It was never really just a swing set. It sat amid the trees and beckoned to you all during your childhood. You learned about the sky from looking upwards as you swung. The seats were always coming apart—they tore easily and were only made of a hard fabric—and you might injure yourself if you went too far in your upward arc; but you liked to do it anyway, jumping off into the air and landing in the dirt before falling to your knees. You grew up, but somehow you never really outgrew the swings.

Childhood pleasures have their place—even in the midst of responsible adulthood. Especially in the midst of responsible adulthood. Life sometimes gets very tough, and the yearning for simpler times becomes overwhelming. So it was that you made your way back to the swing set—still standing there as if it was waiting for you. The seats were rubber now, held by chains that looked vaguely like a torture device, but you sat down in one and began to pump forward and backward with your body weight.

You laughed as the familiar sensations began to reappear, the swinging becoming easier as your arc grew longer and the laws of physics took over. Eventually you were level with the horizontal metal pole where the swings were clamped, then rising above it with the breeze you created whistling in your ears. You decided to jump off, but you weren’t eight anymore and for a moment you doubted the wisdom of it. But then you thought, “That’s what swings are for!”

And that’s the energy of this week—a backward glance and a movement toward clear vision and a sense of wonderment, even in the midst of hard times and worldly turmoil. It’s a time to refresh our vision so that we can see familiar things as if for the first time. For creative artists, this is a time when the Muse can strike more easily because we are pulled into our inner being.

THE KEYNOTE THIS WEEK IS FOLLOWING OUR REAL BLISS.

We are past the hinge point now of this long 23-day Mercury Retrograde period, and the downslope is a little easier than the first couple of weeks. (Not that anything about Mercury Retrograde is completely easy!) Mercury, Messenger of the Gods in Roman mythology, is a later version of the Greek god Hermes, God of Wisdom. The caduceus familiar to us as the symbol of physicians was in origin a depiction of the path of the Kundalini, the spiritual energies twirling as they rise up the spine.

Mercury Retrograde periods are famous for disruption of communications and missed signals—hence, accidents or great frustration—but because the energy is naturally indrawn, this can also be a time when real wisdom is found. So the best thing a creative person can do while Mercury is retrograde is to hone, hone, hone! Sharpen the dialogue until it can cut glass; practice the dance until it’s Olympian-style perfect; sip tea and meditate until the perfect musical riff drops into your consciousness.

Speaking of consciousness, the Full Moon occurs this week on Wednesday night, August 1st (8:38 pm PDT/11:38 pm EDT). The Sun sits at 10 degrees Leo, so the Moon is in its opposition in relation to the Earth at 10 degrees Aquarius. This is a sacred day for more reasons than one.

In physical astrology, Leo rules the chest and heart, the central point of the upper torso and symbolically the center of our being. Its ruling planet is the Sun, now at the pinnacle of its strength in the Northern Hemisphere. A fixed Fire Sign governing the human and Divine Will, it is said that there is nothing that Leo energy can’t do if it focuses its own force. (The Sun, of course, literally creates our lives.) So creativity is heightened when the Sun is in Leo. A great exuberance in self-expression pervades the atmosphere.  Have you ever known a Leo who voluntarily left the stage?

Aquarius is given to collective consciousness, the place of the individual within a larger spectrum. An Air Sign, it has to do with a comprehension of context, of what is best for all concerned. This is why many Sun Sign Aquariuses are cerebral, eccentric, sometimes genius types—they have an understanding of both individual freedom issues and how social cohesion works for the collective good. Hence the famous “Age of Aquarius,” where the visionary and compassionate aspects of humanity begin to unfold, and everyone accepts one’s individual expression. This is an actual astronomical age, and we are now entering the cusp of it.

This week, we can have a small taste of it. In the East, the Full Moon of July is called “Guru Poornima,” the day set aside for worship of the Divine in the form of one’s own teacher, the one who shows you the path to Enlightenment. Annual celebrations occur under this Full Moon which release strong currents of harmony and peace into the world. So this is an excellent time to meditate and celebrate the creative force of peace.  

Many are currently watching the Olympic Games being staged in London. They provide a forum for athletes from every nation to experience a collective event, even if it involves competition. The creative arts also have a role to play in bringing personal and collective harmony and peace.

One had only to watch Sir Paul McCartney leading the masses in a rousing “Hey Jude” to realize that creative works written generations ago can still hold great potency. The arts have a therapeutic effect on our existence; they hold healing power—the ability to take a sad song in our heart and make it better. And because everything is frequency and vibration, that can affect not only our own little corner of the world, but perhaps also the whole.

Let this week be a time to create works of beauty and power that raise awareness of our innate unity.

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun Signs, dates approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): Who is that man over there with a incendiary device and why is it turning into a flower as you watch? The answer is that it’s entirely in your own vision. Uranus in your sign is a portable lightning bolt but this week the lightning stands still and gives you a chance to harmonize with yourself and others. So don’t throw too many bolts.

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): Aunt Sophie’s recipe for what ails you is up for a return in your life. If you want to be well you have to take the right medicine. Purge your life of things that arise out of a sense of need, as opposed to true desire. How much do you really want what’s good for you? What would you give for it? This week, Aunt Sophie wants to know.

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): You’re coming into the airport on the jumbo jet and the pilot’s voice says, “We’re experiencing a little turbulence, but we’ll get you there safely.” He’s not telling you about the stuck landing gear, he’s communicating his confidence that he can solve the problem. That’s your week if you aren’t too cocky–an eventual smooth glide despite the issues.

CANCER (June 20-July 19): It’s not so much that you enjoy being moody, it’s that you respond so deeply to unseen energies. This week could give you the Moody Blues if you don’t take care to keep your emotions cool. So if you want some “Nights in White Satin,” keep the emotional volume down to a dull roar. And don’t rip those satin sheets, they could come in handy now.

LEO (July 20-August 19): It’s not often that you have the opportunity to be King of the Jungle and Lord of Your Own Life while simultaneously being challenged to be egoless. But that’s what’s up for you this week—communicating your greatness purely through your selfless example. The applause you hear is not because you’re so great, but because you got it.

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): That glint in the boss’s eye says he likes you. That’s because he knows you’re such a detail-oriented personality. This week, there’s a need to detail your own rationale for why you do what you’re currently doing. Rethink your sense of duty. Butterflies are free, and they grace the world with beauty. It’s time you fluttered on up to the heights.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): It’s hard to be popular; just ask George Clooney. You think he enjoys red carpet events, being an idol for both men and women, being politically active and and devilishly handsome, too? OK, maybe he does. But I’m sure he has days when he’d trade it all in for some solitude. This week, so would you. But your eager fans are waiting.

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19): Sometimes the hand is waving to you from a spa, and sometimes it’s just three inches from your face attached to a raving maniac. This week, you may experience both. Questions of life direction come up and you need to choose well. I’d go with the spa; no sense tussling with life when you can have all the tension massaged out of you.

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): The invitation says, “Bring your own bottle.” So you stop and pick up a bottle of wine, 6 bottles of beer, a bottle of iced tea and a replica of a bottle-nosed dolphin. Then you bring them all to the party and say, “You didn’t say what KIND of bottle!” Life is good and fun this week if you can keep a sense of humor amid the glitches.

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): The parking meter is about to run out, but you consider it beneath you to worry about it. So you come out of the restaurant and there stands the parking enforcement official, looking officious. But you catch their eye and they know better than to give you a ticket because of your own fierce glance. This week, work hard, park hard.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): Those fangs growing in your jaws aren’t just because of the Full Moon in your sign this week. They’re there because you’re evolving and about to take a bigger bite out of life. This means no more biting down on items that are bad for you, whether human, animal or financial debt. Sharpen your vision and your teeth will follow.

PISCES (February 20-March 19): Birds gotta fly, and fish gotta swim. But the old swimming hole is so filled up with muck lately that’s it’s impossible to tell if there are any fish still there in the creek. This week, take a rake and go clean out the silt from the bottom. And while you’re at it, clean out your own psyche. It’s time for a major renovation project, starting with yourself.

NEXT WEEK: The Messenger of the Gods uses Federal Express and  delivers some energy in the right direction! Will the Mercury station help us deliver the creative goods? Find out when we open up that mysterious package that’s glowing in the dark, right here in STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.