The Astrology Blog 8 August 2022
All times in BST
“Life is an occasion. Rise to it.”
Dustin Hoffman – b 8 August 1937, Sun 16 Leo, Asc Capricorn
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Dustin_Hoffman
“There’s no way around hard work. Embrace it.”
Roger Federer – b 8 August 1981, Sun 15 Leo, Asc Virgo
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Roger_Federer
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WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
Here’s your “at a glance” of the celestial calendar for the week ahead, and I’m including the aspects that were exact yesterday. Venus and Mars are on the last legs of their respective journeys, wrapped around the Aquarius Full Moon –
Sunday 7 August
- Venus 25 Cancer trine Neptune 25 Pisces 17.45
- Mars 22 Taurus square Saturn 22 Aquarius 20.58
Tuesday 9 August
- Venus 26 Cancer opposite Pluto 26 Capricorn 06.16
Thursday 11 August
- Sun 18 Leo square Uranus 18 Taurus 13.54
- Venus ingress Leo 19.31
- Mars 24 Taurus sextile Neptune 24 Pisces 22.46
Friday 12 August
- Full Moon 19 Aquarius 02.37
Sunday 14 August
- Sun 22 Leo opposite Saturn 22 Aquarius 18.12
- Mars 26 Taurus trine Pluto 26 Capricorn 22.24
You may remember that last week started with the Mars conjunct Uranus (approx once every two years). Mars is the god of war and that has been abundantly clear. Exactly on the Mars (military) – Uranus (shocks, rebellion) it was reported that the US had assassinated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and was warning US citizens to be vigilant about retaliation violence. Also see above for Elisabeth’s feature about the saber rattling going on re China/Taiwan/Nanci Pelosi.
We start this week under the heavy Mars (action) square (resistance) Saturn (blocks) that was exact last night. As I wrote last week –
Mars square Saturn is not a great outcome, it’s the stuff of brick walls and speed bumps. It’s traffic jams or delays. It’s tiredness or cancellations. It’s trying to fix the unfixable. It’s having to accept that a plan/desire is being denied to you, either permanently or for the time being.
This morning’s news reported that a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants held overnight, following three days of violence. In personal stories little Archie Battersbee, who suffered a massive brain injury four months ago, was finally allowed to slip away on Saturday, after never regaining consciousness. Bitter court battles about life support and hospice rights raged on until the very end.
In France rescuers are desperately trying to rescue a beluga whale trapped in the river Seine but hopes are fading as the whale is too malnourished and won’t accept food. The rescue effort is reflected in the Venus (love, sustenance) – Neptune (the sea, all things marine) but trying to move the unmovable is the ultimate Mars square Saturn.
So I think we can safely say that it wasn’t an easy week. It’s the kind of picture that links to everything being a slog, feeling that life is stuck yet never having enough time, feeling depressed or fearful for a particular reason or for no obvious reason at all. Great!
VENUS & MARS – MOVING ON
Well one of the most helpful things about astrology is that it shows us that things are in fact always moving on. Even the most stuck situations will eventually end or change. Nothing is forever, it just feels like it.
Venus and Mars were beautifully aligned at the beginning of last week but their onward journey has been tough. This week it’s Mars’ turn to link to Neptune and then both Venus and Mars link to, their final aspects before changing sign, Venus on Thursday and Mars a week on Saturday –
Tuesday 9 August
- Venus 26 Cancer opposite Pluto 26 Capricorn 06.16
Thursday 11 August
- Venus ingress Leo 19.31
- Mars 24 Taurus sextile Neptune 24 Pisces 22.46
Sunday 14 August
- Mars 26 Taurus trine Pluto 26 Capricorn 22.24
- Mars ingress Gemini – Saturday 20 August
Pluto is very often about endings, wipeout stuff to make way for the new. This is why the textbooks love to talk about Pluto as the “transformation” planet but that’s a very magical word that doesn’t usually do justice to the Plutonic transformative experience, which can be lengthy and devastatingly difficult.
Tough aspects to both Saturn and Pluto carry themes of inevitability so this is not a week for clinging to any sinking ship, whether that’s a hope or plan, a relationship, a job or whatever. If you have planets or Angles at or very close to the polarities of 26 Cancer/Capricorn or 26 Taurus/Scorpio you will almost certainly already be aware of the Big Issue in your life and where you need to let go/acceptance or where you need to get resourceful in terms of solution finding. The vital point is to body swerve anything that could be self destructive and for all the wrong reasons.
If you don’t have natal planets or Angles at or very close to these sensitive degrees you may well see these themes playing out for others or you’ll see these themes playing out but in a much more minor way. At a universal level the Venus and Mars finales are still essentially closing one chapter and opening another so this is actually a very encouraging picture if you’re single and searching.
But it’s definitely linked to “out with the old” whether that’s letting go of something that didn’t work out or clocking the changes going on within you. Maybe what you wanted in the past is not what you want now?
Venus is also money and Mars is work, so for some there’ll be changes in the career/income departments too. It’s definitely a promising time for getting out of anything that’s boring or underpaid. Start focusing on what you really want to do, start putting irons in the fire. Mars’ change of sign is going to be increasingly important as he’s heading for a retrograde cycle which translates into then spending 7 months in Gemini instead of two –
- Mars is retrograde phase once every 25 months for periods of around 65-80 days at a time
- 20 August – Mars enters Gemini
- 30 October – reaches 25 degrees Gemini and then turns retrograde
- 12 January 2023 – turns direct again, having looped backwards to 8 degrees Gemini
- 25 March – enters next sign of Cancer
Gemini is the sign of the Twins – creative thinking, multitasking, options, duality, variety, choices, doing two things at the same time, creating alternatives (eg plan B, a second home, a job share), work connected to Mercury occupations such as writing, any of these or other ideas/projects, juggling acts or managing a double life in some way, that will need the whole winter to complete. If the turning points of 25 and 8 Gemini are picking up your natal planets or Angles, by conjunction or opposition (Sagittarius) then this will be a hugely important time frame for you. Count me in – my Mercury/Saturn are 25 Sagittarius and my Sun 9 Sagittarius.
SOLAR ASPECTS & THE FULL MOON
Leos are great at one liners that come across as commands. Hence the choice of quotes this week from two super successful Leos who’ve both reached the top of their professions and who both have their birthday today. These are quotes that are well worth taking to heart as we navigate this week and look to the future.
So the Sun now in Leo squares up to Uranus midweek and opposes Saturn at the weekend. These two planets are both the rulers of Aquarius, and they are both in aspect to the Full Moon at 19 Aquarius, on either side – ie Uranus 18 Taurus is square this Full Moon and Saturn 22 Aquarius is conjunct it. So it’s like a triple whammy and like having a Full Moon that lasts three days instead of one!
Thursday 11 August
- Sun 18 Leo square Uranus 18 Taurus 13.54
Friday 12 August
- Full Moon 19 Aquarius 02.37
Sunday 14 August
- Sun 22 Leo opposite Saturn 22 Aquarius 18.12
In other words, this Full Moon – whose job it is to illuminate and bring a matter full circle – is reinvoking the symbolism of the Saturn square Uranus. This is an aspect that was exact three times last year (Feb, June, Dec 2021) but they’re still travelling in that alignment, and will continue to do until the gap between them widens.
At the moment the gap is narrowing as Saturn is already retrograde and Uranus is stationary retrograde (turns 24 August). When Saturn turns direct again in October at 18 Aquarius, Uranus will be at 17 Taurus, so only a degree apart by square. It’s from that point that the gap will then start to widen properly as Saturn then picks up speed, leaving the slower moving Uranus behind. Hurray.
In terms of what might show this, as you’ll have gathered, is not an easy lunation. This is indicated immediately in the fact that the three planets have different strengths and weaknesses –
- Sun rules Leo and is therefore said to be in “detriment” in the opposite sign Aquarius
- Saturn rules Aquarius and is therefore said to be in “detriment” in the opposite sign Leo
- Uranus co-rules Aquarius and is therefore said to be in “detriment” in the opposite sign Leo
In other words, they’re a mismatch at worst, or opposites attract at best. The Sun is our sense of self, our vitality and the life force, Saturn rules health issues, ultimately death. Saturn makes the rules, Uranus breaks them. Saturn fixes the goalposts, Uranus kicks them away. Trying to impose order on chaos is going to be a bit of a tall order. But in terms of red flags at least when a rug gets pulled it won’t be entirely unexpected!
All the while that this is playing out Venus the Lesser Benefic will be in the background on her new journey through Leo, heading for her first aspect to Greater Benefic lucky Jupiter coming the other way in fellow fire sign of Aries. That will be exact next week, just a couple of days before Mars changes sign, so there are some goodies in store I think.
Until then, don’t be afraid to put in the hard work and rise to your occasions!
With love from Greece
Joanna
