Have patience. One Korean term for a meditation retreat translates “to leap like a tiger while sitting” and describes the mood this weekend. Although we may feel like we’re not getting anywhere, we have a chance to make progress on the inside. Next week, watch out; what’s stuck becomes unstuck, for better or worse. Watch the news for history in the making.
It may be a frustrating, interesting, often emotion and crosscurrent–filled week as active Mars revs the engines as it conjuncts Jupiter (visible in the east just before dawn) trines Neptune and Saturn, squares Uranus and opposes Pluto. All while Mercury, arbiter of all thing moving and spoken, appears to hold still and hold us still, as it finishes three weeks retrograde and turns direct this weekend .(It will be seen just ahead of Mars, and is also opposes Pluto and square Uranus).
So don’t worry about making tangible progress this weekend. Let’s complete what can be completed, and deal with what’s on the table. That will be plenty. Old ghosts come bother us, old habits of the mind, old worries or concerns, problems we thought we’d dealt with as the Moon joins Pluto in its T-square with Uranus and Jupiter. We get a chance to connect with our history, we’re back here to do our homework, but this is temporary. Feel the opportunity to take the high road and grow inside.
With Mars so activated, this whole week is potentially a time of great daring do and acts of personal bravery (which only we may notice) , physical effort that leaves us glowing with personal charisma, knowing what we truly want and able to set healthy boundaries with a single glance. That’s the positive side of Mars. Or we can just get cranky, irritable, pushy, accident-prone, competitive, rebellious or explosive, all attributes of Mars shadow side. Let’s not go there.
As martial Mars conjuncts expansive Jupiter this week and perfects is opposition to Pluto next week it could precipitate both great acts of aggression, and a chance to free ourselves from war-like patterns. Observe this as history unfolds, and watch the tendency at home; we skirmish easily unless we really work together and rein in unnecessarily sharp edges. Work together to build, exert, rescue and solve in both small ways and large. Tap into the positive side of Mars. Choose to be a hero.
The mood shifts as the week begins and so much of what has been blocked now beings to pour forth. It may involve dynamite to get it moving, but real breakdowns and breakthroughs are possible. The Sun enters expressive Leo and the Moon waxes full in collective Aquarius early next week and asks us to feel our connection to the larger community.
Loving, creative Venus also enters competent and healing Virgo and begins to oppose idealistic Neptune; it encourages us to pick up the pieces and make every relationship a healing one. Green lights open doors for us as the week progresses. We can pour the momentum of these challenging aspects into creating the next chapter.
Friday, July 19: Uplifting energy can help us through the day, over a hump and into a productive afternoon. We may feel fed up with something that has dragged on, but need to persevere. There’s so much going on and people need to laugh in order to take it all in stride, so the deeper the feelings the more we need to touch it lightly. Tonight, soul restless relaxes if we walk it out or dance by the light of the waxing Moon.
Saturday, July 20: On this day of wild cards, we can’t predict the outcomes of events, but we can control the energy and intentions we bring to those events, and that changes the outcome. Morning is creative, restless; express affection and reconnect; it will help as tests mount midday as Mercury turn direct and the Moon enters Capricorn. Plans coalesce, but whether those plans are for or against us is a good question. After some wild cross-currents midday, fresh understanding unearths around dinnertime. Evening, find a good use for the Mars energy or it can boil over as the Moon opposes Mars. Side step the hooks of arguments and exert energy with kindness. If our hearts are troubled tonight as the Moon conjuncts Pluto, we may be feeling the world’s ache and interpreting it personally.
Sunday, July 21: Make the effort to understand, and a breakthrough is possible. Be persistent but do not push, think firm and steady as the determined Capricorn conjuncts grim Pluto, squares Uranus, and opposes Mercury. It is a day of unknotting problems, of straightening out misconceptions, of finding lost items and real exertions to get work done. Heaviness on the heart is alleviated by concrete results and by when people show they care through practical help.
Monday, July 22: Confidence and energy are wafting for us if we kick them into gear. Positive attitudes and a spirit of enterprise turn the tide, so go on, give it a shot as Mars conjuncts Jupiter and the Sun enters Leo. The mood is healthy, competitive, blustery with bravado, and focuses on the community. Howl tonight, but howl with others and harmonize under a Full Moon in Aquarius.
Tuesday, July 23: Steer and redirect (rather than try to stop) the problematic momentum, and run with the positive version. Work with the ambient open-minded stubbornness; keep it real but playful where possible. Our contradictions show, so messages can be confusing but honestly point out inner conflicts and are not necessarily hypocrisy. It is a good time to face some fear, bring in support, and make plans to change the future.
Wednesday, July 24: The mood is softer now as the Moon enters Pisces and conjuncts Neptune, trines Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Intuitive, magical, flowing, soggy, subjective, we may realize the toll of recent efforts and feel tired or vulnerable, but still have to follows through on the work in motion. Find the poetry anyway. If tonight brings an opening, take it.
Thursday, July 25: Yes we can act on our principles and live by our spirit; we can make the world a better place one small action at a time. Sensitive feelings can trigger action; instead of reacting, try to respond with conscious gentle and steady efforts. Feel an upsurge of potential. But through this, bring the mind back down to the practical if driving or handling machinery, or dealing with a crowd, as Mars is approaching an opposition to Pluto. Step towards peace.
Starcodes 
Love the spacing. Thank you for your kind work. You make such a difference! :)