August 2026 Astrology Forecast: Ego Death And Collective Wisdom During Eclipse Season

Vogue Philippines‘ astrology columnist explains how the August eclipses could shape your path based on your rising sign.

There is a story known in numerous civilizations around the world: the story of either a winged serpent or a dragon who ate six of the moons in the sky, leaving behind the one we know and revere now. In the Hindu tradition, this story revolves around Rahu representing the head of the dragon deity, and Ketu, representing the tail. In Western and Arabic traditions, the lore prevails as Caput Draconis (the Dragon’s Head) and Cauda Draconis (the Dragon’s Tail). Here in the Philippines, we have the tale of the Bakunawa. All these stories connect and point to the lunar nodes–mathematical tangents in the sky where the eclipses happen. The lunar nodes always come twofold, just like the head and tail of that mythical moon-hungry deity in the sky. There is a push, and there is a pull. A challenge and a lesson. As above, so below. And as such, the lunar nodes come just that way: there is a solar eclipse, and there is a lunar eclipse. There is a North Node and a South Node. 

We all have a North Node and a South Node in our individual birth charts. These points are important; they are clues as to what this lifetime is teaching you. The North Node is akin to the head of the dragon; this is what we are hungry for in this lifetime. This is a lesson we want to rise toward, an interest that constantly moves and sways us. Toward the direct opposite of that is the South Node, which is analogous to the Dragon’s tail. Legend has it that this entails (pun intended) lessons we have mastered in a previous life, and thus explains why certain skills, interests, and situations arrive to us with ease. Constant ease often comes with complacency; we either tend to take these things for granted or refuse to move towards a good, exciting unknown.

Now, as with everything in life, change is constant. All these planets, stars, and nodes continuously move. The lunar nodes station in opposite zodiac signs for approximately 18 to 20 months. Every time the nodes shift signs, there are big lessons for the collective. Every time there are eclipses, we are pushed toward a vortex of massive transformations. Every time an eclipse season is around, I double my news consumption for better or worse, but to truly witness how eclipses fast-track big changes (the most obvious ones are political) in the world. The nodes were just in the  Pisces and Virgo axes, and I’d like for you to think about what has shifted in your life since January 2025. Where did you learn to let go of the illusion of control? And where did you learn to step into more trust and flow?

Just before we moved into August, the lunar nodes stationed into the axes of Aquarius and Leo, implying a season of eclipses before us. On August 12 at 11:54 PM, we will have a New Moon Total Solar Eclipse in Leo, and on August 28 we will have a Full Moon Partial Lunar Eclipse in Pisces.

This is big. 

Let me count the ways.

Let’s start with the New Moon Total Solar Eclipse in Leo. The last solar eclipse in Leo took place on August 11, 2018–are you able to track what was going on in your life then? How were you asked to take up more space, to step onto a bigger stage? This upcoming eclipse could feel a little more intense, especially if you have significant Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, and/or Scorpio placements. It will feel bigger because just nearby is Jupiter, the great godfather of expansion, heightening the lessons of the vicinity it is in. This is potent and could affect the next six months of our lives. On the individual scale, this is a time to unlock creativity and self-expression. Do we still prioritize play in our lives? And more importantly, how do we connect to the yearnings of the deepest caverns of our hearts? Leo also symbolizes leadership. I wonder what big shifts await us on a political level.

The Full Moon Partial Lunar eclipse in Pisces will be like a final exam of the lessons of the previous years. This is a farewell and a salute to the Piscean themes that befriended us, and only then can we truly move onto the lessons of Aquarius. After this eclipse, the Aquarius-Leo axes and its themes will be adamant. 

As Jupiter lies beside the South Node in Leo, the North Node will occupy the same domain as Pluto, the planet of death, rebirth, and transformation. Pluto is a stranger to anything superficial and takes us on a deep dive into areas that will ultimately transform us. The presence of all these big actors in these two particular, already pivotal points in space is why this is all so intense. None of them are shy about their intentions and interactions; all tend to be unyielding and focused on their tendencies.

If the lessons of Pisces and Virgo revolved around healing and service, the Aquarius and Leo lessons are configured around the self and the collective, and the many intricate ways our inner selves are entangled with each other. The presence of Jupiter in Leo near the South Node magnifies the need for shedding the ego and the enslavement to outer appearances. We will see what lies beneath inauthentic performances. We need to burn these tendencies away so that what is left is only the burning of our hearts. Listen, observe, and explore what truly lights you up. Why do you do the things that you do? 

Just across, a reversed mirror echoing transverse wisdom, are the North Node and Pluto. They indicate a hunger for that which is true and good for everyone. Not for a singular entity or for a select few. For all. We, as a collective, will yearn for deeper connections. Connections that will help us be better to each other. We will yearn for new ways to experience and move through the world. We will be pulled out of the ways we have been so familiar with and pushed onto the great out there, with people and experiences that will ultimately shake us to our very core and leave us changed. 

There will be ego death, and then there will be collective wisdom. The Aquarius and Leo axes will be here to show us new ways of being until March 26, 2028.

To find out where this is happening in your life, read for your rising sign below.

Aries Ascendants

There could be new visions, goals, and helpful people coming into your life. You will be shown new ways of working toward your dreams. You will also be shown how to stop needing applause or attention in the ways that you express yourself. There could be more potential for romantic and creative connections, but this can only happen successfully if you stay true to who you are. 

Taurus Ascendants

There will be deep transformation in your career. Perhaps you will find deeper purpose; perhaps you will see how it will benefit a bigger cause in the long run. In your home life, there could be expansion, but there could also be a release. 

Gemini Ascendants

There could be great learnings in other continents, or perhaps you could find new ways to reach out to that which you want to learn and be. Maybe you will find yourself publishing a book, or speaking to a new crowd. International travel will be very expansive for you. Before you leap out onto the bigger world, look back at the community you’ve come from and make peace with what you didn’t agree with. Was the fault all from there, or is there something you need to change too? Look at your inner community as earnestly as you can and assess how true you have been. There is something you need to learn on the small scale so that you may expand into a bigger container.

Cancer Ascendants

There is something about sharing something so intimately with others. How can you extend help? Abundance can only be truly felt if you know there is more than enough for everyone, always. Come to know abundance in its true form.

Leo Ascendants

This is the time to focus on what is best for the important other in your life: your life partner, your best friend, your sibling, your business partner, your one-on-one relationships. You could be finding yourself dealing with relationships in new ways. This transit is helping you find better ways to deal with relationships. This is a time to shun the performative and embrace earnestness. If you must shine your light, shine your truest light without filters. This transit will shed the parts you need to outgrow. It is time to be brave enough to show the most authentic version of yourself.

Virgo Ascendants

There could be new routines coming in your life. Perhaps you could be finding yourself wanting to be of service more than ever, dear Virgo. There will be a big shift in the way that you fill up your life daily. Let go of the things that are ruminating behind the scenes (aka the many thoughts that take up so much space in your mind), even if the tendency seems to be expanding. Instead of getting stuck in the chaos of the mindspace (perhaps you will have many thoughts that seem to be all worries about yourself), focus on how you can be of service to others. This is the best way to exhaust the never-ending internal dialogue. Worry less, do more.

Libra Ascendants

There will be deep, transformative energy in the ways that you express yourself. There will be new interests and preoccupations, and they will capture you in ways that will help you shed what is no longer necessary. Perhaps you will shed people and even big dreams, but only those that do not resonate with the frequency you are stepping into. This shedding is creating more space for more aligned people, more heart-centered visions for your life.

Scorpio Ascendants

Dear Scorpio, there will be deep transformation in your home life. There will be changes that will benefit everyone, and these shifts could be led in by ways that you may not have thought would work. Either way, it needs to be a collaborative effort between everyone in your home. There could be expansions in your career and legacy, but first you need to shed the ego. Only step into something that feels aligned.

Sagittarius Ascendants

You could be finding or creating new communities; learning new ways to communicate and reach out to people. There could be a lot of travel opportunities, studying and/or publishing. These opportunities will prompt you to question your motivations and reconfigure the intensity of your passions. This will only work if you come with the best intentions.

Capricorn Ascendants

The energies will prompt you to reevaluate how you value yourself. Do you need better boundaries? Do you need a better purpose? You could be finding yourself exploring new ways of earning and sharing resources. There could be a call for you towards more vulnerability; explore your experiences and motivations behind sharing. Vulnerability is such an underrated superpower. 

Aquarius Ascendants

This period will ask you to deeply explore the person that you are, and the person that you want to evolve into. The next 18-20 months will be very transformative for you, dear Aquarius. Be open to blossoming into an even more authentic version of yourself. The people who are truly for you will remain with you and perhaps even evolve with you in this metamorphosis. Your most personal relationships will be magnified and perhaps solidified if both your hearts are in the right place. Otherwise, there could be a release. Know that this transit is helping you connect very deeply to your heartspace. Anything or anyone who does not fit in this sacred space will have to go.

Pisces Ascendants

This is a period that will ask you to explore the depths of the unknown. Do not be afraid; there is good energy helping you detach yourself from previous versions of yourself that do not serve your highest good. When you identify the highest version of yourself emerging from the shadows, hold on to that. There will be many opportunities for you to grow in your daily life, but this season is asking you to balance the practical and tangible with the ethereal and the unseen. There is growth in that equilibrium.

I hope that this month treats you well. We are stepping into a big portal into newer versions of ourselves. I hope you always stay true.