July 2015 Horoscopes: What Venus retrograde (yup, it’s a thing) means for you

Date June 30, 2015

Happy Cancer season! This time of year, in its most balanced expression, is about abundance, generosity, self-care, empathy, and tenderness. In its least balanced expression, Cancer season shows us a world where there is not enough for everyone. Practice generosity now because it is what will help to balance out the scales across our globe. I promise that if you extend yourself towards others you will find yourself equally supported in ways you may have never anticipated.

On the 25^th, Venus will go retrograde. Like Mercury retrograde, this doesn’t actually mean the planet is moving backwards, only appearing to do so from our perspective because of the shape of the orbit. The symbolism of this time has been incredibly significant in the past several thousand years. It is a time to compost the old and unneeded aspects of ourselves, the parts that we don’t wish to carry forward as we become a new version of ourselves at the end of the retrograde. It is a time to descend into what seems deathly terrifying in order to return with a different kind of wisdom.

Illustrations by Stefanie Ayoub. Horoscopes by Aerin Fogel. For personal birth chart consultations, visit Aerin’s website.

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

Dear Aries,

Change is afoot in your home. Even a new plant in the corner of your living room can make a huge difference right now, though some of you might actually be moving to new homes. Move furniture around, change what’s on the walls, and clean the corners behind the stove that you probably haven’t looked at since you first moved in. Your family may need some similar care and attention, and possibly readjustment. Any conflict that arises is ultimately helpful, because there are things rising to the surface that you are ready to talk your way through. It might feel uncomfortable in the moment, but when was the last time you cleared the air in an honest way with family members?

Your style for July is simpler than it has been in a while. Choose muted, earthy tones and fewer prints. A pair of slacks will be perfect for you right now. The new moon on the 15^th is an important time for you to assess what you learned about relationship from your parents. Who runs the show? Is there a power dynamic, or is it an equal partnership? Whether or not you realize it, this informed the way you handle your own relationships and even the way you relate to authority. Know that if you feel powerless at times it is because you are hiding your own power or expressing it passively. Similarly, the pendulum can swing the other way when you feel like you are crushing others to get your way. Somewhere in the middle is a healthy balance that is possible for you to find closer to the end of the month.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Dear Taurus,

This Venus retrograde period starting on the 25^th is an important time for you, since Venus is the planet that corresponds with your sun sign. She will take you on a journey of reassessing your values, your desires, and your sense of self. In order to do this, you have to look a little deeper and more honestly inwards than you normally would. And I mean really look – don’t just take a quick peek and decide nothing really needs to change after all, or that you’d rather just think about it all from a comfortable distance. Get elbow deep in your own discomfort so you can find a balance of self-worth, one where you honour yourself without over-inflating. You are making this journey now so that later on you will be able to help others make the same journey. This is a humble path of self-discovery, which is ultimately a path to serving a greater good.

Your style this month is simple but elegant. Don’t overstate yourself, but choose pieces that speak for themselves like a string of pearls or a pair of oxfords. Make time to play as well, and be around others who spark satisfying, intelligent conversation. It may be an interesting shift for you to go from this outward social orientation to the inner journey of Venus retrograde, but you are ready for the challenge. Be discerning about who you share your home and resources with mid-month, because others may not always match your level of generosity.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

Dear Gemini,

I’m sure you had an interesting month of June. If you were a piece of machinery, you would have been carefully rewiring yourself to make a system upgrade. So now that you have, it’s time to take this process one step outside your inner machinations and assess your finances. It’s a good month for you to make money, but you have to pay attention to what’s coming in and out. Channel your creative bursts and inspiration into your income sources (since you’ve probably got a few of them) and devise a budget for your expenses that is proportionate to what you’re making, but realistic to your spending habits. Make sure that your basic needs are taken care of first, before anything else.

Choose bright, clear colours from your wardrobe and go for clean lines in your silhouette. Give it a little fire, whether this means some extra red, or something that makes you feel extra sexy. The new moon on the 15^th is a good time to decide to value yourself a little better. This isn’t about over-inflating; it’s about really and truly honouring your uniqueness, your incredible intelligence, and your personal power. You might in fact feel like you are far away from these things but the test is to see the challenges in front of you and choose your own way out of them. Take up a new study of something that interests you. Books and online information can be a great resource, but you would also benefit from finding a teacher who inspires you and challenges you to push yourself a little harder.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Dear Cancer,

Happy birthday! Your season is a time of abundance, gathering, sharing, and revelling in the beautiful comforts of existence. Pick fruit straight from a tree and take a half an hour to eat it. You are finally feeling more energized and ready to get back on the wild horse of inspiration you usually have charging at full speed. The world should not be fooled by your gentle nature; a Cancer will stop at nothing to achieve their aims. Make sure you communicate what you are trying to achieve though, because it will help turn ideas into action. If you try to silently go it alone you may find yourself burnt out at the end of the month.

You might be pleased to hear that you should start as fresh as possible with your wardrobe. The clothes you have had for five years are not you anymore; it’s time to go shopping, and don’t come home with anything that doesn’t make you feel absolutely beautiful. Believe it or not, what you are wearing can support you in making manifest all your brilliant ideas right now. The month starts off with a full moon that asking you to observe your love life; are you comfortable with commitment? Are you able to have intimacy without completely taking responsibility for the other person? Later, on the 15^th, the new moon will refocus you back on yourself. Be sure to express yourself kindly and resist seeing relationships as a power struggle. Make space for both people to have their needs met, even if this seems conflicting at first. It is certainly possible.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

Dear Leo,

July could go one of two ways for you – toward confusion, or toward clarity. The good news is that the choice is yours. Finding clarity will require a constant mindfulness on your part. Information is flying past you at the speed of light and in order to not feel inundated you have to make space to digest it all. Sleep as much as you need to, stick to a meditation practice, and think before you speak, or else you will surprise even yourself with the passive aggressiveness that seems to come out of nowhere. The month also starts off with promise for you, as you seem to be absolutely magnetic to love and abundance. Others notice and appreciate you in a way that is very important for a Leo.

Go loose with your clothing right now, and let things drape and hang. Blue and red are the perfect colours for you to play with, and no number of accessories is too many. On the 6^th, find the balance of alone time and time devoted to your work. You have to be the one making space for your own needs right now otherwise it will feel like others are taking advantage of you. The 21^st on feels like sweet relief, peeling off a layer of a part of your life that has ended and stepping into a new level of maturity. Be conservative with your spending – just because you desire something doesn’t mean you have to have it. Perhaps it is enough to simply feel the feeling of desire and be in the beauty of that.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Dear Virgo,

After the last couple months it seems like you have learned how to take charge of your own life in a way that might feel completely new or even foreign to you. You have so many different ideas of what you want to be doing with your life that at times you can feel paralyzed with the decision-making process, but I hope by now you have discovered that there is no wrong decision for you. All of your ideas are brilliant, so you can strengthen your will forces by trusting your inner authority, your ability to steer your own ship. At the same time you are actively working to bring change in your community. You might be feeling particularly fired up about the social and economic imbalances that occur in our world, and you are ready to do something about it.

Your style this month can be a little out of the ordinary. Reach into the back of your closet for the things you only wear once a year, and add some drama to it all. And don’t be a stranger to wearing black. As July starts you are practically bursting at the seams with all kinds of beauty, love, and inspiration, so make sure you actually do something about it. The new moon on the 15^th is a helpful time to set intentions around this, and what kind of wheels you’re going to put in motion. Towards the end of the month spend some time daydreaming and writing it all down; you’re gathering seeds for the next phase of what’s to come.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Dear Libra,

Finally, at last, you start to feel like the hard work you have put in is paying off. You feel like you are steering the ship of your own life, and like others see your strength and treat you with the respect you deserve. Allow me to burst this bubble slightly by telling you that the approval of others is not the purpose of your work, though it might be hard for you to wrap your head around this at first. Yes, you need the support of your community to do what you’re doing, but it’s not the reason for it all. Consider them your stairway to your ultimate aspiration. Use the rush of energy you have right now toward your career. You can’t expect to achieve what you set out to do unless at some point you actually start doing it, but the trouble here is that a certain amount of perfectionism has kept you trapped in the planning and waiting stages. It might not look exactly like it does in your mind, but it’s time to step forward.

Black and gold are your colours for the month, and you’ll do well with thicker, more structured fabrics. It’s really about you looking like a boss. The beginning of Venus Retrograde on the 25^th is an important time for you. It is possible for you to draw on the power of what is beyond your individual self, but to do this, you first have to look deeply inward. What do you most desire out of this life? Allow yourself to dream now, and dream big. Imagine yourself projected onto the life you actually want, and don’t be modest about these desires. Then be prepared to do the inner work over the next few months to be able to step into your dreams.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)

Dear Scorpio,

One of the many cycles in a person’s life is the movement between inner and outer worlds. You have spent a considerable amount of time in your own inner world now, unfolding new aspects of yourself, learning how to be in relationship and communicate kindly and clearly, and devoting yourself to the work you get up and do every morning. So now this next part of your cycle is about orienting yourself towards the outer world. Get out of the house and get the wheels in motion; talk to people who inspire you; start a new class in something you’ve always wanted to learn. Or start every “Hi, how are you?” conversation with a refreshing dose of honesty that allows you and the other to get to a deeper place of dialogue.

Neckties and button-ups are your style this month. Be playful with gender stereotypes in your clothing and push the boundaries a little bit, no matter what gender you typically associate (or don’t associate) with. The new moon on the 16^th will stir a deep well for you. Sometimes it can feel hard to reconcile your ideals with your actual reality, and you wind up holding yourself to inhuman standards. Find a balance now between the two where you know how to progress without drowning in your own expectations. On the 25^th, turn any anxious energy that may arise at work into pure productivity – it’s up to you to grab that bull by the horns and redirect it. At the same time, you are full of creative ideas that will help you find alternative solutions to whatever is causing the problem.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)

Dear Sagittarius,

When I think of your sign I don’t exactly think ‘balance.’ But often our greatest learning in life comes through the things we find most challenging. So you are called right now to learn the art of balance, of giving and receiving, of letting in and discerning what is kept out. You’ve decided to let someone in deeply and now you’re suffering the fear that you can’t run away as easily as you’d like to (at the drop of a dime, that is). Stay put for now and don’t close the door yet. It might feel at times right now that the closeness is too much to bear, but instead of lashing out in reaction and pushing the other person away, see if you can instead open the door even wider and adventure deeper into your own heart.

Your style this month is all silk and shine. Choose loose, longer pieces but don’t hide your beautiful body. Find a way to show it off with class and grace. You start off the month bursting with a new understanding of the universe, and full of desire to see and know everything under the sun, and then some. It’s a great time to take a trip if you have the means. Your career has change on the horizon, so don’t get impatient; pay particular attention to the Venus retrograde starting on the 25^th and ask yourself what it is you really want out of life, and where your gifts can best serve.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)

Dear Capricorn,

This month starts off with a full moon in your sign. It’s time to celebrate all that you are and have become in the past few years! Others closest to you seem to recognize and appreciate your growth as well, and there’s nothing a Capricorn likes more than a job well done (except maybe doing the job itself). As the month continues, you may need to focus your energy on your relationship (or the absence of relationship if that’s the case). It’s like you are learning a new language of love right now. There is suddenly so much you want to express, to change, to propel, and to embrace, but be careful not to get ahead of yourself. Channel this energy into passion instead of fiery judgment – it’s amazing how much we can alter the course of our own experience by simply choosing to do so.

Go for lighter and lower contrast colours in your wardrobe this month. Be inventive; not everything that you wear has to be practical. Or rather, consider the practicality of being playful and unpredictable with your clothing. As you continue work in the relationship department, set intentions on the new moon on the 15^th to not make it a power struggle. Nobody is fighting for their life here, and your partner is not your enemy; any attack you make is actually an attack on yourself. By the 21^st you have found harmony, possibly through the support of your friends and community, or possibly through your own process of gaining a higher perspective on the situation.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

Dear Aquarius,

I hope you’ve had a playful and inspiring June because the upswing of that energy is now ready to carry you into the details of July. This month lives in the routine for you, if you can stand to have one. Creating structure in your life is not about tying you down, it’s about making it easier to work as hard as you want to right now. Plan the first two hours of every day in a way that will foster your productivity and intelligence for the rest of your day. While you are devoted to your work, make sure not to burn yourself out physically. It may be a challenge with all those great ideas flying by, but take things slow, one step at a time, or else you might end up literally tripping over yourself.

Your style needs a redo this month, so get rid of old clothing (or even new clothing), because suddenly the things you were wearing yesterday are just no longer you. Your new style shows up, especially near the end of the month, like a shock of inspiration, and let yourself be surprised by what you might want to wear next. As you near the end of the month your focus turns towards the relationship chapter of your life. If you don’t feel like you’re getting what you want, have you considered just asking? Make sure you ask nicely though or the other person may feel attacked. The 31^st brings a full moon in your sign and a chance to assess where you are in matters of the heart, and whether you are courageous enough for your heart to be open.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

Dear Pisces,

July is your time to play. Ask the great, passionate questions of what it means to be alive, and let your days be about the asking not about the answering (the journey right now is about being willing to wander deeper into your own humanity, not about figuring out the clockwork of the universe). Pick up a paintbrush and paint the question. Write a story that wonders at the great mysteries. Plant flowers. Take a lover. Read some Anais Nin. Spend time with any children you have in your life and watch how they do things – they’ve got the right approach, all wide-eyed wonder and adventure and curiosity.

Be playful in your style as well. Pull out your old photo albums and take tips from your eleven-year-old self; somehow there was an awesome logic to the way you used to dress that might just still work if you can own it with confidence. From the 8^th to the 13^th you are able to express yourself clearly, in fact, you speak in poetry about the strange tides of your imagination that you usually keep to yourself. You are clear, focused, and energized. When the new moon hits on the 15^th, be sure to seek out of balance of the time you spend exploring these tides of your imagination and the time you spend out interacting with the rest of the world. Be sure not to get lost in either your own world or the world out there, but to find yourself in the balance.