"Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a soul? A place where the heart must feel and suffer in a thousand diverse ways…"

— John Keats

We are looking for ways to transcend past obstacles and challenges this week. In some way or another, our focus is on 'changing the rules of the game'. We're feeling ready to stop the negotiating and careful planning and start actually making decisions and getting things done. However, our sensitivity is intensified by the extended Mars-Venus conjunction that doesn't complete until the end of the week. Both planets move through conjunctions to Vesta and Pluto in Capricorn. This mix produces powerful determination. There are threads of sacrifice, martyrdom, and self-righteousness that are woven into [...]

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."

— Sophia Loren

This Wednesday's Leo Full Moon (8:56 AM PST 27° Leo/Aquarius) unleashes a great deal of creativity but it may be tinged with defensiveness and perhaps even obsession, produced by the Moon's quincunx to Pluto in Capricorn. The sensitive Leo's ego vulnerabilities may be exposed when the strong Capricorn influences pose questions about things like 'practicality' and 'pragmatism'. However, the pressure and intensity can serve to produce remarkable breakthroughs when we are able to manifest enough detachment to open up our creative inspiration to [...]

"…everything has a past. Everything — a person, an object, a word, everything. If you don't know the past, you can't understand the present and plan properly for the future."

— Chaim Potok, Davita's Harp

We can begin to see significant turnarounds this week. Monday's Aquarius New Moon (9:45 PM PST 12° Aquarius), followed by Mercury's direct station on Thursday, both point to a new dispensation — a new way forward. The Aquarius New Moon directs our attention to 'humanitarian responsibility' and the importance of collaborative, 'group' efforts. We can begin to contemplate the possibility of developing a sense of responsibility that is broad enough to recognize that we are, in fact, 'our brother's keeper'. Mercury's direct station is closely aligned with Pluto, providing extensive intellectual support for clear and powerful communication that helps us to [...]