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July/August 2007 Starscope
Emotions, Relationships and More Emotions

by Mark Dodich

Mark Dodich

Like the middle of an Oreo cookie, your relationships are squeezed together by emotions this summer - actually, for the rest of the year. It started back on June 15 when logical Mercury turned retrograde in the emotional sign of Cancer. You are charged to communicate emotional needs in a healthy way, balancing head and heart.

Although this communications-breakdown cycle ends on July 9, ideas formed during this three-week cycle come back to bless (or haunt) you come autumn. Blocked, or unexpressed, emotions can fester until aggressive Mars turns retrograde on November 15. Explosive anger can be the result, so take responsibility for communicating in a heart-centered way now.

Help yourself by scheduling extra time for play and relaxation this summer (which is easier said than done this season). Life doesn't seem quite so serious when you step back from emotional tensions. You are releasing expectations so that your divine essence can transform your values to fulfill your desires at a much higher level.

Venus represents value systems, and is retrograde from July 27-Sept. 8. Ruling sweets, she is like the middle of the Oreo cookie caught between Mercury retrograde and the coming lunar eclipse. Retrograde Venus means that you benefit by retreating from the world to review your priorities. Venus represents love, marriage, art, peace, harmony, desires, property and material world resources.

This re-evaluating cycle only happens every year and a half, so slow down and take advantage of it. If you are in relationship, have a sit-down with your partner and review goals and needs. If you are not in relationship, reassess your desires and make an action plan to implement come fall.

Venus also helps you make a budget, establish a financial plan and bring your worldly needs into balance with your personal desires. On a mundane level, home repair and remodeling is well served during this cycle.

Virgo and Leo are the two signs that are highlighted this summer. Venus retrograde begins in Virgo on July 27, signaling a time to clean up your act. Are you in integrity with your emotions? If you have been avoiding an issue that makes you feel vulnerable, now is the time to speak your truth. Just keep it simple so as to not overburden others with excessive details or criticism.

On August 8, Venus backs her way into heart-opening Leo. This is a highly playful energy. Whether your relationship concerns are romance, family or business, create fun activities with them through Labor Day. Lightening up the energies now helps you deal with more serious energies coming in September.

Kicking off those serious energies (Saturn enters Virgo on Sept. 2) is a total lunar eclipse on August 28. Because the moon is very close to the Earth, western U.S. eclipse watchers will see a larger than normal moon.

Moon at perigee amplifies the feeling of being pulled apart emotionally. In the sign Pisces, your choice is to open to a higher vision or to fall into martyrdom. The Sun in goddess Virgo helps you separate clarity from illusion.

When you have a clear intuitive insight, trust it and act upon it. Avoid talking yourself out of doing what your higher self knows must be done. A Pisces eclipse honors actions taken in truth, but it does not offer guarantees. Put aside your fears and step into the unknown.

A lunar eclipse may feel like a tug-of-war going on between your higher self and your worldly expression. This is a good thing! You are being pulled apart to be re-integrated at a greater frequency of spiritual expression.

The key to a successful summer is to invest time in your relationships, especially your relationship to yourself and the God within. It is natural to think of summer as playtime. In spite of increasing worldly responsibilities, support your innate desire for fun this summer.

Autumn energies are going to change significantly, and transforming Pluto's entrance into Capricorn in 2008 will make autumn feel like a walk in the park. Now is the time to have fun!

Mark Dodich has been a professional astrologer and intuitive consultant since 1980. Mark's specialties include Relocation Astrology Maps, Seven Ray Spiritual Purpose Astrology, and he is leading a trip to Egypt in March 2008 as Pluto enters Capricorn (major transformations through 2024). A Free Astrology Primer pdf can be downloaded at www.astromark.us. For a free copy of his ASTROMARK print newsletter, call 503-252-1558.