Happy Cancer season! Known for embodying many of the ocean’s qualities, Cancer can be a responsive, healing, deeply beautiful source of inspiration, providing increased depth of understanding of our emotional nature. It can also be volatile, reactive, and—frankly—dangerous. In addition to the sun’s transit through Cancer until the 22nd, Mercury will spend two weeks in this sign from the 5th through 19th. During this time emotions might be running high on both personal and societal levels, and all of us (particularly those with heavy water placements) will be learning potent lessons about authentically communicating our needs with conviction and clarity. The full moon in Cancer’s sister sign Capricorn on the 13th will either solidify or disrupt your emotional well-being based on your commitment to these lessons and the ways in which you are able to hold both yourself and others accountable. The sun will follow Mercury’s movement into Leo on the 22nd, balancing out these lessons about receptivity with a healthy dose of self-affirmation and creative passion.
ARIES
The sun will transit your 4th house this month, indicating a time to take a look at your emotional foundations and home life to make the necessary changes for you to embody your highest potential. Your ruling planet Mars will be transiting Taurus, and this in combination with your 4th house sun transit indicates an excellent time to redecorate your home and engage in activities that bring you uncomplicated pleasure and (God forbid!) actual rest. Your fiery nature might have a hard time slowing down, but this is an invitation to take it easy in the interest of integrating emotional experiences that you might otherwise prefer to sweep under the rug.
TAURUS
Though Taurus and Cancer energies might appear quite different (Taurus being grounded and Cancer being quite reactive), they share a set of core values rooted in loyalty, companionship, and honesty. Neither of these signs are—to put it indelicately—with the bullshit. On the 5th Mars will enter your sign, bringing issues around aggression and personal will to the forefront of your experience. Additionally, your ruling planet Venus will join the sun in watery Cancer on the 17th. These combined transits represent a tension between giving and receiving, understanding and asserting. Moving through this tension with compassion and personal dignity will lead to a very emotionally and creatively rewarding Leo season.
GEMINI
This month is marked by significant fast-moving action in regards to your ruling planet Mercury—planet of communication, friendship, and play. Mercury will enter Cancer on the 5th, inviting you to prioritize the more emotional of your twin sides and improve on existing communication patterns in the interest of your own emotional security. If this means funnier self-deprecating jokes, fine. If it means being vulnerable and voicing insecurities in a straightforward manner, that’s probably better. Once you can integrate Cancer’s receptivity, Mercury’s movement into fiery Leo on the 19th will bring opportunities to effectively show up for those you love.
CANCER
Happy You season, Cancer! Thank you for your simultaneous intensity and softness. Your position as an archetypal mother is not to be taken lightly, and we are all blessed by your nurturing nature and tenacity of spirit. This month is an excellent opportunity to examine your most invigorating conceptions of self and follow your passion. Mercury’s movement into your sign on the 5th will strengthen your ability to communicate clearly—though it would be wise to avoid being overly shy or aggressive. The full moon in your sister sign Capricorn on the 13th will help you to manifest your creative visions in a practical manner if you haven’t undercut yourself by being unclear or uncommunicative.
LEO
Cancer and Leo are often paired as the archetypal mother and father—the moon and the sun—and thus Cancer season is a good time to examine your family systems and strengthen your efforts to love your inner child. The sun will be transiting your 12th house, highlighting subconscious desires and hidden aspects of your personality that need to surface in order to heal. Once you move through these lessons, the sun’s movement into your sign on the 22nd is bound to invigorate you with a better sense of self-knowing and purpose.
VIRGO
This season the sun will transit your 11th house, encouraging a demonstration of your dedication to your higher ideals. Virgos are naturally service-oriented, and this transit will encourage you to look at the big picture and take action towards your social and societal goals. Cancer season might feel a bit too emo for your more restrained and thoughtful nature, but there is wisdom to be gained by letting your emotional responses guide your creativity. The full moon in fellow earth sign Capricorn on the 13th marks an excellent time to dedicate yourself to making material gains.
LIBRA
As the sun transits your 10th house this month you are likely to experience specific lessons in regards to your public image and reputation. Though the rest of the astrological weather for you is relatively quiet this month, this transit is critical as it also occurs in an angular house, indicating a time to trust your instincts rather than adjust or ponder your actions. Your ruling planet Venus will also enter Cancer on the 19th, perhaps making your reactions to these lessons more emotional than your intrinsically bubbly-airy nature. Roll with the punches and keep your head up, and your relationships and goals will flourish.
SCORPIO
Your traditional ruling planet Mars will move into your sister sign Taurus on the 5th as the sun transits your 9th house. This could likely create tension between your desire for emotional and material security and what might feel like an uncharacteristic desire for freedom, adventure, and passion. Cancer is a fellow water sign and this energy may make you feel particularly emotional or even unhinged if you are unable to channel these conflicting impulses. A healthy balance can be achieved if you examine your core values and prioritize the things and relationships that make you feel most safe, supported, and seen.
SAGITTARIUS
This watery Cancer season might have you feeling a bit out of your element and down on yourself. Sagittarius energy is probably the least equipped for an 8th house transit of the sun as it brings to the surface a number of emotional subconscious issues to be dealt with and learned from. Though it might feel against your nature to open old wounds and examine them when you could otherwise be out learning and experiencing new things, it can offer great rewards and a deeper sense of peace if you commit to the process. If you allow this watery transit to do its work, the sun’s movement into Leo on the 22nd will have you feeling like you’re standing on more solid ground before starting your next adventure.
CAPRICORN
Capricorn and Cancer are sister signs, and though they often exhibit very different behavior when faced with challenging situations, they are connected by a deep sense of purpose and a desire to care for others. While you may be more inclined towards tough love or a “teach a man to fish” mentality, there is ample opportunity this month to explore the other end of the spectrum. As Venus and Mercury will also be transiting Cancer in your 7th house this month, partnerships and romance might be taking up more of your energy than you like. Your heart will thank you if you are able to soften and open in the time before the full moon in your sign on the 13th.
AQUARIUS
This month the sun will transit your 6th house, inviting you to take stock of the practical realities of your life and to intentionally invest in your mental and physical health. Cancer energy is often more comfortable with their emotions than Aquarius energy, and if you are feeling burnt out or stagnant, practices like yoga and meditation might help you sort through emotions that surface as you work to improve your health and establish stability. The sun will enter your sister sign Leo on the 22nd, encouraging you to prioritize loving yourself so that you can then love others in healthy, reciprocal ways.
PISCES
Energetically, your fellow water sign Cancer can perhaps seem a bit intense for your soft and subtle Piscean ways. If you are more of a river than an ocean, this season might hit you like a river meeting a large body of water—you may feel that you are dispersing and becoming something else entirely. The sun will be transiting your 5th house which deals with ego, pleasure, and creativity. If you are feeling too energetically dispersed, this season is a good time to realign your perception of yourself and dedicate more time towards your creative passions or towards the kinds of pleasure that are healing.
illustration by Artemesia Trapeze