Current Transits for August 1998Current Transits for August 1998Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Venus conjunct Mars, Act 3, 8-4
Full Moon / Appulse Lunar Eclipse at 15Aq21, 8-7
Saturn Retrograde Station, 8-15
Pluto Direct Station, 8-16
Pallas reenters Pisces, 8-16
Mars enters Leo, 8-20
New Moon / Annular Solar Eclipse at 28Le48, 8-21
Neptune reenters Capricorn, 8-22
Mercury Direct Station, 8-23
August is a month when existing circumstances seem to intensify and come to a breaking point. It's as though life is presenting us with a fork in the road, a time to make decisions or release old habits that no longer serve us. The biggest hazard is in not making conscious choices, since then the universe feels free to make these choices for us (and the results are rarely pretty). Note well that we are entering an "eclipse season" (there are 3 eclipses coming up), so changes made now will have long-term effects over the next year. While the first 3 weeks are rather weak and scattered energies, the last 10 days of the month are a powerhouse of a planetary storm. Expect the biggest fireworks during this time.
There are 3 important stations and 3 sign changes in August. Plus this is also the start of an eclipse season consisting of 2 lunar and one solar eclipses, a combination that promises big changes for the next 6-12 months.
The conjunction of Venus and Mars on the 4th has a long history. Due to Venus' retrograde cycle last winter, this contact repeated 3 times total, beginning October 26th of last year. These planets have literally chased each other halfway around the zodiac for the last 9 months. Needless to say, this extended conjunction has a lot to say about relationships, particularly the romantic kind. It's been a testing time for these partnerships, as we met, withdrew, and came together again during this cycle. Love has been challenged and perfected, or else disrupted, but it certainly hasn't been a quiet time emotionally. Perhaps now, as we start the Venus-Mars cycle in earnest, all these trials will seem worth the effort, since it puts relationships on a firmer footing. This is a good day to be with someone special.
The first thing to catch your eye about this chart is the T-square of Sun, Moon and Chiron. There's a strong sense of weariness here, a deep-seated throbbing ache in the psyche about how life is going. Normally, we can submerge this feeling and keep it from bothering us. But pain is a signal from the organism that something is wrong and should not be ignored for long. Whatever the ache (whether physical illness, depression, a vague soul weariness), it has its creative side in our lives. By seducing our attention to a problem area, it causes us to face it and hopefully solve the issue. Sometimes, the simple act of recognition and acknowledgment is enough to cause a shift; other problems need more active intervention. Don't ignore these signals! One of the major problem areas is likely to be the ways we interact with other people around us. Partners can be a wonderful assisting mirror to us in times of internal growth spurts, but they can also be a hindrance if they resist our changes and want us to remain as "the good, old person I used to know." To a large extent, our conscious sense of "self" doesn't exist in a vacuum, but is defined by the way we interact with the world and others. Each exchange or pattern of behavior is another brick in the fortress we call "myself" and changing this edifice can be extraordinarily difficult. We all fudge in our day-to-day behavior, living as socialized creatures instead of from a deep level of integrity. At times, the deep psyche rebels and forces us to look at ourselves more honestly. Particularly with close lovers and partners, since Mars and Venus are just finishing off their conjunction. Allowing love to blossom so close to home may be the most rewarding thing you can do the coming year.
Saturn is standing still on the 15th at 3Ta37, preparing to go into reverse gear. This is perhaps one of the least favorite planetary events in all of astrology, especially if the coming retrograde zone encompasses some planet in your birthchart. Saturn is about the influence of hard-nosed reality and the restrictions it imposes on us. Saturn brings limitations, obligations and delays, much more of a Grinch than a Santa Claus. Prepare to start a 4 month period of hard work and disciplined action. This is not as dismal sounding as you might think. There's a patience about Saturn (especially in Taurus, though he can be quite impetuous when he returns into Aries later on) that enables you to move with determination towards a goal, slowly but surely. This period requires you to focus on the truly important goals in your life, letting less crucial tasks sit on the back burner awhile, since all your efforts must be marshalled if you're to have favorable results by the direct station (in December). The work can't be rushed or forced, since there's a rhythm to life here that must be cooperated with. It may feel like the normal support you experience from others dries up for a time, since Saturn is interested in seeing what you can do strictly on your own. There are no short-cuts ahead. Get used to it.
Pluto's direct station on the 16th at 5Sa17 is always a crucial turning point. Ever since Pluto went into reverse motion on March 10, he's been tightening a noose around some area of our lives, an area that we've outgrown and would be better off without, but one that we've grown attached to and refuse to give up. Whatever this problem area is (and it's different for each person), any dealings with this matter have become increasingly difficult, to the point where the situation is completely unworkable. As Pluto stands still a second time, this matter reaches the breaking point, literally. There's a deeper reason behind all this. Throughout life, the conscious ego learns to associate itself with many external things, beliefs, people, etc. and somehow tie up its identity with these other things. Over time, we get so hung up on these externals that we lose track of who we are (especially at a deeper soul level) and what our purpose is in life. Pluto's influence is to steadily strip away all these false identifications so we become more aware of this true self. He's very persistent in revealing this truth to us, whether we want to see it or not. Generally speaking, it's always best to cooperate with Pluto processes when you meet them. If something in your life breaks and falls away, so be it -- ultimately, it simply won't be worth the trouble to hang onto something that's already passing away. Cut your losses and move on.
The first of the sign changes occurs when Pallas backs up from Aries into Pisces on the 16th, where it will stay until next February 3rd. Pallas is the master of planning and strategy, the one that can size up a challenge in an instant and come up with a way to pull it off. It sounds like Lady Pallas is operating under a few restrictions these days. Not only is she retrograde, which always seems to derail any planetary energy, but dreamy Pisces is not known for clear-cut and precise anything. Her brief stay in Aries seemed to clear our minds, allowing us to settle on a vision of the future where we could do things we wanted to do. And then both the clarity and the vision quickly recede into the Piscean mists once again. Obviously, if you've got some long-term plans in operation, it may seem as though your goals are fading into the distance. Be patient with this process. The situation may not unfold as you expected, causing you to reexamine some basic assumptions. But in the long run, this circuitous route will teach you much and put your eventual achievement on a much stronger foundation. Don't be in such a hurry to jump to conclusions -- sometimes these energies have a timing of their own and can't be rushed.
Mars shifts from Cancer into Leo on the 20th. What a relief! The moody, emotional Cancer is a difficult placement for the hot-headed Mars. He's much more at home in fiery Leo, where his egotistical drives are more appreciated. This is a time to shine, to express your needs, to be seen by others. It's a good period to go ahead and do something that your heart truly desires, although it's best if you insure this deed honestly reflects who you are deep inside. It's easier to impress others (especially if you have Leo planets in your own birthchart) and sway them to your side.
Of course, everybody else is thinking the same way these days. It's easy to butt heads with them, thinking of them simply as "selfish (fill in the blank)s" -- remember they think of you the same way. This Mars placement can be quite a test of how healthy your ego is. Remember these run-ins are usually a mirror reflection of your own behavior. You are annoyed by others in exactly the same areas as you are out of balance yourself. If you encounter such flare-ups, take a look inside.
This eclipse is intimately tied up with Neptune's return passage into Capricorn. All those 29 degree planets are focusing on him and assisting him. There's a crisis, however, on how to implement all the changes brought on this year without "burning out" in the process. There's a Yod that points to the eclipse itself, in late Leo, as though the key is to open up the heart at even deeper levels. The 11 degree planets point to a lot of relationship themes, although they take a rather quirky approach to working with people. It's curious how these two groups are knit together by a number of creative quintile aspects, a hint that transcending problems by looking at them from a fresh perspective beats butting heads with them any day. Affections don't have to get bogged down in emotional soap operas -- we are the most help to each other if we set our personal histories of hurt and mistrust aside. Check where this eclipse degree (28Le48) falls in your chart -- and watch the changes happen in that house the coming year!
Finally, Neptune backs up from Aquarius into Capricorn on the 22nd. After all the hoopla of last January when Neptune first entered Aquarius, this retreat may seem like a bit of an anticlimax. However, stodgy old Capricorn is beginning to look like a relief after the turmoil released by Aquarius. Most people I've heard from (the cry is almost universal) are exhausted, stressed and barely functioning these days. Obviously, most of us are not up to handling this kind of energy -- something is breaking. OK, take the hint. What areas of your life are not working now? What's holding you back from making the next steps you need to take? It's time (until November 27, when Neptune slips into Aquarius for good) to fix those areas. Capricorn is about structure. Whether it's work, diet, relationships, health, whatever, that's the obstacle for you, the next 3 months are a time to perfect these structures in your life so you can reflect this high-amp energy in the future. Unless you can ground these energies properly on the material level, it tends to fry your circuits (the nervous system), so making the necessary changes is good for your long-term well-being. Clean up all those mundane issues that keep tripping you up now, while the focus is on the mundane.
Mercury also stands still on the 23rd at 15Le57 (very near the lunar eclipse point on the 7th!). Another Mercury retrograde period comes to a close -- and none too soon! These periods are infamous for turning brain cells into Jello, making it nearly impossible for the thinking mind to function (believe me, I'm trying to type this, I know). With all the other psychic stresses going on, this is making it awfully hard to cope with life. Needless to say, this is not a good time to make important plans or engage in anything that requires clear communications. The chances of a successful conclusion are zip, so just wait until (well) after the 23rd before even starting. By September, the old gray matter should be functioning, again.