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Monday, Aug. 31 | Build-Up to Pisces Full Moon: Bridging the Gap
The Moon completes its passage through Aquarius today, enters Pisces early tomorrow morning, and will oppose the Sun in Virgo for the Full Moon overnight (1:22 am Wednesday EDT).
Sensitivities naturally peak with the lunar cycle, and the Full phase generally brings some kind of breakthrough and release of pressure. Releasing pressure constructively will become an increasingly valuable skill for those wanting to ride the waves this Autumn in a sound vessel. Good idea to start practicing now.
As noted yesterday, Venus plays a key role in dramas taking shape as it opposes the heavies: first Pluto, still in effect, and with the Full Moon, Saturn.
Emotional security and the need for trusted bonds among kindred souls face some challenges. There’s a gap where love should be. Open-hearted connection and exchange may feel blocked, fueling anxieties with all kinds of historical tendrils attached.
The gap where love is absent may be understood as the original cause behind every imbalance reaching a critical choice-point on this planet. Collectively, that’s easy to see. And individuals create the collective. What lurks in that gap may be intimidating, but the astrology points a way toward building-building.
In ancient lore, Mercury (Hermes) alone among the gods could travel freely to and from the underworld: Pluto’s domain. Mercury’s trine to Pluto, in effect now and exact with the Full Moon, indicates opportunities for acute insight into the nitty-gritty psychic depths of what needs resolution, for those who seek it.
Note that however sure you are of what others need to do, admit, express or change about themselves — and you may well be correct — start within. There could be much to learn about one’s own buried agendas or emotional scar-tissue that’s as important as what someone else has going on. What each party brings to the table spins the drama, casting archetypal roles that can’t help but play themselves out.
Venus in Cancer is a protective placement, not comfortable taking risks for fear of rejection; pain it feels ill-equipped to withstand. We may simply withdraw and choose to live in a compromised state of disharmony, rather than take a chance. Yet Mercury trine Pluto is excellent for mapping strategies, wading-in to delicate, difficult communication and confronting hard truths.
Take advantage of these helpful aspects as they come.
— Victoria Emory
Monday, August 31 — The Day of the Public Appearance
If today is your birthday: Excitement and tension, even anxiety, are basically the same force focused along different channels. With a slight tap on your mental steering-wheel you can direct stress in your environment toward truly rewarding, creative ends. If called upon to mediate challenges involving colleagues or future projects, take charge. The same goes for personal relationships. It only takes one to open the door to conversations that need to happen, and you’re perfectly positioned to broach issues with the requisite insight and sensitivity. It might seem like everything’s happening all at once, but keep riding that wave and see things through to completion; you’ll be glad you did.
— Victoria Emory
Sunday, Aug. 30 | Aquarius Moon, Oppositions-A-Go-Go: As The World Turns
An informal survey leads me to conclude that August 2020 has lasted approximately 58 days. Yet official documents claim that when tomorrow hits and the month concludes, this Earth will have spun a mere 31 times ‘round its tilted and wobbly axis.
Perceptions are fuzzy right now, it’s true; we can justify such disparity by pointing at today’s exact opposition from Mercury to spaced out Neptune. But if you’re among those who’ve felt that wired-yet-tired buzzing thrum in the air, you’re tapped into Mars’ slow-burn square to Saturn and the whole Capricorn Corporation. Like an engine idling fast and hot, stopped a red light that just. Won’t. Change. A public service announcement before the local weather: check your radiator so you don’t burn out.
Sunday’s Aquarius Moon helps lighten moods, but while the Moon may no longer hang on the cardinal cross, Venus in sensitive, Moon-ruled Cancer is now facing-off with Pluto in another exact opposition today.
Mercury opposite Neptune and Venus opposing Pluto indicate a lot of uncertainty and intense agendas on the relationship front. Personal, professional, and between factions within the collective.
Desires cannot be denied much longer; too much pressure has built up and needs must be expressed. Yet it might feel just too hot to handle; you’re not sure if you can trust the one with whom you’re desperate to work things out. You might not know where you stand, what might erupt, or where they even are. Secrets. Withholding. Who has power over who, what might it be used for and – this is important – what from the past is forcing its way to the surface? Pluto’s realm is subterranean. Where it’s dark and deep, where fires burn under layers of cold, hard rock.
Dynamics in play right now might show up in government deceptions, perhaps tricky financial maneuvers while shiny objects distract viewers from what’s going on behind the curtain. Keep an eye out; the United States’ chart is right in the cross-hairs of this astrology, as the Pluto return is in full swing.
Individually, acknowledge to yourself what you don’t know, what you do, and what you might be afraid to find out; what you most desire, and what you most fear. It’s easy to confuse the object of desire, whether in the form of a person, situation or bank statement, with the essence of what the heart actually cries out for. Clarify your desires in terms of what you want to feel, to experience. Pull that thread and a wealth of soul-level power will start to emerge.
That alone will help burn off some fog.
— Victoria Emory
Sunday, August 30 – The Day of the Rock
If today is your birthday: Love may be blind, but this year you want to do everything possible to see clearly. Don’t deny what you feel, and it might be intense, even obsessive, for better or worse. Yet whether or not intimacy per se plays a role in dominant relationships, currents run deep and an element of subconscious material is trying to surface. Honesty with yourself and others is essential now. The full picture needs time to develop; let perception clear before making decisions, and keep your radar tuned for subtle clues as to others’ motivations. This holds for financial speculation as well. Remember, without trust there can be no love.
— Victoria Emory
Saturday, Aug 29 | Power, Past and Desire: Coming to Terms
The Moon continues its passage through Capricorn for most of Saturday, before entering Aquarius at 8:37 pm EDT. Today it directly activates the more volatile heavy-weights that define the challenges of our era: Pluto, Eris, Saturn and Mars. Mars is now very slow and very powerful, bringing to a boil conflicts between personal will and authority; systemic power structures of all kinds, with profound weight from the past behind it.
Collectively, we’re seeing even more exaggerated violence and abuses of power at the level of state, and equal reactions in the form of protests – including the walk-out of professional athletes and sportscasters (a symbolic bull’s-eye for this martial signature). Fear and rage cannot be separated; abusers act out abuse they’ve felt subject to. A crossroads has been reached, and which way we turn depends on how far we can see.
Individually, the weight of history behind power dynamics in various kinds of associations will likely show up as well. If so, identify what current events playing out in your life echo situations in your past — unresolved violations, lingering resentments or old insecurities might feel heavily triggered now. Only by stepping back and asking what feels familiar, will you begin to free yourself from emotional burdens and the stories they tell.
That is one message of Mercury’s trine to Jupiter exact today. Insight into past patterns, and analysis of what’s needed to create justice or some higher order, are available for those willing to receive them. Consider working with what surfaces on your own, before bringing issues forward to those involved; if openings do present themselves, put out feelers and see what comes back. If you feel threatened, investigate further. Identify for yourself what you want, bottom line. Chances are those desires have felt denied for some time. The more you follow that thread, the more lights will go on to illuminate the way forward.
This weekend’s astrology brings to the fore all kinds of agendas around balance of power in relationships: intimate, professional and in terms of society as a whole. This comes into sharper focus tomorrow. Stay tuned.
— Victoria Emory
Saturday, August 29 — The Day of Structured Action
If Today is Your Birthday: If you find yourself in a situation you don’t understand, take a step back and figure it out. If you find yourself in too deep, ask yourself what you really want, and determine whether your scenario as it now stands is giving you that. Your chart is not about the future: it’s about what you’re engaging with and potentially confronting right now. The thing about not understanding is that usually means there is either missing information, withheld information, or someone who is not being upfront. Make sure to set the example of being real at all times, and insist that others do the same. That will take courage, but only a little. And it will give you a lot more.
Moon in Capricorn: Repeating Patterns | Friday, August 28
The Moon is in Capricorn as of Thursday afternoon (1:37 pm EDT). With that move, it entered into the historic aspect pattern occurring between Aries and Capricorn, which involves Chiron, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. This has been happening right before the weekend going back a month, and you may have noticed a pattern of a certain kind or challenge repeating itself.
Think back a few weeks and ask yourself whether that is true. It’s likely to involve your emotional state more than anything. That’s a sensitive point for many people these days, with so much stress and so much pressure.
If you notice a pattern, that means something is calling for your attention. And if that is happening you can infer a reason: it’s time to work it out. You won’t solve the problem on the level where it’s occurring, which in this situation is likely to be an emotional state. This potentially could involve a relationship scenario — in any event the influence of others must be part of your description of any problem you want to solve.
There are a lot of squares in the sky, and those can call on you to bottle things in. Yet both the Moon and the Sun are trine Mercury in Virgo, which is calling for you to express yourself. That will have to be a choice, and for that to be true, it will help if you decide that the other option is not working for you.
Most problems persist because they are not put into words and spoken out loud. It may take you several attempts to figure out what is going on; to decide what you’re really feeling or thinking. It may take even more effort to engage another person in conversation, though remember, people understand what they want to. So if you’re feeling frustration, ask yourself where it’s really coming from.
The more you let your words flow, the more like you are to make a discovery — if and only if you’re listening to yourself. Ultimately this is about you.
Friday, August 28 — The Day of Language
If Today is Your Birthday: You may find it difficult to express what you need to say: it all feels like so much. Yet your hesitancy to speak is the main thing that is in the way. You may also feel that to tell the truth about your experiences, desire or needs may be out of bounds in certain situations. Therefore, the logic could go, it’s not worth the risk. Well, that depends on your philosophy of life, and your commitment to what is true and what is real. At this late stage of history, what else is worth living for?
Thursday, August 27 — The Day of Social Ideals
If Today is Your Birthday: True art, like real intimacy, is not an escapist diversion but a courageous encounter with the depth of being. The creator and the lover run on similar fuel. Both seek to reconcile their heart’s ideal with the nitty-gritty challenges of life, in all its complexities. Everyone feels moments of transcendence, of inspiration, but not everyone runs toward it with outstretched arms and surrenders to that transforming power. You can, and the more you take that plunge, the more you will grow your spirit and touch joy. Answer the call.
— Victoria Emory
Wednesday, August 26 — The Day of the Supportive Partner
If Today is Your Birthday: We have all heard the advice, “To thine own self be true,” though these are words by which you must live. Your optimism is not enough; hope may spring eternal and that will not suffice. Being true to oneself takes time, and effort, and learning, and is ultimately done in an instant of honesty. Know your underlying priorities and your foundational values. Know what means the most. Consider these things your constitutions to which every relationship, personal policy, decision or goal must conform. These must all must be subjected to ongoing review.
A look at this week’s astrology
Setting the tone for the week, we began with the Moon in Scorpio. This vibrated sweetly with all those earthy planets and the Sun, from Taurus (Uranus, Sedna) to Virgo (Sun, Isis, Mercury) and finally to Capricorn (Pholus, Pallas, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn all retrograde, ffs, that is our wild moment. Water loves Earth.
Many factors point to true intuition. Listen to that ‘little voice in your mind’ — the one what whispers and never scares or depresses you. That’s the one to invest in, and to call forth. It is you, guiding you.
By Tuesday the Moon is in optimistic Sagittarius, which can keep getting up. That’s the thing to do. Apply extra grit, though, because the Moon is approaching a square to Neptune — cue theme from The Twilight Zone.
Keep a grip on your reality, your schedule and your bank balance. That will mean all three forms of checking: against wise elders, taking longer than usual to make a decision, looking up the true fact, and generally fostering a clear head.
No matter how busy you are, you’ll find creative ways to get it all done. The key will be slowing down a little rather than speeding up, and making a few moves to take off the pressure. Stick to real your priorities, either for love or for importance, and bump anything that doesn’t matter.
Time counts for double right now. Use it wisely. — by Eric Francis
PS — Lovesense Venus is in water sign Cancer. Be mindful of who you choose to trust, and keep a sense of proportion in all matters emotional. Love is neither great nor small; it simply is. Today’s birthday reading is over at Daily Planets.
Tuesday, August 25 — The Day of Unabashed Extrovert
If Today is Your Birthday: Are you an optimist or pessimist? I would guess you’re an optimist by day and a pessimist by night. I suggest you go for your vision when it’s dark out, and push back on any thought that you cannot make it, just the way you want. Okay, not exactly precisely but rather, in the spirit of. With much of the substance of. Cultivate the lover as much as the spiritual side of your nature. You have a dirty mind for someone so prim and proper as yourself, and it will help to hear and speak the words associated with that. Any deity you worship ought to be the kind that roams naked in the forest.
I’ll have an announcement about I TOUCH THE EARTH — your brand new Virgo reading — sometime Tuesday. Check back this very space for details. Link to purchase is below.
Monday, August 24 — The Day of Astute Examination
If Today is Your Birthday: You need only one aspiration, which is emotional harmony with others. Be your most loving and gentle self to everyone you encounter, and you will live in a world you can abide. Your intuitive sixth and seventh senses will speak to you, softly though intently. You simply know. That only works if you trust it, which at times can feel like jumping into the deep end for the first time since summer camp.
Tailored for Virgo Sun and rising, this new audio reading by Eric Francis will introduce you to your astrology through the autumn of 2021. We will take maximum advantage of the power you are drawing from the Earth signs at the time of your solar return: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, as well as Uranus in Taurus. This is a grand earth trine, and the thing to do is gather momentum in the direction you want to go, and then point yourself there. Eric will describe the influence of Jupiter and Saturn ingressing Aquarius later this year. The reading will look closely at Chiron in Aries, accompanied by Mars retrograde in Aries — your most important relationship house. We anticipate the reading being ready by the evening of Monday, Aug. 24. Reading includes a transcription. Pre-order now for best price. This reading is included with the Backstage Pass.
Sunday, August 23 — The Day of Lively Precision
If Today is Your Birthday: Intense desires you’ve held close to your chest may have felt blocked for so long you’ve started to wonder if they’re even possible, or worse, if you deserve them. Nonsense. Desire drives creation. Your will — which is another word for desire – is what draws toward you what you want. Now you’re finally ready to uncoil layers of emotional history that have kept matters locked in place. Just note that however central relationship issues may be, whatever secrets or agendas or fears have gone unspoken, the place to start is with yourself. Get your feelings out on paper; to a wise, compassionate ear; speak them aloud to yourself or to the trees — and the load will start to lighten. The slightest steps in this direction will carry you farther than you suppose.
— Victoria Emory
Sun in Virgo: The Sign of Healing, of Every Kind
There is another dimension to healing that is rarely discussed or acknowledged, and that is the one with an emphasis on sexuality. It is closely associated with Virgo, as this is the sign of the Goddess, and sexuality is in her domain.
Saturday at 11:45 am ET, the Sun entered the mutable earthy sign Virgo. This begins a disseminating phase of the Sun, the last sign of a season that will lead to the next. We are in a time of global crisis, supposedly brought on by a medical issue. What is actually happening is that the fear of being unwell is being used to gain control over people on a mass scale, and also as individuals and families.
Were people actually connected to their intelligence and their ideas about their wellbeing, this could not be happening. If people were actually working their mind-body integration, as various New Age and Wholefoods mythologies have been advocating for years, this scenario could not be unfolding.
If people would use their spiritual training and address their fear, rather than letting others manipulate them with it, this could not be happening. What is “this”? This is the total takeover of bodily functions in the form of proposed “vaccine” that will genetically modify every cell in our bodies.
The integration we need is on the mental, physical and emotional dimensions — not being treated like a computer that needs a code update. Or worse, being merged with the internet via a chip implant, digital tag with health records, or whatever.
We have come to the point in history where revolution means demanding the right to take care of ourselves. This is sketchy because so many people have refused to do so, think they lack the resources to do so (intellectual or monetary), or do not have the motivation. Wellbeing is not a hostage situation. The medical/drug industry cannot keep us wearing face diapers, distancing and isolated until we all agree to take their drug and implant. And part of the “exit plan” from that is learning how to take care of ourselves and one another. That means everything from learning how to cook, to eat, to manage our time and to attend to our lives in the most basic ways.
There is another dimension to healing that is rarely discussed or acknowledged, and that is the one with an emphasis on sexuality. It is closely associated with Virgo, as this is the sign of the Goddess, and sexuality is in her domain. Much of the rough shape society is in involves the sexual struggles people are in: unhealed injuries, unfulfilled desire to connect, suppression of natural feelings, and many others that lead to both personal and collective crisis.
There is fear, ignorance and taboo around sexuality — and this is suffocating many people, because sexuality is our connection to life as it is the cause of our lives as we know them to be. We can keep pretending we are “above” sexuality, or that the only option is to avoid the topic, though that’s not going to help anyone or anything. Our sexual pain is the result of millennia of religious programming, which adds up to alienation from ourselves.
Where to begin? If we take this through the filter of Virgo, the beginning point is knowledge. That means self-knowledge of a kind that is not popular these days, and due to perpetual distraction, supposedly not available. Well, it can be if you want to grow, and if you need to grow.
As the poet Adrienne Rich said, “There are methods but we do not use them.”
It’s time to get busy.
With love,
Saturday, August 22 – The Day of Seasoned Experience
If Today is Your Birthday: Any material concerns you may have needn’t be a reason for you to keep from expressing yourself, nor get in the way of your relationships. To the contrary, your wholesome contact points with others are sources of not just inspiration but nourishment. The world at large may be pulling double duty to keep others feeling wound up and on their toes, but you’d be better served by connecting with those who support you. Allow yourself the privilege of being cared for, and return the favor by sharing all that you have and desire to give -— this give-and-take will provide any sense of security you might feel you need. Bring your full self to the table no matter the cost. Being real in every moment will serve you well. — By Spencer Stevens with Eric Francis
Moon entered Libra at 5:15 am EDT Friday
The Moon entered the cardinal sign Libra early Friday. For several weeks, the Moon has been entering a cardinal sign each Friday morning, just in time for the weekend. Most of the action in the sky is on the cardinal cross right now — Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
When the Moon enters one of those signs, it makes a series of conjunctions, squares and oppositions to numerous planets.
The sensitive but laid-back Libra Moon wants balance, and this is not exactly a picture of that. You cannot impose balance and harmony on anything or anyone, though you can personally choose to treat others with gentleness and equanimity.
All the tension on the cardinal cross, now including (nearly-retrograde) Mars square Saturn, reflects the state of the public, which, in a word, is anxious. This tension is not going away any time soon, and with Mars retrograde in a cardinal sign through Nov. 13, it will last through the election.
Tremendous manipulation is afoot, and the thing about that is most people don’t know it — that’s why it’s called manipulation, and not “answering an honest request.” Any factor that drives fear is manipulative.
That goes from seeing people walk down the street with their faces covered, to a news channel blaring about how many deaths and cases there are. Neither of these factors in any way is about taking care of yourself, your family and your neighbors. To figure out what does, you will need to think for yourself — and to know when you are letting others think for you.
Tailored for Virgo Sun and rising, this new audio reading by Eric Francis will introduce you to your astrology through the autumn of 2021. We will take maximum advantage of the power you are drawing from the Earth signs at the time of your solar return: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, as well as Uranus in Taurus. This is a grand earth trine, and the thing to do is gather momentum in the direction you want to go, and then point yourself there. Eric will describe the influence of Jupiter and Saturn ingressing Aquarius later this year. The reading will look closely at Chiron in Aries, accompanied by Mars retrograde in Aries — your most important relationship house. We anticipate the reading being ready by the evening of Monday, Aug. 24. Reading includes a transcription. Pre-order now for best price. This reading is included with the Backstage Pass.
Here is the extended Virgo monthly horoscope for August. If you’re not a Virgo, read your sign here.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Don’t add to your own pressures. Rather, seek to defuse stressful situations, which includes addressing the things you worry about silently. The challenge here is noticing the invisible. Pay attention to what nags you, wake up to it and address it as promptly as you can. One factor you may be encountering is not wanting to address an issue because you think it’s bigger than it is. It’s the feeling of not wanting to open Pandora’s box, so you don’t go near it. I suggest you take the opposite approach and start unpacking things: boxes, drawers, closets, corners, attics and basements. Start with one, do some sorting out, and figure out how good it feels. Notice what you learn. Cleaning out a private space is intimate and introspective work. You will discover things from the past, and may tune into how you feel about them. This is an important form of self-therapy, so take it slowly and consciously. Notice what you want to throw out and set it aside rather than parting with it; you will want to come back for a second review. Then there is the public aspect of your life — how you present yourself to the world. Assume for the sake of discussion that this is unrelated to what you have in your dresser drawers or attic trunk. You may be experiencing some sense of limitation, some form of ‘I’ve had enough’, where being a public persona is concerned. This is a healthy sensation in a world where everyone has turned into their own publicist. You don’t need to do any of that; remember you are private person, not a public figure.
Friday, August 21 – The Day of the Standout
If Today is Your Birthday: Face partnership challenges directly and with courage — though more than anything, learn how not to take things personally. Only some of what happens in your life is about you; most of it is about what others are going through. Your primary responsibility is to take care of yourself so you may take care of others. That is the order you need to proceed in, and you are certainly free to explain to others what how you establish your priorities. People are good at enlisting you for help and they know that you are dependable. Make it your business to get others to help you, in exactly the ways that you need it.
Thursday, August 20 – The Day of the Cryptic Secret
If Today is Your Birthday: Measure twice, cut once – at least — when it comes to financial planning. Clarify what you do not know, ask necessary questions and think long term. Important opportunities may at first appear inconsequential, so do not dismiss what comes your way if it doesn’t shout out loud. Likewise, sniff out any hint of glamorous ‘get rich quick’ schemes or dubious financial partnerships. Slowly but surely you’re creating a stronger base for material security and all that supports it. Remember that your own physical and emotional well-being is your prime asset. Always.
— Victoria Emory
Wednesday, August 19 — The Day of Startling Surprises
If Today is Your Birthday: Your psyche is not divided between reason and intuition, that’s a false dichotomy. Analytical, rational perception, and the intelligence accessed by the part of you that transcends time and space are designed to work together. And you need both; cooperation between inner-knowing and conscious analysis is what will help you line up with the significant opportunities available to you now. Open that door by honestly examining emotional triggers around everything ‘safety’ means to you. Often just recognizing early programming and childhood imprints is enough to loosen their power. This will be easier than you think, and clear the way for unexpected, welcome possibilities.
— Victoria Emory
Virgo Segue and Mars Square Saturn | Thursday, August 20
Fast on the heels of Tuesday night’s New Moon in Leo, the transition into Virgo season began early Wednesday. The Moon has been in Virgo since yesterday morning, followed by Mercury’s home-coming to its own earthy domain at 9:30 pm last night. The final sign of summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) begins in earnest this weekend, with the Sun’s ingress on Saturday, August 22.
The influx of Virgo will feel good in these fiery times we are in at the moment. Virgo is a mental sign, and a human sign. It is cool, rich soil after burning sand in the mid-day sun. It will help those interested restore some reasoning, logic and discernment to their thought process.
The Virgo Sun will make a series of many trines to planets already in Earth signs. For the first 12 days or so there will be a grand trine in effect, as Uranus in Taurus is part of the mix. The grand trine following a New Moon is about building the momentum you need to be able to cover the distance you want to travel.
And therein lies a rub. Mars is leaning in hard to its first exact square with Saturn, both playing with a very full deck in their own home signs. Mars says go, Saturn says wait. Mars says yes, Saturn says no. Hey la, heyla helloa.
Irritated frustration is a common response when these planets square off, and because Mars will soon backtrack over this same ground, it will be in effect for many weeks. Yet Mars likes Capricorn; it does its best work there. With intent, that tension can be harnessed and directed into powerfully concentrated focus on specific projects that need taking care of.
Fortunately, Virgo gets it. Earth signs understand patience and strategy, and Virgo is a master analyst. Virgo savors the fulfillment of work completed, which is reached by shutting out the noise, and homing-in on practical achievement in the now.
Distance is measured in increments; consider each desired end in terms of your Long Game. Build momentum with each deliberate action, each task followed through will lead to the next. Be the ant, not the grasshopper; the tortoise, not the hare. Progress will be that much more satisfying; a distinctly mature sense of accomplishment won through persistence and commitment. Demands for instant gratification are among the childish things that must be put away in order to get there.
— Victoria Emory
Leo New Moon; Sun enters Virgo
If this feels like an edgy New Moon, it’s not just the Mars-Eris conjunction. The Moon-Sun conjunction is exactly opposite Damocles, an odd minor planet with a 40-year orbit. Damocles is not an asteroid; it’s more like a super-centaur. It spends nearly its entire orbit in one sign, Aquarius: about 28 years, then whips through the other signs in about 12 years.
Mars Conjunct Eris: Quest for Humanity
This odd sense that everything is growing more chaotic and uncertain by the minute is described magnificently by Mars conjunct Eris in Aries. This is Mars nearly in position to go retrograde on Sept. 9. One of the central concepts Eris represents astrologically is the result of electrical technology on one’s state of being.
Tuesday, August 18 — The Day of Endurance
If Today is your Birthday: Today’s New Moon on your birth anniversary is urging you to find the present. Rather than planning the future or trying to correct the past, guide yourself into the moment, and stay here. If you find yourself drifting, guide yourself back. Be attentive to who and what is around you in any moment. Take care of physical reality before you move onto digital. Do any activity at all that guides your mind into a Zen state of here and now. That will help you let go of distractions and influences that alienate you from yourself, and keep you centered where you need to be: where the action is.
Monday, August 17 — The Day of Explosive Power
If Today is your Birthday: Bring to closure every open file in your life this year. Do so one person at a time; one emotional file at a time; one sticky matter, then the next. Some will be surprisingly easy to conclude sincerely; others will surprise you with what you learn. Some situations will be difficult and call for humility. No matter: do what you must, and in the process, claim your future. Do not let the past take it from you. Yet for that to happen, you must take possession of your own material yourself. The result will be the rare-but-possible spiritual rebirth.
Monday Notes | August 17: Leo New Moon coming Tuesday; Mars square everything, and Venus square Chiron
The Moon and the Sun align in Leo at 10:41 pm EDT Tuesday for the Leo New Moon of 2020. The Moon-Sun conjunction is in a grand fire trine with Mars-Eris in Aries, and the South lunar node and Galactic Core in Sagittarius. This is the “get the lesson while it’s easy” configuration.
There is a lot to pay attention to right now, and the daily bid to survive and handle the emotional pressure is consuming lots of human energy. It will help if you aim your potential a little higher, and strive to both have some fun and also to recognize that you can play a role in global healing.
The place to start is with yourself. Fear is consuming much human energy on the planet right now, which has a paralyzing effect.
In order to have some flexibility of thought, choice and action, you’re going to need to figure out how to work your way out of a fearful state, if you haven’t already started the project or figured out how to do it.
Be aware that there is, coming from many directions, peer pressure to be afraid, worried and freaked out, on pain of being shunned or angering the great SARS god.
Everyone has to work this out on their own, though we could start with how anxiety doesn’t accomplish anything except taking you offline.
There are a good few people who are taking this in a reasoned and balanced way. This is the best approach, if you can educate yourself to the point of getting there.
As for the Grand Fire Trine New Moon — that will create momentum that builds on itself. If this is positive, it will become more so, and if you resonate with fear or anger, that will gather momentum as well. So choose which side of the wave you want to be on, and remember, there’s no time like the present to put all your spiritual training to some good use.
Sunday Notes | August 16: Cancer Moon, Mars square Everything and Venus square Chiron
The Moon in Cancer plunges into the volatile Mars, Pluto & Eris dynamic today (Sunday), while Venus in Cancer forms a right angle to Chiron. That’s a lot of emotionally-charged, complex and fast-moving weather. Cancerian instincts tend in the direction of defensive, internalized response, so slow burns and brooding may be more obvious than direct confrontations.
Observe any sensation of waking up — whatever might prompt it, whether it’s receiving the message of a dream, reaching the point of maximum tolerance, or deciding that now is the time to take acton on something that has long troubled you. Maybe waking up will come in the form of deciding what you want, that you had long denied.
Treat yourself and others as gently as you can. Monitor your emotional temperature if feeling especially raw or triggered. Intense reactions, yours or in those around you, are most likely rooted in unresolved personal history, or situations that have been brewing for a while, rather than events playing out right now — as crazy-making as those certainly are.
At the same time, we have a rather spectacular trine between the Sun and Mars, both at full, fiery strength in their home signs. Trines describe easy expression of your feelings and creative impulses.
This is high-energy, can-do spirit; a sharp contrast with the acute sensitivity and deeply colored moods floating around. The two are related. You may be able to siphon some heaviness off via productive work, whether around the house or in the form of physical activity, or more to the point, investing in your creative desires. Some may channel that into raising the volume on the battlefield, be that on social media or face to face.
Step aside or outside, rather than get swept into conflicts that don’t help anyone involved. Conflict burns energy, goodwill and trust, and it contaminates the future. Resolution builds goodwill and trust, saves energy and protects the future.
There are battles to be waged, to be sure, but know your “enemy” — whomever strives to strand you in a state of fear. There are immense fissures in our social fabric that require a citizenry that’s awake and engaged. So if you’re moved by a cause that calls you, step up with the presence and shield of a spiritual warrior. True power is peace within.
— Victoria Emory with Eric Francis
August 16, 2020 | Planet Waves FM: Introduction to Mars Retrograde, Inside Covid science, and the history of science. Tantra Studio on having the impossible conversation.
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Sunday, August 16 — The Day of High Voltage
If Today is your Birthday: Take responsibility for how you feel rather than in any way making others responsible for it. The challenge here would be figuring out, sussing out, or vibing out what you’re experiencing inwardly rather than making an assumption about it. Once you will do that, you’ll see that it has little to do with others currently present in your life and everything to do with how you experience your inner emotional reality. Important attributes of this involve your experience of your sexuality. This includes everything from your past injuries, to your deepest needs, do your must curious desires. Give yourself permission to honor it all. The way to free yourself from guilt is to go toward what might embarrass you rather than away from it.
Saturday, August 15 — The Day of Royal Command
If Today is your Birthday: Face personal and professional challenges head on – but understand the difference between power and force. Force pushes against, creating a counterforce and ultimate stalemate. Power is the natural result of inner alignment. Quiet your mind and turn inward. Follow hunches, follow the known facts, and seek wisdom. Your ability to use your strength and your will flows from a state of awareness, and what some call higher consciousness. In case you’ve ever wondered what that means, it’s simply expressed as freedom from fear. Anxiety is the fast food of the emotions, and what drives people to believe they are smaller and less than they really are. There is just one way to find the truth about yourself, which is to practice courage.
— Victoria Emory
Mars square Pluto: Small Moves Mean a Lot | August 15
We are now under the full strength of Mars square Pluto, an aspect that is associated with power trips, power struggles, lone-wolf attitudes such as going it alone. We live in times when respect seems to be a thing of the past; when people use every scrap of ‘power’ they can grab, and when hate is the new love.
Be conscious of the excuses people are making (whether tacitly, or spoken) to just give up on tradition, protocol or the most basic courtesy — or to give up in general. Hold yourself to a high standard.
Be impeccable, and put up with nothing. Hold yourself and others to their truth — in that order. The seeming chaos of our times is not an excuse to downgrade your humanity or that of anyone else.
Part of this will mean setting limits: on how you are treated, on how you treat others, on how late you are to work because you know they can’t replace you, on anything that needs reining in.
One of the central issues with the current astrology is how one responds to authority. You might have the impulse to be rebellious, aggressive or overly assertive. That will only get you so far. It’s much better use of your energy to be creative, which will be gentle and conscious. As Ellie Arroway’s dad said to the aspiring young scientist, “Small moves mean a lot.”
More in this article on Planet Waves
Friday, August 14 — The Day of the Mortal Mirror
If Today is your Birthday: You want to be in good standing with the most difficult people in your life. So do what you can: learn how their mind works, learn how they take their coffee and make it for them, or perhaps you might decide you have to be the top and they are actually the bottom. Whatever you must do, figure it out, and stay in the position of negotiator for your own cause, and any that you feel needs standing up for. We live in polarized times, where people are quick to make enemies and slow to make friends. That is not sustainable, particularly for you who wants to do something productive with your life. Stick to old-school ways. They work better, and they are designed to help you build the future and gather knowledge and wisdom.
Thursday, August 13 — The Day of Long Odds
If Today is your Birthday: What is your concept of mother, of women, and of where the two relate to one another? Your ideas are changing, though you may not be aware of this yet. It’s vital that you see through your conditioned perceptions. You need to cultivate honesty with yourself, rather than in any way allowing your position to be dictated by loyalty to an idea or to a person. This drives many people to an alarming degree, and has the effect of preventing independence of thought.
Notes for Wednesday, August 12: Moon in Gemini, square Nessus
Today the Moon entered Gemini. If you’ve felt a little chatty, that may describe your state of mind, though the question is what you might talk about. Early in its run through Gemini, the Moon makes a square to Nessus, a centaur that can guide the discussion to matters relevant to personal healing. This could be your opportunity to speak about what you can rarely bring yourself to say.
There is plenty of pain to go around in the world, especially when it comes to sex and some of its negative consequences. Honesty runs the risk of dragging along all that is unaddressed, and all that has been left unsaid, though you don’t need to go in over your head. You can guide the conversation toward challenging topics, and test the water, sticking to the edge.
Remember: the buck stops with you. You are responsible for the content of your mind, for how you respond to what life offers you, and ultimately, for how you feel.
This Week: Mars Square Pluto | August 13
As you may know, Mars will be retrograde beginning next month, from Sept. 9 through Nov. 13. We are now in the setup for that event, as Mars makes aspects this week to both Pluto and Eris — aspects that it will repeat early in the retrograde, then again in December.
Pluto and Eris both move slowly (they take centuries to around the Sun, while Mars takes just two years), and are currently dancing in a 90-degree angle.
When a close-up personal world like Mars mixes it up with far-away planets that influence long generations, the result is that the private meets the impersonal — and there will be an interesting effect. Interesting meaning intense, sometimes with the sensation that things are (once again) outside of your control.
Yet let’s consider the nature of a square. One quality it calls for is to turn your attention inward. That is unusual in our times, yet that’s the thing to do. Another is, if you have two sides to an issue, situation or problem, take them one at a time. Devote yourself to one side, and then the other, and gradually work it out. finally, remember that squares always call for expression, which would rightly come after a time of inner focus and thought.
There are alternatives, of course, such as aggression — but that does not help anyone. Often, aggression is a quest for identity. There are better ways to get there.
I’ve written an extended article about this, which is posted with my weekly horoscope. Read without a paywall here.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — If you are wondering what to do with your hours, your days, or your life, the question is: in what way are you being called upon to serve? This is not so much about what you want to do but rather the way you feel summoned to take a particular role. The value of preference is way overstated. Many people of great accomplishment followed a calling rather than “did what they loved.” What you may discover when you do that is that you grow to love your calling in a way you never loved anything else. Many people are teetering on this brink at the moment — including a good few who feel fortunate to have had their employment survive this ongoing social and economic tsunami. For anyone whose livelihood has been disrupted, seize the opportunity to make the long-overdue adjustments you’ve wanted to make. Streamline your life, work cooperatively with others, and listen to your calling: listen with your ears and your whiskers and smell the air.
Wednesday, August 12 — The Day of Convention
If Today is your Birthday: My theory of Leo is that your sign was born to serve. Here is the metaphor. The Sun rules your sign, and is at the center of the solar system. You therefore have the responsibility of keeping everything around you in its proper orbit, or least held in place. Your role is to serve; to hear a calling and answer it. Many complain that they don’t hear anything summoning them, though I would then propose to start getting the clutter and the noise out of your life and out of your mind. Create some clear interior space for yourself where you have a sense of potential, of room to move, of room to grow, and space to change your mind. Hang out in that clear pace. Then you might hear it a little clearly.
Tuesday, August 11 — The Day of Validation
If Today is your Birthday: Though enormous changes are moving through the world and quite possibly through your life, you have the ability to harmonize with them, rather than to fight against them. The astrology of our era influences what you do every day. It’s not some kind of abstract phenomenon. Take matters on the most practical level. Think of global changes as challenging you and providing you with opportunities rather than taking anything away. Yet above all else, be mindful of your health — as everyone should be, though especially Leo in this time. If you have your health, all potentials are open to you. Nothing is impossible.
You can now get instant access to your 2020-21 Leo Astrology Studio, Notes on Love and Courage. The two giants of the solar system meet up at the end of this year in your opposite sign Aquarius. In this extended audio reading, Eric explores what this seminal conjunction means for you, and much more. Get your copy here for just $44. The reading is ready! Transcript is ready! Original music by Vision Quest.
Listen to a sample of your Notes on Love and Courage — Astrology studio for Leo — on this player:
Monday, August 10 — The Day of the Velvet Voice
If Today is your Birthday: Genius or outlaw? The choice is yours, but if you slow down to examine the emotional motivation behind your rebellious impulses, you’ll find the creative sweet-spot between the two. Revolutionary ideas call for methodical implementation, to have lasting impact. For you this applies to your most public self and profession. Enormous changes are underway in how you manifest your gifts in the world. So record your insights for future review and know your priorities. Don’t talk away the magic of ideas you’re working on, and respect those whose help you may need down the road. You’re packing heat, and must consciously harness that energy to use it constructively. With self-awareness and patience, however, there’s little to stand in your way. — By Victoria Emory
Sunday, August 9 — The Day of Psychological Leverage
If Today is your Birthday: Whether in recent years or a previous life, you’ve earned a gift of wisdom that’s been hard-won. As with all spiritual attainments and natural gifts, you must actively use it, lest valuable lessons fade from memory and acquired mastery atrophies. Mercury in your sign trine Chiron on your birthday indicates your readiness to serve as a guide to others, even as your own healing continues to evolve. Do not hesitate to share what you know, which is becoming synonymous with who you are. Your role in the world is taking on surprising new dimensions, and this process is part of it. Follow your inner guidance and don’t look back. — By Victoria Emory
Notes for Sunday, August 9: Venus in Cancer, Aries Moon and Mercury trine Chiron
Venus finally entered Cancer on Friday, having spent around four months in the sign of Gemini. Venus in Cancer needs strong emotional connection, and to feel part of a close-knit group in the sense of family. Tenderness, nurturing and protective impulses are at home here. Feelings can almost instinctively reflect the moods or needs of others, while at the same time, insecurities might inhibit the very intimacy that is desired.
Today (Sunday) Venus opposes Pholus in Capricorn, the ‘small cause, big effect’ centaur planet. Depending on individual variables, little gestures may strengthen relationships in ways unforeseen, or minor brush-ups may generate more flak than seems warranted — move gently.
The Moon has been in Aries since Friday, and will enter Taurus tonight at 9:28 pm EDT. Before then it conjoins Mars and Eris and squares Pluto early this morning (7:38 am EDT), then hits another square with Saturn this afternoon (3:50 pm).
This is the perfect recipe for road-blocks or power plays, but much of that can be avoided with self-awareness and efforts directed toward work you can achieve on your own. Physical activities that get you outside, even triggering some endorphins and breaking a sweat, are a good way to burn off any angst.
Speaking of Cardinal planets, Mars in Aries is building toward a square to Pluto now and through the week. Contests of will can have intense consequences, so pick your battles wisely.
On the bright side, Mercury trines Chiron today. The potential exists to express yourself honestly in a way that’s mutually supportive to all involved. Another optimal use of this influence is to focus your attention on some personal healing process. That might be the best conceivable goal you could have for today.
— By Victoria Emory
Saturday, August 8 — The Day of the Roleplayers
If Today is your Birthday: It’s time to find your voice, and use it. Not that you ever really lost it, but you’re now in position to connect what you perceive and what you understand with what you feel, on a whole new level. You have something to say that others need to hear, but think of it as a process of discovery more than pedantry. You don’t need to be right, you just need to be interested. Exploratory. Thirsty for knowledge. Like a travel writer, put yourself in the path of adventure. No baggage is necessary, the only distance required is from routines. Follow hunches, and take a different route — the one that’s beckoned, but you told yourself, “not yet.” — By Victoria Emory
Friday, August 7 — The Day of the Double Agent
If Today is your Birthday: What you’re about to discover through selfless service, in one form or another, will expand your entire world-view if you let it. Love as a system of barter may spackle over cracks in self-esteem, but it’s a constant struggle and ultimately a losing proposition. Take courageous responsibility for any unresolved relationship issues, if necessary, to clear the path and ignite the life-giving force of your true heart-presence. Just remember that fulfillment through giving is not the same as martyrdom. The latter springs from guilt, whereas offering your gifts freely is an act of joy, and your dharma. — By Victoria Emory
Thursday, August 6 — The Day of Unusual Developments
If Today is your Birthday: Your beliefs about yourself and your experience impact your health and livelihood more than you realize. A belief is just a thought you keep thinking, and the more intense the emotional charge behind them, the more obvious their effect. Seize opportunities available now to deep-dive into the hidden corners of your psyche, clear out debris and lighten your load. But you must find a way to actually express or process the emotional baggage you unpack; express in the sense of squeezing out juice from a fruit. The idea is to get your feelings in motion. Mercury is in your sign! Write, write, write! Don’t be afraid to be wrong. Stream of consciousness litanies in a journal, or emails to save or even delete. This is a path of creative exploration of the highest order. You’ll discover renewed passion for your own unique voice and perspective that serves you far into the future. — By Victoria Emory
Wednesday, August 5 — The Day of Resolute Composure
If Today is your Birthday: While you seem determined to reckon with your feelings, be vigilant about being honest with yourself. First, start with the question of whether these are in fact your feelings you’re experiencing and not those of someone else — such as leftovers from one of your parents. From that point, questions will get you further than quick answers, as they will in just about any spiritual inquiry. The more potent questions do not involve why but rather how. They include, how did this situation come to be this way? How did I get here? And, where am I? Once you have the facts, the reasons will gradually come into focus, and you will be able to put them into words.
Tuesday Notes, Mercury in Leo
Tuesday, one day after the Full Moon; the Moon is still in Aquarius and enters Pisces tonight at 10:27 pm EDT. The past five days came with some unusual pressure and turbulence as the Moon moved through Capricorn (beginning Friday morning) making a series of conjunctions to the many planets there, all as the Full Moon built.
That wave has passed. Take a breather if you can; turn your attention inward. The Moon is waning, and in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are starting to get noticeably shorter. That is all inward guidance.
Of special note: Mercury enters Leo today. Normally a sign change of Mercury is not remarkable, though this officially closes the book on the Mercury retrograde in Cancer that spanned from June 18 through July 12 — which brought a long span of Mercury in a water sign. Let’s see the change in tone as Mercury enters a fire sign for the first time in months.
And there is one more: of the three remaining major events of 2020, one of them is Mars retrograde, from Sept. 9 through Nov. 13. We are in the warmup phase of that now. This retrograde turns the most outward-seeking planet into an introspective oracle. It does not always work well; Mars retrogrades can be violent, if those experiencing them are unfamiliar with their private, intimate inner space.
Violence is a quest for identity. It’s not a healthy one though it seems to be “necessary” as few other venues for self-searching are made easily available. But it’s always possible to lash out, to project one’s guilt onto others, to blame, and so on.
This is especially troublesome in the digital age, when people are so easily numbed out to who they are, to physical experience, to trust, and to the desire for contact. In today’s Covid19 News, we cover some of the ways that the virus has become the fodder for an anti-sex campaign, which means anti-intimacy and anti-contact.
In addition to inward seeking (which is a skill), you need human warmth. You need group contact. None of this needs to threaten your life or thought of as something that might do so. In these days, the most important emotion or state of being to cultivate is trust. It is not easy for some, and it’s been a long time coming for many more.
Your August Monthly Horoscope from Planet Waves
Tuesday, August 4 — The Day of the Guiding Light
If Today is your Birthday: Unlike most people, you can actually get along with others, and you can do so brilliantly this year. Yet to do so, you must be the master of communication. Do not leave people guessing your intentions, your desires or your feelings. It is your sincerity that will win them over, even if they don’t agree with you on certain specifics. There is plenty of room to compromise, and to make sure that everyone’s needs are met — and you are the person who can make that happen. Just make sure you do something a little un-Leo and make sure that you get enough time and space to yourself, and also, learn how to delegate responsibility to competent people.
Special Comment – August 3
Today’s Aquarius Full Moon contains an unusual aspect pattern, spanning the signs Cancer and Capricorn (which are next door neighbors to the Leo and Aquarius axis). The aspect is: Mercury and asteroid Vesta, conjunct, opposite Saturn — all to the degree, a string of pearls with Earth among them.
There is a profound mental independence to this aspect, and setting a limit on accepting all those ideas of all those other people. Original thought usually entails doing what other people think is wrong: not illegal but seemingly against some unspoken moral code or involving one in having what is considered to be too much fun.
Vesta, the goddess of chosen celibacy, teaches “the right sex or no sex,” which points you back to you as the origins of your erotic experience and sharing.
Masturbation is essential to balanced psychic existence, as it opens a direct portal to the core being where you meet yourself when you do it.
The more conscious this choice the better. As you establish contact with yourself, nobody and nothing else will suffice. As you become your primary source of nourishment, you will have more to offer, and all those other people will serve better as secondary sources.
This is about you giving your orgasm as your gift to your Self and a celebration of existing. Nobody else can affirm this for another person, though each person who discovers their self-fulfillment lights a beacon for others who will benefit from one specific example: that it is possible to release oneself from guilt. This is taught by example, though occasionally words can help.
Here is a thought from The Thresholder Wayshare: liberation is found in the direction of embarrassment. Think of it as a hot source that you swim upstream toward as the layers of binding slip off from around you. From that body of work, still being channeled:
A Teaching for Women on the Power of Erotic No, from Aditi Amrita, a Thresholder of the Spiral Gate
Teaching on the Craving for Yoni, from Lucy, a Thresholder of the Spiral Gate
Monday, August 3 — The Day of the Versatile Signature
If Today is your Birthday: The Full Moon on your birthday suggests you draw from many sources: of wisdom and companionship, of ideas and resources. Prevailing norms about relationships — of whatever kind — do not serve the cause of progress. Expectations, unrealistic ideas about who and what people are, and most of all the incursion of a twisted kind of political idealism onto private or intimate partnerships: you can do without any or all of this. Yet you will have to be the one who leads the way. This will be simple if you think of it as “when you discover something that doesn’t work, try something else.” There are plenty of options and you have an abundance of ideas coming through the infinite portal to spirit and self known as Chiron in Aries.
The Moon has entered Aquarius as of 2:10 pm EDT Sunday. We are now within the Aquarius Full Moon, which is exact just before noon EDT on Monday. The Moon’s ride through Capricorn the past 48 hours or so has been challenging, though you may finally be able to see the light of day. Or at least the night, with Luna high and bright in the nocturnal sky.
The world and in particular the English speaking world is currently entangled in a bout of mass psychosis, driven by the irrational fear of a disease. What is being demolished is social existence: in particular, our ability to trust one another. The Aquarius Moon is the one about “all of us here.”
We are all here, and we are here together. Humans are resilient and naturally tribal, though the bonds of trust are fragile. And there is a temptation to rip them apart, since the whole notion of social and of community implies both trust and vulnerability, states of being which many people do not find appealing.
Sunday Night Notes
This has been an intense weekend astrologically as the Moon has made its way through Capricorn, on the way to full phase overnight and Monday. This has had a destabilizing effect on some people, particularly those who were shaky to begin with.
It does not help that society itself is teetering on the brink of bona fide insanity. I would propose that the time has arrived when we must not expect society to save us, or to change. The essence of our moment is learning how to take care of ourselves first, and others second. That might be a close second though it is a necessity to have the order of priorities.
If you are struggling and you need help, ask for help. If your fear level is rising. find someone who is calm and loving to speak to — not another person whose tendency is to be afraid.
Sunday, August 2 — The Day of the Versatile Signature
If Today is your Birthday: You must decide what you value more, the past or the future. I know that all those incense-proffered books sold next to wind chimes say that the present is all that matters, and we may take that under advisement. Yet the actual choice you’re making is whether you want a future different from the past, or more or less the same as the past. This may be a long-running standoff in your life, or a struggle to free yourself from the debris and mire of your personal history. You have some momentum toward progress, though this energy must be guided by your awareness, your intention and your actual ability to see distinctions and act upon them. What you want matters. Admit it to yourself.
Saturday, August 1 — The Day of Original Style
If Today is your Birthday: Try to think of your life as an adventure rather than as a test. Yes, on any true adventure you must rise to the occasion, and this time in your life is no exception. Most of this involves responding to your own need to change, and to change radically. This primarily involves your emotional orientation: you can no longer afford to hold onto the past. Doing so holds you back and also takes away the influence you have over your affairs in the moment when you can make decisions. The alternative is managing crisis and complication ongoing, which is getting tired. Be bold, and know what it means to resolve something rather than to live with it.