The artist is April Gornik @aprilgornik. Gornik is a landscape artist.  Her oil paintings are usually in a larger format like nature itself.  Her work and writing have me pondering two aspects.  First, she wrote an essay on Visual literacy, which I recommend reading.  She talks in part about the use of the scale and the concept of the viewer in relation to the painting.  She adds how important it is to see art in real time.  Experiencing art, the stroke of the paint, the actual scale of the painting cannot be compared to how we typically view art via media or computer screen.  So as much as I am thankful for you all sharing art with me, go out and see some real art too.

Secondly, if you know me, you know I am a sucker for clouds and landscape art.  Whether it is a painting or photography, natural or urban, I am drawn to it. Especially if it doesn’t have people in it.   So I wonder is my fascination likened to what Gronik says: “I have always loved nature. It’s fundamental to my spiritual being, and helps me locate and define myself in the world, and that is central to my work itself. Nature is everything I am not, the ultimate Other.”  And/Or is it because, urban or natural, it is the act of observation outside of self? Is my landscape as important as the people that surround me?  It portrays my container, my literal backdrop that I walk in, look at and react to.  It is a “player/character” in my story.

Your pondering:  Spend time observing your surroundings, and try plugging your ears, so you can filter it down just to sight.  And go see some real paintings.

 

Solar System highlights

The moon begins in Taurus – time to ground yourself.  Then on Tuesday it moves into Gemini – exchanges of information are highlighted.  Thursday the moon moves into Cancer- self-care is your top priority.  On Saturday the 3^rd it moves into Leo – try to catch some sunlight.  Then on Tuesday August 6^th the moon moves into Virgo – great for organizing and clearing off your desk or checking off to-do lists.  And then it moves into Libra on Thursday the 8^th – focusing on harmony and balance.

Mercury is Leo until July 24 – great for storytelling but the challenge is balancing talking with listening. It will retrograde back into Leo in August so we will have another chance to work on this skill.  On July 25 until August 14^th Mercury will be in Virgo.  This aspect comes to teach us how to be precise and direct in our conversations. The challenge is not to come off too harsh.

And Mercury retrograde is from August 5^th to August 28^th.  Remember this is the universe’s pit-stop.  A great time to recharge, reflect, and redo.  Also, Venus is in Leo until August 4^th where our focus is about being generous in our relationships. Then it moves into Virgo where we can work on being authentic within our relationships and thus ourselves.   And then Mars is in Gemini making sure our actions follow our words.

Jupiter, the planet of abundance and growth, is in Gemini until June of 2025.   This aspect is here to help us work with opportunities to grow and succeed through intellectual, verbal, and written pursuits.  However, we must also watch its challenging aspects:   not following through, gossip, too much information and fickleness.   And lastly Saturn is in Pisces until February 2026 teaching us how to be more fluid and inclusive in our structures.

 

 

EXTRA

*** Signs with an * it is a big week for you.  Leo this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And  Aquarius  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 tarot & art-casts.

**** I am experimenting.   I have switched from using the older suits name (pentacles, cups, swords, and wands) to a more elemental way of reading them which is earth, water, air, and fire.  Also, I would like to leave the binary and feudal system of the RWS’s court cards.  So, the RWS old version is Page, Knight, Queen, and King is changing to Heart (pure embodiment of element), Body (moving the element), Spirit (living the element) and Mind (taking care of the element).

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

Nina

 

Aries

Six of Water – The next two weeks the Muse of the Past is hanging out with you.  She comes when something in the past must be brought into the present to help you.   This can be revisiting a project you left on the backburner or reconnecting with someone or something from your past.

 

Taurus

Seven of Fire – Now that you have past your tests from the last two weeks.  The next two you get to ride with the Muse of Exhilaration.  Use that energy of success to take on new projects, expand your horizons, or reinforce your boundaries.  This muse reminds you that even though you have work still to do, take in the view of the summit you have scaled.

 

Gemini

*Hermit – The last two weeks were about beginnings.  But now the Muse of Perspective would like you to step back and purview your surroundings and paths to work on getting your zing back. This muse would like you to consciously spend these two weeks with a “two steps forward – one step back” approach.  She asks you not to see the steps back as a backwards or slow momentum, but more as a momentum with thoughtfulness at its core.  She also advises that at times you may need to take some of these perspective breaks away from society to get a clear vision of what to do next.

 

Cancerian

Heart of Earth – The last two weeks the muses had you work on grounding yourself with your everyday chores. Now the Muse of Skill would like you to hone a skill or learn a new one.  This is another form of grounding yourself into the real world, instead of focusing on the societal or emotional aspects that are surrounding you right now.  The muses are working to help you find your core and then expand it in a very focused manner.

 

Leo

Ace of Earth – What great energy to have at the beginning of your new solar year.  Aces always signify a beginning and the muses would like you to start this year in a very grounded and reality-based way.  They ask you what you would like to grow on the material plan.  A new job?  Skill? Project? The challenge is finding something to do that works on the here and now instead of “if/when” scenarios.

 

Virgo

*Strength – I hope you all took the muse advises the last two weeks and lessened your workload.  These next two weeks are going to challenge you to know yourself, your limits, as well as your strengths.  The Muse of Courage is going to stand by you this week to help. And she gives you this quote from Brene Brown: “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

 

 

Libra

Ten of Fire – The Muse of Burdens comes when you are taking on too much.  Yes, some things on the list are your responsibility.  But you have added items that others could take over or at least help with. An exercise she suggests is to make a list of what you must do and prioritize it.  Take of the last two items and throw them away.  Then work on the first four items to completion.  Then you can work on the next four.  And remember to ask for help when you need it.  This period is not a journey you should do alone.

 

Scorpio

Four of Fire – The Muse of Happy Home has come to work with you during these next two weeks.  She would like you to focus on your home and tweak it, so it is more comfortable and comforting.  Yes, that means things like getting new décor and bringing more nature elements into your home are important.  And remember color can affect mood.  So, surround yourself in the colors that bring the energy you want, like yellows and reds for energy or blue and green for calming.

 

Sagittarius

Four of Water – The Muse of Belly Button Gazing is your companion for the come two weeks.  She would like you to spend three quarters of your time working within and the last quarter of your time playing outside of yourself.  Use these weeks to contemplate and come up with solutions, and then test it out in the world.  She reminds you that this inner and outwork is cycle that feeds itself, so you need both.

 

Capricorn

*Devil – These next two weeks the Muse of the Wild comes to help you un-tame yourself.  This energy is one of your lifelong lessons of interplay and dynamics between wilding and domesticating yourself.  You need the wild to push boundaries and expand, but you also need structure and regulations to bring the wild into productivity.  So, examples are camping, collecting wild mushrooms, bungee jumping, white water rafting, or doing something that has no goal or product.  The key is seeing that the unpredictable, surprise or the rush can come in many forms without sweeping you away.

 

Aquarius

Five of Air – All fives are energies of chaos, and the air element is chaos that begins in the mind.  The Muse of Ego has come to help you navigate this energy for this period.  She reminds you that the key to traversing this chaos is letting go of trying to control it.  Your ego is in play by either feeling that you are responsibility to control all aspects of a situation, or you feeling you have failed though you had no control in the first place.  Let go of the ego and the chaos will flow past you.

 

Pisces

*Chariot – The Muse of Self Momentum comes when you need to take control of a situations and propel it to either its destination or further down the path.  This muse does supply the energy, however not the direction or steps to getting there.  The keys to working with this energy are knowing where you are going and where to have rest stops to refuel along the way.  Examples are making your lunches at the beginning of the week, confirming all appointments, visualizing the finished project, writing goals on your calendar, prioritizing your to-do list etc.… If you have no destination by the end of this period you will end up doing metaphorical donuts in the parking lot of life.

Happy birth month Cancerians and then Leos.

The artist is Megan Bogonovich @meganbogonovich.   Bogonovich’s sculptures are a cross between whimsy, fragility and a hint of sinisterness. Her work perfectly exemplifies the duality of our relationship with nature, and nature itself – awe inspiring while also frightening.  She seduces us with playful colors and identifiable shapes and when grouped together we find whimsicality.   But when we see the sculptures solo, they seem more alien.  We notice they writher like vines or snakes with textures that are bumpy and thorny.

Bogonovich gets inspiration from her surroundings in Norwich, Vermont.  “When I look around my neighborhood this time of year,” she says, “nature seems so verdant and powerful. I think the fragility of the material and the quantity of sculptures have mirrored the natural world in the way that plants are abundant, but vulnerable and highly pluckable.” (cite: Colossal interview).

Why does the grouping feel fun, and the singularity becomes more ominous? Do we take the scary out of nature by domesticating it?  Bringing flowers, plants and even our pets into the home to have the awe but in smaller doses so less frightening?  Or is it because now we have some control over its otherness.  Are we so far from feeling part of nature that we now identify it as alien?  Or is it just our complex brain needs fear and awe to feel alive?

Your pondering:  Think about the difference you feel looking at a vase of flowers versus a field of them.  And if you haven’t watched Sweet Tooth on Netflix our relationship with nature is one of its themes.

 

Solar System highlights

The moon begins this week in Scorpio – follow your passion.  Then on Wednesday it moves into Sagittarius – get out and explore.    On Friday it moves into Capricorn – use this energy as a work-weekend.  On Monday July 22^nd it moves into Aquarius – think outside the box.  Wednesday it moves into Pisces – go with the flow.  And we finish the two weeks with the moon in Aries starting on Friday July 26^th – great time to start a project or let off some steam.

Mercury is Leo until July 24 – great for storytelling but the challenge is balancing talking with listening. It will retrograde back into Leo in August so we will have another chance to work on this skill.  On July 25 until August 14^th it will be in Virgo.  This aspect comes to teach us how to be precise and direct in our conversations. The challenge is not to come off too harsh.  Also, Venus has moved into Leo where our focus is about being generous in our relationships.  And Mars has moved into Gemini. This is our two year check in to make sure our actions follow our words.

 

Jupiter, the planet of abundance and growth, is in Gemini until June of 2025.   This aspect is here to help us work with opportunities to grow and succeed through intellectual, verbal, and written pursuits.  However, we must also watch its challenging aspects:   not following through, gossip, too much information and fickleness.   And lastly Saturn is in Pisces until February 2026 teaching us how to be more fluid and inclusive in our structures.

 

 

EXTRA

*** Signs with an * it is a big week for you.  Cancer/Leo this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And Capricorn/Aquarius  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 tarot & art-casts.

**** I am experimenting.   I have switched from using the older suits name (pentacles, cups, swords, and wands) to a more elemental way of reading them which is earth, water, air, and fire.  Also, I would like to leave the binary and feudal system of the RWS’s court cards.  So, the RWS old version is Page, Knight, Queen, and King is changing to Heart (pure embodiment of element), Body (moving the element), Spirit (living the element) and Mind (taking care of the element).

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

Nina

 

Aries

*Fool – The next two weeks you are blessed with the Muse of Meandering at your side.  She challenges you to explore your surroundings, get to know new places, try new food and try things that you have never experienced.  This muse comes when you are stuck in a rut or need to expand past what you know.  She also adds that sometimes it’s nice not to have an agenda and just let the day’s activities flow with your mood.

 

Taurus

*Devil – These next two weeks can have aspects that test who you are and what you know.  The Muse of Final Exams comes when you are about to go to the next level, but the universe needs to know you have learned from where you have been.  So, if your challenges seem to reoccur, she reminds you that you have already learned the lesson, and this is just a test to make sure you have the responses and answers to these challenges.  You do not have to relive the lesson just answer with what you know – say no or yes- and move on.

 

Gemini

Ace of Fire – All Aces are new beginnings.  The muse would like you to start a journey of exploration that involves your spirit, nature and/or creativity.  This energy is about increasing the “zing” in your life.  How to relight your ambitions, passion and self-worth.  You are a passionate person innately and these next two weeks’ energy would like to support you to be on fire.

 

Cancerian

*Strength – The Muse of Grounding comes to help you these next two weeks to list the things in your life that ground you into the everyday.  And then she would like you to see their broader meaning in your life.  For example, washing the dishes could be your ritual to reconnect with water and flow or a cleansing exercise.  Or brushing your teeth is a ritual of health or a way to connect with your bones and strength their connection to your body.  Childcare is an exercise in your belief of how important good parenting is.  The key to and the challenge this muse brings is seeing that even the most mundane exercises have the ability to ground you in your day, body, who you are and why you do the things you do.  If they make the idea of you weaker then this is the time to change them, find more support or let them go.

 

Leo

*Justice – The Muse of Justice is here at the convergence of the end and beginning of your birth cycle. And she challenges you to spend these next two weeks figuring out what you stand for.  What decisions do you need to make to be truer to yourself and more just to the ones around you?  This is a check in with your morals, stance and convictions.  This muse asks where can you make a difference?

 

Virgo

Ten of Fire – The Muse of Burdens comes when you have taken on too much.  She reminds you that even if you could do something better or quicker doesn’t mean you should.  Or that you are required to take on every task in front of you.  She suggests making a list of your top ten priorities and listing them in order from most urgent or important to least.  Now cross off the last two and work on the top four priorities.  If you finish them, then you can do the next four but leave the last two alone.  You may find by the end of these two weeks that they no longer need to be done or, even better, someone else picked them up.

 

Libra

Mind of Water – The Muse of Emotions spends the next two weeks helping you to navigate the emotional currents around and in you.  She reminds you that not every situation has a solution.  Sometimes shitty things are shitty and good things are just good.  And the emotions that arise from these situations are as fleeting as the incident itself.  The key is what you decide to carry with you after the experience.

 

Scorpio

*High Priestess – The Muse of Higher Purpose is hanging out with you for the next two weeks.  She comes to help you investigate your higher purpose and/or for you to help someone with theirs.  This muse always brings you to purpose and/or information through synchronicities and coincidences.  So, watch for things like repetitive images or numbers, or bumping into someone you haven’t seen in a while.  And follow your intuition more than your logic during this time, so you she can help you hone your intuition.

 

Sagittarius

Ten of Earth – The next two weeks have some nice beneficial nuggets for you.  Tens’ energy is about conclusions; however, this ten not only brings on a sense of completion but also a sense of success and happiness.  This is a great time to wrap up a project and more importantly celebrating the conclusion before you start again.  Finish what needs to be finished and then have an extended weekend or better yet 10 days off.

 

Capricorn

Three of Air – The Muse of Triggers comes when old wounds that have not thoroughly healed get agitated.  This muse reminds you that these agitations are not a reliving, reopening or re-traumatizing event.  These are just reminders of areas that still need work to heal the depths of the wound.

 

Aquarius

*Sun – The Muse of Growth comes to shine light on you.  Now the challenge with this energy is anything you focus on grows.  So even though this energy has the potential of optimism and abundance.  It can also cast a long shadow on pessimism and lack.  So, this muse reiterates what you focus on, grows.  And it is up to you to pick the light or the shadow.

 

Pisces

Six of Air – The Muse of Packing Lightly is hanging with you these next two weeks.  She challenges you to only take what you need for the coming weeks.  This can be taken literally – packing your bag with only the essentials.  Or having you look at what you carry with after a conversation or information exchange.  The key is really understanding you are more resourceful then you think and less is often more.