 A lion on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, taken at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. This week, as the moon wanes to the Leo new moon on August 8th, we have another big week energetically. Last week, with the Aquarius full moon on July 23rd (the first of two in a row), I did a monthly astrological forecast along with a five card "success" tarot reading for the month. (Check that out here.) We know the course of this month features a strong Uranus vibe, so there are likely to be lots of changes happening and in a sudden or unexpected manner that keeps us on our toes. But, the cards showed the sun (a big positive indicator of joy and success) and the outcome was the Ace of Cups - new beginnings that are emotionally fulfilling. The main theme of the reading for this month was simply, "follow your heart." And that is really fitting as we approach this weekend's Leo new moon on the same day that the Lion's Gate is at its peak (more on that below). The main theme of this week is that we are in the second week of the waning moon - the week where we reach the low point energetically of the month long lunar cycle. This is the time where we turn inward and become still and quiet in order to do the releasing that will supercharge our regeneration with the new moon. Finding this stillness is our number one priority this week. This weekend's August 8th new moon at 16 degrees Leo is book-ended by two full moons in Aquarius - the first was July 23rd at 1 degree Aquarius, and the second will be August 22nd at 29 degrees Aquarius - the first and last degrees of the sign. Aquarius' modern ruler is Uranus, and Uranus is active all of this week, including being in growth aspect to this weekends Leo new moon. In fact, with Uranus being the ruler of both the July 23rd and August 22nd full moons, its energy is strong all month. Adding to that, it will station retrograde on August 19th, just a couple of days before the August 22nd full moon, not turning direct again until January 18th, 2022. (December and January are going to be bringing us a lot of positive shifts, so eyes on the prize!)
As this week begins, the sun-Saturn opposition, strong over the weekend, still lingers, as Saturn reminds us there is still work to be done. Saturn retrograde is a review, and one that ultimately helps us by holding our feet to the fire around integrity, responsibility, duty, and showing up and doing the work that needs to be done. Saturn is a harvest god - this "work" is the work that lets us enjoy a successful harvest. It is never just busy work - this is serious stuff, and Saturn acts now as our mentor, helping us stay the course and get the job done. But in opposition as it has been all weekend to sun and Mercury, it can feel like harsh and relentless outside authoritarian pressure coming down on us. The only medicine here is patience and diligence - we must be our own authority to alleviate the feeling of the authority coming from "out there" down on us. The energy is the same either way. Do the work, and keep doing the work. Luckily this is subsiding on Monday the 2nd, and while Saturn is still doing its retrograde thing in Aquarius until October 10th, when it isn't directly firing at another planet, we feel a bit of relief. Plus, we get a boost on Monday/Tuesday as Venus in Virgo comes into alignment with Uranus in Taurus. Later in the week we will be feeling Uranus in challenging aspect as it squares Mercury midweek and then the sun through the weekend, which will be asking us to grow and evolve, but at the beginning of the week, we get Uranus in the form of enlightening insight or supportive change, grounded, and in the realms of love and money, and especially how we value ourselves. Be on the lookout for something good, whether it is a paradigm shift or something more tangible. From midweek right through Sunday's Leo new moon and the peak of the Lion's Gate portal, we get Uranus in square aspect, meaning that it is bringing its signature change vibe through tension via energetic impasse with first Mercury (the mind, thoughts, communication, expression, and everyday money) and then the sun (our source, light, and light of consciousness/conscious focus), now both in Leo, sign of creative self-expression. Uranus tends to work through sudden upheaval, insight, or even disruption, and the square aspect between two planets brings tension that requires us to evolve and grow in order to move forward, so with sun and Mercury in Leo and Uranus in Taurus, there is something to work out between our creative self-expression and finding new ways to feel secure amidst these great waves of change and still being able to enjoy life's little luxuries and our daily creature comforts. With Uranus ruling the July 23rd and August 22nd full moons as well as being in growth aspect to this August 8th new moon, this is a main theme of this month. This new way of feeling secure is everything right now, and we are in the process of working it out, creating new rules and new traditions, (with Saturn retrograde in Aquarius reminding us all the while that it must be solidly structured and foundationed, and there are certain "rules" and laws in this earthly existence that must be adhered to, and also that it all has to benefit the greater good of the collective). Remember that the overview for the month from July 23rd to August 22nd was about following our hearts - that was the pathway to success. When it is in true alignment with our hearts and souls, then it is always true that what benefits us benefits the greater good, and what we give to others we must always give to ourselves first. When we identify with what we truly need to give to ourselves on our most authentic level, we identify what our gift is to the world as well. This is really perfect, because Leo season is all about the heart, our hearts, and what sets our hearts on fire. It is about creative self-expression, but on a deeper level, it is about our expression of the Divine - about being a vessel for what wants to come through us out into this world. And this all ties right in to something else happening in the cosmos right now - the Lion's Gate portal, on from July 26th to August 12th, but at its strongest on August 8th - the same day as the Leo new moon. The 8:8 Lion's Gate portal. As I said before, this month (from the July 23rd full moon to the August 22nd full moon) is carrying a strong Uranus vibe, and Uranus is the planet of change through sudden upheaval. But Uranus is also a planet of the 4th dimension (Saturn is 3D, and Chiron, the wounded healer, has an elliptical orbit that goes back and forth between the two), and a planet of change through sudden and out-of-the-blue insight. It's a planet that can bring lasting change to our lives through revelation and sudden shifts in consciousness. In this way, it can push us through a doorway into the future and there is no pathway back, because there is nothing left to go back to. Once we know, we cannot un-know - we simply cannot go backwards in consciousness, even if we find ourselves uncomfortable in an unfamiliar, "wild new world." There is another force at work right now, besides Uranus, bringing us higher consciousness, and that is the 8:8 Lion's Gate portal. This is an alignment between the earth and the fixed star Sirius (it sits at 16 degrees Cancer), that happens every year between July 26th and August 12th, and reaches its peak on August 8th. Sirius is sometimes referred to as the "spiritual sun" of the earth (and it is two times the size of our sun and 26x brighter). It is called the "Lion's Gate" portal because it occurs when the sun is in Leo every year. Sirius was associated with goddesses of ancient Egypt, with Ishtar for the Babylonians, and with Inanna for the Sumerians (both of which are associated with lions, like the lion relief from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, in the picture above which I took at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum in 2009). Although Venus refers to both a goddess and a planet, the fixed star Sirius is associated with the goddess Venus as well, as Ishtar and Inanna were her predecessors before Greek and Roman times. Thus, Sirius is associated with the goddess energy of the divine feminine, of harvest, and fertility in ancient times, which translates to simply to abundance across cultures and time, and the higher frequency of love and the law of attraction. When we talk about love, abundance, and the law of attraction, and the goddess, it is simple: as above, so below; as within, so without. This is illustrated clearly in the Sumerian myth of Inanna's Descent, where Inanna (Venus), Queen of Heaven and Earth, becomes conscious of her sister Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld - her shadow self - and sets off on a long and arduous journey to meet her, where she descends into her own underworld, is stripped of her worldly status, and ultimately dies to her old consciousness and is reborn to a new one - one in which she reclaims her throne, whole unto herself, and rules both light and shadow from a place of wisdom and love. So what does all this mean for us for this weekend and Sunday's Leo new moon? Follow your heart. Sirius is known as our "spiritual sun," and with this alignment between earth and Sirius peaking at the August 8th Leo new moon, we are getting a consciousness upgrade! Leo rules the heart, inner child, and our creative self-expression - our being the vessel for the divine to shine through us out in to the world to benefit all. What did you love doing the most as a small child? What ignited your imagination and inspired you? What did you dream of doing when you grew up? This is the authentic you before the world told you what you needed to be and do to "make it." Reconnect with this you. Beginning now, using the last few days of this waning moon before Sunday's new moon, think on how you most want to experience your life. How do you want to BE in the world? What sets your heart on fire? What gift would you like to give the world? (Remember, whatever you give to others, you must first give to yourself - what do you need to give to yourself?) What service, that is uniquely you and lights up your heart, would you most like to provide to the collective of humanity? (Keep in mind that this month is Uranus-charged, and that means big change vibe, innovation, and most likely getting out of our comfort zones - if your answer to these questions feels exciting and really uncomfortable at the same time, you are in the sweet spot!) This is the Art of Consciously Creating Life.  Hi, I'm Kasey, and I am here to say it is possible. It is possible for all of us to find the magic in this life, and consciously create a life that supports us in every way where we can access the magic in ourselves and in our lives every single day. But if we want things to be different, we have to start doing things differently. I am here to help with that process. ~Kasey Sign up for the weekly astro forecast and lunar transits. Join us on the journey in M o o n W o r k s, a women's circle for consciously creating life, and access the magic and power of being unapologetically you. 
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Kasey Ford, Soul-Aligned Love & Life Mentor to Women
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