Yucaipa Mountains by David Fairrington Oil 2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fairrington/6341395850/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Today it’s all about our ambitions, how they can be realized, and what they can get us, whether we are aware of this focus or not. We are attuned to what enhances our personal power situation, and without even thinking about it, we are likely to approach everything in ways that maximize our position and our effectiveness. This is great, except for the way relationships, values, and assets are all in some form of opposition to this, so that pushing so heavily for ambition fulfillment will almost certainly destroy (or transform significantly) our connections and those things that reward us. How to deal? Stay awake, stay aware, and be mindful of what really matters, having your way in the moment, or being loving? Though they’re not automatically mutually exclusive, to consciously take a loving stance will prevent damage–and that’s probably our best defense, right now (Perfecting today: Ceres parallel Zeus, Venus opp Zeus and sq Pluto)

This is a childhood photo of US President Gerald Ford. Note that, though there’s water in the background, the boat is on dry land {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a small metal toy boat, bent and dented, lying in the middle of a (very) dry, sunny street. The saddest images are often those where something is in the wrong place, inappropriate for its situation or surroundings, and here we have an item meant for fun and a water environment stranded and abandoned–and yet to find a symbol of transport in the street has a kind of ironic ring to it, a sense that it was dropped not because it couldn’t float, but because where the person holding it found themselves (the street) was an inappropriate form for the boat. Look around you, and see if there isn’t some place in your life where you have abandoned something that might get you somewhere, if you’d only put it in its rightful place.

For any book orders received at Dog & Sunflower Press, we’ll gladly include one jpg of a natal chart–just include birth name (can be just a first name if you like), date of birth (PLEASE write out the month as a word, don’t use a number!), place of birth (name, not co-ordinates), time of birth (local time is fine). Put this info in the instructions to merchant/comment section on the order form at PayPal, or send it directly to me through the form on the Services page, and the chart will be delivered with your book or books. Please note: If you send the date as numbers only, we will not create a chart.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

‘Lake McArthur, Yoho Park’ – James MacDonald 1924 {{PD}}

We’re mostly consumed with adjusting to the turnaround of Mars and Pluto, but there are two other influences today, a trine of Venus to Saturn, and a sesquiquadrate of the Sun to Jupiter. Each of these suggest some sort of brakes on bounty, a holding back or reality check on more or better–and this judgmental viewpoint may leak into relationships, especially if we are inclined to place responsibility for containment on externals (that is, if we are prone to do whatever we want, expecting the world or others to exercise discipline for us). We can wind up with some severe limits placed on our money or love; or, we can adopt those restrictive energies ourselves, and create an atmosphere that says ‘No’ preemptively to what could and should be a very good (though consuming) thing.

But, we may also have the grace to see the ways in which we can benefit by showing restraint, especially in relationships or with money, and our attention can be directed to what’s overdone, exaggerated, or what’s prevalent socially–and we can then make our own choices as to how to handle it. It’s a good day, but especially so if we’re willing to exercise optimism, give attention to detail as well as the big picture, and give both conscience and consciousness a workout.

Gyula Aggházy {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a cool breeze coming off the water. Let it soothe and heal you. You don’t have to be right on top of or in something before you can appreciate its benefits–look around for that cool breeze in your world, today.

Adriaen van de Venne c1630 {{PD}}

Our idea of what’s wise, what’s practical, must stretch and change, and so must we. If we allow wisdom to work on us, we transform, butterfly-like, but if we allow rage, jealousy, or envy as a motivating force, we could destroy what is useful or practical in an attempt to clear the slate and start anew; we might also be tempted to ignore or deny the unpleasant, believing we can substitute a pretty picture for true reform, but that only draws attention to what needs to change.

Too, we may not be happy with the messages we receive from authorities or those in power, but if we listen carefully, we may come to understand what binds and restricts them; this could foster empathy, and so improve our interactions, or could show us where and how in the reality picture we have the opportunity to gain status (likely by providing something in the real world that others do not or cannot). Dreams have been and will continue to show us the skeleton dancing beneath the illusion; pay attention to what they’ve been telling you, as right now they’re a source of Truth (Perfecting today: Pluto nov Pallas, Venus semi-sq Pallas and parallel the NN, Merc semi-sq Ceres and qnx Saturn, Sun opp Black Moon Lilith and semi-sq Neptune)

Arthur Heyer {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a pure white cat. If a black cat is something you don’t want to cross your path, is a white cat something you do want to see? Watch for a white cat (or its symbolic equivalent, such as a picture or brand name or on a label) as a sign of the way you should go, as pointing you toward the ‘right’ direction.

And have a great Friday!

Eilif Peterssen – Moonrise over the dunes 1882 {{PD}}

The ability to spot opportunity meets the urge to adjust the reality picture to more closely align with the highest values, and we end up with a day that holds enormous positive potential IF 1) we refuse to indulge in rebellious behavior, 2) we consider that feedback may offer a view of our own behavior we need in order to succeed, and 3) we find reasonable balance between what the social order requires and what we personally want. We think big; we may also be prone to exaggerate our ability to handle every situation. Be clear on just where you are empowered, and where you might need help, or should abdicate to others, before proceeding (Ceres enters Aries and contra-parallels Sedna, Uranus, and Jupiter, Saturn qnx Vesta, Merc trine Jup)

Today’s word image is a face at a darkened window, illuminated for just a split second by lightning. Who or what has been revealed to us, and in what way have we pretended that knowledge just ‘disappeared’? This is about owning and putting into practice what we have seen, though it’s not about accusations, pointing fingers, or otherwise exposing someone else; it’s instead about acknowledging our observations and intuitions and conducting ourselves accordingly.

How much do we want to accommodate others, how much do we want to perform alone? Edgar Degas – ‘A Group of Dancers’ 1890 {{PD}}

It’s not quite an Us v. Them mentality, and neither is the viewpoint so separate that we don’t see our likenesses; instead it’s more a state of jockeying for position within and relative to the group, even as we assess the importance of each component–that is, we measure how much attention should go to us, how much to the rest of the world, the partner, and everyone in between.

It’s time to examine how much we have ordered our life according to our wants, versus setting things up according to someone else’s. Everyone, to some extent, must accommodate others, but what we need to assess right now is how much we have allowed our decisions (because we are responsible for where we are, it’s not anyone else’s fault) to be influenced, or even dictated, by others. Have you put off moving forward in order to keep someone’s good opinion, even to keep their love? (hint, if so, they don’t actually love you)

Have you scrapped plans or an ideal in order to fit into someone else’s life, or into their plans, or to live their ideals? There’s no ‘right amount’ of life modification for others, past which our accommodation is too much; neither is it ‘better’ (more virtuous, honest, or fulfilling) to refuse to accommodate others and their needs and wants. In the end, if we choose to put others first, we do have to acknowledge that this is a choice, one that ideally felt absolutely right when we made it. The only question now is, how much must be re-ordered in our lives so that we are at our ultimate point of best satisfaction, a position that finds just the right balance between our needs, and those parts of the world we want to bring along with us.

Be prepared: facts might change our view of ourselves and our own potential for originality or unique expression; too, what we want and what we choose may adjust our current outlook or identity, and we need to be braced for the change. And one more caveat: in this instance, instinct is not necessarily our friend, for the simple reason that we likely followed it to where we are in the first place–and today is about reassessing, and if need be, shaking it up (Jup parallel Uranus, Venus qnx and contra-parallel Juno and semi-sq Sedna, Sun sesq Mars)

Today’s word image is a translucent bowl. What would you have filled it with in the past, what will you fill it with now, and what does that say about who you have become?

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Joseph DeCamp ‘The Window Blind’ 1920 {{PD}}

Today both our urge to express in original and unique ways and our social urges will be in sync with our instincts, and with facets of our nature that are obvious to others but remain hidden from ourselves. What results is a kind of internal harmony that is matched externally, and can form a sort of alternate Universe, in which we act out our blind spot material, and into which we pour the strengths and weaknesses inherent in our individual perceptions and responses, so that what we communicate is most creative: it conveys to others our values, all that we care about, all that we are willing to do to earn and achieve, and shows in precisely what ways we’re laboring under the the impetus of dreams, or the weight of delusion. It’s a world entirely constructed of what’s in our heads, and what those factors of perception and belief mean to us–so what we’ll see and experience, in essence, is what the Universe would be made of, if we were its sole creator. This should be interesting, don’t you think? (Sedna parallel Uranus and Jupiter, Venus trine Mars, Mercury sxt Neptune)

Wild turkey in eastern United States (Meleagris gallopavo) {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a wild turkey, running through the woods. It’s an odd thing to see something we think of as so thoroughly domesticated in its wild state and typical habitat. Look around–there’s something you think has been tamed, subdued, or exists for your own purposes that is actually, in some important way, wild, and so is outside the control or confines you expect. The nature of the person or situation is such that with a little scrutiny you may find it’s completely different than you thought–and so deserves a second look, to assess whether or not it’s worth keeping in your sights.

Buy my books or services, or donate–and have a great Tuesday!