This Week in Astrology – 5th – 11th August 2013

So how was the Grand Sextile last week for you? On a personal level, it manifested loud and clear and there’s so much I want to tell you. But I will be posting about that separately, otherwise This Week in Astrology will become something else entirely!

Let’s turn our attention back to the skies. This week feels like a game of two halves, you know, like football except the referee has got tired of being shouted at so he’s sat smugly on the sidelines watching the kick off. This is a time where things that have been put in motion must play out, whilst at the same time, between all the other ‘stuff’ that’s going on, you need to find time to sow some seeds for the future too.

The week begins on the 5th August with a quincunx between the Sun and Chiron. The universe is giving you pointers as to how to heal the rifts in your life but the trouble is the Sun in Leo doesn’t especially like being told what to do. So the universe might just sit back and let you fall over your own feet whilst you figure out how to get out of your own way. It’s one of those situations where it’s simple when you know how and seemingly impossible when you don’t. It all comes back to getting in touch with your life purpose. What are you here for? What’s your mission? Get back in touch with that and the road will begin to clear.

On Tuesday 6th August we have a fabulously frisky New Moon in Leo that is just itching to get the party started! This is a real celebratory Moon that trumpets your success from the rooftops. As this is a New Moon, this is the perfect time to plant the seeds of the future using all the positive energy from previous high points in your life to imbue those seeds/plans with positive intent. This lunation has a semi-sextile to Mars and a trine to Uranus which feels like an irrepressible desire to be on the move, making plans, seeking out new connections and firing up your enthusiasm. It’s playful and it’s powerful, giving you the strength to move forwards and the courage to take a risk.

Midweek sees the big aspect of the week which has been building for some time now as Jupiter and Pluto go head to head on the 7th August. This is a very strong transit and it would be remiss of me not to mention that this could manifest in a war-like fashion, stirring up the masses. Banking, religion, clashing belief systems, dirty dealings in government agencies, corrupt legal processes, systemic corruption on a grand scale are all emphasized by the pull between Jupiter and Pluto. These two are about wealth; from the filthy, stinking rich to wealth that is life changing and beneficial to all. It’s also about the wealth you create on the inside, how you empower yourself through self belief. Pluto strips away what isn’t beneficial for your growth and isn’t shy about how he does it. Pay attention to the truth of the matter and stay positive in the face of adversity.

As Jupiter and Pluto continue to brawl, Mercury moves into Leo on the 8th August which offers playful ways to find solutions to problems. Here, despite the carrying on in the background, Mercury is creative thinking mode. The only difficulty is that with the echoes of Jupiter opposite Pluto, there is plenty of opportunity for stampy foot tantrums when people don’t get things going their way. There’s a thin line between confidence and fanatical conviction. Righteous indignation is a sure sign that someone somewhere has got caught up in the fixed nature of Leo. Curiosity is key to allowing the process to unfold instead of getting stuck.

And then suddenly it all goes quiet for a couple of days until Mercury has a bit of a strop when he squares Saturn on the 11th August. This is your typical ‘banging your head against a brick wall’ aspect that needs some careful handling. Mercury and Saturn can and do work well together when you let them. The problem arises when the mind becomes fearful instead of excited. With Mercury in Leo, the ego can get in the way – seeing obstacles where there really aren’t any or refusing to go in any other direction because it’s ‘my way or the highway’. Saturn is actually offering an opportunity to re-think your approach, to come up with a better plan. So instead of fidgeting in frustration with the stillness, allow the delay to give a moments pause for reconsideration and reflection.