Independence Day brings Mercury retrograde at 1:34 in the afternoon, in the 2^nd degree of Leo. In Retrograde Planets: Traversing the Inner Landscape, Erin Sullivan provides a downright poetic description of the (approximate) three weeks of Mercury's retrograde: "The retrograde cycle is part of the archetypal journey from a known place, or from a set of values, which are suddenly thrown into question. Then follows the transition from that place of certainty down into the place of the unknown... It is in this liminal place the wisdom of the unconscious is allowed to loosen and float to the surface, giving instruction from that most intelligent source, the intuition." The dread one feels due to Mercury's retrograde is directly proportional to the dread experienced at exploring one's inner world and relinquishing "that place of certainty". It is also the case that the created world in which we all must find our way simply doesn't allow time for inner pursuits. With this cycle beginning in Leo and ending in Cancer - Mercury retrograde actually spends most of its time in Cancer - one dimension to explore is exactly how much of your feeling life are you willing to expose? How much is it wise to expose? Are you expressing yourself as you really are, or is your outer presentation (Leo) radically different from your feelings (Cancer)? Is the "face" you've developed designed to hide your sensitivities? There are endless possibilities here; just bear in mind that Cancer represents the inner world of feelings, while Leo represents the outer expression of those feelings. Let yourself abandon that "known place" until Mercury goes direct on 7/28. Then allow your intuition to guide you out of that "place of the unknown" to a "new known". Cancer and Leo, in my observation, are the two signs wherein we have the best possibility for really getting to know ourselves. To be successful in this, you must first surrender your self-concept(s) and the way you present yourself to the world.

Inner discovery will get an early boost on the 5^th of July, when Mars opposes Neptune (appear 180 degrees opposite) and Venus squares Uranus (appear at right angles to each other). Venus and Mars are pivotal in early childhood in that they form the basis for personal interactions. Bruno and Louise Huber have a particularly interesting angle on Uranus and Neptune. Uranus is actually seeking order, not chaos! It just so happens that in the search for a new order, chaos ensues; chaos is simply a by-product of the search for a different order. Neptune seeks identity, not loss of identity via negation of ego. We always tend to sell ourselves short in the ways we identify ourselves; the truth of who we are is typically too great to handle. Confusion inevitably follows the abandonment of our narrow self-image, hence the association of Neptune with confusion. Remember this as you journey to the "place of the unknown". Jupiter turns direct July 6^th, in the 9^th degree of Scorpio. In The Galactic Times, Philip Sedgwick writes this "truly makes everyone antsy and edgy as the recall of unfulfilled dreams reenters the consciousness in the interest off inspiring a reconcentrated life effort. Should a person have felt as if they navigated through the dark and dealt with an unusually large measure of underworldly affairs, there's the reason." That "dark world" is Scorpio, and "unusually large" refers to Jupiter. Since March 4^th, when Jupiter went retrograde, we've all been deluged with our own and others' potential for "darkness". This could refer to the Jungian concept of "shadow", which in no way implies only that which is nasty and evil!!! The Shadow also refers to latent talents and abilities that have lain dormant, perhaps even actively suppressed. Why would they be suppressed?! As Jupiter moves direct, you'll be able to answer that question for yourself...and you should! And then you should make the necessary changes to move those talents from the "latent" to the "active" dimension. Scorpio ensures there is positively no more powerful time to achieve this, and it won't occur again for about another 11 years.

The Sun and Mercury retrograde conjoin in Cancer the same day Venus enters Cancer, the 18^th. The Sun-Mercury retrograde conjunction, called the inferior conjunction, is the moment in Mercury's cycle when it comes closest to Earth. Viewed symbolically, this is the moment when you have greatest access to the unconscious. Venus supports a greater sensitivity to and partnership with that part of your psyche - a sort of coming together of the conscious with the unconscious. But nothing is automatic! You do have to make a space for some quiet time in order to "hear" that part of yourself.

Mars enters Virgo the same day the Sun enters Leo, making us more attuned to the fine adjustments we have to make in our egos so we don't overdo our involvements in a misguided attempt to look bigger-and better - than we really are. The Hubers call the 30 degree semi-sextile aspect "the small step forward", and no sign better addresses small steps than Virgo. It's not unusual to feel off-center under the semi-sextile, so just get comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable for a few days.

I recently heard a Jungian lecture in which the presenter perfectly described the task of Leo. Mesoamerican mythology holds that we are given only a face and a heart at birth, and that we must work all our lives to make the heart pure and the face a true reflection of the heart. During the next month, bear this in mind, and consider the enormous requirement of Leo.

Mercury will go direct in the early evening of July 28^th, in the 22^nd degree of Cancer. In An Astrological Mandala, Dane Rudhyar envisions this degree as "longing for the unknown visitation", and "the concretization of a spiritual image...is hoped for and expected...in the silence of the inner sea of consciousness." Such an image underscores the very real possibility for making significant, meaningful changes.

July offers a sequence of opening doors. All you have to do is walk through them. Simpler said than done, but very possible, nonetheless.