Edgar Degas – ‘Jeune femme avec Ibis’ c1861 {{PD}}

The AstroEssence for Saturday: doing what’s smart empowers (and though you may think, Duh, of course it does! you might be surprised how often we turn away from what we know to be wise, in favor of what’s popular, fashionable, expedient, cheaper, quicker, etc). We call on our inner knowing, in order to be as effective as possible–but this only works if in thinking critically we don’t become destructive or overly focused on the pessimistic or consumed by our own rage or sense of injustice. Keep it balanced, keep it real, and put emotion on the back burner–it will only lead you wrong (Pallas trine Juno, Mercury enters Virgo and sesquiquadrates Pluto, Sun squares Black Moon Lilith)

Dick Ket, ‘Still Life with Eggs’ 1934 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a basket of eggs–in contradiction to that saying, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ Though caution and alertness are still advisable, this may be a time to put all our eggs–that is, all our effort and energy investment–in a single direction. It could be we need to concentrate and push forward without distraction in order to actually achieve what we’ve been aiming at. No more meandering or slow build-up–all-out effort, carefully applied, is now called for.

For those born with the Sun at 8 Leo: as much as half your upcoming year, through to your next birthday, may be spent in the ’emotional dark’, where you may either decline to engage the emotional perceptions or where you may be flying blind, groping for some kind of realization and order connected to the feelings. Eventually, though, illumination comes, and it has tangible, material or physical results that shape your reality, likely in a very positive way. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

By Pierre-Auguste Renoir – {{PD}}

The AstroEssence for Sunday: be aware that the past shapes current ambitions–and may influence negative thinking about aims and goals, as well–and that means what we assume about our wants may be mistaken, rooted in a past that no longer is. Again, smart moves that lead to empowered circumstances are possible; keep in mind that the unexpected, the revolutionary, and the modern may bring benefits but also costs, and these can easily get out-of-hand. Look for easy flow, in both positive and less useful ways, between matters of the Houses ruled by Venus and Uranus in the natal chart (SN parallel Zeus, Pallas sxt Ceres, Venus trine Uranus, Merc semi-sq Zeus)

Michaelangelo Meucci. 1892 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a songbird. Are you aware of the ‘song you sing’? That is, do you really know what you’re telling others, celebrating, announcing to the Universe? We’re often unaware of what we’re conveying, thinking we’re presenting one focus when many facets of which we’re unaware are seen (and responded to) by others. We may think we can consciously control what ‘comes out’, but the reality is that what we genuinely are shapes everything. The more honest we are with ourselves, the more authentic our ‘song’ becomes.

For those born with the Sun at 9 Leo: it’s easy to build what you care about this year, through to your next birthday; you have the energy and drive, and previously noted constraints and barriers seem to have fallen away. Don’t waste the opportunity to order your reality in a way that’s much closer to the ideal. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

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Carl Bantzer Schwälmer ‘Tanz (Dance)’ 1897-1898 {{PD}}

The AstroEssence: Relationships challenge us, specifically over values or the way we feel, and both interactions and money matters excavate areas of feeling and intent we’ve long thought set in stone. Thoughts strive for the ‘healthy’ approach, whatever that means to the individual, but communications and our own reasoning processes repeatedly point out our less-than-positive habits and tendencies; there’s no glossing things over and ignoring the ugly parts, the potential for damage, or the dangers, which shimmer vividly before us as we light the cigarette or run toward the cliff wearing our homemade parachute. Tips for handling what comes at us: value change–that is, find the rewards in it; accept that all relationships have a dark side, and that even a dream job or earning opportunity asks us to exchange a little of our power in order to skirt ‘death’ (think symbolically); and know that all of us are trying to purge our minds and concentrate on what’s positive, what thoughts and ideas will build us up–but in purging, all that dross has to go somewhere, so step carefully (Venus qnx Pluto, Mercury semi-sq Hygeia)

Today‘s word image is a hungry rabbit with very big teeth! Despite the cartoon-y nature of the image, what we’re seeing is something normally harmless that could take quite a bite out of us if motivated. Temperaments fluctuate, dispositions morph and change; watch for the unexpected, aggressive ‘hunger’ from a quarter that’s normally passive, or more often seen as victim than aggressor. (I promise you, I actually write the word image before I go look for an accompanying pic–sometimes it just works out too well!)

By Joseolgon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18687195

For those born with the Sun at 02 Leo:
Your year may get off to a fiery start, but soon you enjoy internal emotional harmony, which may be your biggest asset, now through to your next birthday. This kind of agreement within yourself can propel you with unusual speed and precision toward your goals, so aim carefully, as you’re likely to find yourself speeding in that direction. What’s ahead? Taking the power, status, and reach you’ve achieved (no matter how major or minor you may see this as) and doing the smart thing with it, the healing thing, the healthy thing. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!