June 26th ~ July 3rd
“Cherub Playing Lute” by Rosso Fiorentino
A Full Moon at 8º Capricorn 15’
An Angel Carrying a Harp (Sabian Symbol at 9 Capricorn)
Whereas the Angel represents the Divine, the Harp is the means by which that divinity is translated into the material world. It’s about making manifest what was once mere potential. Full Moons are culminations or times of completion for a previous order. Full Moons are illuminating and revealing. We are shown a situation from another perspective, which can completely change our perception of things. Any or all of these are true.
In February Saturn and Neptune met at the very first degree of Aries signifying some sort of beginning, in which we were being asked to make manifest (Saturn) our idealistic notions (Neptune), which is another way of saying to translate that divine potential into the the material world. The Full Moon on June 29th (or the 30th depending on where you are in the world) is at cross quarters to (square) both Saturn and Neptune, now separating but both still in Aries.
For the past year Jupiter has been in the sign of Cancer. It will reach the end of this transit on the 30th, when it enters Leo. Jupiter is exalted in the sign of Cancer, a sign of community, of support, where we hold each other up. We saw Jupiter in action in places like Minneapolis where people put their lives on the line to protect their neighbors. We saw it in communities when people organized themselves in order to feed families afraid to come out of their dwellings for fear of being made invisible. We saw Jupiter in Cancer in Action when people came together to protect and defend. Because it was the right thing to do.
The Full Moon in Capricorn, which is opposite the Sun in Cancer, is showing us something about Jupiter’s tenure in Cancer: the lessons learned; our expectations of authorities, leaders and governments; and acting them to be accountable. And if they are not going to be accountable, with Saturn and Neptune in Aries, the people are stepping up to the plate in order to take things into their own hands. Saturn in Aries is the General, who says I will do this if you won’t. Neptune in Aries is the Spiritual Warrior, who puts their ideals into action.
The tide is turning. The people are not afraid. They are armed with their own righteousness, and humanity as a whole are on the verge of an extraordinary pivotal time in our own evolutionary journey. And the Full Moon is indicative of this turning tide in our political world. These are signs of safety and security, and with the squares to Saturn and Neptune we see traditions shifting as Political Infrastructures, an Old Order, is coming face to face with the People. And it will not stand as is.
Jupiter enters Leo on June 30th
Enchantment conjures up the juices of vitality and a renewal of childhood, play, poetry, art, natural religious virtues, and community. Its characteristic emotion is joy, and its goal deep pleasure. It may be the tonic we’re looking for… ~ Thomas Moore (The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life)
Jupiter is returning to Leo in order for us to remember what it feels like to have joy back in our lives, to know what it feels like to play, to see the world through the eyes of a child once again, to celebrate our lives like the kings and queens we truly are. We are being asked to laugh out loud, to play, to show off, to be proud, and to inspire others to do so as well.
Wherever we have Leo in our natal charts is where we have capacity to shine. Jupiter entering Leo is asking all of us to show the world who we are when we throw all the cares to the wind. It’s about showing off and being loud, and maybe even a little obnoxiously so. Jupiter in Leo dares you to celebrate who you are, and what you are capable of becoming.
Boys and Girls, Come out to Play; The Moon doth shine as bright as day, Leave your supper and leave your sleep, Come with your play-fellows into the street, Come with a whoop, come with a call, Come with a good will or not at all. ~ Mother Goose
But as soon as Jupiter enters Leo it makes an exact square to Chiron, newly entered into Taurus. This is a cross between Mother Goose beckoning the children to come out to play in the light of the Full Moon: Leave your supper and leave your sleep, come with your play-fellows into the street.. kind of a feeling, vs. the existential angst of an uncomfortable world where scarcity looms in the face of an inequality of power and wealth.
For no sooner does Jupiter make this square to Chiron but it is also opposing Pluto, making us all that much more aware of the Chiron/Pluto square that will be looming over us for the foreseeable future.
Why this is important: Squares create conflict. Pluto is trying to find its footing in Aquarius. Pluto has to do with power, who has it, how it is being leveraged. And when in Aquarius the power shifts to ‘the people’ instead of being consolidated at the top. Pluto in Aquarius can also be associated (especially with Uranus also in Gemini) with technological breakthroughs and revolutionary changes in the tech world. Which can be for the good or the ill. One thing squares can do is push us a little harder towards these inevitable shifts. Either through necessity, or in reaction to an old order, or what had been a status quo that is now no longer relevant.
Chiron likewise is trying to get its own footing in Taurus, which is a sign that has to do with the environment, the earth, our physical bodies, the distribution of wealth, and having our needs met. The squares are pushing us to acknowledge these, and it could even feel like one of these planets, whether it’s Pluto’s Big Tech or populist movements; or Chiron’s environmental or economic wounds that need healing; or Jupiter’s yearning to be seen and acknowledged. One of these may be outweighing the others, and so we are compelled to look for solutions.
Fixed sign t-squares can be stubborn and unyielding. And it will test the powers that be. But change usually does not occur without some discomfort and conflict. Why change things if everything is fine? So this discomfort that we are experiencing can be the very catalyst that lures us out of our old comfort zones, just enough to push us to make any important changes, reestablish a balance, and thereby find our places in this grand evolutionary scheme that is now unfolding before us.
Mercury stations Retrograde June 29th
If we can step back at times and have the guts to carve doubt in the concrete stone of our certainties, we can hear the beat of a thinking heart. While listening to the stirring of our deep selves and striving to squeeze through the thicket of our intentions, we may find an atoning venue of understanding and sympathy. ~ Erik Pevernagie (Beware of the Neighbor)
This is an unusual retrograde phase of Mercury which lasts from its station on June 29th, until its direct station on July 23rd. It occurs simultaneously with the “Cradle” configuration of planets which reaches culmination around the 20th of July. It is unusual because of the cradle which serves as something of a turning point both globally and individually, where the outer planets and Jupiter, all recently having entered new signs create this rare and unique picture. This along with the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in February, are the two most important configurations of 2026 which will continue to resonate into 2027.
In this way the retrograde phase of Mercury would be important, because it allows us to step back, reevaluate, process and assimilate not only the last few months of this Mercury cycle, but this entire past year that Jupiter has been in the sign of Cancer. This is because Mercury, which stations at 26º Cancer 15’, does so within only a few degrees of Jupiter in the last degree, and last minutes of the sign of Cancer. This is the anaretic degree in which we are already reflecting on, and trying to process, the year that was.
The retrograde phase of Mercury makes this that much more personal. This is when we find ourselves turning our focus within, reflecting, considering, trying to put the pieces of our lives together. Mercury retrograde in Cancer, can bring us way back, to the most primal beginnings of our lives. It is invested with our feelings, our heart center, and all the things that nurture and hold and support us. When Mercury finally slows for its direct station in July it will be square Saturn, which is now in Aries.
I suspect that this retrograde phase will bring up issues and thoughts surrounding things like: Safety, Security, Community, And all the things that support these, as well as what would bring a greater sense of belonging.
And with all the major planets in ‘new’ signs, it could feel like we are heading in a new direction. And so during the retrograde we will be considering how we feel about any changes that have recently been made, changes that we are making, or intend to make in the future. Especially those sorts of changes being made within the context of finding greater safety, comfort and security.
Retrogrades can sometimes give us permission to withdraw from situations that are no longer working. This is when we may decide to remove that albatross from around our necks. To unload that which we no longer need and is just taking up room in our homes, in our lives, in our heads. By releasing the old, we can then make room for new things to come in, or prepare the way for the next leg of our journey.
You could also get the idea of the retrograde as giving us permission to take a step or two back, to retreat just a bit, in order to be able to take 4 steps forward with what we discover within the vast possibilities of the emerging Cradle configuration. Like an arrow being pulled back before it is released, so it could feel like we are doing the same.
Some homework and advice for the upcoming retrograde phase of Mercury which lasts until July 23rd:
Don’t go in assuming that you already know everything. Be flexible, and allow yourself to see things from different perspectives.
Ask questions. Become informed. And allow yourself to process things both mentally and emotionally.
A new horizon is unfolding, with a new culture, and a new set of expectations, both on your side and the side of others. Instead of rejecting anything that feels new, take steps to better understand it. This will help you to find your place in the scheme of things, and where you fit in.
Mercury is retrograde! Therefore make sure before you make agreements or sign contracts that everyone is on the same page. Read the fine print. Dot your i’s and cross your t’s. Ask clarifying questions. You don’t want to do anything that could prove to be regrettable later on.
Connect with and touch base with those people that matter. Those that support you emotionally and psychologically. Those who know your heart and mind.
Make space during the days to come to reflect, to go within, to feel, to process. We are all needing to do some serious processing in order to gain greater understanding about ourselves and our lives.
Mars enters Gemini
Thunder Repeated: The image of Shock. Thus in fear and trembling the superior man sets his life in order and examines himself. The Judgment: The shock terrifies for a hundred miles. And he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice. ~ the I Ching (Thunder Repeated)
Mars changes signs every two months, so at first glance this may not seem to be quite as newsworthy as some of the other events occurring in these last few days of June. Like a crowded subway at rush hour, this week is jam packed with cosmic shifts of one kind or another. Mars entering Gemini is like the icing on the cake. Or perhaps more accurately in this case, the match that lights the fuse. This is because no sooner does Mars enter Gemini then it will form a conjunction with unpredictable, and often unstable, Uranus.
Mars/Uranus is traditionally known for being explosive. The aspect perfects on July 4th, which is the 250th celebration of the founding of the United States when we set off fireworks, attend bar-b-ques and carry on with all sorts of excitement here. Mars/Uranus is also about sudden and inexplicable shifts and changes that might even catch us unaware. And in the sign of Gemini, it can also bring sudden realizations that appear to change everything.
Mars has to do with what motivates us. What gets us moving and doing, and initiating. And so because of this Mars also acts as something of a catalyst, setting off things that have been simmering and brewing beneath the fold. This can give us the incentive to make much needed changes in our lives. But it can also change the course of our lives.
Uranus just recently entered Gemini at the end of April, and is an instrumental part of the ‘Cradle’ configuration which will be perfected in July. Now that Jupiter is entering Leo it is bringing the last critical piece into the picture. By Mars entering Gemini, not only will it be in the same sign and degree as Uranus next week, but it will be sextile Jupiter this week, trine Pluto and sextile Neptune in the same way that Uranus is. And by doing so, activates the Cradle.
Cradles, much like the sign of Cancer, are configurations of safety and protection. We retreat within the cradle in order to shut out the conflict and tribulations of the outer world symbolized by the opposition part of the cradle, in this case Jupiter opposing Pluto. The two wedge planets, Uranus and Neptune aim to either transform the stress of the opposition from something scary and negative, into something positive; or to look for creative and in this case, innovative ways to relieve the stress of the opposition.
Unfortunately sometimes the wedge planets serve to distract or find creative ways to completely avoid the real life stressors that the opposition between Jupiter and Pluto brings. Jupiter and Pluto are in fixed signs, so there is a greater inclination to not want things to change. Even if they have to. The best way to work with the Cradle is to be willing to confront and deal with the real life issues that we are being faced with.
By entering Gemini, Mars not only becomes an active participant in the planetary configuration, but encourages us to be so as well. In this way, Mars/Uranus may be inherently explosive, but it can also be tremendously illuminating, helping us to see things exactly as they are.
Just before Mars enters Gemini, it makes an exact sextile with Jupiter in the final 29th degree of Taurus and Cancer. And in this way, Mars also preemptively activates the Jupiter/Uranus sextile which dares us to step outside of our comfort zones, which was also referred to with the Jupiter/Chiron square. We tend to be creatures of habit. But when we are willing to change things up, look at things from another perspective, learn new things, ask questions, we can open up all sorts of new and creative possibilities.
We will speak to this more as we further explore the Cradle as it unfolds over the next few weeks. For now, know that with the Full Moon in Capricorn, and all of the other accompanying phenomenon this week, we are at a turning point. And so it begins.
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: