Astrology of Sunday, July 12

For the first time since the Black Lives Matters protests became prominent, Mercury is going into direct motion. It is facing friction with the planet Mars in Aries. I think we are seeing Phase Two kick in...still much thought and awareness raising to confront the racist shadow of this country. A lot of planets are retrograde and therefore invite us to do some re-thinking. But with Mars in Aries raising a voice complicated by its nearness to Chiron and Lilith in Aries, there may be a new emphasis on action beyond protest: legislation, assembling a new, non racist structure for America's institutions.

As soon as Mercury began to go direct, Chiron in Aries started its' retrograde journey. Chiron symbolizes wounding and healing. It is often the distortion in our cognitive perception that allows us to think we are seeing reality, when we are seeing reality in a way that is distorted by our wound or bias. Because Chiron is in the sign Aries, the "I am" sector of the zodiac, we are asked to review and revise our own wounding experiences that may have distorted reality. Americans are invited to review and re-evaluate how racism has impacted their lives, white supremacists and racial activists alike. Whether we are persecutor or persecuted, this issue has impacted our lives. Each of us must make an individual commitment on what will be our identity - and our sense of values.

The Sun, the center of our identity, is in Cancer, and directly opposite Jupiter in Capricorn - the spiritual values of our country. We do not have a choice to "unsee". We can see clearly how the institutions of power are not fully expressing our mainstream values. The Moon in Aries, very near Chiron and Mars, is challenging this authority, and it is not letting go of its concern over resolving the seesaw of awareness and values. If we choose to go forward as a racist nation, it will be with awareness.