Academia Obscura
A podcast exploring the intersection of philosophy, esoterica, history, and consciousness—where ancient symbols meet modern thought. Academia Obscura dives into hidden knowledge, spiritual discipline, and the deeper forces shaping human experience, challenging listeners to question everything and live with intention.
Academia Obscura
Astrological Forecast for August 2026
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August is not a month to coast on autopilot - it is eclipse season, and this forecast maps the exact pressure points that could reshape leadership, reputation, and strategy. If you want to know what the rest of 2026 is asking of you, this conversation with astrologer Victoria Martin gives you the clearest playbook yet.
Host Chris returns with Victoria Martin for a sharp, highly specific look at the August eclipses, the Mars-Neptune tension that follows, and the Sirius conjunction arriving at the end of the month. Victoria breaks down why this stretch is less about random chaos and more about timing, triage, and making the right moves before the window closes.
You'll discover:
- Why the solar eclipse acts like a "new moon on steroids" and what that means for decision-making
- How the lunar eclipse shifts the energy toward confusion, publicity problems, and reactive damage control
- Why Mars square Neptune is the perfect time for troubleshooting chemistry, nutrition, addictions, and false momentum
- What the Sirius-Mars-Saturn combination suggests for leadership, authority, and overextension
- Why this is the last major proactive window of the year, and how to use it well
Victoria also connects the dots between the year's earlier planetary patterns, the "Gothic spring," and the bigger karmic themes still unfolding. Chris pushes on the practical side of the forecast, asking how to tell whether what you've built is actually solid, how to avoid grandiosity, and what these eclipses mean for people trying to lead, organize, or protect what matters most.
If you've been feeling the year tilt toward bigger consequences and sharper choices, this episode gives you language for what's happening and a way to respond without getting swept up in it. Essential listening for anyone trying to make sense of August, the rest of the year, or their own place in a very strange moment.
Everyone, welcome to another episode of Academia Obscura. I'm your host, Chris. Today I've got Victoria Martin back with me for astrology forecasts. Correct.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I mean, I'm mostly focused on the next month of August, but um here you can see my table of contents. I am pro I'm a proactive astrologer. So I'm looking at what you can do to utilize whatever's coming up. But I think a look back at what I'm calling the Gothic spring and even the month-long 250th Independence Day, that was July. And then what we just had at the end of July was teamwork and social luck. And I said, this is going to be the most optimistic time of the year. Sure didn't feel like it, but boy, the stock market is all-time high. So I guess it was. Kind of interesting how astrology can tell even when you're not feeling it. So the August eclipses are the big focus. That's so I'm just going to spend a couple minutes on those other items. And then since Demetria is going to be covering some information about Sirius and the Heliacal Rising, that there is a kind of what I'm calling a Sirius cameo at the end of August. It's conjunct to Mars and square to Saturn. So that's our program. Any questions so far, Chris? No. Okay. Okay, because you're a highly skilled interviewer. So I want you to just, you know, and you know, come in at any time. Okay. So if you remember back in March and April, um, we had uh Sun conjunct Saturn-Neptune in uh third week of March, and then we had Mars conjunct Saturn and Neptune in the middle of April. So this is very medieval combination. I mean, when Mars came along, you know, I want you to keep in mind, those are the three malefics: Mars, Saturn, Neptune. So um, in the world, mid-April, the Pope saves us from World War III, in my in my analysis. And, you know, the Pope is a medieval figure. That's so interesting. Almost like somebody coming out of the pope.
SPEAKER_00How did the Pope save us from World War III?
SPEAKER_01Well, there um the Pope mid-April told all the so-called world leaders that they had to cut it out. It was like, and they did. Then there's a ceasefire, which is pretty much held, you know. I mean, you know, I'll explain why we've been fighting again since July 4th. There's a reason for that. But anyway, yeah, so that, so this is a medieval combination. So no wonder the Pope had to inter intervene. Now, here um in the world, the war resumed when we had the uh transiting Mars conjunct Uranus on the 4th of July. Duh. That's a no-brainer, right? And it was an Uranus has to do with uranium and you know the those uh what's what's nuclear war they call it and all that sort of thing. So so far it didn't happen, but it got it got a little, you know, messed up again after mid-April. It was pretty cool. So um, so there you have the um Mars conjunct Uranus on July 4th. And um, so this is a volatile combination, right? You can just, it's a no-brainer. Mars is war, but it can a personal horoscope, it could encourage pioneering, strength, self-defense. Um, and Uranus is kind of radical, futuristic, innovative, reinventive. But that's the naughty rate combination. I mean, good for an inventor. Okay, now what we just experienced in late July was the Jupiter-Pluto opposition.
SPEAKER_00And all I experienced was the Mercury retrograde. Yes!
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, the Mercury retrograde. Well, yeah, the thing with Mercury retrograde, and it goes retrograde four times a year for three weeks at a time. The thing is, you you gotta train your mind, you gotta go forwards and backwards at the same time. I know some very successful people who were born with a Mercury retrograde in their horoscope, but they can do that. Most of us other people just we're just forward-oriented. But yeah, well, okay, well, you probably got some benefits just because if you because you're out in the world meeting people, and this is all about um lucky connections, and this would have been the end of July. So that is um, yeah. So then um what we have coming up, future bound, is this karmic solar eclipse. Time window is August 10th through 14th. Here you can see on this map. Can you see that map pretty well? Yeah, okay. Okay, so you can see the map is mostly centered, it's mostly you know, starting at the northern Soviet Union, going through Greenland, and then ending up in Spain and Portugal. So it's not really hitting North America that much, but it is makeover mode, is in effect for all charismatic leaders because this is at the head of the lion.
SPEAKER_00So everyone It's why I'm in Austria right now.
SPEAKER_01Oh, why? You're rethinking your charismatic leadership. Yeah. Yeah. Go guy.
SPEAKER_02That's great.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so so yeah, so we have two solar eclipses a year, usually, sometimes there's more, but usually two a year. And the solar eclipse is a trendsetter. So there always there's always more information coming in right before a solar eclipse. That's what they say. Don't try to wait if you can till after to make any major decisions. And uh solar eclipses typically affect men more than women, though not always, but the trendsetter, they're highly receptive, very intense moods, and paradigm shift. So at this time, or right after this time, we have Mars coming up squaring Neptune. Remember Mars conjunct Uranus on July 4th? Now it's squaring Neptune. So that's uh means on and that's August 17th. So that means right after the solar eclipse, we can do some serious troubleshooting and see, you know, what's working out and what isn't.
SPEAKER_00Because Neptune can be um so the idea is we go into the c the eclipse, we get all this new information. Exactly. And then we come out of it and we evaluate.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. And so that's what Mars Square Neptune can help us because there'll be some things that will just drop dead or seem to be just too crazy, you know. And so even though it seemed like fun, maybe you know, put those aside, back burner. Um, anyway, so so then, so yeah, so here's the Mars Square Neptune, a sensitive time for everyone. Focus on chemistry, nutrition, and addictions. That's what Mars Square Neptune can do for us, this process of elimination. And that's um, you know, and by the way, I'm an absolute maniac for this field of of nutrition, and it's just opened up ever since COVID. And I recommend you can just get a better um education and nutrition on YouTube than most doctors get in medical school. So I recommend everyone um check that out and make your own decisions, you know. But you can kind of tell who's for real. That helps they have a PhD usually, but that's a good sign. The the guys on YouTube. So, okay, here's our dharmic lunar eclipse. So that helps that it's dharmic. The idea, and you probably know better than I do what dharma means. Everyone knows what karma means.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Dharma is your the path you take through life.
SPEAKER_01Right. And it's it's usually aiming for benefits or aiming to do some good in the world. Right. And so so that makes this a little more positive. You you're gonna say something.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's kind of funny because the solar eclipse we had the first time around back in February, that hit my south node. And then this solar eclipse hits my north node just to then come back and get another south node hit on the full moon.
SPEAKER_01Sure. So so your nodes are reversed by transit right now. So um it's it's a 19-year cycle, and you'll get your lunar return every 19 years. And um, so that means half of 19, which is what, nine and a half, you know, would be would be the opposite. And so the thing about lunar eclipse is the public is confused. So um in 2020, we had, as you know, the pandemic, and it was one of those fluke years where we had four lunar eclipses. So every time there's a lunar eclipse in 2020, there was looting and rioting because the public is confused. The public is the moon. And, you know, so you know, I I have here in parentheses, look for bad advertising examples. I'm not sure why I wrote that. Do you ever write something and say, why did I write that?
SPEAKER_02Well, it's just like no idea.
SPEAKER_01Okay. I know you, but okay. I guess I'm just thinking that um advertising or propaganda, it could be, you know, over the top on a lunar eclipse. So um so be be wary of that. Now the time window, and here again, lunar eclipses affect women more than men, but not necessarily. Um, but it does tend to um make everyone more sensitive.
SPEAKER_00Is it is it that they affect men more than more, or is it that they primarily operate on the yin channel?
SPEAKER_01Oh, you mean they affect women more, the lunar eclipse? Solar eclipses affect men more.
SPEAKER_00I guess I'm trying to understand are the energies aligned along biological gender or along the yin and yang or divine masculine defined feminine energetic channels?
SPEAKER_01Very interesting question.
SPEAKER_00Because as a woman, like as a biological woman, you are more likely to be in touch with the feminine yin energetic channels. But that's but there's a lot of things that could impact that. It's just that's just your gender sort of expressing your energetic alignment. And so is it and so is it is are and so like when I normally think about it, I think of it more of what energies are the planets operating, not what genders. But I was trying to understand if that's how you view it as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this might be outside my scope of expertise, but uh but I think it's a very interesting question. And one worth noting, it's just that traditionally it is thought that way, but but solar eclipses can affect men and women, lunar eclipses can affect both men and women. And um, but I say overall, yeah, if I go with your model, I would say the yin channel would be the lunar eclipse, the yang channel would be the solar eclipse. So depending on what duties you're fulfilling, are you you know, I mean, for example, someone who is a a caretaker or um, you know, in the food industry, they might be man or female, they might be more affected by the lunar eclipse, those are lunar businesses. Yeah, or someone leadership is definitely you're gonna see leadership change with that solar eclipse. Actually, just a lot of people lead all the all the groups you know, all the leaders are going through identity crisis right now, and they might come out the other end after August 12th, fine.
SPEAKER_00Especially in France, Macron's having heart attack as he's staring at Marine Le Pen replacing him.
SPEAKER_01Oh mon Dieu. Okay. Well, uh Kelchance, I guess. Yeah, hope they do well. But in the loop with the lunar eclipse, this is contrarian. I usually say people, you know, it's okay to open a business or have have something important started after the solar eclipse, but but if but the lunar eclipse is not, you know, it's a confusing time. It's not a time, it's not good to um to open a business on a lunar eclipse. Or, you know, I know some businesses have lunar eclipses in their horoscope, and they had nothing but uh bad um reputation, bad advertising, but that you know, the public just was confused. So if you're dealing with the public, you want to be careful around the lunar eclipse. And it is known to be some of my my my buzzwords, contrarian, intrigued or intriguing, bipolar, resolving publicity and tactics. Now, someone born with a lunar eclipse in their horoscope, they are the best troubleshooter for publicity because they'll go in and look at what's being done and say, here you're confusing people because they're very aware of the public, you know, and how does it react to things? And then here's our cirrus thing, which will pick up on Demetra. Did you have something else you want to say?
SPEAKER_00If you could go back just for a minute, though, to the solar eclipse. So I know earlier your solar one, yeah. So I know earlier on you had mentioned that the building period for this year was through August, right? Yes. If you didn't have anything built by the end of August, then don't bother. So given these energies for these different time frames with the eclipse and then the lunar eclipse, um what would you say to someone trying to understand how best to make sure that what they've built is solid and they've done it correctly during this time frame? And how could they navigate these energies successfully?
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, we're still that's I'm really impressed that you remembered that. And that that was that was largely based on the fact that every single month, the new moon was conjunct a major planet. In January, new moon was conjunct Pluto. In February, it was a solar eclipse. In March, it was conjunctive. You can remember Saturn and Neptune. Uh, in April, it was conjunct Chiron. I didn't make a big deal out of that. But then in May, it was conjunct Uranus. So June and July were, you know, kind of building, you know, like working with that. Um, I mean, you should kind of know already how are things going. I mean, this is, I'm saying this is the final really super duper proactive thing because a lunar eclipse is much more proactive, whereas a lunar eclipse, solar eclipse is proactive, lunar eclipse is more reactive and damage control and crisis management. Whereas a solar eclipse, once you get all that, gathering all that information and dealing with that kind of stage fright or performance anxiety, you know, whatever uh that you experience on a solar eclipse, then whatever you can do should, you know, could be potentially very successful nowadays, karmic. So we are drawing on our past, our reputation, whatever. Karma can be good, right, Chris?
SPEAKER_00Can be good. Karma can be good, karma can be bad. Karma is just the effects of the ripples you've made across your life. That's yeah. Good or bad largely depends on what you've done and what seeds you planted. Um excellent.
SPEAKER_01That's an excellent definition. I mean, I just think whenever you say, Oh, it's karmic, people go, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. But it seems to me it can be good. It could be either one. But it can be good. I I mean, most of the people I know, I think they have good karma and they they do good work. So they should be all right with this, but then you never know. Whatever house this karma.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, karma is just the energetic consequences of the choices that you make. Um, and they can be and consequences can be good or bad. And often and sometimes you don't they don't they don't always come home to roost until um they've been magnifying tenfold because of what you did. Um that can be good or bad, you know.
SPEAKER_01Right. Well, now this is a 21 degrees tropical Leo. So it so that would uh whatever a person has that in their horoscope, that's the area that this is the makeover mode. And and a lot of it has to do with the spirit spirituality or charisma that is known for the star at the head of the lion. Can I go for it?
SPEAKER_00For me, this is hitting my north node, which is in Aquarius.
SPEAKER_01And what house is that in? You don't want to do personal information. Never mind.
SPEAKER_02Everybody keep them guessing. Keep them guessing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so now here. Here's where we're gonna ramp it up. That um August 30th, just right on the tail on the heels of that lunar eclipse, when the public gets confused, then we have Mars conjuncting Sirius. Now, Sirius is aligned to the USA birthday. Okay, and that's why our um country is is kind of like sort of magical or you know, charismatic people. And just we've been, I think, really fortunate. Of course, the northern Europeans came and pillaged all the natural resources. They just kind of lucked out. But so it's a wealthy nation because of all the natural resources. But um Mars is conjunct Cirrus, um, August 30th to September 3rd. But at that time, it will be squaring Saturn. So this conjunction of Mars and Cirrus happens every two years. This time squared by Saturn, which means these deep lessons from our Gothic spring, remember that. I mean, everyone I know had this really kind of heavy feeling the spring, you know, it was kind of scary if you're monitoring the war, or even if you weren't. And it's a whole different thing now, just even you can see it in the stock market. But uh deep lessons from March and April can be brightened by Cirrus to some degree, because Mars conjuncts Cirrus, but still, wherever Saturn is in your horoscope, and that's an early tropical Aries, then that's you want to take that guidance from Saturn. And I just realize work within limitations and follow the rules, and um should be okay. Does Mars square Saturn tends to be people taking on too much? Too it's like too much, you know, of a of a of a load, you know. But it is uh Cirrus is poetic and uh it's the the word Cirrus itself, I believe is Latin means scorching and burning because it is the brightest star in the heaven. So so anyway, that so now but I would but I would to answer your question that you just asked, yeah, I'd I'd say the last major proactive option is gonna be that that solar eclipse. And after that, I'm expecting the rest of the year, we're just kind of coasting. We're just kind of moving with our motor off, you know, just reaping in the benefits. We'll we'll see if that if it works that way. But that's what I'm anticipating is that whatever you did earlier in the year, okay, then you can just kind of sort it out. It's the harvest time. And it is kind of festival, a lot of festivals. I mean, in our country, it's absolutely magical. I mean, that's absolutely amazing how Halloween has transformed. When I was a kid, it was really scary. And now it's become much more spiritual. And maybe that has to do with your pagan communities kind of um becoming more powerful or more visible, and right, because it is a very strongly pagan-oriented holiday, the all saints day, all souls.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02Day of the dead.
SPEAKER_01Right. So I I'm excited to see how Halloween has transformed in my lifetime.
SPEAKER_00Because the color Day of the Dead is my favorite over Halloween.
SPEAKER_01You know, that's just right. I mean, the the colors used to be black and orange. Now they're purple and orange. Just that color change is huge. Because purple is spiritual. And and and it used to be just kind of kind of creepy. How about it? Kind of people walking around like bleeding, you know, mummies and vampires and creepy stuff. Now it's now it's kind of a joke like, nya, we didn't die from COVID. It's kind of a funny, you know, it's true to a lot of humor. And and I I I like that. I think it's a really positive development.
SPEAKER_00So can you help me understand? So this is a Mars squaring Saturn.
SPEAKER_01This is at the very end of this, and I I I included it because it really builds nicely into Demetrio's presentation out Sirius, because Mars, well, okay, Mars conjuncts Sirious once every two years. In this particular situation, it's a little bit downplayed because of Saturn. So that normally it would be um, whenever Mars conjuncts serious, I mean it's a little off, it's not at any particular month or day, but normally that would be a very active time for uh and really it could be militaristic, but the Saturn might help us in this case. It might be that authority figures, um heads of state, administrators, whatever, kind of clamp down and prevent um uh another war from happening, you know, or an or or another escalation. Because I I pr I pretty much think that that the major, major war threat that um that we have to thank the Pope, the medieval figure the of the Pope for intervening. And I think I think it was successful.
SPEAKER_00I hear you, but I personally don't quite see it that way. But Especially with the rift that the Pope seems to have opened with the US administration and with calling the Cardinals back to start discussing uh reevaluating the doctrine of a just war um and the all all of the hullabaloo, but especially between Vance and the Pope, and basically telling the Pope to stay out of it.
SPEAKER_01Um I don't think I have the stomach to keep up with all that, you know, but that's the Catholic in me. I love that.
SPEAKER_00I love it. I've confirmed I have my card. Technically, I could be buried in a cemetery, but don't even have to go to back to one of those dead.
SPEAKER_01So well, well anyway, um, yeah, I mean, I think there might be, I mean, this is a this is a tinder box, as they call it, and uh and all that sort of thing. But I I I think that was the worst pile-up of malefics. Remember, this is Mars, Saturn, and Neptune all piled up together in mid-April. Last time that happened was 1845, when Texas was annexed as a state, and then we had the Mexican-American War right after that, which I mean, interesting because Texas is another oil-rich region. So that was 1845, is the last time we had a Mars, Neptune, Saturn conjunction. Isn't that amazing? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And I know like we've been mostly focusing on like the positive and helpful aspects of these planets. Um, but I know there's always a flip side to all of these energies. Is there a version of this these August energies that maybe is is unhelpful or something that people should be pay attention to in terms of how they are feeling toward maybe actions that are not aligned with their higher self or that would present obstacles for them?
SPEAKER_01What a good question. Well, I think you know, the Sun in Leo is known for braggadocia and egocentric. And so the idea is just be a team player, help help out the other guy. It's not like I I think the uh a super duper, or what's the word I want, grandiose or narcissistic posture might be uh counterproductive.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So just so basically just be careful about not being grandiose.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And I mean, it just it's it's because we had that Jupiter-Pluto opposition and Jupiter entering um Leo was opposed Pluto. So that's the thing, it's like know who's really in power. It's the Pluto, and team up with them and also be the best politician, negotiator, strategist you can be. That's all Pluto. And it's not just winging it on your own. Jupiter and Pluto, we just wants to just go. And it's like, wait a minute, what you know, what's gonna work? What's worked before? Who's got the money? Who's got the power? How can you negotiate? It's like you want to think in terms of that, because just going on, just um tripping the light fantastic or whatever, just feeling super confident, which Jupiter and Leo could do that, is uh probably uh again counterproductive and um and just and and even taking offense, you know, is is is a Leo trait. You know, they get offended, you know, it's like they're kind of they have this the standard or dignity or idea about themselves. Um I um well I'm Aquarius, so I'm opposite. So I kind of go like, hey, lighten up, don't worry, everything's fine. You know, I mean we live better than ninety percent of the world. You know, probably me, you and our circle and the people re watching this uh and so just hey, it's okay. It's like what I was I was a hippie, so I guess it's my my hippie root showing piece, you know, whatever.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I have a lot of friends that are hippies. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00I I tend to be too political for them.
SPEAKER_01How funny. Yeah, well hippies were. They ended the Vietnam War, they were effectively um, you know, act effectively activistic.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I know it ended under the hippies. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how much was them and how much was just Nixon's own incompetence.
SPEAKER_01Um Well, I d you know, even though I was alive and and kicking during that time, I'm not sure I I'm not sure I know, but I I think it was um But the one thing the hippies did do well was the civil rights movement.
SPEAKER_00Correct. That was all the hippies.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, I grew up at University of Chicago and um we had four big issues there. It was civil rights, ERA, um, interfaith dialogue, and science education. So I was growing up there in the 50s and 60s, and it was just everyone was an activist for one or more of those causes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. ERA not getting across the line is one of the great tragedies of our society.
SPEAKER_01Why do you think it didn't get across the line?
SPEAKER_00The Equal Rights Amendment. Um, because not enough states ratified it in time for before the deadline Congress set, so it never officially became part of the Constitution.
SPEAKER_01I didn't know that. Wow. I didn't know that.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00What when Congress passed the resolution, they set a date, thinking that that would encourage the states to move their asses. However, um, there were not enough states that passed it in time. There were a couple of states that passed it after the deadline, but then the court, I think it went to the Supreme Court either this year or last year because someone was trying to say no, like it all passed, and the and the Supreme Court basically punted and said no. You got to go start the whole thing over again because you didn't follow the statute that Congress like ordered. So, like the old ERA, even though it technically has been passed by the by the required number, we were starting back over from scratch again.
SPEAKER_02Eeez.
SPEAKER_00Gigantic tragedy that would have solved so much in this country.
SPEAKER_01Maybe the lunar eclipse will speak to that because lunar eclipse being challenging for women, maybe um something will happen. I don't know. I I I have I follow finance with the politics.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, things have been really challenging for women, especially in the post-Dobbs landscape, but I'm not sure what that's gonna have to do with the lunar eclipse.
SPEAKER_01In the what landscape?
SPEAKER_00The post-Dobbs landscape. Uh that's the case that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
SPEAKER_02Oh, right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. There's been a lot of stories about, I mean, all the draconian laws that have been passed to restrict the uh woman's access to healthcare under the guise of being uh pro-abortion, I mean anti-abortion. Um, like especially in Texas, it's insane. Like they're like, if you have any sort of pregnancy complication, like even like an epcotic pregnancy where the fetus is 100% non-viable and it's lethal, the doctors will not do anything on you until you're septic because they're so afraid to just do anything and women are just dying because of it. Because the doctors don't want to go to jail and the law is written so vague that women are just either left to flee the state or just wait until things get bad enough that a doctor like feels like they can justify the risk to their license. It's an entire nightmare.
SPEAKER_01Interesting. Well, maybe something will happen on the lunar eclipse.
SPEAKER_00Hopefully. Something's gotta happen because that's a big problem.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, oh my god. I'm so impressed you keep up with that. Okay, I gotta go.
SPEAKER_02Okay, Austin. I'm hungry.
SPEAKER_00What's that? Austin, thank you for your time. Uh well, thank you. I'd love to have you back for September as well if you're open to it.
SPEAKER_01Sure. You know, and tell people how to coast.
SPEAKER_00How to coast?
SPEAKER_01How to coast? September, October, November, December. Coasting. We're coasting. Well, there are new moons. The the most proactive time of the month is the new moon. And um that's the organic start to the month. So in the in ancient societies, and including your pagan societies, that's when the month started.
unknownThat's right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the dinner calendar. Speaking of which, when's the new moon for August?
SPEAKER_01August is the solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is a new moon on steroids.
SPEAKER_00So the oh, so this is actually so the solar eclipse is happening on a solar eclipse. That's interesting.
SPEAKER_01On a new moon. I mean a solar eclipse is always a new moon. It's an exact new moon because the sun and moon aren't just aligned. They're on top, you know, the moon is on top of the sun. And the same with the lunar eclipse is a full moon on steroids. I'm glad you asked. This is important. And uh the full moon is exactly opposite to the point where the the earth will block out the light between that that's coming from the sun that usually hits the moon. And that's why the public just is horrified because here's the moon, now it's gone. And this goes back to primal times in ancient Babylonia. They used to have people gather together for drumming and they'd get the old ziggurat drumming, drumming, drumming, so that the serpent would stop or the dragon would stop swallowing the moon and it would work. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I can't remember the last time we had a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse in the same month.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's interesting. Yeah. It's but it's a little bit better packaging. I mean Yeah, yeah. So you can just go, whoa, August is eclipse season and um you know, and then everybody's got that in their brain. And so I think it makes it a little more potent in a way. That they are both happening in August.
SPEAKER_02Cool. That's great. Well, thank you for your time, Vittoria, and we'll try it again next time.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Yes, definitely.