August hosts 16 dynamic aspects: one conjunction, one ESP (Ending
Shadow Point), two occultations,
three squares, four oppositions, two
ingresses, one direct station,
and one new and one full Moon.
August's energies primarily (for
two weeks ˆ 8/4 to 8/16 embody the
Sun's dynamic vigor. This is a
cue to us to operate from our deep
centers and put all else in proper
perspective. Early in the month
(8/2 ˆ 8/4), the Moon shares center stage from her own sign.
Nurturance in a pure and wholesome
manner can be sought and found.
From 8/16 through month's end,
each person will have the benefit of
Mercury (thought and communication)
and Venus (love and relating)
energies to support work on his/her
inner self-worth and inner
processes.
The August journey begins by picking up the threads of a game
already
in process. Set your way-back
machine to July 13 when a forward
moving Mercury trekked past
the opposition to Neptune Rx (Your
imagination can receive a boost,
and can be articulated in
transactions that contribute
to transformational processes for
yourself and others. 4:22 AM,
16:53 Leo/Aquarius.)
8/02 Integrating your intuitive
and your unconscious mind is
possible, and is an indispensable
step in understanding the dynamic
energies embracing everyone.
Meditation may lead you to heed inner
warnings, and also to uncover
your own inner serenity that can bring
about composure amidst any
chaos that others may experience. Mercury
Rx opposes Neptune Rx 1:43
AM, 16:22 Leo/Aquarius. Keep your thoughts
about current issues in mind,
as this situation is likely to surface
again on 8/26.
8/04 Conscious awareness of
current problems, and plans for how to
solve them are all-important.
Be realistic, but think with your
heart. Egos may need to be
soothed. Build your success through self-
discipline. West coast: relationships
are under scrutiny, and peer
reviews cause pressure. East
coast: new ventures or love interests
may command all your attention.
New Moon 12:48 Leo, west coast 8:05
PM; east coast 11:05 PM
8/05 Self control is the issue
at hand. You may be asked/expected
to put your personal needs
on hold while you discharge
responsibilities. Not an easy
task, but it can be if you remember
that your path may coincide
with your duties. Release feelings of
resentment. It may be your
job to take care of others ˆ so take pride
in your efforts. Sun conjoins
Mercury 4:36 PM, 13:37 Leo.
8/07 Your desire for a practical
relationship may be hidden or
temporarily diverted while
you work on previous obligations. Take
care not to rationalize your
feelings, go ahead and state your
opinions without guilt. Take
small steps toward fulfillment. Moon
occults Venus 9:56 PM, 19:23
Virgo.
8/08 Time to shed some light
on your dreams. Be truthful, and
don't apologize for your hopes
- know that they are possible. Nobody
has to give up anything for
you to achieve them ˆ the Universe has
great abundance. The future
is wide open. Sun opposes Neptune 9:18
AM, 16:12 Leo/Aquarius.
8/10 Emotions conceal higher
directives of the mind/psyche. So the
inner abstract world will likely
manifest through the outer world of
relationships. Care must be
taken not to project your fears or
longings onto a partner. Clarity
can be found through honest dialog.
Moon occults Jupiter 12:08
AM, 14:43 Libra/4:43 S, contra parallel
Venus 4:11 N.
8/10 Strong feelings of attraction
create challenges in
consciousness. Compulsive behaviors
may make it difficult to keep on
track. A good time to work
with artistic talents or role-playing to
address women's issues, especially
in mature or senior concerns.
Venus squares Pluto (m/p Mars)
1:51 AM, 21:58 Virgo/Sagittarius.
9/13 Instead of talking, many
want action, and transformation is
their goal. Unless thoughtful
analysis is introduced, important
details may be overlooked.
A certain amount of unexpected strength
may keep events from moving
too fast. Mercury squares Mars (m/p
Pluto) 12:41 PM, 9:04 Taurus/Leo.
8/15 Who is really in charge?
The period from early July until the
end of August has been and
will be fraught with questions about
leadership. Some emphasize
their ideals and attempt to support them
with style and persuasion.
Learn to separate those who can deliver
from those who simply promise.
Look ahead to discern and anticipate
the possible outcomes. Mercury
turns direct 8:51 PM, 8:45 Leo.
8/16 Relationships will be
a major issue through September 11. Go
with the flow, integrating
ritual with education to bring healing and
wholeness and balance to yourself
and your loved ones. Venus enters
Libra 8:05 PM.
8/19 A harvest of ideas about
others' well being, and how to
initiate help for those less
fortunate. An interest in spiritual or
mystical topics can open people's
minds to higher possibilities
rather than the usual emphasis
on the physical limits of every day
living. Alternative healing
techniques can be very successful. West
coast: group support of an
individual's growing healing abilities.
East coast: your growing talents
can be communicated through writing
or speaking, and further developed
by education. Full Moon 26:50
Aquarius/Leo, west coast 10:53
AM; east coast 1:53 PM.
8/22 Analysis and discernment
of spirit are available energies
throughout the next month.
Growth and development are possible to
further your goals. If you
are not clear about your path, now is the
time to focus on what you wish
to accomplish. Sun enters Virgo 5:46
PM.
8/26 It is a time for action
to support your enhanced imaginative
powers, and to undertake to
achieve your goals through an enterprise
involving others in related
fields. Use your aptitude for thinking
outside of the box, and your
experience with these energies during
the past month and a half to
broaden your inventive projects. Mercury
opposes Neptune Rx 1:30 PM,
15:43 Leo/Aquarius (contra parallel 16:15
N/S), m/p Mars.
8/26 Same theme as the last
aspect, but different emphasis:
challenge to mystical, spiritual
or truth issues that you and others
previously accepted as truth.
The universal mind is non-judgmental ˆ
but the subconscious mind makes
judgments based on past experience.
Habits may be changed through
retraining the subconscious ˆ aligning
the above issues with "outside the box" possibilities.
Mars squares
Neptune Rx 12:44 AM, 15:41
Taurus/Aquarius.
8/29 Further continuation of
the above theme: honor your
responsibility to your higher
self by being firm and decisive in
supporting the truth that you
have discovered. Leadership abilities
may surface, as those less
qualified are eliminated.
Mercury ESP 9:55 PM, 20:28
Leo; (m/p Sun/Saturn).
8/31 The structure of loving
relationships may be probed and
evaluated, seeming to eliminate
the spontaneous passion and romance.
Give service to the analytic,
knowing that it will pass; leaving a
stronger relationship, complete
with the emotional fulfillment that
comes with time. Sun opposes
Uranus Rx 8:01 PM, 8:47 Virgo/Pisces
(Sun = Venus/Saturn).
AUGUST 2004 SYMBOLISM
Once known as Sextilis, August was renamed in the year AD 8 for
Emperor Caesar Augustus, the
first Roman emperor. It was then that
the lengths of the months were
changed, and August was given an extra
day (31) so it would not be
shorter than July, the month honoring
Julius Caesar. That extra day
was stolen from February, leaving it
with 28 days ˆ 29 days in a leap year.
Demeter (aka Ceres), the goddess
of fertility, and her daughter
Persephone (aka Kore), are
associated with this month of harvest.
August 1st is the cross-quarter
festival of Lammas (aka Lughnasa),
the eighth station of the year,
and the time of the first harvest
(grain). In ancient times,
a Loaf Mass was celebrated, using
consecrated bread made from
the first-ripened corn.
Among the gemstones associated
with August are Amber and Topaz. Amber
is known as "the Gold of the Sea", because this fossilized
resin from
the once prolific, now extinct
species of Conifer, Pinites Succinifer
used to wash up in great numbers
on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
Amber produces a charge of
negative electrons when rubbed, and
generates heat; actually, amber
takes on the temperature of the
wearer. Associated with the
Sun, amber, an organic substance also
produces sparks of light. It
is said to effect relief in sore throats
and to stop nosebleeds. Topaz
(aka Peridot) was known to the ancient
Egyptians as the "Stone of Strength", the stone of Ra,
the Sun god.
The color of Topaz can be changed
by heat; and with heat, pressure
and friction, it exhibits strong
electric phenomena. In medieval
times Topaz was used to heal
women's illnesses, and to promote
peaceful sleep. First discovered
at the Isle of Topazos in the Red
Sea, Topaz was acclaimed for
its gift of good health, wisdom, and the
protection against a violent
or sudden death.
Aug 3 is the Hindu festival,
Raksha Bandhan, commemorating a battle
between gods and demons. Sachi,
wife of Indra (king of the gods) tied
a blessed thread of protection
to Indra's hand, which helped him to
conquer his enemies. In honor
of ancient tradition, modern-day
threads are charged with sacred
verses (Mantras), and tied between
the hands of loved ones. The
protection thread on one hand is for
saving the wearers from sins,
and on the other hand heals them from
disease, and they all generally
remove fears, and help people to bond.
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born
on August 4, 1792, at Field Place, near
Horsham in Sussex. He wrote "Prometheus Unbound"; and
his wife, Mary
Shelley, born on August 30,
1797 wrote "Frankenstein, or The Modern
Prometheus". Both were rebels against English politics.
August 6 marks the current
Heliacal rising of Sirius, at 14:08
Cancer, declination South 16:43:05.
Since Sirius is the brightest
star in the heavens, its rising
just before the Sun allows it to be
seen in a "daylight sky". In ancient times, this marked
the beginning
of the ancient Egyptian year,
and occurred at the inundation, or
flooding of the Nile, and the
annual coming of Hapi, the fertility
god/goddess (depicted as a
green being with a pharaoh's beard and the
swollen breasts of a mother).
August 11, 1914 (Laredo, TX)
was the birthday of Jose Silva, first to
popularize mind-science, and
the frequencies (alpha, beta, delta, and
theta) and use of brain waves
in meditation and healing.
Do remember the annual Perseids
meteor shower, this year will peak on
August 12/13 in the constellation
of Perseus (declination +31 to
+59), touching Aries and Taurus.
The Perseids are unusually bright,
and sometimes they explode
and leave trails. The lesser Kappa-Cygnids
meteor shower (bring your telescopes)
will occur early on Aug 17 in
near perfect conditions, appearing
close to the ecliptic north pole
in Draco. These showers also
have a tendency for explosive
components. Both of these showers
will be visible in the northern
hemisphere. Scientists speculate
that meteors are the vehicles for
life to be distributed throughout
the universe. Meteor Showers are
traditionally considered a
gift of Light from the gods. Focus your
consciousness on them, even
if you can't see them ˆ and accept the
gift of Light.
On August 12, 1831, Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky, principal founder of
the Theosophical Society, was
born in Ekaterinoslav (now
Dnepropetrovsk), Ukraine. She
was largely responsible for introducing
Eastern religious philosophy
to the Western world. Through her
voluminous writings, including
The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled.
Her merging of science, religion
and philosophy and the mantic arts
are still a source of inspiration
to philosophers, scientists,
writers, artists, and truth-seekers
the world over.
"[Astrology is] The Science which defines the action of celestial
bodies upon mundane affairs,
and claims to foretell future events
from the position of the stars.
Its antiquity is such as to place it
among the very earliest records
of human learning. It remained for
long ages a secret science
in the East, and its final expression
remains so to this day, its
exoteric application having been brought
to any degree of perfection
in the West only during the period of
time since Varaha Muhira wrote
his book on Astrology some 1400 years
ago." Theosophical Glossary, page 38, H.P. Blavatsky
August 15 is the Christian
celebration of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. In the
Orthodox Church it is called the
Dormition of the Theotokos.
Church tradition accounts say that since
she was the Immaculate Virgin,
preserved free from all stain of
original sin, she was taken
up into heavenly glory, body and soul
(known as translation) when
her earthly life was over. August 15 also
marks the Jewish holy day,
Tisha B'Av, the culmination of a three
week period of increasing mourning,
in remembrance of the day (the
ninth of Av) when the First
Temple was destroyed.
The Native American's had three
names for the August full Moon: Green
Corn Moon, Sturgeon (fish)
Moon, and Red Moon, referring to the haze
in the air from burning fields
after harvest.
An old Germanic folk belief
said: "men who hate cats will never get a
wife." This comes from the myth of the most revered Teutonic
goddess,
Freya, sister and wife of Odin,
who protected love and marriage and
made them fruitful. She was
associated with the sign Leo, but rode a
chariot drawn by two cats,
her favored animal. The domestic cat is
one of the ancient symbols
for the fourth sign, Cancer, which
precedes the Sun's entry into
Leo. Freya commanded the Valkyries, and
often fought alongside Odin.
Odin's nine-day ordeal on the world
tree, Yggdrasil runs from August
17 through the 25th, and describes
his process of collecting the
knowledge of the runes.
August 23 is the day sacred
to Nemesis, Greek goddess of Justice. The
goddess of righteous anger,
who first emerged from Chaos. Her
festival was called Nemesia.
She defended the belongings and memory
of the dead from all insults,
and avenged all those who despoiled
their reputations or their
property. There is an asteroid called
Nemesis #128, its meaning is
that which shows one's vulnerability.
August 29 is sacred to Urda,
the eldest of the three Norns of Norse
mythology, who represents the
past. Werdandi (present) and Skuld
(future) are the remaining
two Norns. The meaning of asteroid Urda
#167 is mortmain (the oppressive
influence of past events on current
decisions. Synonyms: dead hand
of the past), or the ability of the
past to influence the future.
August 29 is also the date that
commemorates the birth of the
Lord Krishna, and is a day of spiritual
joy. Worship is done in the
late evening hours, as Lord Krishna was
born at midnight, symbolizing
the Light dispelling darkness.
To The Moon
By Percy Bysshe Shelley
Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth, -
And ever changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?
