Weekly Astrology Forecast, August 13-19: Finding Your Most Authentic Self

This article originally appeared on Yoga Journal

Venus, the Sun, the Moon, Leo, and Uranus--these are the planets, stars, and archetypes contributing to the prevailing vibe this week.

Sun conjunct Venus Retrograde in Leo

In astrology, the Sun is our conscious awareness, our vitality, and our individual self. The center of our solar system, it is the focal point from which all other planets are either held or compelled to move. When a planet draws close to the Sun, it is known as a cazimi, coming from an Arabic term meaning "in the heart of the Sun." The Sun-centric nature of astronomy is mirrored in astrology, as the Sun is the motivating force behind all our movement and expression.

Venus' glyph, or symbol, in astrology is that of the hand mirror. It reflects back to us who we are through the humans we choose to love as well as the things, concepts, ways of being, and places that we hold valuable. Representing beauty, desire, love, and partnership, Venus has been retrograde in Leo since July 22, 2023. During this time, she has been moving through the underworld and journeying through our shadows. It has been an invitation to go inward, a space holder to reconsider, reframe, realign, and recenter ourselves before we move forward once again with fire and passion.

On August 13, Venus in her retrograde comes into an exact conjunction, or cazimi, with the Sun, which is also in Leo. As Venus conjuncts the Sun, it is as if a mirror is placed directly in front of our conscious awareness. The Sun shines its light on this mirror, on all that Venus has witnessed deep within our shadows during her retrograde, and places it all front and center so that we may look at it, be with it, and accept it. As these two cosmic entities come together, there is the potential for serious introspection, shifts in perspective, and more conscious awareness about your journey.

New Moon in Leo

A few days after Venus and the Sun come together, we meet a new Moon on August 16. The Moon, empty and beginning her new cycle, joins the lineup of planets in the fiery sign of Leo.

Under a new Moon, we are gifted with a rebirth of light. We witness the Moon as she births herself anew from nothing, growing in light, size, and shape with the Sun at her side. Together they journey. The Sun offers warmth and life force for the Moon to build herself anew into the world. When both are in the same sign, they hold a similar intention, direction, desire, and vision.

Leo represents the innate human need to express ourselves, to be who we are, whether the world around us applauds or not. Whether your mode of expression is creatin, singing, speaking, or being art. Whether your mode of expression reveals itself in your passions, your work, your food, or the way you care for those you love.

Under this new Moon, we are asked to rebirth the light and life force that we reflect from the Sun. We are called on to rekindle our commitment to ourselves and the expression of ourselves.

As Venus continues to retrograde in the same sign, there is an invitation to meet ourselves--our needs, our desires, our hearts and all that they have been through. This awareness contributes to our understanding of where we desire to build ourselves with this new Moon.

The final piece of the puzzle this lunation is the Moon’s square with Uranus, our planet of freedom and independence, liberation and innovation. The friction from this potentially contentious alignment brings an essence of cracking open.

Your Invitation

Venus in her retrograde, the cazimi, and the new Moon--all taking place in the sign of Leo--bring an emphasis to the journey of the planet’s archetype. They highlight it. They look directly at it.

As Venus and the Sun come together in a cazimi, you are invited to explore your heart, your essence, your truth, and your awareness of the insights offered by Venus retrograde. Sitting next to this retrograde and heavily influenced by Uranus, the new Moon can feel like a doorway opening deeper into yourself and bringing even more awareness and insights.

Here you are invited to rebirth how you consider and understand what lies within you by exploring any wounds and narratives of past relationships, the way you shine or don't shine your light, and how you express yourself to the world. Here you are invited to rebirth your perspective and bring your inner needs to your conscious awareness.

Uranus opens new doors within you that offer a novel way to see things, a manner of perceiving that was previously unavailable. The Uranian magic of cracking open will recast what you had previously accepted as truth, fact, possibility, confines, and limitations.

There is much awaiting your realization this week, as if parts of you are finally ready to be seen, known, accepted, claimed, and liberated.

Learn more about the influence of astrology in your life, including astrological events the Moon cycles, your Sun and Moon and rising signs, how journaling can help you connect with the current influences, and more with Jordane Maree at Girl and her Moon.

About Our Contributor

Jordane Maree is the founder of Girl and Her Moon, a platform and community exploring Soul through the lens of astrology, tarot, and energy healing. She is a writer, intuitive astrologer, energy and soul guide, and host of Girl and Her Moon, The Podcast. She is inspired, every single day, to be the mirror for you to see all that you truly are, you in all your infinite abilities, in total expansion, in infinite opportunity and love.

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