August and September will be landmark months for you, where so much progress can be made in your career that you will be amazed. A focus on your home will arise by next month, and this month, you’ll have many important opportunities to travel to distant cities or to hear news from abroad. You may also see news regarding an international alliance, a media project (broadcasting or publishing), or in regard to your efforts to get an advanced university degree. An in-law may have an idea, and you may have conversations. It’s sure to be a busy month!

Let’s first discuss Mars, the energy planet that has orbited back to Sagittarius after a two-month hiatus in Scorpio during June and July. Mars will re-enter Sagittarius on August 2, a sign that’s been in since March 5 to May 27. The difference is, earlier this year, Mars went retrograde from April 17 to June 29, but even before that official start to the retrograde, Mars was weak and languishing in March and early April too. We all had to be patient while Mars rested. On June 29, Mars awakened, but the problem was, like a little sleepy head person, Mars was feeling groggy and needed time to get back to former strength. (When Mars goes retrograde, it takes him 12 days to go one degree. When he is in good shape it takes him two days to go one degree. You can imagine the difference!) Mars is the booster rocket to all ventures, so without Mars feeling peppy and strong, you were left to do all the heavy lifting by yourself.

The good news is Mars will return to full strength by August 22, and already you are seeing a difference. Meetings are more productive, decisions are getting made, products and services are being launched, and even relationships are moving ahead with greater certainty. (Earlier, for most of the first half of 2016, you may have had a circular relationship – you went in circles, saying and hearing the same things, over and over, and you may have felt you were living the movie “Ground Hog Day”. That complete lack of progress will change in a close relationship too!

Now that Mars is back in Sagittarius and strong, you will be at the head of the class. You will have right of way, and your courage, drive, and confidence will impress others. In fact, you will find many will want to follow you – you can light a nation to your cause. The ancient astrologers always wrote that having Mars in your own sign was a big plus, and that one should use that period to push forward on any goal dear to your heart. You will have two months in which to act, until September 27, but you will have a big problem with September.

The glitch is this: Mars’ brother Mercury will go retrograde from August 30 to September 21. This is problematic because you, along with the rest of us, should never sign a contract with Mercury retrograde because Mercury rules commerce – the buying and selling of good and services. Mercury also rules negotiations and agreements, contacts and important launches, especially in the communicative field, for if you do, you will run into roadblocks and difficulties.

This means you have to act on important matters now, in August, as early in the month as possible, because you need to leave space between the date you act and the start of the retrograde August 30. If that is off for you, and not possible, then delay your signing of paperwork, and/or launch until after September 22. I particularly love September 26, so put a circle around that date. August has more than its share of gorgeous planetary dates, so don’t assume you’ll have to wait. Stay with me because this is one month I have plenty of good news to share with you.

One more note about Mercury retrograde: If you need a computer, new smart phone, tablet, set of expensive headphones, any other electronic or kitchen appliance, you need to buy it in August. I love August 16 for that purpose, for the Sun in Leo (a fire sign like yours) will contact Uranus, and that planet is the higher octave for Mercury and rules all things newly invented, including all high-tech electronics and the digital world. If you are launching a new website, do not do it while Mercury is retrograde.

On August 1, Saturn and the Sun will be in perfect alignment, and send you gifts of financial security. Saturn is currently in Sagittarius, and so receiving strength from the Sun is wonderful news. Saturn is the natural ruler of your second house of income, so something that will happen on this day should boost your income. Here I am referring to earned income, not money you will be given as a gift or win. On the same day in a separate aspect, Venus will still be within a degree-and-a-half of a perfect trine to Uranus, planet of surprise. A trine is from the word triangle, denoting 120 degrees, considered the most heavenly aspect you could ever wish to have. Venus is currently in her last days of your travel house and will be signaling Uranus in your house of true love, so August 1 should bring not only money and a welcome feeling of being settled and secure, but also fun with romance, children, leisure activities, and travel.

The following day will be a very important date for you, August 2, for it marks the new moon in Leo, 11 degrees. This new moon will shine in your long-distance travel house, so you may be packing your bags to take a long trip, possibly overseas, to an exciting distant location. If so, make it a warm and sunny place, for a Sun in Leo does not like cold, icy weather – follow the sunshine.

Alternatively, you may be intensely focused on a media project that involves either publishing, the Internet, or a broadcast that you are putting together or appearing in. These projects shine, and you will get the best boost you’ve seen all year – and possibly more than any you saw last year, in 2015, too.

The courts and the judicial system will work in your favor at this time (just AFTER the August 2 new moon arrives) as well as with any matter that has to do with immigration, citizenship, green card, or a visa. This new moon will be special not only for those topics, but for money too, for the moon is the natural ruler of Sagittarius’ eighth house of commission, bonuses, cash advances, royalties, inheritance, and other such sources where you might receive a large sum.

Saturn will be unusually friendly to this new moon, so whatever actions you take will have long-term gain, add a new feeling of calm financial stability, and bring greater balance to your life. Mars in Sagittarius will work with this new moon too, giving you the impetus to roll up your sleeves to quickly get started on opportunities that are coming up in your garden. Life will likely be very satisfying. Saturn has been retrograde and will turn direct on August 13, making it infinitely easier for you to manage money and to find ways to make your money grow.

If your birthday falls within four days before or after December 2 (that is, November 29 to December 6), you will feel the effects of this new moon the most of any Sagittarius, so you’ll be happy. The same is true if you have Sagittarius rising 11 degrees, plus or minus five degrees, or a natal planet in Leo, Aries, Sagittarius, Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius at 11 degrees, plus or minus five degrees.

If you do decide to take a holiday, I want you to go in the first three weeks of August when you have your very best aspects for a journey. On August 16, Uranus, in your house of true love, will align with the mighty Sun in your house of travel. This would be an enchanting time to be away. Make this evening among your very last nights on vacation, and make sure you fill it with beautiful fireworks in the night sky. Have a dinner out in a magnificent splurge-worthy restaurant, one with fine food, flowers, and white tablecloths. (Friends make fun of me – I love clean, super-white tablecloths in a restaurant, and it’s the first question I ask: “Does it have white tablecloths?” – the food to me is almost secondary!) August 16 will be filled with surprises, all of them working to encourage your romantic life to blossom beautifully. If you are single, circulate. It would be a perfect day for a first date, even if you have your first meeting in a coffee shop. Chances are that the chemistry will be superb.

The full moon on August 18 in Aquarius 26 degrees will bring a trip to an end, quite happily. This full moon brings a bouquet of fragrant, beautiful aspects. If you were not able to take a long trip, this date may find you taking a short weekend trip, near August 18 and ending by Sunday, August 21. Full moons bring closure and usually, a plan and an agreement. You may be signing papers or simply shaking hands on a deal. That represents perfect timing. Uranus will be superbly angled to this full moon, again bringing more happy surprises. If you were stuck in a negotiation, Uranus, planet of lightning bolts, could bring a sudden solution, and it will be a win-win for both sides.

If your birthday falls on December 17 plus or minus five days, this full moon will speak directly to you, and you will benefit from all the gifts this new moon will have to give. The same is true if you have Sagittarius rising at 26 degrees (plus or minus five degrees) or a natal planet, including the moon that is not a planet, in Sagittarius, Leo, Aries, Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius at 26 degrees plus or minus five degrees.

If you do return from any trip you want to take by the third week in August, that will be ideal timing. Your career is about to take off like a rocket on or very near two days, August 22 and August 27.

Before I tell you about these two jewel-like days, I need to give you background. Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, has been touring your tenth house of honors, awards, achievement, and fame without interruption since last year, August 2015. Jupiter is about to leave to go to Libra, but before he leaves, the other little planets have planned a blowout, fun-filled going away party for Jupiter. If you say, “Wait, this past twelve months has been hard in my career, not easy. I have worked so hard and as of yet, I have not seen the great bounty I was supposed to see,” that may still come.

Once Jupiter leaves your most prestigious career house on September 9, Jupiter will not be back to this house for many years. Of course, you will have many opportunities between the time Jupiter leaves your career sector on September 9, 2016, and the day Jupiter will return on July 26, 2027. Yes, that is not a typo – 2027. The difference is, Jupiter in your career house makes it easier for you to meet influential people who will listen and go out of their way to help you. Often when Jupiter is about to leave a certain part of the chart, he leaves with a bang – a big gift, and that could arrive at one of the two days I will tell you about now. By the time you get to the third week of August, you will have the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter in your tenth house of fame and honors – and I might add, the magnificent new moon will arrive in the form of a solar eclipse September 1. To say you have exciting change coming up shortly in your career is an understatement.

On August 22, Mercury, the planet that is the natural ruler of your prestigious tenth house of achievement, will line up perfectly with Jupiter. This is typically a once-a-year event of Mercury and Jupiter, and each year, like two old friends, they page through their restaurant guide and choose to meet in a different constellation – this year they will meet in Virgo, your fame and honors sector. This was supposed to happen in 2004, but that year was weird in that Venus and Jupiter skipped Virgo altogether, so we have to look farther back for the last true meeting of Venus and Jupiter conjoined in Virgo, and that happened September 16, 1992. You can see how rare and precious August 22 will be – more precious than diamonds. Jupiter rules Sagittarius, so although almost everyone will enjoy this day, you will enjoy it more. I say that because Jupiter’s job is to take good care of you. This day should be extraordinary for career news. If you want to launch a new business, a redesign, and a new product, or get publicity for your business, you would be wise to choose August 22. This day will have the power to change your career for the better, possibly forever.

The next golden day will fall on a Saturday, August 27, and a new planet, Venus will conjoin with Jupiter too, just like Mercury and Jupiter did on August 22. Although August 22 will be your more important day for career news and excitement, you may be thrilled by a piece of career news you receive on August 26 or 27, or possibly the following Monday, August 29. In this case, a friend seems to be instrumental in your career breakthrough. You seem to be in line for an important new plum project. It will be one assignment that will have much to teach you and that will allow you more sophisticated projects in the future. Both Venus and Jupiter are financial projects, so it appears the compensation earned from this assignment will be considerable.

I also want to mention that Venus will tour your tenth house of career reputation from August 5 to 29. VIPs will look kindly on your achievements, and you’ll be quite popular not only with higher ups, but with people who report to you as well. Your career chart is truly stellar.

Dear Sagittarius, imagine a bouncer person in front of a top club and a throng of cool, well-dressed people waiting in line, hoping to get in. You arrive in your limousine, step out, and the big body builder bouncer detaches the velvet rope so that you can walk straight in, while the paparazzi photograph you. That’s how exciting late month will be for your career.

Nothing makes a Sagittarian happier than the prospects of an exciting trip abroad. The sunny new moon of August 2 in fellow fire sign Leo will shine in your ninth house, which rules international travel and your relationships with people abroad. You may travel for pleasure or business, but either way, your trip will have positive, long-term developments. If you cannot travel, you may be making a deal with a company or individual abroad, and talking over the phone and email. Saturn, now in Sagittarius, will be beautifully oriented to that Sun and moon, making this the best time in the year to take off on a jet plane to the place you have dearly hoped to see someday.

Your actions will have weight this month, especially in the first ten days, so use this new moon to reach a dream important to you. If travel or work abroad is not on your list of priorities, there are other possible outcomes to this gorgeous new moon of August 2, which will clearly be one of the best new moons of 2016. You may get an exciting project for the media – a cover story for a magazine, be asked to be the director of an important documentary segment for television, or start a blog with your own byline. Alternatively, if you need to make legal moves now, those are likely to go your way. Plans that you set in motion to attend college in September should fill you with excitement.

You have an important full moon, August 18, that will center your attention on the way you earn your income. Alternatively, a large purchase may be concluded or delayed. It is also possible that a new revenue stream will appear when you may also conclude a big financial deal. You may travel a short distance at this time, but if so, be back by Sunday, August 21. After that, your career will be on fire.

Sign papers this month on August 22, four days after the full moon. Mercury, the planet that rules your solar tenth house of fame and honors, will be meeting with good fortune Jupiter, an annual event. This is surely an extraordinary day that will bring you much positive publicity for a victory you well deserve.

Two more spectacular days will be August 26-27, when Venus will align with Jupiter, in this same tenth house of prestigious achievement. At this time, VIPs, co-workers, and subordinates will all applaud your success. A recent project that you competed to perfection is the reason a flurry of confetti will be blowing your way and it is only the beginning – more complex, lucrative projects will result. Also, a friend or professional group to which you belong could be instrumental in helping your climb to the top of your industry.

This is a very important time for you, for finally Mars, the warrior planet of courage, strength, and determination, is in Sagittarius. This means the other signs have to step back and give you right of way. Everyone gets a chance at Mars in their sign, once every two years – this is your time, not to end until September 27. You have had Mars in your sign since March 5 (with the exception of June and July when Mars retrograded back into Scorpio). The long period of Mars retrograde is over. Delays and indecision had plagued you, but now only blue skies lie ahead. Jupiter, now in Virgo shining in your tenth house of fame and honors, is also at full power, no longer retrograde.

By August 22, Mars will have returned to full power. All the planets in deep space are quietly moving into a position to create some of the best support you’ve seen in decades. Next month, on September 1, you will have a powerful new moon eclipse to bring the biggest career news of all, for eclipses are the most powerful tool the universe uses to affect change and progress. This will be a new moon eclipse, opening a door wide, and on September 16, a full moon lunar eclipse will bring changes to your home. Get ready – all eyes will soon be on you. If you were running for office, this is the time the balloons will be released from the ceiling, people will be cheering, and you will be giving your acceptance speech. You have now reached the most exciting point of 2016. It will be memorable!