August 2011

PLANET REPORT: What a messy month! The larger-than-life implications of the New Moon on July 31st in Leo will shift and shape over the first two weeks of August only to leap out of the bushes in unexpected ways at the Aquarian Full Moon on the 14th. Mid-month is rife with ambushes!

Leave your life itinerary flexible by taking the forks in the road as they come and remembering to pause at the give way signs. With Mercury retrograde in its own sign Virgo on the 3rd, there is no certainty of the route that events will take and, in some instances, we may even end up at the beginning again, or where we least expect.

Heavy traffic and danger signals congest life from the 11th when an active grand-cross forms in the sky. Mars packs a punch at calculating Pluto, resists Uranus’ radical ways and tears against Saturn’s restrictive rules. Circle mid-month as August’s cosmic road-rage hotspot when defensive driving or choosing alternative routes can protect us from taking risks or becoming involved in dubious situations. Be extremely cautious and aware of deep-seated or hidden feelings that can emerge at the slightest provocation. We cannot avoid what fate dishes up but we can certainly try to keep out of dubious emotional neighbourhoods.

With financial planets, Venus and Jupiter, tangled up with both the New and Full Moon, there is a heavy emphasis on the material world and our interconnectedness both globally and personally; as we are already aware, there is a huge emphasis on economic stability and global debt and it will be now that we can see how far gone the whole scenario is. Jupiter, being the loose cannon, doubles the risk of over- or under-estimating situations or missing the mark completely.

In its own sign Virgo, Mercury turns retrograde as soon as we turn the page on the calendar. Standing still on the first degree of Virgo on the 3rd and then heading back into Leo on the 8th, it’s time to break apart the big picture to a piece by piece analysis. We won’t be able to put it all back together again until Mercury returns to detail-conscious Virgo on September 9th but we can begin the process of sorting our lives into laundry piles ready to be cleaned, compartmentalised or cast off. Once Mercury travels back into Leo and opposes dream-weaver, Neptune, in its last foray in Aquarius in our lifetime from the 5th, the rose-tinted glow that has coloured our lives since 1998 will begin to become more transparent. Not only will Mercury oppose Neptune between the 6-11th but Venus and the Sun will also add their protests between the 20-24th. This is likely to be a month of interesting revelations.

Despite all this, the Full Moon on the 20th brings unexpected opportunities to deal with karmic situations as long as there is a desire to give as much as we expect to receive. The month ends with a New Moon in Virgo on the 29th helping us to empower our emotions with healthy thoughts and a desire to be of service to others. Virgo’s birthday year begins when the Sun travels into Virgo at 11:22pm on the 23rd.

ARIES: A volatile month for Rams since your ruler is up to mischief. You may need to take a breather and slow down the pace of your lives because there will be enough cosmic events firing your life up to last a lifetime. Pent-up energy and emotions can overtake practical considerations from mid-month so find ways to deal with situations, or simply side-step them until emotions die down. Changes to work schedules, contracts or tasks will take until September to work through but in the meantime find creative ways to tackle a situation with a child, romance or with projects where you have invested lots of time and energy. There is a review process happening in these areas that needs attention. Leisure time activities such as hobbies and sports also come under this umbrella.

TAURUS: Jupiter brings lots of bountiful things when travelling through one’s own sign but sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. Starting with the New Moon on July 31st, August will be a month when you discover just where you have over-extended or expected too much. With Mercury turning around in Virgo, take a cautious, practical approach in situations where there is the risk of promising or taking on more than you can handle in the future. Very little is cut and dried until after September 9th but you can take a watchful approach and avoid too many temptations. A letter, email, phone call or text could produce a powerful response mid-month and may involve a legal situation. Again, react with a clear-head with the knowledge that nothing is set in concrete until September.

GEMINI: Now that Mars moves out of your sign and into Cancer on the 3rd, you will feel less pressure to perform and instead feel the weightlessness of lifting a karmic load. Last month was all about changing bad habits and intricate situations that have held you back for too long. Like an elastic band, you can now bend and flex as your life takes shape. August is a bit of a landmine though and with your ruler, Mercury, now out of synch, it is best if you can take a mental holiday and instead look for creative ways to tackle existing projects and setups. Mid-month the planetary energy goes off with a bang and this is likely to impact on your pay-packet, a loan, inheritance, friends and children. Use your logical approach to handle the emotions that are part and parcel of what takes place. The New Moon on the 29th will bring positive change.

CANCER: It’s another wobbly month for Cancerians. Mars moves into your sign on the 3rd but immediately makes a beeline for Uranus, Pluto and Saturn - in that order - so that by mid-month, one thing has lead to another! As long as you can keep emotions in check, these dilemmas, obstacles and power plays can be minimised, if not eradicated. The Leo energy could tend to drag ego into the mix and this is when trouble follows. The magnanimous approach with a touch of chivalry can help calm down situations that require a two-way approach. Review anything that is in writing. From contracts to drafts to letters, there are certain details that need a fine tooth comb. From the 8th, leave this to one side and focus on your financial affairs. A new phase has commenced here but there are still one or two technical points to straighten out.

LEO: The New Moon that occurred on the last day of July gives the green light to your fresh birthday cycle. As August begins, you will probably find yourself in either a sweet, or a sticky, situation, depending on how your affairs have developed over the past year. And with Jupiter at the top of your chart showering praise, kudos or situations where you find yourself in a prominent position, it will be around this New Moon that you discover just how much you have taken on. Keep your wits about you if you are forced to make promises that you cannot keep! Also, scale down your expectations and tone down over-confidence. August is filled is pot-holes that show where repairs need to be made. You are more in danger of over-valuing or over-rating certain people or jobs, or even your own abilities, and all that is required is an objective approach. The Full Moon brings closure to a long-standing relationship issue.

VIRGO: Mercury, your ruler, turns retrograde in your very own sign on the 3rd throwing you for six just when you thought life was at last following a straight trajectory. It won’t be until after September 9th that you can truly work through the obstacles and the roundabout way of tackling issues, tasks and projects that is happening now. Whilst you may tear your hair out, just remember that these funny little phases often throw up timely information, facts and details, or events, situations and people that you might not have discovered any other way. August will be an awkward month all round and for you there may a friend or acquaintance who raises many questions and situations that will prompt a review of your finances, love life, children or work practices. Your birthday month begins on the 23rd at 11:22pm with your personal New Moon leading the way on the 29th. It will be after September 9th that things really start to fall into place.

LIBRA: Like Aries, Cancer and Capricorn, the road in August road is pitted with detours, flat tyres, crazy drivers and other hair-raising conditions. Of course, this is strictly in the proverbial sense but if you look at August as a journey rather than another month on the calendar, you will heighten your awareness of the people, places, situations and challenges that will cross your path. It won’t be the easiest of months because the cosmic energy has been building for some time and some situations just need to be dealt with. The trick is to keep emotionally involved but emotionally level. Acknowledging the feelings of other people, such as a boss, a parent or someone in your public vicinity, whilst keeping sight of your own objectives and needs, will lessen any reactions or outbursts. Mid-month onward is particularly tricky but if you changed repetitive patterns last month, you should be able to handle these issues.

SCORPIO: Your ruler Mars, moves into your zone of travel, academia, publishing and belief system on the 3rd making August a month that highlights the big wide world and people and places at a distance. By itself, this would be okay but because Mars will bump into the big guns of the zodiac – Uranus, Pluto and Saturn – there are likely to be complications that won’t be easy to sort out. If you are travelling or planning a trip, there are bound to be intense emotional issues that are either attached to arrangements, or that will crop up on the way. Good communication is the first step to any challenges, the second is to make sure you have good insurance and back up plans, and the third is to keep to the safest route. With Mercury also out of synch, there may be unforeseen financial complications or professional details to iron out before you can hit the highway. All in all, this is not the easiest of months but at least you are a dab hand at navigating tricky situations.

SAGITTARIUS: Since your ruler Jupiter is involved with the New Moon that August begins with, you will find you have a heap of projects, tasks and arrangements to sort through. The month begins with a juggling act between trips or courses that have to be woven into an already busy schedule. Jupiter is currently in your zone of learning on the job, as well as health and wellbeing so it may seem as if you are burning the candle at both ends trying to keep it all together. As the month wears on, it doesn’t really get any easier because Mercury and Mars are both making complicated connections with other planets and this is bound to bring even more challenges by mid-month. The trick is to focus on the most important tasks and issues at hand and keep drama to a minimum. Financial or property matters are likely to take centre stage and this might throw your personal goals into the background as you have to find the time, energy and money to deal with expenses that fall outside of your normal budget. Keep everything loose and flexible because nothing can be set in concrete till September.

CAPRICORN: Just like Aries, Cancer and Libra, August is a month when the four corners of your chart are ready to go off like a fireworks display. With so many planets creating a cross formation in all four signs, this is a month to walk carefully and be conscious of any issues which are likely to erupt. Hair-trigger responses happen when things have been pushed to one side but are building anyway. Mercury is out of range from the 3rd – the same day Mars travels into your relationship zone – so what takes place is an open-ended situation. Remain flexible even if it seems as if there is no way to change the course of events as life is likely to take a course of its own. After September 9th, the channels of communication become clear again. In the meantime, attend to all the minor details that often get overlooked. By the New Moon on the 29th, you will find ways to transform sticky situations.

AQUARIUS: Mercury moves back into your zone of relationships on the 3rd reviving discussions that may be in progress within the important relationships in your life. Whatever took place during July will be the focus of August’s activities but remember that there are no guarantees that what you agree upon will stick so keep an open mind until you have all the information – especially if anything relates to financial or property matters. Mid-month brings work-related issues may be quite emotional. There may be something lurking in the shadows that you are only half aware of that may spring out at you. Secrets, confidential matters or what takes place behind closed doors is likely to surface and it might be an idea to keep this area under constant surveillance. The free publicity might not be something you had in mind! The New Moon of July 31st is of great significance in a relationship issue and will lead to a culmination at Full Moon on August 14th.

PISCES: With most of the planets working at cross purposes with each other this month, you will be glad to hear that this is the perfect month to escape town! Turn the obstacles involving children, friends and financial matters into a creative project where you find the perfect solution. Even despite the emotional complications, there is bound to be an opportunity to solve longer-standing conflicts. Mercury turns around in your opposite sign Virgo on the 3rd making this a sensitive month where communications and agreements are concerned with other people. Try to avoid signing and sealing anything during August because there is so much more to come to light after September 9th and some of this will be very tricky indeed. Instead, turn August into a month to clean up and clear out your work space, office or filing cabinets as well as cupboards and other areas that are due for an overhaul. Answers may come while your hands are busy so use creative thinking to throw a new slant on life.