July 14–20 Horoscope: Moody With a Chance of Exes

This week opens with a sense of theatrical restraint: a paradox only astrology can explain. We’re in the final stretch of Cancer season, where the Sun swims through the third decan of the sign, a realm traditionally associated with the Four of Cups in tarot. This is a moody, liminal space that feels emotionally saturated, yet oddly numb. Like scrolling past your own dreams because they feel too far away to tap. The Four of Cups teaches us about disenchantment, or that creeping sense that the usual comforts no longer work, and what you once craved now leaves you slightly bored.

This makes for a fitting setting for the week’s headliner: Mercury stations retrograde in Leo on July 17, initiating a three-and-a-half-week descent into miscommunication, performative make-goods, and narrative rewrites, all delivered with full-blast bravado. Leo is the sign of performance, pride, and personal mythmaking. Naturally, when Mercury begins its retrograde here, our internal narrators get louder (and less reliable, tbh). Suddenly, everything feels like a cue to make a grand gesture. But be careful. Mercury retrograde in Leo is not known for its subtlety or fact-checking. Your sanity mantra: being heard and being understood are not the same.

The next day, on July 18, Mercury’s apparent backwards motion will bring it into a sextile formation with Venus in Gemini. This particular aspect is basically the astrological equivalent of a well-timed DM that probably shouldn’t work, but does. There’s magnetic charm in the air, but due to the retrograde of it all, it’s ironic and messy, if also irresistible. Words misfire and still manage to land. Secrets slip out and somehow bring people closer. Your ex may resurface, but reader, that ex could be you.

Together, these transits create a strange tension: we’re nostalgic, but performatively so. We want clarity, but we want it delivered with panache. Mercury and Venus are stirring the past, editing the script, and inviting us to re-audition for roles we thought we’d aged out of. Don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly obsessed with a conversation from 2019, a lover from 2021, or a version of yourself you thought you’d left behind. 

Meanwhile, the Sun in that final Cancer decan continues to cast its melancholic glow, reminding us that before the fireworks of Leo season we must work through something quieter: the ache of not knowing what we want anymore. The Four of Cups asks: What have you become numb to? What are you ignoring out of fear that it might demand too much from you? What unlived life is hovering just outside your line of sight?

So here we are: part spell, part spiral. If in doubt: say less. Feel more. And don’t believe everything your ego tells you about who deserves the last word.

Curious exactly what it all means for you? Check your sun, moon and rising signs, and take what resonates! (Don’t know your moon or rising sign? Celeste can help.)

Aries Rising

You're entering your flop era — creatively, romantically, or otherwise — on purpose. Mercury stations retrograde in your 5th house, bringing old flames, projects, and artistic delusions back into view. On the 18th, a flirty Mercury-Venus sextile in your communication zones tempts you to say something clever to someone who once broke your heart, and you might just stick the landing. But with the Sun highlighting emotional dissatisfaction at home, ask yourself: are you trying to win, or be seen?

Taurus Rising

Mercury begins its retrograde in your 4th house of roots, memories, and home — and suddenly, you’re haunted by the layout of a childhood kitchen or the passive-aggressive phrasing of an old roommate. Don’t let nostalgia gaslight you. On the 18th, Venus in your money house reminds you that charm can be a currency — and retrograde Mercury will let you spend it on the wrong person. Meanwhile, that Sun in Cancer fog is casting ennui over your inbox. If nothing feels urgent, it probably isn’t.

Gemini Rising

Mercury stations retrograde in your 3rd house of speech, writing, and petty arguments, so choose your words carefully or prepare to reread them with horror. Your ruling planet is off the rails, but the Venus sextile in your sign gives you just enough sparkle to get away with it. Still, the Sun is in your 2nd house this week, making you quietly question what you actually value — and whether attention is really worth what you’ve been paying for it.

Cancer Rising

Your financial sector hosts Mercury’s retrograde drama this month, so keep an eye on expenses, forgotten subscriptions, and the seductive illusion that money can buy clarity. On the 18th, Mercury and Venus create a whisper of something soft, healing, and possibly karmic, but it’s all behind the scenes. Let it unfold slowly. And with the Sun finishing its journey through your sign, this week might stir a Four of Cups–style melancholy. Are you bored or just emotionally full?

Leo Rising

Mercury stations retrograde in your sign this week, which means you are the main plot twist. Expect delays in personal plans, crises in identity branding, and the sudden urge to change your hair or delete a birthday post. But with Venus in your 11th house, the right people are watching, and they’re still charmed. Meanwhile, the Sun is in your 12th house stirring spiritual restlessness. The question isn’t “what do I want?” It’s “what longing have I refused to admit?”

Virgo Rising

Your ruling planet is retreating through your 12th house, a zone of dreams, ghosts, and self-sabotage. Old fears might feel louder than usual, but so might that one very alluring ex who texts like a novelist. The Venus sextile hits your career sector, tempting you to finesse your way into a professional pivot. But as the Sun moves through your 11th house, your real nourishment is in community. Resist underestimating those who already believe in you.

Libra Rising

This Mercury retrograde occurs in your 11th house, stirring confusion around friendships, group projects, and clout-chasing instincts. If someone invites you to “circle back,” decline politely and burn sage. On the 18th, Mercury sextiles Venus in your 9th, sparking lusty conversations with long-distance lovers or the ghost of your study-abroad situationship. And the Sun in your 10th house reminds you that the real boredom might be coming from your current definition of success.

Scorpio Rising

Mercury retrograde strikes your 10th house of public image and career , and it might feel like your LinkedIn bio is gaslighting you. But on the 18th, the Mercury–Venus sextile in your 8th house of intimacy and shared resources could revive something dead: a tax issue, a tryst, or a truth. Proceed with caution, and extra lube. Meanwhile, the Sun in your 9th house all week urges you to daydream wider. The Four of Cups may be sulking, but your future wants a passport.

Sagittarius Rising

Mercury retrograde begins in your 9th house of belief systems, travel plans, and philosophies, so get ready to question everything, especially your own confidence. That inspirational quote you posted in June? It might not hit anymore. But when Mercury sextiles Venus in your 7th on the 18th, someone else’s perspective might seduce you back into curiosity. The Sun in your 8th house keeps pressing your emotional bruise: why do you still crave what hurt you?

Capricorn Rising

The retrograde hits your 8th house, the domain of sex, taxes, power, and shadow work. If that sounds intense, it is. This is not the week to sign financial contracts, trauma-bond with strangers, or reread sexts from your ex. But with Venus lighting up your 6th, a small pleasure — a good hair day, a flirtation in the elevator — might recalibrate your week. The Sun in your 7th brings relational fatigue: are you lonely, or just disappointed?

Aquarius Rising

Mercury stations retrograde in your 7th house, and suddenly everyone is misunderstood: your partner, your crush, and also that one friend you half-broke up with last summer. Be careful what you say; be even more careful what you imply. Mercury and Venus will charm you into thinking that a clever message equals connection. It doesn’t. The Sun in your 6th house of work and wellness casts a Four of Cups gloom: the routine is numbing, but it's still keeping you afloat.

Pisces Rising

Your 6th house — the realm of habits, health, and daily maintenance — is where Mercury goes retrograde, which could mess with your workflow or push you to finally admit that your calendar is a cry for help. On the 18th, Mercury sextiles Venus in your 4th, making home feel briefly magical again. Light a candle. Call your mother. Or not. And as the Sun moves through your 5th, you might find yourself wondering why joy feels like something you have to earn. It isn’t.