"One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star."

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Neptune's direct station at the end of this week could lead to a build up of overly optimistic expectations and heightened idealism. The significant chaos — especially mid-week — may create uncertainty and confusion. A square from Mercury to Neptune on Thursday can make it more difficult to concentrate or focus — even as our feelings of optimism and idealism continue to build. On the other hand, the second of three Mars-Saturn trines completes on Monday, helping us find opportunities to make the most of last Wednesday's expansive, freeing Sagittarius New Moon (2:57 PM PST 1° Sagittarius). If we can keep our expectations under control and focus on laying important ground work for future progress, we will be less vulnerable to [...]

"Once you have dialogue starting, you know you can break down prejudice."

— Harvey Milk

Both Venus and Mercury arrive in Sagittarius by the end of this week after trining Jupiter, still retrograde in Pisces. There is a gradual release of the pressure that was felt under last Tuesday's Taurus Full Moon (3:01 AM PST 16° Taurus/Scorpio), which opens the door to productive communication. The Sun also makes trines to both Jupiter and Neptune this week, expanding optimism and suggesting building enthusiasm. The seeds of a new, collaborative framework are being planted here — but there is still plenty of work to be done in order to nurture what we begin to see offered this week. Some of our attempts at communication, especially early in the week, may only seem to create further conflict through impulsive recklessness. Nonetheless, we are offered opportunities to persevere in pursuit of [...]

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go."

— Herman Hesse

An extraordinary amount of balance is required this week. We are challenged to walk the fine line between patient persistence and illogical stubbornness. The waxing lunar cycle, initiated by last Tuesday's Scorpio New Moon (3:48 AM PDT 2° Scorpio), is encouraging us to build up quite a determined 'head of steam'. We may have clear ideas of how we want to proceed in order to achieve our goals. However, Mars turns retrograde at the beginning of the week, which dampens our ability to simply take charge and 'run the show'. Flexibility is required and curiosity is rewarded. The retrograding Mars will [...]