Chocolate bunnies, the element of surprise, and a hug from Big Daddy
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If you’re on my mailing list, you know that I’ve been battling a truly rotten flu for the past week. As it is, I’m writing this week’s column through a haze of lingering congestion and fatigue, so please be kind if anything doesn’t quite make sense (hallucinations!) or is not as fully fleshed out as you’ve come to expect (fatigue!) – April
Shoving back
T here’s a particular sort of person who responds to being pushed against the wall by shoving right back. The harder they’re pushed, the harder they shove. They may be outweighed, outranked, or outgunned by an opponent, but they will die in the #@$%! street before they will surrender. The only enemy that can bring them down is their own frustration, a sense of existential impotence. They are pitiless with themselves, and they are not going to give you a lot of sympathy for your shortcomings, either. But if you are willing to fight hard for something, then hand them a sword, because they’ll have your back.
Not all such people were born with Mars square Saturn, but those who were generally fit the profile. And while the planet of war and the planet of boundaries and limits are square by transit (Jan. 21, 3:16 am) most of us will probably feel that somewhere in our lives, a show-down is imminent this week, generally with someone in a position of authority or who is otherwise in a position to make life hard for us. (Look to the houses of your chart with 13.46 Aries/Capricorn in them to locate the battlefield. If you have trouble with this, here’s a blog post to help.) It’s likely a battle that’s been brewing since early April 2018 (when Mars and Saturn met in a conjunction), so go ahead and fight – Mars ends the week in a fortunate position, suggesting a positive outcome.
“You will never be entirely comfortable. This is the truth behind the champion – he is always fighting something. To do otherwise is to settle.” ― The Flinch
Chocolate bunnies
Venus has a roughly one-year cycle around the Sun, so normally it conjoins Jupiter at least one each year; 2018 was an exception, because of Venus’ long retrograde period. Now, these two crazy lovebirds are back together again in a big, swooning conjunction (Jan. 22, 4:26 am). The two “benefic” planets coming together is a pretty fortunate transit, especially if it’s connecting with something in your birthchart (just look for planets between about 13 and 19 degrees). If you want to ask for something, now’s the time to do it; there are no guarantees you’ll get it, but there’s a better than usual chance. The Sabian symbol for the conjunction degree is “An Easter Service” – so give thanks for any unexpected blessings this week, and enjoy all the extra chocolate bunnies in your Easter basket.
“Sometimes, to have a little good luck is the most brilliant plan.” – Ben, Crimes and Misdemeanors
Zaaaapppp!
J anuary 23 is definitely shaping up to be Mercury’s day; it even falls on Wednesday, the day of the week traditionally associated with the winged messenger. On this day Mercury squares Uranus (3:13 am) and that night, enters Aquarius (9:50 pm). Both conjure images of lightning, fireworks, and generally things with little lightning bolts and wavy lines emanating from in comic books. Here’s a fun exercise; on this date, everytime you see or hear anything startling or unexpected, insert mental comic book conversation balloons that say thinks like, “Sizzle!!” and “Zaaaappp!” and “Yikes!” Uranus loves the element of surprise, and Mercury likes messing with people; you get the two together and it’s apt to manifest in really noticeable, somewhat entertaining, but also potentially vexing ways. It is a little bit like a mini-Mercury retrograde, with devices misbehaving or failing altogether, car batteries going flat, and people saying the damndest things in public. Prepare in advance as best you can, and in the end, try to have a little fun with it.
“When the unexpected meets with the unprepared, over there we find the greatest astonishments!”
―
Big Daddy to the rescue
J upiter is definitely in the Santa Claus business this week, as we saw earlier with Venus; on January 25 (9:53 am), he receives a trine from Mars. Do we *want* Mars’ warlike qualities – so recently frustrated by Saturn – given free reign, good fortune, and a warm hug from Big Daddy Jupiter? I mean, maybe not.
But if you’re just a nice, normal, run-of-the-mill person without sociopathic, warmongering tendencies, this day will simply put a soothing balm on Monday’s scraped knee. Things you couldn’t get done earlier in the week, authority figures who interfered or were tough with you, self-critical meltdowns, all give way today to a sense that there has been a turn in the tide and that you are floating now in a more positive direction. Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security – there are rough waters ahead in the beginning of February. But for now, perhaps we’ve all earned a little bit of a rest.
“Hard work should be rewarded by good food.”
― The Pillars of the Earth
© 2018 April Elliott Kent
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