ASTROLOGY THIS WEEK: AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1
Monday, August 26th
8:38am PST: Venus in Virgo trine UranusRx in Taurus, both at 6°32’
As Venus moves into harmonic flow with Uranus in earth signs, our physical way of relating to one another lands itself in a space of rapid review. This is a moment where we might call in a hypersensitivity to body language. It might grant us an opportunity to verbally name when a physical boundary has been crossed, when we are touched in a way that feels shocking or painful. Alternatively, this aspect can also support people who want to shift a relationship that perhaps wasn’t previously physical to a more somatic place. Ultimately, Uranus carries shock value. When Uranus moves into alignment with another planet, be that alignment harmonious or tense, we can expect some kind of “break” in our consciousness, like breaking down a dam for flow to occur in a new direction. Venus in Virgo is humble, critical, patient and exacting. She will propose changes at the moment that feels most “mature”. We can expect that the period leading up to (and shortly following) this aspect will offer us insight that enable us to radically adjust relationships in ways that, under different circumstances, might be more difficult. Find balance by leaning into, rather than away from, change. Speak up for what you want or need to reject. Aim to synthesize the soft and the extreme.
Wednesday, August 28th
3:53am PST: Mars in Virgo trine UranusRx in Taurus, both at 6°30’
Wildly different from Venus’ conversation a couple of days prior, Mars trine Uranus can severely escalate physical confrontations in both useful and volatile ways. Remember that everyone operates under the current astrological weather. While this can bring energy and heat to a protective actions, it can also add intensity and strength to oppressors. Best to operate with a larger than normal dose of humility. When you acknowledge that you don’t know everything, you unlatch the gateway to learning. Mars in Virgo is hypercritical and very specific, energized by and skilled at service work, though admittedly (sometimes) narrow-minded (because it will focus on a very particular end goal). Also important to note: earth signs are, by nature, receptive. In harmonious relationship to Uranus, we can use this aspect to elevate our consciousness when it comes to receiving, analyzing, retaining (or rejecting), and integrating critical feedback. Uranus intuits and enlightens. Even though we might give the same feedback to different people, offering said feedback in the same way can be dangerous because we aren’t taking into account the context of individual experience, unique knowledge-base and mental and emotional capacity. Virgo is exceptional at turning inwards. Note your somatic process as you feel into your reactions to others’ criticism. Mars and Uranus give us an extraordinary toolkit to repattern our mind/body connection and response mechanisms. Use this time to critique your own critique, before you deliver it.
Thursday, August 29th
12:48am PST: Mercury enters Virgo
Joining the humble party, Mercury’s entrance into Virgo is a fairly happy one. As a messenger, sorter and carrier, Mercury finds its home in the sign of Virgo. It makes quick sense of myriad information bits and is talented at bringing ideas into the material realm. Unlike Mercury in Gemini (its other home), Mercury in Virgo is less concerned with social graces than it is with social services. It understands that moving information is a valuable skill that becomes less practical the more it stays in the realm of thought. Mercury in Virgo thus, will turn theory into reality and create tangible, testable results. In the Virgoan material realm, Mercury is concerned with physical health and the daily routines that send messages to our bodies to energize, receive, digest and relax. Use this time to consider self-care tactics that might better prepare you for the every-day apocalypse. Likewise, Mercury in Virgo is elevates not only our communication skills but also our aptitude for listening and taking action based on what we’ve understood. Be clear with others (lovers, friends, colleagues and family) about your wants and needs. Experiment with patience. Aim for perfect while accepting that perfection is both unattainable subjective. Listen well and act accordingly. Appreciate what you need to hear more than what you have to say.
8:14pm PST: Sun in Virgo trine UranusRx in Taurus, both at 6°29’
Following close on the heels of Venus and Mars, the Sun moving into harmony with Uranus energizes our productive and creative capacities. Uranus likes to do things differently. Is an expert in being unique. Has a flair for anything fast. Is rapid and high-minded and in Taurus, is earth-oriented. Uranus enhances all five (maybe more) senses. Use this day to dive into some fancy crafting. Design with the earth in mind. Consider more than the visual - how you can activate sound, taste, smell, and touch? Moreover, the Sun in Virgo is extremely practical. This aspect can help us make something physical or lay out some logical plans for tangible improvements to whatever parts of our chart contains the sign of Virgo. This is like a moment where everyone gets to hide out and get in touch with their inner mad scientist. Uranus is often associated with technology, the etymology of which breaks down into the Greek roots techne and logos. Techne means art, craft, or skill while logos means the word in which inward thought is expressed. While we might associate technology with the internet and the web of social connections, this day is prime-time to dump your phone in the dark and accomplish some personal, crafty tasks. When we disconnect from our version of technology to focus on learning or mastering a physical process, we exercise muscles in our brain that may have become atrophied from so much screen-time. Read a real book. Cook or bake something. Patch a pair of pants. Build a raised bed. Tend to the weeding and seeding. Learn a skill you might need if you couldn’t buy a gadget to do it for you.
Friday, August 30th
3:47am PST: New Moon at 6°Virgo47’
As the dark moon moves into perfect alignment with the Sun, we find ourselves again leaning inland. Pivoting interiorly. In Virgo, this turn is slightly ascetic. Might encourage our innate minimalist. Lends a critical eye to our individual conscience. Leo season was imperative play-time. Offered us tools we needed to shine and space to creatively engage without questioning the implications of our endeavors. Leo season was the strength of our own pride, of offering warmth to our inner child so they could develop enough to be ready for review. Now, the New Moon in Virgo provides us with a key moment wherein we can determine what a healthy container for self-evaluation might look like. Virgo is known for being critical, an adjective that holds a negative connotation in our society. But critique derives from the ancient greek work kritikē, or “the faculty of judgement”, which is not negative, but simply the ability to discern the value of things. We can infer from this definition, that Virgo’s critical ability is one of questioning, evaluating and attributing merit to any idea, process, situation, person, etc.
Virgo, afterall, is a Hermit archetype. If Virgo-dominant people are handing out judgements like it’s their job, you can bet their inner, self-reflective monologue is ten times as intense towards themselves. With this in mind, it is crucial that during Virgo season we all take time to understand our relationship to self. To observe the activities and voices that lift us up and the ones that chain us down. Use this Moon to evaluate, honestly, your bond with yourself. Where are you holding yourself to impossible standards? Where are you drawing with blurred lines rather than sharpening your pencil? Define your ideals. Evaluate your current state. Start from neutral instead of negative. Treat yourself like you would a child learning to walk, with a kind but firm hand to guide them.
Sunday, September 1st
7:11am PST: Mercury in Virgo trine UranusRx in Taurus, both at 6°27’
Speeding through one of their favorite signs, Mercury’s trine to Uranus is the epitome of meteoric mental processes. A pleasant shock to the brainwaves. A lightbulb flashing on when you’re the one who’s changing it. This aspect shows us what happens when we put in the work required to better understand something. Through our own desire to comprehend or grasp a subject, the force of our efforts brings astonishingly sweet results. Inevitably, this aspect will require you to let go of the idea that you think you know what you’re learning. When you become humble enough to admit that knowledge is always subject to change with experience or the addition of information, opportunities to assimilate abound. Leading up to this aspect, decide to learn something. Reach for resources that will support your discovery. When someone tells you to educate yourself, you are much better off learning that thing than fighting or engaging in conflict around a subject in which you might not have adequate experience or knowledge, much less expertise. Remember that elevating your education is empowering. The more you learn, the more informed your decisions (re: relationships, career, activism, lifestyle choices, etc.) will be. Give yourself that choice. Be critical and humble on the wisening road.
11:49am PST: Venus in Virgo trine Saturn in Capricorn, both at 14°08’
Venus/Saturn aspects often bring together work and relationships. In harmonious aspect, like a trine, these planets amplify collaborative inclinations. If you are tackling a complicated problem with another individual, this is a favorable moment to engage a conversation. Note that Saturn, in its domicile of Capricorn, has the upper hand on Venus, in fall in Virgo. Solutions are reserved and practical, though not without the sweetness of ease between participants. Invest in your connections. Be clear about your needs and desires. Communicate what you are currently available for and be clear that new developments necessitate consistent review. Relationships, like our bodies, need routine maintenance. As often for our attention. Regardless of your current state of affairs, use this time to establish mutually supportive containers moving forward.