Category Archives: current events in the sky

New Moon in Aries 15 April 2018 Wild Card

12 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, New Moon, Sabian Symbols

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We may not be allowed a glimpse of what the New Moon brings ahead of time. By Paul Spangenberg 1911 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 6:57 PM Pacific time on the 15th at 26 Aries 02, just over two degrees short of conjunction to Uranus. The New Moon is also in close semi-sextile to Sedna, and is novile both Neptune and Hygeia (the latter exact), but is outside acceptable range to anything else. This makes the interesting scenario where we will have the NM event, then an emotional reaction (as the Moon reaches Uranus just a few hours later), then enlightenment (when the Sun arrives in a couple of days).

What can we expect at the New Moon, then? Sudden revelation, possibly via the Higher Mind, or caused by our action (Aries) within the group (Uranus), showing us the health of one or more ‘systems’, material, physical, financial, spiritual, and the challenge is to see the state of these systems for their true status and standing, and if possible, to envision and potentially realize their ideal state (the obscuring and elevating influence of Neptune).

With this New Moon falling in Aries, we should expect new starts to our own methods, choices, actions, and to expression of our Will; its proximity to Uranus late in the sign suggests the consequences of our actions and choices play out in relation to or within the group, or through spontaneous events or ‘accidents’. All these will likely bring ‘healthy’ changes or results (Hygeia), born either from spiritual or creative ideals, or from the depths of the imagination (Neptune–and with that latter may be seen as positive or not-so).

In any case, our instincts, our ‘blind spot’, and/ or what we ‘know but don’t know’ (all Sedna) will be the ‘Wild Card’ of what we’re dealt (or perhaps it’s more accurate to say, What We Deal to Ourselves!) Sedna will be the driving or molding force that informs all other developments, and that means the shape of New Moon events will reflect our own inner landscape, as captured and projected outward by Sedna’s energies. The good news is that the creative and the inclination toward health (Neptune, Hygeia) come with a touch of genius (the novile); what happens offers some brilliant material, it’s just up to us to sort through what may seem more like the capriciousness of the Universe than the revelation of the truly remarkable, in order to find it. The Sabian for the New Moon says it all: ‘Through Imagination A Lost Opportunity Is Regained’. Yes, it is.

Your Weekend 6-8 April 2018 Prep Time

06 Friday Apr 2018

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Pierre-Auguste Renoir – ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’ c1880 {{PD}}

Today (the 6th) there’s a lot of ‘stuff’ going on; can you feel it, pushing at the edges of your brain, but unable to crystallize? Darn you, Mercury retrograde! Though to be fair, it’s just as likely that Merc is making us aware of facts from the past, as it is obscuring them (Jupiter parallel SN)–the danger in either case is that we won’t see where that’s leading us (contraparallel NN). What we ruminate on, and where our attention goes, is decidedly ‘unhealthy’ in some way, either by making us overly-aware of our illusions/ delusions, or by bringing forward questions we must no longer ignore but find ourselves doing anything to avoid answering (Merc contra-parallel Hygeia, Sun sq Black Moon Lilith, contra-parallel Pallas and Neptune). At times like these we often find that instincts and taking action can bypass those sticky reasoning issues and free up our energy, but not so today, as our choices and actions cause conflict with our instincts and deep inner knowing, leaving us in the exhausting position of shadow-boxing with ourselves (Mars sesq Sedna). What can help, then? Maybe a dash of spontaneity, or turning to the group when we are usually prone to go it alone (or vice versa, to go it alone when we typically rely on the group), or maybe taking a disciplined, academic approach when our usual modus operandi is chaotic or random (Uranus semi-sq Hygeia). Not a particularly difficult day, if we can just let it all roll off our backs; the truly useful thing about today is that it prepares us (by sharpening both senses and reactions) in some unique ways for what comes over the weekend.

Saturday the 7th sees us easily and naturally accessing our creativity and inspired by and so using our skills and wisdom, able to create in ways both smart and highly particular to who we are (Artists, take note!–Neptune parallel Pallas)–and this can be both profitable and healing (Venus trine Saturn and nov Chiron). We gain, materially and in relationships, from recognizing reality, from exercising restraint, and from hard work–and all of it makes the world a better place.

By Sunday the 8th, though, we might run into a few difficulties, namely that thoughts, beliefs, and facts may present a dissonant picture (Merc sesq Jupiter) and that who we are may seem totally unrelated to our ambitions and what we desire (Sun opp and contra-parallel Zeus). With this latter, we need to recognize that this isn’t a call to change what we aim for so much as it’s a marker of the disparity between the Self-image we carry in our own mind and what we truly want in the world. We’ll never fulfill those ambitions unless we acknowledge that we’re the kind of person who would want those things in the first place. Use today’s feedback to reconcile the identity with the appetites.

And have a great week!

Full Moon in Libra March 2018 ‘Being Willing’

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Horoscope, Sabian Symbols

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Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema ‘The Bible Lesson’ {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 5:36 AM Pacific time of the 31st at 10 Libra 44 at the Sabian degree for ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. Ah-ha! This Moon will be instructive, and the Lunar energies will be responses to and responding to our own understanding and accomplishment–that is, how much we’ve learned. There’s an element of judgment, of assessment, to what occurs, that echoes ‘lessons learned’ at the Virgo Full Moon of the 1st, and takes them to a new level–be ready to receive your grades!

The FM is square Mars-Saturn, with Mars still to perfect conjunction to Saturn. The Full Moon effect both arises from our real-world actions and generates them; we see the consequences of restraint, and we may see specifically that actions or choices driven by emotion will affect the reality picture, and may have down sides or restrictive components we haven’t anticipated. The FM is also trine the South Node point, suggesting the past easily ‘flows’ into the present; connections are obvious, and allow us full rein to continue or reject their influence. Too, if we pair the FM with the North Node by sextile, we see a loose Finger of God with apex Hygeia in Pisces (though Neptune could be apex if the FM had occurred just a day or two later, at this point it’s no cigar). The current Finger tells us that emotion plus our current life direction are the fundamentals that determine our health–an obvious formula, but one worth becoming thoroughly conscious of, as we are not perceiving the state of health (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) and those things that affect it as clearly as we may believe (Hygeia in Pisces).

Winslow Homer ‘Kissing the Moon’ 1903 {{PD}}

With the Full Moon falling in Libra, we know that central to events will be interaction with others; behaviors, choices, relationships are all interdependent, and so inextricable, one from another. What ends or comes to completion at this time is related to our relationship to one or more entities to which or to whom we feel emotional connection; the issue then becomes what feelings or intuitions we are willing to acknowledge about those others, with FM events offering a denouement that offers at least partial answers to our questions.

This Moon is also opposed a retrograde Mercury and sesquiquadrate Sedna, suggesting that we may not have access to coherent thought around the Full Moon experience, and that access via instincts will be difficult if not impossible to accomplish. It may be that, after assessing our relationships in the light of FM events, we must look into the eyes of others in order to make contact with our own feelings. The question, ‘Is it you or is it me?’ may be vital to gaining deeper knowledge of our relationships and of our causal part in them.

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘The Ruler Of A Nation’. That implies that big events, or the choices of those far above us in influence, will factor in to Full Moon circumstances. Or, as ruler of our own ‘Nation’, we may be looking for conformity across the relationship spectrum, for an easy thread of likeness with which to bind all those who populate our world. Though the wish for this is understandable, it’s not necessarily desirable; one thing the Full Moon in Libra ought to show us is how varied the characteristics of each of our many relationships, how particular and specially-attuned they are to various parts of our own Beingness. To lose that variety by adopting a uniform attitude (symbolized by ‘The Ruler’, a kind of Archetype, in the image), or by expecting our personal ‘Nation’ to blend homogeneously to suit some idea of who we are, we lose the broad spectrum of potentials and talents that are stored within our own personalities, celebrated in our innate contradictions and pecadillos, and brought forward within a rainbow of interactions. That Aries Sun makes us feel more solitary, more separate, than we really are, but it’s only in embracing the way the individual fits, puzzle-piece like, into a relationship, that we discover the best in ourselves, as well as the many different ‘shades’ that Self comes in.

I’ll be completely unavailable starting afternoon of the 28th, through evening of the 1st, Pacific time. Have a great Full Moon!

 

Your Weekend 22-25 March 2018 In Mercury’s Wake

22 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mercury retrograde, The Daily Word Image

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‘Breaking Waves’ By William Trost Richards 1897 {{PD}}

With Merc turning around today, the 22nd, in apparent retrograde (shortly after 5 PM Pacific Daylight Time), we may find ourselves disoriented, just a bit, and in the coming few days we meet some challenging aspects that may feel tougher than they actually are, due to Mercury’s withdrawal of mental continuity and reasoning support. The squares of Venus to Pluto on the 23rd, and the Sun to Mars on the 24th, might engender more confusion initially than anything else; is it you or me, we might be asking, who’s angry, feeling cheated or cheated on, ready to burn it down or fight it out, or is that just a kind of hangover we’ll be suffering from the loss of mental focus and acuity? If we stop and look at each situation carefully, what we’ll see is that we’re reacting to a whole set of suppositions and maybes based on our own extrapolations and fears–the reality picture won’t support these, so a step back and a deep breath is in order.

Mercury feels a lot more dynamic than this picture suggests, doesn’t he? ‘Mercury’ By Peter Paul Rubens c1637 {{PD}}

There’s also a sesquiquadrate of Chiron to the North Node point on the 25th that may make us much more reactive than we should be, hyper-sensitive to the way our wounds may alter or even hobble our desired life direction. So where do we put our energy, where is it all going right? For the 22nd, it’s steady on, allowing instincts to speak and actions to be guided by optimism (Pallas conj Sedna, Mars nov Jupiter). On the 23rd, thinking is still steeped in wisdom, even though ideas may be disjointed or processing sluggish (Merc nov Pallas) and effective actions arise from past choices (Mars nov SN). Too, our values are intact, unsullied by ambition or rank desire (Venus contra-parallel Zeus), making appetites something of a guide, in spite of the potential pitfalls of Venus-Pluto. This plays on through the 24th, as Venus parallels Sedna, continuing the harmony between wants and instincts (with the shadow side being that those same wants may lead us directly into our ‘blind spot’). That’s the day when we may have difficulty seeing what’s motivating our choices and actions (Sun sq Mars)–so something to keep in mind, even as we might benefit from going with the flow. By the 25th we get a big boost to Self-esteem and expression (Sun trine Ceres); personal authority opens doors and empowers in both inner and outer ways. We stumble into luck (Venus qnx Jupiter) and find that restraints and rules really are for our benefit (Saturn sxt Hygeia), which only shows once more why holding back during Merc retro can be effective for any number of reasons.

Have a great weekend, and set your sights on Monday; it’s one of those days: visualize what you want, and with caution, you just might get it!

And here’s a weekend word image: A printed sign in a field, announcing a development to come, and someone has written across it, ‘Nothing is Real’.

 

 

And a Little More on Ceres

06 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Asteroids, astrology, Ceres, current events in the sky, Finger of God, Gemini

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Also known as Ceres: ‘Demeter Mourning for Persephone’ 1906 By Evelyn de Morgan {{PD}}

I was wondering if the spate of attention I’m giving Ceres (or Ceres is drawing me toward!) warranted a little investigation. The current picture is this: Ceres is in apparent retro motion in Leo, in close quincunx to Juno in Pisces–and Juno is sextile Saturn in Capricorn, within range of a quincunx to Ceres, so making Ceres apex to a Finger of God. Why does it seem Ceres is so often involved in a Finger? Maybe that’s about Ceres as a natural expression of the flow of energy, with the influences exerted by Nature and our own expressions of Ceres (Nature, agriculture, the power of authority, negotiation, food sensitivities and allergic reaction, to name just a few) ways of dealing with and responding to the extant energy stream (and so to power, and to its consequences) in the world.

This particular Finger implies that empowerment through dreams, visions, creativity, or the loss of this through deception or misunderstanding couples with the reality picture to result in a personal (Leo) experience of the extents of our authority, our body’s ability to process food and/ or the environment, of our role in nurturing or guiding another (a maternal role), and/ or in a need to negotiate in order to see our dream or project realized, or our authority (perhaps even our autonomy) returned. Ceres is also widely sesquiquadrate Vesta, pinpointing the home environment and something to be learned there (Sagittarius placement) that can help further or restore our empowerment options.

And here’s a re-post from the blog: What You’re Asking: Ceres and the Death of Shelley, Synchronicities, and Rejecting a Gemini Man

What does Ceres have to do with health?

In mythology Ceres’ Greek predecessor, Demeter, was goddess of Nature, abundance, and the fruits of the Earth, but by the time she reached Rome and her current name and form, she was decidedly more tame: a goddess of agriculture, of Nature that’s been shaped and subjugated to man. That suggests that in modern conception she may deal with the balance of the body and its vulnerabilities to natural elements, of being overwhelmed from without (drowning, buried in a landslide, struck by lightning, for instance, or from things like allergens and starvation) and from within by invasion (of germs, viruses, bacteria, fungi). She doesn’t offer a total picture of health in the natal scenario or by transit, but does speak of certain conditions one may be prone to, or illnesses susceptible to, aside from her other meanings: a sense of personal power and authority, a maternal interest in others (which can easily tip into a controlling one), territoriality, and negotiation.

Romantic poet Percy Shelley (4 August 1792 10 PM Horsham England) was just coming up on a Lunar Return in Pisces the day he drowned in a boating accident (8 July 1822 Lerici Italy). He has Ceres natally conjoined the Sun, Venus, Pallas, and Uranus in Leo in the Whole Sign 4th (and though Juno’s close enough to the Sun, it’s too wide for Ceres, in my opinion); Ceres is also opposed Pluto and quincunx the natal Moon and Sedna in Pisces. Already we can see that Ceres was a vital part of the life, and so of the death as well. In the context of the drowning event, the natal scenario suggests sudden accidents (Uranus) based on unwise decisions (Pallas–staying on the water despite the storm) activated the Self-destruction he had always been conscious of, and perhaps at times had to fight (Sun opp Pluto), with Ceres’ involvement implicating the elements, the weather, even potentially activating an emotional attachment to the water, and a need to adjust (the quincunx) to prevent getting lost in it! (the Pisces Moon)

The Cremation of Percy Bysshe Shelley, by Louis Édouard Fournier

The Cremation of Percy Bysshe Shelley, by Louis Édouard Fournier

On the day he died, Shelley’s Ceres was contacted exact by degree by the transiting South Node, suggesting a ‘pull back’ to a previous (pre-birth?) state; t Ceres was opposed natal Mercury in the 5th=the elements literally in opposition to the lung function; t Merc was conjoined n Chiron in Cancer in the 3rd of lungs, breathe=water water everywhere, water that injures; t Mars was conjoined the n NN, spurring actions and choices that take one into the future; and t Earth sextiled the n Moon-Sedna, forming the base of a Finger of God with apex n Ceres-Pallas=here’s a recipe for the environment ganging up with instincts and emotions to prompt that natal judgment of Nature. Shelley may have believed he was very practical (Pallas) in his relationship to the elements and the natural world (Ceres), feeling that instinct (Sedna) and emotion (the Moon) would inform his choices. There’s a sense that he didn’t fear them, that instead the Pisces Sedna-Moon may have seen the obliteration threat of the natal Pluto opposition as a kind of Oneness with Nature–absorption rather than obliteration. Too, the transiting Sun had just run over his natal Black Moon Lilith=he may have been more than a little in the mood to explore the darkness.

To A Star

Sweet star, which gleaming o’er the darksome scene
Through fleecy clouds of silvery radiance fliest,
Spanglet of light on evening’s shadowy veil,
Which shrouds the day-beam from the waveless lake,
Lighting the hour of sacred love; more sweet
Than the expiring morn-star’s paly fires:–
Sweet star! When wearied Nature sinks to sleep,
And all is hushed,–all, save the voice of Love,
Whose broken murmurings swell the balmy blast
Of soft Favonius, which at intervals
Sighs in the ear of stillness, art thou aught but
Lulling the slaves of interest to repose
With that mild, pitying gaze? Oh, I would look
In thy dear beam till every bond of sense
Became enamoured–  

That was definitely written by a guy with Sun-Venus-Ceres-Pallas-Uranus conjoined, all opposed by Pluto!

Synchronicities

Synchronicities have been everywhere lately–have you noticed that for you, too? Those little mentions or phrases or events or people that grab your attention simply by the unlikely way they’re brought into one’s compass repeatedly within a short period. To my mind that signals we’re in a kind of flow, that attunement to the optimum vibrational level for you is very close to perfect–and that implies intuition is sharp and accessible, that information is yours to pluck right out of the air, that you can ‘know’ without anyone telling you. Though our tendency is to breeze through these interludes, to remark ‘Isn’t that strange?’ when we hear the same song or its lyrics or mention of the singer in every store and elevator and TV show and conversation we’re exposed to the entire weekend, and at the same time to be very focused consciously on the here-and-now, what we really need to do is pause; this is a point when we are cruising along with a lot of our perceptual abilities working below the surface, and we can see the world very clearly, if we are willing to. We can get our questions answered, if we’ll only stop looking out, and take a moment to look within.

Carl Schweninger the Younger 'Not Willing' 19th century {{PD}}

Carl Schweninger the Younger ‘Not Willing’ 19th century {{PD}}

rejecting a Gemini man

Are you thinking there’s some magic word (he’s a Gemini, after all) that will make him take it well, not make a fuss, even see it as a gift? There’s not, and it’s likely that if he senses you are trying to out think him (by manipulating or being one step ahead, the latter of which you automatically are if you know something–that you intend to reject him–that he doesn’t) he’ll be very resentful, indeed. Geminis are highly focused on thinking, processing info, communicating, networking–so he may already be aware, whether it’s through the grapevine or through reading your body language and tone in previous encounters, that you aren’t interested. That puts you in a precarious position: if he does know and he’s still coming at you, he’s forcing you to say it outright, and if he doesn’t know, he’s going to feel especially upset that he didn’t parse it out ahead of time (it’s a Gemini thing–they always think they should’ve known!) All you can do, really, is send a clear, consistent, and polite message through every pore of your Being and, obviously, word spoken: no thank you. Problems will only arise if you’ve been ambivalent in your feelings or in your behavior, wrongly believing that will ‘let him down easy’ (and if so I bet you’re horoscope is chock full o’ Water signs). Come clean without engaging in any way that sends the wrong (that is, an enmeshed behavioral or contradictory) message, and it should go fine–the last thing you want to do, and he wants to feel you’ve done, is mislead him.

I hope you’re having a great week!

Just a Little AstroEssence 28 February 2018 Into the Full Moon

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

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Japan, 1878, 12th month, Series: Allusions to the Seven Planets By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi {{PD}}

On the 28th it’s all about communications, thinking and reasoning, ideas, and sudden changeability, the quicksilver reactions of a mind that shifts before we can consciously address what’s happening. And what are we thinking about, talking about, and maybe changing our minds over? The power situation, and our dissatisfaction with it (Mercury sesq Ceres), angry episodes, our own anger or that of others (Mercury sq Mars), clever ways to change the situation (Mercury sxt Pluto), what we truly care about, and how that’s not being honored (Mercury sq Vesta), and the difficulties we have reaching for what we desire or getting what we aim for (Mercury qnx Zeus). This is our lead-in to the Lunar event for Wednesday.

On Thursday we see a pre-Full Moon atmosphere centered on one of two areas for each of us: one group will be appreciative, seeing assets or rewards expand, the mentality steeped in Love, actively living some version of the ideal Self (Mercury parallel Venus, Venus trine Jupiter, Sun parallel Neptune); the other sees a need to address the power situation or the distribution of authority actively, maybe angrily (Sun parallel Juno, Mars sesq Ceres). And then, the Full Moon–

Full Moon in Virgo March 2018 Seeing Inside the Machine

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Horoscope

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Charles Hoguet ‘By the Windmill’ 1870 {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs at 4:50 PM PST March 1st at 11 Virgo 22. A Virgo Full Moon promises we’ll get the details, that we’ll receive an accounting, that the means of production (to borrow an old, reddish phrase) will be clear, and all of it allows us to make critical decisions, to apply a discerning eye to what culminates, concludes, or reaches a ‘full’ point of assessment, creating a need to be judged so that the next step can be taken, or at least mulled over. With a FM in Virgo, we see inside the machine–but the Moon is central to what happens, so does the machine see inside us as well, via our emotions or an intuitive exchange of information or ideas? Yes, it does, and this allows the machine to read us, to shape what it creates according to our spiritual orientation, our imaginings, our ideals, our beliefs.

The machine, of course, is the Universe, but we’re unlikely to recognize it as such. The FM opposition to Neptune (meaning the Sun and Neptune are conjoined, perfecting two days or so post-FM) suggests we look out from our emotional or intuitive ‘read’ of the Full Moon experience and we see whatever it is we want to see–or at least, what we see takes a form that is meaningful to us–as this may appear to be an accident, a shock or surprise, or something foisted on us by the group, a modern concept or convention that we are required to follow, if we don’t want to be left behind, if we want to remain a part of the Collective (Sun-Neptune in Pisces, FM sesquiquadrate Uranus). For those focused on the Virgoan energy, this may present a time machine, of sorts, where a review of the past shows how we got to the present, and in certain ways offers a ‘do-over’; for those focused on the opposing Piscean energy, this may present a timeless machine, losing the particularity of the Full Moon within the larger Cosmos, a kind of ‘seeing and realizing All at once’ experience.

The FM also trines the Black Moon Lilith point, and with generous orbs we could call this an Earth Grand Trine with Pallas; this points us toward the nature of the material effect we might get from the FM event. It suggests that what we’ve ignored, denied, or been enraged over (BML) is a factor in what culminates at the Full Moon, and that ultimately this delivers a balanced material result that is wise, practical, or both (Pallas). What we see in material terms is a response; what we’ve done, or not done, is made apparent, and in some form, judged.

Gertrude Käsebier ‘The Bride’ 1901 {{PD}}

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘After The Wedding, The Groom Snatches The Veil Away From His Bride’. It’s the ‘Big Reveal’; what did our past efforts bring us? And immediately our critical faculties kick in, assessing what we’ve got. Maybe pleasing, maybe not, but we must consider that perhaps the very act of judgment isn’t pretty, either, and perhaps beside the point, as the action’s already complete.

We also look at the Sun for a Full Moon. ‘In The Sanctuary Of An Occult Brotherhood, Newly Initiated Members Are Being Examined And Their Character Tested’. Maybe this Moon is a kind of lesson, one that reminds us our sanctuary is found within the machine, not in some rarefied and separated corner of the Universe. Certainly, how we respond to what we’re presented with will say a great deal about character and attitude. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that it’s all a spiritual experience; the material and physical can overwhelm us through the senses, driving out consciousness of the spiritual underpinnings beneath. So, the Full Moon becomes a point of personal reckoning, a statement about our relationship to All-That-Is, on top of any worldly results gleaned.

Support the blog through donations (a dollar or two per month recurring is super-groovy), through reviews or ratings at GoodReads or on my facebook page, or through purchasing my books, currently only available here–wishing all an enlightening Full Moon experience, and sending much gratitude–Thank You, Readers!

 

Just a Little AstroEssence 27 February 2018 Seductive Uncertainty

26 Monday Feb 2018

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‘Vertumnus and Pomona‘ By David Teniers the Elder 1637 {{PD}}

The ideal-focused among us (or I should say, those of us who believe perfection is possible), and those who are susceptible to Self-doubt, may think we must modify our own innate authority and power in order to receive Love–but if it’s really Love, it doesn’t ask us to change, does it? That’s what makes the current Venus sextile to Pluto and sesquiquadrate to Ceres so confusing: Love beckons and says, ‘Let’s transform this!’ and we hear an unspoken, ‘to a higher level’, but we are ignoring all the danger inherent in looking too closely at Love, too sharply into the abyss, and simultaneously find ourselves aware that this love-thing is making us very uncomfortable with our personal authority and power, as if our agency is costing us Love–but as we know, real Love doesn’t require us to curb our power or expression. So what is happening? We’re focused on making ‘it’ happen, on ambition fulfillment (Mars sextile Zeus) and we’re already struggling with trusting ourselves and our instincts–we are perhaps too conscious of our potential for falling into a ‘blind spot’ (Juno contra-parallel Sedna)–and then along comes that seductive Venus and the compelling nature of the darkness, the mystery and compulsion of sex, the heady energy of Power, and it’s promised as some material or tangible thing (Pluto in Capricorn)–and we may feel that our life direction is unwise or impractical, that in making our choices, we’re missing something (Pallas square the Nodes), and this uncertainty weighs on us. So what it’s really all about is confidence in who we are, in our ability to make choices, to handle what comes at us–so today becomes a Rorschach test of how surely we believe we can handle anything we meet. Hint: if you find yourself facing a lot of Self-doubt today, you need to ask why you don’t trust yourself to ‘have your back’, as it were.

Today’s word image is a sign along the road that reads, ‘Half Way’–but how can we know we’re ‘half way’ unless we know both where we started and where we’re going? Maybe this is a reminder not to think we know more about our own Path than we actually do.

Just a Little AstroEssence 26 February 2018 Purging the Green-Eyed Monster

25 Sunday Feb 2018

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Juno’s bird, sometimes associated with envy. Pieter Boel ‘Study of Three Peacocks’ c1670 {{PD}}

We see a lot of internal harmony, strength, inventiveness, originality, and spontaneity–unless we’re being affected by jealousy, envy, or greed. Find out what, if anything, might be stopping up the flow of creative positivity, and once it’s gone–full speed ahead! (Mercury nov Uranus, Venus quincunx and Juno parallel Zeus)

Today’s word image is two birds on the ground, one in flight. What has recently ‘taken off’? Are you distracted by what didn’t ‘take off’? Can you keep up, or is this an instance of something ‘flying the coop’, and so out of your hands? Are you noticing sets of three? With the latter, this image might be less about achieving lift-off of one kind or another, and more about the synchronicities that noticing threes will prompt attention to.

Your Weekend 25 February 2018 Sacred Aggression

24 Saturday Feb 2018

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Chinese sculpture dating from 960 A.D. Photo by James Tourtellotte {{PD}}

Though to some of us this may sound like the concept carries an inherent contradiction (it doesn’t–I’ll explain in a second), sacred aggression may be the stance initially taken as Mars conjoins Vesta in Sagittarius, even as a close square of these from Venus ups the conflict ante. Now to the supposed contradiction: we may mistakenly see something sacred as automatically implying something peaceful–but if we make that association, we need to realize that it’s not a given; in reality, we aggress and defend almost exclusively over sacred territory. It may not seem like anything serious when Jane is angry over a stranger’s remark about her parenting skills, but if Jane carries the idea internally that she is a conscientious and dedicated mother, then that role is likely something she sees as sacred to her Self-concept, and so something to aggress in defense of. Likewise, criticism of Joe’s choice may make him (seemingly unreasonably) angry, but if his concept of ‘being a man’ includes the idea that his choices are inherently the best choices, then his disproportional response may be in defense of a core (and so sacred) Self-concept. Today we may see most everyone engage in this. We may fight for what we believe in, for what we honor and find sacred, and for what the ego wants to see as sacred; we are vetting the facts and our own beliefs, defending what is even as we explore what may be, and this is especially so in relationships and/ or finances, where the potential to learn more (Sagittarius) opens up not just conflict (the square) but possibly change, as well (Sun sextile Saturn, fixing our attention on reality, its parameters and barriers).

We have another major factor at work here: Mercury is conjoined and parallel Neptune, suggesting the mind is focused on the ideal in many forms: the spiritual, the creative, the Oneness of All, on potentials glimpsed in dreams and fantasies–but with the possibility of thoughts and perceptions being overwhelmed by the deceptive, the confusing, the nebulous, the draining. So, it may be that the alignment of our mentality with high ideals and purposes may help keep our quest to defend and honor the sacred on its best track, serving its most evolved forms, and so allowing a kind of ‘Sacred Warrior’ stance that brings forward the highest expression of the individual.

We also see Mercury quincunx the North Node, sextile Pallas, and contra-parallel Sedna. That’s mostly good news, implying the mind will be keyed to wisdom (Pallas) and capable of keeping the future in mind (and so making choices that are beneficial–NN), with the only upset possible through one of two things: a rejection of the illumination switched on and unafflicted instincts can offer, or through allowing ‘blind spot’ material to seep into the thought arena, and so contaminate what we believe is pure. Not an easy day, but a tremendously important one, in terms of Self-understanding and expression of commitments, and offering a crisp gut-check on our own alignment with reality.

‘The Old Ships Draw to Home Again’ Jonas Lie c1920 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is getting to the dock too late–your boat has sailed. Well that’s obvious, right? What have you ‘missed the boat’ on? Was it recent, or a long time ago, and do you still regret it? Why? I have two thoughts here: one is that the Universe always works in our favor (though we may not be able to see that at the time), so there’s nothing to regret. Second, did ‘missing the boat’ spur you to do things differently, to change your behavior, or did it stop you from pursuing anything of this ilk again? What arose from ‘missing the boat’ is even more important than the lost opportunity/ event–which is why you should endeavor to look at what it generated in you.