While the Aquarius stellium starts in a close conjunction this month, it will start pulling away slightly as the month continues and Jupiter in retrograde motion pulls away. The confusion you’ve been feeling for the past few months will start abating. You’ll feel that it’s easier to get in touch with your goals. However, you’ll also still need to be careful of rumors and other information that can raise unwarranted fears. The key is to maintain your eye on the goal as energy begins to move.

There is an opposition from Venus on the first day of August indicating that it’s important not to let other people manipulate you into doing things that are not important to you. This is a day when you need to feel in control. You need to be very careful with monetary matters, especially if you’re trying to negotiate a good price for a high-ticket item. Even the stock market is going to go through “mood” swings today.

Mercury enters its own sign of Virgo on August 2nd. Today and the following day when Mercury forms a trine to Pluto and Ceres enters Libra, are very good days to communicate with others. If you were experiencing relationship problems, this is a good time to work things out. People, especially those who love you, really want to understand what you have to say. They’ll feel that your motives are pure and you have their best interests at heart.

The minor planet Ceres is all about compromise. With Ceres entering Libra it is easier to find common ground with other people. If you are trying to develop better relationships with your parents, especially your mother, it can happen. If you are trying to understand your children, especially those over puberty, you’ll gain new insight. For those of you who have adult children, you’ll be able to develop more adult relationships where you appreciate how independent they’ve become because you raised them well.

While there is an eclipse which occurs on August 5th, this eclipse does not appear very important because it won’t be seen by the naked eye. This is a penumbral lunar eclipse where the Sun in Leo forms an opposition to the Moon in Aquarius. However, this eclipse will be very significant on a psychological level especially if you are a Leo, Aquarius, or have a lot of energy in those signs. On March 22, 2009, Jupiter formed a quincunx to Saturn retrograde and the Moon was in Aquarius at that time. Jupiter will form another quincunx to Saturn later this month and the Moon will be in Leo at that time. It’s important for you to look back at the end of March to see if anything significant happened in your life. If it did, this eclipse will bring that matter back to your conscious mind. It you began something and didn’t complete it now is the time to complete that matter. If you tried to avoid something very important, you be forced to deal with that situation. Even individuals who are not Leos or Aquarians will feel the urge to generate closure in their lives.

Mars is very active from August 10th through the 17th. Since Mars is in Gemini, you need to watch your words carefully as they could get you in trouble. Mars forms a square to Saturn on August 10th indicating that your actions may be thwarted by others. No matter how hard you try, you can’t get things done. Perhaps you’ve been doing too much and just need to relax for a while. View the inability to get things done as a spiritual message that your timing is off and you really need to take care of your health.

From August 13th through the 17th, Mars forms a trine to the Aquarius stellium of Jupiter retrograde, Chiron retrograde, and Neptune retrograde. There are several ways that this energy can play out and if you’re not careful you may become over excited about various prospects and over commit yourself.

The trine of Mars to the Aquarius stellium begins on August 13th with a trine to Jupiter retrograde. This brings a lot of energy. You’ll probably feel better and want to start a new project, especially a new health regime. On August 15th, Mars forms a trine to Chiron and you may feel that you can tackle any project without personal cost. Finally, Mars forms a trine to Neptune retrograde on August 17th, and you believe that your dreams can come true.

If you’re self-employed you need to be a little careful. While you may feel that you can achieve any goals on the 13th, you need to be careful about any financial commitments you make on the 15th. The reason is that you’ll find out by the 17th when Mars forms the trine to Neptune that you didn’t have all the information you needed and you rushed into the new project too quickly.

This will also be true for any investments that you want to make. If it appears “too good to be true,” it is.

Mercury is also very active on August 17th when it forms a conjunction to Saturn and a quincunx to Jupiter retrograde. The good news is that since Mercury forms a conjunction to Saturn on the same day that Mars forms a trine to Neptune retrograde you may be able to get a handle on your dreams after all. You may just be able to think about life in a way that balances your need to follow your dreams and your reality of paying bills and maintaining good family relationships. The fact that Mercury forms a quincunx to Jupiter retrograde indicates that you’ll need to make some adjustments in your dreams to accommodate your reality.

August 18th is a highly charged day with Mars forming a square to Uranus retrograde. People are feeling on edge. Anger levels are elevated. You could easily take actions without considering all the consequences. Since there is erratic behavior around you, you need to pay attention when you’re moving about in the world. This could be a day of accidents caused by people who are not paying attention to their surroundings.

Jupiter makes its second quincunx to Saturn on August 19th, the day before a new Moon. This quincunx is important for several reasons already written about in the beginning of this article: The quincunx occurred once before on March 22, 2009. Energies from that time period were activated in the beginning of this month with the lunar eclipse. Just before this quincunx occurs, Venus forms a sextile to Saturn and a quincunx to Jupiter retrograde while Mercury forms a quincunx to Chiron retrograde. So, those energies also play an important role. This is an important day to keep journal notes. If you remember something significant happening to you at the end of March 2009, be aware that you may need to go back and revisit that situation. Perhaps you didn’t complete everything. Perhaps you started something and now need a new approach to the situation.

This is also a time where you need to think about moving forward in your life without destroying the important foundations you build in the past. If you feel confused about the direction of your life, consult with people you love. You may want to heal old wounds that were created when there were disagreements with other people in your life.

Dealing with financial matters is important. The stock market tends to be erratic when changes need to be made because the old rules don’t work yet the new rules haven’t been written. There may be turmoil in the world regarding military or civil rights matters. Violence won’t solve the problem, but it may emerge.

The new Moon with Sun and Moon in Leo occurs on August 20th, one day before the Moon’s North Node enters Capricorn and more paradigm shifts occur. This new Moon is very energetic: The Sun and Moon form a separating opposition to the Aquarius stellium. Also because Mars just passed the square to Uranus retrograde, you’ll feel the mutable T-square that is created by Saturn, Mercury, Uranus retrograde, and Mars. Meanwhile, Venus is approaching a trine to Uranus retrograde as if issuing a statement that any new beginnings at this time will benefit you in the future even if you don’t see the benefits now.

Confusion is very high this day. You want to begin something new but you don’t know what. You want to make amends in those relationships where you separated in anger, yet you don’t know how. At the same time, you don’t want to put yourself into a position where other people can take advantage of your kind nature. If you’re not careful, you may put up barriers that prevent you from reaching out and relating to those important people in your life.

It’s easy to feel frustrated not only with your financial situation but also your professional possibilities. You’d like to find a new job, or perhaps find a job. But it seems like other people are too busy to respond to your inquiries. The need to make changes is swirling around you. And, if this need is swirling around you, it’s also swirling around other people. That’s why you may not receive any responses right now. Others are just as confused as you are and don’t want to make any commitments.

On August 21st, the Moon’s North Node enters Capricorn. This is a 19-year cycle that lasts about 1.5 years. The Moon’s North Node will be in Capricorn until March 3, 2011.

In a mundane (political) chart, the Moon’s North Node represents what the public expects from its leaders and the direction it wants the country to take. The Moon’s South Node, which is always in the opposite sign, represents what can occur if action is not taken. It can also represent fears people have which are used by unethical leaders to implement changes.

When the Moon’s North Node is in Capricorn, you expect political leaders to take charge and accept responsibly. If you are asked to sacrifice something, you need assurances that these sacrifices are for a limited period and will benefit the population as a whole. With the Moon’s South Node in Cancer, you fear the world is not a secure place. If you’re not careful, this fear could be misused by unethical leaders to promote programs that are not in the best interest for the population. At the same time, the Moon’s South Node in Cancer can represent that you understand how important it is to create a safe world and you accept only leaders who have that same understanding.

On a personal level, the Moon’s North Node in Capricorn represents the goals that you set in your life so that you can provide something good for yourself and your loved ones. The motivation is security, as is shown by the Moon’s South Node in Cancer. And the need is for stability in your daily life.

While there are several areas where paradigm shifts occurs when the Moon’s North Node is in Capricorn, the greatest shift focuses on guarding the safety of individuals who may have difficulty taking care of themselves.

In 1935 the Great Depression was in full swing. As part of his second New Deal program, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 (H.R. 7260) which created compulsory old-age benefits programs and provided a monthly pension for workers in commerce and industry who were over age 65. In addition to old-age benefits, the law provided unemployment compensation and fund assistance payments to people who were blind and children who were under the age of 16 who did not have parental support, as well as programs such as child welfare services and maternal and child health services.

On September 1, 1954, President Eisenhower signed the Social Security Amendments of 1954 (H.R. 9366) which expanded coverage. Mandatory coverage was required for self-employed farmers, self-employed engineers, architects, accountants, funeral directors, federal employees not covered by government pension plans, and farm and domestic service workers not covered by previous Social Security amendments. Voluntary coverage could be given to ministers and certain state and local government employees already covered by retirement systems. The tax rate for employers and employees was increased as well as the amount of the wage base on which the tax is determined.

Unemployment and underemployment are two major concerns which will continue as the Moon’s North Node enters Capricorn. In order to provide security for your family, you may need to stay with a job that you don’t like but provides benefits you need. Or, you may find that you need to get a second job to help support your family and pay all your bills.

With the Moon’s South Node in Cancer, it is not surprising that children’s welfare is important at this time. Capricorn rules authority and how to handle various situations which may impact the family. Foremost in the minds of individuals is the desire to protect children, whether that protection comes in the form of the juvenile justice system or other areas.

The Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1899 established the juvenile Chicago court system and began operating on July 1, 1899. It utilized the British common law of parens patriae, Latin for father of the country, which stated that the government could intervene on behalf of children, or any individual unable to take care of himself or herself, when their natural parents or caregivers fail to provide proper care or supervision.

The Social Security Act of 1935 contained language that allows states to help fund assistance payments to children under 16 who were deprived of parental support, as well as child welfare services, and maternal and child health services.

Child labor, already a complex issue for developing countries, will become more important with the Moon’s North Node in Capricorn. More international laws preventing the abuse of child labor will be issued. In the United States and other countries with technological expertise, children are beginning to develop their own companies, often with the support of their parents. As a result, you’ll see laws concerning the protection of money earned by these children.

What this means for you is that children will not be forgotten during a time where there are economic problems. Schools will fight to maintain their budgets. Parents will make certain that needed programs are maintained.

Since the Moon’s North Node in Capricorn lasts more than a year, you will not see all of its impacts at this time. What you will see is more importance placed on family and other social relationships.

On August 22nd, Venus forms a quincunx to Neptune and a trine to Uranus. This can be a scattered day because the quincunx to Neptune indicates potential confusion in money matters while the trine to Uranus indicates a desire to make changes in your life as it relates to your financial situation. If possible, it’s best not to make any major decisions that involve your financial well-being. Instead, with the Sun also moving into Virgo, focus on what you need to do in your life to create a healthier environment for you and your family.

Both Mars and Mercury change signs on August 25th. Mars enters Cancer and Mercury enters Libra forming a square to each other. On the following day, both Mars and Mercury form a square to Pluto retrograde and a cardinal T-square is created. In its most negative form, this cardinal T-square indicates a crisis in leadership or increased military actions. There’s a lot of frustration in the atmosphere. If you feel that frustration, try not to act on it.

This energy can also be used in a positive way. If there is a project which you need to complete, you will be able to focus on that project so well that you can overcome even the biggest hurdles.

With Venus forming an opposition to the Moon’s North Node (and also a conjunction to the Moon’s South Node), there can be a lot of difficulty with the stock market. Hopefully this won’t last long since Venus enters the sign of Leo a few hours later. It is important to note that all three of the personal planets, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, are in zero degrees today. When a planet is in the early degrees of its sign, the energy seems tenuous. You don’t totally understand just how that energy will operate in your life.

As the month of August ends, Venus forms a quincunx to Pluto retrograde on July 27th. In many ways, this is a month of feeling less confused. On the other hand, this is also a month where energy levels increase. If you have felt stymied, you might turn your frustrations into anger. But that doesn’t need to happen. You can also use this month as a time to reconnect with family and other loved ones in your life.