By Amanda Painter

Now that Mars is finally direct as of Monday, what have you been able to put in motion? Is there anything you actually feel more uncertain about or stymied by than you did last week? Hopefully you’re enjoying a sense of energy freeing up for use, though it’s possible that this week’s aspects are raising some new questions.

A fellow student in the lounge of the Kristin Linklater Voice Center. Photo by Amanda Painter

For example, two aspects that have caught my eye are: the asteroid Vesta conjunct the centaur Ixion in Sagittarius; and the asteroid Ceres square the centaur Pholus and the Galactic Core (GC) in Sagittarius.

In general, that Sadge energy might be lending a sense of restlessness — though the tension of these aspects could also be seen as questions.

For example, are you finding this week that your approach to nurturing your ‘higher purpose’ is to get critical of the ways you’ve often strayed from it? That could be one way Ceres-GC might manifest.

Yet, when we add in Pholus, another thread emerges: the idea that, just as a small act of selfless service can go a long way, so can a little self-criticism take on a life of its own. Which of those would you rather send rippling out into the world? Because even if you keep your fault-finding of yourself to yourself, there’s an excellent chance it could hinder your ability or willingness to offer your gifts fully to those around you — thereby shortchanging the world of your light. What might happen if you pushed aside any thoughts of ‘not good enough yet’ and just offered what you can do?

The Vesta-Ixion conjunction brings together a curious mixture of devotion/sacrifice (Vesta) and the amoral, ‘anybody is capable of anything’ theme of Ixion. Have you been wondering about the ethics of devotion and sacrifice lately, especially regarding a goal or a second chance?

Whether a second chance at achievement or a second chance at redemption has presented itself to you, what are you willing to do to pursue it, and how clear do you feel about it internally? People often say that actions do not feel like sacrifices when genuine love and joy are the motivating factors, or when something simply feels like ‘the thing to do’ without question. This could be a good day to note where you are along that spectrum.

You’ll also want to notice whether you’re meeting up with any reminders of people and situations who have compromised your ability to sort through questions like these in the past. This is one way of interpreting Friday’s opposition between the Virgo Sun and the centaur planet Nessus in Pisces.

A key theme of Nessus is ‘the buck stops here’, and Virgo is a famously mental sign. If you’ve ever been in a situation where someone you’re relating to has been able to get you a little turned around in your head (especially about any kind of boundary transgression, from the subtle and energetic to something stronger or more malicious), this could be a time to see that for what it is, and to handle it differently. That is the essence of ‘stopping the buck’, after all: to exercise your considerable power of choice in how you respond to actions and patterns you’d rather not continue to engage.

Speaking of such dynamics: the last aspect to grab my attention this weekend is an opposition between Venus in Libra and Eris in Aries. At the risk of being too flip: are you the peacemaker or the crazy-maker in any given current situation? That is, are you focused on maintaining your relationships, or are you getting drawn into sabotaging them? You might not see yourself in either role — in which case, if you encounter someone who does, pay attention to how you respond.

This could be especially important on social media, where it can be easy to lose sight of the fullness of the relationships that underlie polarized debates. You might want to investigate the art of being inclusive, compassionate and civil while still maintaining healthy boundaries. Where is that point of negotiation in keeping the peace without feeling trampled or holding back your truth?

Against the backdrop of some slow-moving planets making major changes, these other planets are doing their best to keep you learning. We’re in a lovely little window of potentially clearer sailing now that Mars is direct (though you’ll want to stay alert, and apply what you’ve learned as it leaves Capricorn and retraces its Aquarian steps) — and with Mercury leaving its post-retrograde echo or shadow phase on Sunday. Though mark your calendar: Venus will itself be stationing retrograde in Scorpio on Oct. 5. You might not be going ‘back to school’ like many kids are this week, but we’re all definitely still students.