There are two basic themes to celestial aspects and ingresses this month. Firstly, Mars in Aries will progressively square Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn on August 4th, August 13th and August 24 respectively this month. The months of September/October and December/January will bring a second and third round of these major faceoffs between Mars and the Troublesome Trio in task-master Capricorn. The second major celestial theme this month is that as of Saturday, August 15th ALL of our outer planets and asteroids: Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Neptune, Pluto and--- NOW Uranus-- will be simultaneously Retrograde until September 12th. 

We start off the month with a Full Moon at 12 degrees Aquarius at 11:59 a.m. EDT on Monday, August 3rd. On this day, the Moon in Aquarius opposes the Sun in Leo. This Moon also squares Uranus at 12 degrees Taurus causing a very reactive and potentially angry T-square. This T-square can make us lash out at perceived verbal attacks and causes a very stubborn and independent streak in just about everyone. Avoid the tendency to be reactive on the weekend prior to August 3rd through Tuesday, August 4th. During this Full Moon, Venus in Gemini also conjuncts the North Node of the Moon in the sign of the scribe and the writer. Now is a time to reach out to those who need to feel your love—even if it’s a cyber hug! Mercury rules all forms of communication from cards & letters to phone calls, texting and email so it doesn’t matter how you connect-- just DO IT! You are likely to find yourself immersed in interesting studies or research at this time now too. It’s worth burning a bit of midnight oil to zoom in on the inspirations that come your way now. 

On Tuesday, August 4th Mars will square Jupiter at 9:07 a.m. EDT. This challenge between Mars, planet of action and passion and Jupiter, planet of expansion and optimism may cause us to go overboard with physical activities. Beware that you don’t over-do it or you will find yourself exhausted for the rest of the week. Especially if you are moving house, doing a home repair or remodel or gardening project. You will need to stay hydrated and get to bed a bit earlier. The total period of this square will be August 1st to the 5th. 

August 8th is the day of “the Lion’s Gate.” In ancient Egypt this was one of two days in the year in which the pharaoh, symbolized by the god Osiris, could return to his home in the stars. Each year our Sun aligns with the binary star system of Sirius before its helical rise in the Northern Hemisphere during the Leo Sun sign period between August 11th and the 16th. On Saturday, August 8th, Sirius and our Sun will be conjunct with Sirius hidden behind the Sun as our Sun rises. By August 11th in Florida and the southern states of the U.S. and By August 16th in Maryland and the north eastern states, Sirius will be visible rising before the Sun in the Eastern Sky. Looking toward the East you will see Orion rise first about 45 minutes before dawn, followed by the bright often rainbow colors of Sirius directly south of the 3 stars of Orion’s belt. On the west coast, the heliacal rise will be visible as of the 18th of August on the eastern horizon about 45 minutes before dawn. Across the U.S. the prime days for seeing this yearly phenomenon are August 16th through the 22nd. On the picture below you will see the 3 stars of Orion’s belt between the U and the S of the word Betelgeuse. The other day during the year when the pharaoh could astral-travel to his home in the stars was when the Sun was conjunct Fomalhaut, in Leo’s opposite constellation of Aquarius in ancient times around 2500 B.C. This special alignment occurred this year on February 5th, 2020. 

Picture below of helical rise of Sirius is courtesy of Dr. Jeffrey L. Hunt on his website www.whenthecurveslineup.com.

The next Mars square takes place between Monday, August 10th and Saturday the 15th when motivator Mars goes up against mighty Pluto. This is a time of potentially transformative power struggles. Our ambitions are at a high point now. With a strong determination to get ahead we may wind up stepping on toes with every step. Avoid the temptation to “bulldoze” the competition in your push to make progress at work or at home. You may be “cruising for a bruising,” as they say. There is also a possibility that you will find yourself the victim of someone else’s ruthlessness now. Avoid people that push your buttons this week whenever possible. 

As of Saturday the 15th, Uranus, the planet of innovation and revolution, goes retrograde to join the five other outer planets and asteroids that are currently in “slow-down mode” as compared to their regular rate of orbit. Every time a planet goes retrograde it’s archetypal energy is dialed-up for several days. With Uranus going retrograde the period of Thursday, August 13th through the New Moon of Wednesday the 18th is likely to be a time of inspiration and discovery as well as irritation and chaos. It’s important to ground ourselves during this part of the month. Take time to walk on the grass barefoot. Sit in a tree with a book or just observing the sky. Lay at the edge of the surf on a beach. The more you allow yourself to ground with the earth and the elements the better you will fare during this difficult week. Uranus goes retrograde at 10 degrees 41 minutes degrees Taurus until January 14th of 2021 when it goes direct at 7 degrees Taurus. The process of the retrograde will be complete once Uranus returns to 10 degrees 41 minutes Taurus on May 1st of 2021. Uranus is the planet of reform that leads to the breakdown of old outworn structures in politics and economics. It is also involved in the formation of new paradigms that serve our times more effectively. It’s time for us to “birth” the Age of Aquarius for ourselves now through our protests and demonstrations. Uranus will go direct again in January of 2021 just a few days before the inauguration of our new president and--- if we are truly to move forward--- our first female vice president in the history of the United States. While Uranus is retrograde it is important to think of ways to work smarter not harder. Career and job changes are likely for many between now and May 1st when Uranus will return to the degree at which it goes retrograde on August 15th. 

The New Moon of Tuesday the 18th takes place at 10:42 p.m. EDT at 27 degrees Leo. This special New Moon is very close to being conjunct to the royal fixed star of Regulus “The Heart of the Lion,” in the constellation of Leo. This New Moon is conjunct Mercury at 29 degrees Leo-- the exact traditional degree of the royal fixed star Regulus. It also makes a close trine (or harmony) to the South Node in fellow fire sign Sagittarius at 29 degrees Leo. This August is a very special time to experience the energy of the Heart of the Lion because of these conjunctions to the South Node of the Moon and to Mercury. It is time to access the Wisdom of the Heart which informs us of our true inner inspirations. This evening it is time to access these through meditation. Settle into your meditation at 10:30 p.m. EDT so that you are already in process when the New Moon is complete. If you have an astrological birth chart, locate the house of the zodiac that contains 27 to 29 degrees of Leo.  You will find this by reading the sign on the cusp of each house. The house numbers are located in the middle of the chart 1-12. The degrees of each house are located on the outer border around the chart. This is the area in which you can experience an awakening of heart-centeredness: 1st House: physical body, entrepreneurial work, survival issues; 2nd House: finances, personal values, physical beauty, feeling of being valued or not being valued; 3rd House: communications, short journeys, siblings, neighbors & friends; 4th House: family of origin, your physical house or home, deep emotions; 5th House: creativity, children, romance & risk taking; 6th House: daily work, diet, exercise and house pets; 7th House: marriage and business partners, diplomacy, grace, legal matters & the public; 8th House: sexual partners, shared resources, taxes & inheritance; 9th House: higher education, foreign or long-distance travel, philosophy & religion, large animals & publishing; 10th House: career, authority figures, position in society, management of resources; 11th House: charities, friends and people of like mind, unforeseen change, improvements & upgrades, adopted children, aunts uncles & cousins; 12th House: endings, meditation, disillusionment, change via dissolution, music, poetry, dance intuition & faith.

On Wednesday, August 19th, Mercury the planet of communications and transportation moves into the Mercury-ruled sign of Virgo. The pace of life speeds up as of this day well before it actually enters Virgo at 9:30 p.m. EDT. As school-age children and young adults head back to school and to college, a brand new set of health safety and social rules will take effect. It is likely that Corona Virus will cause up to half of children and young adults ages 12 to 21 to study from home. The learning curve is steep but the transition for a majority of students to learning online should be more or less complete by the end of this calendar year. The Mercury in Virgo period is a great time to make plans and budgets for the future. The first full month of school and college will certainly yield some major insights on how education will need to be modified.  Mercury will remain direct through the month of September, allowing us all to  improve how we interact with our world online. 

Happy Birthday Virgo! The Sun strides into your sign on Saturday the 22nd at 11:45 a.m. EDT with a Moon in luxury loving Libra. This is a day to celebrate with restraint. A number of difficult celestial aspects between the Moon and outer planets makes this a day of fits and starts, Friday the 21st,  on the other hand, is a better day to celebrate the start of your month in the Sun. The Sun remains in Virgo until September 22nd so you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy life a little bit more now. Virgo Sun sign natives are hard-working, meticulous craftspeople at whatever profession they select. Conscientious and analytical they are discriminating of the difference between a job well done and one that isn’t. Of course they are their own worst enemy so don’t feel you are the only one experiencing Virgo’s judgements! 

Monday, August 24th brings the last Mars square to an outer planet this month. Between Friday the 21st and Wednesday the 26th be prepared to experience Mars in a passionate and challenging square to Saturn in demanding Capricorn. Fears come forward strongly at this time as we try to accomplish our daily work. Disapproval by higher-ups is often the cause of this issue. Authority figures such as bosses and parents may be discouraging of our work now. It’s best not to try to initiate anything new under this transit. Find some work that you can focus on solo for now. Because Mars is squaring Saturn which rules the bones, beware of accidents that can cause broken bones. Avoid ladders and walking on uneven ground. The last five days of this month will provide a much more conducive mood for innovation. With the three Mars squares past our tempers should simmer down and we can be civil to each other again. 

Now let’s take a look at the Leo Birthdays! This year the Nodes of the Moon make a sextile (Gemini North Node) and a trine (Sagittarius South Node) to your Sun. This next year and a half will allow you to get a lot accomplished as a sextile makes work go along more smoothly. The frenetic social energy of Gemini is great for Leos who work with the public and are well established. You’ll just have to learn to get by with fewer hours of sleep and keep an evening change of clothes in your bag! With a trine of the Sagittarius South Node to your Leo Sun, there will be enjoyable and inspiring experiences in the works as well. Creative projects that you’ve had on the back burner for some time can be a real focus for you. The only problem is finding time to work on them. Travel may be a real creative outlet for Lions this year as well. Prepare to broaden your cultural and philosophical horizons with the South Node in Sagittarius making this harmonious trine to your Sun. 

Each year we look to the aspects your Sun makes to inner and outer planets to determine the type of year that awaits you. Please note: If you don’t see your birthday included in the aspects discussed you are not being forgotten or left out. This means that you are blessed to experience a year in the essence of Leo. (Lions born between the 25th and the 29th of July, the 5th of August and the 13th of August and between the 19th and the 21st of August  will have an un-aspected Leo year.) With an un-aspected Leo year, you are likely to be working hard to make creative projects a reality. This is a great time to impress authority figures with inspiring presentations of the projects you want to promote. All in all this will be a great year ahead! Leo natives born between the 22nd and the 24th of July will experience a year in which their Sun opposes Saturn. This year it can be difficult to find a balance between your needs and your duties at work and to family. There can be a loneliness to feeling the weight of so much responsibility and you will want to escape on some short weekends away whenever possible. Leos born between the 30th of July and August 4th will experience a year in which their Sun makes a challenging square to Uranus. This year you are just aching to rebel and remake your life from scratch. Disruptions to your work come often and you need to expect the unexpected. If you don’t elect to change your job yourself you may have it changed for you. In order to find your authentic self, stop taking on work that is not in alignment with what interests you. It may be harder to pay the bills but you will feel much more fulfilled in your life! Finally, Leos born between the 14th and the 18th of August will experience a year in which their Sun makes an invigorating trine to Mars. This is a year for physical activity as well as a time to make new beginnings. Think about what YOU would like to manifest this year, not just what others would have you do. This is a “me first” year! The best days for Leos to celebrate their birthdays this month are the weekend of the 8th and 9th with the Moon in active Aries when you can get out of town and enjoy some time in nature (without masks—imagine that!) and the New Moon in Leo day of Tuesday the 18th.  Taking off the 17th, 18th and 19th for a short getaway would be a GREAT time to enjoy time with the kids in your family and the Big Kid inside us all! Enjoy!