Monthly Forecast for August 2007


August is a little more exciting, astrologically, than July. The celestial activity is something of a contrast to the general theme of August, sitting in the shade and sipping lemonade.

Venus is retrograde for the entire month, affecting relationships and artistic endeavors, as well as our values and even economics. Click here for the full scoop on Venus retrograde. The planet of love and beauty will move forward again on September 8th.

The months starts off with a couple of helpful aspects, a sun-Jupiter trine on the 2nd and a Mercury-Mars sextile on the 3rd. The first is an all-around helpful aspect, made stronger by the two planets each being in their home signs. This aspect helps us with our self-confidence and our faith in ourselves. The Mercury-Mars aspect is about being able to communicate what we want. The combined effect should make for a couple of days when we can really move forward with plans of all kinds.

It also helps that we’ll be approaching the last quarter moon on the 5th, always a good time to consolidate our gains and make decisions for the future.

The 6th has two significant astrological events. The first is a helpful trine between Saturn and Pluto, which shows a sort of internal harmony between authority and power structures. This is a good day to make deals (although not if they involve forming partnerships) and we’ll see institutions and corporations having an easy time of it.

All the more so because this is also the day that Jupiter stations to move direct. Jupiter stations fuel us with optimism and enthusiasm, allowing us to make a leap of faith. The only thing about all these aspects at the beginning of the month is that while they fill us with a sense that “anything is possible,” they don’t necessarily help us to make sound decisions. You’re on your own for that part.

Mars enters Gemini on the 7th, a placement where talking is the way of action. With Mars in Gemini we tend to get things done verbally. On the same day, Mars makes a tense square to retrograde Venus. These two planets in a square aspect can create some sexual tension (whether that’s good or bad news is again up to you), but with Mars in talkative Gemini and Venus in Virgo (and moving backwards) it’s an open question whether things will move out of the planning stages.

The 9th has an easy Mercury-Jupiter trine, facilitating communication. Although it’s August, it might be worth mentioning that the particulars of this aspect would be good for students who are writing papers. It should also help out in the business world, and is also good for writers of fiction and drama.

The August new moon is on the 12th. The days before the new moon are best used for quiet reflection, and a day or two after is good for beginning new projects.

Well, maybe not the day after, as the 13th has two potentially difficult aspects. First, there is an opposition of the sun to Neptune. Neptune is has foggy, dreamy energy that makes it difficult to see things clearly. Fact and fantasy blur together, often pleasantly, but it doesn’t much help for practical purposes.

Also on the 13th, Venus conjuncts Saturn. This is an aspect that takes the illusions out of relationships, business deals, and artistic endeavors. This aspect gets us to focus on the bottom line, even where emotions are concerned.

Saturn and Neptune have almost opposite energies... while Neptune lets us take off on flights of fancy, Saturn brings us crashing down to earth. Neither one presents the true picture, as reality actually encompasses both the fluffy castles in the clouds framed by clear blue sky and the slate grey clouds promising rain. Anyway, since we’re likely to be pulled to the extremes, this is a good day to take in information, but try to hold off on a decision, if you can.

Mercury and Neptune form on opposition on the 14th, further fogging things out. Think of this as a one-day Mercury retrograde, when communication is likely to be fouled up (and traffic, too). This is another day that’s better for taking in information than making decisions. Since Neptune also rules film, you might want to take the opportunity to see a movie.

On the 15th, Venus is in a trine to Pluto. The easy interaction between these two planets suggests a harmony between “romance” and sexuality. Then again, this is also a good day to let go of a relationship that isn’t working for you.

Mercury conjuncts Saturn on the 18th. Unlike the potentially deceptive energy four days earlier, this is a down-to-business aspect. The danger here is in seeing things so “realistically” that we lose our sense of purpose in hammering out the details. With Mercury-Neptune the possibility existed that we’d forget common sense and maybe even get conned. With Mercury-Saturn the possibility is that we’ll be so careful that we say “no” to something that we really want or even need because we’re too focused on the cost.

The first quarter moon is on the 20th, just a day after a helpful sun-Pluto trine. This is a good time to put things into action, to make phone calls and other types of contact, and to present your ideas to those with the power to help you make them into reality.

The sun conjuncts Saturn on the 21st, helping to usher his house guest out of the door. The sun is at home in Leo, with a fun, creative energy, but Saturn has been dampening things down since the summer of 2005. This is another day when we might be too serious for our own good.

On the 23rd, the sun moves out of Leo and into Virgo. I’ve always been of the mind that stores advertising a “Back-to School” sale in July ought to face heavy fines, but once the sun moves into Virgo, even I have to admit that summer’s winding down.

Also on the 23rd, Mars opposes Jupiter, part of a series of aspects among Mars, Mercury and Jupiter on the 23rd-25th. These aspects should get the collective blood flowing, as they help us to both see what it is we want, communicate it to others, and to act on it.

The 25th also features a Venus-Neptune opposition. Now, this isn’t necessarily the most realistic aspect, and Venus is retrograde, but the overall tone of the day is one that opens us up to possibilities. We might be a little overly sentimental, or it might be a very romantic type of energy that grabs us. Another possibility is artistic inspiration. Whether anything that comes up today will really have legs is a question, but Neptune invites us along for a ride into a world where anything is possible, and why wouldn’t you go?

The August full moon is on the 28th, and it has a lunar eclipse in early Pisces. Full moons bring things to light, make us more aware of what’s going on, and urge us to make decisions.

The last major aspect of the month is also on the 28th, when Mercury opposes Uranus. This aspect favors innovative and even eccentric ideas. It has a very fast moving and even impatient feel to it, even if all we’re doing is talking (or even thinking). This is a day when ideas multiply like rabbits, so keep a record so you can sort through them later.




Forecasts

Moon Void times for August 2007

Consultations

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