HEADS UP! July 2026
Yes, another wild and crazy month
Heads Up!
An Almanac of Astrology and Astronomy for the Creative and Curious in All of Us
by Kathy Watts
July 2026
All times PDT (Pacific Daylight Savings Time). Not my fault.
Mercury is retrograde at the start of the month and remains so for a big chunk of the month. We get a few more retrogrades as well. Pluto is retrograde all month. Several aspects happen between the outer planets, which give these heavy hitters more time to weigh in on the events of the day. On the plus side, Jupiter has just entered glorious Leo. People may take more risks, but results can be much bigger than expected. Be lucky but smart for all the next year. (Yes, it takes Jupiter a year to move through a sign, retrogrades permitting.) And, I’ve decided to continue to shine a light on Mars all month long because, why not?
Wed July 01 the Moon is in Capricorn for the morning, moving into Aquarius at 12:33 pm. Plus, it’s Mercury’s day of the week. With Mercury being retrograde now, we can have a month of careful considerations, for our own work as well as for our audience and world at large. At 10:12 pm the Moon conjoins Pluto retro. We can use this intensity all month long as well. Note, intensity is different from anxiety.
Fri July 03 the Moon is in Aquarius when Mars conjoins Uranus in Gemini. Heads Up. Hammer away at something important to you, and get surprised at the same time. The Moon moves into Pisces at the end of the day at 11:30 pm. Tomorrow may be less manic.
Sat July 4 the Moon is in Pisces all day. At 5:44 pm Mars sextiles Neptune. Heads Up. Every Mars-Neptune aspect deserves to be handled with extra care. You could accomplish something quasi-magical, with enough of the right kind of effort. That part is up to you. Also, the 4th of July is a big day in the USA. It’s also the anniversary of the deaths of both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Let freedom ring!
Sun July 5 the Moon is still in Pisces all day. At 6:07 am Mars trines Pluto retro. It might be all too easy to push the wrong buttons, or maybe even the right buttons. Take extra care.
Mon July 06 the Moon is void of course in Pisces when the Sun squares Saturn. Heads Up. Respect authority, including the authority that you possess. The Moon moves into Aries at 8:07 am. At 4:12 pm the Moon conjoins Neptune. Wind down and have a more pleasant end to your day.
Tue July 07 the Moon is in Aries when Neptune goes stationary retrograde at 3:55 am. Aspirations may get tuned down a bit, which does not have to be a totally bad thing. At 10:15 am the Moon conjoins Saturn. Be responsible and do what you need to do.
Wed July 08 the Moon trines Venus at 11:42 am and goes void of course. Beautiful things can shine extra bright and shed any shyness when Venus is in Leo. The Moon enters Taurus at 1:31 pm. Trudge on and keep it natural as well as beautiful.
Thu July 09 the Moon is in Taurus all day long. At 10:22 am Venus changes signs, leaves glamorous risk-loving Leo and moves into more modest and cautious Virgo. Think of it as a better tailored look for beauty.
Fri July 10 the Moon enters Gemini at 3:42 pm. Hit the ground running and brace yourself to make your best mercurial efforts to get the most done with the most people in the most places that you can. Heads Up! We have from now until Sunday afternoon. Every minute counts. At 10:30 pm the Moon conjoins Uranus. If you’re reading or writing some experimental novel, this night is for you.
Sat July 11 the Moon is in Gemini all day long. If you’re not energized enough, the Moon conjoins Mars at 6:16 pm. It could be a high-powered day. Do good things and do lots of them.
Sun July 12 we still have the Moon in Gemini throughout the morning and early afternoon. Get things done. The Moon leaves Gemini and enters Cancer at 3:46 pm. It is so tea time. At 6:26 pm the Sun conjoins Mercury retro in Cancer. Heads Up. Feelings and intuition have wisdom of their own. Don’t underrate them.
Mon July 13 the Moon is at home in Cancer all day. At 11:27 pm the Moon conjoins Mercury retro. Cleverness has a short shelf-life. This is also the day before the New Moon. Heads Up. Keep safe, happy, and well, but mostly safe from now until after the New Moon perfects.
Tue July 14 we have the New Moon at 2:44 am and then goes void of course. Heads Up. The New Moon occurs at 21 Can. Know what you are devoted to, and spend the lunar month remaining devoted. The Moon leaves her home Cancer and moves into Leo to become a guest in the Sun’s house at 3:35 pm. At 8:49 pm the Moon conjoins Jupiter. Heads Up for good things.
Wed July 15 the Moon is in Leo all day long. Work with power and clarity. At 1:32 pm Uranus sextiles Neptune retro. Subdued but not not smothered aspirations can prevent the wildest, most dangerous experiments. This aspect is not common and can play out more on the outer world instead of in our inner world.
Fri July 17 the Moon is in Virgo all day. At 8:06 am the Moon conjoins Venus. Tidiness in thought and deed has a beauty all its own. At 9:45 pm Uranus trines Pluto retro. Another rare aspect more likely to function on the outer world stage, some deeply rooted change may be triggered by a sudden event. Heads Up.
Sun July 19 the Moon is in Libra all day. At 11:11 am Mars sextiles Saturn. This might prod us to finally self-correct and address a long-neglected issue. Hopefully it’s something like untying a badly knotted plot line.
Mon July 20 the Moon is in Libra all day. At 12:23 am Jupiter trines Neptune retro. This happens maybe twice a year. It might minimize the urge to overact or over-respond. At 7:45 am Jupiter opposes Pluto retro. Usually a once a year aspect (retrogrades permitting), this could be a serious tug of war in the realm of power where opponents get a clear look at one another. Think about how in Greek mythology, Jupiter and Hades are brothers. Hades rules the hidden wealth below, but Jupiter rules the sky. Jealousy might be one expression of such a tug of war. Consider how this might be expressed in fiction, for example.
Tue July 21 the Moon is void of course in Libra when Jupiter sextiles Uranus. Overindulging wild and crazy ideas sometimes has huge results, but usually not. Heads Up. The Moon enters Scorpio at 6:35 am. This is the last day that the Sun spends in Cancer as a guest of the Moon. Tomorrow things may seem a bit more playful, brighter, and more fond of taking risks. Heads Up.
Wed July 22 the Moon is in Scorpio all day long. At 12:13 the Sun changes signs, leaves Cancer and goes home to golden Leo. Heads Up. Where are your passions and what are you willing to take risks for? Pour all that golden energy into your work.
Thu July 23 with the Moon void of course in Scorpio, Mercury goes stationary direct at 3:58 pm. Heads Up. It will take a few days for Mercury to get to speed, but it’s on the way. Mercury remains extremely slow and strong for the next few days. The Moon enters Sagittarius at 6:07 pm.
Fri July 24 the Moon is in Sagittarius all day. At 9:13 am Mercury sextiles Venus. Enjoy working and brainstorming about a project that you love. At 10:49 pm Neptune retro sextiles Pluto retro. With some serious effort, we can delve deep and come up with a few spectacular gems to make our work and our world better.
Sun July 26 the Moon is in Capricorn when Saturn goes stationary retrograde. At 12:56 pm. Relax a little, but only a little, and be able to work with greater ease. At 11:55 pm the Sun opposes Pluto retro. The world may surprise us, but we have surprises of our own. We do not have to relinquish all our power to the outside world. That’s why we are creators, after all.
Mon July 27 the Moon is in Capricorn all day. At 12:36 am the Sun trines Neptune retro. Shine a brighter light on what inspires you and makes your heart beat faster. Leo and the Sun are all about passion. At 2:36 pm the Sun sextiles Uranus. Innovation and creativity are sometimes two different words for the same thing.
Wed July 29 the Moon is in Aquarius all day. At 12:10 am Venus squares Mars. A difficult aspect, but with both planets in signs ruled by Mercury it may be possible to reach some modicum of agreement, if only to agree to disagree. Be reasonable and not emotional or hot-headed. This is also good advice for any difficult main characters, be they protagonist or antagonist. At 3:08 am the Moon conjoins Pluto retro. It can be intense but brief. Blame any disturbing dreams on this. At 5:18 am the Sun conjoins Jupiter. Heads Up. It can be a beneficial if not massively lucky day. At last at 7:36 pm we have the Full Moon at 06 Aqu. Heads Up. Two days from the end of the month, this Full Moon can shine bright in our hearts for a lot of people and projects, for a long time. Think big.
Yes, it’s a crazy day. The Mercury retrograde may keep us out of the worst and most tempting troubles. And with the Sun in Leo, a lot of high-powered aspects are possible with those outer planets that once were clustered in Aries but are now starting to spread out to make these long-term sextiles and trines possible. The Jupiter- Pluto retro opposition is a high-powered kind of “full moon” relationship between Jupiter and Pluto. This happens usually once a year.
Yes, a lot of stuff is going on globally, and a lot of fur is flying. We can work through and around it, though. Remember, it’s all food for thought. When you’re an artist or writer or creator of any kind, life is research. Right now, we’re sort of knee deep in it all. Let’s not waste a single day.
Heads Up!