‘Self-portrait with Japanese umbrella’ 1891, by Olga Boznańska {{PD}}

What fresh hell is this, that we know the smart thing, the practical thing, the wise thing, and yet we talk ourselves into trashing the whole thing by telling ourselves what we’re faced with preserving, nurturing, or accelerating has no worth? We’ve got two days of it coming, of dealing with our own avoidance of reality, or insistence on living in the past; neither accomplishes what we think it will. There’s also the matter of opposites (or complementary) energies at odds, where we quite naturally find ourselves in a position contrary to that of our opposite number–and so at an impasse with them.

We may find it helps to ‘think like a woman’, whatever that means to you, preferably one who’s intelligent, Self-possessed, and not hesitant to exercise her own authority. Strangely, we may have persuaded ourselves that such an approach would be detrimental, beneath us, or ‘weak’–but it’s really about mustering the right kinds of sensitivity, which are almost certainly not the kinds most of us normally turn to when sending feelers out into the Universe.

So where’s our silver lining in all this? It’s in those relationships that empower us, where we are cherished and valued, where our ‘natural’ Self is the best thing we can be–there are no expectations for our conformity to social mores or anyone’s judgment. If one or more relationships just like that, that let you be You with a capital ‘Y’, spring to mind, your task is to recognize the Love you receive from them, and nurture them; if no such relationship in your life right now exists, your job is to get new relationships.

‘Friedrichstraße on a rainy night’, by Franz Skarbina, 1902 {{PD}}

The word image for these two days is this: while standing in an anteroom to a restaurant, a young man coming in sees you and holds the door open so you can go out; to be polite, you thank him and walk out into the cold, driving rain. You were not on your way out, but he didn’t know that. He was so proud of himself for thinking of someone else, of holding the door for others, that he didn’t notice what was really needed: shelter from the rain. Is someone ushering you into an environment you’d rather avoid, and to be polite, you’re going along with it? Or are you so proud of offering someone a grand gesture that you haven’t bothered to see if it’s actually what they need?

Check this out, for some absolutely spot-on observations–

By Ryan Hagerty – This image originates from the National Digital Library of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service {{PD}}

The 15th promises some sort of struggle, though I guess the good news, if we can call it that, is that this occurs within our own minds; erratic, unexpected, and fantastical thoughts lead to actions that arise either from hurt or from our own unique, underutilized skill set, the latter if we are tuned in to our own real-world empowerment position, the former if we’ve abandoned our values or allow rage to be our motivator. Go forward with an eye on the future, but focus most on making good use of lessons learned in the past.

Today’s word image is a mockingbird. These are ‘New World’ birds that are known for mimicry of the songs of other birds and the sounds of amphibians and insects. Has your intuition alerted you lately to someone ‘making the right sounds’ but whose assertions or language doesn’t ‘feel right’ to you? Consider why they might be hiding behind this camouflage–though it’s not necessarily nefarious, you should become consciously aware of the misdirect, nonetheless.

The 16th is one of those days that’s almost magically positive, showing us genius ways to profit or earn love that paves the way to the future, aligning thinking with beliefs (so that there’s no internal discord) and making surrounding opportunities obvious. Our attention is on the reality picture, which offers the benefit of grounding us so that efforts are solid and effective, propelled by an attitude that makes the most of what’s presented.

Today’s word image is the concept ‘Something to Hide’. Right now there seem to be two kinds of people in the world: those who are open, and those who are trying to manage others’ perceptions of them. Honesty, in the most fundamental sense, is what separates the two.

On the 17th Mercury moves into Scorpio, giving us the inclination toward (or maybe the impression of, if we’re really just skimming the surface) digging deep, ruminating on ‘The Mysteries’–as if Jupiter’s entry to the sign hasn’t already prompted some dark explorations–with the danger being we think we’re considering deeply, when we may just be going over old territory. With Scorpio, we may be obsessive or morose, but that doesn’t guarantee we’re plumbing the deep or profound–instead, if we’re afraid, we are likely to do the opposite but convince ourselves we’re diving in. So that’s the admonition for this transit of the Messenger through the dark places: be unafraid, if you want to make the most of it. With both Mercury and Jupiter in Scorpio, know that if you lack fear, you’ll get get the facts, and/ or think clearly about beliefs, and messages from others will show you just how serious, destructive, educated, or indoctrinated they really are.

On this same day we also see a tendency to act on instincts or from the ‘blind spot’–how do we tell if those urges are truly instinctual (and therefore to be seen as inner knowledge)? In this instance, if it prompts erratic or unreliable behavior, or an insistence on being ‘original’ that is more about resisting or refusing, then you know ignorance of the actual forces in play is at work, and so that the impulse is unhealthy. Center yourself on who you are, and being unique or original won’t be the concern–it will happen without you even having to think about it.

Jules Schmalzigaug (1914) – ‘Light + Mirrors and crowd, interior of a popular ballroom in Antwerp’ Photo By JoJan – Own work, {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a finely-wrought 18th century porcelain chandelier. A lamp of any kind is symbolically a source of enlightenment, and this one is from long ago. Are we carrying ‘old’ ideas of what’s enlightened, what’s not? If so, are they still of worth now?

For the 18th imagine your ideal state of Being, health in its broadest and most far-reaching sense–and that’s what you can have, if you’re willing to transform circumstances and attitudes to support that vision. Mercury and Jupiter are conjoined today, ramping up yesterday’s potentials and turning the dial to ’11’, at least in terms of our ability to seek out the Truth of any situation. Don’t act out of a need to hide or deny–obvious advice, and yet still people think they can outsmart the Universe. No we can’t.

Today’s word image is another couple of results of Mercury-Jupiter in Scorpio: amplified or ‘broadcast’ sexual advances; people ‘getting real’ out of vindictiveness, masking destructive interactions with a pretense of ‘I’m just being honest’; facts cherry-picked and exaggerated for the power they give the speaker; ‘Big Talk’, with the potential for breaking things wide open or transforming the world into a more open place; hiding the facts.

Next up: the New Moon in Libra!

By Jan Schüler /, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43795251

Just had to let you know about Saturday: sticking religiously to values and commitments might actually cause harm (so, be flexible in responses), and anything that embodies or expresses Love is Smart.

And then on Sunday the 1st: Action may be transformative or destructive, and we may not be able to tell the difference (Mars trine Pluto)–this time, align thinking with Nature and a sense of personal authority, especially moral authority, to handle choices successfully (Mercury sxt Ceres and nov NN).

And for a word image, recall the weirdest movie or scene you’ve witnessed in real life of late–and think about it as if it were a dream–what does it say about the way you’re facing things, right now?

That is all! Have a great one!