BETWEEN TWO SKINS

August 2026 Sky

This month could be one of the most important months of 2026. In this article, I will focus on the effects of Saturn being retrograde and the fact that, starting from August 12, we will be experiencing an eclipse season for two weeks, and on what we can do to live in harmony with time.

Saturn began its retrograde motion on July 26. More precisely, when we look at it from Earth, we perceive it as if it is moving backwards. It will continue this way until December 11. A slow-moving planet being retrograde is, symbolically, an invitation to slow down. This invitation comes especially for the responsibilities we have been avoiding, the things that need to be completed, the things we have left unfinished even though they would be good for us, or the things we need to let go of.

Saturn’s journey through Pisces continues in a nakshatra called Revatī. Saturn in this star gives wisdom. But this wisdom comes through facing what is painful and difficult, and through learning how to deal with the transformations we experience in life. It is a good time to pay the final debts, material or spiritual, and to close accounts.

Saturn is associated with death and the elderly, and with the qualities it is currently carrying, we could say that the time may have come for elderly and sick family members to depart. If there is frequent death around you, Saturn may be symbolizing these themes in your birth chart and fulfilling its role in terms of timing.

Jupiter, the ruler of Pisces, where Saturn is currently placed, is in Cancer, where it is exalted, and in Puṣya, considered one of the most auspicious nakshatras. This is one of the best combinations we could have. Especially for those who have this kind of support in their birth charts, this is a beautiful time for luck, abundance, growth, development, expanding your social circle, receiving and sharing knowledge, education, media and communication, and for those working in the social sciences and humanities.

If you have unfinished work in any of these areas, I especially recommend returning to it and looking at it again from a different and radical perspective. Even if you do not receive an immediate material return, it will be a beautiful investment in the future.

Before moving on to the eclipses, I want to talk about an important cycle for Saturn. Between August 15 and November 28, we have a period in which we can make offerings and perform rituals for Saturn, or Śani graha, through Śani Vrata, and in which we can experience and benefit from their effects more strongly than at other times. Every year, this coincides with a month called Śrāvaṇa, a time traditionally devoted to spiritual practices, creating space for silence, simplicity and retreat.

Vrata refers to practices that involve certain rules, through which we use our time and life in a disciplined and effective way, voluntarily commit to certain rituals for a period of time, and offer all of this to the Divine — in this case, to Śani (Saturn). Those who have been working with me for some time are familiar with these practices we do on Saturdays. And I wanted this article to be a reminder for them as well.

If you would like to do this practice again this year, you can begin on Saturday, August 15. On the New Moon day, August 12, you can begin this cycle by writing down or speaking your Saṅkalpa, your intention to undertake this practice.

I find this sacred practice incredibly valuable for training the mind in these chaotic times, when we are surrounded by distractions, when it is becoming harder to concentrate, and when even calming the mind and the body can feel difficult. Through these practices, which I started four years ago, I learned the compassion that discipline brings, as well as how to slow down and soften.

Although it is, in itself, a form of voluntary restriction, the things we restrict are often habits and behaviors that are actually restricting our true freedom. And as we learn to deal with their absence, even if only for a day, our relationship with the feeling of scarcity and lack begins to change. Physically and mentally, I call this a sacred pause, and I invite anyone who feels drawn to it to join me in this practice. You can reach out via my email: berrinboyar@gmail.com

The other two most important events of this month are the Solar and Lunar Eclipses. We are entering eclipse season between August 12 and August 28. Every eclipse does not have the same effect on everyone, everywhere in the world, and each one carries the influence of the other configurations present at the time it occurs.

Eclipses can be thought of as a snake shedding its skin. For some of us, they mark the time when we finally shed an old skin; for others, they mark the beginning of that painful process.

A snake sheds its skin when the old skin has lost its flexibility and can no longer grow with it. When identities, people, jobs and places that once protected us and suited us can no longer hold the version of us that is evolving, these eclipse periods can strengthen the process of change.

Before shedding its skin, the appearance of the snake changes. For a while, its eyes and skin become cloudy. This is called the “blue phase,” and until this process is complete, the snake cannot see clearly. Eclipses can create a similar feeling. This is why it is not the time to rush into new ventures.

After the cloudy period, the eyes become clear again and the snake appears more transparent. The new skin has already formed underneath, and a separation has developed between the new and old skin. But the snake does not simply discard the old skin all at once. It usually rubs itself against a surface to loosen the old skin and removes it as if turning it inside out.

In other words, letting go is not always one dramatic decision. Sometimes a small friction, a small movement, a small separation is enough to begin the process. The old skin is left behind. The snake does not try to fix it, does not carry it with itself, does not question why it lost it.

It simply no longer needs it.

I think the most important part of this metaphor is that the snake is vulnerable while shedding its skin. The new skin has not hardened yet, so it is sensitive. It is a threshold in the truest sense. You are neither in your old form, nor has your new form fully settled.

Transformation comes even when you do not know what you are becoming, and sometimes it feels like being caught between two skins.

This is, in a way, the story of this eclipse. The protagonists of this eclipse will change signs in December, and this eclipse carries the influence of two different nakshatras. One is Cancer and Āśleṣā; the other is Ketu and Maghā.

Āśleṣā, in particular, is a powerful part of the snake-shedding story above. And these are not only individual but also global themes. Āśleṣā can trigger jealousy, possessiveness and vindictiveness. But on the other hand, it also carries the power to break through the shell, supported by a strong source of inspiration.

This is a powerful energy that we can use for knowledge, profundity, strengthening intuition, mystical experiences and major transformations. Although it can be challenging, this is a beautiful time to transform, to shed a skin.

It is a cycle in which we can accept that we cannot change the past, and use our energy and wisdom to change the “now.”

Rest as much as you can during this period. Stay away from anything that disrupts the quality of your sleep. It is especially a good time to revisit the wounds connected to your mother and father, and to look at and rewrite the stories you have created under their influence.

The eclipse will be completed in the evening. Spending those hours quietly at home, fasting in the evening, taking a warm shower before bed, reading prayers or mantras that you know and that feel good to you, and making a donation are beautiful things you can do to soften its effects.

Be mindful of spending on beauty, aesthetics and luxury. Do not make overly radical changes; you may regret them a month from now. :)

With love,

Berrin