Mercury Arrives In Libra

Mercury Arrives In Libra - Diplomacy

"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing."

— August Wilson

Mercury emerged from the retrograde shadow last week with an exciting trine to Uranus that stirred us up with new ideas and insights. But the transit of Mars through Libra has seemed to keep us from directly expressing — and following through on — our individual ideas and perspectives. Martian energy is further 'stalled' this week by a conjunction with the Lunar South Node. The forward motion of Venus in Leo only seems to increase the ego-based desire to show off some successes despite the slowdowns. Further increasing the pressure is the forming Mars-Pluto square, which will 'complete' next Monday. The square is intensified by the station of Pluto, which will turn direct next Tuesday. Nonetheless, the Moon is 'waning in light' and serves to dampen the pressure of the Mars-Pluto square at least enough to allow for some adjustments that can (hopefully) keep the pressure from causing any explosions. The ongoing journey of the the last few months has required that we confront self-doubt and unsteady self-esteem. That journey reaches a peak this week. Although we may be tempted to embrace some 'half-baked' quick solutions in order to score a 'win', there is little hope for satisfaction without continued, methodical consideration and cooperation. This week's desire to show off our successes is really the last gasp of the focused struggle with self-doubt. With enough self-esteem, we can recognize the importance of taking enough time to 'get it right'. Mercury arrives in Libra on Wednesday, which offers hope of more tact and diplomacy in our efforts to thread the needle — stay on course and not give up on our individual perspectives and insights but also keep lines of communication open with others. Nonetheless, the necessary adjustments aren't likely to be made without some level of pain — an uncomfortable realignment of our allies and support systems. We have little choice but to slow down — 'take our foot off the gas' — which feels like a let down. We may be inclined to blame others for the slowdown in order to protect our vulnerable and sensitive egos. Resentments or paranoia may bring a feeling of betrayal. For the most part, we aren't quite sure enough of the situation to actually confront any perceived 'betrayers' — which will ultimately be for the best. Our intuitive guidance isn't all that reliable this week. We'll do better to let the unsettled emotions level off before claiming that we've been 'wronged'.

We're tempted to draw quick conclusions on Sunday. There is significant ego-based pressure to show off some successes. Our good ideas drift on Monday, becoming confused or overly idealistic. A Grand Earth trine helps to stay balanced and avoid moving too quickly. Our self-esteem in on the line on Tuesday. We may feel a general nervousness that keeps us off balance and stalls any attempts to move forward. We feel less concern for what others think about us on Wednesday. Self-confidence improves. Thursday's atmosphere is intense. Adjustments are required that seem especially uncomfortable. Hurt feelings and deep vulnerabilities provoke some defiance or defensiveness on Friday. We will need to establish a new sense of balance to accommodate the adjustments that have been made. Intuition is quite suspect on Saturday. Outbursts may seem to come out of nowhere.