Weekly Forecast 7.8.24: Venus Takes Charge
The ruler of women and justice is the puppeteer behind July's intense astrological transits, and she seems awfully pissed off.
What is happening?!
It is July 9th, and as we sweat beneath the fiery beams of a kajillion megawatt star, the globe and her inhabitants are bustling about elections, governance, money, criminality, human rights, and land rights - namely, we are wondering if any of those things should exist or not. We’ve been enduring dynamic, dramatic transfers of power on the ground as well as in the sky since Pluto tipped into Aquarius this past January; something like 80% of Earth’s citizens are voting in elections this year, and they aren’t the sleepy, re-elect-whoever-is-already-there-so-we-can-forget-it sort of affairs, either. In the United States, we get to choose between two rich peepaws whose major platforms seem to be, “We like power and we don’t want to release any of it. Vote, or don’t. Whatever. We’ll still have all the money. YOO-ESS-AYE!!!” This set-up has been making American citizenry weary for some time now, but the installation of an unapologetic criminal in our government and fallout from a worldwide plague seems to have tipped society from weary to enraged in record time. And this is just on one planet!
Astrologically, we are in the thick of Cancer season; a pivotal house in the chart of the sky that holds origin, family, home, and love as the root of our existence. People tend to be very in their feelings about even the smallest thing when planets transit the sign of The Crab, and given the conditions outlined above, they’re having understandably wacky, loud reactions to the trying stimuli of 2024. While this week begins more pleasantly than some others, it contains ominous undertones that increase in weight by the weekend as we look around with held breath, wondering when the next catastrophe will strike. Many of us will seek out comfort in the form of hedonism or new experiences thanks to a Venus sextile gracing the skies through Thursday, so creative projects, date nights, and Tinder forays are the kinds of activities guaranteed to dominate until we hit the weekend.
Delusion and misinformation has been thick on the ground and is only increasing in density, like the infamous ‘pea soup’ fogs of London, only instead of pollution particulates, our miasma is comprised of paid pundits, chaos actors, conspiracy theorists, and the weird digital mutterings of the masses. As various socio-political issues metastasize, Mercury continues to delight in showering us with gallons of conflicting information, much of which is intended to confuse and misdirect. Results from last week’s French elections trended in exactly the opposite direction of mainstream predictions, and American press can’t decide if our current Commander-in-Chief is the most transformative leader, the most divisive leader, or the least alive leader The White House has ever seen. Perhaps he’s all three.
This is all to say that if you feel insane, you are not alone, and if you feel like retracting into a drug-addled cocoon with only the handful of people you trust on this planet…that’s fair. Our moon cycle in feminine Cancer just kicked off on Friday, which gives us four weeks to manifest a safe, or safe-er, haven in which to hide when the rest of 2024’s astrology smacks us in the face. The usual suspects when it comes to astrological violence are still involved; Mars contributes his knee-jerk combativeness in a scary conjunction to Uranus next week, and Pluto’s signature dark revelations will increase in volume throughout the rest of July. Those are not the gods in charge, however. The god in charge of this entire week/month/year’s chess game isn’t a god at all, but the lone goddess in a pantheon of egotistical misogynists who are so self-involved they often forget that she’s there. Many women on Earth can empathize.
Why would this affect me?
To grasp the scope of what Venus is doing, we need to look back at the very pivotal solar eclipse on April 8th of this year. The moon and sun met in Aries, which is a Mars-ruled house, and it was sextile to Jupiter in Taurus, which is a Venus-ruled house. Still with me? Good. Jupiter makes everything bigger, since Zeus never met a plant, animal, or woman he didn’t want to ingest, so Venus was low-key directing the most transformative eclipse of the last 200 years.
(Why wasn’t Mars directing it, some of you may wonder? Well, one element that was almost exactly conjunct the eclipse was the south lunar node, which happens to be sitting in Libra, another Venus-ruled house. Plus, Jupiter’s size overrules most things in his vicinity, so a Jupiter in Taurus is much stronger than a sun or moon in Aries. In an archetypal sense, Ares defaulted to Aphrodite for 99.9% of their mythological timeline because he’s a temperamental little bitch and our love goddess is quite compelling. I believe an appropriate term the kids use is ‘pussy whipped’.)
On April 20th, shortly after the solar eclipse, Jupiter and Uranus met up in Taurus to perfect a deeply transformational, rare conjunction that will reverberate across the rest of the decade. Here again - through her feminine earth sign focused on sensuality, money, and tradition - Venus controlled the narrative of a major 2024 aspect. It feels as though the femme planet of beauty and justice is gathering power as she angles for the right moment, the right placement on the chess board of the sky from which to execute a stunning coup. So what is the coup about?
Any number of things may be on the Graeco-Roman goddess’ agenda; bodily autonomy, femicide, women suffering in war zones, and the economic fallout from unchecked capitalism would all fall beneath her purview. War and its consequences were a clear highlight of the April eclipse, after which we saw college protests explode across the country right along the path of totality. This makes sense if we consider that the sun and moon were in a Mars-ruled sign during the occultation, and Ares is Aphrodite’s aforementioned pussy-whipped lover. In the U.S., communication channels have been clogged all spring with history-making indictments, SCOTUS rulings, and various courtroom dramas, aligning neatly with Venus’ most well-known affect; the scales of justice.
Yesterday, after a lovely sextile to Mercury, Venus moved from Cancer to Leo and will position herself for an intense opposition with Pluto on Friday. All the planets tend to discover their weepy, introverted sides when they transit Cancer, and Venus is no exception. However, Venus is remarkably more comfortable in Cancer than anyone (aside from the moon herself) thanks to hefty feminine crossover between all things Venusian and lunar. So the parts of our charts that contain Venus have been focused on nesting, nurturing, and preparing to weather any storm that comes our way.
Now that she’s in Leo, Venus will be much louder and pushier with her agenda, which will always include femme issues, art, and justice. Once Venus opposes Pluto, which she will do this week, public conversations, aesthetics, and interpersonal relationships could get wild and unsettling - like, Lady Gaga Meat Dress unsettling, in the sense that we could feel simultaneously intrigued, attracted, and disgusted. Pluto in Aquarius brings wealth, death, and secrets to the table (which adds more heft to the economic angle of the week) and Venus in Leo brings fire, charisma, and feminine wiles to the space directly opposite Hades, which will imbue our weekend with a variety of strange vibes.
The enlightened aspects of a fixed opposition between Venus and Pluto are increased adventurousness, flirtation, and depth of curiosity; it may feel as though we are all on a date in a David Lynch film. Shadow possibilities of this aspect can be severe, however, and may include obsession, stalking, domestic violence, and violation of boundaries, which I suppose is also part and parcel of any David Lynch film. Long story short, this weekend might see us collectively vacillating between being turned-on and creeped out.
When do I have to deal with this?
MON/TUES 7.8/7.9 - Execute Your Magnum Opus Days
Mercury in Leo Qualities: Smooth-talking, Egocentric, Persuasive, Attractive
Jupiter in Gemini Qualities: Exploratory, Curious, Multi-faceted, Fast-talking
These two form a sextile that carries through to Thursday and will facilitate any persuasive arguments we need to make, whether that means getting a loan, starting a business, or applying for jobs. Luck is on our side this week with any endeavor requiring communication, so get out there and hustle.
Venus in Cancer Qualities: Empathetic, Intuitive, Introverted, Prioritizes Comfort
Uranus in Taurus Qualities: Artful Innovation, Creative, Revolutionary, Prioritizes Radical Beauty
Another beneficial sextile, this time between Venus and Uranus, is perfect for birthing radical creative projects throughout the week. Start your book, grab oil paints, execute some performance art involving squirrels and teeny, flavored lip balm…whatever floats your boat.
WED 7.10 - Listen to Your Dad Day
Sun in Cancer Qualities: Domestic, Caring, Protective, Emotional, Prioritizes Security
Saturn in Pisces Qualities: Wisdom and Hard Truths Meant to Improve Collective Experience
The sun and Saturn form a watery trine today, and it’s going to make authorities, institutions, and father-figures very conducive to appeals for guidance and assistance. This is a rare moment of our normally dogmatic elders actually giving good advice, so let’s take it. Traditionally masculine archetypes of leadership could be pertinent, either because they are sharing their power with us or throwing it behind a sympathetic cause. Fine, Dad. Tell us what to do.
FRI 7.12 - A Day of Aesthetic Weirdness and Sexual Tension
Pluto in Aquarius Qualities: Bringing Dark Truths to The Masses
Venus in Leo Qualities: Aggressive and Persuasive Sexuality
So these two are going to be staring at each other, tensely, across the wheel of the zodiac, while the rest of us succumb to Christian Grey’s dungeon, frequent a cocktail bar for vampires, or or protest our local constabulary wearing a latex gimp suit. It will be something weird and wonderful, hopefully, but never ignore the shadows; Pluto and Venus together can also illuminate old wounds involving sex, secrets, and money.
MON 7.15 - Explosive Innovation and Possible Conflict Day
Mars in Taurus Qualities: Unflinching in Combat, Single-Minded, Righteously Brutal
Uranus in Taurus Qualities: Innovation, Aesthetic Updates, Improvement through Destruction
So, our war god is forming a conjunction with Uranus on this day, which means they will both be in the fixed sign of the Bull, i.e. Venus’ domain, yet again. Mars/Uranus conjunctions can be nuts in the best of times, because Mars usually indicates acute conflict and all bets are off whenever electric, shit-disturbing Uranus is in the mix. A conjunction typically manifests as a blending of planetary qualities, and that makes this upcoming Monday a bit spooky. Maybe stay inside with a generator in case the power-grid becomes possessed by banshees, or a hoard of activists take over the airwaves demanding free broadband access and hot pink universal chargers. Whatever it is, it will be unexpected.
Cool, what does the Tarot say about this?
Monday, 7.8 brought the 7 of Cups reversed to our consciousness, which dovetails interestingly up against all the Neptunian delusion and misinformation from last week. Clearly, many of us are making a concerted effort to clear the cobwebs from our eyes and intuit what is truly taking place around us, instead of relying on dubious third parties.
The Moon reversed comes at us on Tuesday, 7.9, with a crystal pull of lapis lazuli, indicating we are ready to confront some long-standing deception or obfuscation. Not only are we going to get more comfortable confronting shadows, but we’re also getting more comfortable spreading the truth of our confrontation.
On Wednesday, 7.10, The Chariot reversed asks us to slow down and do some double-checking on a progression. This card may be whispering the wisdom of Wednesday’s sun/Saturn trine, urging us to consult with trusted authorities or figureheads before proceeding apace. A companion pull of carnelian is emphasizing that we shouldn’t cease our momentum; we simply need to get some advice and follow it.
The Page of Coins reversed shows up on Thursday, 7.11, to caution us about myopia. Have we been working 90 hour weeks and neglecting everything else? Or have Venus and Neptune swept us away in an ocean of hedonistic sloth? In either case, financial matters may be pressing due to a lack of focus or procrastination. The presence of chalcopyrite indicates the need for joy and confidence, so this may be a matter of overcoming some immaturity.
Friday, 7.12 brings the perfection of a Venus/Pluto opposition, as well as the lush, creative energy of The Empress, which, ideally, indicates we will experience the positive attributes of this opposition like unique inspiration and energized, experimental sexuality. On Saturday, 7.13, the 4 of Cups asks us to be willing to emotionally disengage from things we aren’t fully bought into, so don’t feel compelled to say yes to every kooky little DM just because you had kinky fun on Friday. In fact, the presence of fluorite suggests that verbalizing NO could be important. Finally, on Sunday, 7.14, the moon moves into Scorpio and we will be feeling the impending Mars/Uranus conjunction intensely. The High Priestess reversed reflects confusion and cognitive dissonance, and a companion pull of onyx for this day underscores an emotional struggle with some kind of duality. This may be a case of conflicting narratives and a muddied public square wreaking havoc on our ability to discern truth from fiction, and is likely to spill over into the following week.
Visit @alectochaos on IG for the full, wordy breakdown and video of each card pull, and to get the jump on the Mon - Wed card pulls. If you are into that sort of thing.