Welcome to the consciousness initiations! Whatever our situations may be, the lessons are about bringing the unconscious into conscious awareness and then facing new realities around those situations. This is taking place for all souls in all evolutionary states.

We are experiencing this awakening on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Make several opportunities this summer to get quiet and inwardly ask the following questions. Where am I spiritually unconscious? What needs to be spiritually revealed to me?

Repeat these questions on mental, emotional and physical levels. Repeat until your answers are revealed to you. Ask trusted friends and associates to give you feedback as well. Look for repetitious answers. The clues will be where you feel the most frustrated, angry and hurt right now.

We have had at least 5,000 years of patriarchal conditioning teaching us to project responsibility outward – on an angry god, parents, partners, children, religious leaders, political leaders, etc. The lessons of this summer teach us that we are each responsible for ourselves and our situations. No more unconscious denial. Whatever happens to us we create from our own inner vibrations. It just appears to happen to us when we are unconsciously creating.

So, how can you become more conscious of your own victimization roles? How can you change your inner vibrations?

The intensity we are all feeling this summer is with Mars (July 29 to September 27) and Uranus (June 6/7 to September 14; until November 8 in Aquarius) retrograde in Pisces. As the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces must address what is left unfinished. It brings things to conclusion. It is a water sign so our emotions can lead the way. Piscean energy can represent anything that stands between ourselves and God/Goddess. Pisces is compelling us to return to the Source.

Uranus synchronizes with the individuated unconscious mind. Mars relates to the leading edge of our separating desires. As they both retrograde back through Pisces, the combination is causing each of us to review our desires. We are becoming aware of what motivates us unconsciously as we face our unfulfilled desires.

What do you really want?

On the deepest levels, it is about lifting the veils that separate us from re-merging with the Source. The usual manifestations are another goal, another lover, another child, fill in the blanks with another separating desire. Here is an important clue: fulfilling our desires can be a substitute for a relationship with God/Goddess, or, the tools on our path toward God/Goddess.

Now is the time for review and discernment of where we each substitute the Divine in spiritual, mental, emotional and physical ways. May increasing consciousness be yours.

August is the most intense month of the year, with the last week being the most intense time. However, intense does not mean bad. The biggest breakthroughs of the year can come at this time. It is our individual choices that will determine the pleasure or pain.

Remember: you are an energetic magnet attracting whatever you need to experience in order to evolve. Utilize the energy this month to make evolutionary leaps.

The Sun is in Leo and the Evolutionary Astrology mantra is: I align my will with divine will. Solar energy is helping us be full of ourselves. Mars retro is building toward an opposition with the Sun at the end of the month. It is a beautiful time to realign ourselves with Source energy, and to be a manifestation of the Divine. May you be successful.

August starts with a Sun-Neptune retrograde opposition on the 4th at 11/12 degrees Leo-Aquarius. This is the highlight of the Neptune opposition cycle. Illusions and delusions are revealed here. If you are not participating equally in your groups, it will be pointed out to you.

As Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces pass through each other’s sign of rulership, and the last two signs of the zodiac, there are huge opportunities for the collective to “wake up!” or, sadly, to sink even further into the illusions of grandeur and ignore reality at the expense of the health of the planet.

Pay attention to where you may experience some disappointment and upsets, as your soul desires to know the truth. Ask how your unique creativity may be best contributing to the needs of others. How may you best participate in the activities on planet Earth?

The same day, August 4, Mercury makes a waxing sextile to Saturn at 7/8 degrees Virgo-Cancer. Some real good analyzing can take place here. There is so much emotional energy this summer and these two planets can really figure some things out. Go for it. What pushes your emotional buttons and why? How can you emotionally grow beyond your security needs?

Mercury then makes an opposition to Mars retrograde on August 6 at 9/10 degrees Virgo-Pisces. The first planet to oppose Mars, and Mercury in one of the signs it rules can bring through real good messages. It can clarify some of the issues to be worked on during the Mars retrograde cycle.

At the end of the Piscean Age, any planetary activity in the Virgo-Pisces axis emphasizes the opportunities for healing (Virgo) and releasing (Pisces) the wounds of the Piscean Age. We have seen the heights (we hope!) of patriarchal conditioning with this Age. Even with spiritual awakenings, a perfect, angry, male god - leaving us feeling guilty without knowing why, still very unconsciously conditions most souls.

Bless Mars and Uranus retrograde in Pisces – the why is being revealed. We are moving toward ever-conscious understandings, via natural spiritual laws, that the Universal Source is masculine and feminine, totally within us reflected outward, and, an evolving force.

As we heal the Piscean Age wounds, self-empowerment is the reward. We have a direct one-on-one relationship with God/Goddess. Our lives become a living expression of wholeness 24/7. Search for the clues in your next healing step.

Motivation via guilt offers information on where you are caught up in patriarchal conditioning.

Venus then makes an opposition to Neptune retrograde on August 7 at 11/12 degrees Leo-Aquarius; facing the realities of our love lives, versus the ideals we desire. How far apart are your fantasies and your actual experiences?

This opposition is ultimately about finding the love of God/Goddess. It has a tendency to reveal our projections on to other souls, and our disappointments when they do not love us in return, as we desire them to. We want to be the center of the universe with everyone participating around us, and we come face-to-face with partners wanting the same thing.

We are the center of our universe. Everyone else is the center of his or her universe. Can we come together in a larger universe that we each equally participate in?

Venus is quite active this month. There seems to be messages of self-reliance in the middle of this conscious-raising month. May you become aware of better ways to love yourself.

The Sun makes a waning trine to Pluto retrograde at 17/18 degrees Leo-Sagittarius on August 10. Pluto is winding down its five-month retro cycle. This is some nice activity for understanding our roles in the world. We can also hide in our righteousness. Can you be open to another person’s viewpoint of life? Can you create a philosophy that allows everyone a place to be OK? Energize a world for all to live in peace.

The Full Moon of Aquarius is August 11/12 at 19/20 degrees Leo-Aquarius, the annual time to realize our part in the play of life, the balancing act between our creativity and the creative needs of the whole, the communities we participate in. Honor the uniqueness of others and give as you wish to receive.

Remember, all month, we are becoming conscious of the magnetizers we really are. Do you like what you are drawing in? If not, how can you change your own energy?

There is still a lot of emotional tension, as we are becoming aware of what motivates us. Evolution takes place through the emotional body. Emotional consciousness is a major part of our ability to create the life we want. This Full Moon is a time to detach and understand what emotions drive our desires.

As your emotional buttons get pushed, step back and ask how it happened. Life is your mirror, what can you see? What is below the surface? What are the new ways to creatively express yourself?

Venus follows the Sun and also makes a waning trine to Pluto retrograde on August 11/12 at 17/18 degrees Leo-Aquarius. The possibility to have our needs met and understood on social levels. To the degree we are meetings our own needs, society will reflect back and help meet our needs as well. Watch out for subtle manipulations, which reflect projecting our needs on to others.

Mars retrograde makes the second of three (June 22/23 and November 13) waning trines to Saturn on August 12 at 8/9 degrees Pisces-Cancer. Those waning trines represent harmonious social blending, Sagittarius-type energy. The manifestations can be beautiful for all concerned, or the great con job of society.

Mars in Pisces and Saturn in Cancer are not comfortable in emotional, water signs. There seems to be undercurrents of frustration and anger. Saturn in Cancer requires us to face emotional realities, and work through our family of origin wounds. It is so much easier to stuff things away and ignore them.

There can be tendencies with this Mars-Saturn waning trine in Pisces-Cancer to hold on to our emotional wounds and victimization. We find comfort in our attachment to our stories. Watch out for perpetuating your unconscious emotions. Sometimes the names change, however the pattern is the same.

This is an opportunity to change your emotional patterns. It is much easier with trine energy. We just need to make the effort. What are your emotional self-reliance lessons at this point in your life? Your family is a great reflector right now. Remember that you chose your family for these lessons. Make the effort to emotionally grow.

Mercury makes the first of three waning squares to Pluto retrograde on August 12 at 17/18 degrees Virgo-Sagittarius. Let go of those limited viewpoints. Mercury goes retrograde in Virgo the end of this month. Here is a taste of the judgments and negativity keeping us stuck in old belief patterns.

The mutable grand cross (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) is being activated again. These zodiac signs are some of the most adaptable and able to change. It just requires us to let go of conditioning. Are you conscious of the ways you play the victim or victor?

It is time to start continually questioning what is natural law versus human-made conditioning, the quest for conscious awareness of your limited beliefs that unconsciously make you a victim. There is so much opportunity to grow through this emphasis of planets in mutable signs. Take it.

Venus makes a superior conjunction to the Sun on August 18 at 25/26 degrees Leo. In its highest expression, this is self-love in healthy ways, inner ways. Lower expressions are looking for love on the outside via status and appearance. Which one works for you?

This conjunction can connect us to the Venus retrograde cycle last fall (October 10 to November 20/21, 2002) in Scorpio. Have you addressed your relationship co-dependencies? Facing power struggles with anyone? There is a message somehow in loving yourself.

It can also show us tidbits of the next Venus retrograde cycle in Gemini May 17 to June 29, 2004. Be careful of needing your love relationships to be only your way. A strong inner love allows us to be outwardly flexible.

Venus is dancing with the Sun all month long. Now it leads the way and makes a conjunction to Jupiter in late Leo (28/29 degrees) on August 21. The middle of this month is all about love, who has it, who wants it, how can we get more.

Here are the messages about loving ourselves. We have a choice to look for love on the outside with its continual need for more, more, more. Or, we can learn to love ourselves inwardly, where the source is infinite.

Leo is where we learn expression of self. It is likened to being on top of the pyramid with everything revolving around us. When we believe god lies outside of ourselves, then we look for love outside of ourselves. Where does your barometer of love find you looking?

This Venus-Jupiter conjunction can be an awakening to new ways of loving ourselves inwardly. When we believe God/Goddess is found within, then love is found there too. Here is a test of love: to look for acknowledgement of our uniqueness from within; to be noticed by the Source without the outer world being involved; or, realizing it is just a reflection. Can you be the “good samaritan” with only God/Goddess being aware of your expression of love?

The Sun closely follows Venus and conjuncts Jupiter at 28/29 degrees Leo as well on August 22. Oh, we can feel good here for a bit. New beliefs about ourselves are popping through. Utilize these intuitive messages to become more and more conscious of everything in your world.

This is the initiation of an annual solar cycle in growth and expansion (Jupiter), and it has a Leonian kick to it. What are you realizing about yourself at this time? Do you like your life? Do you love yourself?

If we are really making an effort to evolve, then we can find these Sun-Venus-Jupiter conjunctions to be eye opening times. The unconsciousness continues to make itself known. Utilize meditation and quiet time to really get in touch with yourself and your evolving new creative directions.

Next, Venus moves into Virgo for a three-plus week journey on August 22. There is a need to get real with all this emotional energy surfacing via the Mars-Uranus retros in Pisces. At times we can just feel very frustrated without being able to source it. Venus in Virgo will join Mercury in helping us bring things into clarity.

Patriarchal Venus in Virgo is all about lack and negative perspective. It nit-picks what is wrong with everything based upon narrow standards of right and wrong. It projects responsibility for everything outwardly, playing the atoning victim and/or the angry victor.

When Venus in Virgo realizes natural spiritual laws, everything becomes an opportunity to heal. It faces the reality of the moment and makes an effort to change and grow, again and again. Venus in Virgo finds ways to be supportive and loving in any circumstances.

First Venus makes an opposition to Uranus retrograde on August 22 at 0-1 degree Virgo-Pisces. Uranus, the individuated unconsciousness, is throwing everything up to the surface. Venus can now catch it and help us make sense of things. Face your stuff. No projections. Everything is a reflection back to you.

This Virgo-Pisces axis of planets is also opportunity for unconditional love. The real thing, not conditioned “give your power away” love. This is unconditional love that self-empowers. It is the ability to say, “no” to what feels intuitively unhealthy for you. It is loving yourself no matter where you are, or what your circumstances are.

As these unconscious emotional patterns are made known, we can accept ourselves with love in order to grow, versus beating ourselves up again and remaining stuck in the old patterns.

The next day the Sun moves into Virgo, energizing the opportunity for self-improvement. The Evolutionary Astrology mantra is: I discern with intuitive wholeness. Here is the solar month we learn to balance reality with imagination. Pisces has its head in the clouds. Virgo has its feet on the ground. We need both.

Life is like a tennis lesson or learning to crochet. Most of us need more than one lesson. We need several lessons before we can keep the tennis ball in the air, or create a row of even stitches. This is Virgo, we make several efforts until we master something.

Patriarchal Virgo conditions us to step outside of life and pray or repent hard enough until we magically become perfect. It doesn’t work that way. Perfection is a process. We even get as many lifetimes as we need to find our way Home.

Natural spiritual laws teach us to be loving and forgiving with Virgo-Pisces. Treat yourself as a child that needs love and support until you reach your goals.

As the Sun makes an opposition to Uranus retro on August 24, at 0-1 degree, be unconditional in loving yourself. This is the highlight of the Uranus retrograde cycle and the whole intent is to become conscious of unconscious parts of yourself in order to break free of the past. Well, this summer you have no choice but to become more aware of things.

Be as gentle as possible with yourself and others. We are all making the effort to evolve and grow. We all feel wounded and hurt sometimes. Support and understanding go much further in helping someone let go of the past.

Use Virgo discernment when someone is stuck in the victimization-victorization games. Equal giving and receiving must be in the picture. If not, it may be time to say, “no” or let go. Unconditional love is standing in the center and achieving a balance of giving and receiving.

Venus makes an opposition to Mars retrograde on August 26 at 5/6 degrees Virgo-Pisces. Here we can become aware of our evolving needs as our desires are changing. We may find ourselves in conflict between what we desire and what our reality is. Confusion, anger and disappointment may be our clues that something in our relationships need to be addressed.

Mars retrograde is a time to let go of old, separating desires. It is a time to go inward and find the ultimate desire, God/Goddess, especially in Pisces. Virgo wants the bills paid. It wants love on practical, safe terms. Where is the balance between the two?

Throughout these Mars and Uranus retros in Pisces, our world can come crashing down around us as our bubbles burst. What is not in alignment with our souls will be made known. We have choice to either beat ourselves up or play the victim of life. Or, we can be our own nurturing mother figure, supporting and yet asking what needs to change.

Things are heating up. We have several astro events packed in the next few days. The manifestations of such can be either happy or sad, depending upon our alignment with natural spiritual laws and principles. Whatever shocks us or hurts us is an attempt to further align our souls with what is highest and best for ourselves. The question is: Can we become truly conscious of this intent in the universe?

Jupiter moves into Virgo for the next year on August 27, until September 24, 2004. The planet of intuition, expansion and philosophy is moving into detailed, analytical Virgo. What a blend. We can use Jupiter in Virgo to help us keep our expansions in check. Jupiter wants to ignore reality. Virgo insists upon it. So, here is a blend of left-brain and right-brain, helping us become whole-brain.

Interestingly, Jupiter in Virgo makes only one opposition to Uranus in Pisces (in two days) and only one waning square to Pluto (next August). However, for the next year, these three planets activate three of the four mutable signs. So, the energy at the end of this month can be with us for the next year.

Where are you the victim? Where are you righteous? Where are you negative? All souls have some degree of seeing what is wrong with things, versus what is right with things. Will you create lemons or lemonade?

What beautiful opportunities Jupiter in Virgo will give us to sweeten up our lives and become supportive and healing of ourselves and everyone else. Two questions for this month and next year: How may I heal myself and how may I help another heal himself or herself?

The New Moon of Virgo is also August 27 at 4/5 degrees Virgo. Here is more emphasis of the Virgo archetype. Cookbook, traditional astrology just isn’t very nice to Virgo. Alas, the polarity of Pisces hasn’t gotten very far in the Piscean Age.

Look at how wounded most souls, and the planet, are. It seems like we could embrace some Virgo archetypes of natural laws. These Virgo things like health, perfection and self-improvement all take place as a process through time and experience.

Perhaps the biggest Virgo shift is to see the cup half full versus half empty, or to replace judgment with discernment, or to replace black and white with a million shades of gray, or to replace hatred with love.

Life is a process. Love is a process. Utilize this Virgo-Pisces energy to embrace the reality of your world and open up to the process of making it better. Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

So, here we go. Mercury goes retrograde in Virgo at 26/27 degrees on August 28. Instead of an attitude of frustration toward another Mercury retro cycle, and in one of its rulerships with all its details, can we see the chance to utilize our conscious minds to take all this stuff coming to the surface and work with it?

It is natural to have time periods for review and reevaluation. Life ebbs and flows. Go with the process. We have huge opportunities to grow up this summer. Go for it.

The highlight of the Mars retro cycle is its opposition to the Sun on August 28 at 5/6 degrees Virgo-Pisces. This happens once every two years, and yet it is more intense this time around (see below). This is the Full Moon phase. We can see rewards and completion. We can see that it is time to change directions or strategies. It is OK to change. We must change.

This Virgo-Pisces emphasis asks us to discern with intuitive wholeness. Most souls operate from their ego, versus their soul. Well, our souls are getting a leading edge here in becoming conscious. 75-80% of our behavior is conditioned by the past. We need these shakeups to get out of the rut.

How are things popping through for you on deep soul levels? Can you maintain that connection? Can your ego and/or separating desires help your soul evolve?

There is a deep need for forgiveness on the planet right now, personally and collectively. Do your own work. Can you understand the “wrongs” upon the planet come from ignorance of, and disconnection with, God/Goddess? Can you visualize yourself and others opening up to universal love? Can you visualize a healthy, healing planet? When enough of us can, it will happen.

You are becoming conscious of your own evolving, returning desires. May you be clearly connected to the Source. May your actions support your next step Home.

Also on August 28 Pluto goes stationary direct at 17/18 degrees, ending its five-month review of our soul’s desires. Wow, we are all receiving deep soul messages. For some of us, it will seem like everything is falling apart. We have not been aligned with our soul’s evolutionary intent. Forgive yourself. Rejoice in the conscious awareness that is coming through the pain and disappointment. Make the changes necessary.

For some of us, everything is coming together. We have been aligned with our soul’s evolutionary intent. And, there are still more steps we can take along the way. Go for it.

For many of us, these are “good” times and “bad” times. There is a mixture of conscious alignment and unconscious denial with our soul’s evolutionary intent. All of the above applies.

So much energy is available for our soul to recognize its past and take the next step. Pluto going stationary direct in the middle of all this gives us no choice except to grow. We are all experiencing the desires of our souls changing. Continually ask what is your next step Home, and what is the ultimate truth. Ask for natural laws to be revealed to you.

Pray peace on the planet. Visualize souls everywhere consciously recognizing we are all one. Visualize souls accepting natural spiritual laws that support all souls and the planet. When enough of us realize it, it will happen. We are not fated to destroy ourselves. We are not fated to save ourselves. We have choice. What do you choose to energize?

There was an evolved soul who came on to the planet a couple thousand years ago during lots of Virgo-Pisces energy, that shared the Virgo-Pisces message: We are all one. When enough of us become conscious of it, it will happen. The dawning of the Aquarian Age is another such opportunity to realize it. May we be successful.

The next day on August 29/30, Jupiter makes its one and only opposition to Uranus at 0-1 degree Virgo-Pisces. How much enlightenment and understanding are you ready for? This can be a great opposition of consciousness expansion. It can also be righteous dogma.

Uranus retro in Pisces just keeps throwing lots of stuff up to the surface. Jupiter in Virgo is working to understand it all. Much of this Uranian energy is about breaking free from the past. Utilize Jupiter to intuitively understand how the past has conditioned you. How can you break free and be who you really are?

Jupiter in Virgo can help us naturally move forward step by step to break the ties to the past. It is easier said than done. So let Jupiter in Virgo help you do it again and again until you start to really see the changes.

Many insights into the future can also come at this time, and all month and summer. Pay attention to the element of repetition in future oriented messages. Those are your next steps when it happens again and again and again.

Finally Venus makes a waxing sextile to Saturn on August 30 at 10/11 degrees Virgo-Cancer. Listen to those little messages about loving yourself. What can be helpful here is taking the next step of self-reliance and inner security. Your heart and mind can be full of possibilities.

The energy during the end of August will continue on. When we become conscious there is no turning back without great price/karma. Take deep breaths, get some exercise when the tensions build. The intensity will ease off with time; however, the gifts of greater conscious awareness about your self and your life will be with you always. What a blessing! What gifts can you give yourself?

May God/Goddess bless you in August!

An impressive celestial event is brewing, and we don't even have to worry about clouds to see it! Due to the approach of Mars to Earth this year, Mars will be closer to Earth than at any time during the past 60,000 years. It won't be this close again until the year 2287. During recent millennia Mars's orbit has been getting more eccentric (elongated) due to the gravitational attractions of other planets. Each passing century brings Mars a little closer to the Sun at perihelion, and a little farther at aphelion. Mars becomes almost this large every 15-17 years, when it passes closest to Earth (near opposition) within a few weeks of the date it is also nearest the Sun (perihelion). The globes below show the relative difference in how Mars will appear in 2003. Note the difference in just a couple of months!

It's angular diameter ranges from 9.5 arc seconds on May 1 to 25.1 arc seconds on August 27, 2003.

From: Sky and Telescope

Several spacecraft are currently on their way to Mars (launched by NASA and the European Space Agency) scheduled to arrive in December and January. These join other Mars-bound missions from Japan and the United Kingdom, and together mark the most extensive exploration of another planet in history. NASA's two spacecraft ("Opportunity" and "Spirit", part of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover projects) are carrying field-geology robots to Mars. After arrival, the rovers will examine their landing areas for geological evidence about the history of water on Mars.

mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/

What do the Martian's think about this onslaught from Earth?
Click: www.sdsmt.edu/space/UM.htm

Where is Mars now? www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html

Cheers,
Tom Durkin
South Dakota Space Grant Consortium
www.sdsmt.edu/space/

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If this is your first time reading my forecast………I suggest reading the entire forecast to receive an overall impression of the energy for the month, and then refer back to it as things arise. My intent and desire are to help you understand the opportunities for personal changes on emotional, mental and spiritual levels from which manifest the physical reality of your world. I send you blessings for a growing, evolving month!

Please request if you would like to receive a notice when this monthly forecast is posted to my web site.

Astrology by Kim Marie
4702 Cliff Drive
Rapid City, SD, 57702-6816
605-348-5111, 877-348-5111
www.astrologybykimmarie.com
www.evolutionaryastrology.net

P.O. Box 552, Rapid City, SD, 57709 605-348-5111, 877-348-5111 Email: astrokmk@aol.com