Mercury Stations Retrograde in Virgo: Weekly Horoscopes for August 21 to August 27
Leo Season | July 22 to August 23
Virgo Season | August 23 to September 22
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
― Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV
"Citation is feminist memory. Citation is how we acknowledge our debt to those who came before; those who helped us find our way when the way was obscured because we deviated from the paths we were told to follow."
― Sara N. Ahmed
“No matter who you are. You get in here and it’s real. That’s why people don’t like to rehearse. You gotta get in here and be humble. You gotta study, be a student…”
― Beyonce
“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
― Audre Lorde
Therefore we must fearlessly pull out of ourselves and look at and identify with our lives the living creativity some of our great-grandmothers were not allowed to know.
― Alice Walker
Name and honor your intellectual lineage. Cite your sources. Make a bibliography of your artistic influences. Master your technique. Check the integrity of your systems and routines. Take care of your body. Review your spending habits. Practice being meticulous. “Write like a motherfucker.”
As the Sun moves into Virgo on the 23rd, remember that as artists, we cannot afford to be an island. We need our dramaturgs, cultural critics, mentors, detailed lit reviews, and a bibliography. Virgo season reminds us that we are part of a larger conversation with our forebears and audience. When we dare ourselves to “be better,” it isn't a personal achievement but a spiritual striving. There’s nothing new under the sun, and we honor this thread of consciousness by shifting from simply expressing ourselves to mastering a technique through repetition.
Above all, Virgo wants to move toward a critical understanding of something. As we go deeper into building our bodies of work, we understand that critique is a necessary earth principle of Mercury. When we make space to remember, reflect and revise, we reroot our creativity in the fertile soil of analysis and tradition to expand. This is how practice and rehearsal can become a ritualized and sacred experience: ceremony.
At the core, Virgo’s essence is to be in divine service. The Virgin learns humility by yearning for excellence over perfection. To be humble is to understand how your self-mastery aids a greater and more sacred mission of being alive. It is a recognition that to answer the call of service is to bow only at the feet of God and move beyond the pageantry of modesty. Dr. Maya Angelou makes the distinction between modesty and humility in a 2014 interview with Dawn Reiss in The Atlantic:
“You see, I have no patience with modesty. Modesty is a learned adaptation. It’s stuck on like decals. As soon as life slams a modest person against the wall, that modesty will fall off faster than a G-string will fall off a stripper.”
…
“Whenever I’m around some who is modest, I think, ‘run like hell and all of fire,’” … “You don’t want modesty, you want humility. Humility comes from inside out. It says someone was here before me and I’m here because I’ve been paid for. I have something to do and I will do that because I’m paying for someone else who has yet to come.”
This season is about preparing for your ‘great work’ and cultivating an awareness of the necessary sacrifice required, a sacrifice not born of a sense of obligation or guilt. You are growing the willingness and courage to achieve self-mastery. My hope is that this process of expansion ensures you will be ready and a clear and skilled vessel when your moment arrives, and it will come.
Mercury stations Retrograde in Virgo
On August 23, as Mercury stations retrograde in Virgo (until Sept 15 for 23 days), there is no better time to remember, reflect and revise. We all know the reputation of “Mercury Retrograde,” but this year, I want to challenge you to work with Mercury Rx rather than against it. Mercury― the trickster, the charmer, and messenger of the gods ―wants to help us connect the conscious and unconscious, the earthly and the heavenly. Whatever accidents, inversions, or serendipitous opportunities await you, laugh it up. If things go haywire, don’t stay down too long. Bounce back. Recover and recoup quickly; make it a skill. Mercury ‘got jokes’ galore, but it wants to teach you. It wants you to be masterful with your attention and turn it into deep awareness. Mercury Rx is a masterclass in cultivating discernment. In the earth sign Virgo, Mercury is powerful despite slowing down. This is not the time for making big life-changing decisions. This is, however, the time to plan, make a list, and get ready. Virgo wants results! But you can’t bully yourself into success. Choose necessary self-scrutiny over perfectionist self-criticism.
Also, with Venus in Leo Rx square Jupiter in Taurus on August 22nd, be careful of doing too much. Overspending, overgiving, overeating, generally overdoing it in matters of the heart and pleasure. A little moderation goes a long way.
Questions:
What are your systems and plans? How can you refine them?
What resources are available to you, and how do you use them?
How can you incorporate more wellness into your routine?
Are your habits sustainable on your good days and bad days?
What toll are your ambitions taking on your body?
Important Transits and Dates:
22 - Venus in Leo Rx square Jupiter in Taurus
22 - Mars in Virgo opposite Neptune in Pisces Rx
23 - SUN ENTERS VIRGO
23 - MERCURY STATIONS RETROGRADE IN VIRGO (until 15 Sept for 23 days)
24 - 1st Quarter Moon in Sagittarius
24 - Mars in Virgo trine Pluto in Capricorn Rx
27 - Sun in Virgo opposite Saturn in Pisces Rx
27 - MARS ENTERS LIBRA
Planets currently stationed Retrograde (Rx)
Mercury in Virgo Rx ( (August 23 to Sept 15 for 23 days)
Venus in Leo Rx (July 22 to Sep 3 for 42 days)
Saturn in Pisces Rx (June 17 to Nov 4 for 139 days)
Neptune in Pisces Rx (June 30 to Dec 6 for 159 days)
Pluto in Capricorn Rx (May 1 to Oct 10 for 162 days)
Chiron in Aries Rx (July 23 to Dec 26 for 156 days)
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. Thank you :)
ARIES & ARIES RISING
Aries, where have you been giving away your power? Yes, your rage might be righteous but look at the room it's taking up in your spirit. To get back to your life, to your destiny, be willing to surrender the wound for something greater. This season is about noticing boundary violations and transgressions that are no longer ignorable. Notice where you're rushing to rescue others without their consent. Rescue yourself and let others save themselves.
TAURUS & TAURUS RISING
I know you love your comforts, and you might even need them with the year you’ve had. Beware of overindulgence in the form of overgiving or overspending, especially at home. Do your pockets match your spending habits? This season calls for moderation and temperance. Know your limits in love. You are building a home where love will need to be sustained. Mercury Rx wants you to reflect on the spirit of romance and embody it.
GEMINI & GEMINI RISING
You have been learning to get more creative and grounded in your organization processes around your home. #Adulting in ways that essentialize your core systems to simplify your life. The goal is to encourage you to reclaim your time and attention to better balance the demands of your home life and career. Read the fine print this week! Especially anything concerning rental agreements, real estate dealings, or mortgages.
CANCER & CANCER RISING
Discernment is your best friend, especially as you tend to be overly attuned to your family's needs. As Mercury Rx moves through your communication zone, reflect on your words or advice; are they critical or unsolicited? Redirect the energy you spend rushing to offer your advice and channel it into your newsletter and projects. When you allow people to be responsible for themselves, it frees you to liberate and honor yourself.
LEO & LEO RISING
Leo, it may feel like your insecurities are on stage for the world to see; we all have them. Practice being nonjudgmental about what's coming up and observe their true source, especially in your career ambitions. Adjusting how you show up at work is not fake or performative; it's an art form. Instead of overcompensating for your insecurities this week, I challenge you to risk being seen for your gifts rather than puffing up.
VIRGO & VIRGO RISING
Certain kinds of transmissions and higher learning want to take place but can’t happen in isolation. These small rebirths allow us to re-enter the world as fuller beings. With Mercury Rx this week, review your outlook on life. Is it getting you where you want to be in life? Make time to check in with your body and nourish it with a massage or incorporate new somatic/bodycare practices.
LIBRA & LIBRA RISING
Libra, you’ve been sharing your life force and hope with everyone around you. Check-in with yourself and notice which areas of your life you have been overgiving and those around you may be living off your hope and dreams. What you are learning about finances, you are also learning in love, pay yourself first, and rescue yourself first. As Mercury Rx has you reflecting on your self-sabotaging tendencies, notice where fear is loud but nonsensical.
SCORPIO & SCORPIO RISING
Scorpio, the universe wants you to know it’s time to forgive yourself like a habit. You’ve been feeling foggy in your love life or maybe victimized by it. It has been easier to put your energy into your achieve goals. Notice what guilt, anger, and shame maybe bring up for you. This is an invitation to surrender your (righteous) victimhood for a new perspective and self-vision. Forgive so you can see yourself and others clearly.
SAGITTARIUS & SAGITTARIUS RISING
You, more than most, know that failure and mess-ups are a necessary detour, a pilgrimage worth taking because of the wisdom it bestows. Accessing this wisdom doesn’t have to be a one-time thing. You are learning to build a life with habits that support you in channeling the divine regularly. As Mercury Rx has you reflecting on your professional legacy, remember there is no perfect legacy. Honoring your wildness allows you to become a lighthouse.
CAPRICORN & CAPRICORN RISING
Sometimes we have to feel our way out of the dark. No amount of logic or reasoning can shift our reality. This week reflect on whether or not you really need another accreditation. Are your training, certifications, and degrees being put to use? Mercury Rx wants you to reflect on balancing what can be studied with what can only be known. Going to the source might mean going within first.
AQUARIUS & AQUARIUS RISING
We inherit the parents' choices and experience some carried down across multiple generations. Sometimes we are so deeply woven into the tapestry of our heritage and culture that we don’t realize our knowledge isn’t universal. This week, don’t guilt or shame your partners because you don’t share the wisdom and experiences. Use Mercury Rx to reflect on how you can create a nonhierarchical shared intimacy that can tackle grief, death, and the underworld of life.
PISCES & PISCES RISING
This month, you’ve been wrestling with the space love demands in our lives. Love is like inspiration, it's all around us, but we have to bathe ourselves in it and let it nourish us. As the Mercury stations regrade, review the projections you’ve placed on others and take it slow in disagreements with partners. Try holding in your criticisms and seeing what’s behind them. What parts of you do they affirm or silence?