Monthly Newsletter


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Every atom in our body comes from an exploded star.
  We are literally star babies!


August 2018 Newsletter
dusty bunker

Hi Star Babies,

So here we are with the Sun in happy Leo for most of the month of August when we need to play like children and have fun and entertain and vacation and canoodle and fall in love. Regardless of what the other planets are doing, these activities are activated in your Leo ruled house.

However~~~we do start the first day of August with that little devil Mars in Aquarius squaring/challenging unexpected Uranus in Taurus. Take things easy today and be careful around sharp instruments and machinery and fire and fiery temperaments. You might heed this suggestion even a few days leading up to the 1st. And because Mars is Retrograde, do examine your behavior and rein it in and figure out how to handle situations in your life with more restraint. Plus, with the Moon in Aries on the same day, the public (Moon) will be in a hurry and impatient with delays so emotions can flare.  

As you know, the energizer Mars was in Capricorn from the middle of March until the middle of May this year before it boogied into Aquarius for these current 12 weeks. Mars in Capricorn is organized and efficient and time saving and practical and goal oriented. Look back to these months and think about where in your life you were busy, where you wanted to get things done---organizing files and closets and desks and the office and maybe figuring out how to run a system more efficiently, perhaps building something new or starting a new job or energizing a relationship.

Then, the middle of May, Mars bolted into Aquarius, where we are now focused, and with the current square to Uranus and opposite the Sun in Leo. Fireworks! The latest news report stated that Mt. Kilauea may keep erupting for months, even years, an apt metaphor for current erupting world politics.

However, back to you. Mars returns to Capricorn for a do-over on August 12th through the 27th. During these few weeks go back over what you were doing those two months from mid-March to mid-May and fix what needs fixing.

When Mars turns Direct on the August 27th, you will then have a firmer foundation upon which you can move forward; your Mars will be itching to move on. Even as Uranus continues its shimmy dance, you can then direct your life from the box seats.

With six planets Retrograde at varying times through the month of August, we have a great opportunity to clean up the messes in our lives by observing how we can handle them better. This is a month to reflect so, as I have been telling my clients, take off as much of this summer as you can or at least provide as much quiet relaxing space where you can let your inner self, who knows better, do some of the problem solving for you. Those solutions will begin to emerge after August 27th.

We are currently in a Mercury Retrograde period until August 19th. You know the drill---whatever was on your mind leading up to the last week in July is what you are now mentally rehashing until the 19th when some insights will be revealed. Allow time for that to unfold. Since this Retrograde is happening in the sign Leo, look to that house in your chart for more about where this is taking place. The Sun is also in Leo for most of this month, energizing this mental process so make hay while the sun shines!

On August 6th, Venus moves into her home base Libra looking for happy relationships. On the 7th, masculine Mars scoops her up in an elegant embrace. Conversation and candlelight are on the agenda, which can also create a flow either into or out of your pocketbook. Are love and proposals in the air? Look to the first sentence in this newsletter to figure out what else this Venus trine Mars means for you and then take your pick of the activities mentioned there. I have a pretty good idea what you’ll choose although, if you have a lot of Taurus in your chart, you’ll want them all!  

On the 11th, we have a Solar Eclipse New Moon at 18° Leo (with Mercury close by) when a truth is revealed, which is magnified by a square to Jupiter. Perhaps a new direction will be revealed to those with planets in the 15-20° range of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). For you in that range, look back three months and six months to observe what events come to mind and follow that thread to this eclipse. Observe those connections to this eclipse and what it is revealing to you. Then mark your calendar three months and six months from now to see how this theme continues. Events don’t just pop up out of nowhere, even when the planet Uranus is involved; they result from a time line of cause and effect.

The Sun enters proper Virgo on the 23rd for its monthly visit, which reminds me of the fictitious Alfred E. Neuman, the mascot of Mad Magazine. The gap-toothed, floppy-eared redheaded boy with a big grin was often depicted as saying, “What, me worry?”

Human beings do tend to worry and Virgos are really good at it, especially the small details. (We all have the sign Virgo ruling some department of our lives.) The point is that during the ‘month’ of Virgo, instead of worrying, just get up and get the job done and then you’ll be too busy to gnaw those fingernails to the nub. This month of Virgo supplies us with the will to get down and earthy, organize, remedy, and prepare to reap a bountiful harvest. And enjoy doing it! It feels so good to be organized plus it sends a message to the Universe that you want your life, including your relationships, organized as well!

The Full moon this month occurs on August 26th at 3° Pisces (which also happens to be Women’s Equality Day). The Moon rules women and this Pisces Full Moon is in harmony with Saturn in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus. Under this lunation, we have unexpected insights into how to concretize our dreams and use our imagination in innovative ways that can shed light on our working conditions and health issues. Do our daily routines and our jobs and our health regimens need an overhaul?

As part of this Full Moon (a Full Moon means the Sun is opposite the Moon), we find  the Sun flowing to Saturn in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus (called a Grand Earth Trine) which enables us to utilize unusual innovative solutions to build upon the successes of our past.

Hear that roar? That’s the revving of the engines when Mars turning direct on the 27th at 28° Capricorn. The motor’s been fine tuned; all the working parts are lubricated. The car will now begin to move forward at a dignified Capricorn pace until September 10th when it enters Aquarius. Then clear the way; its pedal to the metal on an abandoned air strip to test its mettle. 

At its peak this month and for the final time in our lifetimes, Jupiter in Scorpio is trine Neptune in Pisces. The intensity of transformational and spiritual love sweeps over this planet. Events on earth reflect major astrological configurations like this. And we are witness to that truth through the life of one man.

In keeping with this unusual heavenly aspect and the theme of loving each other, note the documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, debuting this summer in movie theaters. The film evokes tears from viewers and is posting great reviews from the public and the critics and there is mention of a possible Oscar nomination.

The documentary follows the life of Fred Rogers, a kind gentle man and host of his long running television series Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood through which he taught generations of children that they deserved to be loved.  

With his Sun and Moon and Mercury and Venus in spiritual Pisces in the 11th house of universal love and his gentle down-to-earth calming Taurus Ascendant, he was the Cosmic Representative here on Earth of this unusual trine alignment in the heavens. He exemplified transformational love which he bestowed on children through his television series and upon everyone else he encountered along the way. We now have the honor to stand witness to his life.
The month of August is traditionally known as the ‘dog days’ of summer. Dogs are loving and loyal; what more can we ask of life! So, hug your puppies even more this days.
The release of my new book, Astrology’s Hidden Aspects: Quintiles and Sesquiquintiles, has been moved to September 15th. It’s all those Retrogrades we’ve been experiencing. I trust the Universe to know what it’s doing. This book is for those who want to go beyond the traditional aspects and uncover the two hidden golden bowl aspects described by the ancient Egyptians and eventually unveiled during the 17th century scientific revolution by mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer, Johannes Kepler.
That’s it for now my friends. I’m headed for one of my stuffed recliners, the one that Sashi is not sleeping on. Elvis has his hidey hole in a cardboard box lined with shredded paper under my adjacent table, the one that he prefers over the store bought comfy bed that looked so inviting when I bought it. You do know that cats rule.
Cosmic hugs are coming your way, my friends~~~