By Hendrick Avercamp c1610 {{PD}}

I’m always reluctant to post the very next aspects following a Full or New Moon, as I think it’s much more important to pay attention to that Lunar energy as it peaks and plays out–and always looking to the next thing can keep us from seeing where we are, right now, and dealing with it effectively. So, try not to be distracted by what may be ahead–live right now.

This issue today coalesces like a soupy fog around our actions and choices, and the question becomes, are we driven by idealism, by a dream, or are we deceived or deluded, and accepting this as fact, pushing forward? If the former, yay! but if the latter, we have a way to measure whether we’re following what’s best or what’s deceptive: if you feel yourself rebelling against that supposedly inspiring energy, symbol, or cause, that is your individuality urge, your uniqueness, the most original part of yourself, letting you know that this direction, impulse, or choice doesn’t resonate with or speak for you at core–and so is likely untrue, in some way.

Two other things to keep in mind: thinking is all future-aligned, so may neglect the here-and-now (sound familiar?)–and where we put our attention may seem to be loaded with restrictions or constraints–but that’s really just the Universe pointing out how Self-discipline (rather than that supplied by externals) is necessary for building, creating, accumulating successfully. That means that the more Self-disciplined you are at this time, the less you’ll notice ‘Stop’ signs around you.

(Mars parallel and conjoined Neptune and semi-sq Uranus, Mercury trine NN, Sun parallel Saturn)

Today’s word image is a boy who ventures out onto pond ice, trying to help a deer that has fallen through, and falls through himself. This image is about being sufficiently equipped (including sufficiently mature) to help another. There is a certain kind of person who habitually rescues others, with little regard for whether the effort is successful, or even appropriate (have you ever been ‘rescued’ when you didn’t need it? particularly by someone for whom the ‘rescuing’ was about them, not you?) That kind of person is ‘under the ice’ themselves–and whether the effort is a continuous attempt to convince themselves and others that they’re a ‘good’ person, or is a mechanism for ignoring that they themselves are in danger of drowning, matters not. The problem is one of knowing when to take ‘appropriate action’–which involves not just when or when not to act, but also what to do, the good judgment to know what efforts are truly needed or even welcomed by those in a predicament. Another way to see this, should it apply to you or someone you know: Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

See the New Moon here–

Why do we make Eve responsible for Adam’s choice? She’s responsible only for her own. ‘The Temptation’ By William Strang 1899 {{PD}}

There’s something that’s tempting us, no, rewarding us, for acting and choosing against our own best interests. We’re sabotaging our future, acting in ways we know aren’t wise, and refusing to listen to our instincts and our inner knowing. Why is this happening? We don’t trust ourselves, don’t trust our vision, and we have things we are in denial of or are hiding–and that leaves an opening for discordant influences to take advantage of us, to aim our own better natures against ourselves and our goals, to undermine what we are at the very core. The thing is, if we lack trust in ourselves as able to be most responsive to our own needs and in our own defense, then we are at the mercy of how the Universe and those others in it treat us–and feeling that way is debilitating to all facets of Being. Today, concentrate on cleaning out the psychic closet; facing reality, admitting the Truth, and hiding nothing bring immense inner strength and center us at a Soul level. Take your own hand, reassure yourself that you’re right here, and then relax–you’ll handle it.

(Mars sesq NN, qnx Pallas, and contraparallel Sedna, Venus sq Vesta, Sun sesq Uranus, sq Neptune, and sxt Black Moon Lilith)

‘Self-Portrait as a Deaf Man’ By Sir Joshua Reynolds c1775 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a word/ term that I keep hearing and think, ‘That’s the word image!’ but over the course of several days, I’ve forgotten it repeatedly, specifically when I’m writing a post! So, until I hear and remember it for a future post, we’ll make today’s image something you’ve forgotten–but will remember at just the right time.

Thomas Eakins {{PD}}

Try as we might, we can’t see a clear path into the future. What to do is obscured by our own wants and ambitions, and though we can identify both what’s practical and what’s wise, it’s not helping. It feels like we’re thinking clearly, but the reality is that the mental faculties are caught at the liminal point of turnaround, mired in a kind of retrograde energy that makes accurate perception difficult as peering into a dark cave–are those shadows, someone moving deep within, distortions of the light, beasts, or are our eyes playing tricks from concentrating so hard? Note impulses, the desire to move in a particular direction, note what you want and what you see as smart–and then wait a few days (again, past the Merc direction and the New Moon) to choose among those alternatives and then move forward.

(Mars parallel Zeus, Mercury semi-sq Pallas and trine NN, Sun sesq NN and sxt Pallas)

By Ian Boggs from Astoria, US – Lightning on the Columbia River, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3353472

Today’s word image is lightning striking twice in the same place. There’s a saying that claims that doesn’t happen, but it does. What big event, amazing occurrence, fortuitous serendipity, fated meeting, or once-in-a-lifetime opportunity happened to you before? Well, get ready, because in some form, something special will present itself to you again–maybe exactly the same, a second chance, or maybe something quite different but rare, an unusual, twice-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Try to recognize it for its scarcity, and how you won’t get another chance like this again, so if it’s something you wish to do, go forward without hesitation, and without fear.

‘The Fever’ By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 1883 {{PD}}

Do you feel things slowing, thoughts lagging, languishing in a strange heat created by too much reaching back to (and regretting) the past, too much ease in locating wounds and spotting opportunities missed, too much resentment of the facts and the way they’ve restricted you, then and now? It’s a fever raised by actions at which we are highly competent; we act, choose, and express ourselves well in the appropriate environment–and yet we fail to give ourselves credit for all we’re doing not just right but skillfully, in an accomplished way. Instead we look at all we’re missing or have failed at. Don’t let a wrong-headed focus distract you from the current opportunities, the many healed energies, and the absolutely brilliant thoughts you’ve come up with (but proceed with caution on this last, waiting until both direction of Mercury and the New Moon have had their say, on the 6th, to go forward on anything).

(Jupiter parallel SN, Mars parallel Ceres, Merc nov Saturn and trine Chiron)

Watch out for the broken glass! A detail from ‘Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie’ By Willem Claeszoon Heda 1630 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is pie served to someone who doesn’t like pie. Those people don’t exist, you say? What an ungrateful person to disdain gooey fruit between two slabs of dough-ness, you say? This image is about assumptions, and being open to noticing that those around us have very particular tastes–and that to ignore those is to ignore a part of the individual. Is it your job to know and cater to every little thing in your loved ones? Absolutely not. But the image does suggest that you may be offering something to someone that you assume they will like, will see as good, when they really have no taste for it at all.

‘Mariana in the South’ By John William Waterhouse 1897 {{PD}}

We know we’re being wounded by what we’re not admitting to, whether that’s an emotion we find unacceptable, a Self-destructive behavior, or a matter we refuse to acknowledge. We know this, we even see how it’s putting up obstacles and making our own effective actions more difficult, and yet, we’re still unwilling to recognize the poison; we continue to sip, pretending it isn’t abrading us from the inside out. Why? Total concentration, whether we realize it or not, is on gaining or achieving what we desire–there’s no mental room for anything else. That means we are refusing to sufficiently value our own inventiveness, uniqueness, our originality, our ability to respond in the moment, refusing to value what makes us who we are. We are too bent on looking for answers, for satisfaction, out there, when the only effective approach is to find ourselves not just worthy, but the true source of what nourishes, attracts and gives Love and resources, of what makes us part of a living, breathing Universe.

(Chiron semi-sq Black Moon Lilith, Saturn sesq Juno, Venus opp Uranus, Merc nov Zeus)

‘Mercury Thermometers’ Photo By Zwager {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a thermometer. What is it you need to ‘take the current temperature’ of? And how long has it been since you gave this needed scrutiny?

We may persist today, on a quest that’s not truly our own. ‘Sir Galahad and the Quest for the Holy Grail’ By Arthur Hughes 1870 {{PD}}

The funny thing about today is that we may feel strong, capable, ready to raise the roof to get what we want–but there is a hidden danger lurking under a layer of bravado (which we may mistake for genuine confidence): it’s that we have already been told, loud and clear, that what we’re aiming for in the moment will not be ours. That’s a hard thing to accept, that something we’ve held dear, dreamed of, and were fairly confident was within reach will never arrive, and we’ve already received this message, the dangerous part being we’ve managed to ignore it. If we insist on continuing our quest, the Universe may step up and put serious, even insurmountable obstacles in our way–and these might have a negative effect in other areas, because we’re daring the Powers-That-Be: I don’t have to listen to you, I want this! And that’s when we are struck by lightning, swept away in the flood, lose our wallet, fall for the scam, marry the wrong person–because we are so sure we know better than the Universe. Oh no, we don’t. We have mistaken someone else’s goal, prize, accomplishment, title, position, or dream for our own. We have been carried off by an idea of Love that is not who we are. Once we admit that, we make room for the dream that’s really ours, the one that suits us down to our toes.

Possibly in addition to this mistaken quest, there is a particular difficulty with matters of Love or Money, or in mistaken values, where with that last we have been honoring something that doesn’t deserve our honorable treatment. In these areas, it’s a matter of ridding ourselves of illusions or delusions, or admitting we’re being lied to. Again, not a pretty picture, but a necessary one, if we are to get to the real Love, Money, or atmosphere we truly resonate with.

Today’s aspects play nicely into our Cinderella Point discussion, which I’ll post a second part on shortly.

(Ceres parallel Zeus, Uranus sq Vesta, Saturn sxt Ceres, Venus sesq Neptune)

Today’s word image is a frightening figure with a ludicrous hairstyle. If not for the comical do, this dark being would be really scary (and if you’ve dreamed about something like this, it’s even more apropos, in terms of representing illusion). What in your life is presenting as formidable, acting intimidating and dangerous, making you worry or actually fearful? Look more closely. There is some detail, some ‘tell’, that will let you know you don’t have to take this entity or environment nearly as seriously as you have been. You’re free to see him/ her/ it as it really is.

If you enjoy the blog, please consider a book purchase or donation–and thanks to all who do! I understand if you’re not doing the money thing, right now–so if you already have one of my books, I’d love a review on Goodreads, or a rating of my work on my Facebook page. Thank you!

And now a musical interlude in the spirit of today’s theme–

‘A Storm on a Mediterranean Coast’ By Claude-Joseph Vernet 1767 {{PD}}

When both fantasy and the real world seem harsh and inhospitable, where ya gonna go? You’ll find out today; here are a few suggestions: consciously act to support or further the well-being of one or more individuals, organizations, or matters you honor and find sacred–use your current position, status, or ‘reach’ to affect a positive outcome; put your attention on the future, and let what you want to have happen guide what you do now; or, review the past and either an instance of healing or of using/ acquiring skills that make your life more meaningful today (no action required except memory for this last). It’s a time to take refuge, in some sense; no need to feel guilty or to force yourself out into the fray–there’s plenty of time for (but again, no real need for) that, in days to come.

(Neptune sesq and the Sun trine NN, with Sun also trine Chiron, Vesta trine Juno, Saturn sq Pallas)

‘The Tantrum’ By Francisco de Goya y Lucientes CCO

Today’s word image is tradition disrupted. Expect something you count on as tradition, done every time there’s a particular event or gathering, to be un-doable this year. It’s a gauge, a kind of test, as to your ability to still go forward joyfully, to adapt, be flexible, and embrace something new. Be inventive in your response, and don’t allow bitterness or the shrill voice of, ‘But that’s how it always is!’ and the expectation that it still should be to ruin what otherwise can be the best event or gathering of its kind yet.