Welcome In!

Are you tired of trying to fit in or follow restrictive social norms? Are you possibly ready to finally trust yourself?

This week’s energies are primed to help you shift and realign! And we can build momentum toward co-creating a more liberated and humanitarian collective reality.

The lunar nodes just shifted from the water and earth of Pisces and Virgo to the air and fire of Aquarius and Leo. On Wednesday we have a juicy full moon in Aquarius. And Saturday we start a new calendar month, which brings a change in the numerology from 8 to the culminating energy of 9.

These three major shifts actually compliment each other really nicely, which increases their potency. I explain it all with channeling, astrological analysis, and a layer of tarot symbolism in the Flavor of the Week/Month sections below, followed by journal prompts and affirmations for reflecting on how you can directly apply the themes of these transits in your personal life.

Legacy Lit presents Blackademics: Beauty, Bias, and the Blackboard—a virtual panel all can attend, especially faculty, staff, admin, and students. Dr. Ally and I always have robust conversations that are both eyeopening and fun. Tuesday, July 28th, at 2:00pm ET. RSVP HERE.

Pluto has been working to excavate something in the Aquarius part of your life (based on where Aquarius sits in your birth chart). This full moon is supporting that process by shining a big floodlight on the excavation site so you can see more clearly exactly what you’re working with and what’s been recently uncovered by Pluto’s digging. We’ll continue to uncover and learn more as Pluto moves through Aquarius for the next couple of decades, but this week’s full moon could present a milestone, breakthrough, or turning point in your awareness.

Lest anyone get anxious about any of this, what’s uncovered might very well be a treasure, even if it doesn’t immediately appear that way.

With the shift of the Nodes, which is where eclipses happen, the cosmos is placing magnets in the Aquarius and Leo areas of our lives. Specifically with the North Node in Aquarius, the cosmos is pulling focus there, where Pluto happens to be, and where we have this week’s full moon. It’s asking us not to look away from this, even if what we see is uncomfortable or painful.

And with the South Node in Leo, where the Sun and Jupiter are together now, the cosmos has flipped the magnet to push us away from something, like propulsion… toward a dream or vision, perhaps, or simply to your next level of growth and transformation.

While Pluto and this full moon are revealing something in the Aquarius part of our lives/psyches, we get a lot of strength, courage, and wisdom (shout out India Arie) from the Sun and Jupiter in the Leo area of our lives/psyches to support this transformative moment. The details will be super specific to you, but a broad theme of the Aquarius—Leo axis is a balance between your authentic self-expression and your role within the collective.

The challenge is feeling like you must perform in order to belong or find acceptance within society. Yet the higher wisdom of Aquarius—Leo is that society actually does not need your conformity, it needs your authenticity. This full moon might even help you see how certain group dynamics and societal standards have alienated you from your authentic self under the pressure to “fit in” or meet external expectations. The catch is that even if society doesn’t realize it, society is better when you express your authenticity.

Our two tarot cards that correspond with the first decans of Aquarius and Leo (where the Sun and Moon will be for the full moon on Wednesday) literally illustrate this concept for us. I was just channeling about this for someone who asked why her family seemed to be rejecting her authentic self-expression. What I channeled is that choosing to express our authenticity is never about getting a specific reaction from other people. It might very well create tension or conflict, and we are not to shy away from that by people pleasing or molding ourselves to external standards and expectations.

The Five of Swords (Aquarius) and the 5 of Wands (Leo) both reflect conflict and confrontation. This doesn’t have to be a fight. It can simply be the honest expression of your truth with actions that align with that truth. This can also include “confronting” your own stuff, an internal conflict that holds you accountable to your own truth, a test of integrity.

On Saturday, we get a complimentary energy shift when we begin a new calendar month. August is a universal 9 month, which is the energy of the humanitarian—very Aquarius. In numerology, our cycle ends at the number 9, so it’s also a completion/culmination month—very full moon.

In tarot, 9 is The Hermit. View the Hermit cards from the Onyx Tarot and Rider-Waite-Smith decks above in the context of Shirley Lawrence’s description of the numerology of 9:

When you look at the Rider-Waite-Smith Hermit card on the right, it even looks like you could trace the number 9 around the old man with his lantern. I included this traditional card because it depicts the old age of the man with white hair and long beard, emphasizing the wisdom that comes from a journey and from life experiences. The metaphor of graduation conveys not just an ending or culmination but also the learning and wisdom we’ve gained.

I’m excited for us to take time in August to reflect on the journey we’ve been on so far this year, and any learnings or wisdoms we’ve gained along the way. With both a full moon and the start of a 9 month, this week could bring the feeling of culmination for many people, even if it’s on a smaller scale or merely an internal resetting. I love that The Hermit card as a symbol of 9 energy reminds us that we have inner wisdom. We don’t always have to defer to external council, especially when that council contradicts or dishonors our deeper truths.

But… August 2026 is also a time of eclipses, a new moon and full moon eclipse. I actually think the 9 energy of August will support us during these eclipses because of the wisdom it holds and because its energy of endings and completions can help us release and let go as these eclipses spur on changes for us and within us. The eclipses will take place in Virgo (new moon) and Pisces (full moon), and I’ll talk more about them in the weeks ahead.

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In my book title, Colorism: The Politics of Skin Tone and How We Get Free, the How We Get Free part is my favorite. The following two books, including one of my fellow Legacy Lit authors, tell the long history of mysticism and practical magick as a Black liberation tool and educate us on how we can live that legacy for ourselves in the present.

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For me, this is not about whether we have to love ourselves before we can love other people, though I do believe we can’t give what we don’t have. And it’s not a song about being selfish. “Live for yourself” is not an attitude of only caring about your own needs. It’s a statement that means: only you can live and experience your own life. The beautiful line, “I can’t live it for you. They can’t live it for you. I said you’ve got to live for yourself.” is a reminder not to outsource your joy and happiness. No partner, friend, family, or community can make you happy—they can merely reflect what’s already inside of you.

The lyric, “get on out and face yourself,” reminds me of Pluto excavating the truth about something, and for many people it’s likely just a truth about ourselves, maybe one we weren’t ready to face before. These lyrics also remind me of the Leo—Aquarius axis that challenges us to find true belonging in community by loving ourselves enough to live and express our authentic truth. If you have to be fake to fit in, then you don’t truly belong. The best way to find and attract people who love you for who you really are is to be who you really are.