Thinking about it won’t help today–perceptions are just too skewed to be accurate. George Dunlop Leslie – ‘Alice in Wonderland’ c1879 {{PD}}

Actions may be inspired, supported by the spiritual or the creative, or driven by delusions, but in any case it’s subtle, and choices are hard to see for what they really are, with Mars parallel Neptune. Add to this that we may favor what we desire over what’s practical or wise; relationships or financial possibilities may urge us to bend our own rules–don’t. (Venus quincunx Pallas). It’s a day during which remaining aware that perceptions may be mirage-like, wavering and shifting with the atmosphere, will be our best chance at avoiding a fall down the rabbit hole.

Today’s word image is an avenue of trees, filled with tiny lights. There’s something magical about the outdoors lit at night. Is it our lizard brain, relieved that we’re not vulnerable in the pitch-dark, is it the child within delighted at the spectacle, or is it that there are few other atmospheres that are so inherently romantic? It may be that we process this image with such optimism because a lighted avenue implies a ‘bright future’, somewhere still to go in life–and we all need that sense of positivity, movement forward, adventure, and purpose. If your idea of the future is ‘dark’, you might ask yourself what it would take to ‘light up’ the way forward, to make it truly worth living.

Eanger Irving Couse ‘Walpi Pueblo’ 1903 {{PD}}

You notice significant healing–well that’s good–and the mind is steady (if a bit repressed) and in tune with what’s smart and practical. Relationships and/ or finances, however, seem out-of-control or erratic in nature, divorced from the instinctual responses and reactions that can be so reassuring–and this may contribute to the sense that actions are futile, that choices don’t matter, or that at the very least one is disempowered by circumstances or the general opposition or uncooperativeness of others. Now is the time to plan, to lay the foundation, but not to go after results; stick to what you have control over–you can be there for you, even when others aren’t.

Today’s word image is a beautiful pine board, stored so long that it’s gently warped from dampness. Use what you’ve got; otherwise, one way or another, it becomes unusable.

Caspar David Friedrich ‘On the Sailing Boat’ c1819 {{PD}}

Our values support our ambitions and desires, and vice versa, what we want is right in line with our highest values and priorities, and that should make for smooth sailing–but we may be blown off course by surfaces, especially in relationships, and by financial issues. Both those Venusian subjects seem to need change or significant transformation, but as the Sun enters Sagittarius we may find all our energy and attention is initially on ambition fulfillment, and unless Venus matters are part of that . . . well, we may neglect them, preferring to go with the tide, as it promises reward and satisfying results. That’s okay, though, as the real point of all this is to make us aware of those Venusian subjects and the way they have impacted our past, and how they will shape the future, largely by those things we didn’t get and those we won’t ever attain. Being deprived of what we want has steered us in specific directions–and right now you have a chance to see into the future, and how current finances and relationships, as well as current wants, will shape what comes.

Today’s word image is a brightly colored parrot, capable of speech, that doesn’t speak. This image may point to ‘natural’ abilities that we are, for one reason or another, not using. What do you have in your ‘toolbox’ that you’ve let languish? Time to dust it off–though you don’t realize it yet, that ability is the perfect answer to a recent question, or maybe one that you’re just now asking.

Read more here, and have a great day!

‘The Boulder’ By Charles Courtney Curran c1905 {{PD}}

We have the best ‘backbone’ today, the kind made from solid values and priorities, with no ambiguities about what’s most important to us. We may still be afraid, but we find the mettle to stand up to what scares us. That figurative backbone supports thoughts and actions, which dovetail nicely, making for effective decision making and little internal conflict. What doesn’t work so well? Going after our ambitions and desires; somehow the direct approach brings resistance out of thin air. Respond by being open to spontaneity, the unusual, the new, and the radical or untried, as these will offer a work around and allow us to take a resilient stand in the face of what might otherwise overwhelm us.

Today’s word image is insomnia. This may sound nonsensical, but have you considered, if you are indeed suffering from lack of sleep, that someone might be sending you bad vibes, and picking up on them causes you to lay awake, ruminating on fears and what could go wrong? Just a thought, but if this is you, don’t waste time trying to pinpoint who’s sending you the poison thought pill; instead remind yourself, each time your mind goes *there* that those things aren’t happening right now, that it’s fruitless to try to live in the future, and that you are actually safe and sound, in the present.

‘Treppe in Algier (Steps in Algiers)’ c1882 By Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Today Vesta enters Scorpio, just as Pallas backtracks into Aries; in opposition these two set up a dynamic of values and priorities based on Truth, secrets, or with hidden origins that directly conflicts with personal wants and Will. We see a viewpoint that narrows from the Universal or Collective to the individual, while what we honor focuses more on the dark, dirty truth and less on maintaining a balance in relationships or in being ‘fair’ and equitable in a way that ignores deservedness. We judge, we assess, and we act according to our own authority; what we can’t do is use those assessment-senses to pursue our own ambitions–somehow it’s just not the day for it.

Today’s word image is a book, where the story inside doesn’t match the description on the outside. If we are the book, and what we’re presenting to the world as who we are on the outside doesn’t match our inner wants and needs, how can we be surprised when we’re unhappy?

This image was so fabulous I just had to use it. It shows the Earth rising from the Moon, as viewed from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter above Compton crater. NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center / Arizona State University – http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/895 {{PD}}

There’s only one new aspect perfecting today, a sesquiquadrate of Venus to Chiron; the only way to see this clearly is to view it as coming in the wake of yesterday’s Venus-Jupiter conjunction. Venus suggests a certain continuity of attention, as we go from a focus on bounty, beliefs, facts, and expansion efforts and opportunities related to assets, finances, relationships, talents, and love, to one that, through difficult or uncomfortable circumstances, will reveal (and possibly allow healing of) our wounds. A tough situation in one or more of these areas could also call forward the personal and very unique Chirotic gifts you carry, gifts that since 2012 I see as available not just to others, but to yourself (for more on this, see here). Overall, a day of serious adjustment, where the positivity, abundance, and over-doing of yesterday give way to consideration of how our assets and relationships can benefit from, handle, or otherwise heal long-standing vulnerabilities and hurts.

Today’s word image is a real-life episode. Just as we were pulling out of a parking lot, I was saying I would give something a try, and as I said the word ‘try’ my eye fell on a bumper sticker that said, ‘Mama Tried’. Some people denigrate the concept of trying; it’s true that it allows for failure (as saying, ‘I will’ does not), but it also removes the potential for Self-guilt or blame, should circumstances beyond one’s control prevent reaching the goal. Using ‘try’ is only a problem if it’s wielded as an excuse; otherwise, it’s far kinder to ourselves to recognize that the Will cannot be arbiter of all things.

Read my books! And have a great day!