Your career is due to make big headlines this month, dear Libra. Hopefully in June you took a vacation or at least enjoyed a slower pace, because this month you won't be able to slip out of town - too much will be happening at home base!

The beat will start to pick up immediately the minute the new moon begins on July 2. That new moon will shine at the very pinnacle point in your chart and open a window of opportunity lasting two weeks that will allow you to take a big step up in your career.

Some new moons are flawed, some are good, and others are great. This one is near great. The day this new moon appears in your tenth house of honors and fame it will conjoin Venus, your ruling planet. This suggests that offers that come to you will be offers you'll like, and, with Venus in this house, you will easily impress VIPs with your background, experience, and winning ways. This is your moment, dear Libra! You must seize this chance to rise to the top.

Venus will receive superb aspects from Uranus shortly after that new moon arrives, suggesting that any position that arises will come out of the blue. You may simply be at the right place at the right time, so keep your ears open! Jupiter will partner with Venus from across the skies, another sign that you'll be happy with developments.

If you do want a new, more prestigious position, be quick to harness the energy of the new moon. Start making calls, and be sure to return any that you should get from a headhunter. You won't have to actually win the job in July, but you do need to set up the first interviews in the first half of the month, between July 2 and 17. Your strongest week will at the month's start, July 2-8.

If you like your job but hope to pick up a freelance job, the right project might arise on Monday, July 14. That's when the Sun and Uranus will be so beautifully angled, again bringing amazing surprises in weird, unexpected ways. The Sun will light your prestige sector and Uranus, your sixth house of actual assignments.

Keep your antenna up too on July 22, a jewel of a day, when Mercury and Uranus will be so perfectly aligned. Mercury will be, by then, in your house of fame and will signal Uranus. An offer may come to you as if by lightning bolt! If you need to generate ideas on a present assignment, this wow of a day would allow for that. You'd be hailed as a star for the gems you come up with! Writing, speaking, thinking, creating - you name it, this is your day!

I was speaking to one lovely young Libra who had just received a fine position as an editor at a top consumer magazine in June. She and I were trying to figure out how July could possibly be an important career month for her, since June brought her the promotion she had hoped to get. Yet I knew that, because she was a Libra, July, not June, would be the month that she'd get the wide industry respect. The tenth house, so lit up for her - and you - is what the ancients referred to as "the house of dignity." The way I think this will work out for this young editor is that the magazine's PR department will issue a press release about her new post in early July. That would give her the recognition I see in her chart, and certainly she should suggest that they do! As it is now, few people know about her promotion. You may see a similar situation develop, where you take the job one month, but it's announced later, now, as sometimes this is how things work out.

Of course, it's also possible that in early July she could get a better offer from a different source and suddenly quit to take that job in time. (New moons open a new portal of discussion, which may or may not develop quickly - it could take many months to win the job you discuss now.) Mercury was retrograde from late May through most of June, so if she accepted the promotion prior to June 23, she might change her mind and do a fast job switch in July. Accepting a job or signing a lease on an apartment (as two examples) often brings changes, but not always instantly - it can take weeks, months, or even a year before it becomes apparent that the decision was not to bring the long-range permanence that you had hoped.

When we act during a Mercury retrograde period (the next will go from September 24 to October 15), conditions will later shift in ways that no one could have anticipated, so you are left to making adjustments down the line. If you did take an important job last month, don't be jittery - it may be the first scenario, or it may be that your job description changes appreciably in ways that delight you. Or, you'll be courted later for a truly big position! No need for stressing out! You have a truly great career chart, so I can't see how you'd lose!

Now let's talk about your home life, which will ALSO be strongly accented in July. A real estate, housing, redecorating, or other domestic or family situation will reach an exciting culmination at the full moon, July 18, plus or minus four days. If you need a new place to live, be determined to look at the listings early in July because it really does seem that you'll find a space you like by mid-month. If selling a house, listen to your broker and adjust your price accordingly - July brings the best window of opportunity you've had all year to sell, buy, or lease.

There will be one other date that may help you wrap things up concerning any domestic matter: July 26. Mars will be in beautiful angle to Jupiter then, so you may get a tip that you can act on immediately, or things discussed at the full moon, July 18, may be fully finished by July 26.

You can use the energy of the full moon, July 18 (operative July 16 to 22) or of July 26 in small ways, too. You can paint the living room, wash windows, clean out closets, refinish your dining room table, buy linens and accessories, or do any number of other things to make your home more cozy and inviting in advance of the year-end holidays. If you have hoped to find the right roommate, you'd likely find the right one by the full moon, July 18.

Family matters, especially those affecting parents, also come under the domain of the fourth house too, the area of your chart that will be so brilliantly lit at the full moon. Mom or Dad may need a hand with moving furniture, for example, or ask you for special advice about managing the household books. You get the idea - be available if your parent calls at that time.

If you were adopted and have been searching for a parent, this full moon will be so beautifully aspected that you may finally find your biological mother or father and even have a first meeting. Keep searching if you hope to find this person.

If you don't settle your home / property / domestic or family decisions by this full moon period, July 16-22, then you will need to wait until the new moon in Capricorn on December 27 (plus two weeks) for your next big opportunity. Don't plan to be on holiday between Christmas and New Year's or you will miss the opportunity of your dreams! That new moon will be VERY powerful and beneficial, with five planets lighting your house of home!

I should add that you have Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, visiting in your fourth house of home until early January 2009. This is a once in 12-year golden opportunity to get your living situation the way you have always hoped it to be. Of all the signs, you have the very best outlook for home and property-related matters. You may be able to buy a house for a "steal" or finally buy the perfect piece of furniture for your living room, perhaps for a bargain price. Jupiter is retrograde right now until September 8, but once Jupiter wakes up from his nap, watch things speed up really quickly. Even if you buy a house now, your plans to make it yours will really pick up steam in the last four months of the year.

If you have a serious decision coming up, such as whether to buy or sell a house, you may have other important dates coming up that I can't see in your chart. In your case, you should read for your rising sign, as the rising sign is considered equal in importance to the Sun sign.

If you already know your rising sign, read it now, after finishing your Libra forecast. (If you were born at dawn, then you are a "double Libra" - a Libra with Libra rising - so there would be no other forecast to read. Keep in mind that the time that the Sun rises changes with the time of the year. "Dawn" is always a little different month to month. It's always wise to do a custom natal chart to be sure. Your natal chart will never change during your lifetime, so you need only to get it done once.)

In order to know your rising sign, you will need to erect your natal chart, with the day, month, year, city of birth, and precise minute of birth, taken from the original birth certificate. If you don't have your birth certificate or only have a computer copy of your birth certificate (the kind you'd get at the DMV for $5), you need to order the original vault copy - the one that was handwritten by the nurse on duty when you were born - which costs more, around $15 to $35 depending on the state. If you are American, call the Bureau of Vital Statistics in your state capitol, or look online for the place to order it. Birth certificates are NOT usually retained by hospitals. Recording births is a state government function, not a hospital function. For more information go to my other website, My Personal Horoscope: http://www.MyPersonalHoroscope.com

Romantically, next month may bring big news, as two major eclipses will arrive in August. The first, a major total eclipse of the Sun, will fall in your very social, people-oriented eleventh house of hopes and wishes, August 1. The second be the lunar, full moon eclipse, August 16, and is set to fall in your fifth house of true love. If you are dating, those eclipses will show you the direction that a close relationship is heading (or not heading) and after those eclipses have spoken, you will be able to plan accordingly. I will be posting Astrology Zone a bit early next month to help you get ready.

If you are not dating, an eclipse is known to change one's status quickly, so you may meet someone important in August. Stay tuned. If you are married or attached a long time, these eclipses could bring opportunity for more fun or talk about welcoming a baby. We will talk about those eclipses next month.

This month, you really do need to concentrate on career and home-related matters, which will keep you very busy!

Your best day for fun and love this month will be over the weekend of July 5-6, when Venus will be beautifully angled to Uranus. The moon will be in luxury and fun-loving Leo, so you're sure to have a good time. Leo relates so well to your sign!

Venus will help by moving into Leo too, from July 12 to August 6, a lovely, light influence that will allow you to find more time to see friends.

There are two other key dates for fun and love.

If you are not planning to move house or to renovate your kitchen over the full moon weekend July 18-20, then you might want to give a party for all your friends! To make this tender full moon work its magic for you, you need to hold your party at home, not in a restaurant or club. It looks like you'd want to do that anyway! Hold a backyard barbeque where friends bring a food contribution to your table beautifully done (a la Martha Stewart!) or invite friends in to watch a rented movie and offer pizza and cold sodas. Or, throw a luxurious, catered cocktail affair for 100. You can decide!

The other lovely romantic date to watch, July 22, will be best for single Libras - watch for a text message, IM, or surprise cell phone call to set your spirits soaring!

Your most romantic evenings will be: July 5-6, 9, 14-15, 18-20, and 22.

Summary:

You are entering into one of the most exciting months of the year for your career. While you have the attention of every important VIP in July, step up your game and give your career all you've got. Take a summer vacation? Not now, dear Libra.

Indeed, if you have been unsure of when to make a full-out move toward the position you want, the answer is now. The new moon on July 2 will open wide an important, encouraging window of opportunity - the biggest and best of the year. Refine your career strategy and be ready to book interviews during the week of July 7. With Uranus active all month, you may be taken by surprise on how quickly things shape up.

Watch July 7, 14, and 22 when news that strikes may leave you speechless.

A home or family matter will reach culmination at the full moon, July 18. If you have ordered new furniture, are having your walls painted, or want to rearrange closets, all will be finished by the weekend of July 19-20. If you've been trying to buy or sell property, an agreement is at hand. Keep negotiating - don't let up. Another day that should bring exceptional progress with home-related matters is July 26, a perfect day to choose if you move, thanks to Mars aligned with lucky Jupiter.

Feel in the mood to entertain? Good idea. Do so on either July 18, 19, or 25 when Venus in Leo will help you pull out all the stops. You'd design a stylish and imaginative setting, and the food and wine you choose would clearly be topnotch. Your guests will return the favor by dressing to fit the scene. This cool crowd sure knows how to whip up lively conversation too, so this fete should be one for the record books.

Single and can't remember the last hot date you had? Try again on July 5 or 6, perfect for a first date with real potential!

With Venus working hard to spice up your life in the area of your chart ruling fun, friends, and parties, invitations should arrive in bunches from July 12 to August 5. Pick up a few chic hostess gifts to have on had - it looks like you'll be going places, and you'll not want to arrive empty handed.

On July 22, you may get an email or cell phone call that catches you off guard - but you'll be thrilled! It's a highly romantic day, full of surprises of the best kind, thanks to Uranus (unanticipated events) in perfect angle to Mercury (news).

Remember these dates:

Your very best day for romance will be July 6.

The evening of July 31 will be quite glamorous, too.

Watch for a superb career opportunity to surface from July 2 to 17.

You will impress your boss July 14 with the work you do.

Your home will be a hub of activity and require attention: July 18-20.