As the season begins to wan, the chaotic energy that defined this summer is still with us. We won’t be completely out of the retrograde woods until late September and we have one more eclipse to deal with this month.
Venus entered Libra on the 6th, which should help sweeten relationships at least. Especially after dealing with Mars and Mercury retrogrades, I’m sure there are more than a few ruffled feathers to smooth. Venus is at home transiting her own sign and our desire for connection, harmony and one-on-one connection is highlighted.
Uranus stations retrograde today, taking that electric, static, rebellious energy inwards so that we can spend some time pondering where we might have been stuck too long. And when revolutionary Uranus starts its five-month retrograde, there will be no sweeping any global issues under the rug. Uranus will reverse through headstrong Taurus until November 6, the day of our midterm elections, when it will make a final visit to Aries before moving on permanently into Taurus in March. At this last Uranus/Aries transit, prepare to see another round of the “power to the people” activism.
The Solar Eclipse on August 11th concludes eclipse season with all the Leo flare it can muster and the spotlight will be on leadership. This is the second-to-last eclipse in a series that’s fallen on the Leo/Aquarius axis since February 2017 and will end with a Leo Lunar Eclipse on January 21, 2019. These eclipses have coincided with (or catalyzed, shall we say) the political turmoil, shifting alliances and disruptive news cycle that’s brought so much deep divisiveness to the world. Events unearthed by the Full Moon in Aquarius (the sign of politics and social justice) last month could bring yet another wave of headlines during this charged phase.
On August 12th, Mars re-enters Capricorn for the remainder of its retrograde period and won’t move back into Aquarius until September. While we have some relief that Mars is now out of a fixed sign, Capricorn’s cardinal energy can at times be hard to handle. Additionally, this sign change gives us a Capricorn stellium (A stellium is when three or more planets are grouped together in a chart and combine acting as one force.) with Saturn and Pluto, which are both retrograde as well. On the upside, Mars retrograde won't conjunct either of them, but when Mars enters Capricorn, he'll be at 29 degrees which is the anaretic degree of any sign and a point of crisis energy, especially with retrogrades. I find it almost always results in some sort of big important action. That energy gets focused on Capricorn issues. There should be some very interesting events here at home and the word-wide stage.
On August 18th, Mercury will turn direct after being retrograde since July. This is going to help things start speeding up again, but with many other planets still in retrograde, it is only going to offer a small reprieve.
The real release with all of these retrogrades comes on August 27th when Mars finally goes direct after being retrograde since the end of June. Mars will take a few days to rev back up, but once it does we are going to feel huge waves of action and energy. In fact, September will be a great month to push forward and we are going to be feeling far more energized and awakened.
Further relief comes along when the Sun moves into earthy Virgo and cools some of the fiery energy on August 23rd. We are looking at energy that is practical, analytical, dependable and adaptable. The Sun in Virgo is concerned about the day to day and physical health and finds comfort in order.
And on August 25th, we will be blessed by a Grand Earth Trine - a harmonious “golden triangle” - formed by the Sun now in Virgo, structured Saturn in Capricorn and innovative Uranus in Taurus. With all three in sensible earth signs, we might actually see the old guard (ruled by Saturn) and the new thought leaders (governed by Uranus) working together.
We end the month with the Full Moon in Virgo. This Pisces Moon rises during the season of earthy, no-nonsense Virgo. This means that your creativity must be directed and channeled. Pisces energy can sometimes dissipate itself by over-commitment to too many projects. Fortunately, Virgo will help you focus, to commit and to begin to bring those heaven-inspired dreams down to earth. Because of its alignment with the Grand Earth Trine, this will be the easiest time of year to bring your creative ideas into physical form.
By the end of the month, we should begin to feel the energy shift. As more planets turn direct and back to their normal energy output, now is when you will want to gather up what lessons you have learned and what plans you have made to set them into action.