Merc and Saturn once again perfect their square on the 6th, forcing us all to feel the pinch in our own particular ways. Whatever constraints your mind has been struggling with, you can remedy things with a simple formula: honor a sense of your own responsibility gained through successful efforts of the past (Ceres conj South Node) and then be flexible in allowing healing for those matters you really care about (Chiron qnx Vesta). The tendency may be to insist on rigid expressions of the highest values and to be unyielding when it comes to those matters you’re dedicated to–but that wouldn’t be just Self-defeating, it would be downright wrong. Be open to learning from experience–it’s the only way to keep perceptions both responsive to reality and relevant to the situation. Too, it’s not a day to pursue ambition fulfillment directly–too many denied, ignored, or hidden matters, including our own anger, will pop up to interfere with realization (Zeus contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith).

By the 7th we should be concentrating on doing what’s healthy, especially in relationships and finances, and this may go against our natural inclinations, which could be driven by our own hidden agenda and so focus our efforts on trying to right what we perceive as a wrong (Venus sxt Hygeia and sesq Sedna, Pallas sq Zeus, Sun qnx Mars). Thoughts are too prone to seek ambition fulfillment and to ignore the wonkiness of our own reasoning (Merc parallel Zeus and contra-parallel BML)–wait it out, and go experiential, if possible (enjoy the senses, rather than trying to forward goals).

We balance ourselves and gain empowerment by concentrating on our own responsibilities and then fulfilling them on the 8th. Just as yesterday, don’t succumb to what presents as instinct but is really misperceived situations of right and wrong (Sun conj Juno, Merc qnx Sedna and parallel Juno).

Things become complicated (or more so!) on the 9th. We feel empowered and aware of our own personal authority via our idealism, but this kind of power is merely an illusion if we don’t also embrace personal responsibility (completely, not just selectively) and refuse to act out of hurt. It’s a difficult balancing act, but we do have a single metric that will help us measure our own effectiveness: if we find ourselves reacting to things in an oppositional way (that is, taking the opposite position regardless of our own best interests or what’s logical), then we’ll know that we’re avoiding our own need to assess situations for our own part in things–we’ll know we’re in some way shirking responsibility, and must parse that out before going forward. Some of us may do brilliantly by harnessing energies for creative ventures–if you can, this is the best way to go (Venus sesq Ceres, opp Mars, contra-parallel Chiron, Sun trine Neptune).

See the second installment on Chiron drawn from our natal aspect discussion here.