July 2010: The Cardinal Crisis: Understanding Your Initiation

As June 2010 was the preparation for the “Great Cardinal Crisis,” July is the month where many of the changes in the world will be felt. The full energy of this crisis is felt between July 21st and August 21st. (To understand some of the cardinal energies, go back and read the June 2010 article which details those energies in your life.)

At the beginning of the month, July 5th, Uranus in Aries turns retrograde. This is very significant because although Uranus entered Aries in May, it moved so slowly that it never went past the zero degree of the sign. Zero degrees are very significant both spiritually and personally. If you have planets at zero degrees in your chart, it means that you are just learning how to use that energy in your life. The same holds true here: It means that the world is just learning what this energy means in terms of daily life. The energy comes through, without censorship, because it’s pure energy. At the same time, this lack of censorship also means that you or others around you may be reacting to situations without knowing all the facts. Since Uranus is turning retrograde today, some facts which were not obvious to you will surface. You may feel a bit foolish about some actions you took last month.

If you’re not careful, July 6th through 8th could be days of frustration and anger. Mercury forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde on July 6th and it’s very important that you watch your words. While Ceres can represent nurturing, it also represents destructive anger that occurs when you feel threatened. If you feel threatened, do the best you can not to erupt emotionally.

As Mercury moves into a quincunx to Neptune retrograde on July 8th, a yod is created during these three days (July 6th through 8th). The yod is often called the “fickle finger of God” by astrologers. At times, Neptune is called the obscurer and at other times the revealer. It can obscure the truth through misdirection. It can also reveal the truth through anger provoked by others. Once again, be very careful of your words. Or, if you’re the recipient of someone’s anger, pull back and don’t engage. It will only create deeper wounds if you engage.

Since Venus also forms an opposition to Neptune on July 8th, any fights could lead to separations in relationships. Perhaps that’s the best that could happen, but not necessarily. You may be leaving a relationship that could have some potential.

Financially, you need to be very cautious during these days. The stock market will be erratic. Contracts involving money will not have all the facts clearly stated.

At least you’ll be able to correct some of the errors that you made the previous days when Mercury forms a sextile to Saturn on July 9th just before it enters Leo. On this day you feel more generous. You’re willing to listen to what others have to say. You won’t feel the need to protect yourself. Since Mercury forms a trine to Uranus later in the day, you’ll come up with some important insights.

July 10th is another day where you need to be very careful with your feelings and finances. As Venus enters Virgo, it also forms an opposition to Chiron retrograde and a quincunx to Uranus. In some ways, Venus is not comfortable in Virgo. You feel that you need to focus more on your routine work and less on your relationships. You see relationships as infringing on your activities. You may also feel the need to focus on your budget and feel frustrated that costs are rising while your income either remains the same or is declining. Even the stock market will be reacting to this feeling that various world governments can’t maintain their budgetary goals.

The second solar eclipse of the year occurs on July 11th after Mercury forms a trine to Jupiter and a quincunx to Pluto retrograde. The cardinal crisis is occurring because a T-square will be formed in the signs of Aries, Libra, and Capricorn. The missing cardinal sign is Cancer. Since both the Sun and Moon are in Cancer during this eclipse, it’s important that you focus on your family relationships and building a sense of security in your life. You may want to do this by coming up with new approaches. If you feel as if you don’t have control in your life, take time to list those areas where you do have control. You’ll be surprised that you have more control over things that you realized.

With Venus forming a quincunx to Jupiter and a trine to Pluto retrograde on July 13th, you need to make adjustments to your plans, but those adjustments won’t interfere with your success. As a matter of fact, those adjustments will increase your success.

Once again, be very careful on July 16th as Mars forms a square to Ceres. This is not the time to let anger control your approach to things. If you feel fatigued, take time to rest. Trying to accomplish anything while you’re tired will only lead to more frustration. Remember: It’s alright to rest when you need it.

Saturn enters Libra on July 21st. This is actually a re-entry of Saturn into Libra at this time. The year 2010 started with Saturn in Libra. Saturn stayed in Libra until April 7, 2010 when it re-entered Virgo. Now Saturn re-enters Libra and will remain in this sign until October 5, 2012.

Saturn is in its exaltation in Libra. This means that the energy of Saturn is comfortable in this sign. Libra is about relationships and learning to negotiate the boundaries of relationships without losing yourself. Saturn helps in this process because Saturn also represents boundaries as well as strong foundation. When Saturn is in Libra, you can develop better relationships.

Economically, Saturn in Libra represents the desire of government to control situations in hopes of creating increased security. However, forms of controls sometime lead to undesired consequences, such as increase of budgetary deficits which occurred in the 1980s after President Ronald Reagan introduced his “Supply-Side Economics” and the increase of inflation in the 1950s after President Harry S. Truman introduced price controls believing it was necessary due to the Korean War. Unfortunately, it will still take a while for the global economy to recover. You may want immediate solutions, but that won’t happen. Things will improve eventually, just not as quickly as you’d like.

Scientifically, there is a strong emphasis on agriculture when Saturn is in Libra. Insecticides were used for the first time in 1924 and fertilizer was improved in 1951. Many manufacturers of pesticides are now selling more products using organic or herbal ingredients. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will increase their investigations into the pesticides currently used by farmers to determine whether the toxicity level of those products is too great. Nitrogen, which can cause problems with run-offs into streams and other waterways, will be switched from products that are fast-release to more slow-released products which in some cases are chicken based. While you may not necessarily embrace the Local Foods movement, many of your friends and neighbors will. This is the purchase of foods from local growers. You’ll also see more people growing their own food products as well as increased scrutiny over food safety.

Overall, Saturn in Libra focuses on your relationship with the world. Whether it is gaining a better understanding of the needs you have in your personal relationship or how events in the world affect your life.

Now that Saturn is in Libra, the cardinal T-square occurs and is in effect until August 21, 2010.
A T-square in astrology is where one or more planets in a sign form an opposition to another planet. These planets in opposition to each other both form a square to still another planet. Artistically, it looks like a T-square. That’s how it got its name. In this case, Saturn in Libra forms an opposition to the Uranus retrograde and Jupiter conjunction in Aries. All three of these planets form a square to Pluto retrograde in Capricorn. The aspects are not exact (meaning all in the same degree and minutes), but are very close. Both Saturn and Uranus retrograde are at zero degrees while both Jupiter and Pluto retrograde are at three degrees. When you analyze a T-square, the most important aspect is the missing sign. In this case the missing sign is Cancer.

Alice Bailey, who wrote Esoteric Astrology, considered Cancer the first of the cardinal signs. This is where the soul reincarnates onto the earth plane. She sees Aries as the emergence of mental energy; Libra as where the soul and personality need to reach a balance of cooperation. And, Capricorn is the fulfillment of vision as well as the ability to receive initiation.

Between now, July 21st and August 21st, is the time of great initiation if you are willing to “reincarnate” into the changes which will occur throughout the world over the next few years. “Reincarnate” means reinventing yourself. Over the next month, the best use of this cardinal T-square energy is to review your goals in life and decide the best approach. This is a period of understanding that old systems may no longer work. To move forward, you need to take the best of the past, and create a new approach for the future. With Pluto in Capricorn, it isn’t always easy to control everything. Yet, that’s part of the lesson: Knowing what you can or can’t control. With Saturn in Libra it’s important to make changes in your life with those people who are important to you. With both Jupiter and Uranus in Aries, you may want to rush forward and try to do it all alone, but you’ll find life is easier if you have a support system.

On July 24th, the day after Jupiter turns retrograde, it forms a square to Pluto retrograde. Again, the cardinal T-square is emphasized. This is the start of a new cycle which occurs about every 12 to 13 years and happens in a series of three. The second time this occurs will be on August 3, 2010 and the third time it occurs will be on February 25, 2011.

While you may desire to move forward and take risks, it’s very important to understand what you can or can’t control. On one hand, you want to just rush into things without considering all the consequences. You want to justify this behavior by telling others that you’ll be more successful if you just move forward. But tension will occur in your life if you don’t take time to delve into your reasons for moving forward. The energy of Pluto, especially in Capricorn, demands it. Historically, power struggles occur during this cycle. People don’t like to be controlled by others. So, do the best you can not to get involved in power struggles. Historically, spiritualism goes through a revival during this time period. As you seek to balance your spiritual journey with your material needs, you’ll actually find more support from other individuals.

The day before Saturn forms an opposition to Uranus retrograde, a full Moon occurs. With the Sun in Leo and the Moon in Aquarius, there seems to be a reprieve from all the cardinal energy. The Moon actually makes some good aspects to the cardinal T-square. Because of this, July 25th, the day of the full Moon, will be a day where you can emotionally feel the importance of any changes you need to make in life.

When Saturn forms its opposition to Uranus retrograde on July 26th, this will be the last time in this 47-year cycle. The first time this opposition occurred was on November 4, 2008, the day of the Presidential election in the United States. It occurred again on February 5, 2009; September 15, 2009; and April 26, 2010.

Saturn deals with matters of control while Uranus deals with desire to avert control. In order for the energy of Saturn to work at its best, you need to understand the past and use it as a scaffold on which to build a better future. However, Uranus operates in a different way. Uranus represents an energy that wants to break any ties which prevent future movement. It also represents energies which indicate it doesn’t want anyone to have control over others. This is an interesting opposition because in its most negative, the opposition represents the use of fear in fighting battles. In its most positive, the opposition represents finding common ground in order to build a new organization.

Unfortunately, the negative aspect of this opposition could be seen in politics during this time period. People were angry with the old system. They wanted immediate change. When they made the change, they felt betrayed: The various elected officials couldn’t implement the changes fast enough. Unfortunately, various political parties did everything possible to make it difficult to make or implement changes. The changes didn’t fit with their agendas and they were unwilling to develop compromise. Hopefully, as this aspect comes to an end, people will begin to understand that compromise is an essential component to improving the global economic condition.

Historically, this aspect indicates changes in banking regulations. With this aspect nearing its end, you’ll see fewer changes occurring. The major changes have received their legislative review or change. Since this aspect also represents the importance of correcting infrastructure deficiencies, any problems which were not corrected by the time this cycle end will create even greater difficulties over the next few years. Economically, the cost for fixing the infrastructure problems will be higher. Also, a greater danger of accidents caused by poor infrastructure will increase. Changes will also be made with the regulatory infrastructure of the Euro. Attempts will be made to correct some disparate approaches in the use of the currency by various countries.

The end of July is a very tense time period. Part of the reason is because the cardinal T-square (The Cardinal Crisis) is now in full swing. Another reason is that the personal planets of Mercury, Venus, and Mars all form difficult aspects as they move from one sign to another. But, you don’t need to succumb to the “doom and gloom” energy. You can actually use this for your personal growth.

Before Mercury enters Virgo on July 27th, it forms an opposition to Chiron retrograde. The day after Mercury enters Virgo, it forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde. You can either let anger direct your emotions. Or, you can use this as a tool for healing by trying to convey kind words to other people.

Before Mars enters Libra on July 29th, it forms a quincunx to Chiron retrograde and Venus forms a square to Ceres retrograde. The day after Mars enters Libra, it will form an opposition to Uranus retrograde and Mercury will form a quincunx to Jupiter retrograde. These two days are ones where the stock market could be very erratic and you become concerned. You may also feel that you are not being valued by your friends or work associates. It may be difficult to focus, so this is not time for a meeting where you need to negotiate important matters. Rather, use the energy of Mars for brainstorming sessions where no decisions are made or value judgments placed on other people’s ideas.

Mars will form a conjunction to Saturn on July 31st. At that time you’ll find it easier to focus on the important things in life. During this time, you’ll be able to use the cardinal energy not as a crisis point where things fall apart, but as a crisis point where you make changes that are good in your life.