Weekly Horoscopes for August 6 to August 13, 2023
Leo Season | July 22 to August 23
“We must not let our oppression deny us the earth.” ― Ntozake Shange
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” ―Psalm 1:3, King James Version
“I pull from the lush plains and jungles, deserts and snow-crested mountains and cement and barbwire of our landscape. We inhabit space with rhythm, color, and olfactory miracles. This is who we are.” ― Ntozake Shange
A dear friend of mine gave me the book “Pause, Rest, Be: Stillness Practices for Courage in Times of Change” by Octavia F. Raheem; it had been a balm to her in a challenging season. Raheem encourages her readers to recover and truly rest through restorative yoga and prompts on self-reflection. This space to ‘pause, rest, be’ is one Raheem created out of necessity under the duress of developing an autoimmune disorder, and to save her life, she had to proactively relearn her body’s capacity.
As the third quarter moon (or last quarter) in Taurus approaches tomorrow (August 8th), I’ve been reflecting on the opportunity for rest that this phase of the moon cycle offers us. This stage is about being present enough to notice what needs to be let go and released. In Taurus, we are reminded that our bodies are our home and our first instrument. Ruling over the throat, Taurean energy is attuned to power of the rhythm and melodies all around us. The sound that the wind makes when it kisses the leaves. The taste of a juicy mango or perfectly ripe and sweet fruits. The feeling of the sun sinking into our skin in a peaceful meadow. Taurus is the earthly expression of Venus and the physical embodiment of pleasure. It shows where we are rooted to experience the delight and joy of being alive: where we are present. This is one kind of peace, one kind of rest.
Uranus has been making an electrifying sojourn through Taurus since May 15, 2018 (and will be there until April 27, 2026). Wherever Uranus goes, he leaves behind a trail of upheaval, the kind of undeniable shifts that can lead to liberation, destiny, or destruction. Above all, Uranus wants us to get unstuck, to sweep out the old and bring in the new. With this longer-lasting transit, the god of change has been reworking our innate sensibilities: where we are stuck in our personalities out of habit rather than authenticity, where we have an allegiance to expired radical ideals that no longer resonate with our reality.
This week with Uranus in Taurus squaring Venus Rx ― stubborn, fixed, and different as they are― want us to get unstuck as we have to catch up to the reality of the changing world. Venus in Leo Rx is not just a notorious “break-up season,” but it wants us to remember that the most active pathway to love is being ourselves without apology. But we don’t exist in a vacuum. Without apology does not mean without consequence. We exist in a big wide world that is rapidly evolving, and to adapt, we have to change with it, whatever that means for you.
In this evolution, let rest; the pleasure of being in your own body lead you home. Don’t let the inevitability of the world changing meet you as a surprise or shock. Prepare at your pace, sustainably, but get unstuck. This is impossible without rest and the ability to let go and let God. The task of this grand transit is to sit with the possibility of a new realm, a new world, long enough to bring it into being in our bodies.
Important Transits and Dates:
08 - 3rd Quarter Moon in Taurus
09 - Venus in Leo square Uranus in Taurus
09 - Mercury in Virgo trine Jupiter in Taurus
12 - Sun in Leo Trine Chiron in Aries
13 - Sun in Leo conjunct Venus in Leo
Planets currently stationed Retrograde (Rx)
Venus in Leo Rx
Saturn in Pisces Rx
Neptune in Pisces Rx
Pluto in Capricorn Rx
READ ME: From my heart to yours, “Horoscopes with Heart” is an offering of cosmically aligned inspiration. I hope these words act as light as you make your way through the week. May you always remember: you are the author of your life, and astrology is not a prescription for what you can and will do but a guidepost that supports you in activating your living creativity. I read my weekly horoscopes for my rising sign, but feel free to read for your sun or rising sign. I welcome you to share these words with friends and credit me @LoveStephGee or by linking this when resharing or quoting. Thank you :)
ARIES & ARIES RISING
This week, reexamine your belief systems about work. Notice where you are holding on to outdated ideas about yourself and creating unnecessary tension in your life. Could these ingrained outlooks be preventing you from taking on new exciting challenges? Be willing to listen to the messages coming through, and don't shoot the messenger. Just notice what’s no longer true to you and let go. What appears as a crisis may lead you to more authentic self-expression.
TAURUS & TAURUS RISING
With Leo season spotlighting your psychological foundations and your home, you might be feeling like a homebody. Bring out your most glamorous robe and make yourself a charcuterie board. Use this energy to bring a spirit of celebration to your home projects and make them special. I know you cherish stability and reliability, but Uranus is asking you to create a home within yourself. Might as well make it a regal and decadent experience.
GEMINI &GEMINI RISING
My dear Gemini, this week, choose to affirm the good. If you can’t believe or feel your way out of the darkness, practice counting your blessings. I mean it. Write down how things are working for your good and on your behalf. Keep the list near. Notice how the universe conspires to support you and how it comes through for you. Reframe your perspective so you can experience miracles as your birthright. Let gratitude recharge you.
CANCER & CANCER RISING
With the third quarter moon lighting up your social circle, don’t be afraid to let go of connections and friendships that are expiring. Relationships ending don’t have to be a crisis or upheaval. Honor your losses and grieve, but then get ready to welcome the new. Nature abhors a vacuum, so trust that what is arriving will be in deeper alignment. What are your rituals for clearing out others' energy and recalling yours?
LEO & LEO RISING
After last week's full moon in Aquarius, your partnerships and unspoken agreements with friendships are under the spotlight. Leo, remember that relationships are a choice, and we choose to share ourselves and our lives with others. How can you relate to your nearest and dearest in ways that remind your partner that you are together because you want to be? How can a renewed awareness of the power of your choices empower your sovereignty?
VIRGO & VIRGO RISING
My beloved perfectionist, you are in a masterclass of self-mastery. What obligations are you keeping to your detriment? Are there outdated roles you still playing because you're accustomed to them? Let these insights about yourself guide you to an enriched perspective about your own possibilities and recharge you. Whether these realizations lead you around the world or to a deeper devotional practice, remember that you are at the center of your life and your destiny.
LIBRA & LIBRA RISING
Sometimes, what we don't yet know about love is more important than everything we think we know. Friendship and love are innate, even little kids know it instinctively. This week, I offer you a quote from Cheryl Strayed: ‘You have to be brave enough to build the intimacy you deserve.” What could change if you no longer needed to prove that you are lovable or worthy? Let’s release the should and the coulds and rewrite the rules of relating altogether.
SCORPIO & SCORPIO RISING
Dear Scorpio, keep naming your vision, putting it into words, and finding the pictures that best represent it. Rehearse the feeling of it being received well. It may feel like you're up against time but stick with it. This season is about mastering your own willpower. Work with your ideas in any medium that helps you to exhaust their potential. This is a labor of love and a test of your endurance. You will recover.
SAGITTARIUS & SAGITTARIUS RISING
This week as the insights about your professional trajectory roll in, notice if you feel fulfilled by the decisions you’ve made so far. Can your habits sustain your aspirations, or are they leading you astray? You are learning to be attuned to how routines can ground you in times of great upheaval. Find blessings and gratitude within the reality of your life. You are learning that if you can’t steady the storm, calm yourself.
CAPRICORN & CAPRICORN RISING
Saturn Rx has slowly revealed where you’ve become overreliant on productivity as a measure of your value or lack of productivity as proof of your unworthiness. This week, remember Maya Angelou’s words “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” This week, consider how your ideas about success and failure may be rooted in intergenerational trauma and grief. Work with the third quarter moon to clear those energetic imprints.
AQUARIUS & AQUARIUS RISING
How much of your self-esteem is bound up in unhealthy ideas of relating that you’ve inherited from society and parents? Perhaps you overgive to feel seen or under give to rebel against your norm. Whatever it is, Aquarius, your healing has the potential to illuminate new templates for relating. This month, keep clearing those old programs about intimacy and enmeshment. Consider having conversations with your partner about separating your finances so you can feel freer.
PISCES & PISCES RISING
As you learn to be a better and clearer communicator of the vivid world inside your head, harness the power of your imagination. What we tell ourselves in the privacy of our minds reveals itself within our most intimate relationships. While relearning to express yourself, remember that communicating is a necessary lifeline in our partnerships. How are old patterns of dealing with conflict shaping your current relationships? Balance your imaginative gifts with some real talk.