Dear friends,
This has been a heck of a year so far, with an overabundance of planetary energies, stelliums, and a basket of contradictions in the past few weeks. I’m glad to be able to spread the news that the astrology in August is much milder in spite of the two eclipses this month. There are no outer planet alignments such as we had in July, no stelliums (concentrations of planets in one sign) such as we had earlier this year.
In addition, there are virtually no stressful aspects between major planets this month (now that Jupiter has moved away from the opposition to Pluto). So while Mars, Venus and Mercury may create some brief issues, the long-lasting stress points have subsided for a while. Astrologers note: The main exception here is a stressful challenge which is beginning to form between Chiron (psycho-spiritual wounds) and Pluto (deep transformation), although this aspect won’t reach exactitude until 2028.
We do have a shortage of the Earth element in the skies right now, especially after Venus leaves Virgo for Libra when NO planets will be in Earth signs for a few weeks (except Chiron in Taurus which suggests a wound to our embodied selves). Six planetary bodies will be in fire signs which can put pressure on our nervous systems, so making a special effort to ground ourselves will be particularly helpful this month.
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Chiron turns retrograde August 3. Most of the time Chiron orbits between Saturn, last of the personal planets, and Uranus, the first of the transpersonal outer planets. I love the symbolism of Chiron acting as a bridge from the personality to transpersonal transformation as Chiron urges us to face the energies of stuck trauma and release them. This isn’t comfortable, but it is exhilarating as we let go of all that stuck energy!
This month Chiron turns retrograde – not an unusual event since Chiron, like the outer planets, is retrograde approximately half the year. When Chiron is retrograde its influence is more personal, and Chiron has been stationary at the first degree of Taurus since June, so it has been fairly intense. Chiron will remain at this degree well into September, and this laser beam is like a trigger point in which emotional pain is released. The key to getting the most out of Chiron events is to learn to relax around the heart, feel the energy of emotion, and leave the story behind.
Venus enters Libra August 6. Venus moves more quickly and changes signs every 23 days or so except during its retrograde phases. The influence of Venus is not very powerful and we tend not to notice it as much, but the transition from the modesty and concern for details of Venus in Virgo to the focus on balance and harmony of Venus in Libra will tend to create more ease and flow in our relationships and in the rest of our lives as well.
Mercury enters Leo August 9. The transition of Mercury from Cancer to Leo takes us from a focus on feelings and emotions to the pursuit of happiness. Leo is ruled by the Sun – the planetary body which describes the Self and everything which fuels and inspires us and when Mercury is in Leo our thoughts tend towards increasing our creativity and personal satisfaction. Mercury also describes the way we communicate and interact with others, and with the emphasis on Self under the Leo you can expect to be bombarded with strong opinions – yours and those of everyone around you.
Mars enters Cancer August 11. Because Mars is the planet of aggression and drive it is not very comfortable in the emotional sign of Cancer. While Mars is in Cancer, emotions are heightened and there is much more sensitivity evident in the world around us. Mars is said to be in its fall in Cancer and has difficulty expressing its warlike nature directly. Often anger and irritations tend to be suppressed and burst out inappropriately or with frustration.
Sometimes our own frustration can masquerade as our frustration with the fates of others around us, and as with all water signs it can be somewhat difficult to know whose emotions are whose under this influence. Mars in Cancer teaches that underneath rage we will often find grief. Even the most introspective of us are not always aware of what we feel, and Mars in Cancer can sometimes brings sudden and unexpected bursts of emotions. Remember that everyone is under this influence to some extent, and we will need some patience to avoid overreacting.
Ceres enters Cancer August 12. I like to think of Ceres as the inspiration for care of the body, but also of the soul. Her elevation to planet status came at a time when “wellness” - the idea that taking care of ourselves is important - became a trend. As she moves through the signs we learn the different dimensions of self-care, and in Cancer this comes through associating ourselves with family, or with friends who feel like family. Emotions run deep under Ceres in Moon-ruled Cancer, and our relationship with food and nurturing the body could become somewhat fraught and require a rebalancing in order to achieve that sense of well-being. (Ceres will remain in Cancer until May 2027.)
Total solar eclipse at Leo New Moon August 12. All Leo New Moons are particularly potent because the Moon is in the sign ruled by the Sun, and conjunct the Sun - a peak of solar energies to illuminate and integrate the yin (Moon) and yang (Sun). When the Leo New Moon also eclipses the Sun as it does this year, the instinctive emotions take over and secrets are revealed. This is a South Node eclipse, suggesting that something from the past will be released to help us move past points where we have become stuck.
I feel there is some significance in the fact that the lunar nodes have just changed signs (read more here) so we are at the beginning of a new karmic phase. In any case, we are firmly in Leo season now so finding ways to release the pain points that keep us from dancing into our true selves will be the key to these eclipse energies.
Sun enters Virgo August 22. The daily motion of the Sun through the zodiac signs has a relatively minor effect, but it does cast an overarching filter across the way each and every one of us experiences the world. In Virgo season (in the northern hemisphere) the days may begin to cool somewhat, symbolizing the passage from the heat of Leo to the cool deliberation of Virgo. The Sun will be the first planet to move into Virgo, followed soon after by …
Mercury enters Virgo August 25. When Mercury, planet of the mind, is in Virgo, our ability to organize and structure our lives with greater precision and analytic mindfulness is increased. Mercury rules Virgo and is quite at home in this earth sign. Here our ideas can be put to good use as we sort through puzzle of mental data and assemble it into a cohesive picture in the pursuit of perfection. Mercury will be in Virgo until it moves into Libra on September 10.
Partial lunar eclipse at Pisces Full Moon August 28. This is a rather weak eclipse astrologically since the lunar nodes are in different signs from the luminaries, making this an “out of sign” or “dissociate” eclipse. Still, a Full Moon carries its own drama, even on the low-drama Pisces/Virgo axis. This time we are on the North Node, placing emphasis on looking ahead rather than to the past, and the idea of information accumulation is a key symbol of this Full Moon. While the Pisces Moon gathers information on an intuitive level, the Mercury-ruled Virgo Sun also conjoins Mercury - a “double whammy” that accentuates the mind and mental acuity that is pitted against the subtleties of the Pisces Moon.
Acting as interlocutor between the intuitive Moon and the super-conscious Sun is Uranus, the radical changemaker. Uranus likes to break things up, especially anything we have attached ourselves to purely out of fear. Under this eclipse we can expect revelations of the kind that will force us to make a change, opening the door to a brighter future.
Jupiter trine Saturn August 31. Jupiter is the planet of optimism and faith – it teaches us to expand our horizons and to learn the value of positive thinking. Under Jupiter’s influence we gain new confidence and the ability to trust that life is carrying us in just the right direction. This is the second phase of a transit that began last September and will conclude next July, so there are lots of opportunities to combine Jupiter’s confidence and opportunities with the diligence hard work of Saturn. The phrase “The harder I work the luckier I get” was made for this transit.
Everybody loves a nice trine, but we have to be careful not to get too comfortable under harmonious circumstances. This is particularly true when Jupiter is involved since Jupiter encourages us to have faith in the process. The Saturn influence here is helpful as we can more clearly see that hard work is part of the joy of success - when good things are earned and not just given we get the added blessing of satisfaction in a job well done.
DATES AND TIMES ARE FOR EASTERN TIME ZONE, here is a time zone converter to adjust for your locality. You'll find the full planetary calendar towards the bottom of this post and more details on these events will be listed in the weekly forecast.
Thanks for reading! I hope you have a wonderful month. 💖
My writing has always been and will always be free to everyone, but your support energizes and inspires me. If my work has held meaning for you or has been useful in some way, please consider a paid subscription or one-time donation. 💖
(Major events are in bold face; dates and times are for the Eastern time zone, here’s a timezone converter to adjust for your locality)
8/3 Venus square Ceres
Chiron turns retrograde
8/6 Venus enters Libra
Sun trine Saturn
8/9 Mercury enters Leo
Mars conjunct Ceres
8/10 Mercury square Chiron
Venus trine Pluto
Venus opposite Neptune
Mars trine North Node
8/11 Mars enters Cancer
Mercury opposite Pluto
Mercury trine Neptune
Venus trine Uranus
8/12 Mars sextile Chiron
Ceres enters Cancer
New Moon 20 Leo total solar eclipse, 13:36
Mercury sextile Uranus
8/13 Mercury sextile Venus
8/14 Chiron sextile Ceres
8/15 Mercury conjunct Jupiter
8/17 Mars square Neptune
Mercury trine Saturn
Venus sextile Jupiter
8/21 Venus opposite Saturn
8/22 Sun opposite North Node
Sun enters Virgo
8/23 Sun trine Chiron
8/25 Mercury opposite North Node
Mercury enters Virgo
Mercury trine Chiron
8/27 Sun conjunct Mercury
8/28 Partial lunar eclipse (full moon) 5 Pisces, 0:14
Mercury sextile Ceres
Mercury square Uranus
Sun square Uranus
8/29 Sun sextile Ceres
8/31 Jupiter trine Saturn
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