August begins a little over a week into Leo season, the roaring luminary heart of the year. Leo and its symbol, the lion, have long been associated with royalty. Yes, rulers are often in the spotlight. Their presence in ceremonial proceedings is often dramatic, overblown. And power can sometimes get to a ruler’s head, inflating their ego, leading them to live only for themselves and perpetuating a façade of grandeur. But there’s another core element to being a ruler, which is responsibility: stewardship, guardianship, and protection. Like fire at the center of the home, a good ruler works to keep their subjects safe and warm. 

This energy is Leo in a mature state, and it’s what we’re called to focus on as the Sun, the hearth of our Solar System––and Leo’s ruler, no less––passes through the sign. Your heart is the guardian of your life force, both physically and symbolically. Its longing and desire reflect essential parts of you that need to be expressed. As the sovereign over your own existence, it’s your responsibility to caretake your own inner kingdom and, in turn, support and respect the autonomous kingdoms of others.

Early in the month, a New Moon in Leo graces us on the 8th. There’s a lot of focus on self-confidence that we’re supposed to magically pull out of our own psyches, but as relationship expert Esther Perel asserts, self-confidence and self-love are co-created with others. Take a look at what makes you feel important and desired. Are you getting your need to feel wanted and wonderful met? Are the people around you delighted by you? 

Aquarius’ influence on the month is notable because both Saturn and Jupiter are currently transiting the sign. A Full Moon in Aquarius visits us on the 22nd, the second Full Moon in the sign this summer. Full and New Moons occasionally occur in the same sign consecutively when the first Full or New Moon falls on the first couple of degrees of the sign and the second on the last couple degrees (what some call the “cusp”). With the second Full Moon in Aquarius, there’s a sense of urgency to get on over to Pisces: a desire to move from logic to feelings and dreams. 

The Sun transiting Leo will be opposite Saturn on the 2nd and opposite Jupiter on the 20th. There might be an interesting shift between navigating frustrating limitations (Saturn) at the beginning of the month and expansive possibility (Jupiter) at the end. Leo really wants you to have a heart-led existence, leading you to joy. Look out for ways that your boundaries around limitations (e.g., need for rest, desire to no longer do work that isn’t leveraging your gifts) could be gateways to a more luck-filled and pleasurable life. 

August bridges Leo to Virgo, the sign of service, care, maintenance, good habits, and healing. This month is heavily influenced by Virgo energy as Mars travels through the sign along with Venus and Mercury. 

Venus made its entrance into Virgo on July 21st and will head into Libra on August 16th. During the first half of the month, Venus in Virgo will have us looking very practically at our needs and desires: seeing them more like requirements than nice-to-haves. 

Virgo is a mutable sign, which means that you’ll be able to stay adaptable enough to find creative ways to communicate what you need and get what you desire. Learning how the people around you like to be cared for is also great during this time. Doing favours, helping out around the house, and supporting others’ everyday tasks might make you feel extra connected to joy this month. 

Mercury and Mars will be conjunct in Virgo from around the 17th to the 22nd. As Virgo’s ruler, Mercury is right at home, helping you articulate your opinions. Leo tends to take the stage and express the self, and Mercury in Virgo gives any declarations or performances the power to serve the collective. Leo energy is exceptional at highlighting greatness while Virgo energy is excellent at getting things accomplished tidily and efficiently. It will be a good time to reflect on where your own gifts are best used to support yourself and others. You came to Earth with a unique signature that illuminates the world with a light that no one else carries. Leo and the Sun represent that beautiful expression of being, and Virgo helps to put that essence in action, giving you a sense of purpose here. 

Mars in Virgo gives this energy extra firepower, making it easier to chase the dreams your soul craves to experience in this lifetime. The potential of this transit helps us build self-trust and self-worth: supporting decisions that tell others and the universe that we are worthy of the love, respect, attention, and opportunities that we desire. 

In the latter half of the month, starting on the 16th, Venus is back home in Libra to join Mercury on the 30th. In Libra, Venus amps up Leo’s sparkle with an extra dose of beauty and opulence. As a human with consciousness, your perception of your own gorgeousness is just as valid as anyone else’s. You’re allowed to love how you look. You’re also entitled to find deep joy in the physical beauty of other human beings without turning around and comparing yourself to them. 

On the 22nd, the Sun moves into Virgo. After a month of intense encounters with the fires of life force itself, Virgo season invites you to devote yourself to tending the flames. Virgo reminds us that all the shimmer of Leo season can be kept alive when we’re patient enough to keep feeding it with loving words, meaningful relationships, creative risks, and careful attention.

Keagan is a writer, tarot reader, and astrologer. Find her on Instagram @moonsingemini to book a reading. Subscribe to her monthly tarotscope newsletter here.