Life continues to demand much from you, but this month a lighter breeze will blow through your window. July offers a brilliant contrast to the overcast days you've come through not long ago. Your thoughts will lighten beautifully in July, and despite decisions and adjustments that you've been asked to deal with lately, in July you will find spontaneous ways to relax and enjoy life.

As the month opens, with Mars orbiting close to Saturn - to peak in conjunction on July 10 - you will be in a serious mood. A shortfall of cash and rising credit card balances seem to be weighing on you. Understandably, with Saturn still in Virgo, each passing day has brought you more responsibilities. You have taken on one or two roles that are new for you, and ones you never thought you could fill in this stage in your life.

Mars and Saturn will gradually edge together toward precise conjunction on July 10, but when they begin to part after that, you'll see a brighter picture emerge. Keep the faith - better things are about to come your way.

Every Virgo will have lots to look forward to, for the Sun will move into Virgo next month, marking birthday time of the year, and a much more positive time will roll in. As you see, this month will turn the wheel in your favor, and each week will get you closer. Furthermore, if you are an August-born Virgo, your tour of duty with Saturn will be over in a matter of weeks as Saturn continues to journey into deeper mathematical degrees of the sign.

In the meantime, keep your focus on July. From the very start, you will have a gorgeous new moon, July 2, at your disposal. This new moon will help you open up your calendar and provide you with many opportunities to enjoy life in the weeks that follow. As they say, the best things in life are free, and you may not have to spend much to unwind and enjoy romance. It looks like friends will offer you many options to join them and to widen your circle of acquaintances. The reason this new moon is so outstanding is that it will open up very close to Venus, planet of luxury and ease, now in compatible Cancer, in your solar eleventh house of people / events / groups and communities. This is a sure sign that the universe has cooked up many happy options for you. A new moon opens a window of two weeks.

Single? Your friends will pull you into lots of activities you might not have thought about doing on your own, and if you maintain an open mind, you'll widen your circle quite a bit. New friends and acquaintances should pour in, and you'll have time to reconnect with old pals, too.

If you are attached, you will love the surprises your partner presents over the weekend of July 5-6 when Venus will reach out to Uranus. You've been working hard, and you do need a weekend to help you unwind and to leave behind everyday life, if only for a few hours.

If you have considered joining a club, this would be the best time of the year to send your application or to roll up your sleeves on a committee of a club you already belong to now. If you can't quite get active - for certainly, it does appear you are juggling a lot in your life - then peruse the brochure and see if there's an evening program you would want to attend. Communities and groups will offer you a way to exercise leadership qualities or to provide you with events that will allow you to gain needed information.

If you were born on September 4, plus or minus four days, you will benefit most from this extraordinary new moon July 2. This month will be tailor made for you!

Let's go back to look at Saturn and Mars, for these planets are odd bedfellows to say the least. Both are in Virgo, so the contrast is heightened. Mars will always work to infuse you with more courage, energy, and drive, and will coax you to give quick, almost instant, gut reactions. Saturn, on the other hand, will make you more cautious and practical and make you slow to respond, for Saturn will almost force you to think through all your decisions. While you'll psychologically long to quickly get the show on the road, there may be reasons you should not rush. Taking your time would not necessarily be a bad thing - you'll be very deliberate about every move you make and every decision will be well thought out. There is another reason that taking your time may be a good idea.

On August 1 and August 16 two major eclipses are due in Leo and Aquarius respectively, advancing certain developments that first emerged in early February. It's always wise to wait to first see what the news of an eclipse will be before setting important plans in motion. I will post Astrology Zone early next month to help you get ready for those eclipses. Keep in mind the eclipses that caused such a life ruckus for you were in Pisces and Virgo, and those are completely finished and not coming back. Eclipses in those signs are not due back for many years. The coming eclipses should not have a strong effect on you, and are far, far less likely to be disruptive. I will discuss eclipses in more detail next month - stay tuned.

Mars' entry into Virgo on July 1 will be an excellent development for advancing your interests because Mars in Virgo will herald the start of a two-year cycle beginning now. While Mars stays in your sign, July 1 to August 19, you will have a fantastically fortunate phase in which to initiate a venture or to forge an important new relationship. Mars will ensure that you give things your "all." Indeed, the actions you take now will affect you for two years, until Mars will return again to refresh this cycle in June 2010.

Of course, you have free will, and you can sit out this period without doing anything. You can hope something starts up on its own, but that's never the best way to work with astrology, for you may waste this high-octane energy. While you have Mars behind you, choose something you dearly want to do and give it a big push forward. Move to a new house, start a new business venture, create a plan for a charity, begin a vital new creative project, or take an existing project to a whole new level. Make new friends, find someone to love - make life happen. The choices are endless! You don't have to actually complete your plan before August 19, the date Mars will leave Virgo, but you would have to begin putting parts of your dream in motion by then.

Mercury will no longer be retrograde as it was last month, so you can say finally say goodbye to the mixed messages, delays, reversals, and difficulties that may have plagued you in June. This all means you can move forward now that the picture will be clearer and less subject to change suddenly in weeks ahead. Yes, the eclipses will bring surprising news to each of us, no matter what our sign, so whether or not you make big initiations in July depends on your schedule and circumstances.

Certainly there will be several days in July that Mercury and Mars will make positive aspects to other planets, and on these days you are likely to do well. Keep in mind that Mercury is the guardian planet of Virgo, in charge of overseeing your affairs and well-being, the reason why Mercury's activities will count more for you than for most signs. Here are some days for you to watch:

July 14: If you need to sign papers, you can do so - I especially like July 14, when Mercury and Saturn will be so beautifully aligned. This date should give you extraordinary support from a partner, too.

July 22: A perfect day to come up with new ideas! Brainstorm, experiment, and play - this is a day when the smallest efforts should yield huge results. Mercury and Uranus will be in lively conversation. This day is special on so many counts! You have no shortage of original thoughts. Writing, speaking, editing, research, and travel sparkle.

This month, you have so many reasons to be excited! Mars in Virgo will allow you to become more physically attractive, so spiff up your appearance! You'll have to deal with the extra fuss, but that's a lovely problem. Virgo is a shy sign, so while others may say, "Gee, that's easy, having lots of attention," it's not always easy for you. Get used to it, dear Virgo, because through attention will come romance.

Venus will add a little extra sparkle too, particularly from July 1 to 11, when Venus will be in Cancer, a sign that will work in all your interests. Once Venus moves into Leo on July 12, blind dates may go well in the second half of July, so keep that in mind, too.

Your most important day of the month will come at the FANATASTIC, tender full moon, July 18. This full moon will be operative from July 16 to 22 and will light your fifth house of true love for the first time in a year. This is a wow of a day because this full moon will be friendly to both Jupiter (gifts and luck) and Uranus (surprises). This weekend should simply dazzle you with happy, spontaneous romantic developments.

Not only will romance be highlighted but so will matters related to children and pregnancy near July 18 - and all news will be good news. If you have children, no matter what their ages, do something for them that they'd never expect you to do. It's time to give love to others and to receive it back in a never-ending, ever-widening circle of warm feelings.

If you want to take a vacation, this month would be a good time to go, particularly anytime after the new moon July 2, ending with the weekend of July 20.

If you are involved with a major creative project, that project may be wrapped up over the weekend of July 19-20, or you may reach a very proud and critical juncture of sophistication.

If you were born on September 18, double all your expectations regarding romance and matters related to children and creativity.

The month will end on one more amazingly romantic note over the weekend of July 26. Mars will contact happiness planet Jupiter this weekend, and since Jupiter's in your solar fifth house of true love, this day rates four stars! The moon will cooperate by being in fellow earth sign Taurus. Plan something special!

Best romantic dates: July 18 (plus or minus four days) and July 25-27. Also special for love: July 2-3, 6-7, 12, and 22.

Jupiter is currently retrograding in Capricorn in your house of true love, but will turn direct September 8. Should you feel that you don't see quite enough progress in your love life, you will likely see a huge boost then. From then, September 8, 2008, to January 5, 2009, you should make outstanding progress. Still, this month should be rather spectacular, so make the effort to get out and circulate.

Attached couples interested in having the stork visit soon should also be gratified. The new moon in Cancer is always considered one of the most fertile new moons of the year. Hopefully the two weeks that follow is a good time to try.

Summary

This month you'll be happy when you think about all the impressive momentum you've built up over the past few months. A relationship or project will be moving along at a fast clip, and in July you'll find you can now bring things up a notch, to a more sophisticated level. Such progress has to be gratifying!

Mars will be in Virgo from July 1 to August 19, signaling that you're now beginning an important new two-year cycle. If you apply yourself during this critical phase you will have a high propensity for success. Mars will give you both courage and fervent drive, and also impart you with a commanding aura of authority. Plans and relationships that you formalize now will exceed your expectations, and what you accomplish will have staying power. You'll have the edge, for sure, so while you have it, use it, or as they say, lose it.

Saturn is currently in Virgo, adding heavy responsibilities to your shoulders. With Mars conjunct Saturn at the start of July, you may be quite mindful of the long-term importance of the decisions you are making. While it is always wise to be cautious and consider the next steps carefully, in early July you seem to be overly cautious. No need to second-guess yourself, dear Virgo.

You may fear that you made a big mistake by taking on so much, but soon you'll see all those moves were necessary. This feeling may be a lingering residue of having found yourself in a very tight financial spot recently, but realize that as a Virgo, you have an abundance of admirable resourcefulness, so you will work your way out of whatever seems to be troubling you. Saturn has asked much of you, but you've met those challenges squarely. A new and stronger version of you is rapidly emerging. Trust that you will be a force to be reckoned with, because you will be that, and more!

If you need to sign important papers or shake hands on a verbal deal, do so on July 14. The agreement you make will last, which hopefully is precisely what you want to hear!

Despite heavy-duty planetary aspects that have been at play, you'll have a lovely soft influence about to flow through your life this month, too. You'll have plenty of reasons to see friends once the new moon appears, July 2. June brought a heavy career emphasis, but July will provide lots of time to rest and rejuvenate. Travel may be part of the picture, too.

Are you in the mood for love? Get ready for the tender full moon, July 18. Small but meaningful private moments could thrill you. A certain glance, tender touch, slight smile, a stolen kiss, or whisper said at the end of an evening, each in their own way could send your sprits soaring. Enjoy this time to the fullest, dear Virgo.

If you are attached, July 22 reveals what a gem your partner is to you.

Another time to watch for outstanding romance would be over the weekend starting Friday night, July 25 through Sunday, July 27 when Mars and Jupiter will stir up delightful surprises. You may be bewildered by all the fuss others make over you, but this cosmic gift has your name written all over it. Enjoy it! Be out circulating!

Keep the following dates in mind:

Make new friends, socialize, and put work on a back burner: July 2-15

Join a new club: July 2-11

Romance will be out of this world: July 18 (+ or - 4 days), 26-27.

Mars will put you in a leadership position, so forge ahead: All month.

Sign a contract that will provide longevity: July 14.