31 Jul Quick Bright Things ~ August 1st – 7th, 2016

It is decidedly midsummer now. At this time of year, the stark divide between waking life and dreams tends to dissolve. Fantasy and reality become delicately woven together. Thus, the days stretch long and warm and the nights shimmer with magic.

Dreams are often described as gentle and soft. But there is nothing so jarring as being wrenched from dreams into reality or vice versa. The transition is best made gradually and with as much delicacy as possible. Nevertheless, sometimes we have to experience the abruptness of a nightmare crashing into our existence.

This week, there will be a New Moon in Leo and so whatever you initiate at this time will set the stage for the next month of creative and emotional energies. Saturn in Sagittarius, still in a tight square to Neptune in Pisces, will be trined by this New Moon and thus some of the conflict between dreams and reality will find a cathartic point of release.

This week may be a bit surreal, but in this altered state of consciousness you may find a great deal of inspiration and adventure. With a sense of humor and some good intentions, this week should offer you some very interesting moments for creative expression and romantic explorations. With Mars entering Sagittarius, there will be a leaping desire to see the world in a new way!

One of the most profound pieces of literature that addresses the blurred lines between the real and surreal is William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This play is about what happens to four young lovers when they are subjected to an unexpected intrusion of manipulative magic and delusion.

Most of the action in A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place in the wilderness, where civilized society becomes completely obscured. All reliable measurements of time and space disappear, along with the careful considerations of the rational mind.

The week begins with the dark Moon. . .

“Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,

Brief as the lightning in the collied night,

That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,

And ere a man hath power to say, — Behold!

The jaws of darkness do devour it up:

So quick bright things come to confusion.”

Monday/Tuesday: More Strange Than True

On Monday, the dark Moon will transition from Cancer into Leo. When the jaws of darkness devour the moonlight, the deepest aspects of memory and imagination may be revealed. In your dreams you may receive clear messages that impart the wisdom of your desires and reveal the cyclical nature of time. With so much subconscious information rising up inside, you may feel particularly quiet and contemplative today.

 

“The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was.”

Also, Venus in Leo will still be trined Uranus in Sagittarius. This is a fortunate influence for anyone with a flexible schedule, but for those who are expected to stick to a routine, this trine between Venus and Uranus might be challenging. This is an aspect that craves novelty. You may find great joy in breaking character today and doing what you want to do rather than what you are supposed to do.

As the Sun in Leo trines Saturn in Sagittarius, you will recognize where there is foundational stability in your life and where you might be more open to experimentation. These are the kinds of transits that allow you to introduce healthy new habits that build upon the discipline that you have already been cultivating.

On Tuesday, there will be a striking shift in the energy. This is the day of the New Moon in Leo and the day that Mars leaves the sign of Scorpio (where it has been for two months) and enters the sign of Sagittarius.

“And then the moon, like to a silver bow

New bent in heaven, shall behold the night”

This New Moon will be trined to Saturn in Sagittarius, which is still squaring Neptune in Pisces. This trine to Saturn will welcome a stabilizing force into the fray of crisis that the Saturn/Neptune square has been creating. A supportive aspect from Saturn indicates that in the face of chaos, you will feel a prevailing force of order that will likely be quite comforting.

With Mars in Sagittarius now, the secretive conspiratorial aggression that is embodied in Scorpio will burst into boisterous action. Your desire for freedom will increase along with your most sensational idealism. When Mars is in Sagittarius, you will be more prone to give in to reckless abandon.

Rather than being ruled by desire, like Mars in Scorpio, when Mars is in Sagittarius he is ruled by beliefs. Thus, issues of faith, dogmatism, and zealotry may arise to show you how much power you can use and abuse in the mazeways of belief. The more arrogant, the more dangerous. Just like desire, beliefs must be tempered and tamed.

Wednesday/Thursday: Merry and Tragical. Tedious and Brief.

“Swift as a shadow, short as any dream”

Unlike the beginning of the week, the middle of the week is quiet in terms of planetary aspects. The newly waxing Moon will conjunct Venus in Leo on Wednesday, impressing upon your emotional experience the full depth and breadth of Venus’ expression in Leo. Your heart will feel especially open to courage, beauty and the warmth of devotional love.

“If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended

That you have but slumbered here

While these visions did appear.”

On Thursday, the waxing Moon will traverse the sign of Virgo, conjuncting Mercury and the North Node while opposing Neptune. Your mind and your heart will unite for a brief but impactful moment, giving you strong intuition and foresight. This may be a day where you have a powerful experience of deja vu.

Or perhaps in a moment of imperceptible trance, you will witness a premonition of autumn’s amber light in the sky. Whatever your experience may be, it is likely that you will feel transported into the realm of pure imagination.

 

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: The Poet’s Eye In a Fine Frenzy Rolling

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.”

On Friday, Venus will enter Virgo, the sign of her fall. A planet’s fall is a place in the zodiac where it loses some its strength and influence. This does not mean that when Venus enters Virgo that all the beauty, affection and charm in the world disappears. But the tone of Venusian energies will shift from frivolous romantic glamour (Leo) to a more studious and reserved nature of Virgo.

This can be very useful for employing patience and discipline towards detail oriented arts and crafts. When Venus is Virgo, it might also be a good time to assess the health of your relationships with a keen eye.

“Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.”

On Saturday, there will be two different squares between planets in Virgo and Sagittarius. In general terms, the necessity of proper planning and attention to details will clash with your desire to make great progress in leaps and bounds.

Mercury in Virgo will square Saturn in Sagittarius, and Venus in Virgo will square Mars in Sagittarius. Mercury and Saturn favors laborious study. However, this tense aspect may make it difficult for you to speak and/or write with any kind of flow. It might be better to just jot down notes and outlines today rather than constructing a final draft of anything.

“For aught that ever I could read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth.”

The square between Venus and Mars however will likely bring to the surface some kind of conflict. Here is a day where dreamers and realists will fight. Tension like this often erupts in unexpected sexual attraction or repulsion. Take heed.

“Are you sure that we are awake?

It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.”

On Sunday, Mercury in Virgo will oppose Neptune in Pisces. On Sunday, Mercury’s exalted position in Virgo will be challenged to maintain its quickness of mind under Neptune’s powerful enchantment which blurs boundaries and dissolves clarity. Because Mercury does so well in Virgo, it may surprise you to discover how well you will adapt to this notable disorienting aspect. The best use of this transit is to fully immerse yourself in the surreal, the dreamlike, and the mystical.