The artist this week is Estelle Chretien  @estelle_chretien.  Chretien’s work is playful while still being thought provoking.  She uses pillowcase as flags and makes a bed in a riverbed. She creates an oversized key ring in a field to get us to think about ownership of land.  Chretien plays with our internal and societal stories.  Play is vital for children’s growth but as science is rediscovering it is also important throughout our lives.  It is defined as an activity done for its own sake or an activity that has no goal.  Play gives our minds a place for our imagination to wander, a place where we can experiment with allegory and connections between ideas, thoughts and action.

Though Chretien’s work has deeper meaning, it is born out of exploration and playfulness.  As she says: “My plastic work is born slowly by giggling*. It is built according to the chance of encounters, through free associations or irrational evidence. Oscillating between a sensitive brutality and a brazen naivety, my pieces maintain a dialogue of the material that constitutes them with their form in a tension between use and allusion. I borrow techniques without distinction of value, I learn on the job and apply myself to questioning how we live by physically deforming mental constructions. * To splash around: to have fun in water or mud, or to sink into soggy ground.”

Your pondering:  When was the last time you played or explored something without a goal? If it has been more than a month, find time these next two weeks to engage with playfulness.

Solar System highlights

I need some feedback- How many of you want/use this part?  Please reply – if it is at least 10 people – I’ll still include. 

The moon begins in Gemini – knowledge and information are highlighted.  Wednesday it moves into Cancer- self-care is your top priority.  On Friday it moves into Leo – spend some time in the sun.  Then on Sunday September 29^th the moon moves into Virgo – organize and prioritize to start your week.  And then it moves into Libra on October 2^nd – focusing on harmony and balance. And then we head into the weekend on Friday October 4^th the moon enters Scorpio – passion and transformation are the focus.

Mercury is in Virgo until September 26^th.  Our second round to sharpen our conversation skills being precise and direct but not harsh.  It then moves into Libra until October 13^th.  We get to work on balancing our listening and speaking, especially in our close relationships.  Venus has now moved into Scorpio.  This is a very sensual vibe, as well as a great time for transformation.   Mars is still in Cancer.  Not its favorite place.  Often our plans go sideways but this is the genius of this placement- to find ways around instead of straight through a problem.

And our longer aspects:  Jupiter, the planet of abundance and growth, is in Gemini until June of 2025.   This placement 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.  Libra this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And  Aries it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check in, now is the time.

*** I have a tip jar if you want to leave a gratuity for the tarot & art-casts.

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

Nina

Aries

*Temperance – The Muse of Harmony is with you these next two weeks.  She challenges you to find the middle path in your life and in your relationships.  This time is about compromise and comprehending the other side of the story.  As well as giving yourself a break from the rush of life.  She reminds, if you are feeling the extremes, step back and balance yourself before moving forward.  This may be hard for you “let’s get to it” rams therefore it will require you to flex your patience and compassion muscles for the coming weeks.

Taurus

Heart of Air – The Muse of Clarity is working with you for the next two weeks when you will be working with complex systems.  She suggests looking at the details of situations and problems.  This focus is better than examining the big picture or concentrating on long-term goals.  This period is better dealt with a step-by-step approach.   As you clear away/solve each piece you gain more clarity of the project and its goals

Gemini

Mind of Water – The Muse of Waves would like you to work on your emotional impact, especially how it affects the people around you.  We all are impacted by the emotions of those around us.  But these next to weeks you and they may be more effected than normal.  The challenge is realizing these are places in your relationships that need work in comforting and understanding.  This muse reminds you that emotions are like the tides’ ebb and flow but like the ocean they leave gifts for us to ponder on and investigate.

Cancerian

Seven of Water – Daydreaming and imagination are your focus in the coming weeks.  The Muse of Wishes would like you to write lists of all the things you would like to do.  This energy shows up when the universe and therefore you don’t really understand or know your dreams.  The challenge is allow your wishing without the limits of resources.  So, your task is answering this question:  What is the best that could happen?

Leo

Four of Water – Finally you all get a bit of a break in dealing with the big energies.  The Muse of Saturation is here to help you incorporate what has happened since your birthday.  She recommends hanging out with yourself and going over the what has been downloaded and planning on where to go next.  These weeks are best utilized by pondering and integrating.  The challenge is to let things settle before jumping into solutions, the next idea, project or challenge. This is not about losing or letting go of energy and information but by gathering it up.

Virgo

Two of Earth – The Muse of Juggling usually comes when you have too many hands in too many pies.  And considering this is the beginning of a new year for you all, this muse would like it if you slowed down and did one thing at a time.  The challenge is that you are budding with ideas and/or this need to move forward.  She acknowledges and supports that energy, but she would like you to focus on monotasking and not multi-tasking.

Libra

Heart of Fire – The Muse of Superpowers would like you to spend these next two weeks honing yours.  Maybe for some, you need to identify what they are first.  A superpower is something you do well.  (One of mine is helping people organize their stuff.)  This muse would like you to identify at least 3 of your superpowers and then go out into the world and use them.  Yes, you all are a very giving sign, but this is less about giving and more about strengthening your assets.

Scorpio

Three of Air – The Muse of Wounds comes when you need to work on deep healing old thought patterns or constructs that were placed there by someone else.  The energies this week will challenge you around those wounded places.  However, this is not about re-wounding but is meant to help you find the places that still need healing.  Now is the time to shed old thoughts and rebuild with self-love and kindness.

Sagittarius

*Magician – The Muse of Experimentation is here to help you manifest an idea or project into existence.  This muse comes when something is starting to stagnate or is literally no longer working for you.  The challenge is investigating solutions and processes and less about a finished product.  This can look like trying out new foods for a new health regime, trying new ways to get home that are less stressful, playing with how you use your time, or literally the trial and error of building something into world.   The key is letting your errors guide you more or as much as your successes.

Capricorn

Heart of Water – The Muse of Fun comes when you are taking life too seriously.  She would like you to take breaks from the grind by inducing more laughter and love in your life.  Whether that is hanging out with a goofy pet, watching stand-up, or hanging with friends, find time these two weeks to indulge in the pleasantries of socializing.  And if you aren’t invited to a party, start your own.

Aquarius

*Judgement – The Muse of Evolution has come to coax you to evolve you or something in your environment to the next level.  This can look like taking your cooking to a new level, creating an extra aspect to a project, upping your game at work, starting a new career or diving into your spiritual practice.  This energy is about transformation.  The muses ask you, what one thing needs a complete renewal in your life?

Pisces

*Justice – Your big energy work continues for the next two weeks.  Last week your work was around purpose.  This week the energy is around accountability.  So hopefully you did your work around purpose and goals, so you can jump right in and start making plans and schedules on how to make this dream happen.  So yes, the muse would like you to make yourself accountable in some way to your plans.  She reminds you that a reward system is better than a punishment one.    Even if it is as simple as putting a gold star on each day you accomplish an action that supports your goals.