Astrological Energies July 18 to 24, 2011

NorthPoint
Astrology Journal
Written by Pam Younghans

A FEW WEEKS AGO, the list of planetary aspects for the week was so extensive, it was a challenge to wrap our brains around all that was lined up for us to work with. This week, the opposite seems to be true, in that the list of planetary aspects is very short.

But our brains are still feeling the challenge of trying to make sense of the changing world around us and, for many, the unknown path before us. We have just come through a very intense time, as we've dealt with the energies of the three eclipses and the cardinal grand cross. For many, the external reality has changed in significant ways, or is in the process of changing.

SOME OF THESE CHANGES look "normal," in that they are processes that are expected for this time in our lives, or that many have experienced before us. Children graduate and take their first steps into a new, more independent life. Relationships end and the partners move on to create new futures. Computers crash and take with them the informational foundations of self-definition that must now be rewritten and recrafted.

But even as our brains are telling us that these changes are a normal part of living, internally we feel and know that something is different. The changes that are occurring are somehow imbued with an added importance. Perhaps we are intuitively aware that the shifts are occurring on multiple levels, that what we see externally is mostly symbolic of a deeper transformation, and that we will not be returning to the familiar worlds we can see in the rearview mirror.

MARS EXACTLY ALIGNS with the South Node this Thursday, but the two are actually linked energetically for the entire week. This is an interesting combination, that may reveal some inner conflicts and confusions.

The South Node represents our collective karmic past, the tendencies and traits we are working to bring into better balance. Mars represents our ability to take the initiative and to move forward. With the two of these together in Gemini, we may want to take special care this week not to be too guided by what appears to be logical.

Author Celeste Teal (yes, a penname) writes that with the South Node and Mars working together, it is "easy to make mistakes in undertakings, especially new enterprises. One needs to be very aware of all the factors and persons involved when launching new projects...be very aware and cautious overall."

With this in mind, we may want to think of this coming week as being similar to having Mercury retrograde, when we are advised not to sign important papers or initiate a new endeavor.

THE SUN enters Leo on Friday, beginning a new solar month and shifting our terrain a bit. Leo is an outgoing, creative, expressive, spontaneous sign, encouraging us to take more risks, laugh more, play more, and live more in the moment than we may have recently.

As a native of the Northern Hemisphere, I always associate the month of Leo with summer vacation and sunny days -- and certainly, the correspondence is there symbolically. Hopefully, no matter where we live on our beautiful planet, or what weather patterns we are experiencing, we can use the energies of the coming month to kick back, relax, and just ENJOY being whoever and wherever we are.

And if "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys comes to mind, you're in the right zone...

Blessings,

Pam

NorthPoint Astrology Blog: Please check out my blog for updates at http://northpointastrology.blogspot.com/ -- I look forward to your comments!

To Subscribe to this Journal: If you have been forwarded this issue of my NorthPoint Astrology Journal and would like to receive it directly every week, please click here. Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage, fill out the subscription form, then click on Submit. Please feel free to share this NorthPoint Journal with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2011. All Rights Reserved.