In the preview of 2025, we mentioned August 9 as a key date, when Mars will be the leader of a important Kite configuration with the transpersonal planets while having the full moon in Aquarius. I spoke of Mars in Libra as the “war diplomat” opposing Saturn and Neptune saying the configuration “could easily bring peace to world conflicts, notably the war in Ukraine”. As usual, I was an optimist. But, even if we won’t see peace in a few days, the planets will be in geometric configurations with great meaning, as we will presently see. As a matter of fact, I decided to “build” the full-moon chart from its component configurations, nonetheless keeping a holistic view.
Kahunas of Human Evolution
In the Hawaiian language, kahuna refers to an expert in any field, from doctors and surgeons to priests and ministers, even sorcerers. The word was popularized in the 1959 film “Gidget” where a young girl meets a group of surfer boys, including one who is called the “Big Kahuna” of surfing. In terms of human evolution, the orbits of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto represent the key processes operating at the level of the collective unconscious as it manifests in our personal unconsciousness. At the time of the full moon, Saturn (Aries 1°20′) and Neptune (Aries 1°51′) will be co-leaders of the oft-mentioned “transpersonal” Minor Grand Trine, forming sextiles with Uranus (Gemini 1°08′) and Pluto (Aquarius 2°14′) as seen in the following chart:
We have said several times that the processes involved in a Minor Grand Trine work together under the direction of the planet found at the vertex, or apex, of the configuration; the other planets are there to support, and even justify, its leadership. These supporting actors will work together due to the trine linking them. The configuration always combines a cardinal, a fixed and a mutable signs so, in this case, if you have planets or angles in the initial degrees of any sign, they will make “hard” aspects with one of the Minor Grand Trine planets. For example, someone born in the first few days after an equinox or solstice will have Sun in the early degrees of a cardinal sign, thus forming a conjunction, square or opposition to Neptune.
Furthermore, the three signs are of the same polarity; that is, all three planets will either be in root symbols or in confirmation symbols of three consecutive operative couplings, working together to either start something new or confirm what was started. If we have the unusual case of a Minor Grand Trine changing signs, we either have a smooth transition from defining the new and confirming it, or the disruptive one from confirming the old to defining the new.
Yin to Yang Transition
We are currently living a transition of the disruptive kind, very similar to the one lived during WWII, as explained in detail in the 2025 preview. The Minor Grand Trine was formed a few times in 2023 and 2024 with Uranus in Taurus, Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn—imagine the triangle in the chart slightly rotated clockwise—confirming what they began years back in Aries, Aquarius and Sagittarius, respectively. From Pisces, Neptune energized the dissolution of structures into a vast ocean of potentialities, which Pluto in Capricorn interpreted as destroying institutions and Uranus in Taurus as revealing the fallacy of national borders.
The Minor Grand Trine will remain operational at least through 2028 and, since the three planets are currently in the signs they will occupy after April, 2026, we are now living a rehearsal until October 22, when Neptune goes back to Pisces to tie some loose ends. Of course, Neptune in Aries not only begins a new operating coupling but a new zodiacal cycle. It will be time to germinate the new seeds of potentiality amid the symbolic humus of what was dissolved when Neptune was in Pisces. Pluto in Aquarius will transform our culture, perhaps by revolutionary means, while Uranus in Gemini will provide intellectual energy to structure a new society.
Let’s use this rehearsal to dream up a new society based on compassion.
Mars in Libra
Mars will enter Libra on August 6, a sign where its archetypal desire for action is thwarted somewhat. Ruled by Venus, the polar opposite of Mars, Libra is the sign of relationships based on value judgements. Mars in Libra may be like the proverbial bull in a china shop, a diplomatic disaster, or a masterful negotiator in pursue of valuable relationships, an ambassador. Upon entering Libra, Mars will form trines with Pluto and Uranus that will complete a Grand Trine configuration, a near-exact equilateral triangle at the time of the new moon when Mars will be at Libra 1°28′:
A Grand Trine connects all three signs of the same element (or triplicity), in this case, air. There is almost too much harmony in a Grand Trine; the energies of the three processes are able and willing to cooperate with one another but neither one is saying on what they should cooperate. The trine aspects operate under the keyword creation (shown in green), which refers to the birth of ideas or viewpoints or to the initial phase of a new plan and a new purpose. This is particularly true when a Grand Trine is present.
We have mentioned numerous times that any contact between Mars and Pluto brings issues related to our individual will and the Cosmic Will. The trine is a magnetic aspect, relying on attraction to open the flow of energy. All of this represents an opportunity for our will to be attracted to and aligned with the Cosmic Will. In general, the full moon will be quite fertile in terms of ideas that will take shape during the waning phases, for this is a powerful Grand Trine. In any case, trines are aspects of vision and perspective, not initiators of action.
Mars as Kite Leader
However, the trine between Uranus and Pluto is also part of the Minor Grand Trine we saw earlier, resulting in the following Kite configurations:
Unlike the Grand Trine, the Minor Grand Trine has just one trine aspect and two sextiles, which operate under the keyword production (shown in purple) which are able to bring a project or idea to a point where it is seen actually at work. There is activity initiated by the planet with the sextiles and supported by the other two. However, the Kite’s most energetic aspect is the opposition between the leader (in the Grand Trine) and the pilot (in the Minor Grand Trine), in this case, between Mars and either Saturn or Neptune, for there are technically two Kites in the chart above. Mars will have been exactly opposed to Saturn a few hours earlier from Libra 1°20′, and will be exactly opposed to Neptune a few hours later from Libra 1°50′.
In an opposition, the two planets are in opposite directions, in terms of zodiacal longitude, from the point of view of an observer on Earth. Their signs are 180° apart, focused on one polarity of the complex relationship between ourselves and the others. The opposition operates in terms of awareness (shown in blue) of the polarity, made stronger when the planets are of opposite polarities like Mars and Saturn; imagine an unlimited force and an immovable wall. Consciousness is integrated awareness, according to Rudhyar. An opposition is an invitation to reconcile the opposites and not be pulled apart by their differences. In a Kite, the leader (Mars) has all the tools to acquire consciousness of what the pilot (Saturn and Neptune) represents. The leader also forms Mystic Triangles with the two other planets (Uranus and Pluto in extremely compatible signs) to aid in acquiring consciousness.
Exposing Cultural Truths
When either Uranus or Pluto is opposed by another planet, the resulting configuration is a Trapeze. For example, the new moon in Leo had both Sun and Moon in exact opposition to Pluto and we said that issues related to a confrontation between our individuality and our culture would be present throughout the lunar month. At the full moon, Mercury (Leo 4°29′) will form a similar opposition to Pluto, seen in the chart below. On the world stage, it may bring out information regarding such a confrontation, for a full moon reveals what was achieved (or not) during the waxing phases.
Although Mercury is shown moving retrograde at the full moon, it will be stationary 24 hours later and begin to move direct on August 12, never leaving the Leo 5 degree. From Leo and moving forward, Mercury will give us a dramatic individual perspective on whatever Pluto will expose. Ever since it entered Aquarius last November, Pluto has been unearthing what the current cultural environment has produced, with more secrets waiting to see the light of day in August. The opposition of Mercury and Pluto also forms two Mystic Triangles: one with the Saturn–Neptune conjunction and the other one with Uranus. The latter is interesting because Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury and because, as ruler of Gemini, Mercury is the dispositor of Uranus; just like Uranus is the dispositor of Pluto by ruling Aquarius, where Pluto is located. These energies speak of sudden and unexpected communications about the confrontation mentioned earlier.
New Beginnings Galore
Combining the two previous charts produces an intriguing configuration that unites five of the six Yang signs, root symbols that begin an operative coupling. Should another body were in the early degrees of Sagittarius, we would have had a Grand Sextile, geometrically a hexagon (in purple), one of the rarest configurations. Even though I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the lesser-known asteroids or dwarf planets is currently there, their processes are not well understood, in my opinion. As it is, the chart presents six planets, all within the initial five degrees of a new operative coupling:
Even though all six planets are in the initial degrees of a sign, four of them are retrograde, implying an amount of reflection consistent with the overall theme of this lunation. However, Mercury will change direction in a few days and the sextile with Mars will combine our mind and how we interact with the environment (Mercury) with our desires and the will to obtain them (Mars). Normally, Mercury is much faster than Mars but their sextile will be exact twice: on August 15 at 5°06′ of Leo and Libra, Mars moving much faster than Mercury which just changed direction, and on August 18 at 7°03′ of the same signs, with Mercury speeding towards their October conjunction. The point is that we will have this energy through the waning phases.
Individual and Cultural Expressions
As mentioned earlier, the new moon raised the question of individuality versus culture, symbolized by the exact opposition between the Sun–Moon conjunction in Leo and Pluto in Aquarius. At the full moon, Mercury is the planet opposing Pluto and Sun is opposing Moon, both oppositions in Leo and Aquarius. Sun in Leo symbolizes the creative expression of the individual while Moon in Aquarius will display how that creativity is received. Being an opposition, both poles have to work together to achieve integration, our creative expression should include co-creating a new culture aligned with the Cosmic Will, symbolized by Pluto and the Minor Grand Trine. In any case, adding Sun and Moon to the chart gives us:
Even though Sun and Moon are not in the initial degrees, unlike everything else thus far, they are closely tied to the Mars Kite through very tight semi-squares and sesquiquadrates. These “minor” aspects operate like weaker oppositions under the same awareness keyword, thus the dotted blue lines; although there are no weak aspects when Sun or Moon are involved. The revealing nature of a full moon is often accompanied by actual events that may show, for instance, how the Mars and Saturn confrontation was acted out, for their conjunctions and oppositions may bring out violence, as well as between Mars and Neptune, which could manifest as spiritual action or, unfortunately, as action based on disinformation and what is fashionable.
Full Moon in Aquarius
The full moon will occur on August 9 at 12:54 a.m. in California, at 1:54 a.m. in Mexico City, or at 9:54 a.m. in Central Europe. Sun and Moon will be at 16°59′ of Leo and Aquarius, respectively. The complete Aries chart for the full moon is:
August 9, 2025 at 07:54:55 hours (GMT)
At Aries 27°07′, Chiron is shown forming a square (in red) with Pluto which is off-sign and fairly wide. I mention it mostly because Chiron began a long period of retrograde motion on August 1, lasting until January 4, 2026. This will be a period of intuitive insights regarding our insecurities.
Fortuitous Opportunities
On July 31, Venus entered Cancer where it represents the need to feel secure within a home (or homeland). There is energy to be protective and nurture relationships. At the full moon, Venus (Cancer 10°40′) will form a conjunction with Jupiter (Cancer 13°28′) that will be exact two days later at Cancer 14°04′ and will remain in orb through the Last Quarter. This is the prototypical fortuitous conjunction; the two benefic planets, so called for their traditionally favorable influence, will be working together to expand issues related to relationships, art or finances. Recall that we had the final closing square in the Mars–Venus cycle at the new moon, a time to reflect on what we might have begun in January 2024, in the same Venusian areas of relationships, art or finances, and which saw fruition in December. Two weeks later, Mars will be having a confrontation with Saturn and Neptune while Venus will be cozying up to Jupiter.
Moreover, at the full moon, the Venus–Jupiter conjunction will be forming a trine with the North Node (Pisces 18°34′) that will get tighter in the days after the full moon. In reality, Venus is forming a Mystic Triangle with the lunar nodes but I don’t show aspects with the South Node. The North Node represents what life throws at us, so to speak, our life experiences which will include opportunities for the expansions just discussed, especially if there was a spiritual component in what we are trying to achieve since January 2024. The South Node in Virgo will make us resourceful when applying what we learned in the past to take advantage of opportunities we will encounter.
More About the Sabian Symbols
It seems that I will just continue to dribble information about the Sabian symbols. Upon analysis of the Sabian symbols, a structure emerged: they were organized in twenty-four spans, using Marc Edmund Jones original terminology, each having fifteen symbols. He remarked that he wasn’t looking for a pattern, it just serendipitously emerged. Later, in his book “An Astrological Mandala”, Dane Rudhyar refined the structure. Rather than spans, he wrote about twenty-four scenes, each with fifteen phases. Of course, when the cycle is the zodiac (Earth’s orbit around the sun), a phase corresponds to a degree and a zodiacal sign is composed of two scenes.
Rudhyar arranged the scenes in four acts, each beginning at an equinox or a solstice. He also subdivided a scene in three levels: actional, emotional-cultural and individual-mental, each containing five symbols amounting to one per phase (zodiacal degree). Not only that, the symbols in each level follow a pentarhythmic pattern of thesis, antithesis, synthesis, technique and completion. Interestingly, these keywords could archetypally describe the aspects formed when we divide the circle by one through five, namely, conjunction, opposition, trine, square and quintile.
Sabian Symbols
Coming back to the full moon, the six planets we earlier identified within the first five degrees of their signs, will all be in various phases of the actional level of the first scene in a Yang sign. Once again, the various retrograde planets are encouraging us to observe and reflect. The Minor Grand Trine will form again in 2026 like now, with its four planets in the early degrees of their Yang signs, and we will apply the wisdom we will extract from this “rehearsal”.
That said, the symbol for Leo 17 (Sun) was originally: “A non-vested church choir”, which Rudhyar modified to: “A volunteer church choir singing religious hymns”, further explained as the feeling of togetherness which unites men and women in their dedication to a collective ideal. Institutionalized religion (a church) is keen on giving a transcendental character to the feeling of community, producing a sense of Togetherness, its keyword. On the opposite side, Aquarius 17 (Moon) has the image: “A watchdog standing guard”, expanded as the development of the capacity to protect oneself and to safeguard one’s individual rights under complex social pressures. The symbol seems to imply that the individual person needs protection against the encroachment of society upon the theoretical right to have a private life.
About These Articles
Before summarizing the meaning of all the information just presented, I want to say a few words about these articles, for they have a dual purpose. From the mundane astrology viewpoint, the lunations represent energies we will feel as a collective and thus could easily influence societal behavior. Once again, what repeats in a cycle is the structure of the process, not the contents. Seeing the symbolism in the lunation charts provides us with a glimpse of structural crises that may result in events of a particular type. In this sense, the astrologer is a student of history and its correlation with the planetary processes. I try to include some analysis of this type to provide a minimum amount of order to the chaos of daily life, especially in these turbulent times. This analysis centers in the transpersonal processes of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, which are generational in nature, with Jupiter and Saturn acting as their sociocultural links to humanity.
The lunation cycles vary as they advance through the zodiac, felt by the biosphere as the passing of the seasons which provide a rhythm to evolve one phase at a time—recall that, in Time, the signs represent phases of a helical process. Therefore, from the evolutionary astrology perspective, the same energies may impulse an individual process to live our personal destiny (dharma). The lunation cycle, the relationship cycle between Sun and Moon, represents a process of integration within ourselves and with our communities. It is here that we add the personal processes of Mercury, Venus and Mars to the interpretation.
Global Perspective
With Pluto in Aquarius exactly opposing the new-moon conjunction in Leo, we knew the tension between our individuality and the cultural manifestations of our society would be front and center. Such a tension has been revealed strongly since Uranus entered Gemini nearly a month ago, forming a revelatory trine with Pluto. Individuals are unhappy with their national leaders whom, in turn, are unsure of how to appease them. In Aquarius, Pluto exposes the shadow aspects of our culture, like the awful truth of what is happening in the various conflicts, notably in Gaza, and Uranus in Gemini makes sure everything is communicated.
Among other things, Neptune represents amorphous masses, like oceans or migrations, which were rather unorganized when it was in Pisces. Take, for instance, the “small boat” crossings over various bodies of water. Since Neptune entered Aries, however, the issue has demanded prominence, just witness the anti-immigration stance of the Trump administration. Moreover, Saturn next to Neptune shows its ability to structure and organize that approach, as evidenced by the recent shift in the asylum seeking policy in the European Union, where seekers may be sent to a “third country” outside the EU to process their claims.
Individual Perspective
We spoke earlier of the conjunction between Venus and Jupiter and how it forms a Mystic Triangle with the nodal axis. As strong as this configuration is, it can be lived as pleasant experiences unawares, possibly at home. But, we will benefit much more if we are able to observe ourselves and evaluate the moment critically. And that brings Mercury to the discussion, which will be at Leo 5 from August 7 to August 14. Its Sabian symbol, “Rock formations at the edge of a precipice”, may represent inner calm, competency and courage in the face of danger, or it may symbolize stubbornness and inflexibility or resistance to change. The sextile of Mercury and Mars will add common sense, skill, determination, practicality and competence to our mental processes. It will be active as soon as Mars enters Libra on August 6 and will remain operational until August 25, two days after the new moon in Virgo.
Wrapping Up…
The Kite of Mars with Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto presents a great opportunity to advance in our Path, actualizing our dharma in alignment with the Cosmic Will. In many ways, it presents us with an opportunity to design our destiny.
No doubt the month of August will offer us a preview of 2026. Remember the two clear directives: observe and reflect.
I will not repeat the exercise of building a chart, don’t worry. Enjoy the full moon on Friday night, as it will be exact in the wee hours of Saturday.
Always Love. 🌹🙏💖
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