With the Moon now in Gemini until Thursday, we are into the last week prior to a Leo New Moon and total solar eclipse on Monday. A waning Gemini Moon tends to support talking about things so as to resolve issues. With Mercury only a few days into a retrograde that will last until Sept. 5, however, communication could be a challenge.

The theme of challenge is echoed by Venus as it continues to move through the middle third of Cancer. Earlier today, Venus opposed Pluto in Capricorn. Thursday, Venus will move to within 90 degrees (a square aspect) of Jupiter in Libra.

As with most experiences, the outcome of a challenge largely depends on one’s point of view in response. Getting discouraged does not support resolution. Action is important. Nonetheless, the type of action you take is also crucial.

With the Leo Sun now moving into a fire trine (a separation of 120 degrees on the zodiac) with Eris in the latter third of Aries, an intemperate confrontation may easily escalate to make any solution problematic. Unfortunately, there are already some examples of violent tragedies in the news. As the Sun moves towards a similar trine with Uranus (also in Aries) just hours before the total eclipse, it seems clear that having things out once and for all will only extend conditions that do not help the causes of peace, love or understanding.

If one is to assume that you do not revel in violent confrontation, the question now being posed by the sky as a whole is how you should handle challenging situations. The answer is almost certainly not doing nothing at all. To refrain from all action would only cede the coming days to those whose only purpose is to achieve their ends through intimidation.

To begin with, it might be helpful for your own personal evolution to exercise some conscious control over what, where and when you decide to confront. Given how Mercury’s retrograde (moving through Virgo until the end of this month) can make communications with others dicey, it may be advisable to start with yourself.

If you are stuck in cynicism, acting to work beyond it would be a good place to start. If anger is rising within you, simply squelching it will probably not make you feel any better. Searching within and getting clear on the origins of your rage, on the other hand, could entail the first step of understanding where others are coming from. Then, you could go even further by finding a way to put your inner fire to some sort of constructive use.

Most of all, perspective would seem to be important. Any challenges facing you now are not likely to be of recent origin. Logically, what has been building up for a long time would also take some time to address.

The idea is to see beyond the moment, even (or especially) when the immediate intensity is so severe. Somewhere beyond what the Sun, Moon, Venus and other planets are now doing is a different set of conditions. Even the most severe series of challenges is never interminable.

Therefore, persist. Persevere with yourself so as to assure that the fires of this moment ultimately forge you into a person you want to be and can sustain.

With others, don’t push. Rather, pull. After working to pull yourself together, look for ways to support community and cooperation with those closest to you. Then, work out into the world. Just a few people pulling in the same direction can prevail over frictions and currents that no one person could overcome.

Finally, as you move through the days leading up to the Great American Eclipse, be kind. Be kind to yourself, especially if you feel as though you have fallen short.

As for others, be as gentle with them as you would have them be to you. It’s quite likely that any person you meet is feeling challenged right now, and one kind word could very well be the beginning of an outcome nearly everybody can live (and let live) with.

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