Star Weather Astrology Report 7/14–7/22
©2024 Ronnie Pontiac
All times Pacific.
As the week begins, Saturn and Neptune continue to dwell in the degrees of their stations. Neptune at 29 Pisces throughout summer represents the end of an era, of an arc of history, that started just as the Confederacy organized itself. The Civil War began as Neptune entered Aries. The first cannon fired by the Union in response to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter was ordered by General Abner Doubleday. Doubleday was a Theosophist, and in that unique newspaper from 1880s St. Louis, The Platonist, he published the first English translation of Eliphas Levi, in monthly chapters, at least twenty years before Crowley offered his own translation of Levi in The Equinox. Those years saw a great rise in the popularity of spiritualism, the occult, astrology, and all things esoteric.
29 Pisces is the end of the road sign of the zodiac. Neptune correlates with zeitgeist. What began with the creation of the Confederacy will end with the crazy election ahead of us and its aftermath in the following half of the 2020s. Will it be war? What does war mean in a world of robots, drones, and cyberhacking? Russia, China, Iran but also NATO, Ukraine and the US are trying out weapons and tactics, playing chicken with the fate of the world as the US prepares to move more nukes and troops in the direction of Russia. They are measuring each other’s wealth, unity and endurance. Meanwhile in Palestine tactics for violent suppression of captive populations are tested and perhaps even somewhat normalized as images shared on social media and news platforms become more familiar than shocking, a survival trait of human beings which dictators exploit.
With Saturn and Neptune stationary, a shadow falls across the collective psyche. We are more inclined to look at the cloud behind the silver lining. Fear makes us turn away. Tyrants count on that. Today with AI and rampant propaganda swamping every corner of social media it can be very frustrating to try to find reliable sources of information. It’s worth asking others about. Exhaustion is another problem, blunting our ability to react coherently. At home and at work we make mistakes, we neglect, we just can’t make ourselves do that one thing or another. With Saturn and Neptune steadily interacting over the next couple of years this would be a good time to learn how to take breaks, and to as seldomly as possible give in to that swoon of will that makes it somebody’s else’s problem to fix. Aleister Crowley wrote: “Every intentional act is a magical act.”
If you’re feeling frightened, overwhelmed by current events, retreating away from reality to pursue mystical or merely escapist pursuits, you’re not alone. All that Saturn and Neptune to reckon with and they are not even the story of the week. The headlines belong to a series of Mars aspects that could indicate Milwaukee’s GOP convention will be especially aggressive and patriarchal, even more so than expected.
Ways to restore well being: Love of nature. Meditation. Patience. Not needing to know. Focusing on the immediate. With Saturn and Neptune stationary tuning out is a good option for regaining the energy to tune back in. These are momentous times. There are grievous strategies afoot. Those of us who can must wrestle with these matters . The more good people who don’t lend a hand, or at least a donation, the easier it is for the fascist minority to seize control. They think we’re weak and stupid. I’m seeing so many people interested in astrology and the esoteric tuning out. If we who are spiritually connected are unable to stand up against the open threat of tyranny, each on our own way, who will?
With Uranus entering Gemini and Pluto returning to Aquarius in late November for the latter half of the 2020s a renaissance of some kind is possible, and a dramatic technological change of society is inevitable. Change more dramatic than the world before the computer and after.
Saturn and Neptune will have a long dance together, as is their way, including a near conjunction at 29 Pisces and an exact conjunction at 0 Aries in February 2026, so the malaise continues off and on, whoever wins the election. Let’s not give up on the rights of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. Saturn Neptune can represent the criminalization of recreational intoxication, and the suppression of ideologies and lifestyles that do not conform with Saturn’s ideas about what is natural. When people of good conscience overcome fear and differences to unite to make a better world because they have to, that too is Saturn Neptune, and Pluto in Aquarius.
Pluto currently continues its retreat back into Capricorn. But next year’s big astrological changes are just around the corner. As stagnant as the present may feel, the status quo changes sooner than later, for better or worse. The good news is that Saturn will leave the degree of its station this week. For some this final week of Saturn stationary might be intense. Be sure to take time to relax. Speculation about what the future holds politically or other big picture prognostications are highly likely to be tainted by Saturn Neptune’s end of an era perspective. Why not enjoy some profound art or music, or a film that makes you really think? Look around at the strange land we occupy in this moment, but know when to take a break and refresh yourself.
Sunday 7/14 only lunar aspects are exact. As Virginia Woolf wrote: “You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”
Mon 7/15 sun square Chiron is exact just before 2 AM indicating the possibility of a health crisis of some kind. In many states Covid hospitalizations are up again, but still “low.” Having lost a mentor, Ken Jordan, to Covid recently, I am being more cautious. We also have bird flu having infected a very small number of humans in Colorado, but it is a crossover. Stay informed if you can. As for general health. If your body is sending you signals decipher the complaint. Make necessary adjustments. If anger, libido, or ambition are suppressed, an accident or health problem may become more likely with all this Mars. That doesn’t mean throw caution to the wind and act out.
Also Monday Mars conjunct Uranus conjunct Algol is exact in the early morning. Algol and Trump and the GOP convention should be epic. Algol can represent mindless destructiveness, one image associated with it is decapitation. It goes nicely with the 2025 plan’s brand of Christian fascism. But Uranus promises us what happens next is unexpected. With Algol’s association with Medusa and repressed female rage, a second female vice presidential candidate is possible. Even a female presidential candidate. We can expect men to put on quite a show: impulsive actions or statements, bold gaffes. Sudden changes in war are possible, especially escalation. Viral acts of seemingly random violence might occur, as well as freak accidents, so take care out there. Anger is just below the surface for many.
Tue 7/16 only lunar aspects are exact. As Camus (probably) wrote: “Be careful. When a democracy is sick fascism comes to its bedside, but it is not to inquire about its health.”
Wed 7/17 only lunar aspects are exact. Gertrude Stein wrote: “One of the pleasantest things those of us who write or paint do is to have the daily miracle. It does come.
Thu 7/18 sun sextile Uranus is exact in the early morning. Mercury trine Chiron is exact in the late afternoon. The sextile could present an opportunity to streamline, to liberate some part of life, perhaps by updating, or learning about new opportunities. The trine can indicate an important moment in the process of healing, a crisis that leads to greater understanding, and adjustments that can improve well being.
Fri 7/19 only lunar aspects are exact. Voltaire wrote: “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.” Science supports Voltaire here. Humans are wired to prefer familiar misery to unknown happiness. We are also habitually pessimistic about change, a kind of cautiousness that has served the race well, but not always.
Sat 7/20 Mars in the last degree of Taurus joins Neptune in the 29th degree club as the sextile becomes exact in the morning. There’s a culmination of Mars, a celebration of the power, perhaps of war, and yet its imminent ending somehow becomes clear. Mars enters Gemini at 1:43 PM. The many propaganda machines will be cranking into high gear in a new kind of world war of misinformation and manipulation of demographics. The Gemini candidate may feel energized, but then Geminis usually love crowds.
Sun 7/21 the full moon at 29 degrees Capricorn is exact at 3:17 AM. Another anaretic placement to join Neptune at 29 degrees Pisces. Since they are sextile we have a small opportunity to understand the lessons that the end of Neptune’s circle around the zodiac can teach us. Pay attention to dreams, follow intuition. Venus sextile Jupiter is exact in the early afternoon. Spend Sunday with someone you love, enjoy art, music and nature but take it easy and commute with awareness. Mercury square Uranus is exact mid afternoon, be careful not to talk too much, or blurt something disturbing. On the other hand you might say something brilliant. Nervous people are especially prone to make erratic or sudden moves iwth this aspect. Sun trine Neptune is exact in the evening bringing a dreamy or intoxicated atmosphere. Go with the flow. Finally Mars trine Pluto is exact in the evening. This is a powerful transit, potentially transformational. By finding mutually beneficial ways to use our anger, libido, and ambition, instead of suppressing them, we may help turn potential causes of sickness into actions that release and connect us.
Mon 7/22 the sun enters Leo at 12:44 AM turning up the summer vibe. Sun opposition Pluto is exact in the late evening, indicating possible breakdowns or power struggles. Pluto can also indicate tranquility, repairs, rebirth, and fresh starts. Saturn retrograde finally leaves the degree of its station. For some there may be a subtle feeling of relief as the day and week continue, like a breeze filling the sail of a boat stranded by calm. With Mars still closely trine Pluto anger could turn violent all too easily. Avoid any and all confrontations. Perhaps quietly celebrate Saturn moving again. Or put that energy into a communal effort to improve, repair or shelter.
That following week Chiron is stationary retrograde in late Aries, a good time to take extra care of health. Some sort of public health predicament could be in the news or could go viral, as it were. In our own lives a good time to look at our habits, healthy and unhealthy. We can make appropriate adjustments to improve life for ourselves and others.
For more on Saturn and Neptune.
For more on Pluto in Aquarius and the U.S. Pluto return.
