The sun moves into Leo on July 22, 2025

Welcome to Leo season!
July 22 - August 22
The sun moves into the warm, generous, and attention-garnering sign of fixed fire on July 22nd at 6:30 am, and Leo season ends on August 22nd at 1:34 pm when the sun moves into Virgo.
Overview:
The wrap-up of Mercury’s retrograde:
Mercury stationed retrograde: July 17th at 15° of Leo
Mercury cazimi: July 31st at 9° of Leo
Mercury stations direct: August 11th at 4° of Leo
Shadow period: June 29th - August 25th
Mercury stationed retrograde about a week before Leo season began, and this Leo season will bring us through the remainder of the retrograde period, as well as the station direct. While retrograde in Leo, Mercury has been ruling over some of the more tense and unpredictable astrological elements of the moment, including Mars’ conjunction to the south node in Virgo and Uranus’ ingress into Gemini, both during Cancer season. Now, in Leo season, we are starting to get closer to making sense of this retrograde, unwinding ourselves, and eventually putting our reflections to use when things start moving forward again. On the last day of July, Mercury’s cazimi may help us find some insight and clarity when it comes to how we embrace our authentic selves and express them as they change. We may be going through a process of meeting a renewed self in the Leo parts of our charts, one fit for what’s coming to form in the moment, and emerging around us as we move into a new era with each of the outer planets and the outer-most traditional planet. We get to carry this clarity back into the murkiness of the second half of the retrograde, for the first two weeks of August. Then Mercury stations direct on August 11th and will begin to pick up speed in the few days that follow, giving us the chance to implement what we’ve spent the last few weeks reflecting on. Mercury stations direct in an opposition to Pluto in the early degrees of Aquarius, adding gravity to our words and weight to our reflections as well. The ways we integrate what we’ve learned (and what we’ve learned) in this Mercury retrograde is important for us, although it might feel difficult, and you may feel magnified pressure in doing so.
Mars moves into Libra & engages the outermost planets:
August 6th: Mars moves into Libra
August 8th: Mars in Libra trines Uranus at 1° of Gemini
August 8th: Mars in Libra opposes Saturn at 1° of Aries
August 9th: Mars in Libra opposes Neptune at 1° of Aries
August 10th: Mars in Libra trines Pluto at 2° of Aquarius
Mars dominates the scene during the second week of August when it moves into its sign of detriment, Venus-ruled Libra, and immediately engages the 4 outermost planets, all freshly (relatively speaking) in new signs.
Mars has a difficult time expressing itself with the sharpness and the severity that it prefers when it’s ruled by Venus, but this year, Mars in Libra has the added challenge of standing up to Saturn and Neptune. When Mars moves into an opposition with the planet of boundaries and responsibilities and the planet of dreams and delusions, it encounters two of the most difficult energies for it to negotiate. Mars’ opposition to Saturn can feel halting and heavy, depressing in some ways, and can leave you feeling exhausted and stuck. It’s often helpful to experience a check on the ways we use our energy, but it may not feel great in the moment. Whereas its opposition to Neptune can feel draining in a different way. Neptune can create hazy energy around Mars’ motivation and drive; it can have us feeling defensive because we’re confused. Hard aspects between Mars and Neptune can feel like speeding through fog. This can be a great time to commit ourselves to something that is spiritually aligned for us or something aligned with our dreams for ourselves, but it can be difficult energy for moving through the mundanity of the day peacefully. This is happening alongside the full moon in Aquarius, ruled by Saturn.
On the other hand, Mars is bolstered by two trines, one to Uranus in Gemini and one to Pluto in Aquarius. These trines can energize Mars and help us to see new approaches to our assertiveness and egos that can help magnify our intentions and empower us to move in innovative new directions. This can be a potent time for idea generation, for conversation, and making connections, even if the benefits aren’t immediately obvious. All of this engagement with outer planets can mean that we are setting the stage for ourselves and our ambitions to run free in the upcoming years.
Saturn x Uranus:
April 4th, 2025: Saturn in Pisces sextiles Uranus at 24° of Taurus
August 11th, 2025: Saturn in Aries sextiles Uranus at 1° of Gemini
January 19th, 2026: Saturn in Pisces sextiles Uranus at 27° of Taurus
Saturn and Uranus have been dancing in and out of a sextile for the better part of 2025 and will continue to do so into January of 2026. When Saturn, the planet of clearly defined reality, boundaries, and responsibilities, comes into alignment with Uranus, the planet of sudden change, disruption, and innovation, we see foundations shake and changes take hold and root. This is a great time to find new ways of building yourself and holding yourself accountable. This is a great time to disrupt entrenched systems in your life that aren’t working for you.
Venus x Jupiter:
August 11th: Venus Jupiter conjunction at 14° of Cancer
When Jupiter and Venus come together in aspect, we expect to find more sweetness around us, but there’s something extra special about this Jupiter-Venus conjunction, because they are coming together while Jupiter is exalted. This is one of the most lovely transits of the year, and it’s a moment to take advantage of. However, it’s coming in the midst of a challenging period, so it may be about reveling in small moments of sweetness in your day: connecting with a loved one, starting something creative, or appreciating the beauty available to you.
Mercury x Mars:
August 14th: Mercury in Leo sextiles Mars at 5° of Libra
August 17th: Mercury in Leo sextiles Mars at 7° of Libra
Mercury and Mars are forming two sextiles back to back, setting up an opportunity to stand behind our words and allowing our ideas to drive us to action and then underlining it a few days later. This is a great time to make progress on a mercurial task, especially as Mercury begins to pick up speed, post retrograde.
Lunations:
New moon at 2° of Leo on July 24th at 12:11 pm
This new moon offers us a powerful start to something with far-reaching potential. We may be starting a new journey when it comes to our identities and how we express ourselves in our authenticity. The world is changing and we may be meeting it with a changed self as well. Things that we begin in the Leo parts of our chart this Leo season may have long-lasting impacts on our lives and how we identify ourselves.
Full moon at 16° of Aquarius on August 9th at 12:55 am
This full moon in Aquarius is highlighting something that we are willing to fight for, something meaningful to us, and something worth being devoted to. We may find ourselves doubling down on something around this full moon, maybe even with a defiant energy, as this lunation is coming along during some intense, and somewhat challenging astrology. It may feel difficult to give ourselves over to what we know and what we believe, especially if it’s at odds with what we’ve been committed to and comfortable with, but there’s something necessary and powerful about it. In a way, that kind of devotion is self-care in the midst of a moment that might feel chaotic and larger than life.
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all times in Pacific time
July 22nd (6:30a) The sun moves into Leo (0°)
July 22nd (10:32p) The sun in Leo sextiles Uranus in Gemini (0°)
July 23rd (1:23a) Venus in Gemini squares Mars in Virgo (21°)
July 24th (4:23a) The sun in Leo trines Saturn in Aries (1°)
July 24th (10:31a) The sun in Leo trines Neptune in Aries (2°)
July 24th (12:11p) New moon in Leo (2°)
July 24th (11:32p) The sun in Leo opposes Pluto in Aquarius (2°)
July 28th (9:55a) Venus in Gemini sextiles Chiron in Aries (27°)
July 30th (7:42a) Chiron stations retrograde in Aries (27°)
July 30th (8:57p) Venus moves into Cancer (0°)
July 31st (4:41p) Mercury in Leo conjoins the sun in Leo (9°)
August 1st (5:41a) First quarter moon in Scorpio (9°)
August 1st (6:34a) Venus in Cancer squares Saturn in Aries (1°)
August 1st (1:48p) Venus in Cancer squares Neptune in Aries (1°)
August 6th (4:24p) Mars moves into Libra (0°)
August 8th (11:44a) Mars in Libra trines Uranus in Gemini (1°)
August 8th (7:52p) Mars in Libra opposes Saturn in Aries (1°)
August 9th (12:55a) Full moon in Aquarius (16°)
August 9th (3:13p) Mars in Libra opposes Neptune in Aries (1°)
August 10th (5:28a) Mars in Libra trines Pluto in Aquarius (2°)
August 11th (12:30a) Mercury stations direct in Leo (4°)
August 11th (8:32p) Saturn in Aries sextiles Uranus in Gemini (1°)
August 11th (10:30p) Venus in Cancer conjoins Jupiter in Cancer (14°)
August 14th (7:04p) Mercury in Leo sextiles Mars in Libra (5°)
August 15th (10:12a) Last quarter moon in Taurus (23°)
August 15th (6:18p) Venus in Cancer trines the north node in Pisces (18°)
August 17th (10:32p) Mercury in Leo sextiles Mars in Libra (7°)
August 19th (10:29a) The sun in Leo trines Chiron in Aries (26°)
August 22nd (1:34p) The sun moves into Virgo (0°)
Happy Leo season!
The sun moves into Leo on July 22nd at 6:30 am Pacific time