Written and published exclusively for Chatelaine. Read the French version here. Photo: iStock.com via French Chatelaine.

We’re reaching the last days of summer. August is all about the balance between sweet and indulgent rest and the pressing demands of life’s responsibilities. The full moon in Aquarius on August 11 can feel especially destabilizing and frustrating. This moment connects to whatever has been growing since the beginning of the year. On the other hand, Venus entering Leo on the same day as the full moon reminds us that not all bad things remain awful. Time flows, and things move on. Make space for pleasure.

The planet of action, Mars, enters the curious sign of Gemini on August 20, where it will stay for an extended period until March 25, 2023. The Sun enters Virgo on August 22 to usher in the liminal season of summer ending and autumn beginning. The new moon in Virgo on August 27 signals a new annual cycle of renewal in the Virgo areas of your charts. Read your horoscopes for some insights on what’s up ahead for you this month.

I highly recommend that you primarily read the horoscopes for your rising sign. If you don’t know your rising sign, you can read for your sun sign (born during the day) and/or moon sign (born at night). Read it all if you like, and take what resonates. To figure out these placements, enter your birth date, location and precise birth time into an astrology app like Time Nomad or online at astro.com. For more guidance on how all of these play together, visit charmastrology.com.

Leo: It is indeed bittersweet when you feel your gut sinking from the predictable disappointment of people letting you down. People to whom you’ve given your time, attention, and the utmost care. But you are working so hard to grant yourself the sweetness you desire. You are blossoming into the person that brings a smile to your ancestor’s face. So keep going, even amidst the letdowns. Keep doing you and you’re bound to meet folks who can match your energy, if not better.

Virgo: The past half a year must’ve been full of surprises, all of which you had to exercise flexibility and openness to uncertainty. You may feel like you wasted time this year as your situations continue to move at a snail’s pace. Things may feel slow, but you’ve had to put out fires which take away momentum, dear Virgo. It may feel like you’ve squandered your effort, but tending to urgent chaos takes a lot of time. Remain adaptable—this is the gift of your character.

Libra: If you’re in a creative slump and struggling to find the right vibes to express yourself, move that energy outwards. Instead of fumbling your way through a lack of inspiration, direct your attention to a bigger cause instead. Or, perhaps, do it for someone else when you’re tormented by your own stagnation. This is why writers and artists often write love letter dedications at the beginning of their works. Sometimes, giving a gift to someone else is the exact motivation you need to keep going.

Scorpio: Even if you think the ugliest parts of your past and your life will never get better, there’s a chance that you might be wrong. Even if you perceive others, like your family, to be a lost cause or people who will never grow, there’s a possibility that you lack peripheral vision. You might surprise yourself at how much people and situations can move forward and transform. Like rocks that get weathered by time and become sand one day, the distillation process within people is always happening—even when it’s not visible to you.

Sagittarius: How you live your days is how you live your life. Chase after the grounded sense of your reality more than the fleeting moments of adventures. Of course, dopamine-booster fun times are always exciting to pursue. But don’t get stuck in the endless spiral of searching for awe and wonder. Often, the magic is in the mundane. Settle into finding peace in the most ordinary of moments.

Capricorn: Step outside of your four walls of familiarity and safety. You never really know what will happen unless you try. Sometimes, the situations that give you a sense of stability are the ones that keep you stuck in the spinning wheel of stagnation. Listen, you can be doomy all you want because there will always be something to be upset about in the world. Find ways to reinvigorate yourself towards life if you’re feeling especially uninspired. This will assist you in becoming a more heart-open, less jaded and more helpful citizen of the world.

Aquarius: Sometimes, our bodies take longer to metabolize the evolutions our minds have already codified to be true. Reality is an ever-shifting prism with multiple lenses and entry points. It may sound so cliché, but growth is not linear, dear Aquarius. Sure, you can know better as you age, but sometimes life just hands you circumstances that you aren’t capable of integrating yet. Be easy on yourself. You’re not a failure just because you went against what you should’ve known better.

Pisces: Self-sabotage is the act of self-subversion that functions to keep you astray from healing and growth. So, dear Pisces, be honest—how are you destabilizing your own path towards feeling better? Let this exercise not be about further self-flagellating judgment. Let it be a reminder to give yourself the soothing empathy you so freely give others. Understand the root cause of the poisons you’re attempting to detoxify from your life. This is how you formulate your own antidotes.

Aries: It’s okay if all that feels remarkable right now is your work and the identity and connections your job provides. Not everyone has the gift of belonging to friends from way back that you somehow still adore and love today. It gets lonely, but sculpting intimacy takes time. It requires your mutual vulnerability and openness to sharing your hearts. It’s okay if this is difficult to do at the moment. It won’t always be this hard.

Taurus: It’s a heavy burden to feel indebted toward someone else’s dream of you. Especially if others have offered tangible support so you can succeed. But at one point, you must be honest with yourself if this is truly the life path you’re meant to lead. Maybe it was at some point, but misalignments happen over time. When it does, you must be adaptable enough to change your mind. Don’t finish things just for the sake of getting them done. Promises can be broken.

Gemini: Waking up disbelieving the truths you once fiercely accepted is a painful awakening. If this is happening to you in all levels of your reality―personal, social, global―you are going through a rebirth of sorts, dear Gemini. Maybe it’s triggered by some worldly event that trickles down to your relationships? Perhaps the history books you learned in middle school have been lying, and you’re mad. Stay mad and keep changing. Your world may be turning upside down, and this is a good thing.

Cancer: Gather as much sweetness and levity to your days as possible, dear Cancer. You’re doing so much inner-excavation work to understand yourself better. That takes up a lot of metabolic energy to process and move through. So allow yourself ease where you can. Give yourself the space to just be. Not everything has to be intense and deeply meaningful. Indulge in lighthearted frivolity.