August begins in Leo season and wraps up in Virgo. What these two signs have in common is their love for beauty and their ability to facilitate joy. Abundance is a major theme this month, particularly in terms of creative inspiration, confidence, connection, and achievement. While Leo is the archetype of individual glory, Virgo represents the supportive forces that make success possible. If Leo is on stage, Virgo is working their magic behind the scenes. With the planets in several squares, opposition, and conjunctions this month, the energy is electric—but you might feel like it has nowhere to go. Obstacles present new possibilities for growth. It’s a great time to change your style, change your habits, or change your mind.

On the first of the month, Saturn in Aquarius opposes Mercury in Leo and Uranus is conjunct Mars in Taurus, squaring Saturn. Saturn opposite Mercury slows down communication and highlights a need to carefully consider how we relate to others on an everyday basis. There might be small interruptions, like having to wait in a long line or missing a train. Take these moments to meditate and come back to your body. Each of these frustrations can be transformed into a sacred pause that provides a little breathing room in your busy life. Let being stuck somewhere be an excuse for you to just chill out. 

Mercury in Leo can help us improve our self-talk. Leo is about ostentatious self-adoration and basking in the limelight. This is a time to focus on your accomplishments, to take yourself and your dreams seriously, and to actively tell others about the goals you’ve achieved. Pride is associated with Leo. Giving yourself permission to feel proud of yourself and communicating how proud you are of the people you love is a great way to celebrate this season. 

In opposition to Saturn, we need to take a look at how we unconsciously perpetuate shame against ourselves and others. Saturn in Aquarius wants us to rethink societal norms and create new, healthier structures that serve every individual. Look at the ways you speak to yourself that perpetuate shame and gently assess the judgements you hold against others. Judgment and self-judgment help us understand our place in a society that largely keeps us in line using psychological manipulation. Saturn is the fence of social constructs, Aquarius shows us that the fence is an illusion. To question our judgment is to dissolve the fence.

On the 5th, Mercury moves out of this square, transiting into Virgo, and the Sun takes its place. The focus shifts from how we speak to ourselves and others to how we offer our gifts to the world. Saturn will challenge us, bringing to light potential  insecurities and imposter syndrome. It’s the foundations of our identities that are called into question during this transit, so things could feel a little shaky. 

Ultimately, if we step up to the plate and assert that “This is who I am,” the universe will open up space for that power. You will open up space to be yourself—even if that self is contradictory and complex. This isn’t about simplifying our idea of who we are or finding labels that fit us. It’s more about accepting your true nature and defending it. Don’t try to become your “best self,” instead, embrace all aspects of who you are and learn to love all those parts fiercely. Instead of building habits around self-improvement, build them around who you are. As an example, if you are not a morning person, stop trying to become one—sleep when you need it and commit to listening to your body. Instead of allowing instructions from the outside to dictate how you get to live, turn your attention towards the instructions you’re getting from the inside. 

Venus moves from Cancer into Leo on the 10th. This transit will lend us the courage we need to love ourselves more fully. Under Venus in Leo, creativity and love blend together and we’re able to approach our projects with a deeper sense of joy. It’s good to remember that joy is justification for how you spend your time. If you waste time doing something you enjoy doing, your time isn’t wasted at all. You are spending your precious minutes with a full heart—and that’s truly enough.

There will be a Full Moon in Aquarius on August 11th, holding hands with Saturn. This is a very potent Full Moon that might activate a collective shift or a united push for structural change. It might be easier to affect change because our emotions (the Moon) will be so wrapped up with what’s going on for the community (Aquarius). On the other side of the coin, it’s important not to let your heart get too tangled in the depths of human suffering. Aquarius is about evolution, which means surrender to what has passed. Resist the urge to stew or catastrophize. Aquarius is about solving problems with innovative solutions, so focus on inventing a new way forward. 

From the 16th to the 28th, there’s a grand trine between Mercury, Mars, and Pluto, all in Earth signs. These transits will help ground us and give us a sense of self-reliance, boosting our self-advocacy, determination, and strength.  

Finally, the Sun enters Virgo on the 22nd on the heels of the pagan harvest celebration, Mabon, and the month ends with a New Moon in Virgo on August 27th. This is one of the most relaxed New Moons of the year and it invites us to slow down and tend to our inner hearths: what we need to feel at home with ourselves. As we move into autumn, the high-energy rush of Leo season cools off and we enter into a period of astrological balance. Back in the late winter and early spring, we had a lot of planets occupying just a few signs. Now, the planets are more spread out and we’re experiencing a more multifaceted energetic landscape. This calm, collected energetic space will help us decompress and process all the lessons we’ve learned over the last four months and move into the next phase of the year with a greater sense of inner peace.