Hello my loves!

It feels like 2026 has just been one huge shift after another with so many outer planets moving into new signs and so many “once-in-a-lifetime” or even “once-in-a-civilisation” events occurring this year. July has been feeling pretty intense already and the upcoming Full Moon promises that the month will go out with a bang. As a natal Aquarius Sun I am eyeing it with equal parts suspicion, excitement and apprehension.

And while August won’t be without its own set of fireworks with two eclipses, once the North Node shifts into Aquarius on the 27th of July, that will be it in terms of big sign changes for a while. Ultimately, that means less distractions and fewer changes of direction. It’s time to strap ourselves in because whatever ride we are on is ready to go.

There’s actually something quite freeing about that. With so many major energy changes it’s been kind of difficult to figure out what you really want - if you’ve been feeling that too, rest assured that it’s completely normal in times like these.

Matching the intensity of the month is a manifestation technique that honestly won’t be for everyone - but it can be a powerful one if it meets you at the right time in your life. Here’s to navigating the shifting tides together.

Lots of love,

Chrissy

Here is a short overview of the key dates for late July and early August and what to expect on them.

July 29: We close off July with a bang. A Full Moon in Aquarius conjunct Pluto opposes Jupiter in Leo. The Sun and the Moon join the two most powerfully felt planets in astrology as they stand off, just a few days after the Lunar Nodes also move into Aquarius and Leo. There is a strong pull of fate around this date. Many old stories could come to a close, forcing us to look at an entirely new path ahead. Venus squares Mars on the same day, adding to the tension between privacy and public life.

August 3: Chiron stations retrograde in Taurus. Since the 19th of June we’ve had a preview of Chiron’s journey through this sign. Perhaps some wounds or pain has already come up around money, assets or the physical body. This is now ready to be healed and integrated, but internally - on the level of thoughts, feelings and beliefs - first.

August 6: Venus enters her home sign of Libra. We become more accommodating in our relationships and more tactful and diplomatic. It’s a good time to heal any rifts that have opened up between us and our loved ones. There’s also a heightened sense of aesthetics, making this a great time for overhauling your environments or personal style.

August 7: Mercury leaves its post-retrograde shadow. Any topics that have been circling aimlessly, where you seemingly haven’t been able to get anywhere (especially around the retrograde) now finally start to pick up momentum and move towards a resolution again.

August 9: Mercury enters Leo. This is the standout transit of the year for performers and public speakers. Our words and our thinking becomes dramatic, entertaining and mesmerising with flair. Speak with conviction from your heart and you are sure to gather a captivated audience.

August 11: A busy day of transits with Venus opposing Neptune, Mars entering Cancer and Juno retrograding back to Capricorn sets the stage for disillusionment with traditional family and relationship dynamics. Mars in Cancer is emotional and fiercely defensive of those it cares about, while Juno in Capricorn demands maturity, respect and responsibility within close, committed relationships.

Boy oh boy, this Full Moon is no joke. A Full Moon occurs when the Sun directly opposes the Moon (in astronomical terms) or our core identity stands off against our emotions (in astrological terms). This is why Full Moons are often such emotionally charged times. In a culture that values productivity and obedience above all else, we are often taught to suppress our emotions - perhaps even feel ashamed or guilty for having them. Then the Full Moon comes around where the Sun shines its fullest light onto our emotional landscape and with nowhere to hide them, our emotions can become pretty overwhelming.

In one of my previous jobs I was surrounded by people who were convinced that astrology is complete and utter nonsense - but even they realised that everyone just acts a bit different around a Full Moon. The influence is just that noticeable. And that’s just on any regular ol’ Full Moon. But this one - THIS ONE - is a Full Moon on steroids and it’s ready to go into a ‘roid rage.

Astrology doesn’t really work with “bigger and better” comparisons, but if you forced me to narrow down the two planets that create the most powerful influences, I would tell you Pluto and Jupiter. Pluto because it literally represents power. Pluto transits can be anything from devastatingly heartbreaking to gloriously enlightening, but they always leave you totally transformed. Most of my clients can map their lives into chapters with each new chapter being marked by a significant Pluto transit. Jupiter on the other hand is powerful because it is a ludicrously big planet and expands everything it touches. A lot of the time Jupiter transits are very fortunate times, but sometimes this expansion can be less desirable - like an expansion of our responsibilities or an expansion of our waist size.

During this Full Moon, Pluto sits on the Aquarius/Moon side, dragging out those feelings that we have buried the deepest - things like spitefulness, greed, cruelty or some kinky desires we refuse to admit to ourselves. Jupiter sits on the Leo/Sun side, making everything a lot bigger than it would normally be and also making the idea of hiding who we truly, authentically are, absolutely unbearable. And to top it all off, this happens just a few days after the lunar nodes shift into Aquarius and Leo as well! (By the way, check out my latest YouTube video to learn more about the significance of that one)

This is textbook for secrets coming out into the open. Globally, on a large scale (not that there’s been a shortage of those recently, with very little accountability for those involved), but also personally. People you thought you knew may turn out to be someone entirely different than what you’d always thought of them. Or perhaps this will affect you directly. Beware that there can be a huge desire to burn your bridges and bury an old identity. Try to resist that urge. Being authentic doesn’t mean disowning the person you had to be to get to where you are now.

Some fun ways to celebrate this Full Moon include:

This is a manifestation technique I’ve learned fairly recently and I’ve been very surprised and impressed at the results. With the Moon in Aquarius (the sign of the rebel) and the Sun in Leo (the sign of the inner child), the timing to share it could not be more perfect. We’re going to give your inner rebel and your inner child exactly what they want - though it might not look anything like what you’d expect. Welcome to the world of reverse affirmations.

There are some areas in our lives where affirmations just don’t seem to make a dent. You keep on affirming that you are wealthy, but there’s this tiny annoying voice in your head that immediately pipes up and reminds you of your two digit bank balance. Or you keep affirming that you are lovable and some part of your brain goes straight into reminding you that you’ve been single way longer than you’re comfortable to admit. I discovered that the most effective way to silence that voice is to give it the stage and shine a spotlight on it.

For me, I tried this with body image. Like a lot of (most? all??) women, looking in the mirror would often make me feel uncomfortable. I’d immediately find something to pick apart. My hips are too wide, my knees look weird and omg what is my hair doing. Affirmations like “I am beautiful” only really scratched the surface and the inner rebel would immediately pipe up with something like “Not with that nose you’re not.”

With reverse affirmations I went completely into the other direction. I would affirm “I am absolutely never allowed to feel good about how I look. I must deflect each compliment, I must hate all of my outfits and I must always find something to complain about whenever I see myself in the mirror.” Guess what happened? Within a day or two, I would catch a glimpse of myself and would think “Phwoarrr, looking hot today!” I kept on finding things that I loved about my body and kept thinking of ways to accentuate them.

The reason this works is because our inner child/toddler doesn’t always respond to reason. Sometimes you have to let them have what they want - let them eat the mountain of candy for breakfast so that they can feel sick and have a bad belly and realise that actually, it’s not what they wanted at all. Also, once you make it not forbidden and remove the taboo around it, it kinda loses its appeal. When I was a young teen I loved horror movies because I wasn’t allowed to watch them. Now I can count on one hand how many horror movies I’ve watched as an adult. They put me off my food, give me nightmares and most of the time the acting sucks. Remove the forbidden element from something and it becomes a lot less desirable.

You can try this with a lot of other things you are trying to manifest where your inner rebel gets in the way of “standard” affirmations. You can say something like “I must always feel terrible about my finances. I must always worry about how I will pay my bills and feel incredibly poor and hard done by.” Or maybe “I totally have to feel completely unloved all of the time. I must ignore any and all positive or encouraging interactions I have with people and I must assume that I will be lonely and sad forever and ever.” Make it sound ridiculous. You want to be completely over the top with this. Just one bar of candy for breakfast won’t teach that inner toddler. Six of them will.

A few caveats with this: Please do not do this if you are or suspect that you are depressed. You have to be in a relatively neutral frame of mind for these to work. I also do not recommend doing this for more than a week. If you don’t see results within a week, this technique may not be for you - at least not right now. Do not let this turn into a downward spiral. You may wish to return to it at another point in time.

And finally, always focus this technique on your own inner world. Never make it about other people! If you state something like “I must always feel bad in social situations” your inner rebel has access to your own state of mind to prove you wrong and point out all of the ways that you’re actually having a great time. If you state something like “Everyone hates me” then that’s not something your inner rebel can prove or disprove.

This Full Moon doesn't tiptoe. With Pluto dragging up whatever you've buried deepest and Jupiter making it impossible to keep hiding who you really are, the next couple of days are less about setting gentle intentions and more about looking honestly at what's ready to surface. These questions are built to work alongside that energy rather than soften it. Some will feel easy and some may catch you a little off-guard. Remember that these answers are for yourself and only for yourself. There is no judgement here and whatever comes up is here to liberate you, not catch you out.