There exists a taboo on going for what you really want. Because we live in a society that’s all about ‘freedom of choice’ it’s not easy to see this, especially to someone who gets lost in the choice between Arby’s and Wendy’s, or between Cialis and Viagra.

There is a rumor that desire gets a person into trouble. This one has been viral in religious and spiritual philosophies going back millennia — whether it’s the Christians’ ban on sexual desire or the reportedly Buddhist idea that desire only forms attachments and therefore leads to misery.

The flaming arrow, Planet Waves symbol of Chiron, today lending itself to Mars in Sagittarius.

And it soaks into Western culture in the form of, ‘Don’t want what you really want; be a good boy/girl and want the shitty substitute we’re trying to sell you’. There is the notion that curiosity killed the cat. There is the ruse of not allowing oneself to want because if you want you might be tempted.

In astrology Mars is the planet of drive and desire, and it’s now in the sign of single-pointed focus — Sagittarius. As described Monday, Mars is going to be on quite an adventure, making 18 conjunctions and many other aspects during the next six or seven weeks. Each one of those aspects represents a twist on desire. Each comes with a different flavor, approach and result.

Some of these experiences could be used to demonstrate that desire is a bad thing. Yet in every situation there is another factor involved — that is how an aspect pattern works. In every situation, something will be influencing or modifying the nature of Mars, even as Mars wants to fly straight through the air to its destination.

The first of these influences is Heracles (what you might think of as wanting too much, or at the expense of all else), and the next is Tantalus (wanting what you cannot have, or think you cannot have — a dynamic where what you want eludes you, and desire gets the blame).

Then there is the extended square to Neptune, which is exact on Sept. 21, however, the orb if Neptune is so wide, it’s usually taken effect before anyone knows it’s an influence. Under the current influence of Neptune, I suggest you stick to what you’ve wanted for a while and not let any factor dissuade you from thinking that your desire is not valid. With Neptune you must remember how to swim rather than acting like you’re standing on solid ground.

I will offer again that in our society it’s OK to want, but there is a taboo on wanting what you really want — which is why there are so many distractions, and why they are so popular.