You are moving into a big month when many things will change for the better. The eclipses are back – you’ve not seen them since last February – but this month is different. The eclipses, now firmly ensconced in a new family of signs, Aquarius and Leo, are more vital and powerful than the first one you experienced on February 10. Think back to what you were doing at that time. Did anything stand out? A theme that surfaced then may now be repeated and enlarged. If you cannot think of anything special that came up, it was a mild eclipse, so that could be the reason – nothing like what is coming this month, which will be new opportunities filled with promise.

As eclipses keep coming in a family of signs, they arrive in different degrees. If your Sun, moon, and other planets are too far from the eclipse, you won’t feel it directly, but you still may notice a certain topic that surfaces. I ask you to always look back to see what happened because each eclipse in a series builds on the one before if it falls in the same family of signs. That family of signs keeps appearing until the end of its sequence, and in the case of the Leo-Aquarius eclipses that are happening now, that family will end with the eclipse in January 2019, about a year-and-a-half from now. All of these eclipses will focus you on your ninth house of intellectual activities, which I will describe in a moment. This tells me the themes that come up in August for you will be predominant for at least 18 months, if not longer. What makes this month so extraordinary is that both eclipses, including the lunar eclipse August 7 and the solar eclipse August 21, are extremely friendly to your Sagittarius Sun.

Eclipses have a way to bring up life events that we forever remember. They usually require some adjustment to sudden news, but because you are a mutable sign, you are a flexible creature. One of the most lovable parts about you is that you relish new experiences and you have an uncanny way of adjusting smoothly, with your ever-optimistic attitude.

Let’s look at the first eclipse, February 7, in Aquarius, coming as a full moon eclipse in Aquarius, 15 degrees. Mars will be circulating in Leo, giving impetus to your desire to be in a new setting and to break routine. You may be traveling quickly to a nearby town, and you seem to go for fun and love, not business. This might represent a glorious quick trip over a long weekend with the one you love or with a friend (or to see a friend). Friends are coming up quite strongly for you at this eclipse, for sure, and so are your siblings. It is alternatively possible that you may be traveling with a sibling or to see a sibling. Or, your sister or brother may have big news to share. Another way this could work out is that you are doing something with your sister or brother, such as to buy a house or start a business.

Things that happen on eclipses have gravitas, so pay attention to everything that happens near both eclipses, including this one, August 7 – it will point to a future development, and it should be a positive one.

Your ruling planet, Jupiter, now in Libra, is currently positioned in your friendship (eleventh house) sector. Jupiter, by some extraordinary coincidence, will be in the right sign and degree to be outstandingly helpful to you at the February 7 full moon lunar eclipse. Jupiter is the planet of happiness and growth, so this is great news, and the fact that Jupiter is ALSO your ruler says this eclipse will be doubly special and vital to your interests. Jupiter’s mission is to make you happy, and he asks nothing in return. One of your friends may go out of his or her way for you, or be instrumental in the good news that you will hear culminating.

The eleventh house, where Jupiter is based, is ALSO the house of hopes and wishes, so it is alternatively (or additionally) possible that a long-held wish you’d held in your heart will now come to fruition. If you’re skeptical, keep in mind that the ancient astrologers wrote that Jupiter was not only capable of bringing happy, lucky breaks, often also bringing financial benefits, but also that Jupiter is also the planet of miracles. Have faith, dear Sagittarius.

The wish you have in your heart may be material (such as, I want a new car, or I need a new computer) or spiritual (I want a baby, or I want the film I directed to get great reviews). Whatever it is, if until now your wish was out of reach, the eclipse may make it possible for you to grasp. Do your part by showing the universe your intent and taking any steps, even small ones, toward your desire.

If you have a birthday that falls on December 8, plus or minus five days, you will be in the direct path of the February 7 eclipse, and you will certainly notice its benefits. The same is true if you have Sagittarius rising 16 degrees, or the natal moon in Sagittarius of that degree, or a natal planet in Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius 16 degrees, in all cases, plus or minus five degrees. So many Sagittarians stand to hear such good news, when it arrives, you may fall off the couch with enthusiasm, laughing and shaking your head at your good news.

This same eclipse, August 7, seems to bring a contractual negotiation to a conclusion. You may be asked to sign papers, but if you are presented a finished contract, give it to your lawyer first to look over every tiny detail. During eclipse time, so much cosmic dust (so to speak) comes up that it is often hard to see the road ahead. You could easily overlook an important clause that is not in your favor, or worse, a protective clause that is missing because no one thought to address that contingency. Either could come back to bite you later, so slow down.

    Creativity, innovation, adventure, happiness, and the prospect to build a firm foundation to your dreams are all being offered to you on a silver platter, on and weeks after the August 21 eclipse.

To add to the confusion, Mercury will be retrograde from August 12 to September 5. It is never wise to sign a contract with Mercury retrograde, so if you can put off the signing to September, do that. I will suggest a better date: September 15.

If you desperately need a job or an apartment, or whatever you are doing in early August will require your signature, then go ahead and take it, of course, and see how things work out. Chances are, something about the deal will likely turn out differently than you suppose.

Keep in mind too that Mercury rules the prestigious career sector of your chart, your tenth house of honors, awards, and achievement. This means your career progress will noticeably slow in August. If you are interviewing for a job, executives will be away, or if they are in town, they will need time to make a decision. Railing against the delays won’t work – go with the natural flow of events because delays will benefit you.

Although Mercury starts to retrograde on August 12, you will begin to feel the slowdown earlier, the moment the month begins. Mercury retrograde may not faze you if your work life is not busy in August. You appear to be traveling this month anyway, and if so, you might not be mindful of the flow of events back at home base. The people back home in your office may miss you – they may be the ones feeling Mercury retrograde more, because they need you!

Yet August is not always slow for everyone – it depends on your industry. Let’s say, for example, you are a fashion designer working on getting your collection ready for New York Fashion Week, September 7-14. The process of getting your garment samples into your showroom in New York from your overseas dressmakers may stall and your samples may get held up in customs. Or, one or two of the runway models you had your heart set on booking for your show may be already booked – and for a competitor no less. Everyone of every sign will be in the same boat, and delays will drive us all a little crazy. Try to anticipate glitches like these and have an alternative plans in place. Fortunately Mercury will go direct on September 5, which, in the US is the day after the Labor Day holiday. Things will immediately improve after that, just in time for the start of the fashion shows.

Now let’s turn to the second eclipse, the total eclipse of the Sun on August 21, in Leo 29 degrees, sure to be your favorite. Leo is a fire sign like your Sagittarius Sun. This eclipse will light up the part of your chart that Sagittarius, as a sign, naturally rules, your ninth house of foreign people and places. It rules international travel and relationships, projects done with people who are based in foreign countries, and goals related to getting a higher education and degree. Publishing and broadcasting businesses and legal matters also fall in this same ninth house, so one of these topics may become vital for you too. All glow for you.

You may not think of a company as technically foreign because the company might be situated just a few blocks from your apartment, but when you think of the main headquarters of the company, it may be in Paris, Tokyo, or Rome, for example – you get the idea. A company with employees in your city is still “foreign” to you if it was born and is headquartered in another country.

I believe you will be walking up on foreign shores this month, to a city you’ve never been, in a setting that requires a passport for entry. If there is anything you love, it’s travel or working on an international project. This is such an exciting month for you. Keep in mind that the August 21 eclipse is a new moon solar eclipse that will open a door that has been previously locked – exciting!

As mentioned, this eclipse will energize the areas of publishing and broadcasting, and your sign is known to turn out talented writers, publishers, and producers. You enjoy discussing ideas and concepts, so this month you’ll be in your glory. You may get the green light to publish a book, be a host on television, and write an important story for a prestigious magazine. Higher education also falls in the ninth house, so you may be getting ready to go to the university for an advanced degree. If you are ready to present and defend your thesis, you may be doing that this month. Even though Mercury will be retrograde, I feel your timing will be ideal to get your degree approved. Things that happen at eclipse time usually are much more weighty and important for your future than what would be triggered by a normal new or full moon. Your actions will have legs and bring you to a new more sophisticated level after this month is over.

I should point out that sometimes an eclipse will deliver its news one month to the day later, plus or minus five days. That would bring you to September 7, plus or minus five days. Keep watch. In a tiny percent of the time, some feel an eclipse one month earlier, and that would have been July 7 plus or minus five days. Astrologers work with bell curves, and we look at time very differently than others.

Here is why you should be optimistic about the August 21 eclipse. When it appears on this day, the planets will come together to create a golden triangle of supreme harmony in the sky. The first leg of that triangle will be the Sun, new moon, and Mars. The second leg will bring Uranus, the planet of surprise and innovation, in Aries in your fifth house of love, romance, and creativity, beaming surprises to the Sun, moon, and Mars. The third pair of the triangle will be occupied by Saturn, now in Sagittarius, and giving his gifts of stability and long-range gain to actions you take AFTER the eclipse, in the weeks to come. Creativity, innovation, adventure, happiness, and the prospect to build a firm foundation to your dreams are all being offered to you on a silver platter now.

If your birthday falls on December 20, minus five days, you will feel the effect of this eclipse directly. The same is true if you have Sagittarius rising 29 degrees, or the natal moon in that sign and degree, or a natal planet in very late degrees of Sagittarius, Leo, or Aries, or Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius.

Life cannot always be this sweet, but when it is, you must take full advantage. Did you know that eclipses have a cycle of appearing in the same sign and degree every 19 years? Think back to what you were doing August 8 and August 22, 1998 (you will note one day difference in each case). You may get an intriguing idea of what theme might come up for you now.

Nothing makes you happier than the prospect of travel, the reason why you will love this month. Two major eclipses, both friendly, are heading your way. The first one, August 7, a lunar full moon eclipse, may send you a short distance, and the reason for your travel will be for love and pleasure. This eclipse appears to be a warm-up for the one that will come next, so this month is chockfull of opportunity to travel and to open your mind to learn about a new culture, its history, architecture, foods, customs, fashions, and more. You will become excited by being away from your usual base. This is not the only possibility for you this month, but travel is, admittedly, coming up as a strong theme.

One of your happiest days to be on the road will be Thursday, August 10, when the Sun and good fortune Jupiter, your ruling planet, will be aligned, bringing outstanding happiness from a friend. It would be the perfect day to be on a trip, or to plan one in detail. Another breathtaking day to travel will come over the weekend of August 19-20 when Mars, also in your far distant travel sector, will receive signals from generous Jupiter, too.

Jupiter and Saturn will be aligned too, on August 27, a fine day to prepare for college or graduate school or to be working on an important media project. If you are going to college, make a list of all the classes you would want to take and see which ones are available with the professor you want to teach you. This day, August 27, is a rare day, when any serious goals can be completed and agreed to – and that will stand the test of time.

Early in August you may be instead poring over a contract to see if any changes are indicated. The third house, where the eclipse will light on August 7, rules, aside from short trips, agreements of all kinds. If signing a contract will be on your agenda, don’t rush the process – this is a full moon eclipse, so you will likely be pressured to sign and move on. Resist the pressure. Mercury, the planet ruling agreements, will be retrograde from August 12 to September 5, as the eclipse will fall too close to the inception of the retrograde. This means you must refrain from signing the document.

During Mercury retrograde you might have problems reaching VIPs or your lawyer (probably true at this time of year). Wait until mid-September to sign. Leave as much space from September 5 as possible, as Mercury acts a bit wild at the start and end dates of a retrograde. I like September 15 as your signing date.

Also, if you need to buy an electronic item or a car, you will have to wait until mid-September for best results, as Mercury rules the moving parts of machines and also the electronic elements. If you choose to work during the first half of August, you will be busy and may have an important project involving publishing or broadcasting to wrap up.

The second eclipse of August 21 in Leo will be your big moment to shine. It is the most important moment of the month and for you, possibly the entire year of 2017. Your ninth house of long-distance travel and international relationships will be lit brilliantly. If you do travel, it will be a far-flung city in the world, to a place you’ve never seen and always hoped to go. Your trip will be life-altering in terms of the new perspective this trip will give you.

A breakthrough regarding immigration (green card, visa, and passport) is also almost certain to come up after August 21, and the outcome should please you, despite your fears to the contrary. The Sun and Uranus will cooperate perfectly, ensuring surprise and fun, and Saturn, planet of long-term foundations, suggests that what you experience on this trip could provide a lasting imprint on your psyche, and may give you a clue of the kind of work you were born to do.

The ninth house, where the solar eclipse of August 21 will occur, will open a door to a new path. Among the various parts of life that this house rules include academic pursuits, so you may be getting ready to choose a university for college or graduate school, go to one, or soon graduate. If you are defending your thesis, it’s a good time to do so.

The ninth house is mainly intellectual, where we take in information and give it out, so as such, it rules university study, publishing, and broadcasting projects. Ancient astrologers rightly felt that travel was an excellent form of firsthand education, the reason international travel falls in this area of the chart too. Mars is in this house all month, so it’s easy to see that this is where your heart is – far from home!

It’s clear you will throw back the shutters of your mind, so open the windows and let sunshine in. Keep your eyes on the distant horizon and spread your wings, dear Sagittarius. All indications are that you are about to take flight to experience a new adventure, and it will be one you will enjoy and never forget.