THE FULL MOON in Capricorn: The Way In Is The Way Out

On July 10, the Full Moon in Capricorn rises in its careful, methodical way as the Sun swims through the protective sign of Cancer. One of the most practical signs of the zodiac, this Capricornian lunation points towards getting beyond whatever wishful thinking or over-idealization or seemingly distant desire that would keep us from getting down to business. Such a reality check may require us to boldly enter the insubstantial castle walls we have constructed, to recognize the illusion and dismantle the walls. 

The Moon herself is at lunistice, meaning she will not rise very high over Earth’s horizon in her night journey, and we could take the cue that it’s time for us, too, to come down to Earth.

And this is a good thing! Slowing our motion now can help reduce confusion, especially during Saturn’s retrograde from July 12 to November 27, which indicates a period of refinement for our plans and designs. The messenger planet Mercury is also heading for its second retrograde period of the year, this time in the expressive sign of Leo. Many of us will have the chance to explore the authenticity of our self-expression and whether the whole of what is in our hearts is being shared. It’s crucial to take time to metabolize our feelings before reacting to a perceived slight, misstep, or even a genuine conflict that's out in the open. This retrograde of Mercury speaks of the diplomatic delicacy of exposing our hearts to others in ways that are both honest and kind, while genuinely inviting the other’s experience and presence.

This is both necessary and quite challenging, for the Venus square Mars aspect spanning the last half of July exposes all the places of incongruence in our relationships. To invest in what we care for, we may have to set aside a very tempting reactivity that might like to keep us locked in a particular position, rehearsing a familiar old dynamic of inadequacy, longing, or drama. If we can keep our hearts open and tender and willing, we could approach the promise of a new story heralded by Uranus’s entry into the multi-faceted nature of Gemini on July 7. In a smaller stretch of courage, we could at least open up the fertile possibility of living a new story into being.

Capricorn Full Moon

On July 10, at 1:36 pm US/Pacific, the solid and hardworking Capricorn Full Moon reaches its maximum fullness in opposition to the emotive Cancer Sun and calls out to the planetary archetype of Saturn, who is standing still just before turning retrograde on July 12. 

A stationary planet becomes louder, stronger, and more pronounced in its effects. Saturn is closely conjoined with a recently stationary Neptune, saturating the collective with their combined colors. There is an excellent potential for disillusionment with this lunation, a cutting away of our fantasies and unattainable wishes, or the loss of an ideal. Far from an undesirable thing, we might receive a badly needed correction to our perception. This check-in with reality can allow us to focus on what is truly real, if we can avoid getting sucked into pessimism. In this way, many of us will appreciate the freedom that comes with letting go of a fantasy or misperception and enjoy the more creative aspects of dispelling illusions. We are receiving a lot of support to breathe in fresh new air, and this lunation is not necessarily a cause for despair.

It’s also possible, however, to experience a great deal of confusion with Saturn-Neptune so prominent, and we might need to slow down and steady ourselves. Saturn is the archetypal problem, and Neptune is an ocean of relations that contains every other archetype. A kind of problematic shapeshifting can result, where we are unable to get an accurate read on events or their meaning, especially with the amplification of Neptune, which entered retrograde motion on July 4 and is moving very, very slowly until the end of July. It could be helpful to fully immerse ourselves in the confusion, fantasy, illusion, or unattainable ideal, so that we can see its architecture in full from the inside. The only way over it could be by moving through it.

A willingness to be inventive or to try new approaches can also help us push through and out of the fog, but we may need to surrender to divine timing. What seems to move too slowly may be moving quite rapidly, and what appears to be traveling fast could be very far from reaching its destination. Our dissatisfaction may be an illusion that is dispelled by a surprising discovery: we are in precisely the right place at the right time.

Mercury in Leo
Mercury Retrograde

Affirming the difficulty with assessing motion and speed, the messenger planet Mercury is preparing to turn retrograde on July 17. Mercury entered the expressive sign of Leo on June 26 and will linger there until September 2, spending a very long two months instead of the usual two to three weeks per sign. This trickster god stepped into the path of their retrograde on June 29, so we may already have some sense of what it will bring forth.

There are elements of real talk about what was once secret or unconfirmed, as Mercury’s curious mind opposed the hidden reaches of Pluto on June 29, unleashing a forcefully probing energy which could color the entire retrograde period for some of us. It is more certain that Mercury’s retrograde will illuminate the potent configuration formed by Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto, an unusual world transit in close and fertile conversation from 2024 to 2030. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all represent cosmic forces that exceed rational, human understanding, and this retrograde could take us on a quantum leap in understanding.

Venus Square Mars

Reviewing, editing, or unearthing pre-existing creative works is quite favored under this Mercury retrograde, whether that involves the discovery or creation of ourselves or some external creative work. The creative duo of Venus and Mars rub up friction in a square aspect for the last half of July (exact July 23), and their positions in the Mercury-ruled signs of Gemini and Virgo re-emphasize the need for careful communication in working through disputes or arguments. Circumstances may force us to reassess our level of assertiveness (Mars) versus our willingness to capitulate or cooperate (Venus), thereby creating a better dynamic for expressing our creative selves and pursuing our various needs and desires.

When it comes to relations with others, we might enjoy excitement with friends or an intriguing romantic encounter, though be wary of hopes that a reunion with an ex-lover will last for very long. It may, but Mercury retrograde has a way of reprising people’s roles in our lives only as a reminder of what does not work so well for us. On the other hand, we may be able to break out of some old, dysfunctional relational patterns as a result of reconnection and establish more confidence in our intimacy with others.

Many of us will need to have difficult conversations to iron out differences of opinion or divergent interpretations of events, and it is tempting to misinterpret others to defend our position. Be cautious of getting caught up in arguments from the past and rehashing old wounds.  Success in tense or triggering conversations will require generosity of heart and careful listening, dropping all idea of defense in favor of mutually respectful understanding. If we desire a connection with someone, it is best to let that open-handed desire lead the conversation, wherever it may go, rather than a fear of loss, prideful hurt, or any other poor substitute for the reciprocity we desire.

Mercury Retrograde

⚈ Mercury enters retrograde shadow at 4°Leo on June 29, 2025

⚈ Mercury stations retrograde at 15°Leo on July 17, 2025

⚈ Mercury stations direct at 4°Leo on August 11, 2025

⚈ Mercury leaves its retrograde shadow at 15° Leo on August 25, 2025

Uranus in Gemini

Uranus’s movement into Gemini on July 7 brings the third and final major shift in collective energy in the middle of the 2020s. It promises to profoundly reshape our lives over the next eight years or so. A common refrain accompanying this world transit of Uranus through Gemini (July 2025 to May 2033) is likely to be, “Wow, that happened fast!” Uranus is erratic, unexpected, and can strike out of the blue. That wild unpredictability flickering through the rapid agility of the sign of Gemini is sure to quicken the already dizzying speeds of modern life. Gemini spreads information like wildfire, in part due to its interest in sharing everything regardless of value judgments. It will be essential to differentiate between information, knowledge, and wisdom.

Our philosophies of life are emphasized through this influence, those larger containers of meaning and context that usually operate unconsciously in the background. Extremely rapid change can stress or even break existing ways of making sense of the world and our place in it. All of our inherited assumptions are likely to be reevaluated as truly evolutionary moments unfold throughout this transit of Uranus. Evolution is surprising because it produces that which has not been seen before, and it does not involve a predictable, linear progression of events.

The wild and self-willed nature of Uranus will need its grounding in the body of the Earth and in the radical relationality of the cosmos itself to include the receptive parts of nature as much as the active. The influential German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who so clearly saw the catastrophic consequences of trying to set the human being over and above the Earth process, noted that:

“There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.” 

As much as we may value the clever and cherish an intellectual grasp of existence, life itself may demand a new presence on the Earth, one which our bodies never lost track of.

Full Moon in Capricorn + Your Moon Sign

The Moon represents the materia of the anima mundi or Soul of the World, symbolic of the sacred body and its interwoven interdependence with all of nature. The Moon describes our deepest vulnerabilities as well as our most profound capacity to connect with others. Full Moons amplify energy and emotions, and we may receive a much-needed correction to our perception, dissolving our fantasies and connecting us with a reality we can build upon. 

Let’s see how the Capricorn Full Moon impacts your own Moon placement!

♈ Aries Moon
If you find the Capricorn Full Moon putting you in a role of leadership or strategic counsel, Aries Moon, it’s essential to be in touch with what you stand to gain through the negotiations. It’s not that you shouldn’t receive benefits; it’s just that any attempt to manipulate for more power than is equitable or to turn a situation in your favor unfairly will have some unpleasant consequences.

♉ Taurus Moon
Your stories about the sources of security, wealth, and abundance are up for review under the light of the Full Moon in Capricorn. All the structures and rules you have put into place, Taurus Moon, may turn out to form barriers to your happiness, well-being, and sense of safety. Let yourself feel the weight, the lightness, the density, and the hollows of what is keeping you “secure.” After all, you can’t redesign what you don’t fully understand.

♊ Gemini Moon
This Full Moon in Capricorn centers on the creative power of your mind, Gemini Moon. If gloomy, negative thoughts and worries dominate your consciousness, it doesn’t leave much room to create the desired outcome. Acknowledge, thank, and release the concerns that threaten to completely overshadow your outlook, so that you can more clearly perceive what is real and what is fantasy.

♋ Cancer Moon
If you once heard your voice, Cancer Moon, it was speaking in a different register. Your grasp of what is true and good and beautiful has changed over time, and the Capricorn Moon illuminates the new ways you can love yourself now. You can let go of the bully inside of you, and if any bullies remain in your relational field, consider spending your time with those who genuinely love and care for you.

♌ Leo Moon
When trust has been broken, it can take some time to move beyond the betrayal or disappointment and into an enlarged understanding of relating with others. The Capricorn Full Moon is a moment of moving beyond any naïveté around trust, human nature, and what it means to depend on others. While it’s essential not to rush to forgiveness, Leo Moon, it's equally important to fully feel everything this lunation reveals, no matter how much contradiction is involved in the process.

♍ Virgo Moon
Your intuition is a source of reliable guidance through any relational difficulties brought to the surface by the Capricorn Full Moon. You may understand a great deal more than you realize, Virgo Moon, once you drop the analytics and just let the information and insights flow in.

♎ Libra Moon
How far you’ve come, Libra Moon! The way has been cleared for you to move forward in ways that seemed impossible before. The Capricorn Full Moon can help you see and release any illusory obstacles that remain hidden in your subconscious, all those patterns of behavior that formed around the barriers that are no more.

♏ Scorpio Moon
A time of emotional maturation is upon you, Scorpio Moon. The long hoped-for thing may still need more work, or perhaps the ideal partnership you thought you had is suddenly shown to be far more complicated under the light of the Capricorn Full Moon. The time for wishing away problems has passed, and sobriety—not armoring, sulking, rebelling, or giving up—is required to find a good way forward.

♐ Sagittarius Moon
Excellent news is rising with the Capricorn Full Moon, and you might receive welcome announcements in the coming week. Especially if you have experienced long delays, it is a time of rejoicing and fruition as you join energies in collaboration and synergy with others.

♑ Capricorn Moon
This is your Full Moon of 2025, Capricorn Moon! This lunation may bring to mind what has been lost, what is no more, and what is receding in the rearview mirror of your life. But what riches and wonders, enjoyment and goodness are you not noticing? Such wealth is steadily filling your cup—let your focus widen so that the good can get in.

♒ Aquarius Moon
The Capricorn Full Moon is bringing an end to a thoughtform, Aquarius Moon, a limitation or blockage getting in the way of you shining in this world. Your bright light and creative genius are sorely needed, and it’s time for them to shine and build something beautiful.

♓ Pisces Moon
The Full Moon in Capricorn brings a clear call to dispel some unreal expectations or hopes, not as a punishment or as a judgment against you, but precisely because the universe wants you to succeed. To thrive. To excel. You just have to put in the effort, Pisces Moon, to see to the root of your feelings of inferiority or unworthiness.