Welcome to our Astrology and Healing Newsletter for July 2018 :
Healing Saboteur Energy and the Huge Astrology of July 2018

In this issue, Maggie Pashley talks about how to heal yourself from saboteur energy that may have been implanted into you, and is continuing to harm you and your life.

And Michael Conneely explains the heavyweight Astrology of July 2018, with the longest eclipse of the 21st Century upcoming on July 27th and a wide range of other difficult energies that need to be heard about, explained, and their potential for healing and empowerment manifested. Michael and Maggie work at their Healing Centre on the West Coast of Ireland near Sligo, and do many reading and healings and teach many courses worldwide on line.

Maggie Pashley now talks about healing yourself from Saboteur Energy:

Dealing with Saboteur Energy

Saboteur Energy is something that stops us being as amazing, as creative and successful as we could be. It can be like driving with the brakes on, or like taking a last minute detour that stops us arriving at our destination.

In other words, it can be something that is ever present in your life so that you don’t go for what you really what, consider yourself too stupid, too old/too young, just plain wrong in some way to make different choices. You may consider yourself unlucky, unworthy, not enough so you rule so much out as being possible for you. You’ve already given up on yourself so you don’t get started going in the direction you want or you go ahead with such resistance that you’ll never get there. That’s what I’d call driving with the brakes on

On the other hand, you may be very enterprising, committed, hardworking and have a clear direction. You may be on the verge of achieving something you’ve wanted for so long and then at the last minute, you do something to make sure you don’t get there. In fact, at an unconscious level, you may be expecting something to go wrong and attract circumstances that prove you right. That’s what I call the last minute detour which takes you completely off track.

In the Body Code work I do with clients saboteur energy often comes up as a block to be cleared energetically. The saboteur energy can be from another person, even from somebody who is not currently in their life, it can also be from an institution or environment which is restrictive or harmful. It is how our bodies are still responding to that external energy and does not mean that the person triggering it intended it to be harmful. I use muscle testing to get an energetic snapshot of how that energy is being perceived by you. For example an over-controlling or domineering parent may give me an image of being tied up, imprisoned, gagged, somebody who has felt very criticised by somebody may have a saboteur energy which could be described as little darts being aimed at them, somebody who is ignored or overlooked may present me with an image of an invisibility cloak etc. An institution may have castrated somebody etc. I often find that the images that present themselves can appear exaggerated as a way of clearly defining the damage they have caused and thus making it easier to clear. Once we have acknowledged the saboteur energy and described it in energy terms we can dissolve its effect on you.

Without that energetic imprinting of saboteur energy, you are free to be more of you, not defined in somebody else’s terms. The effect of saboteur energy is definitely to limit you in some way or to distort your self-expression. For example, if you have been gagged you may decide that your opinion doesn’t count, you may be unsure of what you feel or you may react against that and always want to oppose or be very vocal. Either way, it’s a reaction rather than a true expression of you. Saboteur energy can lead you to conclusions about yourself or about life ‘women are always critical’,’if I show that side of me I’ll be rejected’, ‘love hurts’ etc and you can forget that there’s a whole new world beyond that is available to you.

And then there is self-sabotage. It can be of the constant nagging restrictive type described above as driving with the brakes on or the last minute side track. Where have you decided ‘somebody like me doesn’t/can’t do that?’ that holds you back. What else is possible for you without that belief?  Where have you unconsciously told yourself that it is easier/safer to fail, to play safe that stops you achieving what you could achieve for you?

Often our unconscious mind has decided that there is some risk in succeeding and it is safer to fail or not fully achieve what we are capable of. It might have listened to you saying ‘I never want to stand out if that the kind of attention I get’ in response to being ridiculed as a child and still be running that old programme. It may believe if we have a successful business, people will be critical, envious, rejecting and so on. We can dialogue with our unconscious and ask if it would now be willing to dissolve blocks to our success, creativity and happiness.

Do you have any saboteur energy and what would your life be like without it? If you’d like some extra help then contact me to find out what could work for you: https://maggiepashley.com/

AND HERE IS MICHAEL CONNEELY ON THE HUGE ASTROLOGY OF JULY 2018: 

Phew, July really is an action-packed month.

The world won’t be quite the same after July 2018, nor will those of us who have planets in our birth charts which are impacted by the many strong astrological events, energies and features of July 2018.

The biggest of these are the eclipses.

There’s a Solar Eclipse on July 13^th 2018

Then there is the Lunar Eclipse of 27^th July 2018, which is the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century (2001 to 2100).

It’s the longest eclipse for a hundred years, lasting for 1 hour and 43 minutes, and this means its effects will be felt for a long time to come.

Some UK newspapers have reported an ‘end of time’ nature for this Moon. It won’t be that, but its effect in our lives, politics and the earth will be great and long-lasting.

It will be visible across much of Europe and Asia, and in Australia, southern parts of North America, and South America. In UK/Ireland and elsewhere, this Moon will be a ‘blood moon’ where the moon has a red tinge.

Eclipses are ‘wild cards’. Eclipses send a glaring ray of truth onto an area of your life. With Eclipses, something ends and something new begins. But normally speaking, don’t take big hasty decisions immediately in the depth of eclipse time, wait for calmer more mature times before confirming your eclipse decisions or insights.

See the two videos to go with this Astrology July 2018 blog post, then read on for the amazingly detailed and accurate report

July 2018 Astrology Video Part 1:

This continues with:

July 2018 Astrology Video Part 2:

A big eclipse like this 27^th July Lunar Eclipse has an earthquake effect. If it interacts strongly with our birth chart, we will experience the eclipse strongly. There will be positive results if we are on course for our true life path, or the eclipse consequences will be negative if our life is off-course for its spiritual meaning. Eclipses deeply polarize and internalise our life issues, and we must face our personal and collective shadows around these issues. If you cling to your false securities and stuck patterns, or resist the call of your evolution now, then these eclipses will leave you at best a robot pursuing a mechanical rump of a non-real life, or your life circumstances will quite possibly disintegrate because you are not living in accord with your truth. So, July 2018 is a month to stand firm in the midst of what might feel like quite a storm, not give way to fear, not go limp, but be truly open to change. Cope with self-doubt and with felt loss of direction. The Lunar Eclipse may propel you to a needed new direction.

There are usually two eclipses in an Eclipse Cycle, but this time we have three! The three July and August eclipses will be huge. But I actually also feel, that July and the present phase should be dedicated to Uranus the Enlightener. In fact, Uranus is caught up with the Eclipses, and with the Mars-Ketu Conjunction, which is another very big feature of energy overload July, and Uranus has only fairly recently entered Vedic Aries – a huge new energy not seen since the run up to the Second World War. Uranus takes 84 years to orbit, remember. So, I feel I personally have much to thank for Uranus’ waves of energy of Inspiration and Revolution now. There is magic and Healing to be found for humanity now – If each of us humans can now learn how to grasp hold of the magic.

And please do remember, that Astrology is here to give us good quality perception of the energies and possibilities coming our way. It must never be formula or slack ‘impulse of the moment’ channelling. For our own good, our guiding astrological declaration needs to be intelligent, inspired and developmental. We are not here to experience these powerful July 2018 astrology energies passively or fatedly.

Guided by good astrological declaration, we are here to ask these sort of questions:
How can I heal?
How can I empower myself?
How can I use these events to burn negative karmas?
How can I use these energies, including the terrible ones, to powerfully and beautifully manifest that very special spark of incarnational destiny that drove my soul to incarnate to achieve here in this particular lifetime?

Note that this report, like all my astrology readings and astrology courses, combines psychodynamic Western astrology (using the Tropical Zodiac) with the Incarnational Life Purpose focused Vedic Astrology (Vedic Astrology  will only give accurate results if you use the Sidereal Zodiac with Lahiri Ayanamsha, or the degrees of difference from western Tropical zodiac).

I combine the nine planets of ancient Vedic Astrology with the newer discoveries whose energies have entered western consciousness over the last two and a half centuries: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, plus, most necessarily: the Wounded Healer: Chiron.

So, let’s now go into the Astrology of July 2018, it’s main events and energies, and by way of introduction, the main astrological events of July 2018 may be summarised using the sidereal Vedic signs, as follows:
3 July: Mercury Rahu conjunction 12 deg Cancer, Pushyami.
4 July: Venus crosses Gandanta into Magha Nakshatra and transits Leo till 1 August 2018.
10 July: Jupiter turns direct at 19° Libra – Swati Nakshatra.
13 July: Solar Eclipse 26 deg Gemini – Punarvasu Nakshatra.
18 July: Mars conjuncts Ketu, 12° Capricorn, Shravana Nakshatra, second of its three exact conjunctions.Both Retrograde. Conjunct within 1 deg July 12^th to 23^rd
26 July: Mercury goes retrograde.
27 July: Major Lunar Eclipse. Moon at 10 Capricorn, Sravana Nakshatra.
29   July Sun conjunct Rahu, 11 Cancer, Pushyami

Please note that the Dates and Times for this report are set to Ireland. Check with www.dateandtime.com  for your local variations.

Now, here’s the full July 2018 Astrology in detail:

The Astrology of July 2018:

1.The Eclipses:

The most striking events of July 2018 are the Solar Eclipse of July 13^th and the Lunar Eclipse of July 27^th. As I said, note that the eclipse season, unusually this year, persists longer with a third eclipse: a solar eclipse on August 11^th.

Note that I have covered these three eclipses in more detail, each in its own separate blog and videos, so do have a look at those. The full extent of detail of the astrology of July 2018 is too big to cover in one blog and video.

Major eclipses will tear open to your clear view any discrepancy between your inner self and the outer function self that you have created for yourself in the everyday world. The ideal is to use this time of the run up and actual dates of the July eclipses to identify and meet your Tue self, rather than the self that has been created for you by family, work place, religious upbringing, etc. It is a Pandora’s Box.

So, what is the difference between a Solar and a Lunar Eclipse?

A Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. So, in a Solar Eclipse, the Moon is cutting off the light of the Sun. The Moon is covering the Sun.

A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Earth stands between the Moon and the Sun.

So, with a Lunar Eclipse, the Earth is cutting off the light of the Sun from the Moon. So, this means that we see the dark disk of the shadow of the Earth crossing the surface of the Moon, and, indeed, that shadow can black out the Moon totally.

Note that Solar Eclipses tend to be more ‘factual’ and they often bring bright new beginnings, whereas Lunar Eclipses tend to be more emotional and catastrophic or tumultuous and they bring about the death of something with the possibility for rebirth.

N.B. You absolutely do need to check how the chart for these eclipses interacts with your own natal chart.
The easiest way to do this is to visit my online Astrology Shop and buy a reading safely and securely from there:  Please visit shop.starwheelastrology.com/

This way, you can understand and prepare for these Eclipse energies that will be entering your consciousness and entering your life. We have to try to deal with Eclipses negative consciousness and life effects, and we most definitely also have to work out their positive divine meaning and embrace that.

There is a separate blog and video for each of the three eclipses of the July/August 2018 eclipse cycle, so my video for this newsletter will leave the fuller detail to the separate Eclipse Videos and Blogs.

Eclipses undam dammed up energy. They are associated with earthquakes and tsunamis. They can bring this sort of energy to the area of life covered by the house(s) they fall in, in your birth chart. And note that it’s even stronger in your mind and your consciousness and the areas of your life if a planet in your birth chart is directly affected by an eclipse, especially a conjunction, opposition or square aspect. It is very important to check out beforehand where any eclipse falls in relation to your own birth chart.

And we actually have to take into account that there’s not just two eclipses right now, but this is actually a three-eclipse season running on into August 11^th 2018 It’s a longer window of eclipse energy than usual!

To analyse an Eclipse’s effect on you and your life, first check out your feeling about it, what are your intuitions? Then build on that, to note especially where the Moon of the eclipse falls in your birth chart. After that, note also the Nodal Axis of the eclipse chart, the eclipse Ascendant, and then key planets of the eclipse.

You can get an astrology reading from me if you want very dedicated and caring expert definition and advice: www.starwheelastrology.com/buyanastrologyreading

We feel eclipse energies as they are building. We feel them at the time of the Eclipse. And they last for longer. The effects of lunar eclipse are pretty immediate. The effects of solar eclipse take longer. Note that eclipse’s effects are even stronger when another planet later on transits across the degree area of the earlier eclipse. Eclipses can leave a patch of stagnant energy in the heavens. This will be triggered if another planet subsequently transits through this patch.

Maybe the Eclipse will smash structures in your life that have outlived their usefulness for your destiny, or maybe the Eclipse will smash situations that are wrong for you true life path – painful though this may be both to experience and to understand. And note that maybe these eclipses will offer you opportunities for shared purpose with your loved ones to find their higher spiritual purpose.

1a. New Moon Solar Eclipse on 13.7.18 at 02.48 am. 

First of all,, in July 2018, there’s a Solar Eclipse. This Solar Eclipse is at 26 Vedic Gemini using the Sidereal Vedic Zodiac. It’s in Punarvasu Nakshatra (ruled by Jupiter).

In western astrology, it is at 20 deg Cancer using the Tropical zodiac.

Here are the charts:

Pluto: Really Big Note: Note that that the Sun/Moon of this eclipse are exactly opposition Pluto. So, check if this Eclipse and ‘death and rebirth’ intense power of planet Pluto affect your natal chart or natal planets or a sensitive house. If so, there will be big effects.

With Pluto in such exact opposition to this Solar Eclipse, we are offered profound transformation: challenging or harmonious.

Because this eclipse is in Vedic Gemini, communication skills and information issues in your life could experience breakthrough, and you could cooperate with that trend if you feel it coming your way.

Gemini, and also Punarvasu need to be understood. There is a danger of asking questions rather than wanting answers. Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, is fickle and androgynous and changeable. There’s versatile adaptable glissando. Mercury’s over-questioning can trash needed action and direction. Illogic as well as logic. Our personal standing and power an energy can be squandered if we use its energy for Mercury-style ‘politically correct’ futile FaceBook posts on social and political issues that are really unacknowledged working out of our personal issues, that more properly should be a focus for real healing and empowerment work, or for focus on shocking scandals or conspiracy theories that don’t really lie at the heart of our life issues! This is damaging to you because, magically, its drain to parade and posture and identify with factions, rather than empower. Mercury can really harm our Mars for example.  In fact, crucially, we have to learn to draw on the two hemispheres of our brain.

I am including some personal comment in this newsletter to show briefly how we can start to analyse how an eclipse will affect us personally. So, I note that the Ascendant of this eclipse conjuncts my natal Uranus, and this will enhance the inspirational revolutionary current that has been running in my life and work. And Uranus of this eclipse is conjunct my nodal axis, and I feel a destined revolution running in my work and life, my astrology readings, the expansion of my various courses.

1b. Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 27.7.18 at 20.21 pm.

This Eclipse Full Moon of 27^th July 2018 is the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century (2001 to 2100), lasting for 1 hour and 43 minutes, and this means its effects will be big and will be felt for a long time to come. Eclipse Sun is 10 Vedic Cancer (Pushyami Nakshatra) – Eclipse Moon 10 Vedic Capricorn (Sravana Nakshatra).

Using the western Tropical zodiac, eclipse Moon and Sun are at 4 deg Aquarius – 4 deg Leo.

Note that the Moon of this eclipse is conjunct the powerful and angry Ketu-Mars conjunction (see below). Eclipse Sun is conjunct Rahu North Node.

Here is the map of this Eclipse’s visibility:

And Here are the charts:

To assess the effects of an eclipse in your life, you need to study which House in your Vedic birth chart the eclipse occurs in.

So, how does the chart of this eclipse interact with your birth chart?

Well, note that this is the most telling of the three eclipses, and note also that it will be aggressive and even violent energy due to the conjunction of this eclipse Moon with Mars. And note this Mars is exalted in Capricorn, and its made more irritable and frustrated because it is retrograde at the time of this eclipse. And out in the world, with this eclipse being conjunct the Mars-Ketu conjunction (see below for more on that), this eclipse will manifest in violence, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, aggression. However, astrology is not about scaremongering or sensationalism. We need to note its divine meaning in our life.

I can share that Uranus of this eclipse is conjunct my nodal axis and I feel a destined revolution and inspiration running in my work and life and in some ways redirecting it. The astrology readings and courses feel very inspired.

But note that this huge and long-running eclipse will generate pressures, anger, anxiety and frustration. Please see the need to keep calm in the face of this energy.

As this eclipse is in Sravana Nakshatra, check out whether you are ‘failing to listen’ to the real and deep message of what transpires.

And it is so very important and relevant to note that this Eclipse is actually also T-square to Uranus it is T-square to the revolutionary irritable supreme planet of change in your life and consciousness: Uranus.

In analysing the effect of an Eclipse in your chart and in your life, the biggest issue is: where is the eclipsed Moon in relation to your birth chart? But you’d also look at where eclipse Uranus is (as Uranus is T-square the Eclipse axis) and you’d also look where eclipse Nodal axis and Ascendant are, and also check out significant planets in the eclipse chart in relation to your own birth chart.

So, here are some very brief one size fits all ‘standard meanings’: You can calculate the House number from Ascendant (Lagna) or from Moon (Janma) in your Vedic birth chart. Note that calculation from Ascendant tends to give the stronger prediction meaning. Remember, eclipses undam dammed up energies, so whether an eclipse’s effects on you are positive or negative will depend on how well you are on course for your meant destiny in life. It is essential to realize that if you are off course, and eclipse will bring downfall, but of course here we hit the issue of phenomenology, because if your life is off course, then you need collapse of that life-style to have any hope of getting your life on-course again.

Eclipse effect on the Houses of your Vedic birth chart
(It is the sidereal zodiac Vedic birth chart that gives the surest result):

Aries: eclipse in 10^th House: Major shakeup in career pending.
Taurus: eclipse in 9^th house: shakeup in area of beliefs, guru/teacher, higher learning.
Gemini: eclipse in 8^th house: Changes in shared Financial Arrangements, Inheritance, Physical or emotional Vitality, or Metaphysical Studies.
Cancer: eclipse in 7^th House: changes in the balance between yourself and spouse.
Leo: eclipse in 6^th House: shakeup in areas such as legal issues, handling of enemies, personal health and immunity.
Virgo: eclipse in 5^th House: earthquake in relationship with children, or in matters of creativity, or in romance, or in spiritual matters and past life merit.
Libra: Eclipse in 4^th House: major change in issues to do with mother or home, domestic patterns, activities and happiness. Some change to do with car.
Scorpio: Eclipse in 3^rd House: big change is issues of skills, talents, initiative, writing/communication, siblings.
Sagittarius: 2^nd House: big change in income, issues to do with mouth and teeth, your voice, value issues.
Capricorn: 1^st House: big shock or empowerment to issues of personal health and presence in the world, personal health, your appearance. Positive transformation of position in the world or Downfall.
Aquarius: 12^th House: huge effect on issues of loss, institution issues/connections, residence abroad.
Pisces: eclipse in 11^th House: major change/shake-up in issues of gains, profits, goals, ambitions, associates.

Then study Eclipse effects on your natal planets:
You also need to take into special note is the Eclipse falls on one of your natal planets. Essentially, we are talking about the Eclipse Moon falling on one of your natal planets, but we also need to consider other key planets from the eclipse chart and its Nodal axis or Ascendant falling on one of your natal planets.

Here is a simple ‘one size fits all’ meaning for Eclipse impact on one of your natal planets:
Eclipse impact on:

Your Sun brings out your expression of self and decisiveness. It creates a crisis or a leap forwards. It is time to shine, but you may need to let go of your old life in order to eb able to do that. Take action. Do Vision Work and Magical Will work.

Your Moon brings hurt emotional events leading to crisis and vulnerability. Can be rooted in mother or the past. Might involve a move of house or job, of major re-creation of your life to make it reflect your spiritual truth and true self. Life will not be the same again. Your Mother may be affected.

Your Mercury can lead to a mental crisis or important rational insights. There could be a trickster energy. There will be a lot of sorting out of your thinking. This could affect friendships and trade issues.

Your Venus creates major crisis or breakthrough in love. Alternatively issues of your finances, inspiration in art, and indeed motor cars can be affected. There could be a fated new love relationship. There could be strong sexual urges. Clear any blocks to love or ‘heart walls’. Venus is the wife in a man’s chart.

Your Mars creates outbursts and arguments. These can be constructive or destructive. Or there could be a surge of physical vitality.

Your Jupiter could bring expansiveness and sense fo purpose, inspiration and ideals. You need to take care to keep this sort of expansion properly grounded and supported. Jupiter is the husband in a woman’s chart.

Your Saturn means either golden reaping because you are on course for your true life purpose, or it means professional downfall. This will be a he milestone and turning point in your life. You will be forced to acknowledge that you must ‘get out of your prison’, or that you must be more realistic and dot the I’s and cross the t’s in your life and get things more grounded. Ideally this is the opening to take a seasoned step up. You will be tested around your use of responsibility. Suffering will become a huge and important issue for you to handle correctly. You may receive burdens.

Your Uranus means the Struck Tower card in the Tarot. inspiration, more expansive life or consciousness, revolution. Apparent eccentricity. Beware being heartless. Become the wild child, the free spirit, or the original genius. Ride out the creative wave that has picked you up.

Your Neptune means that you could realize that you are enmeshed in delusion or denial. You could find yourself in a fog. But this eclipse calls you to strip out the delusion.

Your Pluto ideally means empowerment. Face your shadow. Confront your inner demons. gain the strength to face your shadow. It could mean trauma, and the need not to be crippled by fear and your energy could become compulsive, driven or obsessive. You will need to develop ways to confront and understand and heal yourself. You face a personal challenge.

Your Chiron: you need to find healing modalities that will assist you to heal the existential wound indicated by your astrology birth chart. In this process you could become the healer of others.

Your natal North Node/Rahu: you will become driven to manifest your incarnational life purpose, but you will ned to purify this energy if you are to arrive at the destination it points to.

Your natal South Node/Ketu: chasms will open under your life, but with divine purpose to transform or end that life so that you are put in touch with spiritual meaning.

Your Ascendant (Lagna): Collapse in personal health and presence in the world, or revolutionary transformation for the better in these.

1c. New Moon Solar Eclipse 11.8.18 at 09.58 am.

And, as I said, there’s a third eclipse upcoming in this present cycle. There’s another Solar eclipse. This one’s on August 11^th. I am mentioning this now, because what this means is that the ‘window’ of eclipse activity will be much longer than usual.

The Sun and the Moon of this eclipse are 24 deg Vedic Cancer in Ashlesha Nakshatra.

Sun and Moon are at 18 western Leo.
And note that the Sun and Moon of this eclipse are conjunct Mercy which is Retrograde at this time.
Note that Uranus squares the Nodal Axis and Mars of this eclipse chart.

Here are the charts:

So, sharing my personal analysis here, so that it can be seen how to interpret eclipse effects, note that the Sun, Moon and Mercury of this eclipse are exactly conjunct my natal Pluto! I see this as undamming ‘coming more into my power’ and of course we can do healing and empowerment work of different kinds to assist these processes, and that is one of the fundamental principles of the astrology of my readings and courses.
And Uranus of this eclipse is conjunct my North node in my birth chart which is bringing inspiration and a lot of change.

2.The long-running Mars- Ketu/South Node conjunction:

This huge energy also needs to be understood and managed for your great good. It’s powerful, and it can manifest on many different planes of life: dynamism, inspirational and magical, other planes more technical, and others again that are violent. It can create accidents, loss of property etc.
Will you trail-blaze, or will you dig a hole for yourself? The Mars-Ketu conjunction began when Mars entered Vedic Capricorn on 2^nd May 2018, when Ketu was already transiting there. This Mars-Ketu conjunction will remain widely in force until 6^th November, when Mars finally leaves Vedic Capricorn and enters Vedic Aquarius on that date.

The Mars-Ketu conjunction is actually exact three times: First, when Mars transits over Ketu direct on June 7th at 13 degrees Vedic Capricorn. Second, when Mars transits over Ketu retrograde on July 20 at 11 degrees Capricorn and Third, when Mars crosses over Ketu direct on September 25^th. Note that this Mars Ketu conjunction starts the month of July at 14 deg Vedic Capricorn, or 9 deg western Aquarius.

I would like to make the point that we can understand this energy shafting into our consciousness and our lives at different planes, levels and areas, as is the case with all astrological energies. We will experience it at the human level, also at the social / political level, and also at the wider level, and also of course at our own individual personal level. Let’s now study the meaning and manifestation of this current Mars Ketu conjunction at these four levels:

2a. The Mars Ketu conjunction at the human level:
Mars is assertion, anger, aggression, exercise and activity, leadership. Like Mars, Ketu is a malefic and Ketu can increase the aggression and in some people’s cases: the seething. This can be an energy of hostility and ill-will. Resentment, agitation and criticism. But positively this is an energy for technical skill, and I found that it opens up magical empowerment work possibilities for some people. Ketu can bring up issues from the past at this time.

2b. The Mars Ketu conjunction at the social/political level:
We can look at Turkish politics as a case example: My impression is that Turkey chose a day with dreadful energies for its election, on June 24^th 2018, where the minds of citizens would be disturbed and made aggressive by the current Mars-Ketu conjunction. To make emotions more difficult, the Moon had started its transit through Vedic Scorpio, and this has to be understood in the context that, at the moment, there is a succession of three malefic signs in Vedic Astrology that upset the Moon in its monthly travel through the twelve signs, and therefore upset our minds: Vedic Scorpio, where the Moon is Fallen; Vedic Sagittarius which is currently occupied by retrograde Saturn, then Vedic Capricorn, currently occupied by the Mars-Ketu conjunction. People in Turkey distrusted the News and the election result. They found it very difficult to manage their emotions and anger. Supporters of President Erdogan were firing shot guns into the air.
I sadly have not space here to analyse the chart for the election in relation to the birth chart for Turkey, but note that the current Ketu-Mars conjunction generated fear and aggression in the population, given the endemic background fear generated by the slide of Turkey since the 2016 Coup into a Dictatorship dancing to Islamic Syrian / Iranian interests. The populace is also destabilised by the likely fragmentation of the EU, and the Islamic nature of Turkey’s less educated majority, coupled with the inevitable slide of Turkey towards Russia/Syrian/Iran identification.
Rahu is transiting Neptune in Turkey’s 2^nd House, at present, which creates monetary illusions of balancing inflation and monetary value given the uncertainty created by US/Russian activities in Syria. And the Turkish currency has suffered much devaluation over that last year and a half. Also, how typical and difficult of Rahu to natal Neptune transit that Turkey should be a nominal member of NATO at the same time prioritise its Russian/Syrian alliance.

2c. The Mars Ketu conjunction at the wider than human level:
That the energy of this conjunction manifest on many planes of life and consciousness, and at the wider than human level.
There have been forest fires and also a rise in the murder rate in Ireland. There have been torrential rains and storms in some arts, and drought in others. There were even forest fires in Ireland on 1^st July, and more. The fiery element of this conjunction flares into all areas and manifest in the different levels. For example, as Mars-Ketu conjunction is in Capricorn, this gives technical skill, for example building work. There has been an increase in Volcanic eruptions at the time of this conjunction. Mars entered Capricorn on 3rd May, and on the same day there was a big eruption on Hawaii.

2d. The Mars Ketu conjunction at my personal level: With the inspirational possibilities of Ketu, I have found this conjunction has increased involvement in deep study, magic and breakthrough inspiration flowing. I have created a Magical Will Course. Remember that this conjunction has basically been in Shravana Nakshatra in Vedic Astrology’s wonderful 27-sign Lunar Zodiac. And the nature of Sravana is ‘listening’, and I do believe that this has increased the inspirational nature that this Nakshatra has bursts of. But, fascinatingly, also, at another manifestation of this Mars-Ketu in Capricorn energy, I have been building an extension to our House / Healing Centre / B&B, since the Mars-Ketu conjunction started. Capricorn is about technical skill. And weirdly, the energy of that conjunction even invaded our tiny lane (called a ‘boreen’). Here in the remote Wild Atlantic Way, a mile from the Atlantic Ocean: our tiny lane was unexpectedly singled out to have huge drainage ditches dug and filled with aggregate to drain rain water away into the river at the bottom of our garden, and then the lane was surfaced by juggernauts that turned up. They were bigger than our house. What an astounding manifestation of the Mars – Ketu energy: me building at the back, and the juggernauts ripping the old road surface apart and laying tar. It sounded and looked like a sudden alien invasion of the West of Ireland. See the pics:

2e. Mars Retrograde: Note that Mars is retrograde all July: from June 26th until August 27th and this will increase the aggressiveness and irritation, but also the procrastination and delay, blocks and outbursts. The building work gets held up! You could wallow in frustration and disillusion and catastrophizing. Mars becomes harder for us to express and manage. But the positive response to all this is to develop patience and realism. Calmly decide to ‘bow to the inevitable’ and choose your priorities.

2f. Mercury is opposition the Mars Ketu conjunction exactly around July 3rd to 5th.

2g. Uranus is square the Mars-Ketu conjunction through July. This is really important. The extra impatience will be felt. Revolution will be felt. Inspiration will come in bursts. It’s earthquake energy. And Mars is casting a square aspect on Uranus and Aries too. It’s enormous!

2h. What House of your birth chart does this Mars-Ketu conjunction transit in?

This question of what house in your birth chart the Mars Ketu conjunction occupies, needs to be understood in order to really individualise your analysis of how the Mars Ketu conjunction will manifest in your life. Here’s some stabs at meaning for a couple of examples, the signs where the Ket-Mars conjunction manifests most strongly. You can best calculate the house number by counting from your Ascendant (Lagna), or you can count it from your natal Moon (Janma). Of course, you need to use a more personalised and more deeply considered meaning of the energy, than the following couple of brief examples given here for the purpose of simple indication:

Aries Lagna or Moon: So, for example, for Aries, the Mars Ketu conjunction is in your Capricorn 10^th house, so will your career disintegrate or be riven with new inspiration and revolution? Mars rules Aries and he is conjunct Ketu: you might want to melt down your life.
Libra: the Mars-Ketu conjunction is in your 4^th House. Will there be nagging and arguing in the home? Will there be good and useful DIY?
Scorpio: The Mars Ketu conjunction could give you incisive focus, but be careful not to become too ruthless.
Capricorn: will be experiencing overwhelm. There’s also the lunar eclipse here which could bring huge change. Take measures to manage your mind and emotions as pressures unfold.

3.The Kal Sarpa Yoga

The Kal Sarpa Yoga re-asserts itself from the middle of the month, from 17^th July.
Kal Sarpa Yoga is when all the planets of Vedic Astrology to one side of the nodal axis, and this can usually (but not absolutely always) be a very divisive energy in the world, and in your life.
Here’s the chart:

So again, compare the Kal Sarpa in the heavens now to your own birth chart, to work out the effects.

As I said, the Kal Sarpa Yoga is when all the Vedic planets are conjoining the Nodes of the Moon, or to one side of them only. But I want to say that there’s a special case when the Moon in the heavens is out on its own, outside the bunch of the rest of the Vedic planets to their side of the nodal axis. This occurs in July.

On 30^th July the Moon leaves the Vedic planets all bunched to one side of the Nodal axis, so you could say that this ends the Kal Sarpa Yoga. But this would be wrong. Note that this does not end the energy of Kal Sarpa Yoga. What it does do is leave our Minds and consciousness to now have to deal with the energy of an ‘unsupported Moon’ as well as the divisiveness of Kal Sarpa Yoga. To have your Moon alone and unsupported by other planets in the signs to either side of it is a special to be noted problem feature declared by the Vedic birth chart called Kemadruma yoga. This undermines the stability of the mind. So, note that the Kal Sarpa remains in force until 6^th November, when Mars, the first planet to break the Nodal cordon, leaves the Nodal axis, and Mars enters Vedic Aquarius on that date.

4.Retrograde Planets Summary July 2018:

There are Seven Retrograde Planets in July 2018. The meaning of some of these are dealt with in more detail below. They are:
Mars and Saturn, Neptune and Pluto, are retrograde all the month of July.
Jupiter is retrograde at the start of the month.
Mercury goes Retrograde under rather turbulent conditions at the end of the month on July 26th. See below.
Chiron turns retrograde on July 5^th2018 See below.

5.Mercury Retrograde:

Mercury turns retrograde on July 26^th at 29 deg Vedic Cancer.
Mercury is transiting now in the water sign of Cancer, and Mercury in Cancer is not easy for the mind. Intellect and communication can become over emotional and confused.Cancer seeks protection, and Mercury evasions can be dwelt in in an illusory attempt to shelter in unreal and futile ‘protection’. And remember, Mercury is also at this time receiving an opposition aspect from the Ketu-Mars conjunction in Capricorn.
Note that what we have here is Retrograde Mercury in Vedic Cancer opposition Retrograde Mars in Vedic Capricorn. This is a problem combination for IT issues, for posts and communications, and also for misunderstandings and arguments.
Mercury and Mars are enemies in Vedic Astrology. Mars doesn’t have the patience. Mercury over-discusses! Retrograde Mars explodes with anger at its frustration with Mercury. Patience, care and calm is needed at this time! AND note also that Mercury is conjunct driven Rahu!

The Mercury retrograde starts in Ashlesha Nakshatra (ruled by Mercury) and Ashlesha’s deity is ‘Sarpa’ or serpent, and so this will increase the tendency to arguments and hurt and wanting to defeat enemies. The ‘shakti’ of Ashlesha is ‘poison’, or troubled emotions, and so this needs to be handled with accompanying spiritual awareness. And of course, the transition point from Cancer to Leo is Gandanta. (Gandanta is the three zones in the Vedic Sidereal zodiac of up to 4 deg either side of the transition point from water sign to fire sign (Pisces-Aries, Cancer-Leo and Scorpio-Sagittarius, where planets are insubstantial, unconfident and ill-attuned to the material world). So, the fact is that Mercury is in the Gandanta from July 16^th to August 3^rd, and then again to Sep 1^st to the 4^th.

And in addition to all that, Mercury is also actually caught up with the eclipsed Sun and Moon on 11^th August.

So, during this Mercury Retrograde period, we will ned to take extra special care of posts and communications, deliveries and our IT processes. We will need to take extra special effort to keep our minds and speech calm. Take care to avoid drama. Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, so Gemini and Virgo people will feel pretty insecure while all this is going on, and will need to take steps to remain grounded.

6. Jupiter turns from Retrograde to Direct:

At the time of Jupiter’s station on 10^th July, he is actually within a Grand Cross being opposition Uranus and T-square to the Nodes. Here is the chart for the Jupiter Station Grand Cross:

A Grand Cross is a big energy that fills the chart. Do check out how this Grand Cross relates to the planets in your birth chart. And note that Jupiter will bring his expansionary energy which will magnify the energies in this Grand Cross. Note that as Jupiter gets established in his renewed forward motion after 10^th July, growth that has been blocked will free up. The energy will become more positive. But do note also, that Jupiter will be transiting through Swati nakshatra until August 1^st, and Swati is ruled by Rahu and prone to scatter and be nervous, so Jupiter’s expansiveness will not be steady. Jupiter finally leaves Vedic Leo on 12^th October.

Jupiter trine Neptune: However, it is important to note that a Jupiter Neptune Trine is formed in the heavens at this time, as you can see from the above Jupiter Station chart for July 10^th, and the energy of Jupiter trine Neptune is intuitive and compassionate, and this will be in the background for humanity.

 7. The Sun:

Sun moves into Vedic Cancer on 16^th July. But the ‘divine king’ energy of the Sun needs to be steadied in our minds, and while Sun is in Vedic Cancer, the Divine King is challenged. This is because he is in the same sign as Retrograde Mercury and also Rahu, and because he receives an opposition from the Mars-Ketu conjunction. He also has to face two eclipses while he is in Cancer: the Lunar Eclipse of 27^th July and the Solar Eclipse of 11^th August.
So, we will need to monitor if this unsteadiness of the divine Sun is destabilising or weakening us in our lives, and if do we will ned to counteract this.

8.Venus enters Vedic Sign of Leo: Venus will transit Vedic Leo from July 5^th to August 1^st. The fact is that Venus does not do well in Leo which is ruled by the Sun. the Sun ‘starves’ Venus in Leo. This is because the ambition and show off nature of the Sun detracts from Venus relationship commitments. So, you may need to keep conscious awareness and sharing with your loved one about this energy that is going on.

9.The Venus – Neptune Opposition:

Venus – Neptune opposition in the heavens at the time of this eclipse. This transiting Venus is in opposition my natal Venus, and I have had such visionary beautiful energies during the long run of this Neptune to Venus transit. They are transforming the novel I am currently writing. I am developing earth spirituality courses and sacred Ireland Tours around where I live, and developing a website about all this with a colleague in Chicago who is a musician and artist.

10.The Saturn – Pluto Conjunction:

Remember, Saturn and Pluto now Retrograde are steadily forming into the Saturn Pluto conjunction which will be exact in January 2010 at 27 Vedic Sagittarius. Do be aware if you have planets around, square or opposition that point. It’s a truly implacable held energy. And of course, Ketu joins the Saturn – Pluto conjunction on 7.3.2019.

11.Chiron square Saturn (and Retrograde):

Chiron turns retrograde on July 5^th. At this time, he is square to Saturn. Chiron square Saturn points us beyond Saturn’s pragmatism and blocks, to find the healing that we need, to connect to our life-essence, to our True Self.

So, for fuller details on these key energies, and all the other details of July 2018 astrology, please read the main report which is set out below.

For Further Information: Go to the 2018 Astrology pages on my Starwheel Astrology readings website for many charts and tables of planets’ positions in 2018:
www.starwheelastrology.com/2018-astrology
www.starwheelastrology.com/2018-planets

My Astrology Readings: Go to: www.starwheelastrology.com/buyanastrologyreading

My Astrology Courses: To take these insights and information further, you can enroll on one of my dedicated Astrology Courses:

www.mastervedicastrology.com
www.nakshatrasadvancedcourse.com
www.advancedvedicastrologycourse.com
www.enlightenedastrologycourse.com

I look forward to hearing from you and to working with you, and we hope you have enjoyed this huge newsletter.

Michael