The AstroEssence for the 10th: We see reality–and normally I would follow that with ‘like it or not’–but today we’re almost guaranteed to see the advantages in our real-world situation, to perceive how we can best profit, gain Love, or create relationships within it, and we are creatively adept, and so on our game in terms of both originality and aesthetic judgment. The only caveat is this: none of this will apply if one is divorced from ‘the Truth’ (which, really, is just another name for reality). At the very least, take a good hard look at where you are in the lifetime goals and achievement spectrum today; though accomplishments aren’t everything, Saturn demands a certain amount of building, even if those constructions aren’t tangible (Saturn conjoined by the Sun, sextiled by Zeus, and paralleled and semi-squared by Venus, Sun at the midpoint of Saturn-Zeus, Mercury sxt Neptune and sesq Sedna)

Today’s word image is a hummingbird feeder, cracked by a hard freeze. Yes, ice imagery again–this time applying to a source of supply. Something that offers assets or is the origin of sustenance for us (think in broad terms of support or nurture) is suddenly unavailable–and that means we’re thrown back on our own devices, at least temporarily. Be prepared.

For those born with the Sun at 19 Sagittarius: You have finished or are now in the process of finishing up or ending something major–now what? You may be tempted to mess it all up, to rebel against the constraints of what you’ve just created, but you know better than that–what you really need to do is avoid looking for ways others aren’t supportive (your energy can get lost in this, feeling sorry for yourself, and so kill your forward momentum); instead look for what you’ve learned from your past experiences, especially the hurtful ones, and put to work the skills you’ve acquired from those circumstances. If you do, you’ll discover some pretty amazing skills are at your disposal–and then it will be your duty to put them to work. Good luck, Sagittarius, and Happy Birthday!

The AstroEssence for the 11th: How troubling! There’s an underlying current that prompts us to destroy or otherwise negate our commitments to those very things and individuals and causes that are most important to us. We’re susceptible to this because we’re put off a little by what we know to be wise–we’re resentful of the constraints it puts on us or the demands it makes on us–and we’re likely to feel that health demands full communications and unfettered thinking; that, however, is a recipe for hurt and a prompt for us to be our most unreliable and erratic Self–which of course is not in line with values. Instead of responding to this with a childish insistence on ‘being free’, we might do better to take the focus off ourselves and look at the impact we can have on others–and then vow to make it a positive one (Venus parallel Pluto and opp Vesta, Merc semi-sq Pallas and nov Hygeia, Sun-Earth axis in T-sq with Chiron, Sun trine Uranus and sesq Vesta)

Today’s word image is a wound that isn’t life threatening, but won’t heal. This is more common than one might think; you yourself might even suffer from one. The danger with this situation is that one can become obsessed with the wound, allowing its existence to command the life–and that’s not to mention the way worry over its refusal to heal can distract and debilitate. The message here may be something as simple (and as hard to do) as fully realizing the import of not stressing over matters we can do nothing about. That realization offers a kind of grace, and a certain freedom, that takes us beyond material concerns.

For those born with the Sun at 20 Sagittarius: This coming Solar year, through to your next birthday, you’ll be busy confronting hurts and allowing that to crack open the personality in such a way that your expressions become entirely original and very forward-thinking. What you do with this ‘gift’ is up to you, but it will almost certainly require you to reassess your commitments and to reconsider where and with whom you best invest your time and energy. You are almost certain to regret some of those investments made in the past; now’s your time to correct them. Good luck, Sagittarius, and Happy Birthday!

See more of my winter photos at Handmade Days

Have a great weekend!