Get ready to enter a month filled with endless emotions and tear-jerking nostalgia. That’s right; after a month spent in energetic Gemini, June 20 marks the beginning of Cancer season — a date that coincides with the summer solstice. This year, the energy of Cancer season will be three times more pronounced than usual, due to Mercury’s retrograde cycle, which is also in Cancer, says Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com and Horoscope.com.

“[Mercury retrograde] will last for almost the entire time the sun is in Cancer,” Montúfar explains. We’ll also be experiencing two new moons back-to-back in this sentimental water sign. “The first one will be a solar eclipse on June 20, bringing change and new beginnings into our lives. And the second one will be on July 20, just before the sun moves out of Cancer and enters Leo.”

This Cancer season is set to be life-changing, Montúfar says. “It marks a big switch in the overall astrological energy due to the nodes of the moon switching signs. At both a personal level as well as collective level, we will experience big endings regarding situations and projects that have been highlighted for the past two-and-a-half years.”

As is only natural when you’re watching long-term projects come to a close, you may start to reminisce about the past, astrologer Lisa Stardust tells Refinery29. The “good old days” you’re dreaming about, in this case, may be pre-pandemic life, when we were free from face mask regulations, social distancing, and COVID-19. While memories of heading out to a bar or restaurant sans mask may make you feel nostalgic as the days get warmer, remember that these are still extremely important guidelines to follow — and in the end, they do far more good than harm.

Along with nostalgia bubbling to the surface, you’ll want to prepare for things to get emotional this month — Cancer is a sensitive and sentimental sign, after all. “Cancer’s ruling planet is the Moon, which represents emotions and instincts, and also the part of ourselves that we cannot express,” Stardust says. “The Moon changes signs every day, therefore it’s only logical that our hearts and mindsets will shift like the waves of the ocean.”

“As we sink into the depths of our emotional beds over the next few weeks, we may find ourselves coming face to face with feelings we thought we had gotten over, grudges we refuse to let go of, and the roles we play in our one on one relationships,” Ashawnee Dubarry, an intuitive tarot reader and astrologer based in New Jersey tells Refinery29.

Dubarry notes that Cancer is also a sign of rest and healing — and it may help mend any bruises that you earned during the complicated and frustrating Gemini season.

During this Cancer season, the Sun will oppose Jupiter on July 14, says Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com. Hale says that this is generally pleasant energy. But things can take a turn toward the negative on July 15, as the Sun opposes Pluto. “Sun-Pluto oppositions relate to power struggles and deep-seated issues,” she explains. Of course, the deep-seated issues of racism and police brutality has been brought to the forefront these past few weeks. Keep up your anti-racist work and activism this season, being especially intentional about keeping up the momentum around this date in particular.

Finally, on July 20, the Sun will oppose Saturn. “Sun-Saturn transits are negative and often tiring,” Hale explains. “You may feel stressed, drained and like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.” Luckily, Hale says this energy will pass quickly.

The key during this year’s Cancer season is to remain calm and balanced, and to prioritise self-care and a positive attitude. The world is shifting and changing — but ultimately, it will be for the better.

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