By Amanda Painter

With the Sun in Leo as of Sunday, we’re in the midst of an eventful week — it’s possible you’ve been feeling some pressure, or a sense of uncertainty or restlessness. Early today, Mercury stations retrograde in Leo (in fact, it’s probably already retrograde as you read this); then, tomorrow (Friday), we get the second of three eclipses in a series. That will be a total eclipse of the Moon in Aquarius, conjunct retrograde Mars.

Photo of the 2016 Capricorn Full Moon by Amanda Painter.

Not everyone will be feeling this astrology the same way. For example, one friend of mine reported yesterday a series of “flip-flopped” events: things that would normally be upsetting or seemed on a track to get worse suddenly turned out okay or were actually blessings.

I, on the other hand, got a little “stuck” in a train of thought that was emotionally and energetically depleting on Tuesday.

So bear in mind that your mileage may vary. One person’s “energizing” is another person’s “exhausting.”

Whatever might be happening in your life, listen to your body, be willing to try something new to shift perspective, stay open to possibility, and keep your patience and senses of curiosity and humor at hand. They’re valuable tools all the time, but especially with astrology like we’re experiencing now.

The Sun and Moon are moving into opposition with each other across the Leo-Aquarius axis for the Aquarius Full Moon, exact at 4:20 pm EDT (20:20:15 UTC) on July 27. The lunar eclipse reaches totality about a minute and a half later, and will be visible in these areas. On Aug. 11, we’ll get the third and final eclipse in this series: a partial solar eclipse with the Leo New Moon.

As mentioned, Mercury stations retrograde in late Leo today, at 1:02 am EDT (5:02:18 UTC). It does so while in contact with other fire-sign planets.

Just one of those events on its own would be news, involving a lot of energy needing to be channeled constructively. Together, they’re big news.

Probably the most important detail is that all of this is happening against the backdrop of Mars retrograding through Aquarius. In fact, the Moon at the time of Friday’s lunar eclipse will be conjunct Mars and the lunar South Node.

We therefore have a picture of the potential to release and reshuffle old social patterns. Aquarius is the sign of groups — especially elite groups — and also tends to hold patterns. When the Moon is conjunct its own South Node during an eclipse, that generally indicates a release point for something.

So we can put those ingredients together and see a recipe for something like opening the air valve on an inner tube (if you’ll excuse the mixed metaphor). You might not be able to float down the river the way you used to, but there are plenty of ways to repurpose that rubber. With a little ingenuity, it could even be made into something that benefits more than just one person at a time.

In other words, the energy it took for you to maintain some kind of pattern or social structure that isn’t working well becomes available for something else, perhaps a different way of relating, that is better aligned with who you are. Note, however, that Mars retrograde continues for another month; and the next eclipse won’t happen for another two weeks. The release point represented by tomorrow’s lunar eclipse is not an end goal, but rather the beginning of a new phase of an ongoing process. The effects of the current eclipses could take a good six to twelve months to develop.

In the meantime, take it easy on the spending, contracts, fast driving and impulsive communication. As mentioned, Mercury stations retrograde in Leo today. I suspect that anything to do with your ‘image’ in the Mercury-related categories just mentioned — or with your ability to control an outcome — could pose particular challenges and might not work out as envisioned.

Take your time with the details. Something might even turn out better than you anticipated, even if it does not look that way at first. Remember that if you see rapids in your river, your best bet is usually to point your kayak in their direction so you can work with the current, not against it.

Note also that Mercury will station retrograde during the approach to this eclipse while in a grand fire trine with Eris in Aries and Vesta in Sagittarius. Stay focused on what matters most, no matter how chaotic things feel. That’s how humanity wins out — one heart, one mind, one soul, one unique interaction at a time.

Eric has now completed all 12 signs of The Sacred Space of Self, the 2018 Spring Reading on Chiron’s transition into Aries, and Mars retrograde in Aquarius over the summer. Order today and get all 12 signs for just $99. Check out our sample videos here, and the full Guide to Chiron Transits here.