If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT, aka GMT). Location for all mundante charts is set for the Great Pyramid at Giza; the choice being strictly arbitrary in any case. Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.

PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) my complete 2015 World Forecast Highlights (38 8-1/2 x 11” illustrated pages); focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. The full version of my 2015 World Forecast Highlights is available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Orders may be phoned in (toll-free from anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761), and charged to any major credit card. PayPal orders may be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page.

Lost time is never found again.
-- Benjamin Franklin
 

The Skinny

July has been so busy for me, that the skinny is all I can give you this month. August means restructuring, a trend that surfaced in July, as Jupiter and Saturn first got within a few degrees of their August 3 waning square, and Saturn got within a half-degree of its August 2 direct station. What kind of restructuring? Financial, economic, political and geopolitical – all the big and fundamental institutions of civilization, in short. And with Venus conjunct Jupiter on the 4th (for the second time this year), we’re off to a promising start. All of which helps take the pressure off the kind of anarchic, nihilistic, radically idealistic and revolutionary Uranus-Pluto square ferment that’s been a dominant theme of global events over the last four years – since the dawn of the Arab Spring and the various Occupy movements.

August also brings up the vanguard in a train of three consecutive SuperMoon full moons. (For the big picture on 2015’s six SuperMoons, see the full version of my 2015 World Forecast Highlights.) Stirring Earth’s atmosphere, crust and seas, these SuperMoons will usher in a late summer-into-early fall surge of powerful storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and extreme tides. The August 29 SuperMoon at 6° 6’ Pisces ensures that late August into early September will be unusually turbulent on the geophysical front, but that doesn’t mean early August will be bland. That’s because of a combination of solar and terrestrial storm signals in effect from July 28 through August 9. Ranking lower on the danger scale is the August 11-17 new moon geophysical stress window; nowhere near SuperMoon class, but still notable enough to merit taking some precautions. (For details on the macro associations of this year's Uranus-Pluto square and Jupiter-Saturn square, see the full version of my 2015 World Forecast Highlights.) So much for the skinny, here are the details . . .

Solar Storm Signals

The early August solar storm potential is indicated by the July 23 superior (far side) Sun-Mercury conjunction and the August 6 Mercury-Venus conjunction. These alignments are associated (plus or minus three days) with an outburst of solar storms (M and X-class flares and Coronal Mass Ejections) and increased geomagnetic activity (Kp 5 and up). However there’s a two-week delay factor associated with a superior Sun-Mercury conjunction.

This time around, that means it’s in effect three days either way of August 6, the day of the Mercury-Venus alignment. Which makes August 3-9 look especially stormy on the solar front. This much excess solar energy stirring up Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere has consequences direct and indirect, and you’re bound to see them. They include increased storm and seismic activity on the one hand, plus geomagnetic storms that manifest as enhanced auroral displays and disruptions in electrical and electronic systems and networks – including satellites, computers and computer networks, radio transmission and power grids. Remember: the human nervous system is electrical in nature, and many people experience increased anxiety and agitation during these solar outbursts.

The early August outburst aside, the rest of the month doesn’t look especially notable on the solar storm front. After a relatively quiet July and just a couple August outbursts, next month is another story, entirely: the sleeping Sun awakens and stirs in September. A Carrington event? Not likely. But a lot more solar matter and energy pouring into our Home Planet, a lot more than we’ve seen in months.

SuperMoon Storm and Seismic Warning Signs

SuperMoon is a term I created and defined in a 1979 article for Dell Publishing Company's HOROSCOPE magazine, describing a new or full moon (syzygy) which occurs with the Moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth (perigee) in a given orbit. In short, Earth, Moon and Sun are all in a line, with Moon in its nearest approach to Earth. (My most recent print article on this subject appeared in the October-November 2007 issue of The Mountain Astrologer.) Over the last several years, astronomers and science writers have adopted my terminology. I’m told this is the first instance since Johannes Kepler in the 17th Century of astronomers adopting a concept that originated with an astrologer.

At the very most basic geophysical level, a SuperMoon is a type of extreme lunar alignment that is associated with extreme tides in the atmosphere, seas and crust of our home planet. These extremes manifest as increases in the frequency and magnitude of strong storms with high winds and heavy precipitation – and all that entails, including flooding, property and infrastructure damage and worse. Also in the SuperMoon arcanum comes an uptick in notable seismic activity, including moderate to severe (Magnitude 5 and up) earthquakes and significant volcanic eruptions. Extreme tidal surges are the third leg of the SuperMoon geophysical tripod – sometimes these are tsunami, but more often they’re just normal tides that happen to be much higher than usual.

This month’s (August 29) SuperMoon is the first in a string of three consecutive full moon SuperMoons. Expect the usual: an increase in powerful storms with high winds and heavy precipitation; a surge in extreme coastal tides; and a surplus of notable seismic activity, including Magnitude 5+ earthquakes and newsworthy volcanic eruptions. When? From August 24 through September 3. Where? There may be some pointers as to areas of special vulnerability during this SuperMoon shock window, looking at an astro-locality map for the event. The meridian line running through the center of North America touches central Canada and the US, as well as eastern and southern Mexico. From there, it heads due south through the eastern Pacific Ocean. In the eastern hemisphere, that meridian runs south from Russia through India and western China, and south from there through the Indian Ocean. There’s also a horizon arc from west Africa through western Europe and Scandinavia, arcing poleward before bending south through Siberia and from there crossing the Pacific Ocean down to New Zealand.

Acknowledgments

All mundane astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are set for the Universal Time (UT) of the event, and calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8. Unless sotherwise noted, sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe app for iPhone, or produced by Starry Night for Windows; storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone; and earthquake maps are screen captures from the Earthquake Alerts app for iPhone.

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/fax 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com