August 2025 Aquarius Full Moon, Leo Solar Festival Cosmic Weather Forecast

Welcome to the August 2025 Cosmic Weather Forecast by Curtis Lang with Jane Sherry! We celebrate the Aquarius Full Moon on August 9, 2025, at 3:55 AM EDT, along with the Leo Solar Festival. 

The peak of the annual Perseid meteor showers will be August 12-13th, so this Full Moon week is a great time to go stargazing outdoors in the very early morning hours, when you might be able to catch sight of some of the brightest meteors, which should be visible with the naked eye despite the bright nearly full moon lighting up our skies.

Recline on the ground or in a lawn chair for best viewing, any time from just after sunset to that pre-twilight time just before dawn. Relax your focus and allow your gaze to expand to take in the entirety of the night sky. In this way you can see meteorites streaking across the darkness from any and every direction.

Astronomers say that patient skywatchers scanning the dome of the night sky might spy up to 20 Perseid meteors per hour.

That's a lot of shooting stars! That's a lot of wishes!

While you are in a relaxed state of mind, just observing the entirety of the night sky, take some time to engage with the cosmic forces surrounding our planet.

"A starry sky is one of the greatest marvels of nature," explains the Bulgarian spiritual teacher Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov. "But there are different ways of looking at the stars. You can use a map of the sky and a book on astronomy which set out in detail everything known on the stars and planets. All this is certainly very useful for your understanding of the universe, but what does it do for your soul and spirit?"

"How different it is from the experiences you can have when contemplating the starry sky with no other thought but to dissolve in this immensity! Little by little a peace comes over you and lifts you up," Omraam continues. "You have no other desire but to wrest yourself from the earth, to be carried far out into space where you can commune with the spiritual beings who manifest physically as stars. You find yourself projected into regions where you feel nothing is more important than to unite with the cosmic Spirit, to allow yourself to be penetrated by it so that you come to a true understanding of things which impregnates your every cell."

Aquarius Full Moon, Leo Solar Festival and Beyond

On Saturday, August 9th, at 3:55 AM EDT we celebrate the Full Moon occurring at 16º59'58" Aquarius and the Leo Solar Festival. The Full Moon opposite Sun in Leo is a void moon -- on August 9 from 3:56 AM EDT through Sunday, August 10 at 2:50 AM EDT.

A void of course moon makes no significant aspects to other planets, indicating at best a calm and reflective energy, suitable for meditation, play, yoga, listening to music, and relaxing with friends, and at worst, a time of standstill, an uneasy feeling that the sky is holding its breath in anticipation of unknowable changes to come.

Absent potent lunar aspects, this Full Moon week the cosmic weather pattern is dominated by a series of meaningful aspects to Mars, which governs the application of human will forces and power in all its forms, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Mars governs our ability to project energy in pursuit of our goals and the placement of Mars in a particular sign governs the strategies and tactics used to overcome obstacles blocking us from attaining our goals.

Mars also governs the spiritual aspirant's desire to transcend the limitations of this physical incarnation, the constraints of the egoistic personality, and the restricted viewpoint resulting from our limited human capacity to perceive the totality of the Universe through our five senses.

This Full Moon week, Mars enters Libra and forms a Grand Trine with Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini.

Mars is said to be unhappy in Libra, a Venus ruled sign of relationship that favors efforts to negotiate a dynamic equilibration of opposed forces rather than the application of martial power to shape and dominate the world around us.

This Full Moon week's Grand Air Trine favors focused efforts to dive deep into the Plutonian depths of the Aquarian collective consciousness, in hopes of triggering a dynamic, Uranian flash of insight into the power relations underlying social dynamics in our world.

We are called upon at the Full Moon in Aquarius opposite the Leo Sun to attempt to harmonize our individual Leonine desires with the compelling Aquarian forces arising in the group minds in which we are embedded.

We are asked to maintain our integrity while still fulfilling our dharma, our moral and spiritual duty to family, friends, tribe, nation and humanity as a whole.

As you can see in the Full Moon chart above, this week Mars in Libra forms a strong opposition to both Saturn and Neptune residing in the Mars ruled sign of Aries.

The Mars-Saturn opposition indicates the possibility that our efforts to work our will in the world will be obstructed by social structures, perceived enemies, and environmental factors that dwarf our ability to project power and achieve our goals. 

Mars in Libra thrives on partnerships, so if you're feeling that Saturnian pinch somewhere in your life, know that you can more easily move forward toward your material and spiritual goals with the help of friends, lovers, and allies. There's no need to feel you have to do everything yourself. That mistaken belief might become a self-limiting, self-sabotaging Saturnian factor inhibiting your progress in life.

With any Mars/Saturn opposition there is always the possibility that we might lash out in frustration and anger in reaction to that perceived Saturnine obstruction to the attainment of our Mars-ruled desires.

We might also be perceived as the unbearable Saturnine obstruction blocking others from attaining their desires, and in that case we might become the target of their anger and aggression.

In terms of geo-politics there is definitely the potential for escalation of tensions and conflicts around the world, and the likelihood that domestic political power games will further polarize an already divided society.

With Mars in Libra opposing Neptune in Aries as well as Saturn, discretion is definitely the better part of valor. The Mars-Neptune opposition creates the potential for conflicts undertaken and escalated through errors in judgement, based on mistaken mental maps of the world and uncontrolled negative emotions. We could over-react to perceived threats in our environment. 

So if you feel like you want to lash out at someone this week, or if you feel you're the target of unfair aggression, it may be best to pause a beat, take a deep breath or two, and simply let the energy dissipate over the next few days rather than participating in the escalation of a conflict that could spiral out of control.

Exercising the Saturnine virtue of self-restraint in the face of Mars ruled frustrations, threats and provocations could enable us to avoid self-sabotaging over-reactions we would later regret. 

On the positive side, Mars opposite Neptune indicates powerful psychic perception of the deep emotional and subconscious energies that motivate people for good or ill.

This same aspect provides the ability to project mental images and archetypes into the consciousness of those around us, especially through art and meditative practices. This aspect indicates the possibility for shared psychic experiences.

The Mars opposition to Neptune and Saturn lasts for about a week or two after this week's Full Moon in Aquarius, and during that time, we will enjoy the benefits of some very positive planetary aspects that should help us leave the drama, trauma, confusion, anger, and aggression of this months' Full Moon behind us.

The Grand Air Trine between Mars, Pluto and Uranus will continue to provide substantial energy for diplomacy, therapy based on explorations in depth psychology, group meditation and ritual practices, and vision quests, both personal and collective.

On Monday, August 11th, two days after the Full Moon, Mercury goes direct in Leo, sextile Mars in Libra, providing energetic support for successful negotiations and diplomatic initiatives in both the personal and social realms of being. This energy remains strong through August 20th.

The next day, Tuesday, August 12th, Venus conjuncts Jupiter in Cancer, the sign of home, family, fertility, creativity and intuitive spiritual guidance creating one of the most luscious aspects imaginable. This planetary aspect indicates the potential to magnetically attract love, harmony, money and happiness into our lives.

With Venus and Jupiter both in Cancer, we can enjoy our home, our family, our friends and all the activities and places that most nurture us.

The August 2025 Grand Air Trine is still active and adds additional energy to this quality of time, which is ideal for group spiritual practices.

Then, on Thursday August 21st, we initiate a two year period that is marked by truly auspicious, harmonious outer planet aspects. Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto will all be in very early degrees of Fire and Air signs, which marks a sea change from the past decades, when outer planets inhabited Earth and Water signs for the most part.

Uranus will be in Gemini, Neptune and Saturn will be in Aries and Pluto will be in Aquarius, and they will align at the same degree of their respective signs. 

Neptune and Saturn will be entering the very first degrees of Aries, at the midpoint between Uranus and Pluto. For a recap of the importance of this world-altering outer planet conjunction at the very start of the Zodiac, check out our blogpost entitled Preview 2024-26, Leo Full Moon, Aquarius Solar Festival Cosmic Weather Forecast. This post also discusses the esoteric and world historical significance of Uranus in Gemini and Pluto in Aquarius in some detail.

Uranus in Gemini will trine Pluto in Aquarius.

As you can see in the chart above this planetary configuration creates sextile aspects between the Saturn/Neptune conjunction and both Pluto and Uranus.

This planetary combination creates an extremely rare and powerful aspect known as a Minor Grand Trine. Another Minor Grand Trine involving these four planets will form in November of this year. Pluto, Uranus and Neptune will form yet another Minor Grand Trine in July 2026 and then again in 2027.

To give you an idea of the historical significance of this aspect, Minor Grand Trines with a Neptune midpoint, like the current multi-year configuration, happen on average about once every 500 years.

The last time this occurred was in 1504. 

In 1504, the Renaissance was reshaping Western civilization, politics, culture, art, religion and metaphysics, as a new paradigm of humanistic philosophy emerged to successfully challenge the Medieval primacy of religious authorities to shape human consciousness and social institutions.

By 1504, Christopher Columbus had just completed his four historic voyages of discovery to the New World, unleashing the European conquest of the globe that would reach full fruition in the Modern Age, which we still inhabit today.

Julius II was anointed Pope in 1503, ushering in the Golden Age of Rome. Michelangelo completed his David for the Basilica in Rome in 1504. Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in 1505.

Henry VIII came to power in 1509, and soon Europe would be wracked by religious wars between Catholics and Protestants that would persist for centuries.

Now we have reached another rare crossroads in human history. The Minor Grand Trine of 2025-2027 is set to usher in an entirely new Zeitgeist, a new cultural paradigm, a new model of human consciousness and a set of new discoveries that will change human civilization for centuries to come.

There's a lot to unpack here, and astrologers could write entire books about the revolutionary changes about to sweep the world. Let's take it slow and easy, and look at a few of the implications of this momentous series of astrological events.

Powerful Uranus/Neptune aspects like the current Uranus/Neptune sextile indicate disruptive changes in the spiritual, cultural, and moral underpinnings of society. 

Tarot Trump XXI, The Universe, Thoth Tarot

Renowned astrologer Richard Tarnas, in his book Cosmos and Psyche, associates Uranus/Neptune cycles with the discovery and visualization of entirely new cosmological maps of the Universe, religious and spiritual awakenings, the birth and growth of idealistic, Utopian social movements, and the flowering of a general cultural Renaissance.

Because Neptune dissolves previously fixed belief systems and mental maps of the world, people are also susceptible to mass delusions and the effects of propaganda during such periods of psychic transformation.

Uranus in Gemini is associated with technological breakthroughs, and during the current Uranus/Neptune sextile, we can expect to see technologies that purport to materialize our dreams and visions, and to transport us to altered states of consciousness.

Wonderspaces, San Diego, California, Photo by Barbara Zandoval on Unsplash

Will these techno-Utopian technologies create true consciousness expansion or simply provide a means of escape into a fantasy world? Will they turn out to be most useful as tools of war and commerce? Perhaps they will be seen over time to be merely glamorous chimeras. All this remains to be seen.

As part of the epoch-making Minor Grand Trine of the 2020s, Uranus in Gemini will trine power planet Pluto in Aquarius from 2025-2029.

We have discussed this aspect in previous newsletters, including Preview 2024-26, Leo Full Moon, Aquarius Solar Festival Cosmic Weather Forecast. A series of fast-paced technological breakthroughs will be accompanied by the empowerment of gifted individuals to create startling new metaphysical and philosophical systems that will radically transform humanity's self-consciousness in ways not seen since the Copernican Revolution.

The potential downside is the possibility that Silicon Valley Plutocrats will create a Techno-Feudal society in which the unfathomably rich will seize control of the new technologies and steer the new consciousness revolution into an evolutionary dead end where a small oligarchy appropriates all the benefits of the Uranian technology breakthroughs for themselves, while reducing the rest of humanity to a condition of servitude.

WE ARE ONE // SAVE THE PLANET // Global climate change strike - 25. March 2022
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Neptune's multi-year sextile to Pluto, which runs through 2032, indicates the potential for the dissolving of the rigid hierarchical structures in society, such as we see in the current exploitative colonialist, sexist, dominator culture of the global hydrocarbon Empire.

This positive long term Neptune/Pluto sextile also could help to empower the vast majority of people around the world in their quest to obtain their fair share of the benefits that will accrue from the abundance of technological breakthroughs indicated by the Pluto/Uranus trine in Air signs.

Now, let's take a look at the previous Minor Grand Trine in history that featured Saturn and Neptune both sextile to Pluto and Uranus, similar to the 2025-2027 aspects.

On October 4, 481 AD, a Minor Grand Trine formed between Pluto newly arrived in Virgo, Saturn and Neptune traveling in a broad conjunction in Libra, and Uranus in the last degrees of Sagittarius.

Pluto and Uranus were in a trine, with Saturn and Neptune in the middle, sextile both Pluto and Uranus, creating a Minor Grand Trine. 

Destruction, from The Course of Empire by Thomas Cole (1836)
Thomas Cole, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The period from 476 AD - 570 AD is considered the period of the Fall of the Roman Empire.

During this time an oligarchy ruled the Empire, common people suffered, and Imperial wars of aggression roiled the regions we know as Spain, Croatia, Serbia and France. 

In 476 AD the barbarian commander Odoacer forced the teenaged Western Roman emperor Romulus Augustus to resign, and Odoacer assumed the Imperial throne.

Nine Roman Emperors had fallen in the previous 25 years, and to the Romans, Odoacer's coup was nothing special.

The Senate continued to convene, Roman coins were minted, and Roman armies continued to wage wars on the Imperial periphery.

Coin depicting Flavius Theodoricus (Theodoric the Great). 

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme , CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Gothic King Theoderic the Great, a patrician in the Eastern Roman Empire, overthrew Odoacer in 493 AD and became the new ruler of Italy. 

Despite Theoderic's credentials as a patrician, his Gothic origins totally alienated the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople, who began to seriously plot an invasion of Rome by 526 AD.

In 535, the armies of the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople attacked Italy and gained control of the Roman Empire in the war that followed, which devastated Rome and most of Italy.

By the 560s, the population of Rome had fallen from 500,000 to around 25,000 and the Fall of the Roman Empire was complete.

In its place kingdoms, principalities, and eventually nation states would arise over the course of the next thousand years or so.

Today, we inhabit a global hydrocarbon fueled Empire that knits together all nations and peoples in a world wide web of highly networked, technologically and financially interdependent, capitalist nation states. 

There is a clear and present danger that this Global Hydrocarbon Empire will decline in the coming decades, as the Roman Empire did, some 1450 years ago. 

We see around us the contours of a vast global polycrisis encompassing resource depletion, accelerating extreme climate change, expanding resource wars in the Middle East, a military arms race between nuclear armed great powers, unprecedented wealth inequality, and a spiritual and moral abdication of traditional adherence to basic human rights.

At the same time, the potential for a global Renaissance exists and the appearance of the Minor Grand Trine of the 2020s points to humanity's potential to navigate a path through our era's complex, interconnected crises and reach a New World in a New Age of spiritual freedom and enlightenment. 

We inhabit the crossroads of history, a time when our collective decisions will determine the future course of humanity's evolutionary path for centuries, even millennia to come.

As the example of the Roman Empire illustrates, the collapse of an Empire can be a long, drawn out affair. In the period of decline, and during the interregnum following collapse, there is much work to be done. It is vitally important for us all to do what we can to pass along the wisdom teachings, the technical skills, and the ethical values that comprise the best that our world historical period has to offer humanity.

Gandalf the Grey, Drawing by Nidoart, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

That is our curse and that is our blessing. 

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the change unfolding around us these days.

It is tempting to want to tune out the deluge of information, fake news, spin and propaganda that engulfs us in a tsunami of digitized imagery as we doomscroll our way through our days and nights of discontent. 

It is difficult to find common ground with others, and to join together in community when it seems we all live in our own separate realities.

Yet there is so much all of us on the path of Spirit have to share during this time of global crisis and transformation.

Our guides and teachers urge us to stand strong, knowing that although we may be a small minority among the global billions, our love and our light are a bridge leading from the dying past to a new beginning for humanity.

 

Jane and I send you love and light this Full Moon week and we affirm that we all receive the grace and guidance we require to attain our most elevated spiritual goals and our most dearly sought after material rewards during this time of world-historical cultural transformation.

Meditation Moment: Shedding the Old by Samantha Thornhill

Such as the lobster 

cracking loose 

from its exoskeleton 

after moons of moulting,  

or the viper that squeezes 

out of the skin 

of its remembrance, 

this oracle invites you

to rewild yourself,

to unbox, detox, and de-

clutter your blood. 

Break free from the mold

you made for yourself, 

for the animal 

in you that craves 

routines like sugar,

addicted to the stress 

of your comforts. Sling 

your arm around the waist 

of your discomfort

like it’s a new lover

in these uncharted 

seas and distances 

untraversed. Take

and give glee. 

Summon surprise.

Something whim-

sical this way comes. 

It smells something 

like wishes wrapped 

in wind as you

trod the winding path 

through 

the forests 

of your interior. 

Be warned. You will

bewilder beloveds. 

Hush. Some 

events are better

experienced than 

explained. Take soul.

Your joy is your job;

and yours alone. 

Hire your

self every day. 

Climb into your traveling

shoes knowing that

there, too, will 

be dancing. 

Samantha Thornhill, slowking4, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons