Astrology to Make the Most of the Full Moon in Aquarius on August 1, 2023

This full moon is exact at 2:32pm EST, when the moon moves through 9° 15’ of Aquarius, and the sun is moving through 9° 15’ of Leo.

This full moon triggers a realignment across society at the individual level in the world for the Aquarian age. Give that some time to sink in, because in the magnified stillness of this full supermoon exists the time to think about and feel into (the feeling part is especially important for Aquarius) what you want the future to look like.

If I have your attention now, I’ll explain:

Since the recent new moon, the moon transited Mercury, Venus, and then Mars in order. This order of personal planets, from closest to the sun to farthest from the sun, is launching the social mind into individual action.

The last two weeks have been tougher for those that are holding onto decayed decisions or outdated modes of behaving that don’t line up with where consciousness is wanting to go.

There has been a lot of opportunity to reflect on, and let go of, what no longer serves an individual’s expanding roles since the July 17 new moon.

Here at this full moon, Mercury is near-exactly-halfway (within two-tenths of a degree) between Venus and Mars, suggesting that this full moon is shining a light on a quality of our awareness that’s awakening us to new information, giving us new ideas for moving forward into a bigger picture of what’s next to do.

Before the Full Moon:

• Venus stationed retrograde on July 22 at 28° 36’ of Leo

• Mercury transited Venus at 11:16 am EST on July 27, at 28° 11’ Leo

  • Venus had only moved 25 minutes retrograde from its retrograde station on the 27th. Since then, its rate of retreat has been increasing, which is symbolically relevant. Our rate of spiritual growth is increasing too.

  • Mercury transiting Venus was a moment where consciousness began to acknowledge new values. Begin considering the practical details of how to most wisely express these new values, recognizing that maybe there’s a new way to get our needs met. Now that Mercury is in Virgo and the moon is in Aquarius, we are beginning to manage those details to let them shape our character over this Venus retrograde cycle.

Mercury transited Venus (mental alignment with values) about 5 days after Venus stationed retrograde, which suggests dawning new ideas about what's important. This full moon triggers new details coming to the surface and the beginning of a reorientation process is taking place (#character). This suggestion of a reorientation process beginning is corroborated by Jupiter and Uranus, presently slowing down through their pre-retrograde shadows.

Also, Mercury enters pre-retrograde shadow on August 3, at 8° 0’ Virgo, just two days after the full moon.

Mercury will move to within 3.5° of Mars during this next phase (closest on August 17), but it will NOT line up with Mars before it stations retrograde on August 23. This suggests that our decisions and actions are being informed by new ideas and new values, but that we’ll have more to learn before really stepping into the next phase of things. We’ll be forced to reconsider the facts of the situation based on new information that comes to light in the next few weeks.

Mercury (in Virgo) will join Venus (in Leo) in retrograde on August 23 and they will move backwards (from earth’s perspective) together from August 23 to September 3, giving us time to receive all sorts of new information and think through and make decisions about what’s truly important.

This will be an 11-day period of time to commit your seeds to the ground and trust the process by walking away so they can be allowed to thrive on their own.

Mercury opposite Saturn

At this full moon, here at the beginning of August, Mercury is within a half degree of an exact opposition to Saturn.

• “Mercury Opposite Saturn Transit suggests a challenge to existing boundaries, structures, or authority hierarchies.” And, since Mercury is pushing on (applying to) Mars, in Virgo, which is in full phase to Saturn, this suggests that a challenging push will inform new clarity for calculated action.

At one level, “Mercury opposite Saturn brings wisdom, knowledge, and incredible frustration and sadness,” as both these planets are about differentiation. They’re different in that Mercury is in a sign (Virgo) that it’s very comfortable in, and Saturn is retrograde in a sign it’s not very comfortable in.

This confirms the notion that heaviness is a sign of addiction to 3D reality. Consciousness is growing vertically in multidimensional ways, not horizontally in concrete ways.

People, especially those with a strong Mercury placement in their charts, will be tasked with “foiling” (like an airplane at liftoff) against the drag of their established narratives to experience Lift so their dreams can take off.

Can you as Trust in Faith, or will you stay strapped to established patterns?

Earth is passing between Mercury – which is moving towards the maximum distance it gets from the sun before transiting retrograde – and Saturn, which is in retrograde. In simpler terms about this aspect: understanding stands in contrast to established structures/rules/parameters (aka, the containers we fit ourselves into).

• Mercury is at its farthest point from the sun, known as maximum elongation, on August 9-10.

• Mercury stations retrograde on August 23, after the new moon on August 16, and moves in full phase to Saturn in retrograde through September. Mercury will station direct on September 15 at 8° 1’ Virgo, still in full phase to Saturn, which will be at 2° 26’ Pisces. At that point new modes of interchange and managing the dynamics of fluid interrelationships will become realized.

• If you feel defeated, depressed, and overwhelmed at this full moon, it might not be a bad thing. You might be ahead of the curve.

• Mercury ent

• ers pre-retrograde shadow on August 4, only a few days after this full moon, and it will challenge you to think forward to what information you want to gather from your efforts over the next 6 weeks, until Mercury stations direct for its post-retrograde shadow. The point is, this is not a time to rush ahead; this is a time to plant seeds and let reality show you what wants to grow through you so you can choose what to put your effort into.

For an analogy, if you’re boarding a train at a big train station, make sure that the train (analogous to “the plan”) you’re getting on is going where you want. It's not easy to get off a train once it leaves the station.

Climb into the Light

Jupiter went into its retrograde shadow on June 11 and its arc speed is starting to slow down before its retrograde station on September 4 (the day after Venus stations direct). As such, character tests are forcing us into uncomfortable situations that will challenge us all to mature our perspectives and approaches so we understand in September how we’ll be ignited toward creative transformation.

In the nearer term, the sun will move into an exact waxing square to Jupiter in the evening of August 6, a few days after this full moon.

This square happens during the waning half of the lunar cycle., It creates a contrast between a crisis in meaning based on what we’ve understood and crisis in action based on what we’re really excited about., between what we’re creating and what we’re living; between our present and our future; between what is and what matters. Resolution will come through how you reorganize and re-systematize our thoughts through Jupiter’s coming retrograde phase. Think distinct and independent from the world (moon in Aquarius) and what awesome thing you’re going to do about it (sun in Leo) to make the world a better place.

Both planets are at points of power at this square on August 6, and the combination supports individual will power, faith, and enthusiasm to march in a new direction:

• The midpoint of these two planets, helping to ground and stabilize the combined energy of the pair, is Cancer 1°, which is 100% about moving in a new direction, inspired by faith.

The moon will be in its disseminating phase (great for educators, teachers, and guides), and exactly conjunct the north node (true node and mean node are shown) of the moon, so this is an ideal time for reaching as high up as you can and listening for spiritual lessons.

This is happening while Venus is moving in retrograde through Leo, which confirms that it’s important to be in a space of allowing yourself to be changed as you pass through portals of evolution, rather than being rigid and cerebral.

The Venus retrograde cycle through Leo started while the moon was a waxing crescent in Virgo and growing towards full illumination in Aquarius is about stepping out of our heads (cerebral) and growing into the truth of our hearts.

On August 6, Venus will be 10° ahead of the sun, as shown here, a few days before it passes between the earth and the sun. This conjunction is called the inferior (inside) conjunction and happens in the morning of August 13, 2023, as shown in the following picture.

Venus’ inferior conjunction is the beginning of its cycle, astrologically, and symbolizes the seed of something new: a new value system, a new sense of one’s voice, a new personality, expressed through emotional crisis and creative activity.

The more we allow this Venus retrograde phase to work, the more quickly manifestations will occur after it stations direct in September because our hearts will be in it.

Personal connection to activity is key

At this full moon on August 1, Mars is 120° and 3 minutes ahead (very exact) of Jupiter, and, “When the Mars trine Jupiter transit is in full action, those who are willing to take calculated risks to see their plans to completion, will likely be favored.”

Another way to say it is, “When Mars is trine Jupiter, new opportunities arise and success is likely. This transit is favorable for business and adventure, and helps you treat others intelligently. It brings optimism and helps overcome problems. You gain a better understanding of the universe and have a good vision for the future. Your confidence and optimism help assess risks sensibly.”

This is a good time to lean into your passions and highest intentions for the future rather than reacting to the noise’s demonstrations.

This full moon is about stepping back to more fully participate in co-creation.

With planets in all of the earth signs, this time is a spiritual training opportunity for sustained focus on dreams and plans.

Because Jupiter squares both the sun and the moon at the full moon (August 1), it’s really important to keep your head about you and consider all personal relationships so things don’t backfire during Jupiter’s upcoming retrograde phase.

Ideally, during this upcoming Jupiter retrograde phase, you’re able to be patient while the world is adapting to your new and improved roles in society because of the personal (personality) changes you’ve been willing to accept, as opposed to having to backtrack because you were too aggressive and stepped on too many toes.

The Big idea is…

The more you become frictionless during this time of stations and retrogrades over the next several weeks, and give yourself space to rest and reset, the easier it will be to marry what you want with what life wants from you.

A farmer doesn’t plant pineapple in Montana or plant apples in the rainforest. Remember “set and setting.”

You already know what’s yours to do, and you’ll learn more about it by considering the environment that you’re in and the environment you’re growing into. Don’t get overwhelmed by the financial social structure (Saturn in Pisces) unraveling (in retrograde). Keep your head inwards and upwards. Stay present to your path despite apparent upheaval.

Plant your fruit where you know it’ll grow, and maybe more accurately, plant the fruit that you know will grow where you are.

I’m reminded of “the tightrope walker” image showing a man on a tightrope between skyscrapers in Manhattan. Whether you’re 1,000 ft up or the wire is flat on the ground, remember that from a spiritual perspective, you’re the same person and it’s the same wire. External circumstances are just that, circumstantial.

Pulling a lesson forward from this recent new moon on July 17, attend to the alignment of your column of light: cultivate it, refine it, and take advantage of the support for vertical growth in the light of this full moon .

The tightrope walker focuses on staying on top of their feet, but also focuses on keeping the spine tall and their skull extended upwards, as if a string is pulling them upwards along the vertical axis against gravity.

Spin is everywhere

Neptune, at 27° Pisces, is in a waxing square to the Milky Way’s galactic center, at 27° Sagittarius. It’s almost like humanity’s core identity is fighting to not go over the waterfall.

Not to be too crude here, but just for analogy, a drunk driver in a car accident often survives because (as I understand it) their body is relaxed. They’re not fighting against G-forces of neither physics nor fear. They’ve let go, and that helps them be more adaptable. (I’m not advocating for drunk driving).

Pluto is square the lunar nodes. This is a dance that’s been happening for months and will continue to the end of the year. It’s pulling humanity apart, between the polarity of fear and flow, and will help people either individualize or disassociate. Those who spin into an individualized state are alchemizing into the leaders of the Aquarian age and those who disassociate are planting their karma for their next evolution.

Also, remember from above that Jupiter is square to the full moon.

It’s really important at this full moon to develop your practice of balance, especially when you’re off balance and want to run around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Summary

This full moon is about stepping back to live up to your roles in life; your soul contracts.

This full moon steps up the speed of separation between those that are spiraling upwards and in vs. those that are spiraling downwards and out.

What are you really here for?

See a vision. Let the picture be painted. Notice how you get excited as you feel into the heroism you are portraying for others who need what you are here to create at this time.

The lunar north node just transited into Aries on July 17/18 (just after the new moon), where it will be for the next 18 months. The theme of the north node in Aries is the pursuit of your individual mission, and as I said in the new moon article on July 17, the new moon was about resting into a vision of where you want to go, and this full moon triggers us into action towards that vision.

The path that you’re on is the path that you’re leading. Don’t just be the hero of your dreams; be a hero that guides others to their greatest heroism, rather than being a hero that stands alone.

Happy Full Moon,

Joshua Blatman