The New Moon on June 25 was in the sign of Cancer, with Jupiter, the planet of hope and optimism aligned to begin a year-long travel in the domain of the Moon. Home and family are highlighted as the most important theme. The Moon gathers what we need to nurture and protect, while Jupiter brings a sense of expansion and new opportunities to join arm-in-arm with others and enjoy what we create as a family.
The slowest planet, Pluto, made its final ingress into Aquarius in January. Since then, the newest AI technologies have continued to advance and become more a part of our lives, as we learn to find comfort with its uses and learn more about its possibilities for individuals and businesses. Pluto’s changes relate to the slowest levels of transformation, the things that serve as evolution of societies. Pluto will not change signs again until 2044. The greater themes of Aquarius: equality, brotherhood, and independence, will develop more fully over time.
Jupiter is the third outer planet to change signs this Spring. Each planet represents a different level of the complex interactions of the Cosmic geometry that influences the greater whole. Jupiter brings in the qualities that integrate and modify the reception of the slower planetary energies. Jupiter helps us orient to the waves of change and development in smaller portions, during the longer range of years of influence of the outer planets in each sign.
In March, we felt the pulse of Aries, with erratic energies shifting from a long surge of emotional, Piscean worries, exaggerated a bit with both Mercury and Venus retrograding across the sign boundary, and leading Neptune across the World Point of 0 Aries, with a Solar Eclipse, March 29. Eclipses can mark important turning points, with sometimes the loss of an important world figure.
By Easter, the Catholic Pope passed away suddenly. Venus, the unifier, conjoined with Saturn in the last degree of Pisces, and a week later, conjoined with Neptune at 0 Aries. The new Pope Leo XIV was announced in the first quarter moon phase, with Moon in Libra, sign of partnership and equality. Neptune represents spirituality, ideals, and shared collective visions. Neptune’s long cycle is 164 years, with 14 years in each sign.
Saturn is a more pragmatic, sober, realistic energy. Saturn’s two-and-a-half-year journey in Pisces is marked with issues of confusing and deceptive situations. Pisces energy can be overly idealistic and promote ideas that are not always for the greater good. It made for a difficult election year.
Saturn entered Aries on May 24. Saturn is like the parent, boss, or manager, and in Aries, we see a sharper focus of independent attitudes and actions. It is impatient. Aries wants what it says, now! Leaders go head-to-head with little give on either side.
Just when June started to look like there was a window for peace agreements, Mars, planet of war, turned to military strategy and big gun power, as it formed a system of extreme power forces, linking together with the outer planets. By the Summer Solstice, the Sun’s ingress to Cancer aspected Neptune and Saturn, while the Moon joined with Uranus, triggering an aggressive event, intended to bring around no other alternative, except peace.
Outer planets spend about five months of the year in retrograde motion. This gives some breathing room to transitions of society and nature. Think of it like what comes in and goes out with tidal changes. The new energies of outer planets changing signs develop more gradually than the inner planet influences. Neptune stations retrograde on July 4. It will return to Pisces in late October, spending forty days at 29 Pisces. Thus, we will revisit some unfinished business from the past winter.
On July 7, Uranus will enter Gemini, the sign of communication, connectivity, travel, and commerce. Uranus is the planet of brilliant new ideas, problem-solving technologies, and inventions. It has a cycle of 84 years, so it is very influential in the rise and fall of Empires. Uranus has three cycles in the time of one Pluto cycle, of 248 years. Together, they drive greater social and economic developments.
For example, the era of computers began in 1963 when Uranus and Pluto were in Virgo, the sign of systems. They conjoined in 1965 to 67, creating a social revolution out of a youth movement raging against several levels of injustice: the Viet Nam war and the Draft, Women’s Liberation, and the Civil Rights Movement. The music of the Summer of Love, 1967, tells it all.
The July Full Moon on the 10th is in Capricorn, with both lights in easy aspect to Mars in Virgo. This sets a theme of practicality, enhancing activities of organizing, and planning strategy. Its good for assessing options of action and digesting the current situations with an eye toward cutting away the superfluous. It supports volunteering, and contributing to service with efficiency, and without sacrifice of independent action. Going forward through the month, Mars will be in Virgo until the second week of August. This can contribute energy and motivation for getting serious about identifying the details necessary to move toward new goals that will be percolating through the rest of the year.
This Summer of 2025 looks like a time for considering the path forward, as we find the early edge of AI and space travel and begin considering new jobs and services for the future. Saturn stations retrograde on July 13 where it is as close to Neptune as they will be, until next February when they complete their conjunction. They are setting us up for evolving into the next level of human consciousness and action.
Uranus and Pluto in Air element signs are equal distance from Saturn and Neptune at the beginning of Aries, the Fire element, lasting for a few weeks. This is crackling with creative power. On the personal level, many people will experience the excitement and exuberance of initiating new situations for themselves.
Mercury stations retrograde in the middle of Leo on July 18. While we often think of Mercury retrogrades as slowing the forward progress of our plans, it is useful to re-think and let our lives catch up before we get too ahead of ourselves. This supports the Mars in Virgo with the tendency to declutter, review, and start fresh once the three-week period is finished, taking us into mid-August.
Venus is in Gemini this month and moving quickly without many aspects. Then, July 22, Venus squares Mars, each in Mercury’s signs, and Mercury is in fixed sign Leo, making the planets a little less cooperative. The kingly sign of Leo contributes to holding fast to one’s stance and stubbornly expecting the opponent to give way. The Sun enters Leo today also, making negotiations this week more tense and dramatic.
The New Moon at 2 Leo is on July 24, and is in opposition to Pluto, and trine to Saturn and Neptune, and a sextile to Uranus. The aspect figure is a trapezoid, with positive connecting aspects in a figure like a basket. The harmony in the figure suggests that underlying the opposition between Sun and Pluto has the potential of solving multiple problems with a bit of giving from all parties. Mercury is retrograde until August 11. Contracts and agreements can wait until Mercury is direct. Let this be a period of investigation and inquiry.
The emerging energies of planets in new signs is like a test. There is no other time in history where so many planets have changed signs in the same year. We, as humans can create a better future out of our history. As we learn to trust the ‘feel’ of what it is to be alive now, we can become excited to create a new story for our personal selves and the world we want to live in. It might be a little messy at first, but so is remodeling your home. Just hold the vision of what you are creating, amid the confusion.