Current Transits for August 97

Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...

Headlines:

Saturn Retrograde Station at 20Ar21, 8-1
New Moon at 11Le02, 8-3
Pluto Direct Station at 2Sa49, 8-13 -- ouch! This is a tough one!
Chiron square Neptune, 8-13 -- the last of the Wounded Dreamer.
Mars enters Scorpio, 8-14
Mercury Retrograde Station at 16Vi13, 8-17 -- kiss your braincells goodbye.
Full Moon at 25Aq32, 8-18
Vesta Retrograde Station at 1Ta45, 8-29

General Outlook for the Month

The relative intensity of the last 6 weeks is, by and large, dissipating as we enter August. There aren't any major planetary storms or huge buildups of planets to contend with, so life will feel on a more even keel for a time. If anything, there's a feeling of stasis or congestion about this month, with 4 bodies standing still at various times. There's a need to hunker down, face some mundane tasks, sort out some situations that have been hanging over your head for too long. Such housecleaning (literal or metaphorical) may seem uninspiring, but it creates a sense of emptiness and openness that will soon bloom into a new round of experience and growth as we go into autumn. In olden times, August was when plants were first showing the signs of the harvest to come, even though their growth cycle hadn't reached completion yet. The same sense of quiet expectancy surrounds each of us now.

The big news this month is a kind of sluggishness or congestion due to the large number of planets standing still at various times this month. This includes the stations of Saturn on the 1st, Pluto on the 13th (always a biggie!), Mercury on the 17th, and the asteroid Vesta on the 29th. Most of the important planetary patterns revolve around the lingering sextiles of Jupiter and Saturn, or Uranus and Pluto. The only "big aspect" is the final square of Chiron and Neptune, also on the 13th.

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Saturn Retrograde Station at 20Ar21, 8-1

Saturn is the first planet to stand still in August, preparing to go into 4 month's of reverse gear. Saturn, the Headmaster of the School of Hard Knocks, can be a demanding influence to live with, even at his best. His role is to keep us honest and make certain we do all the nitty-gritty details necessary to be truly effective in this world. He represents authority and discipline, the power to order our lives through responsible action, as well as the way we tend to give this authority away to people, institutions or beliefs that often control us. As we head into this retrograde cycle of the Great Teacher, it's time to put our noses to the grindstone and settle into some heavy-duty work. There's something inside us that needs to be expressed in a very material way, but it requires a lot of disciplined effort to bring it about (not to mention clever planning and emotional sensitivity). It's a time to define who we are and what we stand for in a sharper way than ever before. The more you do this work consciously and deliberately, the less trouble Saturn will have to create for you so you listen up. Become aware of any areas in your life that don't seem to be working out right, or are taking too much effort for the results you receive -- these are hints from Saturn of problems that require more awareness. Like I said, Saturn is never much fun, but the long-term results can be very satisfying.

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New Moon at 11Le02, 8-3

This new moon chart indicates the possibility of very disruptive influences the next 4 weeks, especially where relationships are concerned. Any tendency to lord over others or act as though you're special will likely generate some "illuminating" experiences to keep you in line. Clear communications are required to totally clear the air between people, although the usual brand of misunderstandings could produce some fireworks that are just as useful in the long run. Remember that partnerships are about equal partners -- people can get very uppity if you try to get one up on them. The 25 degree part of the chart is one of those difficult, conflict-ridden configurations known as a T-square. There's a potent need to take responsibility for your own actions, coordinating them with the needs of others and with the greater good -- or else! Any attempt to bypass these obligations will likely lead to ineffectual efforts or some kind of conflict with others. It's much easier to make your dreams come true if you enlist the aid of helpers instead of making enemies. Above all, be open to the unexpected this month, as the universe appears to in a trickster mood, ready to reveal all our foibles. Be ready for lessons from any one or any situation. Life could get interesting...

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Pluto Retrograde Station at 2Sa49, 8-13

The next station is Pluto on the 13th, at 2Sa49, about to resume direct motion. The direct station of Pluto is always a crucial time, in my estimation. Having watched Pluto's retrograde cycles for many years now, I've become aware of some familiar patterns. The entire show takes about a year total, the time it takes for the Dark Lord to criss-cross his retrograde zone. As he enters the zone, new situations are being set up to help us realize some new aspect of ourselves or to make us aware of something we've outgrown and must release, even though there is usually little awareness at this point. Slowly, the unconscious mind, the part of ourselves that wields the spirit's power of creation in our lives, starts to set up the situations that will eventually force this awareness to happen. By the retrograde station (this year it was on March 8, at 5Sa36), these situations are fully locked in place, awaiting the "inevitable" to emerge. As Pluto begins to back up over a 5 month period, the gap in our lives between who we really are and who we still think we are (or pretend to be) grows wider and wider, until the contrast reaches "crisis" proportions. The word "crisis", of course, comes from a Greek word meaning "to decide". So any crisis encountered as we approach the direct station is simply an invitation to consciously decide to live life differently, in a manner that reflects the inner spirit more faithfully. By the direct station, live can seem like a mess. Frequently, something we've tried hard to hold onto simply passes out of our grasp or a new role we've tried to avoid is forced upon us. The joke on us is that this is who we really are, not the old pattern. We've grown, changed, become more conscious. So as Pluto starts to pick up speed again, we're left to pick up the pieces of our lives, grasp the new wisdom gleaned from our experiences, and start living as this new person. Watch what kind of "troubles" you encounter during mid-August, as these are precisely the things you need to change -- and cooperate with the process! The new you is going to emerge whether you want it to or not, but it's so much easier to get with the program willingly.

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Chiron square Neptune, 8-13

Also on the 13th is that Chiron-Neptune square I mentioned. This is the last of 3 such contacts, stretching back to last November. I've talked about this aspect several times under the image of "the Wounded Dreamer", a symbol of how our ability to create and manifest has been stifled or denied. The idealistic Dreamer within each of us is a delicate creature, easily overlooked or ignored. It's almost a curse on modern people that we are under such pressure to be "reasonable" and "level-headed" all the time that we've lost the wonder and beauty of working with the world about us at more subtle or sublime levels. Our capacity to dream, to envision a better future world and cause it to come about, is quite stunted. These powerful creative abilities of the psyche have been relegated to "mere imagination", as though giving them a dismissive label would make them disappear to never-never land. In a sense, they do, by hiding away in the unconscious. Instead of creating in a conscious manner, we are blindly causing our worst fears and least evolved urges to shape the world we daily live in. It's hard to be an idealist or an optimist when the world we create is "obviously" so difficult and scary. Perhaps, in ways both big and small, we need to take back this power of creation, of bringing symbol into reality, and start creating a world that is more to our liking. Your dreams can come true (even if it takes more than snapping your fingers to make it happen), but you must be careful what you dream about. If you don't truly believe in your ideals, the fears and limitations that you really trust in at a gut level will be what you create. It's time to dream the highest promptings of our inner spirit and let go of the mass hallucination we call "reality" that keeps us all down.

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Mars enters Scorpio, 8-14

On the 14th, Mars slips from Libra into Scorpio. Mars is the original action character, the power of the spirit to envision a goal and just do it. Frankly, he's been chomping at the bit all year due to an extended stay in Virgo and Libra. The emphasis in Libra is on cooperation and diplomacy, a real straitjacket for the Warrior at heart. While wanting to just do things his own way, without answering to anyone, he's been forced to join his will with the desires of others and work together. In Scorpio, however, Mars is more on his own turf. Instead of bowing to external pressures, the inner desires and drives are given full rein. There's a powerful urge to experience life to the fullest, to become passionately involved, to stretching your usual boundaries. For those of you who have felt hemmed in for many months, unable to really let loose and take off, this transition will be most welcome. Just be careful to keep your motives above board, as the tendency to become manipulative or "power drunk" is strong with Mars in Scorpio. Mars stays in this sign until 9-28, when it moves into Sagitarrius.

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Mercury Retrograde Station at 16Vi13, 8-17

Mercury's station on the 17th is a warning that our brains are entering a state of confusion. Whenever Mercury, the thinking and symbol using part of the mind, goes into reverse, our grey matter turns to mush. The problem is, we usually live our lives based on what we expect to happen, not on what is really going on. The Mercury mind is best at coming up with clever explanations of what's happening, how and why. It's downfall is in rarely noticing that these stories are just stories, not the truth. When the world fails to live up to our expectations, the tendency is to fault the world, not our incomplete models of its behavior. No mental model or story, no matter how detailed or brilliant, can ever encompass the world in its full, often perverse, complexity. We are all being surprised by how little we actually know. This stumping of the thinking mind is most apparent when Mercury's in reverse, if only because no mind is capable of being brilliant now. Always double-check your plans and make sure communicating parties are actually saying the same thing. Back up the hard drive on your computer, since even our "thinking machines" seem prone to error at this time. Have fun watching the mental lapses that affect us all, that show us how fallible the world of rationality can be. Use these moments to pass beyond the tyranny of words, stories, and mental constructs into genuine experiences of the world. Mercury continues in reverse gear until 9-9, when it turns around at 2Vi42. In the days that follow, mental clarity slowly recovers.

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Full Moon at 25Aq32, 8-18

Emotions are riding high the next couple of weeks, particularly where our passions are most connected with the people close about us. The often spirited give and take between people now will surely test your ability to remain faithful to your own principles and beliefs. At times, your emotional security may be threatened by the many shifts going on. It's a real balancing act going on between your own internal emotional tides and the demands of others. Curiously, however, if you listen closely to your partners, the crisp "me vs. you" lines will seem to blur, since every confrontation with another is really an encounter with yourself instead. Remain open-minded and open-hearted, since your preconceptions are most certainly wrong. Even though Mercury, the thinking mind, is in reverse for 3 more weeks, try to keep lines of communication in working order. The value of clear feedback is vital in making it through this period. Postpone important decisions a few weeks, since so much is changing now. Be patient with the world...

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Vesta Retrograde Station at 1Ta45, 8-29

The final station of August is Vesta's on the 29th, at 1Ta45. After slipping from Aries into Taurus on the 7th, Vesta stops right at the front door and backs up into Aries again on 9-20. The entire retrograde pass continues until 12-2, when Vesta stands still once more at 16Ar31. This asteroid goddess is a teacher of integrity, of being faithful and truthful to who you really are. When she is in reverse motion like this, our sense of integrity is being tested. It may seem easier to slide by, compromise with others, or otherwise take a path of least resistance, but every time we do that, our sense of integrity is devalued a little more. The deepest lesson of Vesta is that ultimately, all our power and authority as spiritual beings in this world comes from being faithful to that spirit in an unflinching fashion. You can't sell out constantly or shirk your responsibilities, and remain a powerful presence in this world -- spirit will only reveal itself when it's fully honored and acknowledged. Linked with Chiron by opposition on the 29th, we are apt to have plenty of opportunities in coming months to reaffirm this fidelity to the inner self.

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