There is no getting around the fact that this year’s Leo Sun cycle is loaded with challenging aspects. Leo is astrology’s fixed fire sign, and this year the lion will be displaying its more ferocious side. When the Sun, Mercury and Venus move through, they will encounter difficulties with Mars, Saturn and Uranus. Beyond battles between the more cheerful planets, like the Sun and Venus, and the malefics, Mars and Saturn, these confrontations will take place on the unyielding fixed sign faults. This is where something has got to give and nobody wants to budge. For example, August 11th’s full Moon in fixed Aquarius will see the Sun square Uranus as Venus moves into fiery Leo. Additionally, a powerful Mars Uranus conjunction in fixed Taurus is set for August 1st. That said, a number of soothing and productive aspects, like the Mars Neptune sextile on that full Moon, are also lined up. Determining which matters need to be addressed and which to steer clear of will be the key.
On July 12th, a supportive air sign trine between Venus and Saturn, while Venus is still in sociable Gemini, can bring in bright ideas and helpful people. The Full Moon on the 13th will be accompanied by a Mercury sextile to Uranus and a Venus Neptune square. That square will likely point to areas needing dissolution, while the sextile will reveal new opportunities, courtesy of ground-breaking Uranus. Things take a mystical turn on Saturday when the Moon moves into holistic Pisces. From the mutable water sign, that Moon will harmonize nicely with a Sun Mercury conjunction in watery Cancer. The Pisces grooviness flows into Sunday when Mercury and the Sun trine Neptune and Venus enters Cancer. This outpouring of perspective may offer the head, and heart, insights about the oncoming changes.
Those come in abruptly, first thing on Monday morning, when Mercury opposes Pluto and the Moon heads into provocative Aries, where it will square Venus and conjoin Jupiter. The atmospheric shift continues into Tuesday when Mercury enters Leo and the Sun opposes Pluto. The late degree placements of those two oppositions make them rife with contention. Also, they occur on the heels of America’s second exact Pluto return (on the 10th), signaling more stress on an already agitated public. On the 20th, the Moon will move into Taurus where it will sync up with Mars and Uranus the next day. These lunar conjunctions are forerunners to the Mars Uranus conjunction. Noting what shows up at this time is good preparation for the 1st. On Friday the Sun comes home to regal Leo, while the Moon makes a down to earth trine to Pluto before making a late night more into affable Gemini. Lighter spirits prevail on Saturday as Mercury trines Jupiter, but the enthusiasm they generate will be short-lived due to a Venus Jupiter square on Sunday. Those Jupiter twists are good examples of the conflicting currents ahead. Forging through them with grace, ever tempering expectations and appropriate levels of detachment will ease the journey.