"There is no meaning to life except the meaning man gives his life by the unfolding of his powers."

— Erich Fromm

This week is dominated by Monday's Mars-Uranus-North Node conjunction which spins up powerful energy. The powerful new burst of energy feeds directly into the processes initiated by the regrade motion of both Jupiter and Chiron in Aries, which have directed our focus towards self-care, self-respect, and self-knowledge. While these processes have only just begun, this week's potent conjunction acts like a 'rocket thrust' with both the opportunities and dangers that such an image suggests. The potential for tremendous accomplishment is [...]

"The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we may have grown at a given moment. And if this is a correct view of freedom, our chief energy must be concentrated on achieving reform from within."

— Gandhi

We begin the week just after Mercury's superior conjunction with the Sun, which has begun to shift our thinking toward the future. However, unwinding last Wednesday's Capricorn Full Moon demands significant attention. We are still looking for some clarity, especially in terms of how much independence we really need or want and how much we should be concerned about the level of approval or recognition that we are gaining from others. Impatience continues to challenge us and we may believe that we just need to push harder, work harder — or demand more from others. But this week's shifts are pointing us in an entirely different direction, suggesting that it's actually an inside job. Venus arrives in Cancer at the beginning of the week, teaching us that aggressively grasping for our desires may be less effective than consciously [...]

"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."

— Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

We hit a few bumps in the road this week as we seek to make use of the confidence, optimism, and initiative that was fostered by last week's Cancer New Moon (June 28th 7:52 PM PDT 7° Cancer). Last week's challenge was to move forward while continuing to open up to the input of others. This week, we see old wounds and lingering blind spots begin to surface in ways that seem to demand our attention. Mars leaves it's home sign of Aries to be tempered in Taurus. As well, Mercury leaves its home sign of Gemini for the sensitivity of Cancer. Persistence and [...]