With 5 Planets in Retrograde This Week, Get Ready To Face Difficulty, Not Escape It

We enter into this week with new cosmic direction, and true to the spirit of 2020, it’s full of twists and catalytic turning points. To prepare for what’s to come (hello, five planets in retrograde), though, let’s first review where we’ve just been with Venus, Mars, and Neptune.

Venus, while still in her retrograde shadow, stationed direct on June 25th, and is not one of the five planets in retrograde this week. Now in her morning-star position, Venus is in warrior mode, here to help us fight for what we believe and do the work necessary to stay principled in business and life. Review what you learned about yourself, your relationship, and the world over the last two months during her retrograde, and integrate those lessons into your life.

Mars, the planet of dynamic action, entered Aries on June 27th. As he did, he squared the point of the last solar eclipse at 0 degrees of Cancer, providing clarity on the journey in which we now find ourselves. The recent solar eclipse in Cancer opened a new road of potentiality, wrapping up a 19-year cycle that began on June 21, 2001, and initiating a new growth path. Mars will stay in Aries until the beginning of 2021, which an exceptionally long period for Mars to remain in one sign, and that’s significant because he can feel aggressive in the sign he rules.

To channel your Mars-in-Aries vibes for positive health gains, stay committed to the physical practices that keep you healthy, centered, and resilient. Prioritizing health is important now, as we enter what will surely be a tumultuous election season with the pandemic continuing to spread. So, make healthy choices and honor your emotions. Remember, anger is a massive tonic right now, and expressing it healthily is paramount.

This comes into play with Neptune’s retrograde station, which began June 23rd, because he asks us to review the dream and vision we hold sacred to our lives and the world. He also provides us with potency when it comes to cultivating our spiritual practices. Are you meditating, praying, and doing the rituals that keep you grounded and connected? Are you connecting with the voice of your intuition, communing with art in a meaningful way. Are you sleeping? These are crucial things to consider when it comes to prioritizing a healthy relationship with Neptune.

In general, make sure you aren’t “escaping” but rather facing difficulty appropriately, because the week ahead is full of potential and dramatic changes.

With five planets in retrograde this week, buckle up for astrological intensity

On Tuesday, Mercury and the sun meet up at 9 degrees of Cancer, marking the midway point of Mercury’s retrograde journey. The sun and Mercury also sextile Uranus, the planet of radical breakthrough, who currently travels in Taurus.

Also on Tuesday, Pluto and Jupiter meet up at an exact conjunction for the second of three times this year. This conjunction happens with both Pluto, who rules power, and Jupiter, who rules growth, in retrograde, providing for a potent moment to consider how you are wielding power in your life. Are you in integrity with your values? Are you working toward authentic, soul-driven goals? If so, you stand to make substantial gains, so stay the path and do the work. If you aren’t, now’s the time to course-correct by acknowledging where you lack the courage to make the changes you most desire.

Committing to use your pain as a source of wisdom is precisely what the cosmos is asking at this sacred moment in time.

To add one more critical dynamic to Tuesday, the sun, at 9 degrees of Cancer, conjoined to retrograde Mercury, makes an activating square to Chiron, the wounded healer. The combination of the sun conjoining Mercury in retrograde and in a square to Chiron doubles down on the emotionality of the day. Chiron illuminates our core wound and teaches us to use this pain as a source of power. The goal here is to use this energy to animate who you are as a teacher. Given the dynamic power of the Pluto and Jupiter conjunction at this same time, committing to use your pain as a source of wisdom is precisely what the cosmos is asking at this sacred moment in time.

On July 1, Saturn, in retrograde, moves out of Aquarius, back to Capricorn, which is a very big deal: Since March 21, he’s flirted with his Saturn in Aquarius lessons, and now he moves back to Capricorn to finish his teachings in the stalwart sign of ambition, structure, and rules. Saturn, the planet of discipline, shows us where we have work to do. Between now and the end of the year, he’ll hammer home the lessons associated with his Capricorn journey.

The week ends in Capricorn with a holiday and a full moon lunar eclipse on July 5 at 12:44 a.m., ET. Given the tense climate in the country, it’s safe to say this won’t be your typical Fourth of July holiday. With COVID-19 spreading, economic hardship looming, tensions surrounding police brutality mounting, and a large-scale public reckoning with rampant systemic racism swirling in this country, we can expect the holiday to be political. Mars at four degrees of Aries squares Mercury, amplifying the potential for conflict. Given that the Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter conjunction is in full effect at this time, too, it’s likely that things will feel heated, and abuses of power stand to be exposed.

Full moons ask you to release that which isn’t working. South node lunar eclipses bring endings. So ask yourself this; what do I need to shed this full moon?

This week offers so much support. Even with many planets retrograde, decisions made right now can stick. So stay conscious and clear. Give yourself the space you need so that you don’t feel rushed. If you need to cry, please do. Letting yourself process difficult emotions and shedding tears is crucial. But also know this: No matter how hard things are now, you will get through and come out the other side stronger.

Jennifer Racioppi is the creator of Lunar Logic—a philosophy that integrates the deep wisdom of both science and spirituality, and blends her expertise in astrology, positive psychology, and women’s health—to coach high-achieving female entrepreneurs to reach their next level of success.