(Astrobutterfly.com)

“I am what I am

And what I am needs no excuses

I deal my own deck

Sometimes the ace

Sometimes the deuces”

On April 17th, 2026, the New Moon in Aries meets Chiron – the wounded healer – at 27° Aries.

Since 2018, Chiron in Aries has been pressing on one of the most existential questions of them all: Who am I really, and why am I here?

In this period, we’ve seen the rise of influencer culture, the visibility of minority groups, the explosion of gender discussions – all different faces of the same wound:

Identity that doesn’t feel seen, that doesn’t feel allowed, that is refusing to stay quiet.

That’s how Chiron works. It tears apart the comfortable version of yourself until you can no longer ignore what’s underneath. Until you can no longer pretend that THIS – this particular quality, this particular way of being – is not part of you.

Because you can only be You once you embrace all of you.

And when the Sun and the Moon – the 2 identity planets – meet with this Chironic ache, looking away is no longer an option. The answer can no longer be researched, postponed, or outsourced to someone else’s opinion.

There’s an immediacy, almost pressure, to this New Moon in Aries. A sense that something is asking to be reclaimed – now.

“I am what I am”

Because when Chiron moves out of Aries, the next opportunity to go this deep, to meet this particular wound this directly, won’t come until the next time Chiron returns to Aries. And that’s in 2068.

With Chiron in Aries, we’ve been sensing – even if not always consciously – that the only way to be ourselves is to actually be ourselves.

And that without this, without this fundamental honesty about who we are, nothing truly fulfilling can take root, because it’s not being built on the right foundation.

“Life’s not worth a damn

‘Til you can shout out

I am what I am”

That Aries shout out doesn’t have to be to the world. Aries is not about getting a reaction, requesting feedback, or waiting for permission. It’s simply about being witnessed into existence.

“I am not invisible, I am here”.

I am here – and the world has no choice but to accept that.

If the world has been treating you as invisible or optional – tough luck, because you’re not.

If the environment you’re in glosses over who you are, or tries to fit you into a shape that was never yours – that’s not your environment.

If your friends can only accept the version of you that aligns with them and their views – they are not your friends.

At the same time, if we want the world to accept us for who we are, we have to actually BE who we are.

Because Aries energy doesn’t flame in mixed signals. It needs clarity and commitment to itself.

So – who are you, underneath all of it? Behind the filters, the curated pictures, the diploma on the wall, the job title on the business card?

For the past few decades, these things made sense to lead with. All the outer planets were moving through collective signs – Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.

Whether we realized it or not, we’ve been living in a climate that rewarded conformity, credentials, and fitting in. The diploma and the job title were the language of that era.

But that era is over. Now Neptune is in Aries. Saturn is in Aries. Chiron is in Aries. Eris is in Aries. Uranus is still in Taurus.

And Pluto, while in collective Aquarius, is this time supporting the individuation process unfolding in Aries – rather than imposing another system to belong to.

What once pulled us away from ourselves – toward the collective, toward conformity, toward whatever version of ourselves was most acceptable – is losing its grip. With this much energy in Aries, we need to start from the source.

“I am what I am”

Because you – behind the mask, behind the AI, behind all the things designed to make life smoother and more palatable – are faaaar more interesting than any of it.

Your unique style, your quirkiness, your particular way of seeing the world, your unique bird song is what makes you, you. There is only one person born with your natal chart. THIS is what this Aries world needs right now.

The New Moon in Aries conjunct Chiron is an invitation to strip back the layers of identification and distill your essence.

Nothing needs to be added, nothing needs to be removed. Only recognized: I am what I am.

Art Credit: The Chess Players (1863), Honoré Daumier. 

New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove Apr 17, 2026 Psychology and Psychotherapy This video is a special release from the original Thinking Allowed series that ran on public television from 1986 until 2002. It was recorded in about 1990. It will remain public for only one week.  Frank X. Barron, PhD, a World War II veteran and a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was an internationally influential figure in the study of human personality and creativity for nearly half a century. He authored many books, including Creativity and Psychological Health. 

“The essence of love of G-d is in the desire of the soul for its creator, for unity with this higher light.” The Talmud Central Text of Rabbinic Judaism

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

In this book, Daniel Bourke compiles the most comprehensive record of this mysterious phenomenon to date, presenting hundreds of romantic and other precognitive dreams from legendary, historical, and modern sources, collected for the first time in one place. Highlighting in particular the experience of dreams that foretell love encounters, Bourke explores the way these dreams and visions draw people together.

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Using the latest scientific research on immunity, sensation, stress, cognition, and emotional expression, the authors demonstrate that the way we process our feelings provides a key to who is most likely to experience these phenomena and why. They explain that emotion is a portal into the world of extraordinary perception, and they provide the studies that validate the science behind telepathic dreams, poltergeists, and ESP.

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Many academicians attribute such psychic discoveries to “poetic license” rather than to accurate understanding of our parapsychological capacities. The author–a practicing psychoanalyst and parapsychologist, and a lawyer familiar with Navajo culture–argues for a fresh appraisal of psi phenomena and their integration into psychoanalytic theory and clinical work, literary studies and anthropology.

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This comprehensive book presents not only historical evidence of this energy, but also practical applications of how to sense it and direct it toward magical goals through ritual, breath-work, movements, and visualization exercises. Uniting Western ceremonial traditions with Eastern energy healing practices, Ætheric Magic helps you achieve material, spiritual, mental, and physical transformation.

SUNDAY MEETING — APRIL 19

“Tracking the Wild Word” with Janet Cornwell, H.W., m. Come along on a hunt for word meanings, and find new ways to connect with them. The practice of Word Tracking is a great adjunct to Translation® class, but can be used by anyone who wants to better understand their word-built world. It will help you find out what you really mean by what you say! For further information, click here: https://www.theprosperos.org/prosperos-events/sunday-meeting-22-09-2024  SUNDAY MEETING —  April 19, 2026 11:00 am Pacific / Noon Mountain / 1:00 pm Central / 2:00 pm Eastern NEW LINK…PLEASE USE THE JOIN BUTTON BELOW FOR MEETING Join Sunday Meeting By contribution.  Please click here to contribute: Contribute! Call In Information: +16699006833,,85882863391# US (San Jose) +13462487799,,85882863391# US (Houston) Dial by your location        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)        +1 301 715 8592 US        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)        +1 253 215 8782 US Meeting ID: 858 8286 3391 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abtcyLDACK

Copyright © 2026 The Prosperos, All rights reserved.

“If we can’t take love to the stars, then what are we doing?”

–Amit Kshatriya, NASA Associate Administrator

By Josh Dinner published 2 days ago (Space.com)

“If you had given us the keys to the lander, we would have taken it down and landed on that moon.”

The astronauts who flew NASA’s Artemis 2 mission around the moon splashed down less than a week ago — and they’re back at work helping the agency prepare for the program’s next giant leap.

NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency‘s Jeremy Hansen captivated the world earlier this month, as they flew on a 10-day mission around the far side of the moon and back to Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft “Integrity.”

During their journey, the crew shared inspiring images of our celestial neighbor and reflections that spoke to the hearts of millions of people who followed their flight from its April 1 launch to its April 10 splashdown.

You may like

• Artemis 3 and beyond: What’s next for NASA after Artemis 2 moon success
• Beyond Artemis 2: NASA pursuing a ‘more achievable’ path back to the moon
• ‘The most special thing that will ever happen in my life’: Artemis 2 astronauts describe their epic moon mission

Click here for more Space.com videos…

“We wanted to go out and try to do something that would bring the world together, to unite the world,” Wiseman, the Artemis 2 commander, said during a press conference on Thursday (April 16).

He thanked not only those at NASA who helped ensure the astronauts’ safe return but also members of the media and the world at large for “just tuning in for a second and getting hooked on this mission.”

Artemis 2 was the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, as well as the first crewed flight of the Orion space capsule. Principally, Artemis 2 was a test flight of Orion’s life support systems and a shakedown cruise to verify that the craft can sustain a crew during a mission to lunar space. And from the perspective of the astronauts aboard: Mission accomplished.

Wiseman and his crewmates said they gained a deeper understanding about life aboard Orion during their time in space. And what they learned bodes well for future Artemis missions.

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“The thing that really surprised me on this mission was how well the spacecraft handled and how well the machine supported the four humans on board,” Wiseman said.

“There’s always things we need to improve,” he said, listing a few small items that needed to be troubleshot on orbit, like cabin temperature.

“We were a little cold the first two days. They warmed it up. They fixed everything that we asked,” he said. “They could put the Artemis 3 Orion on the Space Launch System [rocket] tomorrow and launch it, and the crew would be in great shape.”What to read next

• Artemis 2 astronauts fly around the moon in record-breaking lunar loop by NASA
• Splashdown! Artemis 2 astronauts return to Earth after historic NASA mission to the moon
• Artemis 2: A moon mission of many milestone firsts

“It’s important for us to run these processes out,” Glover said, “because we are still making changes and learning ways that we’re going to support the 30- and 45-day missions of Artemis 3, 4, 5. And so it’s really important for us to keep practicing, keeping our heads in the game.”

Click here for more Space.com videos…

Artemis 3 is the next launch planned for the program, and will see another crew aboard Orion practice rendezvous and docking maneuvers in Earth orbit with one or both of the contracted Artemis lunar landers. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin have been tapped to provide landers for the program, and NASA indicated a willingness to fly with either or both once Artemis 3 is ready to launch.

That mission is scheduled to lift off in mid-2027, but had, until recently, been slated as the first Artemis moon landing, targeting 2028. Now, with Artemis 2 in the books, Wiseman says that a crewed moon landing seems more obtainable than ever.

“It’s not the leap I thought it was,” he said on Thursday, reflecting on his time approaching and flying around the moon. “If we had a first-flight lander on board that thing, I know at least three of my crewmates would have been in it, trying to land on the moon.”

“It’s going to be extremely technically challenging, but this team needs to show up every day knowing it is absolutely doable, and it’s doable soon.”

If NASA’s schedule holds, and Artemis 3 goes well, Artemis 4 will put astronauts down near the lunar south pole in late 2028.

Josh Dinner

Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Josh Dinner is Space.com’s Spaceflight Staff Writer. He is a writer and photographer with a passion for science and space exploration, and has been working the space beat since 2016. Josh has covered the evolution of NASA’s commercial spaceflight partnerships and crewed missions from the Space Coast, NASA science missions and more. He also enjoys building 1:144-scale model rockets and spacecraft. Find some of Josh’s launch photography on Instagram, and follow him on X, where he mostly posts in haiku.

ChatGPT:

Jacques Lacan takes the linguistic term metonymy and turns it into a key mechanism of how the unconscious works.

The basic idea

In ordinary language, metonymy means linking things by contiguity (association or proximity), rather than similarity.
Example: “the White House” for the U.S. president.

Lacan borrows this from Roman Jakobson, who distinguished:

• Metaphor = substitution based on similarity
• Metonymy = connection based on association

Lacan’s twist

For Lacan, metonymy isn’t just a figure of speech—it’s how desire moves in the unconscious.

• In his theory, the unconscious is structured like a language (influenced by Ferdinand de Saussure).
• Meaning is never fixed; it slides along chains of signifiers (words, images, associations).
• This sliding movement is metonymic.

Metonymy and desire

Here’s the core claim:

Desire is metonymic.

What that means:

• You never desire a final, complete object.
• Instead, desire keeps shifting from one object to another—each one standing in for something else.
• There is always a gap, what Lacan calls lack.

So:

• You think you want X → you get X → desire shifts to Y
• The chain never ends

That endless displacement is metonymy in action.

Contrast with metaphor

Lacan links:

• Metaphor → condensation (Freud’s dream mechanism)
• Metonymy → displacement (Freud again)

So metonymy is tied to Sigmund Freud’s idea that unconscious thoughts don’t appear directly—they are displaced along associative chains.

A simple example

If someone says:

“I just need a better job… then I’ll be satisfied”

Lacan would hear:

• “better job” is not the final object
• it’s one link in a chain (money → status → recognition → love → etc.)
• desire keeps moving—metonymically—without closure

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Bottom line

For Lacan, metonymy is the engine of desire:

• not a rhetorical ornament
• but the way meaning and longing continuously defer completion

“If you go home with somebody, and they don’t have books, don’t fuck ’em!”

― John Waters

John Samuel Waters Jr. is an American artist, actor, writer, and filmmaker. Born in Baltimore in 1946, he first gained fame in the 1970s for his transgressive cult films like Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living, which he calls his “Trash Trilogy”. He later found box-office success with more mainstream films like Hairspray (1988) and Cry-Baby (1990).  (Wikipedia.org)

Born April 22, 1946 (age 79 years), Baltimore, MD

Danny: I haven’t read many books, I haven’t been to many places, but I have fucked a lot of people, and there’s one thing you just can’t fake – inexperience. The body’s tense when it should be relaxed, it hurts when it should be fun, and it’s dirty when it should be clean. I don’t care how smart you are, your muscles can’t lie. 

–Danny Holt (played by Ben Whishaw) on London Spy, Episode 2