Astrological Forecast for July 6 to July 12, 2006

by Ellen Zucker

It feels as if the warm currents of July have taken us to a quiet place. We begin the week with four planets, or 40%, in water signs.

Mercury is now retrograde so the energy of our thoughts and mental processes is channeled a less accessible interior space. Much of what goes on with us is below the neck.

Ebb and flow. Despite the pressures of a 24/7 world, and our desire to be 'on' at all hours ofthe day, our bodies and our beings pulse to the ebb and flow of celestial rhythms.

One example: despite the crammed schedules many of us carry, we find time to sleep every night. Scientists have documented that people's ability to function deteriorates badly when they are kept awake too long. The body needs sleep's downtime to heal itself, the mind needs sleep to process unconscious content so it can properly function.

Mercury, representing our mental function is now going through its three-and-a-half period of downtime. It is, what we astrologers call, its retrograde period.So our mental processes are driven to that more interior place where it recharges and processes muchof the content produced during Mercury's precedingdirect period.

Ultimately this is a very creative time, but we don'tget to see the results of the creativity yet.

But as Mercury's energy goes inward (one reason it functions less well in the day-to-day), Jupiter is waking up. Jupiter, retrograde since early March, has come to a halt. It is poised to begin moving forward again.

So we begin the week with a bang as Jupiter energizes us along with an early morning harsh aspect from Venus to Uranus and a flowing aspect to Uranus from the Moon later in the day.

We have felt Jupiter's optimistic tension since the end of last week when the Sun formed a 'trine' to it, a flowing aspect that put a buoyant feeling in the air. Situations, projects, blocked since the planet began its backward motion, take on new life.

Since this period coincides with the beginning of Mercury's retrograde motion, our timing may be off as our impulse is to 'jump the gun' on new ventures and new adventures.

The key is, from now until the beginning of August, to focus on what was already in the works as opposed to starting something new.

You are likely to find that your approach isa bit different or your perspective has changed.For the better.

Our optimism continues as Moon enters Sagittarius on Friday and stays until mid-day Sunday.

Our feet touch the ground as Moon enters Capricorn Sunday afternoon. Moon's stay there impels us to take a more realistic look at the 'pie in the sky' plans we have been generating.

Mercury's re-entry into Cancer on Monday, part of its retrograde journey, heightens the inward direction of our mental processes.

Also on Monday, we experience the Full Moon.

We are challenged to balance our responsibilities in the outer world (Moon in Capricorn) and our desire for quiet, private and family time (Sun in Cancer) as the two celestial bodies stand each other down.

Uranus, planet of breakthrough, surprise, and unconventional thinking makes flowing aspects to both sides of this opposition and eases the tension. Perhaps the answer lies, at least in part, in 'out-of-the-box' thinking or an unconventional solution.

July 6
An activity filled day as Venus squares Uranusand Jupiter resumes its direct motion. It is as if we are knocked off our perch so we have to tryout our wings. We find that we fly!

The sight below looks much different than we envisioned, encouraging us to broaden our perceptions so we can take it all in.

July 7
Moon moves into Sagittarius in the morning.We continue to feel buoyant. Moon's trine toMercury at midday makes communication easyto share our new insights.

July 8
Early morning is most productive. Moon's opposition to Uranus at midday throws our day off balance. This causes a potential for misunderstanding. Keep it light and easy.

July 9
Today is a good day for relaxation and dreaming. Let your imagination drift. All of us need down time. Plus, dreams and visions become goals when they are coupled with strategy.

July 10
Today there is tension.With retrograde Mercury's retreat intoCancer we want to retreat into our shells.But today's full moon in Capricorn forces us to take a realistic look at our environment and our selves.

July 11
We continue to process much of what we grappled with yesterday. Organization and planning come into sharper focus.

July 12
If you run into obstacles or encounter anunyielding authority figure, step back and double check to see that you have crossedall of the 't's and dotted all of the 'i's.Or just wait.