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It’s that time of year: the Summer-of-our-Discontent time! When the heat accumulation seems never-ending and time seems to stand still leaving one to endless navel gazing.  These are the dog days of Summer and I don’t think I’ve ever said this before, but I think I will actually welcome Fall this year instead of slightly resenting it’s arrival after the peak of Summer. As it is I am collecting cheap cashmere sweaters at Beacon’s Closet and Housing Works like a squirrel storing nuts for the Winter!

As every astrologer under the universe has mentioned, there’s been a plethora of conflict in the sky for the past several weeks. I have not been immune to the astrological aspects that have caused quite a bit of  ennui in the heavy, humid, overly stifling air (at least the air in New York City subways). Most of the time, as a Taurus, I am content to simply plod along knowing that I’ll eventually get where I need to go. However, with all those oppositions, conjunctions, and squares in the sky and with Mars in the mix it really makes you want to “Do SOMEthing!” And when pressed to act, and one doesn’t know what to do, one tends to get a little introspective and start asking BIG questions about their life. Like should I put together a 5, 10 and 15 year plan for my life, especially given that I’m not exactly a youngin anymore?

Of course, I had those 5, 10, and 15 year plans for my life starting when I was twenty, and although I have achieved many of my “To Do’s” in terms of life, some seem endlessly elusive (marriage and kids for one) and not something that one can achieve by oneself. And, as I’ve found, life often has more (or different) things in store for us than we plan! It’s good to have goals, but also good not to be rigidly tied to them.

We still have a few more weeks of challenging aspects: there’s this weekend Venus Squares Uranus on Saturday and the conjuncts Saturn on Sunday. That’s not exactly happiness for romance! August 11th and 12th mark the one month past the last solar eclipse—which oftentimes carries a message from the eclipse if one did not show up o the actual eclipse itself. Then on August 20th, we’ll have another Mercury Retrograde spanning the degrees of 19 Virgo until it starts moving forwards again on Septemer 12th at 5 degrees Virgo. I’m going on vacation in the middle of this Retrograde, as I have a feeling it will be a good time to reflect and relax (and also avoid chaos in the office)!

I think this Retrograde might actually bring more relief and ability to refresh oneself before Fall for many! Virgo is a sign that takes well to Retrogrades. Virgo always wants to reorganize and perfect, so this retrograde would be extra-specially good to do a bit of home reorganization and pre-Fall cleaning!