The summer is upon us and it’s time to let our creativity shine. The radiant Sun continues to visit its home sign of Leo. As the Sun rules Leo astrologically, this month will be like having the Sun times two. And much like its ruler in the midst of summer, Leo energy likes to be “center stage” with the spotlight shining fully and brightly on its expression. Leo is the actor and actress energy of the Zodiac, as most of them somehow manages to be or become the center of attention in their lives. Many Leos or people with strong Leo influence in their charts receive attention naturally or automatically with their mere presence. Yet most Leos don’t (fully) realize they have this power and presence about them, and spend much of their lives seeking acknowledgement.

As we begin the month, this vibrant energy is amplified even more as the Leo New Moon on August 2nd brings out a greater need for generosity and recognition.  This New Moon makes for warm hosts, who will take control of any social situation, making sure that all guests are taken care of. The energy is great for organizing people and events, so that the flames of enthusiasm and friendliness forge longstanding alliances. The only major aspect to this lunation will be a nice trine to Saturn; making for a great balance of intuition and realism. The sensitive Moon and serious Saturn do not usually make easy bedfellows, but the trine warms and soften things here nicely. The over-riding theme is the need to achieve so as to build and boost ones personal security.

On the same day of the New Moon, mighty Mars makes its way back into fun-loving Sagittarius bring with it a stronger desire for more adventure and exploration. When Mars is moving direct in Sagittarius, he's the bad boy who pushes boundaries; the rebel looking for a cause, which means we'll be able to harness this fiery, fearless energy to make things happen. But it's also possible we'll have so much reckless energy during this transit that we may take things too far, or act so impulsively that we make mistakes. Religious zeal, philosophical fighting, legal battles and overseas wars are expressions of this combination. Our best approach to this heated transit is to cool it with logic and a moment's pause before doing anything rash.

Our relationships undergo some scrutiny on August 5th when lovely Venus enters pessimistic Virgo. The energy of Venus is concerned with our social interactions. It tells us how much of a "team player" we are and how well we have mastered the art of diplomacy. It is all about the beauty and art and harmony we need in our lives. And, it is about the love we have to give one another. With Venus moving into "pick-it-apart" Virgo, don't expect to find anything you like for a while. Here she will focus her many talents on analyzing every aspect of the relationships in her life. She needs to know all the details and understand why. The thought of letting her feelings just flow never really enters the picture. She's too busy picking them apart. Fitting the pieces of the puzzle together is much more interesting.

We may feel as if we’ve learned some valuable lessons on August 13th when father time, Saturn, begins to move forward once again in Sagittarius. Saturn represents things we must learn to experience the hard way, it gives us shape, form, and structure. It reduces, lessens, and restricts, but rather than minimize, the size and scope becomes more important, essential, and often more urgent. Sagittarius is the sign that correlates to the future. Sagittarius represents the journey and Saturn dictates what must be explored along the way. Now that Saturn in Sagittarius is moving direct again we begin to better pinpoint and define our personal and our collective future. In doing so, Saturn puts the tools in our hands and urges us not to waste a single precious moment. Our options may be further reduced or limited, but there is always something that can be done. Saturn always offers good reward for good effort. Saturn in Sagittarius is often referred to as “the wisdom years” Whether or not we learn to play it smarter will depend on the choices we make, make no mistake, the coming years are going to bring us a greater education in life.

Love is in the air on August 14th when Venus opposes fantasy-prone Neptune. This transit is one where reality does not meet our expectations and has the potential to cause problems with relationships and finances. We are more likely under this confusing and deceptive influence to fall victim to predators who seek to take advantage of our caring and accepting nature. People may see niceness as a weakness, appearing more loving or generous than they really are. This alignment is not the best time for finding your ideal partner (business or personal) or making important investment decisions. However, a few days later, August 17th, Venus will trine powerful Pluto for a more favorable alignment. Venus trine Pluto believes in the power of relationships and the ability to change and renew relating patterns when necessary. Love is the vehicle for transformation and regeneration during this configuration.

 

On August 18th a revolutionary Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse takes place in humanity- driven Aquarius. This powerful lunation will increase our intuition with flashes of insight that leads to self-discovery and revelations. Combined with increased self-confidence this allows us to express the more unique or quirky side of our personalities. We will feel like trying sometime new so leave our comfort zones and widen our social circles with some extra ordinary people.

The need to overanalyze and perfect our lives takes center stage on August 22nd when the expressive Sun enters finicky Virgo for a one month stay. As the Sun moves through Virgo, a mutable earth sign, our focus shifts to analyzing the details in our lives. There is an almost obsessive need to understand all the little pieces of things and how they fit together. Virgo loves nothing better than solving puzzles, some meaningful, some just for the fun of it. Virgo is ruled by flighty Mercury, but because of the earthiness of this sign, the thoughts and ideas are more down to earth. While the Sun is in Virgo, we become very practical. Yet Virgo is a mutable sign, so we can also be flexible and accepting of new ideas and better ways to think about things.

One of the most fortunate days of year will occur on August 27th when magnetic Venus conjunct optimistic Jupiter. Relationships of all kind are a major focus of this conjunction. Our increased physical and inner beauty will make us more popular in social settings during this transit. In one to one situations we should notice more interest, especially from our partner or potential partners. This is one of the best transits for falling in love. It is more likely now that any new romance will turn out to be the perfect match. You should take advantage of any financial offers as there is a heightened probability of increasing wealth with this favorable duo. Investments should turn a profit, especially in works of art, jewelry and other luxury items. This is a very lucky transit so you may even be the beneficiary of a sudden and unexpected windfall. Hey you never know!

Our sense of style and taste become more important on August 29th when sensual Venus enters her home sign of Libra. While Venus is in this sign that she rules, we'll get to enjoy the true essence of elegance, refinement, and beauty. Libra is associated with justice, fairness, and balance. Anything to do with the crudeness of confrontation is to be avoided at all costs. Libra is an air sign, so its energy is light and quick. When Venus, our goddess of love, is in Libra, she brings us a sense of peace and calm. She wants to make others happy and is more than willing to compromise, sometimes to her own detriment. It is easy to see the other person's point of view while Venus is in Libra. It's also easy to be beguiled by a smooth talker. So be fair and be kind, but don't give away the farm.

Last but not least, Mercury goes retrograde on August 30th. I’m sure no one likes to hear these words, but it’s time once again to revisit, revise and review all aspects of our lives. This reversal will take place in fastidious Virgo. The mental energy of Mercury in Virgo loves all kinds of kind of analytical games. But when Mercury turns retrograde in this detail-oriented sign, we tend to get hung up on looking at all the facets of every little dot and to forget about connecting them. We somehow get confused trying to get from one dot to another. During this period, we become totally immersed in the minutest wonders of what we see. Just don't try to put the pieces together. You'll have to wait until Mercury turns direct again on September 21st for them to make any sense.