Venus settles into her home under the stars of Libra and a sigh of relief is heard from Taurus and Libra people everywhere — not to mention the occasional Virgo, who didn’t exactly appreciate the tension they felt when Venus was in their court. Both Mercury and Mars continue their transit in Virgo, however, so Virgos, Aries, Scorpios, and Geminis can expect to feel under pressure. When both of these signs make a trine to Uranus on the 20th and 22nd respectively, the release valve might feel less like a relief and more like a broken dam.
Of course, there are many environmentalists who can attest to the damage a dam does, no matter how much it claims to serve the needs of the people whose cups it fills. Uranus will station retrograde on the 19th, before both trines, and whether this week ushers in a difficult disruption or a much needed shift, we might find that our relationship to change itself isn’t what it used to be.
Mars, your ruling planet is in Virgo this week and alongside Mercury, planet of communication and travel. Together, they’ll make a flowing aspect to Uranus which, in general, is a sign that change is not only arriving, it’s something that you’re ready for. Change is an abstract word in this context, so it’s useful to consider how Uranus in Taurus might affect you in particular. Aries risings can expect a dramatic shift in their resources, especially if that shift is coupled with putting your work and your words out into the world. Uranus stationing retrograde switches the focus from exterior circumstances to interior shifts. Take time to notice the parts of you that have been incrementally preparing you for what’s only visible on the horizon now.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Uranus might be stationing retrograde in your sign this week but, with your ruling planet in her home turf of cardinal Libra, you’re more than ready to move forward wherever time and energy allows. Operating while in reflection mode is something you’re no stranger to, equipped as you are to plod steadily forward toward your chosen patch of grass, all the while remembering the many summers you’ve spent on this field and that. While some earthly creatures can get tangled and distracted within the weeds of memories, you know how to harvest them and transform them into fuel. You take what was and let it teach you what must be. By the end of the week, when Mars and Mercury trine Uranus, you’ll be miles ahead of schedule.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
As you prepare for these last few weeks of August, it’s important to remember that there are some harvests that must be collected in solitude. And, while it may seem lonely, while it may feel like you don’t have the support you need, you are not ever really alone. There are many, many people who are not with you but who root for you. When you celebrate, they celebrate — even if they can’t be with you. Besides, all that you’ve worked hard to grow and bring to fruit wants your attention and your time. Take stock of what you’ve learned, the mistakes and small victories. Take the first bite and take note of what you’ve cultivated — the complexity of it — you can share when it’s time to share.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
How can it be possible that the work is never finished? You’ve been hustling hard, Cancer, and it’s starting to pay off. It would be nice if the payoff were always literal, like paying off some debts and IOUs. Hopefully, there’s lots of that, because you’ve done the lion’s share of the work to get to where you are now. It’s true what they say about our finances, how they can mirror our relationship to our hardest stories. It’s important for you to celebrate your gains, especially the less tangible ones: clarity about what you wish to offer others, energy that you’ve learned how to cultivate and protect, and a deeper relationship with your resources born out of a deeper relationship with yourself.
Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
It would be good and fair if everything went right for you in Leo season, and the sun shone on you like a blessing. And, while that is what I want for you and what I know you deserve, it can’t always be so. It’s your party, Leo, and you can cry if you want to. Besides, tears might help clear up your vision, might wash away the cling of disappointment and show you the many ways the universe has conspired to protect you from what you want by pushing you to seek out what you need. There’s no bad omens here, no inauspicious portents. Just a gentle reminder that the child within you has only so many ways to get your attention, and the adult within you has endless chances to get it right.
Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
While Venus might have left you with a sharper knife to cut through what’s unnecessary, it’s Mercury’s continuing transit through your sign that’s bound to support your efforts. Coupled with Mars in Virgo, Mercury might have you finalising plans and herding all horses. Keep in mind that plans can only take you so far, Virgo — movement always means adjustment. Take this week to study what stays constant and what remains the variable. Attend to what comes up in you when a shift is required so that grace can lead you toward the trine Mercury makes to Uranus on the 20th. Sometimes the best way for things to play out is a way you couldn’t have conceived of in advance.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
As Venus travels under your stars this week, you’ll find it easier to focus on what matters most to you, especially if you’ve been feeling clouded with anxiety or inertia. This is a great time to reassess how much of yourself you share with others. Not everyone is equipped to be a good mirror for you, after all, and not everyone should be. There are parts of you that are still forming, still in process, and not all periods of growth are meant to be public. Some are more like sacred rituals, potent because they are private, a place where you learn to recognise what you value about yourself before the influence of others comes into play.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Sunday’s first quarter moon in Scorpio arrives with lots of initiatory energy, if you want it. Scorpionic initiation, however, is exactly as it sounds: both a beginning and an unveiling of something older and deeper. To move through it, you are called to face what holds you back. Not your grief or your insecurities, but your avoidance which only gives them more power. Imagine this week as a lead up to the full moon in Aquarius. Think of The Star in the tarot and the sense of peace inspired by that image, not because everything is copacetic, but because you are right where you should be. Cultivating faith in yourself is just as good, if not better, than any material reassurance.
Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Gemini two-sidedness gets a lot of flack, but there’s a great deal of wisdom to be had in duality. The stars of Gemini shine in relationship to yours across the wheel of the Zodiac, and within their opposing brilliance is a desire for mutuality and an opposition to dogma. While the both of you relish the world of the mind, Gemini wants to know how ideas are applied, how they shift from mouth to mouth. This week, pay attention to whom you bend the rules for, and how rigidly you tend to judge yourself for bending those same rules. What if acknowledging the duality within you could improve your relationship to something or someone else? What if you were always meant to be more than one way?Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
There’s nothing wrong with looking for a sign that you’re on the right path. You’re entitled to whatever kind of faith finds you, whatever symbols are sacred to you. But, while you’re looking, you might do well to remember that the signs we see are the ones we’re ready to see. This reminder works just as well when applied to the past lest you feel pulled to admonish yourself for missing something then that seems so obvious now. You, more than most, know that no matter how flimsy the concept of time is, time is all you’ve got. And, while you’ve got it, while you’re waiting on assurance, you might as well do what’s within your power to feel good exactly where you’re at.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Like Leos, Aquarians take pride in those they love, and want to do whatever they can to help their constellation shine. Because Aquarian support is not boastful, because it is steady and clear, it can be taken for granted. Not just by the people you offer it to, but by you as well. As you pour from one cup to another, it’s important that you recognize the source of all the energy you put toward others, it’s important that you attend to the well and drink from it yourself. What if this week, leading up to the full moon in Aquarius, you make it a point to do one thing each day that supports your own work and your own process of becoming? Imagine the well growing deeper, imagine the rain barrels filling up.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
With both Mercury and Mars transiting Virgo, you can expect a lot of relationship activity. The quality of that activity, the pleasure or disruptiveness of it, is really in your court. This is especially heightened by Uranus retrograde that makes a trine to both Mercury and Mars on the 20th and 22nd respectively. Although you might be tempted to shift the mood with your mood-altering substance — or mood-altering someone — of choice, your body could have other plans. It’s time to accept that the only way to change a difficult circumstance is to change how you relate to it. Sometimes, that means shifting your seat to get a better view, and sometimes that means leaving the table entirely.
Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
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