Cancer season is here! Ask yourself: How do you feel? How do you REALLY feel? Cancer energy is deeply loving, and thus is not to be played with. Archetypically they are the entire ocean—inviting, but also subtly deceptive. You can wade in the shallows, but if you plan on being a true explorer you need to be prepared for hurricanes, rip tides, and unimaginable depths. As the sun transits Cancer this month we are being asked to embrace the pieces of ourselves that are passionate, loving, and perhaps a bit dangerous. Ride the waves in ways that cultivate your emotional stability while accepting that stability is not always possible. The moon’s activity during this time is particularly significant, as the moon is ruled by Cancer. The new moon on July 9th is a potent time to set intentions for emotional growth—confront your inner storms and love them for what they are. The end of the month is punctuated by Jupiter’s retrograde motion moving it back into Aquarius from watery Pisces. We have spent the last few months processing the need for rest and healing on a universal level; but with this transit we will be reinvigorated to examine the social benefits of original thought, collective action, and radical self love.
ARIES
This month the sun will be transiting your 4th house of home, security, and emotional well-being. This is the house ruled by Cancer, your fellow cardinal sign. Being cardinal fire moving through cardinal water will probably feel high-key emotional—you might feel triggered more easily, or misunderstood by the people who love you. Mars (your ruling planet) will be transiting your 5th house, inciting both internal and external examinations of ego. Perhaps you will experience a healthy ego death; perhaps you will feel particularly defensive and abrasive. As with all things, a well-balanced application of watery intuition and fiery passion should set you on the right path.
TAURUS
If Gemini season felt rough, you are bound to be feeling much more grounded—maybe even tethered—during Cancer season. If anyone knows anything about cuffing, it’s Taurus and Cancer. Both of these signs seek stability, honesty, and comfort. If new romantic or platonic relationships present themselves, now is a good time to trust the process and let things unfold naturally. However, Mercury will be transiting all the elements this month except for earth, and therefore communications may feel ungrounded. Your ruling planet Venus will enter fellow earth sign Virgo on the 22nd, offering a calming, adaptable vibe.
GEMINI
July should be a very active time for you, Gemini! There is an abundance of fast-moving planetary action for you this month, and things are bound to feel a bit chaotic as Mercury moves through your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd houses. Your ruling planet will be transiting Gemini, Cancer, and Leo—moving through intellect, emotion, and pride at lightning speed. If you can roll with these punches you will learn a great deal about yourself. What do you want, what do you know, what do you deserve? If you take time on the new moon in Cancer on the 9th to check in with yourself about these questions, the full moon in fellow air sign Aquarius on the 24th will offer new opportunities and insights into your impact on your community and the world.
CANCER
Happy You season, Cancer! Welcome to a new cycle! As children of the moon, Cancers are most in tune with the cyclical nature of life, which can be both a blessing and a curse. If you have an awareness and love for the cycles, then this month will feel like a breath of fresh air—an emotional and spiritual renewal. If you find yourself resenting the low ends of these cycles, remember that you are equally gentle and powerful. The new moon on the 9th in your sign is in opposition to Pluto: planet of death, transformation, and rebirth. Use this time wisely to set intentions for your next year, and to leave the most draining cycles in the past.
LEO
The sun will be transiting your 12th house this month, signaling the end of your year-long cycle before your solar return starts July 22nd. Twelfth house transits can be difficult. We are asked to take stock of the last year and what it has taught us: What mistakes did we make, what spiritual growth did we achieve, who did we hurt, and how deeply did we love? Mars, Venus, and the moon will all conjunct in Leo on July 11th. This powerful conjunction in your 1st house will ask you to be very honest about your relational and emotional energy. The sun will enter your sign on July 22nd, and the full moon on the 24th in your sister sign Aquarius will illuminate the best ways you can apply the lessons of your 12th house transit to loving yourself and the collective in tandem.
VIRGO
This month is characterized by themes of caring and nurturing others while you experience rapid personal growth. Both Cancer and Virgo are nurturing (sometimes to the point of self-sacrifice). While Cancer season might have you a little bit too in your feelings, it will ultimately benefit you to detach from your mercurial nature and make time to commune with the moon. The sun will be transiting your 11th house, illuminating the intersections between the spiritual and the social. If you can find time to meditate with friends, or do group activities that encourage collective growth, the emotional weight of your love and care for others will be eased by knowing you are also showing that love and care to yourself.
LIBRA
This month the sun will be transiting your 10th house of career and public image. After last month this might feel like a welcome relief. Finally, a house where your cardinal nature can shine and you can apply all your skills in beauty, balance, and love to create abundance not only for yourself but for your larger community. The relational planets—Mars and Venus (your ruling planet)—will be transiting Leo in your 11th house, inspiring deeper thoughts around individual vs. collective action. Venus will move into Virgo on July 21st, placing additional focus on public service and universal love.
SCORPIO
Cancer season is here to shake things up for you, Scorpio. But you are ready for it! As the sun in Cancer transits your 9th house, you are being asked to philosophically upend emotional patterns that are detrimental to your path to personal freedom. The new moon on the 9th in Cancer will be in opposition to Pluto, your planetary ruler. Perhaps take this time to meditate on what is truly important to you: trust, freedom, standing in your truth. While watery Cancer season will feel relatively stable as you explore these themes, fellow fixed sign Leo’s solar transit starting on the 22nd will fire you up and offer opportunities to accept and love who you are without question.
SAGITTARIUS
Welcome to a season that is (energetically) entirely unfamiliar to you! You are characterized as mutable fire, while Cancer is cardinal water. Your 8th house is ruled by Cancer, and as such this season will be much more emotionally demanding than easy breezy Gemini season. Now is the time to truly examine your shadows and depths. It’s not cute, but it’s rewarding. What wounds haven’t you healed? Are you letting things fester because you’d rather avoid non-rational thought? If so, this month will throw circumstances your way that make you feel, rather than rationalize. Your planetary ruler Jupiter will be shaking things up as it retrogrades from Pisces to Aquarius, further adding to the confusion between what is rational and what is emotional. Trust, love, and respect your higher self, and have faith that you’ll figure it out.
CAPRICORN
This month marks halfway through your yearly cycle as the sun transits your sister sign Cancer. The axis of Cancer and Capricorn is marked by dependency and self-sufficiency, and is a very emotional axis (though aren’t they/we all). Cancer is perhaps overly expressive and Capricorn has a tendency to repress difficult emotions. You might find that this month is marked by more emotional outbursts than are typical for you, particularly as Mars and Venus transit your 8th house. You are being asked to look at and remove the relational patterns that are most detrimental to your growth and authenticity. Have faith, show love when you feel safe, and maybe use the new moon in Cancer on the 9th to manifest a clearer emotional self image.
AQUARIUS
Aquarius is represented by a person carrying a jar of water, and Cancer is a very powerful water sign. You are capable of holding and protecting the emotional realities and desires of the collective, but it’s possible that Cancer season might have you feeling like the jar is breaking. Air signs tend to be more cerebral than intuitive, but this month is asking you to explore the connection between your intuition and your nerves. If Cancer season feels anxious or emotional, know that you are well-equipped to ride the waves. The sun’s entry into your sister sign Leo on the 22nd and the full moon in your sign on the 24th will be deeply invigorating and offer an opportunity to fully embrace your personal potential and release self-limiting beliefs.
PISCES
This Cancer season should have you feeling right at home in its watery depths. Cancer tends to be more aggressive than Pisces, as it signals the beginning of summer when we all start to really feel the heat. If you are feeling particularly emotional, use the new moon in Cancer on the 9th to set healthier patterns. The moon will be in your 5th house in opposition to Pluto in Capricorn, highlighting an opportunity for deep transformation in the emotional and practical ways you show care. Jupiter, your traditional ruler, has been transiting your sign over the last few months but will be retrograding at the end of the month into Aquarius. This will feel like a jolt back to reality, but can be harnessed to make great progress towards combining your values and goals.
illustration by Artemesia Trapeze