You could argue it's retrograde season right now with Jupiter and Neptune both taking backwards spins through space. "It's a tricky first week for Fixed Sign energy in particular Taurus, Leo and Aquarius with a T-Square pile up of Uranus, Mars and Saturn. Especially frustrating or potentially triggering days on the 1st and the 3rd," says Clarisse Monahan.
But there's still plenty of good news to be had. Cancer will be hitting some personal goals, Capricorns will be feeling sexy and Aquarius will get deep into their fitness routines.
To see what's in store for you, Astrologer Clarisse Monahan shares your monthly horoscopes below.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
Perhaps the most auspicious day of the year for you occurs on the 9th of July, when you have a New Cancer Moon, unencumbered by any pesky aspects with malefic planets. New Moons, especially in the 1st House of Self, are all about setting personal goals for the next six months. Think of this New Cancer Moon in particular, then, as a time to plant seeds of desire to be harvested during Capricorn season in December. Do not resist the urge during the New Moon to write down where you want to be at year’s end. New home? New job? New city? On the 11th of July, Mercury, the great communicator, enters into your 1st House, as well. Use Mercury’s influence to communicate emotional needs, since your nature, when it comes to verbalising feelings, is often mute and slow of voice. When the Sun moves into Leo and your 2nd House of Finances on the 22nd, do not be surprised by a yen for flashing some money (Leo) on something of sentimental value.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)
Astrology is like a magical choose-your-own-adventure story, where you can make decisions on how you want to plot a week or a month, based on transits. Until the 22nd of July, one plot for Leo involves the Sun in Cancer. In this narrative, the Sun is lighting up the watery 12th House of the Unconscious, suggesting you go with the flow of this double water transit (Cancer+12th House of Pisces) and submerge your big Leo ego for a few weeks of introspection and self-reflection. Or you can resist this submersion and stay out in the world for Cancer season. If you choose this plot, you will encounter a very tricky energy on July 1st in the form of belligerent Mars in your 1st House of Self opposing grim Saturn in the 7th House of Relationships. This Mars-Saturn opposition will have you feeling at war either with yourself or significant others or both. It’s a heavy transit that lasts til the 8th—but its energy will be felt, to some degree, all month. When the Sun switches into your 1st House of Self for Leo season on the 22nd, you will be at full strength for the remainder of the month with your glorious mane, windswept, forming a gorgeous silhouette on a regal promontory point.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
On the 11th of July, your ruling planet, Mercury, moves into your 11th House of Friendships, where it joins the Sun for a few weeks. Usually Mercury energy is analytical: it loves to take apart the clock and see how it works. But friends don’t necessarily want to be treated like timepieces. Luckily emotional Cancer season predominates the heavens until the 22nd of July. Cancer will have a softening affect on the sharp edge of Mercury, and, by extension, Virgo. Expect to feel more social flexibility with friends and in groups. On the 22nd, the Sun moves into your 12th House of the Unconscious, the zone of deep secrets. This can be a lonely transit: The rest of the world is basking in Leo’s rays, but not Virgo. Better for you to meditate, rewatch “Twin Peaks,” daydream, tie-up loose ends in preparation for your upcoming Virgo season. The Sun always passes through the dark 12th House before it shines brightly in your sign and season.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
Venus, your ruling planet, is in Leo and lighting up your 11th House of Friendship for the first three weeks of the month. This transit usually bodes well for your social life in that charming Leo is fun, extroverted energy; and Venus is a social butterfly. But beware this time around: your balanced, fair, and sanguine nature might feel a bit tipped out of scale due to the co-presence of aggressive Mars. While Venus typically bestows gracefulness, it gets somewhat worked up when it is in Mars’ baleful proximity. The result: a brasher, coarser, and more uncouth Venus. Be extra sensitive to the way you come across to friends since there is the potential to appear somewhat combative and testy, especially around money, which Venus, of course, governs. When the dinner check comes after a date with friends, don’t quibble about who paid for what. Remember your Libra nature and split things equally, even if you didn’t order the ritzy Charcoal Grilled Japanese Wagyu with Caramelized Savoy Cabbage, Young Turnips, Watercress Leaves, and Bordelaise Vinaigrette.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)
More than almost any other sign, you need to feel emotionally connected to what you’re doing—or you loathe doing it. Cancer season is great for you, in this regard: it imbues life with feeling and care, which resonates deeply with your own need for emotional investment. Until the 22nd of July, this copacetic Cancer Sun is lighting up your 9th House of Spirituality and Philosophy. This is a strong transit that will have you connecting on an emotional level to the spiritual world. Meditation, yoga, or diving into spiritual texts will yield the bounty of insight into self and others. Take this time to revel in being inward, because on the 22nd we move into Leo, which is a more public time and less in line with your nature. During Leo season, the Sun will be transiting your 10th House of Fame and Career, but you don’t like this public spotlight, as you prefer the rich velvet darkness of afternoon matinees. To complicate matters, your ruling planet, Mars, the aggressor, will also be in your 10th House for the entire month. That can mean a lot of fire—especially in the workplace—once Leo season starts. Try not to sting.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
Your month starts in a darker inward place and ends on fire, which fits your nature best. Until the 22nd, the Sun is in emotional Cancer, lighting up your 8th House of Death, Transformation, Shared Finances, Intimacy. This watery, dark House—in combination with watery Cancer season—will dampen or weaken the fiery Archer’s arrows. What’s more: your ruling planet, Jupiter, just went retrograde in your 4th House of Home. You have a lot of influences, therefore, pointing toward introspection. Do not resist these cosmic indicators: be emotionally available and open around intimates at home. But keep in mind, too, that inward motion is always preparing us for outward activity, which, in your case, will kick back into gear on the 22nd, when the Sun enters blazing Leo and highlights your 9th House of Spirituality, Travel, and Philosophy. This is a much better placement for you, indicating a time to explore either new ideas or places.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
Your nature prefers calculating, planning, and surveying alone on a mountain top, but this month is in part about relationships. The Sun will be lighting up your 7th House of Partnerships, Marriage, and Contracts until the 22nd. Because we are in compassionate Cancer season for this particular transit, you will be more in your feelings and this can lead to seeing partners in a new emotional light that deepens relationships. There is a very calming New Moon happening on the 9th for you. It is not a big New Moon, but not every new Moon needs to mean a massive fresh start. Instead use this New Moon to start something small—a new workout routine, a new novel. Around the 12th of July, things get heated with Mars, Venus, and Moon piling up in your 8th House of Transformation, Intimacy, Shared Finances, Tax, and Death. With Mars (war) and Venus (love and money) in the 8th, this could bring up resentments, phobias, anxieties and intrigues, especially around shared investments, taxes, and/or old debts.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
The Sun will be energizing your 6th House of Routine and Health until the 22nd of July. This transit—coupled with your ruling planet, disciplined Saturn, in your 1st House of Self—will have you feeling extra inclined to be on time and getting all your reps and steps in at the gym. On the 23rd, a full Moon in the Waterbearer will signal a moment of completion and celebration—perhaps for all your timeliness and good routine that started the month. Leo season begins on the 22nd, and the Sun will enter your 7th House of Relationships, making you feel more bold in your dealings with partners. The Sun loves being in Leo—and it burns extra bright there. Your somewhat reserved nature will benefit from this Leo-Sun heat. Use it to warm to ideas and initiatives from a spouse or business partner that you previously felt more chilly toward.
PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
Both of your ruling planets, Neptune and Jupiter, went retrograde in your sign toward the end of June. Up til this moment, you (and the world) were likely feeling the buoyant, expansive energy that comes with high roller Jupiter at home in Pisces: Covid restrictions started to ease, people were getting together again. But now, with these retrogrades in full swing, it’s time for a reality check for the Fishes. Indeed Neptune governs illusion but in retrograde it’s about looking at the world in a sober and realistic way. The question becomes: where to look exactly? The Cancer Sun is highlighting your 5th House of Creativity and Entertainment until the 22nd, then it moves into your 6th House of Routine. Is it time to get onto a schedule (6th House) and maybe do a little less merry-making (5th House)? Or maybe it’s time to invest more care during Cancer season on your creative pursuits?
ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
Your ruling planet, hotheaded Mars, is opposing grim Saturn, like two cosmic cowboys set to duel outside some saloon in an old Hollywood Western. A Mars-Saturn opposition is a classic clash of values: Mars is fast, brash, impatient; Saturn is slow and deliberate. Mars is hot. Saturn cold. This opposition will be creating tension for you in your 5th House of Creativity (where Mars is transiting) and your 11th House of Friendships (where Saturn is chilling with a baleful eye). On the one hand, you will feel extra driven in creative pursuits (Mars), but keep your creative projects to yourself for most of the month, as Saturn’s disapproving gaze in the House of Friendship will make you feel shunned by even the slightest criticism. Far better to use this Mars energy to drive your own internal creative process forward. On the 28th of July, when Jupiter moves back into your friend zone in the 11th House, share your work and ask for help. Jupiter in the 11th is said to have its joy there, meaning much to be gained through acquaintances, connections, and confidants.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
It’s a testy start of the month. On July 3rd, the Bull bears witness to a pile up of fixed energy involving the more difficult planets (Saturn, Uranus, and Mars) along its Self/Home/Career axis (1st, 4th and 10th Houses). One manifestation of this transit can be increased pressure at work. Another manifestation could see a sudden shift in job security or home stability. This transit, which will be intense for the first week of the month, could be difficult for the steady going nature of Taurus. On the 21st, Venus, your ruling planet rolls into Virgo, an auspicious time and soothing balm to a potentially more intense start of July.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
Your ruling planet, Mercury, is interesting because sometimes it appears in the morning and sometimes in the evening. The ancient Greeks called the evening star Hermes and the morning star Apollo, believing them to be different objects. When Mercury appears as the morning star, it connotes Apollo Sun energy— clarity, higher awareness—and less Hermes energy (dark trickster). With this in mind, the first 11 days of the month are pretty popping for you, as Mercury is moving as the bright morning star in its sign. This means that these days are excellent for writing, communicating, and pitching ideas. Your mind will feel clear and in control. As Mercury falls in your 1st House of Self, you will find more success writing alone or for your own projects, not others—the 1st House favors solo activities. Writing and expression are the themes pretty much all month, as Venus and Mars are in Leo, activating your House of Communication. And then, the Sun joins this menage on the 22nd to inaugurate Leo season. The big Cat loves to show off. So maybe it’s time to do the same with your own work? This can be as simple as rejigging your portfolio or writing samples, updating your website, gathering testimonials from clients, or simply showcasing your finest work and putting it proudly on display—a little Instagram carousel post of your best work from 2021?
