Hi everyone, and welcome to back to Stars to Stories.
We’re entering harvest time now when peaches should be plentiful and the hard work of the year finally starts to show itself. What a time for celebration! Especially after those eclipses last month!
Following the wheel of the year, Lammas, on August 1st, marks the mid-point between summer and autumn. We’re dealing with that in-between period when the peak of sun has subsided, but the heat is far from gone. Schools are starting up again, but we’re probably nowhere near returning to our routines at this point.
If July knocked you around too much (I know it did for me) then hopefully August can grant you some breathing room and recovery, and some bright moments of hope.
In the last few weeks, I’ve heard many people dealing with deep-seated grievances being been aired, and at the most unexpected times. Things ending, closing, and dying to give room for new homes and new relationships to be brought forth. Buried issues came out of their graves to remind us that the labor of healing is a cycle and not a line—and it takes up time however it pleases.
And yet, summer is not usually associated with such sobriety! Normally it is a time of letting go of work and bringing in the welcomed chaos of vacations, road trips, camps, and long evenings of light.
The role of these seasonal pleasures is to feel alive, full, and relaxed, and not to deny whatever hardships you might have gone through this summer, or are still negotiating. Chasing after desires like fireflies in the night has more purpose than one might expect.
The word pleasure comes from the old French plaisir meaning ‘to please.’ Desire, de ‘down’ + sider ‘star’ has often been translated to ‘what the stars may bring down.’ On the other hand, the word passion comes from the late Latin root pati meaning ‘to suffer.’
I’d recommend you leave your passion behind for the martyrs of July and instead follow what you desire, what makes you feel alive, and what feels fated at this time.
Astrologically speaking, there are no more eclipses until December (yay!), Mercury will be direct until November, and Jupiter will station forward this month as well.
Whatever you planted in the spring is now calling for your attention again. What wants to be harvested? What is it time to move forward on? What feasts and parties can you hold for yourself, for others, and for your community to mark this time?
For the first half of August, we’ll be dealing with a small pile-up of planets in Leo (Mars, the Sun, Venus, and then eventually Mercury) but come September that same crew will be concentrated in Virgo. As a generality, whatever big hopeful aspirations start rolling this month will require detailed concentration in the following before the true solar start to autumn finally comes.
More details are below by sign. Wishing you all the best in your last hurrahs of summer, and may you feel supported by what’s beyond.
xo Laura
Scroll down for horoscopes by sign and read for your ascendant or rising sign if possible.
(If you’re curious to find your rising sign, go to astro-seek.com. After you enter your birth information look to the left of the circle to the line that says ASC. If you’re intrigued, confused, or both intrigued and confused you can email me at starstostories@gmail.com for a consultation.)
Aries
If the end of July created opportunities and forward momentum for you, then that’s a wave you can ride until mid-August. Once your sign’s ruling planet, Mars, heads into Virgo on the 17th, your attention might be drawn towards getting more specific and focused on what it is you want to do. There could be creative matters that need to get more granular or conversations involving children or childhood. Don’t forget your body even if there’s excitement in the air. Keep your heart and vitality robust and cared for so that you can handle any challenges that might pop up by the end of the month.
Taurus
There will be a significant rebirthing process that starts around August 8th and lasts a good two weeks, even if it’s brought forward out of a challenge. If the beginning of the month feels a bit too hot, contentious, or active to you, the end of the month hopefully will bring you the earthy, albeit busy relief, you’ve been looking for. You may not feel like your typical self with all of the increase in detail-orientated activity, but what is hard-earned may give you a better, and more satisfying way, to channel your energies.
Gemini
Have things been overly emotional for you? So much talk involving intimacy and feelings? You’ll probably be revisiting frictions you had at the beginning of the July with men involving work projects. Now that your sign’s ruling planet, Mercury, is moving forward, hopefully you’re getting the resolution and momentum you need. The second half of the month should provide more fun for you, so enjoy the last of the summer fun while you can. September is guaranteed to be a busy month!
Cancer
What was learned and earned in July are lessons that will only grow deeper with time. You don’t have to repeat the same challenges twice unless they weren’t resolved to begin with, and why should you? While this chapter is closed, the next year will continue to deliver messages on what feels like family and home, especially circling back around in December. Hopefully, for now, you’ll get a sweet breath of relief working and playing and dedicating yourself to new ventures. Even if it’s hard to let go to whatever is prying at you to leave, expressing it will serve you better than bottling it all in.
Leo
It’s your time to shine bright! The attention is very much on you for the next few weeks, although the month will go in like a lion, and out like dutiful gardener tending to orderly rows. Take the spotlight while you can, enjoy the freedom, and express yourself widely and openly. While there might be a bit of a reality check come the last weeks of August, there is a time to work, and there is a time to play. Take advantage of the month fully, no matter what it’s requesting of you.
Virgo
If August starts out a little too hot and boisterous for you, things will ground rapidly when a trio of planets (Mars, Venus, and the Sun) all move into your sign towards the end of the month. Additionally, on August 30th, there will be a new moon in your home sign of Virgo that may bring a sudden shift that touches multiple parts of your life. If you’re looking for a window of change, this may be it. Luckily, whatever comes your way seems to suit you, even if it’s shaken up in a way you hadn’t quite expected.
Libra
Something within you is regenerating, and while it might be so incremental it seems imperceptible, the results will start making themselves known by the end of the month. July must have been a struggle for you, but it appears that the deeper conflicts were purposeful in bringing deep-seated fears or anxieties to the surface to be released. Taking some well-deserved time for fun, or a trip to see friends before the 21st would help. Even though there may be grinding work you’re dedicated to come autumn, it doesn’t mean you’re ready to start quite yet.
Scorpio
After the big bright fires from the end of last month to the beginning of August will come the nitty-gritty period of rolling up your sleeves. Even if your optimism or another’s is challenged, you seem to be capable of bringing lofty plans into reality. Take advantage of any extra strength you’re able to muster right now, especially if there’s outside support willing to help. If you’re putting in long hours or working overtime compared to your usual schedule, remember that it won’t last forever. The sprint should be worth it for the duration.
Sagittarius
Your fire will be burning bigger and brighter after August 11th when your sign’s ruling planet, Jupiter, stations direct. If anything from the beginning of April has been put on hold over the summer, you may start to feel forward motion again. Take advantage of this time until December when publishing, traveling, spirituality, and education-related endeavors will be supported by swift-moving luck. Come the end of the August, and into September, you will need to be sure to make up your mind about what the day-to-day details of these plans will carry forward. Remember to mind the minuscule without sacrificing the macro.
Capricorn
Hopefully any oppositions you may have been tested by in July will have lessened their pressure on you in August. Hasn’t your endurance weathered enough? And did the issues that emerged have to take so long to resolve themselves? The best support will come by the month’s end, and into September, which will be much more harmonizing and grounded. Next month, your sign’s ruling planet, Saturn, will be moving forward and you might not be feeling so stuck. The following year holds many shifts in how you see yourself, especially in regards to authority, family, home, and the past.
Aquarius
If you’re feeling left out of the party, not to worry—that would be quite expected at this point. This summer has been full of lots of fire and fanfare, and not a lot of the more supportive distance you might prefer. If it feels at times like the burdens of others, or even the awards of others, are intruding into the space you need for yourself, then make sure to reclaim it. There’s no shame in taking control of those moments when you need a time out. On August 15th there will be a full moon in your sign of Aquarius, so the attention may finally recalibrate into something much more welcome.
Pisces
If July was rough on your feelings and demanding a lot of internal review, then August may be the time to dry some of those intimate hurts out. Things will start to move quickly, and if you were wondering how you’d be able to move on, sometimes these things happen on their own accord. On August 11th your sign’s ruling planet, Jupiter, will stations direct, and with it, the actions you were working towards in the spring will start to progress once more, and more automatically than you might have thought. The discrimination and detailed work will come later this autumn.
Note: these horoscopes are intended as words of stimulation and suggestion, not as cardinal rule or unbiased fact. By engaging with this page, you agree that all choices made based on the information provided in this column are your responsibility alone. Take a breath and be well!
