‘The Ahırkapı Lighthouse’ By Michel Zeno Diemer c1910 {{PD}}

We may be exhausted from Full Moon events and find it hard to do what’s smart, rather than what’s just expedient, but our instincts and our sense of ‘knowing what we don’t know’ will be on full-power, a beacon seeking out info and putting ‘the picture’ together. Trust what comes to you, and if you don’t understand it, wait–you will.

(Mercury sesq Pallas and conj Sedna)

See the recent Full Moon here–

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 28 Taurus. 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). Early on, dear Taurus, you may feel unfettered: free to do as you please, with no restrictions and judgments coming your way–but THAT would be too good to be true, no? It seems it will just take some time for those things to catch up with you, to enter your field of vision–which means they’re happening, even when you aren’t aware of them. So, act as if you are being judged and observed, making sure that you are totally good with (and so can stand up for) your choices. Later in the solar year, nearer your next birthday than this one, you’ll confront in some hard terms things you’ve pushed aside, ignored, denied, or that have enraged you, with the big point of this sorting our for yourself how much of what you are angry about or fear is real, how much your own imaginings. Too, it’s a good year for connecting with Nature and with your personal power base, and exercising prerogatives in areas you already control. Good luck!

‘Self-portrait by Anna Dorothea Therbusch-Lisiewska’ 1777 {{PD}}

Speaking as an empowered individual is the only way to go, today. The reality picture is crystal clear, and as such may appear daunting or immovable, but this is a kind of illusion we suffer at points when our perceptions are exceptionally sharp: we see obstacles, problems, or denials as having a deceptively solid character–solid now, solid in perpetuity. But that’s not so, and an active awareness of this is necessary so that decision-making isn’t done through a fatalistic lens. Anima-tinged power struggles (read in ‘passive-aggressive’ here, if you like) may also be on the menu, and we may see Money or Love struggle (perhaps unnecessarily) with the Powers-That-Be. Stay calm, use the clarity of perception available to your advantage, and remind yourself of the transitory nature of all things–a good thing to remember, when dealing with the now and planning for the future.

(Venus sesq Ceres, Mercury conj Hygeia and sxt Juno, Sun trine Saturn)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 21 Taurus. 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 all may turn for you this year, dear Taurus, on a series of what seem like random fortunate (and unfortunate) events. This will likely feel scary and chaotic to your security and surety loving Soul, but I assure you, it’s all multi-purpose: to bring you opportunities you would otherwise not have enjoyed, to create a more amenable reality picture for you, and to put you in the path of the aforementioned random events, as these will be instrumental in shaping your future. Try to relax and enjoy what will likely feel very uncertain–in the end, it’s all got a very positive purpose, as the Universe works to support all that’s best for you. Good luck!

Illustration from “The Russian Story Book” by Richard Wilson, illustrated by Frank C. Papé, 1916 {{PD}}

We may sort out into opposing categories today whether we are aware of it or not. A facet of the primary identity comes through, charges forward under that Archetypal banner, and beware those who try to approach things with subtlety or nuance–it just won’t be appreciated. My sense is we may wear some identity that corresponds to our Ascendant. This is, at least in part, done as we feel pressure about the life path; which way are we going, and can we justify our choices, even to ourselves?

It’s Warriors versus gods, those designated leaders versus those who feel they have the ‘facts’, the optimistic versus the Willful, those who want to take action versus those who want to demonstrate a passive faith, and it all intends to show us a creative way to deal with relationships and those matters where we hope to gain or profit. Take up the banner that comes naturally, realize that most of what you meet today is about clarifying your own choices and direction, and take note of how the world responds to you, including its criticisms–the only people who will criticize, today, are those who want to control something about you–this will tell you, more than any other indicator, how strongly your inner sense of Self, the identity with which you see yourself, is the right one, for you, and should help you see that you are indeed on the ‘right’ path.

(Nodal axis sq Zeus, Mars qnx Pluto and opp Jupiter, Venus contra-parallel and Mercury novile Neptune)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 15 Taurus. 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–that offers a more complete picture of your year ahead). Why do the emotions feel so raw, to the point that they are causing you health issues? Or is it intuition that plagues you, intuitive insight that you’ve refused to acknowledge? Or is it simple heartache, from the loss of someone or something? Whatever it is, dear Taurus, I want you to know that this year gives you the chance to heal this rather large upset, and to heal it permanently. Your guide will have to be your personal highest standards, what you find sacred–and here, too, you may find you’ve got work to do, in the form of really stating with surety what it is you care about. In fact, that may be what lies beneath each and every upset this Solar year, through to your next birthday–so take advantage of this year, and free your heart from whatever’s holding you back.

By John Atkinson Grimshaw 1886 {{PD}}

Why is it that so often we find the most illuminating, uplifting, and fortuitous things arising from less-than-positive circumstances? Not exactly a phoenix from the ashes–more like a diamond from carbon hardened under enormous pressure, this time around. We find our wisdom and our spirit tested, and somehow what we care for, have pursued, cherish and honor combines with what we’ve denied, ignored, or failed to honor and somehow, from that injury or negative circumstance comes our own empowerment, or a powerful reward or relationship. Ha! Go figure.

(Pallas sesq and Venus nov Black Moon Lilith, Vesta semi-sq and Mercury nov Sedna, Chiron sq Juno)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 8 Taurus. 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–that offers a more complete picture of your year ahead). Taurus, I know that Love or Money seems just out of reach, but really, this time it’s up to you to go out and get it. No modesty, no reticence, no ‘I don’t deserve something so grand’–oh yes you do. For you it may start with being able to admit to those emotional Truths you’ve been hiding, ignoring, or denying; that should open the floodgates, bringing wisdom heretofore unavailable to the conscious mind. This is possible through your next Solar return, but don’t wait–the sooner you start, the sooner you benefit. Good luck!

‘The Garden of the Magician’ By Lajos Gulácsy c1906 {{PD}}

Today we hold in our hot little hands the power to transform something within our domain in brilliant, unique, original ways, and we may not care a bit if the change we create is smart or not. It scratches a primal itch, a desire to remove some troubling, angering, or guilt-inducing from our minds–and to achieve any sort of peace in this time and place is to be pursued, even if we’ll have to clean up a bit tomorrow.

(Pluto nov Ceres, Mars semi-sq Uranus and sq Neptune, Mercury semi-sq Black Moon Lilith and opposed Pallas)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those born with the Sun at 7 Taurus. 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–that offers a more complete picture of your year ahead). Oh Taurus, do you have the sense that Love and/ or Money are running away from you? That’s an illusion, created by the way you’re thinking of your relationship to said Venusian element. You may have recently taken a too-aggressive mental stance, one that has put a hard edge on your pursuit and made Love feel (to the other party) like a commodity, and Money react illogically, as your attitude disrupts the natural flow of energy. What to do? This Solar year, through to your next birthday, you, Taurus, must take an actively Self-responsible approach to life. You may think you’re there now, but lately you’ve strayed, putting too much responsibility on the desirables in your life to make you happy, and too little on seeing that it’s really your job to do that. Remove the unreasonable expectations, and once again you’ll find you’ll attract all that you want, and more.

By Boris Grigoriev early 20th century {{PD}}

We get a lot of mileage today out of concentrating on our highest priorities, some of which we can devote so much energy to specifically because we are able to compartmentalize, ignore, deny. Sometimes, there are good reasons to put some subjects or issues aside, to pretend, just for a while, that they don’t exist; this is one of those times. Why? you may wonder–the answer may be found in our need to be alert, to look out for accidents, surprises, revelations, or the revolutionary spirit itself. One or all of these may require our attention just so that we survive–and if our energy was taken up with housecleaning, with dealing with what we’ve already put off, anyway, we may not be quick enough, spry enough, or inspired enough to handle what appears quite suddenly.

(Vesta nov Black Moon Lilith, Sun parallel Uranus)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those who have the natal Sun at 01 Taurus. 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–that offers a more complete picture of your year ahead). This coming Solar year, Aries, will you be caught between Love and Instinct, or will it be more a matter of choosing between acting and just fantasizing? You’ll be presented with a number of dichotomies, and it will be up to you to follow the path that speaks most clearly to you–whether that’s your best alternative will depend entirely on how honest you are with yourself. Really, this year, through to your next birthday, Self-honesty should be your goal, along with understanding your true power position in life, and accepting the authority you already hold, that you may not fully embrace, yet. It’s a year that will determine the course of so much in your life–tread with care, and a hearty helping of Self-awareness.

‘Windstoß auf dem Pont Royal (damals Pont National)’ By Michel Garnier c1799 CC BY-SA 4.0

What we may notice most today is the way everything shifts: we find that caring is an entré to empowerment, we see that autonomy in relationships or financial matters brings gain, and our attention goes from advancing our own agenda to meeting security and comfort needs–that is, we take a less political, more literal approach to life. Mostly, this is a day to allow that shift, to watch the way it gently rearranges priorities, and to keep all expression aligned with highest values–those are your anchor during changing times.

(Juno enters Cancer, Mars opp Ceres, Venus enters Aries, squares Juno, and parallels Vesta, Sun enters Taurus)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those who have the natal Sun at 00 Taurus. 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–that offers a more complete picture of your year ahead). Health may be on your mind this year; it’s definitely something you should make efforts toward, dear Aries, as you’re the only one who can truly make a difference in that department. Mentally and even emotionally, you may still be caught up in matters you’ve already dealt with, and it may be your task this year to finally let go, to move on from what had to be done, to begin making new plans. That may be easier said than done, but if pursued will result in you not only making effective choices and taking significant actions, but will also bring you a new level of personal authority, autonomy, and a higher status. Good luck!

‘Evening Glow’ By John Atkinson Grimshaw c1885 {{PD}}

We really have the impulse to ‘shine big’, to show who we are without reservation or, frankly, without modesty, either! That’s okay; that’s how we should feel right now, quick to let the world know who we are, willing to share ourselves and our talents and abilities, generous with our attitude. We’re showing our power (can’t help but show it, as it’s integral to our Beingness) and the mind is aligned with instincts and those things we know but don’t know–so we’re informed, and happy to know the lay of the land, and ready to meet any and all challenges.

But oh, there are always troubles, right? Always some little thing, some fact or impulse or urge or idea that has at its core our own destruction, our own sabotage of our goals. It’s just part of the contrary nature of the unresolved human; only those who are totally honest, without any judgment filters or perceptual lenses at all, are without contradiction. Be wary of the trap within the reward, the beautiful thing or bountiful gift that carries poisonous seed, of the action that arises out of a need to contradict or ‘show them’, and especially be wary of thinking that goes against your own empowerment, or of messaging that carries the kind of negativity that pits you against those in power out of a mistaken assumption that this means your motives are ‘pure’ (and implies that the other side’s are not)–that will not only guarantee no cooperation from those in charge, it also effectively locks us out of ever wielding that kind of power ourselves. So, shine, survey the landscape and the mindset before taking a stance.

(Venus contra-parallel Chiron and sxt Pluto, Mercury sxt Sedna and sq Juno, Sun trine Jupiter and semi-sq Mars)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

For those who have the natal Sun at 24 Aries. 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–that offers a more complete picture of your year ahead). You’ve been handed the opportunities, openings, facts, or been reached out to, and now it’s time to use these situations to their maximum benefit for you. The social position is optimum (even if you don’t recognize it as such) and momentum is on your side. The costs of hanging on to the past become obvious this year, and you see just how to let go. Endings may be more difficult, and much more permanent, than you expect, but that cliche is true about one door closing and another opening. Watch health; it may be brittle all year, undermined by your own actions.