Something sweet awaits, in those less traveled places. ‘Sugar Cubes’ By Dietmar Rabich CC BY-SA 4.0

Today it definitely benefits us to look for reward in those areas that enrage us, or where we’ve been ignoring or denying realities. It’s as if in attending to these matters we earn something of worth, the love of someone, something we can spend or treasure, an asset or a relationship we didn’t have before. It’s a little bit of ‘See? Don’t be afraid to deal with these things!’ What we gain also helps attune us to our own instincts and makes us aware of our blind spots–which in turn makes us better able to operate, and better able to know where we need assistance.

(Venus trine Black Moon Lilith and nov Sedna, Sun opp Saturn, and conj and parallel NN–this latter bit is your hint that we’ve just had an eclipse)

The table’s all set for a Happy Birthday. ‘Open Door on a Garden’ By Konstantin Somov 1934 {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 17 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). This solar year, dear Cancer, your imagination flows freely, and can be channeled into the reality picture almost without effort. This can be great, if you control the creative urge, or disastrous, if you let the unconscious, and especially the unconscious fears, drive the ship. Take advantage of those things you’ve learned from in the past, stay grounded and make sure that at least for this year you have a comfortable environment from which to operate and in which you can recover from life’s ups and downs, and worry later about sorting out relationship feelings. There may be a concerted effort on the part of some to convince you that you are responsible for their feelings–let me assure you, you are not. Good luck!

Today’s word image isn’t a word image, exactly, but a movie I just saw, ‘Midsommar’. Reactions to this film will be as varied as there are human beings; let’s just say I walked out of the theater approving of what I’d just seen. Nothing in it was as obvious, or as unexpected, simultaneously, as I anticipated, and yet nothing went quite as I thought it would.

We might want to consider the role of Ceres, Earth Mother, as she stations direct at 00 Sagittarius. Sometimes we shy away from Nature’s realities, from the facts we need to know, necessary components to a clear-eyed view of the world and our role in it; or perhaps we’re looking at things as cultural (Sag) rather than innately human nature (Ceres). In any event, she’s going to be telling us some hard truths about the world we live in, and we’d do best to listen, the dangers of global warming, of ignoring Nature, among them.

What might it all signal? Maybe that we should never underestimate the depth and breadth of human nature, never underestimate the many guises it takes, and the relationship each of us must choose in response to the larger world. Look for the ways you’ve been surprised, lately, about other human beings and their behaviors; expect more of that and this time, be a little more ready.