"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves."

— Viktor E. Frankl

Mars stations retrograde this week and Neptune stations direct. The broad effect of these two shifts is likely to be quite disorienting but we may not actually recognize the disorientation as it is working on us. Our focus is generally aimed at pushing forward, planning and organizing, without fully acknowledging the complications as they begin to pile up. Mars in Leo is bold and courageous and is encouraged by the Sagittarius New Moon (10:21 PM PST 9° Sagittarius). The New Moon has encouraged us to [...]

"We need to find our way back to the original, living spirit which, because of its ambivalence, is also a mediator and uniter of opposites, an idea that preoccupied the alchemists for many centuries."

— Carl Jung

Pluto returns to Aquarius this week, where it will stay for approximately 20 years. With Pluto's return to Aquarius, the ongoing Mars-Pluto opposition is reactivated, producing the initial challenges and power struggles of our entrance into this new Era. The context has shifted dramatically from the initial 'stand off' between Mars and Pluto on the last degrees of Cancer and Capricorn, which highlighted individual, emotional responses. Understanding the new context is [...]

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful."

— Marie Curie

This week begins with the first of three Mars-Pluto oppositions, highlighting the Cancer/Capricorn axis. The opposition's first completion suggests that the 'pull' is between Cancer's personal, emotional responses and Capricorn's overriding sense of responsibility to society. Mars will enter Leo shortly after completing the opposition to Pluto, bringing individual actions and dramatic flair into focus. There is increased confidence but also heightened ego vulnerability infused with [...]