This week’s artist is Shaman Hassani @shamsiahassani.  The first words on her site are “Art changes people’s minds and people change the world.”  Hassani is the first Afghan female graffiti/street artist.  She does what street art does best.  Her work brings art into the everyday life of the everyday person showing a unique perspective of our collective experience.

Hassani has a series called Bird No Nation which resonates so much as to what is happening in Afghanistan and something for all of us to consider. In her words: “Lately what bothers me the most is people migrating as refugees to other countries. Afghans do not want to carry their nationality anymore, they leave their country and travel to other countries, most of them die along the way, lose their families, nobody welcomes them to their country, and people look at them with pity, it really bothers me. 

Keeping the above in mind I started a series called Birds of No Nation. This series is about those Afghans who migrate to other countries, Afghans who don’t have a nationality anymore, who are from nowhere, and those Afghan who seek security and peace.  While working on my last artworks, almost 80% of the time I think about my people who are seeking peace.”

So, the pondering for this week:  for all of us welcoming any refugee into our communities, know that we all are looking for a place of peace, and these refugees have picked our countries to find it.  That is a compliment on who we are and what our country represents.  Peace.  Freedom.  Who doesn’t deserve that chance?

Solar System highlights:  This week the Moon starts in Gemini – great for communication though watch words can trigger so be concise about your framings.  Speak how you would like to be spoken to.  It then moves to Cancer- Sept. 1^st– time for family and home.  Then ends the week in Leo – time to shine and extra luster if you share that light.  Mercury moves into Libra on Monday – great for communication, creating networks and getting in touch with friends.  Venus is in Libra- enjoy your relationships and work with the energy around equity.  Mars is in Virgo – time to clean and tidy up anything your gaze goes to.  Jupiter and Saturn are in Aquarius – so innovating and upping your game is their focus for the rest of this year.

P.S. 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.

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

Nina

 

Aries

*Lovers – The energy this week is about co-creation.  This Muse reminds you that anything one creates is influenced by another.  So, she asks you to check who or what you are co-building with.  Are those choices making you and/or your co-product better?  Is this partnership beneficial? If it is, time to put your heads together and make something new.  If not, this is the week to choose someone or something new to create with.

 

Taurus

Three of Swords – The Muse of Heartbreak has come with tissues in hand. For this week’s energy can highlight where you are hurt.  This energy wants you to do some deep healing by letting go of a grief, sorrow, rejection, or disappointment. These feelings are tied to old hurts, possible expectations that were never met. The challenge: Where those expectations accomplishable?

 

Gemini

Four of Swords – Last week the Muse of Hermitage advised you to pull away from society to gain perspective.  Now, the Muse of Healing advises you need another week away from society to regain your strength.  Find pockets of time that you can relax and restore your energy.

 

Cancerian

Six of Coins – The Muse of Being Bound arrived last week to help in the process of letting go of the material.  Reminding you the material plane is here to help you grow, not hold you to a past you no longer vibrate with.  The Muse of Redistributing Karma continues with this energy.  By reallocating material wealth, you are also rebalancing karmic debt.  This can be as simple as giving up material items to your local charity, giving a monetary donation, or doing a kind deed.

 

Leo

Queen of Coins – Last week the Muse of Creation challenged you to be honest with yourself about the choices in how you will tend to your future.  Either by committing to 10 months of focused tending or flinging your seeds into the wind to see what grows in in that time.  Now this Muse’s baby sister has come to start you on your journey.  This energy advises pick one seed off your list and plant it into existence.  An exercise for this is take one idea from your board imbue a potted plant with that idea. You can even write it on the pot.  And then get to tending both the planet and the idea.  If you are choosing the flinging action, get a package of seeds, ask the universe to grow what you need and then spread them in the nearest plot of land.

 

 

Virgo

Six of Swords – Your second energy for the coming year is the Muse of Transitions.  This year is transformative.  You will be leaving behind what is familiar and moving into the unknown.  This Muse advise for the first part of your journey to travel light.  Do this by physical lightening your load.  And to help that process she advises that simplicity is key to ease.

 

Libra

Three of Cups – People still are your focus this week with the Muse of Friendship at your door with beverages.  This muse advises you to hang out with friends.  Your emotional cups are running on empty, so visiting with good friends will help you re-fill your emotional coffers with laughter and good times.

 

Scorpio

Three of Wands – The Muse of Preparation has come to help you sort through this week’s work.  She advises to start each day with forethought.  What do you need to make it through this day with ease?  Pack lunches in the evening, lay out your clothes, make a to-do list.  The challenge, this is not a great week to start anything new.  Prepare for it yes, but if you must begin, then start slowly.

 

Sagittarius

Four of Pentacles – Last week the Muse of Inertia advise you to alter your perception to find a solution to a lingering problem.  This week whether the problem still exist or not this Muse of Stability advises that you are looking to much at goals or being too stingy with resources.  (These resources can be money, time, space, energy, or a thing).  This feeling of scarcity is part of the problem. There is enough.  This is just an issue about redistribution.

 

Capricorn

Four of Cups – The Muse of Pondering has asked you to sit under a tree and go within.  Alone time with your emotions is required to sort through and do some integration as well as releasing.  Find time this week to do so and you will come away refreshed and more stable.

 

Aquarius

Page of Cups and Seven of Wands – Last week, the Muse of Intuition and Higher Purpose reminded you that there is a plan though you may not see the whole picture, but by following your intuition you will end up in the right place at the right time.  This energy continues with the Muse of Play and the Muse of Holding Your Ground.  This week your challenge will be in competing to play in the playground.  Don’t give into bullies.  You have every right to have fun and relax as anyone else.

 

Pisces

Page of Coins – The Muse of Studies has arrived with your homework.  This week you need to up your ante by upping your skillset.  Remember we are lifelong learners.  So put your ego in the back seat and be open to learning something new.  The more skills you have the more dreams you can accomplish.