July's Outer Planet Dance-A-Thon
So, let's get into the main show and talk about the big ol' aspects landing in July.
A few years ago, maybe around 2022, I was futzing around looking at future Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto aspects and thought to myself, "Hmmm...those planets are eventually going to form a web of trines and sextiles. Interesting."
What I didn't realize until I started digging through an ephemeris was that all those trines and sextiles would perfect within days of each other during the summer of 2026. That got my attention.
Apparently, it got the attention of a lot of astrologers because more and more people started writing about July 2026. One of them was Jessica Davidson, who, back in 2023, reminded readers that these aspects are the first harmonious chapters since the original conjunctions that began each planetary cycle.
The Neptune-Pluto cycle began in 1891-92 and has now reached its first sextile.
The Uranus-Pluto cycle began in 1965-66 and has now reached its first trine.
The Uranus-Neptune cycle began in 1993 and has now reached its first sextile.
Nothing like 1891, 1965, and 1993 all getting a planetary chiropractor adjustment during one week in July 2026. I encourage you to read Jessica's article because she does a nice job explaining the waxing aspects and how they relate back to those original conjunctions.
As I mentioned earlier, what I find fascinating is that while all this is happening, the Cancer New Moon itself is remarkably quiet. Our emotions may rise and fall, but Mercury sitting on top of the New Moon gives us a chance to think about what we're feeling while these outer planet aspects do their thing.
Here's the lineup.
New Moon Phase
July 15 – Uranus sextile Neptune (4° Aries)
July 17 – Uranus trine Pluto (4° Aquarius)
Crescent Phase
July 20 – Jupiter trine Neptune (4° Aries)
July 20 – Jupiter opposite Pluto (4° Aquarius)
First Quarter Phase
July 21 – Jupiter sextile Uranus (4° Gemini)
July 24 – Neptune sextile Pluto (4° Aries)
Technically, even one of these aspects could make for an interesting lunar month.
Six? Who knows.
People are going to feel something during Cancer's lunar month, and now you can see why I think Mercury sitting on the New Moon may be a gift. Bringing a little intellect to all these emotions may not be a bad thing.
Quick Astro 101 – Outer & Inner
Now is probably a good time to remind everyone about the difference between the inner and outer planets.
The inner planets speak to the ground game each of us is playing as we move through our lives.
Venus asks, "How's my love life and my wallet?"
Mars says, "I've got to get through this to-do list."
Mercury asks, "Where the heck did I put that piece of paper with the address?"
The outer planets are different.
They describe the larger themes unfolding for humanity over many years.
Take Uranus in Gemini. The last two times Uranus traveled through Gemini we saw the telegraph transform communication in the 1860s and radar reshape warfare in the 1940s. Those developments changed how society communicated, how wars were fought, and how ordinary people lived their lives. Uranus moved into Gemini just last month.
Neptune in Capricorn (1984-1998) coincided with the collapse of the Soviet Union, one of history's great institutional dissolutions. At the same time, the internet began transforming commerce with companies like Amazon, Yahoo!, Netscape, eBay, and eventually Google. Build the vision and people will come. That feels very Neptune in Capricorn.
Pluto is different still. Pluto doesn't tweak society. Pluto transforms it. I remember Pluto in Scorpio vividly. In the spring of 1985, I woke many nights to my neighbor sobbing. Over the next several months I watched AIDS take its toll on him in real time. That was my first lived experience of Pluto in Scorpio.
But what about the children born during that era?
In 2017, astrologer Marjorie Orr noted that journalist Ronan Farrow, whose reporting exposed Harvey Weinstein, has a Pluto-Mars conjunction in Scorpio. Many of the people who stepped forward during the MeToo movement also belong to the Pluto in Scorpio generation. Confronting trauma, abuse, and hidden power structures is about as Pluto in Scorpio as it gets.
See how different that feels?
Your wallet... versus the age of the internet.
Your to-do list... versus the MeToo movement.
That's the difference between the inner and outer planets.
So, everyone wants to know what all this means. To which I continue to answer:
We don't know. Uranus brings innovation. Neptune speaks to dreams, inspiration, faith, and sometimes illusion. Pluto transforms whatever it touches. All three are now in new signs and they’re figuring out something fresh no doubt.
No one alive has experienced this combination. Some of what begins this summer may not even become obvious for years. There weren't many people standing on the beach when the Wright brothers first flew. Very few watched Clara Barton tending wounded soldiers during the Civil War. No cave painting captures the first time someone harnessed fire. History can happen in the margins and then change the world.
We'll get another round of these aspects during the summer of 2027, with final echoes continuing into 2028. More will be revealed. For now, it's enough to know that something is underway.
Barbault's Basket
Part and parcel of this late July astrology is something the late astrology Andre Barbault wrote about a dozen years ago. Many astrologers are calling it Barbault’s Basket. You can find my write up HERE. I do not know what this all means because it is so big it is a bit hard to comprehend but I do know this is structural changes that will later have been implications. Era defining implications even if it takes a year or two for us to fully ‘get it’. In the meantime if you have planets between 2 and 6 degrees of any sign you will be feeling this in a personal way because the outer planets are talking to it.
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