Happy Birth month Virgo!

The artist this week is Agnus Martin.  Martin’s art is another form of contemplation.  While most abstract expressionist artists were doing Action art or Color Field.  Martin took a more spiritual approach to her art.  For her painting was like “going into a field of vision as you would cross an empty beach to look at the ocean.” Her work did not exclude nature or landscape but as she explained: “Nature is like parting a curtain, you go into it. I want to draw a …that quality of response from people when they leave themselves behind, often experienced in nature, an experience of simple joy … My paintings are about merging, about formlessness … A world without objects, without interruption.”

Your pondering for the week:  To Martin even formlessness did not mean sameness.  If you are feeling that life is mundane or ruttish ponder this:  When Martin was asked about the process of the slightly varied forms in some of her series of paintings, she recalled studying clouds.  “I paid close attention for a month to see if they ever repeated. They don’t repeat.”  And neither do your days, there is always a variation, a distinction, that makes that day different than the rest.  Try to see the passing of time through the lens of nuance.

Solar System highlights

The moon begins in Libra – start the week with harmony and balance.  On Tuesday it moves into Scorpio – where the focus is on your passion.   Then on Thursday, the moon moves into Sagittarius – go on adventure this weekend.

The planets are doing the same thing as last week.  Mercury (communication and knowledge) is in Virgo (analyzation) for a 10 weeklong stay.  So, this is around lessons with getting to the point when communicating.  Being clear and concise is the goal.  Mercury also turns retrograde on the 23^rd through Sept 13^th.   This is a great time to Reflect, Review and Redo.   Mars (action) is joins Mercury in Virgo until August 27^th.  This combo makes getting things check off your to-do list easier.   While Venus (beauty and harmony) is in Leo until October 8th.  This is a four-month exploration on the question: Does your outward expression of yourself harmonize with who you are within?

Jupiter (growth) is in Taurus, an aspect that nurtures expansion of pleasure in our lives.  The challenge is dipping into overindulgence while investigating this aspect.  So, we have until May 2024 to work on perfecting our balance between work and play.  Then Saturn (structures) is in its two-year stint with Pisces so we can make our structures elastic and responsive to change.  The challenge is our boundaries can get too bendy or have gaps, so we need to work on being flexible but resilient.

And lastly Pluto (the hidden, death, wealth, and shadow) is in Capricorn (work, structure, business, and discipline) until January 2024.  So, Pluto is back to playing in the world of business and capitalism. This cycle started in 2008, so whatever you started back then this is the time to tie up any lose ends especially around the house and planets in Capricorn in your natal chart.

***Signs with an * it is a big week for you.  Virgo this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading  for your coming year.  And Pisces it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading  for a check in now is the time. And I have a tip jar if you want to leave a gratuity for the weekly forecasts.

May light be on you, around you, and within you.

Nina

Aries

Three of Swords – The Muse of Deep Wounds comes this week to help you in areas where you are triggered.  If you find yourself reacting to something, do a deep dive into the why behind it.  If you find that your shoulder hurts, is it due to being tense or a deadline? Use this energy to heal the root of the problem instead of soothing the symptom.

Taurus

Four of Water – The Muse of Contemplation would like you to pull back and do some belly button gazing.  She would like you to ponder some internal questions.  Simple questions like why did I say yes to this event or harder ones like who am I?  The challenge is that a fourth of this contemplation is done with eyes looking out.

Gemini

*Hanged One – Where last week the Muse of Chance advised you to participate in it all, the Muse of Stops is telling you to slow down.  This makes sense since your planet is going retrograde on Wednesday.  So, for you all it is important not to start any projects during this time.  Think of retrogrades as the Rest Stops of Life.  A place to refuel, rest and recheck if you are heading in the right direction.

Cancerian

*Justice– The Muse of Equity would like you to consider how you share responsibilities this week.  Maybe you take on too much, maybe not enough.  But she says something is off kilter and needs to be readjusted.  She reminds you that equity is not always physically equal shares, but feelings have something to do with the weight of imbalance too.

Leo

Two of Water – The Muse of Romance would like you to court something you love.  It can be a person, a plant, a passion, animal, or yourself.  Romance is defined as a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.  So, spend some energy to relight that excitement and invite spontaneity in for some mystery.

Virgo

*Hierophant – You ended your last birth year with the Muse of Integration.  She asked you to ponder what were your success last year?  What have you learned?  What needs to be left behind?  And what are you going to carry forward?  Now the Muse of Structure, who you work with your whole life, comes this week to start off your new year.  Hopefully you did last week’s exercise, for if you did, this week of structuring a new year should be a breeze.  If you didn’t then those questions are a good place to start.

Libra

Four of Earth – The Muse of Conservation visits this week.  She has you assess your resources on the physical plane:  time, money, and space.  During this retrograde work on making these areas feel like places of abundance rather than impoverished.

Scorpio

*Emperor – Now that you have done your considering and weighing last week with the Muse of Accountability.  The Muse of Formation would like you to start building it.  Now this week is the beginning of the retrograde period.  So, if you are going to start something, do it before Wednesday.  But if that is impossible, then the projects you do start may need more planning and restructuring than you thought.  Overall, it is important that you take your time with what you are doing for the next couple of weeks.  Think like the Tortoise not the Hare.

Sagittarius

Seven of Fire – The Muse of Defense calls you to stand your ground on some matter.  You all are usually great at finding ways for everyone to win, but this week you may need to pick a side.  If so make sure the defense come with a strong argument and even stronger boundaries.

Capricorn

Two of Fire – The Muse of Inbetween teaches you lessons of being present in the moment.  Yes, while most of us are reviewing and reassessing, you all should just be. She advises to stay away from learning from the past and planning for the future.  But to stay in the moment to see the lessons of the now.

Aquarius

Seven of Water– The Muse of Daydreaming has come to help you do some reimagining.  This is a good energy to have during the retrograde period.  Something is not quite right in your sphere of existence.  And this muse would like you to work with your superpowers of imagination and thinking outside the box to reharmonize the situation(s).

Pisces

Ace of Earth – Interesting this energy is about new beginnings, but it is also a retrograde period.  So, the Muse of Grounding would like you to find ways to pull your energy downward instead of going with the flow.  This could look like exercising, digging into some dirt, working with clay, walking barefoot on grass, hugging trees, or even getting a massage.  She would like you in your body this week.