Astrology for the Week of July 17- 23

On Monday, July 17, the Moon will conjunct the Sun at 25 degrees Cancer, creating a fertile New Moon in Cancer. It is time of growth, fertility and waxing energy. It is also a time to see clearly the results of projects begun six months ago, on the Cancer full Moon, last January.

This New Moon often coincides with a look at our inner emotional landscape (often shaped by another Cancer entity - the family). How do we feel? What are our emotional reactions to events around us. Our feelings are the key to our intuition -knowing things on a deep gut level. These emotional, gut level awarenesses are every bit as valuable as the contributions of our logical mind and deserve our respect. They are the way spirit reaches us.

The New Moon in Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn. There may be a need for finding balance between our emotional needs and our public lives. Is there something outmoded or unnecessary we have been pursuing? The New Moon give us the energy to scale mountains, but let's make sure we are climbing the right mountain for us. Check into your emotional reaction.

Imagination and vision may be stimulated as the New moon in Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces. Relationships may be the terrain where change is needed - Venus (planet of relating) is the apex of a yod with Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn. The yod demands adjustments. It may be changes are needed to our relationship "programming", which often comes from our birth family patterns.

The new Moon in Cancer sextiles Uranus and Uranus in Taurus, in turn, trines Pluto in Capricorn. It may be time for letting go and letting in something new. Cancer typically likes security, and so does Taurus, but Pluto in Capricorn may say the time is now for a door to close...and a new one to open.

Just a day later, the Nodes of the Moon, where emotional memories meet the plane of the ecliptic (where the zodiac lives), changes from Taurus North Node/Scorpio South Node to Aries North Node/Libra South Node. Venus rules Taurus and Libra. Therefore, the Venus influence will go from the North Node - what we are becoming - to the South Node - what we are overcoming. Again, we see the Venus signature of a shift in relationship. The Aries North Node makes a new commitment to ourselves as opposed to the Libran South Node which encompasses compromise for the sake of the relationship. These nodal signs will be in play for the next 18 months, so we'll see how this plays out.

One note: on the world stage, Libra often connotes our relationship with allies. Libra is at the south node, so the question of alliances may come up.