The astrology for this week of July 17th through the 23rd of 2023 punctuated by Monday’s Cancer New Moon can have us putting the pedal to the metal whether we are in travel mode or staying around our home base.
Nothing is likely done in half measure this week.
We begin the week with a focus on going for the gold and the liability of spending it as well. Wharton professor Jeremy Siegel refers to the resilience of the US economy as thanks to YOLO (you only live once) consumers spending their cash reserves on traveling and summer fun.
And so it may be. Already, we are seeing summer travel surge beyond pre-pandemic levels and people making various purchases to enhance their summertime activities.
The Cancer New Moon on Monday with Mercury square Jupiter will feed the frenzy of good times in the summertime up to the Full Moon on the 1st of August.
But it’s not good times for all American consumers. Despite the touting of inflation easing, inflation at a compounded rate continues to take a significant and nasty bite out of people’s finances, leading to a 40% usage surge, even for groceries, in the first two months of 2023 of BNPL [buy now pay later] services such as Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay.
While the early part of the week might have us concentrating on fun and games, the latter part of the week could demand that we attend to responsibilities, repairs, and general maintenance.
This year has had Saturn begin its transit of Pisces and with it came historic storms with record precipitation in Fort Lauderdale in April, Colorado in June, Vermont in July. Likely to be more to come — extremes of precipitation and drought.
The end of the week highlights the Saturn Pisces transit. It would be wise for us to be cautious around water, on the water, and keep an eye to the sky.
The weekend can be largely pleasant. The Sun exits Cancer to enter Leo triggering a Stellium in the Fixed Fire Sign as the Sun joins Mercury and Venus in Leo. With Venus turning retrograde, relationships can become prickly with many people having an edge on and seeking their personal benefits over collaborative efforts.
The weekend ends with Mercury square Uranus, my least favorite energy configuration for air travel. Traffic problems, travel issues, misunderstandings and miscommunications could all be rampant.
No matter what we might stumble over, this week can see us committed to ‘let the good times roll’.
Monday, July 17th – What It Is, What It Could Be – Uranus, Cancer New Moon, Sun, Neptune, Pluto, Mercury, Jupiter. Monday begins the week with the Cancer New Moon as the Moon conjuncts the Sun [2:32 PM EDT]. The New Moon configuration triggers the three transcendental planets as the Moon sextiles Uranus, the Moon trines Neptune, and the Moon opposes Pluto. Mercury squares Jupiter. With the New Moon signature feeling an impact up to the Full Moon on the 1st of August, this two-week period can be a highly active period but also a time when it would be wise for us to engage the sentiment ‘moderation in all things’, although unlikely heeded. On the contrary, the liability may be for us to push the envelope, go for the gold, and add on ever more to our activity list. Whether we are traveling or staying put, it is recommended that we keep our budget and attentive to our finances in mind. A liability of falling prey to immediate gratification can have us enmeshed in more ever more to the point of too much. We are in the midst of our summertime activities despite retailers hawking their summer sales for the impending school year and our return to routine projects. Taking the time during this mid-summer to step off the track, consider our possibilities, and take into account what we are doing and how we are doing it would allow us to entertain more fully a wide realm of prospects for ourselves and also notate the moments of magic and mini-miracles that seem to be occurring more frequently in our lives during this paradigm shift.
Tuesday, July 18th – Good Times. Tuesday has the Moon exiting Cancer to enter Leo, but the Leo Moon today makes no connections to the planets. This Tuesday can have our creative juices flowing with a desire to express ourselves in whatever format we might choose. There is not a great deal of energy to do much other than ‘play’. Let’s use this day to enjoy ourselves, participate in fun events and not feel compelled to get a great deal accomplished. There are other days when we can have nose to grindstone, focus on getting things done, but this Tuesday is unlikely to be one. On the contrary, if we can do virtually nothing but have a good time, that may be our decision for this Tuesday. Some of our best times are our alone times. If people are not on our same page today, we are likely to go it alone. We’re not interested in contentious situations or creating turmoil. Fun is the word of the day and a sentiment we are looking to engage.
Wednesday, July 19th – Question of Costs – Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus. Wednesday continues with the Moon transiting Leo with the Leo Moon today conjunct Mercury, and the Moon square both Jupiter and Uranus both in Taurus. We may be looking to spread our wings today. Whether we get out of town, take in entertainment events, or go shopping, this day could prove costly. We are likely to want what we want today and give little regard to the costs involved. A liability of impulse purchases and immediate gratification could have us spending more than might be wise. We all have credit cards, but for some people credit cards are a dangerous thing since we can buy now and worry about the payment later. Although we might want to be spontaneous today, it would be wise for us to keep in mind what we can easily afford and what might put a crimp on our finances. We could easily fall into excess today. More today may actually be too much. If we are looking to enjoy ourselves, perhaps we might consider free events, discounted tickets, and make a game of getting ‘more bang for our buck’. Being in summer, it is easy for us to justify expenditures for summertime activities. We just need to keep in mind that ‘if we dance to the music, we have to pay to the piper.’
Thursday, July 20th – One Foot In, One Foot Out – Venus, Moon Void-of-Course, Sun, Neptune, Mars, Saturn. Thursday begins with the Moon finishing its transit of Leo with the Leo Moon conjunct Venus. The Moon then goes Void-of-Course for three hours with the Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon completes its transit of Leo and before the Moon enters Virgo. The Virgo Moon makes no connections to the planets today. The Sun trines Neptune, and Mars opposes Saturn. The past three days and the morning of this Thursday might have had more of a focus on good times, expressing our creative interests and enjoying summertime re-creational activities. The energy shifts this afternoon and over the next two days. We can be more concerned about the things that we need to do. Although it may seem that we are playing catch-up with our responsibilities and obligations, it would be suggested that we consider the means to accomplish our tasks and take matters in a methodical manner. No ‘rushing the river’ to get things done. Patience and perseverance will prove more effective and successful than trying to rush through our chores. The afternoon of this Thursday through Saturday provides the energy to accomplish a great deal, Sunday allowing us to return to good times with good friends. Thursday and Friday might cause us to keep an eye on the sky. Water issues can be a problem. If storm systems are in the area, the precipitation could prove intense and excessive. And boaters need to be cautious in plying the waters.
Friday, July 21st – Preparations – Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Sun, Pluto. Friday continues with the Virgo Moon with the Moon today opposed Saturn, the Moon conjunct Mars, and the Moon trine Jupiter. The Sun opposes Pluto. Whether we are traveling, readying for the school year, or just preparing for the weekend, this Friday is a day to take care of business and deal with our various mundane matters. Similar to yesterday, we need to be wary of atmospheric storm systems and careful if we are out on the waters. While some of our forward movement can be delayed or stalled on Thursday and Friday, we are able to proceed effectively if we keep in mind the British wartime slogan of ‘keep calm and carry on’. We might feel a push – pull between getting ready for our regular autumn routine and a desire to engage summertime recreations. First things first would suggest taking care of what we need to accomplish in an orderly and persistent manner before we return to good times with good friends. By dealing with any pressing demands or attending to catchup issues we will feel less pressure in the days ahead, allowing us a fine balancing act between our summer activities and our engagements for the impending autumn season. Keeping in mind what lies ahead of us and taking things step by step would prevent a sense of overwhelm later in the season. No need to grumble about what we might need to do, for a sense of concluding certain preparations would put our mind at ease.
Saturday, July 22nd – With Me or Against Me – Uranus, Neptune, Sun, Venus. Saturday continues with the Virgo Moon with the Moon today trine Uranus and the Moon opposed Neptune. Venus turns retrograde [9:33 PM EDT], and the Sun enters Leo [9:50 PM EDT]. The productivity and effectiveness of the past two days can continue into this Saturday. We might not want to attend our ‘to do’ list, but if we focus on our errands and commitments, we can achieve successful results expeditiously. We just need to avoid griping about what we might need to do and just do it. The energy shifts late in the day, making the evening hours liable to be prickly with our relationships. Venus turning retrograde in Leo loses some of the joy in our interactions with other people as either party is liable to take on a sentiment of ‘what have you done for me lately?’ The tendency to make things all about oneself and lose any collaborative appeal could be compounded by the Sun exiting Cancer to enter Leo. We now have a Stellium of three planets in the Fixed Fire Sign as the Sun joins Mercury and Venus in Leo. A tendency to be self-focused and narcissistic cannot be discounted adding to the lament of personal interactions.
Sunday, July 23rd – Making Nice – Pluto, Sun, Mercury, Uranus. Sunday begins with the Virgo Moon trine Pluto. The Moon then moves into Libra where today the Libra Moon sextiles the Sun. Mercury squares Uranus. Bringing mundane matters to conclusion late on Saturday, early Sunday then allows for a pleasant day with social get-togethers, so long as everyone is on the same page. We may feel as if we are walking on eggshells trying to avoid disagreements or contentious interactions. If we keep everything nice and pleasant and vanilla-like, then we should be all right. Talk about anything everyone can agree with. Unfortunately, late in the day discussions could descend into miscommunications, misunderstanding, and disagreements with little rational basis. The Mercury square Uranus can wreak havoc with verbal presentations, travel matters, computer problems, and is my least favorite energy configuration for air travel. With everyone tending to look out for number one, the best approach to any personal contact today is flattery and assent to the other person’s position. Why add fuel to the fire when everyone is liable to have an edge on?
