The Sun enters The Walled Garden of Cancer II on 1 July 2025 at 10:14 am EDT, and travels through it until 10 July 2025 at 9:55 pm EDT, making ten days, 11 hours, and 44 minutes. This is the longest period of time that the Sun spends in any decan, which the ancient Greeks dedicated to Hercules in the court of the Amazon queen. Divided between the Bounds of Jupiter and Mercury, it’s a season of generous communication under the administration of Mercury (who passed this way June 8-16, and returns July 13 to August 2 during the retrograde). Austin Coppock named this face of the Zodiac The Walled Garden, but T. Susan Chang in her book 36 Secrets, called it Seize the Day. I’ve previously written about Cancer II in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
The decan belongs to the administrative management of Mercury, and it carries something of their nature with it. Mercury is the technical skill of communication, but also the expertise necessary to solve problems. Which is to say that this is being in touch with one’s feelings. It’s appropriate that the myth associated with this deck in a Hellenic cosmology, is that of Hercules in the court of the Amazon queen. After accidentally killing his wife during a traumatic PTSD rage, Hercules goes to the Oracle of Delphi in order to ask what he can do to a tone for his crime. The Oracle informs him that he should spend a year in a day in the court of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. She puts on his lion skin and armor, and takes up his weapons, while she makes him wear women’s clothing and sit among her weaving and spinning women; there he learns their craft and we may assume that he also learned how to get in touch with his emotional life, much as mercury under the direction of the moon teaches us to communicate effectively about our feelings.
The Tarot card associated with this decan, at least in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, is the Three of Cups. This card depicts three women dancing in a beautiful garden, far from prying eyes. It represents the level of sophisticated conversation that takes place among those who don’t have to be the “masters of the universe.” Hercules as a hero of great renown, can’t be in touch with his emotions. He is too busy, and too needed, saving the world from monsters. His great strength as a son of Zeus, and the intelligence which he exhibits in how he solves the problems set for him in the 12 laborers, demonstrate that like Superman, he cannot be allowed to rest. It is only by taking off the garments of a man, and atoning for his terrible actions while dressed as a woman, that he is able to resolve his own inner turmoil. A secret identity, in the private gardens of the women of Hippolyta’s court, is the only thing that allows him to learn how to communicate about his feelings and resolve the inner turmoil of his identity as Hercules the son of Zeus.
The dodeks (from the Greek dodekatemoiria, or twelfth-parts of each Zodiac sign) of Cancer II are associated with Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius. In this they tell a story of desire — feeling a longing or a yearning arise, observing it, acknowledging it, and then letting it go. One possible way these can be observed is in a skillful Zen monk who suddenly experiences a longing for ice cream. Sitting with that yearning and studying it, he discovers that it’s merely a hunger pang that can be sated in other ways than with ice cream. Another way it can manifest is as a horny teenager, who successfully sends a U up? message to a friend with benefits, only to regret the one-night stand in the morning.
Dates to Watch
Although I am giving some general advice about these dates, it’s important to consider how these dates interact with your own chart, and to understand that your own personal context matters a great deal.
1 July 2025 — Moon trines Venus. Robert Hand points out that this is a transit of pleasant feelings, both for you and those around you. Although it’s a Tuesday night associated with Mars, you might consider inviting some friends over to watch a movie, or a friend-with-benefits for a one-night stand. Taking time to beautify your household is also a valuable thing to do on this day. The counter-argument is to not overdo it. Don’t count on this transit for starting a new relationship, or demolishing your kitchen as preparation for a remodel.
3-4 July 2025 — Venus conjuncts Uranus. This promises pleasant times, but also surprising ones— Uranus always delivers unexpected results even though Venus delivers love and creativity. Sudden turmoil in long-standing relationships is possible or even likely; overspending on beautiful things for your home may cause friction. Choose and stimulating new adventures rather than the same old thing.
5-6 July 2025 — Venus sextiles Saturn. The surprise of yesterday turns into the “we need to have a serious conversation” today. Outlining your duties and responsibilities to a partner (business or romantic does not really matter here) is a valuable strategy and tactic. Focusing on the details rather than on the big picture in your creative endeavors has value as well. Spend time with a mentor if you can.
Saturn Conjunct Neptune. While the conjunction does not go exact this week, Saturn, the planet of boundaries, will be traveling within a degree of Neptune, the planet of no boundaries, for the next eleven days. You are likely to be aware of restrictions on your behaviors, and chafe against them. You may also feel that a lack of boundaries or limitations is causing a project or program to spiral out of control. Remember that idealistic solutions to problems may be visionary and amazing, but also out of touch with reality. Similarly it’s important to take gloomy feelings and examine them against reality. Are things really as bad as you think they are? Or are they worse? (That’s a little joke, there). Be aware that you may find that you suffer from negative delusions, but that you are capable of resolving these with practical work. Stop doom scrolling and make a paper heart for somebody that you love.
House Delineations
The First House of self and self-presentation is Virgo ruled by inconjunct Mercury, and hosting Mars and the Moon, as well as the South Node. Take two minutes to examine yourself in the mirror before you leave the house and make sure that your look for the day actually suits you. Remove one thing, as well. Be more cautious around fire and sharp implements than usual.
The Second House of money and possessions is libra ruled by in conjunction Venus. None of the Triplicity rulers of Libra is available to assist you are largely on your own when it comes to your finances in the next 10 days. Be more tuned to what you spend and why than usual and be more hardheaded about purchasing goods or services beyond your income. A little delay will serve you well.
The Third House of extended family and intimate friends is Scorpio ruled by sextile Mars, but with the lunar apogee present, and Felicity ruler Venus in opposition. Value and honor the sensual in yourself, and allow it to transform the way in which you approach the world in creative new ways through what you wear, and where are you go. Yet recognize that you are venturing on new paths that require additional education. Learn best, safe practice — and adhere to it as a newcomer should.
The Fourth House of home, household, and parents is Sagittarius ruled by in conjunct Jupiter. Triplicity ruler Saturn at the trine highlights your duties and obligations to household and family —but the presence of Neptune makes these obligations seem more odious and difficult than they may actually be. Understand the facts clearly before you leap to someone’s aid.
The Fifth House of pleasures and pastimes is Capricorn ruled by squaring Saturn, who is in close relationship with Neptune. All three Triplicity rulers are at the trines. Grace and favor to explore your hobbies and pass times, as well as to take care of important children in your life, are all easy and liable to be successful. Yet be cautious that you don’t let your chores overwhelm the time that you have set aside for enjoyment. Similarly, do not overindulge. It is easy for you to overdo things right now, and come to harm without a proper mix of ongoing education and personal self-care.
The Sixth House of daily routines, pets, and injuries is Aquarius ruled by sextile Saturn in close relationship with Neptune. Triplicity ruler Mercury opposes, and Pluto is present. Every day has transformative possibilities —but remember that “transformative” usually means that your capacity for managing your day-to-day life is suddenly overwhelmed and must be rearranged and prioritized; or that a previously enormous workload suddenly drops to very little. This can often be caused by the sudden laying off of a number of employees, and having to shoulder their work… Or, conversely being laid off employee. Do you have a “side hustle. How could you scale it up? How could you scale it back? Think through your long-term business plans, even if you don’t plan on activating them right now, and even if you don’t need to.
The Seventh House of spouse, peer partners, and rivals is Pisces, ruled by trining Jupiter, and hosting the north node. An important peer relationship in your life. Subjectively wants more than they are entitled to, or is even available. You are expected to find a way. Your friends may privately be on board with acknowledging your perfectly reasonable and realistic complaints, but will look askance at how you castigate your spouse, lover, or business associate. Don’t triangulate your friends; sit down and talk with your partner instead. Lay out a realistic vision for how your shared resources should be used. July 4 and 5 are the best days for this.
The Eighth House of obligation, duty and legacy is Aries ruled by inconjunct Mars, but hosting Saturn and Neptune. It will be easy to burn through a big portion of your “to do” list, provided that you remember to break big tasks down into smaller ones. Yet you may find that cooler heads and wiser heads don’t always prevail in discussion and big visions for the future are capable of expanding your responsibilities beyond a fact-driven scope and sequence. Wherever possible, allow the long-term vision to guide your plans – but make the first few steps, reasonable, and manageable at your current levels of ability.
The Ninth House of higher learning and long-distance travel is Taurus ruled by Venus currently present, but hosting Uranus in the anaretic degree. The luxury of leisurely travel, and the delight of self-directed learning, yield, elaborate results, especially in the areas of spirituality and religion. However, unexpected surprises lurk around many corners. Some of these are pleasant and others are unpleasant. Sensual explorations may yield fruit; practice safe sex if pregnancy is not your goal, and enjoy the intimacy of pleasurable contact without penetration in any case. The foreplay will be worth it, especially if you are doing it “for educational purposes”.
The Tenth House of career and professional reputation is Gemini ruled by sextile Mercury. In your workplace, you are expected to be two different people. One is the calm, cool, collected leader of some project about to be born; the other is the wrathful heavy keeping the other employees … either safe, or in line. Maybe both? Lots of eyes are scanning you, trying to figure out if you are friend or foe. If you don’t enjoy the attention, maybe it’s time to dust off that dreamy business plan that you had five years ago, and think about turning a side hustle into a real deal. It’s not to say that you should launch the business website today, because as Kathryn Kelley says, “planning of business is free; running a business is expensive.” Plan your work in other words, but don’t necessarily work your plan.
The Eleventh House of friends, associates, and allies is Cancer, ruled by the sextile Moon, and hosting both the Sun and exalted Jupiter (who takes his joy in this eleventh house). Make connections with friends, do good things for them, and provide them with both a witness to their triumph, as well as support for their endeavors that might lead to triumph. Your skill as a rational observer of their situations may provide valuable feedback to help push them over the finish line and complete their tasks. If you love them, help them love the work that they bring into the world this week.
The Twelfth House of both obstacles and opportunities is leo, ruled by the inconjunct Sun and hosting Mercury. Triplicity ruler Saturn trines from the eighth house. This is a great month for expressing your long-term plans, and writing them down. You may even want to share those plans with a friend or two. But keep the circle limited to your best and highest cheerleaders, People who will actually hold your feet to the fire and do the things that you say you were going to do. Break your plans down into smaller steps wherever possible. You want to be able to report progress even if you can’t report perfection.
Horoscopes
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.
Virgo: your long-term plans face sudden obstacles which may not be immediately resolved. Trying to muscle through them could lead to injury. Take your time getting things done. Ask for help from friends, and thank them profusely when they are able to assist; thank them a little bit less, even if they are not able to help but express sympathetic vibes. You will have to get creative during a trip trip that may be close to home, but still feels like a world away. Your vision obligates you to achieve certain goals; it’s important to know that those goals don’t have to be accomplished right away, today. Look back on the structure of your day with a critical eye, but use that criticism as a self evaluation for improvement rather than as an expression of your personal failures.
Libra: you may be focused on upcoming trips, but not considering carefully enough what price tags are attached to them. You can probably afford this trip, or this educational program that you’ve decided to pursue. But it would be worth writing up a budget and setting up an expense account for it so that you know what you are likely to face in terms of expenses for meals and shorter distance travel. If you don’t, you may come back and discover that failure to track your receipts has resulted in some serious expenses; if it’s foreign travel in particular, be aware that the rate of exchange may bite harder than expected. Do what you can to spotlight and recognize a friend or ally. Do a better job of coaching your boss or immediate supervisor to success. It would be easy to be a wet blanket over your spouses ambitions and intentions. Help them take the first small steps towards their goals, rather than just telling them “no”.
Scorpio: everyone carries around “secret script” from their family around challenging topics: what kinds of friends you are allowed to have, how you should dress, what the etiquette rules are for formal occasions, and what level of informality is allowable. Examining on learning how to break some of these rules this week should be an important goal; but try to do so in a way that can be experimented with and repeated. Don’t show up to your great aunt Lucy’s 90th birthday party in full fetish gear, for example; but wearing a tease or two about your proclivities may go unnoticed, except by those that are in the know. You should plan to take some long distance adventures this year, but you might have to save up for them; you also might need to let a spouse or significant other know that you have these plans rather than springing the information on them as you’re walking out the door.
Sagittarius: Household matters and responsibilities bring contentment and satisfaction, but your partner is much more in the public than you are, sometimes in ways that are upsetting. Your daily practices should include efforts at spiritual evolution, but be unattached to results. You have a vision of what kind of life of passion and personal entertainment you want to achieve, but you’re not sure how to get from where you are now to where you would like to be. One step at a time is a good answer, but a review of the entertainment products and pastime-related materials you already own would be a good place to start. Professional matters bring difficulties, but you will need to spend some energy on learning new ways to advance your professional goals, even if they don’t yield current results. A mixture of organic and artificial credentials may help bring greater success.
Capricorn: seeking personal satisfaction is important to you right now, but it’s best to think of it as a seasoning in your life while household matters serve as the main dish. There will often be conflicts between what you would like to do for yourself and for your own peace of mind; and what you are obligated to do for family members or for the roof over your head. Some of this may involve complicated changes in your daily routine that bring more money, but leave less time for personal endeavors. Your spouse may be significantly hampered by involvement in their own fan club on a daily basis; yet this relationship with their followers and underlings is likely to be highly beneficial in the long run for you both. Doing 10 minutes of education around subjects that delight you may be all you get for right now, but you should set aside that time specifically to make sure you get it.
Aquarius: the next 10 days are likely to feel somewhat overwhelming, as issues related to your family’s long-term well-being keep popping up as chores on your to-do list. You have the strength to manage these difficulties, but you ought to be keeping track of your expenses. You have time and resources to help solve these problems on behalf of the people around you, but they have resources as well, and suspect an exchange of compensation may be appropriate. Additionally, some of these problems should be solved with creative uses of materials, which help you learn new skills; don’t always go with the slapdash “quick fix” but consider what will help you become more well known for elegant solutions and beautiful results. Have fun doing what you do on a day-to-day basis. Similarly your key communications should take place with a spouse and/or significant other. Don’t be blasting your business all over town. Additionally, if there are tasks that are really beyond your skill set that could lead to injury, take the time to find a professional. It may cost more, but your health is actually priceless.
Pisces: a friend of mine is fond of saying that “you can tell me what to do, or you can tell me how to do it, but not both.” this is an important reminder in your romantic life, as well as your relationships with co-professionals. There are going to be times when you want to tell your associate, spouse, or significant other what you want done. But if you are persnickety about how it should be done, you are better off doing it yourself. Accordingly, don’t be too critical when a task is done, but not to your satisfaction. Chances are that this is an area of growth and learning for you. It would be easy to fall into the rabbit hole of criticism right now; but you should do your best not to dump trouble into the hands of somebody who already has a lot on their plate. My mother used to have a sign on the door of her art studio, “get in the studio and make stuff”—and this should be considered valuable advice for you too. Spend some time with your hobbies and enjoy yourself over the next 10 days. If you don’t have hobbies, now would be a great time to work through a short, YouTube course or pick up a book from the library about hobbies and past times that intrigue you and start immediately. Once you understand that your hobbies are important, you’re likely to make time for a significant other to have similar hobbies in their own life.
Aries: the universe may feel like it’s conspiring against you this week, as all sorts of preconditions arise that have to be completed before you can get to the real project on your to do list. You have a long range plan of what you’d like to accomplish, one perhaps extending several years into the future. Yet it’s the immediate first steps that seem to be impossible to achieve. You may find yourself asking if the problem is the world, or you; and you may find yourself tempted to create a spreadsheet, detail detailing the ways in which these problems seem to be tripping you up. Let me suggest, though, that the magical space weather is simply fighting you right now — in a couple of big ways for the next two weeks or so; and in some smaller ways over the next 12 months. Accept that the difficulties are real even if they don’t have a precisely identifiable source — and that they’re going to be normal for a while. For now, just push in the direction that you wanna go. You will move slower than you might otherwise, but persistence is likely to pay off.
Taurus: chances are pretty good that in the last 12 months or so that you bought an embroidery kit, or a sample package of beads, or a coloring book and some paints of some kind. You wanted it to shake you out out of the old grind, and allow yourself to learn a new way of being creative in the world. And then you let it sit there, because it was easier to have it than to use it. After all, if you use it, you might ruin it? We humans find it perpetually astonishing that the process of trial and error, by which we learn all new creative arts, involves error. Accept that there will be error, and go get out your unused art supplies, and go make some magic for yourself. Doing that will give you the emotional freedom to think how you are going to be useful and valuable to your intimate circle of friends and to your wider family. It will allow your brain to process through the big conversations that you need to have with your own direct household, and it will violently shake you free of some bad habits that you’ve required in how you relax. Most of all, don’t expect to make any long-term plans or climb the ladder of success in your corporate workplace. The big long-term vision isn’t there yet: don’t try to force it to be there. Treat your chores as a source of contentment and ease as best you can, but make life pleasant in other ways than through public recognition.
Gemini: professional matters are likely to put a spotlight on you, even as you are asked to bring to fruition a project that has stymied others. Your ability to have the material details at your back and call, and to follow Long established procedures, will work in your favor. The money and the resources that you need personally are available; you are going to have to have some challenging conversations with family though. Plan for them by rehearsing. If you have been traveling, it’s a pretty good bet that you will walk into the house and immediately see all sorts of things that are wrong. Resist the urge to deliver a scathing critique; instead, find ways to make your adventures relevant, and invite friends to visit “despite the mess” — reconnect with your own home ground. Even if you haven’t been traveling, it would be a good idea not to immediately withdraw behind shields in this current situation. You do need to have boundaries, but developing the connections that you’re going to need for the next 10 years, in both your career life and your social realm – that should begin now.
Cancer: you may not have been planning to be a social butterfly over the course of the next 10 days, but you should give it a whirl anyway. Yes, there are significant communications that you should have, and you might start with places that are connected with courts or with hospitals. You might not see the immediate relevance, but there’s value in connecting with both legal and medical profession for you right now, not as a patient or as a client, but as a provider of services. In the meantime, you might consider hosting a “paint and sip event” at home for some of your friends, or a “stitch and bitch” if your crew leans more in the direction of textile and fiber arts. Try not to let it turn into a commercial event where all you do is watch a movie together. Engage in activity, like “learn to make two different fancy cocktails” at a class rather than going to a bar to drink. I suggest several different forms of event, in part to encourage you to try a couple of different things over the course of the next 10 days — contentment will come not from a single event, but from an intensity of connection to others.
Leo: President John F Kennedy, once addressed a gathering of Nobel prize laureate at the White House, by saying that this was the greatest gathering of minds under this roof, “except when Jefferson dined alone.” these next 10 days, you may have to be your own scintillating company rather than enjoying the companionship of others directly. But your temptation to engage in long distance outreach, through text message or other electronic communications, is likely to work to your advantage. Your finances are going to be hit hard in the next two weeks and so travel may not be much of an opportunity. You may even find that it’s hard to go anywhere with so many duties pressing on you so close to home. If you find this frustrating, it might be worth it to investigate a change of venue. Could you do your work in some other town, but do it remotely? Could you do so from a significant other’s house? The yearning for wanderlust looms large, but being away from a place that you call “home” is likely to lead to trouble. Finding an appropriate balance will require ambition and actual hard work, but you have it in you to escape your current constraints.
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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
