Summary:
If you’ve experienced a romantic drought lately, the new moon on August 15 will bring you your best chances for a new romantic interlude. Your new relationship could last for months or even as long as forever. Expect the best-you’re pretty special, and this month you seem to know it. Attached? Plan a nostalgic walk down memory lane, perhaps to revisit a place you loved, or a club you used to frequent where you can dance the night away.

However, as the month progresses, tensions on the job will begin to build. Mercury will be retrograde almost all month, causing you to have to redo a project or root out flaws. An even more stressful work-related episode is due near the harsh full moon on August 29. Keep your health up to par, as you could become rundown. Early on in August, while the sun shines brightly, enjoy yourself, dear Aries.

Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Your August 2004 Horoscope by Susan Miller

August will start on an emotional high. Your social life will be buzzing, and although many people will be away on vacation, your friends appear to be in town, ready to plan get-togethers and rock the night away. If you didn’t have to go work, frankly you’d rather party.

This giddy mood will be due to a full moon that peaked on July 31, and as August begins will still pack plenty of punch. Enjoy it, dear Aries-life doesn’t always have to be serious.

If you were born on or near March 29, you will be touched directly by this full moon and should have a roaring good time.

On August 6 there will be a rather important conversation between Pluto and Jupiter. When these two planets are in conflict, as they will be for the only time this decade (reaching apex on August 6), it is time to reassess your goals and to make any corrections you find necessary. Think back, particularly, to a major endeavor or commitment you instituted in late 1994 and 1995, when these two planets first met in an exact conjunction. (Pluto moves slowly, so that whole period would represent a major move, assuming you were old enough to institute such a change.)

This is not an aspect you would feel for just a day-you have been under the influence of this major configuration since last March and will continue to be for several weeks. Perhaps you have already made your key decision. It could relate to a goal for higher education, a publishing or broadcasting matter, travel, citizenship in a country other than the one of your birth, or career relocation to a distant city. If you haven’t made your decision yet (and as I said, there is evidence you may already have done so), you will soon. Otherwise, you may decide to cut your losses and bail out. Pluto has an all-or-nothing quality about it that will help you make a final decision.

One last thought: When involved in a hard aspect, Jupiter, the planet of great benefit, never brings affliction-this happy planet only brings even MORE of a good thing. (Often too much so!) There is no need to worry.

On August 9, Mercury will begin to retrograde in your sixth house of work projects, so this is where you are likely to see an number of frustrating delays crop up, at least until Mercury turns its orbit back to normal on September 2. Mercury is the planet of communication, transportation, electronic media and all agreements and contracts. Mercury retrograde is not considered a good time to sign contracts or to make any major decisions because vital information will likely be missing. It is also important to back up your computer under this aspect; data is often lost during Mercury retrograde periods. If you were thinking of making a big purchase, September would be the best time to do so. If you buy your computer, car, DVD, cell phone or other expensive item now, you will probably find reasons not to like it later. Waiting just one more month, until after September 2, would make all the difference.

Mercury’s retrograde influence is strongest at the very beginning and end of its cycle, so keep those dates in mind as you plan your schedule. (The Republican Convention in New York City will coincide with the end date. If you doubt that Mercury is strong as it turns direct, think back to the last Presidential election, when President Bush was eventually elected. Election Day took place when Mercury was turning from retrograde to direct orbit, and caused election results to be delayed for weeks.) If you expect some complication, you will be more careful and thorough in all that you do, which will save you many problems. Double check everything, and when you send information by fax, email, courier or regular mail, always call the other party to make sure it was received, or arrange for a signed return receipt-take nothing for granted! Allow plenty of time to get from place to place, as delays are a normal part of this configuration.

Romantically, things will be bright this month! The new moon on August 15 will be as big as a pizza pie, and light up your fifth house of true love. This highly romantic moon will continue the social theme we talked about earlier. August should stand out as one of the most perfect months for you for true love. That moon will be very cheery to Pluto, as you later you may say, “This month, I was transformed by love!”

If your birthday falls on or within five days of April 13, you will have a double dip of love this month.

Yet as you proceed through August you will see that this month holds many ups and downs, with a number of mine fields. To avoid one, you will have to work extra hard to keep your temper level.

If you find yourself heating up, especially on or near August 18, count to ten and breathe deeply. On that day, your ruler Mars will have an argument with Uranus, and Mercury will align exactly with Mars. Both these aspects, coming together, point to the possibility that frustration will be high and your temper may flair. The center of your attention will be coworkers and subordinates. Projects may run late, important people many cancel, or you may discover that on-the-job reports, perhaps done by others, are riddled with flaws.

If this aspect does not have an emotional manifestation, it might have a physical one. The sixth house, which covers work projects, also governs health and fitness matters. Be careful not to overdo it in sports or at the gym. Know your limits, and try to take it slow and easy throughout mid-August. It seems you’ve been making excellent progress on your fitness program in 2004 due to Jupiter’s presence in this house, but now you could get a little overly enthusiastic and exceed your limits.

I wish I could say that this aspect will only be operative for a day or two, but Mars and Uranus will be in a feisty mood with a circle of influence of seven days in either direction. As you get closer to August 18, hold yourself back a little, emotionally, physically and mentally. Indications are you will feel drained for a good week afterwards, as well.

Another day to watch for similar problems in regard to work projects and health would be August 27. Blame Uranus, in a bad mood, directing all his anger at the Sun.

By month’s end, the full moon on August 29 will find you in need of rest, and possibly even solitude. You seem tuckered out and by this point in August there will be no reason to push yourself hard. You seem to have put in a good effort all month, so as you get to the last week of the month, take a deep breath and work on easy projects. If possible, a day off on or near this full moon would be a great idea. Your energy will be lower than usual, so if you feel you could use a little more sleep, give in to it.

Uranus, which will be active all month, will touch that full moon in your twelfth house, so you may hear a secret that someone has tried to conceal from you. Or, you may experience some turmoil when something that has been troubling you subconsciously suddenly surfaces, and you are finally able to put your finger on what has been tugging at you for so long. Once you can give your fear or troublesome condition a name, you will be halfway to saying goodbye to it. It will never have a hold on your again.

  

Posted on August 26th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: Astrology