There is a lot happening in the zodiac for everyone in the coming weeks. The floodgates of the summer solstice has welcomed itself, and the energies hit heaviest on June 26. The Strawberry Moon came through dripping lunar manifestation power, there will be a solar eclipse happening on July 12, and the longest lunar eclipse that has ever taken place in over a century happening on July 27.
Related: Your Monthly Horoscopes: July 2018
From June 26 to August 27, there will be six planets that will be in retrograde. These planets will bring about reflection of career, stability, security, emotional baggage, introspection, secrets, synchronicities, communication, thought, and action.
This read will reveal how each astrological sign group will be affected by some of the most powerful retrogrades, and how each individual astrological sign will be affected by the Summer Solstice Gateway. It will also suggest a divine July 12th and July 27th affirmation to recite during the solar and lunar eclipse, so bookmark this page!
Planetary Retrograde Energy
Jupiter Retrograde
Jupiter will be ending its retrograde on July 10, and has everything to do with ambitions, long-term plans, and travel.
Earth signs will be pushed to let go of any fear or doubt around the aforementioned categories. For whatever reason, you have been holding back on any of these things, you will release blockages, stop making excuses, and make an ultimate move! Put your earthy energy into play, and hit the ground running! Many will struggle with going back into negative patterns in any area of life.
Water signs will learn to take matters into their own hands when it comes to Jupiter energy, if you have been wanting to go on a vacation or make a long-term plan contingent upon other people. If people rock with you, or contribute financially, that is great...but ultimately, if you want it, you have to go get it yourself. This is "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" energy.
Fire signs might make plans with groups of people only to see the true colors of some people in their crew under this energy. With this retrograde, make sure you aren't grouping up with fair-weather friends, or those who just want a piece of your glow up. Not everyone in your circle may actually be for you, and this energy will bring it to light.
Air signs will find themselves moving further away from people who are not like-minded, or as free-spirited as they are. Under this Jupiter retrograde energy, you'll find more than ever, that birds of a feather flock together. The retrograde energy will pull air signs out of their comfort zones, and move closer to authenticity of self and surroundings.
Pluto Retrograde
Pluto has been in retrograde since April, and will go direct on September 30. This energy involves revelations and releasing baggage.
Earth signs will feel the heat when it comes to any kind of codependent relationships, behaviors, or addictions. This Pluto retrograde energy will be putting what it is you need to let go of in your face. If anyone or thing is siphoning your energy, Earth signs will have to build enough strength to acknowledge it, and let it go.
Water signs will be pushed into following the rules and playing by the book! This wave of Pluto retrograde energy will make it near impossible for you not to engage in the status quo. This could mean paying off all of your bills, abiding by legal or technical procedures, or doing "the right thing," by your friends, family, and spouses.
Fire signs will be faced with deciding not to engage in petty conflict, dirty games, or unhealthy competition. The Pluto retrograde will push many fire signs away from toxicity, and this even includes where you have been too difficult for your own good. Ultimately the choice is yours not to stoop down into low vibration.
For air signs, the Pluto retrograde energy might have you revert back to old drama and pain, for the sake of seeing if there was something that you missed. Many of you might be wondering if salvaging a tainted relationship is worth it. One part of you might be missing old friendships, while the other part wants nothing to do with it. It's up to you to see if any of it is worth the backtracking.
Mars Retrograde
Mars entered retrograde on June 26 and will go direct on August 27. It has everything to do with how your energy is vibrating, and what actions you need to take for your life.
Earth signs will really be feeling the Mars retrograde pressure when it comes to finances and love. Earth signs love the lap of luxury and all the nice things, but this retrograde might cause you to overspend and dip into savings. It is summertime, and we all want to splurge, but be careful! When it comes to romance, be wary of making decisions and advances under the influence. Spur-of-the-moment energy might be cause for regret later on.
Water signs will be hit with a wave of retrograde energy that will amplify their introverted nature. Mars is a volatile planet energetically, so when paired with self-love, self-care, and self-introspection, water signs might go through it internally. Instead of fighting this energy, openly communicate with your inner self to uncover what is truly important for you and your life in the moment and what makes you whole.
Fire signs are in for a bumpy energetic ride under this Mars retrograde. This energy will cause a lot of fire signs to want to spend time on their own and get grounded. With your spitfire energy, you could attract a frenzy of people around you who could either make things better or worse in your experience. This energy will cause you to do more pre-screening and observation of those around you before allowing them into your space.
Some air signs might be feeling a bit aloof in this Mars retrograde energy. You might have a hard time with memory, making decisions, calling shots, or being inactive. There could be a lot of waiting until the last minute to get things done, and wasting a lot of time. The summer time is the best season to pick up new hobbies, try new things, and gain new experiences. Get active, get out there, and enjoy life in the present moments.
Now that you have an idea of how each retrograde will affect your life, check out what the summer solstice gateway has in mind for your individual zodiac sign by clicking through the gallery below:
1.Aries
The summer solstice energy has influenced many Aries signs to purge out any leftover grievances of the first half of 2018, and make way for moving forward with your life. It's all about letting go of what no longer serves you, and what holds you back from manifesting the life that you want to live. The summer solstice gateway is sparking energy and enthusiasm back into your to-do lists and goals. There is no more sitting on what you have lost, and more focus on what there is to gain.
Eclipse Affirmation: "It's out with the old, and in with the new, what's in the past is in the past, and I feel brand new. I'm ready to manifest all of my heart desires and transform my experience, and vibrate higher."
All astrological Tarotscopes channeled via Tarot Cards! For your own Intuitive Channeled Healing Session, follow @Melanade_Stand on IG and send an inquiry via DM!
Featured GIF by Coveteur
Amber Riley has the type of laugh that sticks with you long after the raspy, rhythmic sounds have ceased. It punctuates her sentences sometimes, whether she’s giving a chuckle to denote the serious nature of something she just said or throwing her head back in rip-roarious laughter after a joke. She laughs as if she understands the fragility of each minute. She chooses laughter often with the understanding that future joy is not guaranteed.
Credit: Ally Green
The sound of her laughter is rivaled only by her singing voice, an emblem of the past and the future resilience of Black women stretched over a few octaves. On Fox’s Glee, her character Mercedes Jones was portrayed, perhaps unfairly, as the vocal duel to Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), offering rough, full-throated belts behind her co-star’s smooth, pristine vocals. Riley’s always been more than the singer who could deliver a finishing note, though.
Portraying Effie White, she displayed the dynamic emotions of a song such as “And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going” in Dreamgirls on London’s West End without buckling under the historic weight of her predecessors. With her instrument, John Mayer’s “Gravity” became a religious experience, a belted hymnal full of growls and churchy riffs. In her voice, Nicole Scherzinger once said she heard “the power of God.”
Credit: Ally Green
Riley’s voice has been a staple throughout pop culture for nearly 15 years now. Her tone has become so distinguishable that most viewers of Fox’s The Masked Singer recognized the multihyphenate even before it was revealed that she was Harp, the competition-winning, gold-masked figure with an actual harp strapped to her back.
Still, it wasn’t until recently that Riley began to feel like she’d found her voice. This sounds unbelievable. But she’s not referring to the one she uses on stage. She’s referencing the voice that speaks to who she is at her core. “Therapy kind of gave me the training to speak my mind,” the 37-year-old says. “It’s not something we’re taught, especially as Black women. I got so comfortable in [doing so], and I really want other people, especially Black women, to get more comfortable in that space.”
“Therapy kind of gave me the training to speak my mind. It’s not something we’re taught, especially as Black women."
If you ask Riley’s manager, Myisha Brooks, she’ll tell you the foundation of who the multihyphenate is hasn’t changed much since she was a kid growing up in Compton. “She is who she is from when I met her back when she was singing in the front of the church to back when she landed major roles in film and TV,” Brooks says. Time has allowed Riley to grow more comfortable, giving fans a more intimate glimpse into her life, including her mental health journey and the ins and outs of show business.
The actress/singer has been in therapy since 2019, although she suffered from depression and anxiety way before that. In a recent interview with Jason Lee, she recalls having suicidal ideation as a kid. By the time she started seeing a psychologist and taking antidepressants in her thirties, her body had become jittery, a physical reminder of the trauma stacked high inside her. “I was shaking in [my therapist’s] office,” she tells xoNecole. “My fight or flight was on such a high level. I was constantly in survival mode. My heart was beating fast all the time. All I did was sweat.”
There wasn’t just childhood trauma to account for. After auditioning for American Idol and being turned away by producers, Riley began working for Ikea and nearly missed her Glee audition because her car broke down on the highway while en route. Thankfully, Riley had been cast to play Mercedes Jones. American Idol had temporarily convinced her she wasn’t cut out for the entertainment industry, but this was validation that she was right where she belonged. Glee launched in 2009 with the promise of becoming Riley’s big break.
In some ways, it was. The show introduced Riley to millions of fans and catapulted her into major Hollywood circles. But in other ways, it became a reminder of the types of roles Black women, especially those who are plus-sized, are relegated to. Behind the scenes, Riley says she fought for her character "to have a voice" but eventually realized her efforts were useless. "It finally got to a point where I was like, this is not my moment. I'm not who they're choosing, and this is just going to have to be a job for me for now," she says. "And, that's okay because it pays my bills, I still get to be on television, I'm doing more than any other Black plus-sized women that I'm seeing right now on screen."
The actress can recognize now that she was navigating issues associated with trauma and low self-esteem at the time. She now knows that she's long had anxiety and depression and can recognize the ways in which she was triggered by how the cult-like following of the show conflicted with her individual, isolated experiences behind the scenes. But she was in her early '20s back then. She didn't yet have the language or the tools to process how she was feeling.
Riley says she eventually sought out medical intervention. "When you're in Hollywood, and you go to a doctor, they give you pills," she says, sharing a part of her story that she'd never revealed publicly before now. "[I was] on medication and developing a habit of medicating to numb, not understanding I was developing an addiction to something that's not fixing my problem. If anything, it's making it worse."
“[I was] on medication and developing a habit of medicating to numb, not understanding I was developing an addiction to something that’s not fixing my problem. If anything it’s making it worse.”
Credit: Ally Green
At one point, while in her dressing room on set, she rested her arm on a curling iron without realizing it. It wasn't until her makeup artist alerted her that she even realized her skin was burning. Once she noticed, she says she was "so zonked out on pills" that she barely reacted. Speaking today, she holds up her arm and motions towards a scar that remains from the incident. She sought help for her reliance on the pills, but it would still be years before she finally attended therapy.
This stress was only compounded by the trauma of growing up in poverty and the realities of being a "contract worker." "Imagine going from literally one week having to borrow a car to get to set to the next week being on a private jet to New York City," she says. After Glee ended, so did the rides on private planes. The fury of opportunities she expected to follow her appearance on the show failed to materialize. She wasn't even 30 yet, and she was already forced to consider if she'd hit her career peak.
. . .
We’re only four minutes into our Zoom call before Riley delivers her new adage to me. “My new mantra is ‘humility does not serve me.’ Humility does not serve Black women. The world works so hard to humble us anyway,” she says.
On this Thursday afternoon in April, the LA-based entertainer is seated inside her closet/dressing room wearing a cerulean blue tank top with matching shorts and eating hot wings. This current phase of healing hinges on balance. It’s about having discipline and consistency, but not at the risk of inflexibility. She was planning to head to the gym, for instance, but she’s still tired from the “exhausting” day before. Instead, she’s spent her day receiving a massage, eating some chicken wings, and planning to spend quality time with friends. “I’m not going to beat myself up for it. I’m not going to talk down to myself. I’m going to eat my chicken wings, and then tomorrow I’m [back] in the gym,” she says.
“My new mantra is ‘humility does not serve me.’ Humility does not serve Black women. The world works so hard to humble us anyway."
This is the balance with which she's been approaching much of her life these days. It's why she's worried less about whether or not people see her as someone who is humble. She'd rather be respected. "I think you should be a person that's easy to work with, but in the moments where I have to ruffle feathers and make waves, I'm not shying away from that anymore. You can do it in love, you don't have to be nasty about it, but I had to finally be comfortable with the fact that setting boundaries around my life – in whatever aspect, whether that's personal or business – people are not going to like it. Some people are not going to have nice things to say about you, and you gotta be okay with it," she says.
When Amber talks about the constant humbling of Black women in Hollywood, I think of the entertainers before her who have suffered from this. The brilliant, consistent, overqualified Black women who have spoken of having to fight for opportunities and fair pay. Aretha Franklin. Viola Davis. Tracee Ellis Ross. There's a long list of stars whose success hasn't mirrored their experiences behind the scenes.
Credit: Ally Green
If Black women outside of Hollywood are struggling to decrease the pay gap, so, too, are their wealthier, more famous peers.
Riley says there’s been progress in recent years, but only in small ways and for a limited group of people. “This business is exhausting. The goalpost is constantly moving, and sometimes it’s unfair,” she says. But, I have to say it’s the love that keeps you going.”
“There’s no way you can continue to be in this business and not love it, especially being a plus-sized Black woman,” she continues. “We’re still niche. We’re still not main characters.”
"There’s no way you can continue to be in this business and not love it, especially being a plus-sized Black woman. We’re still niche. We’re still not main characters.”
Last year, Riley starred alongside Raven Goodwin in the Lifetime thriller Single Black Female (a modern, diversified take on 1992’s Single White Female). It was more than a leading role for the actress, it also served as proof that someone who looks like her can front a successful project without it hinging on her identity. It showcased that the characters she portrays don’t “have to be about being a big girl. It can just be a regular story.”
Riley sees her work in music as an extension of her efforts to push past the rigid stereotypes in entertainment. Take her appearance on The Masked Singer, for instance. Riley said she decided to perform Mayer’s “Gravity” after being told she couldn’t sing it years earlier. “I wanted to do ‘Gravity’ on Glee. [I] was told no, because that’s not a song that Mercedes would do,” she says. “That was a full circle moment for me, doing that on that show and to hear what it is they had to say.”
As Scherzinger praised the “anointed” performance, a masked Riley began to cry, her chest heaving as she stood on stage, her eyes shielded from view. “You have to understand, I have really big names – casting directors, producers, show creators – that constantly tell me ‘I’m such a big fan. Your talent is unmatched.’ Hire me, then,” she says, reflecting on the moment.
Recently, she’s been in the studio working on original music, the follow-up to her independently-released debut EP, 2020’s Riley. The sequel to songs such as the anthemic “Big Girl Energy” and the reflective ballad “A Moment” on Riley, this new project hones in on the singer’s R&B roots with sensual grooves such as the tentatively titled “All Night.” “You said I wasn’t shit, turns out that I’m the shit. Then you called me a bitch, turns out that I’m that bitch. You said no one would want me, well you should call your homies,” she sings on the tentatively titled “Lately,” a cut about reflecting on a past relationship. From the forthcoming project, xoNecole received five potential tracks. Fans likely already know the strengths and contours of Riley’s vocals, but these new songs are her strongest, most confident offerings as an artist.
“I am so much more comfortable as a writer, and I know who I am as an artist now. I’m evolving as a human being, in general, so I’m way more vulnerable in my music. I’m way more willing to talk about whatever is on my mind. I don’t stop myself from saying what it is I want to say,” she says.
Credit: Ally Green
“Every era and alliteration of Amber, the baseline is ‘Big Girl Energy.’ That’s the name of her company,” her manager Brooks says, referencing the imprint through which Riley releases her music after getting out of a label deal several years ago. “It’s just what she stands for. She’s not just talking about size, it’s in all things. Whether it’s putting your big girl pants on and having to face a boardroom full of executives or sell yourself in front of a casting agent. It’s her trying to achieve the things she wants to do in life.”
Riley says she has big dreams beyond releasing this new music, too. She’d love to star in a rom-com with Winston Duke. She hasn't starred in a biopic yet, but she’d revel in the opportunity to portray Rosetta Tharpe on screen. She’s determined that her previous setbacks won’t stop her from dreaming big.
“I think one of my superpowers is resilience because, at the end of the day, I’m going to kick, scream, cry, cuss, be mad and disappointed, but I’m going to get up and risk having to deal with it all again. It’s worth it for the happy moments,” she says.
If Riley seems more comfortable and confident professionally, it’s because of the work she’s been doing in her personal life.
She’d previously spoken to xoNecole about becoming engaged to a man she discovered in a post on the site, but she called things off last year. For Valentine’s Day, she revealed her new boyfriend publicly. “I decided to post him on Valentine’s Day, partially because I was in the dog house. I got in trouble with him,” she says, half-joking before turning serious. “The breakup was never going to stop me from finding love. Or at least trying. I don’t owe anybody a happily ever after. People break up. It happens. When it was good, it was good. When it was bad, it was terrible, hunny. I had to get the fuck up out of there. You find happiness, and you enjoy it and work through it.”
Credit: Ally Green
"I don’t owe anybody a happily ever after. People break up. It happens. When it was good, it was good. When it was bad, it was terrible, hunny. I had to get the fuck up out of there. You find happiness and you enjoy it and work through it.”
With her ex, Riley was pretty outspoken about her relationship, even appearing in content for Netflix with him. This time around is different. She’s not hiding her boyfriend of eight months, but she’s more protective of him, especially because he’s a father and isn’t interested in becoming a public figure.
She’s traveling more, too. It’s a deliberate effort on her part to enjoy her money and reject the trauma she’s developed after experiencing poverty in her childhood. “I live in constant fear of being broke. I don’t think you ever don’t remember that trauma or move past that. Now I travel and I’m like, listen, if it goes, it goes. I’m not saying [to] be reckless, but I deserve to enjoy my hard work.”
After everything she’s been through, she certainly deserves to finally let loose a bit. “I have to have a life to live,” she says. “I’ve got to have a life worth fighting for.”
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