Cycles of Time is a weekly forecast that explores at the energies of the upcoming week through the lenses of astrology, the Pagan Wheel of the Year, the Daoist 5-Element Cycle, the Indigenous Medicine Wheel, and the 64 gates of the I’Ching/Human Design/Gene Keys/ mandala.
Each of these ancient, cyclical systems have the potential to connect us deeply with the changing seasons and also with the wisdom of our global ancestors. Viewed together, they reveal the profound interconnectedness that human beings have always held with mother earth. Thanks for reading & listening!
-Alison
Hey friends and astro-lovers,
Welcome to Cycles of Time, and to a moment of blessings in the wheel of the year as we celebrate the annual Venus-Jupiter conjunction along with Mercury stationing direct this week after 3 weeks retrograding through Leo! If last week felt difficult (thanks to the Saturn/Mars opposition and a tense full moon), this week could provide a little bit of respite, the fog lifting a little bit.
With Mercury direct, conversations should flow more easily, and self-expression will feel more aligned. In the heat of Leo season, it’s a good time to speak from the heart, and to trust that what you’re reaching for might actually be reaching back.
Today and tomorrow, Monday/Tuesday, Venus and Jupiter meet in Cancer, in the Human Design Gate 39, known as Provocation. This is one of the luckiest and most twinkly conjunctions we get each year. It brings a chance for emotional expansion, heart openings, and surprising breakthroughs in love, creativity, and connection. In the Gate of Provocation, it might stir something up in you, but not necessarily in a way that causes trouble. The highest frequency of this gate is Liberation, so this conjunction here is like a gentle nudge from the universe, asking, What would happen if you let yourself want more? What if the discomfort is actually an invitation to bloom, to break free of the chains that your mind has been imposing on your actions?
This week, the seasonal wheel continues it’s turn to the West on the Medicine Wheel, which is an introspective direction, tied to autumn’s approach and the wisdom that comes from reflection. In the Wuxing cycle, we’re transitioning from the element of Fire to Earth, asking us to root in what’s real, what’s nourishing, and what sustains us beyond the quick wins.
Leo season continues to blaze, but with a slower rhythm now. The cross quarter day of Lammas/Lughnasadh has passed, which marked the first harvest, both literal and symbolic. What did you harvest from the seeds you planted earlier this year? Where are you being asked to pause and reflect before the next wave of growth and the next harvest?
On the Human Design/I’Ching Wheel, we’re still moving through Gate 7, the Gate of the Role of the Self in Interaction, through Monday. As I spoke about last week, this gate asks: How do I lead in a way that serves the whole, not just myself? Then on Tuesday, we shift into Gate 4, the Gate of Formulization, where our minds may start searching for answers, sometimes a little too hard. This is a gate of youthful questions and playful ideas, but also of mental overdrive if we’re not careful. It might help to ask yourself: Am I trying to figure it all out too fast? Can I let the answers come in their own time?
The moon is waning now away from last week’s powerful full moon in Aquarius. The energy is softening a bit (finally). Let yourself exhale and reorient. There’s more big growth coming this year (*cough* September’s upcoming eclipse season)…. so take this week to revel in the glow of the kissing benefic planets, and remember that not everything has to be solved right this second.
You’re allowed to pause, to shift, to ask new questions, and to bask in the beauty of Venus/Jupiter this week.
This week in the Wheel of the Year:
MEDICINE WHEEL Direction: WEST
WUXING Element: EARTH
PAGAN Season: LAMMAS/LUGHNASSA
ZODIAC Season: LEO (July 22-August 22)
I’CHING Hexagram/HUMAN DESIGN Gate:
last Wednesday August 6- Monday, August 11:
Gate 7: Earth over Water “The Army”, aka the Gate of THE ROLE OF THE SELF IN INTERACTION
Tuesday August 12- Saturday, August 16:
Gate 4: Mountain over Water “Youthful Folly (The Taming Power of the Small)”, aka the Gate of FORMULIZATION
MOON Phase: Waning
PLANETARY Dances:
Monday, August 11th
Venus conjunct Jupiter in CANCER (In Gate 39: Provocation)
Mercury stations direct in LEO
Venus Kisses Jupiter in Cancer Gate 39: The Gate of Provocation
Last Saturday, we experienced the full moon in Aquarius shining through Gate 13: the Gate of the Listener. That lunation cracked open the vault of memory, collective and personal, asking us to hear the stories that want to be told and the truths that want to be witnessed. Aquarius brought the cool detachment that allows us to see patterns, with Gate 13 bringing the willingness to hold space for the raw, unpolished confessions that surfaced. Many of us, me included, have felt like we have been sifting through the archives of our own hearts, deciding which pieces of the past still matter and which we’re finally ready to release.
Now, Venus and Jupiter in Cancer pick up that emotional thread and pull it straight into the kitchen, the living room, into the heart of the home. In Cancer’s Gate 39 -the Gate of Provocation- these two planets known traditionally as the benefics are not content to just listen to your secrets, they want to shake them free. The stories that surfaced under the full moon aren’t meant to sit untouched in a journal. This is the moment to bring them into conversation and to risk vulnerability.
Venus in Cancer through the Gate of Provocation feels like love with a mischievous heartbeat. It’s the kind of affection that dares you to drop your guard and see things in a fresh light. In Cancer, Venus wants closeness, comfort, and emotional safety, but in Gate 39, she’ll poke and prod to get to the real root of the issue. This is tender button‑pushing, playful tests of loyalty, and teasing that’s really an invitation to share more of yourself. Venus here is about deepening bonds through the spark that comes when you’re stirred awake, and meeting up with the great expander Jupiter will give wings to whatever is opened up.
The full moon in Aquarius gave us the download, helping us find balance between listening and speaking. Venus–Jupiter now gives us the courage to stir the pot, to weave those revelations into our relationships, and to see what changes when we stop holding it all in. Expect heartfelt talks that start soft and meander into emotional truths. Expect to be lovingly pushed toward showing more of your real self. Together, these two moments in a row work like a tide: the moon pulled some memories to the surface, and now Venus–Jupiter wants to carry them to shore.
Also Monday: Mercury stations direct in Leo
On the same day as the Venus/Jupiter conjunction, Mars is finally stationing direct in Leo after three weeks of retrograde on Monday. How has the backwrads ride been for you? Have you felt your fire dim, your momentum stall, or your confidence wobble in unexpected ways? Retrograde Mars in Leo has a way of pressing pause on bold moves, forcing you to question where you’ve been pouring your energy and whether it’s truly aligned with your heart. As the planet of drive turns forward again, notice what you’re ready to pick back up, what battles you’ve decided aren’t worth fighting, and where your courage feels freshly renewed.
As Mercury stations direct in Leo, it does so under some potent company. It is still opposing Saturn and Neptune in Aries, which can feel like driving with one foot on the gas and the other lightly on the brake. Saturn asks for patience and discipline, while Neptune blurs the road ahead. Even with Mercury direct, this opposition can bring moments of self‑doubt or a sense that your motivation is tangled with uncertainty. The best way through is not to rush. Instead, channel Leo’s fire into focused, deliberate action and let Neptune soften the edges of your ambition so it aligns with something meaningful rather than reactive.
The combination says: you have the power to move mountains, but Saturn and Neptune will insist you know why you are moving them. If you stay patient and purpose‑driven, this aspect pattern can turn the weeks ahead into a launchpad for truly transformative momentum.
Some questions to ask yourself as these 2 transits start off the week:
What heartfelt conversation have you been putting off that now feels ready to be had?
Has someone’s loving “provocation” helped you see a truth more clearly?
Where are you ready to speak from the heart without overthinking it?
What connection or relationship is calling for a little more warmth and a little more honesty?
How might you turn recent misunderstandings into deeper understanding?
Tuesday: the Sun moves from Gate 7 (The Role of Self) into Gate 4 (Formulization)
On Tuesday, the Sun is moving from Gate 7, The Role of the Self, into Gate 4, Formulation. This is a shift from the heart of leadership into the mind’s search for answers.
Gate 7 lives in the G Center in Human Design and holds the frequency of the democratic leader. Its essence is not about power over others but about guiding with integrity, attuned to the shared direction of the group. In the Gene Keys, this is the journey from the Shadow of Division to the Gift of Guidance to the Siddhi of Virtue. Division here is the mindset that separates self from others and loses sight of the whole. Guidance arises when you understand that leadership is not self‑appointed but emerges from trust and alignment. Virtue is the luminous state where leadership becomes an expression of universal truth. In the I Ching, this is Hexagram 7, “The Army,” which speaks of discipline, unity, and the wise use of power in service of the collective good.
As the Sun enters Gate 4 in the Ajna Center, the energy turns toward the mind’s way of handling uncertainty. Gate 4 is called the Gate of Formulization or “Youthful Folly” in the I Ching. This hexagram tells the story of the eager yet inexperienced mind seeking understanding. It teaches that true answers require patience, humility, and openness to the process of learning. In the Gene Keys, Gate 4 evolves from the Shadow of Intolerance to the Gift of Understanding to the Siddhi of Forgiveness. Intolerance here is the mental rigidity that wants quick answers and closes the door on alternative views. Understanding emerges when you allow questions to be lived rather than forced. Forgiveness is the higher state where all mental judgment softens and compassion for human imperfection becomes second nature.
This transition asks us to carry the wisdom of Gate 7 into the curiosity of Gate 4. Bring the inclusive vision of the leader into the process of forming solutions. Use your mind not as a weapon to be right but as a tool to uncover insight that serves the whole. What you seek to solve now will carry more weight if it reflects the integrity of the heart and the humility of the perpetual student.
How This Could Show Up for You
This week’s mix of energies could feel like a slow emotional tide turning. You may notice conversations that stalled or went sideways in the past few weeks suddenly opening up again. That could look like reconnecting with a friend you’ve been distant from, finally addressing an unspoken tension with a partner, or realizing that something you’ve been holding back is ready to be said. With Venus and Jupiter in Cancer in Gate 39, honesty is best served with warmth. If you need to provoke, let it be a loving nudge rather than a sharp jab.
Mercury stationing direct in Leo might give you a burst of courage to re‑enter a project, passion, or pursuit you had put on hold. You may feel the desire to take up more space again, whether that’s speaking more boldly in a meeting, showing up more visibly in your creative work, or simply moving through life with more confidence. If you’ve been second‑guessing yourself, this shift can help you shake off hesitation and step forward.
The Sun’s move from Gate 7 to Gate 4 brings a natural change in focus. You might go from leading or guiding others toward thinking more deeply about your own questions. This could show up as brainstorming solutions to a problem at work, deciding how to restructure a daily routine, or reassessing how you’re approaching a personal goal. The key is to bring the integrity and service‑mindedness of Gate 7 into your problem‑solving so that the answers you land on work for more than just yourself.
With Mercury direct, clarity starts to return. If you’ve been misunderstood recently, you may get a chance to explain yourself. If you’ve been carrying someone else’s story, this is a good time to gently reflect it back to them or ask for more context. You may notice that listening feels easier now, and speaking feels more natural. This is the week to take advantage of that flow before the pace of life picks up again.
Until next week,
Alison
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Thanks so much for reading, y’all!
xox,
Alison
