Starcodes Aug 4, 2023 Heather Roan Robbins

Summer’s rhythm slows down like a drying creek turning muddy; swirls and eddies ask us to linger and stop. Be in this moment rather than try to rush down the river with Venus, Chiron, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto all appear to move backwards while Mercury prepares to join them and turn retrograde on August 23. Communications get odd, technical glitches begin to thicken, so start practicing basic Mercury retrograde survival skills, allow for extra time and confirm all appointments. Our general progress slows with so many people either in vacation mind or distracted by some important side agenda, so we might as well enjoy the pace.

At the same time, let’s not get caught in a personal backwater. Some too familiar emotional pattern or aesthetic conundrum can resurface and now needs work as retrograde Venus squares Uranus while Mars and Mercury work through in Virgo. Self-doubts, self-criticism, shame, or guilt which are echoes from our past could try to pull us into those swirls and eddies, but they are a place for us to work through, not get stuck within. If those feelings arise- see the mud for what it is and step aside.

Tap into the Venus-Uranus creative ferment instead. Engage personal art therapy, activate the right side of the brain while puttering with art supplies, gardening, or dancing and they apply this creativity towards a major life challenge. Just be thoughtful about long-term aesthetic decisions for the moment; experiment but hold onto that tattoo design until after Venus turns direct on Sept 3rd. It is a truly terrible time to rebrand a company, but Elon Musk never asked.

As the weekend begins, we may feel responsible for another person’s problems or feel another is responsible for ours as Saturn opposes Mercury under an empathic Pisces Moon-Neptune conjunction. We may need to bond together to tackle a real problem, like a forest fire, which needs our collective cooperation, or we may need to hold the boundary and believe in a person without enabling them on some more self-created mess. Let compassion fill up and spill over but take a step back to see what would really help all sentient beings in this situation. Break those patterns and step into a healthier version.

Over the weekend the Moon in Aries calls for action and can help us cope in real emergencies or make us impatient with those who aren’t helping themselves. If all is well, this Moon will just give us the energy to enjoy summer. Short projects further, although we could feel like we have to hurry…