Auspicious August?

Capricorn

The question, as always, is how much of a burden you are prepared to shoulder and to what end. The march of the Goat’s planet, Saturn, across the roof of your horoscope, makes the nature of your professional quest an all-consuming question this autumn. You are certainly in a position to make your mark, and if you are still on the foothills of Mount Capricorn, then the next six months is a time to throw all your energies into The Job and emerge triumphant at a new peak.

On the flip side – and even Saturn has a flip side – comes the question of whether all the outward status and success for which you strive amount to what your fellow Cap Humphrey Bogart once termed ‘a hill of beans’. When, in short, does your hunger for public approbation become oppressive?

It’s a question you alone can answer. At least you have Jupiter, ‘the greater fortune’ to help you decide. The large and ‘lucky’ planet remains in spiffing position for you, favouring you not as grim career politician but expansive lover and bon-viveur. That particular role becomes almost irresistible in the last week of August, when Venus and next month’s new Moon complete a triangle of earth signs. You look like a world-beater then.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First there is the annoying matter of Mercury retrograde to contemplate – helpful to you principally as a time to re-examine finances, and go into your wall safe to ensure your portfolio of bonds and real estate investments is paying off. Since today’s new Moon makes strong contact with the root of your ‘scope, domestic issues and home security are up for a review.

Relations with principal players – spouses, lovers, business partners, ex’s, enemies – have been tested (perhaps not so sorely) over the last month. Six weeks of Mars in opposition, beginning on the 4th, is no recipe for smooth relationship sailing, but you can get issues out in the open and strike the correct balance with whichever other half is in question. It might be an idea to tread warily around the 10th/11th however, when it would be easy to overestimate your power or to use it inappropriately. Your ability to keep everyone happy is undervalued by others (it’s one reason you carry that professional burden – to be godfather or mother) but at mid-month it’s likely to be tested.

The month of Virgo, opening on the23rd, oils your wheels and enhances contacts with far-flung places and people. Away you go!

Lucky Days: 1, 2, 9, 10, 29

Yucky Days: 3, 4, 17, 18, 25

Fashion Icon: Kate Moss

Colour: Navy

August is a month of extremes. For starters, there is another Mercury Retrograde arriving on the second day of the month, stirring up trouble in all matters of communication through the end of summer. You’ll feel the chaos at first in your travel zone, until Mercury backs into your sector of resources and transformation on the 8th. Your inherent organization will pay off in spades this month, while everyone else loses their mind from the chaos. The Full Moon on 13 August takes place in your money sector, and it can bring unexpected expenditures, so don’t panic if your bank balance suddenly seems to dwindle. You’ll replenish it in no time because that’s just how you roll, Capricorn. The Sun and Venus move into your travel sector during the final days of August. You’re better off waiting until Mercury goes direct on 26 August before booking any extended or complex itineraries that the Mercury Retrograde could botch. The New Moon on 28 August is the best time of year to plan your travel plans for the next six months.