illustration/Caitlin Scholl
Signs, Science, Stories & Monthly Meditation for Our Collective Liberation
Welcome to August! This month is coming in hot, as the main theme running through our skies is all about feminine power. Cue the Barbie movie released in late July, right at the top of Leo season. Spoiler alert: In the movie version, Barbie’s perfect playworld slowly falls apart as she becomes more “aware,” eventually seeking answers in the “real” world, where there is decidedly less pleasure and more patriarchy. The film has sparked a lot of conversation by deploying a culturally ubiquitous feminine icon who crosses ideologies, politics, religions, generations and cultures. It brings up many ways our society is still at odds with itself when it comes to the value of women, women’s bodies, women’s pleasure, women’s health, women’s rights, women’s diversity and women’s power. It speaks to the feminine in us all.
But back to the stars. In a month bookended by two full moons — a celestial body always associated with the feminine, the tides, and all the feels — Aug. 1 kicks us off with a full moon in Aquarius, offering courage to walk our talk when it comes to values. With typical Aquarian cool, we’re able to bring these values to our relationships openly, but without being so emotionally vulnerable as to compromise them (or our mental health) in the process. Think ethical warrior with great boundaries and a feminine twist, and use this full moon to embody the energies you want to see in the world.
The next femme-power event is called the Lion’s Gate portal. It happens every year on Aug. 8, a day when the Earth and Sirius, our brightest star, align. It’s also the midpoint between the summer solstice and fall equinox. This moment is thought to open a portal of sorts, where manifestation power is particularly potent. This year’s Lion’s Gate portal is especially conducive to aligning the inner and outer worlds: the Sun in Leo is joined by Venus — patron of pleasure and all things flowery and femme — as well as Chiron, a comet known in Western astrology as the “wounded healer,” used to represent deep internal wounds that, if we turn our attention to actually addressing them, can set us free. And like Barbie, the choice is ours. We can let this charmed moment pass us by, or we can use it to hone Leo’s famed courage and take steps to heal our wounds and dismantle the dichotomy between our fantasyland and the real world. The Lion’s Gate portal blesses all wishes: make some on the 8th and they might just come true.
On Aug. 12 and 13, expect to see the magnificent (and most visible) apex of the Perseids meteor shower. This fiery blast through the heavens evokes none other than Medusa, another iconic femme, who was beheaded by Perseus (namesake of The Perseids) and who’s come to represent feminine power and the patriarchal desire to repress it. Perseus may have emerged the victor, according to the myth, but it was Medusa who ended up on the Versace logo, an emblem Giovanni personally chose because, he remarked, “she made people fall in love with her and they had no way back.” This celestial event turns up the dial on all brands of feminine wile, supporting our abilities to draw what we desire to us, but also to harness our rage at a world that can’t quite contain us and our soft, most vulnerable parts.
This month wraps up with a blue supermoon in Pisces on the night of the 30th/31st. Dreams we whispered into the wind at the Lion’s Gate portal are already taking up much more real estate in our inner lives, and the Sun — by this point in industrious Virgo — is there to inspire us to do what it takes to make them come alive. Just like when Barbie steps into the real world, this lunation is here to support you taking a similar leap. Astrologically, August is a month that can shift everything if you want it to. Dig deep, stay soft, channel your inner Medusa Barbie, and demand respect for the feminine in us all. If you don’t, you may just find yourself turned to stone.
Caitlin Scholl is a writer, artist and intuitive astrologer living in Yarmouth. For private consultations, inquiries or comments about Astral Tides, e-mail her at coaching@friendenergies.com.
