Hi Everyone

Hope you had a good July.  August features everyone’s least favorite retrograde.  Yep, you guessed it — Mercury!

Retrogrades:

Mercury: Mercury goes retrograde on Tuesday, the 2nd at 11:50 p.m. at 19 degrees Virgo.  (Perhaps Congress will have figured something out about the debt limit by then!)  Virgo is an earth sign, and according to many astrologers is ruled by Mercury. I don’t believe that flighty Mercury is too comfortable in analytical Virgo, which I believe is ruled by Chiron.  In any event Virgo is a lot about harvest — bringing together and organizing various parts of the self.  (Of course, you have to own them first!)

Mercury in retrograde is a wonderful time to re-group, re-treat, re-think, re-do, re-pair, and/or re-align.  Anything with a re in front of it is favored.  Many astrologers warn not to start anything new, especially signing contracts during a Mercury retrograde.  I would advise you to read any contract you sign during the retrograde VERY carefully.  Sometimes things started under a Mercury retrograde don’t turn out the way you thought they would or have to be re-done.  Communications and your computer may be a little squirrely during August.  Mercury goes direct on August 26 at 6:30 p.m at 19 degrees Leo.  Leo is a fire sign — can be very inspired, bombastic, with a deep seated sense of unworthiness.

Jupiter:  Jupiter, the biggest planet of our solar system, the planet of enthusiasm, optimism, grandiosity, hale-fellow-well-met, goes retrograde on August 30 at 5:18 a.m.  He will be at 10 degrees Taurus when he changes direction.  Since he’s one of the outer planets, this change of direction may be felt more globally than individually.  If you think people aren’t spending now and have no confidence in the economy, wait til the big-spender planet turns inward.  For those with planets from 5-15 degrees Taurus (obviously), Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio, Virgo or Capricorn, this may be a time to rethink definitions of wealth, how much stuff (Taurus) do you really need, how much do you need to spend.  Taurus likes to accumulate things — and hang on to them — but only the best goods. It may also feel like a time when the bull gets stung by a bee — obviously gets very angry but it promotes change and movement. In its highest expression Taurus relates to Buddha who had it all and then detached from it.  Perhaps we’ll all come to understand that more is not better and that a more even distribution of wealth in this country and across the globe is the way to go.  Jupiter will be retrograde until December.

Neptune:  Neptune has been retrograde since June but now she will make her last pass in Aquarius backing into late degrees of that sign on August 4th at 11:11 p.m.  She’s not particularly comfortable in the element of air — (Aquarius is an air sign), so she will have a harder time expressing her softness and compassion.  May be a time of fuzzy thinking and/or a softening of hardened mental attitudes.  She’ll remain in Aquarius for the rest of the calendar year, even when she goes direct in November.

Luminaries

The Sun enters Virgo on August 23rd at 7:21 a.m.

The full Moon occurs on August 13 at 20 degrees Aquarius.  Those with planets at 15-25 degrees Leo, Scorpio, Taurus, Libra or Gemini will be most affected by this full Moon — and of course the Cancer folks who are always affected by the Moon.

The new Moon occurs on August 28th at 5 degrees Virgo.

Have a great August.

Peace,

Margaret

“The sun shines not on us, but in us.”  — John Muir