July begins the other 2014 — the one after the grand cross and Mars retrograde and Venus retrograde and two Mercury retrogrades (the most recent of which ends July 1) and a lot else besides. We now get to experience The Other 2014, the one when Jupiter enters Leo (on July 16) and Mars enters Scorpio (on July 25). With all of this we get a fresh wave of energy, very much in direct motion, with more diversity and easier flow than the kind of running uphill, swimming upstream, debating chaos theory with a mannequin astrological monolith we’ve experienced for the past six months. July brings the one-and-only Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Leo, and the Leo New Moon on July 26. Other dates of interest mixed in with those mentioned above are the Capricorn Full Moon on July 12 and the Sun ingressing Leo on July 22.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — In France, in the United States and in your life, July is the month of independence — when you start to crave emotional independence and start to make moves to design that for yourself. Well, design may be exaggerating a bit; it looks more like emotional jolts that prompt you to invent something new on the spot. The key is to go forward, even if you don’t think you can see the future. Take any unexpected development as an immediate prompt to get yourself in motion. You don’t need to know where you’re going. You just need to orient on one point so that you don’t go in circles. As you do this, all kinds of opportunities are likely to appear, including several from recent months that you were certain you missed. As they appear, you will see them more clearly for what they are.

 

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Your solar chart has become increasingly complex in recent weeks, which is another way of saying you may be less sure about who you are and what you want. It would, however, be far better to pause and not know than it would be to let someone decide for you. I am sure you’ve noticed the human tendency to want others to make our decisions. It saves mental effort and it saves responsibility, but in the end, you sacrifice choice. Or rather, you choose not to choose, in a passive way. I suggest you get underneath this psychology if you’re noticing that it exists. Clearly, you want to expand your horizons; you want some new energy in your physical space; you’re tired of a life that is so obsessively focused on work. If someone is offering you something that you see is appealing, and you want it, take full credit for your choice.

 

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — With Mercury direct and Venus moving through your sign, you have the presence of mind and the charm necessary to resolve any misunderstandings that may have emerged during the recent Mercury retrograde. One particular disagreement may have been about an emotional attachment you had to a value or opinion that does not seem so compelling as it did a month ago. In fact you may be wondering why you cared so much. Without that attachment, you’re in a more conciliatory mood, and someone you care about will welcome your willingness to admit that you may have misjudged or over-communicated, or if appropriate, that you were a bit of a jerk. People move on from these things when they’re handled honestly. You have no need to hang onto the past with so much to look forward to.

 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You have been under a lot of stress the past six months. It’s almost like you’ve done everything right and yet you cannot get the results that you want. It’s good you subscribe to the motto “when you’re going through hell, keep on going” — even if it wasn’t all that bad. Yet so many factors change this month that you have reason to remain not just optimistic but also motivated. In fact I suggest you remain especially motivated on all of the things that you want the most but seem to have been slogging along the most annoyingly. That might include some mix of sex, money, relationships and your career — you know, all the big stuff. Past performance is not an indicator of future returns. Yet the thing that might be the very most dependable indicator is your drive and passion, which will be running with full heat within one month from today. Tap that energy — it’s all yours.

 

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — July arrives with the one-and-only Leo New Moon conjunct Jupiter, at least till 2026 (and that one is not nearly as amazing as the one on July 26 of this year). So — this is the one, and to me it translates to a cosmic I Ching hexagram along the lines of Great Good Fortune. Make the most of it. The main variable seems to be understanding what you want to accomplish. You have a lot of small goals — and you must arrange them in such a way that they add up to something significant, or combine into one basic objective. Said another way, you have the winds of fortune blowing you in any direction you want — and you must focus that direction. It’s likely that you don’t have a name for the thing you want the most. If that is true, then call it “the nameless thing” and start to describe it, and refine your description till you know exactly what you’re talking about.

 

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You may have to adjust your strategy in light of unexpected developments, though that is another way of saying that plenty is brewing behind the scenes that you may not be aware of yet. Don’t mistake this for nothing happening. Mercury’s recent change of directions in the house associated with your professional ambitions is a reminder to pick up the threads on whatever may have been sidetracked about six weeks ago. Reassess that particular goal — you may want or need to revise it, or you may want to fold it into a new plan that has emerged more recently. Either way there is something valuable involved that will help you advance your work and your reputation. I was about to write “if you’re interested,” though I see every reason to be interested, and to get yourself there if you’re having the least hesitation.

 

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Whatever enterprises you get involved in could work out very well for you — if you remember what you’ve learned during the past couple of seasons, and if you keep a positive view of what is possible. Those two conditions might be difficult to hold in one thought or gesture, mainly due to so many persistent challenges this year. I know how this can be, when you expect adversity because you’ve experienced it, then you create it by expecting it. Do what you can to get out of this cycle. By the last week of July so many factors will have changed that you will be convinced far more is possible than you’ve experienced any time recently. Between now and then, you may have your doubts, though I suggest investing your energy in something more creative or pleasure-oriented rather than on regrets or worry.

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — For most of the month Mars is making its way across the last degrees of Libra, on its way into your sign. Think of this as something trying to break through to the surface of your awareness — something that might feel edgy in a way you don’t understand. What you’re feeling is likely to be different from your experiences since Mars entered Libra last December, which was the beginning of a long odyssey. Now, change is imminent. You just may not be sure if you really want it. This is, of course, a theme of its own for you. This would be a good time to ponder whether any element of the past you’re attached to is really worth keeping. There are many new passions and ambitions coming into your life — I suggest you make space for them, which means for yourself.

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — This month may go down in the history of your life as the moment you set yourself free. This is the quest of Sagittarius, and it’s easier in thought than it is in reality. Yet you’ve been releasing yourself from various bonds one at a time. Something that happened back in April comes to mind, and had that development not occurred you would be in a different situation right now. Yet that merely prepared the ground for what is possible. The real step is the one that you must take on your own, because you recognize that it’s possible and because you know that you can. Your charts suggest that anything you do will work out, as long as you feel good about it. That’s a suggestion to do the thing that you feel the very best about. Note, making one choice does not necessarily preclude another. Start with what you want the most.

 

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You seem ready to let go of some of the responsibility you’ve taken on, though I suggest you do it in an orderly and structured way. You have a right to make decisions that serve your best interests, and it’s also good to remember that your reputation follows you. So I suggest you make this a conscious process of exchange, based on several core lessons you’ve learned during the various adventures and misadventures going back to your birthday. All that experience was there to teach you something about yourself, though it’s possible to forget even the hardest-learned lessons. These you want to remember, because that’s the most likely way you’ll be able to prevent them from happening again — and the most likely way you will recognize something different and much better when you see it.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Over the next four weeks cosmic activity moves into the signs Leo and Scorpio, which I would say is excellent news for you. Mars and Jupiter, who were star players in the grand cross of 2014, change signs within a few weeks of one another. It’s often difficult for people to get the relationship aspect of their lives into harmony with the professional aspects; in fact this creates more tension than just about anything. Yet Jupiter in Leo will open up the possibilities in nearly all of your relationships. Mars in Scorpio will focus your drive and ambition. This is a dynamic mix of energies — though if you stay open-minded and open to change, what could be a clash will be more like a starburst into another world of possibilities. Let every step you take be a step in that direction.

 

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Water signs are sensitive to their environments — I believe more sensitive than any other kind of sign, and Pisces is the most delicate among them. It helps to have the Sun and planets in any of the water signs, and it helps when other elements provide some additional vitality. Later this month — I wish it were sooner, but all in good time — Jupiter and the Sun move into your house of vitality and wellbeing. This will ease some of the stress you’ve been under at work, allowing ideas rather than work to carry some more of the effort. Then Mars exits your house of contracts (Libra) and ingresses your house of faith in yourself (Scorpio). On Aug. 1, the two make contact, which looks to me like you will be getting just the infusion of energy and passion that you need. Till then, easy does it — as easy as you can, anyway.