Hi Friends,
What a month we have before us. August starts off with a once in a lifetime alignment of Mars, Uranus and the North Node in Taurus. This triple conjunction is forcing us to reevaluate our values, beliefs, our material possessions, power structures, food, farming, land, markets, and off course financial matters. Uranus is the planet of awakening and change. It likes to shake up things up in our lives in an effort to keep us growing and keep us reaching for that more authentic state of being.
This is one of the most important astrological aspects of the year, Mars and Uranus in Taurus conjunct the North Node of fate is a massive wakeup call accompanied by a real sense of urgency. All three are in the sign of Taurus (earth sign) that represents Mother Nature and the planet. As we collectively witness the world-wide unprecedented changes and environmental challenges, the time has come to act. Uranus awakens and Mars (fire) creates the urgency to take action now as they join together on the first day of August. The North Node in Taurus is our collective and personal guiding North Star and path of destiny.
Saturn will be loosely squaring this alignment .Saturn in Aquarius is a perplexing aspect that reminds us that our time is limited and that humanity (Aquarius) is at a turning point. We have the power within our hands to transform society but we have to take decisive action NOW. There is no more time to waste.
Uranus (Aquarius) is also the planet of freedom, so whenever its energy is strong, we may find ourselves searching to feel freer in our lives, in our day to day routines, and in the world around us. Uranus aligning with the North Node is a symbol that our collective destiny is shifting. What we value as a society, what we have relied on, is all up for review. This is a long running energy, but the quick, week-long addition of Mars adds a fiery spirit and can supercharge whatever is going on around us. On a personal level this is a chance to make a Quantum Leap for positive change in our lives, as we awaken to the truth, growth can happen in sudden and profound leaps. It’s a breakthrough that can trigger astonishing progress in our lives.
As the Sun makes its way through the sign of Leo this month we will feel more encouragement and more excitement with a little more sense of purpose in our everyday life. Leo is all about new opportunities to shine and to be creative, to express our own unique individuality with others. Venus will also enter Leo in August dramatically increasing our displays of passion and affection and livening up our love life while emphasizing our desire for loyalty and admiration. At the same time Venus enters Leo, the Full Moon in Aquarius will trigger breakthroughs that inspire us to think outside the box to solve the problems we’ve been facing.
The first part of August definitely feels like we are walking on shaky ground, but keep in mind that ultimately, this is leading us to a more authentic and awakened state, not just personally but also on a global level. If things begin feeling unsettled or challenging during the first part of the month, the trick is going to be riding the flow, rather than trying to force what is not working. Following on heels of this unsettling energy, we have the Lion’s Gate 8/8 Portal on August 8th.
The Lion’s Gate Portal tracks the rising of the star Sirius, which ancients considered our Spiritual Sun. There is a prophecy that states as Sirius rises, it activates forgotten codes, messages, and wisdom left by the people of Atlantis. While Sirius rises from the end of July and through most of the month of August, the 8th day of the month is believed to be the strongest day of the portal, due to the numerology of 88. 8 is a number associated with infinity, higher consciousness, and wisdom. You can learn more about the Lion’s Gate 8/8 Portal and how to make the most of this energy click Here:
As the month begins, our thinking becomes more analytical on August 4th when cerebral Mercury enters Virgo. Mercury’s move into Virgo brings a period when we want to work on those big ideas we had while Mercury was in Leo. Mercury is the ruler of Virgo, and for good reason. Virgo is focused on figuring out how all the little pieces of the puzzle fit together. And Mercury, the planet that represents the mischievous and inquisitive god, Hermes, just loves it! Since Virgo is an earth sign, the ideas that appear during this transit do have at least one foot on the ground, so they tend to be useful and well thought out.
The cosmic energy gets ramped up on August 11th as the Sun Square Uranus, Venus enters Leo, and the Full Moon highlights the sign of Aquarius. First up is the Sun square Uranus transit that will require open-mindedness and flexibility as we enter a stage of uncertainty. We may feel this transit as an uneasy and anxious feeling of impending change. This tension filled alignment can result in unpredictable behavior on our part which can lead to abruptness, rapid changes in direction, and even accidents. On the other hand, we may be subject to a radical change in our environment or unexpected outbursts from other people.
Later in the day, Venus enters lively Leo. When Venus is moving through Leo, she begins to shine in elegant glory. Talk about Love and Romance! Leo is big and bold and loves applause, so when Venus is here, we start wanting to get out of the cocoon and into the lime light. Romance and having fun become the main interest. Shopping for luxurious, tasteful things fits right in too. Just watch out for too much of a good thing. Leo energy can be overwhelming in the beginning, but it often fizzles out at the end of this transit.
And lastly on August 11th, the Full Moon highlights the rebellious sign of Aquarius. During this lunar cycle, the Leo Sun is proud and intensely individual–not content with simply being just one of the team. The Aquarius Moon, while individualistic as well, values independence and the team, community, and group spirit. This Full Moon illuminates this conflict for sure. In fact, this lunation illuminates feelings, attitudes, and circumstances that are already in existence that may be brought to the surface. This is a time of awakening to the need for others or to answer to humanitarian impulses. This lunation connects with Saturn and square Uranus, suggesting some stop-and-go energy connected to our realizations and epiphanies.
The intense energy continues on August 14th when the Sun Oppose Saturn. This transit is another heavy-weight alignment that occurs once a year bringing with it restrictions and hardship. The Sun’s need for expression and creativity is met with great restraint during this transit. Saturn is the planet of discipline and limitations forcing its energy on responsibility for our actions. We may find ourselves having to deal with melancholy, worry, loss, grief, disgrace, or low self-esteem. Relationship dynamics can also feel demanding and impatient at this time. However, with some hard work, patience, and persistence this transit can lead to achievement, recognition, and respect.
Our cognitive abilities will be turned up a few notches on August 20th when fiery Mars enters the mental realm of Gemini. Mars in the mutable air sign of Gemini brings a lot of energy and/or hostility to the world of words. Mutable means changeable, flexible…and Gemini loves change. If curiosity ever killed a cat, it was a Gemini cat. Or maybe Gemini is a cat. At any rate, when the planet that symbolizes masculine strength and energy moves into this placement, words will fly, thoughts will be on overload.
Mars will spend an unusually long time in Gemini because of its retrograde on October 30th, 2022. Mars turns retrograde every two years. Occasionally the planet will stay in one sign for the entire period. This will be the case for the 2022-23 retrograde.
Here are the details:
Mars will enter on Gemini on August 20th, 2022.
Mars will turn retrograde in the sign at 25 degrees on October 30th, 2022.
Mars goes direct at 8 degrees Gemini on January 12, 2023.
Mars leaves Gemini for Cancer on March 25, 2023.
During this long eight month transit of Mars there will be lots of “mental masturbation”. Overall, the Mars in Gemini transit has a lot of potential. Its biggest challenge is that we must avoid scattering our energy too widely. With too many things going on all at once, even the sheer willpower of Mars will find it hard to keep up at this time.
The vibe towards questioning our reality increases even more on August 22nd when the Sun enters critical Virgo. As the Sun makes its way through Virgo our focus shifts to analyzing every detail in our lives. We will want to understand and perfect 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.
On August 24th Uranus begins to go retrograde in Taurus. In order to understand what happens when Uranus is retrograde, it’s important to consider how the planet affects us when it’s moving forward. Under normal circumstances, the awakener planet brings surprises — for better or worse — and encourages innovation. When Uranus syncs up with, squares off against, or opposes other planets in the sky or in your birth chart, it urges us to question the norm, strengthening our capacity to embrace change.
However, when Uranus moves backward, its electric, change-making energy chills out a bit. Instead of pushing for external, apparent, concrete change, we could be inspired to embrace rebellion and revolution in a more internal, psychological way. This time offers everyone an opportunity to rethink larger life goals like how we go about looking for a partner or pursuing our long-term professional aspirations. Basically, Uranus Retrograde wants us to get real. It’s time to face our fears and change the things that aren’t working so we can become who we really want to be.
We’ll be in for some surprises on August 26th as Venus Square Uranus. This transit can challenge the stability of love relationships through unexpected urges or events. An increased need for freedom and excitement can test our patience with a loved one or lead to wandering eyes. If you have been feeling smothered, confined or bored, then you may lash out in anger or through some other destructive behavior. A healthy relationship will face no major drama, especially with an open-minded partner.
If you try to resist the urge for change and excitement, and bottle this spontaneous energy up, then it is likely that your partner will express this energy through some unexpected and sudden action. Entertainment, amusement, and novelties will suffice if you are not the daring type. Singles may be attracted to exciting or eccentric people. Another possibility with this transit is financial surprises, sudden expenses such as car repairs, computer or cell phone issues, or even the possibility of winning a lottery scratch off ticket.
Our motivation to get things done will be highlighted even more so on August 27th when the New Moon activates the fastidious sign of Virgo. The New Moon in Virgo is an excellent time to commit to personal goals that express the positive energies of the sign of the Virgin. These include things like: building healthy routines, exercising , watching our diets, rolling up our sleeves and getting down to some serious work; beginning a new project that requires attention to details; making lists, being more organized, and of course, constructive discrimination.
Mars is once again active under this New Moon, helping us to connect with our passions. Mars can also help us conquer our fears and help us take a leap of faith in a direction that we’ve wanted to go in. Whenever Mars energy is strong, we do have to be mindful of acting impulsively or allowing our temper to get the better of us. Overall, this New Moon feels a little harsh, and may bring some funky energy.
At the same time the New Moon is activated, the Sun will also Sun Square Mars. Sun square Mars transit can lead to tests of character from our competitors or others. The boss or men, in general, will be looking to assert their power, leading to ego conflicts. We may already be irritable and impatient, and likely to react to any provocation or threats with aggression. But reckless and impulsive behavior can bring unexpected consequences to us as well as others.
This energy can be quite explosive and can lead to a buildup of anger, resentment, or sexual frustration. Such potentially destructive energies need to be channeled constructively, so they do not result in conflict, accidents, muscle pain, or exhaustion. Burning up this hot energy will also lower the risk of being subject to aggression and threats from ego trippers and authority figures. Exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature will help, or hard work is preferred so long as you don’t push too hard and strain something.
August 2022 Monthly Horoscopes
Have an Adventure this month folks!
Joseph P. Anthony
