"Everyone has talent. What's rare is the courage to follow it to the dark places where it leads."

—Erica Jong

Both Saturn and Mercury station direct this week in the midst of the ongoing series of Grand Water Trines. Saturn's direct station raises the stakes, bringing a powerful idealistic zeal into the deeply emotional environment. Saturn's demanding determination is well supported by the new information coming into focus under the direct station of Mercury. However, the strength of Saturn does bring a temptation to try to 'take charge' — assume control in order to demonstrate our mastery over others. But making overt demands in this watery — slippery — environment is only likely to bring about increasingly intense frustration. Grounding is needed in order to tame the idealism and slow down enough to adapt to the stationary direct motion of Saturn and Mercury. Mercury is winding up a review process that [...]

"…re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency, not only in its words, but in the silent lines of its lips and face, and between the lashes of your eyes, and in every motion and joint of your body."

—Walt Whitman
Preface - Leaves of Grass

Mercury turns retrograde in Sagittarius at the beginning of the week, followed up by Jupiter's station retrograde on Tuesday. These 'stationary' planets aren't especially comfortable as they undertake their review process. Mercury isn't terribly comfortable in Sagittarius anyway and this particular 'station' is likely to leave us initially feeling rather 'lost', at 'loose ends', or generally lacking a clear sense of direction. Perhaps the only escape from the initial discomfort is through [...]

"Though I don't believe, I come to you now, and I lift my doubt to your mercy"

—Leonard Cohen
Book of Mercy

"Your faith was strong but you needed proof"

— Hallelujah - Shawn Mendes
by Leonard Cohen

Activity heats up this week as we reach the 1st Quarter Phase of a lunar cycle that combines powerfully supported judgement with decisive action. There is a great deal of luck provided early in the week under a Mars-Jupiter trine that is activating last week's Mercury-Jupiter trine and inspired by this week's Mercury-Neptune trine. There are a myriad of openings, early in the week, that encourage us to make the most of [...]