It is that time again – Mercury is going retrograde on August 5th to go direct on August 29th. Mercury will begin its retrograde in the sign of Virgo at 4 degrees and will reach 21 degrees Leo on August 29th before it goes direct. So, should you be worried about your summer travel plans? Probably not.
Mercury is a planet ruling communication, commerce, and short distance travel, among other things. So, just like with any other Mercury retrograde, simply double check your travel schedules, reservations, emails or any other communications. You will be glad you have done this. 😊 While Mercury going retrograde may seem like a frustrating period, it is not meant to be that way. As with any other planet going retrograde, we are simply being asked to slow down, go inwards and reflect on what is happening in our lives, especially in our Leo, Virgo and Gemini houses. Some of the areas to consider during this retrograde are: Where do I need to adjust my self-care routine? Am I overly critical of myself and others and can I change my approach? Where do I need to update how I handle my health, diet or daily work schedule? Can I spend some time creating or writing on my own and simply let ideas come out as they may? Could I benefit from being more organized?
For me, this retrograde impacts my 5th house of creativity and I am simply looking forward to spending some time experimenting with my art supplies, just because, and creating some bad art on purpose so I could learn in the process. I am hoping that as a part of this exercise I can figure the type of art a would like to do next and learn to be gentler to myself when something does not come out the way I intended. I think it will also be a good time for some additional decluttering and organization to get ready for the school year and to clean up my email inbox. This is my approach to this. How are you going to take advantage of this Mercury retrograde?
Where do you have Leo, Virgo, and Gemini in your chart? These areas will be impacted the most by this retrograde. Here is a brief reminder of the houses: 1st (Ascendant, self, appearance, vitality), 2nd (earned income), 3rd (siblings, neighbors, short distance travel, communication), 4th (parents and ancestors, real estate), 5th (children, creativity, fun activities, dating, sports), 6th (health, daily chores, pets, work, subordinates), 7th (spouse, committed relationships, contracts), 8th (investments, shared income, taxes), 9th (long distance travel, higher education, law), 10th (career), 11th (organizations and friends), 12th (house of seclusion, hospitals, working behind the closed door).
While Mercury is exiting its home sign of Virgo, Venus will begin its tour there from August 6 through August 29th. The planet of beauty, love, and creativity will have a quick chat with Mercury on August 7 and 8 as Virgo ruler is departing his domain. Traditionally, Virgo’s analytical and service-oriented nature does not blend easily with Venus’ qualities of enjoyment of life, love of senses-pleasing rich food, creativity, spending time with friends and loved ones, and simply enjoying life. However, Venus will still add some sweetness to your Virgo house. It will certainly try to improve and smooth things over if there are some challenges. This may manifest as you receiving some unexpected financial help from a friend, getting a surprise recognition from your boss for work well done, or your friends could be there to offer their help moving boxes or baking for a fundraiser. You could also make some improvements in your health or resolve a relationship or money issue through a practical approach. These are a few possibilities. Now, it is the time to wait and see what actually happens. 😊
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August 2024 Transits
This month Venus is going to be a busy girl. She is involved in about half of August aspects. If you have Taurus or Libra as your rising sign, this should be an interesting month for you. For everyone else this certainly will be a month to work on your various relationships, including with partners, friends, and co-workers. Transits described below may feel more impactful if you have personal planets at the listed degrees (plus or minus a couple of degrees) in your natal chart. You can obtain a free copy of your natal chart from astro-seek.com.
August 2: Venus square Uranus at 26 degrees Leo and Taurus-This is a great day to change your daily routine in relationships with friends and partners. However, be mindful of not pushing things to radical levels as this could provoke a disagreement. The more inflexible you are in your relationships, the more disruptive this transit may seem. This is a good transit to have new experiences and try an innovative approach to art and culture. However, stay away from buying new expensive quirky art pieces or other things as your impulse control is not there!
August 6-8: Sun sextile Jupiter at 15 degrees Leo and Gemini – This is a useful transit to get things sorted out in your Leo, Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces houses. It gives us a positive frame of mind and allows us to deal with the issues a little more easily. You may also simply feel lucky during this transit. This could be good few days for spending time with your friends, reflect on your life and examine your goals. You may also want to help those who are less fortunate than you are.
August 7-8: Mercury conjuncts Venus 3 degrees Virgo – This transit tends to heighten our appreciation of beauty, art, music, and nature. This is also a good transit to communicate your ideas as Venusian diplomacy will help you with your communication style and presentation of your thoughts in a pleasing way. This is also a good transit for financial transactions and business dealings.
August 13-15: Mars conjunct Jupiter at 16 degrees Gemini- This is a good transit for any physical activity. Your energy and enthusiasm levels are high during this transit. Just make sure not to take any unnecessary risks. Otherwise, enjoy sports, working in your garden, doing some housework, and similar things.
August 15-17: Mars square Saturn at 17 degrees Gemini and Pisces – This is a good transit during which to slow down and proceed with caution. You may feel some frustration and irritation during this transit. Mars wants to go full speed and Saturn prevents it from doing so. This is a battle of ego, assertion and discipline, authority and wisdom. The best way to deal with this transit is to simply pace yourself. Don’t initiate anything new and too big for you to handle.
August 16-23: Jupiter square Saturn at 17 degrees Gemini and Pisces – There will be some frustration for these several days. While Jupiter likes to expand it meets a brick wall that is Saturn. This transit will be mostly impactful for your Pisces, Gemini, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Sagittarius houses. This is a good transit to simply make life adjustments and let go of people and situations that are no longer supportive of your well-being or future. While there maybe some feelings for restlessness and uncertainty, be patient with yourself. All will be done in due order. This transit could also manifest as a project that you have been working on suddenly coming to stand still and you simply must get approvals from the authorities or your boss. If you have a new job offer, you should probably take it as it will prove to be worthwhile in the long term. Make sure you do your due diligence first a Saturn asks us to be realistic and practical. Try not to overspend during this transit as you may feel strongly that the budget you set for yourself is only a suggestion. It is not. 😊
August 19: Activity packed day!
Sun conjunct Mercury at 26 degrees Leo – This transit will bring emphasis on topics of the house in your chart that Mercury rules (Virgo and Gemini houses). This is the day when you are finally able to communicate your thoughts more openly and get your point of view across. Be mindful of taking time to listen to what others are saying. This is a good transit to deal with a variety of paperwork as Mercury rules communication. This is also a good day for travel and making future plans. Mercury may make us feel restless on this day.
Mercury square Uranus at 26 degrees Leo and Taurus – This transit tends to heighten our stimulation and fascination with different and unusual things such as esoteric studies or philosophy. This transit is experienced the best if we simply go with the flow. Otherwise, it could be rather frustrating as Uranus tends to disrupt our plans. If you have some great ideas today, write them down. They may prove rather useful in the future. Be mindful of your driving too. You are not the only one who is experiencing this transit today and some of us more than others! 😊
Venus square Jupiter at 17 degrees Virgo and Gemini – This is usually a good transit. One of the ways it may manifest as you are receiving a nice gesture from someone and you feel like it is simply too much, a gift that is way too generous. You may also end up going shopping and spending more than you intended as Jupiter tends to cheer us on to get expensive things such as clothing, jewelry, or art. Unless you have surplus of cash, stay away from shopping today and simply spend this day enjoying other things you like to do with friends and family.
Venus opposes Saturn at 17 degrees Virgo and Pisces – While this is not an easy transit for Venus, it is not known for its disruption. You may have a hard time today focusing on your responsibilities as there is definitely a pull to socialize, do something creative, or simply enjoy yourself. This transit may also manifest as being more reserved with your emotions towards your partner. This is a short transit, and things should go back to normal shortly.
Sun square Uranus (through August 20) at 26 degrees Leo and Taurus – There could be some disruptions during this transit. Work with the energy of Uranus today, which tends to disrupt, and change your routine. You will be happy you have done this. This transit may bring some disagreements as well. Under Uranian influence we usually want to march to the beat of our own drum, especially in aspects with the Sun. This is only a transit.
August 21-24: Venus square Mars at 20 degrees Virgo and Gemini- This transit may bring some disagreements in your relationships, especially if there is a previously an issue there. This transit is helpful to bring to light issues in your relationships, especially if there are ego implications in place. You can try to have a Venusian approach of compromise, however, it may be just one of those transits where things need to come out into the open to resolve issues going forward. Be strategic in your approach!
August 27: Venus trine Uranus at 27 degrees Virgo and Taurus-This is a good transit to do something unusual and outside of your normal routine. Unlike Venus square Uranus earlier in the month, this transit is easier. You may meet some unusual people today, if you venture out and about, and you will thoroughly enjoy their company. You may also decide to try things today that are out of your character, such as classical music concert if you have always preferred rock, for example. If you meet someone new today, while the relationship will be short-lived, it will certainly be exciting. Either way, this transit will bring some needed changes into your life for a little while.
August 28: Venus opposes Neptune at 29 degrees Virgo and Pisces- This is a little challenging day for relationships as Neptune tends to bring illusion into our lives. This aspect tends to make us sacrificial and put the needs of others ahead of our own in excess. We also tend to wear rose colored glasses under this transit, so, new people that you meet under Neptunian influence may prove to be disappointing. Do something creative instead or spend a little time doing some charity work. This would be good for your soul.
August 29: Venus trine Pluto at 0 degrees Libra and Aquarius – This transit tends to intensify our emotions in a relationship. This transit may help you to have some profound psychological insights into the workings of your relationship to bring it to a new and better level. It is a good transit as you tend to feel things deeply in your relationships. If you are a musician, an artist or a writer (or simply enjoy writing in a diary), this is a great transit to produce something meaningful. Creative pieces produced under this transit tend to connect with others on an emotional level.
