By Amanda Painter

Are you looking around this week wondering if you can believe what you’re seeing? I know, I know: for many, this has become the expectation, not the surprise. Yet as we wind down toward the Virgo New Moon on Sunday, your perception of the environment — and how that influences your direct interactions and immediate relationships — could use some attention and discretion.

Ridges on a caterpillar’s back mimicking the edges of the leaves it’s feeding on, making it hard to discern; photo by Amanda Painter.

I say that because one of the most important aspects between now and the weekend (and even beyond) is the Sun in Virgo making its yearly opposition to Neptune (which itself is taking a leisurely stroll through Pisces).

This is an aspect of slippery perception: one that warns us to be wary of deception, both intentional and the accidental kind that comes with being distracted by surface impressions and glamour.

This week’s social media brouhaha over Nike’s choice to feature Colin Kaepernick as the face of its latest “Just Do It” ad campaign is one example. Kaepernick, you may recall, is the NFL quarterback who began the trend in 2016 of kneeling during the national anthem as a silent racial justice protest.

Now, on one side of the Nike ‘controversy’, there are people posting images of themselves burning their Nike gear or cutting the logo from it to protest Nike and Kaepernick on ‘patriotic’ grounds — seemingly oblivious to the fact that Nike already has their money. On the other side are people proclaiming their admiration and support for Nike (and Kaepernick, by extension) for their allegedly ‘courageous’ stand on racial justice and free speech.

Yet, on a third side, there are those who are looking through the glitz and emotional manipulation to focus on details most don’t want to bother with: as great as it is for a major corporation to promote a racial justice activist, Nike still commits questionable human rights practices (if not outright abuses) daily in their overseas factory sweatshops — factories that rely on the cheap labor of people of color.

On a more serious — if less glamorous — note, this week the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh began, amidst vocal protest and frustration. (Check Democracy Now’s ongoing coverage of the dire shenanigans.)

Reasons why many are pushing for these proceedings to be postponed: Kavanaugh was nominated by a President who is currently under federal investigation; less than 15 hours before the hearing began on Tuesday, 42,000 documents from Kavanaugh’s time in the White House Counsel’s Office were essentially dumped on the Senate Judiciary Committee, leaving no time to read (let alone analyze) them; the Trump administration is also withholding more than another 100,000 pages of Kavanaugh’s records on the basis of presidential privilege.

Oh, and let’s not forget the GOP’s no-holds-barred stonewalling of Pres. Obama’s SCOTUS nominee, Merrick Garland, shortly before the end of his second term. And not least, Kavanaugh’s questionable stances on crucial matters like executive power (he allegedly is in favor of expanding it greatly), and cases like Roe v. Wade that have set Constitutional precedence.

Just in case everything seems hunky-dory in your personal life, these two cultural examples should give you an idea of how a Sun-Neptune opposition can be reflected in daily life. One’s powers of discrimination may be compromised. Things like contracts and negotiations can be especially important to scrutinize for possible deception. Confrontation might feel extra uncomfortable, but don’t act surreptitiously — it will likely just make things messier, and the confrontation will find you anyway.

On the positive side, according to noted astrologer Robert Hand, it’s possible for Sun opposite Neptune, in its highest expression, to come through as tremendous depth of feeling and spirituality, and great understanding for a partner. The tricky thing, of course, is that Western culture generally does not foster soul-level existence and expression. We human beings get tripped up by unclear emotions and muddy thinking even when there are no major aspects to Neptune. So something like the Sun in a sign ruled by Mercury, the planet of mind, opposing Neptune in a sign that’s already dreamy and emotional, calls for careful handling.

Against the background of all that, a surprising number of interesting events are unfolding. Just today, for example, the asteroid Ceres moves into Libra, making an opposition to Chiron in Aries. This has the potential to bring attention to how our relationships are (or are not) offering the sustenance we need to flourish as the individuals we are — and whether we offer similar nourishment to those we care about, as they struggle to figure out who they are. (Note that Ceres and Chiron are also in Aries Point territory, which heightens the personal impact of, and investment in, issues like the Kavanaugh hearing and the Kaepernick/Nike ad.)

Also today, Saturn stations direct in very early Capricorn (also an Aries Point event; the first degree or so of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn all ring the ‘personal is political’ bell). I’ll be curious to see whether there’s a shift in the news events mentioned with this one: Saturn represents authority figures (among other things), and Capricorn can signify governments and big business. Whether forward progress looks they way we’d like it to is another question.

I’m also intrigued by today’s conjunction between Mercury, Pallas and the hypothetical point Transpluto in Virgo. This is a reminder not to let a too-narrow view or an over-focus on minute details prevent you from forming a strategic plan. Plans and strategies need to take in the broader picture and longer-term view (also known as creative vision) along with the nitty-gritty that’s currently at hand.

On Saturday, Venus in Libra squares Mars in Capricorn (exact at 4:38 pm EDT / 20:38:00 UTC). While this is a passionate aspect, it’s also one of tension and very different energies. If you feel yourself getting competitive, can you take a step back and consider things from a standpoint of mutual benefit instead? Note that if you are harboring unexpressed sexual energy or other tensions in a relationship, this aspect could push it to the forefront.

Can you address what comes up and express it while still staying open emotionally? I suspect that might help to ease Venus’ move from Libra into Scorpio on Sunday (5:25 am EDT / 9:25:09 UTC).

Venus changes signs a little less than nine hours before the Sun and Moon make their conjunction for the Virgo New Moon, which is exact on Sunday at 2:01:26 pm EDT (18:01:22 UTC). Although there are several intriguing items in this chart, one in particular calls for mention: the Sun and Moon will be sextile Jupiter in Scorpio.

Jupiter in Scorpio has been interesting for many people I know, because it’s been emphasizing both ‘positive’ things and sub-surface issues that previously had been ignored. In Scorpio, this seems to often come through in matters of sex, money and various forms of deep transformation.

As Jupiter receives this sextile from the Moon and Sun in Virgo, it appears you’re being offered a helping hand in starting something new. If you’re trying to materialize a plan for the future, this weekend would be a good time to review the details and then see the parts as the whole that they need to be for you to make progress. Both sextiles and Jupiter tend to reward efforts made to engage the energy actively.

That said, both the Moon and Sun sextile Jupiter bode well for almost any kind of activity — especially the social kind. Whether you gather with old friends or new friends, or take yourself out solo to a festival or museum or wherever, or even if circumstances dictate that your phone or computer is the only mode of connection that’s feasible, notice the quality of these interactions. Better yet, do your part to make them a little deeper, a little more present, maybe even a little more helpful than usual. Even in these times when seeing does not equate with believing, connecting with each other remains a central purpose of live on Earth.