Your Horoscope for August's Full Moon in Aquarius

Cosmopolitan

6 days ago

Full Moons are a time for releasing and relinquishing. If you have an excess in your life—emotional clutter, overcommitments, toxic attachments—this is the cosmic cue to drain it out. Whether through silent meditation, honest conversations, or grounding spiritual rituals, Full Moons offer us a ritual checkpoint to let go.
August's Full Moon in Aquarius marks a key turning point, astrologically hinting that it's time to take control of your own evolution. Following Western astrology, these new and full Moon guides are monthly reminders to reset, reflect, and recommit to your path. Your horoscope is less of a prediction and more of a sacred prompt for self-inquiry.
We're back again with another powerful Full Moon, his time in cool, future-minded Aquarius, which is happening on August 9, 2025, at 3:53 p.m. ET. This Full Moon in Aquarius is also called the Sturgeon Moon, named by Indigenous tribes and early settlers who noticed that sturgeon, an ancient and massive freshwater fish, were most readily caught during this part of summer. In that spirit, this Full Sturgeon Moon invites you to reflect on what's been swimming just beneath the surface waiting to be reeled in, seen, and possibly released.
Aquarius energy is intellectual, inventive, and emotionally detached. It's the sign of the outsider, the observer, the innovator. And when the Moon moves through Aquarius, it can feel like your emotions are filtered through a glass wall—visible, yet detached. On its own, that might feel disorienting. But paired with the Sun in Leo—warm, heart-centered, and loudly expressive—you're being offered a moment to zoom out from your emotional experience and engage with your sense of purpose. This Full Moon really presents us with the ability to balance emotional honesty with dignified self-expression. Not everyone deserves to see the fullness of our vulnerabilities, and learning when to take a step back and let your presence speak louder than your words can be to your benefit.
This Sturgeon Moon is here to help you find healthy ways to emotionally detach within reason. This isn't about avoidance or spiritual bypassing. It's about honoring the kind of distance that helps you witness without spiraling.
And with Mercury Retrograde in Leo, your inner monologue may be louder than usual—cycling through past conversations, old performances, or moments you wish you could re-edit. This retrograde isn't out to sabotage you, but it is here to help you rewrite the scripts you've internalized about self-worth and visibility.
Meanwhile, Saturn and Neptune are both retrograde in Aries, asking you to recalibrate how you pursue your desires and define your future. Saturn Retrograde can slow momentum, but only to make sure your foundation is solid. Neptune Retrograde removes the fantasy filter, revealing truths you may have been too idealistic to see. Pluto Retrograde in Aquarius is digging deep into collective power structures and your personal relationships to control—who has it, who doesn't, and whether it's time to change the rules. Chiron Retrograde, also in Aries, brings up old wounds around independence, agency, and not being 'enough.'
Basically, the cosmos are in deep review mode. Don't fight the slowdown. Let it show you what needs refining—internally and externally. If you've felt frozen lately, you're not broken — you're in a psychic pause. A processing cocoon. Aquarius reminds us that stillness is sacred, integration is real, and the truth often comes not from forcing answers, but from listening to silence.
Let yourself float. Trust that what's meant to surface will rise — and what's no longer needed will drift.
Read your horoscope based on your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs. Read your Sun sign to gain insight into the version of yourself that you're maturing into. Read your Rising sign to reflect on your present state. And read your Moon sign for guidance on how to grow your inner child (no one is perfect). If you find your horoscope helpful, please share it and tag me on social media @monishaholmes.
Your friendships are under cosmic review, fiery one. With Saturn and Neptune retrograde in your sign, you're shedding outdated roles like they were never yours to begin with. The Full Moon in Aquarius pulls you back far enough to see: not everyone clapping is rooting for your growth. Mercury retrograde in Leo has you replaying conversations about being seen—really seen. Pay attention to who affirms your becoming. With Juno and Vertex in the mix, you're reevaluating the contracts—spoken and unspoken—you've made in your relationships. And Chiron retrograde? It's reminding you that you don't have to prove your independence to protect it. There's no prize for outgrowing people politely.
Your career path is less about climbing right now and more about remembering what you actually came here to build. With retrogrades stirring your inner world, you're being asked to consider: are you creating from alignment or obligation? Mercury retrograde pulls your focus to how you present yourself professionally—are you performing capability or embodying it? Juno squares raise questions about power dynamics, and Vertex opens portals to fated realignment. Maybe success isn't the mountain—it's the spaciousness to choose your own route up. Let yourself admit what's no longer resonating. You don't owe consistency to a dream that stopped feeding your soul.
Your belief system is getting a cosmic refresh, curious one. With Mercury retrograde pulling you back through old thought patterns and philosophies, you're being asked to question what still feels true—gently, not forcefully. Saturn and Neptune retrograde are pulling the plug on mental noise so you can finally hear your intuition clearly. Juno's square highlights where intellectual freedom and commitment feel at odds. Maybe it's not about finding the perfect answer, but about getting braver with your questions. Wisdom isn't always loud; sometimes it sounds like silence, or feels like not knowing—and being okay with that.
This Full Moon asks you to witness your emotions with loving detachment—easier said than done, right moonchild? But Aquarius energy gives you the distance to observe without dissolving. Mercury retrograde replays conversations that made you feel 'too much' or not enough. The truth? Your sensitivity isn't a liability. It's a compass. Saturn, Neptune, and Chiron retrograde are rewriting your relationship to vulnerability and security. Juno's square highlights intimacy patterns; Vertex shows you the power of emotional transparency. Healing doesn't always look like crying it out—it can look like not shrinking when you share your truth. Let that be enough.
This Full Moon is holding up a mirror—and no, it's not for vanity's sake. With Mercury retrograde in your sign, your inner dialogue is loud. Maybe too loud. You're starting to see where you've performed connection instead of truly receiving it. Aquarius calls you to step back and observe: what do you really want from your relationships when the applause dies down? Juno's square shakes up your partnership dynamics, and Vertex brings encounters that reflect the real you—not the curated version. Vulnerability isn't weakness, babe—it's the most courageous form of presence. Be seen. Be soft.
Your routines are under audit—but not the kind you can fix with a new planner. Aquarius energy invites you to break the perfection loop and get radically honest about what's actually working. Mercury retrograde replays the ways you've been overfunctioning to feel worthy. The retrogrades challenge your default settings around service, effort, and rest. Maybe showing up as your whole self—messy, uncertain, late—is the most sacred thing you can do. Juno stirs tension around control and commitment. Vertex? It's nudging you toward a softer, slower kind of purpose. You're not a machine. You're allowed to just be.
Your creativity wants out of the box, gorgeous soul. This isn't about aesthetics—it's about truth. Aquarius energy breaks the rules for a reason, and you're being asked to get bold about joy. Mercury retrograde is replaying scripts around what you're 'allowed' to express. Juno's square tugs at the balance between keeping the peace and telling the truth. Let yourself be complex. Let your work be messy. Let your joy be inconvenient. The Vertex alignment opens doors through contradiction—don't be afraid to walk through them. You don't need permission to shine, especially not from people committed to misunderstanding you.
Your foundation is shifting—but it's not crumbling. It's evolving. Aquarius energy helps you zoom out from emotional legacies you've carried for too long. Mercury retrograde plays back family stories and intimacy scripts you've outgrown. Juno's square stirs tension in your closest relationships, and Vertex brings opportunities to reclaim your emotional truth. This is root-work. Not pretty, not always poetic, but necessary. Stop apologizing for being deep, for needing clarity, for requiring reciprocity. Your boundaries are sacred architecture, not walls. Let them hold you while you rebuild what home means.
Your voice is transforming, wild one. This isn't about being louder—it's about being truer. Aquarius asks you to speak with purpose, not just momentum. Mercury retrograde invites you to review how you communicate—what's performative, what's real, what's left unsaid. The retrogrades are rewiring your mental map so that your truth isn't reactive—it's embodied. Juno's square raises questions about commitment and curiosity. Vertex reminds you that sometimes destiny sounds like a difficult conversation you didn't want to have. Say what's yours to say. Even if your voice shakes. Especially then.
This Full Moon brings a value check. Are you building your life around what matters—or around what looks good on paper? Aquarius gives you emotional objectivity to step back from outdated definitions of success. Mercury retrograde reopens conversations about worth and recognition. Saturn's retrograde asks if your long-term goals are still rooted in your current truth. Juno's square tests what you'll compromise for security, while Vertex opens doors through surrender. Maybe letting go is the most powerful kind of control. You don't need to hustle for worthiness. You're already enough.
This one's personal, starlight. The Full Moon lands in your sign and asks you to see yourself—beyond performance, beyond projection. Mercury retrograde reveals where you've been dimming your light to avoid discomfort. Juno's square presses on the edges of your relational identity: who are you when you're not trying to be understood? With so many retrogrades shaking up your core self and long-term vision, you're becoming new in real time. And that's okay. Let contradiction be your guide. The most radical thing you can do is show up as all of you—even the parts still figuring it out.
You're floating through emotional fog, intuitive one—but that doesn't mean you're lost. This Full Moon asks you to witness your inner world without drowning in it. Mercury retrograde replays doubts about your gifts and visibility. Saturn and Neptune retrograde are dissolving the old boundaries that kept you playing small. Juno's square illuminates tension between your need for transcendence and your longing for real, grounded intimacy. Vertex whispers: service can be sacred, as long as it includes yourself. You don't need to disappear to be spiritual. Your softness is not a shadow to hide—it's a light to follow.