Dear NightFall Astrology readers,
I must bring it to you: this week is full of extremes! Going from the beginning of the week with the cosy sweetness of the New Moon in Cancer and Neptune stationing retrograde and starting to illuminate our dreams to code orange intensity alert with the God of War (Mars) clashing with the God of the Underworld (Pluto). My advice to you is to get recharged as much as possible, practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques, surround yourself with close friends and family, and be ready to stand in the eye of the storm! If there’s a time to start applying stoic philosophy to your life, then this would be it! You can do it!
Here’s your weekly horoscope.
1. Mars sextile Saturn:
From June 26th until June 30th (exact on June 27th), Mars, in its own sign of Aries, will sextile (harmonious aspect) Saturn retrograde in its second sign of rulership: Aquarius. This configuration is favourable for managerial and organisational activities alongside strict planning. It can also bring fresh enthusiasm to an old routine; this is an appropriate time to fulfil some repetitive and mundane physical tasks like cleaning, tidying, working out, etc. Positive interactions with authority figures and proactivity at the workplace will be enhanced as well.
Both planets are in dignity, meaning that whatever opportunities this energy brings, they’ll be very fulfilling.
This aspect will be most beneficial for Aquarius, Libra, Gemini, Aries, and Sagittarius.
2. Neptune’s retrograde stationing and the New Moon in Cancer:
a) Neptune stations retrograde:
Life could feel like a giant reflecting pool starting Tuesday, June 28th, as soothsayer Neptune dips into its annual retrograde until December 3rd. From 2011 to 2026, the numinous planet is paddling through its ruling sign of Pisces, doubling down on its mystical effects. This meditative five-month cycle can be a profound blessing, opening a window to heal core wounds, deal with addictions (from liquor to love to limiting beliefs) and tap into buried realms of creativity.
Make sure to keep your psychic shield up, especially while in public. Like a sponge, you can absorb the mood of a room or get thrown off emotionally by a stranger’s vibes. With fog-machine Neptune in the timeout chair, you can cut through illusions…IF you are willing to take an unflinching audit of your life. Use this period to explore the shadows. Awareness is the key to evolution! By owning up to unhealthy patterns, you can learn to break them. And get plenty of rest, because the best ideas may arrive while you’re sleeping, meditating or just staring at the clouds.
Neptune will remain stationary (will be appearing as if it isn’t moving in the sky from Earth’s vantage point) until August 9th. When a planet slips into retrograde from direct motion, it’s kind of like fading to black after you’ve been given your pre-surgery IV. Everything feels fuzzy, and you might just share some crazy details about your life (oops)! Neptune rules the realm of illusion, dreams, deception, spirituality, fluids (substantial bodies of them), addictions, and infections. When Neptune turns retrograde, the veil on what’s been going on behind the scenes drops. During its stationary period, though, its energy is increased, so we may be feeling more confused, overly sensitive and prone to substance abuse and insomnia, so stay grounded and careful!
Neptune’s retrograde motion will affect most strongly Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius.
b) The New Moon in Cancer:
Did you gasp while reading the paragraph about Neptune’s retrograde? Well, think again if you thought that’s the only dreamy energy you’ll be dealing with on Tuesday/Wednesday! Here comes the official Summer Solstice’s New Moon of the year! On June 29th (28th for my North Atlantic readers) at exactly 4:52 AM (CET), we’ll be having a New Moon at 8° (exactly 7°23’) of Cancer bringing new beginnings in our home (inner home as in our emotional security and outer home), family, roots, heritage, real estate, hospitality, and healing.
This New Moon may legitimately be the best New Moon of the year! Why? Well, 1st off, it’s taking place in its own sign of rulership: Cancer. The Moon’s nurturing qualities are shown best in this sign. There’s also a sweetness to it as it’s placed in the first decan of Cancer ruled by Venus (the planet of love, beauty, and harmony) represented by the 2 of cups (the “Lord of Love”) card in Tarot. There is perhaps no other card that hints so broadly to romance but also emotional bonding and commitment with loved ones in general. The sweet and benefic Venus rules not only this gorgeous New Moon’s decan, but Jupiter, the bigger benefic, will be throwing an exact benevolent square aspect to it! If you’ve been reading my horoscopes for a while, you might be asking yourself: “isn’t a square a challenging aspect, Theodora”? In principle, it is. But here, we have a special configuration with Jupiter being in a preceding sign of the New Moon (Jupiter’s currently transiting Aries), so it mitigates and bonifies the square. Moreover, both benefics (Venus and Jupiter) will be in a sextile (harmonious aspect), bringing even more opportunities to show our values in a situation, success, good luck, optimism, and support from benevolent authority figures.
“Show me the money!” may be a mantra worth uttering on this New Moon, as the year’s only Cancer New Moon makes security a priority in every way. Having “enough to get by” is a great place to start, but what’s your plan for the future? While it may take six months (the peak manifesting time will be on January 6th-7th, 2023, with the Full Moon in Cancer) to get a decent savings plan underway, let la luna refresh your outlook on abundance. Wouldn’t you sleep better at night knowing that you had something tucked away? This could be your cue to downsize or, since Cancer is blessing your nest, start a cottage industry in your very own home. Speaking of which, this New Moon could bring word of a real estate opportunity. If you’ve been considering a home equity loan for upgrades or a refinancing, begin exploring possibilities today.
With the focus on your roots and emotional bonds, Tuesday is the perfect day to reach out to the nurturers in your life. Whether you share DNA or they occupy the esteemed title of “chosen family,” having their support reminds you that you’re never alone in the world.
The only word of caution would be to stay realistic and pragmatic, as the square to Jupiter may bring to-good-to-be-true offers and situations alongside overly optimistic emotions, so exercising shrewdness is strongly advised. The overflow of excitement may also cloud your judgement and make you miss a gigantic opportunity, so again, controlling your emotions is key here, especially with the numerological symbolism of 8 degrees (of Cancer) linked to the planet Saturn ruling discipline, pragmatism, and restriction.
The New Moon will also be conjunct Black Moon Lilith: this is the point along the Moon’s orbit when it’s farthest from Earth. Unlike the planets and asteroids in your birth chart, Lilith isn’t actually a material thing. There are a few origin stories for the character of Lilith, with most relating back to the Garden of Eden in Hebrew mythology. Lilith was Adam’s first wife, but because she was an empowered and sexually liberated woman, she didn’t tolerate being Adam’s inferior. Refusing to submit, she left the garden, and while she may have been considered somewhat of a troublemaker, many now look at her as a powerful force for autonomy, liberation, and freedom—particularly from patriarchy. Some also believe her to be the daughter of Hecate, goddess of witchcraft.
A New Moon is dark by definition, so the new beginnings in our lives and their direction may not be that clear on the day of this celestial event, and our judgement can be even more clouded with Lilith joining the Sun and the Moon, as Lilith represents our dark, repressed and raw desires (it’s the femme fatale energy). The best way to navigate the uncertainty is to set our intentions for our desired new beginnings in meditative stillness and see them unfold as the Moon’s light starts to grow again.
This New Moon will be felt most intensely by Cancer, Capricorn, Aries, and Libra. Especially those of you who have your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven, IC or any other important planet or point in your chart around 8° of these signs (give or take 2-3 degrees).
3. Mars square Pluto:
From June 29th to July 4th (exact on July 1st), in-your-face Mars in Aries will be squaring (challenging aspect) volcanic Pluto retrograde in Capricorn at the critical 28th degree of these signs. Major crisis alert! A cesspool of secrets could spew to the surface. Though you may feel like running for cover, good luck turning away from this hot (lava) mess. If something feels off, follow your intuition and investigate. But be as stealthy as a panther! Clumsily handled cases could give the secret keepers a chance to destroy key evidence. On a personal level, moods may be stormy. Letting rage run rampant (a Mars-in-Aries pitfall) could bring a swift rebuke from vengeful Pluto. Under this dynamic mashup, risks—if warranted—should be calculated extremely cautiously. This is also extremely accident-prone energy!
On the flip side, this aspect pushes us to fight for our independence, increases our ambition in a specific direction, and helps us fight our negative emotions. We’ll be ready to overcome every obstacle and be prepared for competition.
This square will be most challenging for Aries, Libra, Cancer, and Capricorn.
4. Mercury trines Saturn, squares Neptune and becomes visible:
From July 1st until July 3rd (exact on July 2nd), Mercury (the planet ruling our mind and communication) in Gemini will be playing with our heads as it will be both forming a favourable trine to Saturn retrograde in Aquarius but will also square (challenging aspect) foggy Neptune retrograde in Pisces!
On the one hand, the trine will help us think in a more pragmatic and structured way and pay more attention to details. This is excellent energy for all business endeavours. On the other hand, the Mercury/Neptune square can heighten the already looming confusion due to Neptune’s stationing retrograde. Miscommunication, misinformation, promising and not delivering, things looking/sounding better than what they actually are, gossip, mistakes in work with information, documents, negotiations, business, and management are all possible scenarios. This aspect can also increase infections.
Nonetheless, the Neptune square can bring more inspiration for creative hobbies and interests, photography, advertising, poetry, arts, literature, inspirational writing or speaking, music, and dance. We’ll be able to influence others through subtle, emotional, and psychological approaches. Communication about sentimental or emotional subjects will also be supported.
Aquarius, Gemini, Libra, Aries, and Sagittarius will benefit the most from the trine. The square will be most challenging for Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, and Sagittarius.
Also, on July 2nd, Mercury will become visible again as a Morning Star (Apollo’s – the God of Light and Art – archetype in Greek mythology) until July 6th. This is a great time to start new projects in writing, media, marketing, business, trade, sales, commerce, and learning new skills. Geminis and Virgos will be able to manifest better, feel stronger, and make an impact.
Don’t be afraid to make your dreams come true!
Your astrologer – Theodora NightFall ~
Bear in mind that this is a general horoscope and is in no way your personal horoscope. If you’d like to know what your birth chart says about your personality and your life’s purpose or discover what the upcoming astrological alignments mean specifically for you, you can book a consultation with me.
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