An August Month of Slowing Down to Look within
Leo is represented by the strength card
Overviews | By Henry Seltzer for That would be telling tarot and astrology
The August month arrives in the wake of the Cancer lunation cycle from the previous month with the especially powerful Full Moon from July 21st that featured a highlighted presence of transformational Pluto. There is quite a lot of change going on right now, both in our individual lives, and, as well, in the life of the collective around us. Certainly, the presidential race here in the U.S. has shifted dramatically since that recent Sunday. As August gets underway, this cycle has a few days left to run, leading up to the Leo New Moon of August 4th, and the simultaneous retrograde of Mercury that same evening. These astrological events are really both happening all during this upcoming Sunday, since Mercury standing at a virtual stand-still in the early morning New Moon configuration already has the retrograde characteristics of missed connection, mechanical breakdowns, and meditative review and questioning of where it is that we are currently heading in our lives. It is an interesting question to raise as well, as to whether the strong presence of Pluto that we see going into this month might continue as a theme throughout, and the first positive evidence on this issue is that the lovely Venus in this August 4th New Moon configuration lies at 29° of Leo, therefore in close minor aspect, a quincunx, to the 0° Aquarius position of the Lord of Death and Rebirth. Neptune too, at 29° of Pisces, remains in sextile to Pluto, making a yod to Venus. Also, we find the new 21st century Nature planet, Haumea, having proven to be quite potent in chart work, at 0° Scorpio, still in her long running square with Pluto. Interestingly, expansive Jupiter at exactly 15° of Gemini in the Leo New Moon configuration, makes close sesquiquadrate aspects to both Pluto and Haumea creating a sesqui-yod to Jupiter from the powerful energies of Haumea and Pluto. Therefore, this August month of Mercury Retrograde seems to be a continuation of the strongly transformational characteristics of the previous month of July. For better or for worse, you could say that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Speaking of the potential upside, what we can do, entirely to our benefit during this Mercury Retrograde that is almost upon us, is to take a good hard look at what is going on for us below the surface layers of our psyche. The inner world is difficult to access, and yet our dreams can help to take us there, and our intuition, plentiful in this time of Uranus sextile Neptune, strong Pluto, and Mercury Retrograde. The timing of the retrograde basically embraces the whole August month, from the 4th to the 28th, with the two-week period of the post-retrograde shadow that follows, as Mercury gradually straightens out, finishing by September 11th.The First Quarter Moon of the 12th, what Rudhyar called a “crisis in action,” pits the Leo Sun against a Scorpio Moon, or outer versus inner realities. It might be that what we feel on the inside is not a graceful match with our surface world agendas or its logic.The other major lunation configuration of this exciting and consequential August month is the Aquarius Full Moon of Monday the 19th, which is also, incidentally, the start day in America of the Democratic National Convention. Retrograde Mercuryconjuncts the Sun in this Full Moon, so that the unusual may take center stage. The killer aspect in this Full Moon is a partile T-square from Sun and Moon in their opposition both in square with Uranus at 27° of Taurus. Then too, Jupiter in this Full Moon exactly squares Saturn in Pisces, signaling political changes in the works and the collision of the ideal versus the practical. There could be surprises, and unexpected realizations, and we won’t really know what these might be until we get there. The 3-degree gap to the following signs of Virgo and Pisces is also evident, which again stimulates the Pluto- Haumea square that remains active through to the end of the year. It’s an exciting and, as well, a fundamentally introspective month that we have going.With all the tension in the world scene right now, including the viciously divided polarity of the political parties in this country, and the wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, it is easy to yield to the temptation to curl up into a little ball and hide under the bed. But subtracting yourself from the action will not ultimately help the world, or even yourself. We must somehow nevertheless get going, whistling through the darkness as we can muster it, and proceed just as though the Universe was right there on our side, guiding us on. As indeed it is.
With the massive changes that are happening now, I highly recommend that folks get a transit report tailored specifically to their chart for the most accurate description of what's in store for you in the months ahead.
Leo - sign of the month
July 23-Aug 22
Leslie Bensen for That would be telling tarot and astrology
The Leo New Moon commences its new lunation cycle on August 4, 2024, exact at 4:13 am PT, and is located at 12º 34’ of Leo. This New Moon brings us all a fresh breath of creativity, subtle boosts of empowerment, and contemplative energy for the coming month. The Fixed Fire of Leo tends to bring out our daring streaks, along with an invitation for us all to shine, each in our own radiance and authentic expression. Just hours after the New Moon is exact, Mercury stations retrograde in Virgo, bringing its usual symptoms of tech glitches and communication challenges, as well as an invitation to consider the many nuances of our inner landscapes, and to eventually clear the clutter. Jupiter is making a nice sextile to the Sun and Moonin the New Moon chart, offering a subtle yet very helpful support of optimism and wind in our sails. However, Jupiter is also closing in on its square with Saturn which perfects later in the month, which is one of the most important aspects of the year, bringing an air of tension as our moral aspirations are tested in real world ways.Each Leo New Moon has a special quality to it because the ruler of Leo is the Sun, and the Sun is always conjunct the Moon in the New Moon; the luminaries together in the Sun’s domain makes for a special opportunity to integrate and embody our life force with our emotions and feelings. I like to think of the highest expression of Leoenergy as not only a proud and bold sense of leadership, but also the strong desire to emanate the true radiance of authenticity – even if it does ruffle a few feathers along the way! To be willing to stand solidly in our own truth (Fixed), as well as to be in the dance of creation as that truth evolves (Fire energy), is emblematic of embodying our inner Leo nature which we all have going in some way or form. This New Moon invites us into that creative dance and asks us to dare to be courageous and bold in our expression. The third of four Mercury retrogrades of 2024 begins in Virgo on the very same day as the New Moon, August 4th, and back-tracks into Leo mid-month stationing direct at 21° on August 28th. This Mercury Retrograde may have you rethinking with fastidious detail some area of your life, with an invitation to majorly dig into the clutter – both physically and symbolically, with the goal of clarifying, shedding, and freeing up life-force energy. Mercury moves back across the Virgo-Leo cusp into Leo on August 14th. As Mercury moves backward, the energy turns more toward a renegotiation of where creative energy is channeled, and the light of our awareness shines inward as we peer deeply into our own psychological landscape and state of being. What’s exciting about this New Moon, in a gentle sort of way, is the exact sextile aspect the Sun and Moon are receiving from the Mars/Jupiter midpoint at 12° of Gemini. Sextiles offer a supportive energetic, though it often requires some searching on our part to receive the resource they provide. In this case, you might look for gifts of flexibility in your thought patterns, and the motivation to change – thus leaning into looking for and activating new avenues in mind and matter, rewiring neural pathways. As we make adjustments to the patterns of our thinking and behavior this can feel like a tricky business. This New Moon is a beautiful time to tune in and see what we can remake of ourselves in this retrograde timing, sluffing outdated biases that are ready to be laid to rest in favor of more aligned beliefs and behaviors.
What is also true, is that in adopting a new mindset, you may come up against the stubborn spots that resist change, along with the tangled energy of fear and doubt that cement them in place. This is reflected in the mounting energy of the Jupiter-Saturn square that is forming through the August month and becomes exact coincident with the very powerful upcoming Full Moon of August 19th. You may wish to consider this New Moon as your soft launch into the harder realities that culminate in two weeks’ time, when the rubber really meets the road. The Saturn-Jupiter forming square could be said to place us in the cauldron of confronting where we have a solid mental understanding of a cherished ideal and have yet to masterfully put that ideal into practice. This aspect has many dimensions and ramifications for us both individually and as a society, as archaic attitudes clash with natural and inevitable evolution. This is an uncomfortable passage, and one that prompts a maturation process, one in which we are asking to bridge and weave the limitations of practicality together with the wild imagination of infinite possibility. Indeed, if we can embrace it, that energetic tension may yet engender immense and profound creativity. Lastly, this New Moon configuration contains a nearly exact Yod to Venus at 29º Leo, which is receiving inconjunct aspects from Pluto at 0º Aquarius and Neptune at 29º Pisces. These cusp degrees (29 and 0) are highly sensitive zodiacal points, and their activation signals culminations and major turning points. This could look something like a major re-examination of core values, challenges in relationship patterns, and outer events that stimulate our process of anchoring more deeply into self-love. This signature carries with it the recognition that while we are all very much works-in-progress, we are all deserving of love and kindness exactly as we are. May we each soak up the goodness that is available in this New Moon timing and continue forging resilience and fortitude as we navigate the stormy weather of our times. The months-long ending of 2024 has many more twists and turns in store, as we roll with the inevitable unfolding of our all too human personal and collective evolution. We here at TimePassages are wishing you, one and all, the radiant blessings and courageous creativity of our evolving universe during this shining LeoNew Moon!
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