Where there is a will, there is a way
August 2022When you are able, schedule time for play this final month of summer. Turn August angst into August audacity before hectic September days arrive. Whether you watch the news or not, or, though you may not be directly affected by the dire events occurring daily in our nation, we cannot help but feel the weight of the current times. It is essential for our health, both physical and mental, to release pieces of the burden we carry.
Mindful of this, August opens with a particularly challenging aspect. Astrologers are agog trying to describe the potency of this energy. And it is not ALL bad. Just super strong. Like a double espresso, this energy is guaranteed to wake everyone up. The planetary combination began forming at the end of July, making the final week of last month more than prickly. Now as August rolls in, we feel the full impact.
What’s up? For the first half of 2022, the lunar north node in Taurus and Radical Uranus have been inching closer. Each factor on its own exponentially energizes what it contacts; so together now, this is a force to be reckoned with. Adding to the mix, Motivating Mars conjoins the north node and Uranus at the end of July well into the first week of August, forming highly charged and combustible energy.
So there is no way to sugar coat the energetic effects of the first week of August. Before you rush to worry about what this initial week may portend, it is vital to consider where this combination impacts your chart. First, let’s pull the three planetary players apart to better understand the energy at play.
First, Uranus rules electricity, earthquakes and lightning. The planet is called The Great Awakener because it shifts and shakes us when we stray off our soul path. Anything sudden, shocking or surprising has Uranus’ fingerprints all over it. It is the only planet that rotates vertically instead of horizontally. Likewise, Aquarians (whose ruling planet is Uranus) march to their own drummer and are notoriously independent and innovative. Famous Aquarian Thomas Edison comes to mind.
If Uranus is THE change agent, then the lunar North Node is our evolutionary calling, drawing us toward a certain sector of our lives to focus on, while Motivating Mars IS our energy. Like the gas pedal in a car, Mars is our drive or get up and go. These three are cycling through Taurus, primal earth energy: ruling our values, worth, self-esteem, and resources both tangible, (land, money, possessions) or intangible such as our skills and talents from which our income is derived.
Together at the outset of August, the troika awakens us with tremendous jolt. You may be shaken and stirred out of routines now. The impact is to change what, how and whom we value, in ourselves and in life. It may very well not be pretty. Others, may experience key ah-ha moments, windfalls or long overdue reckonings to even out the karmic slate and make them whole. However you experience this first week of the month, please remember your own self-care and well-being, to practice gratitude for all you do have; to focus on what you do want to create more of in your life and where you can have a positive impact rather than adding to the chaos of this time.
Amidst the sturm and drang this energy stirs up, we receive big help as Messenger Mercury turns into practical Virgo on Thursday, August 4th. In its home sign, Mercury analyzes, categorizes and compartmentalizes information and how we respond to what comes to us now. Our minds are efficient and clear, grounded and realistic. We do not bite off more than we can chew; because we are busy planning next steps. So it is essential to guard against worry and anxiety which Mercury Virgo leans toward. Focus on what you can control and surrender the rest.
Worrying is like praying for something you do not want to have happen.
Not making anything easier, Valuable Venus now opposes Powerful Pluto during the same stretch from Sunday August 7-11th. Venus rules our values, money, love and relationships. Her nurturing and compassionate nature as she finishes passing through Cancer the Crab is pointedly opposing Powerful Pluto in Capricorn. Venus is called now to say the word NO more often, to watch her expenses and refrain from overextending herself helping others. You may find yourself bristling at limitations put upon you or your wallet. Due to this, your power may feel particularly pressed, squished or squashed as we approach the Full Moon on Thursday, August 11th.
This Full Moon also tightly conjoins Taskmaster Saturn in Aquarius carrying weight and gravitas regarding the collective whole. What affects you, affects me says this moon; so let’s offer what is best for everyone, rather than just the privileged few. Opposing the Leo Sun, this is one very creative and innovative Full Moon highlighted by Venus’ shift into Look at me Leo only a few hours prior to the Full Moon.
We feel the old adage come to life:
Where there is a will, there is a way.
And no planet understands that more than Motivating Mars, especially as it turns into Gemini on Saturday, August 20th where it will stay until next March 2023. So it is imperative to make friends with this energy. To do so, involves remembering that communication is a two way street. Gemini, where Mars begins its cycle for over six months, rules all forms of communication. The glyph for Gemini is the twins, the dominant twin and the passive twin. In Western cultures, the dominant twin is information sharing: the talker, speaker, reporter, journalist, social media influencer and more. The passive twin is information gathering. It is better regarded in Eastern cultures life: listening, hearing, thinking, contemplation, meditation.
Together, the twins form something akin to a radio, delivering and receiving messages. When Motivating Mars, signifying our drive, enters Gemini, we will experience all manner of communication, healthy and not. Gemini also rules siblings, cars, trains, buses as well as neighbors, community, and tribe. Expect more involvement with all of the above. Need a new car? In search of your tribe? Irritating neighbor? Becoming more community active? Mars in Gemini pushes you in these directions.
For the next several months: You also want to pay particular attention to information exchange with siblings, community and neighbors, especially repeating messages while in cars, trains or buses. This is the universe trying to get your attention. Information may arrive in different modalities such as advertisement, word of mouth, animal messages, lyrics in songs, and much more.
Verbal and written information is what distinguishes human beings from the animal kingdom. In such a polarized and divisive time, we can all agree that the source of our problems now is lack of or unwillingness to communicate. For better or worse, Mars in Gemini makes sure we use our words. Watch that you use language with particular care now. Never has the old adage, think before you speak (or before hitting send on texts and emails) been so critically important!
Tricky days ensue. Tuesday, August 23rd, Uranus turns retrograde. The change-agent planet shifting direction never affords smooth sailing. Expect the unexpected from August 22-24th. If possible, lay low and practice self-care. Less is truly more this week.
We do have cosmic assistance two days later, on Thursday, August 25th, Messenger Mercury enters Libra, aligning with Gemini Mars. Grace and consideration soften our words as we keep in mind how our messages land on others’ ears. This is especially helpful when the New Moon in Virgo occurs on Saturday, August 27th. Virgo is the master craftsman, detailed and analytical. As you hand-write your New Moon intentions, the more specific your descriptive language, the better. For example, if your goal is to meet a new romantic partner, describe the qualities you desire or seek; or to increase income, outline business growth opportunities to pursue rather than simply asking for more money.
As part of your New Moon ritual, I invite you to include setting intentions for collective healing, peace and unity. Virgo rules health and wellness. Our families, nation and planet could surely benefit from deep healing. Many people ask me why the current time is so difficult. In part, the answer lies with cosmic passages our nation is enduring. It has taken 248 years for Pluto to travel around the birth chart of the United States. We are in the midst of our nation’s Pluto return and we are collectively feeling every inch of the underworld journey. The darkest sides of life are surfacing now, the ugliest bits that have been buried or swept under the rug.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going,” said Churchill.
Wounds are messy and we are feeling their pain now. To heal, wounds require time.
So while Pluto rules the shadow, addiction and death, it also rules regeneration, rebirth and transformation, mystery and magic. Within chaotic darkness, creativity and healing brew. As dire as these days feel, they are also infinitely imaginative. Goals have a 60 per cent greater chance of manifesting when we set intentions and follow through. Time to pick up your pen; point mind and heart toward the possible. Then let visions fly!
Of Special Note:
Please tune into Mystical Messages podcast on Friday, August 12th to hear fellow astrologer Jill Jardine and me break down the cosmic activity through the end of 2022. We will deep dive into the who, what and how for happenings between August through December. Not an episode to miss! Mystical Messages is available via: Google, Apple and Spotify.
ALSO: want to learn what sparks creativity? My “Creativity and Moon Cycles” webinar will be available August 10th through the end of September on YOUTUBE. Visit NCGR webinars on YouTube/Creativity and moon cycles.