JULY THEME: FAMILY TIES
by Simone Butler

As a volunteer at the Escondido Humane Society, I spend Tuesday mornings cuddling cats. When I enter the enclosed patio, where the felines romp and socialize, a chorus of meows greets me as the four-legged residents emerge from their cozy beds and carpeted perches.

McGregor is my favorite. Fourteen pounds of solid muscle, this gentle soul stole my heart the first time we met. A black-and-white domestic shorthair with dazzling blue eyes, he leapt lightly onto my lap and hunkered down, relaxing into my arms. The connection was so deep that tears sprung to my eyes. I'd love to adopt him, but my cat Queen Bess would never stand for it. So I settle for weekly visits.

Last Tuesday, an older man came in looking for a feline companion. The man was charmed as I sang McGregor's praises. But the cat would have nothing to do with him. McGregor wanted only to be in my arms. I was secretly relieved when the man gave up and went to peruse the Fat Cat room. And there he found Luke, a long-haired beauty with whom he felt a sense of kinship.

Why does a specific animal--or that certain person--instantly feel like family? I'd bet that McGregor has planets in Cancer that connect with mine, but without a birth date we'll never know for sure. Cancer rules family connections. And, with the Sun and Venus traveling through that nurturing sign during the first half of July, all of our hearts are more open than usual. We long for the safety of loving arms. We feel things deeply, take things personally.

The recent Mercury retrograde in Gemini had many of us distracted, exhausted and confused. Yet we've also been able to see old patterns more clearly. The chaotic energy of Uranus stationing retrograde on June 26 began the process of freeing us from these old constraints. Between now and the end of November, it's all about finding freedom within.

The New Moon of July 2 awakens the Divine Feminine. Ceres, the asteroid symbolizing the maternal instinct, conjoins the Sun and Moon--intensifying the ripening process of summer. We are called to find the balance between nurturing ourselves and others. It's time to feed our plans, nurse our projects and bring them to fruition. And, the New Moon conjuncts Venus in Cancer and opposes Jupiter in Capricorn, which can bring up family issues in order to help us heal.

The approaching Mars/Saturn conjunction in Virgo (exact on July 10) separates the wheat from the chaff. As Mars (energy) joins with Saturn (duty) in the detail-oriented sign of Virgo, we take on practical projects and get our lives in order. If Mars/Saturn falls in your 4th house, as it does mine, you may witness men with buzz saws trim dead branches from your pine trees and symbolically set you free from ancestral burdens. If it falls in your 6th house, you might finally get that dental work done or begin a health and fitness campaign. If it activates your 10th house, you may be catalyzed to take the next step in your career--launch that website or quit that job and go off on your own. (Contact me for a Quickie reading to find out what area of your life will be activated and how you can best work with the energies. You'll find details on Quickies here.)

Be careful that you don't overdo it under Mars/Saturn. It's easy to force things or become too authoritarian during this transit (witness Hillary Clinton, who has that aspect in her natal chart). Your opportunity this month is to wield the knife of Mars/Saturn to cut out the dead weight in your life, while simultaneously using the motherly qualities of Cancer to nurture what is healthy. A powerful burst of creative energy is coming with the Solar Eclipse in Leo on August 1; position yourself now to make the most of it.

Let's support each other in finding nurturing and safety in our hearts this month, despite the chaos of changing times. Remember that old and outmoded ways are dissolving as the Divine Feminine re-emerges between now and 2012. Trust your intuitive process. Reach out to those who feel like kindred spirits. And, please join me in saying a prayer for McGregor and all the other abandoned cats and dogs at shelters, awaiting their true home.

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