‘Miss Auras’ by John Lavery c1900 {{PD}}

Somehow we just know the powerful idea or thought that expresses both the essence of our authority and that supports our highest values or most important commitments. It’s as if we’re handed the answer of exactly how to, in making our statement to the world–and it just so happens to fulfill our ambitions or desires, as well. An odd sort of day, where things go remarkably smoothly, and we should take advantage of this, as the 31st comes along tomorrow (who knew?) and (mostly) puts the brakes on, hard. If you’re running into upsets, then it’s straight up because you are in some way denying your values.

‘Pigs’ by Franz Marc 1912 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is an archetype, ‘The Attention Hog’. This can come in many forms–we’re usually primed to think of someone loud, trumpeting their accomplishments or ‘virtues’, someone who sucks all the air out of the room–but today it takes a very particular shape: the person who, like a dripping faucet, demands little bites of your attention. It may be through the making of repeated, irrelevant or obvious comments, the offering unasked of little bits of ‘advice’, through mysterious and vague remarks meant to elicit questions in the listener, or through small, jabbing ‘challenges’ to those they see as holding some sort of power or authority. See this for what it is, a screaming demand for attention that is underlined by a kind of magnificent arrogance and entitled rage. This person doesn’t even realize that you don’t owe them anything–they would never face their own neediness by asking directly for your energy–and your job today may be to refuse to hand over that piece of yourself they think they deserve.

Read  —  Donate  —  Enjoy your day!

‘Spanish Dancer’ John Singer Sargent 1879 {{PD}}

What’s the big story today? The queen of the gods, Juno, conjoins Hygeia, indicator of what’s healthy, and we get–healthy Self-assertion? An unhealthy inclination toward vengeance? Or possibly something more subtle in-between. Here our current power and empowerment position (our status, our ability to reach out and get others to comply with our wishes and goals, and our sense of respect given and received within relationship) meets up with a gold standard of ‘what’s healthy’, and our position and choices are judged by us from there–and not necessarily accurately. There are difficulties with seeing through the fog, with sorting real from imagined, with perhaps a little too much hope that something is ideal, in spite of the reality behind it. Listening to instinct will help; deep inside we know how things really are. It’s just a matter of seeing that reality, and accepting it–easier said than done, but possible, nonetheless.

Mars as Seen from Deimos by Howard Russell Butler {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a pair of things observed in real life: a bright green billboard that reads, ‘It’s time to show off’, and then a man wearing a t-shirt with one word on it: Mars. Seen in quick succession, I took these to suggest we need to assert ourselves, to put some part of our essence ‘out there’, particularly something that at one time or another we may have been chided for, told that nice boys and girls don’t ‘Show off’–but behind the showing off was really a need, to express an innate talent or ability. Today, express that thing you do very, very well. You’re not showing off, you’re offering what you’ve got, and that’s the way it’s meant to be.

Albrecht Dürer – ‘Wing of a Roller’ 1511 {{PD}}

Have we seen what’s good for us, and in implementing it, expected to change ourselves, our values, and our interactions? Or have we expected our relationships and what we care about to adapt to us and the changes we’re going through? Today we’re not quite processing accurately our relationship to the social sphere, the facts, or our true empowerment position; our thinking is frizzled by interference and so largely static, indecipherable. This unsureness in our approach will create some (possibly unfortunate) change–but it will only be destructive if we cling to the idea of ourselves as individual islands in need of defense in a hostile social sea, that is, if we expect the world to uncomplainingly accommodate any changes to our viewpoint or behavior. We can’t forget the interconnectedness of all Beings, and we must in particular remember our own commitments and alliances, if we want to get through today without stepping on any feelings or burning any bridges.

Today’s word image is a wing, detached from its owner, lying in the grass. What kind of wing did you see? One from a bird, one made of paper as from a kite, the large metal wing of an airplane, the wing from a costume, one from an angel? Take this as an indicator of some assistance you might be asked to render in the near future, the nature of which is shown by the kind of wing you imagine. For instance, if you pictured an angel’s wing, you might be asked to be someone’s angel, to come to their rescue in some way; the wing of an airplane might, by contrast, suggest someone needs your technical help, or possibly that someone needs your assistance ‘to fly’.

Auguste Renoir – ‘Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette’ 1875 {{PD}}

A compulsion to talk about or ponder relationships, Love, or financial matters is part healing action, part need to transform contacts and resources into something more compatible with our highest values or commitments, and part clever, witty thought process applied to the Universal need for change. We are inspired in our thinking about Venusian subjects, and if we can let instincts drive, we can reform our attitudes and interactions in most positive ways, into a veritable Love Fest. Be aware, though, that communications are loving, even if they wound; the speaker may not see the implications behind their own words (thanks, Merc retro!) One other caution: blind spots in those same Venusian areas may be magnified, with instincts providing unreasoned excuses that could sink what we only seek to reform, so proceed with care.

Today’s word image is a candle dedicated to your favorite saint. You say you don’t have a favorite saint, aren’t religious, don’t imbue objects with meaning or a sense of the sacred? Yes, you do, you just haven’t recognized you do it. What’s the most common sacred object in the world today? The cell phone. We tell ourselves it’s a practical matter, but we are emotionally attached, and expect it to ‘save’ us repeatedly. Look at what thing or things you may treat as a kind of totem, or that carry a sense of being sacred, and consider what your decision to designate that thing as spiritually meaningful, done consciously or not, says about you.

Have a wonderful week!

Even though this shows a Full Harvest Moon, I think it captures the spirit of the day, especially as we’ll have just had an event of ‘darkness in daytime’ ‘The Harvest Moon’ – George Hemming Mason 1920 {{PD}}

The Sun enters Virgo, pulling our attention to the details, to following the trail of information or assets for what it can tell us, to health matters, to service and where we land on the spectrum from Self-centered to Selfless (hint: nobody is at either extreme), and to ‘the Harvest’–that is, what we will soon reap. It’s the time of year when we account for what we have, prepare for the potential of not having, and assess what we need to do, chiefly through what we think/ know, which of course has its own drawbacks. Do your best to notice nuance, which is not easy during a Mercury retrograde in Virgo, and focus on real-world action that takes matters previously ignored or denied, or that enrage or address injustice, into account. The natural world will not support your ambitions, and neither will authorities; it’s up to the individual alone (Mars in Leo) to be Self-responsible for all chosen or acted upon. A little scary for those used to waiting for permission or the cooperation of others (Libra, I’m lookin’ at you), but taking steps now, in spite of the potential for incomplete info (Merc retro) is the thing to do, at least in part because real-world effects will be so freakin’ obvious.

Today’s word image is: an individual standing in the event shadow, but not looking directly at the eclipse. This is what I plan to do in just a couple of hours. I’m much more interested in how birds and other wildlife react, in the way the appearance of the world changes, so briefly, in the unusual light–for me it’s all about what’s happening here on Earth, rather than the apparent blocking of one body with another, millions of miles away. Of course, what we prioritize, that is, look at, dictates what we interact with, what fills our world, and how we see things; I’m choosing to focus on the light. What about you?