Your Stars August 2018

What does astrology make of eclipses? In times past eclipses were considered unsavoury omens, but modern astrology takes a more tempered, if often contradictory view. For noted Sun Sign astrologer Jessica Adams, eclipses leave us “in the dark. We can’t see. There may be a cover-up taking place. The facts may be shadowy.”

A different take comes from North America’s  Susan Miller, for whom “eclipses bring news of life events, their job is to shine a glaring light of truth to the part of your life that is being touched.”

The consensus is that solar and lunar eclipses are notable omens, and can be seen as extra-potent new and full Moons (eclipses always happen on the lunar cycle). They signify moments of instigation and ending, times when Stuff Happens. Unexpected stuff at that, be it ‘random’ or ‘fated’.

The partial solar eclipse that accompanies the new Moon on August 11 is not of equivalent power to the full Moon eclipse that just took place on July 27 – much hyped in the UK press, the spectacle was, uh, eclipsed by storm clouds for most of us – but it is part of the same family of Leo/Aquarius eclipses in operation since 2016. If you know your personal birth chart, check to see if you have planets at 4.45 or 18.42 in Aquarius or Leo. Further thoughts are in this month’s forecasts.

Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry- Venus in Libra – relaxes by the pool

August doesn’t look like a month in a hurry. Communicator Mercury is in retrograde and five other planets are also sliding backwards from our point of view on the Blue Planet, Earth. The green planet, Venus, is moving forwards and spends almost all month in her own sign of Libra, a cue for summer romances, snooty elegance at the tea rooms, and songs by the Libran likes of Paul Simon, Chuck Berry, Nico, Eminem and Bryan Ferry. Enjoy.

Leo

The astrological Lion does not lack courage, which is just as well given a powerful planetary picture that is putting many of you “through them changes”, as rock and roll has it.

Leos are stalwart going on stubborn, but change is written large in these stars. The Leo new Moon cum solar eclipse of August 11 opens a new cycle for many of you –birthdays circa that date take note – and if you are overhauling Castle Leo or acquiring new property you are well served by Jupiter in your domestic zone.

The picture is complex, and with Mercury in rewind in your skies, old business may be as good as new. Gather data and be ready to spring ahead once the messenger planet straightens out on August 19.

Then there’s the merry dance on which Mars has been leading you these last three months. The red planet in sustained opposition puts your one-on-one relationships on the spot. Spouse, lover, friend or foe, the issue is how you find an equitable path, but tempers may be running too high for that. Detachment and independence are the cards to play, certainly for now, as Mars rewinds out of you way for a brief respite, from August 13 to September 11, when hostilities resume/there will be peace in the valley (delete as appropriate).

You should be picking up speed nicely by the final third of the month. Exploit your network of chums and siblings. Professionally, everything is to play for. As this summer may have shown you, idealism counts for a lot. The full moon of August 26 concerns assets, and how you might increase them – September is good for that particular job. Happy Birthday.

Virgo

Until August 6 you have Venus on side to help throw those all-important summer shapes and socialise. Your ‘scope, however, has more important things on its mind. The current emphasis on the Leo-Aquarius axis relates directly to Virgoan concerns like health, positivity, duty, being of service, work.

Experience may have shown you that the weeks before the Sun reaches Virgo (on August 23) can be tricky, especially when your Mercury ruler is in retreat behind the scenes. A good time to drop out, go on retreat, ease up on the work.

You’ll need to be in chipper shape for the season of the Corn Goddess and the full Moon of August 26, a dreamy affair for the most part, but one that comes with an electric undercurrent courtesy of Prometheus in earthy Taurus. Long term planets in the third earth sign, Capricorn, make for a dynamic autumn and beyond. Your personal new Moon lies just up the road, September 9, marking a fresh start.

News from Mars: Someone from springtime may be about to gate-crash back into your life.

Libra

For you, Libra, the Leo-Aquarius axis is about colleagues, friendship, romance and all points inbetween. A pair of eclipses here suggests a degree of volatility in your associations, especially since Mars, Libra’s relationship planet, is backsliding in your solar fifth, alongside the lunar nodes.

Translation: ever had the suspicion that you are playing out your own version of Groundhog Day, where you make the same gaffes in a relationship over and over? You may also be encountering old chums and former flames under the retrogrades of Mars and Mercury.

Your August ‘scope is alive with people and your dealings with them, especially once your totem planet, fair Venus, arrives in The Scales on August 6. As a Libran, you are duty bound to rise to the occasion and ensure that the flow of good company is ceaseless, and conducted with impeccable good taste. Someone has to set standards! If you’re a creative or artist, here’s the moment to scribble that street opera into your notebook.

Venus’ role as romancer is, natch, in play, but her alignment with Mars on August 7/8 is brief, as Mars promptly retreats for a month behind the scenes. Some intimate relationships might likewise vanish. As you of all signs know, friends and lovers some and go. Birthdays close to the Equinox of September 21 are getting a few painful knocks just now. It’s a case of how long you can you put with it before taking action.

You’re stronger after the new Moon of August 11, which links with Jupiter in your cash zone. Pennies from Heaven perhaps ha-ha, but more likely a well paid piece of work incoming. The full Moon of August 23 may prove helpful in securing it. Remember; charm dial up to 11.

Scorpio

Until your birthday season and the new Moon of November 7, the dominant factor in your ‘scope remains Jupiter, as the giant of the solar system completes its transit of the Scorpion’s skies. The next three months bring Jupiter’s agenda into sharp focus; ideally one that involves feelings of joy and largesse, with the opportunity for adventure (and free air miles) thrown in.

However, Jupiter is making some very tense aspects to planets elsewhere in your ‘scope, not least in August, with particular reference to career and home. The picture is jumbled and not a little contradictory, thanks firstly to your Mars ruler, swinging forth and back over the root of your ‘scope. Mars shuttles backwards into Capricorn come the Leo New moon of August 11, and won’t cross the nadir of your ‘scope until mid September, suggesting that one domestic situation isn’t about to be resolved quickly. Whether it’s family driving you to distraction, or a career hike that won’t quite happen, it is hard to force the pace just now. You get more traction and more clarity in a month’s time.

That message is underscored by the retrograde of Mercury at the top of your solar chart, making prevarication on your part a virtue rather than a fault. Research, revise, reconsider.

The brakes begin to come off when Mercury returns to forward motion on August 20, while the Sun’s move into Virgo on August 23 offers a more congenial and social backdrop.

Romance? The full Moon in Pisces on August 26 comes with an enchanted look, with Jupiter sweetly aligned to Neptune and Luna, while the Moon’s passage through Scorpio on August 17/18 also hands you a winning hand in the dating game. Some game, with Juno, the marriage asteroid, and the disruptive planet Prometheus both in opposition, promising turbulence along the way But hey, you’re a Scorpio. Bring it on.

Sagittarius

Consolidation is the first message from August’s stars. The season of Leo is fuel to your Sagittarian fires, but the new Moon on August 11 is also a solar eclipse, and Mercury is in retrograde in the Lion until August 20, adding a layer of uncertainty (even Fake News) to the equation. Sift and revise your data and l creative output.

One or other enterprise may already be in apparent crash and burn mode. Mars in your third house of communication, media and education vanishes backwards into Capricorn at mid-month, and you may likewise feel that you have been yanked backwards through a hedge. The red planet has business in your cash zone (hopefully to collect some!) and then will be back mid-September to resurrect any halted schemes.

You apparently have pleasant diversions to hand meanwhile. Fair Venus in her own sign of Libra (from the 6th) gingers up your social mix, plying the territory where admiration and affection might tip into something a bit more sticky.

Your world spins a little faster once the Sun peaks your ‘scope on the 23rd, Mercury marches forwards and a full Moon arrives on August 26 at the root of your ‘scope, a reminder, perhaps, that the question of where you live remains undecided. The quarter Moon in your own skies on August 19 is a useful way marker meantime. Enjoy.

Capricorn

A major reconsideration of plans is implied by August’s stars, though you likely won’t be instigating any moves until September, when Saturn in your (and its) sign stops backsliding, ready to propel you to glory (or reasonable facsimile) in the Long March through autumn and winter. It’s a good job Capricorns like hard work.

Meantime here is a tricky picture to decipher. An eclipse in your zone of shared resources, together with a retrograde mercury, ask for yet another calibration in property and financial matters. Flux is in the air.

Mars, which has been active across the financial axis, reverses back into your own sign on August 13, and spends the following month going back and forth in the Sea Goat. Mars is supercharged – ‘exalted’ – in your sign, so late August, when the red planet goes forwards once more, is a time for action. Issues and people from May, when Mars was last here, may come up for readjustment or resolution. Birthdays from January 17 onwards are most affected, and are reminded to keep the ‘red mist’ of Mars at bay. Cool pragmatism is the Goat’s thing, no?

The end of the month is more purposeful. The Virgo Sun completes a triangle in earth signs (a ‘grand trine’ in astrospeak) with Saturn and Prometheus in Capricorn and Taurus respectively. The force is with you, especially if you are a Solstice/Christmas baby, and may be leading you in a very different direction, professionally or personally. As much is to be discovered during winter’s Long March.

Jupiter in Scorpio suggests you have a buoyant support group at work, and Venus in Libra reminds those in public life (even if that’s just the damn office) to dress to impress. You’re the Goat that’s going places, after all.

Aquarius

Whoever said, when you don’t know what to do, do nothing, might have been staring at your horoscope for August. There are certainly good astrological reasons for sitting on your hands, digesting events and plotting how you might respond rather than launching a precipitate course of action.

Firstly you are dealing with a pair of eclipses – the first, on June 27, in your own sign, the second, a partial solar eclipse in your opposite sign of Leo on August 11, a new Moon (especially significant for February 11 birthdays). Adding to the uncertainty is Mars reversing clean out of your skies at mid-month, and then there is communicator Mercury in pesky retrograde until August 20.Stirring the pot a little more is planet Prometheus, at the root of your ‘scope, putting pressure mostly on birthdays circa January 21.

Under such stars you will usefully have plans ‘B’ and ‘C’ lined up. Significant others – open enemies as well as dearly beloveds – need careful handling. Disputes may need to wait until Mars arrives back with you in mid-September; a more empowered moment for you. Friends and lovers need to be given plenty of space.

It isn’t all pressure, however. From the 6th, Venus in Libra, a fellow air sign, promises pleasant company and favours a jaunt abroad if you can manage it. For everyone on the outs with you comes someone simpatico. New associations from this summer have the capacity to rock your world, and in a good way.

It may come as a relief to reach the season of Virgo and the Pisces full Moon of August 26, a moment to check your cashflow and the way the budget is divided between you and whoever. Pragmatism rules. Just before that full Moon waxing Luna passes through the Urn-Bearer’s skies on the weekend of the 24/25th; no reason to turn hostile but with charm you can get your own way then.

Pisces

The widespread notion that your sign is about butterfly-brained individuals who spend more time away the fairies than getting stuck into actual work is, of course, a nonsense. Yes, there are go-with-the-flow downstream Pisceans, and yes, you do have intuitive super powers to draw on, but most Fishes remain motivated, organised grafters.

That thought could be useful in August, when an eclipse in your zone of work coincides with a retrograde Mercury. These are sluggish waters, when patience and a willingness to revise plans are your allies. Take it easy. You won’t be getting much rest once the season of Virgo arrives on August 23. The full Moon of August 16 is in your skies, among other things a reminder that you are half a year older (rats).

The full Moon next to Neptune (which is your sign until the twelfth of never) looks promising, a time to exhibit yourself and your wares, and establish contact with your band of admirers. You have a couple of dishy aspects in play. Your ruler, noble Jupiter, is in Scorpio until November, favouring high ideals, deep education and far off places. Prometheus in your third house of communications is keen on boundary breaking people and concepts. Birthdays circa February 21 take note.

Aries

You gotta love Leo, a sign as fiery as your own and one that occupies the zone of pleasure and romance in your solar ‘scope. A partial eclipse of the Sun here – like that at the new Moon of August 11 – is no reason for fear, more like a fresh start in your emotional life and the search for joy and intimacy. Mercury backsliding here suggests a degree of rumination about loves past, and how you got to the present point. And old flames and pals may be either checking back in or checking out for good. C’est les eclipses.

There is a clanking of gears at the other end of Leo, where your undisputed ruler Mars is rewinding from Aquarius into Capricorn. Since Aquarius is the sign of social politics for you, it looks like there is a change of guard among your group, committee or other collective. If so, you can expect a game of hardball where career prospects are concerned, at least until Mars returns to Aquarius in mid September, maybe longer.

Rather than get wrapped up in office politics, stick with the people you must trust and admire. There could be some new contenders in August, with Venus in friendly (we hope) opposition from the 6th onwards. Ah, the bright elusive butterfly of love! For those of you settled, here’s a chance to forge the bond anew, and for those of you on the outs with a significant other, here’s the chance to bury the hatchet.

The season of Virgo starts slowly (Mercury has only just woken up) with a dreamy full Moon in Pisces on August 26, but you’ll be clocking on and off in the same old lunatic fashion thereafter. Waning Luna, still large in the south east sky, visits the Ram on the 28th/29th; a moment to have your mojo working.

Taurus

Forgive your astrologer if we begin with last month’s forecast (Mercury is retrograde, after all):

“The astrological Bull is the first of the zodiac’s four ‘fixed’ (intensifying) signs, along with Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Think of them as the four points of the compass. Currently all four signs host major planetary activity, forming what astrologers call a Grand Cross, though that’s Grand meaning imposing rather than jolly nice. The cross grows more forceful over July and August…”

So it does. The Leo new Moon of August 14 – a partial solar eclipse – is one significant omen, a reminder that home is where the heart is and that family blood is thicker than mud.

Simultaneously Mars rewinds over the roof of your ‘scope to cast doubt on recent professional plans and perhaps force a revision. Mars equals noise, so there may be a lot of barking and yapping going on at the top end of your profession. Patience helps – Mercury gets out of retrograde on the 20th, and Mars returns to the apex of your scope in mid-September when clarity, if not peace, arrives.

The two wild cards in your affairs are Prometheus and Jupiter. The latter reminds you to watch your ‘p’s and ‘q’s around significant others, and not to take them for granted. Prometheus is, as Gustav Holt put it, ‘The Awakener’, and though you will be a stubbornly noble Bull, it may have dawned on you that change is a liberator, not an enemy.

Gemini

If you can swing some downtime in August, you are onto a sweet thing. Your ruler, Mercury, is retrograde, idling in your zone of chums and hot gossip; might as well just hang out yourself and see what the solar eclipse of August 11 blows in with it.

Hanging out, albeit in a more purposeful way, is Venus, in her own sign of Libra from August 6, and making super airy aspect to your Gemini Sun. Perfect for a summer romance of course, but also for general posing, flirting and partying.

The third air sign, Aquarius, is more problematic. Mars in rewind here and back into Capricorn suggests one or other fond scheme has to be out on the back burner for a month or so, until the red planet returns in more helpful mode. Don’t abandon well-meant plans for social improvement meanwhile. We know you are a trouper.

Capricorn represents assets, so a financial shortfall may be an issue, or you may be plunging back into a relationship from spring, when Mars was last in The Sea Goat.

Things pick up speed later in the month, when the Sun reaches Virgo and a full Moon arrives at the peak of your scope; a beautiful omen for raising your profile and basking in the limelight. Burnish your rep by all means, as long as you don’t believe your own hype.

Cancer

That the zodiac’s other two water signs, Scorpio and Pisces, currently host Jupiter and Neptune respectively lends your ‘scope an idealistic, even enchanted glow. Your positivity is a huge asset just now, especially but not exclusively if you are a birthday circa July 6. Feel free to call in favours.

Nonetheless, your ‘scope in August looks a somewhat gritty affair. Eclipses across the financial zone of your ‘scope – the next arrives at the new moon of August 11 – suggest close attention is needed to money and assets. With Saturn in long-term opposition and Mars moving back into opposition mid-August, only an unflinching gaze at how things actually are will suffice. Forget about other people providing solutions to the cashflow, self-reliance is the solution, and you have a retrograde Mercury to help mull things over, helped by asteroid Pallas Athene – Ms Capabability – alongside the new Moon of August 11,

An exalted Mars in opposition is no push-over by the way, more like someone getting mighty pushy on little old you. Birthdays July 20-22 take note.

The maverick star in your blue heaven is Prometheus, retracing its steps in your social and collegiate zone of useful idiots and fascinating fellow travellers. You get a fresh twist of fine company at the full Moon of August 26, when your Luna ruler is in Pisces and making serendipitous links to Jupiter, Prometheus and Neptune. Worth a celebration.