Energy Update: August 2024

August is a “7” Universal Month [8 (August) + 8 (2024) = 16 – 1+6 = 7] in an “8” Universal Year. “7” is the number of the mystic or the Other-Traveller, & 7 months also tend to carry this energy. This is very in line with a month where the major astrological transits are Mercury’s third retrograde of the year.

The Set Up

We begin the month of August with the Sun & Venus in Leo, Mercury in Virgo, Mars & Jupiter in Gemini, retrograde Saturn & Neptune in Pisces, Uranus in Taurus, & retrograde Pluto in Capricorn. By month’s end, the Sun will have entered Virgo, Venus will have moved all the way through Virgo & onto Libra, & Mercury will have retrograded back into the sign of Leo.

The Nitty Gritty

All eyes are on Mercury who is deep in their pre-retrograde shadow at the beginning of August. Mercury will retrograde from 04° Virgo on 8/4 to 21° Leo on 8/28, so most of the month will be pre-occupied by this transit. Otherwise, we are in for a pretty standard month. We’re moving through the late summer signs, & things are heating up & slowing down. We need to keep an eye on our full moon in Aquarius with its multiple t-squares & the Venus-Mars square we will experience this month.

Our Sun is well placed in its home sign this month, but all of our other personal planets are out of whack in some way or another: Mercury is retrograde, Venus is in her fall, & Mars can’t make heads or tails of Gemini. This is going to show up in our world as all of us will be a little bit off track all month long. Step away from the grind, if you can, because you can’t get there from here right now, no matter what you do.

The Sun and Moon

As the Sun moves through Leo, it makes relatively positive aspects (sextiles) with the North Node & Chiron in Aries & a harsh square with Uranus in Taurus. Leo is our fixed fire sign & represents the true nature of the summer season—life gets slow & hot while the Sun transits the sign of the lion. We might as well make like cats & enjoy it. Leo can sometimes be known for laziness, but it is better viewed as a conservation of energy. Move when you have to this month, surely, but don’t be afraid to take a long nap in the heat of things. Things will not move quickly this month – you will not miss out if you step away from the fire for a bit of well-earned rest.

Both of our lunar events involve our Leo Sun & carry a lot of heat & pride. Beware of your ego, & remember to share the space in your life with those you care about. Our month begins with the Sun in exact aspects with our lunar nodes on the Aries/Libra axis – this is a check-in with the greater theme we’ve been experiencing around individuality versus dependency. Leo – especially in its more immature forms is so egoic that they may immediately side with Aries & their independent streak, but there’s a deeper stream at work here. Leos are pack animals; they function best when they have found their pride. Part of that is putting yourself aside & understanding how you fit into the bigger picture. This theme will run through both our Leo new moon & our Aquarius full moon.

Our new moon on 8/5 at 12° Leo was a good day to have a good day. It is not heavily aspected – the Sun & Moon will be in a wide sextile to Jupiter in Gemini, which certainly is encouraging, & that’s really it. It carries with it the energy of 1 & 8.

5 (Leo moon) + 5 (Leo Sun) = 10 = 1+0 = 1. 1 (Leo new moon) + 7 (August 2024) = 8.

Note here that “1” is the number inherent in ALL Leo new moons – they are always a good day to be yourself & to start over. (See above how Leo loves Aries, sign #1) “8” is the number for the Leo new moon in August 2024. “8” is also our number for the year; “8” years take us on a roller coaster ride of ups & downs. But what goes down must come up, & what goes up must come down. This is yet ANOTHER indication that 8/4 is a great day to change where you are in that equation. This is a new moon that you can use to rebalance your life – note here that “8” is also the number of Leo, & the Strength card (traditionally shown with a lion) is the card associated with the sign. Any work done with the number 8, the ouroboros, or the Strength card will be augmented by this energy.

On the other hand, our full moon on 8/19 at 27° Aquarius is our glaring warning sign for the month. The Sun & Moon will form a harsh fixed t-square with Uranus in Taurus that will be further aggravated by retrograde Mercury closely conjunct with the Sun & a secondary mutable t-square between Jupiter in Gemini, Venus in Virgo, & retrograde Saturn in Pisces. T-squares are always worth noting because they create a lot of tension on the “hinge” planet (in this case, Uranus for our fixed t-square & Jupiter for our mutable). Something is bound to give. When it does, it’s likely to be explosive.

Uranus isn’t known for its stability (it erodes/corrodes everything it touches, much like its namesake), & slow-moving Taurus becomes a ticking time bomb with bull on the back end.

Sometimes, Uranian fuses are duds. That’s how unpredictable Uranus is. I want you to understand that I am not trying to incite fear or panic—we are talking about astrological weather reports here. Uranus puts explosivity in play. Whether the card gets drawn is not up to us—not really, not when Uranus is involved.

This is to say that if you have control over it, avoid things that have the potential for explosions on & around the full moon in August. Let’s be real here – we all get a little bit loony around the full moons, & tempers get high. We all know somebody who worked in healthcare or retail & has horror stories about how the public acts around a full moon. This one is likely to turn the dial up to 11. I would avoid the interstates & political protests & stay out of the way of any wall clouds – you know, if you can. Sometimes, you don’t get a choice. If you have to do it, bring protection & have a backup plan.

The full moon carries 4/2 energy.

11 (Aquarius Moon) + 11 (Aquarius Sun) = 22 = 2+2 = 4. 4 (Aquarius full moon) + 7 (August 2024) = 11 = 1+1 = 2.

All Aquarius full moons carry “4” energy, which may stabilize things slightly. One can hope. This one also has “2” energy – it’s a good day for movement magic of all kinds. Use the energy of the number 4 to stabilize something in your life – perhaps charge a pyramid-shaped crystal with energy or put something within a box to be contained & built upon. The energy will be high & chaotic, so be prepared to ground it out if you draw in too much. There’s a lot to use with this lunar energy, but it could easily overwhelm you. Watch out, especially if you are prone to mania, & practice your care routines early & often.

The Sun’s entrance into Virgo will be uneventful, as always. This will ultimately help – I think – but we’re going to have to get there in September.

Mercury

Mercury is retracing its steps back from the beginning of Virgo through the last decan of Leo for most of the month. Expect your life to go in a different direction as well. This echoes the energy of Mars in Gemini & can be applied liberally to some wild side project that you never have time for. The entire three-week period of Mercury’s retrograde is highly liminal. This is our third cosmic do-over of the year—you might as well use it.

Venus

She’s moving fast & will pass all the way through the sign of Virgo this month & enter her home sign of Libra. Virgo is the sign of her fall so expect to have to mellow the harsh in yourself & ignore it in your Others. I know – this is the hardest work we ever need to do. It’s not personal when Venus is in Virgo; she just…doesn’t quite know how to be nice. This isn’t a super pleasant addition to our month, but it is business as usual & happens once a year – often during Leo season. It’s hot. We are all going to grump a lump about it.

Venus in Virgo will square Mars in Gemini on 8/22, so watch yourself & how you interact with your loved ones around this date. Do you need to be that critical? Can you just show up & support them instead of telling them what to do….again?!? This is breakup weather because both people involved in the conflict will need to bend to truly make amends. Both Gemini & Virgo – ruled by Mercury – can learn & grow from these types of conflict. The question is: can you?

It is LEO season (mostly), so the way out is through your heart. If you can get out of the collective flow & back into your own heart, you will likely be kinder, & that kindness will (almost always) ripple out into the world around you. You can experiment with carrying rose quartz with you to counter the harshness of Venus in Virgo or practice breath work involving the heart center. A technique that I find helpful is to breathe love from the universe into my heart on my in-breath & then breathe love to the universe out of my heart on my out-breath.

This will lighten the minute Venus enters her home sign of Libra on 8/29.

Mars

Mars is chugging away in Gemini, a sign that he is poorly placed. Mars wants to keep moving toward its current target, & Gemini is full of side quests & back roads. This indicates that no matter how hard we work, we’re not getting places this month. You might as well just accept that now & turn your attention towards things that aren’t so focused. Mars in Gemini can focus right now, but not for a long time.

Hold until you need to do it, and then get it done.

Mars in Gemini has a tiny bit of the feeling of Mercury retrograde (especially Mercury retrograde in Virgo), so if you do need to put in the work, do it in a roundabout fashion. Get really creative. Points for thinking so far outside the box that nobody can follow your path but still get it done. Mars in Gemini strongly supports deep exploration of topics – this is the special interest zone for sure. This energy also supports writing a completely reckless first draft (like not of the manuscript you are supposed to be working on).

Mars will conjunct Jupiter at 16° Gemini on 8/14 & then square retrograde Saturn in Pisces two days later on 8/16. Don’t expect the roads to be clear. Things are not what they appear during this time. If you get a break on 8/14 – take it right then. By 8/16, it either won’t be there, or it won’t be what it seemed to be. Luck may swing wildly during this time.

Watch out for anger when Mars squares Venus on 8/22 – it won’t last long, but it is likely to be biting.