After a seven-year-stay in rooted Taurus, Uranus’s move into Gemini on July 7th will be the centerpiece of this year’s Cancer Sun cycle, and one of the year’s most significant events. That move from fixed earth to mutable air will put the planet of innovation and chaos on track for a trine to Pluto in electric Aquarius and sextiles to Saturn and Neptune in intrepid Aries. Translation: the volume is about to get much louder. For those eager for excitement and ready to launch, Uranus’s ingress will be welcomed. For the more introspective and introverted, nurturing Cancer offers a celestial oasis. The Sun will travel through the cardinal water sign from June 20th to July 22nd and Jupiter’s year long visit will last until June 29, 2026.
Ruled by the Moon, Cancer is associated with tides. Accordingly, the sign is highly attuned to the flux and flow of its emotional environment. Currently, Saturn and Neptune are in endeavoring Aries, and they will not be returning to the mutable waters of Pisces until September 1st and October 22nd respectively. This absence of planets inhabiting the zodiac’s other liquid retreats makes the presence of the Sun and Jupiter in the sign of caregiving more meaningful. Further, ancient astrologers considered Jupiter to be in its exaltation when in Cancer, adding to the supportive nature of this placement. The incoming Sun cycle will provide practice in tapping into these protective, restorative waters as the energies of powerhouse planets Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, in air and fire signs, ratchet up.
Rebellious, disruptive Uranus is heading into the sign of broadcasting, technology and commerce from July 7th to November 7, 2025, before its retrograde brings it back through its final Taurus pass until April 25, 2026. After that it will be flying high and nonstop on those adaptable, unstable Gemini airwaves until August 3, 2032. Pluto’s presence in the fellow and futuristic air sign of Aquarius, considered to be Uranus’s home sign by modern astrologers, will add momentum to airy collaborations. For instance, on July 7th, when Uranus enters Gemini, Venus, from Gemini, will trine Pluto. Though brief, this connection might hint at larger unfolding patterns. Despite the shock and awe of Uranus’s sign change, this Sun cycle also includes a few pause buttons.
On July 4th Neptune will station retrograde, followed by Saturn on the 12th and Mercury on the 17th. The Saturn and Neptune slowdowns in spirited Aries may temper impulsivity. Aries is ruled by action-oriented Mars, so the experience of frustration is also possible. Perspective is the key. Meanwhile, Mercury will cross its initial retrograde shadow point on June 30th at 4° Leo 15′, the degree it will return to on August 11th, at the end of the retrograde, and it will exit the shadow zone of 15° Leo 35’ on August 25th. That puts the conclusion of Mercury’s full retrograde cycle a week ahead of Saturn’s reappearance in mellow Pisces. Prior to that, a triple fire sign retrograde will take place from July 17th through August 11th. Flash points, wild fires and controlled burns, figuratively and literally, are all strong potentials during this period. Additionally, Venus, in Gemini from July 4th through 30th, Uranus and Pluto will be fanning flames from air signs. As passions are stirred, the ability to retreat, reflect and consciously plan and move forward will become more consequential. Oddly, of all planets, Mars will be sending assistance from thoughtful, analytical Virgo until August 6th. Additionally, Venus will transit Cancer from July 30th until August 25th. In context, the larger Jupiter transit can work like a year-long healing balm, especially regarding painful emotional experiences. Graceful Venus’s shorter stint, like the scent of an organic, essential oil, can activate the soothing salve astrologers call Cancer.