With your travel sector packed with planets, and two eclipses due, August 1 and 16 in Leo and Aquarius, respectively, the lure of distant and close-by cities will be too much to resist. Eclipses often bring surprise developments, so if you have no plans to travel, you may find yourself heading to the airport anyway. You are a spontaneous free spirit, so if a lovely invitation comes up, chances are you'll be ready to grab your suitcase and go.

August 1 brings a new moon total eclipse of the Sun and suggests that this trip would be more important than your average trip - you seem to be more strongly affected by it, or you will enjoy it more than usual. The third and ninth houses rule intellectual perception, attitude, and opinion, and with the eclipses falling there, you seem to be ready for a new slant on things. The events of this month will see to it that you get that new perspective, and as they say: Change your thinking, change your life.

While most Sagittarius will travel for happy reasons, some may decide to travel to help out, or cheer up, a beloved relative who is not feeling well. The ninth house, so lit up for you now, rules certain family members (including in-laws), and there is some indication you may need to travel to help that person through a medical procedure or illness event. If you have someone in your family who is elderly, or who has delicate health, you might want to call that person often now, just to check in.

Your partner - if you are married, living together, or in an otherwise stable long-term established relationship - seems to be a little disorganized or indecisive during August, so don't depend on your partner to take charge, even if the relative you may be focused on is not your relative, but his or hers! You will have to be the one to make decisions and plans, and your partner will follow.

If you are about to go away for college, you seem intent on leaving early to get a head start for the coming semester, perhaps to sign up for courses before they get "sold out" and also to get acquainted with the campus before the flood of incoming students arrive. That's a good idea. If you will be studying abroad this coming semester, you will have a real adventure ahead, one filled with many enlightening, inspirational experiences. The place in your chart so packed with planets will be your ninth house, strongly associated with foreign people and places.

Even if you can't travel, your mind will be open to lots of outside influences. Other people will come to you, whether by phone, fax, or email, or by visiting you in your city. News from a distance should be really positive, so be all ears. You may be asked to write for a foreign publication or be offered a job stationed in a foreign bureau of a big TV news organization. At home, you may attend a very enlightening seminar or join a book club that focuses on philosophical questions, and if so, this would be right up your alley.

If you were born on November 30 / December 1, you will feel the August 1 eclipse the most, and will benefit the most from whatever the universe asks of you.

The month's second eclipse on August 16 will also bring reasons to travel too, but this time, you won't need to travel nearly as far. Those trips will be close to home, or if you are away on a trip, you will investigate the surrounding countryside or nearby cities.

The eclipse of August 16 falls in your third house, again highlighting your close family members, with special emphasis on brothers, sisters, and cousins - something may be up so again, stay on the family pipeline to hear news.

You may also notice a lot of changes going on in your neighborhood, and may see a dramatic turnover of neighbors. With eclipses, something dramatic ends, but something else begins, too. Stay open - nothing in life remains the same for long.

Those born near or on December 15 will feel the lunar eclipse, August 16, more strongly and directly than most. You will benefit from events, however, so there's no reason to feel concerned.

You may be asked to sign a contact this month, and if so, you should take your time. One of the worst times to sign would be near either eclipse, August 1 or August 16, but of the two, the August 16 eclipse would be an even worse time, mainly because Neptune will oppose the Sun and lunar eclipse.

This suggests that clauses in that contract are open-ended and much too open to interpretation later. Even if you think the contact is OK, your chart shows that there's something confusing embedded in the wording of at least one clause that could come back to bite you later. Or it may be that the contract has not covered a contingency that will come up later, causing delays and massive confusion. Have your lawyer go through it with a fine-tooth comb. Hold off signing until August 30, the new moon in Virgo, and in the days that follow. That would be an especially good time to sign if you want the agreement to be in place a long time, because with Saturn conjunct the moon, it will be!

Don't wait too long to sign your document either, however. Mercury will begin to retrograde September 24, making next month troublesome, and there are other aspects at mid-month that you will want to avoid, too. Try to hit the August 30 bull's eye if you can, or failing that, use the days that CLOSELY follow (not proceed) August 30, moving into early September.

Your big meditation of the month however will center on your career. Last month - July - you made admirable professional progress and were able to build quite a bit of momentum, thanks to the presence of Mars in your tenth house of fame and honors. If you needed special venture capital or funding, last month you were focused on seeing people and drawing up agreements, and your timing was right. Others may have been taking vacations, but not you - you've kept your eye on the ball and bravo to you for that!

As you and I just discussed, August will bring an enormous emphasis on travel, but if that travel is not work-related, there's some danger that you will be out of town just when you'll be needed back at your desk making key choices. If you do go away in August, make sure your BlackBerry or iPhone is powered up and in your pocket at all times.

One day when the needs of home and family will clash loudly with the needs of career will be August 6, when Mars will oppose Uranus. It appears your home will suddenly become a big distraction and require a lot of your time and energy to fix. Sagittarius has had housing concerns over the past few years, and this is only another instance where a home, real estate, or family relationship situation comes up suddenly for a quick fix.

Mars' opposition to Uranus is a big-deal aspect, and never operative for just one day. Alas, you will have a long phase to watch, for it may strike at any time from August 6 to 16, and also as you get close to that time, within a few days prior to August 6. That's a long period to have to keep your antenna up - the whole first half of August!

This aspect comes by once every two years, sending different messages each time, but when it happens, it seems to strike out of the blue, without warning. Think of Mars as a planet looking for the weakest link. If it finds none, then you won't notice this aspect. If it does, it will jettison the problem out so fast, you won't know what happened. That's what makes this aspect so nerve wracking. You may notice nothing on August 6, but a few days later, something could pull you off course at the office and refocus you on home or family in the blink of an eye.

There is a small chance it may be the other way around - that career matters will vie for your attention in the first half of August, pulling you away from a home-related project you need to focus on, but it seems to be the other way around. Fortunately, Sagittarius is a mutable sign, known to be flexible at a moment's notice, so that quality will keep you in good shape this month.

Your first critical career juncture will come on August 15 when Mercury, the ruler of your house of career prestige, will meet with Saturn. This comes one day prior to the lunar eclipse, a full moon, and full moon eclipses require choices. It may prove to be an emotional time, but still a time that will offer a development that could help you stabilize your life. The decision you make will have long-range implications, so think seriously.

Do not sign a contract on that day, for it's never wise to sign too close to an eclipse. Let time pass, for the new moon at the end of the month, August 30, would be a far better time to do so. I know I am sounding a bit like a broken CD player, saying the same thing over and over, but I really want to drive the point home, dear Sagittarius. Wait until month's end to sign papers, August 30.

After the new moon in Virgo on August 30, you will see your career take flight. You'll be cleared for takeoff and one or two developments could prove exciting. That new moon will light your solar tenth house of honors, awards, and achievement sector, suggesting that if you want a new job, you may find one in September. With Jupiter shining so beautifully to the new moon, Sun, and Saturn, all in your house of prestigious advancement, you'd be very well compensated, too! Don't be shy about speaking up!

Looking ahead into September, I will be honest with you. September will not be an easy month. The full moon period, from September 13-15 and a little beyond, will be wild and woolly, and most people will feel like they are walking on glass. The Harvest Moon will be a mean one, so you want to avoid mid-September for any important meetings or negotiations.

Alas, things go from bad to worse, because Mercury will retrograde from September 24 to October 15, making the wider time frame, September 15 to October 21, a mess as well. This tells me you need to be decisive in the first week of September when it comes to professional opportunities.

Your physical home is likely to bring you problems at the Harvest moon on September 15, presenting an urgent, unexpected situation you will need to focus on - so before you reach September, batten down the hatches as best you can. If buying, renting, or selling a house or apartment, check references and ask questions. Don't assume that everything will sail along according to plan. They might, but then again, it looks like they won't.

All sorts of surprises will pounce out of the bushes in mid-September when it comes to home, family, and real estate, so you need to keep your guard up. (I am so sorry to have to report this, dear Sagittarius, but I feel you need to be prepared. Everyone will have problems with this full moon - it's a tough one. If you are born near December 13, you are likely to feel the September 15 full moon more strongly than most.)

Romance? You may meet someone high level this month while working on your career, especially in the month's first three weeks. Considering all you have at stake, you'll have to be careful and very discreet. Actually, with your whole future hanging in the balance, this month it would be a wise idea to de-emphasize romance. You simply have too much going for you to take your eyes off the road. Stay focused.

Once Mars enters Libra to light your fun and friendship sector from August 19 to October 4, admittedly, it will be harder to concentrate on your career. Friends will long to see you and invite you to many gatherings and you will enter a more social time.

Your best romantic nights include: August 1, 9, 11, 20, 28, and 29.

Summary

This month marks a shift in attitude toward the world around you. With a total solar eclipse along with the new moon, Venus, and Mercury lining up like four little apples in a slot machine, all in your ninth house of attitude, it's clear certain information that comes to you near the total solar eclipse on August 1 could be both life-changing and liberating.

There are many ways that the enlightenment may arrive. You may travel to a foreign country you've never visited, or you may return to the university for a degree. Publishing and broadcasting come under this ninth house, due to this ninth house's governance of the dissemination of information. You may work on a film or article, or a certain international humanitarian project that touches you so deeply you are moved to roll up your sleeves and help. The old adage that "to help others we help ourselves" fits here, and may be a surprising side benefit for you now.

This eclipse marks the first of several that will come by in Leo over the coming year. Leo is a sign that blends beautifully with yours. Eclipses arrive as new moons or full moons every six months until their work is done, leading us to full transformation. In your case, this series of eclipses, falling in Leo and its opposite sign of Aquarius, will finish next year, August 2009. One thing seems certain: You will be traveling much more than usual in months to come, and that is a prospect that always puts a smile on a Sagittarius' face.

The month's second eclipse falls as a full moon, August 16, and will likely find you traveling again, but closer to home. You may be negotiating a contract at this time, and if so, go slowly. Neptune will be very active at that full moon, obscuring certain details. You would be wise not to rush, as any eclipse is not considered the time to sign papers. Too much static will fill the air, and the road ahead will still be unclear - ask plenty of questions. Nevertheless, if you are negotiating a deal, it appears to be a big one, for nothing of small consequence ever comes up at eclipse time. That is even more reason to take your time. Ask your attorney to check everything.

Your career is certainly on fire, and you are everyone's darling wherever you go, thanks to Mars, now zooming through your tenth house of fame and honors. This trend started last month and will continue until August 19. You still have time to pitch a new position or to get publicity on your recent good work.

Be aware that you will have a tough day on August 6, when needs of your home and those of your clients or boss will be at odds in a very volcanic way. Have a schedule that's open enough to allow you to take care of all who need you so badly - it will seem as through everyone does!

If you want a new job, act on the new moon in your prestigious career status sector, August 30 or in the days that shortly follow this date. Saturn is in this same lofty house of career prestige, testament to the powerful emerging role you are now being assigned in your industry. If ever there were a time to learn, to grow, and to command the respect of others through hard work, it is now. This is one of your most vital career years of your life, for it will set the tone for your coming three decades - it is THAT important!

At the new moon, August 30, Jupiter will be beautifully oriented to Saturn, the Sun, and the new moon, suggesting that if you do get a promotion or new position, the compensation will be very generous - surprisingly so. This is no time to be shy. As you begin August, although you'll be busy, decide how you will best seize the day to start a whole new vital cycle in your career. The aspects of this month won't be repeated again - these are truly "once-in-a-lifetime" in their benefic effects. You are about to see hard work coincide with opportunity. Other will call it luck, but the small smile you'll wear and the glint in your eye will reveal that you know better.