We’re reaching the last days of summer. August is all about the balance between sweet and indulgent rest and the pressing demands of life’s responsibilities. The full moon in Aquarius on August 11 can feel especially destabilizing and frustrating. This moment connects to whatever has been growing since the beginning of the year. On the other hand, Venus entering Leo on the same day as the full moon reminds us that not all bad things remain awful. Time flows, and things move on. Make space for pleasure.
The planet of action, Mars, enters the curious sign of Gemini on August 20, where it will stay for an extended period until March 25, 2023. The Sun enters Virgo on August 22 to usher in the liminal season of summer ending and autumn beginning. The new moon in Virgo on August 27 signals a new annual cycle of renewal in the Virgo areas of your charts. Read your horoscopes for some insights on what’s up ahead for you this month.
A new month is welcomed in by the planet of action Mars entering the slower pace of Taurus on July 4. The same day, the planet of communication Mercury enters emotionally receptive Cancer. It’s quite the cozy and stay-at-home vibes. The full moon in Capricorn takes place on July 13, the culmination point of whatever began at the beginning of January 2022. What has come to fruition since then?
Venus joins the homebound crew and enters Cancer on July 17. This inspires breakfast in bed, PJs all day and cooking for people instead of eating out. Mercury changes signs and enters Leo on July 19, which primes our summer-ready (for the northern hemisphere, at least) plans.
The sun officially kicks off the deepening of seasons (summer in the north, winter in the south) and goes into Leo on July 22. And finally, a new moon in Leo occurs on July 28, the same day Jupiter in Aries stations retrograde. Have fun and slow down if you can. Read your month-ahead horoscopes for some gentle guidance.
June is, thankfully, more comfortable and less torturous compared to last month. The planet of communication, Mercury, after a spell in retrograde, goes direct on June 3, hopefully helping any stalled projects and conversations to move along. It also re-enters Gemini on June 13, making it easier to process information.
A full moon in Sagittarius illuminates the sky on June 14. It completes a powerful story that began in December 2021 (it was a total solar eclipse back then, as you read here). It squares Neptune this time, making things a touch confusing and overwhelming.
Summer solstice is also upon us as the Sun enters Cancer on June 21. (Happy birthday month to you Cancer babies!) Venus enters Gemini on June 22, which bodes well for pleasant socializing. And finally, a new moon in Cancer emerges on June 28, starting a new annual cycle of beginning in the Cancer area of your charts. Read your month ahead horoscopes for insights.
We are officially welcoming eclipse season, since the partial solar eclipse in Taurus took place on April 30th (read last month’s horoscopes for details). Generally, the time during and in between eclipses can feel disorienting, like you’re moving through the twilight zone. It can also feel exhausting, because major shifts and changes happen during eclipses. It takes a lot to metabolize these adaptations.
The sky is a flurry of activities, with Venus entering Aries on May 2 and Jupiter following on May 10. There will be a general vibe of indulgent adventure-seeking. Mercury stations retrograde in Gemini on May 10, which gives us a collective pause to finish overdue projects instead of starting new ones. Journeys and communications may be a bit wonky in the next three weeks.
In Scorpio, a total lunar eclipse (where the full moon turns red) takes place on May 15 (it’ll be visible in North America!). This culminates whatever began back in November 2021. It’s in a challenging aspect with Saturn, which can illuminate the limitations of your personal situations.
The Sun enters Gemini on May 20, which signals the end of spring and the beginning of summer. And the backwards-moving Mercury re-enters Taurus on May 22, retracing the same steps it has already taken since the end of April. Mars enters its home sign Aries on May 24, which can mobilize certain areas of your life into action. Venus enters Taurus on May 28 to sweeten the waiting game and inspire you to take things slowly in contrast. And finally, a New Moon in Gemini occurs on May 30, starting a new annual cycle of beginnings in this part of your chart. Read your horoscopes for the synthesis of May’s astroweather!
April is quite magical and intense. The first half of the month features the coming-together of planets in Pisces. Venus enters Pisces on April 5. Mars follows on April 14, but before that, Jupiter perfects its long-awaited conjunction with Neptune in Pisces on April 12. These transits in particular are the reason we are more inclined to have a more colourful imagination, full of hope and idealism.
Mercury moves into Taurus on April 10, which brings our sensibilities to a more grounded and sensorial vibe. A full moon in Libra takes place on April 16, culminating what has been growing since October 2021. Taurus season officially begins on April 19 as the sun enters Taurus, solidifying spring in the north. Mercury enters its home sign Gemini, where it will stay for an extended period due to its upcoming retrograde (but more on that next month.
And finally, the intense end of the month is courtesy of the partial solar eclipse in Taurus on April 30 which will only be visible to the southwest of South America, as well as parts of the Pacific, the Atlantic and Antarctica. November 2021 was when the eclipses in Taurus (and soon Scorpio) commenced. This part of your chart will be undergoing overdue shifts and new beginnings. Read your horoscopes for more insights.
Growth is not inherently positive or desired. We don’t want bigotry and covid to proliferate, for example. Though emotional intelligence and genuine kindness might be something we want to spread. Abundance and excess toe the blurred lines. Is it luck, or is it privilege? Is it altruistic generosity, or is it guilt? Is it healthy boundaries, or is it conflict avoidance? In any case, let’s re-welcome the greater benefic Jupiter to its Very Wet home in Pisces, a sign of contradiction and nuance.
This Venus retrograde in Capricorn is about confronting what is perhaps not apparent at first but is right in front of you. But due to many layers of dissonance (for whatever reason), it has been inconceivable to face. But face it, we must, and we shall. Perhaps saying grapple with your fears is too vague, but honestly, this is about coming to terms with what’s ugly. Retrograde periods inspire us to reevaluate. And this time, it’s about being honest about what kinds of power imbalances exist and how you need to restructure a particular area of your life.
On Mar. 21st, 2020, at 11:58 pm EDT, Saturn entered Aquarius. Whenever outer planets change signs, astrologers often mark these moments as note-worthy times in history. As we speak, the whole world is currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Saturn, the planet signifying limits, restrictions and boundaries, are apt descriptive words of the current reality everyone is dealing with. Social distancing became the buzz word, while Saturn spent its last moments in Capricorn. Saturn will retrograde back into Capricorn on Jul. 1st, 2020. It will return to Aquarius on Dec. 17th, 2020 and will stay there until Mar. 8th, 2023.
When Saturn was in Capricorn since Dec. 2017 until just recently, it's most crucial transits were its co-presence and conjunction with Pluto and the South Node eclipses. On Jan. 12th, 2020, Saturn and Pluto conjoined at 22º Capricorn, starting a new cycle between these two outer planets. When Mars, the planet of action, entered Capricorn on Feb. 16th, 2020, we watched the world bent over and grappled with the quickly spreading COVID-19 infection. Authorities had to impose border and travel restrictions to contain the virus. The economic recession appears inevitable as most industries come to a halt.
Nonetheless, it has been impressive to watch how some governments provided fundamental and economic human rights in light of the current global emergency. Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn in many ways, exposed old power structures that can no longer hold and support itself. Necessitating all levels of reform with COVID-19 as a catalyst.
Now with Saturn in Aquarius, the world is adjusting to what may potentially be a new reality. A new world order. In a capitalist paradigm, profit and consumption are its primary mechanism of function. Now, people are having to adapt to what appears to be a rationing of scarce resources - money, bodies, time and space. Communities are called to strengthen their connections to survive isolation during physical distancing. Front line health care workers are fighting in desperation to support the gravely ill. Some countries' health care systems are unable to give them appropriate protection. The amount of people dying at a short amount of time seems unprecedented for most of us who have not lived through and survived wars. Saturn's entry into Aquarius is urgently and promptly compelling us to change the ways we live. If we are to survive this moment in history.
A dear diary kind of share for #DignityBabes. This week we talked about the overwhelming and exciting journey of learning astrology. And how this informs what we put out in public & how we interact with creators.
Truth be told, I struggled to formulate my thoughts during this soupy Mercury Retrograde in Pisces. What had me engaging in a rebuttal and defence re Essential Dignities was my knee-jerk reaction to public figures and their clout. It feels vulnerable to say that I am invested in creating a certain level of professionalism and collegial relationship within the astrological community (btw Professionalism is one of our topics next week!).
This week's #DignityBabes second scheduled conversation turns our gaze towards the philosophical questions that inevitably come from studying and practicing Astrology. For this piece, I humbly point my writing intention towards my peers - Astrologers who have chosen the path of providing the service of astrological consultation. Those who have the honour and responsibility to engage with clients. Those who discuss people's birth charts and their year ahead. Those who answer questions and elect auspicious time. And perhaps even those who construct magical material. Those who hold someone's trust to articulate their life - what has been and what is to come.
Today we begin to take on an honourable task of inviting astrologers and students of this divine practise to embark on a public conversation with each other. Prompted by the desire to illuminate, elaborate and interrogate what we know of the different branches of Astrology - but in particular the intelligent and esoteric branch of Ancient Traditional Astrology.
Our main objectives are:
to invite others into an educational journey
to illustrate the divine beauty of the ESSENTIAL DIGNITIES
to ponder the complexity of the PHILOSOPHICAL INFRASTRUCTURE of Astrology
to discuss the modern-age conundrum of creating & consuming content that is RESPONSIBLE VS POPULAR (aka PROFITABLE)
to insist on a standard of PROFESSIONALISM among other practicing astrologers
and lastly, to encourage a synergistic COMMUNITY with each other.
