On the Approach to the June Solstice: June 15 – June 21, 2026

Spearing Eels by Winslow Homer, ca. late 1800s

Late Sunday night, we reached the Gemini New Moon, and this week the seed we planted will begin to develop roots. The seed you have planted relates to communication and curiosity in the house that holds Gemini in your natal chart. A full understanding of that seed will not be clear for weeks, but the planting is done, and this week we begin to move that cycle forward.

Shortly after Venus’ conjunction with Jupiter last week, she entered Leo two days ago. She carries with her from that meeting a quality of abundance and confidence in love. Her presence in the fixed fire sign sets the relational tone for the weeks ahead. Venus is active this week, contacting Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in quick succession. Each of these contacts will show us where our values and our capacity to love are being tested and developed.

Early on Sunday morning, the Sun crosses into Cancer at the June Solstice. Here in the northern hemisphere, Summer begins!

Monday, June 15: Moon Enters Cancer | Venus Sextile Uranus

The Moon enters Cancer at 8:14 am EDT, and your emotional needs turn toward loving and protecting those you care for. As the week begins, we have with us the freshness of last night’s Gemini New Moon. When the Moon is in Cancer, you want to protect and tend to the people in your life, and that instinct is where Cancer’s strength lives.

At 6:53 pm EDT, Venus, newly in Leo, forms a sextile to Uranus. Venus in Leo values warmth and generosity. The sextile to Uranus may open doors you did not know were there. Pay attention, because this is an invitation that requires your participation. Something in a relationship or creative project may unexpectedly offer a new direction on your path.

1. Where have you been waiting passively for something to change rather than taking action yourself?
2. What unexpected open door are you willing to step through this evening?
3. Who in your life needs your attention and care today?

Tuesday, June 16: Moon in Cancer | Venus Trine Neptune

The Moon continues through Cancer today as we continue our attention on the care of others. When the Moon is in Cancer, we are ready to offer emotional safety and belonging to those we love. This does not require much outward effort but simply a state of attentive caring.

• Can you stop holding romance at arm’s length?
• Can you express love without reservation?
• What longing surfaces at the end of the day, and can you allow it to move you?

Wednesday, June 17: Moon Enters Leo | Venus Opposition Pluto

At 8:05 am EDT, the Moon enters Leo and our emotional needs shift from Cancer’s private tenderness to something more vital and expressive. When the Moon is in Leo, we want to be seen in a direct bright light without apology. We want to express warmth and generosity, and to be appreciated deeply.

Later in the afternoon, at 4:38 pm EDT, Venus in Leo forms an opposition to Pluto. This is the most challenging aspect of the week. Pluto pulls everything toward depth and reveals what has been hidden. With Venus facing Pluto directly, anything inauthentic or unacknowledged may well come to light. With Pluto currently retrograde, the pressure of this transit probably comes from within rather than from external circumstances. Something problematic that you already know about a relationship or a pattern of connection is being shown to you clearly.

Venus has been in Leo since last weekend, and this opposition is her first test in this sign. Leo’s expression of love is generous and bold. Today Pluto demands that love be fully authentic and live on a bedrock of integrity. What is out of integrity will be clear to you today.

• Have you been managing appearances in a relationship rather than telling the truth?
• What do you know about your relational patterns that you have been hesitant to take seriously?
• What would it mean to love someone without the protective layer you hold in place?

Friday, June 19: Moon Enters Virgo | Chiron Enters Taurus

The Moon enters Virgo at 10:36 am EDT, and the emotional need shifts from Leo’s warmth to Virgo’s grounded discernment. When the Moon is in Virgo, we seek practical understanding and usefulness. You may find yourself more aware of the small details that give your life and work order and practicality. Today you will want to be purposeful and useful in whatever you turn your attention to.

At 5:19 pm EDT, Chiron moves from Aries into Taurus. Chiron has been in Aries since 2018, and today’s ingress marks a significant shift of the wound that we are collectively grappling with. While in Aries, the Chiron work has centered on a wound to healthy self-assertion and the development of courage. Chiron’s wound in Aries is around personal will and initiation. Consider how you struggle to develop this or where it has been used against you.

In Taurus, the collective wound Chiron asks us to grapple with relates to our bodies and resources. We must consider what is valued and cared for due to its inherent worth. The Chiron wound in Taurus is quiet and deep. It shows itself as a chronic underselling of our value and a disconnection from physical comfort and pleasure. Chiron in Taurus will be here until 2036. Today begins an ongoing conversation about how to reconnect to your physicality.

• Where have you been underselling your own worth in practical or material terms?
• How can you trust your body and give it attention and care?
• How can you give yourself profound physical pleasure today?

Saturday, June 20: Moon in Virgo | Waxing Crescent | Here Comes the Sun

The Moon continues through Virgo today, making it an excellent day for getting things checked off your to-do list. You will want to make order in the chaos around you and to be useful to others. We are currently in the waxing crescent phase of the lunar cycle that began Monday night with the Gemini New Moon. The seed you planted then is now reaching toward the light. This is a time of steady, directed growth. What you set in motion with Monday’s New Moon is building, although the shape of it is far from clear.

The Sun stands at 29 degrees Gemini today, the final degree before the Summer Solstice tomorrow. The 29th degree of any sign carries a quality of instability and release. We have not yet arrived where we are going, but we are so very close. The three signs of Spring – Aries, Taurus, and Gemini – are pushing us now toward Summer. Tomorrow the Sun enters Cancer, shifting the orientation of the seasons. Today we sit at the threshold.

After a rather intense week with a New Moon, Venus connecting with Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, and Chiron changing signs, today offers a day to process. The Virgo Moon is well suited for this: practical, reflective, and attentive to what still needs to be tended.

• What efforts need to be completed before the Solstice tomorrow?
• Where are you standing at a threshold today that you are ready to cross?
• What are you dreaming of or planning for as we prepare to enter Summer?

Sunday, June 21: Summer Solstice | Sun Enters Cancer | Moon Enters Libra

At 4:24 am EDT, the Sun enters Cancer, and the Summer Solstice arrives. This is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sun is at its peak of light, standing at the threshold of the sign that is ruled by the Moon and carries the Moon’s deep emotional sensitivity.

The Solstice brings us to a turning point. The days have been lengthening since the Winter Solstice in December, and now they begin to shorten. The quality of light becomes more interior and reflective.

The sign of Cancer is as strong as it is sensitive. This is not only a water sign but a cardinal sign that initiates care and protection, and it does so forcefully. Its sensitivity comes from its capacity to know what is needed and care enough to provide it. When the Sun enters Cancer, our attention turns to the people we want to care for and protect.

The Moon enters Libra at 4:54 pm EDT, and the evening of the Solstice carries Libra’s need for beauty and connection. The evening is suited for gathering with people you love to share a meal and conversation.

• What does your innermost life need during this Cancer season?
• Who will you spend this Solstice evening with, and what do you want to share with them?
• What are you ready to protect and care for more fiercely than you have been?

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About my book: How to Read and Interpret a Birth Chart: Guideposts for Understanding Natal Astrology