase in $11 increments over the next few weeks, capping out at $111 once we publish.

I've been a devoted student of eclipses since beginning astrology. Here's some of my earlier writing, published before the grand cross and total solar eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999. These few paragraphs below will give you a feeling for just how significant eclipses are. This one is one of the most important in American history, which I've covered here.

Eclipses are astrology we can't deny. If there is a conjunction between Saturn and Uranus, it's invisible, and while many people may experience changes, only astrologers and their merry bands of readers and students know what's happening. Yet when the Sun vanishes, you can be sure that normal activity will come to a stop.

Our busy world will pause, and everyone, from shepherds in the hills of Bavaria to businessmen in London, will stand in the silent shadow of the cosmic order with the astonishment of small children coursing in their hearts.

This doesn't happen often, and you can imagine the awesome power of so many people embraced in a kind of simultaneous, captive meditation as everything around them momentarily ceases to be normal. Call it a reality lapse, only it's one into which the real reality can flow very easily.

In terms of their astrological meaning, eclipses of the Sun follow this image of collective awareness and radical break of continuity. Whether you can see the eclipse does not matter; part of the miracle of astrology is it works anyway. As many of us are discovering personally, eclipses are expanded moments of often uncontrollable, unpredictable change. They also bring the civilization and its communities together, usually through important collective events and the media.

Eclipses are evolutionary gateways, which is another way of saying that when they show up, we do a lot of growing in a short time. Delays are compensated. Old accounts can be wiped clean. While each is unique, eclipses often feel like being shot through a funnel of space-time, and we emerge somewhere different than where we entered. The key to making the best use of them is to move with the energy, not cling to anything or anyone too tightly, and to stay open.

Literally, breathe, communicate, feel, love, observe and receive. Remember your intentions. The sense of panic that sometimes accompanies them yields nicely to awareness and revelation, mental conditions that are more natural than we often realize.

Don't forget to take advantage of this special gift: Eric's Daily Horoscope can arrive in your mailbox by 7 am ET, containing great astrological guidance for all 12 signs. You can sign up with our compliments, though we welcome donations.

Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes

We published your extended monthly horoscopes for July on Thursday, June 22. Your extended monthly horoscopes for June were published on Thursday, May 25. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.

Monday Morning Horoscope for July 17, 2017 | By Eric Francis Coppolino

Aries (March 20-April 19) -- This week will be full of surprises, with Mars starting off the festivities by making a square to Uranus. I'm ethically obliged to give the accident warning associated with this aspect: if you're doing something like climbing a ladder, make sure someone spots you. If you're chopping vegetables, stay off the phone. That said, take any sudden alteration of plans as an opportunity. Shorn of your previous intentions or attachment to outcome, pause and ask yourself, OK, what do I really want? Where can I go from here? Then choose what would be most fun, most productive, or both. Where professional activities are concerned, your leadership role will be highlighted by your ability to think on your feet. Just make sure you do a quick once-over of your plans (taking from 15 seconds to 15 minutes) to check for unintended consequences.

You can now pre-order all 12 signs of the new Midyear Reading by Eric Francis, In the Shadow of the Moon, for the introductory price of just $66. Just in time for the Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, Eric will record a helpful, top-quality video reading. Get your copy today.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- Give close partners or loved ones plenty of room to be themselves. It's possible to take pleasure in this gesture of supporting the individuality of others. Rather than feeling like you have to compromise, be negotiable and take the opportunity to do your thing if someone else is unavailable, whether mentally, physically or emotionally. Soon enough they'll circle around back your way. Meanwhile, your solar chart is full of aspiration and intrigue: you'll likely cross paths with people who have important roles. When you meet them, keep the conversation friendly and light. Being respectful as a matter of daily practice opens up a special door: you can trust yourself speaking to anyone, treating them as a person rather than personage, and exchange ideas. You might use the cocktail party rule: keep the conversations short, and keep circulating.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- Normally astrologers look to Mercury for the story of your sign, but this week we're looking at Venus, currently traveling through Gemini. It's making some interesting moves, too: first Venus will make a square to Neptune, then a trine to Jupiter. Translation? As my old tripping partner Scott Grace used to say, "Confusion is the state before enlightenment." Therefore, welcome any state of not knowing, not understanding or uncertainty about your feelings. Rather than trying to make yourself sure, let the boat of your mind drift for a day or so, and you'll find yourself in an entirely new place. Just remember that essential spiritual move of holding open your space of not knowing, with some reverence for this as the prerequisite of learning. When you discover something that's true, you'll feel it in your mind and your body.

The astrology section of the Gemini birthday reading has been recorded, and the Tarot reading will follow soon. Order here to get instant access, whether for yourself or the Gemini you love.

I've now completed your Cancer reading, which is infused with the energy of the recent Full Moon conjunct Pluto. I describe this in detail, taking it back to the beginning of Pluto in Capricorn.

As the reading developed organically, it built up an intensity I was not expecting, ultimately describing the relationship between you and the very wide world that surrounds you. The reading consists of two 35-minute downloadable sessions. They can also be played on any device, or added to iTunes.

The reading is now available at the published price of $55. You will get instant access. This reading will be followed by a tarot card segment sometime in the next week to month.

Here is an audio sample.

Thank you for trusting me as your astrologer.

lovingly,

"Eric, I enjoyed the depth and strength of the Cancer reading. How apropos to do it so close to the moment of the Capricorn Full Moon, Sun in Cancer, moment. I felt deeply connected to much of the reading, both the current moment (turning point), and the historical energy (Pluto in Capricorn). Indeed it has been an intense and deeply revealing time in my relationship life. Thanks for your depth psychology and therapy references, they resonate with me, and speak to the foundational level work I've been doing in therapy this past year."

-- Jennifer Cobb, Backstage Pass member, on the 2017 Cancer Birthday Reading

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Stay in contact with your desire. Try to go to the most sincere level you can; that is, not influenced by advertising, trends or what your friends are up to. Connect with what you actually want, however you may feel about it, whether or not you think it's appropriate. This will be a sweet spot of aligning with yourself. Particularly if you're judging what you want, whether you think it's too expensive or like someone might judge you, stick with yourself. You have a discovery ahead of you; a mystery will unravel. Be patient, and allow yourself to be instructed by your circumstances rather than by opinions or supposedly spiritual values. This process will likely include a point of contact in the sexual realm; you know intuitively and from much experience that the truth contains a wholesome streak of erotic feeling.

Eric has just recorded your 2017 Cancer Birthday Reading. Eric's birthday readings are accurate, friendly and long-lasting, and they make the perfect gift. Order your copy here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- Over the next few days, Mars and the Sun will enter your sign, followed by the Leo New Moon Sunday, July 23. This is good news many times over, initially coming as relief from anxiety, followed up by an energy surge. I would suggest, however, letting yourself get a slow start on your new plans -- particularly if they involve self-improvement. Mars is going to be pushing you to "do it now," though the New Moon is saying, "begin gently and gradually build momentum." There's power in solid beginnings; that is, ones marked not just by a statement of intention but rather with concentrated action. Before that phase, you may find that odd things happen to existing plans, which will offer opportunities to clear the deck of priorities that are no longer valid or that no longer serve you.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Where professional matters are concerned, take things one step at a time this week. Be certain you trust the person you're speaking to -- not merely based on your intuition, but rather based on a track record. If you don't have experience with someone, I would urge you not to trust them with sensitive information, ideas or your professional plans. The thing is, you may be inclined to make misjudgments about this very thing, particularly early in the week. I suggest you make a firm policy of sharing information on a need-to-know basis, if at all. That said, you're in full-on creative mode where this area of life is concerned. Let yourself dream of the abundant possibilities. Look at your current situation and imagine how you would develop it to its maximum potential. That, however, will call for leadership.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- You have a guardian angel with you, though you won't know unless you ask for its help. Try this, on matters that seem to be small, or that seem to be great; on personal subject matter and that of people you care about. Make direct requests, whether for protection, an outcome, or wisdom. You're also in a position to stand up for people, whether you know them well or not. You are a natural-born advocate, and with Jupiter in your sign -- beautifully aspected by your ruling planet Venus all week -- you have some persuasive ability in your hands. So your advocacy can be gentle, but make sure you're clear about your views on right and wrong. The world needs moral guidance right now, from people capable of some mental and intellectual balance. You have a good bit more than that going for you.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- Conserve your energy this week, as Mars and the Sun prepare to cross the most visible angle of your solar chart -- Leo, the mighty 10th house of your solar chart. A series of events between now and next Sunday will place you in a position of authority, which I would suggest you handle gently and collaboratively. Rather than being the boss, be the coordinator. Ask others to help you supervise whatever situation you've got on your hands. Rather than setting goals unilaterally, get as many opinions as you can and make sure that everyone has an investment stake. If you have to take charge, then do it. Till then, key planets, including your ruling planet Mars, remain in water signs, heightening your emotional sensitivity. Get some rest, eat well and get ready for an adventure.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- Go light on emotionally charged discussions. Even if you have concerns, considerations or issues, take a circumspect view of yourself and of others. You may feel like you're really, really right, only to get it all off your chest and wonder what the heck you were thinking (or feeling). Rather than assume you know how someone feels, listen for clues, and ask questions that draw them out. Over the next few days, planets will begin to move into fire sign Leo, which will lift your spirits, and reveal all these seemingly complex emotional situations as being much less meaningful than they have seemed. Yet don't fall for any traps late in the week or into the weekend, as you may be feeling the pressure. How would you do that? Don't blame anything on a relationship. Just feel what you feel.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- Consider yourself the equal of the people around you. I don't mean this in theory, and it doesn't just apply to those younger, less knowledgeable, or less accomplished. It also applies to those you think of as superior in any way. Now, this must be done subtly. Here's how I mean it: If you're a guitar player and you meet Mark Knopfler, you can greet him as your fellow guitarist. If you're a photographer and you meet Annie Leibovitz, honor her as your sister photographer. Not better, not worse, neither above nor beneath, but as someone you share something with. This would go for the younger and less experienced ones you may meet: recognize their potential, honor their intention to succeed, and be available to them. If equality exists, it's subtle, and it lives surrounded by terms and conditions. Keep it simple.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Toss any notion that money is related to the meaning of life, or somehow related to success. The latter might be true in some sense, but not the kind of success you are seeking as a humanitarian-leaning Aquarian. Money is a tool, a resource and in some ways a reward. There are many more meaningful factors that will determine whether and how you find your way in the world, the most significant of which is self-respect. Though this is in short supply in the world, it's abundantly available for you. You will know you're there based on how you feel. The positive emotions associated with respecting yourself come from below, and from within. It's not a cerebral thing. As planets enter your relationship sign Leo, love and admiration will enter your life -- though only if you feel worthy.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- This week wraps up a long phase of high-energy points -- the Sun and Mars, to name two -- moving through the most creative, passionate angle of your solar chart. As they make aspects to deep and soulful Chiron in your sign, you're likely to find new outlets for your talent and your capacity to love and appreciate life. These may come by surprise, or they may open up as an easy flow; a combination of influences may be present. Leave yourself open; leave yourself time, space and bandwidth to explore what you want. Even more significantly, bring a spirit of curiosity and expression into everything you do, no matter how seemingly boring it may appear at first. Your astrology is such that you can make anything interesting, and anything that's already alive can morph into something brilliant.

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