"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 [...]

"You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself"

— Rick Nelson

We turn a remarkable corner this week and — if we pay attention — we can suddenly begin to see an entirely new way forward. As Mars retrogrades, Mercury's retrograde motion in Leo is leading us on an extended review of what we've claimed to know and who we've claimed to be. Last week's nonsensical attempts at ego defense may have taken quite a serious toll. However, this week, we may suddenly realize that the audience we've been playing to isn't as important as the audience we see when we look in the mirror. [...]

"For fast acting relief, try slowing down."

— Lily Tomlin

Many of us feel some benefit from a distinct slow down in the pace this week, as Mercury slows, helping to somewhat ease the frustration that began to build last week. Nonetheless, whenever the activity picks up at all, we may be easily put off balance. We will need to rely on tried and true principles and maintain our integrity in order to avoid any impulsive, emotional outbursts — which could quickly spiral out of control. As Mercury begins to slow down to turn retrograde on July 27th, we will begin to recognize that our intuition is more reliable than our intellect. [...]