We have one thing to do today, and it’s this: don’t be stupid. Our attention will be drawn to things that somehow, inherent in their beingness, are unwise or impractical for us to engage with–and yet we’ll be so tempted! Listen to the accumulated wisdom of your past, stay grounded, and do not ignore what’s smart, savvy, or sage as you know it. Humble yourself before you go to war, really examine what’s needed, see what alternatives actually imply, and nine times out of nine, you’ll realize what you first thought necessary isn’t.

(Sun sq Pallas)

Oh, what brilliant ideas we have today! And no, I’m not being sarcastic, I mean it when I say they will be brilliant: they will illuminate the facts, offered opportunities, and our own beliefs so that we can make precisely the most creative and dream-supportive plans possible. The question will be, will we act on them? We will, if we can separate our personal agency and authority from any small inner voices incorporated from negative sources; that is, if we hear our plans denigrated by the voice of someone who criticized us (a voice we have adopted as one of our own) then we may not see today’s idea come to fruition. That would be a shame, so construct your plans with confidence (Merc in Cap), allow beliefs, dreams, ideals to guide (Neptune in Pisces, Jupiter basking under the Sun), and eschew any fear-based feedback that may be disguising itself as inner wisdom.

(Ceres opp Sedna, Mercury sxt Neptune, Sun nov Jupiter)

Where we put our attention today we have x-ray vision–but that’s also the catch, we have to figure out where we need to put our attention, in order to see with exaggerated depth and clarity in solid and real-world (Capricorn) terms. If we go at it from a position that emphasizes how we can exert our own authority, we lose power; it leaks out or pulls away from us and we can’t prevent it. But, if we think about priorities, those things we dedicate ourselves to, and our highest values, we automatically align with what needs doing–but again, this only works if we know (and admit) our truest allegiances. There’s another way in, though: follow the Love, or follow the Money, and we’ll see what’s wise (or maybe practical), whether that’s through examples of good ‘investment’ or by showing us what not to care about or put our faith in.

(Venus nov Pallas, Merc nov Vesta and semi-sq Ceres, Sun conj Pluto)

Out of control, yes, but not in the way we might first envision that phrase playing out. It’s not chaos, it’s electrified optimism, it’s glimpsed opportunity, it’s action arising directly from wounds with no consideration in-between, it’s the promise of riches of myriad kind shimmering like a mirage on the horizon–and not because they’re unattainable, but because we are propelled by the unconscious and subjects we’ve avoided, and so fail to control our own responses, efforts, and most important, fail to shape our intentions to our conscious wants. This is a difficult set of influences, as our primal response to what’s shiny and desirable combines with all the tendencies toward ignoring what we don’t like and places us in jeopardy, if we define jeopardy as the danger that surrounds acting without thinking.

Two things we can do will help make sense of this and allow us to keep our bearings. One is thinking in terms of our own empowerment. This requires staying in touch with the reality of our reach and our status. If circumstances held out before us promise to catapult us far beyond our current station, then the reality is they won’t, but if we see next steps offered, ones that follow naturally from where we are right now, then that is exactly where we should go forward. The second thing is (as I so often counsel) a willingness to deal with what we’d rather not. Seeing to what’s been ignored or denied is a surefire way to release creatively charged energy for your personal use. So don’t be shy–just look it in the face, and handle it.

(Jupiter sesq Uranus, Mars parallel Chiron, Venus nov Saturn and parallel Black Moon Lilith, Merc sesq Juno and nov BML)

I think one of the best things about astrology is that it can show you where, if you apply your energy at the right point in time, you can get results that far exceed either the investment you make or the potentials such efforts would’ve had on any other day. Today is one of those days. If while acting and choosing we keep highest aims and values in mind, with the intention of facilitating healing, we can not only heal, we can gain. We will experience resistance to this attitude, though, as the mind (and possibly negative Others) try to tell us either that we’re doing ‘it’ wrong, or that our efforts will come to naught. Don’t listen to the know-it-alls, as closer inspection will show their judgment is nothing to emulate–and that should reassure you about your own, if their prattling lets doubt creep in. You’ve got this–just let the highest good reign.

(Chiron nov Vesta, Venus trine Hygeia, Mercury sq Mars)

Venus enters Sagittarius, then noviles Zeus. What we see is an awakening, as the Venusian horizons widen and we get the urge to explore, test, and experience what we’ve only heard about, or what has been present, up ’til now, as fact–and this is all in service to some ambition or desire around Love or Money we’ve been denying ourselves out of an overabundance of caution, or outright fear. Venus’ change in sign strips that away–and opens the door to getting what we want.

Today Mercury also noviles Ceres, suggesting our minds are operating at peak efficiency in terms of using our current authority, our mandates, at negotiating, and at showing our power for what it is (and for who we are). Your own behavior can be most illuminating to yourself–it’s a situation where the unconscious point fingers at others, the conscious reflect on what their own choices say about the Soul’s intentions and the inner life.