As you begin the month, you seem nearly obsessed with money. You've just had to use up a large part of your cash at the full moon, July 28, so you'll be very motivated to find more. Cancer has been through the wringer on finances ever since Saturn entered Leo two years ago. You will see the light at the end of the tunnel in a month, dear Cancer. You have seen no hint of this so far, so you may doubt me, but the truth is that Saturn is about to leave this difficult placement in Leo on September 2, and once it does, you will start to feel nearly instant financial relief.

You are tired of all the stress of trying to make ends meet. Even if you are a millionaire, you still had problems getting paid what you feel you were due, and that will normalize as well. This month you will have nearly half the planets of our solar system filling your second house of earned income - it's no wonder you will be set to find a way to generate a better cash flow

Your first signal that things will be changing for the better will arrive on August 6, the date that generous Jupiter turns direct. Jupiter is the planet of financial expansion, luck, and happiness, and when this generous planet naps, you don't get to enjoy much of Jupiter's gifts. That will all change now, and you should feel the difference, for Jupiter's been out of phase for four months, since April 5. Jupiter is now traveling through your house of work assignments, so if you've been trying to change jobs, or if you are self-employed and hoping to generate lucrative new business, you will find it far easier to do so from August 6 onward. In fact, you should see some sort of instant breakthrough in the days that circle this critical date.

Another important trend gets into full swing at mid-month: that of finding more money. The money you seek will be earned income, not money won or given to you in any way, such as a scholarship or prize. No, the money you will be thinking about would be money you earn as salary. It's also possible however that you may be concerned about your possessions, say, if you recently moved and found you lost some of your items or discovered them to be broken when you opened the box. Or, you may be buying something expensive, such as new furniture, a house, or a computer. The greater probability, however, will center you on increasing your stash of cash, too.

Typically, you get but one new moon a year in your house of earned income, and this year's is no exception. This month's annual financial new moon will bring the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and the new moon together in one sector.

All new moons open a portal, and this one will allow you to change your circumstances in the year that follows, that is, from August 2007 to August 2008. Next year, your next new moon will come by to offer you a new portal of opportunity.

Although this new moon is flawed (and I will tell you why in a second), I feel you should ask for a raise or look for a new job in the days following this month's new moon, August 12. That week, the week of August 12, will be your best, although you can also make appointments for the following week.

I am concerned that Saturn, so prominent at this new moon, will tend to keep your income tight, as Saturn tends to contract what it touches. This time, Saturn orbits close to the new moon, so I feel that your efforts to get a substantial raise will be met with some resistance. Saturn will be meeting with three planets this month, which I consider a lot of activity. First Saturn will meet with Venus on August 13, then with Mercury on August 18, and finally with the Sun on August 21.

In regard to August 13, there may be problems with a housing situation or concern about a family member. Venus rules your fourth house of home, and last month, on July 27, Venus went retrograde - trying to fix a home-related situation, especially a costly one, may prove to be hard until Venus goes direct on September 8. If you are trying to sell a house, you may not be able to find an appropriate buyer until next month. If you are trying to buy a house, you may find you need to negotiate for your price that long.

August 18 could bring a difficult day for travel - be sure your car is in great working order, for the trip is likely to take longer than you may anticipate. If you sign a contract on this day, the deal would be in place almost forever. That could be good, if you agree with all the points in the contract and have tried to imagine what might have been left out or is unclear.

Your hardest day for money, by far, will be the day Saturn meets with the Sun on August 21. Do everything in your power not to schedule financial meetings for Tuesday, August 21. This could turn out to be a depressing financial day for most Cancers, where VIPs are critical and demanding, and buyers and sellers are likely to be stingy and bent on haggling over every point. It is easy to see why I don't want you to ask your old Scrooge boss or client for a raise on this day!

The aspects in your chart tell me that you will need to have strong reasons ready to explain why you deserve the higher fee or salary you are asking when you meet with top executives. Before you go into that vital meeting, practice your presentation with a friend or relative to make sure your pitch is as strong as it can be, for the person you will be meeting with seems to be a Doubting Thomas. If you focus on your accomplishments and on what you can contribute to the firm - and not on why you need the money, because clearly the firm doesn't care - you should be able to get your raise, but I admit it won't be easy.

This month will also be a time when you will be able to extricate yourself from unprofitable, difficult, or unproductive arrangements. It may be time to pull out old contracts or have a second look at old obligations to see if you can go back to renegotiate them now.

Fortunately, at this new moon, Pluto will send a powerful and beneficial beam to Saturn, suggesting you will be able to convince at least one powerful VIP to give you the salary or fee that you want. Indeed, you are holding a strong enough hand to win this round if you remain realistic and present a really persuasive argument. Pluto is the planet best known for dramatic transformations - you can create one for yourself if you remain focused. You do have to practice however, for this is no month to simply go in and fly by the seat of your pants.

Mars rules your career, and this month Mars will move through a very private, hidden part of your chart. It's always good to note Mars' whereabouts in a chart, because Mars tells us where the action is going to be focused in your life. Now that Mars will enter your twelfth house, it suggests that you will be having confidential talks about your career with someone, whether that will be a headhunter, job counselor, or simply a prospective employer when you interview for a new job under the radar. It is equally possible that you will reflect and meditate about how you can change your career to find greater job satisfaction. These possibilities are not mutually exclusive - you may be doing both simultaneously.

It may be helpful to know that you are about to become a force to be reckoned with once Mars enters Cancer on September 28. The place Mars will be this month, from August 7 to September 28, signifies that you are ending a long, two-year cycle and are about to begin a new one in the last part of this year. Almost always, Mars spends seven weeks in a sign (for seven weeks is certainly enough time for Mars to work its magic), but this year, Mars will be in Cancer from September 28, 2007 to May 9, 2008! That's seven months!

Everyone wants to have Mars in their sign because once you do, Mars gives you a major advantage in negotiations, for you are more likely to see things go your way. Knowing that you are heading into this wonderful, robust stage has to be exciting. The last time you had Mars in Cancer it was May 7 to June 23, 2004.

Remember, your exhilarating period - that will help you in ALL phases of your life, from career to money, and love relationships to housing - will extend from September 28, 2007 to May 9, 2008. Mars will retrograde during part of that period - you will have lots of control and can set off in an important new direction. Your strongest periods will be September 28 to December 20, and then again from March 10 to May 9.

You can use the time between December 21 and March 9 to perfect your strategy, but should plan to come on strong from September 28 to December 20, the first part of this trend. Start now to get ready.

This won't be a huge month for love, but there will be several gentle moments to enjoy. If you hope to meet someone new, keep your eyes open at the workplace or sports-related area, such as at a baseball game, sailing event, or running track setting. August 9 will be particularly lucky, as Jupiter and Mercury will be at supportive angles. Also, the moon will be in Cancer then too, favoring you over all others.

Your most romantic nights: August 1 - 2, 4, 9 - 10, 15, and 19

The month will end with a rather wild full moon lunar eclipse in Pisces on August 28. The aspects to this eclipse are due to be difficult because Saturn will orbit so close to this moon, and Uranus will oppose Mercury directly. That is enough to set everyone's nerves on edge. As a Cancer, the moon rules your sign, so you may feel this eclipse as strongly as the main signs that will be highlighted, namely, Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, and Sagittarius. This full moon, highly emotional eclipse falls in your house of foreign cities and people, so you may need to rapidly get on an airplane to attend to something that comes up. Have your passport ready at the start of the month, as you won't get any notice of whatever news occurs.

I am concerned because Uranus will oppose Mercury, so news will be very sudden and not at all what anyone would want to hear. Everyone of every sign will be under the same aspects, so there is also a possibility that there will be very difficult weather conditions or that some other news event will be making the kind of headlines that gets everyone involved. The unexpected quality of the news this eclipse brings is what will make it so hard to deal with.

The ninth house, which will be so lit up, rules not only travel and foreign people but also, for you, legal matters, publishing, broadcasting, relationships with people at a distance, and academic matters, particularly those related to getting a higher education at a college or university. If your child is going away to college, keep your antenna up, as there may be something that you need to do to help your child get oriented.

Indeed, none of these areas are likely to go smoothly or according to plan. If you can put off signing papers until September 13, it would be for the best. You need Mercury to be happy and warm, and this month, Mercury will be in a very angry mood.

All the areas mentioned are due to be a bit unstable at this eclipse, and since it's a full moon, you'll be required to make a quick decision.

I should add that if none of the above-mentioned areas such as academia, publishing, or broadcasting apply to you, nor anything going on abroad or involving travel, this same house also rules in-laws and your aunts and uncles. One of these individuals may come up as very important to you at the eclipse, August 28.

Summary:

It appears that something has to be done about a financial mess you have found yourself in lately. You know you can't quite go on in the same manner that you have in the past so you will be very determined to reorganize your finances. You want a bold approach, and you may have already hit on some as you enter August.

Despite the gloomy financial situation you are viewing, you will now have an opportunity to make things right. Several new moneymaking opportunities will pop up just after the new moon on August 12. Choose the one that will afford you the greatest long-range security. It may not be the sexiest offer, but it will give you a platform on which to build a tall structure in the future. Careers involving the entertainment, design, and luxury markets will be favored. Also any position or project that will cater to, care for, or teach children also could be profitable.

The change of Jupiter to direct motion on August 6 will also be a great help as you seek more interesting, well-paying work. Even if you've been disappointed with interviews in the past, try to view August as a whole new ballgame.

You seem to be going though a number of career talks behind the scenes but despite many interviews may still not know where you stand. You may not know the final outcome of your meetings until Mars moves into Cancer, from September 28 onward. You probably can't push these talks, so don't even try. Let things take their natural course. You are heading toward great opportunity, so stay optimistic and patient. Good news will come through soon, so have faith.

Sometime during mid-month, an influential VIP will seek you out to offer you a plum assignment. Be decisive, for if you aren't, someone else will be all too glad to take it. Although the compensation proposed may not be too attractive, this would lead you to bigger and better things down the road, so in that sense it will be worthy of consideration.

On August 21 Saturn will move over the Sun, a day you may feel overwhelmed and depressed over your financial situation. Or you may be thinking about a project that has created too much pressure and not enough money. Alternatively, a critical client could be impossible to please no matter what you do. At this point you may decide to cut your losses and quit this person or project. You have come to the end of your rope, but that's not necessarily bad, because that is often when things happen. For sure, you'll be turning a corner.

On top of all this, the lunar eclipse on August 28 will bring sudden news about a relative - possibly a sibling, cousin, aunt, uncle, or in-law. Or, if all your relatives seem fine and are not creating news, you may be concerned about a legal action, contractual or settlement negotiation, or the direction a deal will suddenly take.

No matter what comes up, know that any decisions or actions that you make now would be subject to change later. You might want to delay things if you can, for information won't be forthcoming for several more weeks or even months. With Mercury, now being opposed by Uranus, the environment is in flux and nothing solid will come of talks and decisions made now.

Travel will not go smoothly at month's end either. Associates will come off as vague or confused, or will vacillate endlessly, so if you take a business trip in August's last week, you may become so frustrated that you may wish you had stayed home. If you can conduct affairs by phone, you may want to use that option. Even pleasure trips taken now would bring discord or dismay. Do yourself a favor by delaying a holiday for another month.

Romance will not be a major theme this month - you seem to be more focused on money and career, and possibly travel. If you are single, your best ways of meeting someone new would be at work, with a coworker who works on your level. Sports, yoga, and other places people go to get fit may also offer some romantic opportunity but work-related areas seem best.

Are you dating and hoping to marry? December will be divine for an engagement or even a wedding (after December 17 or in January). At that time Jupiter, the Great Benefic, will be in your marriage and commitment sector, making it the best time in a decade to plan to wed.

You have so much to look forward to! Attend to money and career now, for all the love you crave will come to you in time. So much good is coming to you, dear Cancer, just you wait and see!