‘Dance on the Beach’ By Edvard Munch c1900 {{PD}}

We get ‘it’ together today, bringing ostensible opposites into harmony, uniting the yin and yang, binding ourselves in partnership, or acting out of values or Love, or to make money, particularly in a principled way. It’s about following the rules or seeing to details, and yet we’re concerned with, or fighting against, the authority that currently exists, or with those who are trying to exert their authority over us. ‘Don’t tell me what to do!’ may be the cry that rings across the land, and this can bring to the fore discrepancies among values, relationships, and ambitions/ goals. Just be prepared to get a clear glimpse of the reality picture, especially as it applies to empowerment, and don’t allow obstacles to affect thinking to the point that it deteriorates into destructive channels. If we don’t allow ourselves to be distracted, and manage to attend to the material world according to our highest values, we can make some genius advances and exercise personal power to the fullest.

(Perfecting Today: Venus conj Mars, both sq Ceres, Venus parallel Vesta and semi-sq Zeus, Sun parallel Mars and sesq SN, Saturn nov Ceres, Mercury qnx Pluto)

Good day to . . . take advantage of the places where your energy is clearly in harmony with particular subjects, venues of expression, or courses of action. It’s a day where you can cooperate successfully with your opposite number, just as long as you don’t allow preconceptions or negative thinking to persuade you that the way to win is to undermine or grab for power–it’s all about doing it together, today.

For those born with the Sun at 01 Virgo. 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). The magic formula for you this year, dear Virgo, from now through to your next birthday, is found by appreciating the power structure as it is now, and then working to either cooperate with it or become a part of it. Resistance to this idea is probably seated in the feeling that you know how to do ‘it’ better than ‘they’ do, but the reality is that the only successful way forward for you is to admit that if you make those in power adversaries, you’ll never get the chance to wield power of your own. It’s a way to feel superior and remain unchallenged, but it’s no way to live your life. Recognizing this and other realities is key to having a super-productive year. On your side: your mate or partner, certain emotional realities, and some well-learned lessons from the past. Good luck!

By böhringer friedrich – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6696299

It’s a kind of formula: whatever it is, today, apply Love. Even, and most especially, when it doesn’t seem to fit, when that wouldn’t be your typical answer.

(Venus nov NN)

Good day to . . . invest in the future, in whatever form that personally takes for you.

For those born with the Sun at 25 Leo. 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). It may feel to you, dear Leo, that Love, assets, status, and/ or empowerment are moving away from you at this time, but that’s a kind of psychic illusion. You had such a hearty influx of these things lately that as things normalize it feels like a loss, rather than circumstances losing their sheen and having an everyday luster, once again. So, note that you’re not losing anything, and then turn your attention toward the fact that during this solar year, through to your next birthday, you’ll be embracing a ‘new’, closer-to-ideal identity as you find balance through the emotional perceptions as they work through and shape the career, status, or public image. Good luck!

By The Library of Congress – https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/6629867411/, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org

We’re empowered in ways that allow us to make downright brilliant moves and choices that are designed to construct the future we want, and spontaneity shows its own kind of genius. There are a few things to watch out for, though: actions that don’t acknowledge current realities, especially rules and boundaries, may make for rough going and could attract criticism; brace for shocks or surprises–they’re inevitable; and take care not to do things that will wear on, even destroy, health.

(Juno nov NN, Pluto sesq Hygeia, Mars sesq Saturn then enters Virgo, Sun parallel Uranus)

Good day to . . . innovate, invent, and brainstorm! However, implement with care.

For those born with the Sun at 24 Leo. 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). You’re heading toward some serious profit or reward, dear Leo, one that’s arisen directly from your own personal actions. This could bring you love, too, but no matter what the results, you can be sure that 1) you’ve earned them, and 2) that you might be so satisfied (or in some way sated) that your propensity to dream and work to make that dream a reality could lose significant steam. It will be awhile before you formulate another guiding vision, and that’s okay. The thing you need to watch out for during this solar year, through to your next birthday, is the call of your own ego. It may push you into seeing something that is actually a natural transition as crisis, one where you must act. Don’t fall for it,and don’t allow yourself to be bullied, even by yourself. Good luck!

‘Landscape between Storms’ By Pierre-Auguste Renoir c1874 {{PD}}

In the matters of the House Uranus is currently transiting and/ or the one it rules, expect a pull back, a withdrawal of energy, talents, electricity, understanding, in the days around this point. Disappointment may spring up, or something unanticipated that requires a re-think and perhaps spur-of-the-moment improvisation. This turnaround can attract a lightning bolt or remove all the excitement from the air–and there’s no way to tell which will occur. Happening in Earth, the event could have a cloddish feel, removing any sense of charge or lightness from proceedings, and could be difficult to recognize as Uranus related. Uranus, though, is naturally an instrument of Higher Knowledge, of wide and deep understanding, of discovery, so examining the handful of days both before and after it turns should offer enlightenment (even if that only comes later, upon reflection), in this case possibly through material circumstances or a physical experience.

With Jupiter’s direction we see not an opposite tide, but a completely separate one. Occurring in Fire, we see release in matters of the House Jupiter is transiting or in matters of the House it rules in the natal chart, a flare sent up that signals the time for action. Suddenly, we ‘know’ or learn something vital that fills in missing pieces, or see opportunity, or have the necessary freedom, or are ready to ‘reach out’–and we do. Direction is at 14 Sagittarius, so if you happen to have anything this hits by major hard aspect (such as a placement at 14, 15, or 16 Gemini or those same degrees of Virgo or Pisces) then look to both the natal body’s character and the House it rules, if any, for clues as to the place where that flare may go up.

We’re still under the influence of yesterday’s Finger–see that post for details. And one more thing: we are likely to be thinking about our place in the social order, or within a religious structure, or within some sort of hierarchy, especially noting the ways this isn’t working for us–and then we’re likely to conclude that we’d better modify our interaction to suit ourselves and our needs–and that’s a good choice.

(Uranus retrogrades, Jupiter goes direct, Venus perfects her quincunx to Neptune, Mercury sesquiquadrates Jupiter, then enters Leo)

Good day to . . . leap for those opportunities that you’ve been seeing but have, for one reason or another, held back on pursuing. At the same time, go the ‘tried and true’ route with your own options and choices, as the unexpected can take a toll at this time, and ‘luck’ is something you don’t want to test, unless you’re looking to incite chaos.

For those born with the Sun at 19 Leo. 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). Dear Leo, you may be feeling very beautiful, or very prosperous, this year, and that’s a really good thing, as that kind of confidence only attracts more to you–but you need to be ready to deal with the inevitable objections that will surface from others who either dislike your poise and positivity and want to change you, or those who are envious and want to destroy you. It’s a shame, really, that this is the reaction of so many, but it’s your job this solar year, through to your next birthday, to recognize those who don’t support your health and happiness, and gently let them go. Know that their attitude has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with their own unhappiness. Your other mission this year, should you choose to accept it, is to take those assets you find yourself with, no matter what form they take, and find a practical, smart way to present them to the world. You’re ‘on point’ for Self-realization and actualization–use that energy to its fullest, and good luck!

‘Italy and Germany’ By Friedrich Overbeck 1828 {{PD}}

The Finger of God (with base of South Node in Capricorn-Neptune in Pisces) that formed on the 8th is modified as Venus joins the apex point of the Sun. This is a day to use structures and reliable realities from the past as a foundation for inspired creative or spiritual action, and this should bring Love, Money, or at the very least, a great deal of personal satisfaction (Sun and Venus in Leo). Some will process (and in the course of things, dissipate) this via a prominent sense of whimsy-on-display, while others may come across as a bit touched! The result is all dependent on what inspiration or ideals are at work.

Good day to . . . sort fact from fancy in relationships and finances. Telling yourself a fairy tale in any shape or form will cost, so make an effort to be as reality-oriented as possible in these areas, and don’t don’t don’t dwell in the past, but do remember it.

By Kevin Walter – Turkey and gravy auf flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59642951

For those born with the Sun at 18 Leo. 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). Will you be your most creative Self this coming solar year, through to your next birthday, dear Leo, or will your imagination run away with you, sabotaging what you’ve built and all that you plan? It’s the crux of things, and may be a recurring question for you, as you will likely find yourself in a long-term crisis state surrounding communications and your own mental workings. Center yourself by asking yourself what you truly care about, and perhaps by defining who and what you would like to interact with, exchange energies with, or might otherwise seek cooperation with. It may feel like an arduous task, this sorting, but it’s meant to smooth your way by getting you to recognize and modify what you value and want to dedicate your life energies to. After that, everything is gravy. Good luck!