Alongside the internal inquiries and journeys toward healing the sky is guiding us through, and the creative initiative recently sparked up, there are some undercurrents to be aware of. In particular, the Aries Sun working into its square with Pluto in Capricorn says: Be alert for petty power trips this week. Other players in the sky are filling in the details of how to negotiate anything that crops up.
Conflicts involving saving face, reputation or ego; getting a bigger slice of the pie from which you’re already getting something; or ‘winning’ for the sake of winning – when you know in your heart of hearts you don’t truly want or need what you’ve won – are all unnecessary expenditures of energy. And yet sometimes we find ourselves sliding into these dynamics even when we know better – usually as a result of some old, unresolved pain.
At best, petty power trips are distractions from ways you could be using your energy to create, love, share and receive. At worst, power plays can destroy trust, waste resources (including time), alienate those who might otherwise be happy to help you, and ultimately compromise your own connection to source.
Speaking of ‘source’: Mercury squares the Galactic Center today. The GC is not a planet, but rather the actual middle of the Milky Way galaxy – the one we call home. Our solar system is located in one of the arms of the galaxy, which spiral around the center, and the center is thought to be where this collection of planets, space dust, stars and radio waves originated. From where we are on the Milky Way map, the GC lies in the direction of late Sagittarius. And in astrological terms, it symbolizes a form of higher consciousness and cosmic wisdom. Mercury, currently retrograde in late Pisces, square the GC is asking: Can you tell a good idea from a bad idea?
One way to discern the difference is to use your intuition, which Mercury in Pisces is strengthening right now. But if the signal is fuzzy, you’re too emotional to hear it, or someone (possibly as long ago as in childhood) has undermined your confidence in trusting what your intuition has to say, then what? Well, then you’d better use logic. Again, this can be tricky if emotions are high. If you can step away, take some deep breaths, and maybe make a list or chart of all the known facts, actions and consequences at hand, you can start to see what you’re actually working with. Be aware of what you don’t know, too.