With four heavenly planets filing your eighth house, you'll be dealing lots with money matters, most likely in a variety of important ways. This month brings a total eclipse of the Sun in Leo and a lunar eclipse in Aquarius, and both will highlight your financial houses.

Eclipses come by in pairs, on a new moon and full moon two weeks apart, arriving every five-and-a-half months. Last February 6 you experienced the first eclipse in the series. Since eclipses are always linked, that February 6 eclipse may be worth thinking about now, for it may have opened a meditation about your financial situation that will be advanced now. Even a casual incident or comment that you remember occurring then could prove important now. Always pay attention to details at eclipse time - by late January and February 2009, the time of the next round of eclipses in this series of Leo-Aquarius, I will ask you to think back to this month to note what happened. Each will always be related, like pearls on a necklace, until you are fully transformed in August 2009, the last eclipse in the series.

Eclipses open paths, but they also take things away, so if you lost a source of income last February, you may now agree to a new job or deal this month. All eclipses have a second act, and never reveal all at one time. Be patient - something good is coming.

The universe wants to be sure you don't waste time, so if you are in a dead end job, or if you have a dream that needs funding, this month will help you get results. Eclipses also have a way of pushing us back on track when we make a mistake, so in that respect, eclipses are not only instigators of change, but they can be cleansing and self-correcting agents, too.

A few years ago, Capricorns were under extraordinary financial stress. Think back to the period from July 2005 through August 2007. During that phase Saturn moved through the financial area of your chart, giving you problems with credit, loans, insurance companies, taxes, banks, child support, a mortgage, or the division of property, say in a divorce or when you tried to divide profits the end of a business. There were a lot of ways Saturn may have manifested, but you see the type of money matters you may have been thinking about.

The point is, during that time, you were focused on some sort of financial matters. The problems you faced may or may not have been brought on by anything you did. You moved beyond that period by September 2007, but now this series of eclipses will help you check to see if you've learned how to protect yourself against similar financial situations in the future. If you have not yet come up with a good enough plan to keep you stable and secure, you will be challenged now to find new methods and a better and stronger source of income now. Or, you may be asked to deal with others differently to be sure you don't suffer loss in your various financial transitions.

This new earthiness and sense of practicality will extend to your romantic relationships too - there's no harm in doing a credit check on a sweetheart if you are getting serious about marriage. If you have considerable assets, consider putting together a pre-nup contract to protect yourself. After the financial nightmares of 2005-2007, you've become a lot wiser about these matters, and these eclipses will show you if you need to make more changes to keep yourself financially sound.

Now the same house - your eighth house of other people's money - will be lit again, on August 1, and will help you streamline and reorganize money matters, and to find more money if you need it (or even if you don't)! This August 1 new moon will be a total eclipse of the Sun, so you may have to give up one financial situation first, for eclipses sometimes require that. The universe can't help us if we have not created a space.

It seems clear that a lucrative source should show up soon, but don't be concerned if the new source of income doesn't show up immediately. As long as you are "on the trail" and ardently involved with whatever you need to do, you will find that suitcase full of money. Often eclipses bring unexpected developments, so keep your antenna up. If you made a mistake, say you owe money to the government, then you will make a payment plan with the agent and set things right. There is nothing to fear.

Eclipses are powerful and speed up our timetables enormously. While all solar eclipses are new moons, not all new moons are eclipses, of course. This solar eclipse August 1 will have the strength of three new moons, and because they are operative for six to twelve months, whatever you are working on will have long-range influence.

An eclipse often shows a line between then and now, and often puts an end to one reality and then later gives birth to another. In your case, when the situation does end, it will bring financial ramifications.

On the plus side, as soon as August opens, you may open talks about getting a bonus, commission, or scholarship, or begin to decide how to divide money in a divorce. You may hear of an inheritance, but it may take time for the courts to decide what part of it will be yours, so be patient. You may win a prize, be awarded a grant or venture capital, or negotiate a bank loan or refinancing plan for your mortgage. It's a good time to fill out applications to see what you may be awarded. If you don't get your results now, you will in late January or the first half of February.

On the minus side, if you have a significant sum due you, you may find that the person who owes you may declare bankruptcy, leaving you holding the bag. You now know whom you can trust, and how important it is to do credit checks rather than simply trust others when you lend. If you are expecting financial aid from your college, the amount may suddenly change, and you might, if you like, send an appeal. Actually, the first eclipse, August 1, seems positive for opening talks and for setting things in motion - stay optimistic!

As you see there are both positive and not so positive manifestations of this situation. What seems more important than the actual sum is the influence money will have on you - your dreams, your plans, and your lifestyle - and how determined you are to get things right. Eclipses often reveal character, so we always learn a few things about others and ourselves, and that seems to be the most valuable of all.

On the following eclipse, August 16, which will be a full moon lunar eclipse, a salary or a personal possession (or group of personal possessions) will become your focus. If you have been negotiating a salary package for a new job, you would likely see the final answer now. If you have put in a claim to an insurance company for money you feel is due you, that final answer from the insurance company would also likely show up now, within days of August 16.

Near August 16, your financial picture may not be clear because Neptune will be obscuring certain facts. If you need to sell certain expensive goods or services (or a house), the old slogan, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch" seems very appropriate here. Do background checks, ask questions, and hold your breath until the deal is done. Facts seem sketchy or fuzzy. If you are suing someone, the facts being presented during the court discovery phase may not be accurate. On a very mundane level, check your credit card and bank statements, for you may find an error.

There is something else happening in the heavens this month, and it could have a bearing on your finances. This will be a very hard aspect operating in the first two weeks, so think of it as a cautionary blinking light.

Mars will oppose Uranus on August 6, which is a powerful meeting of two forces that creates very volatile and unpredictable results. The problem with this aspect is that it has a wide period of influence. You will need to keep watch for possible unexpected problems involving money throughout the first half of August, starting August 1 until August 16.

This aspect tends to strike quickly and without warning - you won't see any gradual or subtle clues. In fact, you would probably see nothing and then suddenly be faced with an urgent situation (in this case, financial) that needs correction instantly. Or, you may be faced with a person who is confrontational and difficult, who won't give you your due, even despite a previous agreement promising to do so.

Since I have found that Mars opposed to Uranus can strike within a ten-day period, you will have to hold your breath to see if any unexpected financial news comes up anytime until August 16 (even though this aspect strikes August 6). The good news is Mars will look for hidden problems or weak situations, and if it finds none, then you won't hear any untoward news. If Mars does, you will either fix things quickly or get this person out of your life, and in either case, you will be left in stronger shape.

Uranus rules your income and possessions, so you need to safeguard that part of your life. Also, however, Mars and Uranus will oppose one another from your two travel houses, possibly giving you difficulty with travel plans or transportation in the first half. As you get into the second half of August, things get calmer and better, although when it comes to travel, you need to avoid August 22-24 too, something we will talk about later.

Your career prospects will glitter brightly once Mars enters Libra and lights your solar tenth house of fame and professional honors from August 19 to October 4. This will be a very potent period for your career, so make sure you are ready for talks the moment August 19 arrives.

Mercury, the planet of intellect and communication, will go retrograde from September 24 to October 15, cutting into some of this phase and making it less special, and I am sorry to have to report that to you, dear Capricorn. Since it's never a good idea to take a job when Mercury is retrograde, you can have meetings and talks, but don't accept a position after September 10.

I feel your best phase will be in August, from August 19 to 30, with another strong phase in the first week of September. It's been a long time since you have had Mars in your solar tenth house of career prestige - not since September to October 2006. Make the most of it!

Just as you began to think nothing much else could possibly come up in late August, you will be given a beautiful and very positive new moon on August 30. This moon, not an eclipse, will fall in Virgo and light your house of international relationships, distant travel, and university study. This is the area of the chart that expands your mind and allows you to think truly big.

This is the part of the chart that requires you to do a little planning - one has to get a passport before traveling abroad and book hotels and airfare, or take a test when getting into college - it is also the house that delivers amazing benefits if you take the time to make those plans.

The most common way most Capricorns will use this delicious new moon is to set off on a trip, and it would be a perfect time to go. You'd enjoy your time away, and you'd find lots of inspiration from being away.

If you work internationally or converse with people based at a distance, say on the opposite coast of your country, then this new moon will likely bring up an intriguing opportunity. Jupiter will be in perfect angle to four planets in Virgo, but especially Saturn, suggesting that you would be able to set up a very long-term, stable situation.

With Saturn so beautifully oriented toward Jupiter at the time of the new moon, August 30, you will also enjoy widening possibilities from the media - in publishing or broadcasting, for example, or in terms of an international relationship or import-export.

The actions you take from August 30 until approximately September 7 will have rare potency and have the power to affect you in the areas mentioned for twelve months! If you were born on December 31, you will benefit enormously from this lovely new moon period.

Romantically, travel seems to be linked to love, but at the time when travel is most likely to come up - at month's end, the new moon on August 30 and the two weeks that follow - you will also have your very best career opportunities of the year. As long as you don't go away for long, it might be all right to go. A lot depends on whether your bio and resume are in shape! I want you to be ready for those dazzling career options that will come up, so get all your ducks in a row before you go!

One day when romance and travel will be unstable will be over the weekend of August 23. Don't make your trip for then! Venus will oppose Uranus, giving you unexpected problems that will come at you out of nowhere! Mercury opposed to Uranus at the very same time could give you problems with transportation. The weekend that extends from Friday night, August 22, to Sunday night, August 24, will not be for you. Stay home and read a good book!

You can plan a little getaway for the weekend of August 30-31. In the United States, Labor Day will arrive on September 1, so go ahead - take that weekend, but promise to be back soon! Things will be popping for you, dear Capricorn!

Romance will be best: August 2, 3, 7, 8, 13, and travel for love: 30, 31, and September 1.

Summary

Your sign is considered a very savvy sign when it comes to financial affairs. Your recent wrangling with financials that extended from July 2005 to September 2007 was difficult and may have even shaken you to your bones. You may have said to yourself then, "Never again!" It may have been that you trusted someone who promised to pay you a certain amount that never arrived, or you might have seen credit card balances rise during those years for any number of reasons, including reasons that were out of your control.

This month a new series of eclipses begins and will show you which steps you need to take to ensure your future financial safety. The first eclipse, August 1, falls in your eighth house of "other people's money." If you are due (or need) money from a government program, a court settlement, or insurance company payout, as three examples, you can open talks or even serve papers to the other party on the solar eclipse, August 1.

You may also apply for financial aid in college, or apply for a mortgage or venture capital if you are starting a business. If you've been looking for funds for some time, you are likely to see results now.

Finances will again will be the topic of the day on the days surrounding August 16, the lunar eclipse, which is also a full moon. The house where this eclipse will fall rules your salary. One main source of income may now end. If so, if you get back in the saddle and look for new sources of income, you should be able to find better, more lucrative sources. Experts say that all income typically has a lifespan of two-and-a-half years, and if you should get more years than that from that source, you had already been ahead of the game.

This could be a disconcerting time, when income is coming in and going out rather rapidly, but these influences at play in August are meant to help you restructure your finances from top to bottom. After this series of eclipses will be over a year from now in August 2009, you will be sitting pretty, well on the way to enjoying greater security. (Eclipses come in pairs, six months apart, so there are only two sets in 2009.)

In a month that has everything, you will also start to see superb career opportunities arise once Mars moves into your house of honors and awards, from August 19 to October 4. That's a long, seven-week trend, and one you should take full advantage of by rolling into action immediately. You won't have Mars' favor again in this part of your chart until July 2010, so get busy! Also, on September 24, Mercury will go retrograde, so you are urged to begin your job search now, well in advance of Mercury's turn retrograde.

You will have a good chance to travel far and wide, just after the new moon appears on August 30. Not only is international travel indicated, but also pursuits for higher education. If you are going back to college now, you will gain much from your coming year. Saturn's presence in your study sector suggests the professors you get will be tough, but you will learn from them in ways you've never learned from other instructors before. Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, will beam golden rays to all your planets in your international travel / study and education sector, ensuring a fine result. Publishing and broadcasting ventures and those involving theology, spirituality, and philosophy also flourish under these dazzling aspects.