DAILY ASTROLOGY IN FILM: AUGUST 16-18

MOON IN AQUARIUS from 7:52am EDT on Tuesday August 16 until 5:26am EDT Thursday August 18. FULL MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE at 5:26am EDT. Ruled by Uranus, the principles in effect for this Fixed Air sign are Separation, Breakthrough, Breaking Apart and Unique Individuality. It includes the arenas of Technology, New Age Ideas, Equality, Communities, Friends, Enlightenment, Aha Moments, Change and Revolution. Don't expect warm and fuzzy encounters at this time. The Aquarian Moon tends to reflect a more detached behavior. People tend to need more Freedom and Independence. It's more mental than emotional so the Moon is not really comfortable here. It's a GREAT time for Innovation and looking at life in from a new perspective.

FULL MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE at 25 Aquarius at 5:26am EDT. A Lunar Eclipse occurs only during a Full Moon, when the Earth, in its orbit around the sun, passes exactly between the Sun and the Moon and casts its shadow on the latter. (A great astronomical term for this kind of alignment of any grouping of planets is syzygy.) The Moon is full, then, when it is opposite the Sun: Generally speaking a Full Moon reflects the tension of The Feminine Principle (Moon) in opposition to the Masculine Principle (Sun). It is a time of CULMINATION, bringing to CLIMAX and COMPLETION. 

This eclipse is a Penumbral Eclipse visible from the Eastern half of North America and most of South America. Partial visibility will be possible from other continents as well. Since the Lunar Eclipse reflects Letting Go of outdated behavior patterns, this is a GREAT time for rituals that bring to consciousness what no longer serves you. You are completing a cycle that either began at the March 8-9 Solar Eclipse or more recently at the August 2nd New Moon in Leo, and getting ready to begin a new cycle at the next NEW MOON SOLAR ECLIPSE on September 1st. 

The LEO/AQUARIUS FULL MOON reflects the singular Self (Leo Sun) opposing the Community (Aquarius Moon). It offers circumstances for us to negotiate how to express our individual true selves amidst the influence of the crowd or the groups of others to which we are drawn. It's also a pull between the Head (Aquarius) and the Heart (Leo). We're likely to encounter the feeling of being blown off by some and too drawn in by others. Honoring both ends of the opposition is the winning ticket. Don't avoid the collective for fear of feeling lost in it - find the way to be your unique Self which can only contribute to the group consciousness. Don't be afraid to say no if the crowd tries to convince you against your better judgment. And listen to both your Head and your Heart. We're likely to see ourselves in a surprisingly new way!

LAST ASPECT OF THE MOON: Moon Opposite Sun at 5:26am EDT on Thursday August 18th: Robert Redford's 80th Birthday!  So, the Full Moon is actually the last aspect the Moon makes before leaving Aquarius. It will tend to color the whole time the Moon is in this sign. The Opposition is often experienced as tension-ridden so, in general, actions initiated at this time will tend to have CHALLENGING results. If you are able to marry the opposites in true alchemical form, honor both ends of the polarity, you'll have that Aquarian breakthrough and probably a major Aha moment! SEE POST: THE HIDDEN OPPORTUNITY IN OPPOSITIONS.

NOTE: MERCURY GOES RETROGRADE ON AUGUST 30 until September 22! Start preparing yourself by doing everything on your important To Do list by the 26th (the cautious 3-days-before-the-turning rule of thumb). Communications and Travel tend to go awry during this 3 week or so period. It's advised not to sign contracts or make important agreements/purchases at this time. They tend not to work out as desired. It's a great time for creative and inner work as well as doing something over that didn't work out the first time. Check and double check all communications, fine print, directions and vehicles! Dreams tend to be dramatically informative and creative writing can be on fire! Keep a journal by your bed so you can easily record stream-of-consciousness ideas as they pour in!
   
SCENE OF THE DAY: Sneakers, 1992, Director: Phil Alden Robinson. This light-handed crime drama has security expert Redford, encounter his past in the form of Ben Kingsley's character - the college partner-in-prank turned techno-revolutionary (Double Aquarius!). He is one man against the collective (Leo/Aquarius). But the two old friends are at opposite ends of the moral spectrum now (Sun/Moon Opposition).  Redford (a Leo - Aug. 18th Birthday!), working with a close-knit group of friends (Aquarius), is ready to let go of past dreams of global socio-economic equality (Aquarius) - or at least the manner in which it's attained. He goes his own way and finds his own means (Aquarius). This is a great heist film, full of Heart, with an amazing cast which includes Sidney Poitier, Dan Akroyd, Mary McDonald and River Phoenix.