August 2023 sidereal Forecast

Venus continues its retrograde and moves into combustion (disappears from our evening skies) from the beginning of August. It will not return to our early morning skies until the end of August, after which it will have been through a process of purification.
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Venus retrogrades back to Sidereal Cancer by Aug 7, back over the sensitive juncture between fiery Leo and watery Cancer. As it does so whilst entering combustion, this adds further volatility; to weather patterns; to the economy; and in diplomatic relations. This will likely shake the world in the coming months.

July and August is setting the stage for an economic downturn; perhaps because of some adjustment that are rushed through by leaders who attempt to maintain control. The last time Venus did this in this section of the zodiac was in 2015, when we saw Greece's economy tank. The time before that, in 2007, saw the Fed put billions into the U.S. financial system to steady volatile markets. What happens in Jul/Aug of 2023 is likely to lead to a downturn by Oct/Nov.

Mars and Mercury transit together in Leo in August, as Venus looks for some comfort and safety from the heat in Cancer. As Mars ventures forward and into Virgo by Aug 18, Mercury then backtracks in Leo (retrograde) from Aug 23. All thoughts are on business and pleasure, as Mars pushes forward with an action plan in Virgo.

Once Mars enters Virgo, all the 'cruel' planets, Saturn, Mars, Rahu-Ketu, impact Aries in a powerful way, most likely leading to even more explosiveness. This is likely to play out more obviously in wars, but recent wildfires extreme weather events are also likely to continue. Yet Aries is also the most pioneering sign, which shows huge leaps forward in other realms. How this plays out for you depends on the specifics of your birth chart.

The Sun makes its way towards its yearly opposition to Saturn by the end of the month. This year, both the Sun and Saturn are strong in their own signs, Leo and Aquarius. The people will have their say; leaders will have theirs.

As all the faster-moving planets line up on one side of the zodiac, in Cancer and Leo, the slower, Pluto and Saturn, line up in Capricorn and Aquarius, in an opposition. This shows the need for safety and fun (Cancer and Leo), but also the dire situations and predictions (Capricorn and Aquarius).

We must keep things in perspective, of course. We must do what we can now, or perhaps redo what we must (Saturn in Aquarius), while observing any tendency to catastrophize. There may indeed be reason to think the worst, but if we are not withdrawing our negative projections from an imagined future, we are little help to anyone now. 
 
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Venus re-enters Cancer Aug 7
Venus' previous transit over the gap between Cancer and Leo, on Jul 6, is when the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a likely recession later this year. There is likely a lot of back and forth on this in the coming weeks as Venus moves back and over this juncture in August through October. I was sent a video by an economist recently. David Hunter expects a market ‘melt-up’ followed by a bust. Venus’ back and forth over this juncture reflects this.

Apart from the economic outlook, war is another important factor for Venus retrograde. Venus represents refinement, expressed in the world at large as diplomacy, and in our lives as good manners, enjoyments, and loving relationships. Diplomatic relations and personal relationships may be strained as Venus disappears into the rays of the Sun. More extreme storms, flooding, and fires are also likely as it does so between the watery Cancer and fiery Leo.

Personally, we are all asked to look at what or who we are attached to as Venus re-enters Cancer, and whether or not we should be. As always, Venus retrogrades are not the time to make any definitive decisions about anything to do with purchases and relationships. Keep an open mind about what is happening, if indeed, anything is. It may all just play out in your imagination without speaking to anyone about it. However, it is the prefect time to ‘have that talk’ with someone special. Just choose your moment; hopefully, when both of you are feeling relaxed and safe.

Look to the signs involved. This means looking at what Venus rules in your chart, counting initially from your rising sign to the signs Taurus and Libra. Then, look at Leo and Cancer, to see where all of this is playing out. If you have a good grasp of this, then look from your Moon sign. Only then should you also include your Sun sign, so you have all three points of interest: body (rising), mind (Moon), and soul (Sun).

Venus represents the arts. It's station opposite Saturn in Aquarius highlights the recent strike by actors and writers in Hollywood. Saturn is retrograde in Aquarius, reflecting this need to pull back recent technological advancements, or to at least regulate them in some way. As Venus slips back from Cancer to Leo, from an opposition to Saturn to one with Pluto, we may see some of these power struggles go underground for a time. Although it further intensifies the struggle, it may not be that obvious.

Venus will meet with the Sun by exact degree on Aug 13. As Venus is purified in its rays, we're likely to see further developments at this stage, more possibilities to change our relationships to people and things, but also more complications. Relationships are messy, aren’t they?!

Venus will return to our early morning skies by the end of the month. The return of Venus' visibility, yet its continued retrograde until Sep 4, is a tricky portion of the whole retrograde period. This is when one last temptation is thrown our way, as it were. We may see this play out globally as decisions made by economists and leaders that have long term consequences.
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In our own lives, we must be mindful of Venus' transition, so we can use the time to purify our values and relationships. We can get clear about what is important to us throughout, as long as we are aware that a purification means burning some things. Just make sure you don’t burn all your bridges. Or do, I guess – if it’s in everyone’s best interest to move on. 

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Wishing you the very best of what the month has to offer. 

Om Tat Sat