August 17 - 22
Mercury, Sun (conjunction in Leo) ~ Dramatic powers of speech
Mercury, the planet of the mind, is in conjunction with the Sun in Leo from August 17th to 22nd 2024.
This transit is part of Mercury’s retrograde phase up to August 29th, where you are reviewing your options and perhaps going back over a project or decision a second time. Though both are moving in opposite directions, the Sun and Mercury coming close together in Magha, the heart of Leo, gives your ideas new power and dramatic skill. You find the courage to say something that you have delayed or avoided, but it also pays to leave yourself in a fall-back position.
This combination of planetary enemies creates Budhaditya Yoga, an excellent opportunity to study, research and do business. You can rise to become a spokesperson and influencer in your field, with a creative flair for the commercial and popular, where Leo’s theatrical touch sets your message apart. You identify closely with your opinions and can shed symbolic light on a subject you may have been avoiding or simply did not know how to move forward with.
Expressing yourself openly strikes a chord with others on your level, and though you are forthright and stubborn, you may wish to be a little more open-minded. Sun and Mercury receive the harsh energies of Mars and Saturn through this transit, which may make you snappy and impatient, as you also have to conform to authority. Tension arises in business when you are expected to deliver quickly but also be professional and meet the highest standards. It may be hard to delegate and let go of control, but enlisting a friend’s help or asking a fellow professional makes a big difference.
August 17 - 25
Sun, Venus (conjunction in Leo) ~ Holding court among friends
The light-giving Sun and Venus, the planet of relationship, come together in Leo from August 17th to 25th 2024.
These planetary enemies affect each other powerfully, and you need to find a middle way between the Sun’s ‘me first’ attitude and Venus’s desire for balance and compromise. You have a friendly and open approach to people, and gravitate towards the centre of your group, possibly without realizing you are doing it. Sun and Venus are at opposite ends of Leo through this transit, so Venus retains its power to act without feeling overwhelmed or burnt up in the bright solar light.
You like to be generous and support your friends, and enjoy the feeling of being King or Queen in your royal court. The Sun is strong in Leo-Magha and you have a sense of your own identity while valuing friends and relationships at home and at work. Tolerance and forgiveness come easily, which lets you overcome past problems in a relationship, and you even get a sense of pride from playing an effective diplomat or peacemaker.
Your artwork or creativity also has a touch of the dramatic, where you express yourself naturally, perhaps in an actual theatrical production which satisfies your need for acclaim. Sun and Venus receive the influence of cold, sober Saturn through this transit, so you can also be professional and strike a work-life balance.
You may have to compromise with your social life and put business first, or be patient while your partner is busy for a time. Speak carefully around August 19th and don’t take somebody’s chance remark to heart.
August 25 - 18
Venus, Ketu (in Virgo) ~ Enjoy your romantic imagination
Venus, the planet of relationship, comes together with shadowy Ketu in Virgo from August 25th to September 18th, 2024.
This conjunction gives you a shy but insightful approach in love, and a desire to put somebody else above you. You may give wonderful qualities to a friend or lover, and find an unspoken rapport that is truly deep and exceptional. A new relationship may appear strange from the outside, even to yourself, though a magical atmosphere between you makes any romantic sacrifice worth it.
There’s also an element of fate to your relating, where a potential love interest arrives to teach or share a lesson, and you experience a lot in a short time. You may find a partner at a yoga class or spiritual retreat, and connect over a mutual interest in self-development and creativity. You have a visionary and imaginative mind and can produce high-quality and inspired artwork.
Venus in Virgo tends to over-analyse people and situations, so don’t talk yourself out of a good opportunity or exaggerate a possible problem. Keep your boundaries up, however: Ketu is symbolically headless, and you can rush into a romantic situation without thinking, or be blind to a romantic warning. Be mindful also of lapsing into an unconscious relationship pattern where you have gone astray in the past.
It takes willpower to resist ingrained karmic behaviour, but this is a point where you can break out of a destructive cycle. Venus and Ketu receive the supportive influence of Jupiter through this whole transit, which gives you confidence in a social event, and September 15th – 16th clears the way for a helpful introduction.
