‘The Circus’ By Charles Demuth 1917 {{PD}}

Are you feeling better yet? Better than the past few days, weeks, or months? If not, today will start the recovery, for those who haven’t yet escaped the maelstrom of ‘fake news’, disappointment at life developments and the unexpected results of choices, or for those who are simply sensitive to the ongoing chaos of current times. Balance arrives as we gain a clear idea of what we need and of what’s healthy for us; we have the wisdom and the energy to implement changes that support us and our values. The only thing we might have to sacrifice (and this is likely only temporary) is an ambition or two–but putting a little distance between ourselves and our quarry will probably show it’s not the most important thing to go after right now, anyway. We seek and find an equitable situation in relationships and in compensation for our efforts, but be aware: we get what we need in this department, not necessarily what we want.

(Venus trine Mars, Vesta sq Zeus, Juno contra-parallel Hygeia, Sun semi-sq Pallas)

Don’t worry about what they think of you. ‘Two Girls Carrying a Basket’ By Paul Sandby Undated {{PD}}

I’ve gone round and round about today’s word image, but I keep coming back to the same overall idea: the judgments of others, and how much they do or don’t affect you. How hard is it for you to remember that those are just opinions, and not even your own opinions, about you or something in your life? Do you see certain individuals as having a ‘right’ to comment? Do you feel you have a right to comment on anyone else? How much are your choices driven by or curbed by what you think others will think? And are you aware that this latter is your supposition, so really a judgment imposed by yourself? Strive today, for just 24 hours, to listen only to yourself, to refuse to imagine what others will say, and see whether you feel better or worse than usual at the end of the day. I’m betting on better. 

See the recent New Moon here–

Oh Sagittarius, is this your version of looking back? ‘Sonnenuntergang’ By Franz Stuck 1891 {{PD}}

I don’t mean we all used to be wise, and now aren’t, shall we say, the sharpest sticks in the pile; I mean instead that memory holds the answer to something we’re experiencing now. We see the beauty in our own empowerment, in our own agency, the worth of owning our authority, walking our talk, and combined with what we’ve learned from earlier in life, we are offered a unique chance to heal a deep, persistent wound–and in the healing, release a tremendous surge of creative energy. Do the work, and the ability to manifest, in all forms imaginable, will follow. Fail to complete the ‘assignment’, and you’ve still taken significant and highly useful steps that will be instrumental, one way or another, in shaping tomorrow (Pallas trine SN, Venus conj Ceres, Sun sesq Chiron and trine Neptune)

Today’s word image is: what seems to be a visit, letter, message, or signal from the future is really an echo of the past that applies to now. This directly reflects the meaning of the current aspects. I’ll let you puzzle this out for yourself, as it will definitely be a highly individual, and maybe very slight, thing that only you will recognize as valid; here’s a little humorous inspiration (or is this an explanation, taking the mystery out of things?) should you need it.

From the series of the Concubines of Emperor Yong-cheng-2
Unknown – Scanned by Szilas from the book Kínai költészet (Chinese poetry, ISBN 963 9283 06 1) Before 1732 {{PD}}

If we try to go at things head-on, nothing goes right; if we take a round-about way, we are likely to get what we aim for, or at the very least, not muck it up as we will if we are too direct, too assertive, too Willful. Trying to exercise our options, we come up against ‘the Facts’–it’s how we respond to these that will determine the outcomes today.

The group may oppose our efforts, and relationships may generate frustration, as they seem based more on fantasy than reality, but it’s in a willingness to make the healthy response, the one that does no harm, that aligns behavior in interaction with ideals, and that looks for the actual opportunities available (as opposed to the ones we insist should be ours), that we find a remarkable and resilient peace, and an uncanny sense of completeness that removes the anxiety born of an ambitious insistence on getting it done.

(Jupiter opp Juno, Venus sesq Neptune, Sun sesq Hygeia)

By H. Zell – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21884347

Today’s word image is a puzzle completed but for one small missing piece. What little detail in your life is holding you up? Have you considered the picture may never be complete, that what there is now is all there will ever be? The compulsive need for a sense of completion can deplete us and make us spend inordinate amounts of time trying to make something happen that just won’t. Learn to live with the missing piece; rather than seeing its lack as a failing, try to see it as representing the unseen, in a matter that is otherwise so totally spelled out.

‘Wotan has summoned Loge to encircle the sleeping Brünnhilde with magic fire.’ By one of my favorite illustrators, Arthur Rackham 1909 {{PD}}

We know it’s smart to behave as if we are empowered, arbiters of our own domains, and yet old wounds make it especially difficult to do; we resist what’s wise, our attention fixed on all we’ve been denied, missed, or that we see as unjust. Misdirection is how stage magic works–we aren’t looking in the direction of the action, we’re looking where we think it will be, and by doing so we miss the origins of what seems miraculous. The same kind of thing happens today: wisdom we already possess holds the key, and it’s up to us to look in the right direction to see the opportunities presented, the ‘luck’ that manifests, or the knowledge offered that we need right in the moment. Hint: the social sphere may be the vehicle for our enlightenment, or it may be that taking an optimistic attitude in the face of what seems hopeless will bring benefits, and look to the skills offered by your natal Chiron placement for clues as to what you can best contribute to your own success at this time.

(Sun sq Black Moon Lilith, Pallas trine Juno, Jupiter trine Chiron and sxt Pallas, Chiron opp Pallas)

Part of the Byōdō-in Temple at Uji (Uji Byōdō-in no ichibu), from the series Souvenirs of Travel II (Tabi miyage dai nishū) By Hasui Kawase {{PD}}

Today’s word image is an individual meditating in a Buddhist temple, intruded upon by a politician who is busy campaigning and heedless of the atmosphere or surroundings. This is a symbol of glaringly inappropriate behavior, where someone ostensibly working for your benefit (even for you) is not only insensitive to what’s happening around them, they are so Self-focused they make it clear they’re really working for themselves, not you. Is there someone you’re counting on to ‘represent’ you, or to see to your interests, who fits this image? Time to dump them.

‘The Whisper of the Muse: Elizabeth Keown, G.F. Watts and Kate Keown’ By Julia Margaret Cameron 1865 {{PD}}

Expect the unexpected, especially from partners, mates, and those with whom we interact socially. Venus opposes Uranus from the 00 degree of Scorpio, then backs into Libra; the pattern suggests a reveal, a secret generated or held that prompts erratic, unusual, or desperate material choices, and in this mystery we may be the one with the secret, or we may be the one who acts precipitously in what amounts to a response prompted by things known by the Higher Mind but not the conscious one. Once that plays out, we see Venus back into that last, stressed degree of Libra, shunting all the tension into relationships.

We may see in others or experience ourselves the unhealthy need to dominate (Ceres qnx Hygeia), which exerts its own destructive influence, and thinking, too, may be erratic or, if we’re ‘tuned in’, groundbreaking or successfully drawing on Higher Mind to inform our decisions and attitude. Proof of an attuned state follows in the way we can easily bring ideas into the material realm–and proof of skewed thinking shows in blocked pathways or in ‘mental obstacles’ that leave us feeling stumped about correct procedure or direction. What we need to know, though, is that what occurs today is being guided by our Higher Selves; there are certain things the Soul requires to live out its mission, and without even trying, today we’re setting those circumstances up/ in motion (Mercury parallel Saturn, qnx Uranus, trine NN, Sun nov Pallas)

I’d like a little sliced tomato with that. Photo By Scott Bauer, USDA ARS {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a tomato. Do you think it’s a fruit or a vegetable? Are they delicious or disgusting? Do you love what comes from them (marinara, pizza sauce) but not the fruit itself? Consider how subjective (and sometimes extreme) each individual’s feelings are about the humble tomato–and take this as a prompt to consider how much you may be projecting onto someone or something. Our preferences or assumptions can so thoroughly color our perceptions that we may not see something as it is at all, but only as we’ve cast it in our minds, to the point where we may believe it’s something that it’s not (and we’re back to fruit v. veggie territory). Mother Nature, aka Ceres, is at 25 Libra today, and may help pinpoint what you’re applying the ‘tomato principle’ to in real life.