America's Mercury Return 2026

by Jude Cowell, partisan for the common good

July 6, 2026

Astro-Notes: America's Mercurial Summer of 2026

Above: a tri-wheel of Mercury's Rx-Direct-Shadow degrees of July into August 2026

Since Messenger planet Mercury turned retrograde (Rx) in early July @26Canb03, we find that our national Mercury Return this year has already begun with a total of three exact Returns all together, aka, a three-fer return. Below are the three dates that transit Mercury returned and will return to its July 4, 1776 position (@24Can11:51 at 5:09 pm LMT) - or, use your preferred US horoscope as you wish and the timings of America's 2026 Mercury Returns will naturally be different:

1. June 22, 2026: done!

2. July 7, 2026 (Rx): tomorrow! chart shows Saturn-Neptune = Moon @8Ari36 with potentials for: a low character; emotional immaturity; pessimism; depression; and/or chronic diseases - R. Ebertin;

3. August 5, 2026: Mercury-Saturn = Uranus @5Gem09 - in Return 9th house of Foreign Lands @6Gemini = "Drilling for Oil" (Straight of Hormuz?); the midpoint picture's potentials include: haste; quick decisions; going one's own way; nerve disease; plus, the speculation pair of Jupiter-Neptune = Uranus: imagination vs reality; coming down to earth with a bump; sudden recognition of a difficult situation (R. Ebertin).

Now as you know, any three-fer planetary return emphasizes the importance of the returning planet for that period of time including its aspects to other planets in the horoscope in which it appears. Obviously for America, besides the usual Mercurial circumstances, Mercury's directional shifts of Summer 2026 lead up to the Midterm Elections in November 2026, and many issues in the political and societal spheres depend upon outcomes via Mercury, planet of ballots, voting, vote counting and recounting (Rx), and the campaign speeches that sway voters one way or another. Mercury to-and-fro suggests that minds and decisions will change and perhaps change back by Election Day in November.

Our National Mercury-Pluto July 4, 1776

Then as we know, US 1776 Mercury opposes US 1776 Pluto Rx @27Cap33 so all our country's Mercury Returns soon stir up transit Mercury aligning in opposition to powerful Pluto, an aspect which is associated with intense ideas and information, manipulated ideas or plans, refusals to listen to others, wrong information intended to mislead, spying activities and surveillance, and/or restrictions on free thinking and/or communicating. Plus, Mercury also represents trade, commerce, negotiations and contracts, voting, oaths of office, the senses, teaching/learning, young folk, and just about anything else we care to name.

So let's close this post with our Mercury's rounded-up Sabian Symbol which relates closely to issues of government and power:

25 Cancer = "A Dark Shadow or Mantle Thrown Suddenly Over the Right Shoulder"; Keyword: DESTINY; positive expression: some dramatic manifestation of genius vital to the general welfare of man; negative (shadow side/unconscious -jc) expression: a tendency to unwarranted presumption if not outright megalomania.

Dear reader, I shall leave the word picure's interpretation in 2026 up to you.

Source: The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Dr. Marc Edmund Jones #ad

A Closely Related Post: The Midterms 2026 Leo Eclipse (horoscope shown, inner), surrounded by a horoscope of the moment that transit Mars conjuncts the Eclipse on November 3, 2026, Election Day; post includes a handy image of the 120th Congress Horoscope. Thanks for reading, jc

Two Eclipses in August 2026

by Jude Cowell, partisan for the common good

If you wish, images of the Leo Solar Eclipse in the 10 South Saros Series, and the Pisces Lunar Eclipse - both occurring in August 2026 - may be viewed on my WordPress blog, Jude's Threshold by following this link:

DC Horoscopes: Eclipses of August 2026.

And perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a cosmic time link between August 2026 and The Crusades of 1179 if you've a mind to check it out!

Star of Misfortune eclipsed

Washington Burning 1814

May 2023/26 Progressions of Mr. Trump

by Jude Cowell, partisan for the common good

Until his June 2027 First Quarter Progressed Moon occurs, Mr. Trump remains under the influence of his Secondary Progressed ('SP') Cresent Moon Phase which perfected on May 24, 2023 @21Lib33. View his 2023 SP Cresent Phase Horoscope, below, in bi-wheel form (inner). The outer chart shows planetary transits for that exact date and time; both horoscopes are set for the White House, but relocate the charts as you wish.

In general, the Crescent Phase of the Moon often denotes past events and conditions becoming significant or prominent in the present, possibly even tripping us up in some way. And a Libra Moon suggests (and remember we're talking Politics!) potentials such as fateful partnerships; irresponsibility; self-indulgence; and/or emphasis on unimportant things (R. Ebertin). Perhaps like using distractions to divert public attention?

Now one event that occurred on May 24, 2023 stands out in the political realm: Canada and Saudi Arabia resumed full diplomatic relations after their break-up over the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi of the Washington Post who, you'll remember, met his tragic end on October 2, 2018 after entering the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul, Turkey to pick up the required papers so that he and his fiancee could marry.

Then two other significant 2023 events should be noted here although of course there are others:

1. The failure of San Francisco's First Republic Bank which was auctioned off to JP Morgan Chase, a collapse which surpassed the March 2023 failure of the Silicon Valley Bank, and 2. The coronation of King Charles III and his Queen, Camilla.

As for Mr. T's SP Cresent Moon Phase shown above, the big fat Bundle of planets in his progressed 12th house of Politics tells an unfortunate tale of a dictator, plus, there's the harsh Saturn-Pluto duo at Midheaven ('MC'), the Goal Point of the chart. You may remember that the Saturn-Pluto Conjunction of 2020 @22Cap46 landed directly upon Mr. T's natal Vertex, a point of fated encounters.

So! If we didn't know anything else about his phase of life via Astrology, we can turn on a TV at any point in time and be horrified by his authoritarian behavior and his determination to remake America into his image.

Meanwhile, this post must be closed so let's add a few brief notes concerning potentials within the conscious-unconscious Sun-Moon blends shown in both charts; either one or both descriptions may sound familiar:

SP Sun Virgo-Moon Libra: assuming intellectual superiority; fussy insistence on things being "just right"; rule of law. Image for Integration: "A monastic husband."

(Transit) Sun Gemini-Moon Leo: childlike fantasies of royal blood ensure confident social performances; a dramatic storyteller with charisma; a weaver of magical images; the need for flattery and for holding center stage; a fertile imagination; childish haughtiness and stubbornness when feeling under appreciated. Image for Integration: "A king holds court --"

For more details see Sun Sign-Moon Sign, by Charles and Suzi Harvey #ad

Ivana natal chart w Ivana "found"

Just a quick reminder of a mystery. If you know you know: