July is here and we are moving into a summer with intensive energies. Plenty of opportunities to socialize and have a good time, but also a somewhat wild energy that can get out of hand. These are not quiet times as a parent to small children or teenagers. Nor is it for taking care of your elders or being the neighbourhood witch. So, let´s take a walk together among the stars and look closer at when and how it is wise to be on alert.
Party all night — but who’s paying the bill?
Right now we have Venus (love, relationships) and Mars (passion, power) together in the sign of Leo (romance, sex, party, entertainment). This is a very life-affirming energy with passion and romance. Venus is also right next to Lilith Black Moon and that can make it hard to really see who you’re hanging out with. Venus and Mars are also right next to Pallas Athena (strategy, calculations). Together they all make a challenging aspect to Uranus (rebellion) in the sign of Taurus (resources, money).
If you have teenagers or young adults at home it may be wise to check-in more often than usual, making sure everything is all right when they go out or start to hang out with a new circle of friends. For all ages there´s a danger of hanging out with the wrong kind of people, being scammed or taken advantage of.
Leo is by nature an entertainer and a charmer. It is good to follow the old saying: “If something seems to good to be true, it probably is.”
- Mars is in Leo until the 11th of July
- Venus and Mars are in conjunction with each other until the 19th of July
- Venus is in Leo until the 10th of October
Relationship Healing
Venus makes a good aspect to Chiron in Aries. That can create healing from old relationship wounds and hurtful experiences. One good thing about having experienced being hurt, wounded, or hanging out with the wrong people is that you (hopefully) have the ability to spot when it happens to other people close to you. Sometimes being seen by another person is the only thing it takes to make a decision to leave a bad situation. This is a time when speaking your truth and telling others about your own personal (Leo, Aries) experiences can create significant healing (Chiron).
- Venus is in aspect to Chiron until the 11th of July
The Joys of Family and Friends
Juno (relationships), the Sun, and Mercury (communication) are in the sign of Cancer (family, close relationships. This makes family and friends extra important right now. However, there is a little bump in the road. Ceres (nourishment) in Libra (relationships, harmony) is in a challenging aspect. That means at the same time we enjoy family and friendships more, spending time with them can exhaust us. How to fix that? Well, one thing could be to decide to hang out, but not as long as usual. Another thing could be to share responsibilities. If everyone helps out it doesn’t have to become too much. If you are the one who usually checks in with your parents, siblings, or relatives, this is the time to think about doing things differently and sharing those responsibilities.
- Ceres is in challenging aspect to Juno until 11th of July
Covens and Midnight Margaritas
Covens can sometimes fall under the umbrella of family and friends. If it does, I recommend the same advice as above – make sure you share the responsibilities between you. But a coven and magickal work can also fall under the influence of Vesta (spirituality, service).
Right now we have Vesta in Gemini (communication) in a big trine (good aspect) to both Ceres (nourishment) in Libra (balance) and Pluto (transformation) at the end of Capricorn. This can create a wonderful, transformative, and happy energy. Practical Magic is a classic ‘90s witchy movie with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. One of the most famous scenes in the move is when they make Midnight Margaritas with their magical aunts and dance around in the kitchen.
Sometimes you just need to let go of your everyday problems and hang out with your magickal friends. This summer, is absolutely a time when such gatherings are not just good, but could be the difference between being able to cope or not. The gathering will probably be most successful if everyone decides to focus on the magickal work and leave the mundane at home for a while.
- Vesta trines Pluto until 6th of July
- Ceres trines Pluto until 11th of July
- Ceres and Vesta is in trine in Air until the middle of September.
Ancestral and Shamanic Work About to Change
This month the nodes will change sign. The north node moves from Taurus into the sign of Aries and the south node from Scorpio into the sign of Libra. They are also in square to Pluto in the last degree of Capricorn.
At first glance, this is challenging. But there is another side to it. Taurus and Scorpio are often strong in the charts of shamans and people doing deep transformational work in their magickal practice. The presence of the nodes in the sign of Taurus and Scorpio has helped us to get deep and connected. This has also become stronger with the aspect to Pluto in Capricorn. Challenging at times, yes, but also rewarding for those who have dared to dig deep and become transformed. If this is you, if you do this kind of work in your magickal practice, or if you have done this kind of transformation, I recommend doing the best you can to honor the ancestors and give thanks to the work, knowledge, and wisdom received. Use this time to contemplate and finish your deeper workings.
Of course, the contact will not completely disappear, but it will not be the same as the nodes change position and later on when Pluto moves into Aquarius in the beginning of 2024. Pluto moves from being in the underworld (very useful in shamanic work) to the sky with Aquarius.
As humans it is easy to believe that connections with allies always will be the same, or last forever. But they, like us, move in cycles and seasons and connections are also influenced by the movements happening in the sky above us.
The north node moved into the sign of Taurus and the south node into Scorpio in January 2022.
The north node moves into the sign of Aries and the south node into the sign of Libra the 18th of July 2023.
Unexpected Help Connected to Water
Juno in Cancer (relationships) is in a good aspect to the South node (past lives, karma) in Scorpio making a big trine in water to Saturn (karma, manifestation) in Pisces (friendly energy). This could give you unexpected help or a flow of good things coming your way. Water is known for many things, some of them is to bring gifts from the ocean and that could also be gifts from the past or past lives.
To make this stronger you could work with water magick and use stones or things connected to water: Shells, stones pricked up from a river or the beach, aquamarine, moonstone, seashells.
Summary: The Summer of 2023 will probably be a summer that most people will remember. We have all the ingredients for a good and engaging drama. Passion, romance, changes and challenges pushing us out of our comfort zones. Like in any good adventure, friends and allies are important. Perhaps the most important key is that “to have good allies you must learn how to be one.”
I wish you a most magickal Summer with warm-hearted people and cold midnight margaritas underneath the Moon!
The Temple Astrolog will be back in the beginning of September!
Blessed Be!
Karin • Spirit Talker Turtle Red
Recommended Reading for Water Magick
- Water Magic by Lilith Dorsey
- Water Witchcraft by Annwyn Avalon
- Sea Magic by Sandra Kynes
Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is an ordained high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program. Her work can be found on Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial and she can be reached at [email protected].