Why Do We Keep Doing What We Know Is Bad for Us?
Why do we keep doing things we know aren't good for us? The answer may have less to do with weakness and more to do with habit, emotional soothing, and conditioning....

Research highlights the crucial role of community environments in shaping early childhood development. The Kids in Communities Study identifies key factors that contribute to better outcomes for children, particularly in disadvantaged areas. Understanding these community dynamics can help inform policies and initiatives aimed at fostering healthier environments for young families.

The Sun blazes at 5 degrees Leo, just steps away from Jupiter, amplifying everything: your desires, your visibility, your need to be seen. Mercury sits in Cancer, asking tender questions. This is the tension of the day. Emotion wants softness. Reality wants results.

For centuries, literacy meant learning to read. Then it meant learning to write. Today it demands a third skill that no classroom has ever made mandatory: learning to think. Not because people have grown less intelligent, but because information has become so cheap that judgment has become priceless.

The Sun and Jupiter sit almost on top of each other in Leo this morning, both at nearly 5 degrees, radiating a confidence and generosity that feels almost too easy. But the Moon in Capricorn, waxing toward fullness, throws a wrench into that simplicity. These two energies are pulling in opposite directions, one toward expansion and visibility, the other toward restraint and delayed gratification.

This week's skies build toward a powerful Full Moon in Aquarius on Wednesday, July 29, igniting the far-reaching energies of the "cradle" configuration formed by Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto that is reshaping our world. The lunation arrives with the Moon just two degrees from Pluto and the Sun nearly touching Jupiter, amplifying themes of legal and ethical confrontation, revelations of corruption, and a dramatic struggle for power. Grounding, self-care, and an open heart will be essential companions as we navigate these intense and history-making energies.

Some rules protect us, while others quietly limit our choices, creativity, and self-trust. By learning to distinguish necessary rules from outdated expectations, we open the door to greater authenticity, flexibility, and new possibilities.

The Sun sits squarely in Leo this morning, joined by Jupiter in the same sign — a doubling of fire, warmth, and the impulse to be seen. This is not subtle energy. Meanwhile, the Moon in Sagittarius at 23 degrees approaches fullness, which means it is pulling away from the Earth, getting brighter, more insistent, ready to illuminate what has been building beneath the surface.

The Sun deep in Leo this week is joined by Jupiter in the same sign, a conjunction that pulls the spotlight toward authenticity, creative risk, and the courage to be seen. This is a week of amplification—not everything that glitters needs to be gold, but everything that matters wants to be known. Mercury still moves through Cancer, keeping our words rooted in feeling and memory.

Mercury sits in Cancer, asking us to speak carefully about what matters emotionally, while Mars travels through Gemini with restless, scattered energy—wanting to move in ten directions at once. Venus in Virgo is deliberate and discerning about what stays and what goes. You feel the pull between boldness and hesitation, between expansion and refinement. This is a day that rewards both your ambition and your discrimination.

Life can be filled with unexpected delays and frustrations, but these experiences might be part of a greater plan. A touching story illustrates how a couple's visa delays ultimately saved their lives during a crisis, emphasizing the importance of faith in life's journey. Embracing this perspective can transform how one views challenges.

The Sun has just stepped into Leo, and it brings Jupiter with it — the planet of expansion and visibility walking hand in hand with the planet of creative self-expression. This is not a subtle entrance. Mercury in Cancer is still speaking from the emotional center, asking us to feel our way toward clarity rather than think our way there. The day carries the weight of depth and the brightness of emergence all at once.

The Sun ignites at 0° Leo this morning—the exact moment of the Leo solar threshold—while Jupiter sits only four degrees behind, amplifying everything the Sun touches with brightness, generosity, and appetite. Meanwhile, the Moon's angle to the Sun creates friction. Not the bad kind. The clarifying kind.

The concept of the world as a mirror suggests that our perceptions and experiences reflect our inner state. When we encounter negativity, it may indicate unresolved issues within us. This idea challenges us to examine our reactions, especially in parenting, and recognize how our emotions shape interactions with others.

On July 23, the Sun leaves Cancer and enters Leo. After a month of turning inward, tending to what matters most, and sitting with our feelings, we are about to step into the light. The shift happens at 4:41 AM EDT on July 23rd, but you will feel it building all through the 22nd—a quickening, a readiness, a sense that something private is about to become public. The Sun at 29°54' Cancer is in its final hours, like someone standing at a doorway they've been meaning to walk through.

The Moon in Scorpio at the first-quarter phase is asking hard questions, demanding that we examine what we said we wanted at the New Moon and whether we actually mean it. Mercury still moves through Cancer's tender waters, speaking in metaphors and memory, while Mars cuts through Gemini with restless curiosity. We are caught between...

The Sun sits at the last degrees of Cancer today, burning through the final days of its seasonal reign. Mercury moves alongside it, both planets still in the sign of home and interiority, still asking what we need to feel safe. There's a tension here between wanting to stay close to what's familiar and being called to show up, to balance, to consider what someone else needs.

The Sun sits at the final degrees of Cancer today, pulling us deeper into the waters of what we actually need — not what we think we should want. Mercury moves through Cancer alongside it, slowing our thoughts down, making us deliberate and feeling. A First Quarter Moon in Libra faces off against this sensitive stellium, demanding we translate our inner knowing into something other people can understand. The tension is real. We are caught between the urge to retreat and the obligation to show up.

What if every criticism you make of another person reveals something about yourself? By practicing two simple words—"That's me"—you can replace judgment with compassion, discover hidden aspects of your own nature, and begin healing the illusion that we are separate from one another.

The week of July 20 to 26, 2026 marks one of the most profound astrological periods of the decade, as six major planetary synodic cycles converge in a powerful "cradle" configuration anchored by Jupiter. Saturn and Mercury both station this week — one going retrograde, one going direct — while the Sun moves into Leo, setting the stage for dramatic power shifts and pivotal turning points. Adding to the magnitude of these days, the Moon's nodal axis shifts into Aquarius/Leo on Sunday, July 26, initiating an 18-month period calling humanity toward cooperation, authenticity, and social equality. Astrologer Pam Younghans guides us through each of these extraordinary cosmic events and what they mean for our collective and personal lives.

This week the Sun completes its journey through Cancer and steps into Leo on Thursday, marking a pivot from introspection to expression. Meanwhile, Mercury lingers in Cancer, still processing what needs to be said, while Venus in Virgo and Mars in Gemini keep our hands and hearts active. The week builds toward brightness, but not without asking us first to examine what we've been holding close.

The Sun sits deep in Cancer at 26 degrees, and the Moon has climbed into Virgo as a waxing crescent—that thin bright sliver that marks the moment after intention has been set and before momentum builds. Mercury in Cancer speaks softly about what matters, while Mars in Gemini keeps our hands busy, our minds scattered across a dozen half-finished thoughts. This is Sunday, a day with its own gravity.