If you have clear skies in the morning and rise a little before dawn, you will experience the magnificence of Venus and Jupiter with companion Aldebaran. They are the Bringers of the Dawn—those planets which precede the Sun in Zodiacal order and rise in the glow of the day to come. They signal a new beginning, a symbol of hope and good things to come. As August commences, Mercury emerges from the burn of the Sun to join them, a dim flicker low on the horizon. This reminds us that Mercury’s retrograde is nearly complete, another reorganization of consciousness on which to fulfill the promise of the next three months.

This comes on the energetic crescendo of the Full Moon late on August 1, with moonset at sunrise on August 2. This will be a month of loosening and release. July was about finding out what bound us, what we needed to get free of. August’s energies lead us into our deliverance, if we are not too eager to wait for the right moment or too anxious to miss it.

The first release occurred when Venus trined Saturn on July 31, setting the stage for completions with relationship situations that were left out on a limb on May 15. The second comes when Mercury resumes forward motion on August 7, untying knots in every area. At the same time Venus enters Cancer, augmenting our urge to change and echoing the process we experienced mid-July, this time with movement. The 15th brings a culmination of those events from Mars’s corner, as it conjoins Saturn. Definitive actions are called for.

Once the Sun enters Virgo on August 22, the Mutables (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) are once again highlighted as our long-term healing processes come to a culmination point through the Sun’s oppositions to Neptune (8/24) and Chiron (8/30). We see the wisdom of our previous efforts to align with universal harmony and turn a big corner, adjusting our focus as needed.

Pluto is nearing the end of its retrograde, while its partner in transformation Uranus is early in its backward travel, still revealing its directive. Jupiter is tickling us in mid-Gemini, beginning to slow for its retrograde by month-end with a long lingering pause at 17° come mid-September. Venus and Mars wing forward unimpeded, each headed slowly toward the Sun in its own way. Mars helps us more once it enters Scorpio on August 23. As the planets go, so goes life: overlapping alphas and omegas to inform the unfolding mystery.

 

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(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 Daylight Time (UTC–7).

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.

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Wednesday August 1

The Leo Sun and Aquarius Moon bring a culmination of awareness as they oppose each other in the Full Moon at 10°15' Leo-Aquarius/8:27 pm PT (11: 27 pm ET). This comes with plenty of harmony where there was tumult, so a smoothing of life’s wrinkles is in order. This reactivates the nurturing, force-building Cradle of the past three weeks, pushing our progress and precipitating beneficial results. Connectivity is key, which means that some results will wait until after our slowing Mercury retrograde returns to forward motion on Tuesday August 7. Relief!

This bodes well for the arena of politics as well, with a Grand Trine forming. Sub-rosa agreements with other nations, despite their secrecy, are nonetheless truly beneficial for the economy, both national and worldwide. Although he could blow his horn, President Obama is uncharacteristically silent about what’s really going on, instead allowing the effects to prove themselves. Mercury lack of movement means the air is still, and weather patterns may hold in place rather than moving. Rain is in the forecast, but the overall tendency is still toward dryness.

The Sabian Symbol for the Moon’s placement at 11 Aquarius is “During a silent hour, a man receives a new inspiration which may change his life.” This suggests the retreat process that often occurs naturally during Mercury’s retrograde. We need to replenish ourselves regularly with universal light and love, which happens when we turn inward in silence and open to receive. Inspiration aligns us and brings clarity, making our actions more effective and harmonious.

The Sabian Symbol for the Sun’s placement at 11 Leo is “children on a swing in the safety of a huge oak tree.” Safety, nurturance, protection, shelter, and play are suggested by this symbol. We may turn to the most ancient of values as we seek to augment these qualities for ourselves and those we care about. Homesteading, sinking roots, fostering growth, being an oak in someone’s life are possible in the coming week. Traditional values (real and false) are likely to be a theme in the public arena.

Thursday August 2

The Sun sextiles Jupiter to help us in building our future, with the yearly cycle begun in mid-May. It’s time to check in make sure we’re headed in the desired direction. The Moon continues in Aquarius, bringing early indications and possible rewards in our relationships, tied to Venus, Mars, and Saturn. The other shoe may not drop today, but we’ll see signs of what’s coming on August 15, the culmination date for this pattern.

Friday August 3

The Moon finalizes its sojourn through Aquarius with a beautiful trine to Venus, icing on the cake, before commencing its void period at 0:24 am PT (3:24 am ET). This continues until her 6:58 am PT (9:58 am ET) entry into Pisces. We are drawn inward with a Neptune contact, then given the opportunity to deepen into our healing process with connections to Pluto and Chiron late in the day.

Saturday August 4

Moon in Pisces makes an early morning contact with Jupiter to bring out our restless spirit. We are eager to move forward, but confusion in some areas counsels caution.

Sunday August 5

The Moon makes contact with Venus at 10:56 am to open its void period on a note of uncertainty and social challenge. This fades once Moon enters Aries at 1:59 pm PT, then glides into harmony with near-stationary Mercury to help us finalize our understanding of how to bring in the energy of the new Mercury cycle.

Monday August 6

Moon in Aries reflects our ongoing transformational process as it contacts Pluto and Uranus before we rise to make our post-weekend re-entry a bit bumpier than usual as we consider the deeper issues at hand in making our plans for the week. If we can put a boundary on that process, solutions come to us over the afternoon hours as we experience a Moon-Sun-Jupiter Minor Grand Trine. Take it easy.

Tuesday August 7

At 6:43 am, Venus crosses into Cancer after her long stay in Gemini (since April 3). We become less interested in varied social connectivity and more in securing our emotional future, where our finances and relationships are concerned. Her impending hook-ups with Uranus and Pluto can be felt immediately; expect changes based on long-term developments and deep emotional needs. The Moon continues in Aries, bringing an acute awareness of what’s not working for us in our relationships, as it opposes Mars and Saturn and gives us a more powerful sense of what’s coming as Mars moves into its conjunction with Saturn on August 15. The Moon goes void at 1:04 pm (4:04 pm ET) with its opposition to Saturn, suggesting necessary separations. At 10:40 pm PT (1:40am tomorrow ET)/1°26' Leo, Mercury 24-day retrograde ends. Now we can move forward with the full cooperation of the personal planets. New beginnings abound!

Wednesday August 8

At 0:26 am, the Moon enters Taurus, creating a Cradle Configuration over the day with Venus, Neptune, and Pluto. We are drawn to those we care most for, especially where there is discord or misunderstanding. It’s a good time to clear the air and come clean.

Thursday August 9

The Moon catches up with the Sun to bring the Third Quarter Moon at 17°34' Taurus-Leo/11:55 am PT (2:55 pm ET). Mars coming to Saturn magnifies our frustration, but if we slow down we’ll get more done. We’re eager because we see so much that needs changing. This lunation is about integrating what we’ve learned and experienced, as well as casting out what no longer belongs in the light of our new awareness. This is timed perfectly with the release of Mercury and Venus reminding us that there’s no time to waste. Venus leads us to set our sights high as she makes an idealistic trine to Neptune. Whatever we set our cap at, it should come from a place of inner clarity. Once you’ve set your course, hold on—the coming week (through August 15) is going to be a wild ride! The Moon’s long void period commences at 11:55 am (2:55 pm ET), although this time can be used productively.

In the chart cast for the US, the light of day is dawning on the consequences of Congress’s lack of vision, which is having a huge impact on the nation’s employment and productivity. A light is shone in particular on the effects of overseas outsourcing, as a movement grows to bring jobs back home. Wetter weather reaches the Midwest and east of the country.

At 18 Taurus, the Moon’s Sabian Symbol is “a woman airing an old bag through a sunny window to give it air and sunshine.” Besides the suggestion of reusing our precious resources whenever possible, this suggests that it’s time to let go of old energy that’s been bottled up. Whether it’s a household spring-clean or an inner cleanse, the waning Third Quarter Moon assists us in releasing what is no longer useful. Politically, this can bring truths to light that result in “throwing the bums out”.

The Sun’s Sabian Symbol at 18 Leo is “A chemist conducts an experiment for his students.” As we clear out old energies and situations, it frees us to experiment with the opening that we’ve created for ourselves. It suggests moving forward gradually without building a new structure too quickly. Let it settle into place and build each aspect as it presents itself. Although you may know the outcome, there are always tricky stages where things could shift in an unexpected direction.

Friday August 10

At 1:11 (4:11 pm ET), the Moon enters Gemini. We’ll feel especially chatty as it connects with newly-direct Mercury, while confusion over an awkward situation nags us.

Saturday August 11

The Gemini Moon makes contact with Uranus and Jupiter, occulting Jupiter (a “Jupiter eclipse”) to bring out our latent ingenuity. Give yourself the freedom to pour this into a burst of creativity or play.

Sunday August 12

Social busy-ness pervades the early part of the day as Gemini Moon connects with Sun, Mars, and Saturn. If anything needs smoothing out to set the stage for this week’s big changes, this is the time to do it. We tend to internalize after 2:49 pm (5:49 pm ET), when the Moon goes void of course for the remainder of the day.

Monday August 13

At 1:28 am (4:28 am ET), Moon enters Cancer. We get a chance to harmonize our energies overnight before plunging into a day that predicts what’s coming for the rest of the week. When Moon conjoins Venus (another occultation) opposes Pluto and squares Uranus, we get in touch again with what we really want in our relationships—it just won’t go away, and the only conclusion is to go ahead with our plans. It is worth it.

Tuesday August 14

The Moon in Cancer finds a gap between the planets to have a connection-free day. This does not mean we are inactive, but we have a chance to take care of the crowd of put-off needs and to-do items on our list. It’s a good time to prepare for tomorrow, which will be a day to remember.

Wednesday August 15

Today more than makes up for yesterday’s lack of planetary activity, as the Cardinal Cross lights up again. Venus and Mars, although operating separately, have been moving toward their respective targets: Venus to Pluto and Uranus, Mars to Saturn, bringing dramatic shifts in our status in perhaps several relationships in one fell swoop.

Because Venus also trines Chiron, underlying the changes is a trend toward healing old wounds, and that is what will be accomplished with actions today, even if not apparent.

The Moon in Cancer participates in this experience by proxy, as it meets up with Mars-Saturn while we sleep. The Mars-Saturn conjunction has been forming since July 3, and we have been perhaps anxiously trying to get our life in order as we have felt it unconsciously. It is a handful of challenges, often frustrating, that focus on what we’re getting and not getting from our relationships.

The Moon goes void of course at 1:21 am (4:21 am ET) to augment our sensitivity to each other on the inner plane. Upon entering Leo at 11:05 am, it takes its time in reaching Mercury in the evening hours to offer the chance for clear if impassioned thought and communication.

Thursday August 16

The Moon carries on in Leo, harmonizing with Uranus and Jupiter to bring out our innovative spirit early in the day. We can use this time, the dark of the Moon, to tap the “Wishing Moon” and set our intentions for the coming lunar month, which starts tomorrow.

Friday August 17

Sun, Moon and Saturn commingle harmoniously to bring a constructive and productive platform to support the New Moon, which comes at 25°08' Leo/8:54 am PT (11:54 am ET). An array of planets apply to the separating Mars-Saturn conjunction, many harmoniously. This conjunction has revealed its truths, but we get another chance through translations from the Sun and Moon today, a celebration of the good that has come — whether union or separation, all is better aligned. With this New Moon however, the outcomes look good and will be dispersed over the month to come, a month of healing, insight, and alignment with the love that runs as an undercurrent through every situation. With the third Mercury-Jupiter sextile strong in this chart, we get a month of opportunity to create harmonious communications and agreements.

In the chart cast for Washington DC showing events the US, the emphasis is on the nation’s leader. President Obama will be showing the full range of his leadership ability and vision for the future both in actions taken in his current role and on the campaign trail. With Congress on recess, this leaves the Beltway focus to be trained on what happens in the Administrative Branch, and Obama fills those shoes amply.

The degree of the New Moon is 26 Leo, “After a heavy storm a rainbow appears” in the Sabian Symbols. We have experienced the emotional storms of summer, even as the rain refused to fall. Will the clouds pour forth now and end the drought of soil and consciousness? With both Sun and Moon at this degree, it confers the blessing of a double rainbow, a rare and powerful omen of good.

Saturday August 18

Quiet days alternate with busy ones as the planets cluster around particular degrees. Mercury reaches the synchronized sextile of Pluto and Chiron to form a yod, simultaneously trining Uranus. It’s all about what we say and how we connect. Use the truthful trine gently, because feelings whose depth you’re not aware of will be hurt. There is a deep sensitivity that it helps to know is there, even if we can’t see any evidence of it yet. The Moon continues in Virgo, reaching a very early end to its contacts at 4:26 pm, to commence a void period that lasts until 9:45 pm tomorrow evening.

Sunday August 19

The Moon is void of course all day, giving us time for inner work, leisure activity, and glorious time-wasting. At 9:45 pm (12:45 am August 20 ET), we feel the energy pick up as Moon enters Libra, but actual contacts will wait until tomorrow.

Monday August 20

The Sun catches Mars by sextile before they change signs, finalizing events of the past week surrounding our relationship bonds. There will be more to come through the end of September—this is all about Saturn, a culmination and completion of what we’ve been working on with our closest ties since Fall 2009. The Moon in Libra touches base with the plethora of bodies in Cardinal Signs today and tomorrow: Pluto, Uranus, and Venus are today’s fare. What pains us needs to be corrected, and we see what needs doing, even if we don’t know how yet. Even if our feelings are conflicted, we can think lucidly and communicate effectively as Moon makes a Minor Grand Trine with Mercury and Jupiter.

Tuesday August 21

The Moon makes its final Cardinal contacts today as it conjoins Saturn and then Mars late in the day to give us the last shot of the urge to bond before Mars leaves Libra. This is another moment of truth that leads us to make commitments and release old ones if we haven’t tied up those loose relationship ends yet.

Wednesday August 22

The Moon tags the Sun as it reaches Regulus, the Heart of the Lion, to add the punch of courage to our actions. Its brief void period commences at 0:13 am PT, which ends at 3:58 am (6:58 am ET) upon its entry into Scorpio. A trine to Neptune before we awaken infuses our dream state with visions of truth and future. The Sun enters Virgo at 10:07 am to bring forth the Priestess archetype for the coming month. A soft Moon contact to Pluto helps us bring harmony from the depths, and Mercury finally clears its retrograde shadow with its third sextile to Jupiter. This is a good day for agreements, an opportunity to clear up what is still unsaid or undone from the Mercury retrograde. The Sun squares the Moon’s (Mean) Nodes to bring to the surface unfinished business from mid-May. We have three more months to complete the directives we took on then, but the urge to “make it so”, already strong in August, is thus amplified.

Thursday August 23

Although the Moon is not far into Scorpio, it loses contact with the other bodies at 2:34 am (5:34 am ET) to commence a void period that lasts until 3:50 am (6:50 am ET) tomorrow. This inclines us to go deep inside and see what’s brewing in the unseen world, as well as to complete what remains on the surface. The depth dive is augmented when Mars enters Scorpio at 8:24 am (11:24 am ET), a sign of its rulership. Mars was very strong in Libra but challenging in this sign of its detriment; now in rulership it is stronger and easier to manage if we refine our emotion-driven willpower with discipline to create what we may have lacked the resilience to accomplish up to now.

Friday August 24

The Sun reaches its opposition to retrograde Neptune at 5:33 am (8:33 am ET) to bring a crisis in faith and clarity, the “Full” phase of Neptune’s yearly cycle. We are aware now of what we don’t know, as if we just turned a corner and saw a whole new world. If we are not fixed in our expectations, this generates more intrigue and wonder than shock and disillusionment. Now we know what we need to work with before Neptune goes direct November 10.

At 3:50 am, the Moon enters Sagittarius and wakes up the Mutable pattern that has been less active since the end of July, creating a T-square with the Sun and Neptune-Chiron. This is the dominant pattern of the First Quarter lunation, which occurs at 1°48' Sagittarius at 6:54 am (9:54 am ET). The pattern lends itself to impulse, including quick actions and reactions as we make a bid for freedom. This could result in injury (physical, emotional) if too hasty. The stage is set for benefit if we are fluid, as there’s also a trine to Uranus.

The chart cast for Washington DC, the T-square activates a flurry of communication, some of which is false, in an attempt to change the game prior to the election. This is a turning point week, during which a momentum will be built toward the November outcome. President Obama’s strong suit is his popularity with women, and we will see Michelle Obama on center stage this week.

The Sabian Symbol for the Moon at 2 Sagittarius is “the ocean covered with whitecaps.” For the Sun at 2 Virgo the symbol is “A large white cross, dominating the landscape, stands alone on top of a high hill.” These together could suggest a whitewashing job, a false appearance of turbulence, but also a far deeper unrest than is revealed on the surface. It necessary to have faith in our ideals and goals, even if they seem far away right now. The truth is emerging.

Saturday August 25

The Moon carries on in Sagittarius, connecting with Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn to further amplify our urge to expand and free ourselves from confining situations. When Mars trines Neptune, our feelings emerge more strongly, a sense of relief. The Moon enters its void-of-course at 11:39 pm on a harmonious note.

Sunday August 26

At 6:58 am (9:58 am ET), the Moon reactivates us when it goes into Capricorn for another take on the Cardinal Cross. Today it hooks up with Neptune, Chiron, Mars, and the Sun to give us the outlet of a new but transient productive and nurturing Cradle pattern. We feel the rumblings of awakening changes, but they do not drown out our sense of what we can do with them. The evening finds us tending toward introspection as the connections with Pluto and Uranus are perfected.

Monday August 27

The Moon opposes Venus to bring out the contrasts between past and present associations. Who feels like family? With whom do we feel secure?

Tuesday August 28

At 3:33 am (6:33 am ET), the Moon goes void of course on a note of seriousness, perhaps self-doubt, a challenge to our recent bold changes. We get a few hours to integrate our ruminations into our next direction before the Moon enters Aquarius and lightens our take on life with a move-on attitude. We’ll be inclined to pour ourselves into our work with a square to Mars.

Wednesday August 29

We get the signal that Pluto’s about to change direction when the Sun trines Pluto, the first contact with the planets at 7 degrees. We are optimistic about our transformative processes, ready to move forward with clarity now. Something has been accomplished. Mercury sextile Saturn lends an industrious note to today. We’ll get a lot done, perhaps write up plans and reorganize to accommodate recent changes. The mind is lucid but not troubled. The Moon in Aquarius magnifies this with ingenuity as it creates resonance with Jupiter and Uranus, planets of free thinking and innovation.

Thursday August 30

The Sun reaches the remaining planets at 7 degrees today: Uranus by quincunx and Chiron by opposition. This is the peak of the yearly Chiron healing cycle. We see how far we’ve come since late February and what needs doing to create more perfect alignment in body/mind/soul before Chiron returns to forward motion on November 14. A new vista appears.

Pay attention to awkwardness now that could become outright conflict by the end of September. The Moon is void of course as of 10:48 am (1:48pm ET), so we’ve got time to organize, complete tasks, and look inward, until she enters Pisces at 3:31 pm and connects with Neptune to bring forth our inner image-maker.

Friday August 31

At 6:58 am/8°31' Virgo/Pisces (9:58 am ET), the Moon opposes the Sun to bring the culmination of the Full Moon. Although in the way our calendar is now constructed, this is a “Blue” Moon, this originally would have referred to two Full Moons in the same sign, which occurred in Gemini-Sagittarius (June 19). In many locales, this lunation occurs near the same time as the First Quarter to bring near-identical wheels. This introduces a consistency and flow into the processes that unfold for us now, as events further free us from previous entrapments.

This Full Moon carries great healing potential as hidden factors are brought to surface from as much as two years ago. Allow yourself to think bigger rather than smaller, and meet what comes with flexibility. It is time to change rather than adapt to circumstances. At 7:32 pm, Mercury enters Virgo, the sign of its rulership and exaltation, finding the Moon’s Nodes as it does so. Our analytic powers are strong now, and we can pull things together mentally that previously appeared unconnected. We feel compelled to take actions now by a sense of fate.

In the chart of the Full Moon cast for the US, once again the feminine, women, and Michelle Obama bring favor to the nation’s leader. The naysayers are jealous. The nation takes a look at the condition of the workers who have been instrumental in making this country what it is, the laborers and the middle class that was created by labor laws written in the last century. The sacrifices of women are particularly recognized, and the erosion of child labor laws is highlighted.

The Full Moon is symbolized by “The race begins: Intent on outdistancing his rivals, a jockey spurs his horse to great speed.”

The Sun is the other side of the equation in the Full Moon, at 9 Virgo: “an expressionist painter making a futuristic drawing”.

Both these degrees are about what we do when we start something new and suggest that the way is open to take action on new initiatives. Do we imagine what we want to create? This is a very powerful way to start something new, because it enlists the hidden powers of the universe. When we finally “launch our race”, do we rush to speed and perhaps exhaust ourselves before the race is done? Or do we pace ourselves and make sure we reach the finish line? Only we know how much speed and stamina we have stored inside. This also suggests the final days of the campaign season prior to the November elections. Much is at stake, and the race is fully on.

 

   

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