Full Moon in Aquarius 7*29*26
Hoo Boy. July has been a month, and that is saying something given this year. But here we are. Mercury is now direct so there's that. Also, Jupiter has started its year long move through Leo, moving on after its year in Cancer. Oh, and the outer planets (Pluto, Neptune and Uranus) made exact connections at 4 degrees of their respective signs, forming the "Basket" that pretty much every astrologer has at least mentioned. And we have made it through all of it, so let's take a moment to acknowledge that. No matter how the first part of 2026 affected you, whatever was started or ended, lost or gained, reorganized or transformed, you are here now. The end of July and August are continuing to bring things up for review. We all have choices to make about what to do with the information that is surfacing.
Astrology is often described as "weather", operating in the background, establishing an environment that affects everything. I consider it more like currents in the ocean that we are all swimming in. Sometimes the current is flowing easily, gently moving you along like a lazy river. Sometimes the swells are daunting. Sometimes the rip tide is pulling you from where you want to go. Always, though, we are served by knowing how the currents are running so we can decide how to navigate them.
Brief recap: Astrology is an energy system. Planets are specific energies; the signs they are in give the parameters for how that energy expresses. Your personal energy system is shown by your birth chart. The movements of the planets and heavenly bodies connect with your birth chart and activate it. The closer a planet moves to one in your birth chart, the more strongly you will receive that planet's energy, and the stronger the influence it will have on whatever area of your life is being activated. Notice the operative word is "influence". There is nothing that is outside the arena of your free will.
So what is affecting the currents now?
1) July 23 - Mercury resumed forward motion in Cancer. It went retrograde on June 29, bringing up Cancer themes of safety, self-care, home, childhood, and mothering, likely with a dose of nostalgia. What came up for you? Anything lingering as far as the Mercury retrograde glitches in communication or information should resolve by August 6, when it leaves its shadow. (crosses back over the degree it went retrograde at, thereby closing the cycle).
2) July 26 - the Moon's nodes shift from Pisces (north node) and Virgo (south node) to Aquarius (north node) and Leo (south node). The nodes are not orbiting bodies. They are points in the Moon's orbit where it intersects with the Sun's movement around the earth. (Remember, in astrology everything is from the point of view of the Earth. In that framework the Sun moves around the Earth.) The Moon's nodes are a pair, directly opposite each other. They take about 18 months to move through the signs they are in, and interestingly, they move backwards through the signs they are transiting.
The south node shows energy patterns that have taken us as far as we can go with them. They are default settings, skills we have mastered so well that they become our first, unthinking reaction. As a result, they can morph into shadow expressions without our even being aware of them. The north node shows the qualities we need to develop in order to advance these skills so they better serve our purpose and soul's mission. In the birth chart, the position by sign and house shows our individual path. The transiting nodes affect us collectively, revealing old and/or shadow patterns associated with the sign of the south node, and encouraging the higher expressions of the sign of the north node. In January 2025, the south node moved into Virgo and the north node moved into Pisces. We were given opportunities to let go of our quest for perfection and tying our worth to productivity (Virgo) and lean into faith in something greater than ourselves and our inherent value as a part of this great cosmic tapestry (Pisces).
Now the theme shifts to releasing the tendency to perform power and leadership (shadow Leo) and instead embrace authentic expression of our unique talents to be used in service to our chosen group or cause (Aquarius). Shadow Leo craves approval from others. It outsources its power by either requiring loyalty from others and jealously hording the spotlight, or denying its true feelings in order to maintain approval. Shadow Leo does not engage others with warmth and positive regard. It wants an audience, not true relationships. These behaviors will be more noticeable both in the macro and in our own lives over the next 18 months while the south node moves through Leo, calling on us to redefine our relationship to our power.
North node in Aquarius draws us to examine how we can best collaborate with others and contribute to a desired future. It asks "What talent do I possess that can contribute to my group in a way that only I can offer? How can I move my community towards our vision of a better world? How do I best collaborate with others by sharing my unique qualities and perspective?" It is asking for a new expression of leadership, one that is not based on hierarchy but on shared, mutually held vision and acceptance of each as an integral part of its creation. This is the theme - transitioning Leo's self-appreciation, acceptance and confidence to contribute to the group creation of a better world that serves everyone. Simply put, it is taking your place in the circle.
3) July 29 - Full Moon in Aquarius. That this Full Moon comes on the heels of the nodal shift amplifies its energy because it falls along the Leo - Aquarius axis. Notice what comes up regarding Leo - Aquarius themes of personal power and collaborative efforts. Under Full Moons, something is revealed. What that something is and and how it shows up may be out of your control, but how you respond never is. This will be the first lunation since the Moon's nodes moved into Leo and Aquarius on July 26.
The Sun at 6 degrees of Leo is opposite the Moon at 6 degrees of Aquarius. Leo, fixed fire, deals with your personal power, your leadership, and your ability to show up whole-heartedly in your life. Leo is comfortable with its agency. It doesn't shirk responsibility. It is inclusive, inviting, charismatic and playful. Leo energy infuses fun into its relationships. This Leo expression fosters loyalty and admiration. It models inclusive and supportive leadership. This Leo understands that its authority over its life is inherent. It is comfortable with its own skills and capacities, so does not feel the need to diminish anyone's light in an attempt to appear brighter.
In its shadow expression, Leo is arrogant and confuses personal power with domination. This is the petty dictator, demanding validation; always on the lookout for any possible slight. It pouts, stomps, throws tantrums, and is generally loud and obnoxious. This shadow is desperate for attention and approval. While it may draw the former, it rarely has the latter.
Jupiter is also at 6 degrees of Leo making an exact conjunction to the Sun here, known as the Jupiter cazimi, or Jupiter "in the heart of the Sun". Jupiter expands what it touches. The Sun brings things into the light of consciousness. In Leo, they ask "How are you using your power? What is your view of leadership? Do you trust yourself to show up for yourself? If you don't honor your commitment to yourself, how can you honestly and whole heartedly show up for your tribe?"
On the other side of the axis is the Moon in Aquarius, closely conjuncting Pluto at 4 degrees. Pluto uncovers what is hidden below the surface. It reveals what is rotten and unsustainable and opens the path to transforming it. The Moon holds the unconscious desires, the emotional structures we express our feelings through and the way we take care of ourselves. In Aquarius, the Moon is able to detach from the watery density of emotions and view feelings with some objectivity. Fixed air Aquarius intellectualizes emotions in order to understand them (and itself). This is not necessarily a bad thing. It allows a window of opportunity to take a fresh viewpoint and see which stories can be edited to release victim mentality and encourage more empowerment. Mercury retrograde in Cancer gave us three weeks of emotionally driven stories to delve into. This Full Moon can shift the perspective.
Pluto can reveal how group dynamics are sabotaged by unmet individual needs that get in the way of collaboration and instead lead to control dramas. When an underdeveloped "me" shows up unable to contribute to the collective, the group cannot move forward smoothly. This is the crux of the Leo - Aquarius dynamic; each part must be able to show up as the self-realized, best version (Leo) in order for the whole to be successful (Aquarius). And, the group has a role to play in making room for each to be able to achieve its fullest expression. Under this sky, at this time, everyone has a note to sing, a talent to share, a gift to offer. No one is here to sit out.
The architecture of power is being re-formed by Pluto in Aquarius to be decentralized. Aquarius does not do hierarchy. It does not play by traditional rules. That is Capricorn's expression. Aquarius flat out rebels against any structure that it finds too limiting or that prioritizes one group over another. Aquarius cares about "humanity". It transcends the group connections linked by commonality, similar beliefs, similar backgrounds, similar economics or ethnicity. Aquarius sees these as limits and feels restricted by them. That is the old model of group dynamics that requires conformity in order to belong. That is not what is called for here. In fact, as Pluto moves through Aquarius over the next 18 years, it will transform how we "do" groups.
So, what are your feelings about group projects? Most of us have stories about a group project gone awry. Are you still carrying the scars of that time? Do you have resistance to exploring collaborating with others as a result? Do you hold yourself back from committing to something you care about because it would involve interactions with others for extended periods? Under this Full Moon, consider your reactions to group interactions and your ideas about belonging. The Leo - Aquarius axis honors each as an individual while also establishing the framework for each to be free to contribute to the collective. The dearly held freedom of Aquarius is not extended to whether to contribute, but to how one will contribute.
All of these shifts are pointing to the theme of restructuring groups and our participation in them from old patterns of hierarchy and competing for position to circular, cooperative and aligned to a common vision. Our individual resistances will be coming up to be seen, acknowledged, and addressed. New perspectives are called for. That is the genius of Aquarius - seeing things in different ways, innovating, and freeing oneself from limits of expectation. Pluto conjunct the Moon here is offering a transformative path (Pluto) to our feelings (Moon) around groups, friends, belonging, and moving towards a vision for the future we want (Aquarius).
There is a lot of support for all these shifts, as Uranus in Gemini and Neptune in Aries are all forming supportive aspects to Pluto and by extension, this Full Moon. Uranus, ruler of Aquarius is changing the way we think and process information, while Neptune is bringing our dreams and spirituality into individual expression. This support will continue through 2028, when Uranus will begin to move out of orb from Neptune and Pluto. This is a process that is affecting the astrological currents and we all can be lifted by it. We just have to make the choice.
"..if you want to know someone well, you have to see the person in front of you as a distinct and never-to-be repeated individual. But you’ve also got to see that person as a member of their groups. And you’ve also got to see their social location—the way some people are insiders and other people are outsiders, how some sit on the top of society and some are marginalized to the fringes. The trick is to be able to see each person on these three levels all at once.” -David Brooks
