Of course, for those of us a little tired of trying to do very much of anything given the health of our Earth and the people on it, Mars in Libra mirrors us in the stars — moving a little slower, practicing greater discernment, surveying the scene from all sides before proceeding. But, moving slower isn’t the same as being idle, a reminder that the Sun in cardinal Libra will be happy to offer us come Wednesday. With Mars in Libra and Venus in Scorpio in mutual reception, Venus’ opposition to Uranus on Thursday and Mars’ trine to Saturn on Saturday are both sure to get our wheels turning. The direction those wheels turn, though — to say nothing of the amount of dust they kick up — is between us, our impulse control, and our accomplices.
Conflict is fruitful in many ways. It can bring out a sense of competitive play and camaraderie, like two students vying to answer a challenging question or the captains of opposing sports teams regarding each other with respect after a difficult match. Conflict can also teach us what we’re passionate about, what side we are on, and what matters most at the end of the day. But, it takes a good deal of perspective to receive those lessons rather than getting stuck in the hot energy that this friction creates. Conflict can’t be a path toward closeness with others, however — although it can show you what stands in your way. When the smoke clears, and there’s rubble around you, how you move past the rocks (if you even want to) is valuable information. Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Your ruling planet, Venus, doesn’t do so well in Scorpio, but the mood of the transit is a mood that feels familiar to you. There’s a weariness here and a watchfulness, too. A relentless pull to be selfish when it comes to yourself, even when you wish you could show up for everything and everyone. There’s nothing wrong with being selective, with recognizing that spreading yourself thin across multiple people and multiple communities comes at the cost of your creative energy. There’s nothing wrong with being a little possessive of yourself. Just be mindful of the beliefs that start to creep in when you close yourself off a little too long. The line isn’t quiet because no one wants to talk; the line is quiet because you unplugged the phone. Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Balancing one’s conflicting needs is a challenge for most people. It’s an extra challenge for Gemini placements, however, whose conflicting needs can spring from conflicting selves. On your good days, this tension can yield to a kind of pleasure. And, there’s something to be said for going hard in both directions, in pulling yourself taut across social engagements and then ricocheting into bed rest. But, when working like a robot and then looking to unplug thoroughly, it can be hard to locate a wall — much less yourself. Being alive, we are assured, happens in extremes. But what if you could narrow the gap? Engage the quiet places that inspire your feeling of vitality?. Notice the quiet pockets you gravitate toward when you turn the volume up.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
There are certain agreements that go into the building of a thing, and these agreements require faith. Faith that the materials will be steadily available and that, once employed, they will keep their integrity. Faith that the builders will continue their work, show up for it and finish it. Faith that no matter what transpires, the work will have value. This is the faith we bring to our spiritual practices and our creative ones. This is the faith we bring to relationships and the homes we build in service to them. If this week you find yourself unable to hold up your side of an agreement, if you find yourself struggling to show up, try to locate where your faith is faltering. Can it be bolstered? Or must your agreements change?Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Would you believe that communicating what you are thinking and feeling is a more effective path to intimacy than waiting for someone to pick up clues left behind by silences and offhand remarks? I know, huge if true. If intimacy is a word you get stuck on, substitute “feeling seen and supported.” It’s okay to admit you want what most humans want, even if you don’t always believe it’s possible for others to give it. Keeping what burns inside your heart private is your right, but the intensity of your fire has to go somewhere — and that somewhere is usually your body. What if you started from inside and worked your way out? Try touching where you are tense, where you ache, and acknowledge that sensation. Is there a belief that lives alongside that sensation? Where did it come from? Are you interested in changing it?Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Day by day, our Sun shifts out from under your stars and toward Libra, following Mars. It’s good to get a little sun, a little spotlight, but it can be exhausting too — all that energy and attention. Perhaps you’ll find that the pressure’s off this week, or slowly tapering. Perhaps you’ll feel relief. More likely, your solar return has not just ushered in a new cycle for you but a new perspective about expectations: the ones you hold yourself to and the ones that can’t hold together very long. With Mercury making their way through Libra, an emphasis is placed on recognizing the agreements you can and can’t afford to make, even if it means letting people down. Protect your time, don’t waste it proving something that never needed proof.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Monday’s trine between Mercury in Libra and Jupiter in Aquarius frames the coastline of your week like a wave of optimism and opportunity. While that might sound a little carefree, the energy is actually quite calculating and discerning. As you might have recognized by now, there are many ways to express who you are and call in creative possibilities. And, each time you do, you create a chain of reactions: This is what you said, this is what you meant, this is what it attracted, this is what it repelled. Because Jupiter is retrograde, because Mercury is in their shadow in your sign, because Mercury makes a square to Pluto in Capricorn on Wednesday, be selective about the waves you ride this week. Don’t bully yourself into a yes that you don’t want to give. Ride a wave just for the pleasure of it, or wait for the right one to take you where you want to go.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Not to make everything sexual, but isn’t everything a little sexual? While it’s not Scorpio season yet, Scorpio energy is definitely rising from its slumber — what with Venus transiting your sign and Vesta beginning her stay under your stars on Monday. While Venus isn’t too keen on being in Scorpio traditionally, the planet finds itself in mutual reception with Mars in Libra, creating a beautiful reciprocal exchange of power and presence. With Vesta’s added influence, there’s a sense that not only do you know what you want, but you’re also resourceful enough to get it on terms that work for you and with you. And, if you’re a late degree Scorpio, Monday’s full moon in Pisces is a beautiful reminder of the multiplicity of your erotic nature. There are innumerable passions inside you, each unknown is both a key and a door.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
An hour before Monday’s Pisces full moon, Mercury in Libra trines your ruling planet, Jupiter, in Aquarius. Because Mercury is in pre-retrograde shadow and Jupiter is retrograde, the flow of this trine is more of a perennial stream, continually delivering ground water even when there’s a drought. There are lessons in this waterway that have to do with the ways you’ve used language, how it has served you and how it has limited you. They say you never step into the same river twice, yet we pressure ourselves to step into the same roles, the same definitions, the same collaborations as if the terms never change — as if we never do. Let the language you use to build your life be a living thing, amend the meanings or add them to the dictionary.
Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Life doesn’t have to make sense, you know this, although it’s tempting to imagine what it would be like if it did. In truth, so much of our lives is spent attending to the insensible, to creating logic and order out of the chaos. Human brains are drawn toward patterns, toward organizing information by category. It takes a great deal of effort to resist the impulse, to let what we encounter move us away from what we know.. But, there’s so much of this world that resists pre-existing categories, so many ways of connecting with others and building a life that are on the other side of the routines and restrictions that claim us. Sometimes, what threatens to destabilize us only means to move us toward a new summit, a more nuanced perspective. Despite the discomfort, you might find that rerouting is worth the view.Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Jupiter’s transit and current retrograde under your stars is no short-term influence. It’s an ongoing negotiation, a game where the players are in it for the rush of possibility and the unwavering faith that betting on yourself and losing is still better than never having bet at all. On Monday, on the night of the full moon in Pisces, Mercury in Libra makes a trine to Jupiter in Aquarius. Despite the hiccups endemic to any retrograde shadow period, the road before you is open and clear. But an open road needs an open heart and we rarely travel alone. Conflict is an opportunity for transformation. Your ability to side-step dogmatic thinking and create space for other people’s perspectives will serve you well this week, if you let it. Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
A Pisces full moon is a radiant moon, shimmering in concert with the heavenly bodies surrounding her. A Pisces full moon is sensitive the way new beings are sensitive, refusing to get used to it — whether that “it” is the pleasure of a cool breeze or the condescension of someone’s tone. And, a Pisces full moon is wise, the way ancient beings are, uninterested in surface level descriptions of water that runs deep. Under your stars, the moon fills you with the heavy gift of these qualities, inviting you to find them within yourself and work with them. Be mindful of the fact that while this work may yearn for accompaniment, inviting a witness also invites criticism. Giving yourself space and time to grow close with what you collect within you before you share it with others is a powerful spell against self-betrayal. Illustration by Stefhany Lozano
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Mars Is In Libra, So Chill Out (For Now)
Virgo Season Is Here To Transform You
Venus In Scorpio Is That Bitch
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