Another Wild Lunar Cycle!

Cancer New Moon, Uranus enters Gemini, Capricorn Full Moon, and more!

Happy Cancer season!

Another wild ride of a lunar cycle is upon us!

The most notable event during the course of this lunar cycle is Uranus’s first entry into Gemini just a few days before the Capricorn Full Moon. We don’t always notice when a planet enters a new sign, but Uranus tends to make a loud entrance.

Gemini’s ruler, Mercury, will be in Leo in its retrograde shadow at that point. Leo is a sign where Mercury can be quite bold and especially eager to express itself. Uranus and the South Node and Mars over in Virgo will be feeling that Mercurial heat as it enters retrograde over the course of this cycle.

Plus during Cancer season, we’re all just a little more in touch with that gut-level perception. We’re much more attuned to subtle energies than we normally are. The Sun is illuminating the home of the Moon– feeling every sign change and aspect along the way.

It’s worth mentioning that Uranus in Gemini will put many nations, including the US and Israel, in their Uranus returns.

Cancer, where this lunar cycle kicks off and Jupiter is for the next year, is a sign affiliated with nationalism: our attachment to our home country. So we’re likely to see quite a surge in that kind of enthusiasm across the globe over the course of this cycle, which the Full Moon in tribalist Capricorn is likely to amplify even further.

We’re adding a new tool to our analysis toolkit this time around! You’ll notice that next to the First Quarter, Full, and Final Quarter Moon’s in the diagram below, there are dates of lunations from the past that connect to the present phase of the cycle.

You can download a copy for yourself under the Resources menu at my website: astrologywithcolleen.com

I recently dove into a fellow Boston-based astrologer’s work: Lunar Shadows III: The Predictive Power of Moon Phases and Eclipses by Dietrich Pessin. It’s a great read detailing her discovery of what she calls “Moon families.”

She realized that in nine month increments, New, First Quarter, Full, and Final Quarter Moon’s take place around the same degree, weaving together distinct narratives with predictable turning points based on the characteristics of the particular phase of the cycle. She coined this the “Lunar Gestation Cycle.”

Notice during this lunar cycle, both of our Quarter Squares are developments to cycles that were seeded with Solar Eclipses, which are obviously more potent than a typical New Moon. This factor, in addition to Uranus’s entry into Gemini is what’s telling me this is bound to be a wild cycle.

But as always, in your own personal life that could be a very different story. It all depends what houses and placements are being activated in your chart at home.

You want to think back to the dates in the diagram with each of the relevant phases, whatever houses in your chart that those coincide with, and any natal planets in a tight aspect to those degrees. We’ll cover the sign themes as we go, you’ll want to factor those in as well of course.

You’ll see a narrative weaving together, and as we hit each point of the cycle this month you’ll know where you’re at in the unfolding of the plot as we discuss the meaning of each phase along the way in this forecast.

If you need any help with your house topics you’ll find a free intro download in the resources menu on my website, where you can also download a free copy of the lunar cycle diagram above.

Our New Moon seeds on Wednesday June 25th at 6:31 AM EST, and we kick off the new lunar cycle on a powerful foot with the New Moon conjunct Jupiter and quincunx Pluto.

Keep in mind that the New Moon not only kicks off a new 2 and a quarter year narrative in your life, per the Lunar Gestation Cycle, but it's also the underlying thread that weaves throughout the next thirty days.

We can think of any lunar cycle like a dance between the Sun and the Moon. The Sun being the illuminator, our soul, our whole being, our conscious awareness. Meanwhile the Moon is our physical body, our subconscious, and our affect– the way we perceive the world and then derive emotions and feel compelled toward action based off that perception.

And so with the New Moon, things are obscured. The Moon is absorbed by the Sun’s rays.

In separating and aspecting each other as the Moon makes its monthly trip around the zodiac, something from our subconscious– the Moon– get’s illuminated by the Sun in order to be integrated, making us just a little more whole and a little more able to take agency in our lives with each cycle.

It’s like we’re on our own mini Hero’s Journey each month, per Joseph Campbell’s work.

And this New Moon is powerful! Both the Sun and Jupiter are dignified in Cancer. That also puts them at the mercy of the Moon’s rapid movement around the zodiac right? Every time the Moon changes signs or makes an aspect, we feel it in our Cancer house.

This will be a good period to keep that in mind, you might be extra sensitive and extra tired so remember to honor your body and your limits as best you can– always a good idea when there’s a heavy emphasis on the Cancer archetype.

In Hellenistic astrology the luminaries are considered to have a home in each other's signs, and Jupiter is exalted in Cancer. So Jupiter is extra comfortable and powerful while in conjunction with the New Moon, where both luminaries are essentially in domicile.

They’re all just separating from the quincunx to Pluto as well. This tells us that whatever is coming up from our subconscious this month to be integrated goes DEEP. That’s Pluto– the deepest of the depths within us.

Pluto was discovered during Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung’s time, and around World War II. That’s partly how we come to understand new planet’s significations– what’s going on in the world surrounding the time of their discovery. So psychoanalysis, dream exploration, and deeply disturbed, hugely persuasive dictators in Pluto’s case.

With Pluto we often discover sources of power that have been influencing us from beyond our awareness, whether that’s internally like attachment wounding, or externally like a crime lord, a mob boss, or a bunch of tech billionaires, as we’re seeing so far with Pluto in Aquarius.

We’re in the sign of Cancer, so we can look out for themes of home, nationalism, family, mothers, nurturing, intuition, gut instincts, and our physical body.

Jupiter and the New Moon are also separating from squares to Saturn and Neptune. So we might notice we’re waking up throughout this cycle from some source of external authority we didn’t realize was influencing us so heavily, and coming home to ourselves, feeling more comfortable in our skin as a result.

With Jupiter’s heavy influence, we might be in the process of deepening trust in our own moral compass, wisdom, or sense of personal philosophy.

Mars is in sextile as well, just on the other side of a Yod with Saturn, Neptune and Pluto. Yod’s bring a release from long-standing tension. So we may notice we’re suddenly able to wield Mars’s energy much more wisely and strategically thanks to whatever release of tension in our lives that Yod represented in the days leading up to the New Moon.

I love Mars in Virgo as some of you heard me say in one of my horoscopes last week. Virgo is very systematic and dutiful, it loves to be of service, and Mars is the “get sh*t done” planet. So this might be an extremely productive cycle for many of us, learning as we put our energy toward something extremely constructive.

Mercury is in a sextile to Uranus as well, so we’re mentally breaking through or free somehow over the course of this cycle. We may also have some particularly innovative ideas.

So that’s the New Moon! Despite the fact that it doesn’t indicate a particularly easy cycle, it does look like a promising cycle overall.

Next we have the Waxing Sextile on June 29th. These aren’t very noticeable, but if you’re learning and tracking, you might observe a helpful development come through. In this case, a particularly active or constructive one since the Moon will be conjunct Mars. Meanwhile, Mercury is just past the opposition to Pluto and semisextile Jupiter while ruling over the Moon and Mars.

Mercury and Pluto in tough aspect like this tend to bring up a desire to mold others’ thinking, deep hidden psychology (Mercury being symbolic of the mind), and intellectual power struggles in lower expression. In higher expression we can be quite persuasive, access some deep thinking, and transform old thought patterns. I’d encourage people to be especially honest with themselves and willing to face any shadow material that comes up around these couple of days.

The more we can observe ourselves and integrate whatever we notice, the better off we are.

On that note, the very next day, June 30th, Mercury enters its retrograde shadow.

So we’ll want to avoid starting anything new as best we can between then and August 11th when it stations direct.

Things are likely to get pretty ferociously haywire during this retrograde in Leo, where Mercury can be quite bold and potentially audacious, and while it will be overseeing Uranus in Gemini, the South Node and Mars in Virgo.

Our next step along the way in the Lunar Cycle is the First Quarter Square on July 2nd.

The Moon is at 11° Libra which ties this back to the Solar Eclipse on October 2, 2024 at 10° Libra.

Per our planet metaphor in the diagram above, the seeds we planted with the recent New Moon and that Solar Eclipse are past the germination stage, now a stem in the process of pushing up through the soil to establish itself and grow leaves.

So apply that metaphor to the Libra house in your chart and whatever narrative you can see connecting these dates.

The first quarter tends to represent an obstacle or wrench in our plans. In getting creative, being flexible, adapting, and working our way through whatever challenge presents itself, we grow.

We tend to feel pretty good about ourselves after– like those leaves basking in the sun’s rays for the first time. Hence our key terms from this stage in the diagram: an issue tends to reveal itself forcing us to take action, resolve it, and we solidify a new course of action or the next leg of the journey we’re on as a result.

We’re in the sign of Libra, so there’s likely a challenge between us and another person, and/or a legal or contractual issue that presents itself. We’re likely to be weighing the scales in our mind, feeling a pull toward the familiar and habitual represented by the Sun in Cancer– our earliest roots.

Venus is ruling over the Moon at this phase, and she’s tightly applying to the conjunction with Uranus at the last degree of Taurus, Venus’s other sign of rulership.

I’m hoping this is a sign of diplomacy on the world stage, but we shall see.

Venus makes that conjunction to Uranus on America’s birthday, the 4th of July and then enters Gemini. Neptune also stations retrograde on the 4th.

So Neptune will be standing still in the sky these several weeks, moving exceptionally slowly, meaning its energy will be amplified. Things are likely to be pretty confusing and not exactly as they appear.

On a personal level it will be a good idea to practice radical self-honesty. That’s the key to Neptune– who’s lessons can get pretty brutal when we aren’t in touch with reality for one reason or another.

Neptune can either help us see things crystal clearly– things beyond the surface. If you have heard of the Telepathy Tapes for example, many of those non-verbal Autistic children who can actually read their parents' minds were born while transiting Neptune was dignified in Pisces– thus at home, extra strong and equipped.

The darker side of Neptune confuses and deludes us. Neptune is affiliated with mind altering substances, psychiatric disorders, and substance abuse.

But in this era this obviously has heavy implications as far as misinformation, the media, and social media are concerned as well.

The misinformation problem is only going to heat up when Uranus enters Gemini so it’s a good idea to make sure you can really trust the media sources you consume for the foreseeable future. Fair warning!

Next up is the Waxing Trine on July 5th with the Moon in Scorpio. This is another stop along the way that’s a harmonious aspect and thus may not be super noticeable.

But, in theory, this tends to be a positive phase, where we’re assessing and evaluating within whatever narrative the lunar cycle is representing for us.

Notice Mars, who’s ruling over the Moon is in a mini grand trine with both luminaries. Staying practically minded, dutiful, and avoiding being too self-critical will help bring out the better of the Moon in Scorpio– a place where it has a hard time coping with Mars’s intensity if Mars has gotten carried away.

Then Uranus enters Gemini just a couple of days later on July 7th. I’d say mark your calendars but I don’t think any of us will need to! This is likely to be a pretty loud and eventful transition.

Especially since we have our Capricorn Full Moon just a few days later on July 10th.

Saturn, our ruler of the Full Moon, is just days away from stationing retrograde. This means it’s theoretically standing still in the sky and as close to earth as it gets so its energy is amplified. It’s also conjunct retrograde Neptune, so Neptune’s influence will be felt by the Full Moon as well.

Saturn and Neptune have a really interesting relationship, which I talk a lot about in a couple of videos on YouTube.

Saturn is structure and boundaries, meanwhile Neptune’s tends to dissolve those– stripping away Saturn’s version of reality. This will likely be a prominent theme of this Full Moon.

There’s likely to be a lot of confusion out in the public in the days surrounding the Full Moon and with Uranus newly in Gemini we can be certain misinformation is playing a key role.

Uranus’s entry into Gemini puts it in a mini grand trine with Saturn and Neptune and Pluto in Aquarius, which gives me hope that the larger population will figure out how to use the transparency that modern technology gives us to rise above, come together, and hold those in power accountable– eventually.

But that appears to be the long game over the next couple of years.

We might be getting a rude awakening as to what we’re in for and why that need to come together and rise above will be necessary with Uranus’s entry and this Full Moon.

This Full Moon corresponds to a New Moon in Capricorn on January 11th, 2024 and a first quarter in Capricorn on October 10th 2024– so those are the dates you want to reflect back to to determine what story arc in your life is peaking with this Full Moon.

You also want to consider any placements you have around or aspecting 17°- 22°ish degrees Capricorn in your chart.

On the global political stage these dates corresponded with developments in Gaza, an earthquake in Japan, a missile attack on Israel by Iran, and the inauguration of Mexico’s first female president.

The Sun is fully illuminating the Moon and thus whatever the larger issue or narrative is.

It can be a moment of celebration, achievement, clarity, illumination, or major turning point with the lunar energy heightened and exposed like this.

Capricorn is a very tribal sign, so I would bet the nationalism sentiment is on full blast in whatever global events surround the Full Moon.

Saturn will station retrograde on July 13th and then we have the Waning Trine in Pisces on July 15th.

The Moon is conjunct the North Node and will have opposed Mars on its way so this is looking like a pretty powerful couple of days. Expect to be extra sensitive and perceptive.

Whatever was exposed, illuminated, or accomplished with the Full Moon is now being articulated– we’re making sense of it and if, like in the Hero’s Journey, there’s wisdom to be had that can help others, we’re often figuring out how to disseminate that information at this point.

The Final Quarter Square perfects on July 17th at 25° Aries in a pretty tight conjunction with Chiron.

This ties back to another Solar Eclipse on April 20th 2023, a First Quarter in January of 2024, and the Aries Full Moon in September 2024.

So as far as that larger narrative is concerned, we’re at a point of closure to some degree. The Last Quarter Moon is where we reckon with our choices, clean up loose ends, and let go of what’s not working.

Modern astrologers call this the “crisis in consciousness” phase.

Along the theory that each lunar cycle reflects our personal evolution, this phase symbolizes really letting go of an old perception or way of viewing the world that’s been disproven along our journey to this point.

As a result we often find ourselves revising and reorienting. We may even notice some sort of reward or extremely valuable silver lining for doing so.

Mars, the ruler over the Moon in Aries, is closely applying to the South Node which often symbolizes release of past patterns and tendencies by way of an internal, personal experience.

So I would take note of any anger, aggression, fight, flight, freeze or fawn tendencies that crop up around this point and investigate what the real roots are. With Chiron’s presence there’s likely some major healing around themes of autonomy and independence.

Globally these dates coincided with tornadoes here in the US, Biden launching his 2024 Presidential bid, developments in both Ukraine and Gaza, rising tension between Israel and Iran, catastrophic flooding in Europe, and the typhoon in Myanmar.

Keep in mind we are heading into hurricane season here in the US so everyone please be safe out there, especially while the North Node is in Pisces.

Then Mercury stations retrograde the next day on July 18th. This retrograde will last until August 11th, and will certainly be interesting between Uranus in Gemini and the South Node and Mars in Virgo, Mercury’s signs of rulership.

Next, the Waning Sextile perfects with the Moon in Taurus on July 20th.

From this phase into the Dark Moon it’s like we’re sticking the landing of the cycle.

This is where the snake analogy you’ve likely heard from me before starts to apply: the path of the Moon lookS much like a snake, and it’s as if our outer layer of skin is starting to fall off at this point. It comes off completely with the Dark Moon when the Moon returns to Cancer where the cycle started, in preparation for the next cycle, the next New Moon.

Sextile’s are harmonious and so this feels good more often than not– it could go either way here with the Moon exalted in Taurus. However, this puts the Moon under the rulership of Venus in one of Mercury’s signs while it’s retrograde. Venus is also approaching the bending of the Nodes. She’s a North Nodal bender here.

So Venus is taking on the qualities of the North Node, likely bringing new experiences, growth opportunities, or the ability to develop a new skill by way of some external circumstance.

The Moon is also very close to fixed star Algol, known as Medusa’s severed head.

Algol tends to be about the willingness to confront the monster within or without– often both, with the monster without shedding light on some part of our own shadow that’s asking to be acknowledged and tamed.

Remember how this cycle started in the quincunx to Pluto.

This echo’s that we’ve been on that kind of journey, one of deep self-exploration and excavation, getting to the real root of things– which only ever results in us becoming more whole, well-adjusted, and autonomous.

So you want to look out for those themes around the waning sextile, and with Venus hitting the bending of the Nodes the next day on the 21st while Mars is conjunct the South Node.

Then on the 22nd, Leo Season begins, right as the Moon has made its way back to Cancer for the Dark Moon.

On July 24th our next lunar cycle kicks off!

The Sun and Moon will conjoin in Leo opposite Pluto, trine Saturn and Neptune, sextile Uranus, while co-present with Mercury in its retrograde.

So, from one intense lunar cycle right into the next!

I hope you found this valuable today! If you could use any help navigating this wild astrological weather, I’m available for private consultations. These are wild times, and we could all use some astrological, objective, and compassionate outside perspective. That’s what I’m here for.

So I hope to see you in a session soon, and I’ll see you right back here next month to go through this same process for the Leo New Moon.