Just think about it. ‘Portrait einer Venezianerin’ (Protrait of a Venetian woman, By Anselm Feuerbach 1855-56 {{PD}}

Change (or is it transformation?) is all around us today, and this either offers opportunities or knowledge–and then forces a hard choice. What benefits us? Clear thinking, and acknowledgment that it’s a fine balance between feeling empowered, in charge of your own life, and what’s wise, practical, just plain smart. Sometimes the wise thing is to ask for help, to turn down the opportunity, to choose not to exercise your power. Look at what (and in whom) you have real faith, before making a choice; though it may seem unconnected, please consider: the trust you put in the Universe may be commensurate with how much you can trust yourself.

(Pallas sesq Juno and semi-sq Ceres, Merc nov Venus, Sun sxt Pluto and sq Jupiter)

“The Archetype”, one of the sculptures in the Frank Bruce Sculpture Park, near Aviemore, Scotland. Photo By Nilfanion – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23148875

Today’s word image is this: pick an Archetype, any Archetype, whose qualities you believe would help get you through today, if you could access them–and then think of that Archetype as ‘backing you up’–hovering behind you, supporting, offering their own particular special strength. And then go through your day, extra confident, supported, feeling capable, no matter what. I get the feeling we’re all going to need this exercise, sooner rather than later.

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 23 Pisces (check your natal chart for your Sun degree!): It’s a year of difficult emotional choices presented by opportunity, by abundance, by educational or religion-related developments that say to you, ‘Okay, here’s the profit, knowledge, and chances you asked for–doesn’t feel so good, does it?’ The pain is rooted in the feeling nature and in the effect of such opportunities on relationships; you never anticipated that getting the chance to have or do what you wanted would be so hard on your interactions with others–but it is, and that may be mostly or even entirely because you changed when you got what you wanted. This is a year-long ‘lesson’, but if your responses are heartfelt and honest, you’ll reach your next birthday considerably richer in several ways that count.

Hey! Read a book! And if you’ve already read one, please offer a review at GoodReads. Thanks!

Japan, late 19th-early 20th century – Embroidered and Resist-Dyed Fabric – 1916.1325 – Cleveland Museum of Art CC0

Why is it today that the only way we feel empowered is to resist what those we see as holding some authority tell us to do? Is it a kind of jealousy, born out of the secret fear that we are, in reality, helpless? Or is it that we resist because there is a hurt that disfigures our identity, one that we have yet to drag out into the light? If we find ourselves responding to others or circumstances this way, resentfully, even petulantly, we need to take a step back, and listen to the unadulterated inner voice, the one that speaks to us as instinct, the one that delivers to us what we ‘know but don’t know’ in times of stress. We need to understand that our discomfort is within us, it’s our own, not the fault of any external entity–and that means that in order to maneuver successfully, we must resolve to act, rather than respond, to be proactive, rather than carried along by the currents of the unconscious. Don’t resist, choose.

(Juno opp Ceres, Mercury sxt Sedna, Sun contra-parallel Chiron)

‘Camp Fire’ By Winslow Homer -1880 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is: you are alone, at night, camping out under the stars. I really like being out at night because, looking up at the sky, you can almost feel the Earth turning beneath your feet. Do you ever go out and look up? Do you ever sleep outside? Have you ever spent the night alone in the wilds? What’s your relationship to the night sky? Do you respond differently to being outside at night, and outside in the daytime? If you avoid being out alone at night, is there a reason? Indifference? Fear? Do you have strong feelings, either positive or negative, around camping or being out in nature over night? How do you think you’d feel, if you lived that way all the time?

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 22 Pisces (check your natal chart for your Sun degree!): Your song for this year: ‘Changes’ by Bowie. What seems like a hard knock, a bad break, a loss, will end up being for the better–you’ll just have to give it some time. Expect change, change, and a little more change–but if you want to take circumstances in hand, want to shape things as you’d like, you need to accept your own power to transform, and then meet each event, whether it takes you forward or sets you back, as something you have orchestrated–which automatically makes it something you can change, should you want to. So, it’s really about taking a mindset that sees no limits to your influence, while at the same time not overreacting to more temporary situations, demands, or setbacks that crop up along the path. The opportunities that will come may take some time getting here, or taking shape, but they’ll be worth the wait.

Image of an African Songye Power Figure in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (2005.21).jpg: By RichardMcCoy derivative work: IdLoveOne – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.or/w/index.php?curid=11839811

We’ll know the perqs of power, maybe collect them, benefiting ourselves, but we’ll also see the ways in which having privilege messes with your head and possibly re-shapes what we otherwise know to be smart. Having an advantage in anything may distort our thinking, our value system, even what we find sacred–and we may meet this in others, as well, with the effect that the relationship will never quite be the same, at least, not for some time. We can solidly benefit, today, in arenas where our authority and ‘voice’ are established and recognized–just don’t let what we might gain pull what’s important to us out of shape.

(Vesta contra-parallel Pallas, Venus sxt Ceres, Mercury semi-sq Venus)

Today’s word image is this: someone, used to wielding power and a position of authority, finds they are unhappy once they’ve left their lofty perch, so others scramble to nominate them to a place that will ‘feed’ what the ego misses. Is this a good thing, to provide someone with a ‘power path’ simply because they are dissatisfied without their usual reach and influence? Or is a beast being fed, one that may need to understand that every position is needed, and that not all of them make one ‘in charge’? Consider what parts of you expect to have power, and what the appropriate response might be if you lose that. And if you’re someone who is trying to placate someone else, consider they may need to figure out a path toward satisfaction on their own.

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 21 Pisces (check your natal chart for your Sun degree!): This Solar year, through to your next birthday, looks largely like a time of emotional comfort, of enjoyment of a kind of security that’s rare, and from this you’ll find the energy, time, and attention to pursue goals, go after ambitions, fulfill dreams, and to acquire those things you desire. It almost sounds leisurely, doesn’t it? It can be a smooth path or a bumpy one, but in either case, will see opportunity and inevitable change. Your job is to be ready: to travel or accept the exotic or unusual, if it takes you closer to your aims; to discard the structures, strictures, or frameworks that may have been highly supportive up to now, if they no longer serve; and to be willing to learn–no one’s ever too old or too jaded to attain new skills, or to find out more about the world and how it works.