This is a big, busy week filled with uphill battles and other challenges, but the good news is that we’ll have some energy and discipline to do the work.

As the week begins, we’re still under the influence of Sunday’s Full Moon in Aquarius, which should have helped us find creative ways to surmount the obstacles in our path. With the outer planets at conflicting angles for most of the past year, many of us have felt stuck between a rock and a hard place, with fewer and fewer options for breaking free and moving into new territory.

For most of us, forward movement not only is possible, but likely. Sunday’s Full Moon was a lovely gift in this regard, and I truly hope you all are able to use it to get out of the difficult circumstances you’ve been writing to me about. There’s a further promise of movement this week when Mars joins Jupiter, Uranus, and Saturn in the cardinal T-square, which will dominate the sky for the next several weeks.

Taking the week chronologically, on Monday Saturn opposes Uranus for the fifth and final time in this 45-year cycle. The first opposition was on Nov. 4, 2008 — Election Day in the United States. What will happen to bring this opposition full circle? I’ll be looking for major news from the White House, something totally unexpected (or bigger than expected). Individually, we should be able to resolve a confounding situation that began around November 2008 or, at least, to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

On Tuesday, Mercury enters Virgo, one of the two signs he rules. Virgo is helpful, practical, and down-to-earth, but there also can be a neurotic perfectionism that turns interactions with others into a running critique. This is a good time to reflect on your motivation and to make sure your own house is in order before criticizing others. Note that Mercury will turn retrograde in Virgo in mid-August and as of next week will be in pre-retrograde shadow. To the extent possible, sign contracts and make major purchases now. Otherwise, you may have to wait until the middle of September.

On Thursday, Mars enters Libra, the sign of his detriment. Hopefully, this is going to work to our advantage, as the aggressive side of Mars is tempered in peace-loving Libra. This transit could correspond to diplomatic solutions over more saber-rattling in hot spots of the world. Still, there is cause for concern, as Mars will oppose Uranus on Friday and conjoin Saturn on Saturday. Mars and Uranus make an explosive pair, while a Mars-Saturn conjunction favors military action.

Of all the planets in the T-square, Saturn has the most power right now. He’s in the sign of his exaltation, so he’s extra-receptive to the energy of Mars in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn, which Saturn rules. By contrast, Mars is debilitated, and Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto are all retrograde.

In our daily lives, relationships take precedence, and we’re working through issues such as who does what, how the load is shared, and whether we have balanced, equal partnerships. Achieving balance in relationships starts with our own inner balance. If one partner is “off,” the other needs to compensate. This is fine when both parties agree to it. But usually they don’t, and that’s where we get in trouble. Confronting imbalances without being confrontational is our task this week.

There’s no doubt that Friday is going to be tough all around. The Moon in early Aries is liable to fuel emotional knee-jerk reactions and lots of screaming, “It’s all about me!” If ever there was an aspect for a collective emotional meltdown, this is it.

Fortunately, Saturn in Libra is associated with fairness, justice, equality, and the legal muscle to back it up. With some energetic input from Mars, we can work through thorny issues and step up to challenges with less fear of failure. If we’ve had difficulties making changes, the Mars force can help us blast through the obstacles. Indeed, events in the next two weeks may force us to stretch beyond our limitations, whether self-imposed or external.

Do try to confront difficult issues this week, because next week it will be even harder to get past the power struggles. The work may be hard, but putting it off and making excuses will make it even harder down the road.

If you’d like to take a look in the sky to see this historic alignment, here’s a sky map for Friday, July 30, courtesy of spaceweather.com.

Wishing you infinite love and courage,
Pat