Venus in Gemini is also a restless, changeable, noncommittal, up in the air, get in, get out, and quick trade influence. What has appeal in one moment may not in the next. Stay flexible, plans can change – especially so as of July 17 when Mercury retrograde gets under way.

Neptune (July 4) and Saturn (July 12) turn retrograde:

Also on the USA’s birthday, Neptune turns retrograde. Just a week later, on July 12, Saturn also begins a retrograde cycle. Travelling in close proximity for the rest of this year and the first quarter of 2026, both planets are at the very start of their tours through Aries. Saturn will revisit Pisces from the start of September to the middle of February 2026. Neptune will revisit its home sign from late October through the end of January 2026. By February 20, 2026, they will meet by conjunction. In so doing, they complete a 36-year chapter and begin the next one.  The retrograde tours of outer planets can produce a subtle yet potent shift of awareness (adjusts the viewing lens). At the start, rather than simply continuing along the same track, more concerns are raised, more questioning and review begins. Will it float or will it sink? Working their way through a time cycle, both Saturn and Neptune in retrograde serve to clarify. They do this via a process of dissolving that which no longer serves purpose or that has exhausted its life span.

Uranus enters Gemini, July 7:

Ever heard the expression “the seven-year itch”? That describes Uranus on a sign change.  Uranus spends 7 years in transit through a sign – and it slates a particular house or area of your chart for a wake up or a shake up. (You will feel the Uranus transit through a natal house in a more front and center way when it crosses an angle such like the Ascendant, or when it first enters a new house. Over time the influence becomes less of a standout and becomes more integrated into your daily experience. Of course, it will get your attention if it contacts a natal planet, in which case that transit to planet contact will dial up the action on that content for several months up to a year, and sometimes more).

Uranus makes one complete rotation around your chart every 84 years. If you were born in the years 1941 – 1949, the coming years will take you through your Uranus return. (All Uranus transits introduce something new, often unexpected. The Uranus return (age 84) can be a revitalizing or reawakening time for some.)

Uranus is the ruling planet of the sign of Aquarius. Pluto, agent of the soul, has just begun a 20-year tour of this sign. By transit, both planets are slow movers around the zodiac, and for this reason, they will stay in a facilitating angle (trine) through 2028/2029. What does that mean? A window of opportunity extends for the next few years. Working together, Pluto and Uranus set a prime backdrop for reinvention at all levels of the collective and the personal life experience. Have you been wanting to, toying with the idea, or feeling the necessity or pressure to reinvent yourself or your life? Now (and the next few years) is the time to do it.

Did a window just crack open?  A breath of fresh air, or an infusion of fresh life – Uranus by transit awakens, stimulates, and accelerates. You can experience this influence as sparking, energizing, or edgy, (like having a caffeine buzz). When Uranus makes direct contact to a natal planet (especially a personal planet), expect a busier than usual period. You can find yourself suddenly on the go with one thing after another. To the plus, the transit can stimulate fresh inspiration and fresh opportunity. When Uranus in Gemini makes favourable contact to your chart, you can find yourself on the receiving end of synchronicity is at its best. Under this transit you can feel especially clued in or plugged in. On the other hand, if the transit makes a dynamic contact to your natal chart, you can feel overwhelmed with too much up in the air or too much coming at you all at once. Uranus in transit can level up the guesswork, restlessness, or stress. Abrupt stop/starts, disruptions, cut-offs, and overactive mind/thought process that keeps you up at night leading are also typical.

The coming months of Uranus in Gemini can be educational and informing. Along the way, you will discover more than you know now (about yourself, about another, about the world around you). This transit can put fresh resources, options, and opportunities on your radar. The timing of how and why things show up can be uncanny (that’s synchronicity at its best). Expect your mind to stay especially sharp, to somehow just know things, perhaps things you did not think or realize you already knew. As a tuning fork influence, Uranus in Gemini can steer you right toward that which you are searching for (whether you actively go looking for it, or whether your soul drives you there). An instant rapport or sense of familiarity with someone you just met is also a signature of this transit.

On a broader note, under Uranus in Gemini it is good to be aware of who you are talking to (self included). There are three types of minds you can meet up with: the open mind, the closed, argumentative, or rejecting mind, and the partially opened mind. If folks do not get you or are not buying what you are selling, there is no reason to try to talk them into it. Look elsewhere. (Just like those dating commercials, aim to “get who gets you.”)

July 10: Full Moon in Capricorn:

A full moon always signifies a time of illumination and culmination. This time around, the July 10 full moon happens in the sign of Capricorn. What is it that now comes into fuller awareness? The need for better control, to feel more secure, to unburden yourself. Perhaps the internal or external pressure has been building for awhile – to take charge and manage your life with more autonomy and authority, to set up better results than you may have experienced in recent times. Who is the boss/to whom do you answer? Who gets the priority attention? If it is not you, perhaps it should be. The full moon can also put the spotlight on a parent, boss, or authority figure/body.

Day to day necessities can require a firmer grip. Also gaining attention?  The past, (its rewards or consequences) and how it now shapes or dictates the needs and the reality of the present.

Realizations that come out of this full moon can be the result of inner wisdom matured through the experiential track or squeezed out of the confrontation with a sobering or harsh reality. Capricorn is the archetype of time. As such, this full moon puts more attention on how much time has passed, and how important it is to make full use of it now. (My father, a Capricorn, often cautioned that “wasting time is a sin.”) To the plus, this full moon could place you on or near the finish line regarding a debt, obligation, or added responsibility, or something else that feels restrictive (i.e. a health challenge.) It could mark a milestone (career, personal, health) or special anniversary.

Get to work, face the challenge, tackle it now. Ambition can be well placed under this full moon, especially when it comes to aiming for improvement where you know it is desired and warranted. Mars is in good angle to the full moon, which suggests the opportunity to work it out, to heal, fix, to close a gap, or to uncover something useful or important.

The full moon can cement it and/or make it real in an advancing and productive way. Once it comes to a head or a foundation is laid, it will be time to move on to the next item on the to-do list.

Mercury retrograde: June 17 – August 11:

Mercury tours Leo to the end of August. This transit sets a good backdrop for creative enterprise, and for topping up on more of life’s rewards. By all means, gift yourself more. For those in the northern hemisphere, Mercury in Leo is well timed for enjoying the rewards of summer fun and sun (of course, make sure to stay well protected and as best you can, avoid suffering through blistering heat!).

The basic Mercury retrograde advice is always worth a repeat: give yourself or your budget an added degree of wiggle room, factor in an extra margin of time for last minute changes, don’t make assumptions, read the fine print, don’t skip or skim over it, double check (even triple check), stay alert for unexpected sidetracks or meet ups.

Everyday is a gift. Are you using it to the fullest? Do you feel rewarded in your present state of affairs? Do you feel the love? Do you love where you are at? Mercury retrograde in Leo is best used for a personal regroup, for getting back in touch with your creative center. What is in your heart that is yearning for attention? What is at the core of matter that needs more review? The transit is also well used to prioritize time with the special people in your life (lover, child, yourself, etc.). Spread the love around! Mercury retrograde in Leo can create a radiant glow that others will find attractive. Mercury is aligned with Ceres, forming three trine alignments over this month and next (July 12, July 20, August 25). Mercury/Ceres sets a potent/karmic seeding and fruition backdrop. Pay close attention to instincts, impulses, and insights, to what grows from the inside out, to who shows up and what gifts they come with. Do not under-estimate the potency of the moment.