July is turning out to be a complete and complex month of everything. We left the end of June in a rather subdued if contented mood. Rewarded for our troubles but still left the month in a veil of secrecy. There is anticipation for bigger things to come. Revelations haven’t started to unfold yet. The mood is one of modest enjoyment. When Temperance arrives she tells us to keep it this way. She’s the Goddess of self control over excess. She’s depicted in traditional iconography with two vessels pouring water from one to the other. Let us follow her. As one of the six virtues in positive psychology, together with wisdom, courage, humanity, justice and transcendence, puts us in charge. We are the masters of our own destiny. And we have to be cool and calm about it. A moderation in action, thought and feeling is called for. Temperance represents our own restrain and self discipline over rash emotions such as anger, harmful desires of overindulgence, and negative thinking of revenge. Our powers are ever stronger and they come from within. Use them wisely, prudently, and lovingly.

And here is how it can be achieved. Temperance is followed by Poetry. Poetry is what we all know as a form of literature we are more or less familiar with. We’ve probably read grand poetry at school, we had our own favourite poetry books and sang songs. Hopefully we still do. Some of us may have even written some poetry of our own. We all now need a bit more of this for our well-being. In ancient Greek the word has its roots in the term ‘making’. And indeed poetry has a long history and may predate literacy. So we can open up and think of poetry in a wider sense of creative activity of making things that can involve aesthetics, rhythm, repetition, memorization and structuring. We can manifest the best of us by engaging in doing and making. This is truly an action month of high purpose.

Now with a good measure of Temperance under our belts and our selves put in the making motion, noble causes call for our attention. We will be handling unfinished business with care. The past has not gone away. ‎Unexpected events and sudden changes will remind us that we must defend our values and others that are vulnerable and need our help. We will run to their aid with a sense of urgency. Energy will be amplified by the months end. Emotions will run high throughout the month and action will be in the making and in manifesting. We will all find ourselves in a cliffhanger before August arrives. Love, money, materialising ideas are in the making but not ripe yet. The change however from one to the other will be sudden and staggering. The Knight, whether on foot or on horse, arrives full of energy and ready for action.

P.S. Remember that July is a complex month. To survive it and triumph at the end, we need Temperance (self-discipline) and Poetry (making)‎ throughout. The Knight although not important in himself, (he’s a servant, he’s here to help us) he will bring with him the energy and support we need. Ask for help and you will get it. Keep cool, take it easy, and keep making, to prepare for a more dramatic August around the corner.

Flavia