This will be a big month, for we have two major eclipses, one July 2 in Cancer, and the other July 16 in Capricorn. Eclipses are a big deal in astrology, because they are the most dramatic tool the universe uses to shake us awake and create instant change. If you know your rising sign, read for that sign as well, for both forecasts would apply to you, and you will have a 360-degree picture of the month ahead.

Changes coming to your daily routine and life may soon look and feel a little different. You love change—your sign is the sign of the future, always pushing boundaries to see what else you can achieve or experience. The eclipses are back, but this time, those in the Leo and Aquarius family of signs are finished, for you saw the last one in that series, in Aquarius, last year on July 27, 2018. You won’t be the subject of this month’s eclipse, but more likely be a bystander that feels them peripherally.

Eclipses come every six months, usually as twins, as a new moon (solar eclipse) and a full moon (lunar eclipse). They are different from the more usual new and full moons we see each month because eclipses are more powerful, and we can feel the changes they bring for six months or more. Their job is to find situations or relationships that are outworn, unproductive, or languishing in your life and move you into a situation that will be stronger, more productive, and ultimately more satisfying. An eclipse will force a decision and radically speed your timetable, too.

Generally, a new moon solar eclipse is fun—it brings changes and opportunities, and it opens a door to a new experience. Solar eclipses are all about fresh starts. You will have that one first, July 2.

On the other hand, full moon (lunar eclipses), like the one July 16, often make us feel a little sentimental and emotional, for they bring endings and stir memories. The good part to a lunar eclipse is that they bring closure.

As said, the first eclipse comes up July 2, in Cancer 11 degrees, and will mark changes in your everyday routine. This new moon solar eclipse, a total eclipse of the Sun, will light your sixth house of workaday projects. You may acquire a new client who will give you a fabulous assignment, different from others you’ve done, and you will enjoy learning new skills as you do it.

There are other possible changes in the wind. You might hire a new assistant or hear that your company is moving to new headquarters. You may get new computers for your department and new software to go with the new equipment.

    Venus will move into your marriage sector (seventh house) on July 27 to August 21, and that will sweeten your relationship and help you to let go of the small stuff and focus on what matters most. It sounds like you need more fun, and Venus will see that you get it.

That might be fine with you, for if you have a lot going on at home, you might not want more career responsibility. For example, if your parents need you, you have small children, or you have a child with special needs, then you would be happy to find a job similar to the one you’ve done before because the last thing you need is extra pressure. If your romantic partner needs to relocate the family to take advantage of a promotion, you’d be glad to find a job utilizing skills you’ve already mastered. In all these cases, a change in your day-to-day work environment would be quite welcome.

Keep in mind that you will work hard at any new job you take, as Saturn will oppose the total eclipse of the Sun. Saturn and Pluto, two powerhouse planets, will support Neptune, now in your second house of earned income and salary. It appears that your compensation will be commensurate with the effort you put in. Neptune is the planet of the arts, so your chart suggests your new job will have creative elements and that you may be working with music, film, or photography—Neptune rules music as well as the silver image. Your ruling planet, Uranus, planet of genius and futuristic ideas, will be in ideal sync with the new moon eclipse and Sun, so high-tech work, related to the digital age, might also apply. No matter what comes up, it seems you will welcome the changes in assignments that come up in the first ten days of July.

You might see changes at home too, including a change in you housekeeper, nanny, or gardener, as some examples of helpers you might regularly hire. You, of all signs, do not like the status quo, even though you are a fixed sign. Your air-sign intellect tells you that change is good and sometimes necessary, and this month I feel you will embrace this thought.

This same total eclipse, a new moon on July 2, could possibly affect you in a different way. The sixth house, where this eclipse will visit, is also the house of health and healing. With Saturn so prominent at this eclipse, it would be a good time for you to schedule your annual medical checkup. If you have not been to the dentist lately, make that appointment, too. Pay special attention to your bones, teeth, breasts (if you’re a woman), digestion, and skin. As I wrote above, Uranus will be beautifully oriented to this solar eclipse, which will be a big help in health matters, for Uranus may send you surprisingly positive news you don’t see coming.

If you want to go back to exercising at the gym or through sports, this July 2 eclipse and the week to come would be the ideal time to start. Know your limits by checking with your doctor, and when you start, you might want to get a package of lessons from a trainer to make sure your form remains correct when you work out. Starting a program with a new moon eclipse in your health sector is usually a good idea, especially when the ruler of your sign (Uranus) is being cooperative. Ask your doctor if lifting weights would be a good idea for strengthening your bones.

Solar eclipses, like the one you have on July 2 in Cancer, are known to open new paths. A new moon eclipse will bring new experiences, something you might relish since something old does not sit well with your Aquarius Sun,  a futuristic sign. With all eclipses, something ends, and something else begins. Eclipses force us to move forward, with no option of turning back to the good old days. New conditions will be more relevant and suitable to you in your current life, reflecting how you have evolved.

Eclipses repeat in sign and precise degree every nineteen years, so the ones you are seeing this month, on July 2 and July 16, are similar to the ones you went through on July 1, 2000, and July 16, 2000. The signs and degrees are the same as then, but the planets surrounding the eclipses have since moved into different places, of course, so that means events in life are never precisely replicated. If you experienced a bad event back in July 2000, that does not mean another bad event will occur from the eclipse this month. If you can pick out an overall theme, that theme will likely be echoed. Take notes on what occurs now, and let me know on Twitter or Instagram on how it compares to the ones you experienced in July 2000. (I am @astrologyzone on both Twitter and Instagram). I would love to hear what you have to say.

All eclipses have two acts, so wait until the dust settles to know how the eclipses affect you. The time surrounding an eclipse can be confusing, and initially it can be hard to see the road ahead, but then, in a few days, you will begin to see more clearly. Some readers (10%) notice the news of an eclipse arrive one month to the day earlier, so in that case you may have already felt one of the eclipses on June 2 or June 16, plus or minus five days. Other readers (15%) notice news of an eclipse one month to the day later, so in that case, watch August 2 and August 16, plus or minus five days. Most readers (75%) will receive the message of the eclipse on the day, July 2 or July 16, plus or minus five days.

The next eclipse to arrive, two weeks later on July 16 in Capricorn 24 degrees, will be a lunar full moon eclipse. This will light your twelfth house, and that part of your chart rules, among other things, secrets. If someone has held information from you, has been working at cross-purposes to your aims, or is plotting something behind your back, you will find out about it and the identity of the person at this time. This eclipse will shine a spotlight on what has been happening under the radar, outside your field of vision.

The ancients used to refer to the twelfth house as the house of secret enemies. This full moon eclipse comes conjunct Pluto, so the unfairness of what you discover may take you back initially, until you decide the best strategy for the situation. Pluto will oppose the Sun, suggesting that if there is someone undermining you, that person could be someone very close to you who you collaborate with often, or who is a present- or an ex-marriage partner. If it is a current partner or an ex, one would think this person would want the best for you, but people come with different moral compasses, and some have no moral compass at all.

The other way this might work out could be very different from what I explained above. The twelfth house is also considered a place of healing and confinement—for example, hospitals, rehab centers, physical therapy facilities, and nursing homes would come under this sector. You might have a female relative (a lunar eclipse points to a woman) who is in one of these institutions and find you want to visit her in July, and you may even speak with her doctors if she needs an advocate.

On the other hand, you might feel this is the right time to schedule a surgery or to go in for rehab. The full moon eclipse of July 16 would help you make the decision to check in. This eclipse is in Capricorn, a sign that emphasizes clarity, practicality, and objectivity and will put you in a mood like that, too.

Mercury will be retrograde in your marriage and partnership sector from July 7 to July 31. This means you will need to make sure all the messages you hear from close partners are accurate and that you take care not to jump to conclusions. Mercury retrograde has a way of scrambling messages, so go the extra mile to be sure that you understand the meaning behind what is being said or written. This is a time you are more likely to become distracted, forgetful, or rushed, so to avoid problems, be more deliberate in all that you do. Make sure you don’t leave one of your treasures behind in a taxi or airplane pocket like your favorite sunglasses, your phone, or your tablet. Don’t put liquids on the same surface as your computer, just in case it spills.

This would not be the time to buy electronic items like a laptop, tablet, smart phone, expensive headphones or earbuds, nor the time to buy a car, vacuum cleaner, or any kitchen appliances. In fact, machines are likely to go on the fritz this month, and you may find yourself heading to the repair shop to fix something. Mercury rules the moving parts in machines and all electronic components, the reason we find out if something inside a machine is wearing out during the retrograde.

Mars will be circulating in your marriage and partnership/collaborator house from July 1 to August 17. This will put the main control in other people’s hands, so don’t try to lead, rather work with your partner (whether in love or business) in a warm, conciliatory, cooperative spirit.

With Mercury retrograding in your marriage and partnership house, you may want to go back to tackle a problem that never quite got solved for you could see progress now. As you see, there is a lot of emphasis on your joining forces with another person this month, and that will continue into August, too. If you apply for a job with a partner, offering your services as a team, that would work too, and I’ve seen that happen quite successfully.

One day you will likely find not to be good to collaborate will be July 11, when Mars locks horns with Uranus, an explosive aspect. You may be rattled on this day by the actions of someone close, so keep a low profile and don’t shake the tree to see if anything falls out. Something will fall out, right on your head. The problem is that this aspect has a long tail and will be within mathematical significance during the entire first two weeks of July, including the time of both eclipses. This means you will have to be polite to that person so as not to inflame things, which if you do, won’t get you anywhere. Count to ten, leave the building if you need to think, and try to remain calm—it will not be easy.

I don’t like the aspect of July 29 either, when the Sun will be in hard, 90-degree angle to your ruler, Uranus, that will again involve your partner or a collaborator. This is no day to attempt to forcefully convince a partner to see your point of view. One or two Aquarians have posted on Twitter that they are having problems with a contractor, so if that includes you, I see why—Uranus, the planet of unexpected behavior, recently set up shop in your home sector. A contractor would be considered a collaborator (which is someone who works with you on a one-on-one basis, providing expertise) so this would not the time to talk about any grievance you might have experienced.

July 25, however, will be one of the best days of the month, when Mars in your partnership sector will receive glittering rays from Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck. This is a rare aspect that won’t be repeated for almost two years, not until 2021. On or near this day, Jupiter will send a friend to help you with a partnership matter. The partner on your mind may be one in love or business, and your friend could give you wise advice, or if you have been having serious problems with your marriage partner, recommend a couples’ therapist. (Couples therapy is very popular with young people these days, at least here in New York City, because apparently it works so well if you find the right therapist.) Your friend seems to be well-connected and has a sunny outlook, and apparently you rightly trust your friend whole heartedly.

Jupiter, currently in your eleventh house, can also encourage you and your partner to work on a dream that you both hold in your heart. The eleventh house is called the house of hopes and wishes, so if your marriage partner means a lot to you (and hopefully that’s true), Jupiter’s position indicates that you should not give up on the idea of getting back in sync. Dream of something you can both work on as a team, and it may give new purpose to your marriage.

Love planet Venus will do her part, for Venus will move into your marriage sector (seventh house) on July 27 to August 21, and that will sweeten your relationship and help you to let go of the small stuff and focus on what matters most. It sounds like you need more fun, and Venus will see that you get it.

At the very end of July, we have a second new moon in your opposites sign of Leo, 9 degrees, on July 31, and this time it’s a normal new moon, not an eclipse. Four little friendly heavenly bodies will be jumping up and down because they are happy for you—the Sun, new moon, Venus, and Mars, and all will be in Leo. This is a classic new moon to make a commitment to marriage, so it seems there will be many Leos that will get engaged or married soon after, in August. Uranus, still in a difficult position at the new moon, suggests that if you are getting married, you might have a problem finding suitable living arrangements. If this happens, allow more time to find the right space. This is the same day, July 31, that Mercury will go direct after having been retrograde all month—hooray! Finally, you have an open road with blue skies ahead.

This month holds two eclipses (July 2 and July 16), always harbingers of change, and your attention will be focused on people in your office on your level. A trusted member of your team may unexpectedly leave (be eclipsed out), leaving you to scramble to find a replacement. It is alternatively possible that at home, you might be told that your babysitter, nanny, housekeeper, or gardener might leave, and if so, turn to a friend, because this month your friends have the best advice for you. It’s also possible that a new client may come with a fantastic, possibly creative assignment that will give you experience in an entirely new area that would be exciting for you to work on.

You may land a new job this month as a result of the July 2 solar eclipse (and in the days that follow). It would be a job similar in scope to the one you had previously but in a new setting and with a new company. Saturn will be opposed to the Sun and new moon solar eclipse on July 2 suggesting you will be working hard on projects, but thanks to Neptune, the compensation should please you. Neptune’s fine angle in your income sector brings up the possibility that you might be working joyfully on an assignment that involves music, art, photography, or film.

If you stay employed where you are now, office politics that have been ongoing under the surface and not in your field of vision will come out in the open during the eclipse of July 16. Secrets will be exposed, and the pathetic nature of a person’s behavior will be in the light for all to see. If there is anyone in your sphere who has feigned support but who is working at cross purposes to you, you will find out—most likely by accident. Although you may be shocked when you see what’s been going on unbeknownst to you, this news comes from a loving universe to protect you. The job of an eclipse is to cleanse either a relationship or a certain situation by giving you information you need to plan for the future. Allow a little time to think, but after the eclipse has spoken and more facts come out a few days or weeks later, you will know where you stand and what you need to do.

It will be important to keep strong, as this month will ask much from you and possibly drain you. See if you can hire a temporary recruit to fill in and free you from small tasks that you can easily delegate so that you can concentrate on the more vital, complex elements of the project.

At the same time as the solar eclipse, July 2, Uranus, your ruler, will be helpful, so a family member may be very supportive by offering a workable a solution to the matter that comes up. Talk over dilemmas with family and friends, for good ideas can surface there.

If you have been working on a real estate matter, you may get a breakthrough in early July. Uranus, based in your home sector, is your ruling planet and has extra weight in your chart, and he will be friendly to the new moon solar eclipse, July 2. Watch the days that follow. Additionally, good-fortune Jupiter is close enough to help, too. Jupiter has the power to create a miracle, so don’t give up if you feel a little overwhelmed. A VIP behind the scenes who will want to maintain a low profile may offer help.

One point to keep in mind at eclipse time: Never initiate an important move or announce a big decision. Your priorities will shift, and because it is not possible to know what those shifts will be, there is no telling what you will decide ahead of time. It will be best to wait.

With Saturn, Pluto, and the full moon in your twelfth house mid-month, you may interact with medical personnel, either because you will schedule a medical procedure near July 16 or because you are visiting a family member or friend in the hospital, rehab center, physical therapy facility, or nursing home, as places of confinement are ruled by the twelfth house.

Any tension you felt with a partner may fade by the lovely new moon, July 31 (not an eclipse). With a stack of planets in your partnership sector receiving golden beams from Jupiter, you will be very happy with a partner and want to make your relationship official. This person may be your long-term romantic partner or a new love, or this person may have a role in your office life. Nevertheless, the new moon will mark a new day for one or more of your close, committed relationships.