Fire and Heat are the themes of summer this year, at least in the state of Colorado. At the writing of this forecast in the last days of June, huge wildfires are raging both to the north and south of the Denver area; thousands have fled from burning homes and so far, there has been little containment of flames fed on obliging breezes, extreme summer heat and the tinder of beetle-kill trees. In previous rants it has been suggested that events triggered by transits particularly during June, would perhaps serve as powerful indicators of trends to come. Not only in the sense that the year 2012 marks the end of a major cosmic cycle and the inception of another, but also the energy dynamics implied through the ongoing powerful Uranus-Pluto square, exact for the first time on June 24 and destined to meet six more times up through the spring of 2015. This three year period in turn marks the gateway to a greater cycle of total transformation in world affairs that will peak around 2035, in ways that can only be likened to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, however now involving the ebb and flow of human endeavor on the entire planet. The literal symbol in play is fire, whether speaking of Colorado forests, Syrian tribal murder or budgetary meltdowns; according to traditional western apocalyptic view the "end of times" cataclysm is by fire. More metaphorically the signs point to eruption of a burning ground wherever man has encroached too far, too greedily and expansively upon the earth, a pruning back of whatever human activities cannot be contained within more modest limits.

Other keywords that come to mind for June include "multiple electronic glitches" as in lousy phone signal access and fried equipment; also "hacking" as in a global software conspiracy based out of Russia that methodically removes relatively small sums of money from targeted bank accounts in multiple, not necessarily related banks. Think "software glitch" as in the week-long one that happened in the RBS Group, which delayed posting credits and debits to millions of customers with its NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland accounts. Also consider "corruption" as in unregulated banks and politicised judiciary; how about "corporate-backed warfare" as in Obama's Health Care plan just squeaking by in a Supreme Court review, coincident with a largely GOP attempt to impeach the Attorney General for not disclosing e-mail communications related to Fast and Furious. Just for fun, throw in a "possible UFO discovery" as a team of Swedish divers are investigating a 20-meter wide circular object at the end of an apparent 300-meter long drag pattern on the bottom of the Baltic Sea; they claim that most of the cameras and all satellite phones have been disabled whenever venturing within 200 feet of the object.

Positively speaking, many machinations of hidden deceit and autocratic power plays wrapped in patriotism are steadily being exposed for the life-denying, oppressive cancers that they are, but so many of us common folk seem to be in a stupor or still seem to believe trouble can be best avoided by supporting tyrannic big-bucks father figures, as demonstrated recently in the Wisconsin recall vote. On the personal level it is embarrassing to observe the degree of self-absorption and selfishness that many of us humans, including this writer, can entertain. Speaking for myself, the motivation is great to hide away often, turn the attention away from some uncomfortable truths about the hopped-up, materialistic culture of which I am a participant; minor in spending power to be sure, but still a human unit tied into the acquisition of various goodies and prone to escaping into various virtual realities whenever possible. My "green effort" so far consists of keeping a garden, driving an energy-efficient, emissions-free car, honoring animals as superior life forms, using cloth bags and shopping at the local health food store; the next major home improvement goal is to acquire solar panels in order to become less dependent on The System. But otherwise, the future vision mostly involves schlepping along with the urban landscape in which I must live; hopefully able to adapt the lifestyle as conditions will dictate, keeping one tiny piece of habitation green regardless of the water bill.

The engines of breakdown, transformation and rebirth at large will be turning ever more intensely from here on in, however July should still offer some respite from that feeling of constant uneasiness, that yet another shoe will drop. The months proceeding forced many of us to identify new strategies for survival, and a long, final review of the past has been completed. However planet Mars, ruler of assertiveness, drive and ambition will move into Libra on July 3; the god of war and general irritation has just finished dragging back and forth in the sign of Virgo for about six months, churning up health issues and demanding endless expeditions into planning, organization, negotiation and detail. It's been hard to avoid an encounter with paranoia, hyper-critical attitudes or perfectionist freakouts along the way, whether one's own or somebody else's. Mars now moving into the social sign of Libra will be in its detriment, to use the medieval term, wherein the desire to connect romantically or party down will certainly increase, but some may be prone to knocking about like the proverbial bull in the china-shop. This energy is gung-ho for fueling athletic events such as the Olympics, however it can run roughshod over decency while on a quest to serve its own version of justice; politics will likely heat up with exchanges not particularly embellished with diplomacy or fair play. Be on the lookout for cutthroat tactics at work, periodic gaps in parlor manners and a skewed ability to discriminate between this and that. Mars crossing zero degrees Libra will also trigger off the Aries Point opposite, detonating a fresh round of volatility in world affairs.

Heads up as Neptune, ruler of spirituality, artistry, deception and illusion will be moving in square to the Nodes of the Moon for the entire month of July. It will be easy to be blindsided by unseemly idealism or dreamy delusions; not a good time to entertain unrealistic perceptions of what is really going on, especially in relation to others with whom we interact. Examine commitments carefully as potential will be great for extra baggage or getting caught in the undertow of problems which shouldn't be yours to take on in the first place. Rabble-rouser Mars will move on to quincunx Neptune on July 8, an aspect doubly associated with playing fast and lose with the truth, scattering the energies and muddying up clarity of thought; take extra time to suss out the bottom feeders and expect to need extra patience for dealing with obnoxious vectors. Those who depend on drugs, alcohol, gambling or religion to make it through the day will want to escape further into their habit, whereas staying somewhat lucid would be the far better survival strategy.

Uranus will station retrograde on July 12 at 08° Aries 32'; it will resume direct motion on December 12-13 at 04° Aries 36', just in time for the "official" end of the Mayan calendar. The days around the station of a transpersonal planet often associate with sudden changes in status, direction or intention in physical life so it might be a good idea to pause and take stock of the landscape especially since Mercury, often considered as the lower octave of Uranus, will station retrograde at 12° Leo 33' on July 14. Both planets resonate with activities related to communication, for example Mercury as an agent of practical thought, speech, teaching, learning and commerce, while Uranus figures in the domain of communications technology, revolutionary activity and cosmic inspiration. Both retrogrades occur in fire signs, which correlates in Aries to vitality, independence, imagination and assertive drive and in Leo to ego, individuality and leadership. Retrograde motion in general can signal delays in completion of a process; or the necessity of re-doing, re-searching, re-pairing or re-evaluating whatever re- presents for attention, or perhaps a need to turn inwards for self-evaluation. Hopefully, after months of shoveling, heaving and hand-washing these stations signal a time wherein nervous systems calm down and the pace of life slows a bit; plan to do some quality vegetating. Note that misunderstandings, hassles or delays in travel are most likely to occur in the three days before and after the stations; big purchases and major activities such as getting married are best deferred until Mercury stations direct.

The Sun enters sunny Leo on July 22, wherein the solar rays will energize authoritative action, being the center of attention and the drive to seek power. Hopefully the positive leonine traits of warm-heartedness, courage, friendship and generosity will also be in evidence, easing up some of the miserly mean-spiritedness that has permeated the ethers out there lately. As the Sun will meet up and move by retrograde Mercury also in Leo during the last days of July, it will be easy to tangle up ego concerns with careless or tactless speech; therefore rehearsing before verbalizing is recommended. Otherwise, the last weeks of July represent a great window of opportunity to take some time off, go on a vacation; or just find a way to wander from the maddening crowd for awhile.

HOME

© 2012 by C.M. Hafeman