TRANSCRIPT Ep. 347 | Mercury enters Cancer: The Language of Mood and Memory!

TRANSCRIPT Ep 347 | Mercury enters Cancer: The Language of Mood and Memory!

Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is June 1st, 2026. Welcome to Episode 347 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.

This week, the skies are pretty quiet, with no major lunation and only a few transits. Mercury enters the quiet sign of Cancer for a longer than usual stay. The Sun and Saturn offer collaboration to tackle serious projects, and Mercury squares Neptune for a clarifying dose of realism. We look at the week’s Void-of-Course Moon periods, and I answer a listener question about which are the best charts to use when you’re giving an astrology reading.

Mercury enters Cancer (June 1, 2026, 4:56 am PDT)

Mercury enters Cancer on Monday, June 1st at 4:56 a.m. Pacific Time, and this year it is going to linger because of Mercury’s retrograde period, which will go from June 29th through July 23rd. Mercury is going to be in the sign of Cancer all the way until August 9th.

So rather than a really quick emotional weather front, this is more like a whole season of feeling our way through conversations and decisions.

While Mercury is in Cancer, it does not operate on pure logic or data alone. It takes its cues from the Moon, which is the ruler of Cancer, and that means that our thinking and communication are more tied up with moods and memory.

That lunar influence can make things very changeable. Expect fluctuations in communication, in travel plans, and even in weather itself. Things might feel a little less predictable, and timing can be a little bit slippery.

Mercury in Cancer invites us to find language to communicate our feelings, and especially the sensitive or complicated ones. This can be a beautiful and nostalgic transit that draws us back into memories, family stories, personal history. You might want to look at old photos or think about old, unfinished, emotional conversations. Look at things related to your genealogy. And look for reflection during this time, rather than trying to find quick answers to anything. This actually could be a really nice time for a big family dinner, or a weekend cookout to share stories and memories.

Cancer is traditionally called one of the mute signs, which just means it tends to be a little less talkative in a straightforward way. Whereas we just came out of Mercury in Gemini, which loves to chat and loves words for their own sake. But Mercury in Cancer has a very different communication style, and it’s usually quite a bit less direct. One interpretation of Cancer’s Sabian symbol, as it goes into Cancer, which is 1 Cancer, A furled and unfurled flag displayed from a vessel, can point to expressing our loyalty and care and emotion through signals and gestures and symbols, rather than explicitly through talking or conversation.

So, during this long Mercury in Cancer transit, let’s pay attention to what is being implied, what we’re feeling, and what is being shared with us on a less verbal level. Some of the most meaningful messages that come our way might not be spoken out loud at all.

Sun sextile Saturn (June 2, 2026, 3:49 pm PDT)

The Sun sextiles Saturn on Tuesday, June 2nd at 3:49 pm Pacific Time, and that’s at 12 degrees 24 minutes Gemini and Aries.

The Sun’s sextile to Saturn is a strong aspect for applying yourself and for working hard toward important projects, and this is especially creative projects. The Sun’s Sabian symbol 13 Gemini is, A great musician at his piano, so it is even showing an example of someone who is presumably gaining those 10,000 hours that are supposed to lead to mastery of something.

Now the Sun in Gemini can have a hard time settling down and sticking to something long-term, because it’s a very curious and restless sign. It’s always looking at what else might be out there that would be interesting to get involved with, but its sextile to Saturn gives us a lot more determination and stick-to-itiveness. It’s a really good transit for projects like sorting through a bunch of paperwork, maybe mastering some new piece of software, or an app.

I’m getting ready to turn 65 in a couple of months, and I’m in the process of making decisions about Medicare, and I have a huge stack of paper on the dining room table just waiting for me to go through it all, and I’ve really been putting it off because I’m a little bit overwhelmed. So I’m going to make a note on my calendar for this day to go through and tackle that big stack of papers.

It’s important, though, since Saturn is in Aries, and this is pretty impulsive and impatient sign, it’s important to look through things carefully and not just rush through the details. Saturn will usually slow down our impulsive Aries side, but it’s still really important to pay attention to what we’re doing.

Mercury square Neptune (June 3, 2026, 5:18 pm PDT)

Mercury squares Neptune on Wednesday, June 3rd at 5:18 p.m. Pacific Time. That’s at 4 degrees 6 minutes Cancer and Aries. Anytime Mercury and Neptune come together, we’re moving into a mental landscape that’s a little more mutable. It’s shifting. This is a great aspect for some things like imagination, for making music or art or poetry, and it’s really good for picking up on those subtle nonverbal cues that Mercury in Cancer might be sending our way that might normally slip past us. Intuition is really at a high, and we may sense things before we’re able to really articulate them, but this is an aspect that also comes with some challenges.

Mercury square Neptune can blur the boundaries in thinking and communication. It can make it a little bit harder to sort out fact from feeling or wishful thinking from reality. With Mercury traveling through Cancer, that’s a tendency that’s somewhat stronger at this time. Cancer doesn’t always want to say exactly what it’s thinking or feeling, and when it is under Neptune’s influence, that silence can turn into misunderstanding or mixed signals, confusion.

I actually kind of like Mercury square Neptune because, yes, it creates a little bit of a mental fog, but that in itself can actually be strangely productive. Because when things feel unclear, we’re forced to slow down and concentrate, and that effort, like working a set of mental muscles at the gym, can ultimately strengthen our thinking. If you are willing to question assumptions and double-check information and just kind of sit with uncertainty for a while, this is an aspect that can actually sharpen your mind and deepen your intuition at the same time.

Void-of-Course Moon Periods

And now it’s time for the Moon Report, and it’s a very short report, because this week we do not have a Sun-Moon conjunction, square, or opposition, a major lunation. We will have one next Monday, but this week we’ll just talk a little bit about the Void-of-Course Moon periods for the week.

On Sunday, May 31st, the Moon trined Saturn at 6:21 a.m. Pacific time and has been Void-of-Course for one full day, 11 hours and 58 minutes, before entering Capricorn on Monday, June 1st at 6:19 p.m.

So, this Void-of-Course Moon is happening between planets in fire signs, the Moon in Sagittarius and Saturn in Aries. Now, fire signs are known for their confidence, or at least seeming confidence, and this is a trait that can cause both Aries and Sagittarius to bite off a little more than they can chew or to go after lofty goals. And when the Sagittarius Moon meets with Saturn in Aries, we could see an irresistible and yet daunting challenge arise. It makes me think of situations where something is created out of nothing, like pouring the foundation for a house on an empty lot.

The trine between the two could provide the tenacity that we need to accomplish a big challenge. And not only that, it could bring us admiration and respect from others. Use this Void-of-Course Moon to get in the habit of going after intimidating challenges with passion and confidence and a whole lot of hard work.

On Wednesday, June 3rd, the Moon in Capricorn opposes Jupiter in Cancer at 8:04 p.m. Pacific time. It’s then Void-of-Course for 10 hours and 41 minutes and then enters Aquarius on Thursday, June 4th at 6:45 a.m. Now oppositions between the Moon and another planet, as it’s going Void-of-Course, tend to bring relationship issues to the surface. And with this particular combination, I can’t help but think about how common it could be for people to disagree over spending habits. And I say that because a Moon in Capricorn person will likely be pretty frugal, and Jupiter in Cancer can usually justify buying anything and everything that provides comfort and coziness, especially things for your home. Balance is the key with an opposition. Use this Void-of-Course Moon period to get in the habit of noticing when the balance is off between the desire for material security and living an enjoyable and comfortable life.

And on Friday, June 5th, the Moon in Aquarius trines the Sun at 12:51 p.m. Pacific time, another long Void-of-Course period. The Moon will be Void-of-Course for a full day plus 4 hours and 52 minutes, so we know we have plenty of time to change some habits during this Void-of-Course period. Then the Moon enters Pisces on Saturday, June 6th at 5:43 p.m. Pacific time.

The Moon in Aquarius and the Sun in Gemini are masters of small talk and bubbly social events. This is one of those long Void-of-Course Moon periods, and it’s happening on the weekend. So, this could be a wonderful time to get together with colleagues for some drinks or entertainment, going out for some live music, having a poker night, maybe going to a beverage tasting of some kind.

These could all be amazing ways to make use of this really lovely Void-of-Course Moon period. With the Sun in Gemini, it would probably be preferable to keep things local. And this is a Void-of-Course Moon that can help you think about the way you can socialize with colleagues and friends while also supporting local businesses in your area.

Listener Question: Which Charts to Use in a Reading?

In this week’s listener question, listener Marilyn writes, “Thank you for always providing positive ways to look at the current astrology. I’ve been studying astrology for a few years, and my question is about the weight of specific kinds of charts for individuals. It’s really overwhelming and I’d like to be practical.

Which is more important for a person to pay attention to? A) The solar return chart. B) The progressed chart. C) A bi-wheel of current transits with the solar return chart. D) A bi-wheel of current transits with the progressed chart. Or E) A bi-wheel of the natal chart and the solar return chart. Just writing this list generated other chart combination ideas. A tri-wheel seems like just too much to deal with.”

Marilyn, it’s a great question, and it’s just the kind of thing that I was talking about recently. I can’t remember the context, but I feel like it was a listener question where I was talking about how overwhelming it can be as you’re getting your feet wet with astrology. And in your case, maybe really getting used to doing effective readings for people, and what are the tools that you need to use?

I can tell you what I use. Generally, what I will do is create a bi-wheel -and for the uninitiated, that means a chart that has one wheel on the inside with another wheel around the outside. And what I will normally do is create a bi-wheel with the person’s natal chart as the base and then the inner planet progressions around the outside. Because with secondary progressions, not a lot shows movement beyond, say, Mars. It can do, but not generally speaking. So that is the chart that I work with, that I print out, and around the outside, I write the outer planet transits.

And somehow, doing it that way makes it less overwhelming for me than if I do a tri-wheel, because a tri-wheel makes everything really small and hard for my eyes to really take in. So, that’s how I do it. The other thing that I am filling in is usually … I have a little worksheet on the side where I can write the secondary progressed aspects to the natal chart that may be going on. And then on the other side, the big transits that are happening to the natal chart.

In the middle, I’ll write something about the eclipses for the year, maybe something like that. If they’re at an age, say around the Saturn return at 29 or 58, I will probably write the dates for that at the very top of that piece of paper with the charts on it. And also, if they are at midlife between about 36 and 42, where you are having the square from transiting Pluto to natal Pluto, from transiting Neptune to natal Neptune, and the opposition from transiting Uranus to natal Uranus.

So, I have all that stuff there, and it’s all good stuff, and it’s all really helpful, and for me, it’s easier for my eye to look at than a tri-wheel. But those are the things that I always use and look at the natal chart with progressions with transits. But you’re looking at a lot less stuff than you might think you’re looking at because you’re only looking at the inner planet progressions and the outer planet transits. And if you use a program like Solar Fire, for example, it’s pretty easy to set it up to only show you those things.

Now you mentioned the solar return chart. I really like solar return charts. If somebody specifically asks to look at their solar return, we will run that, and we will look at it. I don’t generally include it in a basic reading. It’s not that I don’t think it’s useful, but for me, the solar return is kind of a snapshot of the entire birthday year ahead. And if I’m already looking in depth at progressions and transits, I don’t feel the necessity to look at the solar return. But as I say, if somebody asks for it, I will absolutely include it.

But I really prefer to consider the solar return chart as quite separate from the natal secondary progressions and transits. I will say that if I’m just doing a solar return reading and I want to look at a little bit of forecasting with that, transits for the year can be really helpful. If we’re looking at the big transits for the year, I probably would in that case compare it to the solar return chart and try to get some timing off of that.

And you said just writing the list that you did for me generated thoughts of other kinds of chart combination ideas. And I think you’re right that something like a tri-wheel can seem like a lot to deal with. And dealing with a lot of different charts can I think usually be overkill.

I always think that my job as an astrologer is to simplify things for my client, not make them more complicated. Use the charts that feel really clear and instructive to you. If you’re getting something very specific from using those, sure, go ahead and do it.

I’m only reporting what’s worked for me in the past, and you might be a very different kind of astrologer. But the simpler you can make it for yourself and the more effectively you can communicate that to your client, the better off everybody is going to be.

Marilyn, thank you so much for your question and I really do hope that that has helped! It’s an issue every astrologer deals with when they’re getting started doing consultations, because it’s like being a carpenter who has a ton of tools. You don’t necessarily need the same tools for every job. You’ll rely on just a few really good, effective ones. And in astrology, I think it’s similar.

If you have a burning question about astrology that you would like me to answer on a future podcast, leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com / bigskyastrologypodcast or send an email to april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

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