Horoscopes: July 29 to August 4

Illustration by Ash Cheshire

Aries: Jupiter’s turn retrograde on the 28th in your sign can cause a dip in your motivation and optimism, but try not to let that keep you from forging ahead. It will move through your sign and into Pisces over the next four months. Realizing where you have “overdone” things is an important aspect of Jupiter retrograde, especially as it occurs in your first house. Mercury’s move into its home sign of Virgo inspires careful thinking and constructive criticism. 

Taurus: Jupiter turning retrograde in Aries on the 28th asks you to reevaluate your spending habits, your impulse control, and your glossing over of details. You may be feeling slightly optimistic but don’t despair or fall into regret, just take this time to cool off. You may notice a shift in what your goals are in the coming months. Mercury is paying a visit to its home sign of Virgo starting on the 4th and it creates an ideal environment for work, study, and analysis. It is not considered a time of great imagination or creative inspiration so it is best to prioritize facts and practical things. 

Gemini: This week Jupiter begins its four month retrograde on the 28th. It is a time of rethinking and reevaluating our goals and how we plan to achieve them. Jupiter retrograde can also point out areas in our lives where we have been excessive and done or said too much. Your ruling Mercury visits its fellow Mercurial sign of Virgo and activates your more analytical side. You may be seeing things more clearly that have been puzzling you for quite some time. You’re learning a lot but may find that good humor is hard to come by this week. 

Cancer: Jupiter begins its four month retrograde on the 28th and it can help us to reflect on areas of life where we have overdone or overwrought things. You may be feeling somewhat low on energy or motivation this week, but try to see it as an opportunity to take a step back and be more frank with yourself. Mercury moves into its home sign of Virgo and turns up the brain power. Mercury in Virgo creates ideal energy for problem solving and practical thinking. If you avoid being too hard on yourself, you can make some real breakthroughs!

Leo: The sun still shining in your first house has you feeling sassy, sexy, and a little ostentatious. On the flip-side of things is Jupiter’s retrograde occurring on the 28th and continuing until November 23rd. It is a subtle transit that asks us to reevaluate our goals and plans. It may also point to areas in our lives where we have been excessive. Don’t let this dampen your mood though, because you can definitely multi-task thanks to the extra brain power you will be receiving from Mercury in its home sign of Virgo this week. Think deeply, but continue to play hard and enjoy yourself.

Virgo: Ah, the spark of genius is upon you this week as your ruling planet Mercury makes a visit to your first house for the next three weeks. You are feeling true to form and keenly observant of life. You have no problem tossing aside things that feel impractical to you at this time. But beware of being too coldly factual, it may leave those close to you with a frostbite!

Libra: Decisions, decisions. This week Jupiter begins its four month retrograde period and inspires you to rethink and reevaluate your goals and revamp what makes you feel motivated. It’s a time of losing and re-discovering our unique perspectives and identifying areas in our lives where we have been frivolous or excessive. If it seems that you are floating aimlessly for small chunks of time, this may be why. Don’t worry, when you come out on the other side you will be more awake to yourself than ever before. The moon is void of course in your sign on August 1st so tread lightly around commitments and contracts. 

Scorpio: The planets implore you to embrace change and you hate that! We know it’s hard, but the sun in Leo asks you to get out there and really be player 1 in your life and try to stand in the spotlight for a moment. Jupiter begins its four month long retrograde on the 28th and asks us to reevaluate our life goals and how we achieve them. It may also point out areas in our lives where we have been excessive in some way. Mercury in Virgo activates analytical mental energy, and this may be a good time to calculate and formulate plans, pursue practical things, and focus on learning and acquiring skills and credentials. The moon in our first house on the 3rd and 4th turns up the dial on your emotions. 

Sagittarius: This week, Mercury in your ninth house brings luck in terms of education and career advancements. It is a great time to try new things or to seek promotion of some kind. Your ruling planet Jupiter is retrograde in Aries and then Pisces until November 23rd. Jupiter retrograde is a time of deep reflection and reevaluation in terms of how you want your life to look and how you are going to approach actualizing that. It is a slow and subtle transit that gives us gentle nudges and pointers, it can also show us areas in our lives where we have overdone things and need to dial it back. You may not be glowing with optimism at this time but you are certainly learning and growing.

Capricorn: This week, as Jupiter begins its four month long retrograde period on the 28th, it is a good idea to dial it back on spending and on over exerting yourself and your energy. Meanwhile, Mercury in fellow earth sign Virgo bestows upon you a gift of boosted communication and extra keen judgment. It is an ideal time to make advancements in your studies or career as your mental energy is sharp and analytical. You enjoy this wave of practicality but beware of the temptation to be overly self critical. 

Aquarius: Things feel a little more serious this week as Jupiter begins its four month long retrograde on the 28th. You may be reevaluating your spending habits, long term goals, and priorities. This transit may also be slowly and subtly pointing out areas in your life where you have overdone or overwrought things or been excessive towards others in some way. The sun still in your partnership sector can create passion and tension in equal measure in your romantic relationships. Exercise care in personal conversations and do your best to listen closely to others. 

Pisces: This week Mercury in your opposite sign of Virgo begins on the 4th and stays with us for the next three weeks. It is a time where we learn the most from doing things a little differently and getting perspectives from people who we feel we have little in common with. Your mental energy is less imaginative than usual and you may feel creatively blocked in some ways, but you are feeling analytical and practical and sharp nonetheless. Beware of being hypercritical of yourself or getting too hung up on details. Jupiter’s retrograde begins on June 28th and lasts until November 23rd; it is a slow and gradual transit that inspires us to reevaluate our life goals and may point out areas where we have been excessive and need to reel things in. 

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