07.19.26 Ask the SGs Weekly Reading: The Wisdom of the Hammock

Have you ever climbed into a hammock on a warm summer afternoon?

The world is still moving around you, but for a little while, you aren’t rushing anywhere. Your body settles. Your breathing slows. You remember that peace is something you choose.

That image came to me as I looked at last week’s astrology.

Astrologers call this rare planetary pattern between Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter, a cradle or basket. I’m going to call it a hammock.

A cradle holds a child who cannot yet care for themselves. A hammock is different. We choose to climb into it. We choose to rest. We choose to return to our center before stepping back into the world.

Four major planets are all sitting at 4° in their new signs, creating one of the most harmonious planetary formations we’ve seen in a very long time.

* Pluto retrograde in Aquarius invites collective transformation, empowerment, and equality.

* Neptune retrograde in Aries encourages spiritual courage and inspired action.

* Uranus in Gemini opens the door to fresh ideas, curiosity, and new ways of communicating.

* Jupiter in Leo reminds us to lead with generosity, creativity, confidence, and heart.

With Pluto and Neptune both retrograde, this week’s energy encourages us to look inward as much as outward. Before we change the world around us, we’re invited to spend a little time in the hammock, reclaiming our power and clarifying our vision.

Every one of these planets is taking its early steps into a new sign. None of them has settled in yet. In many ways, humanity is learning right alongside them. We won’t get everything right. That’s how new cycles begin.

The higher expression of this formation invites us to transform society without losing our humanity, trust our intuition without abandoning wisdom, remain curious instead of becoming rigid, and lead by encouraging others to shine.

But every planet also carries a shadow.

Pluto can become power struggles and division.

Neptune can become fanaticism and spiritual ego.

Uranus can become confusion, misinformation, and constant distraction.

Jupiter can become entitlement, arrogance, and the belief that our way is the only way.

Every moment invites a choice. Which one will we feed?

Cherokee wisdom tells this story:

An old Cherokee told his grandson, “There is a battle between two wolves inside us all.”

“One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego.”

“The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”

This week’s astrology asks us the same question.

What are you feeding? Fear or peace? Reaction or response? Domination or partnership? Curiosity or certainty? Generosity or ego?

The world may be spinning faster than ever, but the center of the wheel has never moved.

Imagine the center of a great wheel. Around the outer edge, everything spins quickly. That is where fear, anxiety, conflict, and constant reaction live. It feels overwhelming.

But the hub at the center is different. The hub is still.

That is hammock energy.

It’s the quiet place within us where we remember who we are before we decide what comes next.

The hammock isn’t an escape from reality. It’s a place of discernment.

From there, we step back into the world with clearer eyes and better understanding.

As we move farther into the Age of Aquarius, I believe the old patriarchal system of domination rather than partnership is losing its grip. Starting with the suffragette movement in the late 1800s and a woman’s right to vote in the early 20th century, we have seen the feminist movement, the civil rights movement, and the sexual revolution. These movements are a threat to a patriarchal system that relies on domination.

As the wounded patriarchal beast loses power, it becomes even more dangerous. A wounded animal is often at its most dangerous. When an old way of living knows its time is ending, it rarely leaves quietly. The fear, anger, and division we see around us aren’t signs that the old system is gaining strength. They are signs of its desperation to hold onto power.

The beast wants you to react.

The hammock invites you to respond.

The warrior who rushes into every battle eventually exhausts themselves. The wise person returns to the center first. From that place of peace, they can see clearly. Then they act.

Changing the world rarely begins with one massive moment.

It begins with one conversation. One act of kindness. One courageous decision. One creative idea. One choice to respond rather than react. One small step at a time.

Every time we choose response over reaction, partnership over domination, curiosity over certainty, and generosity over ego, we’re climbing back into the hammock.

And I believe that’s exactly where this extraordinary sky is inviting us to begin.

This Week’s Tarot: Queen of Summer

The Queen of Summer feels right at home in this week’s astrology.

She doesn’t rush into conflict or react to every challenge around her. She listens to her heart and responds with love, wisdom, and discernment. She reminds us that compassion and strength are not opposites. They work together.

This Queen has learned that caring for others doesn’t mean carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She understands the importance of giving and receiving, knowing when to step forward and when to step back into the quiet center where clarity returns.

That sounds a lot like the hammock.

The hammock isn’t a place to escape life. It’s the place where we remember who we are, then we’re ready to decide what comes next.

The sunflowers surrounding the Queen caught my attention immediately. The sunflower has long been associated with the Sun, and Leo is the sign ruled by the Sun. The next year, Jupiter is traveling through Leo, encouraging us to live with generosity, creativity, courage, and heart.

Like the sunflower that naturally turns toward the light, we are invited to choose where we place our attention. Every time we choose peace over fear, response over reaction, partnership over domination, curiosity over certainty, and generosity over ego, we turn a little more toward the light.

One sunflower doesn’t make a field.

A field of sunflowers grows one flower at a time, each one turning toward the Sun. In much the same way, we change our world one choice at a time. One act of kindness. One courageous decision. Eventually, those small choices become something beautiful that others can see.

As you move through the week, ask yourself, am I reacting to what is happening around me, or am I responding from the peace I’ve found within?

Like the Queen of Summer, may you listen to your heart, trust your intuition, and carry the calm of the hammock with you wherever you go.

A Note from Faye

I’d like to offer a mantra for the week. Perhaps even for the year ahead.

This beautiful hammock formation will remain with us through the summer, and next year it forms again as Ceres moves into Leo. I think it’s worth keeping this simple reminder close at hand.

“I need to climb back into the hammock.”

Whenever life feels overwhelming…

Whenever fear begins to take over…

Whenever you’re tempted to react instead of respond…

Just pause for a moment and remember:

“I need to climb back into the hammock.”

As I set this intention for myself, my hope is that this week’s reading offers you a soft, comfortable hammock to lie in.

 Faye