What’s happening right now, in the lee of this eclipse, an event that carried a big impact, the extent of which we may not completely uncover (or recover from) for some time (we have six months, after all, to bask, or is that flail? in its effects)? I’m drawn to the way the Sun is creeping up on Sedna, late in Taurus; I choose the word ‘creeping’ for a reason: to me that’s a picture of conscious awareness trying to bring what’s instinctive, what we know but don’t know, or what’s in our ‘blind spot’, to light–probably so it can be changed, purged, or resurrected in better form (trine to Pluto)–and we want that little bird of unconscious knowledge to eat from our hand, not startle and fly away.

What gives us a chance to gain the insight we want is the way those liminally-carried, instinctive energies will be engaged in sorting conflicts arising from what we find sacred, seek to honor, or have dedicated our energies to supporting (Sedna square Vesta, the latter in Aquarius). The material matters that at this time would normally be taking our attention, blocking below-the-surface perceptions (Taurus) will be temporarily disabled, distracted as the symbol of all we revere–Vesta–runs up against the symbol of what we should be aware of, but in some way aren’t–Sedna. This friction is likely in service to a simple but vital cause (Aquarius, as standard-bearer for the Higher Mind): giving us the necessary perspective to know what we really care about, what we truly want to commit our life energies to–with the added benefit that conscious energy has a crack at gaining genuine and needed insight into the Self and our own motivations. Maybe, too, this is where Pluto comes in: helping us eliminate what isn’t serving that higher cause, either aiding us in taking steps to put out attention on what we value, or forcibly removing distractions and dead ends, so that we turn in another, presumably more effective, direction.

One other thing I’d like to talk about right now: the Saturn-Eris sextile that catches Mars-Neptune at the midpoint. This is a highly potent formula for real world antagonisms and restrictions that enrage, that lead to actions and choices that are either highly imaginative and creative (and that’s no comment on their worth or morality!) or that are delusional in their perceptions or their understanding of the situation. What we’re moved to do may express our ideal individual Self, responsible and showing a kind of leadership (even if only to ourselves), or it may bring our worst (that is, most inaccurate) visions of who we are forward in service to the ego. Our job here is simple, and tough: know ourselves, and be so honest with ourselves, that we don’t take off in the ‘wrong’ direction.

The word image for the week: Alice in Wonderland. This is the story of an innocent who tumbles into an unfamiliar world, one that her fresh, child-perspective allows her to interact with more effectively and more directly than would one more jaded (that is, an adult, who would probably spend a lot of time arguing that what they were seeing couldn’t be!) Alice succeeds, or at least makes it through her journey, despite any momentary disbelief, by engaging with the inhabitants on their own level–and I’ll take that as our message from my repeated exposures to this story in the past 72 hours: don’t try to judge whether things make sense, or dismiss them as impossible when they’re right in front of you; instead, meet circumstances and people where they are. Don’t waste time or energy in denial, arguing that it shouldn’t be–it is, so respond accordingly.