Here’s what to expect in love, work and life this July, according to astrologer Marissa Malik

Want to see what the stars have in store for you? woo's resident astrologer Marissa Malik is bringing you monthly horoscopes for your star sign and rising. Keep reading, your destiny awaits…

It’s easy to go a bit overboard on, well, pretty much everything this July. Cancer season is when it all brews, and Leo season (starting on 23 July) is when it all bursts.

You know the entrancement that happens when you can’t take your eyes off of something? Or when a thought simply won’t leave your head? That caught-up, almost fixated vibe fully surrounds us as we experience July’s astrology. It’s a month that has all of the heated passion and drama that Leo energy brings alongside the mantra of the water sign Cancer; take it personally.

This is the perfect recipe for life to feel more like a reality TV show than usual, and there will be no shortage of main-character energy. The question now becomes, how can we embrace our emotions without fuelling unhealthy obsessions and fixating on what we can’t control? The goal is to feel your feelings without weaving a tapestry of chaos in your wake, or dragging others into a spiral cyclone.

Let’s break down July’s big planetary and lunar moments.

The sun and communication planet Mercury meet up in the sensitive sign of Cancer on 1 July, bringing an aligned moment of truth for us to focus on manifestation by speaking from a point of simultaneous care and honesty. Words have power on this day, especially. It sets us up well for a tense but generative full moon in Capricorn that finds us just a few days later on 3 July. Full moons are celebrations and mark the end of a cycle, and although the moon tends to feel agitated in stern Capricorn, this is a great time to suss out the origin points of internal conflict you’re experiencing. Decide how you’re going to clearly align your emotions with your words, especially in matters of work.

Passionate Mars enters the logic-loving sign Virgo on 10 July, and focusses our fight energy onto practical solutions. Be careful, though! Just because Mars is no longer moving through impulsive Leo doesn’t mean it has lost its impactful punch. Virgo energy can be consuming, so remember when it’s time to back down rather than wage a war. By the next day, 11 July, chatty Mercury moves into fire sign Leo, who really is stealing the show this month. Here, there’s a level of flamboyance to our communication styles that can lead to half-truths being told. Monitor the flowery finish that you’re adding to your words.

The new moon in Cancer on 17 July motivates us to move our perspectives on life into a fresh, optimistic phase. After being hella outside in the hot weather, bring yourself back into the home and nurture what inspires you in your own space. Sow seeds for emotional renewal! This is an essential regrouping moment before the transit that defines our summer arrives on 22 July - the infamous Venus Retrograde!

From 22 July to 3 September, Venus, planet of love, beauty and reconciliation will be moving backwards (retrograding) through fire sign Leo. This cycle brings escalated desires, naughty impulses, changes to societal norms, and major challenges in our personal relationships. Get ready for the integrity of our ethos to be tested, and our romantic worlds to reach some poignant crossroads. The key notes on handling Venus Retrograde in Leo are not to make any major and/or permanent changes to our appearances, knowing what our boundaries with exes are before they test them for us, and to find outlets for chaos that aren’t destructive.

July 2023 Horoscopes

With all of this in mind, here are my thoughts for each of the 12 signs this month!

Aries and Aries Rising

Venus retrograde makes romance a rocky terrain for you this July, dear Aries. Are you ready to embrace the excitement or flee at the sight of conflict?

Now is a time for critical engagement with the more difficult side of relationships and/or the budding lustful bonds you have cropping up. Life is putting your sense of commitment to the test. Instead of trying to be everywhere at once, take each issue in stride. Avoid compiling them into an intimidating mountain of lengthy texts and rushed phone calls. Use the lunar activity happening this month to ground yourself in your space and harness those quiet moments of reflection.

Taurus and Taurus Rising

You’re swimming in the past this July, Taurus. Can you hear your exes knocking, or is it you standing at their front door?

Venus retrograde is turning your summer into a spell of sun-soaked nostalgia. The soul-searching you do now will dramatically shift your perspective by the time we’re on the other side of the retrograde in September, so don’t commit to any major life overhauls now. This is especially true when it comes to how you define home. Practise observing your thoughts and feelings rather than diving back into an old fling. Use this month’s lunations to explore the depths of your existential side. Harvest new knowledge and systems of thought during the new moon in Cancer.

Gemini and Gemini Rising

Is that spark you’re feeling a fated new platonic bond, or the start of something more, Gemini? July is full of exciting new connections blooming in your local world. What will you keep close to home?

Remember that romance is not the highest form of connection you can have with someone. As one of the most gregarious signs, you’re already a master of your social sphere, so focus your energy onto being extra discerning between what should and shouldn’t turn into a lustful hookup. This month’s new and full moon are set to hit you right in the feels, and bring up some questions around what you're investing in both fiscally and emotionally. Keep tabs on your wallet and the emotional labour you give others on each lunation.

Cancer and Cancer Rising

It’s your season, Cancer! July’s astrology restores your relationship with your body and self-image as you play around with aesthetics in a way that you hadn’t prioritised before. In which ways are you excited to evolve?

Keep tabs on your outgoings during this Venus retrograde, dear water sign. Your definition of beauty is undergoing a poignant shift but it shouldn’t come at the cost of your entire paycheck. Channel that treat yourself mentality through a simultaneously practical lens. Use the lunations happening this month to better understand what you seek from romance and love with a partner (or partners) this summer.

Leo and Leo Rising

Venus in Leo this month is all about you, dear fire sign! You’re attracting so much around you, and as someone with an already magnetic quality, this will be a test of your boundaries and ability to know what defines too far.

This is a time for cultivating more depth in your life. Yes, it’s fun to have loads of friends and lovers, but who truly nurtures your soul and helps you keep your garden alive? Challenge yourself to wade through uncharted territory in love and connection rather than taking the easy route of keeping it shallow with lots of folks. Use the full and new moons this month to connect with your body and embrace the tricky terrain of vulnerability.

Virgo and Virgo Rising

What’s been bubbling under the surface, Virgo? There are matters of love and romance that you feel can’t come to light just yet. What’s holding you back from unleashing them?

The people in your life who you’re lusting after might not be revealing their full truth to you yet thanks to Venus Retrograde’s ever increasing influence. Be patient, but pay attention to people’s willingness to be vulnerable and (of course) honest. In September (the other side of the retrograde), all will be revealed. The full moon this month is full of sensual, sexy vibes. If you’re overdue for a passionate night, plan it for then!

Libra and Libra Rising

How much influence do you let your friends and community have over your life, Libra? You’re a master of hearing all opinions and forming your own, however when it comes to matters of love, listening to others might get a bit sticky in July.

This month's Venus retrograde is mixing the way that you navigate romance and the social groups you’re part of - whether that’s political organisations or friendship circles rooted in your creative endeavours. Be conscious of how you’re letting the opinions or histories of others dictate the way you progress in new romantic relationships. Take their voices with a grain of salt, and focus on factoring in people’s past with your own experience of them.

Scorpio and Scorpio Rising

Your career trajectory is in a strange flux right now, Scorpio. Are you mixing romance with work, or tempted to source new salacious spaces of inspiration?

Be wary when entering new creative phases in the labour that's tied into supporting yourself financially. What may seem like promising, shiny new bonds with people in the field you're in could actually be ticking time bombs of misplaced intentions. Remember that sleeping with coworkers always gets messy, especially during a Venus retrograde. Use July’s lunations to ground yourself in your ethical standpoints before making unhinged decisions.

Sagittarius and Sagittarius Rising

There’s something waiting for you in an unexpected place this July, Sag. Are you chasing after a new passion right now? Whether that looks like a person or hyperfocus activity, roads are leading you far from home.

Remember that there’s a hidden meaning behind what you discover during Venus retrograde. Enjoy the feeling it brings you now, but expect your view to change as life unfolds. Your usual on-the-go attitude is a lovely foundation for feeling grounded wherever you travel. Be sure to bring along spiritual materials that help you cleanse and keep moving on the road - epsom salts and amulets are a must.

Capricorn and Capricorn Rising

Generally, you’re used to keeping your emotions confined and sticking to the rules, Capricorn. You love being a sacrificial lamb for the benefit of how things flow and function! However, Venus retrograde which starts this July is coaxing you out of your shell and asking you to embrace the more taboo sides of your desire and sex life.

Embrace moments where you can let yourself fully express your hedonistic side this summer. When you find a spicy connection that allows you to lead with vulnerability and passion (whether it’s a new friendship circle or sensual fling) find meaningful intimacy. The lunations happening this month are about finding yourself again in your relationships after being sidelined and focused on providing.

Aquarius and Aquarius Rising

It takes a lot to shock you, Aquarius. This July, Venus retrograde is bringing your mind to unexpected places when it comes to the possibilities and realities that your love life holds. Partnerships are heating up, and the changes they bring aren’t what you had braced yourself for at the beginning of this year.

You’re not used to being the obsessive one in the partnership, but this retrograde in your opposite sign Leo is igniting a side of you that doesn’t often come out to play. Try not to judge yourself when you have love on the brain more than usual and your self-soothing techniques aren’t hitting the way they usually do. Voicing your anxieties is always a great starting point; especially when the bond you have with a partner has been established for a long time.

Pisces and Pisces Rising

You’re good at making life into a nonlinear plan, Pisces. Time isn’t real after all, right? This July challenges you to tap into your day-to-day life and figure out what parts of it you love, and which parts need to be reformatted.

Your work is coming under scrutiny during the Venus retrograde through Leo; both the labour you do for capital and the work you put into your home and routine. A budding office romance might need to be addressed (and potentially squashed) during this time too! Working with a love interest is always enticing, especially since you’re able to see the infinite potential of a person you fancy, but try to stay present in your body and make decisions on what will make you happy now rather than in some speculative future narrative.