William Blake Richmond ‘Venus and Anchises’ c1890 {{PD}}

All that we’ve gathered of worth from the past, as well as our relationships and those ways in which we give or Love, are the mechanisms behind what happens today (Venus parallel the South Node). Those Venusian viewpoints and subjects flourish (and that can feel positive or less than), even as we keep a solid connection to the real-world situation, likely through irritations, obstacles, or small discomforts we must work around or accommodate (Venus semi-sq Saturn). The great thing is we have lots of arrows in our quiver: our values and commitments show their worth and keep us on point (Venus parallel Vesta) and encourage a healthy, balanced approach (Venus conj Hygeia) that supports attaining ambitions and desires (Venus trine Zeus), and we’ll also sense the advantage in facing what we might otherwise turn away from, deny, or meet only with temper (Venus and Hygeia nov Black Moon Lilith). That addresses our attitude, but here’s how it might translate into action: impulses may need to be curbed, actions slowed for sufficient consideration, as we’ll either feel guiding wisdom may need modification or we’ll simply resist what’s practical and smart (Mars quincunx Pallas). We have the right foundation and sensibilities for moving forward, but our judgment may be skewed–keep that in mind today, and slow your roll, so that reason can moderate or overcome impulse.

NASA {{PD}}

Today’s word image is someone who puts something up for sale, but then refuses to sell it, even when offered exactly what they say they want. Is there someone in your world claiming to offer something, then not producing when it’s accepted? Do you feel like it’s a bait-and switch? Do you feel the person is honestly conflicted, or duplicitous? Or are you doing this, and not even aware you’re doing it? Sending such thoroughly mixed signals to the Universe is a real problem; for best results, get all your intentions on a single wavelength.

‘The Union of Earth and Water (Antwerp and the Scheldt)’ By Peter Paul Rubens 1617 {{PD}}

Are you pursuing ambition fulfillment, or pure Power, or are those one and the same for you? Today we see how vital possessing and wielding power is to our own satisfaction, and we see precisely how close or far away we are from realizing full throttle empowerment. Hints for making the most of today’s influences: Be optimistic and look for opportunity–at the same time, remain aware of the darker side of things, and of the pitfalls and dangers of a one-note approach; let the facts and the current power distribution offer guidance as to what will work best; be creative, but refuse to be deluded or deceived; and finally, use your real-life past for what it can tell you about dealing with barriers or obstacles (Juno trine and Pluto square Zeus, Saturn semi-square Juno and novile the South Node, Mercury parallel Pluto, Sun parallel Jupiter).

18th century French clock face {{PD}}

Today’s word image is: from an antique clock that no longer works, the wind-up key suddenly ‘jumps’ out of the keyhole. This actually happened (we saw the key leap to the chair below!) and wondered: what is going on? The clock is set to the time we got married (the ‘I dos’ were at 4:10 PM), and of course there’s that old saying, ‘Even a stopped clock is right twice a day’, suggesting that even the most wrong things can inadvertently, once in a while, actually be right. But my thought is this: a key is useless for a clock that can’t be wound and doesn’t function. So what thing that seemed vital (a key to something) will prove itself unnecessary, and so be removed from the scene (the key ‘jumping’ from the clock)?

Please scroll down to see the assessment of yesterday’s Lunar eclipse–and have a great day!

Paul Gauguin {{PD}}

Yes, we’re on the verge of an eclipse, and we all feel it, one way or another: the tidal pull of Earth’s only natural satellite plucks at the oceans of our own bodies, putting internal pressure on past hurts, primal wounds, relationships, and makes us hyper-aware of the repercussions of our own actions. It’s smart to pay attention to those things we might normally dismiss or gloss over; it’s also smart to listen to instinct, and that ‘still, small voice within,’ as Edgar Cayce used to say. Giving attention to both will inform our thinking and reasoning, and that’s really what’s needed: an openness to what hasn’t been said, to what we and others are considering doing. Laying open the pathways between the unseen and the assumed, the thoughts and prior wounds, and the ego and what we’re denying or angered over will give us a more than modest advantage over those who proceed as if the surface is all (Juno nov and Mars parallel Black Moon Lilith, Chiron sxt Sedna, Venus nov and the Sun semi-sq Chiron)

Today’s word image a room where it’s snowing inside. Look for the obvious incongruity, the misplaced activity or element, even the nonsense part of the situation, and don’t just nod and accept it–challenge it.

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida – ‘El baño, Jávea’ 1904 {{PD}}

The ocean of life looks calm today, but that’s a mental illusion, a trick to make you wade in unguarded. When you’re chest-deep what you find is that Love is a reality, as solid as any material object, the result of (or is that in response to?) any action, and the realness of it draws us back, either to re-live a past emotional state, to recall it, maybe to mourn it, or to hide in our past delusions or fantasies. Just know that while you’re playing the Love game, riding Love’s emotional currents, you may get caught in the undertow, swept back to the past, and so miss what’s going on right now, real-time, on today’s very solid shores (Venus conj SN and nov Saturn, Mercury semi-square Neptune).

‘The Last Respects’ By Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 1886 {{PD}}

Today’s word image: You look out your window, and see a big, black, shiny hearse pull up in front of your house. What does it make you think? And what do you feel? Do you assume it’s there for you, stopping for directions, or for some purpose that falls somewhere in between?

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Gustav Klimt 1894 {{PD}}

Mars enters Sagittarius and we want to have an impact: far-reaching, on things far away, on beliefs, and on the facts, with the latter either relating to changing those realities or on giving them a ‘cover story’ that aligns them more closely with what we believe. Under this influence, the facts might seem more aggressive than usual, insisting upon themselves in a way that could raise our ire, anger the ego, expand our viewpoint (whether we are willing or not), or drive our choices, and leave us little room for fantasy or supposition–and that’s a good thing, the way Mars through Sagittarius may force alignment with a real-world picture that is inclusive of what’s foreign to us, and so something we need to learn about.

{{PD}}

Today we also see Venus semi-square Chiron and Neptune quincunx Ceres; we notice all the ways our values, relationships, and financial arrangements set off our wounds or call forward our unique skills, and we may find later, when looking back, that our own imaginations were what kept us from fully exercising our prerogatives. That means that, though clear sight is always our goal, right now that’s prevented by our own inclinations. We mesmerize ourselves into believing we are less (or less capable) than we truly are–that’s a spell that needs to be broken as soon as possible.

Today’s word image is the color green. Green suggests newness, or an untried quality, or one lacking training. Fecundity might be implied; what new in the life, what thing just begun, or just now growing, what untried ideas or efforts, need to go forward? Or is it jealousy or envy, giving a Venusian name to behavior that can otherwise be confounding?

As Mercury conjoins Pluto in Capricorn and Pluto parallels Pallas and semi-squares Vesta we find ourselves excavating the framework of our thoughts, the rules we have accepted as necessary or even as reality itself, and the barriers and restraints that keep out what we find destructive, unpleasant, threatening, or just bizarre, as we judge exposure to these as unwise or impractical; they turn attention from those areas to which we’d like to dedicate ourselves and our life energy, and so must be purged. We may spin ourselves a tangled web, if we try to handle such deep and extensive housecleaning in a single day; better to let things fall away naturally, without too much direct effort. Our energy is best expended on being clear about our values and priorities (Sun sextile Vesta) and in pursuing those goals involving what we are sure we value or care about (Mars parallel Venus, Sun parallel Mars), as thoughts centered on pure ambitions unattached to what we value are sure to be too strongly fixed on the conflicts achieving our ends would entail, and so be less than useful, too prone to take a destructive turn (Mercury square Zeus and conjoined Pluto). In truth, we are readying ourselves, creating mental and intention clarity that will drive everything tomorrow, the 25th (Mars novile Zeus, Mercury sextile Jupiter).

By An Errant Knight – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37632333

The word image for the 24th is a shovel. Does this bring to mind gardening, hard labor, construction, burying the bodies? When we use it as a verb, we often mean it in a derogatory way, accusing someone for instance, of shoveling sh*t (telling lies) or shoveling in the food (gluttony). So, does the image of a shovel invoke some form of productive work, or is it an action word, suggesting our negative image of someone else, or they of us?

The word image for the 25th is two women spending an afternoon making soap. What is it that you’re preparing to ‘clean up’? Or what artisanal skill have you been considering developing? Now’s the time.

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