Leena Chauhan 06/08/2024 Leena Chauhan 06/08/2024

August 2024: Full On and Fiery

On 4 August, a warm New Moon in Leo makes the month’s first weekend a memorable one. A Pluto opposition injects a sharp edge into this fiery lunation as it unfolds over the first half of August.

On 4 August, a warm New Moon in Leo makes the month’s first weekend a memorable one. A Pluto opposition injects a sharp edge into this fiery lunation as it unfolds over the first half of August. It is a time to implement last Summer’s lessons on love and desire as learned during Venus’ reversal in Leo from late July to early September 2023.

Mars and Jupiter lend an intense, erratic vitality to the New Moon from Gemini. As Jupiter presses an advantage on Saturn, the fruits of the seeds sown during this lunar cycle are given scope to last the distance. As a fixed sign, Leo also signifies endurance. Venus square Uranus in fixed signs on 2 August signals upcoming turbulence.

As Mercury turns around on 5 August, something which has not been working as effectively as it ought to comes undone in order to be set right and then celebrated.

The strong Virgo energy of 5 August signals the need to clean up and to prioritise service. When Mercury retrogrades first in Virgo and then Leo, thoughts and feelings arise to be gently probed. Virgo supports measured judgement whereas Leo champions heartfelt emotion. How best to integrate their functioning is a live theme throughout Mercury’s retrograde phase until 28 August.

While Mercury reverses in Virgo, reflect on the extent to which you are crafting useful order versus just nit-picking. As Mercury moves through Leo, check whether it is your heart or your conceit which is driving your decision-making.

Sun sextile Jupiter on 7 August provides an abundant confidence boost and a welcome break from mercurial interrogation. The following day’s Mercury-Venus conjunction in Virgo allows your message to land perfectly. A client of mine happens to be giving his fifth best man speech that day, and this time for his very best friend. He will be on top form and his audience will relish his stories.

On 14 August, when Mars meets Jupiter, the risk of acting rashly, mindlessly and with excessive force is heightened. On the plus side, more than seems humanly possible can get done at this time. Interactions with others might also proliferate.

The next day, as Mercury enters Leo on 15 August, the temptation to say too much can be hard to resist. Alternatively, you can find the confidence to finally share whatever is on your mind. With Mercury still retrograde, ideas need a little while longer to marinade before they are expressed out loud.

When Mars squares Saturn on 16 August, the consequences of whatever happened under Mars conjunct Jupiter start to manifest and there’s a risk that things can get difficult and messy. By 18 August, Mercury square Uranus can lead to disruption. Or, more usefully, inspired if somewhat unconventional solutions.

The Leo New Moon culminates on 19 August in a Full Moon in Aquarius. Aquarian cool detachment is temperamentally a world away from Leonine grand passion. Yet the configuration of this particular lunation is brimming with Shakespearean drama. It is intense, full on and ruled by hard-hitting, discipline-minded Saturn.

The Aquarius Full Moon incorporates a Jupiter-Saturn square. This is the first of three cosmic tests on how our world has evolved since the planetary pair last renewed their 20-year cycle in December 2020. Two more tests will follow on Christmas Eve 2024 and in mid-June 2025. These squares can also act as windows on individual growth and maturity since that exceptionally challenging year.

A few days later, when the Sun enters Virgo on 22 August, the theatrics begin to subside. Venus square Mars, Mercury sextile Mars and Venus trine Uranus on the ensuing days prevent life from getting too dull.

As Mercury ends his latest retrograde turn in Leo on 28 August, things start to feel a bit more right and stable again, now informed by the astrology of what August has revealed to us. As Venus enters Libra, getting along with each other becomes easier and more enjoyable again.

Astro Tips

Friday 2 August
An unnerving surprise
Venus in Leo square Uranus in Taurus

Sunday 4 August
Dazzle your audience
New Moon in Leo

Monday 5 August
Smart and sensible is hot
Venus enters Virgo
Mercury stations retrograde in Virgo

Wednesday 7 August
Multiple reasons to smile
Sun in Leo sextile Jupiter in Gemini

Thursday 8 August
Technical, beautiful brilliance
Mercury conjunct Venus in Virgo

Wednesday 14 August
Overkill
Mars conjunct Jupiter in Gemini

Thursday 15 August
Tell everyone all about it
Mercury enters Leo

Friday 16 August
Muddled, unclear outcomes
Mars in Gemini square Saturn in Pisces

Sunday 18 August
Firm, erratic views
Mercury in Leo square Uranus in Taurus

Monday 19 August
Full-on drama
Sun conjunct Mercury in Leo
Venus in Virgo square Jupiter in Gemini
Venus in Virgo opposite Saturn in Pisces
Sun in Leo square Uranus in Taurus
Full Moon in Aquarius
Jupiter in Gemini square Saturn in Pisces

Thursday 22 August
Be pragmatic
Sun enters Virgo

Friday 23 August
Effective, dynamic interactions
Venus in Virgo square Mars in Gemini

Saturday 24 August
Lively debate
Mercury in Leo sextile Mars in Gemini

Tuesday 27 August
Caution creates space
Venus in Virgo trine Uranus in Taurus

Wednesday 28 August
Clarity of vision moves you
Venus in Virgo opposite Neptune in Pisces
Mercury stations direct in Leo

Thursday 29 August
Socialise with ease and purpose
Venus enters Libra
Venus in Libra trine Pluto in Aquarius

Astro Request

How can you draw on the Leo New Moon between 5-19 August to favour love and generosity?

Your personal experience is shaped by how this general forecast connects to your own birth chart, and how you respond to the planetary influences. For astrological guidance tailored to you, email leena@leenachauhan.com.

Leena Chauhan 22/02/2024 Leena Chauhan 22/02/2024

Yesterday in Parliament and today’s Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction

The ‘Plutonic imperative to get your primal needs met’ and today’s Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction. UK Prime Minister in waiting and opposition leader, Keir Starmer’s survival instinct is currently on flashing red alert as he faces the biggest crisis of his political career to date.

UK Parliament under a purple sky — Photo by Deniz Fuchidzhiev on Unsplash

In a recent forecast, I noted the ‘Plutonic imperative to get your primal needs met’ in anticipation of today’s Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction. UK Prime Minister in waiting and opposition leader, Keir Starmer’s survival instinct is currently on flashing red alert as he faces the biggest crisis of his political career to date.

Keir Starmer KCB KC is a distinguished human rights barrister and a former Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales. He has built his career on doing the right thing. Yesterday, he was threatened with mass rebellion from within his own party unless he brought forward the party’s own motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Starmer allegedly applied just enough pressure on the House of Commons speaker to persuade him to break with procedural convention so that the Labour leader could keep his members on side. In tandem with party politically motivated moves from the government and the Scottish National Party (SNP), this led to the House falling apart at a time when it desperately needed to show some leadership [1] as the so-called ‘mother of parliaments’ [2]. The Labour Party's version of the ceasefire motion was eventually voted on and passed.

Today’s early morning Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction landed right on, and is ruled by, Keir Starmer’s authoritative Saturn in Aquarius. He’s very fortunate that this vote happened on the eve of a day on which things go his way, albeit under Plutonic duress. The speaker, who usually has the confidence of the whole House, is fighting for his political life. The speaker says his decision to depart from the usual process was motivated by threats against members of Parliament and his concern for their and their families’ personal safety. Pluto’s menacing vibes again. Today, Starmer, says he 'simply urged' the speaker' to have ‘the broadest possible debate’ [3] and categorically denies threatening him, adding that the most important thing ‘is what we do about the situation in Gaza’.

When Pluto has your back against the wall, it’s incredibly hard to do what you would typically do under normal circumstances. Starmer was born under an exact Sun-Pluto conjunction. When the chips are down, he can intuitively take control of the situation to his advantage. As the conjunction is in prim and proper Virgo, he’s used to being criticised for being boring and lawyerly. His forensic, painstaking approach makes him legally hot but a tad tedious on screen.

Starmer’s genuine Virgo modesty belies his ruthless Sun-Pluto thirst for power. ‘Emotional, messy and breathtakingly ruthless: the hidden life of Keir Starmer [4]’, this Guardian article attests to his true nature. A Financial Times piece titled ‘Starmer will only reveal his true face in power [5]’, comments that ‘Labour politicians know it is thanks to Starmer’s ruthless wooing of all sides that they are within touching distance of power’. It even features an illustration of Starmer’s true face hiding behind a deceptive mask. As a Sun-Pluto politician, he is astute enough to stay focused on getting his party in to power and himself in the top job before he fully reveals his precise game plan.

Starmer’s natal Mercury, his solar dispositor, trines the transiting Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction. This transit seems to be generating considerable interest in what kind of leader Starmer really is, and in what truly drives him. ‘Keir Starmer: The Biography’ by Tom Baldwin has just been published [6]. For someone who is commonly dismissed as a bit dull and irrelevant by a concertedly hostile media, it’s interesting to see his steely, service-minded and somewhat hard to fathom Sun-Pluto conjunction in Virgo acknowledged.

Keir Starmer’s Mercury is due to be eclipsed by the Moon on 25 March so that’s a time to pay closer attention to him (even though it’s not quite as momentous as being eclipsed by the Sun).

Venus, Mars and Pluto are hooked up in early Aquarius. An air sign that can get too caught up in what is theoretically right but too distant from what's really going on. Yesterday, parliamentarians from all parties delivered plenty of pious, worthy speeches about the ongoing horror of Israel-Gaza. But nothing has really changed as a result. The UK government officially withdrew its vote on the call for a ceasefire sanctimoniously citing procedural irregularities. The outcome of the vote makes no difference to their position. The SNP walked out of the chamber before voting commenced, enraged that their own opposition day motion had been overridden. While the Labour party’s amendment motion was carried, averting the rebellion which Starmer deftly staved off, their stance will inevitably be tested again. Given the enormous gravity of the situation, breaking with procedural protocol can quite reasonably be justified [7].

Over 100 members of the family of Husam Zomlot [8], Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, have been killed in Gaza. Over 100 thousand Palestinians have been killed, maimed and injured to date. Yesterday evening, in a brilliant five-minute interview on Channel 4 News, and with huge bags under his weary eyes, Mr. Ambassador Zomlot articulated the inevitable consequences for all of us if we allow the genocide in Gaza to continue [9].