This is a time of conflict and challenge, pure and simple. No matter how you look at it, confrontation and discord are on the horizon. Others don’t agree with you or see your perspective, and they don’t intend to cooperate with you in any way. This could surface in such serious ways as legal battles, divorce proceedings, and contract negotiations; or it could just be an impasse with a spouse over a raised toilet seat. Whatever the issue, there’s no immediate or easy resolution. You’ve attracted a worthy opponent, so prepare to go the distance.

This is not to assume, however, that such combative scenarios are always a bad thing. Your Warrior Guides are present to enlighten you about the benefits of sparring with others. Competition brings out your best, and unleashes your passion and commitment in what you believe in. It develops your strength and prevents you from being victimized or manipulated by others; and it teaches you the need to respect others, too, and not mindlessly impose your will on them. Your Warrior Guides suggest that when you do battle with others, it’s best to fight fairly and learn from the conflict. Don’t compete just to let off steam. Fight for progress and higher understanding for all concerned rather than just being difficult to get your own way.

Hidden within the drama of battle and competition are the seeds of true understanding and compassion. The best spiritual warriors always strive for a win/win outcome. Your Warrior Guides suggest that you embrace the battles at hand to find your strength and reach for growth. Fight the good fight with your adversaries, but pray for Divine justice to prevail . . . not just your personal version of justice. Their message: “Fight fair, but concede when you are in the wrong.”

You’re entering a period of great expansion and celebration. Your Joy Guides are at hand, ushering you into a season of abundance, celebration, and hospitality. You’re loved, accepted, and trusted by those around you. This is a time when life gives back to you. You may become engaged, get married, receive a promotion, land a deal, or just get a long-awaited lucky break. Whatever you desire, your Joy Guides are urging you to prepare for, because it’s surely coming.

Realize that as life’s tides turn your way, the soon-to-become-realized positive flow of events isn’t just a fluke or an accident or just the luck of the draw. Rather, it’s the natural outcome of your unwavering efforts, and commitment to your dreams and goals. Your Joy Guides’ message: “Plan for the party.” You’ll soon have reason to celebrate.

Sooner or later in our evolutionary process, each of us begins to realize that it’s not the having that fulfills our soul, but rather it’s the act of creating that brings us satisfaction. Contentment in what we’ve created—no matter how grand—inevitably subsides, and our creative juices once again long to flow. That’s why the once-ideal partner ceases to mesmerize, the perfect job eventually becomes mundane, and the great adventure becomes tedious. Although there’s a lot to be said for enjoying what we have now, we must nevertheless respect the fact that our basic nature as creative beings is . . . to create. Without the process, we can’t be fully content—at least not for long.

Your Muses are present, and they call on you now to embrace your creative discontent and undertake new projects. Their message: “See your frustration as a longing to learn more, expand more, dare more, and create more.”