Full moon in August 2025 might expose every crack in your relationship

There’s a full moon on the rise and some fraught astro weather afoot, folks.

Gird your loins and guard your hearts.

The energy of August’s full moon is “inevitably confusing,” and brings serious relationship wake-up calls, according to Rachel Ruth Tate, certified astrologer at Casinos Analyzer.

When is the full moon in August 2025?

The full sturgeon moon will rise on August 9th, 2025, at 3:55 am EDT AT 16°59 of Aquarius, but we’ll be feeling the effects the day before and after.

Tate notes that this full moon is approaching as Saturn, our planet of restriction, and Neptune, our planet of dreams and deception, are retrograding in the hellfires of Aries, putting the gas in gaslighting and the smoke in smokescreens.

“We’re not seeing things clearly,” Tate told The Post. “It’s a time of truth versus the appearance of truth. Think misunderstandings and emotional fog. Someone could say all the right things and still not show up for you.”

This fact is underscored by the fact that Mercury is still in retrograde and approaching its “storm date.”

Gentle it ain’t, but healing it can be.

“People who are open to new information can take great advantage of this Moon. My Gemini rising friends may be in the best position to enjoy it, with the Moon happening in their 9th house of faith and learning, and the challenges coming up in their 3rd house of communication and 11th house of good fortune and friends.”

Full moon August 2025

Add to the mix that Pluto — our planet of totemic destruction, shadow work, power struggles, and transformation through trauma — is currently retrograde in Aquarius, the sign this weekend’s full moon falls in.

“The Full Moon is happening in the same sign as Pluto — the keeper of hidden information and the planet with the power to make the small big and the big small. It can help us zoom in and out of the collective Aquarian lens — which community do I want to invest in, and who is investing in me?”

She notes that power dynamics, struggles and grabs will be at the forefront for everyone.

“This full moon underscores the theme of transformation, especially around our established modes of connecting or relating. If someone’s been controlling, withholding, or hiding things, this moon could force a confrontation. Who is really on your team? You’ll know by who actually shows up in a crisis.”

Further, the full moon in Aquarius plays host to an opposition between Saturn, Neptune and Mars — our planet of will and war, currently fighting for its life with a pained and painted smile in Libra — the sign of relationships.

Full moon in August

“We may find ourselves saying no to someone or facing the sting of rejection. There may not be an easy way out of arguments. And with Neptune involved, we are definitely blurring boundaries. Maybe this Moon will help us get some clarity on what we need to do and who we need to do it with, as Saturn is ruling the Moon but is being ruled by Mars in Libra. It’s a balancing act.”

On the upswing, the full moon will form a blessed trine to Mars in Libra.

“Whatever shifts or difficulties we encounter are honestly just a part of the process of becoming. My advice? Stand firm where you need to and apologize where it’s warranted. Accountability and awareness will go a long way.”

Tate assures that all the perceived bad is in service of our aforementioned becoming, forcing us to take stock and draw boundaries.

“Give what you got, but don’t overextend yourself. People might ask for more than you’ve got, and that’s okay. They can pivot. You can’t be everyone’s rock.”

You can’t be everyone’s rock, but you can be your own river, folks.

“The biggest draw to this full moon is learning the truth. Letting dynamics reveal themselves. Embracing inevitable change! Clarity and understanding are sure to follow in the next weeks, especially in relationships. This is a full moon for taking the high road and seeing who follows you there.”

Why is it called a sturgeon moon?

As per “The Old Farmer’s Almanac,” August’s full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon, an homage to the prehistoric lake fish that once filled the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.

Historically, these fish, which range in size from a man’s arm to a Volkswagen Beetle, were caught most easily during the late summer.

Sturgeon moon 2025

Because humans are prone to being incorrigible trash monsters, the effects of overfishing and pollution have decimated the once-flourishing lake sturgeon population in the US.

It’s apt to consider that when preparing to spawn, sturgeon species seek turbulent currents and straits littered with rugged rocks, suggesting that the purest form of regeneration is born ever and always, from the grit of conflict.

In kind, and under this full moon, I hope any rough seas you move through move your relationships toward a similarly hard-won and sweeter still point of renewal.

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Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.