Meet Stella & My Final Monthly Forecast

Happy summer everyone! I’m back… kind of…

Our bambino, Stella Grace (pictured above a few days after her birth lying on the carpet in her nursery) is now fourteen weeks old. For those who follow me on Instagram, you’ll already know the story of her birth. For those who don’t, you might recall that in my March blog post, I mused on the possibility of having a baby with zero fire in her chart as I was originally given a C section date of March 18. So, after months of finagling with my OBGYN, I was able to nail down a date of March 22. (A Scorpio Moon – so definitely not my first choice – but an Aries Sun which I wanted, so this was a trade-off.) I had another surgeon lined up because my OB was on holidays that whole week, but then that other surgeon backed out, and less than a week before the surgery, a third surgeon came on board. Anyway, after all of this, I was given my date and time, and I crossed my legs until March 22. Stella’s arrival into the world was scheduled for 10 am, and I knew that chart. Of course, I was at the hospital by 8 am, and at 8:45 am, I was told by the nurses that the C section scheduled before me had been cancelled so the team of doctors and nurses were ready for me now.

I was like… Um… Can you give me a few minutes to think about this?

They looked at me puzzled. My husband saw my panic and he said – just tell them… And then he piped up and said, “She’s an astrologer and she wants to make sure the birth time is a good one.”

Cue silence. [If you’re reading this blog, you probably know all too well the sound of THAT silence.]

And then one nurse said hesitantly and rather unconvincingly, “that’s cool?” (Yes, her voice went up at the end.)

I hastily texted my friend for the current sky stats because my app on my phone wasn’t working properly. The Ascendant was just about to hit Algol Caput (Ick!), and Venus (chart ruler) was besieged by Saturn and Mars. I felt panicked. I took a breath and said – “I am really sorry but I would like to wait until closer to 10 am.” (Now, for a people-pleasing double Pisces, Libra-rising like me, this was a big deal… and perhaps life lesson number one from dear Stella.)

But they did. They waited. Just like that. No problem. (They might have been miming “she’s crazy” somewhere out in the hall, but I didn’t see it.)

So a team of nine medical professionals (I had no idea how many of them it took!) including three doctors waited around for the next hour (literally waited around in the hallway) until 9:55 am once the Ascendant entered a couple of degrees into Gemini. One of the nurses came back to me at that point and said, is it an okay time now to get you going? I nodded. And Stella was born at 10:21 am. (I had predicted she would be born at 10:20 am weeks prior so not bad.)

Yes, I realize that her chart ruler is in fall in the sign of Pisces but it is embraced by a beautiful Jupiter on one side and a beautiful Neptune on the other side, all in the 11th house. This triple Piscean sensitivity is offset by a Venus-Mars-Saturn stellium in Aquarius sitting on the Midheaven being squared by Uranus and of course that fighting Aries Sun and Scorpio Moon controlled by Mars. And as a friend pointed out, she has fixed star Aldebaran on the Ascendant. This girl knows what she wants!

So I did my best (within limits) to start Stella off in the world by giving her what I thought was some strength – some fire and fight along with sensitivity (a reminder she will likely need at times reflected in her middle name).

My last monthly forecast…

With a five-year old and a not yet four-month-old (how cute are they?), obviously priorities shift quite quickly. Upon bringing Stella home, I was overcome with emotion at how huge our Evie looked. Instead of this little, not quite five year old baby, she instantly became this lanky, grown up girl. My heart hurt. Where had the time gone? How was she this giant already telling me she wanted to be a scientist when she grew up and reading children’s encyclopedias?

With this in mind, as I was putting together this forecast, it became glaringly apparent that I’m spending hours away from my daughters, putting all this content together for free because….? Hmm. Well, I’m passionate about astrology, love writing about it and educating others about it. But—my even part-time schedule is so full of this joy, teaching my students and consulting with clients—that I need to start being smarter with my time. So… you know where this is going: this will be my last monthly forecast posted for free here on my website. I might offer a monthly subscription as other astrologers do for a low monthly fee, but to be honest, there is so much free material out there that I’m not even sure there would be a demand or need for that. Feel free to shoot me a message with your thoughts. Would you pay a small fee ($5/month) for these forecasts? If not, I get it!

I will still maintain this blog and write when I feel compelled to do so, but it will inevitably be less frequent. Thus, dear friends, here are my thoughts on what to expect in July.

July 1 – Mars square Pluto

Canada Day sees some potential literal fireworks with Mars square Pluto. This influence happens once every couple of years, and I’m never really a fan of this because it usually correlates with some sort of sudden violence. If this aspect isn’t making contact with important angles or planets in your chart, not to worry. There could be an underlying tension in the air, so it’s just something to keep in mind.

July 2 – Mercury square Neptune

This is a lovely day for day-dreaming, song-writing, painting or curling up with a work of fiction, but not the best day for signing contracts or thinking clearly.

July 5 – Mars & Mercury change signs

Today, Mars leaves its domicile (read: favourite) placement of Aries and enters Taurus where it isn’t too happy. Mars, the God of War, is all about quick thinking action. Taurus, the originator of “bull headed,” is not these things! There’s going to be a struggle over the next several weeks with this energy in place. Quick tidbit though – while this placement can cause issues in a natal chart especially depending upon its placement and aspects, I also associate it with the fiercest determination a person can have. This is a “I will do this if it kills me” placement. (My advice to these individuals is usually to make sure that doesn’t happen and try to pivot a bit more if that’s possible.) In a similar story, Mercury leaves its favourite place of Gemini and enters the sign of Cancer. Our communication and decision-making skills get a bit more sentimental with this placement as Cancer prefers feelings to the cold and clear facts of Gemini.

Another tidbit: I can usually spot a Mercury in Cancer placement especially when they fill out my online form for rectification. In the form, I ask for important dates (month/day/year) and what kind of event it was. So, a typical response would be: “Married – June 30, 2000 in Toronto, Ontario.” Not with a Mercury in Cancer. Their responses are often: “Married – June 30, 2000. As I was walking down the aisle, I knew this wasn’t the right man for me…” and the text continues for a long paragraph. Anyway, the point is to connect with others emotionally during these next few weeks as this is a great use of this energy. Get out that journal as well and reconnect to those words on the paper.

July 8 – Moon in Scorpio opposite Mars in Taurus

This is such a quick, passing influence that I’m probably the only astrologer noting it but with both planets in unhappy places, there’s a volatility in the air today worth noting. (And no, there’s not a mutual reception because they are both in poor zodiacal state and in a serious conflict with each other!)

July 14 – Venus square Neptune

Relationships and finances could be a bit confusing or tricky. Just go with it.

July 17 – A sweet, watery day

As I looked at the ephemeris for today, it just struck me as kind of lovely (but I’m a double Pisces after all). The Sun is in sweet Cancer and trines Neptune. Mercury (conjunct the Sun) is also trine Neptune. The Moon is in dreamy Pisces, and Venus enters the sign of Cancer. When I’m making plans, I’ll be focusing on spending time with close friends and family or carving away some “me” time in front of the piano (yes, I put it in quotations because it is pretty theoretical these days).

July 18 – Mercury opposition Pluto

Communication could get a bit intense at times; please also keep this in mind when signing contracts.

July 19 – Mercury enters Leo and Sun opposite Pluto

Mercury leaves behind sensitive Cancer and enters expressive Leo. (Yes, that’s my delicate way of saying that communications become louder, bolder and even more dramatic.) Tell it like it is now, says a Leo Mercury. This same day, the Sun is opposed by Pluto which adds a boldness as well over the next couple of days.

July 22 – Sun enters Leo

Here we go… The Sun walks out of the quiet house where he has been socializing with family via low key dinner parties over the last month and runs/skips/boogies into the party zone. This is where the fun is truly had—the Sun on its throne of Leo. If you were born with a Leo Sun, you have a natural advantage in life. Where is that advantage? Well, it kind of helps you overall but especially whatever house has Leo on the cusp in your chart. (Of course aspects and other factors play into it – I’m thinking of Terry Fox’s Leo Sun in the 12th house with a lot of other difficulties in his chart.) But, overall, it’s a reason to celebrate, and we know you will Leo!

July 23 – Mercury trine Jupiter

A very subtle background aspect that indicates a nice day for communications, writing and learning.

July 25 – Venus square Jupiter

You’ll want to eat the entire carton of ice cream today, and you know what, just do it. It won’t kill you.

July 26 – Mercury square Mars

Okay, you are having serious regrets today about eating that entire carton of ice cream yesterday. Don’t get too angry at yourself (Mercury-Mars square) and try not to lash out at others because you feel like you just gained another five pounds. There’s hope around the corner.

July 28 – New Moon 5 degrees Leo (1:55 pm) / Jupiter retrograde / Mercury square Uranus

It’s a new Moon in Leo! Rejoice! You can start over again… it feels fresh and new… except Jupiter is heading backwards which might be a bummer for those with strong Aries placements. Jupiter has a couple of things to finish off in the final degrees of Pisces before he leaves it for good and spends the next six months straight in Aries. Just be patient, Aries, you’ll get yours! (Brief aside: the Mercury-Uranus square could invoke some insights and/or anxiety today as well.)

July 31 – Mercury opposition Saturn and Sun trine Jupiter

Mercury-Saturn oppositions are usually bummers; serious thoughts and discussions are highlighted, but with a lovely Sun-Jupiter trine this same day, perhaps this indicates working things out to achieve a positive result for everyone. It feels like the difficulties of the day are for something greater, so hang in there, work through it and trust in the result.

That’s all she wrote for now astro friends!
xo
M