Your August 2025 Horoscope: Take Some Risks This Month

Condé Nast Traveler

6 days ago

You might also be in the midst of drafting a brainchild that is near and dear to your heart—maybe writing a novella, or launching a podcast, or creating content that feels satisfying to bring into the world. If that's the case, it would make sense that you're feeling a little stressed with a big project on your plate. The full moon in Aquarius on August 9 is definitely pumping up the visibility factor for you, but you will be equally aware of what aspects of your work you're feeling very over and done with.
On August 23, the new moon in Virgo kicks off a new creativity process for you—one that will ask you to show up with a radically different form of self-expression and bury the remaining dregs of shyness and humility that have kept you playing small. At the end of the day, this is about you cultivating the confidence to really go there and own what you're all about—to, as they say, dance like no one's watching.
Gemini Rising
There's always a different way to get to where you're going. Maybe your internal GPS system just needs a bit of patience while it's recalculating its preferred route. As you make your way through the tail end of Mercury's retrograde, a signal that got scrambled last month becomes clear again as Mercury stations direct on August 11. Maybe you've been reworking some material that you weren't happy with initially—writing that needed a second pass, audio that needed to be rerecorded, ideas you nearly forgot about that were ready to be resurrected—or maybe you've been quite literally on a trip down memory lane, revisiting old haunts, conversations, and friendships that popped back into your life over the last couple weeks. The old can become new again, and a detour can become the new plan. With so much novelty to explore and potentially new options to consider, it makes sense that you may have needed a minute to pause and reconsider. Trust that you're arriving right on time.
There are also some tense aspects and contradictions forming between Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter in August. On one hand, you might be coming into some cash or acquiring other forms of riches and treasure in the days leading up to August 12 (maybe this is your sign to attend that estate sale?). On the other hand, there's notable tension between the artist and the peanut gallery. Even if that material you're remixing isn't met with the warmest approval, it probably matters more that you create the thing that's most authentic and most alive to you. Besides, maybe the integrity of your self-expression is the thing that's going to be most lucrative for you at the end of the day. If you're a parent or you work with kids, brace yourself for potential tantrums or acting out, particularly between August 6 and 8, when Mars and Saturn are marching into opposition.
On August 9, the full moon in Aquarius brings this standoff into even sharper relief. This lunation lands in your ninth house of philosophy, politics, knowledge, and travel. Wherever there's tension arising in your world this month, it may be an opportunity to clarify what you believe and what kinds of principles you're willing to stand by. You may also come to learn that one particular door is now closed to you, like a trip you were thinking about taking or an educational program you were considering. Given all the Mercury Retrograde weirdness, it wouldn't exactly come as a surprise if you run into some travel issues or have to pivot in a new direction. The mandate of the month: do what you do best and remain flexible.
Cancer Rising
This month, you're getting your motivational cues from the flowers that insist on flourishing through cracks in the cement. You're an oyster forming pearls around the grains of sand that make their way into your shell, a diva that thrives best under pressure. With Venus and Jupiter forming a conjunction in Cancer on August 12, there's a lot of sweetness that's finally within reach, but it won't come without significant strain either. Mars and Saturn oppose each other on August 8 in a tense T-square with Venus and Jupiter, creating the adversity that complicates the celebration. It's a bit like throwing a wedding where part of your family doesn't approve of the union, or having your personal life blow up a bit while you're walking on stage to receive your Oscar. Even if you wish there were certain people who were celebrating this win with you, even if you'd rather certain things not suck the air out of the room while you're taking your bows, don't let anything rob you of the flowers you deserve.