Grace Under Pressure: Aquarius Full Moon
- Jeremy Scott Ballard
- Aug 4
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 9
There’s obvious tension in the air the days ramping up to the Aquarius Full Moon on August 9 2025. Some serious Venus/Mars/Saturn stories are unfolding, perhaps culminating this week.
On August 6, Mars enters Libra, Temple of Venus and sign of Saturn’s exaltation. After Mars leaves Virgo, there is nothing in Earth until the Virgo New Moon on August 23.
The Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune are in Fire signs. The Moon, Mars, Uranus and Pluto are in Air.
During a period with this much Fire and Air, we can expect the spirit of the Time to feel accelerated, heated, electric, intensified, inspired, bold and perhaps volatile. As Mars applies closer and closer to confront Saturn and Neptune, things could feel as if they’re tightening; pressure could start to build and feel like we’re approaching a corner and can sense the other shoe about to drop. The lack of Earth now could have us feeling things are a bit unbound, unstable, and lacking footing.
Look to Water.
The full moon is hosted by Saturn in Aries, exaltation of the Sun; and Uranus, often considered (though debated) a secondary ruler of Aquarius, is sextile Saturn.
The only outer planet not retrograde right now is Uranus, testing out Mercury-ruled Gemini for the first time in eight decades, scouting. Mercury is slowing down in Leo, where the Sun is casting its Light onto the Moon and in strong dignity.
Saturn sextile Uranus occurs the same day Mercury stations direct, August 11, and offers an opportunity into a better future, if discipline, compassion and ingenuity can lead the way.
The last time was 1997, when Uranus was in Aquarius. This was also the last time Saturn was in Aries. At that Time, there was a striking and extremely similar configuration of planets in the sky as there are today in the early degrees of Fire and Air.
March 1 1997: Pluto was at 5 Sagittarius, Uranus at 6 Aquarius conjunct Jupiter, Saturn at 6 Aries, and Mars at 2 Libra coming into opposition to Saturn. The nodes had also recently entered the Virgo/Pisces axis, though reversed. It’s worth a look back at 1997 to see what occurred — there are some really interesting black holes to explore.
Anyway, back to the future.
The moon is uncomfortable in Saturn-ruled Aquarius. It could have us seeing our tidal emotions and needs as concepts to reflect upon or objectify instead of rhythmic currents deep within us.
Though usually very friendly, as a Saturn-ruled Air sign, there’s sometimes an aloof, distant intellectualism when it comes to emotions for Aquarius which can be at odds with the warm, one-of-a-kind glow of the Sun opposite in Leo.
We should be aware of getting caught up in waves of emotional group-think now. It’s a good time to remember we are not our ideologies; and that the ideologies of groups, companies, collectives, political parties, or religions we are a part of fail to fully represent the complexity of all that we are as individuals.
We’re being asked to balance who we are in group settings with who we are when alone. Full moons are about illumination, culmination, peaks, and can help us arrive at new levels of awareness. If something’s hidden, secret, or unspoken, this full moon could change that.
Look to the Aquarius, Leo and Aries parts of your chart.
There could be new information coming in that changes your perspective on where you once belonged; on where you’re headed now with new hopes and dreams for a better future; on where the new fire ignited within you by the Leo New Moon on July 24 is guiding you; and on who is, and who is not, a part of your future community.
To see something new, or be seen as someone new — there’s real opportunity for that now.
In the background, Mercury is moving very slowly and backs into 4 Leo on August 6, where it will station direct on August 11. Mercury is leaving the beams of the Sun around this time as well, possibly intensifying the revelatory nature of the full moon as Mercury opposes Pluto in Aquarius, sitting at 4 Leo until August 14.
When Mars moves into Libra on August 6, it will trine Uranus and Pluto, and oppose Saturn and Neptune.
It’s this aspect we must pay close attention to; and it’s this aspect the full moon is shining its Aquarian light on.
MARS INTO LIBRA & THE FIRE/AIR KITE
Hemingway famously defined courage as “grace under pressure,” and I think this is an important sentiment to keep in mind this week and next.
Mars is the first personal planet to cross 00 Libra opposite 00 Aries since Uranus entered Gemini on July 7; and upon doing so, it forms a Grand Air Trine with Pluto and Uranus.
Mars isn’t very comfortable in Venus-ruled Libra and is considered in exile there, very far from home. The God of War is in the Goddess of Love’s house. This slows Mars down, smooths edges, and cools the Martian heat. Mars is forced to become more cooperative, less independent, and more interested in diplomacy than force. However, because the Mars energy is somewhat suppressed in Libra, passive aggression, frustration, avoidance, and misdirection are possible.
Because this grand trine involves the outer planets, it has a generational impact on the world as whole. There’s an accelerating, powerfully disruptive, transformative, revelatory, innovative and rebellious quality to it. Layer on the social, mental, detached, technological and relational qualities of Air, and this time becomes ripe for sudden breakthroughs of all kinds.
Mars activating the Grand Air Trine also ties into a larger, more powerful configuration. As it locks in the grand trine, it also opposes Saturn and Neptune at 1 Aries. The opposition holds challenging tension and makes Mars in Libra the focal point of all energies involved, serving as trigger and triggered. This is where courage and grace come in.
When Mars and Saturn oppose each other, there’s a stand-off between forward motion and limitation. However, this is an unusual Mars/Saturn opposition in that each planet is much weaker than they’d be in most other signs. Mars is in exile, Saturn in its “fall”.
Saturn rules the two signs/months at the heart of Winter — Capricorn and Aquarius — so Aries, the beginning of Spring, is antithetical to Saturn’s essential nature as cold disciplinarian, limiter, wise teacher, fear monger, and authoritative nay-sayer. Aries says “Now. Yes. Go.” Saturn says “Absolutely Not.”
Saturn is considered exalted in Libra, where Mars has relocated. Libra marks the beginning of Autumn and the Western horizon, both places where the Sun begins to enter the Underworld and move toward the Winter Solstice, Saturn’s gate. Naturally, Saturn enjoys a place like that.
So an interesting reciprocity is at work between the two, though I wouldn’t exactly call it a fortunate one. This isn’t an easy aspect. There is a real possibility of struggle, frustration, internalized aggression, pressure and protest.
Libra is about Justice. This could be a time where we have to walk away from a situation, person or group after certain injustices are seen or acknowledged. Mars in Libra in hard aspect to Saturn can sever or mar relationships of all kinds, but this is highly dependent on your chart.
Culmination is possible, even likely; but requires tact and grace to navigate, even if below the surface we’re seething or outraged by something unjust, unfair, or morally reprehensible from our point of you.
Relentless balance. .
Look back.
April 10 2024 Mars conjoined Saturn at 14 Pisces, launching the current Mars/Saturn cycle. On April 28 2024 our current Mars/Neptune cycle began.
What was new and difficult then? What was about to change everything?
So not only are we half way through this lunar cycle, we’re also in the full-moon/opposition phase of both the Mars/Saturn and Mars/Neptune cycles.
Side note: there’s something very intriguing about our current Mars/Saturn cycle. The day it began in April 2024, Venus was at 7 Aries.
When the opening square rolled around Aug 16 2024 at 17 Gemini/Pisces, the North Node was at 7 Aries.
After the upcoming closing square December 8 2025 at 25 Sag/Pisces, we’ll come to the start of the next cycle April 19 2026, where Mars and Saturn will conjoin at 7 Aries.
Seems there’s something important about 7 Cardinal, and especially 7 Aries, deeply embedded in the tapestry of the moment. Interestingly, Venus will be at 7 Cancer the same day Mars moves into Libra, August 6.
Mars moving into Libra and lighting up over the following days gives us a glimpse of what to expect over the next few months as the other inner planets activate the same degrees.
Saturn will have retrograded back into Pisces by the time Mercury activates it on September 17. Venus will activate the point around October 12 2025.
But the most powerful instance of activation will be the Solar Eclipse at 29 Virgo on September 21, when Mars begins squaring Pluto. That might be one for the history books (chart below).
With all this Air and Fire, we want to look to the watery Cancer part of our chart for respite, rejuvenation, peace and joy. Venus and Jupiter conjoin there at 14 Cancer on August 12.
The last time Venus and Jupiter were conjunct in Cancer was June 2002. When Jupiter was in Cancer in 2013, Venus was retrograde in Capricorn and never made it into Cancer before Jupiter moved into Leo.
23 years since the two benefics last conjoined in Cancer.
We should soak that up.
This full moon isn’t really making any direct aspects now, and Venus and Jupiter aren’t either; but their placement together in Cancer is serving — in pure Venusian fashion — to connect an otherwise unconnected full moon to the powerful aspects Mars is activating in Fire and Air.
Mars is hosted by Venus, now in Cancer. Cancer is the Moon’s home, now in Aquarius.
Aquarius is ruled by Saturn in Aries ruled by Mars in Libra ruled by Venus in Cancer ruled by the Moon in Aquarius ruled by . . .
It’s an interesting feedback loop with Venus at the center.
Remember Venus.
This is a general reading. If you’d like to learn how this full moon directly affects you, please consider booking a reading.
