The Moon will begin a new cycle with the Sun at 12° 34’ Leo on August 4 at 4:13 a.m. Pacific time.
Leo is the Sun’s home sign, making a Leo New Moon especially vibrant. The Sun blazes bright at the peak of summer in the northern hemisphere, about halfway between the summer solstice and the fall equinox on its way. Calendarwise, we are just past the August 1 pagan holy day of Lammas, traditionally a time of the grain harvest in the world’s northern hemisphere.
Leo, the fixed fire sign, is like a star on stage, basking in fandom—or at least hoping for the glamor. Leo entertains and flirts. Think of well-known Sun Leo personalities: Mick Jagger, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez.
Off-stage, too, Leo is warm-hearted and generous. When the Sun’s in Leo, it’s time for creation, recreation, and—dare I mention—maybe a little pro-creation? Leo loves children of all ages, drama, and play. A New Leo Moon is a time to put on a show, even if you’re the only one watching.
Speaking of glamor, at the August 4 New Moon, Venus will be in Leo as well, at the final, 29th degree of the sign. By evening on August 4, Venus will move into Virgo. As planets shift signs, their functions change styles, like changing costumes. While in Leo, Venus has brought dramatic flair, perhaps most noticeably in Venusian domains of relationships, art, and finances. Once in Virgo, Venus’ style becomes more modest and critically discerning, not as a downer but more like an earthy counterweight to Leo’s tendency toward flamboyance.
The most prominent transiting aspect at the August 4 New Moon is an encouraging sextile between the Moon with the Sun and Mars and Jupiter, now together in Gemini. (They’ll conjoin precisely on August 14.) The sextile aspect occurs when planets are approximately 60 degrees, or two signs, apart. A sextile (yes, the term includes the word “sex”) is an aspect of encouragement. Whereas a 90-degree trine aspect suggests natural ease and flow, a sextile between planets is less inevitable, and more like a welcome opportunity.
Mars is about action and also aggression. Jupiter makes everything moreso. Mars and Jupiter together in Gemini may be a boon for anyone working creatively, as in studying, writing, speaking, even making new like-minded friends. The caveat is to not over-exert. Gemini, an air sign, wants to connect, and also needs to be skillfully reigned in.
Jupiterian expansiveness can be a mixed blessing. Think of social media which is great for staying in touch with friends, and also a major driver of head-spinning mental overload, confusion, and disinformation. Jupiter together with warrior Mars in the wild mind of Gemini may spell duplicity and wars of words.
Gemini is “ruled” by the planet Mercury, one of the other stars of the August 4 lunation. On August 4 , Mercury will be stationing in its home earth sign, Virgo, and about to enter a period of retrograde motion from August 5 to August 28 . A stationing planet is one that’s slowing down, about to change direction, like an engine revving up to start moving.
Mercurial domains include communications, technology, travel, scheduling, and contracts, meaning it’s always smart to check and double-check plans and transactions during times of Mercury’s retrograde motion. The upside of retrograde periods is that they’re optimal for dwelling retrospectively, to do things that start with the prefix “re,” like reconsidering and reinvigorating.
In the next few weeks, we might want to revive old skills and service projects (Virgo) or recall old pastimes and romances (Leo). “Creative self-improvement” might be watchwords for this Leo/Virgo Mercury retrograde time.
There’s a backdrop of caution about not overdoing it–mentally and verbally—when Mars and Jupiter meet up in Gemini in mid-August. By August 18, Mercury will be halfway through its retrograde period and will fuse its symbolic energies with the Sun in a moment of renewal called cazimi. This Mercury-Sun meet-up will occur just before the Moon will reach its full phase in Aquarius, opposite the Leo Sun, on August 19. All the way up ‘til then, beginning with the New Moon of August 4 , it would be a fine time to rejoice a bit and have a little fun.
Blessings for the Leo New Moon and with prayers for peace,
~ Sara
Sara R. Diamond, an astrologer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a life-long student and practitioner in several esoteric paths. Her style of astrology combines modern-psychological astrology with insights from traditional astrology. Sara is also an estate planning attorney. In addition, she has published four books on right-wing movements in the United States and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. You are invited to contact Sara via her website at www.SaraDiamondAstrology.com.
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