Your August 2023 horoscope reflects a journey through this summer’s Venus Retrograde. Venus essentially making a remix—this is the time to notice how the goal posts of your values and desires have shifted. Maybe you revisit an old love or artistic muse. If you’re on the road this month, you might find yourself physically, or emotionally, back in a familiar setting where your heart was once on fire. The question to ask this time is: What lights you up now?
The urge to try new flavors and spend a little too lavishly will be heightened as Venus squares Uranus (on the 9th) and Jupiter (on the 22nd). It’s an indulgent summer, for better or for worse, but at least you won’t be bored at the gelato stand.
On August 23, the Sun enters Virgo, and Mercury stations retrograde in the same sign. Virgo Season is perfect for visiting wine country or taking any slightly nerdy, educational trips you’ve had on the back burner, so consider this your permission (not that you needed it…). Mercury will be up to Mercury’s tricks, though, so budget in extra time to get to your destination, and avoid booking future travel until mid-September if possible. Otherwise, it might not hurt to spend a little extra for a refundable ticket.
Below, find the complete August 2023 horoscope for every sign. A quick note: We refer to your signs as “rising” signs, also known as your ascendant sign. Horoscopes are more accurate when read this way—using your birth time and location, you can quickly find your rising sign online (it takes less than 30 seconds).
Lin Chen
Aries Rising
There are months to put your nose to the grindstone, and months to give yourself over to play. This August, the work is to follow your impulses to wherever life feels most creative, invigorating, and juicy. For parents, try taking your kids somewhere that will allow you to reconnect with your own inner child. Revisiting a destination where you were once wildly in love might also help you recover a sense of eros and aliveness that has potentially gotten lost in the shuffle of obligations. With Jupiter squaring Venus from your second house of resources, you’ll probably be tempted to overspend on lavish meals and other treats, so try and stay attuned to what feels like a resonant “yes” and what feels like mindless consumption.
Taurus Rising
With your ruling planet, Venus, deep in the throes of her retrograde season, no one will fault you if you cool your jets for a bit this month. With the retrograde taking place in your fourth house of home, family, and ancestry, it’s very possible you’ll literally be spending more time at home, or potentially going back to your hometown to mend some ties or resolve an important matter of the heart. Family reunions are worth traveling for this month, and visits to ancestral lands may prove instrumental in helping you locate yourself. A large dose of this heart-opening arrives on August 13. You may surprise yourself with how freely you receive this bid for better connection to your past.
Gemini Rising
This month’s opening act is a Full Moon in Aquarius on August 1, which escalates any of your existing storylines involving international travel, learning, and spirituality. If you’re on the go while this is happening, a fairly run-of-the-mill trip can quickly turn into a peak experience or an eye-opening adventure. That said, your ruling planet, Mercury, opposes Saturn on the same day. This might feel like a literal or metaphorical case of getting stopped by passport control. Prepare for things to feel a little less seamless than you’d like on this day, but be open to the swirling gestalt of what your experience is showing you. Mercury is getting ready to station retrograde on the August 23, so your focus will soon be diverted to troubleshooting things at home.
Cancer Rising
Venus spends the month retrograde in your second house, encouraging deep reflection around your finances, values, and spending habits. Are you spending your disposable income in a way that feeds your joy? Are you shopping for souvenirs in a way that reflects your ethics? You might also be deep in the midst of a closet purge, or giving your travel gear a much-needed refresh. So no, a cute suitcase is not a frivolous pursuit.
