Regal, charismatic Leo is known for its abundant confidence and singular swagger. Like fellow fire signs, its natives exude inextinguishable enthusiasm and effervescent optimism. 2025’s Leo Sun cycle however will test the resilience of even the most unflappable Lions. For starters, Mercury will be retrograde in Leo when the Sun enters the fixed sign on July 22nd. Next, the new Leo Moon of July 24th will be directly opposed by Pluto. Then the cycle’s fixed-sign full Moon will take place on August 9th amidst some seismic Mars activity. Finally, even when clever Mercury stations direct on August 11th, it will find itself in tricky territory. That said, Leo intends to throw its annual party, even if the soiree gets off to a very late start. The challenge will be in making it to that point unscathed and with minimal obstruction.
When the Sun ingresses into the fixed fire sign on July 22nd, it will make what should be a breakthrough sextile to unorthodox Uranus in Gemini. However, Mercury having turned retrograde late on July 17th will be working its way backwards from 15° 35’ to 4°15’ of Leo, complete with its usual share of snags, snares and setbacks. Additionally, the fixed nature of this Rx will require a little less rigidity and a lot more fluidity for smoother traveling. Adding tension ahead of the new Moon, Venus will square Mars on the 23rd. On the 24th, the Sun will trine Saturn and Neptune before coming into direct opposition, along with the new Moon at 2° Leo ′08, to Pluto. Some colossal struggles between intractable foes are bound to surface under this one. As repercussions from that play out, Venus will slip into Cancer on July 30th and the Sun will go on to conjoin Mercury on the 31st. Their conference is a good opportunity to re-strategize where necessary, as Mars is also preparing for a sign change.
Libra is of course the opposite sign of Mars’s home of impetuous Aries. Stays in the Venus-ruled, ever-deliberating sign can be agonizing for the action-oriented planet. Combattive Mars will visit Libra from August 6th through September 22nd, when the Sun will take the helm in the diplomatic sign. This Mars Libra transit is most definitely front-loaded. On August 8th, Mars will trine Uranus and oppose Saturn. On the 9th, following the full Moon at 17° Aquarius 00′, Mars will oppose Neptune. And on the 10th, Mars will trine Pluto. A full Moon surrounded by Mars interactions with Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto seems fitting for a lunar cycle born under a fixed sign Pluto opposition. If we can all hang in there for one more day, Mercury will station direct on the 11th. Gentlemen: start your blenders!
Emerging from its retrograde at 4° of Leo, while Saturn and Neptune are retrograde at 1° of Aries, Mars is at 2° of Libra, and Pluto is retrograde at 2° of Aquarius, Mercury will find itself in close aspect to all of them. Cunning and inventive, the Trickster should be able to deftly weave his way through this intriguing and complicated set of characters and circumstances. Mere mortals however may wish to wait until the dust truly settles before making hasty or major decisions. Fortunately, bright ideas are in the offing as an extremely rare double sextile, outside of a retrograde period, takes place between Mercury and Mars on the 14th and 17th. The mechanics of this one have to do with Mercury moving slowly following the retrograde and being passed by adventuring Mars on the 14th, and then picking up speed and moving past the red planet on the 17th. These green light bulb moments may bring answers to the questions that percolated during the retrograde. With the cycle’s harder aspects in the rearview mirror, they may also bring a zesty and celebratory conclusion to an unusually strenuous Leo Sun cycle. Cheers!