Even (or especially!) astrologers can be wrong. Your own servant to the stars had it in mind that August might supply a relative period of calm before the planetary storms of the autumn arrive. Those haven’t gone away from the astro-weather chart, but neither has the Covid 19 pandemic, currently booming and laying waste to huge swathes of the planet (its human inhabitants anyway).
The significators of 2020’s turbulence – Jupiter/Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn – are currently retrograde, going over old ground, but remain in place until year’s end, aided by Neptune in Pisces. Plus there’s the added vexation of a rampant Mars kicking from mid-September onwards. Amid such potential discord, all signs of the zodiac inch forward as best they can. Stay safe.
Major events
August 3 – Full Moon in Aquarius
August 5 – Mercury into Leo
August 8 – Venus into Cancer
August 19 – New Moon in Leo
August 20 – Mercury into Virgo
August 23 – Sun into Virgo
Leo
Send for the trumpeters to blow a royal salute! It’s your birthday season and the mighty Sun is where it should be, in its own sign – yours! There are further reasons to be cheerful but first comes a cracking full Moon over August 3/4 to raise the emotional temperature to the point of over-excitement, which is what full Moons are for. Enjoy this one in a spirit of camaraderie. You have the last gasp of Venus in Gemini to help – the social planet moves on come the 8th – and Mars in fiery Aries is also an ally.
More perplexing is the involvement of planet Prometheus, stationary at the top of your ‘scope and exactly aligned with the full Moon. This lends events in August a startling quality, whether they beam in on you from the outside or involve a dramatic move on your own part. Prometheus doesn’t like same-old, it likes radical change – ‘progressive’ even, in that almost meaningless piece of political jargon.
In your solar ‘scope Prometheus occupies your zone of career path, but the surprises may come closer to home; birthdays in July and the first few days of August are particularly in the sweep of this one.
Communicator Mercury in Leo from August 5-19 (now you see it now you don’t) supplies a following wind, brings news (try the 10th) and asks you to make your words and reactions quick but decisive. Let’s be blunt, it’s good to leave the sticky season of Cancer behind, and while romancer Venus remains in the Crab, and behind the scenes, said planet is heading your way in September (more trumpets please).
The new Moon of August 19 is a reboot of your personal year (boss birthday omen too) and is weightier than at first apparent, since its aspects to the pushy duo of Saturn and Mars are repeated in Autumn. Set out a course to get through to Christmas.
The Sun moves on to join Mercury in Virgo on the 23rd to highlight your finances – rarely the favourite subject for a Leo, but due diligence now- before the next full Moon arrives in early September – will pay you back double. Happy Birthday.
Virgo
The Aquarian full moon that opens the month (August 3/4) doesn’t offer much to Virgoans beyond watching others get all too carried away, though it does align intriguingly with Prometheus in your fellow earth sign of Taurus. Perhaps an offer or lover from afar is calling – birthdays circa September 2 may be in luck!
As ever, the season of Leo falls mostly behind the scenes for you, that time of year before you arrive twinkling for a new term with your crayons freshly sharpened. Retreat (if you haven’t had enough of it) is a definite option. And there is always work to do. Alternatively, Venus is at hand from the 8th to supply the companionship of fellow travellers and associates.
The sharp end of things begins once your Mercury ruler arrives in the Maiden on August 20 (until September 5) to allow you to issue orders to the less capable (the other eleven signs, basically). Your season in the Sun begins on August 23, another reason to get motoring before September’s full Moon knocks your carefully calibrated plans off course.
As your astrologer has frequently noted Virgoans are far less affected (or afflicted) by the stern trio of planets resident in Capricorn, a fellow earth sign, than many other signs. In August (but more particularly September) you are well set to make ‘the system’ work for you, rather than vice versa. The world tends to under-estimate Virgo – unassuming, diligent, useful – but in late 2020 you shouldn’t be too polite to set it straight. You know best.
Libra
The season of Leo is handy for Libra, denoting supportive, reliable friends and associates, while Leo’s opposite number, Aquarius, represents a place where you find pleasure and romance. The Aquarian Moon of August 3 and 4 is therefore a welcome omen, even though it arrives at the start of the working week.
August is brimming with significant others in any case, thanks to the ongoing march of Mars through your opposite sign of Aries. Mars is a double-edged blade in this position and calls into question Libra’s attitude to adversaries and to potential or actual partners. If challenged, will your reaction be to retreat and opt for peace at any price? Or will it be one of confrontation and argy-bargy?
Ideally, your powers of diplomacy can find a middle path. Mars is powerful in its own sign, so you are likely to find yourself outgunned (or bowled over with desire), and since the red planet goes into a lengthy retrograde next month, you can expect arguments, fall-outs and obsessive crushes to rumble on through autumn. All of which means you should be on your best behaviour when dealing with spouses, friends, ex’s, suitors and declared foes.
A following wind comes not only from the Sun and Mercury in Leo but, in the first week of the month, from ruler Venus in airy Gemini. Venus moves onto to the peak of your ‘scope on the 8th, after which you should tread carefully in professional circles; be seen as well-dressed and obliging even if the reality is a grumpy Libran behind a Zoom screen dressed in pyjamas. The closing days of August, and early September, when Venus opposes the troublesome trio of Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn, are an important staging post in career matters.
By then the Sun is in Virgo’s skies, and behind the scenes in your solar ‘scope; often a time for strategic retreat and re-empowering your batteries, though this year -with Mars super active in opposition – expect the demands on your energy to be unrelenting. Pace yourself and play your cards astutely.
Scorpio
For much of August your ‘scope isn’t leaving you much wiggle room. The full Moon of the 3rd has an uncomfortable edge to it, with Sun and Luna forming a difficult aspect with Prometheus in Taurus, so in opposition to your Sun. Birthdays in late October/early November caught at the other corner of this vast cosmic square. More of which anon.
The Sun continues to push and prod, along with Mercury, until the season of Virgo arrives at the 23rd, likely meaning you are kept on the hop in your chosen profession. Your ruler Mars – and surely no self-respecting Scorpio is still holding out for Pluto as your governor after the wrecking ball said planet has taken to 2020? – lies obliquely in your zone of perpetual graft. The trio of Jupiter/Pluto/Saturn are in ‘pick up the pieces’ mode from earlier in the year.
Only Venus, plying a lonely course in your fellow water sign of Cancer, offers much solace by way of stalwart friends and lovers who may well be distant. Rats!
The Sun’s arrival in Virgo, along with Mercury, looks like balm, energising your networking zone and allowing you to work at your own speed rather than that of the boss.
The planet of the month, though, is Prometheus, stationary in your opposite sign of Taurus and therefore super-powered. All October birthdays have a had a taste of Prometheus’ disruptive qualities during 2020 – the same-old no longer cuts it. Change is called for, whether that means a personal revolution or an overdue adjustment (or cessation) of at least one major relationship. This can mean a forceful arrival as well as a dramatic turn-over of an existing arrangement. As has been pointed out, liberation is the key theme in play.
Put another way, August can be intense and hard work but exciting. Bring it on.
Sagittarius
As the zodiac’s other two fire signs are in vibrant form – both Leo and Aries currently host their ruling planets – it would be rude if you Centaurs didn’t follow suit. The Leo season is invariably decent, awakening your restlessness, though chances of scooting round the planet are necessarily proscribed this summer.
More intriguing is Mars’s long tenure in your fifth house of creativity, courtship and pleasure; a recipe for joi-de-vivre in all its guises. Grab your opportunities as they arise, bearing in mind that two months of the red planet in retrograde, during September and October, may call for a revision of your enthusiasms, whether for a lover or a project. Nonetheless you are obliged to give every invitation, flirtation and bright idea your best shot and stick with it until, say, your birthday.
Some of this may sound familiar, as only now, after four months, is Venus moving out of opposition, a transit that has had some centaurs looping the loop with partners and infatuations. You are not the zodiac’s only restless type. Venus’s departure on the 7th into Cancer may come as a relief.
Your own ruling planet, Jupiter, remains sunk in your cash zone, no bad thing in itself – this is the planet of plenty – but Jupiter is out-muscled by Saturn and Pluto, calling for a painstaking consideration of cash flow and resources.
You’ll need your sums double-checked by the 23rd, when the Sun reaches Virgo at the peak of your ‘scope to put your professional status under the spotlight. A routine examination but still potentially prickly.
Capricorn
That sound you can hear is gears crunching as you finally get rid of Mercury in opposition (nine weeks, lawdy) with its place taken by Venus for a more routine three week stay from the 8th. Confusing dialogues and uncertain arrangements are now replaced by mutual accord and harmony (well, that’s the plan), perhaps with a soupcon of jealousy (your own or someone else’s) in the mix.
August looks a more obliging month overall. Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto all backsliding in the Sea Goat’s skies means old business rather than new is where you find good fortune, fresh funds and clarity for the long haul through autumn. That goes especially for birthdays 7-10 January for whom August and September look quite the time for Jupiter’s pennies from heaven. Count your blessings.
Saturn sets a more exacting set of tasks for those born 15 January onwards; nothing you can’t handle, and all efforts will be duly rewarded. Get stuck in.
The zodiac’s other two earth signs are busy, though it won’t be until September that the month of Virgo, beginning August 23, gets properly underway. Taurus continues to host the offbeat, liberating planet Prometheus, which draws to a halt mid-month. This is a powerful moment for birthdays circa 31 December/ 1 January, opening doors for new acquaintances, offbeat lovers, and stimulating ideas. Little that is routine or even comfortable.
If Prometheus is the joker in your pack then Mars is a more conventional stimulus – or irritant. The red planet continues its march across the root of your ‘scope, throwing up the odd hot head and asking questions of your domestic and family arrangements (said hot head may be a family member or a flat mate). The firestorms of Mars in Aries are habitually fleeting, but with the warrior planet going retrograde next month, disputes may prove tricky to resolve. Choose your fights with care.
Aquarius
Your horoscope appears split between a resonant past and a contentious present, between deep secrets and in your face events. Be aware that everything that goes down between here and Christmas is against the backdrop of Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn – the behind-the-scenes stuff – after which this propitious pair will be in your skies. Lights, sound, action!
There seems quite a lot of action already in play. The Sun in opposition from Leo conjures its annual full Moon in Aquarius over August 3/4, a couple of heady days, hopefully of celebration but, as you may recall, sometimes eruptive. The new Moon in Leo August 19 is a chance to reboot a partnership, especially for birthdays circa February 15.
Partnerships of all stripes – spouses, ex’s, friends, opponents – are under especial scrutiny, thanks to a stationary Prometheus in your home zone, a planet that lies exactly square to the full Moon. This has the look of a climactic moment for some of you – late January birthdays are most in the frame – when you have to decide if one particular association is worth the candle, as an old expression has it. You will be shedding baggage next year, so you may decide to make an early start.
Lower key relationships need a bit of careful handling too. Mercury in opposition (August 5-19) is time for frank dialogue, not evasion, something that applies to both parties and which includes the slippery issue of shared assets and cash.
Mars is also in sprightly mood. The red planet in Aries is congenial enough for Aquarians – fire for your air – and draws in chums, siblings, but Mars’ upcoming two month retrograde suggests you should make clear the terms and conditions with which you offer support.
Pisces
Plans both personal and professional have likely been in an indeterminate phase across summer; only to be expected with Mercury and Venus in their indecisive, retrograde phases. You are clear of those now. Venus’ new position in watery Cancer, from the 8th onwards, is particularly auspicious, lending a glow of delight and -if you’re looking – romance to high summer. A good time for the creatives among you.
While observing social distancing, it’s time to get out the house a little more often and call in a few social favours. Relationships and partnerships of all stripes (not just intimate) are moving up the list of priorities. Mercury in opposition (August 20-September 5), followed by the Sun on August 23, emphasise the benefits of co-operation and the need for clear communications. Get terms and conditions clear from the get-go.
That you are in a good position to do business is further emphasised by Saturn re-joining ruler Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn. All three are retrograde, making old business as good as fresh plans; time to go back and solidify the deals that slipped past earlier in the year. A business-like approach to the alleged great and good in your profession can do no harm and may bear fruit in the autumn when the trio rumble back to forwards motion.
Just to sharpen your appetite, money is involved, as Jupiter, the money planet par excellence, lines up with Neptune in your own skies. Your astrologer wrote last month about another money omen, Mars in your cash zone, where the red planet is likely to signal spending as much as acquisition. Keep your eye on the current account.
Aries
Hey ho, let’s go! Mars, your undisputed ruler, is in your skies, the Sun is in royal Leo, Venus is in Gemini (just) and you’re racing up to a full Moon in airy Aquarius (August 3/4), all of which adds up to a chance to take tea with the royalty of your choice and to a do socially distanced frug at a more relaxed summer party.
Keeping on the fun side of your auspicious stars is a cool idea not only for the fun. It may also keep you going too hard at other more serious projects where impatience and harsh words can arrive when a Ram has its dander up. The teacups and cucumber sandwiches can go flying even on an aristocratic lawn of course, but congeniality does soften tempers.
Why this transit is so special is that you have Mars back and forth in your skies until new year, so decisions (wise or rash) tend to stick around for the medium or long term. The new Moon of August 19 is a case in point. The Sun-Mars alignment, Leo to Aries, is terrific, but Mars square Saturn and Pluto is awkward and perhaps provocative. This particular alignment returns later in the autumn so best start with a clean sheet and hard-nosed bargaining. When handling professionals, be impersonal.
You may wish to turn your Martian energies closer to home, where Venus briefly holds sway (August 8-September 5), a chance to redecorate Chateau Aries and spread joy among the family. The advent of Virgo’s month in the Sun on August 23 further point you to a health regime and plain old graft. All good then. Let’s go.
Taurus
Whatever the version of ‘The New Normal” you have established (as a Taurus you will, of course, have arranged as much), it looks likely to get rocked by the full Moon of August 3/4. Luna will be at the peak of your ‘scope, opposite the Sun in Leo with both squaring Prometheus, the wayward force that has settled in your sign for a seven-year stay (2018-25). Since Prometheus is stationary – and therefore in astro-lore extra forceful – this looks quite a ground-shaker, certainly for birthdays in late April/earliest May.
As your astrologer has mentioned, Prometheus is not one for the established order, even the new normal, it demands change both inner and outer. Suddenly it’s time for an unannounced solo trip, a romantic denouement, a different lifestyle, a fresh career. After seven months of Prometheus, many Taureans will have alighted on a new path in 2020.
August’s challenges don’t stop there. The Leo new Moon on August 19, which comes with Saturn involved, also turns you to long term plans -or at least those running up to Christmas. Saturn has mostly been in an obliging position so far this year, so this is a potential breakthrough in your professional or property affairs as much an obstacle, but even so quite demanding.
Where’s La Dolce Vita gone? Your ruling planet and fairy godmother Venus finally shifts from Gemini to Cancer on August 8, a placement congenial to good times with siblings, cousins, neighbours and pals. The Sun’s arrival in your fellow earth sign Virgo is better news still, promising a blast of the ‘Sweet life’ through to the end of August and onwards into September.
Gemini
The final week of Venus’s long stay in your skies gives you a following wind at the start of the month; max out your social life and, if you’re in the dating game, cast your net wide. The full Moon in Aquarius, a fellow air sign, over August 3/4 should help, and also promises support for humanitarian causes.
The season of Leo, as ever, is also supportive, and with your Mercury ruler dashing through the Lion (August 5-19) your ability to bilocate and keep everyone happy is enhanced. So too with educational matters, with talking, organising and generally playing King or Queen Bee. Alternatively, you can just enjoy the entertainment on offer (it’s available).
The new Moon of the 19th is also something of a recharge.
That’s just as well since the last ten days of the month bring practical challenges as the Sun and Mercury move into Virgo at the root of your ‘scope. Time to prepare for the new term that’s just down the road in September, when career issues raise their sleepy head.
Your sign remains mercifully out of the line of fire from the fierce trio of planets in Capricorn. These continue to occupy your zone of shared resources – money with strings attached if you like – where re-organising your commitments, contracts and economic ties remains a required (and profitable0 duty.
Cancer
The birthday month might have provided a rough ride. Given a couple of eclipses, a retrograde Mercury and that daunting trio of planets opposite, that would be no surprise. Why is the cosmos so intent on ruffling your feathers? It seems you are being asked to slough off one identity and gain another, a slow two-year process that is out the way by Christmas.
August provides you with powerful armoury in the shape of Venus. The arch-dame of romance and social relationships passes through the Crab between August 8-September 5, urging a shake-up of your wardrobe and a re-assessment of close relationships (friends, lovers, enemies and all points between). Venus is opposite Jupiter (25th), Pluto (30th) and Saturn (September 2), aspects that promise to let you know precisely where you stand with a significant other, secrets and all. Since Venus is also a magnet for people who admire you, intense feelings of both stripes could be involved.
The season of Leo is meanwhile a time to hunker over the bank statements and ensure you are financially on track. Doubtless you have already done so, but the new Moon on August 19 looks something of a fresh start, with fresh information arriving.
Your career path – or maybe it’s your beloved home – remains a work in progress. Warrior Mars at the top of your ‘scope is prodding you to blaze in your public life – chance would be a fine thing you say – and since the red planet is back and forth here through to Christmas, the pressure to do so looks forceful.
A couple of planetary developments should help. The season of Virgo, starting August 23, is a benign refuge for a month or two (Venus arrives here later) – earth for your water. Then there is Prometheus, lodged in Taurus and your eleventh house of handy contacts and fellow travellers. Both urge you to look to your network for offers and unusual people, perhaps even a fresh lover (the weekend of the 15/16th has promise). Time to cash in a few social chips.