August 2026 and the eclipses!

 

The North and South nodes changed signs July 28^th so we are now on a new collective (and personal) trajectory together. 2 powerful eclipses occur this month in Leo and Pisces. The Sun transits through Leo and enters Virgo. Mercury or the planet of communication transits through Cancer, Leo and Virgo. Mars moves from Gemini into Cancer and 3 of the major outer planets are retrograde. Let’s take a look.

The North and South Nodes are not planets but mathematical points in the chart. Even though they aren’t planets they are still very significant in astrology as they point to collective and personal evolutionary shifts as they change themes and bring a different focus.

The North Node has entered Aquarius at 29 degrees and the South Node entered Leo at 29 degrees and they will remain in these signs for the next 18 months.

The South node presents lessons, past experiences and what can hold us back from fulfilling the future which is the North Node. In this case the South Node is Leo. This means we need to move away from pride, grandstanding and seeking external validation from being in the spotlight. Bear in mind this is on a collective basis and includes our elected leaders.

What we are moving toward is the North Node in Aquarius. Aquarius is the most humanitarian of signs and rules the collective or all of us. This calls for social progress as opposed to progress for particular individuals or those in the spotlight. Aquarius is about equality and fraternity and using our creativity to serve a higher purpose. Aquarius does not represent an oligarch society; just the opposite.

August is eclipse season and the first eclipse is a solar eclipse at 12 degrees of Leo that cannot be seen in the US. This is a South Node eclipse. All eclipses are karmic and this one represents what we need to release or move away from collectively.

Solar eclipses can bring about new beginnings, new opportunities and stepping into new roles. That said, eclipses block the light and leave us with blind spots and almost always bring surprises.

This eclipse falls at 20 degrees of Leo and Leo rules the 5^th house of love, friends and children and for some this could seem like a romantic and magical time depending on how it falls in our personal chart.

Leo likes attention and some of us may want to be in the spotlight a little more than others. People may come across as dramatic and bolder.

Eclipses are always connected with world events. We could see news concerning children, entertainment and young people as well as cover ups.

The companion lunar eclipse falls at 4 degrees of Pisces August 27^th-28^th depending on where you live.

Lunar eclipses often bring conclusions to events occurring in our lives and they can be positive or negative but since an eclipse blocks out the light we are still in the dark about something that gets revealed later.

Pisces is the natural ruler of the 12th house which concerns endings, secrets and things that are hidden. Pisces planetary rulers are Neptune and Jupiter. Neptune is the planet of spirituality, psychics, oceans, delusion and compassion to name a few. Jupiter is the planet of expansion and associated with gain. Pisces is represented as two fish swimming in opposite directions.

This eclipse opposes Mercury and squares Uranus. The opposition to Mercury involves communication and news and the square to Uranus makes this eclipse unpredictable as Uranus is the planet of unexpected events, explosions, aircraft, freedom and coups to name only a few possibilities. We could hear unexpected communication today and it is important to be careful if you are driving.

August 29^th, the Sun squares Uranus compounding the unpredictable energy that is likely to lean toward explosive situations especially the hot spots around the globe.

With this eclipse we can expect surprises, and it’s best to be cautious and aware of the energy.

Venus enters Libra

August 6^th Venus enters Libra where it will remain until 10^th. Venus is one of the money planets and rules love, beauty, money, values and our social lives.

While in Libra, Venus is in its ideal placement. Relationships of all types may seem lighter, happier and people will be more inclined to keep the peace rather than hashing out. Most will seem more relationship oriented and there will be more of a focus on finding a special partner. Rude, abrasive or crude behavior will be more of a turn off for most people with Venus in Libra.

If you were born with Venus in Libra, by nature you seek peace and cooperation with others. Venus in Libra is not heavy, but rather light and sometimes you could have a problem making up your mind. Equality between partners is forefront on the minds of those with Venus in this sign. After all, the sign of Libra is the scales of justice!

Venus in Libra are gentle people by nature and don't like crude or abrasive behavior, or to offend or be offended. Sometimes Libra will compromise rather than rock the boat.

Mercury enters Leo

August 9^th Mercury finally leaves Cancer for Leo after spending more than 2 months in the sign due to its retrograde.

Leo rules the Sun and the fifth house of the zodiac, and we may be thinking more about friends, entertainment, and love affairs. Mercury/Cancer has been all about home and is far more emotional than Leo. This Mercury placement will liven things up and we will be more focused on friends, fun, relationships and creativity.

Don’t not let your ego interfere too much in your communication which can happen with Mercury in this sign or we can become too set in our ways or too stubborn or proud.

Mars enters Cancer

August 11^th, Mars enters Cancer where it will remain until September 28^th.

When Mars changes signs, energy changes and Mars in Cancer brings 4th house issues to the fore that deal with home and family, and basic foundation/security issues. While this may work well for Water and Earth signs will be harder to handle for Air and Fire signs because it is so tied into our emotions and we will be operating from an emotional perspective than a logical one. You may notice some people becoming much more emotional, crabby or melancholy.

Cancer is centered on the home so you may do work to improve the home, have family reunions, look for real-estate, take cooking classes, do family genealogy, or other family related activities and these are all good uses of this energy.

Mars is not at home in Cancer and its energy does not flow well. It is considered to be at its fall, meaning it loses strength and influence in this placement. This doesn’t make Mars in this sign negative but it does make it more prone toward things like moodiness and over-emotionality.

The Sun enters Virgo

August 22^nd, the Sun enters Virgo, the final sign of summer where it will remain until September 22^nd.

Virgo is a mutable or changeable sign ruled by Mercury the planet of communication. This sign is the natural ruler of the sixth house of work and health and it signals to us that now is the time to get organized, focused and pay attention to our health and day to day activities.

Virgo energy is associated with healing and it is detailed and focused, intellectual, grounded, health conscious, stable, analytical, critical, conscientious, discriminating, fastidious, and modest so we should expect to see these characteristics and qualities play out in our world and with those around us during this time.

As the Sun enters Virgo our thoughts tend to be more about work, production, and overall accomplishment.  It is no surprise that school typically starts back up during the Virgo season. Stores are stocked full of notebooks, and all types of things to organize and prepare for success. Everything has its season and this is the time for planning, implementing plans and moving forward in a more organized and fruitful way. Virgo teaches us to work smart, instead of just working hard.

Mercury enters Virgo

August 25^th, Mercury enters Virgo until September 10^th.

Mercury is the planetary ruler of both Gemini and Virgo and Mercury is at home in Virgo where it is happy and operates well. While Mercury in Gemini is associated with quick responses, intelligence, and communication about a many different ideas, Mercury is in Virgo communication and thinking is geared more toward facilitating ideas, analyzing information and presenting facts in a straight forward and factual manner.

Mercury/Gemini may reach out for information of all types and go in different directions but Mercury/Virgo hones in on what is most important and puts that information to practical use. While both signs rule Mercury, they each have a very different approach and purpose.

Virgo is very discerning and is often considered lazar focused. The downside to Mercury in Virgo is that at times it can be so discerning one can become lost in details, overly critical or picky, and this can be misinterpreted (or not). It is important to remember that while constructive criticism is one thing, Virgo can get caught up in being so overly critical, others are turned off. Most of the time however, Virgo’s true intent is just to get things right.

Other days of significance in August:

August 17^th, Mars squares Neptune in Cancer/Aries. This is a discouraging and tiring day. Neptune is the planet of illusion and delusion and this is a day we can get caught up in misinformation, melancholy or make mistakes. This is not a day to make important decisions or important meetings. Neptune rules the water and gasses so we may see events connected to these.

August 21-22, Venus opposes Saturn. This is not a positive transit for relationships or money.  It can be depressing and if it hits a chart in just the right way it could lead to a breakup. If things seem discouraging this passes quickly.

The US chart

So much is happening these days I thought it might be important to look at the US natal chart. There are several charts and I use the Sibly chart with a Sagittarius ascendant.

Eclipses can be extremely unpredictable and always coincide with world events. The solar eclipse in Leo falls in the US chart 8^th house which rules money, taxes, debt and death. It opposes the US moon which represents the people of the country who will be in an agitated mood.

This eclipse falls in the 12^th house of US President Donald Trump. 12^th house eclipses are never easy and can be connected to endings, health events, or hidden secrets that can be revealed. In the case of a politician it may also represent working on issues that are hidden from the public.

The August 27^th-28^th lunar eclipse in Pisces falls in the 3^rd house of the US chart which rules communication, mass transportation, communication networks, media and communications, public schooling and infrastructure.

The latter part of the month looks more difficult for the country. The Pisces eclipse squares Uranus which can result in many unexpected events especially involving the hot spots around the world but it is not limited to these.

August 22^nd, the Sun conjuncts the South node. At worst, this can represent the loss of a world leader as the Sun rules leaders in mundane astrology.  Otherwise, this aspect concerns shedding outdated leadership, societal patterns and governmental structures.

Venus opposes Saturn today and this falls on Saturn (Congress) in the US chart and squares the Sun (the President). By the end of the month Mars conjuncts the US Sun (President) and squares Saturn which is without a doubt a rough time for the United States as the political divide and issues we now face continue to wear on the population.