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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‘L’aventure’ By Georges de Feure 1898 {{PD}}

We want to act, or to choose, not just to get it done, but to get it done ruthlessly, to purge what needs to go, to destroy what shouldn’t be there–there’s extremity to our urges, and to our statements of who and what we are–and yet we can’t seem to act today without the interference of those matters we have been assiduously ignoring, denying, or consistently (though probably quietly) enraged over. Be aware of the influence of the unseen, the discounted, and of what we’ve ‘tuned out’, consciously or not; just knowing we are open to these stealthy currents is enough to ward off their biggest effects (Mars at the end of Scorpio is novile Black Moon Lilith in Capricorn)

Special note: Hygeia and Juno are still traveling along together in Aquarius, and will remain so through 5 February. This links empowerment to health, especially to a healthy mental attitude or a well-educated (formally or not) intellect. Understanding is key here; why things are the way they are, whether they are in balance or not, and how power within a situation, or its lack, plays on health are the running themes during this period.

Tang Minghuang dao Shu {{PD}}

Today’s word image is something Chinese, or Chinese-influenced. Take whatever pops into your mind as a symbol of something that needs your understanding or attention, and go from there.

Anonymous pair, Artist Unknown, c1900 {{PD}}

Pallas enters Taurus, bringing wisdom down-to-earth and making the practical and the skilled valued, and the Sun enters Aquarius, emphasizing an intellectual approach, or a modern one, that encourages discovery and understanding. With that as the general tone, we may see reality right in line with it (Saturn parallel Pallas) even as our attention goes to what isn’t smart or practical, as if it’s the Universe’s ‘problem children’ that get all our energy (Sun sq Pallas). That means we may be distracted (Merc sxt Neptune), which can result in actions and choices that do not align with instincts (Mars opp Sedna) or that can bring almost magically fortuitous outcomes (Venus nov Neptune), the stuff of our ideals or fantasies. What makes the difference between headstrong acting-out and reward manifestation? A strong sense of what we value, and a willingness to think about and invest in what we honor (Merc nov and Venus sxt Vesta).

‘Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord’ By Adolph Tidemand – EwGseaUks6vhrQ at Google Cultural Institute, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29835502

Today’s word image is: attending a wedding. What’s getting together right under your nose? Are you supporting something by your mere presence that you otherwise don’t think is a good idea? Does official recognition of this pairing change the way you feel about it, or about each of the participants?

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