Monthly Archives: December 2014

Planet Waves Daily Oracle for Friday, Dec. 12, 2014

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Aquarius weekly for Oct. 24, 2003

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We need to maintain a careful relationship with those things that, if they don’t kill us, make us strong. Gratitude is important, since after all we wouldn’t have what we gained without the difficulty or challenge. But it may only represent one layer of feeling, beneath which is anger that people make life so difficult for one another. It is true that pain is the last, best teacher, and is often the necessity that facilitates the greatest breakthroughs we ever experience. But another kind of advancement is possible for you right now, if you’ll embrace the possibility that pain is not a necessary part of gain.

The Daily Oracle offers a horoscope selected randomly by our Intelligent Archive Oracle program, unique to Planet Waves. It’s also a database of my horoscopes going back to the late 1990s. You can use the Intelligent Archive Oracle to answer questions and give you ideas for how to handle problems and situations you cannot see through. This feature is available to our All Access and Core Community members. See this link for more information.

Planet Waves Weekly Horoscope, Dec. 11 – 18

Note, this is the next-to-last horoscope of the year. The last one will be next week. I will go on break after that, to finish Cosmophilia, the 2015 annual edition, without other distractions. I’ll return with the extended monthly on Thursday, Jan. 1, and editions after that will consist of horoscope only until Cosmophilia is done — planned for sometime the second week of January, if all goes brilliantly.


Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — It is up to you to insist on justice, where justice must be done. This is true, even if you seem to be the only person who cares. It is therefore your right, privilege and responsibility to be fair, and to set the example of fairness. This is especially true in our times of shifting foundations and the decay of social values. Where there are no morals, that is when ethics must take over. These concepts are similar, though in my use of the words, morals are externally imposed, and ethics emerge from within oneself, as a voluntary choice. The thing is, you’re in an instant karma moment. The world will meet you exactly where you meet the world. Your fairness will be rewarded by that reflection in the universe. But what is more apparent is that your willingness to listen to others about what they value will create an environment where you feel safe being yourself. These small gestures add up to far-reaching changes.

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — What is sex? It’s a gift; it’s a gesture of faith in humanity. It’s a revolutionary act. But is it fun? Well, that works better when you understand your motives. The fun quotient is also dependent on how you experience guilt, shame and piety. When sex is real, it puts everyone onto level ground. In order to get there, it’s necessary to go to the level of mortals. Modern humans are often obsessed with being spiritual, which loosely translates to ‘better than’. Sex is typically not seen as spiritual because for many it translates to ‘lower than’. I would say it really means ‘equal to’. Remember that you, like everyone, are made of the Earth. You are part of the Earth, which means equal to everything and everyone else that is here. The more you tap into this, even as an experiment, the more generous you will feel, and the stronger in your faith you will be.

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — There are times when existence has the quality of a reflection, or rather, when it’s more noticeable. You might not recognize this moment as such. What you perceive is likely to be more than you think you are. It may also lack the simplicity and clarity that you aspire to; you may be looking at some rather unusual and complex circumstances. Rather than a mirror, I suggest you consider everything you perceive or experience to be relational. By that I mean, it’s available for you to enter into a relationship with. I mean anything, anyone, any situation, no matter how blazingly glorious, ordinary or weird it may seem. Treat everyone and everything around you as simply human. Present yourself as simply human. Make eye contact, say hello and extend your hand. Smile warmly and laugh at anything funny. (Footnote: check ‘star-struck’ at the door. Admiration is OK, but just a little, as it will get in the way. Stick to respect.)

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Home-cooked meals; that’s what you need. It doesn’t matter who does the cooking. It might be better if it were someone else, in someone else’s home, but really any home or anyone cooking will do. You are more the type to invite others over and make the effort. It would be awesome therapy for you to subject yourself to such treatment by someone else. Now, I recognize you might not be able to invite yourself…or can you? Is there anyone you can call up and say, “Would you please make me dinner?” (Breakfast or lunch will work, as will a midnight snack. The Universe is flexible.) Really think about it. There is surely someone. However, if there is not, then plan a meal, go to the store, and prepare some actual food in your actual kitchen. For yourself, and for others if you wish. I suggest you make a habit out of it for the next few weeks.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Once you contact the creative force within you, you won’t be able to stop it. You might be inclined to take other approaches to the current task at hand — such as labor, toil, effort, time applied to the situation and old-fashioned thoroughness, which all have their moments. Currently though, the force to be reckoned with is the power of an idea, indeed of many ideas. Take up the motto that there is a creative solution to everything. To use this method takes awareness, and a constant dialog with yourself about what you are doing, and why, and the nature of your reality. It requires seeing everything as a new possibility, all the time. That takes more discipline than doing anything the same way every time. Soon enough you will need to develop and apply the ideas that you’re having, and as the planets move over the next few weeks that will develop naturally. Just keep that inner dialog going.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — If you’re on a sexual purity campaign, don’t be surprised if it backfires. You seem to be trying to contain an abundance of emotional energy and afraid you might lose control. The way to keep some influence over the situation is to be real with yourself, and vent some steam. You could probably do a lot more than that and feel even better. From one point of view, your solar chart reads as if you’re concerned some authority figure is looming over you and going to question why you’re feeling so much all the time, or why you want to do whatever it is that you want to do. You don’t have to explain that any more than a bird has to explain why it flies. And if you do feel as if you must rationalize your existence, otherwise be confronted by authority, this would be the perfect time to ask yourself why, or rather whether, that is even true.

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You have a story to tell. But you seem to be hesitating. You seem to think it’s too much, maybe more than anyone wants to hear, or more than you want to say. That, and you appear to be waiting for a moment where you can approach the work thoughtfully and carefully, with some discipline. I suggest you move forward now. You can have all the discipline in the world, and if you’ve lost contact with the seed of your idea, with the drive and the living impulse inside you, the perfect moment won’t mean much. So scratch your pen or pencil on the paper, even if it’s in broken or scattered thoughts that you cannot seem to capture fully. Work your way up to a few sentences. Soon enough you will have the focus to develop what now exists in a state of potential. At that time, any first draft at all is better than a blank page.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Keep your money to yourself, at least for a few days. Be careful making any commitments that are indefinite or that you don’t understand. Any ‘good time’ you have needs a fixed budget, such as how much you spend on alcohol, how much you spend to impress someone or how much you put on credit. Your charts seem to be offering some caution around expenditures associated with your infamous holiday generosity. The other side of this astrology is that you may be sitting on some unusual potential for earning revenue, which I suggest you consider with authentic interest and care. This plan must not require an outlay of cash, and if it does, I suggest you pause until the Sun enters Capricorn on the 21st before making any commitments. It could be good, though you really need to think it through methodically and perhaps with expert advice.

Together, We Can End Saturn-o-Phobia


Listen to a Free Preview of Your 2015 Sagittarius Reading!
Dear Friend and Sagittarius:

Your birthday is the time of year to look into your astrology for the next 12 months. And that means facing Saturn-o-phobia: the irrational fear of Saturn.

With Saturn about to enter Sagittarius, I’m here to encourage you to stand with me and end this needless astrological annoyance — right now. Mentions of Saturn will dominate the news for your sign for the next two years, with astrologers making all kinds of predictions.

Planet Waves
Not so scary after all — Saturn in natural color, photographed by the Cassini Space Probe in 2004.

Unfriendly interpretations of Saturn have plagued fans of astrology since the 2nd century, when an ancient portrayed Saturn as a bad guy.

The ancient Greeks were smart, but they didn’t know everything. Aristotle, for example, said that there are only five senses. He left out several, including the sense of humor.

Anyone who has read an astrology book, article or even horoscope column has worried about Saturn, allegedly the matronly voice of authority saying the party ends at 10 pm.

Look up Saturn and you may think you’re about to be called to the principal’s office. I take a different view. I think of Saturn as being about practicality. To me, Saturn is about taking charge of your life; about structuring your time, and making the most of your resources.

When Saturn is active in your chart, you can make progress on things that have long been delayed. If you internalize the Saturn principle, you do something essential to maturity: you become your own authority. In Sagittarius, Saturn will help you craft the potential associated with your sign into something real; something you can hold onto.

Read more…

P.S. The full birthday reading is published and available for instant access now, and makes a perfect gift for any Sagittarians in your life. Until Saturday morning EST, you can still get it for $10 off the final published price.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are irresistible even to people who think they don’t like you, but now you’re working with some unusual charisma and influence. I don’t want to hype up what I see in your chart, though it has the quality of bending reality to your will — and that calls for caution. Pause for as few as five seconds and you will be able to see any situation from any point of view. That alone will be enough to convince someone that what you have is what they want. For that reason you must proceed thoughtfully with everyone you think you might influence. Think long-range and consider the long-term consequences. The idea here is not to have less fun, rather to have more fun with less inconvenience at some other time. However, that’s if you’re thinking small. If you want to influence something, focus on a goal of profound importance to you. If you’re craving contact, start with the one person who would mean the very most.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Your inner life and your outer life could hardly be more different. On the outside you’re the very image of impeccability. On the inside you want to explode with excitement, lust or cosmic energy. You may have those days where if someone brushes against you, you’ll let out a moan and burst. Said simply, an inner portal is open. Life force is pulsing through you, and that portal where all inspiration comes in is wide open. People work for years to make this happen, though it cannot be conjured — it can only be allowed, encouraged and appreciated. You might try to force that door closed, though that’s not really a good idea. It would be a waste of beautiful energy, and you could hurt yourself. I suggest you stop worrying what people might think if they knew what was really in your mind. Anyone perceptive enough to guess would be thrilled about it.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You appear to be on one of your independent streaks. And hey, it seems to be working. You need your freedom, and you alone understand how inherently this is woven into the fabric of your being. I suggest, though, that you check in with any significant others (one in particular, from the way the chart looks), and keep closer contact than you might ordinarily. This is not to cramp your style. There is someone in your life who wants nothing more than to be heard, but who may have difficulty expressing their emotional needs. I suggest you take just a little of that burden on. Take the initiative and ask how they’re feeling. Give them permission to open up. Your reward will be added freedom, enough to explore what you want, and enough to be trusted by someone you really care about. At the very least, you have nothing to lose by listening.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Focus everything into your real work — the most important and most meaningful task at hand — the one that counts now, and in the long run. Yes, eat food and get regular rest, and then focus on your highest goals with everything you’ve got. You are in an extraordinarily rare moment where what seemed impossible is right within reach. You might say this is the time to crack the glass ceiling. To do this well, you must apply discipline and a basic plan of action. Clean up any loose ends that might bind you to the past, including emotional ones that may have a bearing on your work. Eliminate any disadvantages that you can possibly avoid. You’re about to make contact with the power of focus in a way that you may never have before. You’ll soon discover that, even if your methods have been a bit haphazard, you’ve accomplished many things that do in fact add up to a lot. Gathering them together will be easier than you think.

Reporting Live from the Uranus-Pluto Square

Note: You can still access this week’s edition through a single-issue purchase here! We’re still planning to publish your weekly horoscopes through the end of the year — get them delivered to your inbox as soon as they’re ready, through a free one-month trial basic membership here.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Recently I’ve been getting more deeply into the work and the ideas of someone named Marshall McLuhan. He is a very cool philosopher who lived from 1911 to 1980, and I’m more excited about his ideas than ever. In the current edition of Planet Waves FM, his grandson Andrew and I talk about the implications of those ideas and why they are so relevant today.

Dutch teens doing something in their portable devices in front of Rembrandt’s Night Watch, considered one of the most famous paintings in the world. We know what the image maker is tricking us into thinking. But who knows?

After working for many years as an English professor and not-exactly-bestselling author, Marshall McLuhan burst into popular consciousness in the very busy year of 1964 as a pop icon intellectual.

His focus was media theory, something that till that time was not an actual field of study. Just think — a pop icon intellectual, wearing a suit, speaking in big words and complex concepts. Over 30 years old, no less.

McLuhan’s gift to us was to point out the obvious. He saw that the world was in a time of profound transition, and he pointed that out. He knew that it had something to do with exposure to television, and he pointed that out.

He introduced his reading public to the concept of pattern recognition. He observed that the environment that surrounds us, and through which we swim, is invisible. That was an invitation to pay attention.

Though he was writing and speaking into chaotic, painful times, he spoke with impeccable faith.

“The mark of our time,” he wrote in the introduction to Understanding Media, “is revulsion against imposed patterns. We are suddenly eager to have things and people declare their beings totally. There is a deep faith to be found in this new attitude — a faith that concerns the ultimate harmony of being.”

Continue reading

The Penultimate Uranus-Pluto Square: Look Around You

Monday, Dec. 15, is yet another exact contact of the square between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn — the 6th of seven exact squares in total. This is the astrology that has been defining our current era for a few years now: breaking open social and political institutions as well as structures on a more personal level; calling individuals to wake up, take part and define themselves in a dramatically shifting landscape.

Protesters block the Brooklyn Bridge Dec. 3 following the grand jury decision in the choking death of Eric Garner. Photo by James Keivom / New York Daily News.

Hundreds of protesters block the Brooklyn Bridge Dec. 3 following the grand jury decision in the choking death of Eric Garner. Photo by James Keivom/New York Daily News.

While the first exact contact of Uranus and Pluto was in 2012, the effects began warming up long before that as these two powerful planets approached alignment (think Arab Spring and the Occupy movement).

In your life, your community, and in the wider world, you can probably identify sparks that have ignited in unexpected ways; foundations seemingly being bulldozed out from under you; opportunities to engage with your community and the motivation to actually do so; intense reactionary steps taken by those who have a lot to lose in the face of progress.

You can see it now in the stories dominating the news: the militarization of police; the unification of voices speaking up against racial injustice; the release of the Congressional Intelligence Committee’s report on torture by the CIA. Many of these stories are united by the theme of “abuse of power” — institutionalized power (and the power to undo institutions) being a theme of Pluto in Capricorn.

You can see it in the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Malala Yousafzai: the 17-year-old Pakistani girls’ education activist determined not to let a Taliban bullet to her face dissuade her from her mission to speak up and assert herself (revolution of self being a theme of Uranus in Aries).

Consider also that there’s a grand fire trine blazing in the sky right now: a loop of fire connecting planets in Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. It’s anchored by Mercury and the Sun in Sagittarius trine Jupiter in Leo (exact Dec. 12 and 14, respectively), but if you take a wide view, the grand trine fans out to include Ceres, Pholus and Ixion in Sagittarius; Uranus, the South lunar node and Eris in Aries; and Juno in Leo.

That’s a hot sky. Whatever is sparked this week may well keep burning, thanks to the flowing nature of trines — there is enough upheaval around us to serve as tinder, and the flames are being fanned. Thankfully there are major planets in earth and water water signs: a little grounding, perhaps some empathy. Not all fires will run unchecked, although maybe some are long overdue; even nature gives us examples of fire’s essential role in certain life cycles.

Bring the focus in a little closer. Think about the changes in your life since around 2011 or so: the unexpected upheavals opening new spaces to step into; the insistence (seemingly from the universe itself) that you assert who you are — or that you discover who you are as the world comes crashing into your living room. What facet of your life that you thought was a concrete foundation reinforced with rebar has become more like tectonic plates along a major fault line?

There are parts of yourself just waiting for a match to be lit within reach. Where within you has the revolutionary spark and the process of evolution been most palpable, scary as it may sometimes be? Get your bearings within, and look without. This is the event. You’re in it.

Closer — Last Quarter Moon

On Sunday, at 7:51 am EST (12:51 UT), the Virgo Moon will reach its last quarter phase, with 90 degrees of separation from the Sagittarius Sun — both in the sky and on the zodiac. It’s called a closing square aspect between the luminaries (Sun and Moon), and it approaches at a time when we could all afford to be closer with each other.

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There has been so much in public and political exchange to drive us either apart or into seclusion since our current season initiated with the last full week of September. For many, perhaps including you, such a social environment has taken a personal toll.

After all, who would not want to recoil from injustice, atrocity and confounding absurdity? Yet, separation is even worse for the intrinsically social beings we are.

We are living at a crucial moment that will not just decide how this season will conclude and the new season will begin. Also being decided by all and each of us is whether the innate social nature that allowed humanity to survive is compatible with the respect for each and every individual human life that is necessary for society to survive.

While respect for human life begins with you, none of us are going to get through this moment alone successfully. Indeed, growing closer to each other will not be enough. Only by perceiving and cleaving to our individual and collective connection with the Earth and the universe will we be able to resolve our current crises and ascend to another cycle, another season.

As evidence that we are, together and individually, part of and contributing to something greater is how the Earth’s natural environment is now at a comparable moment of crisis correlating with that of our social environment. An even farther reaching connection is being evinced by how a solution is simultaneously being demonstrated on the zodiac and in the sky by the luminaries — the two greater lights.

Astrologers consider the lunar last quarter to be a crucial moment as the Sun and Moon close in on their next New Moon conjunction.

As the template for all closing square aspects, the last quarter Moon poses two questions for you. The answers you arrive at determine how the closing lunar cycle (or lunation) will end, and how the next lunation (initiated at the next New Moon) will begin for you. That’s where astrology can help by bringing thousands of years of observation and correlation to your situation.

Both questions have to do with the intrinsic nature of a square aspect as a moment of tension. The first query is whether the source of apparent pressure will be properly identified. After all, finding anything requires that you first look in the right place. The second uncertainty is how to gain relief from the evident strain on our individual and collective constitutions.

You have to stay up quite late or wake up very early to see the half-lit last quarter Moon. That’s because the Moon is getting closer to the Sun from our perspective, rising at about midnight, reaching its highest point in the sky around dawn.

By implication then, you have to go to some trouble to actually see the source of tension in a closing square. Even then, it’s still possible to be internally divided over its origin.

Fortunately, astrologers have been observing closing squares between the luminaries for a long time. Reliably, the correlated human experience is tension originating on the inside.

Unless one goes to the trouble of putting the illuminating experience of astrology to use, it’s easy to ascribe the perceived pressure so often concurrent with the lunar last quarter to an external origin. Such a misattribution gets you out of sync with the Sun and Moon, severing your contact with the universe, the Earth, and other people.

The Sun and Moon have no such problem — they persist and grow closer after the last quarter. By doing so, the greater lights are demonstrating what your priorities should be even as they offer an example for you to follow. Even more importantly, the luminaries are symbolizing an example for you to set.

While none of us are going to get through this moment alone, each of us must take responsibility for getting the ball rolling. You must first recognize that the Sun and Moon exist inside of you, and express through you, just as surely as they do in he sky. Hence, the extent to which you are at variance with the sky is the extent to which you will be out of whack with yourself, with other people, with the Earth and with the cosmos.

In effect, you are now being called to grow closer with all that is. You are being asked to become a living, breathing luminary for the rest of us to see and move with. You are being required to find and show your greater light so as to contribute to our collective survival.

A week from this coming Sunday, something extraordinary will happen on the zodiac and in the sky. The Sun and Moon will synchronize with each other and the Earth by merging directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn, while simultaneously conjoining in the first degree of the sign Capricorn to begin a new lunation and a new season at the same time. That doesn’t happen very often.

Hence, the Capricorn New Moon and solstice will represent an opportunity to begin anew on two different levels at the same time — emblematic of a giant leap. The sky implicitly will be part of it. The Earth will intrinsically be part of it. Whether we will also be part of it will be a matter of choice — your choice, of whether or not to grow closer and be as one with each and every other.

Offered In Service

Len is available for astrology readings. You can contact him at lenwallick [at] gmail [dot] com.

Planet Waves Daily Oracle for Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Libra monthly for July 1, 2005

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Love is here to express. Children are great at this; by the time adolescence sets in, love is usually a kind of frightening taboo. There is, at the moment, plenty in the way of loving and supportive energy to express, and you can both lead the way, and make the environment safe for your Libra child to do so. At this point in their lives, what Libra kids (and in reality, adults) are seeking is experience. They need to physically, actually take the trip, and they are both aware of this, and aware of the potential frustrations of not being able to do so. Please lift as many of those limits as you can.

The Daily Oracle offers a horoscope selected randomly by our Intelligent Archive Oracle program, unique to Planet Waves. It’s also a database of my horoscopes going back to the late 1990s. You can use the Intelligent Archive Oracle to answer questions and give you ideas for how to handle problems and situations you cannot see through. This feature is available to our All Access and Core Community members. See this link for more information.

Do Humans Belong on Earth? The Unasked Question

Dear Friend and Reader:

I had a stunning moment reading email recently. Earlier in the year, I sent out a request for proposals for articles on the theme of “you belong here,” for use in the forthcoming annual edition of Planet Waves, Cosmophilia.

One of the first proposals that came back began: “Humans do not belong on Earth. We are a parasite and mutation which invaded the plant and animal kingdoms.”

I was actually shocked by this statement. I thought about this for weeks — actually, for months. At first I was offended; it seemed like one of the most self-defeating ideas I’d ever heard.

Then gradually, it occurred to me that many people feel this way.

Not only do many people feel like they don’t belong where they are; there is a kind of spiritual movement devoted to the idea that humanity is somehow wrong; that we don’t belong on our planet. There are lots of theories floating around — various shades of “mutation” (by aliens) or “invasive species” that you can hear about on late-night AM radio.

Religious sects have long pushed the idea that “you don’t belong in a body” or that the body is merely bait for the devil. Philosophies have emerged over the ages that put humans in a wide variety of no-win and paradoxical situations — the “don’t think about chocolate cake” kind of thing. (Of course the moment you’re told not to think about chocolate cake, you do.) These are all used as some form of proof that humanity, or its state of mind, or its desires — is inherently wrong.

Can any of this possibly be true?

Continue reading

Planet Waves Daily Oracle for Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Sagittarius monthly for April 1, 2001

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You must still tread lightly over the face of the Earth. Some of the more intense stages of your current transition have passed, but some of the more tricky ones remain. It’s unlikely you’ll be presenting the picture of human consistency in the next few months, as you make major strides in the art known as “becoming yourself” (read: changing your mind). But these changes of mind, far from being based on whims, are really about reaching ever-deeper states of understanding about what you really expect from yourself and the world. It is not enough to say that you expect too much or too little; we need to use less linear concepts like beyond, within, integration and revelation to get at the essence of what you have the potential to contact and create as this Spring unfolds. When in doubt, keep asking questions.

The Daily Oracle offers a horoscope selected randomly by our Intelligent Archive Oracle program, unique to Planet Waves. It’s also a database of my horoscopes going back to the late 1990s. You can use the Intelligent Archive Oracle to answer questions and give you ideas for how to handle problems and situations you cannot see through. This feature is available to our All Access and Core Community members. See this link for more information.