August is a month of shifting sands. They bring reminders of the past, wake-up calls from unfinished business and hints of what’s to come this fall. It’s a definite, palpable time of transition, taking us from the upheaval of the last few years to the situations and structures growing out of it.
Think of this as summer break between semesters in school. Enjoy the moments of fun and catching up with friends, and deal decisively with the prep and clean-up work that comes up. As the month progresses, the atmosphere will shift from fixed to flexible and hurry us along.
It may feel at times as if you are reliving multiple summers at once, what with the memories, artifacts and old friends floating across your radar. They’re answering the call of Venus’ retrograde in Leo (through September 6), which is summoning reminders of much that was important to you, once upon a time: old flames, friends, and people who were a bit of both; talents and pastimes; jobs; even belongings, clothing and toys.
However the visitations come — in dreams, in memories, in old, old songs, in conversation or social media posts, in actual physical contact — welcome and explore them. Flirt, play and reacquaint yourself. They contain lasting treasure: parts of yourself that have slipped out of time present.
As for anything else or more … the jury’s out till fall. Some connections will heat and heat to the point of blazing, especially as Venus and Mars head for their hot date on September 1. This will be true not just of dormant links coming back for a redo, but also of current ones exploring new forms. (The heat goes on when Mars enters Leo on August 8; August 19-21 is ripe for breakouts.) Just remember that things are not entirely as they seem. Some hot and heavy linkups are going to turn serious but fast when the temperature begins to drop, outdoors and otherwise.
I’ve put together a playlist for the Venus retrograde on Spotify. Please to enjoy! And let me know if you have suggestions for me to consider adding.
That’s the pleasant side of the retrograde. There’s another, of the “take your medicine; it’s good for you” variety. Venus is making a hard link to consequence-oriented Saturn, at the end of the sign of Scorpio as well as his time in that sign for the next 28 years or so. The clash is a formula for metaphoric house cleaning, emphasis on tasks left over from Saturn’s visit to Scorpio in 2013-2014. This planetary link has a deep, deep dredging effect. It’s airing nasty, unpleasant, unwelcome secrets, including ones we have kept from ourselves. It’s forcing a reevaluation of costs, investments and return, as well as a balancing of accounts. Whatever pops up for you, face it with all the maturity and follow-through you can muster. The baggage clearing will free to you enjoy summer (and time travel) all the more, and make you ever so much lighter on your feet when the serious movement gets underway.
Look for that to mount as planets parade out of fixed, fiery Leo into dispassionate, boundary-conscious Virgo. The information and transportation flow is the first beneficiary, after Mercury moves into that sign, his summer home, on the 7th. When Jupiter begins his one-year stay there on the 11th, the air takes on a sobriety and practicality that foreshadows the fall. A back-to-school, back-to-work vibe amps up when the Sun follows on the 23rd, so strong we may forget that Labor Day hasn’t happened yet.
There’s still summer fun remaining to be had, though. The Virgo emphasis will provide useful discernment and maneuverability as the focus on relationships (or one special one) intensifies at month’s end. We’ll be thinking and talking about them with grace and ease, thanks to Mercury moves into Relationship Central, aka Libra, on the 27th. The cap of the retrograde, the month and the summer comes on the last day. All that remains is for Mars to head for Venus, as she’s backing into his path. Sounds like a dance. It’ll feel like one, too.
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