here’s what to expect in love, work and life this august, according to astrologer marissa malik

Want to see what the stars have in store for you? woo's resident astrologer Marissa Malik is bringing you monthly horoscopes for your star sign and rising. Keep reading, your destiny awaits…

As we enter the month amidst the rays of Leo season, our desire for personal truth yearns with a specific type of summertime excitement. Leo season is about being our unapologetic selves - locating our specific rizz, and triumphing through challenges with a lion’s heart mentality. Venus, the planet of aesthetics and love we enjoy receiving, retrogrades through the sign of Leo all month; influencing us to question what exactly we attach our ego onto. While we plummet through retrograde-induced nostalgia it’s time to ask ourselves - where does our confidence derive from? Whose image do we seek to emulate and use as inspiration? How do we use passion to navigate life?

On 1 August, we have a full super-moon in Aquarius lighting up the sky with a burst of excitable yet existential energy. This is a time to consider the way we’re connecting to our community, how we’re engaging with matters of social justice, and manifesting the details of our ineffably unique dreams. The Saturnian influence on this lunation adds a serious tone to it all. Let frustration fuel your motivations! 13 August brings the exact midway point of Venus’s retrograde through Leo. Expect to see a light at the end of the tunnel for any current chaos surrounding your life, and remember that confusion has to come before clarity.

The new moon in Leo on 16 August is a great moment to check in with where our passions lie at the moment. What kind of love do you want to be cultivating in contrast to what you’re getting? Whether it’s lustful romps or a new studio space, sow seeds for the type of creative and romantic renewal that you seek.

Virgo season busts through the door with a bang on 23 August, bringing us into a more grounded, earthy season that asks us to get our house in order. That same day, Virgo’s planetary ruler Mercury goes retrograde in the sign of Virgo. Let the double retrograde drama begin! With both Venus and Mercury moving backwards through the sky, the last weeks of August become hugely pensive times of recalculation. Watch how you communicate with others during this period - words can easily turn into our sharpest swords. This is especially true when Mars, planet of action and our aggressive energy, moves into justice-loving Libra on 27 August. It’s easy to lash out when everything is evolving around you, so practice patience and reread your messages for tone before you send them.

Mercury retrograde causes communication breakdowns and technological fuck ups. Accompanied by the aesthetic and social shifts of Venus retrograde, it puts so much of our lives into a transitional state. Treat the end of summer as a time of retreat rather than launching forward into new identities and life plans.

Luckily, we end the month with a perfectly cathartic full moon in Pisces on 31 August. Let this tearful lunation allow you to release the pent up frustrations of this period. Expel those negative narratives from your mind by screaming, crying and dancing your way through it all!

With all of this in mind, here are my thoughts for each of the 12 signs this August.

Aries & Aries Rising

You’re a naturally playful sign, Aries. Have you been embracing a childlike sense of whimsy enough this summer? August asks you to return to the bliss that comes from being naive.

For even the most formidable creatives, inspiration isn’t always a readily available resource. Let the new moon in Leo guide you back towards your goofy nature and see how allowing your mind to wander more freely changes the way you feel motivated to express yourself. Dabbling in a new hobby or environment might be the switch-up you’ve been needing to feel more like yourself again. Set intentions around cultivating a sense of freedom in your adult life! When Mercury retrograde in Virgo begins about a week later, matters of your routine come into question. Rewrite your daily affirmations and try restoring old habits that really improved your emotional wellbeing but have seemed to slip away from your schedule. Remember that you deserve to feel good on the day-to-day.

Taurus & Taurus Rising

Your home is your sanctuary, Taurus. As a sign that derives energy from the comfort and stability of spaces where you feel safe, it’s important to maintain and refresh them often.

August asks you to spend time renewing your relationship to people who feel like home, and places where you can truly rest. Whether you’re tidying up a chaotic closet or phoning a cousin you miss dearly, the new moon in Leo mid month will provide you the perfect moment to really refresh the more private and personal side of your life. New bedsheets are the perfect Venus Retrograde splurge purchase! When Mercury retrograde begins about a week later, the equilibrium of your home will be ever-essential to keep yourself afloat through potential creative blocks. Dig through old sketchbooks and watch your favourite cult classic films if you’re feeling stuck.

Gemini & Gemini Rising

As a social chameleon who’s always observing interpersonal dynamics, it can be so tempting to people please, Gemini. In the flames of this Leo season, you’re being called to really speak your truth, despite it goes against the grain from people around you.

The new moon in Leo on 16th August lights up a part of your sky that guides you towards engaging in critical conversations where knowledge and truth are valued. New moons are all about renewal for your path forward, and with the confidence of Leo energy backing you, this is a great time to do some journaling, open up about your true thoughts with a partner,or negotiate something serious. When Mercury begins to retrograde through Virgo the following week, it’s time to pay extra attention to matters of the home and ancestry. Check in on chosen family members, and reconnect with your roots in a way that feels authentic to who you are.

Cancer & Cancer Rising

This summer has brought on a series of events that may have quickly shifted what you value most in life, Cancer. August is here and asking you to reflect on your new priorities list, and how this connects to your relationship to finances.

Money ebbs and flows through life as a constant (and annoying) facet of capitalism. It’s impossible to deny its importance, but it’s also crucial to take stock of what’s happening in the “now” that we might miss while too focused on chasing paper. The new moon in Leo asks you to be bold with your decision making around fiscal issues, and have confidence in the notion of quality over quantity. Only you know what truly satisfies your sensitive soul. Mercury retrograde could have you a bit tongue tied later in the month, so be sure to take your time when articulating a complex feeling.

Leo & Leo Rising

It’s your season, Leo. At the heart of everything you do this August is a bold desire to show the world your ineffably distinct perspective through personal style, and the eye-catching vibe you bring into a room.

Mid month there’s a new moon in your sign that marks a point of crucial restoration for you. New moons are meant to refresh our mind and bring us back into ourselves. As this lunar activity wipes the slate clean and charges your sense of independence from the group, you’re able to reconnect with your voice and mind. Set intentions around your personal goals and boundaries during this period and remember; do no harm but take no shit. When Mercury begins to retrograde through your neighbouring sign Virgo the following week, it’s time to touch base with your outgoings and keep tabs on how big that hole is burning in your wallet. Remember that being fab doesn’t require daily purchases!

Virgo & Virgo Rising

There’s a reason that the tarot card which correlates to your sign is The Hermit, dear Virgo. August evolves into your season eventually, but asks you to begin deep within your cocoon.

Prioritise resting on the new moon in Leo 16 August. Sit with your psychicness, and let the deep emotions you’ve been bottling up flow out into the world in dramatic ways. Keeping up a brave face might feel like an instinctual reaction to how intense this lunation is for you, but it’s best to let your past pain flow outwards in solitude. When Mercury begins to retrograde through your sign the following week, there’s a sentimental tone to everything you do. Think with the constant contrast of what past you wanted, versus what current you wants now.

Libra & Libra Rising

Leo season is invigorating your social-butterfly tendencies, Libra! As you ride this vibey wave through summer, are you still making enough time for yourself to rest and recover?

The Leo new moon on 16th August is sure to be speckled with party invites and exciting options for hanging out with your community, but it’s up to you to keep tabs on who really inspires you. Energy vampires are everywhere when you bring a carefree and excitable vibe to the group, so practice discernment with who you give your time to. Expect your energy levels to drop a bit when Mercury retrograde begins the following week, too. Let yourself withdraw and be an observer in social spaces rather than a main act.

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising

Your dominance is subtle, Scorpio. As a notoriously kind but uncompromising sign, you lead a room with an unspoken urgency

In the middle of the month, the new moon in Leo brings in some exciting opportunities to the parts of your life where you’re a respected person in a position of power. What will you do with this chance? Are you able to create peace where there was none before? Trust that your hard work will be seen and cut through the noise around you. When Mercury Retrograde begins a week later, expect conflict to rise in the social groups you're part of. Know what’s yours to take responsibility for, and what you should let play out on its own.

Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising

It’s Leo season and a karmic adventure feels much needed for you right now, Sagittarius. Is it time to trek somewhere you’ve already been to but have unfinished business with?

August’s new moon in Leo takes your mind far away from home as you yearn to be in a (somewhat) unfamiliar space. Although the upcoming Mercury Retrograde makes for a difficult time to travel, there’s something in the distance that’s sparked your interest. Is it a current hyperfixation? Or a desire to learn more about your roots? Don’t forget to buy a return ticket when you make that impulse purchase. Mercury Retrograde begins towards the end of August, and asks you to reset how you manage being someone people constantly look up to. Take everything one piece at a time to avoid overwhelm.

Capricorn & Capricorn Rising

August asks you to let go in an (at times) unsettling way, dear Capricorn. What feels like a turbulent time is really a huge reckoning for you.

This summer is about reconfiguring your path in matters of deep connection and the type of attachment you make to investment. It’s time to reframe how and why you spend money, and who you give your time to. Trust that you’ve got the strength to hold on as people you expected to stick around for longer fall by the wayside. Mercury retrograde begins towards the end of the month on 23rd August and is the perfect time for you to devote yourself to some serious research. Focus on the details of your creative practice rather than launching new projects out into the world.

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising

We’re in your opposite sign’s season, Aquarius. It’s Leo season and your mind is racing between your individual autonomy and that of the collective; connecting you to matters of romantic love and partnerships in a very specific way.

You’re a freedom-seeker by nature, and the full moon in Aquarius on 1 August reminds you of this in a visceral way. This is your time to decide how much capacity you actually have within yourself to offer others, dear air sign; especially when it comes to a partner/partners. What personal goals do you have for the rest of the year? How much time do you realistically want to give to them which might take you away from a loved one? Mercury retrograde begins on 23rd August and occurs in a part of your sky that drives introspection about some of your longest standing relationships. Think before you break.

Pisces & Pisces Rising

When your whimsy isn’t fulfilled, you start to feel like you’re in a rut, Pisces. Your daily routine is in need of a sexy overhaul to keep you afloat this Leo season!

It’s crucial that your romantic bonds are keeping you stimulated and inspired this month, Pisces. Are you allowed to be as romantic as you want to be with your person/the people you’re seeing? It’s not cruel to be respectful of the connection you crave rather than centering the pleasure of others. Let the full moon in your sign at the end of the month help you to be more hardline with yourself about your deal breakers. Mercury Retrograde in your opposite sign Virgo is likely to dig up some dirt from past exes, so answer their texts with caution.