The enemy within

Commenting on my last post, an insightful reader by the name of Rebecca Leigh discussed the incredible pressures we feel to conform to the expectations of our ‘nearest and dearest’.

I’m glad she did.  Although I have referred several times to the pressure our culture places on us to conform, I confess that I have been avoiding the issue when it comes to friends and family. 

Steven Forrest talks of ‘agents within the city walls, spies whose task it is to open up the gates from the inside’. They are our friends and family members. Often they are our parents. They love us, sure. They want the best for us. But that is a far cry from saying they understand us.

Mars in Virgo: New Year, New Leaf!

After spending time in dramatic Leo since early May, Mars travels through Virgo from this Wednesday 2 July until mid August.

We may notice a shift from Leonic grand guesture to a more analytical, practical frame of mind. ‘If Mars is how we assert our initiative and will, and if Virgo is the sign of purity and idealism,’ says Astrobarry, ‘then naturally we must put on our reading spectacles and look very closely at what we’re doing.’

Or, as Mystic Medusa puts it, this is the ultimate get your shit together fast transit. We may begin to assess the cogs of our daily lives and plan some finetuning. Even more shockingly – we may put those plans into action! Complete them! And then move onto the next target!

We’ll be helped along the way by more than just Virgo. Mars is conjunct Saturn for the next three weeks or so, making this is one of our best moments all year to tackle the work we’ve been either unconsciously shrinking from or consciously avoiding.

What are our dreams? What’s holding us back?

During my astrological browsings this morning, I discovered that this week Jupiter sesquisquared Saturn (Thursday evening EST). A sesquisquare, or sesquiquadrate, is three times the semisquare, resulting in an angle of 135°.

So – what does that mean? A thought-provoking post on Inspiredastrology says that, because the two planets govern the workings of society (Jupiter = hope and Saturn = rules), this sesquisquare highlights our attempts to balance personal goals with our responsibilities and obligations. ‘The rules, as you’ve always followed them, may seem especially limiting and off-course. There may be something else you need to be doing for your future success, yet you already have an obligation.’