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Be Bold & Persevering

The August 2006 Forecast

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Past forecasts

I predicted to one of my regular contacts that the weather pattern would be unseasonable during the Mercury retrograde (July 4 – 28), because it always is. When Mercury is retrograde (backward), weather systems (high and low pressure cells, etc.) become fixed in place. At the time of the summer solstice (Cancer ingress), the planets were in positions suggesting unusually hot weather. While Mercury (gauge of air conditions) was in water-sign Cancer, it was muggy and hot. When it went into Leo on June 30, it began to dry out (though still hot), but I knew it was going to get humid again once Mercury returned to Cancer, which it did on 10^th. As Mercury returned to forward motion on July 27–28, the weather cooled. It’s still incredibly humid (here in San Diego, completely overcast, drizzly, and 75°), which NEVER happens here at this time of year. Meanwhile, the California heat pattern is making its way across the US and out of our hair. Record heat was recorded in many more places than California, Europe included.

If you know when Mercury is going to be retrograde, you too can do some weather prediction. Simply put, whatever pattern is “out there” when Mercury stands still to go backward will remain in place for 3 weeks, until it returns to forward motion.

Readjusting Perspectives

It’s good for me to write the forecast every month, because it helps me adjust my perspective and focus to make better use of the planets’ energies. I was beginning to lose myself in impatience, but recalling the perseverance needed to capitalize on the patterns of 2006, I have adjusted my attitude.

At no time will this be more necessary than in August, as the fixed planets that have been my frequent topic of discussion continue to titillate us with the need to meet unusual challenges. Now is a good time to do a retrospective that recalls for us what ground we’ve covered since this time last year (when this pattern began), and allows us to see how far we’ve come. Here’s what to do to fully understand what’s been going on:

• Get out your appointment calendar, checkbook, or anything else in which you record your events and transactions with dates and times. Go as far back as July 05.

• You can check out the events in your life, or if you’re interested in other situations, such as those in the US or Israel, look up relevant news reports.

Each of these time frames will feel like one unit of time or focus with respect to the issues related to the fixed planet pattern.

What’s Ahead in August

If you look at the two charts for this month, you’ll notice that there’s not much in the way of blue lines (Chart A) — at least happening all at once. Rather, there is more a sustained period where there’s some harmony happening all the time, not a peak event of harmony. This is not pictorially spectacular, but it does make it easier to find something flowing and easy to work with at any given time.

In contrast, Chart B shows the peak of activity in the collection of planets currently populating the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). When this type of pattern forms, we are impelled to work with the sustaining or stabilizing force, one of the 3 major forces of the universe (along with the initiating force and the integrating force). We can benefit by learning to understand what this force requires of us: perseverance, openness, wise and tested change, and a willingness to believe in ourselves and the unknown.

August will surely test our will to carry on when it seems that the biggest hurdles are before us. It’s as if we’ve whittled away at the problem and succeeded in making it through many obstacles, but now the biggest one of all is facing us down.

Dealing with Big Challenges

This, however, is only a perception, because if we were thinking clearly, we would recognize that this is just another step on the path, and all the previous steps seemed just as big. When you are confronting a challenge that seems too big to manage, there are several steps to follow:

• First, define the problem. Write down what you know about it, and enumerate the steps it will take to solve it as you understand them. Breathe deeply as you face your fears about the situation.

• Is there any part of the problem that seems more daunting than the others? Bring that into focus by defining it further. What scares you about it? What is unknown? What more do you need to learn about it? Where can you find the answers you need?

• Perform this type of analysis with other parts of the problem if you need to.

• Now that you’ve defined the problem, does it seem as big as it did before? Are there positive steps you can take to resolve the situation?

• A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take the first step, then the next and so on, but leave yourself open for new insights and ideas for what to do next. Your spontaneous response to the situation in the moment will be the easiest path to reaching your goals.

The key in all this is to find the limitations to the situation. When it is limited, you can deal with it because it is smaller than you are. When it is undefined, it has no boundaries and so naturally it appears bigger than you are.

Another key is that, when we are emotionally involved in a situation, we have to let go of it for a while, because we can’t think clearly until we develop more independence of thought. If we are under time pressure that is undeniably real, enlist the help of someone who is not emotionally involved to help you see it from another perspective — someone you trust to advise you well in this type of circumstance (who shares your values).

During each period the perspective of a new zodiac sign is added to the mix of how we understand our circumstances. For this pattern, the signs we are attuned to are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.

July–September 2005

A window opened onto 2006’s situations and events. Look to see if what you’re working on now is related to what you experienced then. You may have recognized a problem at that time, but you didn’t know how to solve it. During the month, you would have had the chance to see how the problem impacted your life, and you may have tried some short-term solutions that didn’t really work out very well. (If they did, good for you!)

Leo is the starting point of this new perspective. The lesson from this viewpoint is about letting our true self come through and sharing it with others (this is called love).

You may have found that if you set your sights higher since then, you’ve far outdistanced what you thought you could accomplish at that time — or are in the process of doing so now.

October–Early December 2005

Last October, you began dealing in earnest with the primary situation you’re still focused on now. For about 3 months, you got to see everything that was wrong with the “old way” and reaffirm your resolve to make changes, even if it meant discomfort and difficulty. Chances are, you took on a set of circumstances that have been a long-standing issue, and hopefully you were bold enough to be willing to strip away old limitations and self-concepts. The by-phrase is “Whatever it takes,” but in a wise and responsible way. By taking that approach, you open the floodgates to the greater world of possibility.

With this we were adding the perspective of Taurus, as Mars focused its fiery energy in this sign. Taurus is naturally stabilizing, even stubborn. While Mars was there, we got to face deeply entrenched situations because of our unwillingness to (that is, fear of) change. Suddenly not changing became dramatically less comfortable than changing — turning Taurus’s usual modus operandi on its head! Since Taurus seeks comfort and security, it usually leads us away from change; this time, however, Taurus started to lead us toward change.

What if you didn’t “take it on”? If you backed away, you’re probably feeling more cornered than you did before. The good news is that it’s never too late to make the changes you need to create the life you want. This is a good time to start, using the wisdom you’ve gained since last October. It’s likely that you’ll find you’ve learned about some important factors since then that will serve you well.

Just as July–September felt like a single unit in our consciousness, October–December felt like its own separate unit of time.

Mid-December 2005–early February 2006

This was a course-setting period in a big way, as forces that had been gathering since 1986 culminated at the end of January. During that time, the period most like this one occurred in 1991–92. This had very much to do with discovering where we are most deeply wounded and taking on the healing of that wound. This is what we are doing this year and next. In applying this to your life, look at what you’re doing now (it should be easy to see) and look for how that is healing you in a very important way.

During this time, Venus was the guiding force — who (what) do you love? Focusing in Aquarius, Venus led us to see how what or who we love took us into our deepest wound and challenged us to take our love to a higher level. We’re still working on that!

Not sure you’ve pushed the envelope far enough? You can still do so. This is seed-planting time for the coming year. (More on that story later.)

February 2006

Through about the 20^th, we went through a rapid (and I do mean rapid) fire experience of what was to develop. At the same time you were challenged to do as much as you could to create it in your world. You may have been intensely involved in learning new skills or activating new plans in some other way. The keys were “newness” and “work”. There should have been something completely new in your experiences if you’re getting the most out of this period.

This was the time when you had to apply yourself to rise to the challenge. Of this time, the period before February 20 was the most intense and unfamiliar. (March was intense but for different reasons and related to a different thread in your life.) This added the airy, objective, and reactionary perspective of Aquarius to the mix. We began to see that it is possible to be free from the old bonds that tied us to unfair or unpleasant situations — and how to accomplish this.

Are you creating enough freedom in your life? You can still broaden your vision or play catch-up if you had to drop a few stitches during this time.

May 2006

Another crescendo of activity, this time focused on the beginning of the month. Industry and perseverance (Taurus keywords) remained the most important element to success, as your awareness of what is required to succeed unfolds. This was your second dose of Taurus. It could have spurred you to remember your resolve of last fall and given you a chance to see how far you’ve come; or lead you to retreat into the old familiar and comfortable patterns out of a false sense of security. How did it work for you?

For many of us, we experienced the first flush of success as a result of our efforts since last summer — even while still in the stages of development. If you are slow to engage in the developmental process, it’s still not too late to start.

Mid-June – August 2006

Even though August will be much “hotter” astrologically than June-July with regard to this pattern, June-July was another of those preview periods as Mars made its way through Leo. In August, as its entourage — Sun, Mercury, and Venus — makes its royal procession through the sign of the lion, we get a second chance at a new take on the Leo experience we had last summer.

It’s a great opportunity to see how far you’ve come. Have you resolved the dilemma you encountered last summer? Have you so far outstripped the issue as to make it irrelevant, or is it still a factor in your life? For most of us, the situation that came into focus will take at least two years to resolve, so don’t be surprised if there are further steps to be taken to bring things to a close.

Because Leo is the fresh energy that we’re adding to the mix, and we’ve already encountered it before in this context, we are unlikely to define a new challenge as we did last year. We will instead redefine the one we faced then. There are, however, new aspects to it that we didn’t anticipate before: a challenge to serve a greater good with what we are doing and the chance of accruing power through our efforts. This is therefore a time to tread conscientiously and adhere especially closely to our inner values, because then we are more likely to use this power for the highest purposes.

August’s Crescendo

The energies of August peak at two times — the Full Moon on the 9^th and the Moon in Taurus period on August 14-15. There will be plenty to thrill us on other days as well, as the fixed planets get triggered one after another by the Sun, Mercury, and Venus (with the Moon’s weekly trigger of these placements to jolly things up even more). We received hints from the universe about what these contacts will bring as Mars did the same June 17 – July 6.

These peaks will feel much like what we experienced at the end of January, I expect. It will feel like a time of great potential, when great concepts and ideas are in the air.

Golden Energies and Waves to Ride

Although the fixed pattern is the front-page story, there are other planetary patterns that are more harmonious in nature. Chief among them is the contact between Jupiter and Uranus. This has been here since late October last year, albeit masked for much of the time. However, it is unmasked and very powerful during August, so it’s one of the waves to ride in August. It is especially available to us on the 6^th – 13^th. This is a pattern of “thinking outside the box”, where we have access to greater levels of ingenuity. This more than anything requires an open awareness, where we are prepared to allow any thought to precipitate into our consciousness. If you open yourself to all the possibilities, you will be able to come up with novel solutions to your circumstances. This pattern also makes us more optimistic and willing to take on greater risks. As long as we balance risk with knowledge and caution, our enterprises can turn out very well. We can also expect great inventions and scientific breakthroughs to be in the news and in the works at this time. The final culmination of this energy occurs on August 29, until which time the energy will build. Even after that we will have access to this inventiveness until Jupiter changes signs on November 23. In addition, remember that we can imprint a planetary energy on our consciousness and continue to use it throughout our life by recalling how to do so.

As Jupiter and Uranus have been in contact with each other two other times during this cycle, the dates of those contacts will tie in with what you experience now. Those dates are November 27 (2005) and May 5.

Mercury and Jupiter are not in harmony with each other until August 27, but then we begin a time of especially good outcomes for pursuits where we use these energies. That means that if we start something at the time when Mercury and Jupiter are “in charge” of the relevant areas, the outcome will be unusually positive.

The Path to Love

Venus and Mars are still headed toward their tryst on October 25. However, the path to love is not always smooth. This is a month where there’s lots of stored energy waiting to be released in our relationships. This will not occur until the 29^th – 31^st. In the meantime, take care of other things. Venus and Mars are not good planets to use for timing until the end of September.

Without a sense of the patterns of life, it all seems a hodge-podge and confusion of sensations and experiences. Understanding the planetary rhythms brings order out of chaos and helps us to see the threads of development and progress, to feel the natural cyclic flow of the forces in our world. At no other time is this knowledge more valuable than during this month.

Planetary Events

Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are retrograde. Sun is in rulership. Saturn is in detriment.

Sun squares Jupiter (waning)	10°04' Leo/Scorpio	August 2
Mars quincunxes Chiron ℞	9°02' Virgo/Aquarius	August 2
Solar Cross-Quarter celebrated (Lughnasad, the early harvest)	--	August 2
Venus quincunxes Neptune	18°38' Cancer/Aquarius	August 3
Mercury quincunxes Pluto (3^rd of 3)	24°19' Cancer/Sagittarius	August 5
Sun conjoins Saturn (starts new Saturn cycle)	14°51' Leo	August 7
Solar-Cross Quarter (seasonal mid-point)	15°00' Leo	August 7
Venus quincunxes Pluto ℞	24°17' Cancer	August 7
Mars sextiles Jupiter	10°36' Virgo/Scorpio	August 8
Full Moon	16°44' Leo/Aquarius	August 9
Mercury enters Leo	0°00' Leo	August 10
Sun opposes Neptune	18°25' Leo/Aquarius	August 11
Venus enters Leo	0°00' Leo	August 12
Mars opposes Uranus ℞	13°38' Virgo/Pisces	August 13
Mercury opposes Chiron ℞	6°03' Leo/Aquarius	August 14
Sun trines Pluto	24°10' Leo/Sagittarius	August 17
Venus opposes Chiron	6°03' Leo/Aquarius	August 17
Mercury squares Jupiter	11°37' Leo/Scorpio	August 18
Mercury conjoins Saturn	16°34' Leo	August 20
Mercury opposes Neptune ℞	18°08' Leo/Aquarius	August 21
Venus squares Jupiter	12°09' Leo/Scorpio	August 22
Sun enters Virgo	0°00' Virgo	August 23
New Moon	0°31' Virgo	August 23
Mercury trines Pluto	24°07' Leo/Sagittarius	August 24
Venus conjoins Saturn	17°20' Leo	August 26
Venus opposes Neptune	17°59' Leo/Aquarius	August 27
Mercury enters Virgo	0°00' Virgo	August 27
Jupiter trines Uranus (3^rd of 3)	13°02' Scorpio/Pisces	August 29
Mars squares Pluto	24°05' Virgo/Sagittarius	August 29
Saturn opposes Neptune ℞	17°53' Leo/Aquarius	August 31

All dates are based on Pacific Time.

Blue = harmonious/Red or orange = challenging

Events in bold are more significant.