Note: All dates and times are listed in EDT/UTC-4:00; adjust to your local time zones accordingly
July is a “7” Universal Month [“7” (July) + “9” (2025) = 16 = 1+6 = 7] in a “9” Universal Year. Seven is a number of reflection and ascension; it is a more active number where we all have the opportunity to expand and grow. This is somewhat in line with the astrology of the month, which includes an intense Mercury retrograde in Leo.
The Set Up
We begin the month with the Sun and Jupiter in Cancer, Mercury in its pre-retrograde shadow in Leo, Venus and Uranus in Taurus, Mars in Virgo, retrograde Saturn and Neptune in Aries, and retrograde Pluto in Aquarius. By the end of the month, the Sun will be in Leo, Venus will have moved through Gemini to Cancer, and Uranus will have entered Gemini. Additionally, Mercury will be retrograde.
The Nitty Gritty
There’s some interesting planetary motion this month as Mercury retrogrades, Venus moves fast to catch up to the Sun, Mars conjuncts the South Node, and Uranus enters Gemini. There are many moving parts, and we may need to stay flexible to keep up with the shifting tides. This may prove difficult for some as Mercury retrogrades in the fixed fire sign, Leo
Mercury
We are coming up fast on our second Mercury retrograde of the year, which will run from 15° to 05° Leo. All eyes are on Leo this month and, most especially, how Mercury (our planet of communication, technology, and travel) is individualized in the sign of Leo. Emphasis on individualized because Leo is the king sign, ruled by the ego to a greater or lesser degree.
From the very start, I want to be clear that I am not throwing shade at Leo or inferring that having an ego is bad. Each sign in the horoscope rules over a different part or aspect of human life, and Leo’s job has always been traditionally known as the ruler. It’s Leo’s job to stand up in front of the crowd. It’s Leo’s job to be seen, villainized, and sometimes idolized. Said another way, Leo is celebrity. Leo is the “influencer.” Leo is the person who makes money off their personality.
Here I speak of Leo as a concept, at the part they (to some degree anybody with a strong Leo element in their chart: Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the North Node) play in our varying societies and group systems.
Leo stands in the limelight so that those of us who are more introverted don’t have to. But the limelight is difficult, and, with a Mercury retrograde on the horizon, we will all, to a great or lesser degree, get a lesson on just how hard Mercury in Leo can be.
This is a pure Mercury retrograde, which means that Mercury doesn’t make a single unexpected aspect for the entirety of this transit – from the beginning of its pre-retrograde shadow on 6/30 all the way into August and the end of its post-retrograde shadow. This adds some significance to this retrograde cycle and may intensify these lion tendencies. I expect that those who are more comfortable with Leo energy may have an easier time with this retrograde, at least initially.
The spotlight is a hot seat, and it should be treated as such. Think about how much scrutiny British royalty gets, how much the paparazzi follow around celebrities. You may need to pay off Mercury (he likes coffee, especially chicory coffee) if you want to slide under the radar all month long and into August.
I won’t discuss this too much here since I’ve written an entire post about it that should already be available. If you’re looking for more information about the specifics of this retrograde cycle, read that.
Mercury retrogrades on 7/18, so the first half of the month is our pre-retrograde shadow. Stay aware and keep a good accounting of what is coming up for you, as you may need to revisit it during the retrograde proper, which runs from 7/18 to 8/11.
Once Mercury retrogrades, standard advice applies: plan for outages and detours, proof read thrice before you hit SEND, editing will come easier than writing, say less, take more chances, and don’t trust a fart.
That last one isn’t actually standard retrograde advice, but it stands, so I’m leaving it there.
Uranus
Uranus is one of those planets that it feels silly to try to explain because it is the planet of unpredictability, so everything feels inherently wrong. I associate it with the lightning strike in the Tower card in the tarot (complete, unexpected, unavoidable), but its association is with The Fool. The Venn diagram in the middle of these two cards will probably give you a better understanding of this planet than I ever will.
Uranus will enter the mutable air sign of Gemini on 7/7. Uranus was last in Gemini from 1941 to 1948; yeah, those dates should look familiar. I want to point out that the radioactive bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were made with enriched uranium. Like its namesake, the planet Uranus is fairly radioactive.
It destroys. It unmakes. Many astrologers believe there is a chance it makes space, but the toll of destruction Uranus is capable of should not be underemphasized here.
This isn’t meant to scare people; this is all about knowledge. Uranus is always in our skies and therefore always in the charts; and despite what Chicken Little would tell you, the sky is not always falling. We want to watch Uranus when it makes major aspects to other planets in the skies (especially the Sun, Mars, and Saturn) and when it changes signs. On a theoretical danger scale of 1-4, I’d put Uranus changing signs at about a 1.
This is a Uranus Watch, if you will. We haven’t sighted any funnels yet, but there is convection.
Uranus has been in Taurus for about seven years; it’ll be nice for a change of pace. And, because of how long it takes to transit the horoscope wheel, we can say with some certainty that no astrologer knows what it will bring.
Uranus enters Gemini on 7/7, where it will immediately form a sextile to retrograde Saturn and Neptune, sitting in conjunction in the first degrees of Aries, and an ascending trine to retrograde Pluto in Aquarius. This is that outer planetary setup that I’ve been talking about for a while now – for the rest of this year, all of our outer planets will be sitting in aspect to each other.
Something big is shifting; only time will tell how it all turns out.
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
These four planets will make non-exact aspects with one another all month long. Saturn will be conjunct to Neptune; this conjunction will be sextile to retrograde Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini. Uranus and Pluto will be trine to each other. This setup will be in effect for the rest of the year, although both Saturn and Neptune will retrograde back into Pisces and sit on the other side of this planetary divide.
Every time one of our more movable planets changes signs, it will make aspects with each of these planets all at once. This is the big shift mentioned above; we know it’s the real deal when all of the outer planets are involved.
As it mostly concerns the outer planets, this won’t necessarily sit within our personal lives, at least not initially. This one will work from the outside in; as above, so below. This indicates a major societal shift of some kind. We’ll have to wait and see what it is, but it will likely (eventually) trickle down into all of our lives. Those of us with personal planets or luminaries in the last 2-3 degrees or the first 2-3 degrees of the signs will feel it first.
As our moving planets enter the fire and air signs, they will create more positive aspects (conjunctions, sextiles, trines, and oppositions) to these planets. Things will get more complicated as they enter the earth and water signs (semi-sextiles, squares, and inconjunctions). For the rest of this year, we can assume fire and air sign seasons will just be coded as “easier” than earth and water sign seasons for this reason.
This is worth staying away of, but there’s really no reason to panic at this time.
The Lights: The Sun and the Moon
As the Sun continues to make its way through cardinal watery Cancer, it is relatively unaspected. It will trine the North Node in Pisces on 7/13; this is a good day to set intentions and align more with our North Node energies and to all things Piscean in general. Then, on 7/19, it squares off with Chiron in Aries. These days in between 7/13 and 7/19 could have a bit of a feel of eclipse season, moreover, a bit of a callback to that intense solar eclipse in Aries during April of 2024, when the eclipse was closely conjunct to Chiron.
Once the Sun enters Leo on 7/22, it immediately forms an ascending trine to Saturn and Neptune in Aries and an opposition to retrograde Pluto, as I mentioned above. It also immediately sextiles Uranus in Gemini (exact the next day). This all just reads as really unpredictable; Saturn says stop while Uranus leans towards go, with all three of our outer planets being unknowable. As a general precaution, I’d keep an eye on this date (and 7/23) and lie low if you can. There could be a big reveal as the Sun shines a light on that which has been hidden.
The Sun trines retrograde Saturn and Neptune in exactitude on 7/24 (also interestingly, the day of the new moon) and opposes Pluto exactly on 7/25. This still feels more global than personal, but no guarantees with these exact days in particular and solar involvement.
Our Capricorn full moon on 7/10 is a 5/3 full moon.
10 (Capricorn Moon) + 4 (Cancer Sun) = 14 = 1+4 = 5.
5 (Capricorn full moon) + 7 (July 2025) = 12 = 1+2 + 3.
At 18° Capricorn, this full moon forms a wide trine to Mars in Virgo and aspects the lunar nodes, setting the tone for a day where putting in the work (Mars in Virgo) in your life pays out x10. It’s also Thursday, which draws in much of the natural beneficence of Jupiter exalted in Cancer (in a 12° conjunction with our Sun). Think big, and make it happen. The full moon goes exact at 4:26 PM. Work your full moon magic closer to this time for the strongest results.
Our Leo new moon on 7/24 is a 1/8 new moon.
5 (Leo moon) + 5 (Leo Sun) = 10 = 1+0 = 1.
1 (Leo new moon) + 7 (July 2025) = 8.
At 02° Leo, our solar lunar conjunction interacts strongly with that major outer planetary pileup I mentioned above. The new moon will be trine to retrograde Saturn and Neptune in Aries, sextile to Uranus in Gemini, and opposed to retrograde Pluto in Aquarius. This looks like a low day, one that is better spent at home, staying aware and calming the nervous system rather than out being social or casting big magics. Practices that help to find balance in tough times will be helpful during this time.
Venus
Venus is still moving fast, trying to catch up to the Sun and Mercury after her forty-day-long retrograde back in March. She starts the month in Taurus, conjuncts Uranus on 7/4, and then immediately enters Gemini, where she will remain for most of the month.
Gemini is our mutable air sign; not the best Venus sign for consistency, but a great Venus sign for having some fun. This is because Gemini – ruled by capricious Mercury – isn’t in it for a long time; they are simply in it for a good time. If you are looking for a summer fling, do it in July while Venus is in Gemini (and be honest with your partner that you are just looking for some fun – Gemini doesn’t have to be dishonest).
But maybe wait until Venus pulls away from the first degrees of the month and our major outer planetary pile-up. As she enters Gemini, Venus immediately enters an ascending sextile to retrograde Saturn and Neptune in Aries and trine to retrograde Pluto in Aquarius. In other words, she won’t be much fun until she escapes Saturn’s clutches. She will quite quickly, though; if you are Venus sensitive, you will know when it is go-time.
Stay aware that Venus should always be read, at least partially, in relationship with her Other, Mars, who is sitting in Virgo. Gemini and Virgo are both mutable signs and naturally square with one another, but they are also both ruled by Mercury, which means that they are really more alike than they are different. This could create a lot of relationship angst this month, but it is relationship angst that is almost ENTIRELY due to a lack of communication.
Communication will solve everything this month. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget that Mercury will retrograde from 7/15 on, which means it will retrograde while Venus and Mars are in the Mercurial signs.
Venus in Gemini squares off exactly with Mars in Virgo on 7/23. This is solidly within Mercury’s retrograde period and a glaring red flag for breakup weather. I truly believe that couples who work well can get through this kind of shit, but it definely trips up those that can’t communicate, don’t align value wise, and probably “shouldn’t” be together in the first place.
Again, we should approach this with understanding, not fear.
Venus enters Cancer on 7/30, relieving pressure on the Venus-Mars mutable square, which will otherwise be widely in effect all month.
Mars
Mars will be in mutable Virgo all month long, which reminds us that consistent work pays off. Besides that square to Venus, he only makes one aspect all month, but it’s dozy.
He is about to conjunct our South Node at 20° Virgo.
A primer: the lunar nodes aren’t objects in the sky but rather mathematical points that indicate where the Sun and Moon need to be to create our solar and lunar eclipses. Said a different way, they are pure potential. They are always read as two astrological opposites that read like an arrow in the sky: the North Node points to where we are going, what the world as a whole (and us because we are a part of the world) needs to focus on. The South Node points away from where we have been, what we are meant to get rid of or move on from.
The lunar nodes changed signs in January, so this is the first time a planet meets the South Node since it entered Virgo at the beginning of the year. For some people, this is going to be an earth-shattering day.
For others, it may show some of what is yet to unfold during our second eclipse season, when our Sun, Mercury, and Venus will move over the South Node for the first time in this cycle.
Some may not even notice it at all.
Still, I generally suggest paying attention. This is a chance to act early; sometimes, all you need is a chance. If you have a personal planet, luminary, or Saturn at or around 20° Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces (and probably Taurus and Capricorn), I would definitely pay attention.
This is the best day of the year to perform banishments, unbindings, removals, or any kind of magic done to walk away from what was. It will have all of the energy of the eclipses without the wild touch of the eclipses; use that.
The Details
7/1 – Saturn conjunct Neptune (non exact, all month), Saturn sextile Pluto (non exact, all month), Neptune sextile Pluto (non exact, all month) – all within 1 degree
7/4 – Venus conjunct Uranus 29° Taurus, Venus enters Gemini, Neptune retrogrades 02° Aries
7/6 – Venus in Gemini sextile Saturn in Aries, Venus sextile Neptune in Aries
7/7 – Venus in Gemini trine retrograde Pluto in Aquarius, Uranus enters Gemini
7/10 – Full Moon 18° Capricorn
7/13 – Sun in Cancer trine North Node in Pisces/sextile South Node in Virgo, Saturn retrogrades 01° Aries
7/18 – Mercury in Leo sextile Venus in Gemini, Mercury retrogrades 15° Leo
7/19 – Sun in Cancer square Chiron in Aries
7/22 – Sun enters Leo, Mars conjunct South Node 20° Virgo
7/23 – Sun in Leo sextile Uranus in Gemini, Venus in Gemini square the lunar nodes, Venus in Gemini square Mars in Virgo
7/24 – New moon 02° Leo, Sun in Leo trine retrograde Saturn in Aries, Sun in Leo trine Neptune in Aries
7/25 – Sun in Leo opposed retrograde Pluto in Aquarius
7/27 – Saturn in Aries sextile Uranus in Gemini (non-exact going forward, within 1 degree)
7/30 – Venus enters Cancer
7/31 – Sun conjunct Mercury 09° Leo