When August 2016 arrives, the Sun is traveling through it’s home sign, Leo. The Sun shows its power through long, lazy days of summer heat. It’s traditional vacation time in North America.

Leo honors creativity and self-expression by enabling you to connect with play and your inner-child. The new moon on the 2nd, coupled with Mars’s entrance into Sagittarius the same day accentuate the proud Leo spirit.

But by the second week of the month, the energy begins to shift when Mercury and Venus enter practical Virgo. It asks you to finalize negotiations, particularly of a financial or contractual nature in preparation for Mercury’s upcoming retrograde cycle beginning at month’s end.

Motionless Saturn’s influence is strong all through August 2016, telling Sagittarius to get real. On the 13th it begins, slowly, to move forward. Projects and developments on hold since March slowly begin to show signs of life. Venus squares Saturn that day; bills have come due. But an applying trine to Venus from Pluto in Capricorn suggests that the required funds are hidden underneath a favorite mattress or bank account.

But playtime is over by the third week of August.

By the time of the August 18th full moon, Mars is running to join Saturn in a tightening square to Neptune. In the U.S. election season is in high gear. Clashing visions, fear-mongering, allegations of deception in the headlines express the discordant energy. Three planets in Virgo provide you with access to discernment and cautious optimism while Saturn demands a reality check.  Meanwhile tension between Uranus and Saturn puts pressure on you to choose between accepting the status-quo or throwing the baby out with the bath water.

On a base level Neptune represents illusion and deception, but it also represents inspiration and connection with the Universe. The latter are energies that feed the soul and enable you to endure the day-to-day slog. On a personal level, defining your personal North Star and taking reality-based, focused steps to achieve your goals is the most effective way to use this energy.