Happy August all~ This month begins with a new moon on July 31st that highlights the August sun in Leo and its lunar reflection in Aquarius. Themes of heartfulness, love, and relationship are BIG for all of us. Read more about this month's astrology here. Wishing you all huge heart-openings, joyful self-expressions, and playful playmates. Full moon and summer love/blessings. xo-Renee

LEO There is A LOT of heavenly movement through Leo this month, and a lot of it has to do with these ideas: self worth, responsibility, values, decisiveness, action, and communication. Here’s the gist… August might not be the calmest month for you, but it will be very rich in terms of potential self-growth and change that can set you up for some really awesome awesomeness. Take this month to get real with yourself about how you have formulated your ideas of love and what it means to be loved. Don’t take anything for granted. Be ruthless in your willingness to examine and question your values; those that you hold yourself to, and those that you impose on others. Take time to think and reflect, and then think and reflect again before you say or do. When you say or do, be clear, loving, generous, and honest. Mid-month doors open to revolution in your personal philosophies and highest visions of what could be, especially as they pertain to your relationships, how you think about them, how you talk about them, and how you connect in them. If you’re asking a lot of questions during this time, BE in the questions, but don’t try and force the answers. The transition you are going through will only take the time it needs, not what you think would be ideal. Your biggest takeaway for the month is this: You get to create the experience you’re having. If life is presenting you with a lot, are you seeing it through a lens of struggle and fear or through a lens of opportunity and excitement? You’re going to have to answer this one for yourself again and again, maybe multiple times a day. Notice your thoughts, notice your feelings, and notice the power you have to be an agent of both. WEAR IT THIS MONTH:Power stones for protection, healing, grace, and courage

VIRGO “Dream is the personalized myth, myth the depersonalized dream; both myth and dream are symbolic in the same general way of the dynamic of the psyche. But in the dream the forms are quirked by the peculiar troubles of the dreamer, whereas in myth the problems and solutions sown are directly valid for all mankind” - Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

What is the dream that you are living right now? What is the dream of your identity? What is the dream of love? What is the dream of belonging? What is the dream of understanding? How have you defined your experience through the stories and dreams that you tell yourself, or have been told, about your own beauty, power, and intellect? This is a month to let your eyes blur a bit, to allow whatever you are gazing at to arrive at your eyes without searching for sight. As the month progresses you receive a huge gift from the dream realms, but what that gift is might still take some time to make itself known. It might feel at first like a challenge or restriction. You might think you need to work harder, and you probably will… That said, this is also a month to be patient, and to let yourself rest and receive from a space of unknown. The thing you are looking for is close. The love that you yearn for will arrive. The action you want to make will happen. It might not be all that you expect or think you want in your waking life, so notice instead what messages you are getting from other dimensions of consciousness- especially your dreams and creativity. This is a month to pray, to commune with your guides and guardians of the other realms, to let yourself get lost in reverie, to immerse yourself in whatever feels divine and unreal. Mostly this a month to trust. Trust your life. Trust your heart. Trust your dreams. If you can, then you will find that the dreams you live have a direct and palpable offering to the world around you. WEAR IT THIS MONTH:Rose colored glasses (magenta!!)

LIBRA This could be a great month to research projects and collaborations, to start a vision board, or to commune with groups and networks that are based on principles or ideas that turn you on. The questions of value and purpose are big, especially because often when we come up against different opinions we are forced to address and question our own biases. There may be some realizations, and/or renegotiating with friends or your larger social circles that can help you illuminate more clearly your own values, and get real about how to communicate them. I would urge you to enter into these conversations with a strong sense of common purpose- as in the ultimate common purpose... We are all here trying to live good and decent lives, and to be happy. Whatever you say, do or offer, remember that you and your cohort are not working to opposite ends. Notice what triggers you and notice how you can grow from it. All in all August looks like it could be a lot of fun for you and a month full of stimulating interaction. With all the activity going on it might be easy to ignore the HUGE need you have right now for quiet and inwardness. Starting this month and for the next year you are invited to move deeply into the hidden spaces of your quietude. Start this month by taking space between all your dates to pause and rest in nature. By the fall you will have entered into a fairly introspective space that has a lot to offer in terms of psychic rejuvenation. But for now, attend to your social life- you have a lot to learn there that will spur this next round of growth and discovery. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: Remember pagers? You should have something on you at all times that can allow for a socially acceptable and graceful exit.

SCORPIO Questions of purpose can be small or big. On the smaller side they function as questions of what, where, when and how. On the bigger side they function as existential openings into the fabric of everythingness. You might be experiencing both kinds of questions right now. There is a big focus on what you do, career-wise, but also what you do in terms of your dharma. Dharma is a word that encapsulates both the existential and the mundane. Your daily life, rhythms, tasks, hobbies and habits all pave the way for your ultimate life purpose. This month has you asking some questions about what really makes you happy and how you can give that to the world in ways that feel authentic, creative, and fun. The work must be joyful, the work must free you in some way, the work must feel like it does some good. The work will still be work, and at times will feel like nothing more than work. But know this, whether or not the job you go to everyday feeds your soul, you can still create a daily life that does. Take a step back to look at the big picture. What are you goals and visions for the future? How do you want to serve in this world? What are the things that make you feel the happiest, and therefore the most generous and loving towards others? Make your lists and task sheets, then set about building a daily life that supports you as fully as possible to be the person you want to be. Trust that your occupation will either shift to suit who that is, or that something about it serves your freedom to explore that elsewhere. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: Superman underwear

SAGITTARIUS When I’m looking at your chart for this month the feeling that I have is one of pressure. Kind of a psychic pressure. A pressure that is building somewhere that you can’t see but everyday feels stronger. Listen, this could be either uncomfortable or super exciting depending on your perspective and the space you find yourself in. It looks like some hard work is coming up, but that the work might be the kind that has a lot to give in return. You are effectively trying to birth something right now. You’re in the phase of labor that feels like the time to push, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s close to the end. This is the rite of passage moment, this is the challenge to continue. The next two months also have a lot to offer in terms of reflection around your beliefs and guiding principles. It is your task for this month to be in the intensity; to feel the urge to push, to work, to make things happen AND to allow yourself space to continue exploring what and why you want what you do. Whatever you are working to bring forth into the world needs to be 100% authentic to your ultimate beingness. It needs to be 100% generous. It needs to be a lot of fun. Don’t let pressure get in the way of perspective. Remember that priorities are more important that details in this moment, but that the details will ultimately form the priorities. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: A pocket edition of your favorite poetry book. When you feel really driven and intense, stop, breathe and take in some words of beauty and inspiration.

CAPRICORN The places where resources are shared can be murky and unclear territory. Finances, love/attention, natural resources, time, possessions, your physical energy/vitality, and all the other mergings that happen when we share space (in our homes, relationships and on the planet) are the issues that are up right now. Your idealism and beliefs are being illuminated and called into question. You are keenly aware of what you have to give and also keenly aware of what you need to receive in return. It may feel like the pressure is on and being directed at you from expectations of others… These expectations are coming from a place of your hopes and ideals about how you want to be in the world. Questions of sharing and how to show up with what you have to give without being totally depleted are big. Take some deep breaths and commit to lovingly examining your heart’s desires. Get out of your head and into your feelings. What ignites the sensation of love and heartfulness for you? With whom do you find the most creative inspiration? Move towards your impulse to give and trust that you will receive. The first half of the month is a chance to be a bit quieter and listen for the opportunities that arise, particularly those that inspire to stabilize and settle in yourself more. The second half of the month will bring the beginning of more practical plans to start living your life philosophies with greater attention and ability to mind the details. For now the big picture is still forming. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: A mood ring. Notice but don’t act. Watch and feel the fluctuations. Especially when dealing with areas of dependency- both ways.

AQUARIUS Relationships of all sorts are in your spotlight this month. There is a big emphasis on how you negotiate relationships and the rules you agree to play by in them. One question that probably has already been coming up, and will continue to be a strong theme through the summer and into autumn is about love. When I say love I don’t just mean romantic love, but love as a guiding principle for connecting. How you give and receive love is a huge question for you right now. Your instinct is to be generous and expressive, yet it also appears that this is a question. Maybe there is a question about one particular person, or maybe this is a question in general, but the question is are you willing to work for love? In her book Against Love, Laura Kipnis draws the correlation between modern notions of coupledom and capitalist/industrialized ideals of hard work. I think that most of us get pulled easily into the idea that we need to work hard in order to make something matter, and that the busier or more stressed we are equates to a more ‘successful’ life in the eyes of modern culture. This is bullshit. Yes, you need to work at relationship. Of course you do! Human beings are complex balls of confusion and instinct, we have to work hard to have good relationships with ourselves, we have to work just as hard to make sense of our collisions with others. But this doesn’t mean that it needs to feel painful or tedious all the time. This month examine how your ideas of work and effort influence the contracts you make in your close relationships. If you feel like you’re working too hard, do yourself a favor and take as much space as you need until it feels fun again. Your number one task is to NOT become resentful of those whom you can and do love. Or to put it another way, your work is to continue to see the playfulness and fun in the trying to make sense of each other. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: Your heart. On your sleeve. Don’t play mind games. Play fun games that foster more openness.

PISCES What is the revelation you are having now about your day-to-day? Something was planted as a question mid-July that is now starting to form an answer. The big question in this moment has to do with intuition, and how you act on guidance that comes from spaces you can’t always identify. The things you know you need to do for your own health, happiness, and sanity are calling your name in a big way right now. You need to listen. The more you can attend to the smaller details of your self-care, the more capacity you have to attend to your work in the world. And Pisces, here’s the thing. Your work is about to make a big shift. You need all the help you can get from yourself so that you can show up for the realizing of what’s been waiting and wanting to happen. So take this month, and next month, and commit to fine-tuning the details. Clean out your closets- in your house and in your psyche. Make weekly appointments with your therapists and energy healers and show up for them. Do a cleanse. Institute new personal policies on work/life balance. You need this a lot. Where you’re headed is super compelling and could be a lot of fun, so make sure that you keep it fun by not making it all about work. Build the structure of your life to take care of your heart on all levels. Your heart needs physical support of enough nutrients, minerals, and proteins. Your heart needs major energetic support so that you can give what you want to. Your heart needs your unwavering psychic support. You have got to show up for what you know you need for yourself. And you have 100% permission to ask for and organize the external support that you need to do all of it. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: A fanny pack full of superfood snacks, multi-vitamins and love notes from your best friends.

ARIES The past year has been a fruitful time to explore your creativity, romantic instincts, and how you have fun. The next few months are an invitation for even more of all that. In fact, August and September could be a time to really hone in on how, why, where and with whom you have the most fun. Fun is important to your wellbeing, it is vital to your productivity, it is essential to your evolution. So pay attention this month to what makes you smile and laugh, don’t fall into the human habit trap of focusing solely on distress. Instead, get practical about making time in your daily life for play, and just notice what kinds of creativity or ideas arise from that space. There’s a shift that’s coming that wants you to get a little more practical about putting your talents to use and if you’re wanting to get to work on something or cultivate some longer term projects now would be an excellent time to start dreaming them up. The projects that will take root with the most success are the ones you are excited to work on. Another aspect of this happens to be playmates. As an Aries you may prefer to go it alone, or at least take the lead, but there’s an invitation now to consider collaborative efforts with more care. The creativity that arises from group impulse is often much more fun, not to mention richer and more well-rounded. Look around at your friends and their friends. Open your eyes to see the creative drive in the folks around you. Let yourself be inspired and ignited. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: A name tag

TAURUS Your home life is in the spotlight now. This would make a good month for remodeling, or reworking design ideas. If you’re a gardener this could be a fantastic month to play with rearranging and redefining beauty in your flower beds. This also may be a month where life at home exists with some questions… Are you getting the love and support you need? How is communication going? Do you feel that you have agency to ask for and act on what you want? Try not to get caught up in power plays with your intimate others about domestic issues, choose to productively negotiate instead. If you need something from someone else to make you feel safer, more secure, or more joyful in your home the tendency might be to look into the past and drag up issues to prove your point. Take time to consider the future first- what is your best possible outcome? Put yourself in the shoes of those whom you give some decision-making power to in your life, the ones you allow to pull your heart strings and receive your vulnerability. Try to exist in a space where you believe in their best intentions and offer any communication you have from that place. While negotiating about anything this month that has the influence in your life of creating (or disturbing) stability, groundedness, and feelings of satiation and ok-ness, try to be as direct and honest as possible. You might find that mid-month you receive a spiritual boost of some sort or inspiration about how you can communicate lovingly, to yourself and others. So put your angelic hearing aids in and listen. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: Peace offerings in your pockets, offer them liberally even if you didn’t say something you didn’t mean to.

GEMINI You could compare the space you’re in currently to kindergarten Gemini. There is a lot of learning going on for you about how to relate, how to engage others in ways that feel playful, spontaneous and fair, how to be yourself and ask for what you need without causing a fuss, and how to identify what it is that you want and use your words. You’re dreaming of relationships that inspire, motivate and make you think in all the best ways… And they will come soon. Before the get here however, you will do some examining of your instinctual perceptive habits. These habits include how you listen, see, and feel the information others offer you as well as how you offer yourself to others’ sense organs. Communication has a lot more to do with just words, though words are important. Take a look at how your body language changes when you’re communicating from places of self-criticism or semi-narcissistic beliefs that the whole world is watching and waiting for your faults. Take a look also at how you put yourself out energetically when you give your power away by believing that anyone else has the right to judge you, and for it to mean anything other than that. Finally, be savvy with your self-communication- this includes your inner monologues/dialogues, the images you paint of yourself, and the instinctual feelings that arise when you’re triggered. Remember that self love comes on the heels of self-respect. If you’re not being generous, big-hearted, and joyful with yourself then chances are good others won’t be either. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: A string around your wrist that reminds you to check-in with your inner voices and hold them all with love. Whatever reminders you can place on your body and in your space that affirm generosity in your self-concept.

CANCER This is a month my friend, to manifest abundance. From now until October you have the opportunity and gifts you need to magnetize towards yourself whatever it is that will make your heart bigger, bolder, and brighter. This may be finances, this may be attention/appreciation, this may be community, this may be inner radiance that inspires radiant reflections from external sources. Whatever it is that would make you feel wealthy in the deepest sense of the word- this is the month to meditate on that, or those, ideas. A good place to start is with generosity. Today is a good day to begin. So here is your personal full moon meditation: Take a step back and view your life objectively. See the connections with others that have you brought you here to this moment. See all your relationships and the relationships of your relationships. See how interwoven your circumstances are with everything else. Then imagine what it is that you want, what would make your heart feel full. And feel it. Feel it deeply from a place in you that believes you already have it. Extend your gratitude for these gifts to all your relations. Thank them for making it all possible. Consider the service and gifts you can offer from your place of abundance, and commit to the work it will take to move it out into the world. Offer with love. Repeat as often as possible for the next month. Starting in September you may find that pieces of your wishes start to fall into place. Receive them with absolute joy, and do not forget your commitment to give back. WEAR IT THIS MONTH: Citrine, Pyrite and Topaz for attracting abundance. Learn more here