The July Eclipses – End of the World or What?

There are two eclipses in the month of July.  The Solar Eclipse on July 12, 2018 and the Lunar Eclipse on July 27, 2018. There has been a lot of hype about the upcoming Lunar Eclipse because it is the longest eclipse of the 21^st century and it appears to be red. Contrary to the alarmists among us, this is not a portent of the end times.  It is merely a refraction of the light as the Sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and is “bent” so it strikes the Moon’s surface.  This “bending” also causes those beautiful sunsets that folks are always snapping with their phones and posting on Facebook.

The July 12^th Solar Eclipse degree of 20 Cancer is in direct opposition to Pluto at 20 Capricorn.  Pluto rules elimination, disintegration, transformation, terrorism, corruption and destruction.  Not a fun planet. While there are other aspects in play at this eclipse, Pluto is the big dog here.  There is a lovely Grand Trine between Uranus in Taurus (revolution), Saturn in Capricorn (tradition), and Venus in Virgo (diplomacy). Will a balance (Venus) be created between the new (Uranus) and the old (Saturn)?   Jupiter (borders/treaties) in Scorpio is trine Neptune (fraud) in Pisces.  Someone or something is not what they appear to be. Mars (the warrior) retrograde conjunct the South Node in the 12^th house indicates covert action. Retrograde says be careful, think before you act.

Activity around this Eclipse include fires blazing across the western half of the US and floods plaguing other areas of the US and the world.  A Thai Soccer team is trapped in an underground cave and the world watches as a difficult rescue operation takes place.

 Secretary of State Pompeo visiting Korea with two totally different versions being presented.  President Trump is to meet with Putin in Helsinki on the 16^th.   When world leaders, movers and shakers meet around this time you can bet that big dog Pluto will be in play.  It’s all about power and control, who controls what and where does the big money go.  Here in the US, the chart has Pisces Rising with that old deceiver Neptune in the first house.  With Neptune connected to the 8^th house Jupiter expect big exaggeration and a fancy front to cloak all the cloak and dagger stuff. Taxes, tariffs and treaties are all on the agenda.

The Lunar Eclipse closes the month.  At a Full Moon things come to fruition and this one promises to bring some fireworks that will make the 4^th of July celebrations seem quiet in comparison.  Our old buddy Mars retrograde is together with the Moon at this event.

 Mars goes retrograde about every two years.  This is not a good time to start a war or love affair. In matters of love folks often decide to take a break from each other during a Mars retrograde period to figure out whether or not they wish to stay together.  This is the time to review ones actions and plan for future actions.  Mars goes direct again on August 28^th.   If you can delay taking any action until then, you would do better at achieving your goal. When begun under a retrograde Mars actions do not produce the outcome expected.

At this Lunar Eclipse, the Moon and Mars oppose the Sun and square Uranus.  This is a dynamic aspect that usually shakes things up and makes things happen. With the planet Uranus involved it is difficult to say what that “thing” might be.  Mars squared Uranus is not a pretty sight on its own, couple it with the Lunar Eclipse and things can get ugly. This could be a man-made ugliness or a natural event.  Earthquakes, explosions, tornadoes, riots and violence.  Uranus shocks us with the unexpected bringing actions and events that we could not possibly conceive of.  Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were Uranus events, both shocking and inconceivable at the time.  This eclipse in the chart for Washington, DC falls across the 2^nd/8^th house axis. This has to do with money.  With Uranus pulled into the mix think speculation and risk taking.  With Uranus in the 5^th minors, schools, places of amusements and the Senate are called into play.  August 1^st +/- a week is an especially volatile period.

Astrology is not about prediction, it is about reality.  What energies are prevalent? What possibilities are there?  The energy is active and unstable.  The information is suspect. The Lunar Eclipse has a retrograde Mercury so the information is doubly suspect.  When emotions run high stop and think.  Who or what is stoking that emotional response? During this eclipse period try to avoid knee-jerk responses. Try and maintain balance and remain grounded amidst the conflicting energies. Mercury goes direct on August 19^th and Mars on August 27^th.  Life will look different after that, so hunker down and endure until then.