In July 2021, we are going to be walking a tight rope, and, hopefully, through hard work and some clever decision-making we can come out of it leading a better future. It is destined to be a tense month, full of incident and activity, passion and ultimately the need to be discerning in everything we do. In some ways we are going to feel defeated or damaged by greater forces, or an abundance of issues to deal with simultaneously that demand our attention. But our authority and centred mindfulness will see us through to something much more than what we’ve ever dreamt was possible.

Choices are made and our capacity to multitask is challenged. In July we find ourselves having to push through all sorts of projects. In some cases we are going to have to hold space for others, sometimes it is us that needs all the help we can get. The two competing tasks could be a grand vision for our future that needs forward planning, while battling everyday concerns and duties necessary to maintain stability in our immediate environment. Or it can be several different versions of each of the two situations. For example the daily tasks are beyond our capacity and yet we find that we keep on taking on more. These might be trivial in and of themselves, but accumulatively they can crash and deplete us. That’s when we are feeling we are right on the edge. We are doing it successfully so far. We are juggling lots of balls or spinning plates in one go, and still manage to walk the rope mid air. We see a huge moon up in the sky, and ships with white masts are flying across. It is an amazing position to be in. Optimism is in the air. However, long term this can become too stressful with the constant threat of instability. The stress can be damaging both to the quality of how we perform our tasks and our personal well being. It’s good to be busy while we are able to fulfil our various roles. But the 2 of Pentacles also reminds us that not everything is of the same value. At some point we are going to have to consider where we stand and how we deal with things. Some things are more important than others. The right time is now. In July we are finally out of the eclipse season. Things look like they might be getting back to normal and we want to do as much as we can to compensate for an earlier less active season or just feel the need to catch up with whatever has been neglected. We should not be tempted to do so. Not all at once at any rate. Aftershocks from the eclipses are still ongoing.

The outcome can be a distressing or rather exhausting 9 of Wands. We are getting through the battle or hard toil and we are still standing, which is great. Not totally unscathed, with the bandage around our head, but we’ll be fighting another battle another day. The card may tell us that we are going to find ourselves in that situation anyway, despite our best efforts to say no to taking on more responsibility every now and then. The need for balance is pivotal. The danger of overwhelm is real. And July has a lot of fire energy. Mars is in Leo, and the Sun moves there later in the month. Venus too is in Leo. They are opposed throughout the month: first by Pluto in Capricorn, then Saturn in Aquarius, and finally Jupiter in Pisces. This is fire energy, passion and a desire to be seen on the one hand opposed by dark subterranean energies coming out into the open, the status quo, and a belief-system keeping everything together. We are feeling pride. We can ask for help just the way the character of the 9 of Wands is leaning on the staff. And we need to be flexible and focused. An obvious energy that is building up and engaging us in it for a while, is the battle of the wills, and hard crafting or toil with attention to the societal or communal conditions, the wider world out there.

Some events are out of our control and others are circumstances of our own creation. But we need to be mindful about how we respond, and what is our input in where we find ourselves. We can’t do everything. But we can take a rational approach, and analytical thinking will make us masters of our situation. That is the message the King of Swords is sending us. Our mental capacity is unbounded. We are dealing with problems that we are familiar with. We had to face hard work and conflicting demands made upon us already, many times over. We’ve seen the 9 of Wands come up before. We’ve been there before. And it’s through the work and effort we put in that somehow we become the King of Swords. Standing up proud, facing directly forwards, holding an upwards facing sword symbol of words and ideas. Not with a bandage on our head, but wearing a helmet. Filled with confidence, in an open landscape with no limits or boundaries. The world is ours to conquer. And we can achieve it through direct communication. We need to be decisive and blunt about our intentions. Forcefulness is the name of the game. But not in a violent physical way. Our power is in our consciousness. We are leaders of our own lives through our thoughts and intentions. Visualising our needs and desires and going after them in a organised and strategic way. At the end of a busy month, after events, work projects, battles of the will, dreaming and juggling, we are more empowered, more knowledgeable, more willing to lead. This is true confidence. The month is heading towards more clarity of thought and decisive action. Once we examine everything and carefully select our choices we know we are almost there.

Flavia