The Sun enters Leo on July 22 and the Evolutionary Astrology mantra is: I align my will with divine will. As the social planets Jupiter and Saturn are involved in four major aspects this solar month, balancing our desires with the desires of others will be a repeating theme.

As we create those emotional foundations on the deepest inner levels through Sun in Cancer, the next step then becomes expressing ourselves in all our essence. Sun in Leo is the quest for our unique creative purpose, which we desire to share with the world.

Does the world want what we create? Is it accepted or rejected? We have greater chances for success when we align our creative desires with the desires and needs of the whole – the groups we find ourselves in. Part of our creative search during Sun in Leo is finding the ways society will accept our creative spark. In return, we are asked to acknowledge the creative spark in others.

Through the archetype of Cancer we become aware of our self-image and it evolves into our ego through the archetype of Leo. It is much easier to relate to the egoic part of our self than our soul. Ego is more conscious – this blend of constant inner and outer emotional/mental feedback.

Society is based upon the needs of ego versus the needs of our soul. The less conscious our souls are, the more our egos need outer acknowledgement. This comes from thousands of years of patriarchal conditioning that God/Goddess lies outside of our selves.

As our souls evolve and expand in consciousness, we realize inner acknowledgement direct from Source is what really sustains us. As our egos work to align with Divine Ego, then outer acknowledgment comes more easily, and yet we can take it or leave it. We fully express our creative spark through ego aligned with soul aligned with Divine Ego/Soul.

The Leo solar month starts with a Mars-Pluto retrograde waning trine on July 25 at 19/20 degrees Leo-Sagittarius: Mars, the conscious desires of the soul, interacting with Pluto, the deepest, usually unconscious, desires of the soul. The waning trine is an opportunity for social acknowledgement and harmony – in this case, achieving those deep desires within our soul, usually with some type of social reward.

Trines can also be lazy aspects. Mars likes it in Leo. It likes the center stage, and we can cling to old desires, and just keep repeating them instead of releasing them and moving on.

This Mars-Pluto waning trine can bring deep connection to the desire to return to Source as well. What is the next step home for you? What exhausted desire can be released and replaced with the desire to know God/Goddess?

Mercury enters Virgo on July 25 for four weeks, as it begins its next retrograde cycle there (August 9) before returning back to Leo for a few weeks. This is one of Mercury’s two rulerships, and with the Venus retrograde cycle in Gemini – Mercury’s other rulership – the energy has been quite mercurial.

Back and forth, up and down, calm and frustrated, we have been all over the place mentally this spring. Summer may easily seem the same way. Now Mercury in Virgo allows for some logic and practical insights to come forth. First though, we are building up the mental fluff we no longer need and must release.

What mental exercises can you do to let go of old thought patterns? Think of the subtle mental self-talk attitudes you have been conditioned with – can you replace them with a positive affirmation? With Mercury in Virgo, conditional love needs to be replaced with unconditional love. Virgo following Leo means deep inner love versus surface outer love.

Venus makes the last of three oppositions to Pluto retro on July 25 as well at 19/20 degrees Gemini-Sagittarius. On the same day as the Mars-Pluto waning trine, we cannot miss the desires within our souls. It has been a long spring, figuring out what is really important to us and adjusting our life, relationships and resources to match.

Venus opposing Pluto for the third time is one more opportunity to take care of our own essential needs instead of projections upon our outer world. It may bring another layer of lies to the surface. What is the deepest level of truth about yourself you can face?

How can your flesh and blood relationships mirror your relationship with Source? Watch for a need to manipulate others in order to feel secure. By now we are very conscious of our evolving relating patterns, and hopefully we are in the midst of the changes. If not, this Venus-Pluto opposition may not give you any choice but to accept responsibility for yourself. May you be successful.

A couple days later Venus makes a waning sextile to Mars at 21/22 degrees Gemini-Leo on July 27. If we have been taking care of our relationship needs, then this can bring meaningful interactions and creative fruition for all parties involved. It may also be time to let go and strike out on our own.

Venus in Gemini and Mercury in Virgo, conversation is still a very important ingredient right now. With Sun in Leo, we all want to be first in line and get our point of view across. Listen as much as you speak. Your partners may give you some nice insights about yourself. Venus waning sextile Mars is about taking relationships to deep, meaningful levels.

For the next year (summer 2004-summer 2005), Saturn in Cancer will make three waning inconjuncts (210 degrees) to Pluto in Sag and three waxing sesquiquadrates (135 degrees) to Uranus in Pisces. Then the following year (summer 2005-summer 2006) it reverses, with Saturn in Leo making three waning sesquiquadrates (225 degrees) to Pluto in Sag and three waxing inconjuncts (150 degrees) to Uranus in Pisces. See dates, aspects and degrees at end of forecast.

Whew! As much as Saturn tries to crystallize things and remain stuck, if anything will shake things up it is Uranus and Pluto. Big, deep changes will continue to happen in the world and in our own social structures. Crises and tension will remain the norm in consensus state reality, and how our consciousness interfaces with the evolving global village will be quite interesting.

Fear is a great controller and we have seen lots of it in the consensus state world since 9/11. Current U.S. administration policies have made our country and the world less safe. Constitutional rights have been eroded, and decades of environmental policies for cleaner air and water have been chipped away one by one.

Welcome to more of the minor aspects between the outer planets with major implications. Pluto in Sagittarius will continue to reveal truth for those who ask. Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces will continue to show us quantum physics and lead us into the Information Age. Saturn and Jupiter will then get to ground us, expand us and restructure our societies.

July 31 brings the first of three Saturn waning inconjuncts to Pluto retrograde at 19/20 degrees Cancer-Sagittarius. Expanding truths in society ask us to create deeper inner security in order to go with the flow and evolve.

The cold, hard truth that our war policies have made the world scarier isn’t easy to accept. It is so much easier to make someone else the “bad guy” instead of looking in the mirror, or our own political faces in the news.

What are the lies? What is the truth? Our emotional insecurities will lead us to believe whatever makes us feel secure. Strive for the deepest level of truth you can find, and then adjust your emotional world accordingly. Saturn in Cancer is about redefining the family, from families of origin to the global village.

Pluto in Sag will find others trying to preach their version of truth (religion) to everyone else, and rejecting anyone who doesn’t agree with them. Saturn in Cancer has the traditional family unit feeling very threatened by all the non-traditional family units emerging in the coming Aquarian Age.

Pluto in Sag requires that our human-made versions of right and wrong must adjust to broader perspectives of love as Saturn transits Cancer. Where is this happening for you?

The Full Moon of Aquarius is July 31 at 8/9 degrees Leo-Aquarius. This is the Full Moon of objectivity. Leo brings a strong focus on self and here we are asked to emotionally detach and look at the larger picture of things. How are your creative ideas fitting into the world around you?

This is where we can see how well we are aligning our will with divine will. Source can be quite inspirational during this Full Moon if you can “get yourself out of the way.” Pay attention to those mental ah ha’s that come through now. Your real creative purpose will be a repeating idea until you recognize it.

Mercury makes the first of three oppositions to Uranus retrograde on August 1 at 5/6 degrees Virgo-Pisces. The next Mercury retrograde cycle (August 9 to September 2) will force us to listen to our intuition, and here is the first broadcast. In Virgo-Pisces, there is always a message for unconditional love. And natural judgment (discernment) versus conditioned judgment.

Mercury is the conscious mind and Uranus is the unconscious mind. Their opposition requires Mercury to listen to Uranus. The mental messages will keep popping up to the surface, so listen closely here and you will find what you need to work on during the next Mercury retrograde cycle. Let go of all your “cup half empty” attitudes.

No matter how far out intuitive messages may seem, if they keep repeating themselves over the next two months it is real for you.

The Sun then opposes Neptune retrograde on August 5 at 14 degrees Leo-Aquarius. More messaging directly from God/Goddess, and yet subtle enough that we must really be still and in order to hear what is said. Delusions of grandeur may disintegrate into the harsh light of day.

Where are you being inspired from Source itself? Are you trying to put your own spin on it? Can you accept the truth of where you are really at, and then create from there? The inspirations can truly be divine when we can align our will with divine will.

Jupiter makes one waning square to Pluto retro at 19/20 degrees Virgo-Sagittarius on August 6. All the planetary emphasis in the mutable quadrant (Gemini, Virgo, Sag, and Pisces) creates a sense of frustration off and on all year long. The mutable signs are about taking all the information in and adapting as necessary.

The mutable signs ask us to let go of what no longer works, and make whatever changes in order to survive. Following fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius), we would rather cling to security then flow as mutable energy does. We can create intense frustrations and explosions when resisting forces are overcome by evolutionary impulse.

Waning squares bring crisis in our beliefs and/or consciousness. Jupiter waning square Pluto intensifies old belief systems and desires crumbling and no longer working. Virgo and Sagittarius both relate to patriarchal conditioning, especially the last two thousand years of the Piscean Age, and, to natural spiritual laws and principles.

We can suppress truth and distort it; however, we cannot destroy truth. Pluto in Sag is questing for truth, and revealing layer upon layer of lies over the last 250 years since it was last in Sag, and the lies of the entire Piscean Age, which encompasses most of our religious dogma and life today. Jupiter in Virgo criticizes anything that doesn’t support the version of truth any security is built upon.

Old conditioned beliefs based upon false truths are being exposed to such a degree it has almost everyone lashing out in fear. The best securities are built upon the deepest levels of truth. For most of us, there is always another level of truth to be revealed, so there is always another adjustment wave to what makes us feel secure.

Thank goodness the Universe felt only one Jupiter in Virgo waning square Pluto in Sag was necessary.

Where do you get to face deeper truths in your life? Where are you wanting to defend your outdated past? How does it shake up your sense of security? Answers always lie in unconditionally loving yourself no matter what. You are doing the best you can. It is only natural to reach for whatever makes you feel secure. It is only natural to feel insecure as we evolve to our next level of growth. Love yourself as only you can.

The next day Saturn makes the first of three waxing sesquiquadrates to Uranus retro on August 7 at 20/21 degrees Cancer-5/6 degrees Pisces. What a month this is. Express gratitude for Leonian egoic energy to help us through these outer planet demands to evolve. Thank Virgo for helping us figure out what exactly needs to change.

Waxing sesquiquadrates (135 degrees) shift the energy from Leo to Virgo archetypes, and from yang to yin energy. Somewhere in our need for Saturn in Cancer security we must open up to deeper Uranus in Pisces realizations. Perhaps it’s the truth that the only real security is found within in our connection to God/Goddess.

This month will set the stage for what we will work on over the next winter. What are your messages as Saturn makes it’s first waning inconjunct to Pluto and it’s first waxing sesquiquadrate to Uranus? The themes will revolve around spirituality and truth, and how they are connected to your security needs. The ability to be as objective as possible will help. Social maturation is a goal.

To spend as many resources as we do upon war in the U.S. will require us to make adjustments elsewhere. The funds being siphoned from the country’s social needs and funneled into the war businesses will be a hard reality to face as time marches on. These planetary aspects may help us really question the wisdom of bombs versus books.

What adjustments to your social realities are taking place? Can you be as emotionally responsible for yourself as possible? Can you let go of resistance and make the changes necessary in your social groups – work, family, and community?

Uranus in Pisces is teaching us quantum physics – energy creates matter. Allow Uranus to help Saturn in Cancer emotionally energize in new ways. Emote what you desire to happen. Self-pity creates more self-pity. Emotions of self-reliance create more self-reliance. Form follows thought. Form follows emotions.

Venus moves into Cancer for a four-week passage on August 7 as well. Venus spent four months in Gemini, teaching us that we are always adapting and evolving in order to survive. Now through Cancer, Venus will find its opportunity to create self-reliance on emotional levels.

Sun, Mercury and Mars have already visited Cancer recently so there will be plenty of emotions for Venus to reflect upon. What emotional values have been emerging for you? Venus can help Saturn in Cancer figure out the emotional experiences we desire in our lives, and then to practice creating and emanating those emotions.

Mercury turns stationary retrograde on August 9 at 8/9 degrees Virgo. It turns direct on September 2 at 25/26 degrees Leo. Mercury loves to ponder and analyze things, and a retrograde cycle in Virgo is like a favorite activity for this mental planet. Oh goody, what can Mercury tear to pieces and redo again?

Self-love, self-love, self-love – the never-ending Virgo lesson. Virgo always wants to put conditions on love, or anything. Its polarity – Pisces – sometimes needs a bit of Virgo’s discernment. This Mercury retro can be analyzing all the ways you are imperfect and not good enough to be loved. Or, criticizing all the things about your partner you do not like, leaving them feeling unloved.

Utilize this Mercury retrograde cycle to keep track of all the ways you procrastinate. It is the classic sign of getting caught up in judgments of imperfection. Well, imperfection is what we will find here on planet Earth. Otherwise we would have no need for this natural law we call evolution.

Mercury retrograde cycles are great time periods to review, analyze and fine-tune – all those Virgo traits. The lesson though will be accepting the reality of where you are, and working to improve from that point. Perfection is a process and this Mercury retro can help you discern the process you will create to perfect yourself in whatever ways.

Remember Virgo can be some of the most healing energy we can find. Let Mercury retro help you find it.

Mars follows Mercury into Virgo on August 10 for the next seven weeks. More of the above, only we must go beyond just thinking of better ways to self-love and improve ourselves. We must put things into action.

With Mars moving into Virgo at the time Mercury just turns retro for three weeks, be aware that you may have to make more than one attempt at whatever you are working to improve upon yourself. Patriarchal conditioning has led us to give up so easily in self-defeat sometimes.

The lesson here is to try again and again and again – however many attempts it takes. As many lessons as it takes; as many conversations as it takes; as many lifetimes as it takes. We do not expect a baby to figure out potty training in one try. We do not expect a child to ride a bicycle perfectly on the first attempt. Why do we think this lifetime we will get it all perfect? How about accepting and celebrating every “baby-step” you make toward your goals?

The Sun makes a waning trine to Pluto retrograde on August 11 at 19/20 degrees Leo-Sag. This Leonian solar month seems to be dominated by aspects all over the place while the Sun remains in the background. Not really. Everything happening will be focused through how it personally affects us.

As Sun makes a nice waning trine to Pluto, here is one of those moments to shine and accomplish our goals. Desires we have been reaching toward for a long time can take place. Society can acknowledge our creativity and bring the promotion.

Venus makes a waxing trine to Uranus retro on August 13 at 5/6 degrees Cancer-Pisces; a nice opportunity to channel Source into deep self-love. Watch out for selfish love here. No games. No substitutes (addictions). Open up to the real stuff.

Uranus is always the eye opener – where have you been bargaining for love? How can you love yourself better?

Mercury retro makes the second of two waxing sextiles to Venus at 7/8 degrees Virgo-Cancer on August 15; more of the same. Earth and water signs always want security on the dotted line. Mercury retro in Virgo can catch us up in the fears of not getting enough love. Never will if we are looking for it on the outside.

Here is energy to figure out how to find love inside – a bottomless pit of it when we figure out we create it ourselves. Go for it. I love me!

The New Moon of Leo is August 15 at 23/24 degrees. With Mercury-Venus doing their love quest the same day, this can be the New Moon of self-love! Make your choice: love that looks great on the outside and yet empty on the inside. Or, the real thing: deep inner self-love that attracts others who also deeply love themselves.

From real self-love we can then move into creativity that is natural for us. This New Moon can activate that creative spark. What excites you now? As we make the adjustments to our changing world, what are the creative ideas flowing from you, through you? How can you co-create with the universe?

Ego is the natural vehicle through which our soul expresses its creativity. Our soul must create an ego in order to manifest and know self. This annual New Moon is opportunity for our souls to rebirth any egoic expression we wish to take on. May you express your self in the most creative ways possible.

Jupiter makes the last of three waxing sextiles to Saturn on August 17 at 21/22 degrees Virgo-Cancer. Here is the last yod aspect between Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune that started last September. Neptune in Aquarius continues to dissolve any barriers in expanding our consciousness to the world of quantum physics, or natural laws. E=mc². Now Jupiter in Virgo is intuiting the details of how we wish to expand our lives next, and Saturn in Cancer can emotionalize the directions we wish to grow.

Neptune, at the apex of the yod, has forced Jupiter and Saturn out of their security zones. To the extent we have heard the Neptune in Aquarius message that consciousness creates matter, then we can really take off with Jupiter and Saturn in creating the resources that will sustain us (Jupiter conjunct Saturn, May 28, 2000, 22/23 degrees Taurus).

What realizations have you made this last year in creating deep inner emotional security (Saturn in Cancer)? What realizations have you made in regard to healing yourself (Jupiter in Virgo)? What visions of creation are you experiencing? How are you creating what you have envisioned?

How much do you energize your beliefs, thoughts and emotions toward that which you wish to manifest? You can either continue to energize what is lacking, or you can energize that which you wish to come. Jupiter and Saturn are offering some real manifesting abilities, go for it.

The ending of Leo’s solar month actually initiates a strong Virgo-Pisces message for Virgo’s coming solar month. With Mars and Uranus joining Mercury as the messengers no less.

Mars makes an opposition to Uranus retrograde on August 18 at 5/6 degrees Virgo-Pisces. These two planets tend to create a tug-of-war, which is what oppositions are until we learn to balance and blend the two opposing energies. As always, we have choice.

Mars in Virgo can manipulate Uranus in Pisces illusions. Mars in Virgo can criticize and destroy those Uranus in Pisces higher visions. Mars in Virgo can go hedonistic on Uranus in Pisces utopian love. Virgo and Pisces can hurt and hate on the most intense levels. They can heal and love on the highest and best levels.

Since patriarchal conditioning has tried to separate our senses (including sexuality) from spirituality, we have distorted almost everything in life. Now at the ending of the Piscean Age, we have opportunity to heal the wounds of the last two thousand years.

Mars in Virgo can nurture and create Uranus in Pisces visions. Mars in Virgo can remember healing sexual energy that can raise Uranus in Pisces kundalini. Mars in Virgo can heal any Uranus in Pisces wound when they team up to merge with God/Goddess.

The same day, August 18, Mercury retro makes the second of three conjunctions to Mars at 5/6 degrees Virgo. These conjunctions take place in Leo, Virgo and Libra. Here Mercury is asking Mars to reconsider its actions. Does destroying other souls really get us anywhere? Does screaming and yelling really get our message across? Does hate really create peace?

Is it possible to sit down and talk things through until all sides have been heard? Can we find just one little step toward peace and build from there?

And, the same day, August 18, Mercury retro makes the second of three oppositions to Uranus retro at 5/6 degrees Virgo-Pisces. Mercury joins Mars in really getting the message across……what do you choose in your thoughts and actions? Hate or love? War or peace? Destroy or heal? The choice is yours and your choices make all the difference in the world.

May God/Goddess bless you through Sun in Leo!