[dropcap size=big]G[/dropcap]et ready, cause here it comes. This month the Unites States will experience a total solar eclipse. Although L.A. is not found in the path of totality, Angelenos will see a beautiful partial eclipse at 10:20 a.m. on the 21st. The eclipse coincides with the New Moon, so this may be the best date of the year to start something new, regardless of your sun sign. To soak up the cosmic reset this opportunity affords, set your intention for the new solar cycle before the event, and then meditate on it at full-blast during the eclipse. And please don’t look directly at the sun, lest you damage your eyes like that wacky Aquarian, Galileo.
Aries (March 21 – April 20)
Keep your horns up, Ram for a rocky month, but one that steadily improves. On the 3rd, Uranus demolishes your house of self-regard, and you see yourself ungenerously. Use lovers as mirrors instead. Back off of summer fun before the 12th when retrograde Mercury, everyone’s favorite buzz kill, heads for your health and wellness; this is the best day of the summer to start your detox. If you are traveling on the 25th, don’t blow your budget - Saturn is watching. This is a great day to pursue higher education, and the life of the mind in general. Romantic luck abounds on August 27th.
Taurus (April 21 – May 21)
People make too much of your stubbornness, Taurus and forget your hard work for others. On the 7th, a partial lunar eclipse reminds you that even the bull needs a vacation. Join the fun or suffer FOMO. During the big eclipse on the 2th , the sun coincides with creativity. Don’t miss the opportunity to work that right brain of yours. Financial relief comes on the 25th, when Saturn goes direct in your income house. This is a time to reflect, not start something new. Romance blooms at work on the 26th - be warned.
Gemini (May 22 – June 21)
Gemini, you’re growing up. Still witty, you ditch your bratty tendencies this month when your eclipse energy coincides with home and family. Back off of money issues on the 4th, when Jupiter squares Pluto in your finance sector. (New opportunities come later in the month, so don’t worry.) On the 7th, a partial lunar eclipse affects your sense of law and decency. Avoid national politics if you can help it. On the 21st, you have a chance to eliminate drama on the home front. Buy a gavel to stop arguments. Burn sage in the morning to set a positive tone.
Cancer (June 22 – July 22)
August 21st may be the most powerful day of 2017 for the Crab. Your ruling moon starts a new cycle the night of the big eclipse. If you have any ideas for new ventures- romantic, artistic, or professional - this is the day to start them. Your natural dynamism will be on full display, but stay on guard for emotional upheaval. And since the eclipse falls in your money house, I recommend setting an additional financial intention you can benefit from all year. Start thinking about your goals on the 7th during the partial lunar eclipse of the full moon. Practical Saturn assists on the 25th.
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
Lively up yourself, Leo on the 21st when your ruling planet, the Sun, goes dark above our continent. We know you love the attention. More than any sign you are poised to benefit from the solar eclipse. Set your intention for this new cycle before the event, and meditate on it during the peak of the eclipse. If you miss this opportunity, you wont get another until 2024. The partial eclipse on the full moon (August 7th) is just a pre-show, so pace your excitement. It’s going to be a long month.
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
Virgo, despite your name you’re more of goddess mother than a virgin this month. Go full Beyoncé during the Perseid Shower on the 11th and 12th. When your ruling planet, Mercury goes retrograde the same night, celestial fireworks abound. (Best view is after midnight.) To avoid seeing sparks here on Earth, replace old laptops or other electronics before the reversal. And if you set an intention during the solar eclipse, initiate it on the 25th when the sun enters Virgo. Finally, Venus enters your sign on the 26th -great night for a date night.
Libra (September 23 – October 22)
You generally have it together, so when sentimentality kicks in on the 18th, don't be surprised when you ugly cry, or you’ll miss all the fun of shocking your friends. Venus, your ruling planet, conjuncts the moon at 10 p.m. that night. (This should be beautiful so please go outside and look.) When that emotional power collides with the goddess of love, fertility is heightened. So be advised. Partnership troubles early in the month abate on the 25th, when practical Saturn goes direct.
Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
When Venus shows up in your relationship house on the 26th Scorpio, ask yourself if one hookup is worth risking a friendship. It might be. The big eclipse hits you in this same sector on the 21st , so maybe this attraction is meant to be. Is love hiding in the form of a friend, maybe someone you had an argument with on the 12th when Mercury went retrograde on you? You’ll get your usual self-confidence back on the 27th at the big sextile. And don’t expect your natural intuition to function this month, Neptune stepped out for a cigarette, and won’t be back until September.
Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
Sagittarius you beautiful centaur, you. The activating energies of the eclipse may be getting all the hype this August, but you live the dream every month. Does having the luckiest planet as a ruler explain your happy nature? Of course it does. Those that know you best see how exhausting it is to be the hero, so please appreciate the emotional wellness you will receive on the 25th. Support from practical Saturn, your celestial frenemy, will help you to activate any intention you set during the solar eclipse on the 21st. Mercury goes retrograde in your career house on the 12th. Use this opportunity to catch up on all that adulting you neglected this summer. Clean the fridge, or organize your finances.
Capricorn (December 22 – January 20)
Your policy of if it don’t make dollars it don’t make sense, fails you this month Capricorn. You may find yourself defensive when your ruling planet Saturn falls conjunct the moon twice, once on the 3rd and again on the 25th. You prefer material concerns to emotions, and feeling all the feels makes you queasy. Others might perceive you as standoffish on these dates. Ignore them and steel yourself for retrograde Mercury on the 12th. Your best use of the big eclipse on the 21st is to focus on death of the ego. It sounds bad, but it’s transformative. And on the 25th dollars and sense benefit from lucky Jupiter in a sextile with Saturn. Kinky.
Aquarius (January 21 – February 19)
Your zodiac symbol represents all wave energies, Aquarius, from water to sound to light. Some of these rays will be blocked this month. You may feel like you’re losing your edge on the 7th, when your ruling planet, Uranus, goes retrograde. Given your tendency to resist change, this one’s gonna hurt. The Perseid Meteor Shower is in your corner of the Zodiac, and on the 11th and 12th it will help you get your sparkle back. Best viewings are after midnight. Mercury goes retrograde in the middle of the shower. On the 21st, that solar eclipse will hit you square in your partnership house. Rather than getting dragged out of your comfort zone, why not jump?
Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
You are the Stevie Nicks of the Zodiac, Pisces – both in in glamour and heartbreak, so be forewarned that August won’t start off with gold-dust. Your center will wobble on the 3rd with a retrograde Uranus in your primary house. Don’t lose yourself in the song; the month gets better from here. The big eclipse on the 21st gifts Pisces with a chance at romantic commitment, And a boost from Jupiter secures joint income on the 27th so you can stop bickering about money at home.
Ophiuchus (November 29 – December 17)
The other signs may not believe in you, Ophiuchus, but they’re just jealous because the solar eclipse hits you right in your money house on the 21st. Before that you’ll take a hit at work when Chiron, your little ruler and takes its centaur body retrograde, remaining in Pisces until April to challenge your deepest chill. Consider it a meditational deity like those Tibetan Goddesses, sure she has a boiling eyeball, but she just wants you to look after yourself. Hang in there. A friend will share an opportunity on the 27th that might help you pick up that snake and believe in yourself.
ALL PHOTOS VIA NASA / JPL
