[Week 26: Saturn in Aries] Planning 📝
Mercury is direct in Leo!
Attention! Last spots for the astro retreat in Portugal during Halloween weekend. DM me to come! Get all the details here.
Hi, there, astro lover!
How are you doing? Did you perform any of the mid-summer rituals I offered last week?
I certainly did!
Besides saving money for the winter and visiting nature spots in the Netherlands, I ate fruits related with the Lughnasadh celebration.
Here’s a photo gallery of some of the places I saw during my nature walks:
What about you? Leave a comment telling me how you celebrated!
And now, let’s see what the stars have in store for us this week.
The astrology of the week
On Monday, the 11th of August at 03:30 EST, Mercury turns direct at 04°14’ of Leo.
The day Mercury turns direct is usually chaotic, so avoid sending crucial messages, signing contracts, or buying electronics at the beginning of the week.
Instead, use the energy to revisit stalled plans, make necessary adjustments to those plans, and write the insights you got during the retrograde period (it started on July 18th) to guide your next steps effectively.
This is not the best week to move forward at full speed, but to put your ducks in a row before doing so next week.
Another planetary aspect contributes to this vibe. It’s the last quarter Moon at 23°36’ of Taurus, occurring on Saturday, 16th at 01:11 EST.
As always, this lunar phase is ideal for decluttering, organizing, reflecting, and tying up loose ends.
The topic I have chosen to focus on for this week is the planning brought by Mercury being in direct motion, occurring in the same week of the last quarter Moon.
The phases of Mercury retrograde
The Mercury retrograde period is not all equal.
The first part of Mercury retrograde is the Epimethean phase. After the conjunction with the Sun, the second part is known as the Promethean phase.
Roughly speaking, the first part is devoted to introspection. The second part involves developing plans to act based on the revelations from Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun.
This time around, the conjunction between Mercury and the Sun took place on July 31st. What transpired back then?
Maybe you can check this edition of the newsletter to jog your memory:
![[Week 24: Saturn in Aries] Awareness 🦢](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BEsy!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F497c69f3-07a9-40ad-820a-c670a0697a01_1080x1080.png)
Epimethean and Promethean phases are also present when Mercury turns direct. And this is what I want to share with you today.
Starting on Monday, the 11th of August, up until Saturday, the 13th of September, Mercury will be in its Promethean direct phase. It’s show time. However, since this week the Moon is also in its last quarter phase, it’s best to use the energy to plan rather than to go full steam ahead just yet.
Keep reading to find out how you can take advantage of the available energy.
Promethean direct phase of Mercury
[NOTE: I have slightly covered this topic in Week 8 of this newsletter, when Mercury turned direct in Aries. Nonetheless, I could use the reminder, and so do you.]
The Promethean phase of Mercury direct begins when Mercury turns direct and ends with Mercury's superior conjunction with the Sun.
Superior conjunctions happen when Mercury is direct, while inferior conjunctions occur when Mercury is retrograde.
If you reflected when Mercury was retrograde, you already know what to do when this planet turns direct.
Now is the time to make those changes happen. Or, instead, to plan on them and start executing those plans next week.
You should have minimal concern for the outcomes that will arise.
This doesn’t mean you don’t have preferences or objectives you want to achieve.
It means that you have to move forward with fewer expectations.
Something will manifest, but you can’t anticipate what will work and what won’t work.
Experimentation is key.
Excitement and freedom should be the driving forces now, not the achievements themselves.
Your mind is powerful.
Your ability to act is heightened.
The Promethean phase of Mercury direct is the ideal time to test the untried. You should plan (and then act) on the ideas that surfaced during the reflection period of the retrograde phase.
This is an opportunity to embrace complete creative freedom.
You have over a month to act on the epiphanies you got when Mercury was retrograde in Leo, from the 18th of July up until the 11th of August. That month expires on Saturday, September 13th. How are you gonna make the most of this period?
Prompts for Week 26
Write [Week 26: Saturn in Aries] Planning on top of the page and the week we’re in, just like in the last edition.
Did you receive epiphanies when Mercury was retrograde in Leo, from the 18th of July up until the 11th of August? Now is the time to plan how you’ll act on them. It doesn’t have to be something big. Right now, make a plan and maybe take the first steps towards those reflections.
Go back to prompts 2 and 3 from Week 22. Is there something you need to do to complete your plans for that time? Do it this week before Mercury gains more speed.
Let’s go back even further in the past. Do you have something pending from the previous Mercury retrograde in Aries? Go to the prompts from Week 8. Read them and see if there’s something else you need to activate right now to complete what’s lingering in the back of your mind.
That’s it for now.
With love,
Valentina
P.S.: Saturn gets back in Pisces on September 1st, which marks a pause in the Saturn return of people who have Saturn in Aries until February 13th of 2026. It also marks a pause in the regular edition of this newsletter. Next Monday, I will send the last weekly edition of this Substack project in 2025. Stay tuned to know what’s coming.