In the past week we’ve had Jupiter and Neptune both station retrograde, and my attention is drawn to two things: that both are not only in Pisces, but are ancient and modern rulers of Pisces, and that Vesta will first oppose Neptune, then will be joined by Mercury as it squares both, creating a T-square (in place by July 6th). With the first point, the abundance of liquid energy in the form of Piscean creativity and idealism is inspiring (and we add Pallas, wisdom, in Pisces, and the Sun in Watery Cancer, bringing both smarts and focus/ attention to the mix). The retro status changes, though, may take us underwater, submerging the conscious mind in the emotional element, bringing forward the liminal, the half-remembered, the things about which we end up asking ourselves, ‘Was it real, or did I just imagine it?’

The process of the T forming starts with the opposition, with the suggestion that a critical view of the highest values and commitments (Vesta in Virgo) comes up against illusion, delusion, or the need to violate something we’ve ’til now held as sacred, in order to create or reach an ideal; then Mercury comes along to square them both from Gemini, implying a message, information, or our own thought processes make clear the difficulties arising from or caused by the working out of the opposition tension.

The thing with a T-square is the tension; you have to break it, to unbalance it, or you’ll end up with a fulcrum that see-saws between alternatives and resolves nothing. In this case, you’ll have to choose: stick with old established values, standards, and things you find sacred, or pursue the inspired dream or creative goal. The Mercurial information dump may aggravate things, even mislead you, but in the end the choice comes down to the Vesta end of the see-saw (values, what you currently honor) or the Neptunian end (dreams, creative goals), and keep this in mind: when a new desire or life direction seems to conflict with long-time values and commitments, the thing to do isn’t to automatically reject the desire as unsuitable out of hand; instead it should inspire an examination of the values and what you honor, in order to determine if your values are actually current and in accord with your genuine feelings. Even standards may go stale over time–and yet if you find them still viable, still appropriate for you, then you’ll know that the creative urge was more of a whim or a pipe dream, a distraction or a wrong turn, and can let it go, making room for other inspirations more in line with who you are at core.