August 2023Fertile Sorrow
Dear Agents of Evolution,
Life has a way of finding your holdouts, exposing them, and nudging you to surrender ever more deeply into the Great Heart at the center of all experience. July was such a month for me.
On the 1st of July I drove up to my Dad's house in Wheeling, WV to visit my Dad and his wife, Liz. On July 4, the day after that auspicious full moon, my Dad entered an active dying process. On July 5, at 12:51pm, my Dad took his final breath. I am so honored and fortunate to have been witness to his passing. He was truly a great being and taught me so much about Love, forgiveness, compassion, and hope. His death was an awakening and a teaching for me.
Any of you who have been in the room for a birth or death will know what a blessed offering it is to be present to this sacred, liminal realm, as souls enter and exit this world of form. It changes you. If you're interested in reading more about my experience around my father's passing, I will write about it in my Substack newsletter – consider signing up for a free subscription to my Agents of Evolution Journal.
Within five days of my father's passing, (within the same Gurupurnima lunar cycle,) my beloved spiritual mentor and friend, Sally Kempton, also took her last breath. If you knew Sally and would like to see the memorial created for her students, you can find that on Sally's website.
In other, more mundane news, my trademark for the phrase Agents of Evolution® has been fully registered with the US Patent & Trademark Office. It's been a 2.5 year process.
If you've already had readings with me in the past, you can always schedule a follow-up session with me here.
Wishing you full awareness of the radiance of your own heart, and of your connection to the Great Heart.
August Astro Weather Highlights
July 22 – September 23
Venus Retrograde
Re-assessing values, desires, relationships, life priorities
We're noticing what we've outgrown in terms of old ways of loving, old ways of showing love and affection, old life goals based in what we think will bring us love and inclusion, old desires based in socialization.
Socially, some change in cultural aesthetic will occur. This could include ways we show each other who is loved, and who belongs. Also, possible reactions/ protests to legislation limiting who is included.
You'll see the results of all the inner work you do, later in September when Venus resumes direct motion. The fruits will be worth the labor!
July 5 – August 7
Venus traveling in same sign as Mars
Creative adaptation of social norms
The intensity of love and belonging during this month of these two passionate planets traveling together should not be underestimated. This is a "romantic" kind of prelude where we idealize the old ways of loving, before re-evaluating them during the Venus retrograde.
This particular Venus and Mars traveling together through Leo has much to do with how we bring forward the love, wisdom, and blessings of our lineages. Though the ethos may remain the same in what we imagine for ourselves going forward, the way it looks, and the way it is expressed, may be changing.
It's not that a generation gets it wrong and then the new generation gets it right – it's just about what is in alignment with the times. Each generation adapts the social norms of the ones before them.
August 1
Full Moon in Shravana
Listening for direction
We'll be listening deeply for how our own unique expression fits into the whole. A good question to ask yourself at this full moon is: "What of my uniqueness is essential to the healing of the Whole?" In other words, how can I express my own unique energetic signature of Love in a way that contributes to our human family coming together?
I will offer a more detailed summary of this full moon on Instagram.
August 13
Sun conjunct Retrograde Venus (Cazimi) with a loose square from Uranus
Taking risks in building new relationships loosens our ligatures
Different views on love and loyalty may be front and center.
We can expect to be willing to take more risks in Love and partnership. And we may be out of our comfort zone as we traverse new terrain that expands what is possible in Love and partnership, trying hard not to fall into the groove of our old patterns.
August 16
New Moon in Ashlesha
Potent introspection
The place where this new moon occurs is a very delicate spot in the heavens. I am expecting penetrating insights to come out of various sectors of our culture, exposing the toxicity in our ways of living.
One good way to approach this new moon would be to engage in an act of contrition: "What do I need to change about the way I engage with my beloveds? Where is my fear, anger, hurt, and resentment preventing my Love from being totally free?"
I will offer a more detailed summary of this New Moon on Instagram.
August 22
Mars opposes Neptune
Ideals around partnership
Working within the given parameters that any given partnership presents, dreaming into what's possible when we collaborate, when we form commitments toward any particular endeavor. Letting our imagination inspire our actions.
August 23 – September 15
Mercury Retrograde
Retrace your steps, review choices made
We get Mercury retrograde review periods three times a year, but this one happens to co-arise with a Venus retrograde so we're really in review mode, especially around relationships, partnerships, commitments. This Merc. Retro. also coincides with the beginning of the school year for many. Students may be needing to cover old ground before heading into the new material. Relationships may also need to rehash old material before moving forward.
August 27
Sun opposite Saturn
Working within limitations
Feeling the limitations of the collective (the family, the organization, the group, the culture,) and how that impacts us. Taking into account the realities of the collective as we right size ourselves to fit what the collective needs.
August 30
Full Moon in Shatabisha conjunct Saturn
Healing under duress.
Sometimes the most challenging of circumstances bring the most spiritual growth and healing. This full moon offers that kind of opportunity as it challenges us to release our addictions to substitutes for love.
I will offer a more detailed summary of this full moon on Instagram.
World Astrology Predictions
August/ September Predictions:
In the Kelleher chart for the United States (set for 6:30pm, Philadephia, PA, July 4, 1776,) the US is entering a new sub-period on September 1, 2023, of Rahu/ Mercury, lasting until March 20, 2026.
This period may bring economic crisis, possibly due to economic ties with other nations where a downturn or collapse has initiated.
Let's see what happens...
I'll review this prediction in the October newsletter.
No matter what transpires in the outer world, an Agent of Evolution comes from the Love lying at the basis of all existence in all their engagements. No experience is excluded from this. What Love looks like in any given interaction is something we'll be reviewing in August.
What brings you back to this awareness? Find that out, and stay in high fidelity to that.
