Summary
Venus in Cancer May 30 – July 7
Full Moon in Scorpio/Jyestha June 3
Mercury in Taurus June 7 – June 24
Sun in Gemini June 15 – July 16
Saturn Retrograde in Aquarius June 17 – November 4
New Moon in Gemini/Mrigashira June 17
Mercury in Gemini June 24 – July 7
Mars in Leo June 30 – August 18
July 2023 Headlines

Summary

For an in-depth analysis of specific planetary placements, please continue with the full planetary forecast.

Venus in Cancer May 30 – July 7

Venus moves out of Gemini and into Cancer on May 30th, joining Mars, who continues through Cancer until June 30th. Venus follows Mars into Leo on July 7th and then seems to stall, slowing down her forward motion and beginning a retrograde cycle on July 23rd.

With the outer planets set in their signs for now, we may have the opportunity to explore the passionate combination of grace and power that emerges when Venus and Mars conjoin.

The outer planet framework is built by the slower moving planets: Saturn, currently in Aquarius, concerned with the deep work of karmic balance, who is also pushing on Jupiter and Rahu in Aries, attempting to create structure for the chaotic genius of Rahu combined with the fiery desire for growth from Jupiter. This cautious and confusing approach to initiating new paradigms from the ashes of the recent past holds its stance through October, when the nodal axis of Rahu and Ketu will shift signs, clicking us all to a new scene.

In the context of this framework, the two planets of passionate male-female human expression have a close interaction during June and July. Venus, the planet that symbolizes the potent creative power of the water element, expresses through the desire for connection with others, and with the Earth itself. Mars, the planet that represents the force of strength, expresses by creating resourceful and protective environments and is the chief of the fire element.

This dynamic water-fire attraction will be one of the main themes in June and July. In June, Venus approaches Mars in Cancer, but not rushing, as we can see down the road that Venus is slowing down for a retrograde station on July 23rd. Cancer is a water sign ruled by the Moon. In June, Venus has the upper hand, performing a bit more gracefully in the watery, feminine sign of Cancer than Mars, who is debilitated in Cancer, causing the potential for frustration when applying power in the usual ways.

In July, the pairing moves to Leo, a fiery, masculine sign, which will give Mars the upper hand and will add the compound influences by aspect from Saturn, Jupiter, and Rahu.

Mars moves to Leo on June 30th, and Venus follows behind on July 7th. Remember that the zone between Cancer and Leo is one of the gandanta points in the zodiac, meaning that there may be something that arises around the end of June or beginning of July that feels challenging, a puzzle to solve.

Full Moon in Scorpio/Jyestha June 3

An interesting pattern we see for the full Moon in Scorpio on June 3rd is a concentration of planets placed in the signs of Venus and Mars. In Mars' signs will be Jupiter, Rahu, Mercury, and the full Moon. In Venus' signs will be the Sun and Ketu. At the same time, we have the joining of Venus and Mars in the Moon's sign of Cancer.

It could be that this illumination of a debilitated Moon, in parivartana (exchange of signs) with Mars could be a moment of truth, clarity, and decision making that puts a strong border between past and future choices and behaviors.

With both Mars and Moon in debilitation at this time, we could be shown our deepest vulnerabilities in the face of feeling totally powerless. The beauty of this deep dive is that the parivartana at the same time produces a cancellation of debility for both planets, pushing them to function at their highest, even in the midst of navigating a potentially deep trough.

This is a fantastic moment for seeing things from the other party's perspective, to take a walk in someone else's shoes, and to deepen the sense of compassion for both self and others. This could be a time where new relationships are being explored or existing partnerships are undergoing renovations that require some level of demolition before rebuilding.

The Moon will be at 20 degrees Scorpio, in the protective and calculting nakshatra of Jyestha, that leads us to feel deeply into how our current decisions will affect our long term well-being. Mercury rules Jyestha, while Mars rules Scorpio, lending logic and analysis to a strongly emotional Moon.

In opposition, the Sun, chief of our self-regard, will be sitting in Venus' earth sign, Taurus and in the nakshatra of Rohini, ruled by the Moon. The clue here is to place a bit more weight on the side of the collective to create healthy harmony going forward.

Mercury in Taurus June 7 – June 24

Mercury moves out of Aries and into Taurus on June 7th, which could feel like a noticeable shift based on how long Mercury has been spending in Aries. The agility and perspective of Mercury could have been helpful in the chaotic and intense current environment of Aries, where Mercury jumped in at the beginning of April.

Ruled by Venus, Taurus is a stable sign concerned with good food, family connections, and the desire for comfortable homes and beautiful environments. Mercury moving through this environment can help us organize our homes, businesses, and summer gardens.

Mercury's speed is increasing as June passes by. Mercury will follow the Sun into his own sign of Gemini on June 24th, which could see the pace picking up to include more short journies and quick trips. During this Mercury in Taurus transit, its a good time to enjoy time with loved ones while preparing for a more active stretch in the near future.

Sun in Gemini June 15 – July 16

Gemini is the agile air sign ruled by Mercury, great for keeping things moving. The Sun moves through this zone each year from mid-June through mid-July, moving our focus to the quest for knowledge and information that Gemini represents.

This year, due to the current positions of the outer planets, Gemini is particularly free of pressure yet still has positive support. This could be a nice month in some regards, especially in the arena of life covered by Gemini in personal horoscopes.

We could feel drawn to explore educational opportunities or focus on creative writing or multimedia projects during this time. With Gemini free of difficult aspects, indulge in pure, childlike creativity.

Saturn Retrograde in Aquarius June 17 – November 4

On June 17th the already slow moving Saturn appears to come to a full stop, followed by a change in apparent direction which begins a retrograde cycle that persists through early November.

The path of Saturn zig zags over a small sector of the zodiac during any given retrograde cycle: first in forward motion, second in retrograde motion, and third retracing the same region in forward motion. This zone for the 2023 Saturn retrograde phase begins at 14 degrees Aquarius, in the second pada of Shatabishak, and recedes back to 7 degrees Aquarius, in the fourth pada of Dhanistha.

During the 4.5 months of the retrograde motion, the predictable influences of Saturn can become a bit wild and difficult to gauge. The slow, steady pressure and difficulty usually indicated by Saturn's transit and aspect could still manifest, but maybe in an opposite, distorted, or unexpected way.

The retracing of steps that any planet's retrograde motion will cause is an indication that we may have an opportunity for trying something again, digging deeper into problems to find the solutions.

The innovative streak that we find in Aquarius could flare up as we see Saturn in retrograde through the Summer and into the Autumn. Saturn is considered well placed in Aquarius, his own air sign that is co-ruled by Rahu. Conservative Saturn could yield his traditional approaches during this time, allowing the genius, risk-taking Rahu to assist us on ensuring that we are spending our time and energy wisely and to the most stable end.

New Moon in Gemini/Mrigashira June 17

Just as Saturn has stationed retrograde, the Moon steps up to join the Sun at 3 degrees Gemini for the new Moon of June 17th. Generally, when the Moon reaches this dark point each month, we can feel a bit drained ourselves, so we can plan for a quiet weekend, designed for rest and recovery.

This new Moon comes in the beginning degrees of Gemini after a very active and intense bout of astrological weather that began to brew in mid-April. With the inner planets moving away from the scene in Aries, we may begin to feel as if it is finally possible to tease apart the knotted threads and resume with our projects and plans.

The Moon will be in Mercury's sign of Gemini, and more specifically in the nakshatra Mrigashira, ruled by Mars. With Mars currently placed in the Moon's sign of Cancer, this new Moon could reflect the strange combination of engineering and surrender that is required to navigate some of life's rivers.

The resolution to put into practice new methods of communication, interaction, and leadership could be well supported during this mid-month pause. Figure out how to make the most of what you have and learn from the mistakes of the recent past. With Saturn simultaneously beginning a retrograde phase, we may feel a bit more free in making deeply rooted changes that are boosted by creative, innovative ideas.

Mercury in Gemini June 24 – July 7

After a long stay in Aries and a short stay in Taurus, Mercury finally leaps into his own air sign of Gemini, hot on the heels of the Sun, who he catches up to on June 30th, right in the middle of Gemini.

By July 7th, Mercury pulls out of Gemini and is cleared of combustion with the Sun by mid-July. For the indications of Mercury, this transit through Gemini that covers the last week in June and the first week in July could help keep us all to move quickly and to make necessary adjustments gracefully. During this stretch, we see the pairing of Venus and Mars move from the Moon's domain of Cancer into the Sun's kingdom of Leo. The Sun and Mercury holding space in Gemini during this time could keep us all flexible and ready to adjust as needed.

Mars in Leo June 30 – August 18

We can focus more on Mars for the July forecast, but just a heads up about this hot little set up that we have coming our way in July. Mars plunged into Cancer on May 10th and will be emerging, reading to dry out in Leo on June 30th. This puts Mars in the Sun's sign of Leo for all of July and half of August.

Mars is powerful in fiery Leo and will be receiving an intense combination of aspects from the outer planets. Jupiter and Rahu are both in Aries, aspecting the other fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius. This could be quite inflammitory in some ways, especially with the addition of the air element being blown in by Saturn from Aquarius.

During the first week in July, all planets will occupy the fire and air signs. It's up to us to find the earth and water to keep the balance. With July lining up to be potentially dramatic, let's use the energy in June to prepare by planning, organizing, resting, and rejuvenating.

July 2023 Headlines

Mars in Leo June 30 – August 18
Full Moon in Sagittarius/Purvashada July 3
Venus in Leo July 7 – August 7
Mercury in Cancer July 8 – 24
Sun in Cancer July 16 – August
New Moon in Cancer/Punarvasu July 17
Venus Retrograde July 22 – September 3