Mercury stations direct in apparent motion in the wee hours (2:13 AM PDT) of the 28th at 21 Leo 25, just as the fresh Cancer Moon quincunxes retro Pluto at the 00 degree. The closest aspect Merc forms is a trine to Chiron in Aries. These factors, the turnaround at the same time as Lunar contact to Pluto, with the direction’s closest aspect to the body representing the primal wound, suggest an easy sense of hurt arising from uncomfortable matters that make us feel vulnerable and even threatened. On an individual level Chiron in the natal chart is the deepest hurt each of us carries, as well as a very unique gift we each have that is keyed to that sign energy, and when transiting Chiron is prominent we may feel upset related to the sign it’s transiting that is layered over our own life-long wound, in this case either a feeling that others are too aggressive, or that we are angry, maybe acting out our own hurt through proxy situations (Chiron in Aries). Awareness that this tension is something external may make us less likely to adopt that stressful feeling as our own; we won’t feel it and begin looking for a reason in our own lives, if we know it’s part of the atmosphere. This is a danger especially if we have a lot of Water in the natal scenario, if Aquarius holds personal placements, or if our natal Moon is currently under transit, progression, or Solar Arc stress.

Hours after Merc’s direction, Venus hits the 29th degree of Virgo. Again with the stress! This time a situation where strain in relationships, the compromise of values, or uncertain finances draws worry and criticism. As with the free-floating anxiety of the Merc to Chiron and Luna to Pluto contacts, this tension will exist in the atmosphere and those who are sensitive will be prone to channel it right out of the air and into their lives. Be alert to the ease with which we can fall into critical mode, and know that it’s Venus’ inherent discomfort in the Virgo energy that brings out the nit-picking and dissatisfaction. This is over by late on the 29th; we’ll all breathe a sigh of relief when Venus hits her own sign of Libra, and everything and everyone starts looking beautiful again.

Neptune in the 29th degree of Pisces is ongoing; I just wanted to remind everyone that the feeling of crisis around the creative and the spiritual, as if things will never reach completion, is, though prolonged, ultimately temporary. Celebrate this liminal space, because the never-ending feel of the tension and effort can break down conscious barriers and open doors to new ideas and new worlds, showing us things we may under normal influences be too quick to dismiss or undervalue. In one sense, the party’s over; we must accept current circumstances as they are, and work with things from there, as staying poised in hopes that things will change on the fly will make us wait for tomorrow and neglect today, and in the process accomplish nothing. The situation with Venus, short-term, and Neptune for a time longer, tempts us to hold out for perfection–but allowing the moment its own shape is a kind of perfection in itself, one we may not, right now, be in the best place to recognize or judge. So, just let it happen.

New Moon report is right here–