Astrology of Thursday, July 16, 2020

It's easy to feel a little more isolated and...well...strait-jacketed today than you feel is ideal. The Moon is in Gemini, a chatty and sociable sign (yes, I know Geminis who are both social and anti-social - it is the sign of the twins, after all). To reinforce the sociable aspect, the Moon is very close to the relationship planet - Venus. But all this friendly and sociable activity is blocked in its expression by the planet Neptune. Neptune is a planet of invisibility, idealism and spirituality - kind of the opposite of the Moon and Venus in Gemini. Neptune feels things; Gemini thinks things.

Neptune is at its best when it activates our ideals, often through contemplation, yoga or meditation. Neptune, at its worst, leads us to fall for glamour that isn't what we think it is. Think of idealizing someone or something, and then finding out your perfect vision has feel of clay. It can be disillusioning. When Neptune goes wrong, it often leaves confusion in its wake. If you feel confused, something is off. You can use that for a litmus test.

On another level, the Sun, our identity, is opposite Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. We need balance today between duty and self expression. Doing only our duty can feel dry as dust; expressing ourselves without regard to our obligations can feel hedonistic. Jupiter/Saturn implies that you don't trust to luck alone. Saturn is grounding, defining. Pluto implies a need to transform and let things go, but at what cost to our ego? Maybe answers can be found in that Neptunian isolation.

Today the sun is exactly conjunct the USA's Mercury in Cancer. Mercury indicates journalists and the rule of rational thought. This is in opposition to the current power structure, Jupiter/Pluto/Saturn in Capricorn. A balance must be struck between what is fact and what i simply about power.