June is a "7" Universal Month [6 (June) + 1 (2026) = 7] in a "1" Universal Year. "7" Months tend to be energetic and sometimes somewhat chaotic; they often break up the stability of the "6" month that came before it. This aligns well with the astrological energy of the month: we are entering our second Mercury retrograde of the year, and we have a lot of planetary/asteroid movement this month. We are starting to recognize the pattern that will set us up for the more challenging astrology that will guide us through the second half of the year.
We begin the month with the Sun, Mercury, and Uranus in Gemini; Venus and Jupiter in Cancer, Mars in Taurus, Saturn and Neptune in Aries, and retrograde Pluto in Aquarius. There is a lot of planetary movement this month: the Sun and Mercury enter Cancer, Venus and Jupiter enter Leo, and Mars enters Gemini. Additionally, Chiron - our Wounded Healer - enters Taurus. Mercury will also retrograde at 26° Cancer.
There's a lot going on in June, but it's still mostly set up for the months to come. Sure, Mercury retrogrades, but it does so on the second-to-last day of the month, so that's more of a July thing. Jupiter changes signs (something it does once a year), which is inherently a big deal, but we'll really start feeling it during Leo season and then again during Scorpio season later in Autumn. This is the month to set yourself up for the rest of 2026, which will be full of complicated and challenging transits.
The Lights: Our Sun and Our Moon
There isn't a whole lot going on with our Sun this month. As it moves through Gemini, it sextiles Saturn on 6/2, which may feel slightly challenging or slightly focusing, depending on your personal temperament. It enters Cancer on 6/21, the Summer Solstice, and trines the North Node in Pisces on 6/24. This is the official last time that Sun will interact with the nodes in Pisces and Virgo.
Our new moon falls on 6/14 at 10:54 PM (EDT/UTC-4:00) at 24° Gemini. This lunation widely conjuncts Mercury (the ruler of Gemini), marking it as a distinctly mercurial day. This is the perfect time to set intentions or do magic within Mercury's general domains (communication, technology, travel), though it is worth keeping in mind that Mercury is already in their pre-retrograde shadow and will retrograde in the near future. This isn't meant to scare you off, but rather to give you a better understanding of how to work your magic during this time. Plan to take the scenic route and enjoy the journey.
Our full moon goes exact on 6/29 at 7:57 PM at 08° Capricorn. This follows the pattern of the full moon before it, as it widely squares Saturn in Aries, creating a cardinal t-square in the sky. We want to move, we want to be able to take action and work towards are goals, but Saturn says no. This doesn't look as much like a Hard Stop as it could be, rather a much-needed detour - we should note that Mercury retrogrades a couple of hours early at 1:36 PM. We note here that this Capricorn Moon is ruled by Saturn, so it is well equipped to handle the slower energy Saturn demands. This is a great day to overcome obstacles, but it may take some elbow grease.
Mercury enters Cancer on 6/1, where they will remain all the way through July and most of August due to their retrograde cycle. This is why Mercury retrogrades can feel so challenging. When Mercury is in prograde motion, it can move through a single sign in as little as two weeks. In our fast-paced, modern world, we rely heavily on Mercury's changeability to sate our waning attention spans. Short-form content is Mercury at its "worst": addictive, vapid, and full of misinformation. When Mercury remains in the same sign for more than a month, we are forced to confront all the things that we'd rather run away from. Time can often seem to distort and warp, creating a liminal space.
None of this is bad or wrong. Mercury retrogrades get such a bad wrap in pop astrology, and it's certainly warranted because, if you try to go about your life like Mercury is still direct while it is retrograde, you can get pretty caught up. The secret, as with all astrological transits, is to learn to work with the energy of the planets rather than against them.
That can feel really difficult in a world that demands we do so much and accomplish all the time, and rest when we are dead. In this way, we can view Mercury's retrograde cycles as distinctly anti-Capitalistic: they are about being where you are, slowing down, and exploring the world as it is so that you can make adjustments as needed.
June is just the beginning of this cycle. Mercury enters Cancer on 6/1 and then enters their pre-retrograde shadow at 16° Cancer on 6/12. This is the first pass of the degrees of our retrograde, where we may or may not notice Mercury slowing down in advance of its station on 6/29. Few notice the pre-retrograde shadow, most notice the retrograde proper, and many notice the post-retrograde shadow.
This retrograde will most affect those with personal planets between 16°-26° of the cardinal signs firstly (Cancer/Libra/Capricorn/Aries), water signs secondly (Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces), and possibly the earth signs as well (Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn). Additionally, anybody with Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or Mercury in Gemini or Virgo, or anybody born during a Mercury retrograde, are generally always somewhat affected by Mercury retrogrades.
I will write more specifically about this retrograde as we approach its pre-retrograde shadow.
Jupiter, our planet of luck and expansion, spends one last month in Cancer - the sign of its exaltation - before entering Leo on 6/30. This is the Big News Bears - one of the major planetary shifts of the year. But we aren't there yet. This is one last chance to work with Jupiter in its very best placement; Jupiter will not enter Cancer again for another 12 years.
May I suggest 6/9, when our Lesser Benefic (Venus) meets our Greater Benefic (Jupiter) in conjunction at 25° Cancer. This is the luckiest day of the year, and magically, it can be used to draw nearly anything beneficial into your life.
As for Jupiter in Leo, which is mostly a July-and-onward thing, this is a really big deal due to two major upcoming seasons: Leo and Scorpio season. It's worth noting here that the South Node will also enter Leo (from the back end because the lunar nodes move in a retrograde motion) in July, and these two will be moving ever closer to their inevitable conjunction in November. This is when our past luck pays out, for good or ill. Before we get there, Jupiter is going to conjunct the Sun during Leo season, which will be our second most lucky day of the year.
These are days to look forward to, and to plan ahead for, if that's your cup of tea.
Our two relationship planets aren't doing much this month, aside from Venus's conjunction with Jupiter, which I mentioned above. Venus remains in Cancer through 6/13, and then enters Leo. Mars remains in Taurus through 6/28, and then enters Gemini. It's worth noting that from 6/13 through 6/28, the two planets will be widely square to each other by sign. With fixity in play, people are likely to be bull-headed and ornery, which may cause some mild relational conflicts. Mars is more maligned (in the sign of its exile) than Venus, so we need to all watch out for our actions during this time because hot-headed Venus in Leo is not giving Mars in Taurus any slack.
This is just general vibes. Those with a strong Taurus or Leo presence in their charts (or in their others' charts) will be the most likely to experience this. But it could just create tension in the Gen Pop overall. People may be quick to anger and unwilling to back down. There may be some general territorial conflicts, as Mars is at its most bullish and unreasonable in Taurus.
Chiron, our Wounded Healer, changes signs from Aries into Taurus on 6/19. This won't be felt by everybody, but it's a major win for those of us with a strong Aries presence in our charts and less so for those with a major Taurus presence in their charts. Chiron hurts; there's no way around it. Some people like it that way. Most of us don't, though. There's no avoiding Chironian pain; it is the pain of living itself. Not that it helps much when you are in the middle of it.
This is a long-term aspect; Chiron won't enter Gemini until 2033. Overall, it will focus our collective pain on Taurus, Venusian, and 2nd House things.
July will be dominated by Mercury's retrograde, our Sun squaring off with Saturn in Aries, and the first steps of Jupiter in Leo. Our lunar nodes will also change signs. This will be our last month before shit gets real, as Leo season includes our first eclipses on the Aquarius/Leo axis.
6/1 - Mercury enters Cancer
6/2 - Sun in Gemini sextile Saturn in Aries
6/3 - Mercury in Cancer square Neptune in Aries
6/9 - Venus conjunct Jupiter 25° Cancer
6/10 - Mercury in Cancer square Saturn in Aries
6/12 - Mercury enters pre-retrograde shadow 16° Cancer
6/13 - Venus enters Leo, Venus in Cancer square Chiron in Aries
6/14 - New Moon 24° Gemini
6/17 - Venus in Leo opposed retrograde Pluto in Aquarius
6/19 - Chiron enters Taurus
6/21 - Sun enters Cancer
6/24 - Sun in Cancer trine North Node in Pisces 02°
6/25 - Venus in Leo trine Saturn in Aries 13°
6/28 - Sun in Cancer square Neptune in Aries 01°, Mars enters Gemini
6/29 - Full Moon 08° Capricorn, Mercury retrogrades 26° Cancer
6/30 - Jupiter enters Leo
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