ArcaMax

Personal baggage is typically unprocessed emotion. What goes unprocessed is not always negative. Sometimes we feel like we're not supposed to have the joy that is inside of a moment, at least not openly, because not everybody is feeling it. What joy flew by you back there when Pluto was retrograde? How could you make it safe to feel it now?

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The first hours of Jupiter's retrograde are the last hours of Pluto's. History never stops; it just rolls to the next part. We exist in a stream of personal history, shared history, agreements and disagreements about what it took to come to this moment. To acknowledge history honors the present exchange, which will soon join its place in ...Read more

Never discount your own experience, as it's the one you have the most direct control over. If the only suffering you can relieve is your own, then you will have done something crucial to lessen the suffering that exists in the world. The Jupiter retrograde sometimes represents a reversal of fortune, but if that's what it takes to remind a ...Read more

While there may be absolutely nothing wrong with a relationship, unless it's growing, it's also not quite right. Because a relationship that stays the same will eventually be diminished by the ever-evolving nature of life itself. A lucky move on the countdown to Jupiter's retrograde: Think about what's next. Give yourself over to the process ...Read more

It can be scary to get close while being fully aware that of the billions of people on the planet, there's not a single perfect one. In Libra season, the adventurous Sagittarius moon is a reminder of how relationships are bound to disappoint. Once we accept that this is just what humans do, we can move on to the business of learning and loving...Read more

People may think of themselves as brands, but they aren't. The brand is a collection of perceptions. People are and will always be beyond any role they could possibly take on. The strife between Mercury and Mars and a lunar opposition is a reminder of how most of the things by which we define ourselves are constructs. Let your heart radiate ...Read more

As much as we despise the idea of having to reject someone, we cannot overlook the fact that rejection is among life's greatest gifts. It inspires us to develop further, try harder and turn ourselves into forces to be reckoned with. Even through the stressed angle to Mars, Mercury offers a balm for the pain -- a rich opportunity inside the ...Read more

It is easier to be nice at certain times of day. It is easier to be nice when particular needs are already met. It is easier to be nice when others have been nice to you. Would you give a pass to people dealing with circumstances that might make it more difficult to go forward in good cheer? Such compassionate affordances are the marks of good...Read more

Active and varied lunar activity portends people trying to convince one another that their particular methods, ideologies and convictions are universal truths that all should adopt. It's absurd, and rarely worth an argument. Meanwhile, the real truth will be non-intrusive. It doesn't try to sell itself. It minds its own business and bothers no...Read more

Togetherness is always a compromise, usually a sacrifice and typically an ever-changing arrangement. It's also an opportunity to accept the many blessings that come with human imperfection. The new moon of partnership encourages us to support one another; give each other the benefit of the doubt; and take a chance on sharing the journey, the ...Read more

Do not doubt that your brain is similar to the brains of other humans, and yet your mind is wired up so uniquely that it would be impossible for another person to have the exact sequence of thoughts and impressions that you experienced in the last hour. In this moment before the new moon, let your appreciation of your own unique thought ...Read more

The reason upbringing matters is not because any upbringing is better than another; rather it's because different upbringings have various focuses, instill a distinct range of values and provide early exposure to a particular set of skills. The solar conjunction to Mercury stimulates curiosity and helps us learn where others are coming from so...Read more

In times gone by, conformity was even more important than it is now. People were ruined for engaging in practices that are now considered typical freedoms of everyday life. The soulful water-sign trine of Mars and Saturn encourages gratitude for our good fortune, which includes the affordances of a modern era, as imperfect as it may be.

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The moon in the sign of lionhearted Leo likes to remind us that love and pain are bookends with volumes between them. All those stories hold up because of the tacit agreement of those ends. Love cannot exist without pain, as the risk of pain is what makes love LOVE and not some more transactional arrangement.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Giving...Read more

The Leo moon at a strong angle to Venus in seductive and stinging Scorpio features the potential for trouble and delight. Much will hinge on the chemistry between people. Personalities can mesh, rub or collide. The balance of characters in a room makes all the difference to the output of the group and the comfort of its members.

ARIES (March ...Read more

As humans, we agree on what a word means, and then we go rogue, twisting and breaking those agreements according to our own agendas, and elevating communication to a level of complexity befitting our cultural and personal aims. Mercury's leap into Libra lends itself to the sophisticated sort of elocution that means nothing and everything at ...Read more

The opposition of Mercury and Jupiter highlights the pull between who we are and who we say we are. It's only natural to feature what we consider our better qualities to those we would like to impress, and perhaps even to ourselves in moments when we could use the bolstering. In today's case, we start to grow into this shinier version of ...Read more

An earth-sign trine of Mercury and Uranus follows yesterday's excellent alignments, furthering the conversation between potential partners of all kinds. Though small signals like word choice and tone clue us into where the other person is coming from, the biggest key to understanding is in the topics we focus on. Choose carefully!

ARIES (...Read more

On the first full day of Libra season, the chatty Gemini moon aligns with lucky Jupiter, portending the kinds of conversations that spark partnerships. Connections will be made in the style of a zipper, one notch at a time. Avoid rushing ahead or trying to fit too much information, conversation or commitment into one meeting.

ARIES (March 21-...Read more