When it comes to career this month, you are thinking big, and rightly so! With the new moon total eclipse of the Sun in your tenth house of fame and honors, joined by the Sun, Mercury, and Venus all moving through the royal leadership sign of Leo, you're about to see some very gratifying developments. Eclipses move in families of signs. This one, the first in the series that will arrive August 1, will be your best moment of the year for advancing professional interests.

At the start of the month, it will be clear that you've done something that impressed VIPs, and that now allows you to be considered for a new and quite lofty position - one you will likely get if not now, soon. This solar eclipse will arrive on August 1, and it will change not only you job, but reshape your estimation of yourself. This eclipse will be THAT powerful, and THAT beneficial, dear Scorpio! Eventually, when you are ready to announce this new position, friends will say, "You've done well."

Often when an eclipse comes by, it portends that something will end and something else will begin. This may happen if you quit one job or another, but it could also happen if you are downsized and find yourself without a job. It really doesn't matter WHY you would be creating a new space for this new opportunity. If a job is taken away, a client leaves, or your boss takes another job leaving you feeling like an orphan - be glad that you are being pushed to consider your options.

The only caveat I will say is that if you are in an office atmosphere that you are unhappy working at, don't quit your job just yet. Consider options, but don't quit quite yet. You never want to make impulsive moves on eclipses - you can still do so in a few weeks.

All eclipses have a second act, so don't be too quick to say, "This eclipse was bad for me," or "This eclipse only helped my friends but not me." If that should seem the case (and I am not saying it will, but if this seems so for you) the reality is, you won't know. Eclipses never deliver all their news all at once. With a crown of stars in your tenth house - what the house the ancients called "the house of dignity and reward" - you seem certain to be groomed for bigger and better things.

Don't resist the process, even if you are a little scared about changing jobs. Welcome change. You can handle it. Often we have to give up something for an eclipse to make room for the new, and we have to be courageous about moving forward when something intriguing is offered us. You wouldn't be getting the offer if you weren't qualified, so don't wonder whether or not you can do a good job - you, of all people, can!

As August begins, watch the types of meetings, telephone calls, and offers you get. Also pay close attention to the projects that you launch at the start of August, too. Take seriously any talks, proposals, and new product and/or services launches that you participate in now, simply because this would be happening at such a potent time of the year. This eclipse suggests the job you land would be extraordinary in some way - certainly it would pave the way to a new future.

Jupiter in your third house will make you articulate and persuasive this month too, no small advantage. Whether you have to untangle any misunderstanding with a friend or sell an important point to a VIP, all the right words will come to you now. Many companies are asking for writing samples, and again, you would do very well in that regard, too.

The sign this eclipse will fall in is Leo, a sign associated with the entertainment industry, so if you are a musician, you may launch your new album; if you are a writer, you may get approval to proceed on a screenplay or theatrical production; and if you are an actor, you may audition for an important new part. These are only a few examples - I am only scratching the surface! You need not be "creative" yourself to benefit from this trend however - you may work in any part of the entertainment industry, even in accounting, to partake of this.

Leo also rules industries devoted to children, from toys and clothes, to children's TV programming, as well as books, games, and activities, as a few examples. If you are offered a job in this field, there's something to be gained.

Another slightly related industry is teaching, always strongly associated with Leo. If you are an educator, you will find yourself at the right place at the right time.

There is one more industry that I would like to flag for you. Leo governs the luxury market, which would include yachts, champagne, diamonds, furs, high priced real estate, mansions and estates, expensive cars, watches, wines and liquors, and so on (let your imagination take flight), and is an industry to consider, too. If you market expensive goods or services to the very rich, you may do exceptionally well now and in coming years, thanks to a surprise development that happens now.

All the industries mentioned dazzle for you, but you will have opportunities in other areas too, other than the ones listed. The ones I listed seem particularly lucky.

The best part about all this emphasis is that the salary or other compensation offered you should be excellent, due to the interplay between Venus and Pluto on August 5. Don't be shy about naming the salary you feel you deserve, even if you think your ideal number is on the high side.

Another fantastic day to discuss money with your boss or prospective employer - one that may prove EVEN BETTER than the date I just gave you, August 5 - will be August 21, when your ruler, Pluto, sends a vibration to the Sun, linking the houses of fame and promotion to salary. What a gorgeous day for negotiating a new salary this will be!

Dear Scorpio, once Pluto moves into Capricorn in late November, to stay for 16 years, Pluto will not be back to your house of earned income again in your lifetime. These two aspects are rare and special, so if you can use them to your advantage, do!

Yet money will not tell the whole story this month. You will want a job that offers room for true creative input, one that allows you to show strength of leadership. The old rule of "never take the job for the money" seems to fit well here - you'll want a role that allows you to grow and contribute your ideas.

As you see, you could easily be offered your dream job now. Yet what makes this period so exciting is that if the pieces of your plan don't fit into place perfectly now, you will have a second chance again later, at the lunar eclipse in February 2009. You can't lose!

Throughout this month, your ruler, Mars, will tour your sector of friends, so you will soon see that you can depend on your friends in many ways.

There will be one difficult aspect that could cause concern in regard to a personal relationship on August 6 when Mars will oppose volatile Uranus. A surprise confrontation with a friend, lover, or older child will be possible, so it may be wise to be very careful when interacting with others near this date.

Treat this aspect as serious, and do all you can to not rock the boat with anyone you feel seems a little fragile or ultra-sensitive this month. Mars will be involved, and with Mars as your ruler, you will be more susceptible to this aspect than most. This is a hot, aggressive, explosive aspect that often leaves an emotional scar or causes a deep rift, one reason I urge you to be careful. Another reason is that with Uranus involved, things will be unexpected and out of left field - even weird in some way.

The thorny part about this is that this aspect will be operative not for a day but for a full ten days after it peaks on August 6 (right up to August 16), and will be operative for a few days prior to its appearance, too). Alas, everyone of every sign may feel this stormy aspect in some way, but you could experience this aspect more deeply because Mars is your ruler. It seems to involve one close personal relationship, quite unexpectedly, if you are to feel it at all. Mars will look for weak links - if it finds none, you won't feel anything.

Your home, property, or family member will take your full attention at the month's second eclipse, a full moon lunar eclipse, on August 16. With Father Neptune so prominent at this lunar eclipse, there are several ways you may feel this eclipse. First and foremost you must guard against water damage, as Neptune will oppose Venus, possibly damaging some of your furnishings.

Indeed, you should have a comprehensive renters or homeowners insurance policy, as the aspect mentioned before, involving Mars opposed to Uranus, may also give you problems. Make sure your electrical writing is secure as well.

Experts say 80 percent of all mishaps happen in the home, simply because we are there so much of the time. Make safety a priority - if a rug is troublesome, use duct tape to keep it safely down, for example, or if changing a bulb, drag out the sturdy ladder rather than trying to balance by standing on a rickety chair.

If you are selling or buying a house, make a list of all contingencies that could possibly come up and draw up solutions for every one of them. Something appears to be coming to critical mass at this eclipse, but it's hard to nail down exactly what - it could have a physical manifestation (water damage) or psychological (your buyers back out of the house because they are indecisive or unclear about what they need.) Check references - with Neptune so active, someone may try to appear better than he or she really is, at least on paper.

If your home is not the focus of this eclipse, you may be thinking about your mother or grandmother, as the fourth house rules the people who brought you into the world. A lunar eclipse would point to a female parent, which is why I say mother or grandmother.

This month will just keep on going. Instead of quietly fading to black at the end of the month, another new moon will pop up! This will be a busy month!

The new moon of August 30 will help you open a dialogue with a friend, or open the door to help you make one or two new friends in weeks to come. If it's the former situation, you may be able to repair a relationship that may have hit turbulence earlier in the month. Clearing the air may please you if this relationship with your friend is precious to you.

Alternatively, Saturn will orbit close to that new moon, revealing something serious may be happening in your friend's life. She or he may be going through a very difficult time, possibly in regard to health or in regard to the health of a close family member or spouse. Or, his or her job may be causing stress. There is any number of reasons that your friend will need a compassionate response from you.

A completely different way this new moon may play out is that you choose to take an important leadership role in a group, charity, or humanitarian effort as a result of this new moon, and if so, it would contribute much to your personal growth. To be clear, the August 30 new moon is NOT an eclipse but just a very productive new moon. It would also be a terrific time to send your application to join a new club. This new moon will strongly color the first half of September, so keep that in mind, too.

Romantically, how the month plays out depends on how things feel for you in the first half of August. In particular, the Mars opposition to Uranus of August 6 will be a very turbulent aspect that can cause hurt feelings. Mars will be looking for a weak link to expose, so if you and your friend, romantic lover, or child has none in your relationship, you will sail though this period easily. If not, this could prove to be a very disillusioning time.

With the ruler of your fifth house of love positioned in your fourth house, if you are living with a lover, you may need to move out by the time that these planets have traveled for ten days beyond their initial meeting of August 6. That brings you into the lunar eclipse in your home sector, August 16, and may require a quick move, possibly because you are breaking up. Let's hope not - that could represent quite an upheaval.

If you are married, you will not feel this difficult aspect on August 6 in a romantic way, as the fifth house - the focus of Mars and Uranus - does not rule your marriage partner, but rather the first stages of love as well as your relationship with older children.

Before you begin worrying about your child, should your child be leaving home, it could be for all the right reasons - to go off to boarding school or college, or to live with an ex who has custody, as a few of many possible examples. Eclipses often create a key marker point - a rite of passage - and each of these examples would fit that. You may be able to think of others.

If you do have problems, remember, it may be that a friend surprises you in all the wrong ways, but if so, the new moon on August 30 may offer you a way back to that friendship if you so desire.

Everyone, married or single or any status in between, should stay away from August 23 when Venus in Virgo will oppose Uranus, another really dreadful bad day for love!

If you aren't dating anyone, or if you feel your relationship is sound, here are your best romantic dates to go out and enjoy yourself:

August 16, 21, 26, 30, and 31.

Summary

You seem to have been waiting for precisely the right moment to make your ascent in your career and this month offers all the perfect conditions. The total eclipse in Leo, August 1, will fall at the very top of your chart, and any job you will soon consider - or have just taken and will start now - is likely to be the professional opportunity you've dreamed about for years.

A solar eclipse is always also a new moon, known to open a whole new path. Your daily routine will soon seem very different after this new moon appears, with many people to become acquainted with, and you will be given new standards to meet. You are ready, for all that you have done in past years has prepared you for this. You simply need to step up and take your prize.

Your new position will compensate you generously, as evidenced by the fine angle Venus makes to Pluto from your earnings house at the time of the eclipse. Still, money does not tell the whole story. From this point on, you will want a job that offers room for true creative input and that allows you to show strength of leadership. The old rule of "never take the job for the money" fits here - you'll want more and by George, you'll get more.

Planets in Leo point to a new position in entertainment or one that caters to children (teaching, toys, television programming, and so forth). Leo is also associated with sophisticated design in all applications, the cultural arts, as well as in regard to the creation and sale of luxury brands, from expensive watches, yachts, and high-price estates, to custom cars and the like. If you take a new position in one of these industries, you are poised to do very well.

As soon as you deal with career matters at the start of the month, you almost instantly will need to refocus on your home. The lunar eclipse (a full moon) on August 16 will crystallize your plans very rapidly. If you are about to rent a new apartment or buy a house, the right space will appear. However, due to the prominent place Neptune will take at this lunar eclipse, ask about possible flooding or other problems with water. This eclipse will fall next to Father Neptune who will try to enter your house. You may need extra homeowners / renters insurance to cover all eventualities. If you are buying beachfront property, the implications are evident but could play out in many more ways - be vigilant about water, mold, ice, well water, and so forth. Also ask about electrical systems and be sure your computer, television, and other equipment will be able to run easily without a blowout; both are blinking areas of your chart. You will want to make sure outlets are not overloaded.

The new moon of August 30 will allow you to make friends with new people, but to also help a friend in need. Saturn will orbit close to that new moon, so you may hear that your friend needs your unwavering support when hit by a life crisis. Saturn shows us what we owe others - if this person has been good to you in the past, you will return the favor by showing how much that person means to you. You will be incredibly busy this month, but still, you seem to find the time for this person.

If you take on a new role in a club or humanitarian or charitable organization, the job you accept will be a weighty one of leadership. Your profile in the community will rise, and you will learn a great deal about managing people and groups, even if the job is voluntary and not a paid position. This month you would learn that it's impossible to help someone without also helping yourself - a lovely, unexpected bonus.