Star Struck Style

With the holidays — including my birthday — in the rearview mirror, it’s time for me to become more disciplined.

In some respects, I was already behaving myself. My fitness regimen has become more regimented once again, and I’m feeling strong and healthy. I’ve also been keeping up with household chores, so I’ve been able to enjoy my immediate environment without feeling as if I would rather be anywhere else.

In other respects, I’ve been far too decadent. Some holiday stressors and issues with my aging parents had me reacting badly to the increased tension, and I responded as I usually respond: by spending money on nice things that make me feel better.

On the bright side, the sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all transiting disciplined Capricorn, and three of those planets are opposing extravagant Jupiter. I feel as if my desire to reward myself for making it to the ripe old age of sixty was written in the stars, but I also feel as if this Capricorn stellium is now ready to slap some sense into me. “Café Astrology” even confirms what I’m feeling in today’s daily column:

“The Sun opposes Jupiter early today, and Mars does the same this morning. The Libra Moon gets into the argument as it squares these three bodies and Venus (Venus opposed Jupiter yesterday). It’s a time when recent excesses can come to light, demanding change or a shift in priorities. At issue now are conflicting urges regarding what we think we should do versus what we want to do. There are two areas of life where we have a particular need to shine, grow, and improve, represented by the Sun and Mars in Capricorn and Jupiter in Cancer, but these may seem to be in direct conflict with one another at this time.”

My “recent excesses” are definitely “demanding change or a shift in priorities,” and I’m okay with that. In fact, I want the stars to crack a whip to make me feel like behaving badly is going to have some painful consequences.

This is the perfect time of year for me to make self-discipline my modus operandi. I wish that I hadn’t put myself in a position to regret my behavior, but it’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. Nevertheless, I’m pretty good at cleaning up my act whenever I make a mess of my life. I’m a Capricorn, after all. I was born to get back up after I get knocked down. I just wish that I didn’t keep knocking down myself . . .