Astral Weather Report

July 5, 2022

The Moon is still in its waxing crescent phase until Wednesday, July 6, when it will square the Sun and set off its first quarter phase. This will be the halfway point between last week’s new Moon and next week’s full Moon. The entire first quarter Moon phase will be in place from July 6 to 13. It represents a cycle of effort and development. It’s also a time when we may need to summon extra courage to help us overcome any doubts and insecurities.

The late astrologer Dane Rudhyar said that first quarter Moons are “crisis times.” In my own understanding, this is in part because the Sun-Moon square which establishes the first quarter phase reflects some internal tension between the conscious and unconscious mind. It can manifest as both inner and outer conflict. As to the former, we may experience difficulties with our ordinary tasks or in following through with our intended goals or plans, wrestling with our fears, and feeling unsure; and, as to the latter, we may have a tendency to look outside ourselves and blame or scapegoat others for our own inadequacies and missteps.

At the new Moon and crescent phases, we might be overwhelmed by the ghosts (habits, thought patterns, family expectations) of our past. At the first quarter, we're challenged to actively overthrow them and stand on our own two feet. Moon Watching series (4) by Dana Gerhardt: The First Quarter Moon

At the upcoming Sun-Moon square, the Sun will occupy 20+ degrees of Gemini and the Moon 20+ degrees of Virgo, both in Mercury’s signs. Mercury is transiting in Gemini with the Sun and will be combust (within 14 degrees/too close to the Sun) into the last few days of July. This might indicate a tendency for communication breakdowns, problems with travel or transportation, paranoia, indecision, complicating things with over-analysis and perfectionism, mental agitation, and issues cooperating with others (which may affect teamwork especially).

From July 2-16, Mercury is transiting in its own extroverted, witty, and social sign of sidereal Gemini, which represents mental pursuits, communication, writing, speaking, versatility, and travel. Mercury is also in Ardra nakshatra from July 5-12, where its expression is ardent but may also be edgy or high-strung. Ardra is ruled by Rahu which is transiting in conjunction with Mars and Uranus this month, and in hot-headed Aries, which also adds some heat to the mix.

Mercury is traveling very fast at this time so we may need to slow down our thoughts, take calming supplements, give ourselves extra time for whatever we need to do; and also, be sure to cultivate mindfulness, and to meditate, exercise, and eat healthful meals.

This is all even more important as Mercury will also be OOB (out of bounds) from July 6-13. When a celestial body goes beyond the Sun’s maximum declination of 23°27', either north or south, it is considered “out-of-bounds.” In this position, the planet is outside the boundary limits of the ecliptic plane − that is, beyond the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

In this case, Mercury is traveling in its northern declination. Some have described OOB planets as being on steroids. They can be strong but also skewed. OOB Mercury may stimulate wild, creative, and innovative ideas, and thinking “outside the box,” but can also be agitated, impulsive, obsessive, anxious, and overly sensitive and reactive.

With all this hyper-Mercurial energy at play, it’s truly important to downshift a bit, and focus on cooling off any excessive excitability in our nervous systems, while also cultivating peaceful thoughts and vibes.

May all beneficent beings bring peace to us. May our wisdom spread peace all through the world. May all things be a source of peace to all and to me. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (Peace, Peace, Peace)