Shaken up.

That feels like a way in which to describe this moment.

We only need to look to the world stage—the earthquake in Haiti and the Taliban take-over in Afghanistan to name two events--to see how the unveiling of the unexpected has literally and figuratively rattled so many. A sense of shock may seem as if it’s permeating and may have even caught you off guard, whether in reflection to collective and/or personal events.

As it turns out, with Uranus stationing, set to shift retrograde* on Thursday, the shocks and surprises may not be over.

And while on the one hand that may seem unsettling, remember that it is in our own purview to be the sergeant of shake-ups and the agents of change. See where in your life you would like to shift things around, change up patterns, and alter your perspective. Doing so may allow you to move out of rote, and a rut, and breathe new life into a realm of your life that could benefit from a greater freedom of expression and a beginner’s mind approach.

Yet that’s not the only significant astro happening in this riveting week.

On Wednesday, messenger Mercury and warrior Mars come together in the-devil-is-in-the-details Virgo. Words may be used as swords to try to cut through resistance or obstacles. Conversations may center around actions we need to take to create new systems in places where the pieces have been shifted around. A desire for problem solving may appear to be on an upswing and yet be careful that an affiliated penchant for perfection doesn’t cause a cascade of criticality that does nobody any good. Stay bouncy with what arises; after all, Uranus—which holds a lot of sway in the celestial curriculum this week—does make a connection to both Mercury and Mars.

The day that Uranus shifts retrograde, we also have a Sun/Jupiter Opposition. There’s a pull for the big and bold, an urge to shine and radiate in a way that can feel quite inspired; and yet if pushed too far, it may feel over the top. An associated urge to stay attuned to a current of possibility may be a response to the landscape-rearrangements we experienced; alternatively, it may be that propelling ourselves to discover a wider lens is the prima materia that allows us to see things in a very different light and evolve our approach to something that will have quite practical benefits.

And yet, there’s more…in the form of a Full Moon on Sunday. Usually, we have one Full Moon each zodiac season and yet this year while the Sun is in Leo we have two: the one this weekend and the one we experienced on July 23. And with that, it’s as if we’re doing a deep dive into understanding the ways in which the individual (Leo) and the collective (Aquarius) relate, connect, and support one another. The realms of children, creative expression, and royalty (Leo) and how they are juxtaposed with themes of science, the community, and social order (Aquarius) feel like they have really captured our collective attention, not only because of these two Full Moons but also because there’s been other action across this Leo/Aquarius axis (including the Mars/Jupiter Opposition on July 29 and this week’s Sun/Jupiter Opposition). In addition to the general themes you may notice across the world, if you know your chart, you can get further insights where Leo and Aquarius fall so that you can further perceive an evolution of understanding that may have taken place over the last month.

In closing, be open to the unexpected this week, including if you feel more shaken than usual, and including discovering ways to find center in the moment you didn’t expect. For this, perhaps, turn to the domain of Taurus— the sign in which Uranus resides—for support, notably to Gaia, connecting with her beauty and her rhythms. I can tell you this helped me profoundly yesterday when I out-of-the-blue was moved to really dig into a long spell of weeding helping to further clear an important pathway outside our home. Doing so allowed me to move the waves of electrically charged overwhelm that I was feeling in my mind and body, finding a space of more resilience. See how being with nature this week may help you to feel a steady state within your own nature.

* Thinking about how everything feels so intense right now, I was reminded by my friend Kate of Ambient Astrology that the point at which Uranus is stationing (15 Taurus) is right on the world axis. We often think of the 0 degree point of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn as collective sensitive points connecting to the cardinal axis but also so are the 15 degree points of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius). This may be adding more flares of intensity to the shake-ups we are feeling across the world right now.

Astrological Highlights

August 16

Venus enters Libra

August 18

Mercury/Mars Conjunction

August 19

Sun/Jupiter Opposition
Uranus Stations Retrograde

August 20

Mercury/Uranus Trine

August 22

Mars/Uranus Trine
Aquarius Full Moon
Sun enters Virgo

All times reflect Eastern Daylight Time (-4 hours GMT)

Stellar Insights: August 16 - 22, 2021

Astrological Highlights