No matter the enticements to get back on track and back on board with our regular routine, early August may have us seeking time to get out of Dodge, even if only briefly, to enjoy another summer breather.
The 1st of August has Venus trine Uranus and the Sun trine Saturn, just prior to the Leo New Moon on the 2nd, the day that also has Mars exiting its own Sign of Scorpio to enter Sagittarius. We may want a further blowout before summer ends, and we might choose to do something spontaneously, spread our wings and have the air currents take us wherever they flow.
The Leo New Moon on August 2nd can reinforce the second wind we might have gained over the summer. We could feel more expressive, have a stronger philosophical bent about our lives and a desire to explore the new and the different, both in regard to activities that have caught our attention and with people who offer a different spin on doing their lives other than those people with whom we are familiar.
A stretch beyond our comfort zone does not necessitate our going whole hog on our investigations. We can try things out and inch our way into varied trajectories without committing to any one.
On the 5th of August, Venus exits Leo and enters Virgo creating a Stellium of three planets in the Mutable Earth Sign as Venus joins Mercury and Jupiter in Virgo. The Mutable Sign T-Square that has daunted us since the end of last summer is re-enforced. A tendency to judge things, critique and evaluate, all with something of a jaded eye where we see the half glass of water as being half empty rather than half full, could be strong. Unfortunately, clarity may be lacking, and we might engage a rush to judgment without full information, due diligence or a reasoned approach.
The first two weekends in August can have us in something of a whirlwind. We might be pushed and pulled between wanting to enjoy summer with its outdoor recreational activities and feeling the need to get serious about getting back on track of our regular routines.
The 6th of August has Venus square Mars and Mercury square Saturn, followed on the 7th by Mercury opposed Neptune. Relationships could be difficult, and we might find fault with the slightest annoyances. We might want to take a trip out of town with the justification of visiting or dropping in on someone whom we have not seen for quite a while. Our good intentions could lead us down a long and winding road and a journey that seems more like a bramble path than a clean and clear highway. Our communications may be sharp but our reasoning slightly faulty. This weekend of the 6th – 7th is a time for us to be diplomatic, non-judgmental and cutting everyone, even ourselves, with a great deal of slack. Otherwise, we could shoot from the lip, misfiring and unable to hit whatever target we are aiming at.
Even if we make a mess of things with our thoughts and expressed feelings on the 6th – 7th, we can make amends as we come to the 10th when Mercury trines Pluto. Our thoughts can be sharp, our mind laser-like, as we focus on the truly meaningful and see clearly both the big picture and the particulars involved. We may have to eat some crow regarding any missteps, miscommunications or misunderstandings from the weekend of the 6th – 7th, but it is far better that we clear the air rather than allow issues to simmer, since when we come to the weekend of August 13th – 14th, we could find ourselves back in the soup, especially in regard to our interactions with other people.
The 13th of August has Saturn turning direct ending its nearly five-month retrograde cycle, a time when things may have been delayed, taken longer than we might have liked and triggered various frustrations for us. With Saturn direct, there can be greater ease in forward movement with the recognition that we are continuing with the Mutable Sign T-Square until the 9th of September and may continue to carom between the highs and lows, the ups and downs and the expansions – contractions we have experienced since the end of last Summer.
While the weekend of the 6th – 7th has Mercury triggering the Mutable Sign T-Square with its square to Saturn and opposition to Neptune, the weekend of the 13th – 14th has Venus triggering the Mutable Sign T-Square with Venus square Saturn on the 13th and Venus opposed Neptune on the 14th. If we have to put up with certain people whom we find irritating, this is a time for us to polish our charm and diplomacy and not cause any flare-ups in our relationships. Let’s keep in mind that people come into our lives and are in our lives for some larger purpose, whether challenges by which we can learn lessons and grow from them or advantages by which they can provide us opportunities and assistance. We might not always know which is which, but there are times when our strongest adversities provide us with our greatest successes, other times when incredible opportunities bring with them our most intense challenges. It may be several yards down the road, or years in the future, when we clearly and rightly determine which is which, what is what.
The mid-August period has some lovely energies with the Sun trine Uranus on the 16th, Venus trine Pluto on the 17th, and the Aquarius Full Moon on the 18th. We may have a new sense of ourselves, confident in whom we are becoming and looking to have heart-to-heart discussions with that special someone in our life. This mid-August period allows us to embrace our individuality, our uniqueness with greater appreciation for the personal characteristics of the important people in our lives. We might also choose to jump off the track, realize the magic of these times whereby things come to us unexpectedly and in the most surprising ways. We could better appreciate the paradigm shift with its facet of things occurring without our having made them happen but rather by our being in the right place at the right time. Miracles are only considered miracles because they defy logic or rational explanation. The more we can liberate ourselves from preconceived notions and traditional assumptions, the more we might engage the mini-miracles of these times. Such mini-miracles may not be akin to the parting of the Red Sea but are likely to be incidents that surprise us and put a smile on our face.
The 22nd of August has the Sun exiting Leo to enter Virgo heightening the Stellium in Virgo as the Sun joins Mercury, Venus and Jupiter all in the Mutable Earth Sign. Mercury conjuncts Jupiter also on the 22nd. By now, schools may have started their school year, vacations might have ended, and all of us could feel as though we are back on the track again. We might feel upbeat and eager to get back to our familiar, especially since the familiar could be a nice reprieve from some of the crazy-making events that have gone on over the past few months.
The weather might suggest summer, but our personal involvement could have us returning to our normal life circumstances.
This latter part of August could get a little dicey. Mars conjuncts Saturn on the 24th and Mars squares Neptune on the 26th. We might not be operating at our optimum, may feel as though the familiar is no longer a comfort but rather a burden, and we could be impetuous in our actions. We have to be careful around machinery and the water. And it would be wise to avoid leaping before we look. Frustrations during this time can trigger explosions or implosions, so let’s be careful out there at this time.
The weekend of the 27th – 28th is the last weekend before the long Labor Day holiday weekend, often seen as the unofficial end to the summer season. This last weekend in August has Venus conjunct Jupiter on the 27th and a bunch up of Mercury, Venus and Jupiter with Mercury conjunct Venus on the 29th. In preparation for the autumn, this weekend could be a major shopping event for some of us. With the three players in the third decanate of Virgo [the Taurus decanate], we might easily justify purchases as necessary whether our purchases are wardrobe, personal makeovers, equipment and supplies and all intended for the days ahead.
Venus exits Virgo late on the 29th to enter its own Sign of Libra, followed on the 30th with Mercury turning retrograde for its three-week cycle through its own Sign of Virgo, a retrograde cycle that lasts through the rest of the summer with Mercury turning direct on the 22nd of September just before the Sun exits Virgo to enter Libra on the 22nd at the Fall Equinox and the beginning of the autumn season.
This Mercury retrograde could be an intense one with Mercury going through its own Sign of Virgo. Details, specifics can be lost to sound bites and brief allusions to past incidents — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
August 2016… Summer days winnow down to a precious few…
