August.
It’s the last full month of summer.
The sun has noticeably passed its peak.
The plants can tell and start to make their turning.
Early August in the northern hemisphere is the time of first harvests.
The word “august” is defined by Merriam Webster as:
“marked by majestic dignity or grandeur“
August astrologically sees the shift from fiery, regal Leo to earthy, practical Virgo.
Combine these energies and “majestic dignity” makes perfect sense.
There is a mesmerizing quality to the days
as golden sunlight gently warms the skin,
tall grasses glow gold & brown,
trees begin to hint yellow at their crowns,
and the earth offers her glorious bounty in mind-blowing multitudes.
We are smack dab in the middle of a series of Leonian-influenced moons.
The last full moon was at 1 degree Aquarius, but the sun was roaring at 1 Leo in opposition.
(You can read about the July 23rd Full Moon here to review the active themes for that time,
~as they likely remain noticeably relevant~
through the current New Moon and future Full Moon on August 22nd.)
And the next full moon will repeat the activation of Aquarius/Leo polarities, but this time it will occur in late degrees– the 29th.
This is significant.
The 29th degree is the last degree of a sign and is referred to as “anaretic.”
It signifies important completions.
So, these three moons have placed emphasis on Leo (I AM) and Aquarius (WE SHOULD).
In particular, contemplating your personal role within larger groups and systems is especially powerful and can usher in big transformation and clarity.
This should help you align more clearly with your values and make sure that the collectives you participate within reflect your essence in a more conscious manner.
Like sunlight radiating out and impacting a solar system.
But this New Moon has Sun and Moon both in Leo.
It’s like a self recharge rebirth moment within the larger Leo/Aquarius tension.
It’s a great time to dive deeper into the individual role and momentarily forget about collectives.
What do I value most?
What are my priorities?
What kind of life do I want to cultivate?
What projects do I need to create?
After re-immersing yourself in your deepest wishes and desires,
you can later bring that renewal back into the sphere of the larger world
and the various groups that you choose to identify with
and offer contributions from a more solid self grounding.
But what I really like about this particular New Moon is that a few hours after Sun and Moon come together in Leo, the Moon joins with Mercury, also still in Leo.
It’s a great time to enjoy warm words.
Lie embraced in summer’s bounty and beauty and take in some inspiring or insightful poetry or some fanciful fiction.
Channel Leo the Performer, and read it aloud.
This moon (like so many transits this year) also connects to the larger ongoing and unfolding Saturn square to Uranus (detailed in other posts here and here).
We also have both Venus and Mars currently in Virgo.
This brings a serious tone to relationships.
We want to do the “right” thing.
Both Venus and Mars are also currently making trines to Uranus,
so this may help us access liberating insights and ideas
for how to move forward with grounded, practical plans and connections.
But for today I would carve out some down time to luxuriate in the sunshine,
to dive into some Wordsworth, Shakespeare, or Whitman,
bask in the remaining long days of summer’s fullness,
and celebrate the cosmic energies dancing through.
Categories: Astrology, lunar contemplations, New Moon, transpersonal
Amber R. Balk, Ph.D. 