July 28/29: Venus in parallel to the Sun and star cluster M71 emphasizes art and harmonic exchange, letting love flow freely, while the Sombrero Galaxy and Mars counterbalance with self-centered, hermit-like attitudes

July 28/29: Venus is in parallel to the Sun and star cluster M71, at 150° from Juno, at 45° from Mercury retrograde. This astrological combination is ideal for artistic activities, as the parallel Sun/Venus is a very strong impulse to the appreciation of beauty and harmony. This alignment occurs in the same parallel as the star cluster M71, a cluster representing a high value, but is also characterized by its informality, as it is quite disperse. This greatly enhances emotional expression, love and romance, friendship, family and social life in general. It is convenient to let love flow in the manner in which it manifests to us, for then the effect will be to increase self-esteem through extremely rewarding exchanges. However, the typical  informality of M71 may also involve a lack of commitment, which can spoil the excellent opportunities in art and relationships over the weekend ...

    Fortunately, Pallas is contra parallel to Juno and star cluster M10, which strngthens the possibility of making plans with others. Palas defines plans to perform with others, making it a good time to plan activities for next week, thus avoiding the potential dispersal of M71... Juno, the main asteroid of relationships, is perfecting a parallel with M10, a cluster that contains an interesting mix of red and blue stars, indicating heterogeneity, a mixture of different types of people, a tolerant, open and cosmopolitan attitude. And above all, it means the development of trust between people: M10 has just 3 variable stars within its great population, which is a symbol of reliability and stability in relations. Do not miss this opportunity to interact positively with those who have something to exchange ! This coincides with the start of the 2012 London Olympics, which clearly adds to the enthusiasm in sports competitions, and the cultural activities that are related ...

     But before running to their social activities, it should be noted that not all is harmony and cooperation. Mars is in ecliptic conjunction to the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), one of the most famous galaxies because it looks like a mexican hat. This galaxy has at its center a supermassive black hole of about a billion solar masses! This and other features indicate an entity that is very self-centered, and the Mars transit gives energy to be even more sef-centered. So, those who feel a strong resistance to socialize, maybe it's because they are tuning in the hermit frequency of the Sombrero Galaxy. However, this may serve to reflect deeply, to acquire inner peace, to do meditation, to have valuable insights, deeper self-analysis and also to find resolution of personal issues. On the negative side, the Sombrero Galaxy combined with Mars strongly emphasize  egocentric, selfish, arrogant and aggressive attitudes, both at a personal and a political level, which will deepen social conflicts. With so much harmony around it would be a pity to let arrogance prevail.

    But it's you who decide, don´t forget! Good luck!

Carlos Duarte
Researcher Astrologer