Midlife Transits

Happy Birthday Leo! The sun’s in your sign until August 22 and Mercury’s in your sign all month. This is the time of year when you are able to get things done. Your annual birthday wish new moon takes place on the 17th, so wish away! Mercury’s an intellectual and word-oriented planet, so you may find that you’re focusing on mental activities this month.

One possibility is taking some sort of a class or learning something in a group context. Mercury likes stimulation and will want to keep you busy. Mercury is also a big fan of humor and keeping things light, so it’s time to look on the sunny side of any situation. After the sun leaves your sign and enters Virgo, the overall vibe changes. Virgo is a Mercury-ruled planet, so the emphasis on language and words remains, but other things kick into gear as well.

Pluto in Capricorn will be mad at Uranus in Aries again. Pluto’s in the part of your solar chart that relates to health. Uranus in Aries is also in an intellectual sector of your chart. It may be that you will have to put some effort into figuring out some sort of health issue. Talk to others and get their input if you are having difficulty understanding what’s going on with your body.

Capricorn also represents your job, so the emphasis may be less on health and more on your work toward the end of the month. There may be a lot of talk of change in your workplace or perhaps more likely resistance to change. Pluto seems very focused on you keeping your job (or maintaining your health if that’s the issue) and may be very disapproving of anything that upsets the status quo.

Throughout the potential drama, you’ll be expected to be your normal productive self. The upside is that you’re likely to be able to see things clearly and deal with them in a reasonable manner. Although it may run counter to your instincts, discretion is likely to be the better part of valor toward month’s end. Look at the big picture when in doubt. It might also be good to remember that although your sign tends to naturally rise to the top, Saturn in Libra emphasizes that you’ll likely get better results if you resolutely treat others as your equals–even if they’re not!

Now, for a bit about the year ahead. Most of you will be dodging a bullet in your new solar year. Or perhaps more accurately, you will be dodging plenty of bullets and coming out ahead of many other signs. There’s a lot of turnover in planetary influences over the next 12 months. The main ones to affect you are the movement of Jupiter into Gemini, which already happened, the movement of Saturn in Scorpio in October, and the shift in eclipse energy to Taurus and Scorpio.

The Gemini influence favors change or perhaps changeability, and in their own way, the other influences do too. Jupiter in Gemini rewards observation, attentiveness and precision. More than most placements of Jupiter, it will require balancing looking at the particulars of every situation and the big picture at the same time. It is an outward sort of influence for Leo, in contrast to the upcoming Scorpio influences which are inward and hidden.

Your sign normally likes to see and be seen, but Saturn in Scorpio will want to conceal and look for what others are concealing. Saturn in Scorpio also focuses on your home life, which will be in contrast to other, more outgoing elements of your solar chart. You may see surprising developments in your home life toward the end of 2012, in November or December.

Uranus in Aries will continue to put a potential focus on travel, perhaps sudden and unexpected long-distance travel. Travel with friends to exotic locations you wouldn’t normally consider visiting seems to be a real possibility. You may get more adventure than you bargained for if you’re not careful though, so take reasonable precautions at all times.

Group travel also looks like it could be very rewarding for you. If you don’t live in a big metropolis, then short trips to the city also look to be a good idea throughout the coming year.

Neptune in Pisces will continue to affect your solar 8th house of outside funding and joint financial endeavors. Neptune is one of those planets that can go either way in its influence. You may be awash in funds from non-traditional sources or you may find yourself having to postpone endeavors due to lack of funding. Pay close attention to your finances in either case.

Pluto, as I mentioned before, is in your solar house of health and will continue to battle with Uranus. Make sure to get your exercise and some recreation time throughout the year. But also make sure to guard against any sports or workout injuries and don’t overdo it if you haven’t been active before.

Last but not least, in about a year (around May or June), you may see some dramatic new developments in your career. Overall, it’s a year that will call for dodging and weaving your way through changing circumstances, with plenty of shifts and no one consistent theme. Variety and adaptability will be the spices of life.

August is the traditional love life month for the sign of Aries. Every year the sun in Leo lights up your love life sector, and this year Mercury spends the whole month in the sign too. Mercury, which goes direct on the 8th, adds a touch of lightness and a sense of humor and playfulness to your romantic endeavors. Your annual new moon (good for finding new love if that’s what you want) takes place on the 17th.

I will add that the standard interpretation of the days around Mercury going direct involve potential computer problems and IT nightmares. Perhaps not the time to rely on modern technology to communicate with your love. Still, this is the month to ask someone out; you’re more likely to get an affirmative answer.

If you’re already in a relationship, here’s a tip. Leo loves presents, romantic little gifts like flowers. Spring for some blooms and you’ve got a chance to score major points with the object of your affection. Indeed, with your rulers Mars in your relationship sign for most of the month, there’s a double emphasis on taking the time to put real effort into maintaining your relationship and not taking it for granted.

That’s partly because Saturn has been stressing your relationship sector for a couple of years (he’ll be moving out in October), so in a sense you need all the help you can get. Putting effort in is your saving grace, the redeeming quality that compensates for all the shortcomings your relationship has been enduring. Fortunately, Aries is very good at putting the effort in whenever it makes up its mind to.

Other relationships get a bit of attention from the stars this month too. On the first, there’s a full moon in your friendship sector, good for showing a little appreciation to your buddies. Venus and Jupiter in Gemini highlight your relatives. The whole month is pretty good for bonding with your kin. With Venus in Cancer from the 7th on, it’s also a bit of a homebody month.

On the 22nd, the sun enters Virgo, which marks the beginning of the end of summer. For Aries, this means time to get back to taking care of your body and getting your mind back into the work game. The day after the sun goes into Virgo, Mars goes into Scorpio. The combination indicates a focus on details, specifics and particulars; you might even call it an uptick in pickiness. This is when pressure at work is likely to be at its peak, partly thanks (or no thanks) to Pluto in your career sign glaring at Uranus in your own sign. It’s back to the grindstone!

Science tells us that summer officially ends in late September. Experience tells us that by the end of August, the summer vibe is gone and we’ve all got to get more productive. Astrologically, we note that with the entrance of the sun into Virgo, the harvest sign, which takes place this year on August 22. Before we all officially get back to school and work, August offers Taurus a few things to think about.

The first is a full moon in Aquarius on the 1st. Aquarius is your career sign, and this is the time of year when you are encouraged to think about wrapping up and completing tasks and ongoing projects in the professional realm.

The second thing to consider is Mercury, going direct on the 8th. The few days surrounding when Mercury goes direct is supposedly a time of computer and technology vulnerability, when information can get lost. There’s a lot of emphasis on other Mercury-ruled areas this month, too, like writing and language and communication. There are 5 influences that indicate that Taurus should take particular care with words with month.

Proofread anything you send out, craft your communication with care, and generally watch out for the kinds of common verbal mistakes that would otherwise escape your notice. This is particularly the case on the job, where you may have to do more communicating or writing than normal. Saturn in your job sign has been trying to get you to develop discipline on the job for a couple of years, and this is a good month to prove to him that his training has paid off.

Once the sun does move into Virgo on the 22nd, Mars quickly moves into Scorpio. These two signs are your love relationship signs. One relates to courtship and dating, the other to committed relationships. If you feel the need to travel, it seems as though a quick romantic getaway (don’t tell anyone else where you’re going!) fits the bill the best. Enjoy!

This last part of the month may feel a bit weird, too. Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn are at back at it again, re-engaging in their ongoing battle, which reaches an exact square next month. For Taurus, I suppose this could be described as a battle between thought and feeling. Pluto favors deep but rational thought, the kind you do at work or sitting in front of your computer. It’s kind of a brainy influence for your sign.

Uranus favors the subconscious mind, which feels and intuits far more quickly than the conscious one. Pluto is trying to force you to think rather than react. Reacting is faster and easier than thinking, and is based on a lifetime of habit, so this is quite a task. Still, you can get incredible insight and change in the area of your automatic functioning if you let this battle play out. Let your new experiences and learning permeate your thinking.

August is another super Geminian kind of month. Speaking, writing, thinking, analyzing, categorizing, organizing, and general engaging in mental activity dominate from Day 1 to Day 31. Toward the end of the month, from the 23rd on, there’s a bit of emphasis on honing your physical abilities, thanks to Mars moving into Scorpio and your exercise sector. But until then, the focus is pretty squarely on your mental abilities.

The month is particularly good for teaching and learning and for getting language-oriented projects done. Analyzing and mastering a skill would be good. It’s also good for formulating plans and capitalizing on the power of positive thinking. The vibe is also generally cheerful, perhaps even happy and will be for awhile. This is partly due to the year-long presence of Jupiter in your sign.

Jupiter in Gemini likes to put things in order, and while he’s here, he’ll try to help you put your life into order. Putting things in order tends to make your sign feel perky, light, and free. For the time being, you have an opportunity to kind of putter around in a pleasant daze, getting things in your mind and your environment tidied up.

When you need a break from all the effort your brain is putting into working overtime–eat! Venus spends most of the month in the sign of Cancer, and Cancer loves to eat. The sign’s idea of heaven is something like homemade soup. Find your equivalent heaven and indulge.

Another area of activity is equality in relationships. Mars and Saturn are in Libra for most of the month, and Libra is the sign that represents both relationships and equality or fairness. Saturn represents the impulse to define things, put them in boundaries and boxes, give them structure and rules. So Saturn in Libra likes to set up structures and rules that make relationships fair and equal. Mars in the sign adds the impulse to put real effort into this project.

There is one aspect during August that’s rather testing. It’s Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn. The general idea is to not take things at face value, but to critically evaluate the information you receive. Things are not necessarily what they seem to be.

August sees the communication planet in your solar second house of income. For most people, the second house represents salary or wages earned on the job. The implication is that August is an important month for you in terms of conveying information at work, especially if you want to increase your income. You need to let those in your workplace know exactly why you deserve more money!

Your income-related new moon takes place on August 17, so you want to get your ducks in a row before then, so you can make your pitch by mid-month. If you don’t specifically make a play to get more money, you’ll probably be thinking about money or talking about it.

Sometimes Mercury in the second house also relates to gossip at work, especially gossip about who’s making what amount and why. Cancerians in general have been and continue to be subject to a certain amount of instability in the workplace, thanks to eclipses and the presence of erratic Uranus in their career sector. Sometimes the overall atmosphere of instability is reflected in the financial conversations taking place in the company. In August, the time of greatest volatility is around the 8th, when Mercury goes direct.

Fortunately, Mercury is generally a cheerful planet, and much of the month has a relatively cheerful vibe, conducive to hanging out and general companionship. Part of this is due to the long-overdue entrance of Venus into your own sign on the 7th. With Venus by your side, you not only have a better shot at that raise I was mentioning, but you have a certain ability to get in tune with your general preferences and desires.

In other words, you know what you want, so it is easier for you to choose to get it. Venus can be lazy, though, so you have to make a deliberate choice to take action!

Just as importantly, Mars moves into Scorpio this month, on the 23rd. Scorpio is your love sign, and there hasn’t been much action in your love sign in quite awhile. Mars moving into Scorpio is significant because it presages a lot more astrological activity in your love sector in the next couple of years. As soon as Mars moves out of the sign, Saturn moves in. Plus, starting in November, we’ll have eclipses in this sign.

When Saturn moves into your love sector, he’ll be trying to give you an education in the ways of lasting love. He’ll make you work for your rewards, though, so be prepared to put some effort in. Overall, this upcoming shift toward Scorpio is a big deal–and I’m happy for you.

August is another mentally oriented month for Virgo. You continue to have strong career energy from thinkaholic Jupiter in Gemini (and will for almost a year) that works to your benefit as long as you can be flexible and adaptable and adjust your thinking, especially in terms of how you approach your daily routines and chores. And we all know you can definitely do that!

Part of the focus on mental activities in August comes from the introduction of influences in Scorpio, a sign we haven’t seen a whole lot of activity in lately. Scorpio is the sign that rules mental activities in your solar chart. The first bit of energy in Scorpio comes from Mars, starting on the 23rd, just after the sun moves into your own mentally-oriented sign.

Mars will be in Scorpio until early October, and then Saturn will move in for a couple of years. The idea behind this energy in Scorpio is going to be very practical for quite awhile. It’s going to be about figuring out, with your big rational brain, how to adjust things so they work for a specific purpose. That sounds a bit abstract, so let’s give a couple of examples.

If you’re a writer (not uncommon among Virgos), you might have to adapt a project from one format to another, novel to screenplay, brochure to informational video. You might have to adapt policies and procedures on the job to take into account new conditions or perform your tasks using new technology. You’re not starting over; you’re figuring out how to make things useful in a new context.

Whatever the circumstances, it’s about figuring out how to exploit your natural abilities, especially in your career. In order to keep up, you may also find it helpful to invest in some sort of continuing education to help you develop additional skills. You may also develop an interest in intellectual fields that you previously found too difficult or mysterious.

Scorpio is the kind of sign willing to look into the mysteries of the universe, everything from the wonders of physics to the most outlandish of conspiracy theories. Saturn will want to keep things grounded though and steer you toward information you can use and put into practice, no matter how exotic the source.

Meanwhile, Venus in Cancer for most of the month would like you to have a social life and get together with your friends, but it may be difficult to work things into your busy schedule unless you can get creative about how and when you socialize. Part of this is because Venus in Cancer is at odds with Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto, heavy hitters that tend to overcome Venus influences.

It’s as though your daily schedule is so full of responsibilities that it leaves little time for the lighter side of life. Virgos born in the very early part of the sign also have to contend with Neptune in Pisces, which prefers chaos to routine and won’t cooperate with your attempts to impose order. Still, if you get your chores done, do try to schedule in a little relaxing time with friends or family.

Well, I’ll start by mentioning that August has a bit of tactful career energy for Libra. Your ruler Venus is in your career sign Cancer from the 7th through the first few days of September. This is a nurturing energy that avoids criticism (including self-criticism!) and rewards gentle encouragement. Neptune in Pisces remains in your job sector and wholeheartedly supports the gentle approach.

This is a bit at odds with Mars in your own sign, which is a far more critical and aggressive influence than normal for you. Mars has a tendency to feel that the application of force or manipulation is more effective than letting things unfold. I say go with Neptune and Venus, at least on the job. Let things be, rather than trying to make them be.

Mars will leave your sign on the 23rd and move into Scorpio, where he’ll start finding fault with your finances. This presages the movement of Saturn into Scorpio in October. In Scorpio, Saturn will thankfully stop taking you to task, but he will start taking your money situation to task. Try to look at your financial situation rationally and don’t freak out if your expenses are higher than usual. Look instead for prudent, thoughtful ways to cut back as necessary.

On a happier note, Jupiter is still in Gemini, cheerfully zipping along and trying to buoy your spirits. Jupiter in Gemini in your chart likes both travel and language. This of course puts me in mind of things like a trip to Paris to brush up on your French! I’m not saying you’ll take such a trip in August, just that it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to scheme and plot your way toward a dream vacation before the end of June of next year. We’ve all got to have something wonderful to look forward to.

Things do potentially get a bit tense toward the end of the month, as Pluto and Uranus move toward another showdown. You may find that you need to make a choice between difficult alternatives that involve your family and your significant other. Not your favorite thing I will admit. If you were born in early October, it may feel as though Pluto and Uranus are taking direct aim at you. This is a difficult time, but it will pass and you will get through it and come out the other side much stronger than you can imagine now.

Things seem to be getting under your solar chart’s skin in August. What those things are I’m not certain. It could be things on the job or things relating to relationships, but stuff seems to getting on your chart’s nerves. The clues to your chart’s sense of irritation come from Mars, which starts out the month skulking in your 12th house, brooding perhaps, before he comes bursting into your own sign on the 23rd.

You might as well try to figure out what’s bugging Mars (and by extension, you) so that you can correct it before whatever it is gets out of hand. When Mars moves into your sign, he also heralds something of a new beginning for you. When Mars leaves in early October, Saturn will take his place in Scorpio. In November, you’ll experience the first solar eclipse in your sign in about a decade.

After potentially being stalled for some time, your life is scheduled to start moving again. I won’t say that your life will be completely transformed–but it might be. There are a fair number of indications of transformation over the next 10 months.

On a lighter note, you have a bit of gentle travel energy in August, thanks to Venus in Cancer. If you can’t make an actual trip, maybe an exotic adventure of the mind would do the trick. You could read a history book or delve into a novel or even browse travel sites. You could also research your family history. Just do something pleasant to take your mind away to another realm.

A good time to indulge your inner lazy bones before summer completely goes away would be around the 9th, when Venus and Neptune combine for a trip to fantasyland or maybe just a long, luxurious nap at home.

Now about those potential job irritations I mentioned at the beginning. Pluto and Uranus get increasingly irritated with each other as the month goes on. Uranus is in your job sector and Pluto is in the sector that governs your rational mind. How they will express their displeasure depends of course on your circumstances. A sample manifestation would be that Uranus wants job turnover and instability while Pluto feels threatened by Uranus’s restlessness. Which might mean things like you want to quit because the atmosphere is almost unbearably tense, but Pluto won’t let you because he thinks that would be irrational and imprudent.

There is no easy answer to this kind of dilemma. Do your best to figure out what you can do to deal with the situation and do it. Time will have to take care of the rest. With the help of lots of energy in your career sign this month, you should make out okay if you can figure out how to just hang on.

August marks sort of a turning point for your chart. Mars moves into Scorpio on the 23rd, and he brings with him a new era of focus on inner work and perhaps dealing with whatever chronic health issues you may face. The stars are going to be spending a couple of years asking you to accept your limitations and the frailty of your human nature.

This is a bit of a stretch for Sagittarius, as it doesn’t automatically understand the concept of limitations and is not entirely keen on human nature either. As part of this project, your ruler Jupiter will spend a year in your solar sector of other people–indicating that it’s time to realize the value of other people’s contributions to your well-being and happiness.

By October, the stars will also ask you to stop looking so seriously at the future and your long-term goals, so that you can get out of your head and into your subconscious intuition. Now I don’t want to make it sound as though all your normal abilities are being undermined. You’ve still got plenty of help from Uranus in Aries (especially if you were born in early December), shoring up your independence and your capacity for action.

It’s more that your inner abilities are being expanded. It’s like your chart is trying to wrap its head around concepts that normally make the human mind explode.

The astrological action is not all inner, though. In fact, your first priority toward the end of August is to deal proactively with your financial situation. Pluto in your second house of money is the strongest influence in your chart and if you don’t deal forthrightly with financial issues, they could put a serious crimp in your ability to do what you want to do. Finances first!

Now on to some lighter stuff. August highlights the sign of Leo, and Leo is your travel and education sign. You may respond to this influence by actually traveling, taking a late summer vacation, or by furthering your education. An example of the kind of energy that’s favored would be studying a foreign language, or brushing up your skills in a language you learned a bit about some time ago.

You’ll want to take advantage of the energy in some way that doesn’t put undue strain on your finances (see above). Learning a career-related skill might be an especially good idea. The annual new moon in Leo (good for starting an activity or taking action) occurs on the 17th.

As the month winds down, you also have a chance to get real about your career, as the sun moves into Virgo, your career sign. Accomplishments that center around words or verbal activities are especially favored.

Let’s start with the happiest influence of the month, the continuing presence of Jupiter in Gemini. Jupiter spends August moving briskly through your job sector, showering you with opportunities to learn on the job or to master new job-related skills. Gemini highlights the use of reason, a tactic that Capricorn is generally comfortable with. That’s because your sign, more than any others, is attuned to the necessity of paying attention to reality rather than fantasy or emotion.

Jupiter also helps you get along with co-workers and employees, which is important. It will be nice for you to have a good old-fashioned rational environment at work for about 10 more months! One caveat: Jupiter in Gemini is an influence that encourages being too much in your head. Get out of yours occasionally.

Since we’re talking job, let’s also talk career. During August, Mars in your career sign indicates that you’ll need to pay attention to getting things right. Saturn is also in your career sign, getting ready to leave after more than 2 long years, which theoretically means that your hard work or hard times in recent years will finally pay off.

Saturn will leave your career sign in early October and turn his attention to your relationships with friends and colleagues. Networking is likely to become more important in your life in the next couple of years, and that trend starts on August 23, when Mars moves into Scorpio, paving the way for Saturn.

At the same time, Uranus in your family sector squares off with Pluto in your own sign again, as the two planets move toward an exact square in September. The traditional explanation for this influence would be a rock (Pluto) and a hard place (Uranus). Your escape from family and personal tensions comes through hanging out with acquaintances and other pleasant people that can take your mind off whatever conflicts are brewing in your life.

The point of the conflict itself is to get you to look very closely at the realities of your life, to self-observe, and bring yourself into alignment with the truth. You may find that some family members are easier to get along with than others–and that this is just a reality that you’ll have to accept and honor.

On a more practical level, you may want to use August to do a bit of realistic financial forecasting and planning. Look at your investments, debts, expenses, taxes, joint finances, and anything else you can control to make sure your systems are up to date. It may be time to make some changes in your investment strategies, for example. You may also want to invest a bit of time and/or money in financial education to make sure your decisions are adequately informed. Your annual new moon for dealing with these kinds of financial matters is on the 17th.

I think it’s time for an elegy to Saturn in Libra, a last call for this 2-year influence that will end in early October. Libra is a sign of relationships and it represents an area of your solar chart that deals with learning. So we get things like learning through relationships. Learning from others and teaching them as well. Learning with others.

You have 2 months to make use of this beneficial influence, and then Saturn will start testing all you’ve learned by moving into your career house. Enjoy Saturn in Libra while you can.

Not that you’ll suddenly stop learning in October! Your ruler Uranus is also ensconced in a learning-oriented sector of your chart and he ain’t going anywhere for years. It’s just that Uranus emphasizes learning through action, on your own, rather than with others.

Your learning can and probably should be applied to your financial affairs during the 2 1/2 years that Saturn will spend in Scorpio. One of the purposes of the Saturn transit is to work with Neptune in your income sector to increase your financial management abilities. In August and September specifically, you may see events occur that relate to this learning curve.

Pluto will cross swords with Uranus again, triggering perhaps surprising occurrences that will let you know exactly what you need to learn and why. There’s something you need to go through to achieve greater financial illumination.

The inner planets, meanwhile, are clustered on the opposite side of the zodiac from you. This is traditionally considered a bit of a difficult time of year, when the sun is farthest from you and things may look a bit dark. The sun itself starts the month in Leo, in the sector of your chart that emphasizes sharing and fairness. That means fairness to both yourself and others. If there are spoils to be divided this month, divide them equitably.

There’s also a full moon in your sign on the 1st, indicating that you may need to make some sort of a choice between competing alternatives, to close one door in order to enter another one. The new moon in Leo is on the 17th. One interesting use of this new moon would be to look specifically for a role model, someone you can learn from by imitating what they do to succeed.

First of all, your financial sectors are highlighted in August, Pisces. Uranus in Aries has been in a financial house for awhile and will stay there for quite a bit longer. Uranus is supposed to help you, in his erratic fashion, become more aware of the true nature and significance of money. He is challenged this month and next by Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto’s purpose is to convey information to you, most likely through other people with a mindset more practical than your own.

Mars is also challenging your sector of joint finances, introducing some element of competition into your financial dealings with others.

Neptune in your own sign is drifting lazily backward, dreaming of escape and distant shores. One of Neptune’s functions is to undermine. Frequently, when he is in a person’s sign, he undermines their thinking, their willpower, their ability to choose and take action. When under Neptune’s influence one feels impelled to let things happen, as though fate allowed for no freedom of will.

This may be beneficial in many ways in the long run, but probably not when it comes to your financial affairs. In the financial and work arenas, keep your head on your shoulders. In fact, this would be a good month to take the time to learn some new job-related skills to keep yourself current. With a new moon (on the 17th) and Mercury in your job sector, this is not the time to stumble around your workplace, mumbling inarticulately. Communicate clearly and listen closely.

Of course, you may not care all that much about such mundane matters. You also have romantic energy on tap and that may be where Neptune is exerting his greatest influence. Backing up the potentially romantic influence of Neptune this month are Venus in your love sign and the sun moving into your committed relationships sector. I will not blame you if you put relationships first as the month progresses. Still it would be to your benefit to take off any rose-colored glasses you may be wearing and aim for clarity.

You continue to have good vibes on the home front. The first week of the month is ideal for working with those in your household toward completing some project you can all do together. Once you get that project done, you’ll probably just want to nest and enjoy the fruits of your cooperative labors.