Astro4Business Intersections

Anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Hello, everyone.

A full week ahead with Mercury and Venus changing signs and both planets highlighted by aspects in the latter part of the week.  Uranus proceeds into retrograde motion on Monday; with unpredictable Uranus, expect the unexpected all week.  And the New Moon and Solar Eclipse end the week with a need for withdrawal and reflection.

Monday

Each year Uranus spends five months in retrograde motion.  Retrograde motion is a visual event rather than an astronomical one.  From our vantage point on earth, it looks like the planet begins to move backward against the backdrop of the constellations.

When Uranus entered the sign of Aries a few weeks ago, we were probably flooded with new ideas for our business, innovations we couldn’t wait to try, restructuring whose time had finally come.  We may have been “on fire” with potential and possibility.

We’ve come into retrograde motion so quickly, but perhaps not a moment too soon.  Especially with unpredictable Uranus in impulsive, risk-loving Aries, those innovations we were so fired up about could probably use a second look.  And this is the gift of retrograde motion – it gives us a chance to retrace our steps, to check initial results against our expectations, and to correct decisions before they can do real damage.

When a planet moves into retrograde motion, we can experience reversals and disruptions for a week on either side.  The tricky part about the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, is that the reversals could well seem to be coming from forces outside yourself:  that new project doesn’t get approved after all, that funding doesn’t come through as scheduled.  If this is your experience, take a step back.  Uranus can act suddenly and swiftly but after a couple of weeks, as we adjust to the retrograde energy, we’ll discover the purpose for the setback.  And then we’ll be thanking our lucky stars!

Thursday

Thursday can be an absolutely wonderful day if we can find the sweet spot between our desire for personal acclaim and acknowledging how much we owe to others for our success.  Venus in Leo wants personal recognition but is opposed by Neptune in Aquarius.  Neptune always asks us to focus on what’s similar between us rather than what is unique in one of us. During this long transit of Neptune in Aquarius, we’re all interdependent with support coming virtually from near and far.  If we remember to give credit where credit is due today, it will be easy to make connections that last.

And with a Mercury/Saturn sextile today, our communications will tend to be serious and accomplishment oriented.  No frivolous chatting today.  If you have an important meeting, keep in mind the Venus/Neptune advice above, but be sure to display your own credentials too.  Rational, logical, and well-prepared will impress others today.

Friday

On Friday, the messenger of the gods, Mercury, enters Leo where he may think he is god!  Mercury rules our rational mind and when he’s in Leo, we may tend to think that everything we think is the absolute truth and each one of our words should be taken as authority.   We may be out to prove the superiority of our intellects while Mercury is in Leo, but so will everyone else.  This is a time to warn your team to take it down a notch, and not come across as overconfident or bullying.

Just after Mercury moves into Leo it forms an excellent aspect with Uranus, newly retrograde in Aries.  This may give you your first glimmering of how best to proceed if you faced unexpected disruptions this week.  And I would say that communication is the key.  Make sure your team knows if the direction has changed and open the door for their suggestions.

Saturday

Venus changes signs today, from flashy Leo to work-oriented Virgo, and you may experience this as a bit of a come-down.  The flair and drama of Leo gives way to a more grounded, practical interchange with others and our social instincts will tend toward “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”  A very serious financial planner may emerge from within you as well who will watch every penny.  After the overly-generous Leo stint, this could be a welcome relief.

The Sun in Cancer also teams up with Mars in Virgo which makes us seriously consider each and every action.  We only want to act if we have a plan and are pretty certain how everything will turn out.  It’s fine; if you spend the day arranging, problem-solving, and organizing, you’ll be happy (Venus in Virgo) and productive (Mars in Virgo.)

Sunday

Sunday should start off upbeat and confident with an early aspect between Mercury in Leo and Jupiter in Aries.  You may feel over-optimistic and sure all your problems will be resolved, but that’s not a bad signal to send out into the universe, is it?

Your energy may flag, though, as the day continues and we encounter the New Moon in Cancer with an eclipse of the Sun.  The New Moon is a time to remain fairly quiet and indrawn if possible and even more so with an eclipse.

The New Moon is a day of conception, when deep in the recesses of our psyches new ideas are born.  When the Solar energy is eclipsed by the Moon, we feel more keenly the introspective and intuitive feminine energy of the Moon.  This is why the day of the eclipse should be spent enjoying interior activities, at home, in quiet spaces.  Meditating and visioning are great ways to spend the day of the eclipse; traveling and working are not.  Even if you must work and interact with the public, try to reserve some part of your day for resting and silence.

Have a great week!

If you’d like to explore retrograde motion, see these posts:

Elegant Stillness

Retracing Your Steps – Retrograde Motion

What did you miss?

If you’d like to explore Neptune in Aquarius, see these posts:

Neptune in Aquarius – let’s get connected!

Neptune in Aquarius – mind to mind connecting

Neptune in Aquarius – Inspired Minds

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – July 2010

For more info on the planets influencing the week, see

The Sun

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune