Sign changes for Venus, Mars and Jupiter are on the way, as are retrograde starts for Mercury and Neptune. The ingresses of Mars and Jupiter in particular, into Gemini and Leo respectively, are key. The presence of the two in air and fire signs will play an integral role in the dynamic cycle ahead. It all gets underway on June 21st when the Sun moves into Cancer, marking the solstice and beginning of summer. The action kicks into high gear on the 28th when provocative Mars enters the ever-changing Gemini air. That sign shift puts the impatient, aggressive planet on course for a history-making conjunction with Uranus on July 4th as well as a sextile to Neptune that day, followed by a Pluto trine on the 5th. Meanwhile, on the 29th Mercury will begin its Cancer-based retrograde, under a full Capricorn Moon, and expansive, exaggerating Jupiter will head into dramatic Leo (at 11:52 MST), for a year-long stay.
Under a sky lit up by Mars, Uranus and Pluto in air signs and Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune in fire signs, it’s nearly impossible to work through all of the potentials of their resulting connections, let alone to predict outcomes. To say that a confluence of active, outgoing energy involving Uranus, Neptune and Pluto will be a handful, is to put it mildly. Revolutionary events, innovation and major paradigm shifts are all in the cards, though many of those hands will play out over the next several months. Amidst the hubbub there is one common and recurring factor, 4°. Nearly all of the most significant collaborations will occur on or very close to that degree point. On July 4th, the Mars Uranus conjunction will take place at 3° Gemini 52′ followed by a Mars Neptune sextile at 4° 24′, and Mars will trine Pluto at 4° 46′ on the 5th. Next, Neptune’s retrograde will commence on the 7th at 4° Aries 25′. On the 15th, Uranus will sextile Neptune at 4° 23′, on the 20th Jupiter will trine Neptune at 4º 22′ and oppose Pluto at 4º 26′, and on the 21st Jupiter will sextile Uranus at 4º 38′. Dizzy yet? Now would be a great time to get out your natal chart and see which planets are at 0° to 9°. They, and the Houses they reside in, will be the most impacted by the incoming combinations. The good news is that all of the aforementioned meetings will form astrology’s most harmonious and cooperative aspects, conjunctions, trines, and sextiles. 4º is also an early degree, meaning that new pathways and opportunities are emerging, even if out of chaos. And while Mars might prod and Jupiter may inflate, the retrogrades of Mercury and Neptune, as well as a sweet Venus shift, can cool some jets.
Granting access to emotional intelligence, Mercury’s retrograde will span 26° Cancer 15′ to 16° Cancer 19′. and run from June 29th to July 23rd. Though intuitive, emotional Cancer isn’t mental Mercury’s favorite place to spend time, and slowing down is also hard on the speedy Messenger, the Rx presents time for reflection and feeling one’s way to solutions. Dreamy Neptune has been in feisty Aries since late January. Its July 7th to December 12th retrograde will temper those cardinal fires. Coincidentally Saturn entered Aries in February and its forthcoming retrograde will begin on July 26th and last until December 10th. The Saturn and Neptune retrogrades will provide our first chance to pause and assess the presence of these two planets in the effervescent, ever-initiating sign, and perhaps to plan the next leg of the journey. Adding to the lowering of temperatures, Venus will ingress into thoughtful Virgo on July 9th. Grace, diplomacy and tact applied from gentle, devoted Virgo will make an agreeable and apt traveling companion for retrograde Mercury, Virgo’s ruler, and the Sun, in soothing Cancer. Together, their practical wisdom affirms the motto “keep calm and carry on”. When so many other planets are instigating and fueling fires, and fanning their flames, it’s good to know where the celestial firehoses, brooks and oases are stashed. More flareups are set for late July, and the next set of eclipses is due in August. Now is an ideal time to soak in and soak up the comforting, caregiving waters of Cancer.