The astrology for this week of August 12th through the 18th of 2024 has us in the second week of the Mercury retrograde and the beginning of our return to autumn activities.
The week begins with us looking to get our house in order. A Fixed Sign T-Square dampens our spirits and may force us to address unexpected developments. Some people will be readying their children for school and perhaps surprised at the costs of school supplies when compared to years past.
The mid-week period shifts the energy to a far more upbeat ’devil-may-care’ attitude, with a tendency to do too much to the point of overextending ourselves. Skipping over significant details and assuming things will work out the way we want could have severe repercussions for us in the future, if not in the present.
The end of the week and over the weekend can pull us up short if we have gone on a tear with little more than blind faith and ill-placed optimism. Arrogance and narcissism could be like a boomerang hitting us full face with situations throwing us for a loop. Travel plans might go awry so it would be wise to have contingency plans in mind.
Next week starting on Monday the 19th has the Democratic National Convention, although the presidential nominating roll call is complete, the vice-presidential nominee picked. What else could there be? With the DNC starting with Mercury retrograde and under a Full Moon T-Square to Uranus, this four-day event should be wild with all sorts of Hollywood magic, making it a planned extravaganza, probably over-the-top, although with some strange, crazy, and unpredictable antics thrown in the mix. Should be quite a show!
Monday, August 12th – Back on the Chain Gang – Saturn, Sun, T-Square. Monday begins this week with the Scorpio Moon trine Saturn and the Moon triggering a Fixed Sign T-Square with the Scorpio Moon square the Sun in Leo today, and the Moon opposed Uranus early on Tuesday morning. This day and week may start the return to our familiar activities. Schools are reopening, college orientations begun. We might feel as though our life is being compressed back into the compartmentalized factors that make up our daily lives. We might yearn for good times and the enjoyment of summertime activities, but the call to get back on track could be both beckoning and demanding. Although we might resent feeling compelled to fit back into our regular routine, there’s not much solace in whining and complaining, far better just to ‘grin and bear it’. Although life may seem like ‘same old, same old’, no need for us to merely recreate our past. We do have the choice of shaking it up, even if minimally, by subtle changes to old patterns and shifting things around. Besides, as attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
Tuesday, August 13th – Trust – T-Square, Uranus, Neptune, Moon Void-of-Course, Pluto, Mercury, Grand Cross. Tuesday continues with the Scorpio Moon. Yesterday, the Moon triggered a Fixed Sign T-Square with the Moon square the Sun yesterday and the Moon completing the T-Square in the early morning hours of this Tuesday with the Moon opposed Uranus. The Moon trines Neptune, and then the Moon goes Void-of-Course for an hour with the Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon completes its transit of Scorpio and before the Moon enters Sagittarius where today the Sagittarius Moon sextiles Pluto and the Moon triggers a Mutable Sign Grand Cross with the Moon square Mercury in Virgo today, followed tomorrow by the Moon square Venus in Virgo, the Moon opposed both Jupiter and Mars both in Gemini, and the Moon square Saturn in Pisces. As has occurred in recent weeks, the three transcendental planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are engaged by the Moon today. Although we could feel freed of delays and frustrations and the need to deal with various unexpected curveballs, we should avoid going from stuck energies to adrenaline-driven energies of bouncing from one thing to another to another. Today and tomorrow, we can be in a highly expansive mood, trying to take on too much, covering too many bases, and skipping over significant factors as we go. With the three transcendental planets engaged, we are cautioned to get out of our own way and trust in the universe and its natural unfolding, no matter if the unfolding could seem like a roller coaster with intense twists and turns.
Wednesday, August 14th – Slow Down, You Move Too Fast – Grand Cross, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Mercury Leo. Wednesday continues with the Sagittarius Moon with the Mutable Grand Cross in full force. Today, the Sagittarius Moon squares Venus in Virgo, the Moon opposes both Jupiter and Mars both in Gemini, and the Moon squares Saturn in Pisces. Mars conjuncts Jupiter, and Mercury retrogrades out of its own Sign of Virgo and enters back into Leo [8:16 PM EDT]. This could prove one bonkers day. The energy is liable to be stirred up, encouraged by someone other than oneself, and once stirred or shaken, may ratchet up severalfold. Although we might get ourselves into turbo-drive today, the questions of where we are going and how we are going are of paramount concern. There is the possibility of starting off without being clear in our direction or our intent. This Wednesday could have us all over the place, doing things in a haphazard manner, and banging and crashing about. We can be consumed with our own self-confidence that we lose sight of the signs along the way. If we become arrogant and narcissistic in our approach, we might set ourselves up for a nasty fall, whether immediately or further down the road. This is a day for us to slow things down and not move too fast. A little humility is in order.
Thursday, August 15th – Day for a Daydream – Sun, Neptune, Mercury, Moon Void-of-Course. Thursday has the Moon completing its transit of Sagittarius with the Moon today trine the Sun, the Moon square Neptune, and the Moon trine Mercury. The Moon then goes Void-of-Course for an hour with the Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon finishes its transit of Sagittarius and before the Moon moves into Capricorn where the Capricorn Moon today makes no connections to the planets. We could be feeling full of vim and vigor today. The dust may have settled from any dustup yesterday, and we might feel as though we had dodged a bullet or that the bullet barely grazed us. If we could take this day to enjoy ourselves, have fun, engage creative outlets for ourselves, then that would be our preference. A ‘mental health’ day is called for, although it would be wise to keep in mind the admonition: ‘moderation in all things’. The liability of indulgence cannot be discounted. In these volatile times, there is a tendency of extreme actions, going from one extreme to the other, from abstinence to indulgence, from minimalization to excess. We need to modulate the wild mood swings we often go through, but today is a day for us to take time for ourselves and do whatever catches our fancy. We are likely to take on a more serious tone later in the day and over the next two days, so a little enjoyment today would provide a healthy treat.
Friday, August 16th – Grin and Bear it – Venus, Grand Trine Saturn, Mars. Friday has the Moon in Capricorn with the Moon triggering an Earth Grand Trine with the Capricorn Moon trine Venus in Virgo today, and the Moon trine Uranus in Taurus tomorrow. The Moon sextiles Saturn, and Mars squares Saturn. After a brief hiatus yesterday when we could have caught our breath, enjoyed ourselves, and looked on the brighter side of life, Friday has a certain resonance to the whacky energies of Wednesday. Where a difference arises is that today allows us to be more grounded, less impulsive, and willing to put up with our responsibilities and trying conditions. We can be highly productive in all that we do, so long as we do not ‘rush the river’ by trying to get things done hurriedly and haphazardly. We might not want to deal with our obligations, but we could be successfully effective if we are willing to ‘grin and bear it’, deal with what we need to get done but in a focused and concentrated manner. Today and tomorrow could have us moving along on greased wheels, but it would necessitate our taking things step by step and not tying ourselves in knots by trying to accomplish too much all at the same time. Step-by-step is far more effective today and tomorrow rather than great leaps of faith or impetuousness.
Saturday, August 17th – Smarter Not Harder – Grand Trine, Uranus, Neptune, Moon Void-of-Course, Pluto. Saturday has the Moon finishing its transit of Capricorn and completing the Earth Grand Trine that the Moon triggered yesterday by the Moon trine Venus in Virgo and now today with the Capricorn Moon trine Uranus in Taurus. The Moon sextiles Neptune before the Moon goes Void-of-Course for an hour with the Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon concludes its transit of Capricorn and before the Moon enters Aquarius where the Aquarius Moon today conjuncts Pluto. Similar to various days in recent weeks, the Moon aspects all three of the transcendental planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. If we are willing to notate the signs and draw upon innovative techniques, this day would allow us to work smarter rather than harder and accomplish more in a shorter time frame than by previous endeavors. Thinking outside the box and drawing upon our intuitive sense could streamline our operations and have us get more done than we might have imagined possible. If we use Friday and Saturday to take care of outstanding tasks and obligations, we can use the evening hours for pleasant social encounters and consideration of future goals.
Sunday, August 18th – Here We Go Again – Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Sun. Sunday has the Moon transiting Aquarius with the Moon trine Jupiter late in the day. The Sun conjuncts Mercury, and Mercury squares Uranus early in the day. The main flavor of this day is the second of three Mercury Uranus squares. The first occurred back on the 21st of July and the third and last one of these Mercury Uranus squares during this cycle occurs on the 7th of September. This day cautions us to take extra care in our communications, computer matters, Internet issues and travel. A Mercury Uranus square is my least favorite aspect for clarity and ease of operations. The one back on the 21st of July had me experience divine intervention in avoiding what could otherwise have been a catastrophic auto accident. There’s no making light of a Mercury Uranus square, so it would be wise for us to walk gingerly today, check and re-check everything we do, and have contingency plans in mind in case we need to make alterations or significant changes to our trajectory. If we successfully dodge a bullet early in the day, then the latter part of the day can have us feeling upbeat, optimistic, and enjoying the company of a special someone or the special people in our life.
