First week of August: The Lovers & 9 of Swords

In the Hermetic Tarot, The Lovers Card is named 'Children of the Voice Divine' and correlates to the zodiac sign Gemini. This zodiac archetype appears again in the 9 of Swords, also known as 'Lord of Despair and Cruelty' as it is connected with Mars in Gemini. (I talked more about this card and it's connection to the previous Mars retrograde in this podcast episode). The Lovers, as a major arcana card, signifies an event or experience that won't have a quick resolve, rather, this could span over a month or longer. It makes me consider this Venus Rx cycle that will cover the entire month of August before stationing stationing direct in September, and then moving forward again through Leo. What are the relationship dynamics in your life that are up for review? I've talked about the Venus Rx on the Staff Meeting episodes of the Corporate Coven Podcast, be sure to check them out for your weekly astrology forecast and for more cosmic career advice! The 9 of Swords is a card that signifies the overwhelm and anxiety that comes when we create mental prisons. Are your beliefs too fixed? Are you focusing too much on a storyline without checking for the facts? The first week of August is an invitation to observe what is a transit vs. what is a fixed belief. It may be best to sort through your thoughts before making final decisions on any contracts.

Second week of August: 6 of Swords & 7 of Cups

The six of swords represents the success after feeling a lot of anxiety. We love to see this card following a Full Moon week and we can be sure that after we survive the first week of August, we will feel the triumph of making it through. This card is nicknamed 'The Lord of Earned Success' and I want to emphasize to you that, the you've earned this. You deserve to feel triumph and accomplishment. How often do you reject praise about your achievements and deflect compliments? Stop diminishing your excellence and invite the language of 'thank you, I worked hard for this' into your vocabulary. In the 7 of Cups, we are cautioned to avoid developing an inflated sense of accomplishment. In the hermetic tarot, the seven of cups is called 'The Lord of Illusionary Success'. Yes, you are doing good things, but are you doing the best things? Are there steps you're missing or overlooking? Is what you're building sustainable and scalable? Does it need to be? How closely are you looking at the truth of the situation? Balance celebrating your accomplishments and maintaining the drive to continue improving relationships in your life.

Third week of August: 8 of Swords

The third week of August brings the Sun conjunct Venus Rx and the New Moon in Leo. These transits invite an opportunity to make some serious magic! The 8 of swords is another card of caution. In a time when you're ready to invite something new in, you'll have to put in effort. They say it takes 21 days to make a habit, for something to be second nature to you. Give excessive focus to your goals this week and stay fully aligned to your 'why', otherwise it could be a lot of effort with little return on your investment of time.

The fourth week of August: Ace of Cups

The Aces of any suit signify a beginning of something new. The fourth week of August brings the Sun's ingress into the sign of Virgo and Mercury Rx. So the path started last week, will likely have some rough terrain. Just because something is confusing, or challenging, doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile. You'll feel more clarity when you root into the core and essence of your soul's desire. Ensure that your actions this week are practical, and that your labor is purposeful.

The fifth week of August: The Blasted Tower

I love that the Tower card, which is the second and final major arcana in this spread, comes during the week that Uranus will station Rx, almost chasing Mercury as they retrace their steps in their respective earth signs. The Blasted Tower, while correlated with Mars, could also feel a Uranian in nature. This unexpected shake up of the foundation in our lives. This card is indicative of a broader lesson we'll be learning, and as it aligns with the current astrology, I'm looking at a few key players. Number one, this month is all about Venus Rx and this has been, for me and my clients, a very noisy transit. Venus rules over the signs of Taurus, where Uranus stations Rx, and Libra, where Mars is now co-present with the South Node. This card is a foreshadowing for the disruption of Uranus and the severing and letting go of Mars and the South Node. This will take some time as Venus won't clear her retrograde shadow until October 7th, Mars doesn't leave Libra until October 12th, and Uranus remains retrograde until January 26th, 2024.