by Lucien-Victor Guirand De Scevola 1899 {{PD}}

We have a kind of easy equivalency going on that results in greater benefits even than we intend, a sort of sum larger than its parts, as actions and choices highlight originality and uniqueness, and are based on a strong understanding of what we’re working with. A highly positive day, with benefits arising from showing ourselves and our talents (Venus in Leo) directly to others, who are then instrumental in our gaining reward (Jupiter in Libra). Optimism, opportunity, and taking the reins in smart ways (this latter from Pallas parallel Juno) will all pay off. What torpedoes us? Not trusting ourselves to do the right, or the wise, thing.

Today’s word image is the act of someone being scalped. I know! I don’t usually go with a grim image, but this one persisted–I must’ve seen it, read about it, or heard it mentioned almost a dozen times within a week–so I didn’t see how I could overlook it. Let’s view this in symbolic terms. Just above the top of the head is the crown chakra, and the hair represents thought. Does a scalping, then, represent a spiritual trauma meant to radically change thinking? Or is it an aggressive act that removes a protective way of processing the world, exposing us to reality with no barriers, in essence offering spiritual ‘enlightenment’? Was something like this done to you, or are you the perpetrator, trying to ‘wake up’ someone else? Which comes first, the spiritual shift or information, or the change in thinking? Consider your most recent, large-in-effect trauma (a thing you processed as traumatic–it doesn’t have to meet anyone else’s standard for injury); also consider what this offered you in spiritual terms, and how it may have altered thinking or the thought processes. And if you were the individual who caused this for someone else, ask yourself not what the effect was, but rather, what you got out of it.

‘Judgement of Solomon’ Workshop of Peter Paul Rubens c1620 {{PD}}

Is our move to take control of our own lives positive and instinctual, or is it driven by a fear that others will take what power we do have, if they discover what we’ve got buried? That latter alternative sounds a lot more sinister than it really is, and may cause you to brush aside the second possibility (or, if you are compulsively guilty without cause, you may cling to the second potential and deny the first!) Either way, it’s something we need to sort out today, as Venus conjoins that North Node point and beckons with sweets, candy, Love, or a bigger reward, just. on. the. horizon. You know what’s wrong with that? The future never comes, it’s always the present, and that means we could find ourselves pursuing a mirage today, some promised land that in truth can only be accessed this way: by absolutely refusing to be hobbled by our past, by our shames, by displays of temper and pique, and by those matters we’d just rather not think about. Name your poison: that’s the very thing that needs overcoming, in order to reach the prize. Hint: don’t leave the mind in charge; it carries too strong a streak of the impractical to be of real use today.

Arthur Hughes – ‘Sir Galahad and the Quest for the Holy Grail’ 1869 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is: the quest. Is there something you’re constantly seeking, a personal Holy Grail, a goal that propels you forward? Have you had more than one over your lifetime, and do these change periodically, and have you ever attained one? It’s important to know whether we’re heading toward things we want to accomplish or gain, or whether we’re running on fumes, dreaming and naming goals we have no intention of ever reaching (likely as a distraction, or as a way to say, ‘See? I tried.’) How much responsibility do you actually want? All questions we need to explore, even if we don’t come up with an immediate answer.

See my latest on dating during the Saturn Return over at ‘Been There, Done That’, and if you find this blog useful, please consider a donation or purchase in support–I’m offering a couple of new services you can see here. Thank you, and enjoy your Thursday!

By Ilya Repin 1926 {{PD}}

The mind is sharp today–we see opportunity–yet somehow, by our choices or actions, end up undermining ourselves. It’s a crazy kind of energy that promotes unpredictable reactions, erratic behaviors, surprises and revelations–and that finds us putting far too much attention on problems, restrictions, and what we can’t do or have (this latter from the Sun square Saturn, always a downer, though if we can pull ourselves together, we can see the problem and fix it effectively). A few things to remember: don’t compromise values in an attempt to be original or unique; displays of temper are unwise or just plain impractical; thinking of ways to empower yourself is not the same as actually empowering yourself–don’t assume thoughts are the same as deeds; admit when ambitions are the real reason for your choices or actions, rather than dressing them up in what you think are altruistic motives; and being negative guarantees you’ll miss a chance to alter your reality for the positive. Honesty in the broadest sense brings success.

Today’s word image is a glass full of sand. Well that’s no good if we’re thirsty! In what way are you trying to ‘slake your thirst’ with something that just doesn’t cut it? The disconnect comes when we don’t admit our true needs to ourselves. Pinpoint the need, ‘fess up to what will truly quench it, then fulfill the prescription–nothing else will do.

And at the relationship blog–

Winslow Homer – ‘Cloud Shadows’ 1889 {{PD}}

What is it about today? We say or do the ‘wrong’ thing, think the destructive or transformative thought, change our minds, and yet we enjoy solid gains, especially in material form, and we ‘lock down’ relationships in positive or pleasing ways (by lock down I mean find ourselves reassured of the loving connection). Our actions, choices, and ‘original’ approaches to things lead us away from what we think of as an empowered stance or position, but we soon find that where we end up is the smartest place to be. So, don’t fight what sends you in what seems to be a disempowered direction–trust the wisdom of chance–what results is really to your benefit, and a much wiser choice than any of us could make on our own.

Fritz Erler 1910 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a shift in the weather that tells you the season is almost over. Those shifts happen in our lives, too. What shift is happening now for you, and what is it telling you is nearly at an end? Accepting the message that something is near completion means we’ll act and react in ways that are most in tune with our own, personal ‘seasons’–and so we’ll be prepared, rather than caught off guard, by those things ending.

New post over at the relationship blog–

Edwin Henry Landseer {{PD}}

We want to make a big statement, have a big impact, and we want to do it in a positive, healthy way, and we want to do it all instinctively, without having to think about or arrange things too much. So what’s holding us up? The wounds as they affect the values picture. We are concentrating so completely on avoiding hurt, and avoiding the kinds of situations that have been wounding in the past, that we are allowing this avoidance to affect our priorities and those things we honor. It’s kind of like this: we’ll honor that sacred thing, as long as doing so doesn’t hit any tender spots. Unfortunately, that means we’re honoring the wound, rather than our ideals or what we wish to dedicate our life energy to. Knowing this contortion is possible, we can vow to serve the ideals, to let pure instinct guide us, and deal with hurt if it comes, rather than behaving as if it’s already happening.

Today’s word image is new Art supplies. What is your ‘Art’, and what do you need to make it happen? Whatever that is, get the materials–it’s time to express yourself.

By Stig Nygaard, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53731843

The only new perfecting aspect today is a Mars sesquiquadrate to Pluto; sounds like a recipe to get angry, to be enraged, doesn’t it? That would be the knee-jerk expression of this, to become enraged and to act out–but this could also be our cue to act differently than we have before, to change our response pattern completely–and doing so at this time would make those changes permanent, easy to access the next time our sense of outrage is stimulated. There’s also the possibility we may go to deep, dark places, responding destructively, or, when we come up for air, resolving to transform the situation, to make it over for good. Efforts to lessen the influence of the ego, and to moderate a hair-trigger temper could also be successful. We are likely to find our anger focused on something Capricornian, on something related to institutions, the establishment, to rules and restrictions, to our own or others’ judgements, to things solid, especially assets or real property, or on something we’ve relied on, that has until now offered us security, containment, support, or a sense of our own authority. We seek action in an effort to define, account for, minimize, or otherwise collect what’s due us (Mars in Virgo). The overall goal is to be aware of our rage, and then to do something constructive and meaningful about it.

By Reinald Kirchner – Flickr: smoke 1, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21467131

Today’s word image is smoke. As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Where in your life are you seeing or maybe just sensing ‘psychic smoke’–and will you find and put out the fire, before it gets destructive, or are you just going to let it burn?

‘Bildnis Sonja Knips (Portrait of Sonja Knips)’ by Gustav Klimt 1897 {{PD}}

Today boils down to one thing: we all need to sit in the corner and think about what we did.

Some use of our own power, authority, or station in the past needs to be examined, either because we want to reproduce the results, or because we really need not to. The mind is free of its retro drag, so available to handle the tough questions in a reasonably clear way. Go to it.

Today’s word image is a mold, damaged but not broken. The saying, ‘They broke the mold after they made her’ indicates originality or uniqueness, sometimes complimentary and sometimes not. Our image features an unbroken but flawed mold, suggesting imperfection ‘passed on’, as the mold still exists to be filled to create more of the same pieces. What thing in you or in your life ‘shaped’ by an outside force (think family pattern, life-subscribing accident or circumstance, schooling or religious influence) is flawed, and ask yourself if it’s worth keeping in this form, as well as whether it’s really something you want to be part of passing on.

Enjoy your Thursday!