Molly's Astrology

Greetings from lovely Vinalhaven, Maine! John and I are up here on vacation, enjoying a much-needed rest, especially for him.

Jupiter trine Saturn builds in power this month and through early September. This is especially good for practical, earthy people and goals. It has the potential to bring benefit to everyone, especially those who already have their ducks in a row. For those who don’t, here’s a good opportunity to get started. It’s time to get to work on those great ideas you had last year when the trine appeared in idealistic fire signs. It’s time to build something concrete to support those ideals.

Solar Eclipse, August 1

As most of you already know, there’s a solar Eclipse in Leo on the 1st, bright and early for those of us in the States. We won’t be able to see it here, but we can still work with its powerful energy. Leo is the sign of creativity, leadership, fatherhood, and concerns of the ego. Many folks think that ego is a four-letter word. Eego..? As if ego were something you should strive not to have. But without ego, there would be no creative expression, no leadership. True that it must be kept in balance, like any other part of self. There is a self-aggrandizing quality to Leo, but there is also a generous part that seeks to share from that place, rather than dominate others. Try to recognize and honor that place in yourself and others, now and over the next six months as the energy of this Eclipse unfolds. Read the end of my July forecast for more info on this wonderful Eclipse.

August 2-6

It looks like a pretty mellow weekend. With the Moon in dutiful Virgo, it’s a good time to get tedious or detail-oriented tasks crossed off your to-do list. Sunday and Monday Venus moves in to “kiss” Pluto, planet of intensity and regeneration. Venus governs values, finances and relationships. Both of these planets are very near the ends of their signs, Leo and Sagittarius, suggesting a good couple of days to resolve or finalize a matter, to bring something to completion and clear the decks for something new or different to come in. In fire signs, this trine lays a good energetic foundation for important meetings and social gatherings. Positivity and generosity rule the day.

However, the storm clouds roll in immediately on Tuesday and Wednesday. Two oppositions in the sky, along with a Libra Moon suggest that contrarian attitudes are prevalent. Yes, you thought Libra was supposed to be all nice and sweet and graceful right? Well, it is when it wants to be. But other times, Libra is a sign that will argue for argument’s sake. It can drive you nuts. The two oppositions are Mercury-Neptune, a foggy vibe that can cloud our judgment and clarity. Don’t force a decision. You probably don’t have all the information yet. The other is Mars-Uranus, an explosive energy that can lead to accidents, snap decisions and actions that have not been thought out carefully. Mars is fast and sharp. Uranus is jerky, shocky and unpredictable. So be careful with knives, automobiles, electric machines, and other potentially dangerous objects. Carpenters and other craftspeople, you may want to save the power sawing for another day.

Venus enters Virgo on the 6th, where she will remain until the end of the month. Each planet has a sign or two where its energy can express fully, and a sign or two which it’s less comfortable in. Virgo is one of the less comfortable signs for Venus. Reinhold Ebertin says of it: “the dictates of the heart are often suppressed by practical considerations.”¹

August 8-17

Storm clouds begin to clear on Thursday, and solutions appear as a new vibe rolls in— Mercury trine healing Pluto, strongest on Friday and Saturday. Being at the end of their signs, this combination can bring a beneficial outcome to something you have been working on or planning for the last month or so. Speak up. And listen. It’s a good time to compromise, solve differences, and put the finishing touches on a contract or deal. It’s also a good day for traveling, as Mercury rules all forms of transportation. I’ll be on the road home, back to the steam bath that is Virginia in August. :) And back to work.

Mercury enters Virgo on Sunday the 10th. Unlike Venus, Mercury’s analytical, detail-oriented energy is a perfect fit for practical, service oriented Virgo. Mercury’s entry brings the total of planets in Virgo to four— Venus, Mercury, Mars and Saturn. Virgo tends to focus on component parts rather than the whole enchilada, so this diligent and careful energy can be a challenge for Sagittarians, Pisceans, and other big-picture types. Teamwork and cooperation, tidiness, correctness— or the lack thereof— is an issue. Virgo’s downside is excessively picky, critical, overly focused on unimportant details. Keep the big picture in mind.

There’s a special full Moon coming up on Saturday afternoon (8/16)— a lunar Eclipse. Full Moons bring things to fruition, and they tend to dump our emotional buckets, bringing emotions to conscious awareness. Centering prayers, meditations and exercises can help a lot in cultivating Aquarian detachment and objectivity to balance and support the aims of the ego (which were stimulated by the solar Eclipse in Leo).

August 12 and 13, Saturn takes center stage as Venus conjoins Saturn and the Moon travels through Saturn’s sign, Capricorn. Saturn is sober, realistic, and hardworking. According to Ebertin, “sense of duty dominates the inclinations of the heart.”¹ However, Jupiter is backing up and will soon trine Saturn— a combo that facilitates slow but solid growth and good business sense. Mercury and Venus are both touching off this beneficial trine. Focus on what’s going right, and take what is going wrong, not as a personal reflection on your worth, but a road sign showing that a turn is coming up. Mistakes and corrections are a necessary bump in the road to success.

Thursday the 14th, we get a whiff of the otherworldly as the Sun opposes foggy Neptune. There’s an element of “la-la land” to today’s energy. Getting folks on the same page on this day will probably feel like herding cats. But we’re back to business on Friday as Mercury conjoins hardworking Saturn.

Saturday we have two wildly different aspects happening simultaneously— Venus trine Jupiter is a happy face transit that usually manifests as warm heartedness, attractiveness and mirth. But Mars square Pluto is a dangerous, volatile combination that signals a darker side— actions rooted in obsessive, unconscious places. Fire, assaults, ruthlessness. Not a good time for a first date. The air clears somewhat on Sunday as Mercury lines up in a kiss with optimistic Jupiter.

August 18-23

Mars enters Libra early in the morning on Tuesday the 19th. Mars is what we fight about— in Libra, we want equality and balance— “it’s not fair!” Libra can be friendly and cordial when it wants to be, but eventually the see-saw turns and Libra becomes blunt, frank, and sometimes even downright mean. When people say “yes” but you hear a reluctance in their voice, either wait or proceed with extreme caution. Libra often says yes when it means no, and gets angry about it later.

Wednesday the 20th, the Sun trines healing Pluto as he’s finishing up his journey through Leo. This is another signal of finishing up something, healing, bringing closure. As Judge Judy often says, “put a period.” Meaning, don’t drag it on. Finish the sentence.

Thursday the 21st is another happy-face day as Mercury meets up with Venus. Thoughts (Mercury) turn to love, affection and beauty (Venus). It’s a light hearted energy. Folks tend to pay attention to the good news and ignore the “buzzkill” of any bad news, leaving it to deal with later.

Friday and Saturday belong to Uranus, as Mercury and Venus line up in opposition to this planet of surprise and sudden, unexpected change. Uranus is a planet of both rebellion and innovation. But our thoughts and energies can be somewhat scattered. Hasty decisions and ill-planned actions can get us in trouble.

August 24-31

It’s the dark of the Moon— the last quarter of the lunar cycle, time to detox, clean out the closets, and clear the decks for a new beginning that comes with the new Moon on Saturday afternoon.

Monday through Thursday, we may be feeling a little restless as Mercury and Venus square Pluto. There’s a conflict between the “how” and the “why,” the details vs. the big picture. It may not be totally apparent now. But big picture thinkers can see that the world is changing. Pluto has backed into “endless growth” Sagittarius temporarily, but will soon re-enter “limited resources” Capricorn, again bringing home the idea that we do indeed live on a finite planet and we need to start changing how we do things to reflect this reality. Mercury squaring Pluto may bring to our attention all the little ways we can rearrange and reorganize to make room for this changing reality— so pay attention. Pluto is known as the “cosmic garbage truck,” and he’s ready to take whatever you can pile on. It’s a good time to clean out the closets, literally and figuratively.

Mark your calendar!

The best days for your top priority plans are August 2, 4, 9, 20.
Take it easy on August 5-7, 13-16, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30.

Interesting links

NASA’s Eclipse page
Lynn Koiner on Mars in Virgo

¹ Ebertin, Reinhold. The Combination of Stellar Influences.