We come into August with our flags flying. We may feel at the top of our game able to successfully engage any present situations as well as being well prepared for unexpected future exigencies.
The 1st of August has the Aquarius Full Moon as the Aquarius Moon opposes the Leo Sun [2:32 PM EDT]. Mars trines Jupiter, and Mercury opposes Saturn.
We can be gung-ho as we start this month of August. Not only do we have one foot in our present, the other in future possibilities. We also have one foot in summertime fun activities, the other foot stepping back on track of our routine matters.
We can juggle summer frivolities with our usual responsibilities by being smart about it, utilizing time management skills, and finding a balance between recreational activities and our typical engagements.
Although in the US it used to be that school starts commenced after the Labor Day weekend, school starts have increasingly begun earlier, some in mid-August, also time when college orientations often begin.
No matter what the pulls might be, we can feel the beckoning of autumn and a return to our regular routine.
We may be hesitant to let summer go, and that first weekend of August, the 5th – 6th, could have us engaging a summer blowout as the Sun squares Jupiter. Whether we take off and get out of town or stay around our community, a liability of too muches can ensnare us as we spend too much, indulge too much, and do virtually anything — too much.
Restraint is suggested, likely neglected, for the acceleration of life with summer passing too soon prods us to go for all the gusto that we can grab.
Any push – pull between summer ‘down time’ and autumn preparations can have negative implications if we do not effectively walk the balance beam between the two.
The 9th of August has Venus square Uranus and Mercury trine Jupiter. Relationships can suffer, infatuations tarnished. We might feel that someone is just a little too full of themselves or exerting too much control over our plans or desires. We don’t want anyone to raise our shortcomings or express their displeasure over our actions or our opinions. Even if we experience contradictions to our ideas, our mind is sharp, focused, and able to dispel any questioning. Our critical analysis allows us to draw upon minute particulars to shore up our argument with an assured and amused attitude.
This second week of August may make us aware that summer is coming to an end and with it our need to refocus on our usual involvements.
We are unlikely to let summer activities go, and the early August weekends may be times when we go full tilt with fun events.
The Sun conjuncts Venus on the 13th of August. We might celebrate a final summer blowout on this weekend. For some of us, we may be preparing to send a child off to college for orientation or buying school materials for a child’s return to school. The sense of autumn impending might be upon us with us attending to the needs of our routine engagements.
On the 15th, on the ‘dark side’ of the Moon prior to the New Moon on the 16th, the Sun squares Uranus. Whether we are still participating in summer recreation or taking care of autumn necessities, we might be ever more aware of how inflation has increased costs. Although increased costs can be masked by minimal increases week by week, when we reflect on the costs last year compared to this year, it may be especially evident that inflation has not been tamed but rather is taking a major bite out of our disposable income.
Increasingly, we shall need to be conscious of our finances, budgeting, and the exorbitant interest charged on any balance carried on our credit cards. With the crash and burn of our educational system, it would be hoped in the revitalization of education that personal finance would become a core instruction in the curriculum. Despite promises of debt forgiveness, ‘jubilee’ and other magic wands to expunge our sins and wipe our debt load slate clean, people need to be made aware and conscious of wise personal finance management.
The Leo New Moon on the 16th of August when the Moon conjuncts the Sun [5:38 AM EDT] has the New Moon in orb of the square to Uranus, but also triggers the Earth Grand Trine as Mars trines Uranus on the 16th and both in wide orb of a trine to Pluto. Life has unalterably changed from the way it was and demands that we be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstance. In accord with the sage saying that ‘we never get more than we can handle’, the Earth Grand Trine offers us the ability to effectively deal with whatever comes our way. We may draw upon innovative methods to meet our demands and can streamline our operations. We just need to be open to adjusting our attitude and our behavior to successfully address whatever comes our way with time management skills employed.
The 22nd of August could prove problematic as Venus squares Jupiter and Mars opposes Neptune. The liability of excess cannot be discounted. Caution is advised, for our tendency may be more towards extreme action without fully considering the consequences of our actions or our decisions. Not only do we have to be careful regarding our expenses and the financial costs involved. We also need to be careful around water, whether we are on the water with a liability of a boating accident, or we are caught up in heavy precipitation. As experienced this past April in Fort Lauderdale, when a storm system dumped 26 inches of rain in 24 hours or the 36 hours stall of Hurricane Dorian over the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas in 2019, atmospheric storms systems are increasingly stalling for long periods of time, creating intense precipitation and massive flooding.
The Sun exits Leo on August 23rd to enter Virgo [5:01 AM EDT], the Sign ruled by Mercury, and Mercury turns retrograde later in the day [3:59 PM EDT].
With the three-week Mercury retrograde, Murphy’s Law of ‘whatever can go wrong could go wrong’ is back in effect, made even more impactful by its retrograding through its own Sign of Virgo.
Although we may take a more serious tone to our affairs, clarity might be lost. We are liable to witness truth to the saying that ‘the devil is in the details’. Mercury retrograde is not a great way to begin any recommencement of our routine activities. Mercury will be retrograde until the 15th of September.
The Sun’s entrance into Virgo triggers a Stellium in the Mutable Earth Sign and reenforces the Earth Element Grand Trine. We may be more attentive to the details of our lives and more practical regarding our daily affairs but with liabilities of miscommunications, misunderstandings and other misses due to losing our concentrated focus.
The Earth Grand Trine is emphasized on the 24th of August as Mars trines Pluto. Mars trined Uranus back on the 16th in accord with the Leo New Moon and now Mars trines Pluto completing the Mars trigger to the Earth Grand Trine. We may have our pedal to the metal with dogged persistence to get done what we need to get done. Since our actions under this influence are likely to include purchases for our autumn activities, we need to be diligent in the quality of the items that we are buying, and cost conscious of the expenses involved and how they impact our financial position.
The 27th of August has the Sun opposed Saturn and Mars exiting Virgo to enter Libra. We are liable to experience some hiccups at this time with us forgetting important components or feeling like the wind has been knocked out of our sails. Whether we have gotten back on track of our regular routine or still in summertime mode, we have the sense of summer slip, sliding away. Perhaps we have remorse over what could have been, or we didn’t take enough time to step away from the crazy antics of the powers-that-be and reinvigorate ourselves.
Mars moving into Libra is a Sign of Detriment for Mars. Much of the self-assertive thrust of Mars is muted as we sense a greater reliance on someone else. We may feel that we don’t have the capability to go it alone, and yet may still feel like a stranger in a strange land.
With less physical stamina, even diminished fortitude, we need to be wary not to be bollixed by Uranus turning retrograde on the 28th of August. Uranus suggests we expect the unexpected, and as Uranus turns, unanticipated situations could trip us up. It is hard to maintain constant vigilance, to be continually mindful, and to be aware of both the obvious and the unplanned, but during this paradigm shift, and especially with Uranus, and now with Uranus turning retrograde, our need to be on our toes is made ever more difficult.
With Uranus turning retrograde, we now have five planets retrograde. Moving forward may prove arduous, for the energy suggests more internal work than external expression. More goes on than meets the eye, and we might find that people, and even oneself, are withdrawing from the madding crowd and concentrating instead on one’s personal world and individual sanctuary.
We close out the month of August under the impact of the Pisces Full Moon on the 30th when the Moon opposes the Sun [9:36 PM EDT]. This Full Moon is in orb of Saturn’s influence with the Moon conjunct Saturn, and the Sun opposed Saturn. We may wonder whether to work or play, but either choice having a dampening spirit that whatever we do is just not enough. We need to be wary under this Full Moon influence not to get overly emotional or critical with a tendency to see a half glass of water as half empty rather than half full. The Eeyores and Debbie Downers may be out in full force, and we need to steel ourselves against any expressions of negativity.
August 2023… may be hazy, unlikely to be lazy, days of summer…
