You might have assumed that August would be a sleepy little month, but it will be just the opposite. Your career is about to bring enormously good news, the best of 2016, and opportunity will come up the minute the month takes off, thanks to a beautiful new moon that will be looking after you in a way that might leave you speechless.

That new moon will be August 2, but before that occurs, you have a lovely day on August 1. Let’s talk about that day before I get into the new moon. August 1 has a gentle alignment of the Sun with Saturn, and because the Sun rules your house of fame and honors, and Saturn rules your earned income, something you do on this day, August 1, will get the eye and approval of a VIP and affect your future salary. This is a day when you’ll feel more secure about your career and where you are headed. On the same day, Venus and Uranus will be in sync, and because Venus is also in your solar tenth house of honors and achievement, and Uranus is in your house of work assignments, this close alignment only underscores how well you are being thought of in your industry and within your firm. If you are self-employed, you will be able to bring in an important new client, one that is so special that you will be the talk of the town.

The following day, August 2, will be a very important date because it marks one of the best new moons of the year, filled with remarkable opportunity. Saturn will signal the new moon, suggesting something you are about to do may have international application. You seem to be working in a focused way, and VIPs have noticed. You are about to do exceptionally well this month. Mars will be beautifully angled too, from your house of earned income, another indication you are in line for a raise in salary, either now or later, possibly after the new moon in Sagittarius in early December. Usually a new moon is mixed, holding some special elements, as well as some not-so-good ones, but this new moon August 2 will be a sweet peach in every respect. A new moon opens a door and allows you to plant seeds. Reaping your crop will come later, possibly as long as six months from now, but what matters is that you make a move now. Do not be on vacation in August, for too much will be going on.

Let’s say you want to take on more responsibility. In that case, have a talk with your boss to see how you can gain the right experience to step up to the next rung of the ladder of success. Or, let’s say you are self-employed and need new business. You can devise an advertising or publicity campaign about your goods or services, or you can devise a plan to discuss the victories you’ve achieved lately. If you need to talk to an expert, you will be able to locate plenty of qualified people to help you, who would work with your budget. If you want to find a new position, you could not wish for better aspects to begin the interview process for a new job.

At the end of this month, Mercury will go retrograde from August 30 to September 22. This means you will need to be as productive as you can be as early in the month as possible. Don’t schedule your activities and important meetings too close to August 30, the date of the official retrograde, because you will start to feel the slowdown much sooner, possibly as soon as mid-month. You will be far more productive in August’s first two weeks than later. If you need a new electronic item, be sure to buy it early in the month, or do so on August 16, a sparkling day for anything digital, for Uranus, planet of new inventions and all things high tech, will be marvelously angled to the Sun.

Mercury retrograde affects everyone uniformly because Mercury rules the moving parts in all machines, AND it rules thinking and judgment; when Mercury is retrograde, all these areas prove faulty. It’s also not ideal to take a new position when Mercury is retrograde, for your conditions will change later that very likely will make you wish you had known what was to transpire.

One day when a surprise assignment will likely come in to you like a bolt of lightning, and add to your overall professional status, will be August 16. This will be a highly electric day filled with excitement, and when it comes to your career, you can do no wrong. Circle it in red – when you’re hot, you’re hot, and on this day you will prove your worth in spades, to one and all.

Amid all the career fuss, you may be surprised to see a home-related matter come to culmination within four days of the full moon on August 18 in Aquarius, 26 degrees. Again, Uranus, the planet of unanticipated events, will be active and the news will be very positive. If you need to move, you may find your space, or at mid-August may actually be moving in. You may be renovating, de-cluttering, or giving your rooms a fresh coat of paint. You might want to do maintenance, and send things out with Uranus prominent; it would be a great idea to think about the high-tech products you’d like to add to your living space. You’ll find home to be your haven. Full moons crystalize dreams and efforts, and this one will deliver the finality you need so that you can settle in and feel secure.

This month, your ruler, Mars, will be back to Sagittarius, so you may enter into a high spending period for the short time that Mars will spend in your second house, from August 5 to September 27. You’ve hosted your ruling planet in the second house of earnings and spending from March 5 until the end of June, and then the spending will start up again in August. If you are moving house or making repairs or renovations, it would explain why you feel your spending has increased.

Now we get to two of the most dazzling dates of the year, which is so exciting for me to tell you. First, a little background is in order. Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, has been in Virgo, lighting your house of friendship, since August 2015. Friends have looked out for you, invited you to their events, and have been with you in moments of need. This was the year for you to add special new friends and contacts to your circle, and among the new people you met, one or two may now be growing into close friends who may remain in your life for a decade or forever. If you have not expanded your friendships, then you will get one more big chance to do so this month.

If you were thinking of joining a professional or social club, investigate the group to join, and if you like what you learn about the club, send in an application with your check. If you are already a member of a club, you may want to run for office and become an officer. By all means, at the very least, attend meetings. Alternatively, you might want to get involved in an effort to elect a candidate who you believe in and whom you would like to see elected, or you might join a charity to work on a fundraising benefit. Humanitarian efforts would do well, so if you feel moved to lend a hand, this month would be the time to do it.

A dazzling day for friendship will be on August 21-22 when Mercury will conjunct Jupiter, a once-a-year event. Each year the two planets choose a different place to meet, and this will be the first time in twelve years that these two planets will meet in Virgo. Virgo guards the cusp of your eleventh house of friendship, so that’s where the benefits will flow to you, from the people you love, and the new ones you will meet. A social event might be incredibly beautiful over this weekend. It seems you will also get news that a check for a tidy sum of money will come to you: commission, bonus, or as money that will come to you through a side door, such as in the form of an insurance payout, venture capital payment, a new mortgage with attractive rate, a prize winning, or other money you need to get a dream started.

On Saturday, August 27, you will have your second wonder-day, when the dignified Jupiter will have his annual meeting with beautiful Venus, and this time, this year, they’ll be choosing the constellation in Virgo to meet. This magical date, August 27, might bring an extraordinary social event. It may be a friend’s wedding, or your own engagement party or wedding. It will be a highly romantic day, just made for you. On this day, it appears friends will surround you, and with Jupiter so prominent, it appears the event will be luxurious and populated with successful, sophisticated guests, and the host will see to it that all will be pampered in the most artistic, graceful way possible.

It may be August, when lots of people take a holiday, but you will need to stay in town, for you will have a big chance to make a name for yourself in your career. A major change in your family, home, or other property you might own or rent will also be on your mind.

In terms of your career, it will get a big, exciting boost the moment you start the month, thanks to the new moon, August 2. In the two weeks that follow this date. You might get an exciting promotion or an offer from a competitor to join their company. If you are self-employed, new business or positive publicity should put your name on the big marquee in your industry. Saturn will be especially friendly to this new moon, indicating that not only are you capable of getting a glorious new title, but also be given a solid salary, one that give you a very comforting sense of security.

The full moon August 18 will light your house of home, property, and family, and this full moon could easily cause instant changes there, too. Watch for news or events within four days of this full moon. If you have been looking for a new place to live, you will likely settle everything by mid-month. Be ready to roll on any event involving your home space, other property you might own or want to rent (such as a vacation home), or a plan you may have to help one of your parents. When good news arrives, it will happen fast and out of the blue, thanks to Uranus, planet of surprise.

Until this month, your ruler, Mars, was moving through Scorpio. Having had your ruler in your own sign was a big plus. The efforts you made during those months are likely to start to pay off now – not all of them, but the lion’s share of them – now that Mars is moving into Sagittarius on August 2 to stay until September 27. Your spending has been high from March to June, and will start climbing again in August and September. This may make you more determined to increase your cash flow. Your focused efforts to bring in more money will pay off, but may reach a frustrating stalemate on August 24, when Mars (go!) aligns with Saturn (stop!). Saturn will win this round, and you’ll have to step back and rethink a purchase, investment, or other financial commitment. The logjam will be released after August 24 – give it two days space.

If you need to sign papers, do so when Jupiter aligns with Mercury on August 22. If you are working on an agreement involving commission, royalties, fees, sales, or profits, this is when to make your deal. On this same day, you may see how much a friend truly cares for you, and she or he may give you an industry tip, special support, or recommendation that will help you enormously.

Another important day will occur over the weekend of August 27, when Venus will align with Jupiter, an annual event. This would be a special weekend to go away to a beautiful spot with your partner, for if you do, love will blossom and increased closeness will result.

Speaking of romance, if you are single, the tour of Venus through Virgo will be a positive development for you, August 5 to August 29. You’ll be with friends more than usual too, and when it comes to romance, it is through a friend, or at a friend’s party, where you are likely to make the introduction. Clearly, the weekend of August 27-28 will give Scorpios who are attached the cosmic edge, but even single Scorpios will do well under this rare and quite dazzling aspect. If you are a single, August 27 will be your best point in the season to have that fateful meeting. Look sharp – Venus in Virgo suggests that your appearance will count, right down to the details.