ArcaMax

Stress is not good or bad. It is merely a description of a certain amount of tension. Any intensity and type of tension can be favorable for the right situation. Much depends on how we frame the circumstances. As for the tensions in play on this opening of Capricorn season, they will be short-lived, breaking with the moon's passage into the ...Read more

Welcome to the last push to finish the year strong. The Mars retrograde has decided to provide an extra layer to the experience. The downside is wrenches in the works, tools that break, people behaving undependably and more. The upside is that a pause can be a wake-up call, causing us to question what work is really worth doing and why.

ARIES...Read more

If a goal is right for you, you'll be willing to do what it takes to get there. So when things aren't lining up, try to find the rub. The adjustment may have to do with information, time, methods, teammates or the goal itself. The Virgo moon offers practical grounding to the last full day of the Sagittarius sun. A liberating realization will ...Read more

No omelet is made without breaking eggs. No house is built without breaking ground. No love unfolds without breaking hearts. No new order can be established without breaking the current rules. Venus floats a question to Jupiter in this late hour of the Sagittarius sun: What prize is so special it's worth the drama of destruction?

ARIES (March...Read more

Planets orbit the sun. Moths fly at the bulb. Humans gather around a fire. In these last days of the Sagittarian solar journey, the "fire" may come in the form of passionate artistic expression, remarkable athletic commitment or the feeling drummed up by an incendiary topic. The solar angle to Neptune takes the action in an incredibly ...Read more

Times are emotional, so keep your hand on the burner dial so you can turn up the heat or bring things down to a simmer as needed. The moon makes an emotional trine to visionary Neptune before transforming into the cat, an omen bursting with imagination and playfulness, if tinged with spicy ferocity. A creative prompt: What does "fierce" mean ...Read more

Since we only see our half of relationships, it's impossible to know how the other person might be experiencing it, but oh, how we'll try in the afterglow of the Cold Moon. We'll project ourselves into what we imagine to be their point of view, asking astute questions, observing and absorbing what people share because to see things from ...Read more

In her poem "The Moon and the Yew Tree," Sylvia Plath painted the wintry tones of isolation: "The moon is no door. It is a face in its own right. White as a knuckle and terribly upset." The cold supermoon is the invitation to create the warmth the world lacks. Mercury direct seconds the notion to build a fire, share a meal, a story, a hug, and...Read more

While deception can have a negative association, it's a strategy for survival and an evolutionary adaptation we are not alone in having; many other species have evolved to do this, too. And there would be no entertainment, espionage or diplomacy were we not able to transform ourselves. On the last day of Mercury's retrograde, consider the ...Read more

The difference between good luck and bad luck is famously indistinguishable in the moment luck is granted, and arguably ever-after. As Einstein suggested, for every action there is a reaction. Given that subjective opinions of "good" and "bad" exist on a blip of a timeline of ever-twisting plots, you may find it liberating to consider all luck...Read more

Gendered themes will extend through all areas of life, and there will hardly be an experience that doesn't bring into examination our gender norms. These are also the last days of Mercury retrograde, so it's easy for communication to spin out of control. Favored activities include listening more than you talk, extending curiosity before ...Read more

The lunar journey into the sign of material possessions encourages thoughtful choices about what to add to your collection of earthly goods. Just know that today's treasure can become tomorrow's trinket and vice versa. But if you love a thing and it brings you multileveled joy, it's probably worth having, regardless of its current value on the...Read more

They say it's lonely at the top, but the truth is that it's lonely at the bottom and in the middle, too, because loneliness is more about how you perceive your position than what it actually is. This week's theme of selfishness continues with an arrogant lunar journey through Aries. Fortune favors the checked ego. Stay humble and helpful, ...Read more

Though it gets a bad rap, selfishness is a normal part of human development. Arguably, to some extent, our sense of identity requires it. Our self-centeredness can often be forgiven when we consider that without the instinct to take care of ourselves, we wouldn't get far. Yesterday's lunar squares of selfishness are replaced by today's trines ...Read more

On a day rich in lunar squares to highly influential planets, it can be helpful to remember that everyone needs to feel important. To recognize this need in yourself and get the attention in a way you're proud of is the stuff of superior skill. Some try to prove their importance by framing themselves as the best of the best or the worst of the...Read more

A day after Mars goes into retrograde, Neptune lofts a message of hope, turning direct. Do not accept other people's definition of you as your own. Do not accept other people's version of the story as the only one. Take control of your own narrative to whatever degree you can and you'll find that you were wrong; you can shape it even more, and...Read more

When Mars goes retrograde, the conflicts and obstacles that were once apparent, tangible blockades become internal, invisible and inspiring of doubts that they even exist of all. But just because a barrier is constructed in the mind doesn't make it any less effective at its purpose. Just remember, what's constructed can also be deconstructed. ...Read more

The sun and Mercury join in Sagittarius, a supportive alliance that breeds more successful bonds between people actively contributing to one another's efforts. Some chip in with resources or focus on emotional generosity, building others up with encouragement. Others pipe up with the tough truths that motivate change.

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

Mercury and Jupiter are in opposition, featuring lies of omission and fibs of fabrication alike. Some looser interpretations of the truth are called poetry, romance or fantastic thinking. What's the spirit of the message? Who gains and who is diminished? Is the intent to cause, lessen or avoid pain? Maybe we can't sort it out in one day, but ...Read more

Sure, your brain is part of your body, but your mind is something much less tangible and more powerful, making the link between body and mind quite mysterious. You don't need to fully understand how these align to get the clarity and strength you seek, though, and the Capricorn moon is in favor of muscling through. Intention will be enough ...Read more