Astrology for the Week of July 23rd, 2017

A New Moon in Leo greets us the morning of Sunday, July 23rd at 5:46am EST. This New Moon is taking place at 0° Leo, a transitional but fixed point in the zodiac. Mars is only 1° away from this New Moon, which will provide a burst of motivation and initiation to this fixed energy. While Mars can add a significant source of inspiration to this New Moon, Mars in Leo can also lean toward impatience, vanity, and selfishness. If you’re using the New Moon to plan for upcoming ventures, know that while you may feel lit up and on fire during this time, don’t burn yourself out or run others ragged with demands. Ego checking is sure to be a main theme of this New Moon phase.

On Monday, July 24th, Venus in Gemini and Saturn rx in Sagittarius find themselves opposite one another at 10:54am EST. Cold and dry Saturn has a serious effect on receptive and sensitive Venus, highlighting areas in our lives in which we might need to work a little harder and rely less on our personal charms in order to get ahead. You may be called to use a larger source of wisdom (Saturn in Sag) to harness Venus’s scattered priorities in Gemini. This transit is telling us to hunker down and get our act together, and this planetary pressure is likely to create great creative output if used skillfully. Later in this day, Mercury in Leo makes a trine to Uranus in Aries at 12:33pm EST, urging us to think creatively and consider avenues that might otherwise not seem appealing.

Mercury enters Virgo on Tuesday, July 25th at 7:41pm EST. Detail- and fact-oriented Mercury is in dignity in Virgo, where is excels at digesting the finer points and small details. Consider Virgo the data analyst and quality control center of the zodiac. This transit sheds a no-nonsense light on information that is presented to us, and we might feel hypercritical or analytical during this time frame. While cold and dry Virgo can sometimes be a buzzkill because it’s so factual and realistic, there is also great possibility to use your factual knowledge creatively and playfully with Mercury in this sign. Mercury will be in Virgo until September, since it will move retrograde in mid-August, thus extending its stay in its domain.

The Sun makes an exact encounter with Mars on Wednesday, July 26th at 8:57pm EST. This is a powerful and fiery conjunction that gives us the self-esteem boost we need to get things done. The next 24 hours is a great period to use your personal strengths to initiate a project, communicate your opinion, and take things by the reins.

Moon Transits this Week:

• Moon enters Leo at 4:34am EST - Sunday, July 23rd
  
• New Moon in Leo at 5:46am EST - Sunday, July 23rd
  
• Moon enters Virgo at 6:32am EST - Tuesday, July 25th
  
• Moon enters Libra at 11:37am EST - Thursday, July 27th
  
• Moon enters Scorpio at 8:23pm EST - Saturday, July 29th