Throughout the month of August there are several distinct energies which create two important underlying themes:

With the cardinal grand cross that will be created by Mars, one of the themes is to determine how you can create a safe harbor in a world where things just seem to get crazier and crazier.

With Mercury turning retrograde, Neptune re-entering the sign of Aquarius, and Jupiter turning retrograde, the other theme is to understand how your past actions impacted your life today and how you may need to go back and re-evaluate whether those past actions are important to continue so you can generate future success.

The month of August starts with Venus forming a trine to Uranus retrograde and a quincunx to Pluto retrograde on August 1st. With the debt ceiling rise looming, finances are the top concern for everyone today. There is both an excitement as well as anxiety in the world. But it’s important to remember that whatever decision is made, the decision won’t be permanent nor will it have a real solution. For the reason, the stock market will be very erratic today.

On a more personal note, Venus forming a trine to Uranus retrograde can bring some exciting people into your life. You might meet someone who becomes important to you in the future. Or, you may run into someone you know from your past who did something very important for you. Either way, you’ll be very happy to meet these people.

With Venus forming a quincunx to Pluto, you’ll start re-evaluating your current and past relationships. There may be power struggles going on. Someone may express anger about a situation which occurred earlier and you thought was resolved. Try not to get into any arguments because the other person’s emotions about the situation will be so confusing that it’ll be difficult to resolve anything, let alone understand it.

Mercury in Virgo turns retrograde on August 2nd and will remain retrograde until August 27th. While it’s in its retrograde motion, it will actually re-enter Leo for a short time period. While Mercury is retrograde in Virgo, it’ll be easy to go back and correct past records. It’ll be a good time to go through your files and toss those records that you no longer need. You’ll also need to take time and re-evaluate your daily routine. Perhaps you’ve made too many commitments and now you need to release some of those commitments so you have time for yourself. Or, perhaps you’ve let things stack up and now it’s time to clean house, literally.

Mars enters Cancer on August 3rd and within less than one hour forms a trine to Neptune retrograde. Later in the day Mars will form a square to Ceres retrograde. First of all, Mars is not comfortable in the sign of Cancer, a sign that represents nurturing. Instead, Mars is like someone steaming and not quite knowing how to more forward. At the same time, by entering the sign of Cancer, Mars will create a cardinal grand cross between Ceres retrograde, Uranus retrograde, Pluto retrograde, and Saturn between now and August 25, 2011.

Spiritually, a cardinal grand cross represents the need to go through a period of initiation. Much has been written in previous articles regarding the cardinal initiation, but some review could be helpful here. Mars represents the entry of the soul into material consciousness. If Mars were in its own sign of Aries, it would be all about you and no one else. However, Mars is in the sign of Cancer, so bringing the soul into material consciousness means understanding that both you and other people want to feel secure in the world. You want a safe harbor where you can be nurtured when things are tough.

Since Mars is forming a trine to Neptune retrograde less than an hour after it enters the sign of Cancer, this confuses the matter even more so. You may have a sense of what brings about security, but you’re not sure if you can bring this about. Pay attention to any dreams which you have during the next few nights. They could be subconscious thoughts trying to surface. If you feel tired, take the time to rest. Energy tends to be low when Mars makes any aspect to Neptune.

When Mars forms a square to Ceres retrograde later in the day, the energy of the cardinal grand cross begins. Ceres represents the need to compromise in life over important matters. No one solution is correct. At the same time, your ego may be involved and you don’t want to compromise because you feel it may make you look bad. Be careful of making judgments based solely on your ego. It could prevent you from working out a reasonable solution.

When Mars forms an aspect to Ceres, you need to be careful of potential accidents. Accidents that occur during this aspect do so because structures that are getting old and worn have been ignored. They break if they haven’t been maintained. To prevent these accidents, you need to complete your maintenance or repairs before August 3rd.

August 4th is an important day because Neptune retrograde re-enters the sign of Aquarius one last time before it returns to Pisces and remains there for approximately 14 years. Neptune first entered Aquarius on January 29, 1998 and stayed there until August 23, 1998, when it re-entered Capricorn in retrograde motion. Neptune finally entered Aquarius on November 28, 1998 and stayed there until April 4, 2011 when it entered Pisces. Neptune will remain in Aquarius until February 3, 2012.

Whenever an outer planet, such as Neptune, re-enters a sign for the last time in its cycle, it means that you have a chance to go back and correct any problems which occurred. During the time period that Neptune was first in Aquarius, the technology market started expanding and people started making more money off the “tech boom.” Since this was Neptune, all was an illusion and the market eventually crashed.

Also during the time period that Neptune was in Aquarius, the big push was the global economy. People were trying to find ways to increase trade with other countries. India started to come into its own. Companies in America first started outsourcing “back room” jobs thinking that that would lower costs and enable their employees to find better paying jobs in other areas. However, that economic paradigm was also an illusion. What happened is that India and other countries started to find ways to “in-source” more highly skilled jobs. Outsourcing moved into the medical and legal professions.

Another area of change was in technology and its move from primarily office support to personal lifestyle. People starting getting involved with social networking sites like Facebook. They had the illusion of many friends, as people started letting others onto their Facebook page because they were “friends.” Eventually many people realized that this was an illusion and that much of their personal data was being sold and they were losing their privacy.

With Neptune returning to Aquarius, the technology market may seem to start creating another boom. This time the boom will be in the area now called cloud computer, another Neptune energy. While cloud computing means more access to various websites, software, and emails, through smart phones and other technologies that will occur, it still could be an illusion and the threat of privacy loss remains strong. Now companies are able to track more personal data through your smart phone as well as your physical location.

During this retrograde period you may try to regain some of that privacy you lost. But it’s really too late for that. About the only way you’ll be able to reclaim this privacy is to start “going off the grid.” In some cases, people will do just that. They won’t answer their emails as often. They won’t return tweets, and they will friend less people on their Facebook page or perhaps drop Facebook all together.

Outsourcing may continue although some American companies are moving their operations back to the United States due to criticism about lack of service. Still, other companies are going to provide more services via the internet and smart phones and fewer services which involve human interaction.

During the time period that Neptune is in Aquarius, it’s important for you to consider the impact of technology in your life. Is it helping or hindering you? This is also the time period to re-evaluate your relationships with people in your life, especially social acquaintances. Do you really need to have so many friends on Facebook and LinkedIn?

And while you’re re-evaluating your online friends, take time to re-evaluate your volunteer commitments and other social engagements. Again, the question to ask is whether or not these involvements are helping or hindering you.

Since Aquarius also represents changes in the world, you may want to look at things that are happening in the world to understand its impact on you. The economic picture is going to continue having problems as the world governments try to rebalance their financial picture. Corporations will try to regain their profits which may not really increase the employment situation. More companies will start adding fees to their various services which were free in the past.

Venus forms a square to Jupiter on August 5th which could indicate another erratic day for the stock market. This usually indicates a series of highs and lows with the final direction unpredictable.

Personally, you need to be careful because there’s a tendency to spend too much money for items, especially luxury items. On one hand, you feel optimistic about things. You feel that you can do anything you want. And, with this attitude, you could easily purchase something that you can’t quite afford. Better wait a few days before you decide to make a purchase, especially if it’s a major one.

On August 7th, Mercury retrograde forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde while Venus forms a sextile to Saturn a few hours later. With this combination, you may find that suddenly you need to spend money on repairs which you were hoping to put off. If you have any items, especially related to the structure of your property that need repair and you’ve been putting off, try to get them fixed before August 7th. Otherwise, it might end up costing you more. One good thing about this combination is that people will be willing to take you seriously when you try and discuss any important matters.

As Mercury, in its retrograde position, re-enters the sign of Leo August 8th, it forms an opposition to Neptune. Usually when Mercury is in Leo, there’s a desire to be generous with other people. You really want to help. But with the opposition to Neptune, you have to be careful. Other people will try and take advantage of you. Also, you may find that decisions you made on July 28, 2011, another time when Mercury formed an opposition to Neptune, come back to haunt you. This is not the time to make any commitments because you don’t have all the facts.

Mars forms a trine to Chiron in the wee hours of August 9th, eastern daylight time. Throughout the morning hours, you’ll feel as if some form of healing is taking place. This is a good time to look at the physical needs of your life and determine if you want to go on a diet or make some life changes regarding health in general.

If you feel as if you’re angry with someone, you may actually be able to heal those problems as well. The key is to understand what created the anger. By understanding this anger, you’ll be able to take the right action to dispel the problem.

However, by the afternoon of August 9th, eastern daylight time, Mars will form a square to Uranus retrograde and the energy of the cardinal grand cross is activated again. Now you feel frustrated with situations. You may feel that you aren’t moving fast enough. If you slow your pace, you’ll still be able to use this energy to implement new health programs in your life. However, if you try to push too hard, you’ll get frustrated and give up before you see any results.

Don’t let yourself get pulled into any arguments at this time. Other people around you may seem unreasonable. Or, they may view your actions as unreasonable. If possible, try to keep your mouth shut and just listen. Also, be aware of your surroundings. This frustration could lead to road rage or some other form of accident. Meanwhile, the weather will be very erratic which doesn’t help in the case of accidents.

Ceres retrograde will leave the sign of Aries and re-enter the sign of Pisces on August 10th. It will remain in Pisces until January 19, 2012 when it re-enters Aries. Much has been said about the potential rulers of the planet Ceres. However, one thing that is evident about Ceres is that it does not represent the compassionate mother. Rather it represents the mother who is willing to do anything to fight for her child even if that willingness is through compromise. Ceres also represents the environment and the need to generate food which sustains the world.

During the time period that Ceres is in Pisces, you’ll need to learn that compassion, while difficult, may become more important as compromise becomes a necessity in achieving goals and objectives. Politically, alliances will shift, as people see their very security being threatened by leaders who are unwilling to find solutions for compromise. Nothing is black or white and the lines blur even more when Ceres is in Pisces.

On August 11th, when Mars forms an opposition to Pluto retrograde, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Again the cardinal grand cross is activated and people may want to push the limits. This could lead to accidents.

This could also be a day where power struggles occur between you and people you work with. Do the best you can to maintain a silent observation of circumstances around you. No matter who starts the argument, both sides will lose. This is especially true with any military actions that are taking place.

The full Moon, with Sun in Leo and Moon in Aquarius, which occurs on August 13th, is one where there is a discrepancy between what you want for yourself and what you feel you need to do for others. While you may want to follow your dreams, you also need to make certain that those dreams are realistic.

The full Moon occurs two days after Mars formed the opposition to Pluto retrograde, but the energy of the cardinal grand cross is still felt at this time. You want to take action and move quickly. However, either other people are standing in your way or you feel they are standing in your way. You may feel that your value system is under attack. Again, try not to get into any arguments because neither side will win. Instead, consider that this energy could also be one of transformation. Reach out to people you love. Let them know you care about them. Focus on the positive things these people bring into your life. If you do that, you’ll find that these relationships transform from difficult into supporting situations.

If you were able to transform your relationships at the time of the full Moon, you’ll really see and feel the positive impact on August 18th, when Mars forms a sextile to Jupiter. This is a good time to discuss your long-term plans with family and friends. There’s a willingness to find solutions to situations which might impede your plans. You may not start implementing those plans yet, but at least you’ll get a good sense of what you need to do.

Things can be very tense on August 20th when Venus forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde. It’s all about relationships, especially with mother figures in your life. You may feel as if your mother is trying to control your actions. Or, you may feel that as a mother you are not being appreciated for your efforts. In actuality, people are trying to express their personalities and become more independent. Perhaps by keeping that in mind, you’ll develop a better understanding of your relationship with women in general and your mother in particular.

This could also be a difficult day financially. You may want to negotiate a special price but no one is willing to negotiate with you. Both today, and tomorrow, when Venus forms an opposition to Neptune, you need to be very careful with your finances. On August 20th, no one wants to negotiate with you. On August 21st, when Venus does form the opposition to Neptune retrograde, people are will either withhold information from you or deceive you about some very important facts.

In the evening hours, eastern daylight time, on August 21st, Venus enters the sign of Virgo. If you made any purchases earlier in the day, you will regret them right now. You may judge yourself too harshly. However, the positive aspect of Venus entering Virgo is that you can correct any financial errors you made. So, don’t judge yourself too harshly. Just take steps to correct your mistakes.

As the Sun enters Virgo on August 23rd, there are several energies that you feel. One is the conjunction from Venus which just occurred; a trine to Pluto retrograde with will occur, and a trine to Jupiter which will occur. With these three energies, you’ll feel as if you can do anything. There’ll be a sense of optimism in your life. You’ll even feel that people are reaching out to you.

At the same time, the Sun will form an opposition to Chiron retrograde and a quincunx to Uranus retrograde. With these two energies, you’ll feel a bit scattered. You’ll feel as if issues are pressing down on you. The good news is that if you feel a bit overwhelmed today, you do have people in your life who care and are willing to help you. So, if you need to talk to someone, you’ll find that individual willing to listen and help you out.

August 24th, will be a difficult day. Venus forms an opposition to Chiron retrograde in the morning, eastern daylight time, and a quincunx to Uranus retrograde in the evening, daylight savings time. Be very careful with your finances during this day. The stock market will be erratic.

Venus also rules relationships. There’s struggle between your need to be independent and your desire to share your life with someone else. It’s a balancing act: Trying to be true to your needs while relating to someone else. If you can’t find this balance you may be in the wrong relationship. If the relationship has been difficult for a while, don’t be surprised if a break-up occurs. If the relationship was going all right until today, you need to discuss the matter with the other individual and see if you can work out some resolution. Be certain that you discuss the matter by expressing your needs instead of their inabilities to support your needs.

The cardinal grand cross created by Mars comes to an end as Mars forms a square to Saturn on August 25th. This is a day when energy is low. If you try to force action, it won’t work. It’s better if you can take the time to relax.

Financially this can be a very frustrating day. People really don’t want to negotiate any deals. If you need to purchase something, you may find that you are over paying for the item. The potential to overpay for an item increases as Venus forms a trine to Pluto later in the day.

However, the good thing about the cardinal grand cross energy ending with Mars forming a square to Saturn is that you’ll be able to come up with ways to crate a foundation that improves your sense of security.

On August 27th, Mercury turns direct. You’ll feel relieved because you’ll finally be able to communicate with people and they understand you. Just don’t get so excited about this that you make commitments which will be difficult for you to keep later on.

The new Moon, with both Sun and Moon in Virgo, which occurs on August 28th, has a similar energy to the day that the Sun entered Virgo on August 23rd. The grand earth trine between the new Moon, Venus, Pluto retrograde, and Jupiter is still energized in this chart. The opposition to Chiron retrograde and the quincunx to Uranus retrograde are still energized in this chart. When a new Moon occurs, it can set up the energy for the next two weeks. You may feel scattered. You may feel overwhelmed. But, you’ll find that if you turn to loved ones and friends, you’ll have support to help you through any difficulties you encounter. You don’t need to do things by yourself.

Venus forms a trine to Jupiter on August 30th just one day before Jupiter turns retrograde. Don’t be surprised if people from your past re-enter your life. You may even find an interesting relationship suddenly start over again. At the same time, watch your financial situation very closely. Pay particular attention to your budget and your investments. See if what you’re doing financially fits into your long-term goals.

As the month ends, Jupiter turns retrograde on August 31st. It will remain retrograde until December 26, 2011. Whenever Jupiter is retrograde, corporations need to be very cautious about any marketing plans or introduction of new products. Things end up costing more than anticipated.

With Jupiter in Taurus, it’s very important to go back and review all accounting procedures because mistakes can be made at this time. It’s also important to take responsibility for your actions. If you don’t take responsibility for your actions, problems will come up once Jupiter is direct.

Spiritually, this is a great time to look at the direction of your life and see how it matches your personal goals. You may not feel like taking many steps towards achieving your goals, but you can at least take time to plan. Even if you take some steps, you may decide by the end of the year, when Jupiter turns direct, that the steps you took weren’t quite right. Don’t worry about it because this is a time for re-evaluations.