Updated: Aug 3, 2020
We have been examining our inmost cave, the places within ourselves that we fear the most. Our own worst enemy is ourselves. We have been examining where we might fail and how that could impact our future. We have been wondering if these times will ever end, and it is easy to give up, turn around and try and go back to where we came. However, we also know that if we returned now, we are not the same people we were when we left. We have had too many experiences, too many revelations, too many lessons, and trying to pretend that none of this first part of 2020 has happened would simply be a lie or illusion. We have a choice this month to continue to face our fears, work with the things we cannot control, and take decisive action, or make excuses, stay stuck, and stay smaller than we are intended to become.
A quote to work with this month when making decisions and taking action: “Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all, or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?” – Jim Rohn
August 1-3, 2020- Full Moon in Leo
August 5th- Mercury in Leo
~Decisive action leads to results~
Astrologically, we open the month of August with the masculine energy of the Sun in mighty, loyal, and regal Leo, while the feminine energy of the Moon begins in stoic, stabilizing, and grounding sign of Capricorn before moving into her monthly full moon presence in revolutionary, humanitarian, ideal thinking Uranus on the 3rd. We may start out feeling purposeful and disseminate all sorts of information gathered from our experiences since the new moon two weeks prior. With Mars still in its home sign of Aries, squaring off with the Moon in Capricorn, we may incite aggression, or stir up motivation and action. Much will depend on our conscious use of language both verbal and non-verbal. Mercury in Cancer will be opposing Pluto at this time, which may cause us to feel as though we have to forcefully communicate what we are thinking and feeling. Clearly our words create worlds, so being mindful of what and how we say things will be important during this time. Note: Pay attention to themes that come up between now and the New Moon in Leo on the 18th. These will be playing out for the rest of the year.
Only a short day after this opening the Moon makes her move into Aquarius and when she reaches 11 degrees will be standing exactly opposite the Sun in Leo. This full moon offers us an opportunity to shine a light on how our thoughts and ideas can be enacted on the community at large. Capitalizing on reflecting back on the intentions set at the new moon July 20th, and releasing them out into our communities will offer opportunities to take decisive action that regardless of the end result will help us to shift out of the Observer and into the Manifestor. The sextile of Jupiter and Neptune during this time may support us further by granting us greater courage to release us from the prison of fear of failure, worry of rejection, and belief that we have to play it small. Be prepared for some grandstanding and rebellion during this time as the shadow side of the Sun in Leo squaring off with Uranus in Taurus and trine Mars in Aries could play out. No doubt personal agendas and egos could get activated, and with the right audience, there could be no limit to the “soapbox preaching” that may occur. We could benefit from this energy by harnessing the heart centered invitation that Leo offers and the passion of Aries to right use of Will, and stand up for the injustices we see and the values we hold dear. The choice of reaction versus response is ours to make. One more benefit from this full moon, may be an answer for those of us who have been asking the question, “What is my purpose or what am I really supposed to be doing with my life?” However, the answer will come through action. If you aren’t sure what action to take, just take one and see where it leads you, especially if your heart is leading the way.
Shortly after the full moon, Mercury, our planet of communication, connection, and thoughts will enter into energetic and fiery Leo. Mercury in this optimistic, bold sign could give us the extra boost of confidence to share our thoughts and opinions, especially if we have the right audience. That is the biggest word of caution here. Check in first with your audience before sharing the information. Not everyone wants to hear what you have to say or be prepared for it. One of the biggest frustrations I hear in my sessions with others, is that they feel their advice or opinions fall on deaf ears. They give the advice and the other person listens and then does their own thing anyways. Clearly that feels like a waste of time and energy! If you check in with your audience first and find out why they are asking for your advice or opinion or what they might be using it for, then it will give you a clearer picture of their motivations and level of commitment to follow through with your advice.
August 8th-Lion’s Gate Portal
Sun in Leo- Venus in Cancer
~The dance of the masculine and feminine~
At the Summer Solstice each year the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer. Sirius, also called Alpha Canis Majoris or the Dog Star, brightest star in the night sky, is in the constellation of Cancer and is considered a gateway to heaven or the higher realms by the ancients. When the Sun is in Cancer, it merges with Sirius and activates the process of rebirth. Many High Sensitives experience “ascension symptoms” or feelings of being taken into the womb or darkness to nurture and gestate something to come, until the Sun moves into Leo. At that time (this year was on July 22) there may have been a feeling of being reborn, a rising up of the kundalini, or renewed sense of purpose. At the Lion’s (Leo) Gate Portal, we may experience the extreme activation of the heart and third eye which brings to life the embodiment of this new level of awareness and purposefulness.
The emphasis of this year’s Lion’s Gate portal will be on dance between the masculine and feminine, and how these two merge as one and still remain individuals. What?! How can this be? Remember that the masculine and feminine live inside each one of us, and our soul is still its own entity which houses these two energies.
On August 8th, the Sun is in the masculine, fire sign of Leo and Venus is making her move out of the versatile, light and airy sign of Gemini where she has been for the past 4 months, and into the feminine, Moon ruled sign of Cancer. On this same day, the Moon (Mother archetype) will be in Aries (another masculine fire sign) dancing in harmony with the Sun.
The Sun which is yang or masculine in nature is in its glory in the kingly sign of Leo. Venus is our planet of love, beauty, harmony, values and relationships. She is the Goddess who embodies all of the feminine qualities that can soften the rough edges of the masculine when it bristles or becomes too rigid. With the Sun radiating its light and heart centered love towards Venus in home-loving, safe environment creating, affectionate and nurturing Cancer, we may be activated to create security and belonging for ourselves and others. The music we all dance to, as well as the style of dance, will be as unique as we are. However, if we are willing to “dance as if no one is watching” and with wild abandon, we may experience the next level of intimacy we as human beings need in order to be our radiant, authentic selves.
Of course there is a shadow side to this energy, especially if we allow ourselves to become overly attached to our own personal agendas and force our will onto others. With the Moon in Aries on this day and then a trine with Mercury in Leo trine Chiron in Aries the following day, we may allow our wounds to speak louder than our wisdom. The invitation is to create tools from the wounds that can become a Teacher for ourselves and others.
August 13th- Mars square Pluto
August 14th-Uranus in Taurus- Retrogrades
~A Battle of the Wills~
On August 13th, Mars in Aries will square off with Pluto in Capricorn, further emphasizing the importance and opportunities for turning weapons into tools. Mars in Aries is our Will in action and Pluto in Capricorn will be forcing us to face a will greater than our own. It is the “will” of the unknown, the Great Mystery that brings to the surface the things we have either repressed or suppressed. While this sounds like a crisis or difficulty, and it very well may be, it is also the push we need in ourselves and our lives to grow. Consider this: How will we know what we truly value and what we are capable of without being challenged? Reference back to the quote by Jim Rohn, especially the end which asks: “Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?”
Turning our attention back to the “ordeal” in our Hero’s Journey, we may be faced with a test, where we have to tap into our inner resolve and gather every tool we might have in order to face and overcome the challenge. Many of us will experience this challenge as a conflict between what we believe to be true and what we know to be true. Uranus’ retrograde motion in Taurus may initially have us feeling a little wobbly or unstable, causing us to question ourselves and our abilities. However, if we can use the Rebel Archetype to its full capacity, we may quietly or maybe not so quietly, find resourceful ways to gain perspective and overcome the challenges at hand.
Regardless of the situation, the only way is through, and what we will receive from the decisions and experiences will be a major turning point. My desire is that each of us will come out stronger, wiser, and more alive than ever before. Another pin on the map for us to track as we experience the last quarter of the year.
New Moon in Leo- August 18th
Mercury in Virgo- August 20th
~Help is on the way~
The new moon in Leo may feel a bit different than most new moons. Often new moons are quiet, introspective, and dark. However, the new moon in Leo canoodling with Sun will be happily playing with Mars in Aries. This may find us expressing ourselves through healthy competition, pushing ourselves to the next level, or discovering new creative pursuits. Some of us may experience a great sense of positivity and reassurance that everything will be alright. A welcomed energy after the “ordeal” on or around the 13th. If we have been needing and waiting for assistance, we may receive what we desire on or close to this new moon. If you find yourself on the dark side of this moon, one of the best tools you can use is inspiring someone else through a heart centered and heart felt interaction. Expressing your loyalty and love is another way that can energize not only them, but you as well. With Mercury moving into a humble, service oriented Virgo on the 20th, we may find a mutual exchange of services and information with those who we consider useful and contribute to the best version of ourselves. We may also find ourselves expressing the shadow side of Mercury in Virgo, if we are not careful. Negative self-talk, criticism, or low tolerance for ignorance.
August 22nd-Sun in Virgo
~The Maiden offers her humble assistance~
The Sun in Virgo radiates a desire to be of service, discriminating, and useful. We may feel an activation to start paying attention to every little detail in our lives. Virgo loves to organize and prioritize, which could find many of us taking inventory and making a list of all the people, situations, and things in our lives. We may look at our lists and rearrange the items based on who and what gives us the most energy and has the most use for helping us to be of greater benefit and service to others. As Mars continues in Aries, we may be driven by desire for our individual way of doing things, and instead of becoming attached to our agenda, we may find a way to help someone in need or teach someone how to do something we feel we perfected.
August 23- Mars in Aries square Saturn in Capricorn
~Stop vs Go, Fear vs Courage, Authority vs Childish, Test vs Trying
For the better part of the next two months, there will be an underpinning of energy between Mars in Aries squaring off with Saturn in Capricorn. Due to Mars’ retrograde pattern in September and early October, we experience this square longer than usual. I actually consider this time to be a powerful two months where we can work with the dynamics between these two energies to build greater strength, fortitude, and long-term success in our lives. Consider these next two months to be the vigorous workout you put your body through at the gym, or your mind through in a meditation or silent retreat, or your spirit through when integrating the next level of spiritual awareness into human form.
We may look around at our world and the world at large and see the injustices, or the structures that continue to be in place that need to be dismantled and reformed and declare that something must be done. We may decide to take action only to be met with resistance or pragmatic reasons why we can’t do something. So, we will have to find another way. We may have to face down our own fears and insecurities of failure or that we could be missing out on something better, and make courageous decisions regardless of knowing absolutely what the outcome will be. We may be faced with situations that appear to need immediate action, and instead of acting on impulse, we pause long enough to evaluate the situation. We may find ourselves easily distracted during this time, which only creates weakness in our foundations, and may have to force ourselves to stay focused. If we can’t find the strength alone, it’s a great time to get a cheerleader, coach, or accountability partner.
The power struggles that may appear because we want something NOW, yet we are being forced to wait on the right time, could create discomfort or worse hopeless. It is important that if this happens, we give ourselves some rest and recuperation time to gain perspective and recover from the hard work we have been putting in. Much of these struggles will be activated by authority figures or the energy we consider to have authority and what power or control we have to do or not do what is being asked or demanded of us. On a personal level this could show up within partnerships, parent-child relationships, or boss and employee. On a collective level we may experience government or big business trying to force policies or restrict rights and privileges in exchange for compliance and control. It is also possible that this square can bring about the necessary implementation of changes we have been demanding for quite some time. It will be important over the next two months and really a good rule of thumb anyways, to consider the consequences or effects of our words and actions before speaking or acting.
August 27th-Venus trine Neptune
~Compassion and generosity leads to progress~
As we finish the month, we may discover artful and creative ways to beautify ourselves, our home, or environments. Some of us may go or plan to go on a spiritual journey or retreat. We may find more generosity with one another, and easily attract the relationships and situations that reflect the beautiful qualities we value most. This energy of Venus and Neptune offers us a chance to make the best out of any situation we are in, which could lend itself to the “rose colored glasses” syndrome. However, I feel with all of the earthly energy (Sun, Mercury in Virgo, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto in Capricorn, and Uranus in Taurus) our feet will most likely be firmly planted in reality. My natal Jupiter in Pisces is going to err on the side of extreme optimism and access to endless possibilities, and say that I believe we will be able to attract just what we need to feel supported, even in difficult times.