This is my second attempt to write an astrology column; the first was reasonably well-received, so we’ll try again. In the first part of the column, I’ll identify what some of the major planetary positions and aspects are, and then I’ll describe how they play out over the course of the next ten days. This column, like the first, is based on the entry of the Sun into a new Decan, or 10°-segment of the Zodiac. It’s not exactly an old technique, but given that my entry into astrology was through Christopher Warnock’s Mansions of the Moon, and Austin Coppock’s 36 Faces, this may be the most appropriate place for me to begin. With that, let’s begin with the actual chart for the moment of the Sun’s entry into Leo II, at 10° 00′ of that sign.

The time is 9:55am (EDT) on August 2, 2019. The Sun is in Leo (Decan II), at 10°00′. The Sun is the domicile lord of Leo, . The image of Leo II is a crown of laurels — achievements and kingdoms, but temporary ones, for laurels wilt. All of our accomplishments this season will be personal and important to all of us — but few others will see them as critically important or unusual. We will be congratulated briefly for our achievements, but then expected to move on to new projects and programs. Nothing last forever, least of all the laurels of our success in the midsummer heat.

Planetary Placements

The Sun shares Leo with Mars and Venus, and this co-presence brings a singular heat to the current situation. However, Venus holds the First Decan, where Venus often wears a creative and beautiful costume to hold the spotlight but chafes inside the constraints that role commands; and Mars holds the third, which it rules (much as a knight might hold a territory in the king’s domain), with an iron determination that leads to overzealous behavior. Thus, in this configuration, Venus drives us to starve ourselves for the sake of fashion, and Mars drives us to the gym for overexertion.

The Moon enters Virgo, and the Twelfth Mansion, whose image of a knight fighting a dragon is suggestive of conflict between human and cosmic forces. The Moon’s waxing light suggests a strife or conflict emerging, between the general and the specific or between the universal and the personal, the constraints of physics and the constraints of culture (which are sometimes opposed to one another).

Jupiter, in Sagittarius, remains retrograde. However, its retrograde is drawing toward its conclusion. Old matters of law and religion are being wrapped up; new actions of grace and expansive growth are about to begin.

Saturn, the South Node, and Pluto cluster in Aquarius. All retrograde, and speaking words like “constraint and limitation, drought and famine, and toxicity” they’re everyone’s least favorite combination. No one likes to be told what their boundaries are (although we all like setting them). None enjoys the sense of dearth, and no one likes to be told, “hey you shouldn’t have eaten that — it went bad, like, a month ago.” Nonetheless, these are clustered together. And what clusters? Yes, that.

Neptune is in Pisces. The earthshaker makes waves, big ones, in whatever parts of life he presently rules. You may find the relevant portion of your life flooded, or at least going through a particularly high tide.

Uranus is in Taurus. The fire-bringer, the torch-bearer, brings revolution and sudden change to the parts of life they touch, and sudden shifts of fortune are normal where this tech-nerd hangs their hat.

Mercury, lately direct, still hangs out in Cancer. It’s easier to communicate your emotions these days, without letting your emotions get the better of you. Expect improved domestic business.

By Rising Sign

Now that we know what the key placements are that affect the reading, we can look at planetary placements in Houses, or topics-of-life. To read your horoscope, you should look to the Rising Sign, or sign that included the Ascendant at the moment of your birth. Your Sun Sign represents, roughly, the month in which you were born, while the Moon Sign encapsulates about a 3-day window… but the Rising Sign represents a roughly two-hour window where your life experiences might coincide with the experiences of others. (I use whole-sign houses, so if your Ascendant is at 19° Leo, your Rising Sign is Leo). A Decan-delineation is good for about ten days.

Virgo: The waxing Moon highlights heightened concerns between cultural and cosmic forces — society might want you to lose weight but biology can be difficult to overcome, and biology often knows what’s best for you at this time. Trust the cosmos and the data rather than human experience. Home is a warm and inviting place these days, but your own pleasures are hard to come by, even so. Romantic life is going through some emotional upheavals and the tide is still running strongly toward you — no matter how much you shrink away, your partner follows more closely still. A sudden trip or learning opportunity may come your way; friends communicate their emotional problems quite readily. You feel like your recent performances have been stellar and brilliant, the result of tremendous effort and work — but no one was watching, or they don’t understand the results.

Libra: It’s likely that you feel a disconnect, or a sharp divergence, between what you want and need in your life, and your professional appearance or reputation. Your normal creative powers, and your personal ambition, seem more directed at providing for friends and community than making a splash at work, where you’ve felt armored up for weeks. That’s likely to change in the medium term, but first devote some of that creative energy to your friendships — and some ego-stroking from them wouldn’t hurt, either. If you find your local network expanding, or your need to study something formally under a teacher, that’s worth exploring; home isn’t going to be very homey for a long while, anyway — that restlessness you feel on the couch isn’t going away. Get out and do things. Your work life is reorganizing itself, and your responsibility for other people’s things and duties is getting shook up; the obvious response is to go out with friends, and shine your light on their challenges. You can help rebalance their lives, even if your own feels like it could use a little steadying.

Scorpio: The summer’s hot weather has probably got you a little hot under the collar, and eager to blow off some steam. You’ve likely been reflecting on money matters and your material realms for a while now, and the time is coming soon when you should ask for a raise either with your mouth or your feet. Don’t speak, don’t walk out, at least not yet — but figure out what you actually want in the next ten days or so. You’re likely feeling discontent with school, estranged from relatives, and like your neighborhood is bad news. These feelings have persisted a while now, and they’re likely to run a bit longer yet. A long distance trip away from all that, or expressing these ideas in writing, may yield clarity about higher-order solutions — but it’s not the time to yell them from the rooftops or post them on the internet for all to see. You’re psychic enough these days, to see the turmoil in your friends’ lives, but it’s harder and harder to understand your own idea of fun; and your partners (business and romantic) are experiencing upheavals of their own. Seems like you’re the calm in the storm at times? That may be because things are on fire at work — your creative efforts are under bright lights and closely examined; you’re beaming with pride over even the slightest notice or recognition; and you’re advancing your company’s banner and brand in important ways. It doesn’t take much to win your loyalty at the moment; is that who you really are?

Sagittarius: You’re hanging back from your life these days. Here you are, in a place of full potential, and you hesitate before each and every opportunity. You could go out and achieve great things right now, and yet you wait — a little while longer, soon, not just yet. It’s ok to let the potential bubble and steam for a few more weeks longer, but make some plans. Set some goals. It’s true: money feels tight, and budgeting is toxic, and there’s fewer resources that you have to use to achieve more. ‘Home’ is a fluid notion to you right now; there’s a tidal ebb and flow to it, and you don’t see the ‘normalcy’ that others believe is there. Work is in a state of constant revolution — no day looks like any other, and you do different, maddening projects every day. Your partner is in a place of ascendancy and heightened visibility; supporting them and being the foundation of their lives is important to you, but it sometimes feels like a heavy burden. You’re getting mixed messages about your responsibilities to others and to their legacies, with some demanding more than they’re entitled to receive. At the same time, you’re driven to learn new skills and apply creative gifts to them — and you’re having a moment in the Sun as a student and writer. At the same time, you’re wrestling with the balance between the general and the specific in your professional life, and between the ups-and-downs of self-employment vs. getting paid regularly. Your real chances to make money, though, are going to come from your network, not from your steady job. Meet people, connect with people, and focus attention there.

Capricorn: We get it. You’re in a sudden mood to wear black all the time and be moody. It’s not going to pass any time soon, this isn’t a phase — it’s just you in your power at this time. At the same time, you’re finding that your old pleasures are undergoing a revolution, and the old neighborhood is passing through a sea-change, and you just don’t have the usual pizazz for graveyard-haunting and night-owl candle-burning. Romance is communicating on an emotional but not truly practical level; it’s a bit of a shell-game. There’s a tension in the legacy systems you maintain, between the highlighted creativity and the demanded structure. Shine a light on the gifts of what must be learned to overcome the dichotomy, while remembering that physics and Nature always bat last: favor the limitations of physical laws over human guidelines. Work is where the money is these days, but even there you’ll have to balance infrastructural requirements against profit-seeking ventures. There’s some heat and steam in recent friendships, but you may find a heaviness still lingers and solitude and rest consumes a few more days.

Aquarius: Your partner is reveling in some recent accolades, and seems to be gleaming with both drive and rigor — but you’re waiting for something to happen. Money matters are fluid: the tide is high right now, but upcoming expenses may pull most of it back out the door in the next ten days — build your weirs and seine nets to capture value like wriggling fish. You’re finding home life and family revolting of late; it’s either too staid, with not enough going on… or just a little too exciting. You may be hunting for new home-grounds, but any greener grass elsewhere is an illusion right now. It’s ok to want change, but it’s also worthwhile to stick with the trouble. No matter how much you communicate your needs at work, you’re unlikely to get your way right now — your universal needs are someone else’s minor details. Express what you want, but don’t expect an immediate response. Your social life probably feels like it’s in a rut, but it should start to liven up in a couple of weeks; in the meantime, direct some energy toward advancing your employer’s banner while ensuring you also keep your own standards up.

Pisces: You’re probably feeling like your boundaries expand and contract fluidly depending on the time of day — and this sense will continue for some time. Expect that both Jupiter and the Moon will exert their tidal pull over the next several months. Whenever you think about “home” both its fine and upsetting details are in sharp relief. You’re sideways about communicating what you enjoy emotionally right now, but it feels like few are listening. Mostly you need more attention, but it’s not coming your way. Be clearer and more deliberate, if you can. You’re shining at work, in both creative and self-disciplined ways — but you’re not being recognized for this extra exertion. Slow down, and see if someone else is building their own kingdom and reputation at your expense.

Aries: You’re wanting more time at home these days, of course, but communicating that truth to people is not always working, and home always seems to be a step to the left or a step to the right… Despite what you say, your own enjoyments are usually found out and about in the world, where you can spotlight your creative ability, advance your brand, and show off recent achievements. There’s a glow that comes from that, and that’s your reward. It’s frustrating, though, that the money is coming in the door from your partner rather than yourself; you display your work, and they get the gold. Your efforts to learn or travel or expand your audience seem stymied and blocked, your career seems to have a black ceiling, and your public reputation is presently toxic. Even your solitude is turbulent, and it’s hard to use your resources wisely. Some of this may even out in a month or so, but for now — hang on.

Taurus: The gut-wrenching feeling is the sense that you can’t continue to be who you are now. Some things are going to have to go through tremendous change before you can continue. In a few years, you’ll be a different person, but for right now each day requires a tight grip to hold on to what you are now: it’s OK to let a few things go, though. Money matters are bifurcated, as they usually are — there’s either a lot, or not enough — and you’re sidestepping important issues in the minutiae. Extended family issues are likely to be a major part of the next ten days; expect a lot of fancy dancing at first, followed by plainer and realer talk. There’s a chance to put a real creative stamp on your home, but it’s going to require a lot of elbow grease to put a shine on it. Your own personal preferences take a back seat to what the consensus will accept, as well — don’t confuse what you want for what everyone wants, or seek to impose your vision on everyone else. You could make real money in the next ten days, but you have to seek your fortune analytically rather than waiting for cash to drop into your lap. A legacy is left hanging; there’s still issues to be resolved before it can be yours. You know all this, but still, learning these lessons is hard, and you’re trying to avoid certain consequences. Career goals seem dull and overly practical and too limiting, but someone else’s decisions are putting you in place for something grander and more planned than you have now.

Gemini: The dualist split between the divine and human feels a little too constricting right now; it may be time for a molting, and to shed the confining shell. A little while longer and you may be in a more comfortable surrounding. After a lull, there’s more money coming in these days, but also more reasons to spend it; sidestep some of the more-desired-than-needed expenses in favor of armoring up and working on foundations. You can really shine in your community and family, but expect a certain level of “what have you done for us lately?” attitude with any achievements more than a few days old. The effort, the creativity, is really appreciated, but people don’t know how to say thank you these days. Focus on doing what must be done. There’s big projects at home that must be done, which keep the house and immediate family from being much of a personal refuge. It may feel like your kids are making more money than you are, and you still have to balance their needs against yours. Your partner’s responsibilities and needs have expanded, but they’re still catching up on old duties; there may be a sense that they’re out of sync with you, but the next few months will see a gradual realignment. All round, you likely sense that you’re not collecting anyone’s inheritance or building a legacy for yourself or anyone else; if self-employed, you may wish to assess if it’s time to ask clients for an increase in pay. That doesn’t apply to your boss in a professional environment, though — that person is at sea without a boat, much less a paddle. They’re much more likely to grab hold of you to keep from drowning, than throw you a lifeline. It may be time to set your own course, there. Deep solitude is likely to bring about revolutions in your own thinking; you can spin your wheels, or plot out a new arc for yourself… choose carefully.

Cancer: Here you are, ready to speak your new life into existence, and instead you feel smaller or lessened inside your usual shell. Money matters are thrown into high relief by the bright light of reality; you’re prepared to put beauty to work, but no one told you how much you’d have to work on your beauty, or how much it would cost. The neighborhood is lovely, but your extended family has some weirdly-specific tensions between the good of all and the good of a few. Some “make money from home!” ads are going to start looking really good, right about now — in the short term that might make sense, but it’s important to remember that you’re often in defensive mode anyway; home is where you light the lamps, and where you engage in balanced reflection… and that can be anywhere. It probably feels like daily life should be expansive and all-embracing, but really you’re spending a lot of time cooped up trying to figure out where to aim your next day’s schedule; you’re in the dark about a lot of longer-range matters, too. As the next weeks unfold, though, be prepared to dream big and shoot for a huge target — August 8, finish drawing back the bow and release. Relationship matters carry a scent of the stew of ugly right now — not enough to go around, small portions, and slightly poisonous anyways. Don’t give up on love, but accept that part of what makes a relationship work are good boundaries and acceptance of limitations. Don’t settle for less… just recognize that more is maybe too much, and that relationships hold much mutual responsibility in their bonds. You owe as much going in, as you get in return, perhaps more. You’re likely feeling driven at work, as much by your own responsibility as by your boss; recognize that you’re needed, though — all around you may be troubled by layoffs or deep uncertainty, while you remain temporarily secure… yet you can be sure that uncertainty and challenge is not disconnected from your current calm meadow… put your head to work on building a public reputation and a useful network of colleagues’ addresses, and collect a few laurel wreaths for your efforts while you can.

Leo: Nice shine you got going on here, kid. Creative, beautiful, determined, disciplined, glorious. Be a shame if something… happened… to all that, wouldn’t it? It’s great to have it all, beauty and brawn — right now you’ve got it going on! These things, though, don’t always last without ongoing effort, playfulness, and curiosity. It’s a great time for annotated selfies over the next ten days, that serve as messages to the future you: “Dear me on an oppressive gray day in February, this was you back in that awesome stretch in August, remember? It’s still you, it’s still me. Remember how great you were, today, and carry that greatness tomorrow.” This isn’t for Facebook or Instagram, mind you, though it’s important to get that spotlight when you can. This is a talismanic reminder of how good you looked and how high-performing you were, when things seem more dark and drear sometime in a vaguely-defined future. After all, there are clouds on the horizon: big changes in money-land, with shifts in income and expenses to be planned for. What you want… and what you have to help others (like your family) get with the same resource-pool… may be in some conflict. You may have targeted some big-ticket item in the future that you want, you may be saving for something huge; that vision should be supported, encouraged, but the delay may be longer than you thought. There’s a more practical set of daily projects and workaday-world issues that need sorting and managing, as unpleasant as they are, especially with a shake-up among your career leaders becoming normal, and a triple-threat of elderly relatives, dissatisfied clients, and crazy market forces creating unpredictable hazards and opportunities. Any romance these days likely feels a little too solemn and intellectual for your tastes, but acknowledge that this kind of orderliness has its place in the world, and respond with love: oxygen and fire have a passionate middle, do they not, where the flame neither rages nor is snuffed? That middle ground should be where you provide your light and heat; therefore acknowledge and celebrate the unseen connection to the fuel that ignites you.

Afterword

I must say, these were darker than intended. But I think I’m getting the hang of it: the outer planets (which move slowly) set some big themes and provide an overall structure; while the inner planets (revolving more rapidly) highlight issues of rapid change and phase-shifts. Big planets rarely move signs less than once a year, and sometimes take seven years; you may see long story-arcs of a decade in their general drift, though the days pass frenetically. Little planets change signs fairly often, in weeks or days, and so Rising Sign horoscopes tell stories that may resonate over several months, but do so within a structure and theme that seems to change rarely.

If you found any of this useful, please let me know in the comments!