Summary
Mars in Leo June 30 – August 18
Full Moon in Sagittarius/Purvashada July 3
Venus in Leo July 7 – August 7
Mercury in Cancer July 8 – 24
Sun in Cancer July 16 – August 17
New Moon in Cancer/Punarvasu July 17
Venus Retrograde July 22 – September 3
Mercury Transits Leo July 24 – October 1
Saturn, Jupiter and Rahu Hold Ground through November
August 2023 Headlines

Summary

For an in-depth analysis of specific planetary placements, please continue with the full planetary forecast.

Mars in Leo June 30 – August 18

As the calendar flips to July, Mars moves out of Cancer and into Leo for a forty day trip through the Sun's domain of Leo. Generally, Mars excels while in Leo, showing strength and strategy. This summer, due to a handful of impactive aspects from other planets, Mars' Leo transit from July through mid-August could really fire us up.

Leo is currently the recipient of the combined energy of retrograde Saturn from Aquarius and the Rahu + Jupiter pairing in Aries. This creates what may feel like environmental influences of confused desire, demands for foundational flexibility, and continued attempts to make robust, sustainable growth.

The passion created by the nearness of Venus to Mars' transit could begin to subside after Venus begins a retrograde cycle on July 22nd. This time period could reflect separation that could feel relieving, whether it be a relationship leveling up and benefitting from a redesign or a long needed break after a gooey separation process.

By late July, Venus moves away from Mars and Mercury moves toward Mars, with Mercury's pace having slowed his movement down in preparation for a retrograde cycle in late August. Mercury moves in to work with Mars, which could signal a shift in focus from an attraction phase to a transaction phase.

By August, decisions will have been made and plans approved for the work and play going forward.

Full Moon in Sagittarius/Purvashada July 3

The full Moon in Sagittarius each summer marks the celebration of Guru Purnima, which translates as Full Moon of the Guru, guru being a word that corresponds both with teachers and with the planet Jupiter. Sagittarius is the fire sign ruled by Jupiter and the Moon becomes full there each year when opposite the Sun transiting through Gemini, the sign associated with students.

This annual recognition of the relationship between student and teacher invites us to shine a light on all who hold and share knowledge and wisdom. Pay respect to your teachers, your lineages, and your educational supporters during this full Moon that falls on Monday, July 3rd.

Sagittarius and the Moon will be receiving the compound influence of Jupiter and Rahu during this time. This could bring a form of the teacher archetype in an unexpected or unconventional way.

Venus in Leo July 7 – August 7

Venus moves into Leo joining Mars on July 7th and from there, slows her speed, stationing for retrograde motion on July 22nd at 5 degrees Leo. The quality of retrograde motion is embodied by the nodes of the Moon, whose axis always rotates them in retrograde motion. This retrograde station of Venus is exactly aspected by Rahu from Aries, showing the potential for a notable turn around, especially for horoscopes whose natives have strong placements around both 5 degrees Aries and 5 degrees Leo.

This transit can create a passionate backdrop for current scenes. Venus in Leo can be quite creative and performative. With the addition of Mars to the mix, there is a powerful tension that arises with the interaction of fiery Mars and watery Venus.

As if this wasn't enough for the recipe, we have the trio of heavy hitting aspects coming into Leo from Rahu and Jupiter in Aries and from retrograde Saturn in Aquarius. This could be a lot! Prepare in advance for this potential by not overscheduling, allowing space for the chemistry going on between Mars and Venus and the wild energy surrounding it all.

Mercury in Cancer July 8 – 24

After a quick jaunt across a few different signs in June, Mercury makes his way across watery Cancer from July 8th through the 24th. This puts intellectual Mercury into the waters of the emotional Moon, giving us a chance to get some emotional perspective and to analyze things from a new angle.

Mercury, as ruler of transactions, markets, exchanges, and communication, could perhaps allow us to step back from all of those things when this transit comes along. It is a good time to detangle emotions from business and make wise decisions before they become urgent.

This is somewhat of a backstage feeling, with Mercury preparing to enter the stage upon transiting to Leo on July 24th, joining the dramatic pairing of Venus and Mars. This is a good time to bone up on details, study lines, journal your feelings, and make sense of the difficulties that seem to surround you.

Sun in Cancer July 16 – August 17

In the midst of Mercury's dash through Cancer, the Sun follows steadily behind, moving through Cancer from July 16th through August 17th. Just as Mercury is enjoying some pre-stage time, so can the Sun during this transit. It may feel good to enjoy home during this time, gathering strength and direction as you prepare to present your next phase of creation.

Again, this current environment of Cancer certainly gives the sense of safely home, especially due to the fact that Cancer is currently receiving no negative or positive aspects, which simplifies the expression of the energy of the planet who is transiting through. This will be true for both Mercury and the Sun during July.

New Moon in Cancer/Punarvasu July 17

To further highlight the cradle of Cancer at this time, the new Moon joins the Sun at 1 degree of Cancer, in the fourth pada of Punarvasu nakshatra on July 17th. This feels very vulnerable and emotional, where the hopeful light of Punarvasu transitions from the airy Gemini into the watery Cancer, bringing our attention to the emotional depths that always challenge the positive effects of the constant light of the Sun.

This is a good moment to mine deeply for your own source of emotional strength that can adapt to any situation, keeping you steady as you bob up and down in the waves of life's ocean. Make the resolution to learn the right balance of going with the flow and insisting on a certain direction. The third week of July could get a bit choppy with some tight aspects and retrograde interactions.

Venus Retrograde July 22 – September 3

As with any other planet's retrograde motion, the upcoming stretch of Venus' retrograde from July 22nd to September 3rd could open some opportunities to recreate, reconnect, and revive while Venus retraces her current transit path from 5 degrees Leo back to 19 degrees of Cancer, giving us a runway for a re-do come September.

Early July sees Venus brightly displaying in the western sky after sunset, and this will be the last big showing of Venus as the evening star for the remainder of 2023. By early August, retrograde Venus will disappear from view and reappear at the end of August as the morning star, showing up in the eastern sky before sunrise.

These retrograde phases of Venus re-order the sequence of the Sun and Venus in the zodiac, as observed from Earth. Once Venus assumes morning star status, it remains there until March 2024.

With Venus ruling the realms of relationship, romance, creativity, and social interactions, this retrograde phase could be ripe for reassessing those indications in your life. From the last week of July and through August, Venus retraces her recent steps.

Venus shifts from Leo back to Cancer on August 7th, which also moves Venus into a combustion state with the Sun, meaning she disappears temporarily from our sight. We will then have some backstage Venus moments to RE-CREATE, RE-RELATE, and RE-VIVE!

Mercury Transits Leo July 24 – October 1

Fast moving Mercury finally catches up with his friend Venus, newly retrograde, as he enters Leo on July 24th. Venus may be trading Mars' company for Mercury's during this last week of July and into the first week of August, when the dynamic duo of Mercury and Venus will be buzzing about in Magha nakshatra. This could lead to a series of events that feels confusing, overwhelming, exciting, and speedy.

Let's really understand how many influences may be affecting the sign of Leo during this time, especially the first part of Leo, which is covered by the nakshatra Magha, ruled by Ketu. The combination of Sun ruling Leo and Ketu ruling Magha for this zone of the zodiac is quite interesting, almost making an environment of the individual being eclipsed by the demands of the past. Magha is also ruled by the Pitris, the spirits of our ancestors.

From Aries, Rahu is directly aspecting the early degrees of Leo, bringing in the unexpected shifts and frustrating confusion. From Aries, Jupiter is also hitting Leo, which can be considered positive and working to balance out the rocky influence of Rahu.

From Aquarius, retrograde Saturn is also pushing Leo. At this point, Saturn is sometimes pushing and sometimes pulling, again creating the effect of too many possibilities or choices that seem to cause internal and external conflict in every direction.

And in the environment of Leo, we will see Mercury, retrograde Venus, and Mars, which creates a great deal of activity, energy, and power. We may experience the desire to really work through things, but in the face of obstacles, unexpected situations, and burdensome responsibilites, which all combined with fierce positivity. Knowing this ahead of time, prepare to be flexible, agile, and flowing as you navigate through these times.

Mercury's entrance into Leo isn't for a brief stay, in contrast to Mercury moving through three signs in June. Due to a retrograde period from August 23rd though September 15th, which takes Mercury from the late degrees of Leo back to the mid range, Mercury will tack his way back and forth through Leo until October 1st.

Mercury slows down in August, inviting us to do the same. With the many influences coming into Leo, this could be the best plan. Production could actually increase by working at a slower pace during late July and August.

Saturn, Jupiter and Rahu Hold Ground through November

As described above with the aspects coming into Leo, we have a tandem effect of Rahu and Jupiter pushing from Aries and Saturn pushing from Aquarius. This is creating a notable structure, and with Saturn retrograde through October, it may feel like a stretched out version of that moment when you trick your kid into thinking that you are still holding onto their bicycle seat, but they are really riding on their own.

An exact opposition of Saturn and Mars comes from July 20th through July 22nd. This is a point in time to put on the radar, with a few notable transits showing up around this time, in addition to this opposition. Saturn and Mars interactions can feel like a strong push and pull effect, and with Saturn retrograde, this could feel even more intense. Coupled with Venus taking retrograde motion on July 22nd and Mercury entering Leo on July 24th, we may feel we are dealing with some fallout during the last week of July.

Be ready to break out of holding patterns and prepare for both landings and takeoffs in July!

August 2023 Headlines

Full Moon in Capricorn/Shravana August 1
Venus in Cancer August 7 – October 1
New Moon in Cancer/Ashlesha August 16
Sun Transits Leo August 17 – September 17
Mars Transits Virgo August 18 – October 3
Mercury Retrograde in Leo August 23 – September 15
Full Moon in Aquarius/Shatabishak August 30