Hi, friends.

We’re entering a very important month – a month of continuing shifts that promise to remodel some part of our lives courtesy of Venus Retrograde. August also brings two full moons (supermoons!) to heighten the emotion, the beginning of a Mercury retrograde, and lots of other aspects that suggest a dynamic month from intense lows to exciting highs, from strange visits to your past to sudden breakthroughs toward the future. 

As with all astrologers, my most powerful lessons in astrology come from my own experience of the transits. Noticing how they feel and what they bring to the surface of daily life is my greatest teacher of all. Nonetheless, I attempt to give an impartial, bird’s eye view of what’s happening each month instead of speaking from my own viewpoint.

But today I find myself lost for words when I try and separate myself from the astrology. It’s as if something so cosmic, grand and sweeping is happening in my life that the current has fully pulled me in its grip. I can only write from this place and hope that something in this short message helps you on your journey through August. I also encourage you to follow me on FB / IG in case I do short updates there this month.

Though it just turned retrograde July 22, Venus set the stage for this retrograde in Leo well before that. Leo being my Rising Sign (aka the first house of my natal chart), I can confirm my entire identity feels under renovation right now. There’s almost nothing that remains untouched – be it work, relationships, my social life, home, finances, health, my understanding of myself and my past, even my appearance. While I don’t assume this is the case for you, I’m sure something is under reassessment and calling for change in your life.

With Venus retrograde in Leo, the heart of the lion within me has shown herself fiercely day after day. She wails as loudly as she roars, equally vulnerable and strong. The times are exhilarating but difficult, promising but uncertain.

The heart of the lion lives in you, too. What pieces of life affect you most deeply? Which ones hit in the heart space? What areas of life can’t slip anymore or else you fear losing the joy that keeps the fire in your heart burning? Those are the areas of your life in focus now. This retrograde can help you tend to those fires and get them burning strong again.

In nurturing myself through some challenges this past week, I came upon a message that felt fitting to share:

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Human angel, your path is perfection in the divine sense – not in some artificial absence of struggle, but in the wrestling of darkness and light that ignites the fire within your holy heart. Be kind to your heart. You may believe it to be weary, yet it still beats with unquestioning allegiance to life! What a grand heart it is! How can it be worthy of anything other than your tenderness and gratitude? Do not plague it with expectations of disembodied perfection.

(adapted from the Rumi Oracle, by Alana Fairchild)

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I said it before but it’s worth repeating: Something purposeful is taking place for us all. If you didn’t read last month’s newsletter, please do so now for a better understanding of this Venus retrograde and the themes it may bring to your life. With Jupiter helping you achieve a beneficial outcome in the end, my main caveat is that the road getting there could be dramatic.

I say that, because Uranus plays a pivotal role in this Venus retrograde. Uranus’ influence might manifest in an infinite number of ways. Most commonly, Uranus:

1. Infuses us with a desire for liberation, space, revolution, or cutting loose.
2. Throws us curve balls, particularly where stale and worn-out patterns need to go.
3. Brings on eureka moments, sudden revelations and exciting new inspirations.

In sum, there’s no room to demand things stay the same right now. Changes in circumstances and changes of heart are the norm. And yet in spite of any change that does happen in August, it may still be unclear how things will turn out in the long-run with more aspects to Uranus coming in September!

Over the next few weeks, Venus will also begin traveling so close to the Sun that, for a time, it will no longer be seen in the sky. This symbolically suggests a period during which one’s loving, social and giving nature may give way to the need to turn inward awhile. It’s certainly a time for communing with the self and giving to ourselves in ways we’re desperately needing.

Meanwhile, while so much continues happening on the surface of our lives, there’s a great spiritual gravity at work. As I said in a recent IG / FB post, the quality of time now is quite “fated.” You may feel led to take action or confront particular things, because it just feels “right.”  Whether you know that’s what you’re doing or not, that’s you staying on track with your soul’s intentions for this life.

All this added up – all the OUTER STUFF layered with INNER STUFF and SOUL STUFF – might explain why Mercury travels a tedious journey this month. Remember Mercury is your mental function. Mercury helps you understand what’s going on and communicate things with others.

But at least for me, it feels like so much is percolating at once right now that it’s impossible to get an intellectual grip on things for myself, much less communicate these things well to others. You too might find dealings with others unhelpful, unclear, uncooperative, argumentative and nit-picky at times. Portions of the month are still quite favorable for brain work, though. So whenever mental vigor presents itself for you, take advantage. My only recommendations are that:

1. You carefully select the most constructive environments to work in, and
2. As we near Mercury retrograde in the second half of August, you work at a slower pace to avoid tedious errors.

Wishing you a blessed month ahead.

Jules

ADDENDUM: I forgot to mention when initially posting this how often people have encounters / dealings with PAST LOVERS during Venus’ retrograde cycle. There’s definitely a “rewind” phenomenon that happens in our current partnerships too. Has it brought anyone / anything from the past back round in your life yet? I look forward to hearing Venus Retrograde stories from all of you in the weeks to come.