We’re so determined to honor our own beliefs that we end up exaggerating the facts in service to them, or we outright shock, surprise, or spin a yarn out of a need to feel our own power, with that need superseding both common sense and what’s smart in the moment. What’s going on?? It may be that we’re not feeling rewarded or compensated for our originality; appreciation of one’s uniqueness is a human need, not a vanity project, and if we don’t receive that appreciation, it may be telling us one or more of the following: we may be hanging with the wrong crowd, one that doesn’t value what we offer (or that deliberately withholds that appreciation, in an attempt to tamp us down or control us); we may be offering the world something we’re really not very good at, that in some way we’re not meant to be pursuing/ sharing, at least not yet–and this leads us to the possibility that we’re trying to go in an inappropriate direction entirely, likely one that serves an image we want, rather than a Path that allows our best to flower; we may be ‘stuck’, (almost consciously) distracting ourselves from what we know needs doing; or it may be that ego is calling the shots–and when has ego every done anything truly beneficial for us? Once ego’s in the driver’s seat, there’s no giving it directions–it hijacks our lives. Handle any or all of these tendencies by reminding yourself of your values and goals, then listen for that inner voice, the one that’s only agenda is your well-being. Access inner wisdom, put things in practical (or health-supporting) terms, and very quickly what’s not genuine to your purest interests or expression will fall away, showing you what’s worth the effort, and what’s useless wheel-spinning. Look too to strong people from your past for the example they set; somewhere in there is something you can use right now.

(Ceres nov SN, Pallas opp Hygeia, Vesta sxt Sedna, Jupiter sxt Pallas and trine Hygeia, Venus sxt Uranus and contra-parallel Juno)

Today’s word image is the foam in a cup of freshly brewed coffee that forms a yin/ yang symbol. Balance! There’s nothing mystical about our need to find a middle point, an area not necessarily evenly centered between extremes, but one that allows sureness around Self-knowledge, and so offers a sense of centeredness that gives a sure platform from which to send our expressions out into the world. The fact that the image is of coffee may also imply that a little stimulation may go a long way–check your caffeine intake, if it’s interfering with finding that needed balance.

For those born with the Sun at 07 Aries (check your natal chart for your Sun degree!) Are you feeling a little bit out on your own as you begin your new Solar year, Aries? You may be blazing a trail this year, even if that trail is only within your own mind, and that may be a lonely place, especially considering that the emotional landscape may seem particularly harsh. The fact is, something unusual is happening; it’s almost as if the past is reshaping itself in order to support smart choices and opportunities for you that will manifest in the future, some of them showing well before your next birthday. How to prepare? Keep your mind clear, your thinking focused, and be on the lookout for unusual opportunities for love or money–in accepting (within reason) what you normally reject, you open the floodgates for prosperity or relationships that will be both fulfilling and out-of-the-ordinary for you.