Planetary Events: August 2025

August is a month of movement. Retrogrades, alignments, and cosmic nudges are stirring the pot, and for the planetary witches among us, it’s time to tune in. So, grab your grimoire, light a candle, and let’s look up. Here’s what August has in store—and how to work with it, not against it.

First thing, there's quite a bit going on this month so let's break down everything.

All month: Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, and the Dumbbell Nebula will be visible.

Mercury: Pops up above the horizon during the second half of August. Appears very low, below 10 degrees altitude.

Mars: Can be observed low in the west during the hour after sunset, appearing about as bright as the brightest stars in the Big Dipper.

Venus: Shines very brightly in the east each morning before sunrise, about 20 to 30 degrees above the horizon.

Saturn: Observable late night to dawn. Rises around 10:30 p.m. early in the month, and around 8:30 p.m. by the end of the month. Find it high in the south as sunrise approaches.

Jupiter: Appears in the east each morning, together with Venus, but much less bright

Dumbbell Nebula (M27): One of the easiest planetary nebulas to observe, M27 appears within the Summer Triangle star pattern, high overhead in the first half of the night. It’s a type of nebula called a “planetary nebula.”

A nebula is a giant cloud of gas and dust in space, and planetary nebulas are produced by stars like our Sun when they become old and nuclear fusion ceases inside them. They blow off their outer layers, leaving behind a small, hot remnant called a white dwarf. The white dwarf produces lots of bright ultraviolet light that illuminates the nebula from the inside, as the expanding shell of gas absorbs the UV light and re-radiates it as visible light.

The Dumbbell Nebula, nicknamed for its dumbbell-like shape, appears as a small, faint patch of light about a quarter of the width of the full moon in binoculars or a small telescope. It lies within the Summer Triangle, a pattern of stars that's easy to find overhead in the August sky. You’ll find the nebula about a third of the way between its bright stars Altair and Deneb. (All this is according to the NASA website).

• August 9th, we have a full moon nicknamed the "Sturgeon Moon". I have a full post going in detail about this one.

• August 11th mercury ends its retrograde.

• August 11 & 12 – Venus-Jupiter Conjunction – The two brightest planets have a close meetup over several days, appearing closest over two days on the 11th and 12th, at just a degree apart.

• August 12th-13th – Perseids Peak – The celebrated annual meteor shower will be hampered by an 84%-full Moon on the peak night. A few bright meteors may still be seen in the pre-dawn hours, but viewing conditions are not ideal.

• August 19 & 20 – Moon with Jupiter & Venus – A slim lunar crescent joins Jupiter and Venus — still relatively close in the sky after their conjunction. They appear in the east in the several hours preceding sunrise.

What does all this mean in the sense of witchcraft, astrology, and yourself? Let's dive into it!

First let's start with the full moon, the full moon is on August 9th, 2025, nicknamed the Sturgeon moon (though there are many names for it). It invites us to celebrate the fruits of out labor and encourages us to connect with the spiritual energies of the season. As always take everything I say with a grain of salt, I am one person simply sharing my experiences, there is no right or wrong way to practice. (See the Sturgeon Moon Blog post here on my website)

August 11th, Mercury retrograde is ending. What does this mean? Well Mercury is the planet of communication, thought patterns, travel, and technology—so when it goes retrograde, it feels like the foundations of daily life get thrown off balance. Luckily the retrograde ending is a good thing clarity will return, misunderstandings will begin to resolve, projects that felt stuck start moving again, and inspiration flows more freely. But remember the post-shadow phase will last until August 27th. That just means the lingering energy of the retrograde will be lingering but slowly dissipating. Everything will be cleared up by September 1st.

Also on August 11th, Saturn sextile Uranus. Saturn, at 1° Aries 12′, forms a sextile with Uranus, at 1° Gemini 12′ on August 11, 2025. This is the second of three in this set (as with many outer-planet transits, this aspect repeats three times over the course of many months).

When Saturn and Uranus connect, we see how we combine tradition and progress, stability and change, development, and innovation. With Saturn forming a sextile to Uranus, it’s a time when we’re more likely to be doing what we enjoy, and enjoying what we’re doing, mainly related to career, work, and life path matters, but extending to other areas of life. Events occurring now build character, and life lessons are digestible. It’s a period of solid, meaningful progress.

August 12th-13th, the Perseids Meteor shower. While you won't be able to see the shower very well that doesn't mean you can't still perform certain rituals under the shooting stars. Now I will admit I have never used meteor showers to do any magickal workings so you may want to do a bit more research outside of this blog about it. But from quick research through my books, it seems the general consensus is meteor showers are good to manifest intentions, cleanse energy fields, and deepen spiritual connections.

August 23, New Moon in Virgo: This New Moon signifies a fresh start, particularly in areas related to health, work, and daily routines. It encourages organization and refinement, making it a productive time to set intentions for personal growth and wellness.

August 2025 is a month of energetic recalibrations and bold declarations. With the Sun in Leo until August 22, personal expression is highlighted, but the influence of Mercury retrograde reminds us to reflect before acting. The month encourages individuals to embrace their creativity, connect with their communities, and prepare for new beginnings as the astrological energies shift towards Virgo. This month presents a unique opportunity to harness the cosmic energies for personal and collective growth, making it an exciting time for self-discovery and connection with others.

As the Sun prepares to shift from Leo’s golden blaze to Virgo’s sacred order, take time to honor the duality of this month: the wild roar and the quiet recalibration. Let your creativity spill over, messy and magnificent. Let your reflections guide you—not as chains, but as compass points.

This is your moment to rewrite the narrative, to reconnect with your chosen family, and to root your magic in truth. Whether you’re dancing under moonlight or journaling in solitude, know this: You are not behind. You are becoming.

Signed, your favorite emotionally unstable cryptid <3