This week a sequence of planetary squares and opposition will foment a series of struggles. In the wider context, we are heading into the revelatory force of a full Moon in harmonizing Libra. But before we receive its prized equilibrium and the restoration of peace, we’ll have to work through some serious discord, in one form or another. No matter the modality, cardinal, fixed or mutable, the call for resolution will be constant and pervasive, as conflicts will present themselves in a variety of manners and venues. For example, on Tuesday, the waxing Cancer Moon will battle primordial Pluto while Mercury squares Mars. Pluto has made its way up to 26 degrees of Capricorn. At this incendiary stage, the planet that represents the will to power isn’t messing around. Emotional Cancer feelings will have to be rooted in sound psychological terrain to withstand, let alone win, this war. Another battle front for feelings will be fought under the Mercury Mars square. Mercury is presently drifting through the subjective and imaginary world of Pisces, where its typically razor-sharp mental faculties are subdued, if not impaired. They are being further diluted by Mercury’s impending conjunction with nebulous and sometimes deceptive Neptune on the 29th. Forceful Mars is in objective and intellectual Gemini, one of Mercury’s domiciles. Reconciling the merits of inner and outer realities earlier rather than later this week is a good idea. The Moon’s entrance into Mercury’s other home, logical Virgo, on Thursday night will only rehash hearts versus minds arguments. Mercury and Neptune will oppose the Virgo Moon on Saturday, when its nearly full status will see emotional tides surging.
Amidst the cardinal and mutable sign hostilities, the Moon will visit Leo from Tuesday afternoon through late Thursday evening. There its mettle will we tested by a square from Uranus and an opposition from Saturn on Wednesday and an opposition from Jupiter on Thursday. On the bright side playful, determined Leo will initially receive encouragement from Venus and the Sun in confident Aries, on Tuesday via their trines to the Moon. On the other hand, the sign’s autocratic tendencies, self-centeredness and overindulgence will not be tolerated. The buck stops with Uranus in Taurus, and Aquarius-based Saturn and Jupiter will require consideration of the collective. Another iteration of this “me versus we” conflict will show up on Sunday when the Libra Moon faces direct oppositions from the Aries Sun and Venus. Again, resolving the issues, in this case self versus others, earlier rather than later is advised. This week’s cosmic Battle Royale will culminate under that full Moon in Libra. If the sign of relationships is where we learn to walk the proverbial mile in another man’s shoes, then this week’s configurations can be thought of as a $1,000 shopping spree at a shoe store. At its outset, setting the intention to be more understanding and considerate will go a long way towards smoothing the contentious journey ahead and clearing those obstacles.