Ease into the month, Leo, and conserve your solar power. Your true time to shine doesn’t start until three weeks into July. The Sun is making its annual sojourn through Cancer until July 22, casting its rays across your twelfth house of rest, healing and closure. You might be a bit sleepier than usual, or you could crave a (well-deserved) retreat. Use this dreamy time to tie up loose ends, engage in creative or imagination-fueled tasks and complete lingering projects. Do some behind-the-scenes work rather than seeking the spotlight.

The silver (really, golden) lining of this? You’ll have a clean slate in time for Leo season, which starts on July 22. Wouldn’t you rather celebrate your birthday without that mountain of unfinished tasks dogging you? By the time the Leo new moon arrives on July 28, you’ll be ready to launch into your personal new year and say “yes” to what lights you up now.

Tired or not, you’re likely to be teeming with big ideas all month long. Expansive Jupiter is in Aries and your visionary, adventurous ninth house, helping you see limitless possibilities. For the many Leos who are already total rays of sunshine, you’ll be a force of positive energy and optimism. Grouchier Lions (you know who you are) will hopefully tap into joyous Jupiter’s influence to ditch the drama and focus on all the glittering opportunities that await.

Pounce on them early, though, because on July 28, Jupiter will turn retrograde (backward), making you think twice about taking that leap of faith. No need to freak out: The slow-moving outer planets, which span from Jupiter to Pluto, go retrograde for four to five months every year. Saturn, Neptune and Pluto are already in reverse, giving you a chance to evaluate your big-picture plans. Truthfully, Leo? You might be grateful for a slightly decelerated pace. There’s been SO much happening this year that Jupiter’s backspin, which will last until November 23, could give you a chance to properly integrate it all.

The month ends with a jolt to your career house as shock-jock Uranus and the karmic north node unite in Taurus and your professional sector. You could be pushed onto a bold new path or into a leadership role. Brace yourself because it could happen MUCH faster than you expect!