A Roman votive; see their use here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Votive_offering By http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/3e/3a/2ad7275ff3a73e94d881a820049b.jpgGallery: http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0035830.html, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36068939

Rejoice! Rejoice! We have no choice

—Crosby, Stills, and Nash

The AstroEssence: I know! I can seem very negative–but then, you shouldn’t bother reading my assessments of the daily influences if you only want the sunny side of things, or if you think only some parts of life are ‘spiritual’, and others not–we have an intangible essence (the Soul, if you will) that’s having a material experience–how can everything we do not be a reflection of the spirit? And that’s my lead-in to today’s perfecting aspect set, which consistently warns us against our own destructive, rebellious, erratic, impulsive, ego-centered, negative impulses (whew!). Within we feel the urge toward empowerment, toward making our mark, having our say, expressing ourselves, but it goes awry; it seems the most easily shifted, independent urges within us are front and center in a way that sees spirit, mind, and heart suffering as we set out to express and end up rebelling, destroying, or just plain insisting things must be done our way. Thoughts may foster acting from wounds, in retaliation or response, and relationships shake our power foundations, not actually threatening them so much as making us question them–and really, today, it is our own mind, rather than circumstances or others, doing a number on us. Be willing to adjust: thinking, to what we know to be wise–we know what’s smart, it’s a matter of letting go of our contrariness long enough to follow that wisdom–as well as be willing to confront those things that we are choosing that are detrimental to our well-being, and to mellow what are inclined to be knee-jerk actions or responses into something a little more impersonal–again, the smart thing to do, say, or be is known, we just have to do it. And don’t worry; by tomorrow attitudes will become much more grounded, and restraint will allow us to give positive form to our actions, choices, and Will (Hygeia sq Pluto and contra-parallel Uranus, Mars sesq Uranus, Venus semi-sq Juno, Merc contra-parallel Chiron and qnx Pallas)

Today’s word image is the empty lot in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle where Neptune Coffee used to be. A gas explosion in March of this year destroyed a handful of businesses and blew out windows in a two block radius; the Neptune was leveled. Luckily it happened in the early morning hours when the fewest number of people were in what is usually a heavily trafficked area, and there were no fatalities, only minor injuries. But, walking by the empty lot can be haunting, and it brings to mind this: what good thing in your life has been wiped out or removed in a shocking way, and it’s been long enough that the hole it left now just seems like part of the landscape? We can learn to live with anything; the trick is not letting awareness of what we’ve lost slip away.

No plague doctors for you this year, Leo! Paul Fürst 1656 {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 1 Virgo: health is at the core of all you attend to this year, Leo: physical well-being, financial, emotional, spiritual, all areas of life are vetted for balance, vigor, and sustainability. Some hints on making the most of things: don’t let your imagination fill in the blanks–stick to facts and realities; make sure the emotional perceptions receive attention, with an emphasis on security and comfort–this is important, as the emotions will, temporarily, drive the life direction; and don’t allow your instincts and inner knowledge to be drowned out by the social sphere. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

Saturnino Herrán – La cosecha, 1909 {{PD}}

The AstroEssence: our attention is on what’s wrong (this has been a trend, lately, right?), on what’s dark, hidden (but then, how do we know something’s there if it’s hidden?), on the unhealthy, the destructive, and any sense of change, as it likely strikes us as decay or deliberate waste. We may fully embrace this preoccupation with the intention of assessing issues and fixing them, but between an inclination to misjudge or misread our own values (yes, it can be done, when we are not processing experiences along most characteristic lines) and the tendency to both exaggerate and see shadows where there are none, we are best off delaying any critiques and plan-making for a later time. Best approach: focus on ‘the facts’, don’t fight obviously inevitable change, and keep what you hope to accomplish (in the form of ‘the harvest’) perpetually in mind (Vesta semi-sq Sedna and trine Neptune, Merc conj Jupiter, the Sun enters Virgo, semi-sq Hygeia and sesq Pluto)

By Sir James – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39172103

Today’s word image is bocce balls. I don’t know much about bocce; my only association is with the courts that were always busy in San Diego’s Balboa Park. At the time it struck me as something only old people would play, but now I think I was mistaking more gentle exertion as automatically only appealing to those who were unable to do anything more strenuous, an idea I’ve since learned isn’t valid. What ‘game’ might you be dismissing as irrelevant to you, that it might behoove you not just to learn the rules for, but perhaps consider participating in?

Gioco delle bocce ad Arcè (frazione di Pescantina, provincia di Verona) in una foto d’epoca {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 0 Virgo: all the action this year, Virgo, through to your next birthday, will be centered on issues of identity and matters of the natal House where the Sun is posited. You may be accused of navel-gazing or being Selfish, but really, you need to take this time for yourself, to sort through and be sure about who you are and who you want to be–it’s the only way you’ll be able to wrap your head around what’s slated, and just beginning to show itself, for your future. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

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By Villy Fink Isaksen – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42637498

‘Jim, Long John Silver and his Parrot’ by N. C. Wyeth from 1911 edition of ‘Treasure Island’ {{PD}}

The AstroEssence: If we follow our instincts and/ or minds, we end up in unhealthy territory; relationships, financial matters, or as-yet unrenovated values lead us back to the past, in some way, and this makes us inclined to take up old ‘wounded’ or rebellious or erratic ways of processing current events. It may feel as if all our ‘buttons’ are being pushed at once. We’ve got to remember two things right now: we abandoned those from-the-past means of handling things because they were wounded expressions, and so unproductive–and we know better now, precisely because we’ve learned from what we’ve already experienced. Don’t let a small hurt couple with an urge to go rogue, because all we’ll get is a toxic blow-up of greater or lesser proportions. Channel energy into innovation, original expression, and the willingness to lead (if you’re usually a follower) or follow (if you usually lead)–and with this last concerning one’s position within the group, if you take what you think is the opposite of your usual role and it doesn’t work out, you can be sure that you’ve been thinking of your place in things all wrong (Hygeia qnx SN, Pallas contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith, Venus parallel Sedna and contra Hygeia, Merc parallel Chiron, Sun qnx Chiron and trine Uranus)

Today’s word image is really a question: When ‘the dream’ is realized, manifest right in front of us, do we recognize it? This may be the hardest step in the process, knowing when to shift gears and acknowledge that we’ve gotten exactly what we wanted.

Albrecht Dürer {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 24 Leo: Your year may begin in some way that feels especially emotionally punishing, in a kind of ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ scenario, but this matter quickly goes to a higher plane and takes an intellectual form, and how you face this sets the tone for the rest of the year, which features: the most amazing circumstances through which to display your originality, your inventiveness, and your mental brilliance; and a bit of a tightrope that requires you to adjust yourself to avoid hurt. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

Jan Brueghel I -‘ A wooded landscape with travelers on a path’ c1607 {{PD}}

The AstroEssence: Today we all glimpse (or are immersed in, or struck by) the beauty of the Path we’ve chosen; we see the particular grace our life direction offers us, the way relationships have shown us exactly what we needed to learn and experience, and we also see the cost of our choices. It’s a day of revelation, one that prompts actions that transform our world–and these expressions of power both repudiate something we refuse to follow or accept that is required by society at large (this something is likely related to matters of the House Jupiter is currently transiting in the natal chart), and show what we care about, what we love, and this is done at least in part by our rejection of the unreal, the deceptive, or the delusional. Self-acceptance of our own unique viewpoint allows a healing of sorts, and makes our choices and actions especially effective (Jup contra-parallel Juno, Mars nov Pluto, Venus conjoined the NN and contra-parallel Neptune, Merc parallel Ceres and semi-sq Juno, Sun semi-sq Vesta)

By Jon – Flickr: Ultimate Sand Castle, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13294831

Today’s word image is a sandcastle. This is a good symbolic approximation of life itself: we build with the tiniest bits of material, time, and experience, our creations simple or elaborate, many-chambered or uncomplicated, we put in a little effort or a lot, and the elements wear down our creation, in an instant or slowly, over time. What does your sandcastle look like, and what does it say about your choices, and your life?

For those born with the Sun at 23 Leo: if you don’t adjust your behaviors and/ or use your talents, you will find yourself wounded at some point during the year between now and your next birthday. I can’t really pinpoint what will occur, only that you’re on a course that implies your own inflexibility will cause your grief–but, if you can follow your best impulses toward originality, and can find a place within, leadership role of, or willingly cooperate with ‘the group’, you can pull from yourself something truly rewarding and perfectly unique–your own highly meaningful contribution to the world. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

Lawrence Koe – ‘Idyll’ c1910 {{PD}}

The AstroEssence: We find unique and effective ways of gaining, ways that directly fulfill ambitions and desires, that may use relationships, talents, or assets in order to accomplish our goals, and that pay off one way or another–and it all goes down smoothly, almost effortlessly, as if ‘luck’ is with us, or these positive developments are ‘meant to be’ in a big picture sense–and maybe they are. There’s beauty in acknowledging our desires, and sharing our goals with others–they just might want to help you attain them. Take care in interactions, though, as lust can get away from us–the choices are to shape it consciously or be driven by it unconsciously–and unthinking advances or expressions of want could be the order of the day (Perfecting today: Venus nov Zeus)

U.S. National Archives c1942 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is teeth! We all have very particular associations with teeth, whether we think of our own, those of animals (sharks!), or the many sayings involving them: ‘take a bite out of’ or ‘bit off more than one can chew’, ‘the gnashing of teeth’, ‘tooth and nail’, or stories like how George Washington had wooden teeth, how people used to tie a string from a rotten tooth to a door knob and then slam it to remove, or the biosociological concept of baring teeth to frighten others (yet the human smile is supposed to mean the opposite), etc. The interesting thing is that when we think of teeth as symbols we see that most of our references to them refer to two concepts: either consumption, or tension/ aggression. Then there are dreams about teeth, with Edgar Cayce describing teeth as our thoughts and words, with dreams of loose or lost teeth as signaling regret for what we’ve said. Look at the first few ideas that pop into your mind when you think of teeth, and what these may say about both your viewpoint and what you may choose to ‘sink your teeth into’.

By Yug – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5106985

For those born with the Sun at 19 Leo: the early part of your year, counting through to your next birthday, may be spent in unusual moves meant to deal with feelings that seem hurtful and out-of-control. If you can hold back from overreacting (that is, realize that emotional responses are exaggerated in your mind), you may find that living with the feelings can open up some original creative approaches to both problems and Self-expression, ones that can open up your world and take what you create and what you do to a new level. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!