It's Mercury Retrograde's fault. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Okay, about the New Moon that occurred on 31 July and should have been in last month's horoscopes. To understand this goof, you have to know that my Ephemeris, an astrologer's USUAL best friend, states cosmic events using Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is where the planet's "day" officially begins. GMT is 6 hours different than Central Time here in Texas, where I reside. SO, while the Ephemeris indicated this lunation was on August 1, in Texas it actually occurred on 31 July, but at 10:11:48 p.m. So, for those of you in the EU and other areas, it does occur on 1 August.

Then there's Mercury Retrograde, which of course excels in confusion nearly as much as Neptune. I'm blaming the Ephemeris for this one, too. In fact, this has largely compromised my trust of its accuracy. Usually the days when a planet is retrograde show up as shaded. The shading stopped on 31 July, which is what I originally said was when the planet stationed direct. Then I looked in the Ephemeris and saw that the position of Mercury didn't go direct until around 3 August! Huh? So, in my daily astrocasts I confessed to a faux pas. THEN upon checking the matter using my astrology software, I found that 31 July was correct all along. <sigh>

Hopefully now that's over things will get on the right track again. This past month has been a real pain and, other than the shadow period, should be over for a while. Thought Uranus stationing retrograde isn't exactly good news. More on that below....

NEW MOON

The New Moon on 31 July/1 August is in Leo.  This one is also a Super Moon, meaning the Moon is in the portion of her orbit closest to the earth. This is a month with two new moons, which happens from time to time since the Gregorian calendar does not line up very nicely with cosmic events. In other words, there are 13 lunations per year and 12 months. So officially this is that month, at least according to the GMT in my (not so) trust Ephermis. However, for those of you where this occurs on 31 July, it is a Black Moon, i.e. the second new moon in a single month. It's called "Black" because you can't see it. Not only is it too close to the Sun, but the back side is what is illuminated. Many ancient civilizations considered the new month to begin the next day or so, when the tiny, crescent moon became visible just after sunset. For those of you for which this lunation occurs on 1 August, the New Moon on 30 August is your Black Moon.

This lunation is hemmed in by Mars on one side and Venus on the other. That gives this lunation a romantic feel, especially since Leo presides over the 5th house of the Zodiac, which includes romance along with children, creativity, entertainment, and speculation. Mars is at the eye of a sloppy yod, given the base is slightly out of orb between Neptune and Pluto. Close enough, IMHO, to have the influence if not the kick of fate behind it. Its delineation? Basically, to take control of your dreams and what you want, then go for it. Note that our little buddy, Mercury, is still retrograde at this moment, however; he stations today, but after the lunation, (45 minutes and 53 seconds later, to be exact, thus playing the same "what the hell day is it, anyway?" game as the lunation.) So you might want to hold off on that and rethink it one more time.

There's a course adjustment loop out there as well. The general meaning of it is you're going to hit a wall, perhaps a clash between your dreams and their legality or moral validity, which is going to necessitate a few modifications. Once those are accomplished, then you're good to go. And yes, this applies to that sloppy yod and going after what you want. So, to employ an old admonition, "Stop, Look, and Listen." This could well be some sort of situation where the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of an oncoming train. Mercury RX is opposing Pluto, which implies you don't have as much as control as you may like to think you have.

One more thing, and not very encouraging news, is that the lunation and Venus are squaring Uranus, which means this is going to be full of surprises. New Moons typically indicate something new coming into your life while Venus is the natural ruler of love and money. Squares with Uranus are usually less pleasant than those that involve trines or sextiles. The upshot of that is to watch your heart as well as your wallet.

FULL MOON

The Full Moon on 15 August occurs in Aquarius, a generally objective and friendly Air Sign. Mercury is now direct and has joined the Sun, Venus and Mars in Leo. Unexpected news is likely, which could throw the proverbial monkey wrench in any plans, so bear that in mind. Likewise, the square between Jupiter and Neptune, which is questioning your dreams or visions, is still out there so you're not out of the woods there, either. The Sun and Venus are conjunct, in fact VERY tight, only 21 minutes of arc apart, i.e. partile PLUS. Mars is close enough to be conjunct, too, so brings quite a bit of leonine energy to bear like the New Moon. The Sun and Venus are quincunx Pluto, an aspect that indicates a change of direction or adjustment, which is going to relate to the past in some way. You may have to deal with some old dirt before moving forward. The Moon in Aquarius should help you be objective about it, however, which is helpful. So, watch for a few annoyances from days gone by to get in your way, one way or another. An example of this comes to mind from the sit-com, "The Big Bang Theory" which is a favorite of mine. If you remember the episode (I think it was S8E24) when Penny and Leonard are eloping to Vegas and he confesses to making out with someone while on a research mission, that fits this lunation like a glove. :-)

NEW MOON

This lunation is in Virgo and again contains the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Venus, all lined up in a nice rolling stellium (which is the term for at least 3 planets in the same sign or house). Anyone born with this line-up will be a Virgo on steroids and probably be quite unconventional in their belief system and most likely brilliant, given the entire entourage is trining Uranus in their natural 9th house. They're also likely to be very practical, meticulous (probably to a fault), and thus have a very difficult time imagining anything outside the realm of reality. To use "The Big Bang Theory" analogy again, this horoscope would most likely produce someone quite a bit like Sheldon Cooper.

So, here's what's going on for everyone else, more or less. That's a whole lot of Virgo energy. Eight astrological entities are in Earth Signs (Count them: Virgo = 5; Capricorn = 2; and Taurus = 1) Virgo is very practical and precise, perfectionistic, and critical. They can always find that hidden flaw. The huge connection with Uranus suggests being careful and meticulous will have surprising payoffs. Examination of something that hasn't been working in this manner should bring answers for how you can rebuild it for more success. If something is too exaggerated or unrealistic, it will hit you upside the head like a wrecking ball. Imagination and dreams may be inhibited quite a bit, so if you're trying to work on something that requires inspiration and such, don't be surprised if you come up blank.