Life Changing Major Astrology of July 2026 ~ Barbault's Basket, Neptune Retro, Nodes of Fate Change

Intuitive Astrology with Molly McCord - Intuitive Astrology with Molly McCord

July 2026 brings transformative astrological shifts, including Mercury Retrograde in Cancer, Jupiter in Leo, Neptune Retrograde, and the rare Barbault's Basket alignment. These energies signal a global and personal reset

Key takeaways

• Mercury Retrograde in Cancer urges emotional authenticity in communication

Transcript preview

Welcome to Intuitive Astrology with Molly McCord. Thank you so much for joining me today as we're going to discuss the major astrological energies of July 2026. There is a lot and we're going to get through the bigger picture understandings of how July is moving us forward in very important ways and we have many layers of energy unfolding this month. So here is the bullet point list of what's happening. astrologically in July 26. Well we begin the month with Mercury Retrograde in cancer moving slowly, inviting us to stay in contact with how we feel, especially before we speak, express, or communicate something, making sure that we slow it down and check in on how it feels so that what we do say comes through with emotional purity and personal truth. Now I did a separate podcast for you discussing Mercury Retrograde and cancer so I'm not going to go into that too much in today's show but just know that this lasts until July 23rd that's when Mercury stations direct at 16 degrees of cancer. The Mercury Retrograde territory is 26 degrees of cancer back to 16 degrees of cancer in your chart and then Mercury will actually clear his shadow and August 6th. So this is a month of Mercury Retrograde Energies and that is important especially because of how Mercury is about our daily activities. It is about our daily communications, conversations, interactions, it also rules business, commerce, transportation, and what's in front of you. So know that there is a slowdown here to trust yourself. trust what feels correct for you as well as what feels off. Now another energy that's starting off our July is Jupiter is now in Leo as of the end of June and so Jupiter enters into Leo for the first time since 2014 and 2015. That's the last time that Jupiter was in this fifth sign of the zodiac. reference back to what happened in your world through these Jupiter and Leo energies, you would look at the transit of July 16, 2014 until August 11, 2015. That's when Jupiter was moving through the same territory in your chart that it's now reentering. And this is an interesting entry point in to Leo because this Jupiter has an immediate square to Chiron now in Taurus. and they square off at zero degrees in each sign for the first four days of July. And so this is where there's something coming to your awareness that Chiron Antaurus is sitting with. It is an insecurity, a vulnerability, a doubt, something that's newly arriving in your consciousness, but Chiron Antaurus makes it tangible, physical and evident. And it's showing you where perhaps you're feeling a... hesitation around moving into some form of personal expression because Jupiter and Leo is here to amplify your talents your gifts your light your confidence and your strength but that could feel like it's challenged in some capacity as the month begins but it won't last for long because Jupiter moves on and will not have another square to this Chiron in Taurus. However, important to note in the story here, is that this is actually the third and final square between these two energies. Their first square was back in October 2025. The second square was in December 2025. That's when Jupiter was in cancer. Chiron was in Aries and there would have been something you were moving through and deeply healing around trusting yourself, your needs, your your inner world, something that felt quite vulnerable would have been also big and emotionally exaggerated to catch your attention so that you would see it and even invite it into your inner world and your self-identity to change it. That's part of the square here is that through the discomfort and challenge of a square we grow and so look at how much you've grown in the past nine to ten months and now this July offers you a chance to check in on what you want to stabilize and claim since both planets are now in fixed signs. So previously Jupiter and Cancer, Chiron and Ares were in the cardinal signs showing you a new beginning that needed to happen so you couldn't take something from the past or a previous version of yourself for In other words, it had served its purpose, it ran its course. A pressure point of change has been made apparent to you since last October. Now as July begins with them both in the fixed signs, there is something to stabilize here that could feel like you're figuring it out at a whole new way, like you're establishing the confidence to own something in yourself that's related to a new beginning. You're ready to initiate into a new expression of yourself, a new understanding of who you are, including your renewed confidence, self-love, a new desire to say, I'm worth it, I'm worth this, I'm worth doing this differently. I'm ready for a new start based on who I am now. I'm fully owning more powerfully what I need, how I want to grow, what is. essential for me and I'm ready to be stronger in that and yet the square is going to feel like it's a little weak at first but again it's not going to last for long it is going to last into the first four or five days of July so if something feels a little wobbly I'm getting that visual of standing on a plank of wood not that you're walking off the plank that's not the visual it's standing on a plank of wood it's standing on a plank of wood your feet on it and it wobbles, right? Because you're on a new surface, you're on a new foundation, and so there's a wobble there to gain your composure and confidence, to find the balance point, but to also proceed ahead on this new path. Now after the square is exact, the energy moves forward and that Jupiter feels more robust and bold and you could feel that something is being brought to life within you at a home. new level. So if there's any test the beginning of July around your confidence, your needs, something you want to do differently but you're not sure about it quite yet, it's going to gain greater strength as July unfolds. So that is important to note here as the month begins. Then as we progress into July, we're going to have Neptune Stationing Retrograde on July 7th. And that occurs at four degrees of air. in your chart and whenever an outer planet is stationing retrograde its effects are felt in a bigger, vaster way similar to the ripple effect of the frequencies being more pronounced. They travel further because the energy is stronger. There's an impact that is felt as Neptune stations retrograde at four degrees of aries. And the Neptune retrograde is going to last until the middle of December as Neptune travels back to one degree 37 minutes of Aries until December 12th. So this is a typical cycle for Neptune every year where it spends about half of the year retrograde and this is always a time of deeper reintegration and revisiting the new beginnings that you've been dreaming about, that you've been feeling and sensing. This pertains during directly to what has been starting for you here in 2026 because now that Neptune is in Ares, there is a new soul beginning that's happening for all of us and that energy is going to be even stronger in July because of how this Neptune at four degrees of Ares is meeting up through exact connection to Pluto and Aquarius, Uranus and Gemini. and Jupiter in Leo all at four degrees. I'm going to get to that in just a moment, but it's important to note that the Neptuneian effects are real. This means your dream state is where you're receiving more guidance from your higher self that's uniquely tuned in to you. That's part of Neptune and Ares is it's showing you more about who you came here to be in this lifetime and how your soul is advancing in your spirit. spiritual growth in your intuition and your psychic abilities in your energy mastery. Neptune is delivering new