There is a lot going on this week, so grab a cup of coffee or tea and let’s get started!
Retrograde season. This week Uranus turns retrograde, but it has been virtually stationary at 14 degrees Taurus for six weeks. When a planet prepares for a direction change it appears to be at a standstill, just like a car that is making a U-turn. At that time its influence can be the most potent, especially if it is hitting a sensitive point in your chart (anywhere from 10-20 degrees of the fixed signs Taurus, Scorpio, Leo or Aquarius).
With Uranus turning retrograde we will have four major planets retrograde plus Chiron, for a total of five. That is on the high side of normal and nowhere close to the retrograde energies of 2020 when every planet which could turn retrograde WAS retrograde. Still, in September Mercury will turn retrograde and then there will be six so we are definitely in retrograde season. This means that life will not progress at the pace which we strive for, and there may be a lot of looking in the rear view mirror to see where mistakes were made, and having to make those repairs before we can look ahead once again. Meanwhile the Uranian influence is powerful – revolution, reaction, breaking free of restraints and regulations – all of these energies are deep at work to rip away the trappings of the old age as we go hurtling into the new one.
Venus enters Libra. Venus enters its own sign of Libra just after midnight on August 16. Venus is most at home in Libra, and for the next few weeks harmony and a peaceful experience will be of paramount importance. Venus craves relationship and connection, so be sure even as quarantines tighten that you give yourself the gift of those connections with others. Venus is favorably aspected throughout its journey through Libra which is good news for any kind of partnership as well as for financial abundance.
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Second Aquarius Full Moon. It is rare to have two Full Moons in one sign; since the Full Moons occur approximately 28-29 degrees apart, this only happens when the first Full Moon is at the first degree of a sign, and the second at the last. With two Full Moons in Aquarius, the energies of this sign become even more pivotal, and since the two rulers of Aquarius (Saturn and Uranus) are at odds right now the question of rules (Saturn) vs liberation (Uranus) is of highest consequence. This is the story of 2021, and it keeps popping up in different ways.
In this Full Moon, Jupiter is activated (by a conjunction from the Moon and opposition to the Sun), expanding our sense of hope and the knowledge that the Universe offers a multitude of possibilities for greater abundance and opportunities. I’ll be writing more about this important lunation later in the week, but the energies will be building for a few days and will be especially potent when the Moon enters Aquarius on Friday.
Sun enters Virgo. The Sun will make the shift from Leo to Virgo on August 22nd, marking the end of Leo season and the beginning of the Virgo experience. More about that later! But now, the week ahead. Dates and times are given in EDT and UTC, please adjust for your locality.
Monday August 16. The first couple of days of the week lack any significant planetary alignments so the lunar aspects become more noticeable. The Moon, in Sagittarius where we tend to feel more buoyant and optimistic, conjoins its South Node of the past around noon EDT/4 pm UTC, activating a memory or a choice that helps us to release a negative pattern. This is a very mild and fleeting aspect but it may be significant so take notice if anything comes to mind along these lines.
Tuesday August 17. Once again, it’s only the lunar aspects today but the Moon is quite busy: creating some confusion around 1 pm EDT/5 pm UTC, fostering good will around 6 pm EDT/10 pm UTC, and blossoming with good intentions and positivity around 10 pm EDT/2 am Wednesday UTC (square Neptune, trine Sun and sextile Jupiter).
Wednesday August 18. Now things are starting to get busy. The Moon enters Capricorn around 2 am EDT/6 am UTC, and we start to feel more serious and more focused on practical details. A conjunction from Mercury to Mars in Virgo may cause us to feel more critical and more irritable, making communication more of a challenge. The little things aren’t lining up quite right which can be frustrating. This aspect peaks around 11:30 pm EDT/3:30 pm Thursday UTC, but will be building all day. The lunar aspects don’t help, since a square of the Moon to Venus around 6;30 am EDT/10:30 am UTC causes some friction for a few hours, and then the Moon squares Chiron just as the Mercury/Mars is peaking so feelings are more raw and easily hurt while all of this irritability is taking place.
On Wednesday if there is a difficult conversation to be had, it might be useful to use that good Capricornian energy to form a strategy for how best to handle the situation. Mercury and Mars both in Virgo like attention to detail, and want to make the situation work so there is planetary assistance in the midst of intensity. This aspect will continue into Thursday but will fade as the day goes on.
Thursday August 19. An opposition from the Sun in Leo to Jupiter in Aquarius builds throughout the day, and since this aspect is embedded in the energies of the Full Moon it is exceptionally important. Jupiter is always benefic and helpful, but the stressful aspects like the opposition can sometimes bring out Jupiter’s tendency to overdo and overcompensate. We will likely feel more confident which is a great thing, but watch for overconfidence on Thursday and until the Full Moon is past, as Jupiter may encourage behaviors that in the end are not always the most intelligent ones.
Lots of Capricornian lunar aspects on Thursday will help to ground and balance: creating enthusiasm around 3 am EDT/7 am UTC, fostering creativity and bliss around 4 pm EDT/8 pm UTC, and then intensifying our focus and passions around 8 pm EDT/midnight UTC (trine Uranus, sextile Neptune, conjunct Pluto).
Meanwhile a harmonious trine from Mercury in Virgo to Uranus in Taurus is building throughout the day, helping us to formulate ideas for change that have a practical underpinning while perhaps taking us in a completely new direction.
Friday August 20. The Mercury/Uranus aspect culminates around 4 am EDT/8 am UTC, but the energies will linger throughout the day on Friday. The Moon enters Aquarius at 4:48 am EDT/8:48 am UTC, shifting our focus from the practical to the innovative and exciting and energies begin for the Full Moon on Sunday.
Saturday August 21 is a pretty quiet day except for the energies of the Full Moon continuing to intensify. There’s such a strong Aquarian influence right now, with Uranus (modern ruler of Aquarius) stationing retrograde and the Moon reaching fullness at the 29th degree of Aquarius. Aquarius is the scientist and rational thinker under its Saturnian influence, but its modern Uranian influence takes the realm of science and rationality to a new level. New discoveries and innovative ways of looking at the world are required now, especially since we are at that portal into the Age of Aquarius.
Sunday August 22. I’ll be writing more in depth about the Full Moon, but after the shower of lunar energies at 8 am EDT/noon UTC, the Moon enters Pisces at 8:42 am EDT/12:42 am UTC, followed by the Sun shifting into Virgo around 5:30 pm. By themselves they would not seem so significant, but these sign shifts of the Sun and Moon so close on the heels of the Full Moon suggest a rapid change into something very new.
A very impactful week! I hope you have a good one. ❤️
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