Weekly Horoscope: July 7 – July 13

Last week, Saturn went retrograde, and this week, nearby Neptune follows suit. This makes a total of five planetary retrogrades happening in the heat of summer: Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, Ceres, and Haumea. But because Neptune’s recent switch will bring about the most tangible changes in our immediate future, let’s focus on what this blue planet going backward means.

When direct, Neptune governs our intuition, imagination, and subconscious selves. When Neptune goes retrograde, the stars urge us to nurture our dreams and ideals we might’ve put on the backburner for more “pressing” day-to-day tasks and obligations. But it also prompts us to look for deception in our lives—both from us and from those around us. Neptune retrograde is a time for deep, subconscious introspection. 

What should your sign expect to find this season? 

Aries: March 19 – April 19

Neptune retrograde occurs on the cusp of your sign and your Zodiac neighbor, Pisces, which means you two will bear the brunt of the blue planet’s effects. But don’t batten down the hatches just yet. Like your Saturn retrograde alignment last week, your initial Neptune retrograde alignment isn’t looking too shabby, thanks to a fortuitous placement of your ruling planet. 

At the start of the week, Mars forms a favorable sextile with Venus under Taurus and Cancer, respectively. Mars’ aggressive, go-get-em energy and Venus’ domain over finances and love suggest a cosmic green light to pursue endeavors in either area you’ve been eyeballing for a while now. Mars’s conjunction with Uranus later in the week suggests the potential for chaos, but no personal growth happens without a bit of unpredictability. 

Taurus: April 20 – May 20

Retrogrades inherently beget change, and for someone who appreciates a stable environment, this can be particularly difficult for you. And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like you can expect much stability in the weeks ahead. As we creep closer toward the weekend, your ruling planet, Venus, forms a tense opposition with Pluto retrograde. Typically, oppositions are challenging.

Luckily for you, you have ample sextiles bringing positive energy into the mix. Pluto retrograde forms one such aspect with Neptune retrograde, while Venus forms a sextile with a waxing Moon. Change is on the horizon, but the wind is at your back, Taurus. Try not to let your stubbornness get in the way, and keep an open mind for what’s waiting for you ahead. 

Gemini: May 21 – June 20

Shapeshifting is a defense mechanism, not a necessity. While it might be tempting to adapt to changes around you by immediately donning a new mindset, personality, or perspective, the stars urge you to take your time easing into this new reality. Your ruling planet, Mercury, starts the week in conjunction with the tiniest sliver of a waxing Moon. 

The universe is preparing for you to take action. But it’s not quite ready yet. Now’s not the time for making rash decisions, no matter how helpful you think they might be. The stars urge you to take a moment before responding to these cosmic shifts. Rather than projecting your energy outward, turn it inward. Absorb instead of add; reflect instead of react. 

Cancer: June 21 – July 22

Neptune retrograde’s effects will likely feel the most tangible to you at the end of the week, when your ruling celestial body, the Moon, forms a direct opposition to the faraway planet on the cusp of Libra and Virgo and Pisces and Aries, respectively. The Moon sits squarely between the start and end of the Zodiac, and Neptune retrograde sits between fire and water energy. 

To put it in plain English, things are about to feel paradoxical and topsy-turvy for a while. The Moon’s placement suggests an ending is in sight. But don’t let your sentimental nature bring you down. All endings make room for new beginnings. Now’s the time to take stock of those nagging feelings you’ve been experiencing for a while and figure out productive ways to fix them. 

Leo: July 23 – August 22

Personal awakenings are a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, they allow us to view our surroundings with greater clarity. But on the other hand, realizing the ways we fell short prior to these revelations can be disheartening. Rest assured, Leo: it’s far more productive to focus on the future than the past. Moreover, you have some powerful cosmic energy behind you.

First, the Sun forms a sextile with a potent Uranus-Mars conjunction late in the week, helping to usher in these revelations with vigor. Meanwhile, the Sun’s harmonious trine with Saturn retrograde suggests a challenge, yes, but one that will pay itself off tenfold. Neptune retrograde waits nearby, further pushing you to come out from hiding from your subconscious self.  

Virgo: August 23 – September 22

Being nervous as you venture into the unknown is normal, Virgo. Don’t let those butterflies in your stomach convince you you’re walking down the wrong path. Indeed, it’d be more concerning if you weren’t even anxious enough to care. Your cosmic alignment shows some part of your life reaching its inevitable conclusion, and as scary as that is, you’ll be okay. 

A waxing crescent Moon stands off against Neptune retrograde on the cusp of your sign and Libra and Aries and Pisces, respectively. During this time, you might notice your emotions are contradicting each other in confusing and frustrating ways. Give these feelings space to exist alongside one another. The universe rarely, if ever, operates in pure black and white. 

Libra: September 23 – October 22

Trusting your gut isn’t always easy, but is it really that much harder than living in denial? This week, all cosmic signs point to your BS radar going off. Will you listen or keep pushing it to the back burner for another time? The confrontation that’s brewing will happen one way or another, Libra. You can either let it surprise you or get a handle on it now. 

This tension will come to a head as your ruling planet, Venus, forms a harmonious trine with Neptune retrograde. Your ability to separate fact from fiction will be at an all-time high—a waxing crescent Moon forming a sextile with Venus will only improve this clarity. Venus’ square with Haumea indicates the revelations will be difficult, but nothing you can’t manage.

Scorpio: October 23 – November 21

There is a vast difference between daydreaming and planning, Scorpio. You’ve wrestled with unrest and discomfort for a while now. As Neptune swings backward into retrograde, it’s high time you start putting pen to paper on how you can actualize your goals into reality. Luckily, Neptune starts its retrograde in a positive sextile with your ruling planet, Pluto. 

Pluto governs major transformations, and indeed, you’re right in the middle of one. The changes you make now stand to have significant impacts on your love life, wallet, or both, as indicated by Pluto’s standoff with Venus. The square between Haumea and Pluto retrograde continues, intensifying your doubt, but don’t let a bit of nerves convince you that you shouldn’t do anything.

Sagittarius: November 22 – December 21

While there’s nothing wrong with your natural tendency to seek out information offensively, the stars suggest now might be a time to let that knowledge come to you. You might be surprised just how much you can learn by observing rather than searching. Conversely, don’t underestimate your ego’s ability to get in the way of the universe’s natural flow of information. 

This need to stop, watch, and absorb is highlighted by a sextile between your ruling planet, Jupiter, and a conjunction of communicative Mercury and an almost-dark Moon, the latter of which promotes self-reflection and downtime. Prosperity awaits you, Sag, but in order to find it, you’ll have to learn how to be okay with letting other people lead the charge for a while. 

Capricorn: December 22 – January 19

Learning how to prioritize yourself is an ongoing process, Cap. The cognitive dissonance between wanting to do all the things all the time and the physical and mental requirement for rest is a challenge you’ll have to face more than you’d like. Be wary of allowing your frustration to cede to external pressures and undo all your progress thus far. 

The effects of Saturn retrograde rage on this week as Neptune follows suit, but the most pressing cosmic alignment in your case will be an opposition between a waxing crescent Moon and your retrograde ruling planet. Outside influences will try to convince you that you’ve done enough self-prioritization for now. The stars urge you to stay strong in your pursuit.

Aquarius: January 20 – February 18

The stars are forming a potent cosmic alignment for your sign this week, Aquarius. The most important question is: how will you use it? By the end of the week, Mars, a fiery planet that governs aggression, action, and instinct, will align with your ruling planet, Uranus, which typically presides over personal awakenings, rebellion, creativity, and, yes, chaos. 

When Mars and Uranus’ energy mixes, things are bound to get a bit tempestuous. If you can keep it contained, these forces can serve as catalysts forward. But get too reckless, and the fires can quickly burn out of control. Capitalize on this energy while it’s here, but stay grounded while you do so. If things start to feel too hairy, you can always take a break.

Pisces: February 19 – March 20

Now that your ruling planet, Neptune, has gone retrograde, you’ll be feeling all the introspective energy as Saturn retrograde continues to fly under your sign. It’s okay if this feels daunting. Having our emotions take up virtually the entire window of our perspective can be intimidating. Feeling overwhelmed or a bit nervous doesn’t make you weaker, Pisces. 

In fact, the opposite is true—this period of reflection will only make you stronger. Neptune’s sextile with Pluto retrograde throughout the week indicates a positive transformation, and so, too, does Venus’ auspicious trine with your ruling planet by the week’s end. Everything might feel like a lot right now, but keep swimming. You’re closer to solid ground than you think.