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Astrology

Free Will Astrology: Week of July 9, 2026

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by Rob Brezsny | July 7, 2026 (newcity.com)

Whales jump out of the water with seagulls flying over the water.

Photo: George Karelitsky

ARIES (March 21-April 19): There are only two types of humans, right? Some of us serve beauty, truth and goodness, while the rest pledge their allegiance to illusions, lies and shadows. Our planet is now caught in a colossal showdown between these two sides. And it’s high time for you to align yourself with one or the other. JUST KIDDING! The truth is far messier and more interesting: Every one of us is a blend of luminosity and ignorance. And now is a perfect moment to study how those two currents move within you. When you clearly see how you contribute to the murky jumble, your commitment to love, harmony and justice will soar.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll move with style and purpose if you take quick jaunts, dare gentle risks and make a few nimble leaps of faith. You’ll go awry and astray if you wander too far afield, chase swaggering adventures or try vaulting across yawning chasms. Keep it light, sharp and intuitive, Taurus. Refrain from lugging heavy emotional baggage or drifting into daydream limbo. It’ll be wise to trust your sprightly impulses, but foolish to dissect them so ruthlessly that the magic leaks out. The color amber and the number three will be your allies. Somber gray and the number four will not. Align with sly visionaries and soulful realists but sidestep bitter contrarians and nostalgic clingers.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I swear I’m smarter in some places than in others. My intelligence soars in Barcelona, Kyoto, Aix-en-Provence, France and Florence, Italy. But I seem dull-witted in Munich, Moscow and Washington, D.C. Even in Northern California, my long-time home, some areas bring out the best in me. I feel mediocre on Valencia Street in San Francisco, for instance, whereas I’m extra wise in downtown Berkeley. Why is this? The branch of astrology known as astrocartography says that my strengths are more likely to shine in certain spots than others. In the coming weeks, Gemini, I urge you to experiment with the possibility that this may be true for you, as well. Wander far and wide. Find out where you feel most aligned with your deep, bright, genuine self.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Male humpback whales in the Pacific Ocean change their songs over the years. New phrases can spread across thousands of miles as other whales take up and transform them. Researchers don’t know why, but the pattern is clear: The whales value novelty even in their ancient rituals. They create an evolving musical tradition. Consider what this practice might suggest for your own relationship with the past, Cancerian. The memories and patterns you’re carrying don’t have to remain frozen. You can honor your history while remixing it, adding new verses and changing the key. What needs to be preserved isn’t the exact form but the living spirit.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo-born oceanographer Marie Tharp created the first comprehensive maps of the ocean floor. Her work was pivotal in proving theories about plate tectonics. She did much of this work in the 1950s, when women weren’t even allowed aboard research vessels. She had to rely on data collected by others, never seeing the terrain she mapped. But her limitation became her advantage; distance allowed her to perceive patterns that field researchers missed. I suspect that you, too, are working with incomplete information, Leo. Does this disqualify you from drawing conclusions? No! I believe your inability to access certain details will compel you to see larger patterns. What you’re missing might be precisely what enables you to see what others can’t.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The “problem” confronting you right now is unusual: Your vision is too sharp, your thinking too precise, and your words too unambiguous. This would usually be good news to celebrate, but at the moment it’s blocking you from noticing the subtle openings life is presenting. Those portals may only reveal themselves if you soften your intense scrutiny and call on a creative, blurry logic. It’s like how, at night, you sometimes see more clearly when you peer from the edges of your vision rather than staring straight ahead.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): This is a perfect moment to express your own unique power more than ever before. I invite you to act with conviction, assert your influence and claim what you’ve earned. For best results, clarify your ambitions and assert your authority. Write down a formal vow or two. Don’t wait for approval from anyone higher up, and don’t waste time wondering whether destiny is on your side. The succulent opportunities aren’t somewhere else or someday later. They’re here and now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’m exultant when a vigorous bike ride up the trail of my local mountain leaves me so cleansed and energized that a flash of truth strikes and instantly dissipates the illusions I’ve been clinging to. I get a delightful shock when, while wandering through a city’s maze of asphalt and litter, a sudden breeze carries the earthy aroma of a rebellious garden. I love it when the reckless choices of misguided leaders jolt my community into doubling down on our quest for audacious harmony, inventive affection and untamed wisdom. How about you, dear Scorpio? Where do you search for your awakenings and salvations? Keep your inner radar tuned; they’re circling close.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian physicist Freeman Dyson (1923–2020) proposed that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations might build megastructures around stars to capture their energy. These “Dyson spheres” would be detectable from Earth as unusual infrared signatures. We haven’t found any yet, but his idea revolutionized how we think about looking for alien intelligence. Moral of the story: Valuable contributions can come from inventing the framework for how to search for unknown things. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, you might not solve problems, but you could redesign the questions. You may not find the answers, but you could create better tools for exploration.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Do you have a muse? If not, please find one. You shouldn’t go another day without a provocative, inspiring presence to stir your imagination and drive you deliciously wild. If you already have a muse and that genius has been faithfully fueling your creative fire, bestow a reward. Give a gift or blessing that provides a muse-like boost to your muse. And if your existing muse has grown quiet lately, go off on an adventure together. Dream up plans to stimulate the bursts of kaleidoscopic energy that you two are capable of generating.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In some monastic traditions, practitioners engage in “work prayer.” They transform ordinary labor into spiritual practice not by thinking holy thoughts while working, but by bringing complete presence and fond attention to ordinary labors. Chopping vegetables becomes meditation. Sweeping floors becomes devotion. The sacredness arises from their wholehearted attitude. This would be an excellent experiment for you to try, Aquarius. Divine solace and inspiration will arrive as you perform your daily duties with verve and gratitude. Try this: For a few days or even two weeks, approach routine duties and familiar obligations with a ceremonial reverence. Be joyful for the privilege of being alive in the most ordinary ways.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ve entered a phase when your magnetism and charisma will expand as you focus on ruminating deeply about what’s most meaningful to you. Seeking out new teachers and fresh lessons will bring lucky breaks and helpful influences into your sphere. Each fresh insight will polish your allure, and every surge of curiosity will add to your glow. Be extra sexy and ultra smart: Cosmic energies will work in your favor as you weave your id and intellect together.

Homework: Imagine I say to you, “Teach me the most important things you know.” tinyurl.com/s44s44s44

Astrology

Jupiter Square Chiron – The Rejection Wound

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(Astrobutterfly.com)

At the end of June, we had 2 important ingresses: Chiron moved into Taurus, and Jupiter into Leo. 

Early this month, the 2 formed an exact square, triggering some of our deepest vulnerabilities around rejection, visibility, and the fear of not being accepted for who we are.

What gives this transit its unique flavor is that both planets have just entered new signs. Chiron hasn’t been in Taurus for more than 4 decades. Jupiter hasn’t been in Leo since 2015. 

So this is not just another Jupiter-Chiron square. These 2 ingresses have shifted us into a completely new reality – one that, for many of us, is a total first. 

jupiter square chiron and the rejection wound

To understand what makes this Jupiter-Chiron square unique, let’s get back to what Taurus and Leo stand for. 

Taurus Vs Leo

Taurus is the intelligence of the body – discerning what feels safe, nourishing, real, and right – and what’s not. 

Chiron in Taurus has the mandate to restore our somatic intelligence – what the body knows before the mind comes up with an explanation – our ability to feel what’s good for us and what’s not, to sense our boundaries, and to feel good in ourselves without needing validation or external confirmation.

Leo energy is different. It’s not the primal, early, instinctual knowing of Taurus. Leo follows Gemini, the mind, and Cancer, the emotions. So by the time we get to Leo, we have moved through all 4 elements and have developed a more rounded sense of self.

Leo is the developmental process where we learn to stand as individuals and be seen. 

Jupiter in Leo then interprets the body’s truth through a big identity story: What does this mean about me? Who I am, how I am seen, and what’s expected of me? 

And this is where the Chiron square creates the pressure point: “Will I still be seen, loved, respected, and wanted if I follow my body’s truth?”

Leo is ruled by the Sun, the largest body in our solar system by an order of magnitude. We cannot not see the Sun. The Sun is simply there, impossible to ignore, beaming its light and heat.

That’s why for people with Leo placements, being seen for who they are is at the very core of their experience. Not for ego strokes, contrary to some stereotypes. Not for applause. But for the experience of being witnessed.

The Leo Wound

Leo, the fixed fire sign, cannot help but radiate energy. So being allowed to express its fire as it is, without containment or apology, is one of its core needs.

But what happens when that radiance, that pure expression of one’s energy, is not witnessed? Or when it’s questioned?

This is terrifying not necessarily because of the rejection itself, but because it touches the very core of Leo’s identity.

You don’t witness me, so I don’t exist. My heat is not welcome – even if I can’t help but radiate it. If I am not witnessed, if I am turned down, then who am I?

So when Chiron in Taurus exposes our raw body truth, it also exposes the deepest Leo vulnerabilities:

Not feeling seen or appreciated.

Feeling that our sovereignty is questioned.

Feeling that our boundaries are crossed or not treated with respect.

The more Chiron takes us into this vulnerable, no-outcome-guarantee excavation, the more it can trigger Leo’s fear of identity collapse. We may see rejection where there is none, or experience rejection – real or imagined – as a direct ego death.

Jupiter In Leo Square Chiron In Taurus

Chiron in Taurus challenges Jupiter in Leo narratives. Everything we thought we knew about our identity, about who we are, and about what makes us valuable may suddenly be questioned.

As a response to the tension, the tendency can be to retreat, to manufacture worst-case scenarios, to save face, or to act distant in advance, in an unconscious effort to re-establish control.

“I didn’t want this anyway”. “I don’t care”. 

But Chiron’s invitation is not to avoid vulnerability. The reason that deep, underlying wound was triggered was for a very specific reason. 

The power of the Sun is not that it shines all the time – at least not from our geocentric perspective on Earth. 

The Sun gives us heat during the day, and then retreats under the horizon so we can embody, integrate, and rest during the night.

A key lesson for Sun-ruled Leo is learning how to set with grace. To be okay with the fact that its radiant heat, while life-giving and impossible to live without, is not needed all the time.

This means being okay not being the #1 person all the time. Not being seen all the time. Not being needed all the time.

This doesn’t make us less of who we are. On the contrary. It can take away the pressure to perform, the pressure to always be on, the pressure to constantly prove our light.

When we learn to take a back seat and slide into the underworld, anonymous and unseen, it can feel incredibly vulnerable. 

But that’s exactly what helps us relax into being – becoming more, not less, of who we are.

Chiron And Vulnerability

Vulnerability feels scary, especially for a fixed sign like Leo, where consistency is so central.

But vulnerability serves a purpose. Vulnerability is what we feel when the old identity no longer fits, but the new one has not stabilized yet.

It is the part of us that steps into something before the mind has figured out the plan. At some level, we already know that there is “more” out there. 

We don’t know exactly what – hence the vulnerability. But the longing has been awakened, and this makes the old reality impossible to sustain.

Vulnerability requires being a little less sparkly, less polished – and more raw in the truth of the present moment, whatever that is.

Even if it makes us feel smaller, even if it appears to dim our light, even if the outcome is completely unknown. 

We don’t have to always provide. Always be the one others count on. Always be the generous one. It’s ok to pause. The world will not only survive without us – it may also learn to do its own share.

Jupiter Square Chiron – When Truth Triggers Rejection

This vulnerability has a distinct Chiron in Taurus flavor: what actually feels right, right now? What makes my body say yes? Say no? What makes me feel safe? Unsafe? 

These are the types of questions we may have forgotten to ask. Because the pressure to perform a version of life that kept us seen, approved of, or needed also meant that we had to check out from our own somatic intelligence.

Since Chiron entered Taurus, the longing to reconnect with our body, our senses, and our sense of safety, to what feels right, has become increasingly difficult to ignore.

Yet at the same time, because Jupiter in Leo squares this process, we are asked to hold an uncomfortable dilemma.

The longing has been unmistakably awakened – but so have our deepest feelings of insecurity and rejection.

It’s like: “Ah, that’s what feels right” but at the same time “The world is rejecting my newfound truth” – so that truth, while real, also feels inappropriate, inconvenient, or not even possible.

Jupiter Square Chiron – The Story Behind The Discomfort

The invitation with all Jupiter hard aspects is to see the story behind the discomfort. 

Jupiter, the first social planet, is the planet of beliefs – which is really the type of narratives we’ve been brought into – the culture of the time, the customs, the social codes, the unwritten and written laws of what’s right and what’s wrong.

Unlike Mercury, which reads reality in real time through direct observation and individual mental processing, Jupiter is the overarching story we have already been brought into.

The story we may not even be aware of – the story we may have never considered questioning, because it was there from the very beginning.

So when Chiron in Taurus comes with the longing to be more of ourselves, to lean more into what feels right, the Jupiter in Leo story automatically kicks into gear.

Why it’s inappropriate. Why it’s too much. Why it won’t be accepted. Why it will cost us love, approval, visibility, or belonging.

Remember, we are talking about a Jupiter-Chiron square – not a supportive aspect like a trine or a sextile.

But the gift of the square lies exactly in the dissonance it creates. Yes, the discomfort comes. The rejection. The feeling of exposure. The feeling it’s something wrong, that we’re doing something wrong. 

But that is precisely the tension that forces us to look at the story underneath it:

  • What if the discomfort is not proof that something is wrong, but proof that an old story is being exposed?
  • What if the answer is not to fix the vulnerability, but to stay with it long enough for the body to tell us what is true?
  • What if we can trust our inner knowing before we know where it will lead?

The invitation of Jupiter square Chiron is to let the old story crack open, so a deeper truth can finally be felt, trusted, and lived.

AI, Astrology, History

Did November 19, 2024 mark the entry of ChatGPT into the general marketplace?

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By ChatGPT and Mike Zonta, BB editor

ChatGPT:

Pluto permanently entered Aquarius on November 19, 2024, and will remain there until March 8, 2043. [1, 2]

Because of its retrograde, Pluto did “dip” its toes into the sign for shorter, preview periods prior to the permanent shift: [1, 2, 3, 4]

  • March 23 – June 11, 2023
  • January 20 – September 1, 2024 [1, 2]

Me:

And did November 19, 2024 mark the entry of ChatGPT into the general marketplace?

ChatGPT:

No, that date does not mark the entry of ChatGPT into the general marketplace.

ChatGPT was released to the public on November 30, 2022. This was nearly two years before Pluto permanently entered Aquarius. [1]

However, during ChatGPT’s launch in late 2022, Pluto was in the final degrees of Capricorn, right on the edge of transitioning into Aquarius. Astrologers often point to the timing of the AI boom as the “preview” energy of Pluto in Aquarius, which is traditionally associated with technology, innovation, and collective shifts.

Timeline of AI Breakthroughs and Pluto’s Transitions

Here is the timeline mapping major AI milestones against Pluto’s shift from Capricorn (structure, corporations) to Aquarius (technology, networks, collective future).

The Late Capricorn Era: Foundation Building

  • November 30, 2022: OpenAI launches ChatGPT to the public.
    • Pluto Status: 28° Capricorn.
    • Astrological Context: The ultimate power shift begins at the very end of Capricorn’s rule over institutional tech.
  • February 7, 2023: Microsoft integrates AI into Bing search.
    • Pluto Status: 28° Capricorn.

The First Aquarius Previews: The AI Explosion

  • March 14, 2023: OpenAI releases GPT-4.
    • Pluto Status: 29° Capricorn (on the absolute cusp of Aquarius).
  • March 23, 2023: Pluto enters Aquarius for the first time since 1798.
    • Astrological Context: The initial 3-month preview of the technological revolution.
  • March 21, 2023: Google opens public access to Bard (now Gemini).
  • May 23, 2023: Adobe integrates Firefly generative AI into Photoshop.
  • June 11, 2023: Pluto retrogrades back into Capricorn.

The Back-and-Forth: Regulation vs. Innovation

  • January 20, 2024: Pluto enters Aquarius for the second preview.
  • February 15, 2024: OpenAI reveals Sora, a hyper-realistic text-to-video model.
  • March 13, 2024: The European Union passes the EU AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI law.
    • Astrological Context: Classic Pluto-in-Aquarius tension between decentralized tech and social governance.
  • September 1, 2024: Pluto retrogrades back into Capricorn one final time for “unfinished business” regarding global financial and corporate structures.

♒ The Permanent Aquarius Era: The New Normal

  • November 19, 2024: Pluto enters Aquarius permanently until 2043.
    • Astrological Context: The official, uninterrupted era of the digital and decentralized revolution begins.
  • December 2024 – Present: Deep integration of AI agents managing daily human workflows, decentralized open-source models rivaling massive tech conglomerates, and ongoing global debates over AI labor replacement.

Historical parallels

The last time Pluto transited Aquarius was from 1778 to 1798. This 20-year period completely reshaped global power, human rights, and technology, offering powerful parallels to today’s digital revolution.

⚙️ The Industrial Revolution vs. The AI Revolution

  • Then: The late 18th century marked the peak of the First Industrial Revolution. The widespread adoption of the steam engine (perfected by James Watt in 1776, just before Pluto entered) automated manual labor, shifting society from agrarian economies to manufacturing hubs. [1]
  • Now: Generative AI, robotics, and automation are shifting society from an information economy to an automated intelligence economy. Cognitive labor is being disrupted just as physical labor was then.

⚡ Power to the People: Decentralization

Aquarius rules the collective, networks, and the democratization of power. Pluto rules control, destruction, and transformation.

  • Then: This era hosted the French Revolution (1789) and the aftermath of the American Revolution (ending in 1783). Power was violently stripped from centralized entities (monarchies and empires) and redistributed to the collective “common man” via early democratic experiments. [1, 2, 3, 4]
  • Now: We are seeing a massive pushback against centralized authority. This manifests as the rise of decentralized open-source AI models that bypass tech monopolies, the growth of blockchain technologies, and a cultural shift toward citizen journalism and creator economies.

Scientific Breakthroughs & The Invisible World

Aquarius is an air sign, associated with the intellect, the invisible forces of nature (electricity, data), and the sky.

  • Then:
    • The Hot Air Balloon was invented (1783), allowing humans to conquer the skies for the first time.
    • The discovery of Uranus (1781), the planet that ironically rules Aquarius, shattered the traditional view of the solar system.
    • Early experiments with electricity (like Luigi Galvani’s work on bioelectricity in the 1780s) began. [1]
  • Now: Our “invisible world” is the cloud, global data networks, and wireless technology. Aerospace innovation is booming with private space exploration, satellite internet networks, and the integration of quantum computing.

Human Rights and the Social Contract

When Pluto is in Aquarius, society is forced to re-examine how it treats its citizens.

  • Then: The period produced foundational texts on human rights, such as Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man (1791) and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). It also saw the early momentum of the British abolitionist movement against the slave trade. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • Now: The global conversation centers on digital human rights: data privacy, AI ethics, universal basic income (UBI) to combat technological unemployment, and who owns the rights to human-created art and writing.
Astrology

The GREAT 6,000-YEAR RESET Has BEGUN! | Rick Levine

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Amrit Sandhu ???????? and Rick Levine Astrologer Jun 14, 2026 Inspired Evolution Podcast ????????Rick Levine reveals 4 major shifts — some 6,000 years in the making — all hitting at once, this July. The last time the sky aligned like this, human civilization itself was just being born: cities, writing, and metal first appeared. Now Saturn and Neptune are meeting at zero degrees Aries again for the first time in ~6,000 years, and Rick explains why our old myths, structures, and shared sense of reality are collapsing in real time. This astrological transition coincides with a rapid acceleration in technology, artificial intelligence, and disclosure surrounding extraterrestrial life — challenging our baseline understanding of what it means to be human. Levine discusses the intense information “flooding” designed to overwhelm public awareness, and offers a grounded way to navigate this collective “time vertigo.” Delving into the legacy of Johannes Kepler, harmonic aspects, and his own “quantum astrology,” he bridges ancient esoteric wisdom with modern physics — including a striking take on fate and free will. Ultimately, this conversation is a strategic roadmap for the mid-2020s: a call to embrace your personal cycles and step into an evolved state of awareness, rather than giving in to fear.

Astrology

The Astrology Of July 2026 – The 4-Degree Activation

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(Astrobutterfly.com)

The Astrology Of July 2026 – The 4-Degree Activation

What a month July is! 

Opening with a lightning-bolt Mars-Uranus conjunction and ending with a high-stakes Lunar Nodes ingression, the most striking signature of the month is the outer planets’ synchronization at 4 degrees in their signs.

Even for skeptics, with all the outer planets (+ Jupiter) aligned at the same degree – 4° – this cannot not feel like highly orchestrated cosmic choreography. This is so rare that I don’t recall anything like this happening before, at least not since I’ve been tracking transits.

Now – does that mean something significant will happen in everyone’s lives? Not necessarily. Or better said, not in a way that will be immediately clear to us.

Slow-moving planets are the architects behind the scenes. They dictate the larger trends, set the foundations, and prepare the conditions for what’s eventually going to emerge.

But the key word is “architects”.

Before a building becomes visible, it is designed and engineered in abstract form. So what is being set in motion now is, by no means, insignificant. Quite the opposite. It may be incredibly significant  BUT not in ways that will be completely obvious to every single one of us.

That is, unless your chart is particularly activated by this 4-degree geometry.

Then, you will know. And if that’s you, we’d love to hear from you – leave a comment and tell us what’s unfolding. 

the astrology of july 2026

July 4th, 2026 – Mars Conjunct Uranus 

On July 4th, 2026, Mars and Uranus meet at 3° Gemini. This is our first Mars-Uranus conjunction in Gemini since Uranus entered the sign. 

Our minds are literally short-circuited with the new possibilities Uranus has awakened since it ingressed into Gemini. 

Mars conjunct Uranus in Gemini is a signature of breakthrough and clarity. However, our mind might still struggle to accept the information download because it is so far outside the normal script.

This conjunction is also important because it activates the outer planetary alignment – the 4-degree Cradle configuration that unfolds mid-month. Once the possibility is ignited in the mind, everything that follows is the domino effect of that first spark.

July 9th, 2026 – Venus Enters Virgo

On July 9th, 2026, Venus enters Virgo and immediately conjuncts the North Node, now in its last stretch of the sign.

This ingress might come with a final recognition of what actually matters to us – not just in a superficial “I like this”, but in the sense of a deeper calling of the soul.

For the rest of the transit, Venus in Virgo will do what she knows best: refine, improve, attune to the physical world, take care of the seemingly small but “make all the difference” details, and just be the high-discernment, low-tolerance-for-nonsense goddess that she is.

July 13, 2026 – Mercury Conjunct Sun In Cancer

On July 13th, Mercury is conjunct the Sun at 20° Cancer. When Mercury retrograde conjuncts the Sun (a cazimi), we have the initiation of a brand-new 4-month Mercury cycle.

All new Mercury cycles are important, but this one feels particularly significant since it also coincides with the New Moon – so we have 2 brand-new synodic cycles beginning almost at the same time, joining forces for a major personal reset in the Cancer area of our chart.

For some of us, this might speak to literal Cancer themes like home, family, belonging, roots, or emotional safety. For others, the reset will be more specific to the house Cancer rules in the natal chart.

July 14th, 2026 – New Moon In Cancer

On July 14th, 2026, we have a New Moon at 21° Cancer conjunct Mercury retrograde. The New Moon invites us to plunge into the deepest waters of our inner world. 

Occurring just after the new Mercury cycle, New Moon in Cancer initiates a reset that begins with listening more closely to what our inner world has been trying to tell us.

July 15th-July 25th, 2026 – Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Jupiter 4° Activation

Between July 15th and July 25th, all the outer planets and Jupiter align at 4° of their signs. 

Aries, Gemini, Leo and Aquarius are all shaking hands, plotting their agenda for the next – maybe decades? – of our collective reality.

  • On July 15th, Uranus sextiles Neptune at 4° Gemini/Aries
  • On July 18th, Uranus trines Pluto at 4° Gemini/Aquarius
  • On July 20th, Jupiter trines Neptune at 4° Leo/Aries
  • On July 20th, Jupiter opposes Pluto at 4° Leo/Aquarius
  • On July 21st, Jupiter sextiles Uranus at 4° Leo/Gemini
  • On July 25th, Neptune sextiles Pluto at 4° Aries/Aquarius

Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto form a Cradle configuration, which means that 4 successive same-polarity signs draw the focus to one part of the chart. 

While these planets will activate different houses depending on our own natal configuration, at a mundane level, Aries, Gemini, Leo and Aquarius are all outward-moving, self-defining signs. The focus now is on building a type of life that feeds who we really are deep inside.

The missing yang signs – Libra, with its partnership focus, and Sagittarius, with its social rules, beliefs and larger vision – will have to adapt to what’s emerging from this powerhouse of individuality, creativity, and future-oriented will.

A detailed report about the Cradle and the 4-degree activation will follow closer to the date.

July 22nd, 2026 – Sun Enters Leo

On July 22nd, the Sun enters Leo. Happy b-day to all Leos out there! The holidays and fun season can officially start now.

Leo, ruled by the Sun, is the heart – what makes us feel alive. And while we usually associate Leo with fun, leisure and play, Leo can also be the entrepreneurial passion that keeps us 16 hours in front of the computer. 

What Leo really needs is to feel ALIVE, and whatever it is that makes us feel alive is invited into the spotlight during this time of the year.

July 23rd, 2026 – Mercury Goes Direct

On July 23rd, Mercury goes direct at 16° Cancer.

The Mercury retrograde confusion is officially over on July 23rd, when Mercury completes its 3-times-a-year rumination phase. 

In Cancer, the scope of the review has been our emotional undercurrents – helping us face the realities of our inner world, our family patterns, and attachments. The assessment is now complete. You now know what you need to do. 

July 27th, 2026 – North Node Enters Leo, South Node Enters Aquarius 

On July 27th, the Lunar Nodes change signs – the North Node enters Leo, and the South Node enters Aquarius. 

Nodal shifts are huge because they shift the evolutionary focus to an entirely different axis of the chart.

The Nodes are where the collective compass tends to gravitate at any given time – not in the in-your-face way that a Saturn or Uranus transit operates, but more like a vortex that restructures our identities, clears karmic entanglements, and helps us align with our true path.

If in the past 18 months the focus was on the Virgo/Pisces area of our chart, now the focus will gravitate around the Leo/Aquarius polarity. 

July 29th, 2026 – Full Moon in Aquarius 

On July 29th, we have a Full Moon at 6° Aquarius. This is a powerhouse Full Moon conjunct Pluto and opposite Jupiter in Leo.

The writing is on the wall, and you are being officially warned: at the Full Moon, things will burst out of whatever pressure cooker has been containing them.

Fortunately, the Full Moon also trines Uranus, so the release might be surprisingly liberating.

A detailed report about this supercharged Full Moon will follow closer to the date.

Astrology, History

U.S. Independence 250th Anniversary Astrology with Ronnie Pontiac

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New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove Streamed live 2 hours ago Ronnie Pontiac was the personal research assistant for Manly P. Hall at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles. He is author of American Metaphysical Religion: Esoteric and Mystical Traditions of the New World and The Rosicrucian Counterculture: The Origins and Influence of the Invisible Society. He is coauthor with Tamra Lucid of The Magic of the Orphic Hymns: A New Translation for the Modern Mystic and The Unobstructed Way: A True Account of the Exploration of Life After Death. He is also a practitioner of astrology. For this Live Stream Event, Ronnie will draw upon astrology, history, and esoteric traditions to explore America’s founding and its astrological significance today.

The Sibley Chart of the U.S.A.

Astrology

July Astrology Forecast 2026

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The Astrology Podcast Jun 29, 2026 Monthly Astrology Forecasts A deep dive into the astrology forecast for July 2026, with astrologers Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock. The month opens on highly unstable ground, dominated by a volatile Mars-Uranus conjunction that threatens sudden, unpredictable shifts and explosive turns. This erratic energy is ruled by a newly stationary retrograde Mercury, which has just backed away from a conjunction with Jupiter. This combination sets the stage for logistical snafus, technological difficulties, and widespread delays right out of the gate. Jupiter, having just entered Leo at the end of June, begins to form a tense opposition with Pluto that goes exact around the middle of the month. This highlights major power struggles and the tension between truth and control. This opposition is part of a much larger, momentous pattern of simultaneous outer planet alignments peaking this month. As Uranus completes its first exact trine with Pluto, these planets lock into a complex basket configuration alongside Jupiter and Neptune. This heavy planetary geometry indicates that significant precursor events are unfolding in the background, particularly surrounding rapid technological or military innovations. We finally see a more positive shift in the astrological weather during the second half of the month. Mars applies to a stabilizing, constructive sextile with Saturn, helping to ground the earlier chaos. Mercury stations direct, clearing up miscommunications, and the Sun makes its triumphant ingress into Leo to form an auspicious conjunction with Jupiter. This cazimi brings a much needed wave of radiant, showy warmth and outward confidence, despite an opposition with Pluto. However, a lingering Venus-Mars square operating in the background introduces an unwelcome element of creative friction and tension in partnerships, pitting the forces of unification against the drive to sever and divide. This late July window ultimately serves as a temporary lull, and a calm before the storm. By early August, we swiftly transition into eclipse season, bringing weighty major endings and beginnings to the forefront, just as Venus enters the shadow sign of its upcoming retrograde phase. This is episode 541 of The Astrology Podcast. United Astrology Conference https://uacastrology.com Austin’s Website https://austincoppock.com Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:53 July Astrology Quick Overview 00:03:57 News Segment Begins 00:04:51 Venus-Jupiter Conjunction Stories 00:05:13 First Trillionaire 00:08:49 Spielberg Disclosure Day 00:13:45 Marriages 00:16:25 Iran-US peace deal 00:20:31 Zelda Remake 00:22:07 Beer Shortage 00:24:04 Venus-Pluto Opposition 00:26:50 Mars-Uranus Stories 00:27:06 Venezuela Earthquakes 00:29:47 AI Companies Authorized 00:35:03 Lebanon agreement 00:36:17 Nuclear news on Mars ingress 00:38:36 Wrapping up news segment 00:41:43 United Astrology Conference 00:46:04 July Forecast Begins 00:47:06 Mars-Uranus Conjunction 00:59:34 Mercury Retrograde 01:02:11 Outer planet alignments 01:09:07 Jupiter-Pluto opposition 01:25:23 Sequential breakdown of the month 01:25:46 July 1: Mars-Uranus Overview & Sun-Saturn Square 01:26:55 July 7: Neptune Stations Retrograde in Aries 01:29:45 July 9: Venus Enters Virgo 01:31:33 July 12: Mercury Retrograde Cazimi 01:33:08 July 14: New Moon in Cancer 01:35:58 July 15-18: Uranus Sextile Neptune & Trine Pluto 01:39:35 July 19: Mars Sextile Saturn 01:41:21 July 20-21: Jupiter-Pluto Opposition & Outer Planet Aspects 01:50:54 July 22-23: Sun Enters Leo & Mercury Stations Direct 01:51:52 July 24: Venus Sextile Mercury 01:54:44 July 25: Neptune-Pluto Sextile 01:55:04 July 26: Saturn Stations Retrograde & Lunar Nodes Shift Signs 01:57:33 July 27: Sun Opposes Pluto 01:58:55 July 28: Venus Square Mars 02:02:29 July 29: Sun-Jupiter Cazimi & Full Moon in Aquarius 02:04:31 Electional Chart for July 02:07:42 Wrapping Up 02:17:39 Credits

Astrology

Free Will Astrology: Week of July 2, 2026

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by Rob Brezsny | June 30, 2026

Photo: Jan Canty

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Archaeologists studying ancient wells have discovered that some weren’t finished in a single effort. Communities might dig to the current water table, use the well for years, then probe further down when water levels dropped or needs increased. This is a useful metaphor for you, Aries. As of yet, you don’t have the ability or tools to reach the deepest layers you aspire to reach. My counsel is to go as far as you can now and gather what you find there. Later, when you’re readier, you will build on what has come before.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The doom-and-gloom wing of astrology is exhausting. The superstition that Mercury retrograde causes scrambled messages and dire mix-ups is dull and misguided. The planet’s apparent backward motion, which is happening right now, shows up about three times every year like clockwork. It’s perfectly normal! In my view, Mercury retrograde isn’t threatening unless you obsess on the idea that it is, in which case, yes, your payment might go astray, and a friend may misunderstand you. But if cultivating relaxed clarity is more fun and productive for you than coping with fearful tension, treat the time between now and July 23 as a rich opportunity to refine, deepen and upgrade how you communicate.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You Gemini readers have decreed that I must halt all musings about maddening, riddle-drenched ambiguity. You’ve delivered the message to me that you’re tired of wrestling with enigmas wrapped in paradoxes. Straightforward, plainspoken factualness is what you want. Well, OK. (Please remember that I don’t make this stuff up; I simply channel cosmic omens.) Maybe I’ll start obeying your orders next time. But first, I will advise you: 1. Unexpected gifts are coming from people and situations in transition. 2. Tough but friendly interventions will nudge you toward healthy course corrections. 3. Mysterious assistance is on its way.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There are phases when the cosmic energies and I urge you to put others first—even tend to their pain before you tend to your own. But this isn’t one of those times. Right now, sacrificing yourself for the sake of others would obstruct the flow of righteous grace into your life. So then what is the most soul-honoring path available? Here’s what I think: Summon your inventive brilliance and use it to imagine generous ways to care for yourself. Shower yourself with gifts, treats and blessings that delight you. Take the loving care you so deftly pour into other people and lavish it wholeheartedly on yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Most fields of human endeavor work like this: A few people are truly brilliant, a handful are actively harmful, and the majority fall somewhere between “not great” and “pretty good.” That’s true whether you’re talking about engineers, doctors, poets or astrologers. So it’s inadvisable to assume a physician is wise about your well-being just because they’ve logged fifteen years on the job, or to trust your life direction to the first astrologer whose promotion catches your eye. In the coming weeks, dear Leo, discernment like this matters even more than usual. Let your natural hopefulness be balanced by sharp, thoughtful judgment. Don’t just challenge obvious authority. Put every so-called fact, spin, assumption and official line under your own clear-eyed review.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Architects designing spaces for collective use try to balance two human needs: to see expansively and also have safe places to retreat. Too much exposure creates anxiety; too much enclosure brings claustrophobia. The ideal is to provide both shelter and spaciousness. Let’s use this theme as a metaphor for your life during the coming months. You’ll be wise to create an equilibrium between engagement and privacy, between vastness and protection. Make it easy for yourself to observe the larger scene and also withdraw when needed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Self-proclaimed “skeptics” love to sneer at astrologers, as if pondering what lies ahead were a violation of scientific purity. And yet economists, sports analysts, trend watchers and political commentators churn out shaky predictions every day. Honestly, those professionals of probability often create more confusion than those of us who read the heavens. Take weather forecasters, for instance: From Europe to Japan, their models routinely miss sudden floods and twisters and trigger more than a few false alarms. But do the debunkers brand them as charlatans? Of course not. Forgive the outburst, but I’m building to a key foresight: Every forecast, projection or vision that crosses your path over the next month will miss the mark—except for this one. So free yourself of their meddling.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Ethnobotanists describe how certain Indigenous traditions work with “teacher plants.” These are flora that offer not only physical benefits but spiritual instruction. They include psychoactive substances, but also ordinary plants approached with extraordinary attention. In the spirit of reinventing your education, Scorpio, I invite you to expand your understanding of who and what your teachers are. What ordinary elements of your daily life might offer wisdom if you engage them with deep respect? What situations at the edges of your awareness could bring lessons that enrich your perspectives? Now is an excellent time to seek new apprenticeships.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Western science and Western religions may disagree about how the universe began, but both place its birth in the distant past. Tantra and other spiritual paths, by contrast, propose that the universe is born afresh in every instant through the sacred, erotic interplay of God and Goddess. When humans approach love-making as an experimental sacrament, these traditions suggest, we can tune in to the union of those primordial forces and, in a sense, take part in the continual creation of existence. So, are you ready for a bit of world-making erotic play? The current astrological indicators say yes, you are.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A common obstacle to healthy intimacy is the belief that a beloved ally should automatically know what you need, without you saying a word. I used to suffer from this delusion myself and worked hard to dissolve it. I no longer unconsciously assume that my companions are so attuned to me that they can always intuit my desires. But I know this bad idea feels romantic to many people, even though it can sabotage even the most promising bond. In the weeks ahead, Capricorn, I invite you to starve this fantasy. Your intimate world is ripe for a fresh infusion of lucid, straightforward honesty.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your next few weeks will be sponsored by CoffeeBeer, the paradoxical elixir that both pumps up your energy and decompresses your defenses. You will be an exemplary role model for this innovative product because you will epitomize what occurs when a sensitive soul gets excited and mellows out at the same time. I also expect you will soon be exploring intriguing opportunities that become available to you because of your supercharged calm. Fortunately, you don’t need to drink actual coffee and beer together to make this happen. The cosmic forces will be conspiring to help you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Finish this sentence, Pisces: “The one thing that really keeps me from being myself is _______.” Is it someone’s opinion, an old story about who you are, a fear of loss, a habit of over-pleasing, a secret shame or a belief that you’re “too much” or “not enough”? Whatever first pops into your mind is probably closest to the truth. Here’s your next step: Loosen the grip of this stressor by even just twenty percent. I bet your real self will feel relaxed enough to bloom more fully.

Homework: We’re halfway through 2026. How are your big projects progressing? tinyurl.com/zzz333xxx333

Astrology

Full Moon In Capricorn – Go Big, Or Go Home

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(Astrobutterfly.com)

On June 29th, 2026, we have a Full Moon at 8° Capricorn.

Capricorn is the point of no return: “I am in, or I am out.” Capricorn locks action into the future through long-lasting commitments and personal responsibility. 

The Full Moon in Capricorn activates the solstice, Cancer/Capricorn axis. This is where the Sun tips the balance toward either more daylight or more darkness. Nature itself crosses a threshold that cannot be undone – it’s nature’s own point of no return.

This is the “there’s-no-coming-back” shift that demands total course commitment – not only an internal commitment, but one that becomes visible in the choices we make and the life we build.

The Full Moon in Capricorn is square Neptune and Saturn in Aries.

That new personal dream that was initiated back in February with the Saturn-Neptune conjunction at 0° Aries is now stress-tested by the “go big or go home” Capricorn lunation.

What are we going to do about it, like in the real world? 

When something really matters to us, there’s no “I’m 50% there.” Not “I’m 90%,” and not even “99%.” It’s either 100% or nothing. Capricorn knows that extraordinary outcomes don’t come from partial commitment. They come from crossing the line where there is no longer a way back.

You either push your limits to achieve something extraordinary, or you fail entirely with no middle ground.

That being said, the Full Moon in Capricorn is not designed to provide the final solution to the “go big or go home” riddle.

Why? 

Because Mercury goes retrograde in Cancer just before the Full Moon. Jupiter leaves Cancer to enter Leo just after the Full Moon. There’s a lot of shifting going on, and the full picture is simply not there yet.

Timing-wise, the Full Moon sits at the inflection point between Mercury retrograde and Jupiter’s ingress into Leo. The role of the Full Moon is not to find the solution or take the concrete action – but to commit to the vision.

Do you go big? Or do you go home? 

The Full Moon asks us to make up our mind. 

However, this doesn’t mean everything has to happen at once. There’s going to be a staged process:

With Jupiter’s ingress into Leo, the drive to go big becomes irresistibly compelling. When Zeus, the king of all gods, enters the sign of sovereign self-expression, we begin to build a picture of the future that feels fully authentic and aligned with our true nature.

BUT – and this might sound counterintuitive – before going big, we’ll have to go home first.

Mercury going retrograde in Cancer suggests there’s still inner clarity that needs to emerge, details to address, and corrections to be put in place.

Fortunately, the sequence of these succedent transits gives us a clear framework and timeline:

–> Status quo (Saturn conjunct Neptune in Aries): What dream or personal vision was ignited back in February with the Saturn-Neptune conjunction? What do you really want your life to look like?

–> Reality (Full Moon in Capricorn, June 29-30): What commitment do you need to make to move toward that vision?

–> Preparation (Mercury retrograde, June 29-July 14): What loops need to be closed? What needs to be adjusted? What emotional clarity needs to be reached so you can prepare the field?

–> Alignment (Jupiter in Leo, July 2026 onwards): That’s when we step into the new territory. When Jupiter eventually trines Neptune and Saturn in Aries, your vision will receive a cosmic green light to come alive.

In this cosmic sequence, the Full Moon in Capricorn doesn’t ask us to have everything figured out – it asks us to decide whether we’re in or out.

The details can wait; the commitment cannot.

Commit first. Go home and prepare. Then go big.

Astrology

Free Will Astrology: Week of June 25, 2026

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by Rob Brezsny | June 23, 2026

Photo: Earl Wilcox

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The interesting struggles you’ll wage in the coming weeks will require your vulnerability: showing up exactly as you are when you might rather fight or escape. Your warrior nature probably prefers a clear enemy or a definable problem you can confront, but the truer conquest will come from laying down your weaponry. I suggest you meet aggression with curiosity and engage chaos with receptive stillness. At least for now, your greatest strength will be to remain undominated by your own reactive impulses. Think of it as an advanced martial art.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to be inspired by this wisdom from artist Pablo Picasso: “I am always doing that which I cannot do in order that I may learn how to do it.” He’s proposing that we treat a lack of expertise not as an embarrassment, but as a doorway. Instead of waiting until we feel ready, trained and confident, he suggests we head into territory where we fumble, guess and feel awkward. Our discomfort may lead to gratifying growth. So I dare you to ask yourself whether there’s a capacity or skill you’d love to add to your repertoire but are too shy or timid to try. Then take small, imperfect steps toward it, trusting that each move will teach you how to do what once felt impossible.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Hummingbirds keep track of every flower they visit and know how long it will take each one to replenish its nectar. They maintain mental maps of many feeding sites and visit them on precise schedules. To ensure their survival, they can’t waste energy on flowers that aren’t ready yet. Your mind could work like this if you want it to, Gemini. Which people, places and projects need time to refill before you visit them again? Who have you been approaching too frequently, seeking their nectar before it has had time to regenerate? In the coming weeks, practice strategic patience with your resources. In your secret conversations with yourself, call yourself “Hummingbird.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Now is an auspicious time to declare a sweeping amnesty and observe a personal season of pardon. To the best of your ability, release your clenched feelings about people who have caused you pain. Banish blame! Purge any lingering resentment and regret that has curdled into self reproach. Celebrate atonement and absolution! Most vital of all, exonerate yourself. Shed the guilt you’ve carried for missteps and missed chances. And please offer yourself a sweet gift: a ritual of renewal.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you happen to be swallowed whole by a dragon or whale sometime soon, don’t freak out. It’s far preferable to being chomped into bits first, which absolutely won’t happen. You may indeed spend a brief spell inside the creature’s dark belly, but I confidently predict you will ultimately be deposited on the outside in one intact piece, after which you will only need to find your meandering way back home. The whole episode may be confounding or humbling, but I bet it will also scrub you free of a load of old karma.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Bees perform what scientists call a “waggle dance” to communicate the location of flowers to their hive-mates. But the directions are sometimes imprecise, and the apparent sloppiness actually helps the hive. It forces other bees to explore more broadly, discovering new food sources that the original bee missed. Perfect information would make them too efficient to be adaptable. Your precision is one of your gifts, Virgo, but right now I think you need strategic vagueness and fuzzy logic. Leave some directions unclear. Mistakes and misunderstandings might lead to discoveries that your perfect plans would have eliminated.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In ancient Greek thought, kairos referred to the opportune moment. It meant the right timing, when circumstances aligned for action to be most effective. The term chronos, on the other hand, was about sequential time, which blindly marched forward without any regard for special moments or auspiciousness. Most of us are more or less hypnotized by chronos-consciousness. We measure our lives by calendar dates and external schedules. But in the coming weeks, Libra, I recommend you stay on high alert for kairos-rich pivots. For now, suspend inquiries like “Am I on schedule?” and ask, “Are the circumstances ripe?”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Ravens are strongly motivated to engage in elaborate play: aerial acrobatics, complex games, sliding down snowbanks, and sharing food with non-relatives. These behaviors lack an immediate payoff, yet support learning, motor skill development and social relationships. They seem to be both emotionally rewarding and indirectly advantageous for survival and success over the long term. Let’s apply this to you, Scorpio. Let’s conclude that delight isn’t wastefully frivolous and that pleasure doesn’t need to justify itself through productivity. In the coming weeks, you may face pressure to explain or defend your joy, as if to prove it’s worth it in some utilitarian way. Refuse. Like the ravens, engage in purposeless beauty and fun simply because it feels so good.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Glaciologists studying ice cores can read Earth’s climate history going back 800,000 years. Each layer contains trapped air bubbles. These are time capsules that preserve the atmospheric composition of each moment. The ice remembers everything. You accumulate similar records, Sagittarius. Each of your experiences leaves its trace. And in the coming weeks, you will have extra access to these archived layers of your own history. Memories and patterns you thought were lost will surface with intriguing clarity. I hope you study these revelations to glean insight about your long-term patterns and cycles. It’s time to see the Big Picture.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Many people forget, but you know: Structure is the foundation for freedom, not a suppression of it. While others fantasize about escaping responsibility, you know that mastery is key to every emancipation. When properly practiced, your flair for discipline adds vigor as well as rigor. More than any other sign of the zodiac, you are adept at using limits to give unlimited possibilities their specific shape. I trust you will express all these Capricornian powers to the max in the coming weeks. People in your life need them even more than usual.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Horticulturists practice “deadheading.” They remove spent flowers from plants to encourage new vitality. Faded flowers drain energy that could go toward fresh growth. Plants that have been deadheaded produce more abundant blooms than those left to manage their own decay. I recommend a metaphorical version of this practice to you, Aquarius. You’ll be wise to deadhead your emotional garden. Certain attachments, once vibrant and nourishing, have expired. They’re not evil or wrong; they’re simply finished. It’s best not to keep directing precious energy toward maintaining their faded forms. With gratitude for the old beauty, clear the way for new beauty.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): For maximum safety, be as uninteresting as possible. Shun risks that might shake up your beliefs and avoid adventures that could expose you to people who aren’t similar to you. If you really want to be certain about preserving your security and stability, as I’m recommending, the surest method is to retreat to your power spot and do nothing at all. WAIT! STOP! Dear Pisces, everything I just said was pure misdirection! I was joking! In fact, the opposite is true. The true way to nurture genuine safety and security is to pursue what sparks your curiosity and lights up your zeal. And the coming days are likely to provide you with plenty of chances to do exactly that.

Homework: Imagine what life would be like if you half-dissolved a big fear. tinyurl.com/55zz55xx