The photographer Julia Margaret Cameron was born June 11, 1815 – 202 years ago. She started taking photographs late in life, at the age of 49. At the time, people accused her of slovenliness and bad photography. Instead of the hyper-realism expected in this budding art form, she used a soft focus, allowed her subjects to move, often portrayed them in legendary themes, and played with the development process. This is typical of air signs; they do their best work outside of pre-existing structures. To deal with air signs think about them like the wind – without boundaries. When you enjoy the wind the most is when it unexpectedly glides across your skin on a hot summers day.

P.S. Remember, signs with * it’s a big week for you.

Aries – Three of Swords – Last week was about feeding your strength. That was preparation for this week. The Three of Swords’ lesson is about getting rid of or refusing to accept thoughts that hurt you emotionally. This week, watch out for your thoughts piercing others or for someone else being passive-aggressive with your heart. Your challenge is to dislodge or dodge the negative darts thrown at you.

Taurus – Ace of Pentacles – You get back to work this week with the Ace of Pentacles. This is a great time to start a project, and get your hands dirty. The challenge with this card is that you have so many options that it is hard to pick just one. It is important that you pick just one.

Gemini – Eight of Wands – For the past two weeks the cards have recommended that you contemplate where you want enlightenment and healing in your life. If you did that contemplation you will get messages this week about who, what, when, where and how to start obtaining those goals. If you didn’t (perhaps because you couldn’t) do your homework, this week you will receive outside information on areas in your life that need to be enlightened and healed. Either way the challenge is to keep your eyes, ears and mind open.

Cancer – Five of Wands – The Five of Wands brings chaos into your life. The lessons with this card depend on which path you choose in navigating it. Either you choose to deal with the conflict and learn new diplomacy skills, decide not to participate, or the third option: change the game. Without judgment, the challenge is in deciding whether to be part of the chaos or not.

Leo – Ten of Wands – The challenge from the King of Pentacles, to be driven but not be extreme, continues this week with the Ten of Wands. This card challenges you to lighten your work load. When you feel burdened or overwhelmed, it not that you are lame or not strong enough, but because you have taken on too much. Your challenge this week is to take one item off your to-do list, without guilt.

Virgo – Queen of Pentacles and Five of Pentacles – These two cards advise you to be resourceful this week. When the Queen of Pentacles shows up, it means that you need to improve your quality of life. However, the Five of Pentacles says that your resources – time, money and /or space – are limited. So remember back when you were a kid and made a fort out of blankets or boxes? You had hours of fun and thought you were king/queen of the world. Or how about when you bought ice cream from the ice cream truck, and it made your day and cost less than a dollar? Your challenge this week is to make something special out of little or nothing.

*Libra – Emperor – Another good week for you all with the Emperor. This card perpetuates the themes of victory and completion. Whereas last week you had to pick and choose the easily obtainable projects, this week it is full steam ahead with work and those projects. The Emperor’s only challenge is about being a leader. A good leader knows when to work hands-on in the trenches and when to stand back and let the specialists do the work instead. So if your pipes are leaking, call a plumber.

Scorpio – Six of Cups – The Six of Cups takes us into our past to receive gifts and useful messages. The challenge with this card is that the past is not always a nice place to visit. This week you can lay some of the old haunts of your past to rest and bring the gifts that have not only made you stronger but have also made you be able to love forward, to the present.

Sagittarius – Queen of Wands – The Queen of Wands continues bringing the themes of awe and amazement into your life. Not only does she want you to continue along the path you started last week, but she would also like to make sure you to get out into nature. This journey into the natural world will realign you with your creativity, your sense of freedom, and your center.

Capricorn – Three of Wands – The theme of collaborating to manifest the divine into the world continues this week. However, where last week was big and lofty, this week the Three of Wands has you plant one foot into reality for the purpose of prepping the ground for these manifestations. This week’s challenge is to keep part of your mind on the big picture while keeping the other part of your mind busy preparing the details.

*Aquarius – Lovers – This week the Lovers card has you looking at your relationships and diving deeper into your heart. Aquarians in general need alone time, but this week the Lovers card is challenging you to spend more quality time in collaboration. This is a big lesson for you all. Your dharma is to make the world a better place through society, and to do that you need to be out in the world more often than you like this week. You are naturally more comfortable spending time by yourself and working alone. The key to this week’s paradox is to remember that when working in the world, quantity does not equal quality. So you don’t have to dance every dance but when you do choose to dance, make it the most passionate tango or the most elegant waltz.

Pisces – Two of Wands – The theme of balance continues this week with the Two of Wands. This card represents the current moment, between the past and the future. I know Pisces every moment represents this but seriously – this week is an important moment. The Two of Wands says you are on the right path and that your timing and decisions are perfect. The only challenge for you this week is to continue forward even though the future is hazy. The future is covered in fog to remind you that though goals are important, so is the journey.

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

Nina