“Saimi in the Meadow” by Eero Järnefelt 1891 {{PD}}

We find the way to dream realization, living ideals, creating and communing through our connection to Nature, and through those roles and that power we hold in the real world. Responsibilities point directly at our areas of empowerment, and show us the forms and manner of materializing our ideals and dreams. It’s a tidy loop that may confound with its simplicity; some will be loathe to see it as so direct, because complicating things removes the need to acknowledge how much power to affect things they truly have (Perfecting today: Neptune nov Ceres)

Today’s word image is a red cuckoo nesting in the bright yellow nest of another bird. Now I knew that cuckoo’s had something to do with the nesting of other birds, but when I saw this symbol I had to go investigate the cuckoo’s real-life behavior in order to make sense of it. It seems the cuckoo is known for laying its eggs in other bird’s nests; this from Wikipedia: “The common cuckoo is a brood parasite; it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. At the appropriate moment, the hen cuckoo flies down to the host’s nest, pushes one egg out of the nest, lays an egg and flies off. The whole process takes about 10 seconds. A female may visit up to 50 nests during a breeding season.” And this is accompanied by a roughly 66% acceptance in the host nest of the cuckoo’s offspring as its own.

From plates by Louis Agassiz Fuertes {{PD}}

The colors of the image also speak, the red of aggression and perhaps passion, the yellow of the mental and of intelligence, and so possibly refers to intellectual energy, property, or ‘space’. Are we the cuckoo, inserting ourselves out of anger or enthusiasm into someone else’s space? Are we perhaps expecting to ‘piggyback’ our efforts or creativity largely off of someone else’s energy and assets? Or are we aggressed against, dealing with the intrusion of someone’s ideas or expectations as to how we should use our energy? This isn’t a pretty picture, but does refer to something that can happen quite easily when our boundaries are not what they should be, or when our own passion for something causes us to ignore the right of others to make their own choices.

Here’s a little more on the consequences of allowing someone else to put ‘their eggs in your nest’

Enjoy your Thursday!

Aleksander Gierymski c1894 {{PD}}

Aspects suggest we may learn some startling things today, at least some of which may illuminate our pain. If we are open to it, what we discover, uncover, realize, or finally understand may obliterate the concept of pain as we currently know it–or at least show us why and how we ache as we do. Unusual, innovative, or revolutionary thinking may express in clever ways that highlight our uniqueness, or may align us in beneficial ways with the group. Accepting what’s new and modern serves us, as does setting aside the ego in order to express compassion through exercise of creative or spiritual gifts, especially those related to your natal Chiron placement (Merc nov Uranus, Sun sq Chiron)

Today’s word image is a cocoon. Not every idea, project, or impulse is immediately ready for expression. Let that thing you’re anxious for develop and present itself in its own time.

EXPO Station, one of the most futuristic and trendy subways in Singapore, according to photographer Willian Cho 2008 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Much of what we discussed yesterday is still in effect, so you might want to give that a gander, as well 🙂

Those who fix their psychic gaze firmly on the future will benefit most, simply by their acceptance of the need for (sometimes drastic) change. Those who also do best put Collective or group well-being and interests ahead of their own, at least when it comes to expressing personal power, making choices, or taking action, as a too Self-oriented viewpoint will guarantee conflicts over ambition and desire fulfillment; that is, if we’re ‘out for ourselves’ we will run up against obstacles and denials, while if we plan our moves with our own and the greater good in mind, we will find the way much smoother. Too, don’t let the past intrude on the present, and know that modesty in the face of authority, and when under scrutiny ourselves, goes a long way toward getting others on our side (Pluto sq Zeus and trine NN, Merc qnx Ceres, Sun sxt Uranus and qnx Mars)

Photo by Jebulon Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

Today’s word image is a sewing machine. If you have training in how to use it, it will stand for a specific skill you possess; if you don’t know how to use it, it may stand for something you’d like to learn to do, or it may represent work or skills you see others as having. Sewing is the kind of activity we all may have judgments about, possibly seeing it as an impressive skill, as ‘woman’s work’, as a basic for an aspiring designer, as menial labor, as something that belonged to mom or grandma and that you don’t think about, as an activity only performed by slave labor in the third world, as a mechanical means of achieving what for thousands of years could only be done by hand, or you may have personal associations with a sewing machine that come from your own experience. Whatever you associate with a sewing machine speaks to a current attitude you carry toward a skill or a means of creating/ achieving; seeing the attitude through the symbol may offer enough distance to illuminate a troublesome or useful factor that can help you move forward. Or, in the most general sense, it may be about ‘putting it all together’.

‘Bartholomew’s Vision’ 1889 Mikhail Nesterow {{PD}}

We’ve got a ‘new’ Grand Cross, as Vesta moves in to take the place of the now departed pair of Sun and Venus. This brings in values, our highest values, in fact, and those matters and individuals to whom we dedicate our life energy; these matters speak to the stress generated by the T-square of Neptune, Jupiter, and Saturn. As we know, such major energies in play can have very different manifestations within individual lives, but we know that matters of the Houses ruled by these bodies may factor in or present the stage upon which our values are tested. Or, we may see a more general expression, as application of creativity or avoidance (through delusion) in the real world meets assessment by the social sphere; that is, we may see how much support our social milieu offers to the individual expression of creativity in material surroundings and concrete terms. Our possession or grasp of ‘the facts’ may be challenged by the reality picture, or we may discover the obstacles on our path to getting the word out, or to achieving educational or expansion goals.

The Vision and its translation into the three-dimensional world is vetted. We are able to see clearly how our energy dedication has affected our ability to bring dreams to reality. We’re offered a clear look at what we have wrought, and how well (or not) that serves our spiritual Vision, our creative need (because just being alive is energy that naturally generates creative expression of one kind or another), and those matters we declare sacred, and wish to honor through our efforts in this imperfect world. We can shape our forward momentum in any way we choose; recognizing our power and respecting our instincts is vital, though taking definitive action on what we realize might better wait until the 12th or after, when we are not so inclined to act contrary to our own better instincts or motives (that is, we may resent what we discover on first hearing/ realizing; a few days grace period will help us accept what we find) (Perfecting today: Pluto trine NN, Venus sxt Ceres, Mercury conjoins Sedna and opp Mars)

Here, everyone is a mouse. 日本語: 鼠草子絵巻 ‘The Mouse Story’ Muromachi to Momoyama period (16th century)

Today’s word image is a mouse. If we’re thinking literally, the symbol may hint at some way we’re ‘infested’ with something pesky or damaging, something that nibbles away at our resources or our confidence. Or are we speaking of too much time on the computer (with the mouse)? Or are we in some way keeping ourselves too modest or plain (quiet as a mouse, country mouse) in comparison to what the situation calls for? Underplaying our hand can ring false to those who can handle (and who welcome) our energy; better to be true to ourselves than to shrink-to-fit a bland or unrewarding situation.

Writing it all down might help, too. Gerard ter Borch c1655 {{PD}}

Matters ignored or denied reach out from the past and seem to block the way forward–and yet, we know what to do to heal the situation; at least, we will if we stop and think for a minute–so it becomes a matter of choice: will we keep problems intact, embracing them as part of our identity, continuing to look away, or will we look at the situation and plan or decide what to do? Healing is a matter of the mind; think it, and we can repair it–issues (or our feelings about them) that don’t heal through the mentality suggest our thinking about them is wrong in the first place. Smart money is on facing those hangovers from the past, doing what needs to be done, and then, with the way clear, making plans for what we want to do in future (SN sesq Black Moon Lilith/ NN semi-sq BML, Merc sxt Chiron)

Not quite what I saw yesterday, but close. Wilhelmstraße in Herne
Jun. 2011 Photo by Frank Vincentz Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Today’s word image is a sandwich board (a kind of folded sign) sitting on the sidewalk, with the word ‘Pluto’ handwritten on it, and an arrow pointing straight up. I saw this, and it made me smile. Were they trying to point at the place in the sky where Pluto might be found? Probably not. Were they confused about Pluto and Hades, his ferocious Doppelgänger, thinking they reign over Heaven, rather than Hell? Of course not–who could make that mistake? Although, when I thought about it, I concluded that the arrow pointing up may have spoken of one of two things: either we should be on the lookout for Plutonian figures making themselves known (coming up from the Underworld), or we should consider that, if we accept change as not just inevitable, but as desirable, Pluto may indeed signify its own kind of Heaven, offering constant transformation and renewal, and so perpetually generating and supporting Hope.

Egyptian Figures, 5th Dynasty, Photo by Andreas Praefcke {{PD}}

Empowerment becomes a matter of cooperation; it’s in finding partners, creating diplomatic avenues and ties, and forming alliances that we as individuals gain dominion over our own lives–at least, that’s the way it plays out today. It’s not easy, though, as we must balance relationship needs, our own needs and aims, and both the past and the direction we’re headed; we’re swimming in a stream and must be cognizant of the bank we walked on and the current that’s carrying us forward, as well as remain aware of those who are floating along, caught in the same current, with us, all with an eye of where we’re hoping downstream to clamber out of the water. This likely means psychic overload, as we try to maintain at least four points of focus simultaneously–and if we find ourselves trying to keep all factors afloat at once, that’s when a figurative drowning becomes the likely end result.

How to avoid disaster? Use cooperative relationships to weigh and measure options, and remember that partnering with others doesn’t mean giving up your autonomy or control, it simply means finding ways to do things that are beneficial for everyone concerned. It also means being willing to shoulder our own responsibilities; if we don’t or aren’t, we may find it hard to locate anyone willing to partner with us. Too, we are able to see precisely who we have become, and what that’s worth, as a result of our past experiences, and this offers us the chance to see exactly where we are going, if we change nothing in our projected Path. Today we’re offered a rare moment of perfect clarity that shows us the outcome generated by who we are right now–and if we’re not happy with this, we will be able to pinpoint exactly what must change, in order to take in hand, and alter, our future (Juno enters Libra, Sun-Venus form T-square with the Nodes)

Today’s word image is a cask of salted cod. This preservation method was so good that in centuries past barrels of fish were treated like currency. Re-visiting the existence of this ancient commodity may prompt us to ask ourselves: What asset have we been so busy preserving, conserving, saving, trading on, or using as collateral, that we have forgotten it originally had another use entirely–in the case of the cod, as food. Look in your own life for something saved, even hoarded, something with value to you, that you may have held onto for so long that you’ve failed to honor it by putting it to good use.

See previous posts for info on the Grand Cross.