August 2011 Astrocast

Key Events:  

Full Moon (20:41 Aquarius): August 13, 2011

New Moon (05:27 Virgo): August 28, 2011

Retrograde Planets: 

Pluto:  April 9, 2011 - September 15, 2011

Neptune:  June 3, 2011 - November 9, 2011

Uranus:  July 10, 2011 - December 9, 2011

Mercury:  August 3, 2011 - August 26, 2011

Jupiter:  August 30, 2011 - December 25, 2011

Easy Reference

Sun   Moon  Mercury   Venus   Mars   Jupiter   Saturn   Uranus   Neptune   Pluto  

1st House   2nd House   3rd House   4th House   5th House   6th House   7th House   8th House   9th House   10th House   11th House   12th House

Aspects     Sign Rulers     Fire-Earth-Air-Water     Cardinal-Fixed-Mutable

Moon Void of Course Table   Eclipses

Lunations and Long-term Aspects

The first thing you need to note about this month is that Mercury is going to be retrograde again for the majority of the month.  As you probably already know, this is NOT the time to buy anything electronic or mechanical, which you may be doing as part of any back-to-school preparations.  Considering that Mercury slows down before he actually goes into reverse, even the first few days are questionable and after that, the shadow period lasts until September 10, making it best to wait until then, if at all possible, before buying anything that fits that description.  If your car dies, you'd really be better off renting one; if your washer or dryer dies, do to the laundromat.  Last year my fridge died during a Mercury RX period and I lived out of an ice chest for over two weeks.  A few days after he went direct I bought a new one and while it basically works, it sounds as if it's haunted and things like the freezer handle have a propensity to fall off every now and then.  So consider yourself warned.

The Full Moon on August 13 is in your sign and will be on your natal Sun if your birthday is between roughly February 8 - 12.  This will bring some sort of culmination, ending of shift of phase to something in your life, even if your birthday is not in that date range; it will just be less noticeable.  Neptune is retrograde and back in your sign and thus affecting those of you born on February 18 - 19.  Neptune tends to make you dreamy and possibly tired and unmotivated which will unfortunately last for several months.  If you feel a bit out of it or generally confused during that time, this is the cause and while it will go on for a while, it won't be permanent.  Use this time to relax, use your imagination and ponder the various dreams and aspirations you have.

Be on the lookout for some possible conflicts at work, though it's possible you will be the one that stirs things up.  You may come up with some innovative ideas which make perfect sense to you (especially if you're one of those people dealing with Neptune) but will go over like the proverbial lead balloon with everyone else.  If you push too hard to get your way you could undermine yourself in the long-term so proceed with caution.  On the positive side, this is a favorable time to pursue a project related to home, even if it's simply a cleaning frenzy where you haul that old stuff gathering dust to the local thrift store or dump, whichever is most appropriate.  Remember that Mercury retrograde is a favorable time for finishing up old projects, reviewing or rethinking existing plans, repairing items (as opposed to buying a new one), or reconsidering anything that doesn't seem to be coming out as expected.

Expressing your emotions may be more difficult than usual.  If there is any unfinished business with someone close to you it may be difficult to resolve or achieve mutual understanding and move on.  This is not to say you shouldn't try, only that you shouldn't expect everything to go as easily as you'd like.  Venus is transiting your 7th house of close relationships, but you may find that your personal needs are not being met as you would like.  There is a general tendency to be self-centered at this time so recognize that this will be a factor on both sides; in other words, the other person may not be the only one being selfish.

The New Moon on August 28 is in Virgo, your 8th house of transformations, intense experiences, debt, shared resources, sex, death and regeneration.  This can denote a time when you walk away from something and begin anew as well as involving such things as getting a loan or experiencing something that has a life-changing effect on you.  Don't panic, there are numerous favorable aspects associated with this lunation, many more than we've seen for a long time so you can always hope to see some benefits, especially if you've been in a long, dry spell.  Watch for some favorable effects to show up on the homefront in one form or another.  This could be subtle or significant.  For example, it could involve old memories of home, seeing things differently that before, or moving to an entirely new city.  A change of course is particularly likely if your birthday is right around January 26.  Eliminating something from your past, perhaps a self-defeating habit or behavior, is especially favored so if you've been wanting to go on a diet, quit smoking, or delete a similar issue from your life, this lunation is there to lend a helping hand.  A bit of love or money luck is possible as well.  There is also the possibility that moving forward with your job could involve some applied effort such as returning to school or relocating.  If you have any legal matters to attend to, this is a favorable time to pursue them as well.

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