End of June 2026
There is so much going on over the next 2 days! Yes, yes, this whole year thus far has been "a lot", for sure, but the intensity of the astrology is rising right now and will continue to do so through July and into August. So, let's take a few minutes and see what is coming up now so we can use these times to our advantage.
On June 28, Mars moves into Gemini. Mars spends a little over 1 month in each sign as it travels around the solar system. Mars is the planet of physical action, passion, anger expression, and how we get our needs met. It is raw courage and will rolled into one energy signature. Mars has been in fixed earth Taurus since mid-May. When Mars does Taurus, actions are focused and deliberate. Taurus does not rush, so Mars energy gets slowed down. It is not a very comfortable placement for Mars, but it is great for perseverance and focus. Mars in Taurus gets things done.
Mars in airy Gemini is a different expression entirely. Gemini's mutable nature can make it challenging to keep Mars on task. It's not as resistant to distractions. Mars in Gemini likes variety, so it can help to schedule times to switch between activities. But not too many activities or you run the risk of having lots of projects in different stages of completion; that is too many tabs open to manage efficiently. Mars in Gemini needs options, but not too many. A strategy is have one or two daily "must do's" and one or two "want to do" to channel the Mars preference for action while honoring Gemini's energy expression.
Mars in Gemini also likes conversation and communication, so it can be helpful to build in times for socializing. Having a sounding board to talk through anything you are having trouble understanding is a great Mars in Gemini tool. Even if no one has the answer, clear articulation of the question is helpful.
Mars will conjunct Uranus in Gemini on July 4. Uranus is the planet of disruption and unexpected changes. Mars connects with Uranus roughly every two years as it moves around the solar system. It last met up with Uranus in July 2024 when they were both in Taurus. The combination of Mars - taking action/exercising will and Uranus - unexpected changes and disruption, can be volatile. Fixed earth Taurus grounded these energies and offered a container for them. Gemini does not keep things contained. Its mutable air energy disperses. Be mindful of the spaces you are in and the people you are with under this transit. Pay attention to any irritability that might be around or arising within you. Mercury will be retrograde, increasing potential for misunderstandings (see below). Be deliberate about the energy you want to cultivate and express, especially if you have planets or points in the early degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces). Physically move out of a space that feels "off". Things can escalate quickly with this conjunction. The last time Mars and Uranus met in Gemini was the summer of 1947, so this will be a new experience for most of us.
Next, on June 29 at 1:35p (ET) Mercury will start its second retrograde period of 2026. It will be in Cancer for the whole of this retrograde cycle, starting at 26 degrees of Cancer and moving back to 16 degrees on July 22. If you know your chart, find the house that these degrees live in. This will be the area of life that will be up for review. Mercury will resume direct motion on July 23, and leave its shadow on August 6. All the Mercury retrogrades of 2026 happen in water signs, so emotions are the focus. Mercury in Cancer, the cardinal water sign, will ask us each to review our self-care practices. How are your boundaries? Who has access to you? How much access? Should they? What is the underlying story being conveyed about yourself and your needs?
Cancer is the sign of home, safety and security, your roots and your lineage. What forms the foundation for your life? Is it sturdy enough to build on, or do you find yourself patching it up regularly? Maybe it's time to rebuild? Do you have a sanctuary where you can retreat, rest, replete, and refresh? What does being "home" entail? Do you feel grounded and safe? How do you protect your energy? There is a difference between a boundary and a bunker. Do you take care of everyone else before honoring your needs? Where did you learn that?
What stories do you tell about your childhood, your home, your family history? What version of you do those stories reflect? Are revisions needed? Have you actually paid attention to the words and phrases you speak around these themes? Mercury retrogrades in Cancer are typically nostalgic. They bring a yearning for simpler days, when life seemed to be wrapped in a golden glow and things were easier. But were they or is that the retrograde talking? The desire for belonging and connection highlighted but they are not found in the rear view. These three weeks of retrograde are not meant to pull you into past timelines, but to give you opportunities to review your patterns of creating a safe and supportive environment for yourself. You are the only one who can. And it is a creative act, not a remediation of past mistakes. That one reframe can make all the difference. The questions to refine now are "How am I creating an environment to anchor my highest expression of myself? What worked well and what is no longer effective? Who are my "ride or dies"? Not who do I want them to be/ been told they are/expected them to be, but who actually shows up? Also, who do I willingly show up for? Not out of obligation but because the bond is that strong and the love is real.
I want to be clear here - there is nothing wrong with making a positive impact, with being kind and supportive and helpful. Mercury retrograde in Cancer does not demand you stop showing up for others, require a payback, or turn a blind eye to a need you are able to do something about. It shows you the cost of nurturing when your capacity for care does not have the appropriate infrastructure to support it. When the underlying motivator is to validate your worth or your character, you are heading for depletion. This is the time to slow down and prioritize your needs, physical, mental and emotional; do the things you would do for another to demonstrate your care, but do them for yourself consistently, and, more importantly, allow yourself to receive them.
About six hours after Mercury turns retrograde we have a Full Moon in Capricorn. The Sun at 8 degrees of Cancer is shining on the Moon at 8 degrees of Capricorn. The timing is quite superb when you start to look at the whole picture. The Cancer - Capricorn axis deals with foundation/roots (Cancer) and achievement/mark on the world (Capricorn). This is often described as work - life balance, but really, it is all life balance. Work is not separate from life. This is a tapestry that we each weave for ourselves, gathering the different threads and crafting a unique picture that reflects how we invest our time, talent and attention.
Moon in Capricorn receives emotional benefits from achievement. Capricorn is cardinal earth, practical, strategic, mature. In Capricorn, the Moon is focused on result. Don't tell me your feelings, show me. How do you use them to make something worthwhile? Capricorn doesn't "sit with" feelings; it uses them to build something it wants, to achieve a goal, to enhance its reputation. Capricorn Moon energy demands your best effort.
Sun in Cancer knows that the necessary prerequisite for Capricorn's success is a strong foundation that prioritizes the self. Nothing can grow well unless it has strong roots that are nourished consistently. That means taking the time to actually settle, rest, use the practices that restore your nervous system, not as a remedy for being out of balance, but as maintenance to remain in balance.
And balance is a key for this Full Moon as the Sun and Moon are forming a T-square, activating the midpoint of Neptune at 4 degrees of Aries and Saturn at 14 degrees of Aries. The pull of strong self-care practices (Cancer) in order to bring your best self forward and fulfill your purpose (Capricorn) is being challenged by the energy of dealing with the reality (Saturn) of creating your dream for yourself (Neptune). Part of this energy asks whose ambitions are you working to fulfill? Are the goals you are striving towards aligned with your dreams or are you chasing some imposed metric that someone else has prioritized? Are your stated goals out of alignment with your ideals? How can you bring everything back into balance?
Working with Libra energy is the way to direct these competing energies. Saturn and Neptune are in Aries and are being squared by the Sun and Moon. Libra is opposite Aries, so it offers the path to alleviate some of the tension here. Libra, sign of the scales, is the essence of balance. So, the question here is not how to make everyone happy, or how to juggle demands better. It is how to know and hold yourself as sacred while still participating in the world in meaningful ways. Well-developed Libra energy can appreciate the perspective of others without denying its own point of view. Libra's power is in holding the relationship of self and other as a priority while appreciating the sovereignty of each. It's "both - and", not "either - or". But to do this gracefully (and Libra does) balance must proceed from a state of knowing one's own capacity to provide for the self. Balance can't happen in a relationship if one is looking for the other to "complete" them. Think about that for a moment. This Full Moon is demanding our best self be available to the world (Capricorn) and our individual expression (Aries). In order to fulfill that demand, one must have the capacity to show up as that best self. That requires knowing they are cared for, they are safe, they are rested and nourished (Cancer). Balance (Libra) is the strategy that allows all of this.
Finally, on June 30, Jupiter will move out of Cancer, one of its favorite signs, and into Leo to start its one year journey through the sign of the Lion. Jupiter amplifies. In Cancer, it amplified how we felt about and dealt with the themes of home, family, belonging, and roots. Jupiter in Cancer prioritized a year of cozy. In Leo, it will express a very different signature.
Leo is playful, engaging, charismatic. It loves to be loved and wants to be in the center of whatever is going on. But in its essence, Leo the fixed fire sign understands and accepts its inherent leadership capacity. A well developed Leo naturally assumes the responsibility that accompanies personal power. It is secure in this. It does not need to exert dominance. It has a natural respect for itself, the ethical framework that guides its decisions, and those it interacts with. This Leo expression shines brightly and wants everyone else to shine as well. It does not need anyone else to dim their light. This Leo does not feel the need to compete. It is comfortable with itself. It does not need to prove its worth. A realized Leo is a great leader and mentor. This Leo energy understands the importance of walking the talk and values its place as a role model.
The shadow of Leo is the arrogant, thin skinned autocrat who craves approbation from others. This Leo is not comfortable with power and misunderstands it. This Leo looks for love in all the wrong places. It is never satisfied no matter how much validation it receives, because the lack it is trying to compensate for is internal. Rather than admit that, it blames and projects onto others. And the cycle continues - unless the choice to grow beyond it is made.
Both these expressions of Leo will be rampant for the next 12 months as Jupiter enlarges the qualities. The opportunity here is to explore how you relate to and wield personal power. What is your view of leadership? What are your expectations of leaders? Are these expectations met in your lived experience? How does that affect the way you use your power? Do you exert influence by dominating or collaborating? How do you experience your own leadership? Do you shy away from it? Do you strive for it? Is it a zero-sum game for you - somebody has to lose in order for somebody else to win?
For the next year, Jupiter will be asking each of us to define and then redefine our relationship to our own power. It will offer opportunities to assess and clarify the moral code we use to make decisions. Do you behave ethically? What does that mean to you? Fire sign Leo lives in the world of ideals, of how things should be. The fullest expression of Leo is willing to step up and contribute to creating this ideal world.
All these energies are converging around a single theme from different angles. We each being called to invest in our wellbeing so we can expand our capacity to care for ourselves. From that foundation, we can share our best selves with our important others, our communities, and society at large. We can each fulfill our purpose while contributing to the birth of a new world that is anchored to the ideals and values we believe in, and more importantly, incorporate into our lives through our choices and behaviors. This is the time, and we are the ones.
"The most intractable problem today is not pollution or technology or war; but the lack of belief that the future is very much in the hands of the individual...Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. " ~ Margaret Mead
