August 2023

August 1 2023 starts with an ending - a mental full moon at 9°Aquarius 16". The moon on its way in transit to the appointed moment will manage to conjunct retrograde Pluto during the early hours of Tuesday August 1.

Also happening same day on August 1, Mercury in Virgo will be in exact opposition to the retrograde Saturn in Pisces. Mars in Virgo will exactly square Jupiter in Taurus.

By mid-month on August 16 the fiery new moon at 23°Leo 17" will exactly square Uranus in Taurus. The unexpected tension from this divine alignment will bring changes to wherever this Act is for you. In reference, as best described by Shakespeare:

“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts..”

The sun will move into Virgo around August 24 and within minutes Mercury, the ruler of Virgo, will go retrograde at 21°Virgo 51".

All month Venus, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto will continue in their retrograde activity. Uranus as well will turn retrograde in Taurus on August 29.

Close to the month’s end on August 28, the transiting moon will again conjunct Pluto. On August 30 the month ends with a blue moon at 7°Pisces 25" which will conjunct the retrograde Saturn in the emotional and sensitive sign Pisces.

A very emotional month is at hand. This month will be transformative with elements of shock, surprises, wins, losses and resets that will affect everyone in some way.

There will be several moments with divinely timed revelations on the state of relationships of all kind as the nodes of the moon transit Aries and Libra – relationships to family or friends or business partners or romantic partners or just to one’s self will have major endings – some unexpected as Uranus the ruler of Aquarius sets the tone for this month. Every ending however leads to a new beginning in another direction.

There is nothing and I mean absolutely nothing like riding crazy energy when crazy energy waves are happening. Surf's up this month.

Let's gooooooo!

Starts and Ends With You

As the thick summer heat of August 2023 settled over Toronto, Marina, a 35-year-old Leo Ascendant with a Cancer moon, stepped out of her steamy shower. She caught her own reflection in the gradually clearing bathroom mirror. Her moist skin, still flushed from the heat of the water, shone under the dim bathroom light. She traced her gaze over her body, a mix of admiration and anxiety. Was Dylan satisfied with her? More importantly, was she satisfied with herself?

Her tiny Cabbagetown apartment nestled in the heart of the city was her sanctuary. It was filled with tasteful trinkets, each holding a story of its own. Lately, however, her home felt less of a refuge and more of a retreat from the unsteady world outside.

Her family, a once steady support system, was now grappling with their own battles. Her parents, formerly healthy and strong, were now losing a wearisome fight against hypertension and other health issues. The family apartment, once filled with joyous clamor, now echoed with the voice of her mother monitoring medication and managing her outbursts of disappointment at the dietary challenges from the required but necessary food restrictions.

Her siblings grappling with unexpected layoffs at companies affecting their partners’ families, were having parts of their lives upended by the economic downturn. Job losses, the rising cost of living, and the unending struggle to make ends meet had become the new reality for many. Some of Marina’s long time friends were occupied by the turbulence of their adulting and were unable to follow through on plans for get togethers or dining out, leaving Marina feeling isolated and lonely in her once vibrant social life which was absolutely not an ideal situation for a Leo Ascendant as Leo loves the spotlight amongst friends.

Amidst this turmoil, Marina found solace in Dylan, her Scorpio boyfriend. His mysterious allure, professional success and steadfast presence were comforting constants. But, over time, her reliance on him had crossed the line from being supportive to being overly possessive and needy.

The full moon in Aquarius at the beginning of August was a celestial indicator of changes and revelations, and true to its nature, it brought Luna, Marina's estranged Pisces sister, back into her life. Luna's arrival stirred the calm surface of Marina's life, bringing unaddressed resentment and glaring realities to the fore.

The greatest upheaval, however, was yet to come. Dylan, the man Marina had unknowingly been chaining her life to, confessed that he no longer loved her. He admitted that her obsessive possessiveness was suffocating him, that he craved change and space. She could see that he was attempting to tell her as gently as possible but there was still an earth shattering Uranian effect on Marina. The moon's nodes' transit through Aries and Libra had sparked a journey of self-discovery in him, prompting him to break free while she instead felt the effect of the nodes’ as taking everything completely out of the expected norm.

Marina felt the ground beneath her shudder. She could see the shift in Dylan and the way he now responded to her whatsapp messages. In the change that had come she felt devastation; however she found a small spark of resilience within herself to cling to. Every step forward now was going to be a struggle, but Marina was also going to be relentless. She was starting to learn how to stand alone, how to survive without emotionally clinging onto others. Taking her cue from social media, Instagram became her coping ground.

Scrolling through the app had become a daily routine, an act of numbing the pain and filling the silence that Dylan's absence had left. She found herself immersed in the world of Instagram reels and stories. Through them, she expressed her emotional turmoil — each reel was a cry for help, each story a testament to her broken heart. The captions were often sarcastic, sad, or filled with wistful longing, encapsulating her emotional state.

As days turned into weeks, Marina’s posts started to get darker. Her reels were filled with melancholic music, overlayed with black and white filters, while her stories were splashed with sad quotes and cryptic messages about loss and heartbreak. But what was even more troubling was her growing obsession with Dylan's Instagram page. As a Cancer moon, Marina found it hard to let go. She was still nursing her wounds, and every new post by Dylan felt like a new betrayal. She spent countless nights scrolling through his pictures, piecing together his life without her.

It was during one of these late-night stalking sessions that Luna, her estranged sister, caught her. Luna, being the wise Pisces she was, knew that Marina was spiraling and needed help. She understood her sister's pain but also knew that she was letting it consume her. It was time for an intervention.

"Marina, it's late. You need to sleep," Luna began one night, finding Marina hunched over her phone, stalking Dylan’s profile yet again.

"I'm just..." Marina started to protest, but Luna interrupted, "I know, you're stalking Dylan. Again."

Marina sighed, dropping her phone on the bed, "I can't help it, Luna."

Luna sat down next to Marina, taking her hands in hers, "Yes, you can. And you need to. This...this obsession, it's not healthy, Marina. You're hurting yourself."

"But I miss him, Luna. I thought he was my forever."

"I know, Marina. Breakups are hard. But you're more than just Dylan's ex. You're Marina, a talented and smart woman who can stand on her own."

Over the next few weeks, Luna spent countless hours with Marina, talking her through her feelings, helping her make sense of her life post-Dylan. She encouraged Marina to focus on her graphic design course, to create art that reflected her spirit, not her heartbreak.

"You need to make a life where you remain optimistic and open to new experiences," Luna advised Marina, "Don't let Dylan's decision to leave define you. You're not just someone's ex-girlfriend. You're Marina, a woman with dreams and passions. A woman with the potential to change her life."

Marina’s eyes still held a hint of sadness, but there was a spark in them now. A spark of resilience, of determination, of hope. The road to self love was long and filled with uncertainty, but Marina was ready to embark on it. For herself, for her dreams, and for the chance to experience the new yet to unfold for her life.

As the month drew to a close under the introspective and emotional Pisces full moon, Marina found herself standing once again in front of her bathroom mirror. Her gaze was different this time, less anxious, more introspective. As she looked into the mirror, her reflection looked back at her. The same dark brown eyes, the same wavy hair. Her features were soft, but her gaze was steely, a mix of determination and resolve. This was her new reality, and she was determined to navigate it.

Butterfly Effects

In the waning heat of late summer, Andrew, a steely 49-year-old Capricorn, found himself navigating the eye of a storm that spanned both his personal and professional life. Working amidst the bustling business district on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, his office towered over the city as a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit. A seasoned real estate professional, Andrew had turned 'Cloudscape Realty' from a fledgling startup to a prominent player in the market. His tenacity had been unwavering in tracking the Bank of Canada's reports, piecing together interest rate predictions and crafting strategic trends analysis to stay afloat in an ever changing market. However, the clouds of an impending economic downturn loomed ominously on the horizon as Pluto remained in its retrograde transit in Capricorn, the astrological sign for banking, real estate and finance.

Andrew's personal life wasn't any less complicated. His divorce had led to an avalanche of alimony payments and unresolved bills, burdening him with debts from his past. He juggled the finances for his children's private schooling and their demanding activities. His Virgo ex-wife remained unyielding, relishing every chance to thicken the tension between them as part of her exacted payment.

Yet, amidst these turbulent waters, Andrew found an oasis in his relationship with Skye, his vivacious 25-year-old Aries girlfriend. Her youth, exuberance, and spontaneity served as the perfect foil to his structured, routine-oriented lifestyle. However, her impulsive Aries nature also harbored a volatility that was just a spark away from setting off a devastating fire.

As August ushered in an Aquarius full moon, Andrew was hit by the first wave of chaos. Skye, in a moment of reckless abandon, leaked sensitive data from 'Cloudscape Realty' on her Instagram, sparking a calamity that echoed through the industry. As competitors seized the opportunity to swoop down like vultures, his company suddenly lost deals and the trust of his longest clients retrograded.

Moreover, the recent sudden hike in interest rates by the Bank of Canada fueled Andrew's financial anxiety. His multiple loans and credit lines, the lifelines of his business, now seemed like ticking time bombs, ready to go off at any moment. The company's falling profitability, combined with his spiraling personal debts, left him grappling for stability.

And as if this professional maelstrom wasn't enough, Andrew's personal life too took a hit when Skye abruptly left him, the fiery Aries unable to weather the storm that her actions had in part created.

But Andrew, the resolute Capricorn, didn't buckle under these seismic shifts. The shocking effect of the lunar nodes' transit through Aries and Libra sparked a journey of self-discovery in him. Bereft of Skye's presence, he turned his focus to mending his strained relationship with his children. He began taking charge of his financial situation by handling his payments with a new approach, leveraging his professional communication skills to renegotiate terms.

When he cautiously approached his ex-wife one evening after work with humility and a willingness to find a middle ground for the sake of their children, to his surprise, she responded with a degree of understanding. It was a small victory, but it was a start.

At 'Cloudscape Realty', he undertook the daunting task of rebuilding trust and credibility. He personally reached out to clients, assuring them of the firm's integrity. He revamped the company's data security protocols and faced the media onslaught, accepting the mistakes and outlining the steps taken to prevent such mishaps in the future.

Andrew, however, did not escape unscathed. He was reminded of his financial reality every time a bill arrived or a loan payment notification popped up. His personal life was a slow process of rebuilding, filled with awkward mercurial conversations and silences. His loneliness was amplified in Skye's absence, but it also served as a catalyst for his current transformation.

By the time the introspective Pisces full moon marked the end of the month, Andrew had weathered the storm. His professional life was stabilizing, albeit slowly, and his personal life was beginning to show signs of harmony. The absence of Skye was a deep void, but it also opened his eyes to the kind of maturity and stability he desired in his relationships.

As he surveyed the city from his towering office, the weight of his decisions and their consequences sat heavily on him. Yet, there was a sense of quiet determination within him. He acknowledged the impact of his choices and accepted that his journey towards stability would be marked by challenges. The lessons he had learned were harsh, but necessary. The path ahead was uncertain, yet it held the promise of a future crafted by his resilience and fortitude.