Hi friends,
How you doing out there?
Last weekend’s Astro-HD was provoking, to say the least: On the 4th of July, Venus and Uranus met up at the critical last degree of Taurus, Venus moved into chatty Gemini, Neptune stationed retrograde, and all the while the sun was moving through the Human Design Gate of Provocation.
Last week asked a lot of us, emotionally, spiritually, and collectively. Venus and Uranus coming together blew open old patterns around love, stability, and unspoken agreements. Neptune’s retrograde turn in Aries stirred up ancient fog around identity, forcing many of us to reckon with stories we didn’t even know we were still carrying. The Sun's journey through Gate 39 (Provocation) stirred the still water, drawing out the grief we hadn’t made space for, and the tenderness we hadn’t fully felt. Oof this was true for me.
Personally, the first week of July carried a definite charge, a tension that was both electrically outward and deeply internal. Venus, the planet of values, conjunct Uranus, the planet of disruption, in stable Taurus triggered a quiet earthquake beneath the surface of things I thought I understood about myself, my past, and my values. Over the past week there has been a churning wheel inside me that is tied to intimacy, stability, and the unspoken agreements that form the scaffolding of relationships. Taurus is the sign of embodied wisdom, and last week, I felt the epiphanies that Uranus was highlighting there with his lightning bolts in my body, before my mind could name them.
Neptune also stationed retrograde in Aries on the 4th of July, and for me it came with what felt like spiritual vertigo. Neptune in Aries is not content to dream quietly in the corner. It wants to dissolve illusions around identity, force a confrontation with the myths we build about who we are, and why. When it reversed direction in the sky, the fog did not lift so much as shift direction, curling around places I usually keep moving too quickly to see. It was hard to tell what was personal and what was ancestral, what belonged to the moment and what was being echoed from deep inside the psyche.
With Cancer in my 12th house, these waters are always close to the surface, though I often don’t realize it until they surge. With last week’s transits, they did. There was a softness to it, but also a sense of dislocation, like I was being pulled back through time to witness relationships that once held me like a tether. I was surprised by the grief that surfaced, not as memory, but as a recognition that certain connections etched themselves into me so completely they never truly ended, even when the relationship did.
The Sun in Gate 39 (the Gate of Provocation) brought its own rhythm of agitation, the kind that stirred the still water rather than breaking it open. I wrote last week that Provocation, the name of this gate, isn’t about conflict for its own sake, but instead is a spiritual tool, a subtle test of where the energy still flows and where it has gone stagnant. The sun’s transit through this gate often arrives with people or events that press into the places we’ve left unexamined. It can feel like a challenge, though in truth it is an invitation. Last week, that invitation came through unexpected channels- old messages, passing phrases, the look on someone’s face that mirrored something back I didn’t know I needed to see.
On the collective level, Trump’s big beautiful bill passing on July 3 moved like a stone through the collective waters. We’re still unpacking what this massive legislation will mean for us personally, for our country, and for the world, but it’s impact was undeniably provoking. The air has changed over the past week. Everyone is feeling it, even if we can’t perfectly articulate the breadth and depth of what all is going to be disrupted. People are being stirred into action, but not without making place for grief first.
The week did not deliver answers. It rarely does, when Neptune is involved. But something loosened, something essential uncoiled, and in that slow unwinding I caught glimpses of a new shape beginning to form beneath all the static.
There is a strange clarity that comes when you stop trying to sort meaning from illusion and allow them both to speak. Last week, I tried to hold both logic and dream in one hand, and I am still deeply listening to the paradox.
How are you feeling after that provocative week and bittersweet 4th of July weekend?
This week in the Wheel of the Year:
On Monday, the sun moves into the Gate of Beginnings, and Uranus leaves Taurus after 7 years and enters the sign of Gemini the twins until 2033. I wrote horoscopes for all rising signs about this major transit that you can find here.
On Thursday, we have a full moon in Capricorn, with the sun in the Gate of Beginnings opposite the moon in the Gate of Ambition.
And on Sunday, lord of time Saturn follows Neptune’s vibe and stations retrograde in Aries.
If the deeply provoking energies of last week’s events left you felt unmoored, this week’s transits provide a perfect time to put structure to your goals and ambitions for the new beginnings you want to see in your life and in the world.
The nitty gritty of the wheels of the year:
MEDICINE WHEEL Direction: SOUTH
WUXING Element: FIRE
PAGAN Season: LITHA (Midsummer)
ZODIAC Season: CANCER (June 20-July 20)
I’CHING Hexagram/HUMAN DESIGN Gate:
Monday July 7- Saturday July 12: Gate 53 = Wind over Mountain “Development/Gradual Progress”, aka the Gate of BEGINNINGS
Sunday July 13- next Friday: Gate 62 = Thunder over Mountain “Small Exceeding (Preponderance of the Small)”, aka the Gate of DETAILS
MOON Phase: Full moon in Capricorn in the Gate of Ambition (54) (Thursday, July 10)
PLANETARY dances:
Uranus enters Gemini (Monday, July 7)
Saturn stations Rx in Aries (Sunday, July 13)
Big changes: Uranus enters Gemini until 2033
On July 7, Uranus enters Gemini for the first time since the 1940s, beginning an eight-year journey that will redraw our collective circuitry of communication, intelligence, and connection. Uranus is the slow revealer, the disruptor that works in pulses and lightning bolts, rarely with permission. In Gemini, the sign of breath, language, and neural networks, this transit signals a long arc of upheaval in how we think, speak, learn, and relate. Systems based on speed and information will splinter and reform. Attention will become the most unstable and sought-after currency. Minds may fray under the weight of too much signal and too little silence.
But Gemini is also the path of the pollinator. In its higher octave, it brings genius through juxtaposition, pattern recognition, trickster fluency. Uranus here doesn’t want linear answers. It wants a kaleidoscope, a cipher, a new dialect emerging from the rubble of the old.
For those who tune into the subtle rather than the sensational, the shift may arrive first as static: buzzing at the edge of awareness, fluttering behind the eyes, flickering through dreams. Our minds may feel pulled in a dozen directions, and all of them urgent. Resist the urge to anchor too quickly. Uranus in Gemini teaches by disruption, and its lessons are lived through both paradox, through the willingness to stay present in the in-between.
A Magic Triangle begins between Pluto, Neptune & Uranus (from 2025-2029)
Uranus entering Gemini on Monday marks the last of the outer planets to change signs, with Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, and Jupiter all having moved from one signs to another within the past several months. This is the final puzzle piece that clicks a super-rare, planetary configuration into place for the next several years: variously called a “mini grand trine”, “triangle of revolution” “talent triangle” or “magic triangle”. After lots of feminine (earth & water) energy over the past several years, this is a new triangle between the masculine (air & fire) signs of Aquarius, Aries, and Gemini. Pluto in the early degrees of Aquarius is now trine Uranus in the first degree of Gemini, and Neptune & Saturn both sit right in between them at the first degrees of Aries.
These planets will retrograde and again station direct over the coming months, but this basic triangle between Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus will be in effect from 2025 to 2029. The aspect also stays very powerful for a long time (within a two-degree orb for over 45 weeks!) The outer planets often team up in patterns but don’t always form triangles and the configurations don’t usually last as long as the current one. It peaks with the most exact aspects around August–Sept 2025, July 2026, and June 2027, and will affect you most if you have planets or points from 2-8 degrees of Aquarius, Aries, or Gemini.
With Neptune at the midpoint,
According to astrologer Gery Mews: “In astrology we study the cycles of the three slow-moving outer transpersonal planets as the key markers of our collective experience through history. These outer planets have long orbits: Pluto 248 years, Neptune 164 years and Uranus 84 years. It is an extremely rare event when all 3 outer planets change signs in between 2023/4-2026. They are the significators for our collective evolution and processes.
Additionally, during 2025 to 2028, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto align in a supportive Minor Grandtrine, transiting from more passive water and earth signs to energetically active and outward directed air and fire signs. Just to get an idea about the length of cycles, the last triple conjunction of these slow movers occurred in 578 BCE, the time when our modern era civilisations were born. Now 2500 years later, they align again with Neptune at the midpoint marking a watershed moment in history, a breaking point for us all. The possibility of war and destruction competes with the possibility of world peace and the awakening of a global consciousness.
There are lots of takes on what this harmonious trine/sextile energy between the 3 outer planets will mean for humanity. Many are positive. The Astrology King says “This Magic Triangle is the most positive, significant and consequential planetary alignment in our lifetimes and this century.” Mary Dodd says “This Minor Grand Trine signals an era when creativity and invention soar to unprecedented heights, urging humanity to align with higher ideals, innovate boldly, and evolve toward a more connected and inspired collective future. At such pivotal degrees, this could indeed herald the spiritual awakening or evolution that has been prophesied.” Molly McCord says “This is the next reniassance. This is rebirth. This is renewal. This is a fast moving, accelerated energy of dynamic change and possibility that takes us into the new experiences on the planet that we’re creating as this new cycle begins (the new cycle being Neptune at the first degree of the entire Zodiac).”
Neptune near 0° Aries, at the center of the minor grand trine with Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini, acts as the energetic pivot point in a larger process of transformation. Pluto is working on deep structural and collective shifts, Uranus is activating rapid changes in how we think, connect, and communicate, but Neptune is filtering both through a subtle field of vision, intuition, and imagination. Positioned at the very start of the zodiac, Neptune is dissolving what no longer fits and opening space for something new to emerge. It brings uncertainty and inspiration at once, shaping the emotional and spiritual tone of changes that could otherwise become too mental or mechanical. Everything in this pattern flows through Neptune first, meaning the future taking shape now must pass through the lens of meaning, sensitivity, and unseen influence. As we dream into new collective futures, Uranus and Pluto in air signs are helping us think radically new thoughts, in our sovereign minds and as a collective organism.
Something else that’s super wild related to this Uranus ingress into Gemini is that both Donald Trump’s chart AND the chart for the birth of the USA (July 4, 1776) have their Uranus is in Gemini. So in the next several years, both DJT and the USA will experience their Uranus returns, something that happens once every 84 years. Together, these transits mark a turning point in the country’s story, one that challenges old ideas and pushes for something radically different. Here’s hoping that the New Earth/rebirth energy of the Magic Triangle opens us up to a full on paradigm shift from everything we’ve ever known before….
To quote Jurrassic Park: Hold onto your butts.
This week, as Uranus shifts signs, the Sun is moving through the Human Design Gate of Beginnings (53)
Overlaying this powerful collective initiation, this Monday the Sun enters Gate 53: The Gate of Beginnings. This is the sacred opening, the alchemical spark, the root energy that nudges a seed toward sprouting. After being shown some potentially painful truths last week in the Gate of Provocation, the Gate of Beginnings starts this week with patience and persistence. It knows that every threshold crossed is a ritual, and that growth is a promise we make with time.
Known as “Gradual Progress” or “Development” in the I’Ching, Gate 53 embodies the energy of initiation, growth, and the potential for new ventures. It represents the urge to start something new, to take the first steps toward building something from the ground up. This gate carries the seed of development, requiring patience and consistency as it gradually unfolds.
Located in the Root Center, this gate emphasizes the importance of timing and the ability to recognize the right moment to begin a new endeavor. It calls for the willingness to start from scratch, build momentum, and take the necessary steps towards growth, while also navigating the challenges of perseverance.
In the Gene Keys, the shadow of Gate 53 is inertia. It teaches us to transcend the inertia of the external world by embracing expansion (the gift) and taking thoughtful, inspired action. It reminds us that true success and abundance (the siddhi) come not from rushing forward impulsively, but from patiently nurturing the seeds we plant and allowing them to grow naturally.
Together, Uranus and the Sun set a tone for this new chapter: radical ideas planted slowly, with reverence. New ways of speaking, relating, and learning will begin to emerge. Some may arrive as flashes of insight, others as tiny, practical shifts in routine. Pay attention to the conversation that surprises you, the article that lingers longer than it should, the idea that returns again and again in quiet moments. These are signals.
What begins this week may seem small. It could be as simple as a passing thought, a question, or a conversation. A gentle pull toward something unfamiliar. But beginnings are never truly small: they carry entire futures inside them.
This is a week to listen with your whole body. To breathe space around your thoughts. To welcome the stirrings of a new intelligence, one that speaks in image and contradiction, one that does not need to be explained to be understood.
Contemplations for this week of new beginnings:
How can I recognize the right moment to begin a new project or venture in my life?
Am I hesitating due to fear, or am I rushing into things without proper consideration?
How can I approach new beginnings with patience and consistency to allow for natural growth and abundance?
Thursday: Full moon in Capricorn in the Gate of Ambition (54)
The Full Moon in Capricorn on Thursday, July 10 lights up Gate 54, the Gate of Ambition, while the Sun in Cancer shines from across the sky in Cancer’s Gate 53, the Gate of Beginnings. This full moon could be a time when inner stirrings seek outer manifestation, and emotional seeds planted in silence are now being tested against the structures of the world.
Gene Key 53 has the Shadow of Immaturity, the Gift of Expansion, and the Siddhi of Superabundance. In the I Ching, it is Hexagram 53: Development (Gradual Progress). As I just said, the Gate of Beginnings relates to the slow, spiraling path of growth, where what begins must be nurtured with patience, presence, and the willingness to let cycles unfold in their own time. With the Sun here, we feel the stirring of new energies, the inner push to begin something meaningful, even though it may still feel fragile or undefined.
Opposing this, the Full Moon in Gate 54 moves from the Shadow of Greed, to the Gift of Aspiration, to the Siddhi of Ascension. In the I’Ching, 54 is known as “The Marrying Maiden”, a hexagram that speaks to ambition, hierarchy, and the often complex path of rising within collective systems. Under this full moon, ambition is revealed for what it is: either a grasping toward status and approval, or a sacred drive to embody purpose and serve something larger than oneself.
Together, the polarity between these Cancer & Capricorn gates hold a deep evolutionary tension. One gate wants to begin anew, organically. The other wants to rise through the existing ranks. The Sun calls for emotional presence and slow unfolding. The Moon reflects back the pressure to make something real, to climb, to prove. In their highest expressions, both offer transformation: an inner superabundance that naturally expands into outer ascension. But this can only happen when rooted in patience and truth.
This full moon invites a check-in: Are you starting something aligned with your deeper purpose, or chasing something out of fear of falling behind? This full moon reminds us that there is nothing wrong with wanting more, but the form that ambition takes will reveal the quality of the foundation beneath it.
Growth is sacred. So is aspiration. Under this full moon, let your ambitions meet a new beginning, one more aligned with your current self. This full moon, listen closely and tune into what meaningful and new beginnings are happening in your life.
With Uranus entering Gemini and connecting with all the other outer planets, the sun in the gate of beginnings, and the moon in the gate of Ambition, this week’s energies truly feel like the pre-dawn of a new era- for us personally and collectively.
On Sunday, the final major planetary dance of the week is Saturn stationing retrograde, which allows us to reflect, re-evaluate, and revision the structures that will hold all of these new beginnings in any sort of coherent form.
Sunday: Saturn Retrograde in Aries
Saturn stationing retrograde in Aries offers a period of reflection on personal ambition, independence, and how we assert ourselves in the world. Aries is a bold, dynamic, and action-oriented sign, while Saturn governs structure, responsibility, and long-term planning. During this retrograde phase, Saturn’s usually forward-moving energy becomes introspective, urging us to revisit the ways in which we express our drive, set boundaries, and take action toward our personal goals.
This retrograde asks us to reflect on the areas of our life where we may be struggling to take ownership of our desires or where we have been overly impulsive or aggressive in asserting ourselves. It’s a time to reassess how we channel our personal power and how well we are balancing independence with responsibility. Saturn in Aries is about learning how to build sustainable foundations for our ambitions, but this retrograde period could highlight where we might have skipped important steps, rushed forward without proper planning, or lacked the discipline to follow through.
The key during Saturn’s retrograde in Aries is to slow down, review your goals, and be honest with yourself about where you might be holding back or acting out of fear or impatience. This period can feel frustrating as you confront obstacles or delays, but it provides an opportunity to refine your strategy, clarify your vision, and ensure that your actions are rooted in long-term sustainability rather than short-term wins. It’s a time to cultivate patience, reconsider your approach to independence and leadership, and lay a solid foundation for future success once Saturn stations direct.
Saturn will retrograde through Aries until September 1, when it retrogrades back into Pisces, staying in the sign of the fish for the final time until it re-enters Aries on February 13, 2026.
Contemplations for this Week of Many Beginnings
As Uranus moves into Gemini, the Sun shifts into Gate 53 (Beginnings), and the Capricorn Full Moon reflects ambition back to us—consider spending some quiet time with these questions:
What is quietly beginning in me right now that doesn’t yet have a name?
Where do I still carry ambitions shaped by old systems, rather than my current self?
Am I planting seeds with presence, or trying to skip to the harvest?
What’s calling for structure in my life, not for control, but for support?
How can I honor this new beginning with patience, while staying open to surprise?
What relationships or roles am I still tethered to, even if the form has already changed?
What does real aspiration feel like in my body? Where does it live, and how does it move?
You don’t need to answer all of them. Let one or two ripple through your week, and notice what rises.
Stay in touch!
You can find me at astrosomatics.com, @cyclesoftimepodcast and @astro.somatics on Instagram, or subscribe at cyclesoftime.substack.com to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.
Coming soon »
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Thanks so much for reading. Talk to you again soon.
xox,
Alison
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