Podcast Episode: Lammas, Eclipse Season, New Moon Shining In Leo & Swimming Into A Full Sturgeon Moon

Glowing lion composed of golden light and stars roaring in space
A glowing lion constellation roaring amidst a starry cosmic background

Pip: August arrives with grain harvests, eclipses, and a moon named after a very large fish — which honestly sounds like the universe decided to pack a lot into one calendar page.

Mara: This episode draws on Ari Joshua Bouse’s recent posts for Classroom Mothership Earth, covering the seasonal and astrological energies of August — Lammas, eclipse season, Leo’s New Moon, and the Full Sturgeon Moon in Pisces. Let’s start with the whole sweep of what August is actually asking of us.

Lammas, Eclipse Season, and the Moons of August

Pip: August opens with Lammas, a harvest midpoint honored by ancestors in the Northern Hemisphere, and then barely pauses before stacking two eclipses, a New Moon in Leo, and a Full Moon in Pisces into the same calendar month. The question the post is really sitting with is: how do you move through that much cosmic pressure without white-knuckling it?

Mara: The post opens with a Gandhi epigraph that sets the whole tone — “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. We need not wait to see what others do.”

Pip: That framing matters because the post isn’t treating eclipses as things that happen to you. It’s treating them as invitations — specifically, chances to release what it calls the heavy luggage passed down by ancestors, so you can become the change you want to see.

Mara: The post describes eclipse seasons as “major cosmic reset periods that trigger rapid personal growth and sudden life changes,” and it’s careful to add that there’s nothing superstitious about that framing. The language is more about being guided than being controlled.

Pip: And then the Leo New Moon on August 12th arrives via a Total Solar Eclipse. The post calls new moons during eclipses “new moons on steroids” — amplifying new beginnings, identity shifts, sudden breakthroughs.

Mara: Leo’s energy, the post notes, thrives on visibility and praise, but the more interesting moment is when the spotlight finds you and you still feel at a loss. The post is honest that feedback, not just admiration, is what actually fuels creativity and confidence.

Mara: Then August closes with a Partial Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on the 28th, illuminating the Full Sturgeon Moon. Sturgeons can live over a century, grow to twenty feet, and weigh nearly a ton — the post uses that resilience directly as a meditation on surviving challenging times, including what it calls the deeper waters of Climate Change.

Pip: The closing instruction is genuinely disarming: let go of the oars.


Mara: The thread running through all of this is that the season’s intensity — harvest, eclipse, release — is an invitation rather than a threat.

Pip: Let go of the oars, trust the sturgeon, and we’ll see what the next tide brings.

Lammas, Eclipse Season, New Moon Shining In Leo & Swimming Into A Full Sturgeon Moon At The Tail End Of August

Blood moon lunar eclipse with orange glow over ocean and mist
A Full Sturgeon Moon rises above a mist-covered ocean at night

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change… We need not wait to see what others do.” 

–Ghandi

August kicks off on the 1st with the Lammas, which our ancestors honored as a marker for the first grain harvest in the Northern Hemisphere. The Lammas celebrates the approximate mid-point of summer between the Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox, and gratitude for the bounty of food the earth provides.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be the Imbolc, or the approximate mid-point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. At this time, it’s as if the seeds underground are starting to think about waking up in their neck of the woods.

Wherever you are on the Planet, astrological eclipse seasons are major cosmic reset periods that trigger rapid personal growth and sudden life changes, which represent karmic past and spiritual identity.

Nothing to be superstitious about. Sometimes, especially during eclipses, it might feel like we are tempted by fate. During times like these, it can feel like we are being guided rather than in control of our destiny.

And yet, we can transform the heavy luggage that has been passed down to us by our ancestors by letting it go and giving it back . . . So that we can become the change we want to see in the world.

In much the same way as letting go of any dark edges of old selves, we can release and envelop old stories in the Mirror of the Mind meditations.

We can consciously work with the energies of eclipses that have the power to permanently close doors that no longer serve our spiritual evolution. Picture them sealed up in a black hole where they can transform into the light.

Eclipse season is a friendly universal reminder to nudge us back on the path of deeper and higher soul purposes. Their energies inspires us to let go of stagnant habits, emotional baggage, and limiting beliefs.

Furthermore, a Total Solar Eclipse on August 12th kicks off the final leg of 2026 seasonal eclipses by way of a New Moon in Leo. The energies of this New Moon are fuel injected by the Solar Eclipse. New Moons are always associated with new beginnings.

Keep in mind that new moons during eclipses are like new moons on steroids.

Moreover, these energies amplify radical new beginnings, light a spark of external changes, sudden breakthroughs, and unexpected shifts in identity. Talk about a Thunder Road, if you’ll pardon the Boss pun.

Leo’s energy loves the spotlight and thrives on feeling safe in moments that allows Leo to impress and receive praise and admiration from others. That’s a natural state for them.

But what about when the red carpet is rolled out, the spotlight shines brightly on your soul, and you are still feeling at a loss?

Like Leo, this writer can relate to having a hard time with criticisms.

If we can accept feedback however, we can use it for visibility, creativity, confidence, and self-expression. Deep meditation can be a good ally during this process.

And then on August 28th, a Partial Lunar Eclipse in Pisces shines on a Full Sturgeon Moon. These energies trigger internal emotional releases, exposing hidden truths and serves as a catalyst to break toxic patterns or relationships.

Keep in mind that Full Moons during Lunar Eclipses are like Full Moons on steroids.

Like a sturgeon’s spiritual significance, we can awaken the power of resiliency by trusting the flow of life, and surrender to the changing tides of universal oceanic waves.

Setting aside time for non-linear, non-localized and non-productivity is truly important, especially during intense energies. Some folks like to take a forrest bath, so to speak. Getting out in Nature, connecting with the animals and nature spirits is good energy medicine.

If you’re into rocks, it’s always a good idea to recharge them outside under the Full Moon cycle which lasts a few days before and after the actual Full Moon.

Do whatever you can to rest so that you can effectively integrate the energies of this last eclipse season of the year.

Remember that the aftershocks of the Eclipse season can be felt for quite some time.

Try not to push the river. Rather, let go of the oars and let the flow of the Universe guide you to wherever you need to go.

Pisces energy associated wiht this full moon breathes in sensitivity and perceptiveness of surroundings. The Fish love to go with the flow. Yet paradoxically, engaging in creative and spiritual forms, awakens imaginative waters. This lunar eclipse releases illusion, boundaries, and emotional truth.

Remember that Sturgeons are tough fish that can live over a century, grow up to 20 feet, and tip the scales by weighing nearly a ton. They are the largest freshwater fish, and have especially thrived in the American Great Lakes.

Their peak catch is traditionally in early August, which is in alignment with the harvest of plentiful seasonal crops that are on their way. As such, their energies reflect abundance that want to yield to your bounty.

Because of their natural ability to survive and thrive, meditation on the energy of sturgeon can help you build resilience in challenging times; particularly in preparation for darker days ahead, and also while diving into the deeper waters of Climate Change.

May all Beings be free from suffering, awaken to God Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, Unity Consciousness, Diversity Within Unity, Inner Peace and the Universal Pillars of Love and Truth.

Ari