The artist this week is Camille Claudel. Claudel is a sculptor and is now recognized for her figurative works in bronze and marble. Claudel’s sensual sculptures are a testimony to her ability to convey an emotional narrative in metal and stone. Unlike her male contemporaries who stayed within the stoic realms of neoclassical and imperial styles. She addressed themes of love, passion, rejection, loneliness, the complexity of aging, and mental anguish with movement and emotionality.
By the end of the 1800’s her work was censored as overly sensual and inappropriate, especially from a female. Between that and the ending of her long-standing affair with a fellow sculptor, Claudel’s emotional state began unraveling. She experienced a psychological breakdown. As unsupported personally, as she had been professionally, her mother and brother placed her in an asylum. Where she stayed for 30 years until her death.
People with mental health issues in our society are sadly still seen as pariahs. So, what can we do to change the paradigm? First and foremost, “One of the best tools in your tool kit is empathy, advised Dawn Brown, national director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine Services. If you work on extending empathy to others in your daily life, you’ll be more equipped to do so to a stranger.”
Your pondering for the week: How can you bring more empathy into your life?
Solar System highlights
The moon begins in Aries – action is the key to begin the week with. On Thursday it moves into Taurus – ground your emotions. Then for the weekend it moves into Gemini – great time to reconnect or make new friends.
Mercury (communication and knowledge) is now moving forward in Taurus (grounding), so we can now move onward with more confidence. Venus (beauty and harmony) is in Cancer (self-care) until June 6th. Mars (action) is also in Cancer so until May 21st, it is best to let your heart run the show. At our best we can consciously act on what our heart needs. But be aware that at our worst we can get emotionally charged and overreact during this time.
Jupiter (growth) has moved into Taurus – so we go from manifestation to expanding pleasure in our lives. The challenge is dipping into overindulgence. So, we have until May 2024 to work on perfecting our balance between work and play. Saturn (structures) is in its two-year stint with Pisces so we can make sure our structures are elastic and responsive to change. The challenge is our boundaries can get too bendy or have gaps, so we need to work on being flexible but resilient.
And lastly Pluto (the hidden, death, wealth, and shadow) is in Aquarius until June 11th, giving us a taste of what the next 20 years will bring. Pluto is considered a generational planet and takes its time doling out its challenges and treasures. Pluto is bouncing back and forth from capitalistic Capricorn to socialistic Aquarius, so politics, technology and societal whims should be interesting to watch during until November 19th, 2024.
***Signs with an * it is a big week for you. Taurus this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year. And Virgo it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check in now is the time. and I have a new tip jar if you want to leave a gratuity for the weekly forecasts.
May light be on you, around you, and within you.
Nina
Aries
Three of Fire – The Muse of Enterprise advises contemplation on what you need to set into place for your next venture. This is a week for planning and preparation as you wait for pieces to fall into place or for the timing to be better for success. Preparation and patience are key this week.
Taurus
*Moon – This is a beneficial week to dive into your subconscious and the Muse of Visions is here to help in your enlightenment. Pay attention to your dreams for they have treasures to uncover. Not every part of your dreams is prophetic, but the ones that incite an emotional response have nuggets of truth to decipher.
Gemini
*Lovers – This Muse of Relationships is a lifelong company of yours. As a karmic mission, Geminis have the gift of gab and are on assignment to explore the ins and outs of relationships in all their forms. This week you will be working with this muse and looking at the levels of intimacy you have with various relationships. You will find yourself deepening some and distancing yourself from others. This muse would like you to look at them through the lens of commitment versus obligation.
Cancerian
Queen of Earth – Last week you were recommended to slow down or even stop and rest. This week the lights are green, but the Muse of Senses would like you to still take your time. She advises establishing strong boundaries around when you work and when you relax. She also recommends that you indulge in your five senses to keep yourself grounded in the present.
Leo
Four of Earth – The Muse of Hoarding is having you investigate why you are holding so tightly to an aspect in your life. A clue to this behavior is that it feels as if it stabilizes you. This could be true, or it could be based in fear. This is the week to discern which is the case. For if it is the former, then you are working against what innately is stabilizing in that aspect. By holding it so tightly, you are hindering its ability to create more abundance. She reminds you that faith in yourself is the key to stabilization.
Virgo
Eight of Earth – The Muse of Craft is recommending indulging in what skills you are good at. However, Virgo, you are very good at a variety of things. This week the muse challenges you to use your many talents or at least one in the world. Not only will this enhance your craft, but it will also lead to a turn into profit.
Libra
Knight of Air – This week if you find yourself in a rush or being pushed to decide – slow down. The Muse of Rushing arrives when things around you are too chaotic, and you need to slow down to think before you act. She advises while making any decisions you take your time and assess before committing. Especially when the situation is not a real emergency but is portrayed as one.
Scorpio
*Strength – The Muse of Inner Strength would like you to practice poise this week. Poise is defined as “a graceful and elegant bearing in a person”. So, this can be as simple as working on your posture or as intricate as defining what grace and elegance looks like for you (not society’s concept of it). She asks you what makes you proud of you?
Sagittarius
Nine of Air – The Muse of Overthinking comes when you are doing exactly that about something. She advises that you put this problem to bed for this week and let it simmer in the netherworld. You may find that it resolves itself, the solution sprouts from your subconscious or it never was a problem in the first place.
Capricorn
*Fool – This is a great week to clear part of your schedule, for the Muse of Spontaneity would like you to come out and play. She reminds you that play is as equally important to you goats’ mental health as hard labor. So go on a drive without a destination or at least take a different route. Or do something creative just for the sake of creation. By letting go of goal orientation for just a sec, you will find not only a sense of freedom but maybe a new path/adventure to propel you into the future.
Aquarius
Queen of Fire – The Muse of Spirituality wants you to engage with your spirit. And for you this is best done with art or in nature. By surrounding yourself with either, your mind can wander and be inspired. So, take time this week to dabble in your own art, go to a museum, go to the ocean or hike in a park.
Pisces
*Magician – The Muses of Manifestation is here to help you manifest something this week. It can be big or small… simple or complex. However, she asks three questions of your manifestation: Is it divinely inspired as opposed to be based solely in the material, emotional or intellectual plane? Does it require you to gain more skills? Does your manifestation bring good into the world? If the answers are No, Yes and No respectively then it is not the right manifestation back to the drawing board.
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