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Forecast

Astrology of 8/9 – 8/15: The Simmer Between Eclipses

We are in the midst of eclipse season. The lunar eclipse has already occurred and we are heading toward the solar eclipse in Leo August 21. This week, we see a lot of goddess asteroid astro, we enter the last quarter phase of the Moon cycle, Venus aspects Mercury, Neptune and Pluto, and the Sun aspects Jupiter and Saturn. It’s busy! But a common theme I can highlight is the submerged rising: Venus is opposite transformation/underworld planet Pluto, Mercury is backtracking, and Ceres (which includes the myth of Persephone and Hades) is active. While that’s on simmer/boiling this week, the Sun in Leo aspecting Saturn reveals some momentum for aligning our reality with our vision. And, with all these introspective themes of the week, our vision may itself deepen as we gain inspiration on how to set it into reality.

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Here’s our  week:

August 10

Mercury in Virgo sextile Venus in Cancer: 2:03 AM PDT

  • A good time for relationship housekeeping. It may naturally come up or you can ride the support of this transit and your intuition and have necessary conversations and check-ins with people you love.
  • Mercury will be tightly conjunct asteroid Vesta and Venus will also be tightly conjunct an asteroid, Ceres, at the time of this alignment. Vesta has to do with sacred space, ceremony, ritual, while Ceres constellates the Demeter-Persephone-Hades myth – which is a multifaceted archetype including grief, the loss of innocence, the enjoyment of the loss of innocence, and searching for what is lost. Which goes to say, that encounters with others can bring us inner-messages about ourselves which are underworldly in nature.

Sun in Leo sextile Jupiter in Libra: 2:24 PM PDT

The Sun in Leo is also conjunct Mars and the North Node.

  • Added luck and abundance when we pursue teamwork even in an area of life where we feel totally confident and brave enough to do something ourselves. Additional opinions can add to the creative process and help us from going overboard in a way that we are personally blind to.
  • The wisdom of listening and engaging and playing with the energies of other; not leaning too much on Leo qualities of performance or showing off and then wondering why no one stayed after the “show”.
  • The romantic, playful qualities and opportunities that arise when we really listen. (Jupiter in Libra has been teaching us this for a while, too.)

August 11

Venus in Cancer trine Neptune in Pisces: 10:18 PM PDT

(Image: David Rice)

Venus is now directly conjunct Ceres, which makes the Neptune-Ceres trine present as well.

  • The propensity to have illusions about the past, such as things being far better or far worse than they were. A deeply emotional tint to memory at this time.
  • The potential for spiritual clarity around repeating relationship patterns, when we realize that in our memory the same situation or the same person has continued to appear and we are now just able to see a new facet of this.
  • The realization that certain situations or people which trigger deeper emotional responses than the occasion seems to call for is a way that we constellate old grief (that we can pinpoint, such as an event we remember) or past-life oriented grief (more muddled, confusing sources of grief)… that there are deeper psychic reasons for why things get a hold on us.

August 12

Mercury stations retrograde in Virgo: 6:01 PM PDT

  • Mercury stations retrograde still in a tight conjunction to asteroid Vesta, who has to do with the sacred, ritual, and sacred containers in general. Here in Virgo, and as Mercury goes retrograde, it can be time to review the way we have been discerning and articulating our realities. Mantra meditations can be a powerful tool for re-programming the mind in a desired direction.
  • Take note of where you are feeling hypercritical (about yourself and others, and usually the two are inseparable). It would not be unusual for this to get pointed or emphasized at this time. The energy of criticism, when acted upon, can be a source of crisis because the fundamental energy going into the action is to fix something that is inherently bad or lacking. In the same way that some muscle pain showing up does not mean to go and get surgery, but instead learn some exercises or learn how to do a strenuous activity that you’re already doing with better alignment, same goes for the things we are feeling extra critical of right now. We may register more emotionally heated or extreme ideas about how to handle something just because of how sharply the problem/crisis strikes us.
  • In Virgo, showing up and taking it step-by-step is key. In some areas of life we are only going to be able to see the steps, the micro focus, and that is okay. Being perfectionist from the start makes it hard to do anything at all, and procrastination or neglect ensues.

August 13

Sun in Leo trine Saturn in Sagittarius: 2:06 PM PDT

  • Remember that you can use infrastructure, and real decisions, to support your vision and creativity. That your ideas are abstract until they aren’t. Even the use of props, like physical items or articles of clothing that resonate with your vision, are magical tools here.
  • This transit speaks to a harmony between work and play. Not even necessarily like they are compartmentalized things, but as energies that are fused together. One way that it goes is “serious play”, like taking the rules of a game seriously; taking the constraints of a creative act seriously as to allow something to blossom. The other way it goes is fun work, like having enthusiasm and playful attitude about things that are otherwise boring and mundane because you can see how they do support you. If on the other hand, things seem dull and inane to you, it may be a symbol that your creativity/passion is hungry and needs time and space made for it.
  • This is part of a larger alignment, the grand trine between Saturn, Uranus, and the Sun— also the upcoming solar eclipse in Leo will play with this grand trine. It may be important to recognize how innovation and creativity go together, and that to really support our creativity we often do have to take some liberties. We have to feel free enough inherently, or free from social conditioning. Integrity and respect of natural law is still very important and relevant. Is there something that sparks your excitement but then you think, “No, but I can’t do that,”? Is the restriction here wise or is it the result of some kind of conditioning that is not relevant for you?

August 14

Last Quarter Moon in Taurus: 6:15 PM PDT

  • This is our last lunar week before the solar eclipse and new moon in Leo on August 21! Eclipse season heightens emotions and the last week of the lunar cycle is a time where our energies can seriously wane! (Just like the Moon) This means take it easy if you can, and when you are called to more strenuous tasks, to give yourself ample support like good food and hydration, sleep, etc. If you’re not already accustomed to tracking your energy and mood levels according to the moon cycles, you may want to know that the last week of the lunar cycle, with its propensity for waning energy, is a good time to not take your lack of energy to mean something about you permanently.
  • A last quarter Moon in Taurus can speak to a critical shift in a theme around self-worth. With the Sun in Leo as the focal point, this may have something to do with our talent, creativity, our general enthusiasm for life. Taurus has to do with how we open ourselves up to receive. That to enjoy life, have nice things, enjoy our relationships, etc. we have to be open to our inner world, to our sense of deserving, to our willingness to receive. If there is a place in life where you are burning hot and expending a lot of energy (or you’ve reposed and given up) but nothing is really coming of it, consider if the next point in shifting this is an inner-game, not an outer one. Taurus can be tantric like this. Can your inner world expand, can you choose to feel inherently worthy rather than putting conditions on it that are out of reach?

August 15

Venus in Cancer opposite Pluto in Capricorn: 4:13 AM PDT

Pluto is conjunct Black Moon Lilith and Venus is still conjunct Ceres. Ceres and Black Moon Lilith form an opposition.

  • Situations may arise or on an intellectual/emotional level it can also arise, that patriarchal conditioning has done a deep disservice to the world of emotions and emotional relating with others. We might feel this tension in our relationships, where conditioning is getting in the way of vulnerability and genuine relating.
  • As friends to Lilith know, you cannot really intellectually argue the points of feminine wisdom to someone who is not receptive to hearing or listening to it. And often, the patriarchal argument is supported by structures in society and recent history. This can be a source of emotional pressure-cooking this week, the way in which feeling and tenderness is at odds with history and historical structures of power, and how that can seep into relationships even where love is there.
  • When there is not support or safety, the turn toward secrecy. The way that a reveal of emotion, personal preferences, or oneself in general is an act of trust, moreso for people who are somehow not of the norm.
  • The power and magnetism of playing with gender, exploring the anima/animus, integrating the projected qualities of another gender into one’s own identity, or however one needs to – more fully embracing one’s gender identity.

Thank you for meditating on the planets with me this week!

If you want to learn more about the eclipses of August 2017 and nourish your observation of this time period, download the webinar that Ichrak and I put on about this eclipse season by purchasing a ticket here.

Is it time for a personal consultation on your astrology (natal chart and transits)? Book a reading, and read more about the offering, with me here.

So much love,

Sabrina Monarch

Sabrina Monarch is a soul-centered Evolutionary Astrologer who publishes weekly astrological forecasts. She has been collecting astrological experience for over a decade. She also enjoys kundalini and ashtanga yoga, hiking and creative writing.

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Mari Carter
    August 15, 2017 at 3:55 am

    Hi, just wanted to share that this has been spot on for me this week–like, freaky-accurate. Definitely going to be checking back in.

    • Reply
      monarchastro
      August 15, 2017 at 4:39 pm

      Great! Thank you Mari 🙂 I have been reading spot-on astrology since I was a teen… it has meant a lot to me and been empowering! I’m glad to be able to pass that on.

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