‘Omnia Vincit Amor, or The Power of Love in the Three Elements’ By Benjamin West 1890 {{PD}}

The general theme this weekend may be the personal balance of Power/ Love in your own life–and Truth in some form or another definitely figures into the equation.

On the 1st we know what to do, what to choose–we are in perfect alignment with our own values and priorities, and particularly with our highest ideals–and because of this harmony we’ll know what and how to transform circumstances for best results, including pulling in profit and/ or Love. This may be because of, or in spite of, the dark turn our thoughts have taken. We may be consumed with what we or others have hidden, are in denial of, are enraged by, or by the simple act of ignoring or being ignored. It can be a highly effective day, in terms of what we can set right, accomplish, or purge–and yet we run the risk of confusing the ability to face the darkness right now with that willingness being responsible for our current successes–which it is not. Keep ideals high, and make scouring the shadowed underbelly of people and things for the Truth an end in itself, rather than a mechanism of judgment, and all will be well.

(Mars nov and Mercury sxt Vesta, aspecting as Vesta moves into Aquarius and Mercury backs into Scorpio, Merc also parallel Black Moon Lilith, and the Sun nov both Venus and Pluto, and so caught at their midpoint)

Venus wanders into Scorpio on the 2nd, and the tone of relationships and remuneration edges toward the obscure, the confusing, the ideal (especially in terms of Power), and/ or in a creative/ destructive direction, the latter enhancing our desire to get to the Truth. Wounds can be healed, in this potential atmosphere of warm-and-fuzzy (or maybe it’s dank-and-passionate), but also easily perpetrated, as we are both too independent and prone to disbelieve our own instincts and what we know to be smart. The hard positions (possibly no-win) we find ourselves in may bring conflict, especially within the group, but we should know that underlying any upset is much-needed change, and if we face it with an attitude that looks for opportunity rather than to run away, we advance our interests and our overall well-being–and we may have a desire or two fulfilled along the way, to boot.

Many Thanks to zucker.leslie and anupturnedsoul for correcting my screw up. I wrote that Venus was entering Pisces (which I remember as I wrote it struck me as strange), when it was actually entering Scorpio. I was thinking of Water, and the emotional depths and all we can get from them, and of Plutonian energy (and the Sun’s parallel and square to Pluto and Mars) and the way it can overwhelm, obscure, and generate, as well as destroy, and then in referencing back to my own mention of Venus’ new sign, I misled myself, thinking, ‘Better mention the connection to Oneness!’ So again, thank you, dear Readers, for being on the ball, when I’m not!

(Pallas sesq Sedna, Chiron trine NN, Jupiter semi-sq Zeus, Mercury qnx Uranus, Sun parallel Pluto and sq Mars)

By Hide-sp – Hide-sp’s file, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2950685

This weekend’s word image is a misidentified photo. What are you mislabeling in your own life, thinking it is one thing when it’s completely another? This might be a big issue with significant consequences, or a small thing that gently turns the perceptions kaleidoscope, but in either case will frame a shift in thinking and ‘seeing’.

‘The Three Goddesses Athena, Hera and Aphrodite’ By Franz von Stuck 1923 {{PD}}

The 10th brings a very particular kind of stress: the tension that comes with dissonance between the Will and the current life direction, between doing (and so feeling effective in your choices) and listening to instincts and the more subtle currents of feeling and what you ‘know but don’t know’. We might phrase this conflict another way: it’s the difference between wanting to do and so gain instant gratification, and sitting back, listening, and then taking a less flashy path. One results in immediate returns, while the other brings gain down the road, but with the latter, the benefits may be far greater, more far reaching, and could facilitate a long-held life goal. So which will it be, a payoff right now, or one down the road? Your choice. Neither option is inherently ‘better’; it all depends on whether you are living totally in the moment (in which case there won’t be any positive ripple effect into tomorrow–all the positives come today–you need to know that), or whether you are choosing and acting with an eye to what you’re building for the future (Ceres sq the Nodes, Mars sq Sedna-Juno conj, Chiron contra-parallel Juno, Mercury sxt Black Moon Lilith and semi-sq Venus)

On the 11th Ceres enters Scorpio–Nature reveals her mysteries, shares her secrets, or delivers certain Truths–and we are face-to-face with the reality of the Power situation and our place within it. The question becomes: do we dare trust ourselves, our instincts, our knowing, and so proceed according to our deepest nature, or do we trust external power situations and holders to support our cause? Again, neither of these answers is inherently superior, it all depends on what we need right now–and today, how we feel about (and how much we truly trust) ourselves. Hint: be honest with yourself. If you tend to let yourself down, failing to follow through on crucial efforts, your best bet is to be open to the aid you can receive from authority figures, as using these influences to their maximum potential requires a lot of energy and a willingness to have faith in and commit to one’s own original ideas–so do what’s best for you (Juno conj Sedna, Uranus opp Ceres, Sun sxt Pluto)

Hmm, what’s in the box? By Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand – 27 Mother of Pearl Treasure Chest, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59879131

This weekend’s word image is a tiny treasure chest. There’s something small but full of ‘gems’, rewards, or ‘booty’ waiting for you to unearth, discover, or dig up this weekend. Go get it!

{{PD}}

Saturday the 3rd we’re trying to achieve some kind of détente between a need to express our empowerment, to really feel it, and an urge to act and express out of hurt. We are conscious of how unproductive our wounds are, how expression that springs from them may cause more problems than it solves, but we feel a deep need to have our emotional upset heard and validated–and so we are vulnerable to harming relationships or financial situations, if we allow a sense of victimhood to override the practical and effective, to lay waste the eternal values we believe in. Processed well, our feelings will foster compassion, even as we focus on Self-responsibility, letting go of any need to make an emotional (that is, destructive) point (Finger of God with base of Chiron-Juno, apex retro Venus).

Thoughts may feel as if they’re perpetually on the edge of tipping into a destructive abyss, but our conscious alignment is with Love and caring–so step away from the edge by stopping to smell the flowers, by being grateful for what we have, and by transforming the mental attitude by concentrating on transforming what we truly have the power to effect (Sun parallel Venus, Mercury semi-sq Pluto).

Sunday the 4th Pallas moves into Libra, focusing our sense of productive expression of skills on the ways these may benefit alliances, relationships, aesthetic matters, and our personal financial arena. We must adjust urges, balancing spontaneous needs to rebel or be unpredictable with what’s wise or practical, balancing the need to feel ‘in charge’ and show dominion over our ‘territory’ while listening to and honoring that still, small voice of conscience, instinct, and inner knowing. A willingness to adjust serves ambitions and helps curb what in all likelihood is a too assertive sense of Self (Sun parallel Mars, Mercury semi-sq Zeus, Uranus qnx Pallas, Ceres qnx Sedna)

By Gisy Marconi – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51906717

Our weekend word image is a mirror with ‘smoked’ glass, rendering it unable to offer a reflection. Know it or not, we are all currently having difficulty seeing who we are. This weekend offers several opportunities to see ourselves more clearly–the only question is, will we recognize that information when we see it?

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

‘Portrait of the Artist’s Son’ By Eero Järnefelt 1887 {{PD}}

Today ambitions are undermined by things we ‘know but don’t know’, by our own ‘blind spot’ material (especially matters that affect our own or others’ security or comfort), and by an inability, for whatever reason, to trust our own instincts. The perception is that we’re on shaky ground, and the reality may fall anywhere along the spectrum from solid footing to earthquake.

What can we do brilliantly? Think, plan, cogitate, use. our. brains. If the mind can address it, we should spend today doing just that, as ‘actively’ and consciously as possible. Don’t allow physical stillness to trick you into believing you aren’t doing anything–getting plans in place and the facts right is the very best use of your time.

(Zeus contra-parallel Sedna, Ceres contra-parallel Hygeia, Mercury sxt Pallas and opp Sedna)

‘The Last Throw’ By Charles Robert Leslie c1840 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a pair of dice. Life really is a game of chance–quit waiting for a guarantee that things will work out as you like. Though I’m in danger of sounding like a meme, I’d say it’s all about the journey–the destination will take care of itself.

‘Sea Babies’ By Max Bohm 1914 {{PD}}

Upholding our standards and values, or implementing our Will with little fuss or need to bow to others? The first is a somewhat static position, but a stance we might need to take in order to think well of ourselves, while the latter could send us riding roughshod over the feelings and needs of those around us as we do do do. We can’t both display our standards and achieve, today; even worse, we may find ourselves having to choose between exercising our prerogatives (again, without answering to anyone else), or centering our actions and reactions in our sense of hurt or in a need to offer skills (with a further challenge of matching those skills to what’s needed around us–which we may not be able to do!)

The most effective course may lie in staying attuned to the reality picture, and doing what’s mentally healthy, however you might define that. It might mean eschewing experimentation or refusing to go out on a creative limb in favor of what you know to be the most solid reasoning, the most practical or sensible alternative, or the option least destructive to you, others, and the environment. It may feel like a sacrifice, this putting-on-of-the-brakes, but it’s actually time to re-align our thinking with what’s reasonable, with what’s meaningful in a real world sense, and for at least some of us this may seem tragically lacking in glamor. It is, and that’s the point: we need a solid, healthy base from which to take our flights of fancy, and today is a day that requires we either take steps to secure that base, or we take action, and the need for others or a secure position be damned.

(Perfecting today: Vesta sesq Juno, Chiron contra-parallel Ceres, Mars nov Chiron, Mercury trine Hygeia, Sun sxt Saturn)

Does anyone actually count these, to help them sleep? ‘Sheep in front of haystacks’ By Jean-François Millet c1874 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is insomnia. What does not being able to sleep mean for you? Even if you’re not (yet) in a period of insomnia, it may be time to take steps to insure you don’t get into one–so try to do one or more of the things you find soothing, relaxing, that help you sleep when you need to. Current aspects suggest a certain subtle discord that some may respond to by being extra wakeful–but a little attention will likely prevent this from becoming a truly debilitating possibility.