Astrological Forecast, August 2010
As the Sun sets in early August, we see three bright stars in the western sky: Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The one highest is Mars, which makes it the “Greeter”—the first planet to make contact with the slower-moving bodies. The Greeter is the planet that brings the next step in our current situation(s), whatever it is. Then we use the other planets in turn as they make contact.
In this case, the planets they make contact with are conformed into a T-square configuration in the early degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). They are (in order of contact) Uranus (Aries), Saturn (Libra), Jupiter (Aries), and Pluto (Capricorn). So Mars makes contact with each of these planets in turn, followed by Venus. (Mercury doesn’t make it there before it turns retrograde on the 20th.)
This actually started when Mars conjoined Uranus on July 30, then Saturn on July 31 (so take note of events then). At that time, we would have experienced rather “Martian” energies—decisive, even aggressive, action that pierces the veil of illusion in our circumstances. Our attention will be sharply focused on a situation that we already suspect will be “up,” because it has to do with a pre-existing process in our lives (rather than something completely new).
In August, Mars continues this process as it opposes Jupiter and squares Pluto on August 3 (even as Jupiter and Pluto makes their second square to each other for added intensity). Venus enters the picture August 6-9, repeating the pattern but with a softening touch that emphasizes how we love and relate to each other, and how much we love and value ourselves.
Venus and Mars are so far ahead of the Sun that we don’t get the solar juice to complete the situation until late September. In the meantime, there’s plenty else to write home about as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto continue to interact with each other. Jupiter makes its second opposition to Saturn on August 16, while Saturn makes its 3rd and final square to Pluto on August 21. With only the Moon to bring their energies into our awareness, we will be feeling our way through more than thinking/using logic. In fact, Mercury is in a kind of “no-man’s-zone” as it slows in mid-Virgo to retrograde on August 20, with no major connections during August or indeed its entire retrograde.
The sum total of all these factors primes us to experience a situation that will be in flux for several weeks, from mid-July through early October. This is a time when the energies will be constantly shifting, and we will thrive to the extent that we can be flexible and respond at a moment’s notice to their flow. The most important thing to recognize about this period is that it is a time of great opportunity if we can come from a place of possibility, curiosity, and openness rather than hooking into the fear, despair, or anger that will be in the human atmosphere.
In the “real” world, we can see this process operating in the Gulf Oil Spill, and I expect events during this entire period to unfold as a great lesson to humanity about the toll of that human folly can take on the planet—that we really do have a constant, immediate and potentially catastrophic effect on Mother Earth. The flip side is that we have a potential just as strong to bring beneficial effect once we understand as a species this essential truth.
Lost in the shuffle are Chiron and Neptune, whose cycles with the Sun peak on August 20 and 21 as well. The healing journey they have led us on is about over, and we turn a corner on this process now.
Relationships have been in an earthquake zone since Saturn re-entered Libra on July 21, and anything that isn’t fastened down has been shaken loose, even bringing many unstable relationships to the point of separation. No-nonsense Saturn tests all that it encounters: Insincere or ego-centered relationships must move into authenticity or go. The testing process is continuous as Mars and Venus interact with Saturn and its compadres until they conjoin on the August 20.
Uranus returns to Pisces on August 13, taking a little of the heat of transformation with it. We still have to finish up our work of the past seven years since it went into Pisces in 2003.
This is a month of transition, affording us the opportunity to learn how the Cosmos will carry us if we allow it to. With Uranus’s return to Pisces, it exits the Aries world of action, while Saturn’s re-entry into Libra makes it easier to apply the principles of balance and harmony in our lives. We can ride the spiritual zip-line again to soar over the denser energies that are becoming less and less relevant as we shift consciousness.
(Except as otherwise noted, all interpretations here are based on a natural chart, using the beginning of Aries as the ascendant, and times listed are Pacific Standard Time.
A “Void Moon” or “Void of Course Moon” (or “VOC moon” for short) makes no significant aspects until it enters the next sign. Its void period is thought to be a poor time for starting new projects or making concerted effort toward existing plans.
According to William Lilly, the Moon in Cancer (Moon’s rulership), Taurus (Moon’s exaltation), Sagittarius and Pisces (signs ruled by Jupiter, the Great Benefic) “performeth somewhat.” Lee Lehmann reports that she has tested this, and “you can take it to the bank.” Another way of putting how this works is that, when an action is taken during the void period in one of these signs, you get “unanswered success.” That is, the lack of planetary action prevents your action from being denied.
Maya’s rule of thumb was, “In making a close call, I look at the moon’s final aspect, just before it goes void of course. This shows how the situation will end up.”
Daily Astrological Forecast, August 2010
The Moon in later Aries makes no contacts all day until a beneficial sextile to Neptune at 8:55 pm, seeding tonight’s dreams with the energies of insight. During the day, using our vision rather than our logic will be both easy and most useful; it can be a creative day.
At 0:08 am, the Aries Moon sextiles Chiron to further fuel our healing process. Yesterday evening’s void of course lunar down-time only lasts until 1:13 am, when the Moon enters Taurus. Our energies of creative understanding will abound as the Moon makes a grand trine in Earth with Mercury and Pluto over the day. Head and heart are in perfect harmony: communications flow easily, agreements are beneficial, and deep awareness is possible.
At 9:59 pm, the Moon reaches its Last Quarter square to the Sun at 10°47′ Taurus. The chart cast for this time carries the energy of the Mars-Jupiter-Pluto interaction that is about to occur over the next two days (August 3–4). We are in the midst of transformation now—a release of long pent-up energy is occurring, something we’ve been awaiting for a long time.
In Washington DC, the Sun is on the IC (bottom) of the chart at the time of the lunar event, and late Taurus is rising. Washington’s worst-kept secrets are being revealed as a backdrop to the disappointments surrounding BP’s ability to manage the Gulf Oil Spill. However, there are solutions, and with this failure the people who do have viable solutions will start to have access to the problem and be able to contribute to a positive outcome. It will take a community of people with a community of ideas and solutions to fix the situation.
The Last Quarter Moon at 11 Taurus carries the Sabian Symbol, “A woman, cool in sunbonnet and simple garments, is leisurely watering long rows of flowers in full bloom.” (ME Jones version) This degree emphasizes the harmony between humanity and nature, suggesting that we can simplify our lives and still live well and in beauty. As we see the potential for catastrophic destructiveness that lies ahead if we continue to manage our planet’s resources as we currently do, more people are turning toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto engage in a three-way interaction to form a T-square in the cardinal signs of Libra (Mars), Aries (Jupiter), and Capricorn (Pluto). Events occur that are part of a larger, on-going transformative process. We get major clues to how we’re doing with the things we’ve been creating in our lives. The process is not complete yet. What happens today will be more fully understood once the Moon contacts these planets on August 6 (Friday). The Moon continues to travel through Taurus but makes no contacts.
A Moon trine to Venus fills our dreams with clues to our social connections, but squares to Neptune and Chiron indicate that there’s a mystery still to be solved. The Moon in Taurus is void of course as of 5:45 am, but this still-useful period only lasts until 9:54 am, when the Moon enters chatty Gemini. Harmonies abound from this lunar position, with sextiles to Uranus-Jupiter and trines to Saturn-Mars. This eases the tension around the continuing saga of life’s latest adventure. Talking to others lightens the tone, introduces perspective, and brings out the humor in any situation.
Before mid-morning, the planets are already done for the day, with two early contacts from the Moon. As we sleep a square to Mercury brings out any internal conflict we may be experiencing between what the heart wants and what the head thinks it should have. This gives way to a sextile to the Sun: we see that, even though there is discomfort, there is a deeper purpose to bearing with our circumstances.
Today is chock-ful of contacts. The Moon finishes its trip through Gemini by bringing insights to our healing process as it trines Neptune and Chiron. A final square to Venus opens the door to the void-of-course period at 2:22 pm. This lasts until the Moon enters the sign of its greatest strength, instinctual Cancer, at 2:50 pm. This immediately sets up a full grand cross in the sky when it transits the early degrees of this sign to connect with the powerful T-square that was activated in mid-July. The Moon squares Uranus, Saturn, and Mars, and opposes Pluto over the course of the day. The energy is intensified when Venus goes into Libra at 8:48 pm.
Venus starts the process all over again that Mars and the Moon have played out over the past two weeks, but with a relationship-and-finance twist. Now we see how our new circumstances will impact the “yin” areas of our lives—our personal relationships and how we live day to day. Venus opposes Uranus today, bringing us startling revelations and new possibilities that benefit us, especially if we can be flexible and ready to change course at a moment’s notice. The Cancer Moon gives us another chance to integrate what we’ve been learning when it sextiles Mercury at 11:46 am, when the Moon goes void of course. Worth noting is that the Moon in Cancer is so strong that we can ignore the void period.
Venus reaches another of the cardinal T-square planets when it conjoins Saturn. This reminds us of the continuing changes we are experiencing as the world economy shifts to new values and foundations. It also impacts relationships of all sorts, especially love relationships. We may feel stuck or confined in a current situation—or sure that the commitment we are in is strong. It is a test of whether the connection is based on the egos or true selves of the partners. The Moon harmonizes with these players from its position in Leo, which it assumes at 4:23 pm. This makes for an evening of lighter energy, even relief, as we see the joy and humor in our situation.
Venus continues to focus the current planetary testing process into our relationships with others and our self as she opposes Jupiter and squares Pluto. This energy goes deep, is life-changing, and completes a process that began on July 29. We see the course ahead of us as far as relationship connections are concerned, and we fully enter into whatever Saturn in Libra has to teach us over the coming two years. Active dreams give way to quiet joy, as we enter the New Moon energy, which perfects at 8:08 pm/17°25′ Leo.
The new lunar cycle falls in the fixed signs, which are getting breathing room right now; the prevailing planetary tensions are not engaged by the Sun-Moon conjunction, but they are still active in our lives. We continue to feel as though life is in flux, which we do best to address by being flexible. This is the best environment for growth and the development of strength and wisdom.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, 0°01′ Taurus is rising. This very young degree of this sign of manifest beauty teaches us how to use our senses (both physical and inner) to understand the world. In Washington, watch for people to be “sniffing out” the truth in new ways. The planets in the cardinal cross are in the cadent houses (3, 6, 9, 12), indicating a process of completion. This reminds that the end of the legislative session is near. Elections in November will remove some lawmakers from office, and the balance of power may shift. There is a hurry-up energy to what happens as Democrats try to squeeze all they can out of the first two years of Obama’s presidency and a majority in their favor.
At the New Moon degree of 18 Leo, the Sabian Symbol reads, “An instructor in chemistry is conducting an experiment before his class in the midst of a maze of apparatus.” (ME Jones version) It’s down to the scientists now as to what happens with the Gulf Oil Spill. New technology must be developed to manage this type of situation adequately. The need for government to insist on development of proper safety and recovery technology (before licenses are granted) is also highlighted.
We get a new perspective on our dreams and visions when the Leo Moon opposes Neptune, then Chiron at 2:29 pm, when it begins its void period. This lasts until it enters Virgo at 4:01 pm, giving us only 90 minutes to relax and integrate what we’ve experienced over the last two days. Before we tuck in for the night, a Moon-trine-Pluto opens the door to deeper feeling. We discover more of the truth about what is in our lives and where to go from here.
We get a new perspective on our dreams and visions when the Leo Moon opposes Neptune, then Chiron at 2:29 pm, when it begins its void period. This lasts until it enters Virgo at 4:01 pm, giving us only 90 minutes to relax and integrate what we’ve experienced over the last two days. Before we tuck in for the night, a Moon-trine-Pluto opens the door to deeper feeling. We discover more of the truth about what is in our lives and where to go from here.
Moon remains in Virgo, but makes no contacts until it conjoins Mercury at 5:04 pm. This grants us a day of insight and clarity as head and heart are in balance with each other. This contact moves us into the Moon’s void-of-course, when we can use the head-heart merge to truly integrate our recent experiences. Take time to go inside.
Feel like getting caught up on that paperwork? This is a good time! Moon is void of course until 3:42 pm when it enters Libra. This starts a time of great activity, so don’t expect the day to end on such a calm note. Before the day is over, the Moon will have touched off Uranus to awaken us, Saturn to restructure us, Jupiter to expand our consciousness, and Pluto to transform us. Is that enough for one day? All this is expressed through situations involving personal initiative and relationships with others.
If you didn’t get enough focus on relationships yesterday, you get another hit today when Venus and Mars connect with the Moon. Events today through Monday (August 16) tie in with the eclipse experiences around June 26 and July 11. More of what has remained hidden will be revealed. We go back into the inner realms of consciousness when Uranus re-enters Pisces at 8:31 pm. This returns us to issues and patterns we need just a little bit more focus on the clear out of our lives. Clarity is the goal, and a few obstructions remain to be released.
The Moon harmonizes with the Sun overnight as it waxes in size, making it easier to remember and integrate our dreams into our conscious actions. A trine to Neptune brings vision and imagination to the surface where we can implement them in our lives. The trine to Chiron at 3:26 pm brings the Moon’s void period, a little down time before it enters Scorpio at 5:26 pm. A sextile to Pluto brings intense feelings to the surface. A deep longing helps us to know what direction to travel in order to heal.
The Moon continues in Scorpio, but we get a break from any planetary activities. We get a break to assimilate the ones we already have.
A panoply of lunar contacts builds tension and brings release around the major event of the day, Jupiter’s second (of three) opposition to Saturn. The experience of this opposition was ten years in the making, so it’s not just a one-day event. Whatever major situation we are dealing with now will be part of the process. We will be weighing the balance of risk versus safety (and, is it over yet?) in some big decisions we feel are required right now. Although our issues are being triggered, sometimes it’s better to wait to decide.
The Jupiter-Saturn opposition is encoded in the chart of the First Quarter Moon (at 11:14 a.m. PDT, 23°47′ Scorpio), setting the theme for the coming week. We will look at some of the deeper issues in life—where am I going? What is my purpose? What supports or undermines me?
The Moon ends its productive period in Scorpio at 10:24 pm on a trine-Uranus hopeful note, entering Sagittarius at 10:34 pm to continue our optimism.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, the Jupiter-Saturn opposition is arrayed across the 5th-11th houses. This draws attention to the differences between the two legislative chambers, where Congress is represented by restrictive Saturn and the Senate is expansive Jupiter (but retrograde). Given the other planets that come into play, there will be an emphasis on how our lawmakers are managing the economy. President Obama looks strong—informative and logical—as he focuses on the long-range view. Moon rising puts the focus on the people, and brings a rainy week.
The Sabian Symbol for the First Quarter Moon at 24 Scorpio is, “A steady stream of people down a mountainside gives testimony to the power of the man who has there addressed them.” (ME Jones version) This suggests a sharing of wisdom from a great leader. The factor that cannot be predicted is what people will do with the energies available to them, especially once they look at life without being bound by ego considerations. This will become more evident under this degree, induced by contact with higher-mind communications from others.
The Sagittarius Moon brings soaring feelings of hope and joy in our connections with others as it makes only flowing contacts today. This is especially beneficial for signing contracts and coming to agreements.
Still in Sagittarius, the Moon challenges our perceptions as it squares Mercury, but our new awareness feeds beneficial actions as a trine to the Sun rounds out the day.
The Moon ends its stay in Sagittarius at 7:17 am, when it enters Capricorn. Before that, it dances with Neptune and Chiron to bring a more spiritual/healing message through our dreams, then startles us awake with a square to Uranus, the final contact before the Moon’s void period begins at 6:58 am. Restlessness is a key energy of the day, as the Moon in Capricorn connects by hard aspect (square, opposition) to Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in the cardinal signs. This is no-nonsense time, with the urge to get things done foremost in our mind.
The spell is broken. Our illusions (at least some of them) are released as Sun opposes Neptune, revealing the truth that has been hidden since mid-February. Let the ghosts of the past speak and the path to the future be known.
This is the halfway mark in the yearly Sun-Neptune cycle, a culmination in one more year on our life-long path to clarity. And that’s not all! Mercury also turns retrograde at 12:59 pm/19°04′ Virgo. Although everyone’s experience with Mercury is personal and related to chart contacts, this should be a mild retrograde since Mercury makes no major contacts during its backward sojourn. This means that the messenger has no gods to carry messages for.
Venus reaches Mars (by conjunction), the first of three to occur in an infrequent cycle of three contacts. This puts even more emphasis on relationships than we already have with Saturn in Libra and an approaching Venus retrograde. All relationships must withstand the tests of truth and authenticity. Ego must go. The Capricorn Moon augments this process as it squares these two planets of courtship and gender politics, but finally makes peace through communication and logic when it mellifluously trines stationary Mercury.
Saturn makes its final (of 3) square to Pluto, issuing one last challenge to us to get over our fears and take on life’s greatest challenge, whatever that is for each of us. The challenge was issued last November (2009), and now we have a more mature understanding of what it represents in our lives and how to work it through.
Although the pressure is off, don’t take that as a sign that we can forget about the new path we are called to travel. Its effects are far-reaching and the results richly satisfying if we persevere. The Moon finishes its productive sojourn in Capricorn at 6:08 pm by revealing opportunities for change and growth, stimulated by a sextile to Uranus. Its void period lasts until 6:37 pm, when it enters satirical Aquarius.
Our dreams will drip with irony as Moon in Aquarius trines Saturn in the wee hours, the only contact for our lunar satellite today. At 10:27 pm, the Sun enters Virgo, the sign of the Grain Priestess. She was called the Keeper of the Seed, because it was her job to hold the grain to be planted for the next spring, even in times of drought. This generates an energy of inviolable trust on behalf of the community. If you have felt this type of dedication in the Virgos you know, this is where it comes from archetypally.
The Moon in Aquarius greases the wheels of love when it trines Mars and Venus before we rise. We’ll feel this upon rising, a memory that comes from sweet dreams.
At 3:51 am, the Moon enters the space between the realms when it goes void of course in Aquarius. Before that, it brings gentle healing energies through conjunctions to Neptune and Chiron. Know that you are loved. We move into a rather mellow Full Moon energy when the Moon enters Pisces at 7:11 am. The Full Moon itself occurs at 10:05 am/1°26′ Pisces. The dominant energy for the coming week is a somewhat gentler transformation than we’ve gotten used to, through a Sun trine to Pluto. Open yourself to its possibilities and bend with the energies as they flow in. Mercury is still essentially stationary and fosters new awareness when the Moon reaches it by opposition late tomorrow. What we do with that insight may be difficult to decide at first because it is the culmination of many months’ experience, but we will sort it out by the time Mercury goes direct on September 12.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, Scorpio rising puts an emphasis on the 11th house of Congress, the “people’s house” of the legislative branch. The stage is being set for the upcoming mid-term elections. Will the Democrats lose their majority? That will be the question, unanswerable until November. Great leadership is called for on the part of President Obama, and he will display his finest qualities with the Sun at the Midheaven of this chart. This is likely to be in response to human need, perhaps due to extreme weather events, such as a hurricane in the Gulf.
The Sabian Symbol for 2 Pisces is, “Almost as if possessed with man’s intelligence, a tiny squirrel remains watchful on a limb hidden from the hunters.” (ME Jones version) Encounters occur to make us aware that animals have as much consciousness as humans. Watch the news, and start talking to your pets.
Moon continues in Pisces, bringing a dawning awareness of what’s been out of balance in our lives, as it opposes Mercury retrograde. Logic or feeling? How about both, with feeling taking the lead. Sun trines Pluto today, opening to the door to the Pluto station energies. Let the release of transformation into your life with grace, easier now than it will be in a month.
The Moon wings through mostly empty sky, finally finding Uranus’s edgy energies at 6:59 pm to open the lunar void period. This lasts until 7:40 pm and can be used productively if so desired. At that time, the Moon enters Aries and hooks up with Jupiter to inspire more expansion because we just know that life will support our efforts.
The Aries Moon takes us deep into the unconscious when it squares Pluto in the wee hours. We’ll uncover what has made us uneasy. We’ll see the obstacles and mistaken ideas that stand in the way of resolving matters when it opposes Saturn a little later.
The Moon in Aries reaches Mars and Venus to focus our attention on relationships from yet another perspective—another chance to get it right if we need it.
At 1:48 am, the Moon enters its void period in Aries, after giving us insight to our long-term healing process by sextiling Neptune and Chiron. Dreams remembered from this night will carry clues about core issues that will free us to be our true self when released. 7:35 am finds the Moon going into Taurus. This sets up an Earth grand trine with Sun (Virgo) and Pluto (Capricorn), for a flow of energy that invigorates activities in the physical realm, including financial opportunities.
The Moon in Taurus makes peace with retrograde Mercury, and we see the reasons why we are involved in the current plot twist to our life story.
Our Taurus Moon reaches Neptune and Chiron (by square) and Uranus (by sextile) to bring hidden factors into our awareness over the day. Pay attention inwardly and allow the clues you get to infuse your actions. At 4:13 pm, the Moon goes void of course, until 5:19 for a brief down time before its entry into Gemini. This brings an awareness of new possibilities that we can use in the days to come.
For more than 20 years, Terry Lamb (M.A. Linguistics, UC San Diego; C.A. NCGR, EEMCP) has been helping people to understand how cycles and energies work and interact in their lives. She augments her astrological acumen with energy medicine, Yijing (Chinese Book of Change), cosmology, psychology, and a broad range of health and spiritual studies.
Terry is among the nation’s most knowledgeable, insightful, and engaging astrologers. With pragmatic optimism and compassion, Terry’s approach has helped clients and students find their own way to “walk among the stars”. She is dedicated to using astrology as a way to create our future and free ourselves from “fate”. She goes along with Abraham Lincoln, who said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Her unique approach to astrology can be learned through her home study and apprenticeship programs (contact her directly).
Double Virgs here,
Thanx for this:
Sunday August 22
‘Our dreams will drip with irony as Moon in Aquarius trines Saturn in the wee hours, the only contact for our lunar satellite today. At 10:27 pm, the Sun enters Virgo, the sign of the Grain Priestess. She was called the Keeper of the Seed, because it was her job to hold the grain to be planted for the next spring, even in times of drought.’
We Virgs are the most hated and I wouldn’t want to be one sign.
But hey!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfLEc09tTjI