---

Elul 5783

Aug. 17-Sept. 15, 2023

---

Get ready to say goodbye to 5783, the “gimel” year, referring to the last letter in the Hebrew notation for 5783: tav-shin-peh-gimel. Gimel (ג), it is said, resembles a person running to do good deeds. The theme of the gimel year is generous giving.

But coming soon is Rosh Hashanah, and the new year of 5784 — a “dalet” year. Gimel dalet means “give generously to the poor”; gemol means to give generously, and dalim are poor people. The gimel pursues the dalet in order to generously give the dalet what they lack.

If you have given generously of your time, energy, resources, attention and Torah — then next year, the Dalet year, you won’t be poor.

So here we are in Elul, the last month of the year. Elul’s sign is Virgo/Betulah, the sign of analytic discernment. This month, as we prepare for Yom Kippur, we turn our consciousnesses towards teshuvah — repentance and the examination of ourselves to discover how we can become better.

The Aries/Taleh-Libra/Moznayim Lunar Nodal Axis (a major occurrence we talked about back in Tammuz) squares Pluto all month, empowering the energy of initiation. Starting a transformative practice now makes all the difference. With Mercury/Kochav stationing retrograde in Virgo Aug. 23 through Erev Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 15, it’s time to make up for lost time!

The wildest, most imaginative, most miraculous dreams reveal themselves at the Full Supermoon in Pisces/Dagim on Aug. 30. There’s no shame in dreaming big! Be conscious of what your unconscious mind is telling you. These inner truths come to the surface to wake you up to your own reality.

Venus/Noga ends her rather dramatic retrograde in Leo/Aryeh on Sept. 3 but doesn’t fully emerge from her retrograde shadow until Oct. 3, so don’t bring the curtain down yet. Jupiter/Tzedek in pleasure-loving Taurus/Shor stations retrograde Sept. 4 through Dec. 30; maintain vigilant guard against expensive excesses. The only thing you should be going overboard with during the last month of the gimel year is generous giving!

---

Aries / Taleh

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is learning how to discern between “it’s all about me” and “it’s all about us.” Mars/Ma’adim in Virgo/Betulah opposite Neptune/Rahav in Pisces/Dagim on Aug. 22 demands courage in both service and sacrifice. Magnetic and magnificent personal power to “do the right thing” emerges Aug. 24 when Mars trines Pluto at the First^t Quarter Moon in Sagittarius/Keshet. Mars enters Venus/Noga-ruled Libra/Moznayim on Aug. 27; the ball is in your court but you’re playing by someone else’s rules. Don’t take your toys and go home on Sept. 1 when Mars is inconjunct Saturn/Shabbatai; negotiations prevail where demands fail.

---

Taurus / Shor

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is to engage with your “shadow side.” This is not your Yetzer Hara (inclination to do bad); rather, your shadow side consists of what is hidden from your conscious self. Retrograde Venus/Noga in Leo/Aryeh squares Jupiter/Tzedek in Taurus on Aug. 22; confront your truth and courageously embrace it. Shame is a destructive force inhibiting the integration of fragmented parts into wholeness. Venus stations direct Sept. 3, offering you another opportunity to make friends with and embrace your secretly vulnerable, underdeveloped, sensitive parts. The more you integrate your disparate parts, the healthier you become; the healthier you become, the happier you’ll be.

---

Gemini / T’omim

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is to review and repair any miscommunications you’ve had with friends and colleagues. Mercury/Kochav in Virgo/Betulah stations retrograde Aug. 23; analyze where you stand in your relationship to your communities and affinity groups. Mercury retrograde trines Jupiter/Tzedek on Sept. 4; take a bird’s eye view of situations you’ve been too close to. Multiple perspectives are revealed at the Last Quarter Moon in Gemini on Sept. 6, with Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury. Stand in everybody else’s shoes; is there only one “correct” perspective? A double dose of wisdom should arrive by Sept. 15 when Mercury stations direct.

---

Cancer / Sartan

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is a recommitment to integrity in your work. If there are parts of your essential self you can’t bring into your career, that business isn’t for you. The First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius/Keshet Aug. 24 empowers truth-telling to colleagues and peers. The sensitive, intuitive Full Moon in Pisces/Dagim Aug. 30 inspires intimacy. Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for what you want at the Last Quarter Moon in Gemini/T’omim Sept. 6. The New Moon in Virgo Sept. 14 is a new chance to say what you mean and mean what you say. Be real.

---

Leo / Aryeh

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is refreshing your spiritual belief system. Develop compassion for the gap between your ideals and reality when the Sun enters Virgo/Betulah Aug. 23. The Sun opposite Saturn/Shabbatai Aug. 27 reveals the root of your ambiguity; lack of boundaries and delineation between what is yours to keep, and what is yours to share. The Sun conjuncts retrograde Mercury/Kochav Sept. 6 at Last Quarter Moon in Gemini/T’omim, before trining Jupiter/Tzedek on Sept. 8. You’re always happy to be generous and magnanimous, but not when you’re sensing exploitation. The Sun trines Uranus/Oron Sept. 15, illuminating a helpful new perspective.

---

Virgo / Betulah

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is learning how to share intimately without losing yourself. Mercury/Kochav in Virgo stations retrograde Aug. 23, and goes direct on Sept. 15. These dates are a parenthesis in time, during which your short but intense tutorial on healing your fear of intimacy occurs. Mercury trines Jupiter/Tzedek on Sept. 4, telling the unvarnished truth without hyperbole or exaggeration wins hearts and minds. Untie the knots of multiple viewpoints at the Last Quarter Moon in Gemini/T’omim on Sept. 6, with Sun conjunct Mercury. Simplicity is your best motto at the New Moon in Virgo on Sept. 14.

---

Libra / Moznayim

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is developing ego balance within relationships. Retrograde Venus/Noga squares Jupiter/Tzedek on Aug. 22, challenging you to rise above feelings of competitiveness with those who share a common bond. Venus, which has been retrograde in Leo/Aryeh since July 22, stations direct on Sept. 3. You pride yourself on your many friends, but the result of this retrograde reveals the truth of Proverbs 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” By now you should know who your true friends are by the truth they’re willing to tell you.

---

Scorpio / Akrav

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is a recommitment to conscious health. Mars/Ma’adim opposes Neptune/Rahav on Aug. 22, which pierces distorted perception in an unmistakable way. If you’re not being honest with yourself about body, mind and spiritual self-care, you’ll be confronted with the unvarnished truth. Mars trines Pluto on Sept. 24 at the First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius/Keshet, reflecting your tremendous powers of regeneration. You’re famous for your phoenix-like ability to rise from the ashes, but even you are mortal. Don’t waste this chance for another chance. Mars enters Libra/Moznayim on Aug. 27, bringing much-needed balance and equanimity. Love yourself!

---

Sagittarius / Keshet

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is to bravely explore new opportunities for deep self-awareness. You’re never really happy unless you’re passionately engaged in searching for truth. If you stuff your feelings on Aug. 22 when Venus/Noga squares Jupiter/Tzedek, you’ll make yourself sick. Rededicate yourself to rigorous honesty at the First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius on Aug. 24. You’re going to need to hold yourself accountable on Sept. 4, when Retrograde Mercury/Kochav trines Jupiter, and Jupiter stations retrograde a few hours later. The Sun trines retrograde Jupiter on Sept. 8, illuminating the path of wisdom you need to follow. Document your journey!

---

Capricorn / Gidi

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is making peace at home. The Cardinal Square of Pluto in Capricorn to the Lunar Nodal Axis this month empowers you to confront those things in your domestic environment which give you pause; in some cases, this will also mean your early family life drama is coming up in your adult life, triggering unresolved issues. The Sun in Virgo/Betulah opposite Saturn/Shabbatai in Pisces/Dagim on Aug. 27 reveals ambiguity around service and sacrifice to your spiritual community. If your hard work and dedication have been ignored, playing the martyr card won’t help. Talk it out.

---

Aquarius / D’li

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is learning to communicate with sensitivity rather than shock value. Information needn’t be weaponized! The Virgo/Betulah Sun opposite Saturn/Shabbatai in Pisces/Dagim Aug. 27 urges compassion for beloveds who can’t quite keep up with you. Your complete worldview makeover still has two or three years to go as your modern planetary ruler Uranus/Oron travels (slowly!) through Taurus/Shor. Uranus stations retrograde on Aug. 28 and is trined by the Sun on Sept. 15. Bingo — you remembered where you put that million-dollar idea! Genius loves company but don’t forget you’re not only the genius, you’re also the host. Serve snacks.

---

Pisces / Dagim

Your tikkun (healing power) for Elul is aligning actions with your values. Saturn/Shabbatai is retrograde in Pisces until early November, your classical planetary ruler Jupiter/Tzedek stations retrograde Sept. 4, and your modern planetary ruler Neptune/Rahav is retrograde in Pisces until early December. Nobody swims backward like you! Analytic reason pierces the veil of illusion Aug. 22 when Mars/Ma’adim opposes Neptune. The Full Moon in Pisces on Aug. 30 is a “Blue Moon,” the second Full Moon in a solar calendar month. So this is your “once in a blue moon” chance to do something you’d never do. Live your dream!