Happy July, my goddesses. This month we fully emerge into summer here in the northern hem while our southern sisters find themselves slipping slowly into the embrace of winter. On July 9th, we’ll experience the full moon in Capricorn. The Sun moves into Leo on July 22nd, and as the WOTY turns, we anticipate the Lammas harvest on August first – a time to honor the skilled god, Lugh, by celebrating our talents, harvest, and craftsmanship.
Full moons always shine a light of awareness, and are a time to celebrate the results of our intentions and actions – we see the fruits of our labor in the full light. During the full moon, everything is magnified and this can feel like a crisis or an insightful illumination depending on our state and openness to transparent exposure (as well as what sign the moon is transiting when full as you know!). Once we have awareness of what is (what we have achieved), we can choose to release it and move on, or share it for the benefit of all.
With the sun moving into the sign of Leo, we experience the full potency of the sun. Leo is ruled by the sun, representing our vitality, radiance and sense of purpose. Leo is directly associated with love, and the heart. Leo strives to be special and be loved. In its less developed state, it can appear self-centered and demanding of attention. At its highest expression, it radiates such a bright light from within that it emanates pure love and joy – making others feel truly special. Leo lessons teach us about creative self-expression and how love is the ultimate creative act.
This is the perfect time to practice forgiveness and compassion as our inner struggles and growths present a trying time both externally and internally as do all changes and transitions.
July’s full moon aids us in pursuing our goals, since giving up is not an option. Look deeply at the big personal and collective commitments we’ve made this year. Step into the great potential for feelings of all sorts to be illuminated and expressed.
July theme – Release: Forgiveness, compassion, grace, and mercy
Releasing comes in stages, as we are ready to let go. Each decade of life will bring unique challenges, revealing blockages we can release in order to return to a state of natural function and energy flow. Releasing requires forgiveness, compassion, grace and mercy. We must remember that without these components, there is no real love, only limited self-fulfillment, or worse, self-indulgence. To live with grace, compassion, and mercy, is to live with the soul of Source. To forgive is to sacrifice and trust. It truly is, Divine. We can use this full moon in Capricorn to ask ourselves honest questions about release, forgiveness and compassion, and explore our own karmic patterns in these areas since Saturn, the planet of tough knocks and life lessons, rules Capricorn. Saturn is also associated with patience and timing, both intimately intertwined with release.
Journal prompts:
What are you ready to release?
How do you show compassion when faced with a difficult situation?
Where in your life have you had to make the difficult choice of forgiveness when betrayed by another?
Have you pushed to release something before the timing was right?
How do you overcome your struggles, changes, and/or transitions? What tools do you turn to in time of need?
Invoking Jesus & Mary for compassion and forgiveness
According to the Bible and Christian tradition, Mary challenged all scientific logic by immaculately conceiving Jesus Christ (Emmanuel), the Savior. Her holy son would change the course of history. Before his birth, the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary with a prophecy of her son the Savior. Mary was chosen because she had proven herself worthy of the honor and suffering that would come. When asked whether she would carry the Christ child during the annunciation, Mary’s simple but telling reply was: Yes. Her lack of hesitation and complete support of her spiritual path and mission represents a powerful model for all of us to follow. Can we surrender completely when it’s clear the direction in which our soul needs to move or grow?
Jesus is the product of pure love, sacrificed by God to bring the abundance of His love to the world. The essence of Jesus and Mary summon our own ability to believe, gather courage to pursue our own truths, and open our hearts to many of life’s great mysteries. We embrace the salvation, compassion, and healing offered by a loving God and she who mothered him, and celebrate the enormous power of Divine Love within ourselves. We understand the meaning of sacrifice for a greater purpose, whatever that purpose may be. To practice forgiveness and compassion is to know and understand the meaning of Divine love – by loving someone, you accept the good with the bad, forgiving them for all their human and mundane flaws. To invoke Jesus and the Blessed Mary is to have the courage to forgive and love all humankind, with compassion in place of anger.
May these energy streams serve you well in the months ahead. And so it is.
