YOUR AUGUST 2024 HOROSCOPE: TRAVEL MISHAPS ARE LIKELY THIS MONTH
Meet your astrologer
Steph Koyfman is a writer and astrologer best known for her work as Lady Cazimi. She writes the monthly horoscope for Condé Nast Traveler's Women Who Travel.
In good news, your August 2024 horoscope has arrived. But if you were banking on a calm, collected, and emotionally well-regulated end to your summer, the astrology begs to differ. If anything, August is when things start to unravel a little. Mayhem in the mutable signs will contribute to a scattered, unfocused mood that is possibly the result of taking on too much during the more enthusiastic parts of early summer: Mercury begins its retrograde in Virgo on August 4, and a T-square between Venus in Virgo, Mars and Jupiter in Gemini, and Saturn in Pisces looks like a recipe for “doing everything except taking pleasure in the process.”
This may be a month that reminds us that there is no such thing as truly taking a vacation from the demands of life, or escaping a world in crisis. Climate emergencies have become somewhat of a yearly recurrence at the peak of summer, and this month’s astrology lends itself to experiencing up close the disrepair and dysfunction that can come with environmental chaos, overtourism, and inflation. Though this is a less than ideal month to visit places known for heavy crowds, the moment is also ripe for internal breakthroughs and the flexibility required to change your mind. Perhaps this might look like changing your consumption habits after seeing their impact, or deciding to avoid traveling to places where infrastructure is already overburdened. It could also merely look like seeing where things have become unsustainable in your own life, and evolving accordingly.
If all you can do this month is focus on keeping your own boat afloat, the good news is that things start to ease up at the end of August. The stressful stuff peaks between August 14 and 22, a time that may find us trying to juggle too many balls while the stage lighting malfunctions (or, more literally, dealing with some sort of transit chaos). Some relief arrives at the end of the month as Mercury stations direct on August 28 and Venus enters Libra the next day, which paves the way for repair and connection again (and brings the Bad Mood of Venus in Virgo to a close).
Astrologer's note: Below we refer to your signs as “rising” signs, also known as your ascendant sign. Horoscopes are more accurate when read this way—using your birth time and location, you can quickly find your rising sign online (it takes less than 30 seconds).
Aries Rising
For better or for worse, you will probably get a lot done this month, but at what cost? Demands on your time are demands on your sanity, especially right now. The good news is that as you scramble to meet your deadlines, wear your many hats, and somehow manage a calendar that is often double-booked, you will reach your limit eventually. And when you do, you’ll probably have to change how you operate, which is a good thing if it means you’ll avoid creating this kind of schedule for yourself in the future.
August 14 through 16 looks especially testy for you, and could deliver the ultimatum from the universe that forces you to seek an alternate route around the roadblock. If you’re traveling around this time, that last part could actually be pretty literal, but don’t discount the more likely possibility that you’ll be coming up against the limits of your own time and capacity to “do it all.” Some of your close connections may also pile on the stress if they’re unhappy about you flaking on friend and sibling dates; you might also catch a whiff of bad attitudes among your teammates, especially around August 22.
With Mercury stationing retrograde in your sixth house of work on August 5, it would be fitting if your mental real estate this month is taken up by mundane matters of scheduling, rescheduling, playing with your calendar settings, and renegotiating your workload. If you have children, this Mercury Retrograde could very much be about juggling their appointments and activities, and maybe scrambling to find a new babysitter. Otherwise, expect your hobbies and creative pastimes to figure into the equation as well. You’ll need to reconfigure your life in a way that balances work and play if you’re serious about staving off the burnout you’re likely feeling right now.
Taurus Rising
Just because you’re doing what you love doesn’t mean you can’t overextend yourself. And paradoxically, you might find out the hard way this month that too much of a good thing can actually impede your enjoyment of it. Is there such thing as too much travel? Maybe.
From August 4 to 29, your ruling planet, Venus, will be transiting through Virgo. This is usually a time in your year when you’re meticulously attending to the craft of pleasure and the labor of artistry, whether that’s engineering the perfect party and polishing each brush stroke on your canvas. Now, though, there are multiple players running interference on Venus. Mars and Saturn are both ganging up on her from across the three-way intersection, and around August 16, you may feel the squeeze—most likely in the form of runaway expenses and a tough crowd. If you’re trying to organize something fun with your friends, try to be wary of peer pressure to keep up with the Joneses or being cast in the role of thankless party planner. If there are income disparities that may interrupt a group trip, have that discussion up front and work toward an agenda that makes everyone feel taken care of and included. If you’re a creative, you might also be catching a chill from your audience (and the subsequent heat of how much harder you’ll need to hustle). Mercury will also be retrograde in this same part of the sky starting on August 5, so some revisions are to be expected. Don’t be too precious about holding onto your first draft: indeed, the second version might be better.
The Aquarius Full Moon on August 19 looks somewhat pivotal for you, and you might decide to boldly declare or differentiate yourself, either professionally or anywhere else the whole world can see. Maybe in the midst of all this experimentation, you’ll stumble on your next big pivot, or decide to rebrand. Maybe in the process of trying to make everyone else happy but yourself, you’ll arrive at some big realizations concerning the roles you play and your willingness to keep playing them. Live your truth, and don’t expect everyone else to understand.
Gemini Rising
You’re going to be feeling some interesting sensations this month, not least of which includes “being caught in a wind turbine.” In the midst of way too much going on in your life, you might feel the need to put up a brave fight as you take on these added challenges, argue with your detractors, or defend your principled position.
For whatever reason, you’re looking somewhat embattled in August, but you’re not about to let them see you sweat that easily. Mars and Jupiter form a conjunction in Gemini on August 14, with Mars squaring Saturn just two days later. There’s a lot of pressure on you right now to perform, meet impossible demands, or satisfy an unforgiving authority figure who’s not cutting you much slack. By the time this tension peaks mid-month, you might feel beaten down or discouraged by the way you’re being reflected by others.
Even if it sucks in the moment, this is valuable information that will ultimately help you correct course. And rerouting will be a large part of your story this August, what with your ruling planet, Mercury, spending much of the month retrograde: On August 5, Mercury stations retrograde in the part of your chart concerned with home and family, where Venus is also transiting for most of August. Don’t be surprised if the tension spills over into your domestic life as well, and maybe asks you to revisit some conversations you thought were already settled. You have some big dragons to slay, but at the end of the day, it’s your inner circle who will be there to celebrate your wins. Make sure they don’t get the short end of the stick.
Mercury backpedals into Leo on August 14 as the Mars-Jupiter conjunction goes exact. Even as you accelerate into a traffic jam, the whiplash of all that misplaced energy will still seek an alternate way around the obstacle, and you will probably find a way to bend rather than break. Combing through your tweet drafts, old emails, and saved Google Maps destinations might provide you with useful material for proceeding, but it’ll be up to you to repurpose all of that in a way that makes sense. An unexpected message, insight, or turn of events on August 18 might bring the map into focus for you.
Cancer Rising
Not all who wander are lost, but you do run a slightly higher risk this month of becoming directionally challenged in an unfamiliar place, or maybe navigating a mini spiritual crisis. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all constellating into an abstract traffic jam for you in August, and this will likely contribute to a mood of existential sloppiness, or a profoundly uncomfortable lack of clarity. Think of the worst case of culture shock you ever experienced, or a time you felt especially awkward as a foreigner in a different country—you might be feeling like a bit of a foreigner in your own reality at the moment, even if you’re not literally traveling this month.
One of the best things astrology gives us is the knowledge that this, too, shall pass. Your disorientation has important things to teach you too, like: what is it you thought you knew about the world, and can you still find a sense of belonging in one that reminds you of how much you actually don’t know at all? Expect your discomfort to peak mid-month, and then start to subside as you discover new navigational loopholes.
Your mind will also be on your money this month as a New Moon in Leo initiates a new cycle around finances on August 4, and a retrograde Mercury completes its tour in this same part of the sky between August 14 and 28. There may be some important transactions happening, terms to rewrite, assets changing hands, or sums to transfer between different accounts. The Aquarius Full Moon on August 19 seems like it will bring this action to completion and culminate in a deal being closed, or someone taking something off your hands. Maybe this will all happen faster than you expected, and maybe that’s part of the reason you’re experiencing so much whiplash at the moment. All you can do is all you’ve ever done, which is trust the process and remain open to what’s right in front of you.
Leo Rising
August is frequently a season of rebirth for you, but this year, it seems as though you’ll be elbows-deep in the work of redefining yourself. Mercury will spend the tail end of its retrograde in Leo, from August 14 to 28, and it will be receiving some divine directives from Uranus, the great awakener. Even if you already feel like you have a solid sense of who you are and what you want out of life, now is not the time to cling too tight to old stories. You are about to do a rapid outfit change between sets, like an awards show host who has too many good outfits to stay in the same one the whole time.
There’s also a good deal of tension in the air this month, and just about everyone will feel it. For you, part of the squeeze is coming from ways you may feel undervalued or under-resourced in the marketplace of your industry, community, or wider networks. Maybe you’re noticing your peers thriving professionally and earning high-ticket sales while you consistently come up short. Maybe you’re a bit overwhelmed by the noise of everyone marketing themselves online, and you’re feeling a bit dulled down and drowned out. Rather than get discouraged by the competition, why not let it motivate you to up your own ante instead?
In the process of pulling out the tricks that remain up your sleeve, your genius will be most active around August 18 and 19, which features a Mercury cazimi and a Full Moon in Aquarius double feature, all squaring Uranus. Keep the notebook handy around this date, and remain open to the way others invite you to dance. If you’re on a trip, considering saying yes to that offer to join a new friend for dinner, or hop on their tour; maybe go on that impromptu weekend getaway. There may be an important partnership or collaboration crystallizing around this date, or perhaps a shakeup in one of your existing relationships that breathes new life into the dynamic. By the time Mercury stations direct on August 28, you will be more or less clear on what needs to happen next.
Virgo Rising
There may be a right time to second-guess yourself, and this is looking like a season of flexibility and surrendering to the unknown for you. Any seeds of self-doubt or self-inquiry that were planted last month are now ripe to be harvested as you return on a mission to retrieve the vital parts of yourself that were lost somewhere along the way. There’s a real risk this month of being so busy with work that you’re distracted from the deeper questions attempting to steer you off autopilot, so make a point to listen to them.
Your August will mostly be defined by the tension you’re feeling as you’re caught between a partner’s needs and the demands of the professional growth wave you’re trying to ride. It seems there are a lot of people who need things from you right now, and in the midst of it all, you’re not feeling the love. When Venus enters Virgo on August 4 and Mercury stations retrograde in the same sign on August 5, you’ll probably start to question some of these unspoken arrangements, the various roles you have or haven’t agreed to, and where your wants and needs figure into the equation. A lot of this internal disquiet will probably stem from feelings of being underappreciated—like you’re having a hard time relating to others in the midst of your own individual struggles. But ultimately, this is an introspective journey, perhaps one of “finding yourself,” trite as that sounds, or maybe just one of changing your mind.
A lot more will be revealed in the second half of August, as Mercury retrogrades back into Leo on the 14th, and there’s an eventful full moon on August 19 that coincides with a Mercury cazimi squaring Uranus on the 18th (whew). The gridlock you’re feeling will likely climax in this window of time, but think of the period as your mental and emotional jailbreak, an opportunity to blurt out, to yourself, the inconvenient truth that might derail some of your plans. Travel has a way of making these realizations come to the surface.
Libra Rising
Your displeasure is an important homing signal this month. As much as you may wish to fast forward through the suck and get back to the exciting part, there’s a real chance you’ve gotten as much as you can out of The Current Thing, and it might take a couple weeks of feeling slightly miserable to redirect you to a more sustainable source of fulfillment.
This is likely related to some of the big travel plans and academic syllabi you’ve bitten into with great enthusiasm since the start of the summer. You may start to question whether your eyes were bigger than your stomach this month, especially if it’s your work or health that starts to suffer as a result. It’s a unique challenge to stay disciplined on the road, and to maintain a consistent schedule as a nomad. It’s similarly tough to keep nourishing your body when you’re up to your neck in dissertation edits. After Venus enters Virgo on August 4, it’ll be important to try to make your physical and mental wellness a priority as you make it through the next couple weeks, avoiding too many consecutive junk food dinners and staying away from excessive doom-scrolling.
To be fair, healthy habits are just a bulwark to fortify you for the tougher stuff. You might be feeling a good deal of spiritual exhaustion and disorientation this month, or maybe just some added crankiness as you’re forced to confront what isn’t working about your current approach. You will likely come up against those limits most palpably around August 16, when Mars squares Saturn. Maybe your visa gets denied; maybe your advisor tells you to rework your entire thesis. Maybe the philosophical problems you’re working through are enough to temporarily derail an entire project. It’s a Mercury Retrograde month, so it’s an appropriate time to revise an existing effort, do it over again, or change your mind about something. And if it helps to look forward to this, you’ll feel much better after Venus enters Libra on August 29.
Scorpio Rising
You might feel like you’re doing everything you can to get a collaboration to gel, to work through some financial hurdles, or to wear an additional hat as group trip treasurer this month. Don’t be too surprised if you get a lukewarm reception from your audience, or a less than amazing vibe check when you read the room. For whatever reason, everyone is either not on board, or they’re not having the best time at your party. And you might be the one left metaphorically trying to do the math of splitting up a restaurant bill for 20 people who did not all consider their share for appetizers and tax.
Even if there are some frustrations to deal with in August, try to keep your eye on the prize. You’re working through some knots that will ultimately help you course-correct around an important professional matter—one that might depend on having the right team assembled around you, and one that might require you to divest from some of the financial entanglements that may be holding you back. For the parents among you, custody issues could also take up your attention this month, or maybe matters of saving for your children’s futures.
Things will likely come to a head between August 14 and 19, which is when Mercury retrogrades back into your 10th house of career and public status, many of the difficult aspects go exact, and a full moon pops off at the foundation of your chart. There may be curveballs you don’t totally see coming, but also weirdly a sense of relief as the trouble comes to pass and you’re able to respond in kind. Some of these more career-oriented decisions may also impact the existing balance within your family, like, say, for instance, if you and your partner decide to switch roles as breadwinner. Just try to make sure you’re happy with the arrangement, if that’s even possible. Some of these last-minute switchups could become bigger sticking points over the fall and winter, and it may even get in the way of your ability to travel like you were hoping to.
Sagittarius Rising
This feels like it should be your moment to shine, until someone starts acting up in the wings and steals your thunder right as you’re walking up to receive your award. A good deal of August will be spent trying to balance the tension between your personal and professional life, and maybe even reconsidering some of your current commitments as duty calls you to your family’s side. If you’re partnered, your significant other may need more support this month as they attempt to pull off a big feat. Otherwise, it’s possible you might be fending off more than your fair share of comments from the peanut gallery, or critical feedback on your work.
Yes, this would be the correct month to avoid feeding the trolls, and to let others exhaust themselves by arguing in circles. You will probably be tempted to take the bait anyway, but try to pause long enough to consider whether it matters if other people think you’re right. In some cases, it might, but it’s more likely that engaging those approaching you in bad faith will distract you and drain your energy. This dynamic peaks around August 14, when Mars conjoins Jupiter, and also around August 22, when Venus squares Mars. However, as the Mars-Saturn square comes into form on August 16, so, too, do the potential problems at home that are demanding your attention.
There’s a small chance you may also have to reconsider upcoming travel plans this month, or edit your itinerary in some way. Mercury spends much of the month retrograde, and it will backpedal through your ninth house of travel from August 14 to 28—that’s after the Leo New Moon in the same part of your chart kicks off a new story arc around travel, education, and spirituality on August 4. You might be especially prone to airport annoyances this month if you’re going somewhere, so stay flexible as more information comes in.
Capricorn Rising
If you’ve got travel plans this month, “enjoying yourself on vacation” may not be the most accessible outcome. If anything, you’re going to be doing the most to keep it together and try to have a nice time in spite of everything, but there will probably be too many demands on your time and health to have a frictionless experience. There may be fires to put out at work, deadlines you can’t escape, or physical strain on your body from the overexertion of trying to see too many things on a short timeline. If you’re traveling with your besties or siblings, there may also be a grouchy vibe hanging in the air. Regardless of how the particulars land, this might be the right time to lean into the energy of being the curator of your experience. If others don’t want to join you on the Caravaggio tour, you can always do it on your own and meet up again later.
Either way, don’t expect the first version of your itinerary to be the one you follow. Mercury will retrograde in your travel and education sector from August 5 to 14, which may potentially scramble some of your existing plans and/or inspire you to comb through some old academic notes. If there’s one day this month that may be pretty nice for reconnecting with old acquaintances in a faraway land or bonding over a preexisting philosophical quandary, it’ll be around the Mercury-Venus conjunction on August 7.
Otherwise, the big issue that’ll probably throw a wrench in the works (and demand most of your attention this month) is whatever is being described by the Mars-Saturn square on August 16. A stalemate at work, an overextended calendar, and the outsized pressure of having way too much to do might run you ragged in August, so try to mind your burnout. If anything, this is going to be a time when those daily practices you’ve been cultivating are going to come into handy the most. When life is most stressful and chaotic is precisely when you need to double down on the discipline of doing your morning pages, maintaining your meditation habit, getting your daily steps in, or whatever it is you need to stay balanced.
Aquarius Rising
In the midst of all of your efforts to keep your boat afloat, you’re about to have some big, and potentially startling, realizations about what it’s going to take to live your truth. It’s easy to downplay some of your existential concerns when there’s the more pressing question of paying your rent or mortgage on time, but this might be a month that asks you to move beyond that sense of survival mode, which is actually distracting you from the difficult questions you’ve been avoiding.
To be fair, there might be more of these kinds of financial stresses than usual this August. Venus and Saturn will be opposing each other in your money houses, and Mercury will retrograde through your houses of shared resources and relationships from August 5 to 28. If you owe back taxes, child support, or have been putting off settling your Splitwise debt, paying people back will likely figure into this story. Bigger questions may arise in this context, too, like whether you’re still on the same page with your significant others, travel companions, and business partners. It’s possible that you’ll spend this retrograde renegotiating the terms of an important contract, too. The sense here is that it won’t be easy to come up with an arrangement that everyone likes. Someone may get the short end of the stick.
August 18 and 19 is when stuff gets really pivotal for you: there’s an Aquarius Full Moon on the 19th that coincides with a Mercury cazimi and a square to Uranus. There will be big realizations flooding in on these days—the kind that might inspire you to radically shake up your life or make some changes, particularly when it comes to a key partnership. This also comes on the heels of a Mars-Saturn square on August 16, a frustrating, yet revealing, signature of what isn’t working and what can’t continue, especially when it comes to “what you can actually afford right now.” Even if money is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, it’s ultimately you who’s in the driver’s seat. What happens when you’re awake behind the wheel?
Pisces Rising
For whatever reason, you’re either not able, or not willing, to meet others halfway right now. And that might be the source of considerable tension in your relationships this month (we’re looking at you, group travelers), or a breakdown of trust and/or intimacy that occurs while you’re preoccupied with the demands of home or family matters.
The big astrological signature this month involves the standoff between Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in your angular houses. True, you might be busy juggling the many balls involved in a move, renovation, or home improvement project, or perhaps attending to a family crisis that requires all hands on deck. Maybe that’s why you’re feeling less emotionally available for new dates, or are increasingly “not in the mood” when your partner tries to initiate. There might be extremely valid reasons for this, like, say, if your significant other isn’t meeting you in this moment or doing enough to support you through a stressful time. But try to avoid the temptation to suffer in silence or withdraw when others are genuinely trying to reach out to you.
You will likely reach the peak of your frustration with this process between August 14 and 16. However, don’t assume there isn’t a way around the problem, or that anything is etched in stone at the moment. Important conversations can be revisited if they didn’t go right the first time, and things at work might also be up in the air, which creates some potential wiggle room to renegotiate your workload or daily duties. Things will probably continue to feel a bit spiky in your universe until after August 22, though you’ll probably have to weather some relational storms around this time first. This will be easier the less you try to avoid the confrontation that’s clearly brewing earlier in the month. There’s a lot that’s trying to pull your attention this month, but don’t let the most important people in your life fall to the wayside.
Enjoyed your August 2024 horoscope? Look back on July 2024 to see how things lined up.