July 2005: Taking Care of Yourself: Learn to Relax

The month of July begins with the new Moon in Cancer on July 6, 2006. This is a time period to consider your family obligations as well as your sense of personal well-being. It’s a time to make your surroundings more comfortable and spend time in your private space. You’ll find more pleasure from staying home than going out and socializing.

Both Mercury and Venus are still in Leo indicating that it’ll be easier for you to be creative, especially if you want to spend time renovating or redecorating. Also the temperatures may be hot; you still may want to consider some new landscaping concepts for your yard. Due to the high temperatures, you may want to wait until fall to implement them. But, at least you’ll have some good concepts that you can easily transfer to paper at the appropriate time.

During the month of July, you’ll hear more information in the media about the rising costs of health care. If you’re self-employed and have your own insurance policies, you may need to consider some other plans or increase your budget for the medical costs.

In addition to increased health costs, the media will continue to focus on matters of privacy breach. So, continue to do everything you can to protect your personal information. Even with the reports in the media, you’re really only hearing a small portion of the story.

On July 8, 2005, Jupiter forms a quincunx to Uranus. This quincunx occurred last year on October 10, 2004 and earlier this year on May 7, 2005. The quincunx represents the need to make adjustments in your life.

Jupiter is in Libra at this time and represents the need to understand your legal commitments in personal and professional relationships. Interestingly, it also represents the need to understand your spiritual commitments in relationships. At times, these can be at odds. You may be working at a job that doesn’t meet your spiritual needs. Or, you may be involved in a personal relationship that doesn’t fulfill your ethical choices.

Uranus is in Pisces and represents the need to find new directions in achieving your spiritual goals. The key with this energy is to understand how your individual needs can sustain spiritual values in society.

Basically, the quincunx between Jupiter and Uranus means that you need to give priority to your own spiritual needs and develop relationships that ethically support the same goals you have in life. This means that you may need to evaluate your participation in certain social groups or organizations. It means that you may need to consider finding a different job, or even career path, that can fulfill your connection with the needs of your soul and your material goals.

This can be a difficult time for organizations, and even government officials, as people start questioning the real intent of organizational actions. There could be struggles in groups where individuals feel their values are not being considered. Friction could increase if some compromise isn’t made. And, common goals must be found for that compromise to succeed.

The real lesson during this quincunx is living with compassion. By approaching life in a compassionate nature, you’ll be able to understand what motivates others to act as they do. Through this understanding, you’ll be able to develop some of those common goals that may, at this time, seem too distant to ever achieve. Or, you may come to understand that perhaps the most compassionate action to take at this time is to end the relationship without doing harm to anyone.

On July 16, 2005, Saturn enters the sign of Leo and remains there until September 2, 2007. This is a 29-year cycle that lasts for approximately 2.5 years. This Saturn cycle represents the need to make changes in either society or your personal life that provides you with a stronger structure for success. It also represents the need to understand where you need to put constraints in your life so that you don’t over extend yourself. On a societal level, Saturn represents where constraints occur either through the legal or economic systems. For a full detail of some of the historical events and trends, you may want to read this section in my book, “Trend Analysis for the Year 2005” since space in this article is limited.

Constrictions will occur in areas that are represented by the sign of Leo. Some examples are luxury items and industries such as sporting events, entertainment, theme parks, theaters, gambling, and toys. It also represents fossil fuels, the stock market, children, and other creative venues.

Economically, you will see a continued escalation of oil and gas prices. Luxury items which require a lot of fossil-fuel energy will increase in cost, either due to the cost of fuel or due to the cost of manufacturing. This means that if you own cars which require a lot of fuel to operate, your cost for that car will increase. As a result, the government will place a greater premium on fuel-efficient cars.

Prices in the entertainment and sporting industries will continue to rise, making it more difficult for you and your family to attend these events. As a result, businesses which continue to increase their ticket prices start suffering as attendance declines. If you keep your eyes open, you may find that some of these companies are willing to offer special group discounts just to get you coming to their events.

One of the interesting side benefits will be found in the home entertainment business. As prices increase at theme parks, sporting events, and theaters, more people will purchase home entertainment systems that actually give you better viewing and sound than you could get at a movie theater. Just be careful how much money you invest in the DVD machine. When Saturn is in Leo, new recording technology will be released that replaces the current DVDs and their recording machine.

Another interesting side benefit will be found in what is now called “outdoor living spaces.” More people are finding that it’s fun to stay home, invite friends over, and just avoid the prices of theme parks and other outdoor entertainment venues. You may be one of the many people who decide to create an outdoor recreation area when relaxing means just going into your back yard.

At this time, with all the new technology, it’s too easy to have sensory overload and work too hard. It’s more difficult to get “out of the office” because it’s too easy for the office to invade your home. Historically, each time Saturn enters Leo, there is a backlash in the workplace because companies are placing too many demands on their employees. Many people think that Unions have lost their place in this society. But, just the opposite is true. You’ll find Union strength increasing as more workers make demands for more leisure time and better health care and pension benefits.

You’ll also need to keep an eye on your children during this time period. Just like you, your children are being over stimulated from technology. While there are many benefits to utilizing computers and other forms of technology, there are also side effects that could lead to less creativity and decreased abilities to focus. The benefits of all this technology is that children want to play with games that stimulate them through interactions. For toy companies that are not producing these types of games, there are financial problems. But the key phrase here is “stimulate through interactions.” If children are stimulated through reactions when playing some of these games, they lose their ability to think creatively. And, as a parent or caring friend or relative, you can teach children how to use technology for more creative purposes. In addition, you’ll find that children are even more interested in learning how to play musical instruments more than they cared for in the past.

The important thing to remember as Saturn enters Leo for the next 2.5 years is that it’s time for you to decide how you want to use your leisure time. And, it’s also time to determine just how much technology is too much technology. If you’re feeling sensory overload or physical fatigue, perhaps it’s time to turn off some of those technological gadgets, open your door, and walk out to your backyard where you can hear some birds sing and watch the flowers grow.

When the previous full Moon occurred on June 22, 2005, the Sun was in Cancer and the Moon was in Capricorn. This same astrological configuration is occurring again with the full Moon on July 21, 2005. You may feel a sense of “déjà vu.” Whenever the full Moon occurs, this is a time to review the actions you took during the past 28 or 29 days and make changes in those areas of your life that increased tension. Once again, the focus is on your family and work. If you didn’t create a balance between the family and work last month, you’ll find that any stress you’re experiencing is beginning affect your health. It’s important that you take time to relax. And, if you’re job is creating so much stress that it’s impacting your health, it really is time to look for a new position.

On July 22, one day after the full Moon, the Sun enters Leo, Venus enters Virgo, and Mercury in Leo turns retrograde. It’s as if the universe has made the decision that if you don’t relax, things will start slowing down on its own. Both the Sun and Mercury retrograde in Leo emphasize the need to play. Let the child in you come out and enjoy being alive! Venus emphasizes the need to take care of yourself. Appreciate just how wonderful you are! And, let these feelings of enjoyment include family members and other people you love. By allowing your inner child to emerge, you’ll find it easier to heal from any stress that is occurring in your life.

The month ends with Mars entering the sign of Taurus on July 28, 2005. This year, as two years ago, Mars is giving a beautiful show astronomically. While it is not at its closest point to the earth, it is at its highest peak in the sky. Some individuals believe the view of Mars will actually be more spectacular than before.

Mars is normally in one sign for six or seven weeks and then moves on to the next sign. This time, however, Mars will remain in Taurus for over five months, until February 17, 2006. Basically, Mars is not comfortable in Taurus. Mars likes to take action while the Taurus energy likes to move slowly, making certain everything is understood before any actions are taken.

The economic picture will not be easy with Mars in Taurus. Military actions taken by the federal government have a high cost, both financially and emotionally. And, the cost will continue to escalate. The interest rates will continue to increase, as the stock market will continue its erratic path. If possible, put aside a little extra cash and stay out of high risks financial ventures.

It’s important that you continue to take care of your emotional needs, just as much as your financial needs. You may want to move slowly with any new ventures. Basically, the lesson with Mars in Taurus is similar to the lesson of Saturn entering Leo. It’s very important for you to build a foundation of emotional and family support. This is not a time to create stress in your life with too many commitments. The same is true for your children. It’s very important that they have as much time to relax as possible.

The real lesson for the month of July is that you need to take care of yourself before you can help anyone else. While compassion towards others is important, it’s more important that you treat yourself with compassion. There are times when you don’t need to answer that telephone or turn on that computer. Work doesn’t need to be 24/7. Structure means create a pattern in your life where you have time for spiritual understanding, loving family and friends, good food and exercise, and pleasurable work. This type of balance is not always the easiest to achieve with all our technological stimuli. However, achieving it is what enables you to continue living a healthy and prosperous life.