Midlife Transits

Happy Birthday, Leo! August continues to be a good month for your chart in terms of career, as Jupiter in your career sign of Taurus is quite strong. Taurus is a nature-loving sign, so if your work happens to be connected with the natural in some way, you get an extra boost. Toward the end of the month, you also get help from the sun and Venus in Virgo, your cash-flow sign.

By the 23rd, there will be four planets in earth signs, all of which relate in some way to your income, job situation, and career. Furthermore, the new moon in Virgo on the 28th is also on board with the whole career/income thing. It takes place just after the sun in Virgo and Pluto in your job sector make a nice helpful trine. By the way, all this happy energy doesn’t mean that something will magically drop into your lap around these dates. What it means is that this is a good time to embark upon a plan or project related to these areas.

My suggestion is that you make writing down your financial desires a top priority in August, along with a wish/intention ritual to be done just before the new moon on the 28th. Of course, I realize that for some of you what Venus in Virgo will signal is a desire to go shopping with someone. Okay, that’s fine, as long as you write down your financial intentions first!

Now a word about Mercury. It starts the month in Virgo, but begins retrograding as soon as it can, which pushes it back into your own sign by the 8th. The Virgo portion of this is like a weird suspended animation, but the Leo portion is actually rather supportive for your sign as it gives you a dose of extra planetary attention. Mercury goes direct in your sign on the 26th.

Of course, you have other planetary support too in August. The sun’s in your sign until the 23rd. Venus is in your sign until the 21st. For most of you, now is a good time to make progress in your relationships, to take them in the direction you want to go.

For those of you with planets at the very last degrees of your sign (e.g., those born around the 21st of August), it’s a slightly different story when it comes to relationships. Neptune is making its last gasp in the sign opposite yours, Aquarius. Simplifying a bit, Aquarius is the sign that represents the other people in your life, and Neptune has been putting relationships into odd stuck places, holding patterns, and mysterious pauses for Leos over the last 14 years. Not all Leos all the time, just bit by bit.

These weirdnesses have been intended to increase your empathy levels. Hopefully, they did and you’re more mellow for it. In August, the very last set of Leos is getting the final peculiar Neptune tutorial so your relationships with other people may get a bit unusual for the time being. Neptune will permanently leave Aquarius in February 2012 for Pisces, where it will stay for about 14 years.

As for your year ahead, well, as mentioned, Neptune will move back into Pisces where it will bring a certain spongy softness to your intimate life and your joint finances. That could be delightful or alarming, and will probably be a bit of both. Pluto and Uranus will move into full-on squaring each other mode in 2012, battling each other in the areas of your chart that relate to travel vs. work. This will not necessarily affect you unless you have planets near 8 degrees in Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn. If you do, you’ll need to batten down the hatches and get help. If you don’t, the battle may affect you only in terms of your work environment as co-workers struggle with their demons and in terms of your sense of ethics, as you become an unwilling witness to bad behavior.

Saturn will continue to attempt to bring ripeness and maturity to your communication style during the next 12 months, something you may be able to capitalize on. Eclipses may affect your love life, children, or friendships. Jupiter will continue to aid your career. Most of the dramatic stuff doesn’t kick into gear until summer of next year and in the meantime, you may find this a rather fruitful year in Leo-land.

P.S. Your annual birthday wish new moon takes place on July 30th this year. Ask the universe for what you want in the year ahead.

During August, your ruler Mars makes angry aspects with 3 of the outer planets, as though the very idea of emotional calm made him boiling mad. But Mars wouldn’t be Mars if stuff wasn’t making him mad, and he does make a nice sextile with peaceful Jupiter in placid Taurus near the middle of the month. The sextile with Jupiter gives rise to the corny but probably effective advice to count your blessings not your lacks. This is particularly true on the home front, which is where Mars will be stationed in your chart during August.

Meanwhile, Neptune backslides into Aquarius, which is good for Aries. Mercury retrogrades out of your work sector and into your play sector. This is as its should be. August is the traditional time for Aries to enjoy those never-ending dog days of summer, to snooze or splash through them as the mood dictates.

If you are a romantic type Aries, interested in a little love life action, you should be glad to know that Venus and the sun in Leo will smile on your efforts until the 21st. The end of your summer romance season doesn’t actually come until the second week of September. It’s a bit longer than it might otherwise be because Mercury retrograde sends the little planet back into your romance sector for a reprise. For some of you it’s possible that you’ll end up getting back together with someone that you had a temporary break with or separation from.

For those with children, it’s also an enjoyable time to spend with them on leisure activities. After the 21st, Venus and the sun start looking at your work place. Venus suggests you might do a few things to make it a nicer space to spend your time. Perhaps she’s right; why not take a bit of time to eliminate or mitigate those elements of your work space that grind on your nerves or make you more stressed than you need to be?

Meanwhile, Jupiter, as it will for about a year, is eyeing your possessions. Those that are in need of repair or that are so far gone they should be thrown out should be attended to. In fact, unless you are an Aries in the throes of a difficult transits from Pluto and Uranus (or Saturn), then it’s as if your chart is taking a breather and saying “Hmmm, how can we tidy things up and make them nice before the next round of planetary disruption?” You don’t have to take advantage of this breather, but it might be a good idea to because most Aries have had more than enough to deal with lately–good and bad.

If you are in the throes of difficult transits from outer planets, then you may be buried at work, dealing with unexpected personal change, wrestling with relationships issues or generally pulling your hair out. If that’s the case, go back to that counting your blessings thing, and count like a maniac. If you can’t find any blessings, go around your house and give thanks for every single thing you own. This won’t solve your problems, but it will temporarily shift your perspective, which is what astrology posits is the key to healing.

If there’s one thing the sign of Taurus loves, it’s the feeling of security. Cozy awareness that one is safe from danger out there is one of Taurus’s favorite things and encourages Taurus to love its home, family, community, and country. It’s tempting to say that if you are a good Taurus in August, Jupiter in your sign will reward you with exactly the feelings your sign loves. I don’t know if that’s actually true, because Jupiter’s idea of just rewards is sometimes a little bouncier and more erratic than the ideas of a reliable planet like Saturn.

But…I can tell you from experience that when Jupiter is cooking in your chart, it can flow through your life as a delicious feeling of contentment. Have faith that you are secure and you will be; that’s what the astrology basically boils down to. Resolve to make August a playful, peaceful month and to avoid any potholes of drama that may open up.

The sun, Venus, and Mercury traverse your solar sector of home life this month, making things there nice indeed. People in your home space are slotted to be more agreeable than usual in August–at least until the 21st. Then Venus and the sun start moving over to the part of your solar chart that represents your love life–making life even better if that’s possible. To take advantage of the good vibes, try to stick close to home at least until the very last week of the month. Mars in Cancer doesn’t feeling like taking any long trips and could well get very grumpy if you try to anyway.

From the 26th on, planets in Virgo align with Pluto to make the prospect of long-distance travel more appealing. While you’re at home, you can use Venus and the sun to do some gentle fixing up or beautifying of your living space. Move the furniture; get things exactly the way you like them right now. That should make you feel good.

You might also want to make a note of the days around the 30th of August. On the 30th, your ruler Venus makes a very nice trine to Jupiter in your sign. You can use this trine simply to schedule a nice date with your honey or a special night with your kids. But you can also you use it for other things.

Jupiter in your sign encourages exploration of the principles you use to guide your life. Venus puts you in touch with your values and your feelings. You can align the two around this time, starting with the new moon in Virgo on the 28th. What do you value? What truly gives you deep, soulful pleasure? Are you guiding your life in the direction your soul prefers? You should be able to feel the answers to these questions around the 30th. If none of that appeals, this is also a good time for creative self-expression, for being craftsy, for making stuff out of the materials you have on hand.

Jupiter also stations this month on the 30th before going retrograde. A planet is usually particularly strong around the time that it stations. Jupiter in your sign also focuses a spotlight on your possessions and resources (of all kinds, spiritual and mental as well tangible). The second half of August would be a good time to take stock of what you have, as opposed to thinking about what you don’t have! Jupiter in your own sign is also about personal growth; it brings many gifts.

The little bit of sharpness in the month comes from Mars in Cancer in the part of your chart that deals with neighbors and nearby relatives. The days around the 18th are good for making peace with these folks if peace needs to be made.

Jupiter scoots to a stationary point at the end of August before beginning its slide backwards in the sign of Taurus. For Gemini, this theoretically signals a subtle but pleasant sensation of inexplicable feelings of kindliness and that the world is a gentle place after all. Mars in Cancer will scrimmage with Pluto and Uranus and Saturn this month, giving the lie to the idea that the world is all that gentle, but your sign isn’t supposed to care. Jupiter in Taurus tries to give you a taste of the really big picture, in which the fleeting annoyances of the moment are just not that significant.

There are other things that Jupiter in Taurus is good for, too. One of them is bodywork with a healing or psychological or stress-relief component, such as massage. Taurus is a very sensual sign, one that revels in touch. It really appreciates the simple pleasures in life and encourages you to do the same.

As for that pesky Mars in Cancer. It’s busy trying to coordinate your finances, which it apparently finds a complicated endeavor. You may have joint financial issues to consider or insurance matters or taxes or various bureaucracies to contend with. It appears from the aspects that somehow or another your finances are linked with other people, and that’s what Mars is trying to straighten out. Mars is an excellent defender of your interests though and you can use the energy to push things through, get things done and off your list.

You’ve also got the sun and Venus in a useful spot for the first three weeks of the month. These puppies can help you get out of town for a short trip or two for pleasure purposes. That’s what summer is for, at least partly, packing up the car and heading out for a bit of fun and relaxation. Go somewhere!

I should point out that Venus in Leo also loves to shop. With Mars in Cancer and Mercury retrograde, shopping could get a bit complicated this month. Minor indulgences, gifts, and things bought purely for enjoyment seem to be fine. It’s shopping for things that are utilitarian that perhaps could go awry or become subject to buyer’s remorse or indecision.

From the 21st on, the energy switches, and it’s time to get back home again. Late August and early September are traditionally the annual nesting time for Gemini folks with a nesting instinct. The vibe this particular year is a gentle one, relaxing at home, maybe a bit of light entertaining. Nothing too strenuous, more an atmosphere of easing toward the fall. The energy favors things like hanging out with the animals, tending to the plants, doing some work in the garden and so on. Soothing things.

One final note: if you need to make a longer trip or one to a distant destination, August ushers in about 6 months of energy that support that. Best time for a long trip is probably November, but if you need to go earlier, you do have a planetary green light.

Yes, Mars will be in your sign in August, and yes it will be periodically skirmishing with Pluto and Uranus and Saturn this month. But let’s not dwell on that too much. After all, it’s summer! Uranus in your career house is retrograding relatively peaceably.

And Jupiter in your sociable solar 11th house thinks you’d be a fool to labor too hard when you could be enjoying fun times with your friends. Even Mercury is retrograde and disinclined to exert himself. None of the planets really wants to get anything done this month or they’d be getting out of each other’s way so that they could bustle ahead with their agendas. And that’s not what they’re doing in August.

I may be exaggerating slightly, but still it’s the last month of summer when the living is easy, and the skies do seem to reflect the general torpor of a humid day in the heat. Not that there’s nothing useful about the energy of August. There’s a whole boatload of planets in Leo that you can use to plump up your self-confidence. You can set goals, refine strategies.

You can prioritize your financial life by going through your records and deciding what principles will guide your spending. You can calculate your assets and liabilities. In fact, the first thing you should probably do in August is take stock of your resources. Neptune slides back into your sector of joint financial affairs and debt and may very well try to confuse the financial issues at hand. Don’t let it. Strive for comprehension and realism regarding your finances. Once you understand your money situation, you should be able to decide how much you have to spend on the fun stuff! That’s the whole point of budgeting anyway–to figure out how you’re going to get what you want.

During the last third of the month, the sun and Venus move into your solar 3rd house of information and communication. Mercury, the communication planet, will still be retrograde. So you may find that there’s a bit of time during which you are going back to conversations that previously took place and following up on them or clarifying what’s been said and agreed to. When it comes to communication, it’s a revision-heavy month.

If you haven’t gone out of state for a little summer vacay, August is the time to do it. Jupiter, the vacation planet, stations toward the end of the month–and when he stations, he tends to be powerful. If you have school schedules to contend with, plan ahead of course, but Jupiter sure would love to have you get away before he retrogrades. Just saying.

Before you go anywhere, you’ll need to check with Saturn, who is jealousy guarding your finances. You are not in a planetary cycle wherein you can get away with financial foolishness. Be prudent in your plans, though, and you should be fine.

Love and relationships are moving from simmering on the back burner to boiling on the front burner. That is, they’re doing that if you’re responsive to Venus moving from your back burner 12th house to your own sign on the 21st. Venus makes a particularly nice trine from your sign to Pluto in your love life house on the 25th. Take advantage if possible. You might be able to combine the travel energy with the love energy by scheduling a quick romantic getaway before the month ends.

If you’re not romantically involved, the last third of the month with the sun and Venus in your sign is still good for all kinds of relationships and people contact. These nice energies take the sting out of the periodic dustups between Mars in your friendship house and Pluto in your romance house this month. Don’t let any minor bouts of conflict get you down; they’re temporary and probably not meaningful.

Your ruler Mercury does go retrograde in your 12th house. The retrograde officially begins on the 2nd and continues through the 26th. Transits through the 12th house sometimes feel like they last a lifetime, and Mercury does spend an extra long time in Leo this go-round. He doesn’t re-enter your sign until the 2nd week of September.

There’s a remedy for that, though, or maybe even a lesson. Simplicity. Simplicity isn’t always the easiest mode of operation for Virgo to master because it feels insufficiently busy to the sign. But for the time being the KISS acronym (keep it simple, sweetie) could prove marvelously healing to the chronically overbooked Virgo native.

There’s an old saying: silence is golden. Adopt this as your temporary motto. When in doubt in August, say less. Listen more. Even better, get your Libra self into nature and listen to the soothing sounds of no people. This exercise will probably make you feel quite good.

The truth is, the sign of Libra has been subjected to all kinds of trauma over the past couple of years. You’ve been brave. You’ve been effective. You’ve grown and evolved. You’re sick of it.

Your saving grace for the moment is Jupiter in soothing Taurus, another sign ruled like yours by peaceful Venus. Taurus knows the value of just not doing anything for awhile and Jupiter would like you to sneak in a few moments of that here and there where you can. Jupiter is the healing planet and he is literally in your solar house of trauma. Ergo, time to heal from any traumas or pathologies you’ve had to deal with.

The second prescription is to balance that hiding out by your lonesome with some quality socializing time. Venus and the sun in Leo in your party-loving 11th house make friends supportive and refreshing through the 20th of the month. Mercury will also retrograde in this sector of your chart until the 26th. This will seemingly have you spending more time than normal coordinating get-togethers. Some astrologers (a lot, actually) say that coordinating such things will be more difficult than normal, although quite frankly I don’t see that happening in real life.

After the 20th, Venus and then the sun move into your 12th house of the soul, an influence that meshes quite well with Jupiter in Taurus vibe I mentioned earlier. Planets in Virgo mark the annual pre-birthday period when your chart wants to engage in soul-searching. Peaceful, quiet contemplative soul-searching this year, not raggedly self-critical soul-searching. Keep that in mind.

Okay, now that we’ve gone over the soothing energies, let’s tackle the more active ones. Your career is supposed to be heating up this month and your mantra is scheduled to be something along the lines of ‘my actions are effective in accomplishing my purpose.’ You need this mantra because Mars in your career house will be in conflict mode with most of the outer planets. Excessive ambition is not your friend for the moment. All you need to do is accomplish your specific purpose of the moment and let the rest go.

Furthermore, Mars in your career sector also clashes with Uranus in Aries in your relationship sector. Dealing with the brief clash may require a certain amount of bravery on your part. Hence, the motto above. Stick to your purpose and forgo any temptations toward getting sucked into drama or bullied into backing down. The days when the aspects are closest fall between the 9th and the 11th of the month. Face the potential headaches, deal and move on. You can process it all later if you’d like (like around the new moon on the 28th of the month).

Jupiter in Taurus is still on the hunt for one good man or woman to share your life. If you’ve already got a mate, then it is searching alertly for your mate’s virtues and hopefully finding some. If it doesn’t find enough of them to suit its standards, it may urge you to make a break for it. Keep this in mind if you are feeling restless and dissatisfied. You don’t need perfection, just a good person.

It will be somewhat easier to make this distinction in August than it has been during the past few months. Neptune, the great fuzzy promoter of perfection, is sliding out of your romance house and back into the part of your chart that deals with your domestic life. He’ll stay in this sector until February 2012, and then he’ll move back into your romance house for what will seem like an eternity–approximately 14 years.

Do your non-fuzzy contemplating of romance during the next 6 months, while you’ve got the chance. In the simplest possible terms, Jupiter is trying to help you learn about people in general or about one particular person you need to relate to. The final result of this is supposed to be a better relationship or a firm foundation to embark upon one. (By the way, Neptune may have moved out of Pisces, but Chiron is still there, which can be helpful for people trying to heal fertility problems.)

Neptune in the solar 4th house, meanwhile, will be up to his previous tricks of trying to expand your domestic life beyond all reason. You should be used to this by now. As he makes his last pass through this part of your chart, simply ask yourself to what extent your domestic life needs to consume you. Push your way toward specifics as best you can, because it is time for vague Neptune to cough up the details regarding the purpose of his long journey through your sector of home, family, and private life.

You’ve also got the sun and Venus (and Mercury retrograde) in your career house for much of the month. The upshot of this is that you could find yourself turning career matters over and over in your mind. Even if this is unavoidable, keep in mind that with Venus in Leo until the 21st, the best strategy is probably to simply roll with the punches. Venus in Leo can also help you become an insider in your profession, arrange meetings or increase your reputation.

After the 21st, Venus and then the sun move into Virgo and your solar house of friendship. This is perhaps an easier placement for these inner planets and you may feel a decrease in tension toward the end of the month. Group activities, where you get everyone together, are nicely favored. There’s also a new moon in this sector on the 28th.

Right after this new moon, Venus and Jupiter make a very nice angle together. This very last portion of the month is a time to be with people, even if you’ve been a bit of a hermit lately under Saturn in Libra’s influence. If you’re single and looking this is an ideal time to meet people in a pleasant and painless way.

Earlier in the month, there’s a bit of an odd clash going on. Mars in Cancer spends the month hanging out in the part of your chart that deals with principles and ethics and so on. But Pluto, the planet of morality, is in the opposite sector. Pluto is actually trying to help you develop moral skills, excellence in morality, a deeper understanding of the moral forces that operate in daily life. For some reason, Mars in Cancer indicates there’s a clash between the deeper level of morality and your ordinary ethics and principles, especially during the second week of the month. Why this should be so I have no idea, but perhaps there are specific short-term circumstances you have to deal with.

Even when not directly clashing with Uranus, Saturn, or Pluto, Mars this month is rather tightly wound and you may have to periodically remind yourself to lighten up. When Mars clashes with Saturn for a couple of days during the week of the 21st, the two planets could get heavy ruminating on things that have already occurred–trying to ‘undo’ them in the parlance of the 12th house, where Saturn is busy examining your character flaws and Achilles’ heels. This is fine to do, but there’s no need to make this sort of exercise all-consuming. When Mars clashes with Uranus this month, you may have pet problems or a sudden urgent desire to get one.

How’s your workspace these days, Sag? Have you sweetened it up yet? Made it more homey, nicer, more congenial, more fun to inhabit? I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll mention it again undoubtedly, but Jupiter in Taurus symbolizes your best cycle in a dozen years to get yourself a nicer place to work.

That sort of stuff makes quite a difference in the long run and the opportunity doesn’t come around all that often. Jupiter’s nice and strong this month because he’s slowing before turning retrograde. Good time to make him and yourself happy.

Not as strong this month but still worth noting is that Jupiter is working in concert with Pluto in your solar second house this year to help you boost your income from employment. What makes that important is that Pluto in this house without softening aspects can be associated with unsatisfactory financial or business affairs. You want to take advantage of any time when Pluto in Capricorn, normally a miser, is feeling more generous than usual. If for no other reason than that, it’s worth paying attention to your workplace demeanor these days.

On the other hand, there’s a lot of energy in Leo in August and Leo is your summer vacation sign. Up until the 21st, the Leo planets will have no interest in work. If anything, they’ve got summer cabin fever (or winter cabin fever if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere). And maybe they’re right to feel that way.

Maybe the best bet is to get away early, refresh yourself and come back to work with a bright new attitude by the 21st. That’s because this third week of August marks the time when your annual career season starts. It’s not a super-strong influence, but you will have a favorable configuration known as a grand trine in earth signs as the month ends. What this means to you is that the various parts of your chart that deal with the material side of life will all be working in harmony to your benefit. The key to making use of this short bit of good luck is to remember that bit about your ruler Jupiter trying to make your job a nice place to work. For the moment, the more you emanate that niceness vibe, the better you’ll fare.

I should point out that Mercury will be retrograde in your travel house until the 26th of August. If you are traveling any distance exercise appropriate caution and mindfulness.

Overall, it’s a good month with one fly in the ointment, which is Mars in Cancer. Goal oriented Mars gets frustrated with Pluto, Uranus, and Saturn in August. He appears to want to achieve something in the area of joint finances or debts and everyone is getting on his nerves or getting in his way. This will pass. Try not to freak.

Got yourself a lover Capricorn? If you don’t, Jupiter in Taurus (which is strong because it stations this month) would like to help you get one in your possession. Because that’s how Taurus looks at lovers, as things you possess. It looks at your children that way too.

There are disadvantages to this outlook, as some will point out, but for the moment, the idea is simply to get these things or enjoy the fact that you already have them. That’s not too terrible. Speaking of possessions, this month Neptune slips back into the sector of your chart that symbolizes the tangible kind, the physical stuff you own. You’re almost finished with Neptune in this sector of your solar chart but not quite yet.

Neptune by its nature makes it difficult to seize and hold things, because it’s too darn passive to be very firm about anything. If you are greatly affected by Neptune, this symbolism could be fairly literal. Things may slip out of your grasp. I’m sure there’s a metaphysical lesson in all this, but hopefully you’ve learned it already, whatever it is.

In August, planets in Leo will be opposing Neptune and you can either take that as a caution to hold on tighter to your money and your stuff or decide you’ll just go with the flow and not worry about it. The bulk of the Leo influence (except for Mercury) will be over by the 23rd. The upside of this aspect is that it can also be simultaneously romantic and sexy.

In fact, with Jupiter in sexy Taurus, sexy Mars in your relationship sector and Neptune opposed to Venus in your solar 8th house of sex, you could have one of your sexiest months of the past dozen years! Admittedly, Mars will be getting grumpy with all kinds of planets this month, but a little passion could more than compensate for fleeting irritations.

By the 23rd, we’re in Virgo season, which is about development. This could be personal development, project development, idea development, whatever you’d like. The idea is to point yourself in the direction of a desired outcome. It’s also about looking at the relationship between the parts and the whole. A great time to ponder all this and initiate something is around the time of the new moon in Virgo on the 28th.

Mercury does go retrograde this month (until the 26th), a time when astrologers traditionally say that things go wrong. The hype is overblown because, as every good Capricorn knows, things can go wrong at any time and Mercury is not usually to blame. If anything, the squares between Mars in Cancer and the angles of your solar chart would be more likely to make things go not as intended in your home or career life. Nevertheless, it can be comforting when you or someone near you is saying “what the heck is the matter with things today” to murmur “Mercury retrograde” in an authoritative voice. Hey, it might as well be good for something! Things will return to normal around the middle of next month.

And now one final enigmatic tip: stillness is healing in August.

Peace on the home front is one theme for Aquarius for August. Personal peace could be another theme, as Neptune moves out of Pisces and back into your own sign. Peace in your committed relationships could be yet another theme as Venus joins the sun and Mercury in your relationship sign of Leo. That’s a heck of a lot of peace for a month when Mars in Cancer will be snarling at most of the outer planets and Mercury will retrograde.

Still, all the major planets in fixed signs like your own this month are averse to disturbances, and they are generally stolidly uninterested in stirring anything up. So perhaps your first priority of the month should be to follow their lead. Put on your objective Aquarian hat and look about you with the idea “I am neither disturbed nor noticeably affected by conflict or drama this month.”

That doesn’t mean you should be cold or lacking in compassion this month. That’s not at all what these peaceful planets are about. When Mercury goes retrograde and Mars starts stirring up conflict, you absolutely may ask other people what the matter is and render assistance. Check in with other people and see how they’re doing. Your planets make you well-positioned to benefit from sincere expressions of concern for others. A good time to check in would be the second week of the month, which has some gnarly aspects.

So who in your environment is likely to be upset or need tending to? The conflict vibes emanate from your 6th house of co-workers, so that’s a strong possibility. Neighbors are another, classmates, people from foreign countries, people who are ill or hospitalized. Random people who could benefit from random acts of kindness. Regard everyone you encounter this month as an individual worthy of your respect. You’re naturally good at this, so why not make use of your inborn skills? Be understanding.

The reason for all this selflessness, by the way, is not just because Aquarius is often regarded as an altruistic sign. It’s because this is the time of year when the inner planets are heavily weighted on the opposite side of the zodiac. Pushing your own agenda or tooting your own horn or even worrying about your own situation aren’t going to get you very far at this time of year anyway. Rather than fighting the energy, you can use Neptune to help you just go with the flow.

As of the 21st, inner planets start moving into Virgo and your solar 8th house of research, investigation, and inquiry. Excellent time to start a project involving these things is around the time of the new moon on the 28th.

So first, let’s start with the topic of communications. You’ve got Jupiter in your solar 3rd house of communications, an influence that is said to not only be good for communications themselves but for gaining extra income from that field. More about that in a sec. Mercury is also retrograde for most of the month, an influence that is said to scramble communications.

It’s Mercury in Leo, in your 6th house of workplace matters. More about that in a sec, too. The way I see it, the way to cash in on Jupiter while sidestepping Mercury is to keep two things in mind. One is that your basic Pisces purpose is to be of service, not to be led down the Leonine path of ego and glory.

Second, keep things simple and easy to understand. That almost always works. If not–well Mercury retrograde is also said to be good for revising. After the 21st, Venus moves into Virgo where it works nicely with Jupiter. Venus helps you comprehend what other people are saying, which is essential to all communication. This can be useful in your love life, professionally, in any arena.

Now about the income thing. Using word-based skills is a good way to compensate for the disruptions to your income and financial life that Uranus is either springing on you or planning to spring on you. Don’t be fooled by circumstances if things are going well right now. You need to be an ant, not a grasshopper, and squirrel away some nuts for the coming winter. Wow, that was a lot of animals in one sentence.

Now about the workplace thing. If you keep in mind the Mercury caveat, you have a chance to shine at work this month, thanks to a bunch of Leo planets. This ties in with the income thing because Venus, the money planet, is in Leo until the 21st, so you have a modest chance of raising your income from your job.

Venus in Virgo also marks the start of your annual committed relationship season. It’s all about connections at this time of year. Good time to use the energy is at the new moon on the 28th. Your committed relationship season will continue this year through most of September.

Finally, a random cautionary note. Mars is in Cancer in your solar 5th house this month picking fights with every outer planet except Jupiter. The 5th house is the house of children, creativity, and having a good time. Lord only knows what irritations Mars will work himself into a brief emotional frenzy about this month, but note the keyword ‘brief.’ There is no compelling reason to pay any more attention to Mars or emotional frenzies this month than is absolutely necessary. They will pass.

Here is a short video I did on the practical benefits of astrology, what you can expect from a reading, and how astrology contributes to wellness.