In one corner, we have the impassioned and heartfelt impulse to nurture and build organically; in the opposite corner, the impulse to undermine current systems through dubious methods and skullduggery. Fueling the fire from yet a third corner of the ring is a surge toward individual accomplishment, and the missing piece of the equation, where things are likely to end up, is here: diplomacy through gritted teeth, art made with anger for fuel, aggressive discourse.

What on earth am I talking about? Wednesday begins with a configuration we call a t-square: the Sun in Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn, both squared by the moon in the late degrees of Aries. The missing piece, what we call the terminal point here, is Libra. Nothing sits there, and nature abhors a vacuum, so despite the powder keg of contention, things are likely to get Libran. I don’t mess with a lot of aspect patterns, but I see this one at play in birth charts often, so there you go. By the evening, the moon will have entered Taurus, and we’ll just be left with the face-off between Sun and Pluto, a configuration which has been building up throughout the previous week and will wane over the next few days.

Worth noting: the Sun is conjunct to the fixed star Procyon today, and has been for the past few days. Today is the last day it can be considered “within orb.” Procyon can make a person overly impulsive, strong-willed, and this may lead some to smash their head against the brick wall that Pluto puts up. Procyon is also one of the stars that’s meant to protect against evil, which sounds like a potentially good trade-off.

Also at play is the soft aspect between Neptune and both the Sun and Pluto. It’s in soft aspect to both: Sun, by trine and Pluto, by sextile. This leaves a layer of fog over the configuration, de-emphasizing clarity and amping up fantastical thinking. Unrealistic expectations may follow. But! This can be a good configuration for those pursuing kindness and softer goals, particularly those that lie in art and spirituality.

What else? We have two fresh ingresses from the end of last week. Mercury is newly entered into Leo, and will soon be chatting up Jupiter, which could be great for leveling up in the space shared between confidence and cognition: language proficiency, public speaking, creative writing, becoming an Excel ninja. Jupiter is in hard aspect to Venus, however, who has newly entered Cancer, marking a conflict between enjoying what is safe and comfortable and the call to step out of comfort zones and become someone more rad. Not everyone wants to be rad, some folks just want to hobbit up and eat delicious food under a warm, heavy blanket. The Bilbo of your heart may find itself conscripted into some dwarven shennanigans.

Lastly, and to bring things around to the front of the article, there is an antiscial connection between Venus and Pluto for today only. Without getting too jargony, suffice it to say that antiscia is like a shadow that connects two planetary bodies. Thus, Venus and Pluto are skulking in the same shade, and may get up to no good. Possible results are a compulsion to dig down deeper on the status quo of what is pleasant and comfortable, to seek comfort in what isn’t good for us, or in what is hidden, or in what is supposed to be taboo. Venus, for her part, can be a calming balm on any sharp-toothed goblins that emerge today.

Friday 7/22 – Duck and cover: the moon runs across the Uranus-North Node conjunction. It may be a day of accidents and surprises, some of which may engender change on a structural level. If there’s something material you’ve been wanting to alter, maybe ride the lightning? Cautiously, of course.

Saturday 7/23 – The Sun makes ingress into Leo. Mercury locks into an exact trine to Jupiter, fully juicing that confident cognition connection.

Monday 7/25 – The Moon in Gemini, which perhaps made things chatty and ebullient on Sunday, feels a little more heavy and drowsy today, catching aspects from Saturn and Neptune. A dream may be brewing but it still itches to find purchase. Mars is meanwhile moving properly into the blast zone of the Uranus-North Node conjunction, and will only make things more volatile over the coming week. The moon gets into Cancer by mid-afternoon, which should make for a comfortable and pleasant evening.

Tuesday 7/26 – Mercury is reaching a tight trine to Chiron, perhaps causing some old wounds and insecurities to itch, but with an eye toward learning from them, healing and moving on from them. But Mercury is also moving into the blast zone of the Mars-Uranus-North Node configuration, and may set off something material and unexpected. This is a real “watch your mouth” configuration, because the thing that escapes it may have consequences both unintended and unforseen. On a brighter note, the moon is still in Cancer, but now fully with Venus, and seems relatively unmolested except for that waning square to Jupiter. So outside of efforts toward self-betterment, this is a good mix for snuggling and snacking.