Important astrological energies for the month of August 2013:

• Outer planets get no higher than 12 to 14 degrees during the month leading to a lot of long Moon void-of-course periods.
• Chiron retrograde and Uranus retrograde are semi-sextile at 12 degrees leading to a special interaction between these two energies which normally wouldn’t be important.
• Mars out-of-bounds at the start of month. Returns in bounds on August 3, 2013.
• New Moon, with Sun and Moon in Leo, occurs on August 6, 2013.
• Jupiter in Cancer forms an opposition to Pluto retrograde in Capricorn on August 7, 2013 and starts the energy of a cardinal T-square with Uranus retrograde. It forms the square to Uranus retrograde on August 21, 2013.
• Venus enters the sign of Libra on August 16, 2013 and creates the energy of a cardinal grand cross with Pluto retrograde, Jupiter, and Uranus retrograde. Venus will square Pluto retrograde on August 24, 2013. Venus will for an opposition to Uranus retrograde on August 26, 2013. Venus will form a square to Jupiter on August 27, 2013.
• Full Moon, with Sun in Leo and Moon in Aquarius, occurs on August 20, 2013

The Harbinger for Your Future

Misty Kuceris ©2013

Observing patterns is very important in understanding the daily events and their impact on your life, especially in astrology. Some of these patterns have immediate effects; others are harbingers of more to come. This is especially true during the month of August 2013.

One of the patterns that you’ll observe is the high number of void-of-course Moon periods that are longer than ten hours or, in some cases, longer than 24 hours. This is happening because the outer planets are in relatively low degrees. Uranus retrograde starts the month at 12 degrees of Aries. Jupiter ends the month at 14 degrees of Cancer. When you see so many void-of-course lunar periods it means you need to spend a lot of time in meditation and reflection. And, it also means that the declinations of the Moon are very important to observe. (You can read more about this in my Void-of-Course Moon article.) This observation leads to another pattern.

Both Uranus retrograde in Aries and Chiron retrograde in Pisces remain around 12 degrees of their signs. This means that they are in semi-sextile throughout the month of August 2013: A seemingly insignificant aspect. However, as Mars in Cancer, Venus in Virgo, Mercury in Leo, Venus in Libra, and Mercury in Virgo reach 12 degrees at various points in the month, they will activate the combined energies of Uranus retrograde and Chiron retrograde. You will need to look at the changes you’re making in your life to ensure they are beneficial and not destructive. You’ll need to re-evaluate how you balance compassion for others while not enabling destructive tendencies.

Finally, the cardinal energy which is created by Jupiter and Venus this month increases the vibration of the square between Pluto and Uranus which began in 2012 and ends in 2015. Jupiter in Cancer starts marching towards Pluto retrograde and Uranus retrograde and creates the first of three cardinal T-squares which will culminate in April 2014. Venus makes a cardinal grand cross which begins and ends this month but is still as significant. Venus means that you need to understand what is important in your life when it comes to change and responsibility. Jupiter means that what occurs right now is only a harbinger of what’s to come. Make a note of what happens in your life this month as well as global events. Situations will be difficult to resolve before April 2014 when this aspect final completes its third and last pass in this cycle.

On the last day of July, at 10:56 pm EDT, Mars formed a square to Uranus retrograde. As the month begins, Mars forms a trine to Chiron retrograde on August 1^st and Venus forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde. With Mars still out-of-bounds, you may have difficulty focusing your energy. This may led to various frustrations, especially dealing with financial or romantic matters.

When it comes to finances, you may find it difficult to make purchases at reasonable prices. Or, you may purchase items you don’t need because you feel somehow these items will bring you more prestige.

When it comes to personal relationships, especially romantic ones, you may feel that others aren’t giving you the emotional support you need to make changes in your life. Rather than backing you, they are backing away. As a result, you might start lashing out. But, unless you want to end the relationship, lashing out won’t solve anything. The reason that others aren’t giving you the support you need is because they are also dealing with their own problems. As much as they may love you, they really don’t have the energy to give you.

As Venus moves into an opposition with Chiron retrograde on August 2^nd, it’s important to review the actions you took the day before. Did you spend too much money? Were you too harsh with people in your life? If you spent too much money, return the item. If you had heated words with others, see if you can make amends. Or, decide whether having those people in your life is worth it. If not, start removing those relationships from your life.

Mars went out-of-bounds on June 28, 2013 and returns in bounds on August 3^rd. When Mars was out-of-bounds, you may have felt that you couldn’t focus on projects too well. Or, if you decided to try and start a new project, it just got sidetracked. Now, with Mars returning in bounds you’ll be able to focus and put the right type of energy into your projects. Suddenly, it’ll be easier to complete them.

When the new Moon occurs on August 6^th, it forms a square to the Moon’s nodal axis. This indicates it’s a very karmic event, especially since the Sun and Moon are in Leo. When the new Moon falls in Leo, you want to express the generous side of your nature. You want to help others. You’re willing to gamble in relationships. However, since this is a karmic new Moon, you need to be very careful not to be victimized by others as you try to express your generous nature. You may even find people from the past coming back into your life. Either these people are coming back to thank you for past assistance. Or, they are returning in hopes of victimizing you again. The karmic lesson is to understand that you can only help another person if that individual is willing to also help himself or herself.

Jupiter forming an opposition to Pluto retrograde on August 7^th is important for two reasons. First, it creates the energy of a cardinal T-square which ends on August 26^th when Jupiter forms a square to Uranus. Second, and more important, this same energy will occur two more times: January/February 2014 and April 2014. This is an important time period to note in your journal or calendar. The events which occur this August, whether personal or global, will reverberate again in 2014.

By now everyone knows that Uranus and Pluto keep forming a square to each other and will do so until March 2015. The square epitomizes the desire to make changes in your life which increase your sense of awareness and power. It also epitomizes the need to do things your way. In the positive this can lead to new awareness of how you can be responsible for your own life. In the negative this leads to polarization and lack of respect for other people’s needs and opinions. This is a difficult time to find balance and compromise.

With Jupiter now in the mix and creating a cardinal T-square, you need to look at your long-term goals and how you want to achieve them. Jupiter may deal with spiritual and ethical matters, but it also can indicate that you want to move too quickly. Already the Uranus/Pluto square indicates that often change is created without taking time to understand the consequences of that change. Now, with Jupiter, you may see leaders believing that they are the only ones who have solutions when in reality they lack the compassion to find a balanced path for their countries.

The same is true in your life. When Jupiter is in Cancer, as it is now, there’s a desire to reach inward and create safety in a good community. However, if creating safety in your life means that you don’t really care about others, all you are doing is alienating yourself. This cardinal T-square is trying to bring forth events that teach you the importance of caring not only about yourself but about others in your life. It’s also about trying to understand why other people feel the way they do. Only when that happens can you really move forward.

It’s understandable that at this time you want change to occur a lot quicker. The public is getting frustrated with things taking so long to improve, especially economically. Everyone wants prosperity back into their lives. When you feel this frustration, try to take a breath and look at the baby steps you’ve taken in your life that brings positive results. Also try to appreciate the other people in your life who are also taking baby steps and generating positive results. This is a time period to find ways to work with others and appreciate the value they can bring into your world.

Between August 8^th and August 14^th, Mercury enters the sign of Leo and forms various aspects which can make it more difficult to communicate with others. Mercury will form a quincunx to Neptune retrograde on August 10^th; a square to Saturn on August 11^th, a quincunx to Pluto retrograde on August 13^th; and a trine to Uranus retrograde and a quincunx to Chiron retrograde on August 14^th.

Usually when Mercury is in the sign of Leo, you feel as if you can discuss anything with anyone. You want to share information. You feel inspired. You feel as if spirit is guiding your very words.

But, when Mercury forms the quincunx to Neptune on August 10^th, you start realizing that other people don’t understand your point of view. They don’t feel your inspiration. As a matter of fact, they may feel that your concepts are a little strange. As a result, they may pull back from you. Or, they may feel that you are deceiving yourself.

Perhaps they may be willing to listen a little better when Mercury forms the square to Saturn on August 11^th…or, perhaps not. You’ll feel very sensitive to other people’s opinions because you may take their words too personally. You may feel slighted because they aren’t jumping for joy as you share your ideas. Sometimes when Mercury forms a square to Saturn it is difficult to share information because you are censoring your thoughts before you express them. At other times you feel too mentally fatigued to explain all the details of your plans. Don’t press your point too hard today. If other people aren’t hearing what you’re saying, wait until after August 14^th to try and present your point of view.

This need to be cautious in sharing your point of view continues on August 13^th when Mercury forms the quincunx to Pluto retrograde. You don’t want to share too much information because it could be used against you at a later time. You also don’t want to be so passionate about your ideas that other people aren’t willing to listen at all. Again, limit the information that you want to share with others.

By the time that August 14^th rolls around, you may feel as if you’ve been on a mental see-saw. On this day, Mercury will form a trine to Uranus retrograde and a quincunx to Chiron retrograde just a little more than one hour later. On one hand you finally understand what it is that you really need to communicate with others. But, other people may still feel that your ideas are a little too radical to accept. On the other hand, you may finally “get” the concerns that other people have been trying to express about your ideas. You may be able to see that some of your concepts would cause more problems than solve situations.

When Venus enters its own sign of Libra on August 16^th, you may feel a little more mental stability coming into your life. However, even though Venus in Libra indicates that negotiations can go a bit more smoothly, Venus will create the energy of a cardinal grand cross between August 24^th and August 27^th. But before the cardinal T-square occurs, enjoy of the energy of Venus entering the sign of Libra today.

You’ll feel the desire to find balance in life and make commitments to relationships. You’ll want to seek out old friends that meant something special to you and somehow drifted away. You’ll also want to renew important commitments or vows. Just make certain that you’re not seeking a new love relationship right now because Venus will form a quincunx to Neptune retrograde on August 19^th, and you may find yourself meeting someone who is willing to take advantage of your rather than make a full commitment. Also, be careful with any financial contracts on the 19^th because there are hidden clauses which will make the deal too costly.

The full Moon with Sun in Leo and Moon in Aquarius that occurs on August 20^th is actually a void-of-course full Moon. Usually letting go of what you no longer need is a good thing during the time of a full Moon. However, you may not know what to let go of. You need to find a balance between your intimate and social commitments. This is especially true since Mercury and Ceres are forming a conjunction to the Sun and an opposition to the Moon. This is the time when you need to think about compromise. Don’t let other people flatter you into involvements that are not productive.

Since August 7^th you have felt the pull between a new awareness of responsibility and increased polarization of opposing opinions. This energy climaxes on August 21^st when Jupiter forms a square to Uranus retrograde and completes the cardinal T-square it started on August 7^th. Try to stay calm because you’ll feel a lot of tension around you. More battles may increase as people fight for their opinions. Confusion may increase as you try to understand why this fighting is continuing. It’s very important that you maintain your sense of awareness of events happening in the world. It’s also important to take responsibility for changes that you want to make in your life. Just remember that what you’ve learned from the past is just as important as what you need to do to improve your future. This will become easier as Jupiter moves into a trine with Chiron retrograde less than one hour later.

Achieving some compromises and building coalitions to achieve success may be easier on August 22^nd as Mercury forms a conjunction to Ceres and the Sun enters Virgo and easier on August 23^rd as Mercury enters Virgo. People in your life are trying to find a way to communicate with you. They want to find ways to resolve problems. They may even surprise you by compromising on some major issues. If you need to negotiate, these are two good days for the process.

Unfortunately, the ability to negotiate compromises may be lost on August 24^th when Venus forms the square to Pluto retrograde and begins a grand cardinal cross that will last until August 27^th when it forms a square to Jupiter.

Venus forming a square to Pluto retrograde indicates that power struggles can occur when respect isn’t shown between people. You may feel so passionately about your ideas that you are unwilling to listen to others. Or, you may decide that you need to keep pushing your agenda as a means of getting people to listen to you. What’s difficult about this square is that you may not feel as good about your situation as you are pretending. You may actually be operating from some inner fear. If you find yourself operating from inner fear, pull back from discussions and just walk away. Take time to understand the fear and release it.

As Mercury forms an opposition to Neptune retrograde on August 25^th, you may feel that people are out to get you, especially if you didn’t deal with your fears yesterday. Perhaps there is a bit of that energy floating around. Or, perhaps it’s difficult for you to put your thoughts into words. Neptune can always confuse situations. So, you’re better off not discussing your dreams with other people right now. You’re also better off not negotiating any contracts because there will be too many hidden clauses. Do pay attention to the media because there will be some major scandal that’s breaking which will have an impact on the financial market.

The financial market will continue to rock from a scandal on August 26^th as Venus forms a quincunx to Chiron retrograde and an opposition to Uranus retrograde. Also, the opposition that Venus forms to Uranus retrograde is part of the cardinal grand cross created by Venus. Your value system will be questioned. Or, you may find yourself questioning the value system of people in your life. Relationships will be very strained. This is not a good time to resolve problems with other people. They won’t listen: You won’t listen.

All the strife in your relationships will come to a head on August 27^th as Mercury forms a sextile to Saturn and Venus forms a square to Jupiter. This signals the end of the cardinal grand cross that Venus started on August 24^th. Usually when Mercury forms a sextile to Saturn, calmer heads prevail. You find ways to resolve problems with other people. But, because Venus forms a square to Jupiter that may not happen today. People may actually enjoy the drama of not resolving problems. If necessary, determine whether or not these people are necessary in your life. Perhaps these are individuals that you work with. If that’s the case, the only choice you have is to let them talk about their beliefs and walk away. If these are people in your intimate space, you may need to decide that it’s time to distance yourself from them. Perhaps you need to remove them from your life. At least with Mars entering the sign of Leo later in the day, you won’t take their words personally. You’ll be able to separate what they say from what is important in your life.

Ceres enters the sign of Virgo and Mercury forms a trine to Pluto retrograde on August 28^th. You’ll continue to get information regarding matters that need to be addressed. You find ways to come up with solutions. While there is still debate over which sign Ceres rules, Ceres is very comfortable in the sign of Virgo because of the connections the planet and sign have with the environment and creatures of the environment. This is a good day to sift through all the information you’ve heard and seen regarding important matters in your life. This is an excellent day to lay a foundation for moving into the future. This is even a better day for determining how you want to harvest your information so that you can continue on the road to success. Just keep your plans to yourself right now. You want to give them energy and not dissipate that energy by talking about them too much.

Keeping your plans to yourself becomes even more important on August 29^th as Mercury forms an opposition to Chiron retrograde and a quincunx to Uranus retrograde. Energy is scattered. Information is incomplete. People may be looking for ways to use your words against you. Or, they may agree with you initially and then suddenly disagree as if they’ve turned against you.

As Mercury forms a sextile to Jupiter on August 30^th, you’ll finally feel as if you are being heard by others. Part of that has to do with the fact that you feel confident about the information you want to convey. But the real reason is that you actually understand what it takes for you to move into the future. You see the possibilities. You see the solutions. You are ready to move on.