To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don't be."

— Golda Meir

This week's shifts may seem startling — even unsettling — after the slowdowns we've been through this Summer but ready or not, the ball is rolling! The week begins with a powerfully transforming Virgo New Moon on Sunday (11:01 AM PDT 17° Virgo) which incorporates a separating opposition to Neptune and a forming trine to Pluto. Neptune's involvement could produce some overly idealistic expectations but the trine to Pluto will keep us steadily moving towards transformation. This week's waxing lunar cycle is intensified and energized by Mars' return to Aquarius and a square to Uranus. We revisit the intensely innovative and impatient energy of [...]

"With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown."

— Chinese Proverb

This week begins with a powerfully grounding and stabilizing Pisces/Virgo Full Moon and a Grand Earth Trine involving the Sun, Saturn and Uranus. Just after the Full Moon, Mars turns direct, having been retrograde since June 26th. The retrograde Mars journey can yield extraordinary frustration so, once direct, we can feel a slingshot effect as the energy begins to be released quite quickly. However, the Full Moon helps to stabilize the energy and keep us focused on honing and developing the powerful inspiration that is coming to us through the Jupiter-Neptune trine. [...]

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."

— Michelangelo

The shifts and turns are subtle this week — important but potentially imperceptible if we don't know what to look for. By the end of the week, Mercury will turn direct. Mars moves back into practical Capricorn ahead of the end of it's retrograde motion on August 27th. Although the tension of the Mars-Uranus square dissipates somewhat, Mercury stationary direct squares Jupiter, keeping our heads swirling with a multitude of ideas and very little support to actually put them into action. Nonetheless, there are plenty of opportunities for organization and planning, providing room to prepare for the time, very soon, when [...]