REEVALUATING LOVE AND MONEY AND THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SELFHOOD
As the month begins, we are headlong into the Venus retrograde cycle in Leo. The next few weeks will have us exploring issues concerning love, money, self-worth, artistry and leadership as well as unearthing stories and complexes from our childhoods. Leo represents our inner child and most of us carry specific wounds from our early upbringing which crystallize in different ways.
According to spiritual teacher Carolyn Myss, we will constellate around one or another child archetype - Eternal, Orphan, Magical, Wounded, Nature and Divine. And this core self definition will affect how we deal with the world around us and be most noticeable in romantic relationships. If you think your partner is acting like a baby or a controlling parent, it is likely that you or they are operating from old wounds and projections. Now is the time to notice this dynamic and consider what a more emotionally mature partnership would look like.
In its essence, Leo is about our connection to divinity and of course, the range can run from placing others on a pedestal to the narcissist who must take all the air out of the room. The preferred expression is that we are in touch with the divine spark within and we share that beauty with others through a generosity of spirit and creativity.
As Venus also deals with love and money, there are opportunities to reconnect with former partners or rework financial arrangements. For those in the creative or entertainment fields, one can work with "stars" or bring on premiere clientele.
While the retrograde will be continuing through early September, the first few days of August could be quite dramatic and exciting, or alternatively volatile and destabilizing. Pluto is in an uncomfortable angle with the nodes and we may feel forced to make a decision before we are ready. Do we compromise to fit into consensus reality or do we decide to individuate and stand for something even if the majority does not? As the north node is in Aries, the independence fierceness route is recommended.
Also, during the first few days of August, Mars in Virgo trines Jupiter in Taurus and this opportunistic aspect can allow one to bring their ideas and projects easily to manifestation with potential wealth and long-term growth. In addition, while Pluto is pushing a more conventional narrative - or showing the weakness inherent in it, Venus in her retrograde motion will be in a positive trine aspect to the Aries North Node. Once again, if in alignment with your true heart and destiny, certain situations will fall into place if they are for your spiritual betterment.
Later in the month, Mars and Neptune oppose each other and this can have several different effects. For many it can be a romantic time (whether newly formed or recouping previous shine) or, alternatively, one can feel lost and adrift, perhaps hanging on to a false hope or fool's errand. Is this dream possible or likely? It will all depend on how clear you are about yourself and ability of the person, place or thing to satisfy that dream. I oftentimes tell clients that whatever they dream about is something they are capable of manifesting. However, disappointment can occur when one places that dream on a particular person, place or thing who is not capable of fulfilling that fantasy. Being clear-eyed can prevent a lot of wasted time and energy.
The end of the month features the annual Uranus retrograde, this time at 23 Taurus. Uranus has been travelling through Taurus and your Taurus house since 2018 and depending on the degrees of your fixed sign planets (Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, Scorpio) you will have already felt the earthquakes and breakthroughs. Otherwise, they are still potentially arriving in the next two years.
Uranus will separate us from what we no longer need or is useful for our growth. He will also quickly activate stimulating new situations and encounters with people we might never have expected to feel a connection to. Whatever happens is there to move us out of stagnation and into greater individuation and freedom.
Pluto in Capricorn inconjunct Nodes in Aries/Libra Aug 1 - 3rd
adjusting to a new mission
The pressure to change is coming from the Capricorn house. How will you adjust to new demands and focusses?
ARIES - career pressures or transformation may affect how you spend your time with partner
TAURUS - as your world view is changing, how you deal with health and mental health is brought into view
GEMINI - financial considerations make you reconsider how you spend your time online and with loved ones
CANCER - your partner's forced circumstances may affect your career choices and home life
LEO - a change in lifestyle may have you questioning your former goals and friendships
VIRGO - a need for greater creative control has bearing on your finances and those of partners
LIBRA - changes in home or family life necessarily impact yourself and your relationship
SCORPIO - you've had to change your thinking about your childhood and this invariably has you addressing addictions and repetitive patterns
SAGITTARIUS - a developing or devolving financial situation has you rethinking how you spend your time and what your future goals are
CAPRICORN - as you accept more personal authority for your life, how you deal with work and family is being questioned
AQUARIUS - you may feel persecuted by forces beyond your control and in this instance, are seeking new ways of communicating and seeing the world
PISCES - your vision of the future is altered and hence how you manage your finances is undergoing a sea change
Pluto has been in Capricorn for the last 15 years and will still retrograde back one more time in 2024. So this is likely a well-worn theme. We're being given yet another chance to refocus our vision, particularly in light of how to become more authentic and independent. If we are overly codependent in a situation, the vise is going to feel more restrictive. This moment might be a little messy if it springs us from old associations, but it is necessary for our long-term growth.
Mars in Virgo trine Jupiter in Taurus Aug 1st and 2nd
moved to manifestation
This difficult transition is aided by a solid and supportive trine of Mars in Virgo (hard work) and Jupiter in Taurus (manifestation).
Your efforts in your Virgo house will bear fruit in the house where Taurus is transitting.
ARIES - living a healthier lifestyle will allow you to make more money and display your talents more effectively
TAURUS - accessing your creativity will bring you closer to feeling good about yourself, this is the new you
GEMINI - working on the home or family you desire will help eliminate old fears of poverty and destitution
CANCER - learning to work with your local community will enhance your ability to effect change in the larger world
LEO - simply plying your trade with diligence will bring you the career success you desire
VIRGO - standing up for yourself will change your world view
LIBRA - addressing family karma will improve your romantic life
SCORPIO - finding a healthy social outlet bring more stability to your relationship
SAGITTARIUS - focusing on your work in an organized fashion improves your lifestyle and mental health
CAPRICORN - expanding your world view also leads to greater creativity
AQUARIUS - working on your relationship leads to a a more tranquil home life
PISCES - as your partner becomes more motivated, your communication improves
Neptune in Pisces opposing Mars in Virgo Aug 20 - 25th
a temporary sense of diminishing returns
If not certain how to move forward, take a time out. Neptune can weaken or confuse or dissolve our resolve or ambition. But it may be necessary to step back and question if our actions make sense in the current moment.
ARIES - you lose steam, particularly around a world or health promise as you wonder if it will make any difference after all
TAURUS - you have some new creative ideas but are worried that your social circles won't understand or appreciate you
GEMINI - while raring to make changes to home, you feel burdened by uncertainty at work
CANCER - it seems that everyone wants to fight you on small stuff while you'd rather deal with the bigger picture
LEO - you've have a new idea of how to make money but your partner doesn't see its possibilities
VIRGO - you're on the move but can't get others to go along with you as they seem stuck in confusion
LIBRA - unconscious fears make it hard to commit to anything fully
SCORPIO - should you pursue personal pleasure or focus on more collective objectives
SAGITTARIUS - it's hard to feel motivated about work where you're not even sure where you should be or live
CAPRICORN - as long as you see the bigger picture and work toward it, some of your every day confusion will vanish
AQUARIUS - your partner may be pushing you to make more money but you're not even sure what you should do for work anymore
PISCES - partner may be pushing for changes but you have no idea what you want anymore
The confusion or enervation brought about by this aspect will only be present a few days but it brings up the difference between operating in the matrix and yet finding yourself drifting into a more esoteric or imaginative mindset. Yes, with Neptune you could be confusing illusion with reality and if you do need a "snap out of it" moment, this short timeline may bring some temporary clarity. Yet, the dissolving effects of Neptune are much stronger and whatever has to eventually fade away will do so regardless of the amount of real life "effort" you put into something.
Uranus retrograde in Taurus on Aug 29th
dramatic change of circumstance
Nowadays, every late August and late January encounter a Uranus station, which usher in rapid changes and separations. There is a certain amount of turmoil that happens at these times because the underlying premise is to break free of outdated or overly constrained situations. The need to be free or move on is not always smooth but usually does feel liberating after the pieces fall.
Uranus will be in Taurus for about 3 more years, after having entered the sign in 2018. How have your values changed since then? How do you approach money, sex, relationships, material possessions, housing, the environment? Because of the attendant Saturn/Pluto conjunction of Jan 2020 exemplified by covid, it is not likely you are still living or thinking the same way. Or even if your lifestyle has not changed, you are aware that your situation may not be able to be sustainable for the long term.
The things that keep partners together involve shared values and if/when these change, it is hard to maintain the relationship any longer.
We will still be in the midst of the Venus retrograde at the time of this years Uranus station retrograde. While last summer 2022 included a lot of potential breakups, there was a good chance that many couples tried to reconcile during the fall (Mars retro) only to come to a more final conclusion in January 2023.
This year, we will have the same breakup energy but it will not be followed by a Mars retro and hence the "divorce" will be a bit more final.
Conversely, if we are engaged in new relationships, projects that are in alignment with our more authentic selves, these can accelerate quickly at this time.
What makes you feel free and valued? Those will be the questions that will determine your work and your love life.
Where will Uranus retrograde and how will it impact you:
ARIES - in your money sector, realizing who you want to work with or not
TAURUS - in your house of self, you decide to show the real you and perhaps separate from those who only see who you were in the past, who only relate to you in the past tense
GEMINI - in your karmic arena - perhaps releasing old patterns and even epigenetic imprints, you heal an addiction/compulsion
CANCER - in your social life and online - joining a new tribe or extricating yourself from an old one
LEO - in relation to career - changes at work beyond your control with boss or company OR you choose to leave to take on a new assignment
VIRGO - in regard to your spiritual life and understanding of the world - oftentimes correlates with a breakthrough epiphany or walking away from a spiritual guru
LIBRA - in your sex house - if committed, possible changes there or if single, exciting new people coming into your life
SCORPIO - in your relationship house - new people arriving while old connections change or more on, sometimes abruptly
SAGITTARIUS - n your work and health house - preferably you are motivated to take better care of yourself, if ill, potentially a turn for the better
CAPRICORN - in your house of creativity - you've access your genius or finally shake loose from hang ups about your abilities
AQUARIUS - change in the home - good or bad depending on how stagnant your situation is, ultimately liberating no matter what appears
PISCES - in the realm of your mind and communication - exciting news and connections and or breakups with old friends
If we are holding on too tightly to a situation or person who is no longer beneficial to our growth, they will be taken from us either through their leaving or circumstances that make you break the tie. The more willing one is to seek the more enlightened path toward being free, the more positive the experience of the Uranus retrograde station.
On the other hand, if things have been crazy in your life for some time, the station may finally bring the chaos to an at least temporary close.
Even though this is Uranus in Taurus (a grounded earth sign), it still has an Aquarian vibe. And with Pluto now tiptoeing in and out of Aquarius, the Uranus changes are getting us ready to deal with the monumental paradigm shifts that Pluto in Aquarius will usher in. An entirely new world and challenges are coming into view and they require a different perspective and method of action. Uranus' lightning bolt of energy will allow you to move quickly onto a different future path.