Starcodes for the week of July 21-27, 2023
The Sun joins Mercury and Venus in expressive Leo this weekend and brings a high tide of summer festivals and performing arts. As Venus also turns retrograde this weekend, some of those performing arts could spill into personal drama.
Planets in Leo encourage us to be generous when we see what’s going on but can make it difficult to perceive or empathize with another person’s perspective. We can have trouble de-centering ourselves so we can perceive what our mate needs, or old friend, or another socioeconomic group so different from our own. But if we push to get out of ourselves and empathize with others, we can expand our world.
Venus, now an evening star, turns retrograde this Saturday through September 3rd. Because Venus is closer to the Sun than our earth – we only see her in the same sign as the Sun or one or two signs on either side. Venus retrogrades every 18 months for 40 days, she starts as an evening star where she’s seen as the mythological goddess of love and creativity, retrogrades back to conjunct the Sun this August 14th, and then becomes a morning star, where she is perceived as a passionate goddess of healthy boundaries.
Venus is always passionate – but is she seductive or assertive. Dante’s Inferno described the level of hell devoted to crimes of passion as being a hot pink swirling storm, a great metaphor for our heart on a bad day. Venus spins backwards compared to the other planets and does so very slowly, she spins around once every 243 earth days, the side facing the sun is the hottest place in our solar system, the side facing away is much cooler, which symbolizes the emotional hot and cold extremes our heart can feel.
Venus in Leo expands our feelings and turns up our hunger to be seen, but it’s up to us how we do so, whether we’re seen as a generous soul or attention-grabbing creep, through a grand fashion statement, political grandstand, or because a loved one really listens to our soul. To deal with this longing we need to really see ourselves – and potentially bring ourselves to our ancestors and guides to feel seen on a spiritual level – so we don’t mind if our dear ones are temporarily distracted.
Venus retrograde also brings up the past and can help us pick up a lost artistic skill or stir old emotional coals. Just don’t dial an ex and expect the interaction to be different this time.
Along with a lovely summer we could feel changes in the wind, a sense that anything is possible, which could either bring worries or a sense of exciting adventure as mental Mercury squares change-inducing Uranus and challenges both inspiring Neptune and dire Pluto this week.
The weekend can begin under some turbulence as the Sun opposes Pluto and enters Leo while Venus stations retrograde. We may feel a surge of temper or feel unappreciated. A Virgo Moon can make us a bit more brittle but will also loan us common sense to solve the problems as they arrive.
From Sunday through Tuesday a friendly Libra Moon adds more pliability. A focused, broody Scorpio Moon late Tuesday through Thursday sharpens our edges but can also help us do the deeper work underneath. The Sun in Leo square the Moon in Scorpio also really bring up approach-avoidance conflicts around socializing, instigating both loneliness and desire to be alone. Let’s not borrow trouble from the past or the future, instead stay grounded in the present, build upon our imagination, and fix what can be fixed.
Image by Evgeni Tcherkasski from Pixabay
Friday, July 21: Overnight cranky events, achiness, or dreams as the Moon conjuncts Mars and opposes Saturn may call for an extra cup of coffee this morning. Don’t take stress out on others unnecessarily, stay self-responsible and honest about needs. If we need to confront a concern or difficult pattern, let’s stay in the moment, situationally aware, and not read the future in today’s emotions as the Sun opposes Pluto. Instead of stewing on a problem, solve what is possible to solve, and then search for a moment of joy.
Moon opposed Saturn 12:02 AM, Moon conjunct Mars 12:35 AM, Moon trine Jupiter 12:30 PM, Sun opposed Pluto 9:52 PM.
Saturday, July 22: Confusing emotions can make us crave peach ice cream or other sweets as Jupiter semi-squares Neptune. Intuition and imagination cook, just be careful to parse them apart; test all assumptions. By evening we grow more creative and appreciative as Sun enters Leo but can get caught in emotional misunderstandings unless we stay present and grounded as Venus pivots retrograde.
Mercury trine Chiron 12:57 AM, Jupiter semi-square Neptune 5:47 AM, Moon trine Uranus 8:48 AM, Moon opposed Neptune 6:59 PM. Venus turns retrograde 7:32 PM, sun enters Leo 7:50 PM, Moon trine Pluto 10:05 PM, Moon conjunct Neptune 11:54 PM.
Sunday, July 23: A tender day, the sociable Libra Moon can bring up our love of love, our need for connection, but could also bring tough old memories as Chiron turns retrograde- trine Mercury. Move forward rather than regress into old patterns and expect different results and think through sudden impulses carefully as Mercury squares Uranus. Let that nervy restlessness inspire new territory.
Moon sextile Sun 12:15 AM, Chiron retrograde 6:41 AM, Mercury square Uranus 3:39 PM.
Monday, July 24: It’s a wandering day as the pleasant Libra Moon makes no major aspects, it can be important to tell our story, but let’s make sure we listen and hear theirs as well. Some minor adjustments are required but don’t push for efficiency; push for connection and that will bring more efficiency later on. A lot of people have been through a lot these last few weeks, may have had to let go of an old chapter or face disappointment, so take good care of them.
Tuesday, July 25: Check in with those facing challenges as the Moon squares intense Pluto then enters Scorpio midday; Solitude furthers, isolation does not. Let’s take a moment to remember our path underneath our social obligations, get centered to handle the hot and cold mixed messages around us. Some recent conundrum will make more sense when we look back on it tonight as the Moon trine Saturn.
Moon sextile Mercury 12:39 AM, Moon sextile Venus 8 AM, Moon square Pluto 9:05 AM, Moon enters Scorpio 10:55 AM, Moon square sun 4:06 PM, Moon trine Saturn 10:27 PM.
Wednesday, July 26: Take a deep breath and ask clarifying questions. Activate the imagination constructively; write that short story, paint the picture, take some time to dive within and listen to dreams. But watch those triggers, it’s easy to misperceive as Mercury quincunx Neptune under Scorpio moon. Watch for weather-related transportation problems, overheated cars are strange floods.
Moon sextile Mars 5:31 AM, Moon opposed Jupiter 11:38 AM, Mercury quincunx Neptune 9:59 PM.
Thursday, July 27: Take a poetic view of the world and explore a paradox; we could both want to be seen and want privacy as Mercury and Venus in Leo quincunx Pluto. Some people will have trouble listening today because their inner process is so loud within, it’s not that they don’t love us; we just need to wait until they are truly ready to listen. A difficult decision may need to be made. We can concentrate, or fixate, more this morning, finish up some important chunk of work by midday. The mood shifts, our concentration dissipates as the Moon enters Sagittarius late afternoon.
Moon opposed Uranus 5:10 AM, Mercury conjunct Venus 9:15 AM, Moon trine Neptune 1:55 PM, Moon square Venus 3:05 PM, Moon square Mercury 3:53 PM, Moon sextile Pluto 4:35 PM, Moon enters Sagittarius 6:23 PM, Mercury quincunx Pluto 10:23 PM.
Provided by Heather Roan Robbins www.roanrobbins.com