Although this week begins with a major holiday in the U.S., the real fireworks — astrologically speaking — won’t show up until the end of the week: the Capricorn Full Moon on Sunday, July 9. Eric has written your weekly horoscopes specifically about this event; on our way there, the sky will be busy.

Glowing spin-toy, July 4, 2012. Photo by Amanda Painter.

First, a quick note about the July 4 astrology for U.S. readers. The main thing to keep in mind is that Mercury in Cancer will be square Uranus in Aries. Given that Independence Day tends to involve activities like driving, boating, drinking and fireworks — often in crowded situations — Mercury-Uranus emphasizes the need to stay grounded and focused, while also staying flexible enough to respond to surprises and sudden changes of thoughts or plans.

We also have two ‘personal’ planets changing sign this week. Venus moves into Gemini later on Tuesday; and Mercury enters Leo Wednesday night into Thursday. See if you notice a shift in your mental and emotional tone, especially in social situations.

That said, the real driver of interpersonal relations looks to be this building Full Moon in one week. It’s quite a chart: the Cancer Sun opposite the Moon in Capricorn, exactly one degree away from Pluto — the god of change and power. Mars in Cancer is in the picture (it’s separating from the Sun and Pluto, but the Moon will be applying to Mars). And all four of those bodies are within range to pick up on Uranus and Eris in Aries, via square aspect.

As Eric describes it, one take on the contrast inherent in this Full Moon is between a deep sense of isolation (Moon and Pluto) and the need to connect with a feeling of kinship (Sun and planets in Cancer). He writes, “We are terrified of loneliness, yet there are times when it’s necessary, and times when we would seem to have no choice. If you seem to have no choice, consider whether being alone is what you really need.”

On another level, if you’ve been pouring your energy into something like devotion to purpose, dharma or caring for something larger than yourself, the Full Moon is likely to deepen this, or to make it a more powerful driver in your life — thanks to the presence of Pluto. At the same time, Pluto also indicates this would be a good time to check on your levels of honesty, ambition and ethics. Where do you need to tune things up? Where have you slipped off course?

Whatever the Full Moon brings will require acceptance on a deep level, and will leave you different (and feeling different) on the other side. This could mean enforced change in some facet of your behavior or your life’s trajectory; it could also mean developing your devotion to your soul’s path with concrete, tangible actions.

Like all oppositions, a Full Moon indicates the need to negotiate each side of an equation to achieve resolution. But not all oppositions involve Pluto, which raises the stakes and will likely intensify the effects. Pluto’s presence also suggests that the more your ambitions are focused on serving the greater good, the more power you’ll likely have at your disposal to move your life forward by making some changes. Are you willing to allow that to work through you?