What the July 2009 Solar Eclipse Will Mean to You, by Houses

What will the eclipse mean for you? If you have natal planets in late degrees of Cancer, you will be most affected. The notes are applicable to any solar eclipse, but do not use this for lunar eclipses because the meanings are slightly different. Also bear in mind the nature of the sign that the eclipse occurs in. Cardinal signs will be the fastest acting, fixed signs will be the slowest, and mutable signs in-between.

Your Milky Way Horoscope Aug. 2-8, 2009

The Sun in Leo opposes the Moon in another Full Moon lunar eclipse on Wed., July 5, at 8:55 pm Eastern Time. This occurs at 13 degrees 43 minutes of Aquarius, so check your natal planet placements. This lunar eclipse emphasizes learning to be part of a team effort, not just hogging the spotlight for oneself. Make a point of giving credit to others who have contributed to a project. Aquarius also frees you from doing things the way have always been done, and this means detaching from belief systems that limited you. These beliefs may have come from religious, societal, or family traditions, but honor the past even as you sift through to find what is worth keeping.
Aquarius is also the humanitarian, so you might start your own fund-raising effort or choose vendors who contribute to causes you believe are important. Donate whatever time you can to volunteering at the local food bank or shelter (either human or animal).
The downside of Aquarius is group-think. Allow others the freedom to seek the truth as they see it.

Mercury enters Virgo, one of the signs it rules, on Sunday evening at 7:07 pm Eastern time. Its first aspect is a trine to Pluto in Capricorn on Monday morning, when you can work on releasing mental blocks. Pluto rules self-empowerment, among other things; when reversed or poorly aspected it can mean giving your power away. The downsides of Mercury in Virgo are perfectionism and self-criticism. Give yourself credit for making progress!
I am fascinated by Yods, and one forms on Wednesday with the Moon in Aquarius inconjunct both Mercury in Virgo on one side, and Venus in Cancer on the other side. This sounds very positive and artistic for writers in particular. Venus can denote the subject of the writing project, but that could cover anything from a cookbook (especially desserts) to romance to poetry to song lyrics. Of course there is always the chance that this aspect brings a meeting with a soon-to-be Significant Other; wear your better duds.
The Moon in Pisces squares Mars and opposes Saturn on Saturday. This can make you feel more downhearted than is warranted by the circumstances. Moon square Mars is often the ‘house afire’ syndrome, where you start off fast and burn out, or you rush into some task and wind up doing it over because something doesn’t fit. Saturn is finality, so you may wind up having to trash your wasted efforts. Trust me, pop some movies into the DVD player instead.

The Dog Days of Summer Are Upon Us

Dogs also figure in the lore of ‘dog days’ because the Romans often sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the phase to appease Sirius. (I think you can stop worrying that your beloved Fido will be snatched by errant Romans, but you can keep your dog indoors just to play it safe. Also, I am pretty sure you can substitute hot dogs on the grill instead, and Sirius will be just as happy.) BTW August 16 is the feast day of St. Roch, who is the patron saint of dogs.

Jupiter Gets Mugged

The planet Jupiter suffered a blow to the region of its southern pole earlier this week. The injury was discovered by an amateur astronomer in Australia. No witnesses are known to have seen the attack, nor is there any security videotape of the period when the attack occurred.
Anyone with information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator of this cowardly assault will be generously rewarded by the victim, Jupiter himself.
Meanwhile your prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery will be greatly appreciated. Friends are pitching in to help with first aid; Saturn is sending a regular supply of ice till the swelling abates, Neptune has shipped medicines, Mercury has posted APBs (which Uranus has transferred to the internet), while the Moon is sending plenty of chicken soup. Venus is sending around a get-well card and buying flowers. Mars the cop is on the case, with Pluto offering his detective services.
The perp will do time.

Your Milky Way Horoscope July 26-Aug. 1, 2009

Venus trines Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron during the wee hours on Monday. It is easy to pig out on an excess (Jupiter) of sugar or sweets (Venus). And with Neptune near, diabetics should be especially careful about monitoring their diet. Chiron can warn of such illness or disease, and frankly I would not even buy sweets that day.
Venus squares Uranus in Pisces on Tuesday afternoon. It is quite possible to fall in love, or experience a small cash windfall. Uranus is surprises, after all, and Venus rules cash, the dollar, sugar, love, gifts, favors, cattle, and copper. I wonder if copper prices will see a swing. Make note of what house is occupied by these transits.
Mercury is opposite Jupiter early Thursday morn. Jupiter is the higher octave of Mercury, meaning that Jove rules the big theories and principles and college, while Mercury is the ‘how-to’ details, and grade school. They oppose, which is difficult, but you could work out a way to apply some principle to your own situation if you think on it hard enough.
Mercury in Leo opposes Neptune on Friday. Mercury-Neptune aspects tend to muddle communications, when what we say or write comes out confusing or just plain contrary to what we meant to say. So double-check your emails and other messages, both for content and for recipient lists.
Venus enters Cancer on Friday evening. Cancer is a most family and home-loving sign, and you may express your love of home by redecorating, painting or bringing in flowers from the garden. Look at how beautiful are the veggies you pick from your back yard, and arrange them attractively on the plate of antipasto. Cancer can be so home-loving, that they just can’t tear themselves away on that vacation they had planned this August.