Spinning the Stars: The Communicator’s Guide to This August’s Horoscopes
August is the Sunday of the year. While it has been pitched as a month of respite, beachside leisure, and stone fruits lightly flaked with Maldon salt, deep in our limbic brains we know: it’s just the day before we go back to school.
Up in the sky, this summer of discontent is reflected back to us. With all the outer planets in retrograde by the end of the month, stressful dynamics between Mars, Venus, Uranus, and Saturn, and the advent of Virgo season, it is the time of year when our critical faculties are sharpest—aka we are most likely to get our feelings hurt. But like most swords, this one cuts both ways. Having an abundance of mercurial energy in our midst (Mercury in Virgo, Sun in Virgo, Mars in Gemini) means enhanced clarity in what we perceive and how we can communicate it. We can talk our way out of this one! Which is good news for us communicators.
Before you enjoy these August horoscopes, please enjoy a word of caution: they do, by nature, contain forward-looking statements, including predictions, expectations, hopes, and estimates, including about future financial performance (especially for Cancers, Leos, Capricorns, and Aquarians). Actual results could differ materially—you’ll have to tell me in September!
Aries + Aries Rising
Aries is famous for moving fast (and infamous for breaking things), but this month, you need to focus on the baby steps rather than your grand scheme. Every massive challenge is made up on tiny little bite sized ones, and that’s where you need to get curious. Are you still finding meaning, motivation, and even joy in your quotidian routines? What are the day-to-day tasks you naturally gravitate to, and how do you feel when they are complete? The answers are valuable clues that will spell out whether or not you’re on the right path. For now, give up the forest and embrace the trees.
Taurus + Taurus Rising
Are you buying a house? Redecorating your home office? Feeling uprooted and off-balance? You’re a creature of stability, so it is especially disorienting for you to have your sanctuary upheaved. While the universe is always moving from order to disorder, this chaos will pass. In the meantime, try to take solace in other comforts, like long walks to clear out your mind, a re-read of your favorite novel (My Year of Rest and Relaxation does the trick for me), or a delicious plate of burrata ravioli with sage and tarragon brown butter. Home is where your stomach is.
Gemini + Gemini Rising
Be a student this month, Gemini—but not a good one. You’re naturally a quick study, but August will call you to get in touch with failure. Any lesson worth learning comes with an initial period of awkwardness, so reach out for cross-disciplinary assignments that will broaden your portfolio of expertise. The challenge will be to put your ego to the side (easy!) and accept your own limitations. That is your only hope of transcending them! If you are feeling humbled, ungraceful, and out of your league, then you’re doing it exactly right.
Cancer + Cancer Rising
You will be forced to reckon with your resources this month, Cancer, and a certain belt-tightening may be nigh. I don't remember the exact expression about one's eyes being bigger than one's stomach, but that's the operating thesis. As one of the most financially savvy signs in the Zodiac, you know instinctively how to balance a ledger, and your spine for making ruthless-but-necessary decisions—like finally canceling your Criterion Channel streaming subscription—will put you back in the black by September. (You weren’t really going to re-watch Frances Ha anyway.)
Leo + Leo Rising
You are famously inexhaustible, Leo, but this month might be… exhausting. It’s your season, at least for a couple more weeks, and the spotlight on you may feel more like a sunburn than a glow. Do not surrender to the pressure to perform—trust that the crowd will wait. Gather your strength, preserve your creative energy (which is abundant this month), and let the fruits of your genius ripen before sharing them with a broader audience. They will be much sweeter (and better received) tomorrow than today.
Virgo + Virgo Rising
Your mind is always at attention, but try letting it go slack this August. Observe yourself, not with the rigor of a scientist, but with the curiosity of a friend. Pay attention to what makes you laugh, what problems you’re solving in the shower, who makes you feel energized and who makes you feel avoidant. Don’t judge or interpret your findings right away (this is almost impossible for a Virgo), but let your relaxed brain sit with them for optimal clarity, joy, and wisdom. Not to worry—your regularly scheduled neuroses will be waiting for you in September.
Libra + Libra Rising
It will be hard not to take things personally, Libra, but do not rend your heart over a terse email or a little comment. It’s not you, and it’s not even them. Everyone is feeling the escalation of stress this month, and the ambient discord may threaten to destabilize your world-class composure. Your reflex, of course, will be to keep all parties happy—but resist it. The emotional gymnastics required will be too taxing, and you’d only be in for a pyrrhic victory, if any victory at all. Know that the drama in the air has nothing to do with you, and receive that for the gift it is.
Scorpio + Scorpio Rising
You may notice more doors opening than usual and wonder… why? Who cares! When you’re hot, you’re hot, and you should capitalize on this energetic tailwind by reaching out to people one standard deviation away from your usual circle, whether for business or friendship or fun. August poses some incredible opportunities to lay the groundwork for long-term career strides—but it’s also riddled with surprise and chaos, and you may not recognize the pool shot being lined up until you hit the ball. For now, assume every interaction is a window into magic, because it might be!
Sagittarius + Sagittarius Rising
You are called to put into practice my favorite corporate cliché: don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can. Your disposition is one of the most expansive in the Zodiac; you roam, you explore, you shoot your proverbial arrows far and wide. But zooming out ad infinitum and chasing greener pastures can obscure the unique value you are already contributing. Not every side project or curio du jour deserves your full focus—and, importantly, you don’t have infinite resources to devote to them. You will need to divest (a little!) from your non-core assets. Your core is pretty spectacular.
Capricorn + Capricorn Rising
You have one of the sharpest strategic minds, but this August, outsource all major decision-making to your dreams. Your intuition has never so powerful, and right now, the universe is depositing its secrets directly into your soul, bypassing your higher-order planning faculties. Leverage these nocturnal insights by taking notes when you wake up, not only on what you remember, but how you feel. Your dream logic may not translate perfectly into actionable advice, but it will open a window into a more dimensional picture of your emotional landscape. You may think you don’t understand what you see, but your unconscious mind knows exactly what’s up.
Aquarius + Aquarius Rising
Your usual allies may not feel like your best friends this month, but take heart that the strongest partnerships are not forged through frivolity—although that, too—but through difficult conversations and the courage to work through conflict. Whether it’s your partner, your clients, or your teammates, your closest bonds will be tested this month. The catharsis will be worth it; you will both emerge from the crucible more connected and invested than ever. These relationships are their own reward and will pay dividends for months and years to come.
Pisces + Pisces Rising
You have been grinding hard—typical—and by mid-month, you may be laid low by your own to-do list. I implore you: delegate. Ask for help and take people up on the offer. Your default posture is to shoulder too much burden and spare your team the added strain. But no one, not even you, can be a full-time martyr, and you cap the long-term impact of your work by going it alone. Your community is ready, willing, and able to help you save the day; the difficulty for you will be trusting that. Practice putting that trust to work and remember that even superheroes work best in leagues. 