AstroCast: August 7 – 13, 2018

The planetary action this week is caught up in the vortex of the New Moon Solar Eclipse on August 11 at 19°Leo. The theme of the last eclipse of the year will guide us into 2019: an unexpected break from routine will open the door for our true creative and loving self-expression to emerge. Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac that represents the part of individual development wherein we discover our creativity and develop our own ways for expressing it. Pure and simple, this is how we have fun and ignite the spark of joy in our heart. Leo rules the heart and the Sun rules Leo. The heart therefore is the apt symbol for how we radiate and shine our light out into the world. If our heart is not open, we can never truly shine. We can only give the effect of shining by posturing to grab the light of others and direct it on us.

A solar eclipse is when the Moon eclipses the Sun from the point of view of the earth. Esoterically, solar eclipses represent times when deep feelings can surface and become so obvious we cannot ignore them. Cut off from our rational nature, we’re left with our feelings to guide us. How do we really feel about the experiences we’re having? How do they sit in the seat of our soul? What is stirring within that needs to be expressed that perhaps had been suppressed by our mind, which so often believes others’ dictations about what is right for us? The Sun is the energy of becoming who we are and brings vitality to the process of consciously discovering areas where we can develop ourselves, which often takes great effort. The Moon represents the subconscious, where we are instinctive and operate in a relaxed, automatic way without effort. The Moon lights up the darker areas of our consciousness to show us how we feel about things. The more conscious we are about how we feel and the more we honor those feelings, the less we will be reactive or operate from unconscious programming.

On a societal level for example, a current issue now painfully obvious is a global trend that has been escalating for years: how to discern truth in the media and who we can trust for information about what is going on at all levels of society. President Trump is now calling the free press, including such venerated institutions as The New York Times, “the enemy of the people.” Should we believe his words that are not backed up by any concrete examples? In a very real way we are being forced to decide for ourselves what is truth. On an individual level, the challenge for us is to become our own authority, whichrequires an ability to see things realistically, as they truly are, rather than how we would like them to be.Our job right now is to look around at whatever is going on in our lives and make those distinctions, no matter how painful the process so we can make better choices that will move us in the direction we want to go in our relationships, our jobs, our family life, etc.

Two reference points for this eclipse offer clues as to its nature. The Sabian symbol for 19°Leo is “A houseboat party,” the interpretation of which indicates “freedom from social rigidity.” The Saros Series number is 2 New North, an eclipse family that “changes a person’s direction through the sudden collapse of an existing structure.” The structural breakdown could be anything from a belief system to something in our external life that unexpectedly destroys our daily routines. This may initially bring about confusion but the positive message of 2 New North is that in the long run the changes will prove deeply beneficial.

The Leo New Moon Solar Eclipse is conjunct Mercury, which brings clarity of mind to assist us in getting in touch with our feelings. The Mercury/Sun/Moon bundle in Leo is in square to all-inclusive Jupiter in Scorpio, challenging us to have a wider perspective focused on truth and wisdom in our dealings with others. Uranus, which turned retrograde just before the eclipse, urgently asks us to take the risks needed to become our own authority so we can express our unique self. Venus in Libra in a harmonious trine to retrograde Mars in Aquarius can drive us to step up collaborative efforts that will create a better future. Venus is also in square to Saturn in Capricorn telling us that we are in this for the long haul – there is no escaping our shared reality and we best get to work on it now. Mars retrogrades back into Capricorn at the end of the week to reinforce the Capricorn need for integrity in any action we take.

Here’s the data for the major aspects this week (Pacific Time, rounded to the nearest whole degree unless otherwise noted).

August 7 – Uranus station retrograde at 9:49 a.m.

August 7 – Venus trine Mars at 5:33 p.m.

August 8 – Sun conjunct Mercury (Inferior Conjunction) at 7:06 p.m.

August 9 – Venus square Saturn at 6:34 p.m.

August 10 – Mercury square Jupiter at 11:32 p.m.

August 11 – Moon conjunct Sun (New Moon Solar Eclipse) at 19°Leo at 2:58 a.m.

August 12 – Retrograde Mars at 29°29’ Capricorn at 7:13 p.m.