Welcome to your August forecast!   Click on “read article” and scroll down til you find your sign of the zodiac….

LEO (JUL 22-AUG 21)  August starts off with some easing of pressure as the Sun moves deeper into Leo and away from its square to Saturn.  The Jupiter-Mars conjunction in Cancer right at the start of August has also facilitated a sense of things moving well. There is a nice new moon in Leo on the 6^th which is all about feeling connected to friends and community.  Enjoy that.  But — be forewarned that Jupiter spends the entire month of August smack in the middle of the Uranus-Pluto action which might just exaggerate the explosiveness of these wild times we’re in.  But Jupiter’s influence does bring a sense of positive development in the midst of all the craziness, believe it or not.  Remember that Jupiter is a big complex force that among other things has to do with cycles and closure and beginnings.  Things are cooking, and the great wheel of fortune is turning.  So keep this notion of beginnings and endings in the back of your mind while you reflect on all of life’s changes during that gorgeous  new moon in Leo…. Meanwhile Mercury enters your own sign on the 8^th, when it very quickly squares Saturn. Okay, you’ll be a bit tense, but it is fleeting, and a few days later Mercury makes a nice set of angles to the Lunar Nodes and the Sun. Jeez you’ll be chatty and having a good old time with friends, right in time for the very convivial full moon in Aquarius on the 20^th.   Then say hello to the Sun in Virgo on the 22^nd and Mercury in Virgo on the 23^rd. They both oppose Neptune and you’ll be a dreamy, spaced out kind of mess.  Enjoy not being able to hold a thought in your head for even five seconds.  Nice Venus aspects that week might pave the way for some relationship breakthroughs at the end of the month.

VIRGO (AUG 22- SEPT 21)   This is a good month for you, starting off with Venus in Virgo opposing Chiron in Pisces for the first few days of August.  When Chiron shines a light on a planet, it’s time to deal. That means you have to look at your values and your quite wonderful Virgoan sense of esthetics.  If you’re an artist you need to focus there and if you are involved in healing or service of any kind –Virgo’s other bailiwick–  it’s time to get clear about what and how you give to others.  Use these inspirations to guide you on the August 6^th new moon in Leo. In addition, the aspects are great for connecting with friends and intimates around the new moon.  In the big picture the world continues to be spectacularly nuts, and because Jupiter catches up to the Uranus-Pluto square, you should continue to expect dramatic changes and events.  Jupiter’s presence does lay the groundwork for positive developments, and you will certainly feel a sense of cycles, of things coming to an end and new things beginning. The middle of the month has a lot to do with friends and family, with an emphasis on communication, and then there is a very social full moon in Aquarius on the 20^th.  Get ready – the Sun enters your sign on the 22^nd, followed by Mercury on the 23^rd.  They spend a few days opposing Neptune, making you a space shot. This is a great aspect for intuition and inspiration, but all your Virgoan mental acuity goes right out the window.  (And if your birthday is in the first few days of Virgo, honey, forget about being clear and organized all year long:  fuhgeddaboudit!)  Enjoy it! Meanwhile the Venus aspects are great for relationship breakthroughs.  Expect the unexpected!

LIBRA (SEPT 22-OCT21)  So Librans,  this month is mostly about relationships, about friends and intimates and family – so what else is new, you ask.  But the relationship focus is only when you’re not angst-ing about the world being completely insane.  Jupiter in Cancer squares Uranus and opposes Pluto all month long, which on the one hand exaggerates the explosiveness factor and on the other does inspire some really positive developments.  So it’s complicated.  And you’re de facto all up in this because this big planetary mess, this French onion soup of sticky gooey Plutonian gruyere and burning hot Uranian oniony broth occurs in Cardinal signs.  And…?  Here it is:  Libra is the other Cardinal sign – the only one not represented in the Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto mash up –so you will feel the intensity of this angle right on your head, especially if your birthday is, say, October 1^st through 5^th.  Yowza.  Lest I alarm you, you’ve been feeling this craziness all along so it’s not really new, and Jupiter’s involvement actually brings some closure to situations you’ve needed to end.  It also opens the doors on some new beginnings.  So – what to do?  First, there is a nice new moon in Leo on the 6^th, and again, the aspects are great for friendship and relationship.  Have fun all the way to the full moon n the 20th, and once the Sun enters Virgo on the 22^nd, you have a few days of extreme spaciness.  It is great for creative inspiration of any kind, especially writing, so get to work. Then the month ends with some interesting relationship dynamics.

SCORPIO (OCT 22-NOV 21)  You have just come out of a period of stress and things feel a bit easier this month.  But you continue to be very aware of the world situation and it’s causing you a great deal of unsettledness. Things are hopping on the world stage and you are feeling it! And in your own environment you are increasingly thrust into a more visible role in your own community, making good connections with people and with groups. If you are at all political, you are finding yourself in the midst of a lot of activism.  This is especially true during the first week of August and around the new moon on the 6^th.  Use the new moon to figure out what kind of community you need.  As the month unfolds, there is a lot of movement with friends and family, and a lot of enjoyable social time, especially around the full moon in Aquarius on the 20^th.  Then the Sun and Mercury enter Virgo on the 22^nd and 23^rd, and they immediately oppose Neptune.  Forget about getting things done—just chill out and enjoy things.   It is a time to go with the flow and allow yourself to be inspired.  Your intuition is right on the money.  Something is coming to a head in a major relationship, and the end of the month will bring some breakthroughs.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22- DEC 21)   August brings its challenges, making it hard for you to stay focused because you are very distracted by the larger social-political context.  You feel compelled to show up and make your Sagittarian voice heard. This month, Jupiter enters the dramatic Uranus-Pluto angle and this makes it hard for you to stay out of a good political struggle.  The Leo fire in the sky amplifies your own fire, and you’re burning up with big fat opinions.  But it is a great month for connecting with friends and colleagues and for having a good time, so be sure to relax.  Be careful that the Aquarian full moon doesn’t bring out your dogmatic side…..Then the Sun enters Virgo on the 22^nd followed by Mercury on the 23^rd.  These two immediately oppose Neptune, and so you quickly go from ideological to dreamy and spacey, especially if your birthday is in the first few days of Sagittarius.  Your intuition is very strong that last week of August.  At the same time there are some nice relationship aspects so be sure to spend quality time with loved ones.

CAPRICORN (Dec 21-Jan19)  The world is insane and this month you feel it more  acutely since Jupiter in Cancer has entered the picture.  You feel as though you are a witness to major socio-political changes, especially during the first week of August.  Well, you are! This is quite a time.  This month is also about relationships and friendships, and the aspects favor connection, especially in the run-up to the Aquarian full moon on the 20^th.  In fact, the week of the 15^th is very good for collegial relationships and information exchange.  Then The Sun enters Virgo on the 22^nd followed by Mercury  on the 23^rd, and they both quickly aspect Neptune.  Oh, things won’t quite be what they seem.  You’ll be spaced out and flaky and the only thing to do is watch reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or perhaps Charmed.  But the last week of August brings nice breakthroughs in the intimacy department, so be sure to peel yourself away from the TV to attend to that!

AQUARIUS (JAN 20-FEB 19)  This is a big month for you, with the Sun in your opposite sign of Leo. You

This Akron graffiti is perfect for Aquarius…

are particularly compelled to engage in physical activity, and at the very start of the month you’re a bit accident prone….Stay alert!   The month mainly has to do with building strong connections with friends, family, and colleagues.  During the new moon in Leo on the 6^th pay particular attention to the issue of community and where you experience it in your life. Put some energy into envisioning what kind of community you want and need. The middle of the month emphasizes communication and a lot of fruitful interaction, especially getting close to the full moon in Aquarius on the 20^th.  (Wow—two Aquarius full moons in a row!  That’s unusual!)  Hang out, have fun, and enjoy your friends.  Then on the 22nd and 23^rd, the Sun and Mercury enter Virgo and quickly aspect Neptune.  All of your Aquarian clarity goes out the window and you become dreamy and spacey. It’s a good time for inspiration and creativity.  Follow your intuition and be open to some breakthroughs in relationships.

PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 19)  This month is a bit weird for you until the Sun and Mercury enter Virgo on the 22^nd and 23^rd. Before that you’re very unsettled by world events and the high drama of the Uranus-Pluto square. This month, Jupiter in Cancer enters that angle and amplifies the feeling of overall instability.  Remember that Jupiter also brings a sense of positive growth and expansion. It closes out some old cycles and ushers in the new, exaggerating the tremendous sense of change you are feeling. You are just  very aware of the passage of time and the fragility and terrible beauty of life.  So, yes, this is a kind of a poignant month.   But the good news is that August also brings an emphasis on relationships and a sense of interdependence. That grows all month and culminates on the full moon in Aquarius on the 20^th.   Then the Sun and Mercury enter Virgo and quickly oppose Neptune.  Oh jeez – you are spacey and all over the place emotionally.  This is a great combination for creative inspiration. Meanwhile Venus brings some breakthroughs in relationship at the end of the month.

ARIES (MAR 20-APRIL19)   This is a month for you to physically engage with the earth, with your self, and with others in common cause.  The world is still full of tumult and you’re really feeling that. Jupiter has just entered the Uranus-Pluto angle and so your life and the global dramas feel even more important and meaningful than ever.  Jupiter also facilitates some deep changes, things that have been coming for a while, so this is a good time to close out some activities and start new ones.  August is also about relationships, about making connections with friends and family and colleagues, and celebrating those connections.  The full moon in Aquarius on the 20^th will put the focus on community—where you have it and where you need it.  Then on the 22^nd the Sun enters Virgo, followed by Mercury on the 23^rd.  These two immediately oppose Neptune.  Go with flow and don’t even try to do anything but be moved by your deepest intuition.  The last week of August brings some much needed shake-ups in relationships.

TAURUS (APR 20-MAY 20)   August is a somewhat complicated month – there are many forces at play.  First of all, Jupiter in Cancer enters the Uranus-Pluto pigpile, and it amplifies a certain explosive and tumultuous quality to things.  It makes everything feel monumental, of great import.  And Jupiter also brings a sense of completion and closure. This is a good time to recognize the cycles of time and life, the turning of that old wheel of fortune.  Take stock of where you are and appreciate it… But mainly the month is about relationships with family, colleagues and friends.  It is about a favorite Taurean theme of interconnectedness, so enjoy that.  This theme is focal all the way through the Aquarian full moon on the 20^th,  when you have a tremendous sense of shared purpose with others.  Then the Sun and Mercury enter Virgo and immediately oppose Neptune.  This is a great aspect for intuitive creative process. Then Venus brings some breakthroughs in relationship, so stay open!

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20)  The world continues its spasms  of change and dramatic transformation, and Jupiter in Cancer has now entered the ring with the two other titans, Uranus and Pluto.  Your search for meaning has just ramped up. This period we are in feels so monumental, and you are trying to figure out where to situate yourself.  But try not to get all worked up in your fevered Gemini brain.  This month is actually about relationships and community, about feeling a sense of connection and relatedness to individuals and to communities. Have a good time and enjoy friends, especially in the approach to the Aquarian full moon on the 20^th.  This is also a good month for you to get out of your head and into your body, so throw yourself into physical activity.  It will feel good.  Then the Sun and Mercury enter Virgo on the 22^nd and 23^rd, and they quickly oppose Neptune.  Oy!  You’re a space cadet!  Go binge out on movies or art, or go on a meditation retreat. Follow your intuition and find some great way to transcend.

CANCER  (JUNE 21- JUL 21)  This is an interesting month for you, mainly because of Jupiter.  Jupiter has entered Cancer and spends all month in the middle of the Uranus Pluto square.  This is a big deal for you since Jupiter is making everything in your life seem monumental somehow. Things just seem to have a particularly big significance

right now, and in fact they do. So this month, it will feel a bit like time is standing still. You’re painfully and beautifully aware of the turning of the wheel of fortune, as you sit in the center of all the storms.  I know I sound dramatic, but these are dramatictimes…. And you’re in a key spot.  What is important about August is for you to allow yourself to feel interdependent and interrelated with others.   It is all about community and connections, especially as we head towards the full moon on the 20^th.  Then the energy shifts when the Sun and Mercury enter Virgo on the 22^nd and 23^rd.  Normally this would feel grounding but Neptune opposes them so the last week of August is dreamy and inspired.  Spend the week near water if you can and have a chat with all the water goddesses about what you need.  They’ll answer you.