Burning Back The Veil: Venus into Cancer

Giovanni Strazza, “The Veiled Virgin,” ca. 1850s

And when we fell together

all our flesh was like a veil.

I had to draw aside to see

the serpent eat its tail.

 - Leonard Cohen, “Last Year’s Man”

The first week of August has a few challenges and the potential to be rather confusing.

Saturn and Neptune energies are so closely combined at the moment it’s difficult to distinguish them — Neptune is making Saturn’s boundaries nebulous, while Saturn is crystalizing that nebulousness.

A square between Venus and Saturn/Neptune retrograde likely brings up frustration and uncertainty around themes of healing/wounding; romanticism/idealization, boundaries/desire; deception/transparency; independence/partnership; and freedom/security.

Saturn conjunct Neptune is like a veil — an undulating surface of images obscuring the sacred fire at the heart of Aries. We can feel the heat when the veil gets thinner, and the cold when it begins to harden. But we know not to touch.

At times you can see through the veil and a form seems to appear behind it. Other times, the veil is the form and what seems to appear behind it, dissolves, disappears, then reappears as something else entirely.

Mercury backing into the heart of the Sun on July 31 offers us an opportunity to gain some inner clarity. We’re likely to experience a revelation of some kind, unfolding gradually over the coming weeks in the Leo part of our charts. With Saturn/Neptune in Aries, sign of the Sun’s exaltation, the veil should get thinner.

The best news about Venus moving into Cancer, however, is that the greater benefic, Jupiter, is also in Cancer, exalted and growing in strength. Highlight mid-August on your calendar.

Let’s take a look at the events of late July/early August in order so we can hopefully better understand some of the dynamics at play as Venus enters Cancer.

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On July 29, the Moon moved into Libra and opposed Saturn and Neptune. Over the course of this day (yesterday) -- when the overall mood, mind and emotional focus had a Libran quality to it -- themes of cooperation, balance, justice, harmony, the social idea of partnership and contracts were somehow confronted.

Being the first time the Moon has opposed Saturn and Neptune since they turned retrograde, I consider this quick Moon opposition somewhat of a trigger for what unfolds over the coming weeks.

Over the course of about 48 hours, July 30 -- August 1, a constellation of five significant back-to-back astrological events occur:

1. July 30, Chiron stations retrograde at 27 Aries.

2. About eleven hours later,  Venus enters Cancer, activating the opening square of both the Venus/Saturn and Venus/Neptune cycles.

3. July 31, the Moon moves into Scorpio and squares Pluto at 2 Aquarius.

4. Then, an hour or so later, the Sun and retrograde Mercury conjoin at 9 Leo, sparking Mercury’s rebirth as morning star.

5. August 1, the First Quarter Moon at 9 Scorpio/Leo square the Sun and Mercury.

Then, on August 3, Mars begins applying in opposition to Saturn and Neptune from the late degrees of Virgo, moving into Libra on August 6 and forming the exact opposition on August 8.

CHIRON

Chiron — the “wounded healer” and mythic teacher of heroes — stations retrograde on July 30 at 27 Aries.

It’s been slowing to a standstill at this degree for 20 days, since the Capricorn Full Moon on July 10. It will be retrograde until early January 2026, perhaps having some of us reprocessing and working through what’s unfolded in the Aries part of our chart since Chiron last stationed direct on December 29 2024.

Chiron symbolizes that part of us that’s capable of integrating our most subjective, painful experiences and memories, and then alchemizing that knowledge into wisdom. That part of us can then become like a wounded healer, meaning we can use the wisdom gained through suffering to help heal others who are navigating similar waters we’ve passed through, even if our own healing is never quite complete.

Chiron is where pain points exist, where we’re sensitive to harm because we’ve been harmed there before.

If certain circumstances or memories trigger a pain point, and our response isn’t regulated by our conscious awareness, our wounds have the potential, when re-opened, to wound others as well, prolonging or damaging the healing process. Easier said than done for most mortals.

So when Chiron is activated, or stations retrograde in conversation with an important planet or point in our chart, issues around healing are activated as well.

With Chiron in Aries, these can be wounds caused by a loss of identity, anger, or neglect; wounds to the body (possibly to the head); wounds caused by bravery or lack of; actual wounds caused by acts of war; or self-inflicted wounds caused by the less mature, wilder, more improvisational aspects of ourselves.

This retrograde station will be more pronounced for people with personal planets or points (the ascendant or nodes) in the last 5 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn).

Chiron won’t move away from 27 Aries until August 18 — that’s 39 days of intensified Chiron activation. That 39 days is important because it ties Saturn — recently retrograde and also extremely still in the sky, having moved only 1 degree since going retrograde on July 13 — directly to Chiron now. Saturn is strongly tied to what is happening in this brief window of time, especially in regard to Venus, but more on that later.

When Chiron stationed direct last December, it was a day before the Saturn-ruled Capricorn New Moon on December 30 2024. Back on July 10 2025 — the day of the Saturn-ruled Capricorn Full Moon at 18 Capricorn — Chiron entered its retrograde degree of 27 Aries. Then, three days later, Saturn turned retrograde, co-present with Chiron in Aries, hosted by Mars.

Chiron, Saturn and Neptune — all retrograde in Aries now —  are going to be “sitting with” and reflecting on whatever’s unfolded from December 29 2024 to July 4 2025 (the period when Saturn, Neptune and Chiron were all direct at the same time).

What’s come into sharp focus over the month of July and brought an old wound back in your life? Perhaps an event triggered a response that was filled with residue from the past. What wounds re-appeared and now need new understanding in order to heal?

VENUS INTO CANCER

July 30 10:57 pm CST, about 13 hours after Chiron stations retrograde in Aries, Venus moves into Cancer.

Venus is our desire nature — how we love; what we value; how, why and with whom we connect and bond; what we find beautiful or pleasurable; what eases us, creates harmony and peace for us; it’s how we relate and what we crave.

Cancer is the Temple of the Moon and corresponds to a constellation of archetypes having to do with home, family, safety, security, mothering, care-giving, our roots and deep family patterns. It’s related to where we find sustenance, nourishment, and emotional renewal.

Venus and the Moon get along very well, so when Venus enters Cancer we can expect matters of desire, love, value, and relating to become imbued with Cancerian and lunar qualities.

We could want to be home more; creating or redecorating our space; cooking at home more, or just enjoying more pleasurable pursuits at home in general. A desire for more comfort, quiet, solitude is possible. There could be romance in the home. It’s a very fertile time, so conception is possible. Our desire for well-being, harmony and joy around family and home is heightened. Love and beauty can become sources of nourishment and security when Venus is in Cancer.

Early August 12, Venus conjoins Jupiter at 14 Cancer. When these two planets meet in the sign of Jupiter’s exaltation, the more enjoyable, positive and beneficial qualities of Venus, Jupiter, Cancer, and the house they occupy are readily available and flowing. This should be a cause for celebration.

This could be a time of restoration, reconciliation and peace in matters of love and romance, or the beginning of a new romance. Pleasure, good times, especially with family, are likely. Dinner parties, date-nights at home, backyard pool parties, weddings, family vacations should be very enjoyable, positive and memorable.

This conjunction is a beacon of hope in the month of August, so take advantage and enjoy this Time however you can.

VENUS CHALLENGED

The Moon, ruler of Cancer, will be in Libra when Venus ingresses into Cancer late July.

This “mutual reception” (Venus hosting the Moon and the Moon hosting Venus) is a helpful nuance that lends support to both. However, Venus immediately squares Saturn and Neptune, both retrograde in Aries.

Our Venus/Mars and Venus/Saturn stories could be evolving quicker now.

Right after fully separating from a square with one malefic -- Mars on July 28 -- Venus forms another square with the other, greater malefic, Saturn (& Neptune), almost immediately upon entering Cancer.

So an interesting crossover is underway.

The Venus/Mars square had to do with action related to relationships, values, self-worth and connection. The Saturn and Neptune square, however, might be more about consequences, deceptions and boundaries.

There are two separate Venusian stories underway that are connected. One is the Venus/Mars cycle story and the other is the Venus/Saturn/Neptune cycle story.

These stories/patterns become more entangled by the fact that Saturn is in Mars’s sign (Aries) in poor dignity; and as of August 6, Mars enters into Venus’s rulership (Libra), where Mars is in exile (as far from home as it can get), but where Saturn is exalted.  And then, just a day later, Mars will confront Saturn and Neptune by opposition — guests in his own house. Rude.

If that has you in knots, me too. It’s a lot, so I’ll try to explain as best I can.

The Venus/Mars square on July 21 was the closing square of a cycle that started way back in February 2024, when these two planets were conjunct at 7 Aquarius and opposite the Moon at 9 Leo.

9 Leo is where Mercury and the Sun conjoin on July 31.

This is important once we remember that this closing square took place in Mercury-ruled signs (Gemini/Virgo). In other words, the upcoming renewal of the Mercury/Sun cycle is at the same exact degree the Moon was in when our current Venus/Mars cycle started.

The Moon rules Cancer, where Venus just entered.

Mercury’s purification and rebirth at the heart of the Sun might bring fresh insight and awareness, making something hidden visible, specifically around Venusian themes. This could signify a return to Center, or a new understanding of how relationship, money matters, creative projects, or family concerns need to move forward.

It’s possible that this newfound clarity can help us navigate with purpose whatever develops over the final months of the current Venus/Mars cycle, ending January 7 2026.

And this is where the Saturn layer of the Venus/Mars story becomes more apparent.

On January 7 2026, Venus and Mars conjoin and begin a new cycle in Saturnine Capricorn, conjunct the Sun. This happens at 18 Capricorn, the very same degree where our recent Capricorn Full Moon on July 10 occurred while Saturn was slowing to a dead stop.

Interestingly, this is tied to Chiron as well. Chiron entered it's retrograde degree of 27 Aries on July 10 when the full moon was at 18 Capricorn. Chiron stations direct just a few days before Venus and Mars renew their cycle and conjoin on January 7, January 2 2026.

And by that time, Saturn will be direct at 26 Pisces, however it won’t move from its stationing degree of 25 Pisces until December 29 2025 -- exactly one year after Chiron perviously stationed direct at the Saturn-ruled Capricorn New Moon December 30 2024.

So Chiron is very much linked to this ongoing Venus/Mars story as it is to Saturn. When Venus and Mars conjoin on January 7 next year, they will be hosted by Saturn in Pisces (where Venus is exalted) and Chiron will be hosted my Mars conjunct Venus in Saturn's temple.

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The current Venus/Saturn storyline hits a new milestone when they square on August 1, as soon as Venus enters nurturing Moon-ruled Cancer.

This new cycle began in a big, perhaps disorienting way over the course of three conjunctions due to Venus’ retrograde in Aries and Pisces last Spring.

The first conjunction was January 18 2025, the second on April 7 with Venus Rx, and the last was on April 24. All of these contacts took place in Pisces.

For many, the time between mid-January and late April was a period of significant endings and beginnings in regard to Venus topics. Many planetary cycles renewed in Spring 2025 and just as many seeds were planted with them.

Now, however, Venus and Saturn are in Cardinal signs, where initiatives take place. This opening square at 1 Cancer/Aries on August 1 is the first corner to be turned in their new cycle, and being that their contact is now in the first degree of Cardinal signs, this could really signify the new start promised by the three conjunctions.

There’s a “changing of the guard” feeling about this time — a crossing over from an older Venus/Mars story-cycle to a newer Venus/Saturn story-cycle that began over the course of early 2025.

What this might mean is a period of passion and strife (Venus/Mars) is ending and shifting; and after a time of review, energy is entering a new period of idealized stability and romance (Saturn/Neptune).

Saturn and Neptune at the first degree of the zodiac, and retrograding back into Pisces, has us dealing with the past in some way regarding our Venus/Saturn story. This is likely the case until they move back into Aries in February 2026 and a new chapter, if not a new book, begins.

Over the course of that time, frayed threads will be tied, resentments and regrets released, forgiveness granted, and perhaps memories spread to the wind like funerary ash. But this must occur, by necessity, before new stories can begin in 2026.

Look back to March and April of this year, when Venus was retrograde and making multiple conjunctions to Saturn, Neptune, Mercury and the North Node. What, or who, was undergoing collapse, in limbo, or on the precipice? What felt at sea? Venus squaring Saturn and Neptune is like a page turning in that narrative, for better or worse.

There might be challenges coming into focus that force us to realize our needs for nurturance, security, safety, peace in the home, or a beautiful space to recoup inside of are in conflict with old identities and new premonitions of Self.

This could show up as a push/pull between desire for comfort, connection, nurturance, family and love and the impulse to pull away into self-containment, self-delusion, or romantic ideals of self-sufficiency and freedom. But typically, squares signify that an action needs to be taken or choice made in order to move forward.

Perhaps new boundaries are being drawn and old ones are being erased; or boundaries aren’t even on the table at all. Maybe our desire has hit a wall and can’t be pursued any further; or what we used to want is no longer wanted and therefore doesn’t take shape in the future the way it was imagined it would before.

After Venus clears its square to Saturn/Neptune, there could be a Return-to-Self moment around that corner — a realization that what is done is done and must be released in order to get back to your true path.

I say this because — in addition to Mercury cazimi being a light-bringer of sorts — the Venus/Mars closing square that took place on July 23 involved the South Node in Virgo, representing a letting go moment, surrender, or relinquishing of the sword.

Look for these themes to be in conflict somehow now: reviving dissolving dreams vs implementing new realities of future self; fierce, unbound independence vs feelings of restorative comfort, security and familiarity — or more broadly: independence vs co-dependence, freedom vs accountability.

MERCURY CAZIMI

Wherever there is confusion now, Mercury retrograde conjoining the Sun has the potential to unlock access to a path forward, if we’re open and attentive.    

Close to 20 hours after Venus moves into Cancer, Mercury retrogrades back into the heart of the Sun at 9 Leo, igniting a hidden, purifying rebirth seeded by the Sun on July 31. And as I mentioned earlier, 9 Leo ties directly back to the beginning of the current Venus/Mars cycle that began February 2024 via the Moon's (ruler of Cancer) position at that time.

Over the course of the coming days, clarity around something that was hidden might come to light or there's a sudden insight or announcement, perhaps related to the Venus/Jupiter conjunction, perfecting at the same time Mercury stations direct on August 12.

Around this time, just before sunrise on the eastern horizon, Venus and Jupiter will be the brightest objects in the pre-dawn sky, Mercury rising right behind them. Once Mercury leaves the beams of the Sun, fully rising as a morning star on this same day, the messages

Mercury brought back from the Underworld could be more apparent.

For those with personal planets close to 9 Leo by conjunction, square or opposition, what Mercury downloads from the Sun as it renews is a royal decree of sorts, guiding you to get back on your truth path if you've veered too far from it.

Whatever insight this Mercury cazimi reveals, it likely can’t be unseen or unfelt.

You might feel a renewed sense of focus or reinvigorated creative purpose that boosts confidence and pride in something you're working toward. It could feel as if you’ve been granted keys to doors up ahead, and suddenly you know which doors to close.

Happening the same day as the Mercury cazimi, the Moon squares the Sun and Pluto. This is the first quarter moon.

What has developed since July 24 and the Leo New Moon? What transformations are in deeper process now? What has changed within you and around you?

There could be a lot of confusion around these matters now as Venus takes her first steps into Cancerian waters to square Saturn/Neptune. Look to the Cancer part of your chart as Venus wades further and deeper into the Moon’s realm. The days surrounding August 12 are a time to look forward to.

We might feel limited, confused or stuck somehow in the first week of August, but maybe that’s just our imagination imagining we’re limited, confused or stuck.

Maybe it’s Time to burn back the veil and incinerate our illusions so what’s Real can appear in our lives again.

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This is a general reading, to learn about how Venus entering Cancer interacts with your natal chart, please consider booking a reading.