All week, the Cancer Sun squares Aries Chiron. Do you ever take things personally and later find out it wasn’t personal? How do you tend to react when that happens? I say when because I think it’s a pretty universal experience for most, at one time or another at least.

It’s not the same as projecting, because often times the signs of offense are present. Something pops up and we’re reacting how we’ve learned to react to protect ourselves. Another possibility is that people seem arrogant, and they’re not arrogant; they’re something else we don’t have the information to pinpoint. Here’s the thing: WE may seem arrogant (or whatever), and that’s not what we mean at all. But what’s at issue is control. Control of how we see ourselves, control of the situation, how we act. Control over being hurt? Control after feeling hurt?

It doesn’t have to be a big deal. What can be a big deal is if we cut ourselves off from knowing better and doing better, let alone feeling better. Feeling better about ourselves and our ability to control how we feel about ourselves. We can control to the extent that we may learn to do better. To aid in this, we have Mercury in Sun-ruled Leo and Mars in Mercury-ruled Virgo.

Mercury is already in its retrograde shadow: the area it will travel back over retrograde then again when it goes direct. Thursday night, Mercury stations retrograde. Communications, sensations, and perceptions will be hashed, rehashed, then hashed again. So the Sun-Chiron condition is ripe for perception filtering and readdressing attitudes.

Mars in earthy Virgo reflects action taken in response to these communications, sensations, and perceptions — actions that take shape in the real world and have real consequences. We can see plainly the effects as they unfold (and refold, then unfold again). A practical and measured approach is ideal. A healthy approach is one that takes personal perceptions and experiences into account.

Monday’s Pisces Moon trines Cancer Jupiter then spends the rest of the day heading into square with Gemini Venus and trine to Scorpio Juno. The mood holds the momentum of the weekend, hoping to hold off that Monday feeling… and maybe you can. Eventually the Mondayness of it all creeps back in, but there’s also the ability blend the Jupiter-joy flavor with the frippery of Mercurial Venus for a smirky bit of passionfruit punch. Catch some air between waves. Don’t expect smooth sailing and the chop can be rewarding.

Also, slowed Mercury continues approaching square to Juno as Mars sextiles Juno. Mars-Juno is exact Tuesday morning and in heightened effect all Monday. Mercury-Juno will taper off. What seems to be a challenge of pressing rivalry or jealousies may prove less of a bugaboo than expected. Reality sets in when we move forward with our investigation and take mentally healthy action.

Tuesday’s Pisces Moon trines the Cancer Sun. Mars-Juno commitments, particularly self-commitments, lead to a feeling of confidence and ease. If you’re not feeling your sense of self supported emotionally, make sure you’re not stagnating physically. End of day, the Moon moves to Mars-ruled Aries and a square to Gemini Uranus, zapped… for reasons? Given the timing, it might be hard to settle. However, the Moon moves through conjunction with retro Saturn and retro Neptune and sextile to retro Pluto through the night. This is not so much a go with the flow time as it is a control the flow and force a change mood. If you can jump tracks and see the flow in that, that’s best. Call it tuning in, I suppose. To paraphrase Joseph Campbell: If you’re falling, find a way to twist it into a dive. That’s the kind of flow you need.

It’s at this point that Venus picks up the beginning of a sextile to Mercury. Normally at the speed they move, Mercury would be considered to be making the move on Venus, but slowing Mercury lets Venus catch up. What matters and what you think about what matters, well, matters. Through Friday morning, thoughtful desire presents opportunities for crafting and parsing the most beautifully affecting stories. What you’re telling yourself is especially remarkable in the doors it’s able to open. Tell yourself a better story and you’re already working on making it come true. It’s also a great time to address how you look and how you’re perceived — both physically and internally. Treat yourself, take care of yourself.

Wednesday morning, the Aries Moon finishes up its sextile to retro Pluto, and the mood responds well to rising and shining. Get up and do something healthy for yourself. Whatever you don’t usually do for yourself that you realize you should? It’ll start your day right. The Moon then heads toward a sextile to Venus and a trine to Mercury, moving through the point of a yod with Mars and Juno overnight. This is a great day for getting things moving and keeping them moving, happily. It can also point you toward your “bliss”.

On Thursday, Mercury slows considerably and Venus heads into square with Mars. Let’s be real: as Mercury slows to station (late Thursday), it has a trainwreck effect on everything. Expect things to be late or early. Expect that delays or speeding up all across the board for everyone will have a trickle down effect somewhere in your day. Watch out for people making mistakes that will impact you. Watch for the mistakes you make yourself that you’re able to catch, review, and correct before they have a cascading effect. Slow down to process and for safety, but also be willing to speed up to merge back into the flow or avoid a collision. Pay attention, because what you WANT to look at may split your focus. Nothing’s perfect, and you don’t have to be perfect to navigate the day. Just do your best.

Thursday’s Aries Moon squares the Sun then rolls over Chiron as Mercury stations. The mood is irksome and ego-challenging. Just do your best.

Early Friday the mood shifts as the Moon moves to Venus-ruled Taurus and into square with retro Pluto. Retro Mercury perfects its sextile to Venus in Gemini. Something very real that you’ve longed for may come at you sideways. It’s right there for the picking, but is it still what you need? Is it even what you want anymore? They say you can’t step in the same river twice; you’ve got to be sure this is the deal you thought it was. Investigate. Try it on, even. See how it feels.

The Taurus Moon moves through the midpoint of Saturn-Neptune and Cancer Uranus. Experiment, the timeline isn’t set.

In the afternoon, the Taurus Moon sextiles Jupiter in Cancer, a bountiful, joy-inducing bounce. Hope is healthy. Don’t talk yourself out of hope or leave a deal on the table that might just need some tweaking or some time. Continue to consider and reconsider. The Moon heads into square with Mercury and opposition to Juno overnight. Readdress issues that came to a head on Monday, and face them head on. Passion isn’t good or bad, but does it make sense for YOU? Give a second thought before doubling down on a commitment. Remember that it’s important to put on your own protective measures before you can help anyone else.

With Venus squaring Mars and both in mutable, Mercury-ruled signs, fake it till you make it. OR, delay until you’re certain what you want to do.