THE ASTROLOGICAL CALENDAR FOR AUGUST 2024
Hello Awestrology community. 😁 I’m so happy to give you the astrological calendar of the current planetary movement during the month of Awegust! (Can’t help myself, it’s just too fun!) August is always a Leo and Virgo month. Remember to feel the glory and wonder we all share in being alive–a true Leo practice–and pay attention to the small doses of happiness that crop up in your days ahead as a Virgo practice.
Here are the important dates and planetary intersections for you to know about. The highlights are the year’s second Mercury retrograde (Rx) and a planetary “conference” during August 14-21. See below for all the key astrological dates in August as well as juicy details.
And a word to the wise: Allow the day to unfold for you on August 19th. Leo season is going out with a ROAR! This day is just packed with planetary energy through two T-square aspects–a mutable and a fixed–that involve eight planets! Observe what occurs, feel the feels that arise, have snacks, be hydrated, and know that we’re all part of this! Let’s chat about these last days of Leo after the Sun goes into Virgo on August 23.
IMPORTANT AUGUST ASTRO DATES
The new Moon in Leo and Mercury stations retrograde (4° Virgo)
The new Moon in Leo arrived early in the morning (4:13 PDT) on Sunday, August 4th. Leo, a fixed fire sign, is ruled by the Sun. The Leo new Moon offers the Sun’s vitality, cheerfulness, confidence, and leadership for both Sunday and Monday. It encourages you to do something delightful and creative. Fixed signs like to bring things into manifestation. I encourage you to play around with whatever creative acts make you happy and beaming for the next 2.5 days.
Mercury entered Virgo–one of the signs it rules–on July 26th. This is the tangible earthy Mercury who pays attention to all the pathways and intersections. Unlike Mercury in Gemini, the Virgo Mercury lives for precision, finesse, craft, details, spreadsheets that track progress and lists that are checked off. Typically done in a speedy, swift way.
All the Virgonian actions of “being in the weeds and on the balcony, because someone has to care about it all” is taking a breather right now because on the 4th, just before 10:00 PM, Mercury turns stationary retrograde (Rx) at 4°. It will slowly gain backwards momentum by the 9th and will then be stepping it back through Virgo from the 10th to the 15th on its way to revisit Leo.
During the start of the retrograde, you might allow yourself to daydream or get distracted by something pulling at the edge of your awareness. Mercury Rx is loosening the weave of your thoughts to let in some inspiration or a flirty new possibility. Or it’s simply slowing down a very busy, very packed mind.
If you’re resisting that type of simpler flow state, perhaps you can breathe into intentions of acceptance of a slower, gentler pace. Do your review or replay of any planning, writing, mental figuring, and discussions you’ve had in the past couple of weeks. However, lower the intensity. What needs a simple edit or a tweak here and there? What needs a little more clarification or perhaps better definition? Retrograde Mercury in Virgo is your friend for this approach. Think of it as mental knitting. Relax and examine your work for any dropped stitches or missed transitions. Nothing is wrong; it just needs a second look.
Mutable T-Square: Venus square Mars + Jupiter; Mars + Jupiter square Saturn / Venus opposite Saturn
Yep, from August 13th to the 21st, the mutable planets of Pisces, Virgo, and Gemini are activated by the strong aspect known as the T-square. A T-square consists of two squares and an opposition. It’s an aspect that’s designed to be noticed! You can’t sleep through a T-square. Squares are 90º degree angles of forward motion that gets stymied until it backs off the “pedal to the metal” approach and turns the corner to involve the other planet. Oppositions are 180º lines of tension between two planets that need to integrate their strengths into mutual cooperation.
Mars is conjunct Jupiter in Gemini and they’re square Saturn in Pisces. The mutables are all twin signs and part of their mission is to gather, sort, sift, cherish, spread out, and send out information. There’s always listening involved. So many things are interesting, intriguing, fascinating, funny, and wonderful to Jupiter in Gemini. Mars in Gemini says, “let’s bring that in, do this one, talk to that other one, start twirling over there, etc.” The possibilities are dazzling. The conversations are enticing. Which ones should we focus on? That key question helps us use this square to bring in Saturn.
Saturn Rx in Pisces helps build structures to aid the channeling of flow. Saturn Rx in Pisces can also harness all that information and possibilities. To use this planetary energy, pause and listen to yourself. Check in with your heart after a short meditation or centering. Listen to your intuition. Ask for spiritual guidance. Saturn retrograde can easily slow the dizzying momentum enough to breathe into it. Using Saturn Rx in Pisces this way, you can more easily discern clear directions.
The final planetary player in this is Venus in Virgo. She’s the one who enters this playground on August 18th to form another square to Jupiter + Mars and an opposition to Saturn. Venus in Virgo savors and favors grown-up relationships, friendships, partnerships. Children, the immature, the childish, or the Peter Pans of the world aren’t invited to her chic yet beautifully minimalist party. Venus is the creative director here reminding you that every gorgeous piece of art is never perfect but crafted with love and high standards. You are that piece of art, your life can be stunning tapestry if you so desire. Take exquisite care of yourself, the ideas, the friends, the loved ones, the projects, and the things that you’ve put your heart into.
Mercury Rx moves back into Leo (29º)
Mercury Rx has arrived back into Leo on August 16th. Mercury Rx revisits Leo for the purposes of revivification and remembering. The fire signs remind us that we are ALIVE! Rekindling your warmth or reinvesting in showing off your sparkly shine is completely worthwhile. Give yourself and others appreciation showers of praise. Everyone works hard. Bloom where you’re planted and be part of the garden of Life.
Fixed T-square: Sun + Mercury (Leo) square Uranus (Taurus) and opposite the full Moon (Aquarius)
And here we are at the big Awegust planetary conference. The mutable T-square is active, Mercury Rx is in Leo, and now we are presented with the other showstopper T-square in the fixed signs. The fixed signs act and feel more significant and weighty. It’s simply part of their energetic mode of being stable, centered, and made for things to come into fruition.
The square between the Sun + Mercury Rx in Leo with Uranus in Taurus speaks to me about something new, unique, and potentially very freeing that is breaking ground to reach fully into light, leadership, generosity, and love. Both Leo and Taurus are immensely creative signs aligned with actual tangible growth. Until now, we’ve working with the personal planets alongside the interpersonal planets of Jupiter and Saturn. With Uranus in the mix as a key part of this square, I think we’re being asked to make our collective dreams bigger, brighter, and more radical. By that I mean, rooted. Radical has the original meaning of rooted–“originating in the root or ground;” of body parts or fluids, “vital to life,” from Latin radicalis “of or having roots,” from Latin radix (genitive radicis) “root” (from PIE root *wrād- “branch, root”).
The Aquarius full Moon on August 19th waters that collective higher ground as nourishing waters of innovation and reinvention of who we are for this transformative time. Ask yourself–How am I showing up to myself, my family, and my community? Where have I gained strength in being my best self? The full Moon always illuminates the dark spaces. She joins the other luminaries to offer you light if you’re feeling like you’re in the shadows at this time and especially if you’ve been experiencing any dark nights of the soul. For this lovely Aquarius full Moon, if you can, try to make it easier to literally see her. Turn off any extra lighting outside a couple of days prior and ask your neighbors if they will too. On the nights of the 18th and 19th, step outside, gaze at the Moon’s brightness and smile back at her.
Mercury stations direct (21° Leo)
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets
Thanks for being part of the marvelous, wild exploration, my friend!
How did your original, unfettered glorious self show up this month?
What possibilities did you explore and what spaces did you journey into?
Let me know through a personal reply or by commenting below.
