This is due to be a powerful month, for the eclipses in your sign and in your opposite sign of Virgo are back. A lunar full moon eclipse will appear in Pisces on August 28, sure to be a key time in your timeline. Eclipses bring dramatic news, usually from the outside in. You won't see whatever news you get coming, but afterwards, you will view yourself, your abilities, your priorities, and your future in a whole new light.

You and I will talk about this month's eclipse in detail later, but before that happens, I have so much to tell you! You have so much to look forward to in August! One of the huge themes this month will focus on your work, and whatever you seem to be involved in doing, you are apparently on a very fast track to success.

You should have two aims: The first should be to work smarter, in a more organized fashion, so that you can get more done in less time. The second aim should be to have all the bits and pieces of your everyday output add up to something big, because all that will be possible for you by later this year.

You will be almost forced into figuring out how to improve your productivity because with FIVE heavenly bodies crowded into your house of your work-a-day sector in August (the part of your chart ruling your day-to-day experience) you'll probably have too much to do and feel you have too little time to get it done. Still, it appears you'll be a virtual pillar of self-discipline and productivity.

You've had two years of Saturn's tutoring, so no doubt you've streamlined how you approach your assignments. You don't burn nearly as much time as you used to in the old days, prior to when Saturn entered this same sixth house sector in July 2005. You have honed your skills too, so others must be in awe of how well you cut through your workload these days.

Just after the new moon, August 12, and especially in the week that follows, you will likely see many work-related developments occur. You may get a serious new assignment that will require a lot of concentration and attention to detail, or you may get a chance to hire a new assistant or other helper, whether for work or in your personal life (like a babysitter or housekeeper). You may buy new computer equipment or software. If self-employed, you may move to new headquarters or redo a room in your home to create a stylish home office.

They are many possibilities, but you see my point. This new moon will help you with the tools you need to make yourself be more efficient. Time is money, and you seem to have figured that out on a very deep psychological level. With new, lucrative work coming in, most of it highly creative, you will be excited by the channels you'll have to put your individual stamp on your work.

At the time of this new moon, Saturn will press down on you, to see how much you've retained from his tough tutoring over the past two years. While this will be an arduous month for work, if you did get a lot from Saturn's lessons, you will more easily handle what you need to do. You'll be happy to hear that Saturn will leave this part of your chart on September 2, so this is really the last month where you'll feel like you're getting up climb Mt. Everest every day. And as said, you are closer to the top of that mountain than you may have any idea!

Saturn will send a superb beam to Pluto at the time of the new moon, August 12 (operative for two weeks), so make no mistake: There is something about the work you do in the second half of this month that could have the industry buzzing about how well you're doing. Pluto has that power, so you'd be wise to take seriously all the tasks that you are given. You won't have to wait long for reward - this coming autumn (in North Hemisphere countries, it's fall) you will see almost instant reward, and by December you should be covered by career confetti. It'll be that dramatic and that exciting!

You need to watch your health all month so that you don't overdo. In case you think you can skip the gym, that idea would be a no-no, as you need the physical activity to counter stress. Aerobic exercise would be particularly beneficial, as all the planets crowded in to your solar sixth house of work and health are in Leo, the sign ruling the heart and circulation. Pisces loves music - that will be your motivator.

One of the best moments of the year to begin a new fitness plan is always the new moon in one's sixth house, and that's precisely what you will have on August 12. You would have to act on or within the first three days after that moon appears for best luck, although that whole week will be special. Take full advantage! By the holidays you may be looking mighty sleek and sexy if you do. If you have been working out, kick things up another notch (to quote Emeril!)

I remember once I mentioned to my good friend Susan that I couldn't get to the gym because of a particularly hectic week. (That was years ago, when I still made excuses occasionally about not working out when things got busy.) I remember Susan looking at me with eyes wide, "Do you mean you are willing not to take care of your HEALTH because of a job?"

She looked so incredulous at my comment, and also so disapprovingly at what I had just said, that in that instant I was changed forever. No job is worth giving up your health, dear Pisces. Without health you can't work as productively anyway, which must be why the ancients put both health and day-to-day assignments in the same part of the horoscope. Be smart - take care of yourself. Goodness knows, no one else will if you don't.

The part of the chart you and I have been talking about up until now does not address upcoming career promotions, because another part of your chart covers that - namely, your solar tenth house of career prestige and status. On that count, great news!

Over the past four months, since April 5, it was so hard to make gains because Jupiter was retrograde and withholding his sweetest powers. All that will change once Jupiter turns direct on August 6.

Watch that day carefully and the several days that follow it for a big career breakthrough. That week, the week of August 6, will be a big one and have the power to lead your professional life in a whole new direction.

Another set of superb days for career news, aside from August 6 - 9, will be August 17 - 19, when Pluto will make a superb signal to the Sun. You may get some outstanding publicity then, or news that a job you recently turned in is top notch. Your boss will praise you and likely tell you that you are being groomed for bigger and better things. If you make a presentation at this time (or the earlier days, August 6 - 9) you will likely get the order from the client.

One day to watch as possibly troublesome: August 21, when Saturn conjoins the Sun. What a dreary day! VIPs are likely to be critical, demanding, and impossible to impress. It's not a day to ask for a favor. In fact, someone may push you so hard that you tell them you won't take any more. At some point, enough is enough.

Your home is about to get a huge boost of energy from Mars from August 7 to September 28, the time in which you will have to get all your home-related projects done. It doesn't matter what it may be, from something little, like "I want to clean out the garage," to something big, "I need to sell my apartment and buy a condo," you can do it now if you stay within the confines of the dates I gave you above. If you need a new place to live, you are in luck - Mars will be a powerful help.

On June 14, you had a new moon in your house of home, and you may have begun the process of painting, looking for a new house, repairing, and so forth. Now you can take what you started and build upon your accomplishments. Mars is quite potent, so take this trend seriously.

After September 28, creative projects will come in to take your time and attention away and you simply won't be able to push your home improvement project forward as rapidly as you can now. Besides, if you work on your home or new property now, it will be all ready by the time the holidays come at year's end. You'll want to entertain in style, and by then you will be able to do so.

Concurrent to this trend will likely be a few family developments. Your Mom or Dad may be doing things that require your involvement, for example - with so much focus on home AND your career, it's sure to be a busy time.

The month ends on a turbulent note. A lunar full moon eclipse will arrive in Pisces on August 28 and be operative plus or minus one week from this date. This full moon eclipse falls in Pisces, so an endeavor or relationship that is vital to you will reach culmination. Through a rather unexpected incident the character of someone close will be illuminated, but not likely in a way you are pleased to see.

You may become upset, shocked, or completely surprised with what you hear, and it seems to involve a very close relationship, such as a spouse, sweetheart, committed companion, business partner, agent, or other important individual in your life. You may become outraged or saddened by what you see, and it all will come to you in a rather weird, unusual way.

I say that because at the time of the eclipse, Saturn will be very close to the Sun, and Mercury will be opposite Uranus, the latter being quite a nerve-jangling aspect. Actually, with Uranus, the planet ruling unpredictable events, you never know what could come up. You might get good news, but you don't have to plan for that - only the kind that makes your hair stand up straight.

Lunar full moon eclipses bring endings, which is why they often are so emotional. Memories, dreams, and hopes all come into play.

Open the window and you will hear a lot of people screaming. I am joking, but truly, this eclipse is a wicked one, full of power and fury. Many people will feel the tension, not just Pisces. When you turn on TV, you could easily see reports of very bad weather, especially involving water, such as heavy rains, flooding, oil spills, toxic waste, or other water-related problems. Those scenes on the TV will in a way mirror some of the storms you are feeling inside.

Try to keep your calendar free of heavy obligations at this time, because it will be hard to concentrate on any normal activities at month's end. This eclipse may end up feeling like a wakeup call - it's one that is from the universe, trying hard to protect you. All eclipses bring outside events to bear, ones over which you have no control or pre-knowledge. The job of an eclipse is to show you something in a very graphic way so that you won't ignore what you learn and will do something about it immediately. As quickly as this eclipse comes, it will be soon gone, and you will know with certainty what you need to do.

All through this period, protect your health, as eclipses can be draining. Sometimes health problems show up at eclipse time, but if so, again, the eclipse is trying to make you aware of something so that you will quickly go for help.

Allow for the possibility that you won't fully understand all that is happening at once, but only in hindsight, weeks or even months from now. Eclipses kick up lots of cosmic dust, so it takes time to assimilate all the shifts.

You will come away feeling new, dear Pisces, and you may even decide to change your appearance. That's a common reaction, for those shifts in your looks will only reflect changes taking place deep within you. Whatever is to be swept out of your life was apparently not securely fastened, but you may not have noticed. Now you will. The eclipse is trying to help you.

You've been through eclipses in Pisces and your opposite sign of Virgo this year, on March 3 and 19, and in 2006, on March 14, and September 7 and 21.

Those Pisces who were born on or within five days of February 26 will experience the biggest lifestyle changes, as this eclipse will fall at 7 degrees of the sign.

Summary

Throughout August you will be working very hard. Most people think about vacations in August, but you'd be wise to stay back and take advantage of the substantial momentum you built so far this year. Instead, taking a winter holiday in late December or January would be ideal.

If you live in North Hemisphere climates, the summer heat may make things more difficult. Be sure that you have the right wardrobe, one that keeps you looking professional while at the same time keeping you cool and comfortable. (If you live "down under," the cold weather may have an equally hard effect on your constitution.)

Positive career developments will make you smile on August 2, 6 - 9, and 19. Someone who represents you or collaborates with you could produce a winning situation any time this month, but especially on August 19. Alternatively, on that day, a VIP could single you out for special favor.

New assignments and projects will come up at the most unlikely time: the week of August 12, just when others you know will be settling into beach cottages or cabins in the mountains. Chuckle and remind yourself that it's always good to have a good job and to be so needed.

Medical concerns may come up now too and require attention. You won't have the time or motivation to tend to them in coming months, so follow up with health professionals in the second half of August while you will find the time to do so (despite your pressing schedule). Planets in Leo also suggest it'll be more important than ever to do aerobic exercise to stay fit and to offset stress. This would be the best month of the year to start a fitness plan, and if you decide to do so, plan on beginning August 12 - 15 for best luck.

One of your hardest days will be August 21 when someone's demands on the job will make you frazzled. Knowing this ahead of time may help - keep your schedule light.

Against this background, a home, property, or family situation appears to become increasingly urgent. You'll have to find a way to attend to questions that come up. This spotlight on property and family will last through September, but then calm down again after that. This trend will be short enough to be manageable and allow you to make your home and lifestyle much more comfortable. If you are looking for a new apartment, or that special piece of furniture, it should show up now or in September.

Your most challenging moment of the month will come on August 28, when a full moon lunar eclipse in Pisces will bring surprise revelations about a romantic partner or someone else who is very close to you. Afterward you may regret knowing what you learn, for it may reveal a side you never expected to see in someone you admired.

This eclipse will fall in early degrees of Pisces, so if you are born in February you will be most likely to feel the effects. With Uranus so active, you may get to the end of your rope, ready to give a piece of your mind to someone whose behavior you've found completely unacceptable. You may now leave or find you need to fix a serious impasse that you did not anticipate would become a bone of contention.

Others may perceive you to be rebellious and unpredictable, and to that you may laugh and say, "Let them!" If they have taken your good nature for granted, they will deserve the strong reaction you seem ready to show. The cards are almost evenly stacked, so follow your instincts and let the chips fall where they may. If a relationship isn't working no matter how hard you've tried to make it work, let it go. Life is too short, dear Pisces.

Before I go, here is a sum-up of dates to watch:

Romance: August is a wild card. Best day - August 25.

Career gains are evident: August 2, 6 - 9, 19.

Form agreements with experts or an equal partner: August 12 - 19.

Hide under your desk (a VIP or coworker will be difficult): August 21.

Expect difficulties from a close partner: August 28.