The monster in this case may be our avoidance of responsibility for our own situation. Odilon Redon {{PD}}

The AstroEssence for the 13th: Though there is a broad theme of the individual v. the social order, when we squint (a modest ‘correction’ to our perceptions) we find that the struggle is actually a mental one within our own minds. The heart of it is our attitude toward authority in general, and the quirks and resistance we impose on current power relationships that echoes unresolved issues with those at one time in charge of us, particularly Mom. There are a few things we can be sure of, and which can act as rough guides to our choices: being hurt over what we’ve chosen to ignore or deny is, besides being nonsensical, just Self-defeating; being erratic or unreliable creates losses; ‘thinking big’ may help us overcome limitations; and if we experience a dust-up with authorities (or those who see themselves this way), we should examine the situation for the possibility we’ve projected our inner struggle, superimposing it on an interaction or relationship–the ‘blame game’ won’t do any good, and may keep us from resolving our inner quandary, which will only invite more discord and foster further power struggles until claimed and resolved (Chiron sesq Black Moon Lilith, Jup qnx Uranus, Mars qnx Ceres, Venus sesq Uranus and sq Saturn, Merc parallel Jupiter)

Saturn goes direct and just as it does, Venus completes a square to it; the sense may be that we are just now seeing what stands in the way of Love, happiness, Money, or values realization. The direction and Venus contact brings a dawning, and the temptation may be to become hyper-critical (Venus in Virgo) of what we desire, or bitter toward those who stand in our way; we’d be better served questioning how much of what we think has really just been accepted wholesale from the social circle. Important to note: the upcoming square of Saturn to Neptune promises that these difficulties with Venusian subjects pave the way for effective (though not necessarily easy) realization or materialization of a dream, ideal, or spiritual goal (Neptune).

‘Sunrise With Sea Monsters’ J. M. W. Turner c1845 {{PD}}

Photo of a Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli) on Macquarie Island, taken by and generously released into the public domain by M. Murphy

Today’s word image is a penguin. What does this bring to mind? A ‘scheme’ in black and white (suggesting an odd combination of extremes)? Some kind of cartoon stereotype anthropomorphizing them? ‘March of the Penguins’ (sad alert!)? The ‘Batman’ villain (and then, is he the natty Burgess Meredith version, or the slimy Danny DeVito version)? It’s likely most of us have only seen these animals in zoos–which effectively makes them a kind of unicorn, something we experience only in an artificial (zoo) and rarefied (in their home in the Antarctic region) environment, so something that may feel in some essential way unreal. Unless you are a zoologist specializing in order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae, you probably hold some unrealistic, quaint, or fanciful ideas about penguins; look around for that thing in your life it feels you are familiar with, that it seems you know so much about, and question your assumptions and the image you impose, under the principle it’s better to know what something really is, than to carry and respond to the illusions in your head.

By Joseolgon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18687195

For those born with the Sun at 21 Leo: Emotional harmony and continuity will be strong this year, with actions easily in concert with aims, and ‘knowing’ through the feeling nature almost a given. By late in the year, nearer to your next birthday, though, you may be seriously hurt, forced to access inner wisdom or to take a practical approach in order to deal with the wound–but it all leads to a wiser, more mature You. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

The AstroEssence for the 14th: Here we see that ideas concerning Venusian matters are dealt with and the new understanding applied to the dream, in preparation for the material manifestation or spiritual realization promised at the perfection of the Saturn-Neptune square (see The Saturn Direction under the 13th). We find the most profitable and beneficial concepts connected to our own uniqueness and originality, and likely will experience these ideas as personally empowering, though they may stir up trouble with authorities or even Mother Nature–just know it probably can’t be helped, as our ‘mental contrariness’ somehow shines through (Venus parallel Uranus and opp Neptune, Merc contra-parallel Juno and sesq Ceres)

Today’s word image is a bottle marked ‘Drink Me’ (shades of Alice in Wonderland!) What’s in the bottle? Your poison, whatever that may be in life. Your job is to either say ‘No’ to it (a true rejection that captures no part of the spirit, as occurs when one resists, rather than feels indifferent or willingly lets go), or to consume it and through your own power and purity transform it, making it harmless. You know the best choice for you–do one or the other, and don’t knock the bottle off the table, thinking that breaking it removes the temptation–you wouldn’t be the first to take desperate measures to try to rescue what’s all wrong for you.

For those born with the Sun at 22 Leo: Fate has something difficult in store for you, but it will only seem like a problem while you’re waiting for your thinking to catch up with developments; after that, you experience a year of practical advances and the building of profitable circumstances. Good luck, Leo, and Happy Birthday!

I’m sorry to say I won’t be doing individual eclipse reports for the September events. Thank you to everyone who inquired–I very much appreciate your interest, and do plan on offering eclipse reports in future. I will be publishing general readings for both the Solar and Lunar eclipses of September here on the blog soon, so keep an eye out for that! In the meantime, read! And if you’re a frequent flyer here, please consider donating to support my work here on the blog, or writing a wee review of my books once you’ve read them at Good Reads. Thanks!

 Enjoy your weekend!