softiistudio

[softiistudio]

using the starterkit i got from @opusartsupplies !! it was really fun im probably gonna make this into a regular thing https://www.instagram.com/p/CScbCznpSBz/?utm_medium=tumblr

[softiistudio]

Image Alt Text: 12H Planets: what comes out of the darkest parts of our lives. Sun: finding yourself. Mercury: finding your voice, a clear mind. Venus: the ability to love fully and experience pleasure. Mars: finding your passions, motivations, and drive. Saturn: cultivating discipline. Jupiter: finding your beliefs.

Any planets in the 12H represent what lessons will come out of the darkest, most isolating parts of life. The significations of the planet are also hard to manifest unless those deep, dark parts of life have already been worked through.

In any house, planets manifest themselves via the area of life the house represents. Unfortunately, because the 12th House is a difficult house, planets in there are “locked”, and unable to provide their benefits without the hard work the house requires.

However, planets are also capable of providing their positive attributes to the 12th House process. For example, if Venus is in your 12th House, love and patience will help you through the dark time.

[softiistudio]

August 2021 Forecast

Welcome to Leo Season! The heat is rising; the world is full of energy. A bunch of us are heading out on vacations, too, taking time off from our responsibilities to indulge in personal pleasures and affairs. What better way to express the core tenants of Leo?

Saturn in is putting immense pressure on the usual vacation energy of Leo this year. Our wider responsibilities, including responsibilities we have to ourselves, is agitating the focus we have on ourselves. Both planets are in their home signs, so expect this friction to be especially potent. Saturn wants to give you a helping of reality by making it apparent that you need a plan and your actions need to be sustainable to you in the long run. The Sun is trying to tell us that sustainability doesn’t have to sacrifice our own wants and needs. 

Uranus is only adding tension. Uranus has been in Taurus for a while now. If you follow any astrologers on social media, you’ve probably heard them talk about it and its relation to changes to how the world is run. I don’t work with Uranus a lot, since I focus on the traditional planets, but I find their roles are important in transits, especially in how they colour traditional planet's interactions. Uranus signifies liberation and rebellion. It’s been leading the charges on many of the revolutions and protests we’ve been witnessing. In grounded Taurus, Uranus had held steadfast on its views, which has also created deliberation and clear intentions in these transformations. As Saturn and the Sun face off against each other, Uranus is squaring them both simultaneously. It draws out the freedom of the collective versus the freedom of the self, as if they cannot co-exist. Uranus is the middleman in that conflict, which paints the narrative that liberating one liberates the other. Collective freedom liberates the individual, and the individual’s freedom will liberate everyone else. Oppositions are very chicken-egg, to me. One doesn’t cause the other. They are causes of each other and also the result of each other. Uranus between them both offers balance.

The nature of the Sun-Saturn opposition could question your personal identity and the identity of communities you're in, as well. Who are you outside of those communities? At some point you'll find those groups will have different goals than what you had in mind, or you'll find you're having trouble to committing to their causes if you want to pursue your own. However, your identity goes beyond just theirs. Now is a good point to notice your unique strengths and how they contribute to those around you. You don't have to lose your sense of self in order to be a part of something bigger. With Jupiter returning to conjoin Saturn in Aquarius, your communities are ready to accept and your individualism. If you are being called to follow an individual path, remember not to follow it on impulse. Choosing yourself takes just as much commitment and planning. Make sure whatever you choose can sustain itself for the long run, and take some time before you take your first steps you set yourself up for success, ensuring your well being.

Any plans you've had for a long time might feel under fire under this opposition. Don't worry, though! Saturn also in retrograde. A Saturn retrograde asks us to rethink our current methods and adjust them. What parts of your long-standing plans are still serving you? What do you need to change in order to reaffirm your direction?

Mars transiting from the passionate Leo to the resourceful Virgo fills us with a drive to pursue personal projects. When you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll start nudging your ideas into action in the few days leading into August. But there’s an equal dread you might miss out. What will happen if we commit to our ideas too soon? Mars opposing Jupiter draws out doubt that you need to explore further before settling down with this path — be that other ideas, the fear you’ll be sacrificing enjoyment if you follow through (which, frankly, is only exacerbated through the Saturn-Sun opposition). As we get deeper into August, though, the issue will pass. The best way to combat this right now is to lean into Jupiter’s retrograde: reevaluate what brings you joy in your life, and invest in that in equal measure. Revisit what you've been indulging in. Have you been chasing every new thing that comes along? The balance of work and play is important this month.

With these tense aspects, expect to be at least a little tired. Be wary of burnout, especially from July 24th to August 9th, as Mercury combusts. There will be a respite on the 1st, but it will start again soon after and dissolve as we approach the 9th. If you need to take things slow, please practice some self care. Your Gemini and Virgo friends might also be hard to reach.

The sexual energy is going to whittle down, too. You and your partner might get distracted from each other with work and the upcoming return to school. Your time together will lose some spontaneity. Counter this by making a deliberate effort to listen to each other and your needs. Write your relationship into your schedule and lean into adapting your routines as your lives shift around. Little acts of kindness, like washing the dishes when your partner comes home from a hard day, will go a long way. And, overall, embrace emotional depth. Really get to know each other on a deep, emotional level. Not only will it help you in facing challenges this month, but it has the potential to rejuvenate your entire relationship.

August is tense this year. We leave a Mars-Jupiter opposition behind to introduce an even stronger Sun-Saturn opposition. Both Jupiter and Saturn are in retrograde, making their benefits delayed. But stay strong! Lean on others and believe in your abilities. You've got this.

With heart, Softii

[softiistudio]

tried some plein air! the light changes so fast out in the wild, it really forces you to focus on the feeling of the location than the accuracy of the details itself haha

[softiistudio]

Time for a Change

I'd never managed to bore myself with my own work before now.

My latest painting, Mourn, isn't really that complicated. It's simply two hands in a fairly neutral background. I was excited to paint it, though, for the personal reasons it had in its symbolism. I was nearly done when I just... got bored. I stood back and looked at my painting and I was bored.

On a technical level it wasn't bad. I'm not amazing with acrylic yet, and I'm still getting a handle on how I want to use them, but just looking at it felt stale. It was just... another pair of hands. That's it. Just hands. There was nothing remarkable about it. Even the most mundane subjects can be enchanting if done right, so it wasn't that the piece wasn't complex enough. It's that there was nothing saying why these hands were important. They were so plain that you wondered why you were even looking at them.

I had a decision to make. Was I going to let it be something I was unsatisfied with, or was I going to risk ruining a perfectly fine-looking piece for something that'd be more unique but potentially really shitty. Would I work towards technical and realistic perfection?

At the end of the day I didn't want to be bored by my art. I didn't want to be one of those creators making things just to be impressive, I guess. I'm not against art and artists that are working on technical skills for a more sales-based craft, but it's not what I want for myself. That's not where art helps me personally.

So I took the leap and essentially changed the whole painting. It's not the best but I'm certainly not bored by it anymore. In fact, I'm super excited about the colour direction I took. I think I might've come across a style breakthrough with this. Before, my art didn't have too much of a personal flair. I was very focused on learning how, more than exploring. This might be the first thing that makes my art uniquely mine.