I don't have the energy to make this one cute or fun to read with images, but I'm sure the real ones will enjoy it all the same
Take the High Road
I always find it interesting to draw from several decks for a weekly vibe check and notice the incredible through lines between each. It’s like reading in different fonts, or even different translations of your favorite poem.
This week is specifically peculiar, as I had the song High Road stuck in my head while thinking about writing this week’s blog. Lo and behold, we have four variants of just this message. Take the high road when things begin to get dicey, stand in your values and focus instead on the small achievable acts you can control.
Last week was a lovely amuse bouche for the rest of the year, what with the miscommunications, dropping objects, typos, late busses, unusual bruises and scrapes, odd happenstance and generalized confusion in the category of mundane absurd happenstances. How you loved through whatever bumps flowed your way last week will give you an excellent vocabulary this week and beyond. Did you impress yourself with your ability to pivot? Did you get overwhelmed at times and snap a little? Where those fractures lie, so too will they be stressed further this week. Especially in areas where you’ve felt helpless and confused if you were in the right to step up and take charge of a melting ice cream vibe of a situation.
They say those who want power don’t deserve it, and those who wish to not lead are the ones we need most. This week especially our leaders- both globally and at each level down to the individual- will begin to spin out a bit. If we pay attention, we can see just how much some have relied on the visage of it all instead of real honor/truth/leadership capacity.
Remember that study ages ago, the Milgram Experiments? Back in the day when ethics was a water cooler joke in the research psychology wings, they found how impressionable we could be when an authority figure told us to do something we were uncomfortable with. If someone in a white coat tells you to push a button ✨for science✨ and you do, only to realize that it brings someone else intense agony. You didn’t know the first time, but what if you were told to do it again? Would you?
Spoiler alert: they weren’t real scientists and the button did nothing. There were actors screaming in pain, and the test subjects were understandably horrified at themselves and their capacity for harm by way of mere suggestion
Now here’s a question to ponder: ethically speaking, who is at fault for a worse offense, the test subject following rules or the scientist pressuring a test subject, leading them to believe they were hurting someone deeply? What about the actor who screamed in fake pain to sell the bit?
Out of these three individuals- while all have some inner work to do, only the test subject didn’t consent to those actions. Many did not act within their own moral compass because they believed someone of a higher authority with a marker of such (a lab coat and clipboard) was trustworthy.
We, as citizens of the Western world, to some degree are much like that test subject. We are very much responsible for our actions, but many of us collectively are responsible for atrocities we did not consent or support our country to commit. And many of us voted, purchased, educated and acted in ways we assumed would be beneficial because our government and society- our social authority- told us to.
Long story short, some folks will be in an Emperors New Clothes situation. Proverbial lab coats from powerful figures will flicker if not completely disappear. This goes for pop culture icons from generations past and present, as well as government, historical figures, artists of all types. They’re gonna go a little kookoo bananas the more their authority has relied on smoke and mirrors. I'll be personally interested to see how the Dec 5 SAG vote goes, and what exactly is behind some of the big *ick* feelings I got when it was first announced.
What does this mean for your week personally? Back before my long tangent, I mentioned last week was a good litmus test for where we’ve got cracks in our ability to step up and lead- or to know when to fall back and let the chips fall where they may. This week will fine tune your ability to do so, especially if these Venusian transits fall near personal Natal Placements.
Try not to get bogged down with petty arguments for power grabs this week, or verbal slapfights with strangers on the internet. There’s an antsy energy that can be put to good use to hone a discipline that may have fallen by the wayside recently. This week is an excellent time to keep tabs on your own mental health and move slowly. Venus is nothing if it is not patient. The scales of justice balance in time. Big swings bring big kickbacks, so focus on the small beauties and victories this week. If it is your time to step into a leadership role while someone else is flailing, do so humbly and with grace.
For some of us, our integrity will be tested in a big way. What will you do if you're asked to perform a task that feels... icky? It's important to remember that every single one of us is capable of horrific acts given the right circumstances. Instead of assuming we'll never be in such a position, we are far better off figuring out exactly what those circumstances are specifically to us, and avoid them at all costs. Even if that means being uncomfortable in the short term. Even if that means looking like the bad guy because others are uncomfortable in the short term too. It's okay to be the villian in others' stories sometimes. Especially if your villany ultimately caters to preventing others from encountering their 'worst case' ethical circumstances. I do know that goes pretty much against the ethos of all American Values (TM), but truthfully I'd call that a form of community care.
There is always something to learn, and the best perspective is always from the High Road.
Be well friends.
W/💜,
ECHO