August begins with a high degree of stressful energy due to Mars (action, courage), Jupiter (opportunity, growth), Saturn (reality, discipline), Uranus (authenticity, change), and Pluto (power, transformation) all in challenging aspects with each other in the ongoing Cardinal Cross. This will hit a peak on August 7th when the sensitive and emotional Moon in Cancer moves into the mix creating a Cardinal Cross. Those born in the early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn or with those signs on the cusps of the angles may feel this more intently than others.
Hang in there. With all of this intense energy wanting to get moving, tempers can flare, impatience can stamp it’s feet, and accidents can happen. Breathe and move with patience, care, and caution. By the end of August, Mars will have moved on and Saturn will leave the final of the recent series of squares with Pluto, and some of the pressure can ease up.
Open your heart to what you need to create new beginnings that are authentic and meaningful; yet will require the very best of you to accomplish.This is not a quick fix; this begins long term shifts. It is an emotional, powerful, hard, yet an optimistic time of necessary change; change that can awaken and enrich our lives personally and shift the collective.
MERCURY RETROGRADE
Mercury the planet of communication and information goes retrograde this month on August 20th until September 12th.During the retrograde period, Mercury will be in the earth sign of Virgo, a sign that strives for perfection through the honest and sometimes critical eye, sifting through the numerous details to come up with a better plan.
When Mercury is retrograde it is a time to re-think, re-write, re-plan, re-do, re-fix, clean out and re-structure anything that seems to call for it and sometimes that which sits quiet. It is a time to slow down and reflect; go back and especially in Virgo, try to do it better. Communication and information can become tangled or lost; machinery can begin to bark when it should hum and why do I keep losing that email!! With that in mind, backing up your computer before Mercury goes retrograde is probably a good idea; I know I am! If at all possible, hold off on commitments or signing of documents until after Mercury goes direct, giving you time to re-assess all the details and tiny print so that you truly understand what it is you are committing to.
As with all the signs, there is the lower expression that can trip us up and in Virgo there is the potential to get overwhelmed with the details and feel like it just can’t be done. The honest and critical eye becomes overly critical to the point of giving up completely. So take a moment and sit back quietly and try to just let go for a moment; breathe, and let the thoughts smooth out a bit and begin again. Take this time to re-create things as best you can. Even though we many times feel that Mercury retrograde is a time to stress about, in the long run, the opportunity to reflect and redo really can be a blessing.
It’s always best to apply the planetary dance to your own personal birthchart to best understand how this affects you.Email me at dksleo13@talkingskyastrology.com with your birth information if you would like to know where this is affecting your birthchart.
The mind of man is the mind of the universe, the mind of the universe is the mind of man.