MONTH OF August
August, which is normally a passionate and playful month for you, has some plot twists this year, Aries. With the Sun in Leo and your fun, flirty fifth house, summer lovin’ could still be on the agenda. But with romantic Venus also retrograde the whole month, those sizzling interludes could be unceremoniously interrupted here and there. All things related to love, friendship and interactions come with a warning label: Be on your best and kindest behavior because divine diplomat Venus is on vacation, giving everyone a little edge.
Venus isn’t the only drama queen in the sky either. August is retrograde high season, with Saturn, Neptune and Pluto also reversing through the zodiac all month long. As the month begins, three of the five outer planets (Saturn, Neptune and Pluto) are retrograde alongside Venus.
On August 23, communication planet Mercury joins the retrograde brigade, followed by Uranus on August 28. By the end of this month, SIX planets will be retrograde, sounding the call to slow down, even if that’s not your usual Aries style.
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Don’t worry—it will be anything but boring! August boasts not one, but TWO, full moons. Bookending the month, both are supermoons. The first, on August 1, is the fun one, moving through Aquarius and your social eleventh house. Kick of the month by gathering with 50 of your closest friends or making a creative collaboration official.
Seal those deals early in the month, Aries. Virgo season begins on August 23, and Mercury promptly turns retrograde in Virgo that day. Signing any contracts, or even making verbal promises, won’t be advised between now and September 15.
Onclass="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" August 30 the second full moon—AKA the “blue moon” —lands in watery Pisces and your twelfth house of the subconscious, healing and sweet escapes. It’s your perfect moment to power down before the back-to-school frenzy arrives. Do your best to turn down the volume in your busy mind and just let yourself be. There, that’s not so hard, Aries!
It’s Leo season until August 23
With the Sun in your passionate and fun-loving fifth house until August 23, this month is a stellar time for sparking up romance and creative ideas that tap your many talents. But choose your playmates carefully! With Venus, the planet of love and harmony, also retrograde in Leo until September 3, not just anyone will be an ideal companion for your escapades.
The key ingredient that will feed your soul during Leo season? Joy! Fill up your calendar with happy time, Aries. If you’re not feeling the buzz, the tingle, the thrill of passion, then schedule it for later in the month.
Venus retrograde can bring back past romantic partners and fuel old dramas along with attractions. Aries, you may not want that in your life! Good news: You can proactively redirect this energy into a creative pursuit. The first three weeks of August are a great time to develop or polish your artistic gifts, even if you happen to be on vacation. Bring your hobby along if you can or use the playtime to connect with the muse. Are you a singer who hasn’t used your pipes in a while? Do a few minutes of vocal exercises every day to get warmed bacclass="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" k up.
Doodle, sketch, dance or even grab a 25th-anniversary-edition copy of The Artist’s Way and do the “morning pages” exercise during Leo season. View this retrograde as an opportunity to reclaim and reconnect to parts of yourself, especially the most colorful, self-expressed ones.
The Aquarius full supermoon is on August 1
Ready to make it a team effort? A chance to join forces arrives on August 1, when the Aquarius full moon, a potent supermoon, beams into your zone of networking and technology. A turning point could arrive for a collaboration or friendship. Got a digital endeavor to launch? From an email blast to a refreshed social media profile to a whole new website, this is a favorable day to go live with it.
With this full moon in your groups zone, you might be invited to join a forward-thinking endeavor. Team up with like-minded people, especially in a venture that involves cutting-edge technology, a social cause or both. Is politics or organizing calling your name? Step into new shoes as a thought leader or “voice of the people.”
For clues of what could manifest now, look back to the January 21 Aquarius new moon. Actions you took near that date could unfold now. Just stay mindful that Venus retrograde is making it harder to create goodwill and harmony between people this month. If you’re making a pitch, come prepared for anything! With communication planet Mercury opposing gatekeeper Saturn today, you might be peppered with tough and even confusing questions. Negotiations may not be as easy as you hope as there could be dueling agendas. Do your best to represent as many viewpoints as you can, but remember that you can’t please everyone!
The August 16 Leo new moon sparks strong feelings
Your creativity and passion get an extra boost August 16, when the Leo new moon illuminates your playful, romantic fifth house. Since new moons mark the beginning of a six-month chapter, this one infuses your life with fresh opportunities, ones that will unfold between now and January 25, 2024. (Yep, right around Valentine’s Day—hint, hint!)
If summer hasn’t been as romantic as you hoped thanks to Venus retrograde, lavish yourself with love. Put a little extra effort into your appearance today and make sure you’re capable of being fully present.
Got something you need to express? The passionate fifth house is all about speaking from a place of deep connection, and la luna hands you the mic. While you may feel a bit emotional, even fired up, make a conscious effort to articulate yourself through your heart rather than your intellect. (Aries rules the head, and you can spend a bit too much time in yours.) Brave Leo gives you the courage to voice what’s authentic for YOU. Better to unleash a tidal wave of passion than to hold yourself back now. The worst thing that happens is that you’re “too much” for a few people. Who cares, Aries. Theyclass="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" ’re not your audience anyway!
This new moon makes a couple connections worth noting because they could uncork bottled-up anger. La luna is a mere degree away from Lilith, the “dark moon” point, and also in an exact 90-degree square to volatile Uranus in your second house of money and daily routines. Do you feel weighed down by your responsibilities? Are you frustrated by something in your day-to-day life but unsure of how to bring it up? Find a healthy outlet to express those feelings, Aries, especially since you have a fmously short fuse. This new moon could open the floodgates, and you won’t be able to hold back how you feel. Nor should you! However, with Lilith and Uranus in the picture—AND Venus retrograde—a destructive urge could rise up. Don’t let your temper get the better of you!
Virgo season begins on August 23 and gets your life organized
On August 23, the Sun settles into Virgo, where it will reside in your sensible and organized sixth house for the next month, and glimmers of a self-improvement plan should materialize. Curb the indulgences and get your early summer cleanup going, inside AND out. If you’re planning to make a change to your exercise or eating habits, Virgo season will support those efforts. Streamline your systems and implement timesaving tactics. Delegate to specialists and make sure you have smart plans and processes in place before you begin a new project.
The sixth house rules wellness, so after a decadent Leo season, you’re ready to bring some healthy habits back. Why not take your adventures outdoors? Pack your laptop and get out in nature. Bike to a favorite cafe or hike through a pristine park, then set up shop with a blanket and snacks wherever your mobile hotspot still works. Considering a change of career path? Virgo season is a great time for thinking critically and gathering your thoughts before speaking. Fresh air, fresh mind!
But…Mercury turns retrograde from August 23 to September 15class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link"
Although it feels great to get moving, don’t rush to sign that two-year gym contract or hire the pricey trainer just yet. Mercury—the planet of communication, technology and interpersonal affairs—will be retrograde in Virgo from August 23 to September 15, which could undermine your attempts at maintaining order.
Back up electronic data and cut down on multitasking because this signal-scrambling retrograde can wreak havoc on your workflow. Curb your stress levels, boost your immune system and wash your hands often.
Sun-Saturn opposition on August 27
Mood alert: August 27 brings the annual Sun-Saturn opposition, a day when that icy glass of summer lemonade looks decidedly half-empty. Rather than getting down on yourself and others, here’s a worthwhile mission: uncover where more—or stronger—boundaries are needed in your life.
Have you fallen into a role of codependent enabling and sacrifice? As the Sun opposes boundary hound Saturn, you may need to cut some of those cords in no uncertain terms. Or if you’ve put up TOO many barriers, you’ll see where to let go and open yourself up to receiving support. You may have to trade some ego or a sense of control, but it will be a small price to pay for feeling like others have your back!
If you’ve been playing too much by the books lately, you could feel fenced in and ready to go off-script. But before you start smashing all the rules, think about whose feathers you’ll be ruffling in the process. This is not the day to risk burning important bridges. Following a FEW of the tried-and-true procedures will keep the power players on your side while still creating room for innovation (and excitement!). Pro tip: If you back up your offbeat plans with compelling facts, the more cautious types could actually embrace your groundbreaking ideas.
Uranus turns retrograde in your money house on August 28
Changemaker Uranus starts its annual five-month retrograde in Taurus on August 28 (until January 27, 2024), backing through your second house of money and daily routines. Focus on small changes rather than sweeping transformations. How can you stabilize your finances for the next month or trim your budget for Q4?
With all of the outer planets except Jupiter now retrograde, it’s a better time for finishing what you’ve already got going on than for starting anything new. For the rest of 2023, you could revisit an old line of work or take on a freelance project doing something familiar, even if it’s not the most glamorous gig.
Since retrogrades rule the past, be open to the unexpected for fresh revenue sources. Perhaps an old colleague or client resurfaces out of the blue or you revisit a former passion project. Whoclass="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" knows? With a little update and some refining, you could roll out an attention-grabbing debut!
The Pisces full supermoon on August 30 is a blue moon
Two for the price of one! This August features a rare second full moon, aka a blue moon to close out the month. This time, it’s in Pisces and your twelfth house of endings, healing and the subconscious. If you’ve been searching for answers, look within. Since full moons also spark conclusions, you could get a double dose of closure now—or the information you need to finally decide whether to stay or go. With your spiritual sector activated, divine downloads could flood in. Ride the wave of a creative renaissance and capture all of these brilliant ideas. Just heed the warning of the T-square and don’t rush to act on them. This day is about releasing what no longer serves you and surrendering to the moment.
Take a rest today, Aries. You could be especially tired at this full moon as the twelfth house is the realm of sleep and dreaming. Give your body the downtime it deserves, especially if you recently started a fitness routine. Let those muscles rebuild!
If you’ve been waiting for health news, you could hear it now. For Aries dealing with a medical issue, the healing Pisces full moon can help you come up with solid treatment or prevention plans. And if you’re dealing with addiction or emotional blocks, this lunar light will illuminate the path to recovery.
By now you don’t need a reminder that love planet Venus is OOO, running retrograde through Leo, your fifth house of passion and pleasure from July 22 until September 3. During this cycle, which happens for six weeks every 18 months, an ex could resurface, along with old, unresolved issues in your love life. It’s not exactly the “how I spent my summer vacation” love story you’d hope for—we know!
But since we’re in this phase, might as well use it as it’s intended: to make some changes! On August 9, Venus will lock into a challenging 90-degree square with disruptor Uranus, a day to radically break some self-sabotaging relational habits, like venting about your partner to friends or making hyperbolic statements like “I’m doomed—I’m gonna die alone!”
From August 13 to 18, Venus is making its “inferior conjunction” with the Sun, meaning it will disappear from our view. This is THE window of opportunity to finally put old patterns to bed. And if you do, the August 22 Venus-Jupiter square can help you find even more freedom from those disempowering habits and beliefs.
Here’s an olive branch on behalf of the cosmos: You CAN channel your energy into other areas while you wait out the Venus retrograde cycle. Passionate Mars is marching through Virgo and your sixth house of organization and wellness until August 27. Goals can be sexy—especially when you have a “partner in crime” to accomplish them with you! This is a great opportunity for couples to work on shared ambitions, whether getting in shape, training for a race or upgrading your food choices. All steps in a healthier direction are good ones! Single? You could meet someone at the gym, on a hiking trail or in line to restock your CBD products. Stranger things have happened.
Be kind to yourself, Aries: With Mars cruising through this flaw-finding chart sector, old body-image or self-critical issues could crop up. You can fall into the perfectionism trap, fixating on a couple irritating things about your partner or love interest. While you can’t force yourself to be attracted to someone, decide if limiting or negative thought patterns are interfering with your happiness. If so, choose not to buy into them!
Here’s some uplifting news: On August 27, sizzling Mars will move into Libra and your committed-relationship house, heating up partnerships all the way until October 12. In a few days, Venus turns direct (forward), and you’ll have a lovely table set for dynamic duos. Even better? Venus will stay in Leo and your romantic fifth house through October 8. Get ready to make up for lost time, Aries!
With your ruling planet, Mars, also in Virgo from August 18 to October 3, you’ve got lots of energy to burn. Summertime hedonism gives way to a revitalizing quest for healthy living. In between your visionary projects, make time for a twilight bike ride through the park. Fill your reusable bags with harvest hauls from the farmer’s market (colorful shell beans, plums and bell peppers…yum!). Pick up guest passes to a few fitness studios and try their offerings. Go full Konmari on your home office and streamline your schedule. Mars only comes here every two years, so make use of its efficient and energizing presence!
Warning: Mars can add stress and motivation in equal doses. Too much multitasking could leave you frazzled and may weaken your immune system. To avoid a late-summer cold or making careless mistakes, slow down and don’t take on a zillion responsibilities. Delegate—and be sure to hold your team members accountable by giving them clear instructions about deliverables.
Luckily, Virgo season begins on August 23, and the Sun launches a four-week parade through your orderly sixth house. With motivator Mars also here from August 18 to October 3, you’ll be psyched to get all your plans in tight shape. Batch your projects and break big tasks into small ones. Don’t forget to delegate!
Love Days: 16, 20
Money Days: 8, 26
Luck Days: 5, 24
Off Days: 17, 22, 30
Identical twin sisters Ophira and Tali Edut (a.k.a. The AstroTwins) are ELLE.com’s resident astrologers. They have written several astrology books, including Momstrology and Supercouple, and star as the astrological matchmakers for Prime Video’s Cosmic Love. The Eduts have read charts for celebrities the likes of Beyoncé, Karlie Kloss, and Emma Roberts. For their spot-on predictions, books, and online courses, check out our horoscopes coverage or visit astrostyle.com.
