It seems like every day is loaded with BIG astrological significance this year! That seems about right, considering our experiences thus far. Well, August is no different! I’m touching on the highlights, so you know what to expect and how to stay conscious of the energy flying around.
First, the Big 3!
The theme of 2020 – Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter hanging together – all year. Saturn, our middle world planet, demonstrates an intent to make big changes in our current world. It’s still close to Pluto and Jupiter, which are almost on top of each other. When planets are close together it really increases the initiations they represent for us. Pluto is our resident underworld planet, teaching us to feel our deepest feelings intensely, with a serious sprinkle of fear thrown in. Jupiter is just dripping steroid juice on these other two, expanding the intensity. We’re getting an incredible, albeit extreme, opportunity to feel into how we got here and what to do about it. We’ve been sent to our rooms to think about what we’ve done. August starts off with a bang as the Moon immediately lights up the Big 3. (Read more about the 3 Worlds here.) BTW, they are all still retrograde too.
August 1 & 2
The Moon passes right over the Big 3, which illuminates and activates this energy. It’s all going on in earthly Capricorn, thus amplifying Saturn’s lesson of how we’re doing in the real world and what’s working and not working, especially around our terrestrial mama. We haven’t been doing so well and the circle of grandmothers (Capricorn) are calling us out. With the moon highlighting the Big 3, we feel an energy that is asking us to shift how we’re handling things in a really, really intense way.
Also, on August 2, the Sun in Leo is square with Uranus in Taurus, shining a big bright light on let’s get innovative and unique in how we care for ourselves and the earth. It can be a time of unexpected happenings and unusual energies, although at this point can it get any weirder?! It probably can.
August 3
It’s the Full Moon in Aquarius, an energy much like Uranus, unusual, unique, avant-garde. This is an excellent time for ceremony to bring our awareness to something we need to let go of, anything that stands in the way of our fullest expression. Aquarius begs us to be our most individual selves, so what stands in the way of you being your most YOU?!? An Aquarius Full Moon asks us to get more conscious of what we really need to release, especially during this wild time. What can you get rid of that helps?
August 4 & 5
The Moon moves into Pisces, allowing us to focus more on our feelings with compassion and empathy. Mercury leaves Cancer and enters Leo, thereby changing up our feeling-oriented thinking into one of intuition and action. Venus sits right on the North Node as well. This is an alignment of the Divine Feminine with the direction we’re headed. With all of this in Gemini, it highlights the whole Venus cycle, in Gemini this go round, as the energy we’re trying to get to – towards more unity and away from all this polarity and “us and them” thinking. Gemini also likes a healthy dose of magic, so finding more connection to serendipity and the unseen realms is a part of what’s going on for us over the next year and half. I see this as a deeper honoring of the hidden arts of the Feminine in general. Hallelujah!
August 6
The Moon passes in front of Neptune in Pisces, also retrograde, so is a great time for dreaming, individually and collectively.
August 7 – The Cross Quarter
It’s the mid-point between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox. The Celts celebrate this as Lughnasadh or the harvest festival. Christians celebrate this as Lammas, the loaf mass or grain harvest. Your calendars will say this was on August 1, but for Shamanic Astrology we honor the cross quarter when the Sun gets to 15 degrees Leo. That’s today!
August 8 & 9
The Moon catches up to Chiron (retrograde too) and Mars in Aries, illuminating and activating the initiation cycle of both in Aries. This is all about the wounding or the fracture point in the masculine. Aries is the stereotypical masculine energy, strong, actional, mission-oriented, black and white commitment. We’ve definitely witnessed the unhealthy sides of masculinity in patriarchy. With this Mars cycle and Chiron in Aries, I feel we are at a great crossroads to find the Divine Masculine and heal the wound patriarchy has wrought on us all. Venus moves into Cancer on the 8th as well, so we have the mother archetype of the Divine Feminine supporting this energy, ushering in an unconditional love as we work through healing our Masculine energy.
August 10
The Moon lights up Uranus in Taurus, while it’s at a standstill just before it goes retrograde on the 15th. Uranus in Taurus is really about a consciousness inside our bodies and within the earth. More on this below.
August 13
Venus in Cancer lines up with the Crescent Moon, which in Shamanic Astrology shows us Venus is passing through the third eye chakra gate. Venus’ journey, through her 19-month cycle around the Sun, is told in the ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna. She rises in the morning sky (which happened in June) and then begins her journey to the underworld (February next year). As she descends to the underworld, she passes through the 7 chakra gates, releasing symbols of each chakra. As Venus passes through the third eye chakra gate today, it’s a time to focus (for the next month) on what needs to be released from your third eye, what blocks this chakra and sight for you.
August 15 – thought we’d never make it with all the astrological goings on this month!
Uranus goes retrograde, in Taurus, blending the most cosmic energy with the most grounded energy. What will that mean for you? I take it to be a time to take a much deeper look into how our consciousness can support us in being more grounded and more connected to the earth, more supportive of our earthly bodies, living off-of and on the earth. How can we bring our awareness to how we take care of her and ourselves? This Uranus retrograde time could really help us heed the call of the Big 3 initiation cycle we’re going through all year.
Phew!
That makes 6 planets retrograde now! It’s another big couple of weeks astrologically. The point isn’t to overwhelm you with all the energies present, but to highlight the teachings and opportunities available. You’re going to feel it regardless, so my hope is that these astrological forecasts support you in being more conscious in your co-creation with the energies.
Essential oils for August
I think staying grounded will be the best help to us now. Trees like Fir, Spruce, Pine and Frankincense would be excellent essences to use this month. Red Pine is amazing for the Aries and Mars energy. Douglas Fir is brilliant for all the Gemini energy. Black Spruce is a good one for the Pluto energy and for connecting to the earth and the sky. Cedarwood Himalayan and Eucalyptus Gully Gum are both helpful with the Saturn intensity. We’re still in Leo season, so any essence you love and makes you love yourself will be a benefit to you. Comment below what essences you’re using to deal with this most unusual time. You can shop for these and other essential oils by clicking here.