You may have heard, August is a funky month with quite a few chaotic and tense alignments happening in the sky, but of course it won't affect just this month alone– the cycles are cycling. We essentially have two T-Squares lighting up the sky all at the same time on August 19th at the time of the Full Moon in Aquarius.
The T-square on the left shows the Mercury (retrograde) cazimi in Leo opposite the Moon in Aquarius both square Uranus in Taurus. The T-square on the right shows the separating Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Gemini squaring the Venus-Saturn opposition on the Virgo-Pisces axis. The nature of a square is often tense, full of friction, often signifying an argument between two planets or conversely, the use of each other's resources in such a way that makes necessary change happen. The nature of an opposition is much more challenging in my experience. Instead of natural friction from a square that, while heated, can become something worthwhile, the opposition is a standstill. A limit. A wall. An impasse. The T-square occurs when we put a square and an opposition together.
So, what happens when we have this motivating change linking up with a symbolic impasse? Very often, there's a feeling of being gridlocked or sandwiched in the makings of a particular matter. Maybe there seems to be "no right answer", the next right thing feels fuzzy, the obvious decision or outcome seems to leave everyone unhappy. The solution to the impasse is often in the sign unaffected in the T-square as they usually happen within the same modality. I may release some thoughts on remediation using these unoccupied signs in my newsletter (completely free to subscribe!), but for the purposes of this article: What are these T-squares doing and what are they creating?
the individual aspects:
The Jupiter-Saturn Square (august 19th)
This aspect is significant because it's the first real conflict in the Jupiter-Saturn cycle which began at the conjunction in December of 2020. These two planets connected in the same sign at the same degree initiating a brand new 20 year story centering Aquarian themes and archetypes globally. The Jupiter-Saturn square is a time where we see significant cultural and political shifts often liberating something from a hard limit or alternatively, limiting something that currently runs free, expanding power to those who haven't had it previously, and creating turning points within society, politics, and the general world that feel both uncomfortable and participate in growth and advancement.
The last Jupiter-Saturn square perfected on March 23rd 2016 and again on May 26th 2016 when Jupiter was in Virgo and Saturn was in Sagittarius. While this square technically took place within a different Jupiter-Saturn cycle, in my opinion, it is still deeply relevant to this cycle as Jupiter was in a detriment (Mercurial) sign like it is now in Gemini and Saturn was in a Jupiter ruled sign like it is now in Pisces. This square will closely resemble the tone of the events in 2015 and 2016. Remember, alignments between slower moving planets like these often create events that ripple out and shuffle into place for a long time before and after, much like a wave. We have already been seeing Jupiter square Saturn influence and while it is at peak intensity in August, its influence will stretch out into 2025 as Saturn will station direct and Jupiter will station retrograde to meet again on December 24th of 2024. The final square will occur when Saturn and Jupiter each ingress signs on the cardinal axis (Jupiter in Cancer, Saturn in Aries) on June 15th 2025. This triplicate of squares will carry the story to the unfolding of the Jupiter-Saturn oppositions beginning in 2029.
What happened in 2015-2016 that is characteristic of the Jupiter-Saturn square and how might it mimic 2024-2025? Same Sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states in the supreme court case of Obergefell v. Hodges in the build to the last square. As I said, this fits the description of a large cultural shift and expanded power to those who did not have it previously in ways that were both liberating for some and uncomfortable or tense for others. Jupiter in particular can signify issues of religion and how it crosses over into politics and power related matters. While this was a major win for the LGBTQ+ community, it also created plenty of contention along with it, the Orlando night club shooting which targeted queer people (killing about 50 and wounding another 50) occurred not long after the supreme court ruling and just after the exact square in 2016. While some limits were removed legally, the shooting proved that limits for this expansive community are still very real in other ways contributing to a typical Saturnian kind of repression and fear.
Another example: In 2016, Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election following the square. This opened a major door to who can be president, who can lead a nation. Our elected officials use to fit a very specific archetype that Trump does not at all align with as a vulgar reality TV star. This created major tension within the United States and in the world as a result, challenging the traditional ideas of Saturn and Saturnian figures who are typically serious by nature due to high levels of responsibility with the out of pocket nature of Jupiter who, in a Mercurial sign, will give its power away more freely and often in ways that work against the wise Jupiterian signature. Other major events that occurred fitting the theme of the square included: Brexit, the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the Flint, Michigan water crisis, Brock Turner's case and the Me Too wave that continued into 2017 with Harvey Weinstein's allegations, and I'm sure, many other major cultural events that we don't have the time to unpack here.
While this is a huge cultural marker of a transit, this is also a deeply personal one– this is of course, my favorite to discuss because proper reflection on these cycles within the context of our natal charts can lead to an abundance of awareness and growth as a result; Microcosm-macrocosm and all that jazz. When asking clients what Jupiter-Saturn squares have signified in their own lives, the response has overwhelmingly been "this was a big turning point" and it has surprisingly resulted in greater optimism about the upcoming square on August 19th. While reflecting on this myself, I felt a funny resonance with the movie High School Musical (stay with me). Jupiter-Saturn squares are significant breaks in the status quo. High School Musical encapsulates all that this can bring within our personal lives: trying something very new, feeling judgement or pressure to stay within an old limitation that is consistent with what was previously believed or accepted, and overall, growth from challenging the brick wall of status quo whether that be social, financial, or otherwise. It's no wonder that these squares signify major personal turning points. After making this correlation, I looked up the chart of the movie and of course, it was released between the two Jupiter-Saturn squares that perfected in 2005 and 2006 when Saturn was in Leo and Jupiter in Scorpio.
To zoom out, all. of. this. has to do with Aquarius. This is a sign that speaks on human and technological advancement (AI has a part in this), status and class, the power of people and groups as opposed to the power of the elite, communities that fail us and the individual that has to form and solidify in order to survive. The background frequency of the world is changing and we have certainly seen signs of it since 2020– especially as the systems that used to serve us have failed and so many have had to fundamentally change their lives and what they expect from their futures as a result of widespread illness. If 2020 was the beginning of the story, the conjunction of Jupiter-Saturn, we are now experiencing our first real tests and acceleration into what it all means, the big unfolding of a new kind of existence. This square is a cultural, political, spiritual, and personal push towards the advancement of the house that Aquarius rules and the archetype generally in the larger context of the world.
What I love about this example of High School Musical is that not only was it released during a Jupiter-Saturn square, but also under an Aquarius Sun conjunct Uranus and Neptune (the transpersonal planets) as well as during a North Node transit through Aries. We are currently seeing HSM's nodal return as the North Node is currently in Aries and again, the Aquarian archetype is very relevant not only because of the conjunction in 2020, but also because of Pluto's 20 year transit through this sign. This movie carries many of the themes we are currently seeing and will come to see in the future– the break in status quo, systems and old hierarchies failing, jealousy and sabotage within communities, the forming of new communities with shared goals and interests, the necessity of privacy, the ability to thrive within a niche or within a combination of skills and talents, the power of groups and teams. This movie was so popular likely because it was ahead of its time as a representation of Aquarius (Aquarius loves to awaken us to the future), aligning with the trajectory of society.
If you're looking to personalize this transit, be patient with it because what is unfolding is decidedly, big. Reflect on where you are being shoved out of a comfort zone of yours, where you have created standards and limits, your own status quo and personal ecosystem for your life that could be holding you back from experiences, wisdom, or connections. It is no mistake that this square perfects first during Leo season– creativity and confidence is required to make the most of this transit. Alternatively, where do you feel like you are at capacity or like you cannot fully move past a limit? What would truly be required of you in order to move past it? Is it realistic? Is it manageable? Can it be divided into accomplishable tasks? How can you pivot or shift the perspective you currently have so that you can travel past the once-so-scary brick wall? It's also possible that this transit isn't for you to actively internalize, it could be in progress already in the external creating these pivot points.
The Full Moon (august 19th)
I emphasize Aquarius so much because of these long term changes, but also because this is how these two T-squares are so connected. The mutable T-square finds its foundation in the signature of Aquarius because of the aforementioned Jupiter-Saturn conjunction while we have the Full Moon in this sign on the same day of the Jupiter-Saturn square. Full Moons are culminations and turning points of their own in a larger annual lunar cycle. Not only will something that began around the 9th of February 2024 become relevant, but again, everything since we've set out on our Aquarian journey in 2020 will likely rear its head in surprising ways.
This Full Moon is opposite the Mercury cazimi in Leo, marking the rebirth of Mercury where we often face some sort of vocal or cerebral clarity and enlightenment especially in regard to the themes we've been struggling with during the retrograde cycle. It's likely that since Mercury approached its pre-shadow on July 17th the collective has been struggling with themes around identity. This might concern what is innate versus what can be changed or modified over time, creative blocks and frustrating resistance, confidence issues, dick measuring contests and other forms of swollen or wounded egos including but not limited to: where we actively center ourselves as the source of success or failure (hint, it's more dynamic than that), where insecurity is triggering a deeper rejection wound, or where micromanagement or judgement is actually a protective mechanism. The cazimi is typically where we have those "aha" moments of resolution or massive downloads of information that allow us to move forward with an idea, breaking through any previous blocks with a sharp perspective shift.
With Uranus in Taurus at the apex of the T-square, it's likely that these culminations, resolutions, downloads of information (etc.) are all quite surprising, overwhelming, or forces us out of the status quo that the fixed signs so dearly love and cling to when disempowered. Uranus signifies something breaking free that is for whatever reason, difficult to digest. It could be humbling, it could require extra courage that hasn't felt readily available, it could require acceptance or help that is actually hard to accept. Whatever the case, it is directly connected to all that we've explored when discussing the Jupiter-Saturn square and to the rest of 2024.
Mars-Jupiter conjunction (august 14th)
Adding to the chaos, Mars is here in Gemini and is moving closer to Jupiter to perfect in a conjunction just five days before the Full Moon and the Jupiter-Saturn square. Mars-Jupiter in Gemini is anticipated to be a massive time for wild conversations and technological development, but we cannot forget that this is the beginning of a two year cycle. What happens when Mars and Jupiter blend together, what does it create? Often, this is a somewhat inflammatory matter– which I weirdly mean "inflammatory" as a neutral descriptor to articulate the need, the burning desire, the inspiration, or even (especially for those who have dinural charts) the kick in the ass necessary to tackle something big. Mars-Jupiter is an incentivized transit acting as a catalyst to learn or expand something in our lives especially as it pertains to the approach or process. Mars always describes an alchemical process, a process of transformation either by building or destroying (or both) while Jupiter is about power, culture, politics, knowledge, and experiential wisdom.
I rarely notice anything particular on the exact day of the conjunction, but it is quite noticeable in theme in the two years following. An example: the last Mars-Jupiter conjunction perfected on May 29th 2022 in Aries, this hit my 6th house of health, pets, jobs, and routines. At the time, I was confronted with a big move back to my home state and while I was there, I ran into many health issues and structural difficulties in my life that required me to change the way in which I live and learn more about how I could do this sustainably. Within the two year cycle I had surgery, my cat had surgery, I became a vegetarian, I started a new job that lead to many realizations about my physical and mental health capacity, I was confronted with many changes to my habits because I saw how they were destroying instead of building. Surgery is actually the perfect example of how Mars and Jupiter blend as it does include the Martian process of transformation and the Jupiterian expertise of a medical professional. Surgery and other health concerns require that you search a little and consult higher wisdom or a guide which Jupiter provides while Mars is the motivator, whether it's pain or deterioration or some other goal you're trying to reach.
Mars-Jupiter is often pretty loud at the beginning of the cycle, maybe it's the introduction of a goal, a heartbreak, a journey, or an experience but then it becomes reoccurring and ongoing as you reach the heart of the archetype or symbolism you might be confronted with. For the last conjunction in Aries, the core of the lesson seemed to revolve around self, how I took care of myself and what I felt deserving of– Aries is all about the self. Gemini though, this is about decisions (how to make a good one), partnership (how to operate efficiently and equally in one), communication (am I being heard? am I listening?), and the joys and terrors of the mind (is my inner monologue helpful or hurtful?).
It's very likely that Mars-Jupiter adds to the urgency of these "turning points" and likely provides us with the reason why we're "breaking the status quo" or outsourcing our power, or speaking our truth, or doing anything that feels uncomfortable. The house that Gemini rules in our personal charts will tell us a lot about where our goals and incentives lie at the moment and could inspire change that is yes, uncomfy, but necessary for expansion beyond the limitations that others or even our own minds have created for us.
Venus in Virgo (august 4th-29th)
Venus will be participating in the mutable T-square at the time of the Full Moon on the 19th opposing Saturn and the exact square to Mars in Gemini perfects on the 22nd. While most of the sky weather can be used as fuel for positive change, I find hard aspects to Venus to be more challenging (could be because I'm Venusian and nocturnal but) mostly because this is where our values and relationships are signified. Venus is not very supported in Virgo, this is the sign of her fall. When a planet is in its "fall" there is a struggle or a mismatch in the very nature of the planet with the sign. While Venus is here, she probably feels misunderstood but there is a great capacity for her (and us as a collective) to gain complex wisdom that would of course, only be available in the darker corners of a rough transit. This is truly poked and prodded out of her as she is receiving opposition and conflict from both malefics, Mars and Saturn. What does it mean?
Venus in Virgo might signify a struggle to be loving. That isn't to say that Virgo in itself is explicitly unloving, but it does mean wisdom is required to navigate the things that Venus rules. Virgo loves by tending to the details, fixing, healing, or by giving constructive (or even nonconstructive) criticism. Is that love? It could be. Sometimes the thing we need most is for someone to "tell it like it is" or to tell us what we did wrong or to be extremely specific. Most of the time though? Venus in Virgo has to learn that even while some things need to be fixed, healed, or changed, even if this is exactly what is prescribed, this is often an individual process. This is why Virgo is known as the hermit. It is required that we each find humility, service, and sacrifice in our own way during Virgo transits, interference from others is often when our grip tightens. When Venus in Virgo runs into opposition and tension from Mars-Jupiter in Gemini and Saturn in Pisces, it's possible that there is a realization of some internal illness. This absolutely could be literal, we should all take care of our health this month and this coming fall, but it is also more likely symbolic of an internal (critical) mass to be removed. We can expect hurt feelings, the realization that we are "on our own" somewhere, the disappointment of plans unfulfilled due to genuine roadblocks, or even facing our deepest insecurities and judgements that keep us from being authentic, confident, and connecting with our true desires.
Venus-Saturn is showing us what has been repressed due to a fear of judgement, criticism, etc. and is hopefully, reaching this point of confrontation so that we can cook in the productivity of Mars-Jupiter in Gemini. This is where we ask questions, we explore, and we begin the alchemical process of changing our minds. This is some of the most important work we'll do this year.
This is all a lot! Be patient and kind with yourself as you're navigating one of the most chaotic weeks of 2024– let any roadblocks guide you to a better place.
Your friendly neighborhood astrologer,
Katie
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