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A U G U S T 2 0 0 3 August is the golden Leo month, when we head for the beach to soak up the last of the warm summer rays. Leo is the sign of the sun, and just as the sun is the ruler of the solar system, Leo is the sign of all earthly rulers. Now is the time when we practice being in charge of our domain and of ourselves. All rulerships are up for action now, from our own inner rulers to the rulers of nations. It is time to be authentic. The celestial water trine has been helping our emotions to flow, some of them long-buried. It’s time to express what we feel, and be recognized for who we are. Fire sign Leo has a passion and enthusiasm for life, but feelings can sometimes take a back seat in Leo’s exuberance to get on with it. Now it’s time to let it all hang out, and to claim our whole selves. Some of our cherished illusions may be shattered in this process, but there is no blame. There is only life. And Leo IS the vitality of life. Bill Clinton has a stellium (4 planets) in Leo, and he is an example. Hillary says about her love for Bill, "He is a force of nature. And I’ll always love him." The sun can be too much, fire can be too much, and all of the fire signs can burn up what is in their path. Water signs can quench the excess fire, and earth signs can slow it down. Fire needs their cooling. Hillary, for instance, has sun and moon both in water signs, and possibly even her rising sign is water. Now, this August, we have planets in water and earth signs, as well as a stellium in Leo, and Leo’s fire and impulsiveness can be tempered with empathy and compassion for others, and for ourselves. We can "get it together" in a more complete way. This is growth. This is evolution. And as we know, the process is a bumpy road. We have a special opportunity now to combine not only who we think we are (Leo), but also to include those subconscious feelings and forces which have so much vitality in our beings, whether they are recognized or not. We may not like all of these feelings. Others may not like some of those feelings. But with Mars retrograde in Pisces, we can work on coming to terms with them. We can finish the month with a self-knowledge which ultimately gives us greater authority, within ourselves and with others. Saturn tells us where our work, and our lessons, are. Saturn now in Cancer asks us to work on creating a secure family niche. Feelings about family members, and our place within the family, can emerge and be recognized. With Leo, personal recognition within the family will be an issue. Virgo, now a growing energy, wants to add giving service to others, and Pisces gives us a shot of compassion for one another. Family therapy can be particularly constructive right now. And we may well feel the need for it! The Leo energies put our own egos on the line, and we will be extra-sensitive. Reactions can be magnified, and this encourages volatile, poorly channeled, feelings to emerge. With many of us in this state, conflict and confusion are sown and encouraged. But never fear. By the end of the month, Mercury turns retrograde in Virgo to help us to rethink and to patch up problems. With both Mercury and Mars retrograde, most of September will be repair, and perhaps prepare, month. Assertive Mars is the headline actor this month. Go back to the July Daykeeper, and reread the special entries concerning Mars, particularly Mars retrograde, and the entry for July 17, when Moon occulted Mars. This was like an eclipse of Mars, and it adds to Mars’ potency now. Mars is very dramatic now in the sky. For the last few months we’ve been able to see Mars high and orange in the southwestern sky of early morning. It is appearing larger and larger as it moves closer to earth than it’s been for tens of thousands of years. By August 28, it will be at maximum closeness, and after that it will diminish in brightness. See Mars, and honor him for getting us moving. This month he will stimulate much unconscious energy, some of which has been long-stagnant, and needs to move and grow. Sometimes it may emerge as anger. Listen to anger’s message. Mars retrograde in Pisces, as it is now, is excellent for working to change bad habits and addictions. Sometimes getting anger out is the key to making it possible to reduce addictions. Mars retrograde is not good for moving on projects in the external world. This will for the most part be a slow-moving month, allowing us to focus on inner work. As Mars moves us, Jupiter helps us to grow. Jupiter is also featured this month. Jupiter is finishing up its year-long trip through Leo in grand style. From August 18-22 Jupiter, Sun, Venus, and Transpluto all join forces to create a big burst of ego. Events will be larger than life, for Jupiter expands what it touches. This power grouping joins the fixed star Regulus, one of the four royal stars of the ancients, to give this time the stamp of destiny. Pride, good fortune, and success are said to be associated with conjunctions to Regulus. Within a few days, towards the end of the month, Venus, Sun, and Jupiter all enter Virgo, and the vibe comes down to earth. This may herald a "market correction." The building Leo energy during the first three-quarters of the month could be accompanied by a "bubble," and over-optimism on many fronts. Virgo will bring reality into the scene. Realism and common sense are Virgo blessings, and they will set in with the New Moon on August 27, and Mercury turning retrograde on August 28. Mercury will have a lot to work with during her succeeding three retrograde weeks. August may be a psychologically difficult month. On the one hand, Leo ego wants to take over. On the other hand, retrograde Mars in Pisces with Uranus will rebel against that takeover. Mars’ resistance is apt to be subtle and irresistible. But at the same time, there is great opportunity for transformation because Transpluto, the energy of resurrection, is very involved with the personal planets. Transpluto is in late Leo, and moves into Virgo in 2011. This will be its last time joining Jupiter in Leo for another 600 years. This will intensify August’s Leo energy of risk-taking, creativity, show business, and speculation. Jupiter tends to bring luck, and there can be many blessings for Leo planets. But at the same time, the intensity of the fire could burn. The fixed signs are most affected by the potent Leo gathering. Besides Leo, they are Scorpio, Aquarius, and Taurus. The degrees most affected are from 24-28. These are the same fixed sign degrees which have been catalyzed by the strong Lunar Eclipse of May 16, 2003. That was when Bush filed for President for 2004. Also then, in Iraq chaos and lawlessness reigned, and 10,000 Shi’ites took to the streets to protest the lack of progress in reconstructing essential services in Iraq. Proconsul Paul Bremer announced that the British and the U.S. would be in charge in Iraq, not the Iraqis. In London, Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, resigned in protest of the UK going along with the U.S. bullying of the UN so as to not allow them to help with much-needed aid to Iraq. Bush submitted the "Roadmap for Peace" to Israel and Palestine. The U.S. and UK consulates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were bombed. North Korea backed out of its Nuclear Treaty with South Korea. In Washington, the Senate repealed a ten-year-old ban on nuclear weapons research. They also approved money for research on "bunker buster" bombs, one of which has six times more explosive power than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The Senate passed a three and one-half billion dollar tax cut. There were many more major events happening around that Lunar Eclipse, and we can expect fallout from those events to continue during the latter part of August. What was on your mind then? August will be excellent for spiritual discipline, psychological work, and health routines. Inner work is favored. Pay special attention to centering and grounding. |
