Rachid Lazraq has been the proprietor of Rich Collection Italia in Shoreditch, East London, for over 30 years. The shop, which sells vintage Italian shoes, had a loyal following before online shopping and an aging clientele began to slow foot traffic. Business was down. Finally, Rachid put up a closing sale sign.
But then his 25-year-old daughter Zineb, a London journalist, had a bright idea. After seeing that a French influencer had posted about a trendy pair of Y2K kitten heels from her dad’s shop, she decided to do the same. Zineb’s video went up on July 7th and got 300,000 views overnight. Young people who’d never heard of the shop arrived in droves. Rachid tore down the closing sign as everyone applauded.
“My dad has been running this shop since before I was born, so we were all sad to see it suffering,” said Zineb. “By highlighting the shoes that would appeal to people my age, we had lines out of the shop in no time.” Rachid, who is nearing retirement age, wants to go out with a bang instead of a whimper. Now he is considering moving into online sales to reach his new, younger customer base.
This is the kind of thing that’s happening under the rare alignment of Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune and Uranus in fire and air signs. It’s a quickening – an upgrade – for many of us. In the same recent issue of Good News Network in which I found Rachid’s story, there was a touching tale of a lonely four-year-old boy named Roman, new to his North Carolina neighborhood, who began smiling and waving to neighbors from his porch. He soon made new friends and even sparked a mini-revolution. Many folks who hadn’t known each other before became fast friends. “Look at what this little kid has built,” one commented. “If the world was like this child,” said the oldest among them, “what an awesome place it would be.”
Whether online or in person, the call to connection and forward momentum gets amplified when the lunar nodes enter Aquarius and Leo on July 26 (through early 2028). As the Aquarius North Node calls us toward greater unity and friendly relations, Jupiter and the South Node in Leo remind us to honor our own identity and unique needs – without going overboard. Together, they’re urging us to courageously venture out of our own little world and collaborate to help bring about a more progressive society.
This bold fire-and-air polarity is spotlighted at the Aquarius Full Moon (July 29, 7:36 a.m. PT.) At this flashy lunation, the Sun is conjunct go-big-or-go-home Jupiter at 6 Leo as it opposes the Moon as well as do-or-die Pluto at 4 Aquarius. Jupiter traditionally signifies good luck and expansion, while Pluto is all about power and how we use it – for good or for ill. This is a very intense Full Moon that can signify a breakthrough. And, with Mercury finally turning direct on July 23rd, all systems are Go. I’m sure we’re all celebrating that shift, as this has been a particularly difficult retrograde (especially for us Cancer types!)
This Full Moon illuminates a unique period which mundane astrologer Andre Barbault said marked the beginning of a “splendid relaunch of civilization.” According to him, between now and 2030 we’re shifting from destruction to collaboration. Barbault, who predicted the 2020 pandemic during which Saturn joined Pluto in Capricorn, believed that this shift would be equally profound, though different. He felt that we’re now turning toward international cooperation and a greater desire to help one another. Let’s hope we’ll move from worshipping billionaires to recognizing that our survival comes through banding together.
Next week’s Full Moon ramps things up, bringing bright Aquarian ideas for the future. What might that look like for you? Particularly if you have planets or major angles around 4 to 7 degrees of fire or air signs, you’re probably already feeling this energy. Recent events in your life may be prompting you to act, or a long-held dream might be calling you. No matter how this lunation affects your chart, watch for signs and promptings around this Full Moon. It may be as simple as waving at your neighbors or hosting a brainstorming session, or it could be as complex as launching your bright idea and seeing it go viral. If you need helping making sense of things and assessing the possibilities, contact me for a reading.
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