You generally have a more difficult time when battling against someone or something than when you fight for a cause. The competition that you engage can be as strong or stronger than you. Despite the odds, you can emerge victorious now when advocating what really matters to you. It usually means that something you deeply desire rather than what you merely want is capable of driving you to a successful completion. Although you can achieve an objective through sheer will, generally there is a price that you pay to reach it. A draining of resources and energy can occur because of an unrelenting urge to finish. Sometimes you must give up everything for a compelling interest.

It is possible that you may be forced to discard what seems important, and you may try to reject any kind of reduction that you oppose. There is a quality of inevitability, however, that is characteristic of this period that makes some efforts futile. The more you attempt to preserve what must go, the more you may feel the loss. While resignation is unlikely, you can endure any condition more willingly when you recognize that something else typically will come to fill any void. One lesson of this period is realizing that whatever does end implies a new beginning that often brings improved circumstances. You may not see them right away because any transition takes time.

This cycle can clear away much that is unnecessary and leave only the very core. Sometimes this can make you feel exposed and diminished due to a perceived lack of substance. By accessing the essential elements, you can become strengthened and absolutely certain of what you must do. Often by confronting the worst, you bring out the best. One purpose of this process is to present extremes in your life so that it becomes nearly impossible to remain neutral at times. This has a way of galvanizing you to take a position, particularly when you are stuck. You are capable of strong leadership now, and you may encounter powerful people or circumstances that force you to stand up.