Author Archives: Eric Francis

Rob Fraboni interviewed by Eric Francis

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today I have a special edition of Planet Waves FM for you — an interview with Rob Fraboni. You may not have heard his name, but you’ve heard his work. It’s an odd coincidence that Rob produced the Bob Dylan album Planet Waves. Here is how the Wikipedia editors describe him —

Sound engineer Rob Fraboni. Photo: Wikimedia.

“Rob is well-known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Band, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Tim Hardin, The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, and Bonnie Raitt, and as Vice President at Island Records where he remastered the entire Bob Marley catalog.

“He produced the soundtrack on Martin Scorsese’s groundbreaking concert movie, The Last Waltz, which included an all-star cast of famous rock and roll performers. He built and designed the legendary Shangri-La studios in Malibu to the specification of Bob Dylan and the Band. Referred to as a ‘genius’ by Keith Richards in his bestselling autobiography Life, he is considered one of the most influential recording producers in rock and roll history.”

Rob and I talk about the history of some of this music, including never-before told stories about The Basement Tapes, The Red Room Tapes and most notably, The Last Waltz. We straighten out the rumor that the whole film was overdubbed. Rob would know — he mastered the soundtrack and solved a big problem with the transitions in the film.

We also hear from Rob about his views on digital music, MP3s, and how to get the best sound with the simplest possible setup. If you know any fans of Dylan, The Band, the Rolling Stones or anyone who would aspire to either record, or be in the business, please send them this link.

Rob will see this page, so you’re free to leave comments and messages to him in the comment area. Special thanks to Special Rider Music for permission to use two of Bob’s songs, which were re-mastered by Fraboni — “I Don’t Believe You” and “Forever Young,” both from The Last Waltz soundtrack.

Here is your recording in the Old Player, which includes a downloadable archive. It should update automatically when you launch iTunes, at least in a short while.

Enjoy!

Note to Readers: This is our week off from a regular issue

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View from cliffs, sort of near Lost City at Mohonk Preserve in the Clove Valley of Gardiner, New York. Originally stewarded by the Indians, then the Dutch berry pickers had control of the land, followed by a small community that cut stone for grist mills in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The land in the foreground is part of Minnewaska State Park, and the mountain to the right is Mohonk. What I call the Grandmother Land is between these two mountains about four miles to the northeast. Photo: Eric Francis.

Note to Readers: This is our week off from a regular issue — though we’ve summoned Priya Kale from Mumbai, India, where she’s spending time with her family, to write a weekly horoscope for us. I will see you on Tuesday morning with the Inner Space horoscope for April. In case you missed your monthly horoscope for April (published Wednesday evening) here is a direct link. — efc

PS, re. Chiron Workshop: If you’re considering coming to the Chiron workshop in New York City Monday, there is still some space available. Check the announcement at the top of this link.

Equinox and Aries New Moon

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, you’ll hear about the Aries ingress of the Sun, the Equinox and the Aries New Moon, which takes place Thursday at 10:37 AM EDT (early morning in California and early afternoon in the UK and Europe). I fill in the news on how the Sun is aspecting the Uranus-Pluto square, and how the events of the spring build to a frenzy that peaks in late June.

This is a relaxed, mellow edition of Planet Waves FM, with a music break. I preview a special edition of Planet Waves FM that will be posted Sunday night, featuring an interview with Rob Fraboni, a sound engineer who has worked with very nearly everyone — Bob Dylan and the Band, John Lennon, the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards’ solo projects, Etheridge, Eric Clapton, the Beach Boys and others … I will stop boring you with this list.

Rob will be on Planet Waves FM telling many stories — this will be a special treat for fans of Dylan and the Band, especially The Last Waltz, which in my opinion Rob transformed from a minor disaster to a major success. And he was the producer of the Planet Waves album of Dylan. That post goes up Sunday. It’ll refresh into your iTunes if that’s how you listen, and be available in the old and new players.

Here is your program in the old player, along with a zip file for iTunes and the full archives of the program going back to 2010.

Catch you soon.

With love —

Weekly Horoscope # 896 for March 23, 2012 — by Priya Kale.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Current astrology is yet another reminder to keep asking yourself, “Who am I?” If you knew then what you know now, how would you do things differently? And given your current encounters and adventures, what would your future Self say to you? Or perhaps you can meditate on the Zen koan “What did your face look like before your parents were born?” A New Moon in your sign conjunct Uranus marks a personal new start, one even you couldn’t have seen coming. You may be caught unaware with some of the things you are feeling now or beginning to understand about yourself. As scary as this may seem, be honest with yourself about your desires, how they are changing and acknowledge your emotions, however spontaneous. The more you can release an identity that no longer defines you and consciously let go of ambitions that no longer serve your deepest purpose, the more you can open the doors to who you are becoming. There are opportunities making their way to you — expect the unexpected and be prepared to surprise even yourself. — by Priya Kale.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — There are things unfolding behind the scenes that you can’t quite make sense of. You may be wrestling secret fears that you can’t even fully articulate or voice or simply don’t dare talk about. You may not even be sure who you can trust. But as much as the unknown unnerves you and as risky as a situation may seem, remember the fear of the unknown is often far worse than your reality. Take the time to go inward this week and confront the subconscious veil of fear, rejection, anger, mistrust or other negative emotions that hold you back from discovering your core potential. You are being awakened to the greater reason behind your existence and the unique purpose you came to this planet with. Your intuition is blazing right now and there are new realms making themselves known to you. Follow a hunch and you might be pleasantly surprised. — by Priya Kale.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — “People are strange, when you’re a stranger. Faces look ugly when you’re alone,” sang the Doors. People are strange indeed and although your world is expanding now there is a part of you that doesn’t entirely trust a situation that seems to be taking more than it is giving. An unexpected development calls for deeper confidence on your part, to move boldly forward even when another part of you is retreating. Current developments will work in your favor if you use them consciously rather than taking events passively. There is more freedom here for you than any sacrifices you fear you might have to make. You may have your doubts about a friendship or situation that touches a little too close to home, but this is no reason for you to feel alone or afraid of what is unfolding. As crazy as people may act, take them at face-value and let your sincerity and best skills lead you, as you grant others the trust, acceptance and freedom they need to be themselves. Expectations are a disappointment waiting to happen. The opposite action would be to have faith in people and see what they do when given the chance. — by Priya Kale.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Professionally, you are breaking new ground, yet you may still have doubts about an opportunity that is being presented to you. Or it may be that others still have their doubts about the viability of an idea or your plan of action. Trust yourself and your power in a situation, rather than seeking acceptance or validation from others. You have what it takes to be real, and that is expressly what this task calls for — for you to be yourself. Also look closely at your mother’s ambitions for herself, and the things that held her back from achieving some of these. You are your own person and don’t need to give in to or subconsciously recreate the same power struggles that she did. You are a trailblazer and have a unique contribution to make to this world. As you stand in the prime space between the past and the future, you’re beginning to figure that out for yourself. In letting go of what you once thought success meant to you, you are freeing yourself to live your true potential. — by Priya Kale.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are being liberated from a situation that has long had a grip on you, yet despite a certain advantage you have, you know that the key ingredient can come from you alone: courage. That involves giving up an attachment to something you are accustomed to, whether metaphorically or literally, as you experiment with your vision. Use fear to your advantage rather than being troubled by it; one way to do that is to recognize it’s an energy source that you can tap into. You may have your doubts but avoid being too judgmental of a situation or even yourself and your worth. You may never have all the answers, but if you are philosophical, keep perspective and summon your highest and best Self in any situation that unnerves you, you can find a way forward. And you can trust you are not alone on this journey — a partner who comes from a very different world is familiar with the territory, inviting you to a whole new world of possibilities. Be bold, spontaneous, optimistic, have faith and you can make unimaginable progress. — by Priya Kale.

Introducing the Planet Waves 2012 Spring Report by Eric Francis

Spring 2012 is the wildest season I’ve ever seen in 18 years of doing around-the-clock astrology [listen to short audio preview here]. It fits the 2012 pattern of ‘everything, all at once’, even making that sound like an understatement. I am working on the report even as we edit this issue, and it’s coming out beautifully — every sign is coming through loud and clear and distinctive.

We have retrogrades of all three inner planets involved — Mercury, Venus and Mars. There is a rare Venus transit of the Sun — an exact conjunction of Venus and the Sun that you will be able to see if you have a clear view during daylight hours (you will need special equipment to protect your eyes). There are eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. And then, just four days after the Cancer solstice, we have the first exact square of Uranus and Pluto.

In honor of putting all this action to work for you, I’m preparing a special Spring Report for all 12 Sun signs and rising signs, as well as an introduction to the astrology that will be useful to everyone. This is a package of all 12 signs for one price. I’m designing it so that you can actually put many of the signs into use — for example, Virgo will be able to use the Gemini report as a career reading. Pisces can use Virgo’s report as a relationship reading, and so on. I give suggestions at the end of each sign, and will do a detailed description so you can get maximum use from this product.

All 12 signs are now available for $24.95. The report is getting rave reviews from people who pre-ordered, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order. Thank you, and enjoy.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Change is moving through your world, awakening you to your power of decision, and how you feel when you use it. You seem to be figuring out that the movement of time is a fact of life; you can trust that recent developments in a situation associated with your work environment are evolving constructively, despite how it may look certain days. Rather than fight your way out of this, it may be wise for you to retreat to a place of greater safety so you can regroup before you move forward again. It would be great to do this letting go of any fears of being taken advantage of. You don’t need to rush a process, only to acknowledge your desires, and let go of guilt or expectations of how things ‘should’ be. You are coming to a deeper understanding of yourself and others and can re-negotiate important relationships in light of the developments taking place, allowing you to open up to new levels of trust, prosperity and feeling supported. — by Priya Kale.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Just when you think you know someone well enough, they do something completely out of character that has you re-thinking a situation. This may be unnerving, but ask yourself this: what do you have to lose? You don’t have to rush to make a decision, but something you once thought was impossible is now opening its doors to you. Consciously let go of attachments to the past or the way things have been, or expectations of what form something might take. As long as you are being honest with yourself about what you most value in your relationships, you don’t need to fear being manipulated or taken advantage of. Your relationships, as unpredictable as they may be, are taking you far into the future. The less you cling and the more freedom, trust and acceptance you can offer others or another, the easier it will be to form the kind of relationships that offer you the emotional and tangible security and commitment you seek. — by Priya Kale.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — A situation in your life or at work is pushing your boundaries, or it may be your health that is a concern right now. You may fear you’re going to run into trouble, but the fears in your head are often far worse than the reality of a situation. You can either chase your passion or let your fears chase you. You can theorize something forever and drive yourself crazy about the best way forward. But at some point you will have to learn through experience. What is unfolding now is asking you to let go of expectations (especially negative ones) as you move toward your most optimistic vision. There is a solution staring you in the face, but it may not be what you expected. To recognize and seize it, let go of your beliefs or thinking you know how things work. Be curious, open minded and willing to learn and experiment a little. As alone as you may feel at times in your experience, you are not. There are loyal partners and people on hand willing to help and support you. Trust a process of change as you consciously reach for solutions, and you can make great progress. This is your lesson in learning to take each day as it comes and live life on its own terms. — by Priya Kale.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are being called to take a risk in a situation that seems to be pushing you over the edge and way out of your comfort zone. As scary as this may seem, this is an opportunity to ‘re-birth’ and reinvent yourself creatively, sexually and personally and reignite passion in a way you never thought was possible. Just because something didn’t work before doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea; in going back to the drawing board you can find a new solution to an old dilemma. As torn as you may feel between your head and your heart, stay in the moment with whatever is igniting passionate feelings or fear, desire, anger or rage. Rather than try to rationalize your or another’s behavior, understand that people do crazy things when they are in love or feeling cornered. Your feelings may be real but they are certainly not reality, which if you look around you is more abundant than you have feared. Let your passion lead the way and don’t allow others’ doubts to stand in the way of what you know in your heart to be true. Rediscover your inner child and you can be liberated to lead the life that brings you greater joy, purpose and material comfort. — by Priya Kale.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The dynamics within a domestic situation or family are changing, demanding your attention. You may feel a little like a lost child in your own home, something may be too close for comfort, or it may be a blast from the past that has you feeling rather emotional. You are at the start of a new cycle now, which has the potential to bring you greater material and emotional security. Don’t be afraid to go deeper into your past and confront childhood fears and insecurities so you can move forward with less baggage and a clean slate. Also re-examine childhood beliefs about what you once thought security meant and ask what is true for you today. Your parents’ idea of security need not be your own. If you’re worried about how this may affect long-term plans and goals, as long as you are honest about your priorities, you can trust you’ll find a balance that works. You are not a child anymore, and once you realize that, you can start making important choices about the foundations you want to build your life upon. — by Priya Kale.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — A situation is asking you to be brave and have an honest conversation with a partner about how you feel regarding a stressful financial or personal situation. But do you really know how you feel? And do you know what someone else is thinking or feeling? And if you think you do, what makes you so sure? Be honest with yourself first, then you can be honest with others. More importantly be willing to listen. If you enter conversations now with an open mind and few preconceived opinions, you can renegotiate a situation or arrangement in a way that brings you more of what you need, and find a solution or arrangement that works for everyone involved. Be willing to question your perceptions, but don’t doubt yourself. Also, let go of subconscious fears that you face an impossible situation, or must deal with those determined to undermine your plans. What seems like an edgy or daring idea may be pure genius but perhaps you need to give it time to incubate. Brainstorming with someone you trust might help you find the missing piece. — by Priya Kale.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Something or someone may be triggering your insecurities now, but it is also awakening you to what and who is truly important to you. Rather than fear betrayal or doubt another’s commitment to you, ask yourself what you most desire and value; what you need to trust and feel valued — what you learn may surprise you. There is more potential within a relationship than you may have recently been led to believe or thought. You are at the start of a new cycle that sees you growing in material and emotional security, allowing you to deepen trust within key commitments. You don’t need to fear looking like a fool or worry about what others think. What matters is how you feel, however illogical it may seem to others. You’re at a turning point within a social situation that’s revealing not just how different you are from others, but also how much more you have to offer. Yet it all begins with self-acceptance and self-love. When you trust yourself, by extension, it’s then possible to trust your choices. — by Priya Kale.

Evolution Revelation: The Adventure Begins

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“Redemption.” Digital art by Charlie Lemay.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Vernal equinox arrived and the new season began yesterday on a fiery note, with the Sun joining many planets already in Aries — including Uranus. The Sun changing both signs and seasons made its annual conjunction to the Aries Point and the astrological year reset. The Sun’s presence in Aries keys us into the Uranus-Pluto square, which has been developing the past couple of years and reaches its first of seven peaks on June 24. This is what I’ve been calling the 2012 aspect — a juncture point in the cycles of revolution that had its last big celebration in 1965-1966.

In total, the many astonishing events of this Spring are like a garden path, or rather, wild safari that leads to the first of those seven exact Uranus-Pluto squares in late June. Yet because the Sun is in Aries now, it will be passing through the square, in effect setting it off a little early: the Sun conjoins Uranus on Saturday, March 24 and squares Pluto on Thursday, March 29.

Total solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. Photo by Anthony.

But we’re just a little ahead of ourselves: Thursday, March 22 is the Aries New Moon, a spectacular chart for many reasons, mainly because the New Moon happens so close to the Aries Point, that mysterious intersection of what we think of as ‘public’ and what we think of as ‘private’. That crossing has been getting a lot of traffic lately — so much someone should put in a big stop light with turn arrows. It seems like the only things that do end up on the political stage have nothing to do with public policy — such as how to run the government or regulate big corporations.

Rather, we’re in an era where debates over ‘public policy’ involve nothing but private matters, such as what your doctor can and cannot say to you, and in truth, whether you actually own your body. However, the real question is: Do you own your mind? Do you even influence it, and what do you do with the information it’s sending you?

Said another way, are you able to utilize your creative power? We see this in the form of Mercury retrograde on the Aries Point (the first degree of Aries) for the New Moon (heading into Pisces). And speaking of Aries, its ruler Mars is retrograde as well, in the brainy sign Virgo — at the moment the astrology seems to be asking more questions than it is giving answers, though that changes soon enough. Remember that the more sincere your questions, the better the responses you’ll get.

One other very noteworthy aspect in the New Moon chart is retrograde Mars opposite Chiron in Pisces. Mars retrograde has been stirring up all kinds of material, including the psychological baggage we carry around the theme of desire. Mars opposite Chiron focuses desire on the healing agenda, as Mars has a direct encounter with the deep consciousness and reparative quality of Chiron in Pisces.

In case you want to follow the play by play, here’s a detailed overview of the events of Spring 2012. These are descriptions of the events themselves; the sequence is interpreted for each of the Sun signs and rising signs in the Spring Report.

Aries Point New Moon on March 22 — A spectacular New Moon conjunct Mercury and Uranus, with many other planets in Aries — including Vesta, Uranus and Ceres. This event is a portent of the many surprising turns of events over the next three months. While it looks like an event in linear time, this electrifying New Moon sets the emotional and mental tone for the next three to four months.

Solstice Full Moon over Sounion (temple to Neptune) near Athens, taken in June 2010. Photo by Anthony.

Sun square Pluto on March 29 — A turning point in its own right, this aspect between the Sun and Pluto turns the questions internally. Behind the stage show we’re seeing in the media in the drama of our lives, there are pressing questions of growth, healing and personal evolution. Many of them involve our relationship to authority and how we tend to be willing to hand over our power — then wonder where it went.

Mercury retrograde ends April 4 — Mercury stations direct in Pisces, ending a three-week retrograde that began March 12. Mercury re-enters Aries on April 16, setting off the Aries Point again (ideas, drama, big news), and then makes a square to Pluto on April 25; once again we take what is personal personally rather than getting caught in the floor show.

Mars retrograde ends April 13 — Mars has been retrograde in Virgo since mid-January; it stations direct in early Virgo, in the process of making two oppositions to Chiron (as described above). There are many themes of focusing your healing mission and personal integrity; there is an essential blending of the concepts ‘spiritual’ and ‘psychological’. There’s something here about courage: invoking the warrior energy for the benefit of putting your knowledge to work. If you haven’t read much about the current Mars retrograde, I suggest you check it out. Here is an article that opens the topic.

Sun enters Taurus April 19 — Taurus is a fixed earth sign, and the home of the Beltane cross-quarter day. Are you born under this sign? Here is a description.

Venus retrograde starts May 15 — Venus is making a rare retrograde this spring. We’re going through a nearly simultaneous sequence of all three inner planets in retrograde motion in one season. Once again this focuses the energy inward and calls for a review of the past. Venus goes retrograde just after a natural holiday associated with her — Beltane. Astrological recommendation: have sex outside, praising the goddess of love and abundance.

Sun enters Gemini. Annular solar eclipse on May 20 — That would be annular, not annual. That’s a total eclipse with the Sun a bit too far from Earth to fully block the Sun, but a powerful eclipse no less, which takes place in Gemini — the scene of much other adventure this season. This happens the day the Sun enters Gemini, which is unusual and compelling in its own right. Eclipses pick up the pace of existence, and act like convergence points where many different themes and events merge together. Events take on the sensation of being more significant and driven by forces outside our control; therefore, maintaining your power of decision at these times is that much more meaningful.

Partial lunar eclipse on June 4 — Corresponding to the Gemini eclipse, this is a partial eclipse of the Moon in Sagittarius. Note, from this point on, eclipses start to shift onto the Taurus/Scorpio axis. The next set occurs in November 2012. If you’re super-curious about eclipses, here is a list of them from 2012 through 2017. The Sun also makes an occultation to Pluto in Capricorn — another eclipse-like event.

Among the most distinctive events of spring 2012 is the Venus transit of the Sun. 2012 event corresponds to one in 2004 — the next is in 2117. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Venus transit of the Sun on June 5, in Gemini — The most distinctive event of 2012, a Venus transit is as rare as it is spectacular. If you have clear skies and daylight, you will be able to see Venus cross the disk of the Sun (using special glasses so you don’t fry your eyeballs). Think of this as the emergence of the solar feminine — the assertive, creative side of the feminine soul takes up residence in consciousness. For many this will be about resolving competing agendas and personality splits. Note that on this day, Wisconsin holds its recall election. Here is an article on the 2004 Venus transit of the Sun.

Gemini New Moon on the Atlantis Point on June 19 — I call the degree 28+ Gemini the Atlantis Point because so many really strange things happen when planets show up here. I cover them in the article Here at the Edge of the World from last year — worth reading if you’ve been noticing how strange everything is getting. This is the degree that links together such disparate events as the Sept. 11 incident, the 2004 tsunami, Wikileaks, the charts for Japan and the 2011 nuclear disaster and much else. This New Moon occurs right before the solstice (adding emphasis) and sets off all of those charts at once. I really don’t know what to say about this event but I predict it will be interesting — and we may get another little burst of the 911 Truth Movement.

Solstice on June 20 or 21 (depending on your time zone) — the new season begins, and the Sun once again aspects the Aries Point, Uranus and Pluto in close succession.

Uranus square Pluto June 24 — This is the first of seven squares between now and 2015, which focus the cycle that we last heard from in 1965-1966. We’ve been warming up to this event for a couple of years, particularly with the astonishing events of 2011, from Arab spring to the Wisconsin protests to the Occupy movement.

Venus stations direct on June 27 — This wraps up the rapid sequence of events with its roots in the Spring of 2012, and (with any luck) will come with a revelation about what it all meant.

Alrightie then! Now that I’ve left your head spinning, here is your extended monthly horoscope for April. If you’re curious how all of these events influence you, that’s why I’ve done the Spring Report. It’s a passionate, positive, motivational audio compilation that covers all 12 signs.

All hail the new season and its many mysteries.

Lovingly,

P.S. You can listen to audio that covers many of these events in our Top Five Events of 2012 series. This is free audio connected with the 2012 annual edition.

Monthly Horoscope for April 2012. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You could look at the whole human drama as a struggle with awareness. We already have the solutions to most problems; many of the most persistent have been solved at least 100 times. What stands between an issue and finding the answer is awareness, and often that translates to self-awareness. You have the answers you need; what you don’t have, you can invent. You may not believe that, though to test the theory you merely need to slow down and be with your existence in a conscious way. Do this often, and with a touch of faith that might feel like ‘suspending disbelief’. While your astrology certainly is illustrating an exciting trip through the outer world, other factors are pulling you deeper into yourself. Don’t get too distracted by all the activity and drama — keep your focus on your soul, which I assure you will be easier than you think. You may even have a breakthrough, which could feel like accessing a deeper part of your consciousness that offers you better information about yourself than you’ve ever had. Yet this is about far more than you. Being invited into a contact point reminds you that in waking up, you’re not alone — many other people are reaching a similar place within themselves. You’ll recognize them more by the look in their eyes than by face; more by their tone of voice rather than the words they say.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — The concepts ‘Taurus’ and ‘change’ sometimes seem to have nothing in common, but this is the season when you may shock yourself with how much stuck energy you can move in a short time. This month, Venus ingresses Gemini, where it will be until August — a long time for Venus to be in one sign. This is an extended special occasion, which includes Venus retrograde and the Venus transit of the Sun — a rare event that will be visible during daylight hours. One theme is a sudden, liberating release from the past. This includes moorings into history deeper than you remember, which will allow you to do something else — make contact with a point of origin or what you can think of as your original instructions for this lifetime. Don’t worry if today you don’t have any notion of what that means; live your life as normally as you can, but being responsive to opportunity, to chance encounters and to anything that has an odd sense of familia rity. In essence, the theme of this season is staying open to the experience of existence. Notice what seem to be random encounters, desires that come out of nowhere and people who you find unusually moving. Experiment with new activities, or going deeper into the ones that you love but have not had time for. What influences your life in these very days has the power to do so deeply, and in ways that can truly shift your reality.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Venus enters your sign this month, where it will be making some spectacular moves later in the season. These come along with eclipses in your sign and your opposite sign, Sagittarius — all of which I can sum up in one word: progress. This whole sequence of events is about getting all the seemingly separate parts of yourself talking to one another, working together, and gaining the kind of strength that comes from integrity. Whatever may change in the external world, remember that it’s part of a deeper inner project, a growth project whose time has come. We’re now at the very beginning of a long sequence of events that will gradually transform your life. The charts for April have a few bold reminders: one is to be flexible. This might include stretching out in the morning, considering different possibilities when you’re making a decision, and being circumspect when considering an important subject. Another hint is to listen. Be receptive to what other people say, and listen to what you say. Hear your own words and consider their meaning. Get a feeling for where you’re coming from. Part of the shift you’re making is from mental intelligence to emotional intelligence — and all factors are pointing in that direction. How you feel about what is said to you, or what you say to others, is just as meaningful as the content of the words. Of course this is so obvious, most of the time only dogs notice that it’s true, but we all have a lot to learn from them.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Maintain your devotion to your professional path — the one you’re on, the one you’ve chosen, or the one you want. Do this diligently, as if something larger than you depends on your actions. Follow the momentum of your life as it carries you, and add extra focus, as if you’re tending a fire that might go out, or might go out of control. You may not be able to see your destination (some would say destiny), and you may not be sure how to think about what you’re doing. As regards to ‘thinking’, the most significant thing you can do for yourself is be conscious and review events carefully, though without being too critical, or trying to judge. There’s a difference between judging and assessing; between criticizing and paying attention to details. Be particularly conscious of your use of language, which you can consider a kind of firepower. You’re visible right now — visible to more people than you might imagine, or than yo ur present circumstances might suggest. That of course is not a good enough reason for maintaining your integrity, but it’s as good as any. Over the course of the month, you begin to establish solid contact between your ideas and your aspirations. Old concepts that had merit come to life, and you will begin to see that there was a plan in motion all along. I’ll emphasize again that much of your success comes from your precise and careful use of language. Creativity will follow from precision — so say what you mean and mean what you say.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You’re near the end of a phase of sorting out. It’s good to go through these from time to time, so you can establish your real priorities. Sometimes the sorting is imposed on you, such as when you’re moving house and must decide what to keep and what to toss. Other times it’s an internally driven experience, which seems to be what happened this winter. Note, this assessment is not quite over — it will take all month for you to prepare your final report to yourself. Be aware that what you’re doing is establishing a kind of contract with yourself about what is the most important to you. You’re deciding what you want to do with your precious time and energy, and moreover, you’re making the decisions now that will influence your life for at least two years. There is part of you that wants to take a conservative approach, avoiding risks and staying to one side of a fine line. There’s another voice in your mind that’s saying now is the time to open up a bold vision and explore the world in a new way. The magnificent bird’s-eye view offered by astrology is suggesting that these two values need not conflict. You can remain true to your most basic values and ethics while pushing open a new world of possibilities. Here is a hint: your experience will follow your personal development. You will discover something about yourself, and your agenda will follow that revelation.

Introducing the Planet Waves 2012 Spring Report by Eric Francis

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mars retrograde in your sign has been a long quest into yourself, which has taken you through many layers, and you’ve had a chance to get to witness your own process of conflict creation and resolution. In the process, you’ve passed through many different elements of your psyche: your desire nature, how and whether you have faith in yourself and others, and the interconnections between many seemingly separate things in your world. Yet this quest has had a deeper mission: learning how you experience and ultimately create your most intimate relationships. Many of the more painful questions of the past decade are starting to resolve themselves as you claim your strength with partners and loved ones. One element of this is recognizing what an integral role you play in the lives of the people you love; another is recognizing the ways in which you seek and offer healing in those situations. Yet the most meaningful information has come in understanding how significant it is to remain in contact with one fact: what you want. Desire in any form is often subject to a kind of guilt attack, especially for you. Yet you’re waging nothing less than a revolution against this unnecessary, unproductive state of affairs, and in the process, you’re regaining the ability to guide your life in healthy ways. You have learned that you cannot leave this to chance, nor can you leave it to others to decide what is good for you. Said another way, your life is your life.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — One thing you’ve likely discovered is that no matter how strange life gets, or how unpredictable, you’re standing on a solid foundation. Though this theme is emphasized now, I trust that it’s a gift you’ll take with you even as one phase of planetary history melts into the next, and the next. Yet what is strong can always be stronger; what functions well can always be refined. That’s the theme of the season that’s just begun, and that will arrive with some of the most interesting developments for many years. All eyes will be on Venus, the planet that represents you in your own chart. You are on a quest that involves assembling the different elements of what seem to be competing visions for yourself. The coming astrology, as it influences you and all things Libran, is so astonishing I am reticent to make any predictions — except I can offer a couple of thoughts. One is that elements of life, and your ideas about life, that you thou ght had to compete with one another, actually support one another. You can let go of many ‘either/or’ type of equations; they are simply no longer valid. Yet as you transition from that as an idea to that as a fact of your life, a kind of miracle happens. Many other nagging issues resolve themselves. You will redefine your notion of what a problem is to the point where you recognize you have exceedingly few of them — or maybe none at all.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — As you know, we live in a culture obsessed with image, too often lacking any expression of what is real or meaningful. Any time you try to make an impression on someone, or lead them to believe something about you, stop and ask yourself why. Image is powerful, even dangerous, and for you this power must be applied to honest and worthy causes. Given that you stand at a major signpost of your life, it’s time to inquire: who or what do your actions serve? Mars stationing direct (after a long retrograde which began in January) in an angle of your chart that includes the themes of service and your vision for your life, is a reminder that (in the words of Dylan) you’re gonna serve someone (or something). That fact you cannot alter, though you get to decide what that something is, based on your true values. I don’t just mean what might be external to you — I mean searching your depths for what you want to offer to the world. Mars retro grade in Virgo has infused your traditional ruling planet with all of the properties of that sign: attention to detail, devotion to healing, tempering aggressive impulses (particularly toward yourself), and the integration of your masculine and feminine sides. And then there is the famous Virgo theme of devotion to something beyond yourself. Yet what this really suggests is that you’re expanding your concept of yourself, and can now bring together many elements of life you might have thought were separate.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — One really beautiful element of your astrology right now is a rediscovery of what commitment means to you. You’ve had your ideas — and you know how well they’ve worked. You’re now expanding into a whole new concept. It’s more open minded and expansive than your prior ideas; you can think of the new concept as a house with many doors and windows, that allows in the light, and where everyone has enough room to exist comfortably. Said another way, commitment is about who you are, rather than what you promise. When you offer yourself, that’s something you do with your entire being. One recent lesson involved taking care of the details in advance, so that you can proceed with that full sense of engagement. The old astrology books sometimes tell us that Sagittarius likes to skip the details, being more concerned with the broad strokes. Yet one message of the current Mars retrograde is that the details can set you free — if you address them before they become problems. They are opportunities to refine your goals, and with Mars about to complete its long retrograde through your house of ambition, you’ve been doing a lot of that. Make sure that you condense and consolidate your smaller objectives and never lose sight of what inspired them in the first place, or what they add up to when you consider them together. This is likely to come down to one significant decision you make right around April 14 — no sooner.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — One thing about living on this planet is that it helps to make friends with chaos. I don’t mean warfare or pandemonium — I mean that slight sense of overwhelm, of not being able to keep your house neat, of orderly theories not quite fitting together with what we think of as reality. I am talking about the fertile chaos of not quite being sure what to do, and then you have a real idea. Or the feeling of figuring out that a whole bunch of what you believed in the past isn’t true, which shakes your moorings — and in that moment you figure out something that is actually true and relevant for you. Travel can have this effect on us, by cutting us loose from familiar moorings, which in turn allows us to have a different experience of being. One expression of fertile chaos this month involves certain long-held goals. Some elements are working for you and worth keeping; others on review need to be updated or discarded entirely, to make room for new ideas. One cue to observe for the points of chaotic creative contact are stumbling blocks. When something gets in the way, stop and rethink your plan. When you are typing and type a wrong word, read what that word is and see if you’re trying to tell yourself something. If you lose track of your plan, ask yourself what your objective really is. And most significantly, if someone randomly tries to mess with your idea, listen carefully.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Many years of relentless pressure have left you in possession of a secret. You hold the key to understanding evil. By this I mean the force within the psyche that guides people to treat one another badly, or unfairly, or dishonestly. I’m also speaking of the impulse to deny oneself, or to deny others. And I am speaking of that strange thing that encourages people to give up their power and go against their own values. You understand the concept of a motive. There are other ways to grasp this, though if you think about it starting with the dark end of the concept, you have the orientation you need to guide your experience into the light. You’re able to remember the one thing that everyone wants to forget, and that many are trying desperately to conceal from themselves — and because of this, you have a distinct advantage. One way to say this is that you’re not trying to fool yourself, or that your learning has reached the point w here you see the danger of trying to. Whatever you may be doing, one thing to remember this month is that you’re in a position of leadership. This may not be about formal authority — rather, it’s a leadership of ideas. You are setting the example of what it means to have a responsible worldview, and also one that’s oriented in the future. One of your most valuable teachings is reminding people that we must do better than ‘every man for himself’.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This time in your life is an experiment with what it feels like to have an enhanced sense of self-esteem. This is the sensation that you belong on the planet, that you have a mission, and moreover, that you possess the personal resources to accomplish it. When we talk about the lack of self-esteem, these are the elements that are most often missing. I’m not sure, on the personal level, what it is that can make up for the loss; though it’s easy to see in your solar chart that you’re well on the way to doing precisely that. There are of course pitfalls that you’ll encounter along the way, but if you know what they are you won’t need to step into them — you can go around them. For example, you may be accompanied by some persistent questions about your existence. These can be turned to strengths. You may have the sensation that few others understand you. Yet if you’re alert for those who have similar values as you do, or similar mot ivations, you will feel a greater sense of companionship. As for personal resources: I do mean personal. This includes creativity, intelligence, problem-solving ability and ethics. Yet the bridge you will be crossing every day is the one that goes over the gap of applying these things to real-life situations. Your job is to put your mind to work — and this is about making a conscious and ongoing choice.

Beyond the Shadow Feminine

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Dear Friend and Reader:

We’re now in the last days of the astrological year — the days approaching the Aries equinox. These are the last days of Pisces, the final sign of the zodiac. When the Sun’s position reaches the end of any mutable sign (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces) we’ve arrived at the end of a season, and one energy is dissolving into the next. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the ground is stirring to life. Beneath the ground, cellular activity is exploding as seeds crack open, thrust down roots and then reach for the Sun. Animals are coming out of their dens and the trees are getting ready to burst into bloom.

Photo by Eric Francis for Book of Blue.

In the symbolic world of astrology, one perspective on these last days of the solar cycle can be found in the Sabian Symbols. These are symbols that tell the story of the zodiac degree by degree; there are 360 of them, so that’s almost one per day. The symbols were channeled randomly by a clairvoyant named Elsie Wheeler and an astrologer named the Rev. Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, a rather original guy.

They were reworked in the 1960s by another astrologer, one of the founders of what became known as Humanistic Astrology. This was client-centered rather than chart-centered. (Rudhyar liked to meet for lunch with his new clients before reading their charts, to get to know them better.) The last seven symbols in the series tell a story, which moves in visions like a dream; there are several images of moonlight, then an image of spectral light seen through a prism. We’ve covered them in Thursday’s daily edition.

The last degree of the zodiac (Pisces 30) is symbolized by a boy who looks up at a mountain, seeing the profile of a man, and over the years his face grows into that figure. The idea is one of character development and self-visioning, but with the help of an exemplar — and the feeling of giving the process of self-creation time to work.

In these last degrees there’s also the feeling of some concealed truth emerging from latency. The world takes on a transparent quality. There is plenty of astrology pushing us into deeper layers of self-awareness, which some people may be struggling with as they encounter potentially unpleasant psychological material. Mars retrograde in Virgo has passed through a configuration of asteroids that include Psyche, Eros and Arachne — a real drama.

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The Eruption of Misogyny

One way we’re seeing this acted out in the world around us is with the recent eruption of attempts to control women’s bodies — by regulating birth control and reproductive health services, with state legislators getting between women and their medical professionals, imposing sexual codes of conduct, restricting the flow of information to young people, and a new wave of attempts to mandate monogamous heterosexuality, permitted in marriage only.

Nice cartoon but — does it really work that way? This is a fantasy of empowerment that suggests that the sensitive, caring guy will get the woman. We all know it’s not really so simple.

Last week, the Republican-controlled Senate in Utah successfully pushed through HB 363, effectively banning sex education courses from covering the subjects of contraception, premarital sex and homosexuality, forcing schools to teach only abstinence and heterosexuality or not have any sex education program. Note, this crap has been going on since 1981, costing American kids worlds of pain and costing the taxpayers billions of dollars.

I even read that some Republicans somewhere have made a rule that nobody who has had premarital sex can run for office. This is the kind of thing I would think of for an April Fool’s Day prank and be rather pleased with myself; but it seems like many politicians are hell bent on outdoing the cartoonists who ridicule them.

Given that spring is the season of Beltane, when passionate lovemaking and sex out in the fields is an offering to the Earth in the spirit of planting the seeds of abundance, it’s little wonder that we’re having economic problems. I recognize that Christianity is designed specifically as an attack on Paganism (which means an attack on the organic world, which it readily admits), but we might want to consider the metaphysics involved. Humans are part of the natural cycle of fecundity, which means fruitfulness. Sexuality is not only natural; it’s related to everything we do and in some way soaks into or sweats out of every relationship we have, particularly to life itself. Unless you’re Dolly the Sheep, you’ve been fucked into existence. OMG.

It would seem that by banning most forms of sex, information about sex, choices about sex and feelings about sex, the goal is to cut people off from their potential, their expression of their natural feelings and from abundance. And why? Gee, it seems there’s a social control program born every minute. Attacking sex, and people’s relationship to their own body, works like a charm in implementing those agendas.

Christianity is the most anti-sex religion of the lot because none of its main figures, according to the story, ever had sex. It was a family of all virgins, a concept used to turn people against human love and their own bodies.

Christianity — the most anti-sex religion in history, because all of its principal figures (Jesus, Joseph and Mary) are allegedly virgins — has spent most of the past 20 centuries fertilizing the fields not with love but with the blood of soldiers, and of children, and of men and women uninvolved in combat. Some people may not like the logic, but where you ban love and pleasure you get warfare and bloodshed.

Note that this week, while the anti-sex fever reached a new peak, a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan murdered 16 civilians asleep in their beds and wounded many others. But no, for $1 million a year per soldier, we’ll just leave them all there for a while, making sure things stay nice and calm. And as if we have not had enough warfare for one lifetime (wars propagated by the United States have gone on nonstop since I was born 48 years ago, which was after WWI, WWII and Korea) there is widespread talk that the thing we really need the very most right now for the benefit of the world is to bomb Iran.

If we count from when WWI began tearing Europe apart starting in 1914, we are approaching a century of nearly nonstop war. And what are we as a responsible, advanced civilization, going to do about it?

But of course! The obvious solution — for some — is to ban sex. Or at least to ban sex outside of marriage, and sex where women have any control over their bodies.

And you might think: men! Leave it to men! This is misogyny! Women are being oppressed!

Except for one thing. In the politics of love, the “male party” has been cast as the one that is pro-promiscuity and against marriage and the “female party” is the one that’s supposedly pro-marriage and against dallying around. These of course are the official party lines. I will say that I know very few men who pressure their peers into marriage, and many, many women who succeed in pressuring their female peers into marriage — no matter how miserable they think it’s made so many people around them. Forever and anon, it seems the thing to do.

Now, a contingency of men are trying to enforce codes of morality and bodily control over everyone, but it seems that the female body is the specific target of the attack. We might say that’s because that’s the one where pregnancy happens, but deeper down I think we all have the feeling that the men in question are intimidated by female sexual power.

Men Embodying Female Shadow

I have another theory: the men involved are providing a voice and a projection screen for women’s denial of their own sexual power. The attempt by men to ban the discussion may be a reflection of women’s refusal to take up the discussion, to educate themselves and one another, to educate their children, and to insist on honest sex education in schools.

It is girls and women, after all, who actually get pregnant — they have the most at stake. I am aware that there are some enlightened women who really give their children the tools they need. But I know too many young women whose mothers refused to give them any tools at all, who turned them against sex and their bodies, and who indoctrinated them into compulsory heterosexual monogamy. Then there are those who allow their daughters to be injected with Gardasil, which is a neurotoxin and runs the risk of sterility.

Illustration of how ridiculous it is that abstinence indoctrination leaves young people with no concept of how their bodies work.

I’ve worked with many female clients in their 40s and 50s who get out of marriages and don’t have a clue what to do with themselves, how to handle sex, or men, or their own feelings and desires. They often need the most basic sex education, for which I refer them to books like The Joy of Sex and The Hite Report.

I heard a story this week of a mother who was freaked out that her 14-year-old daughter is into boys. Not sex with boys — hanging out with them. The mom said, “She’s not allowed to like boys until she’s 16!”

My theory is that these Republican dudes who want to probe female bodies with ultrasound devices and ban contraception and sex education and force women to carry the child of their rapist, well, they’re just expressing a much deeper level of misgiving and of ignorance. They’re acting out the drama for us; they’re our elected oppressors because that’s what you need if you’re going to be oppressed. Basically, I’m saying we let these ugly people do the dirty work for us.

If many, indeed most, of the secrets of fertility and childbirth are contained in the female body, and we now have this voice trying to enforce ignorance, and a ban on pleasure, choice and self-determination (including the ongoing war against midwives), maybe these men are acting out the shadow feminine — the attributes of femaleness that many women themselves tend to deny. It’s easy to say “men are afraid of female power and mystery” but that begs the question — how do women feel about these things?

If, as seems to be the case, men are trying to say that women must exist within a universe of no sexual choices whatsoever except whom to marry, what is the other side of the discussion? Obviously sexual autonomy goes a lot further than the right to birth control and abortion — but the discussion rarely goes any further. It’s as if all women can do is defend their right to these two basic choices — however meekly that’s happening — but outwardly claiming the right to pleasure and sexual choices is still taboo.

In this situation, taboo means cloaked in guilt and shame. I don’t blame anyone for this; we have all been subjected to the guilt and shame campaign (and we still are). Yet just like the feminists I knew as a teenager explaining to me that the opposite of anti-abortion is not pro-abortion, it’s pro-choice, the opposite of guilt is not being anti-guilt — it’s affirming freedom and pleasure.

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Why Masturbation is Still Taboo — and Why It’s the Key

Before I embark on the taboo side of this subject, I want to acknowledge the progress that has been made on masturbation, and in particular, female masturbation, the past 40 years. The world has had a lot of help from one person — Betty Dodson — who was the first person to come out publicly as a masturbator and advocate of self-given orgasm. She did not do this to teach “sexual technique.” She has been clear that this is about your holistic relationship to your body and to existence. Betty teaches masturbation as the core component in a holistic vision of life.

Female masturbation has become something of a widescale fascination of both men and women. Anyone concerned that pornography is violent or demeaning should be gratified by the honoring and indeed reverence for female masturbation in contemporary pornography. Websites like Beautiful Agony and Solotouch honor both men and women, though on many ‘traditional’ porno sites you could watch women masturbate nonstop for months until your computer eventually needs to be restarted.

Who, me? Masturbate? Christine O’Donnell, former senatorial candidate from Delaware and member of Savior’s Alliance for Lifting the Truth (SALT). Photo from MTV “Sex in the 90s” video. Note the body language of her fellow purity crusader to the right.

There has been a proliferation of woman-centered sex toy stores, including Babeland and Good Vibrations, with many independently-owned ‘sexuality boutiques’ as well.

Yet despite the emergence of a masturbation subculture, I believe the taboo is still going strong — embodied in abstinence-only indoctrination of teenagers, and all of the religious philosophies at its core. The obsession with marriage that we all see is an attempt to teach young people that masturbation is wrong and that it’s not ‘real sex’ — the kind you supposedly have when you’re married. This also includes the indoctrination that every other form of sexual exploration (especially same-sex play) is wrong. Anti-sex crusaders understand that masturbation is same-sex play, and therefore (in their minds) it must be just one little shade away from being queer.

Now, the truth is that you can’t prevent people from masturbating, but you can do your best to make them feel guilty about it. You can shame them and teach them that it’s wrong, as we see former Delaware senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell doing (in her meek, mild and adorably subversive way) in this famous video from 1996. Note that she states openly, “It is important that we discuss this from a moral point of view.” But why, exactly, is that? What about a biological point of view, or a psychological one? This is merely an example of a widespread teaching, which has made its way into public schools in 49 states in the form of abstinence indoctrination.

When anti-sex forces want to go for the jugular, they go for masturbation. It’s not just the Mormons, but they are famous for their vicious abuses of children and teens on this topic.
In fact, with rare exceptions, nearly all branches of Christianity wage war on masturbation, as do many other religious sects. Masturbation is the conservative nightmare of sex. You don’t need anyone else to do it. It exists far outside the health care system; it’s inherently disease and pregnancy-proof; there is no way to tax, prosecute or regulate it. It’s nice to have a vibrator, but God-given fingers work just as well.

There are three reasons I believe that masturbation presents a persistent controversy. And these are the same three reasons that I believe masturbation must be at the heart of any sex education program, or any attempt at sexual enlightenment by anyone at any age.

Reason One. Masturbation leads to self-knowledge. It starts with knowledge of what makes you feel good, and how your body works, as well as what you want. If you know what makes you feel good, you’re less likely to do what hurts. If you can take care of yourself, you’re less likely to need someone else to take care of you. Yet if approached consciously, masturbation also leads to a depth of self-awareness that is essential for navigating life. If we remember that life is created by sexual feelings (which lead to experiences), then we can experiment with the idea that those sexual feelings contain information about existence. As Lou Reed said, “Self knowledge is a dangerous thing — the freedom of who you are.” He meant dangerous to people with an agenda for you. Part of the self-knowledge offered by masturbation is what happens in the unspeakable cosmic self communion of orgasm.

Betty Dodson (second from left) teaches a women’s Bodysex Workshop in her apartment in New York City. Betty is an adult sex educator who has helped tens of thousands of women over the years. This is a scene from her new DVD, which is available on her website.

Reason Two. Masturbation is impossible to regulate. This is true of the physical experience; at least in Western society, it’s possible to find some time alone every now and then.
But it’s especially true for the mental and emotional aspect of the experience, which as you know are total, unmitigated anarchy. Within your own mind, you can do anything you want to, with or for anyone you want. This includes people of any sex, gender or species, such as trisexual space alien fantasies or the little hottie who works next to you. Obviously this universe of imagination is not constrained by availability, appropriateness, whether anyone might reciprocate or whether other intelligent life exists in the universe. Guilt is an attempt to corrupt people’s imagination, and thus attempt to steal their freedom from them, which explains the nonstop campaign. Yet everyone knows it doesn’t work, except to create doubts and misgivings, which nearly everyone overrides and then comes back for more anarchistic, unregulated fun. Still the guilt IS a problem, and it’s what we need to unravel.

Reason Three. Masturbation subverts marriage and encourages independence. It doesn’t prevent marriage — it opens up your relationship to yourself, and then points to the existence of every form of sexual expression other than what is allowed under the terms of the marital sex license. By giving anyone control over their orgasm, it subverts all forms of codependent relationships. Christine O’Donnell was onto this one in that famous MTV video when she said, “The reason you don’t tell them that masturbation is the answer to AIDS and all these other problems that come with sex outside of marriage is because, again, it is not addressing the issue. You’re going to be pleasing each other. And if he already knows what pleases him, and if he can please himself, then why am I in the picture?” Exactly!

She gets it! If people are more sexually autonomous, that, in turn, translates to other forms of independence.

You would think that if the problem is premarital sex, overuse of birth control pills, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies and too many abortions, the solution would be teaching young people about masturbation — and proposing that it’s a viable option. But the fact that masturbation is considered as damnable as any other form of sex reveals the true agenda.

The Personal is Political — Really

Did I ever tell you the story of my dialog with Carol Hanisch, the radical feminist lesbian (and co-founder of Redstockings) who in 1969 came up with the phrase “the personal is political” that you see quoted in this space so often?

Photo by Eric Francis for Book of Blue.

If not, then now is a good time. A few years ago I looked her up and we had an email correspondence. In the course of that exchange, I proposed that if the personal is political, then masturbation, one of the most deeply personal expressions in life, must be one of the most direct acts of political liberation you could ever want.

She didn’t get it. “Sometimes masturbation is just masturbation,” she said (perhaps unconsciously referencing Sigmund Freud’s infamous remark that “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”).

She was really, really pissed off when I suggested she didn’t understand her own theory, and accused me of being a patriarchal so-and-so. But truly — if the whole political system is engineered as a sexual repression machine, and draws its power from there*, and we are now seeing this standing before us in stark naked form, then when you find your own inner freedom, you’re also declaring your freedom from the political BS. We just need to find a way out of how that same political BS (instigated along with religion) is designed to make us feel wrong for feeling anything at all.

Unless, of course, political freedom doesn’t include feeling good, or the freedom to alter the social order to your suiting. Feminism is often on the same warpath as conservatism — the crusade against “pornography” is an example. While it’s true there is a new generation of pro-sex, pro-sexwork and pro-porn feminists, we’re not allowed to hear from them very often, and their mothers and grandmothers in the anti-sex, anti-porn feminist movement are typically fighting them every time they try to show a movie or have a conference on their campus. This is the definition of female liberation that includes telling them what they cannot do with their bodies (be photographed, make sexy films, charge money for sex, tell people about sex toys, and so on).

Part of the problem we face is that both ends are playing against the middle: the conservatives who would regulate women, and the women who would regulate women. They can knock themselves out. I propose that if you want to be free — politically free or personally free, since they are the same thing — then take control of your own orgasm.

Not Just a Canary

We recently had a reader suggest in a blog comment that sex is the canary in the coal mine — and that recent events show us that the canary is dying from lack of oxygen. I replied and said that just because it’s a bellwether does not mean it’s merely that. There is a nearly total misunderstanding, or lack of information, about the role of sex, and sexual feelings, in consciousness, personhood and creativity. Sex is not simply an indicator of autonomy; it is the very thing at the core of autonomy.

You may think I’m overstating the case, but then you’ll have to explain why every social control program begins with a sexual repression campaign. Yet to free ourselves from this, we have to take sex out of the political realm and claim it back as personal material.

Photo by Beth Bagner for Book of Blue.

One of the reasons that the attack on sex, which is currently being done as an attack on women, works so well is because the response is almost always defensive. Shame prevents it from being anything else. If the attack is on sex for pleasure, or the freedom of choice, then an effective response would need to be the positive assertion: I am free to choose whatever is right for me, and the other essential piece, I can share with others whatever we mutually consent to share.

We think that the correct response to repression is, “You cannot repress me like that.” I propose it would be, “I am free to feel what I want.” But if that freedom, or even venturing toward it a little, is met with a guilt backlash or even more overwhelming shame, there will be silence on the other end of the line. Note, the guilt is not organic. It was put into us like a toxin. Because it seems like it was “always there,” we think it belongs there. But it was not always there, and it does not belong there (inside you).

There is only one reason to avoid the sexual conversation, and with that accomplished, existence itself becomes something that we must feel guilty about. Given the proliferation of drugs that serve basically to relieve guilt — we call them “antidepressants” — there is a lot of that going around.

Sex is not a canary in the coal mine. It’s the oxygen itself; it’s the carotid artery that brings the blood to the brain. If the canary looking a little wobbly is an indicator to take action, that action simply must involve claiming sex as one’s personal domain. That also means claiming all of the shame that’s been attached to it, and proceeding consciously from there, and claiming the task of healing that shame. Nobody else can do it for you. You can have help, for sure, but ultimately, you have to accomplish this one as your own quest.

We seem to have no problem asserting that men are terrified of women being sexually free. But I would ask women: How do you feel about being sexually free? How do you feel about the men in your life being sexually free? How do you feel about your fellow women being sexually free? Unless you’re willing to stand up for the people you love, your choices on your own behalf will have little positive energy behind them. You cannot assert your freedom meaningfully and also deny the freedom of others.

The men who are purporting to do this to women are not going to get freedom out of it; they are trying to create for themselves the primary option to be a rapist. The men who understand that women have options get to be something other than an attacker. Yet the opposite of being raped is not not being raped. The opposite of being raped is choosing the sex you want, the life you want and the relationships you want. And in that choice is everything.

There’s an even simpler way to look at it. When you hear misogynist insanity being spewed, ask yourself: How do I feel about my body, my sexual feelings, my sexual choices and my orgasm? That’s the bottom line.

Lovingly,

Note to Readers: We will distribute next week’s main edition on Wednesday evening, featuring the monthly horoscope. On Friday we will run a short edition featuring Priya Kale’s weekly horoscope. There will not be a mailing on Tuesday.

* Footnote about the political machine drawing its power directly from sexual repression. A 20th century medical doctor, philosopher and scientist named Wilhelm Reich figured out why leaders seeking political domination over a society go after sex first. Frustrated sexual impulses are converted by the psyche to what he called the “mystical longing” — a kind of pseudo-spiritual feeling, and a powerful one. That mystical longing is usually answered in the form of a charismatic leader, who plays the role of savior — who has a lot of power over people, rooted in control of their sexuality (which has roots going to the core of their psyche). Without the feeling of sexual starvation, we would have no interest in the leader or any of the political nonsense, or an additional serving of sexual purity indoctrination, that he or she (usually he) spews. This is covered in Reich’s book The Function of the Orgasm.

On the Horizon: Aries Point New Moon

The Sun is moving through the last degrees of Pisces, heading for the Aries equinox early next week. That’s when the Sun ingresses Aries. The new astrological year begins, sidereal time resets to 00:00, the spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere and day and night are equal all over the planet.
The Sun also makes its annual conjunction to the Aries Point, which is a fancy way of saying the first degree of Aries. The Aries Point, in scientific terms, is the place where we align the zodiac of the seasons (western astrology) and the zodiac of the stars (used in Indian astrology). This little spot in the zodiac has some interesting properties. One of them is a magnifying effect; things that happen when something significant — such as the Sun or a planet — is contacting the Aries Point, can translate into big news with a personal impact.

Continue reading.

Santorum Wins in Deep South, Signaling KKK and Catholics Making Nice

In the latest round of Republican presidential primaries this Tuesday, Rick Santorum — everyone’s favorite anti-sex, anti-women monger — won Mississippi and Alabama. Newt Gingrich finished second in both states, while Mitt Romney came in third — but Romney won in Hawaii and American Samoa (the Pacific territory, not the Girl Scout cookie). Ron Paul, still in the race, did not campaign heavily in either Deep South state. According to exit polls, people who say it’s important they share a candidate’s religious beliefs favored Santorum. Given that Santorum is Catholic, most Christians in the South are Protestant, and the KKK used to target Catholics as well as blacks with their terrorism, does this allegiance count as progress? Of course, the common denominators are fear, ignorance, hate and a determination to control others. But who’s counting? After all, Santorum also won with women and young voters; clearly the mind control is reaching the very people who have the most to lose by electing him. And here’s another fun fact: in a survey of 600 likely GOP primary voters in Alabama, only 14 percent consider Obama a Christian, while 45 percent said he is a Muslim and 41 percent were not sure. Mississippi had similar numbers for that question. It seems that no matter how often Obama states he is Christian, or is compared to Jesus, those determined to believe otherwise will not let facts get in their way. And they vote.

Study Finds that Sexual Rejection Turns Fruit Flies into Drunks

Sexually rejected fruit flies will binge on alcohol, a study conducted by scientists at UC San Francisco has demonstrated. Using normal mating behavior, the biologists were able to sort out sexually satisfied fruit flies from those who had been rejected. Rejected ones became drunks.

Let’s go out for a drink.

“When placed by themselves in a new container and presented with two straws, one containing plain food and the other containing food supplemented with 15 percent alcohol, the sexually rejected flies binged on the alcohol, drinking far more than their sexually satisfied cousins whose advances were never spurned. The difference was not only apparent in their behavior. It was completely predicted by the levels of neuropeptide F in their brains,” according to a report on the study.

Neuropeptide F is a neurological chemical associated with emotional rewards that the brain generates through sexual activity. “The male flies that were paired with receptive virgin females from the start and successfully mated had lots of neuropeptide F in their brains and drank very little alcohol,” the scientists said. “Rejected flies, on the other hand, had lower levels of neuropeptide F in their brains, and sought alternative rewards by drinking to intoxication.”

Pesticide Corn Probably Isn’t Good For You, Scientists Warn

Twenty-two leading scientists, experts in pest resistance, have written an urgent letter to the EPA asking the agency to warn farmers about the hazards of Monsanto’s genetically engineered Bt corn, the Organic Consumers Association has reported.

Image from Tree of Liberty.

The frankencorn is planted on millions of acres across the U.S. and Canada. It’s been gene-spliced with bacterial DNA that produces Bt insecticide in every cell of the plant (similar to what Monsanto did with the New Leaf potato, which has to be registered as a pesticide). Monsanto’s misleading promise was that farmers could plant Bt crops and not have to spray pesticides, but corn rootworms have begun to develop resistance.

Monsanto’s insecticide-producing bacterial DNA survives digestion and is now found in the blood of more than 80% of North American women — and their fetuses. Scientists say the exposure comes from a typical (non-organic) diet, primarily through the consumption of animals fed GMO crops. The chronic health impacts of exposure to GMO Bt genes is unknown, but Monsanto’s own study of rats fed Bt crops showed liver and kidney damage.

With Ceres (a minor planet related to crops and agriculture) conjunct Eris (chaos, revolt, consequences) in Aries, our culture’s fractured conceptions of food and health keep making the news. Those two minor planets are forming a trine to Pholus, the planet of ‘small cause, big effect’ — and we’re only beginning to see the big effects of GMO corn, which some foresaw but many denied.

You Can Spend an Entire Day with Melanie Reinhart!

One pre-conference intensive worth attending at the United Astrology Conference is being taught by Melanie Reinhart. It’s called “The Four Angles: Structure, Purpose, and Container of Incarnation.” The class addresses how to use what are called the mundane angles — the ascendant, the descendant, the MC and the IC. Melanie writes, “The four angles anchor the mandala of our life and describe our orientation in time and space, providing the symbolic material with which to approach the significant life-questions: ‘Who am I?’, ‘Where do I come from?’, ‘Who am I in relation to you?’, and ‘What does the world ask of me?’ We consider the meaning of each angle by sign, aspect and the transit process initiated by the outer planets including Chiron.” Melanie is an accessible teacher who gently blends the practical with the spiritual. This class is being held on May 24 and is an all-day program. All of the pre- and post-conference intensives are listed here.

‘Evolve 2012 Initiative’ Focuses on Financial Stability in the 2012 Era

Lev Nathan has created a four-week speaker series on the theme of entrepreneurship in the 21st century. More and more people are “going it alone,” as the business models of society change and technology allows for more freedom. This is a four-week series that begins Monday. The cost is $72 for the whole program, which includes call-ins and the ability to listen to recordings online. The program features numerous speakers who are outlined on the website for the project. There are integration sessions and facilitated conversations using the Vistar Method for Evolutionary Circles. I am one of the presenters in the program, which is in the form of a one-hour interview about creating your own business amidst the rapidly changing times in history.

Waking Up from the 10-Year Snooze

Here is the edition of Planet Waves FM for Wednesday, March 14. The top file is the podcast itself, lasting about 35 minutes. It covers the conjunction of Mercury and Uranus as a highlight of the current Mercury retrograde.

The podcast’s blog page also includes a reading of The Burning of Paper Instead of Children, by Adrienne Rich. The poem is a reference to an incident during the Vietnam War protests when nine Catholics were arrested for burning draft records in Catonsville, Maryland.

The group used homemade napalm, or jellied gasoline, to burn the files, which were made of paper. Napalm was being used at the time in Vietnam, dropped from airplanes to burn entire villages, including children.

As promised, here is the link to purchase the 2012 Spring Report — it’s $24.95 for all 12 signs.

If you’re looking for the Pisces, Aquarius or Capricorn birthday readings — about one hour each and getting excellent reviews from our customers — here is a link to purchase those.

This section also includes the upcoming publishing schedule! The March monthly horoscope (long edition) was published Wednesday evening, Feb. 22. Inner Space Monthly was published Tuesday evening, Feb. 28. We published Genevieve Hathaway’s Moonshine Horoscope for March on Tuesday, March 6. The next Planet Waves monthly will be the April edition, which will be published on the evening of Wednesday, March 21. This will include coverage of the spring equinox. There will not be a regular Friday edition that week; Priya Kale will stand in for Eric Francis for the weekly horoscope of Friday, March 23.

Friday, March 16, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #895. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Your chart gives an image of you remembering something brilliant that you forgot. Something, such as an idea. You may have solved a problem, then misplaced the solution. You may have come up with a creative concept — an article, a book, a song, a film, an invention — then it got pushed to the back of your notebook, or you never bothered to write it down. Yet there is an underlying story here — there is something you may remember about yourself. It may be a discovery you made, such as direct contact with the energy that would guide you to a solid sense of direction. One quality that it might have is that the inner revelation is so striking you have no idea what you might do with it, and that might lead you to set it aside yet again. In truth, we’re talking about the recognition of who you are, which can arrive in the form of direct contact with your inner being — yet it will feel like remembering something you’ve felt before, maybe a long time ago, no matter how vague or dream-like the memory is.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Are you feeling overwhelmed? I see a few possibilities. You may be in a cycle that you don’t know how to get out of. Or, you may be noticing some qualities of yourself that you wish you could change, but you’re not sure how to do it. These qualities might exist inside your idea of yourself as a ‘good person’ or ‘helpful person’ and may even lead you to wonder whether that’s really true. Be aware that you’re in the midst of a magnifying effect — certain elements of your psyche are under a lens right now, where you can see them and where you can, in fact, address your concerns. But that’s not all that’s happening; you’re making discoveries about the love that you have to offer, and you may be figuring out that the only thing you really can do with love is to give it away. Whatever else you may be working out — and there do seem to be a few deep issues — there’s a miracle waiting for you in the recognition that love is what you give.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You cannot control how people perceive you, so you might not want to put too much energy into pretending that you can. You can have a lot more fun being yourself with no particular attempt at spin or image control, and noticing how other people respond. Push the bounds of what’s considered appropriate. Say what you don’t usually dare to say, and go one layer deeper. You may find yourself in unusual company, as in among people you don’t usually hang out with, and also entirely different kinds of people than you’re accustomed to. The truth is you’re a lot more like them than you may think. You are one of the slightly odd, eccentric, creative critters that people look up to because they have that extra edge of freedom. What your charts are suggesting is that now is the time to embody that in a bold way. There is indeed freedom in not caring what people think, but at the same time learning something from how they respond.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Success is an ongoing experiment — not a destination. Remember that this week, as the experiment proceeds in some interesting directions. To facilitate this, I suggest you stay vocal and visible. Announce your existence to anyone you want to make contact with, particularly people you look up to or admire. I suggest that the transition be a respectful approach to a colleague or potential collaborator rather than ‘fan mail’. Investigate organizations that you might want to be involved with — merely on the basis of the affinity that you share with them. If you look, you will see people, or networks of people, with whom you want to share your energy. None of this may get immediate results (but then it could very well). The one key is approaching from a place of openness and curiosity rather than attachment to an outcome; you’re in an environment of ‘expect the unexpected’, which actually means that the likeliest outcomes are not on your list. This one fact is good for at least half the fun.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — I have a couple of experiments to propose for you, around the theme of money and value. Experiment one is take some cash out of the bank, if you can. Take out more than you would normally carry — as much as you can afford, or as much as makes you a little nervous to have. Carry it in your pocket and don’t spend it. Feel it as potential that you can use at any time for any purpose you want — but leave the possibilities open. Experiment two is to consider your value in any way besides monetary. Keep this as close as possible to the surface of your thoughts. Consider the influence of your ideas, the value of your time toward a goal, the value of your help to others and the appreciation that they may feel for you. Then, exert some of that influence. Make an idea known, that you might ordinarily keep to yourself. Help someone when you have the option not to. Contribute to a group project by adding your energy. As you do all of this, note the differences between money and value.

Introducing the Planet Waves 2012 Spring Report by Eric Francis

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — There’s a delightful little drama that’s been developing in your sign, involving Mars retrograde. For the details, you will need to read the articles on the Planet Waves blog, but I can sum up here. Mars retrograde is taking you on a journey into yourself, and its most recent stop was a visit in the land of how convoluted the psychology of sexual desire can be. This plays itself out in your relationships as a constant crisis of faith, self-criticism and a kind of perfectionism that you’re seeing doesn’t get you anywhere. Yet this is not the destination of Mars retrograde — this transit goes deeper, to the point where Mars opposes Chiron in Pisces. This puts you in contact with a core layer of yourself: with the source of your power and also of your pain, which are closely related. The key to growth, as you may know, is learning from everything and taking any experience as a means to self-knowledge. Keep going past what you think you don’t know; past what confuses you; past what makes you doubt yourself, and follow the story deeper, day by day.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — If you’ve ever been in therapy, maybe you got to this point once or twice: you realize that the complicated psychology of other people is too much to deal with, and it’s not your problem anyway. As an antithesis to the games people play, both with themselves and with others, you merely have to notice how people treat you, including whether they mean what they say. You can cut all the games short by using these basic criteria. It helps a lot if you stop trying to understand the seemingly complex and sometimes self-defeating motives of others, and focus exclusively on what drives you. As you grow to understand yourself better, others will become increasingly transparent. Some people are motivated by the desire for communication and community. Others spend their lives avoiding this. While it’s never really possible to sort humanity into two distinct camps, people tend to lean one way or the other. Now, think of this as the one question you have for yourself: Which is your preference, and how do you express it?

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You must be thinking: there has got to be some kind of conspiracy. You keep meeting the same kind of person, who has the same basic problems. The world of demented relationships, denial, pills and attempted glamour stretches from the trailer parks to the suburbs of every city to Hollywood, in an unbroken line of connection — unbroken, that is, except for your need to break free. There is a force deeper and more powerful than the prevailing sickness of our culture that is drawing you deeper into your core. You might think of this as a quest for your inner healer, the aspect of your psyche that knows you so well, and that knows how to turn struggle into strength. I’m not sure you’ve heard it in those words, but I think that this is the essence of healing. There’s a reason so many spiritual texts say that all things work together for good; I would propose that they must be worked, together, for good — and that what serves your healing will ultimately serve the healing of the people around you. We see every day how humans can be an adverse influence on one another; it’s time to consider how we can build a community of mutual witness and positive example.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Take advantage of this moment; that advantage is that you have some perfect opportunities to ground your ideas, to put them into solid form, and to integrate them into your career plan. If you don’t have a career plan, this is the time to make one — based not on what you wish you could do but rather on what you actually do, what you love to do, what you express the desire for by taking action. Clean up old plans, with no attachment to things that don’t work, are not fulfilling or don’t meet your needs. You’re not going for perfection here, but a general sense of correctness. Good enough means worth investing your precious time and energy into. Yours is a fire sign, which means you’re a brilliant initiator with excellent ideas — but your disadvantage is your tendency to be so in the moment that you don’t consciously build a foundation for the future. What you’re doing now is part uncovering and dusting off the old foundations, part repairing them, and part building new structures.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You seem to be in the midst of an emotional tizzy of some kind, though it may be subtle. Mainly it’s messing with your confidence, but I have a suggestion. You’re better off, for now anyway, being a little off-kilter, as if you just stepped off of a boat and can still feel the motion of the waves even as you step on dry land. I suggest you feel each step you take, putting your feet on the ground carefully and one at a time. You have an opportunity to take nothing for granted. This may involve a specific emotional matter very close to home. The astrology for the next few days might make you inclined to jump to conclusions and be emotionally reactive — that won’t help. Bide your time and listen to what others are saying, and listen to what that deep voice in your belly is saying to you. You really do know how you feel, but it just may take you a little while to figure it out, and to feel confident that how you feel matters. There is no rush. Remember that, especially when you’re inclined to speed things along.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Recent events seem to have stirred up something of a psychological disturbance for you, and I suggest you take some time and let the waters settle down. Ask yourself the question: What is this really about? You seem to be aware that there are deep and perhaps troubling issues. I suggest you take your time with this and not decide it’s something that you can or must work out all at once. There are many excellent developments brewing in some of the most visible areas of your life, and you don’t want to divert energy away from them. I suggest you maintain a devotion to healing in the most positive way you can — as a loving commitment to your personal truth — and gently go deeper to figure out what you’re really working through. Meanwhile, you have some opportunities to be more visible than you normally are — and to feel more appreciated for what you do. You can help your healing process by carefully noticing how you feel when people express their authentic gratitude and admiration for you.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The Sun is now moving through the very last degrees of the zodiac in Pisces, approaching the vernal equinox in the sign Aries. This transition has at least two layers of meaning for you. The last degrees of Pisces have a visionary quality; each day brings a new sensation of transparency, of change, and some taste of what is possible. Make sure you look carefully enough to notice, both in your inner world and the one that seems to surround you. Remember to hold the vision not just for what you want, but for who you want to be. You contain all potentials, and if you focus your vision and apply some creative energy, it’s only a matter of time before you grow into your vision. As the Sun moves into Aries next week, you get a reminder of what distinguishes you from others. It’s not merely going on in your imagination — it is your imagination, that is, your ability to think in images. Yet there is something else: a radical quality that ensures you play your own original tune, and that you’re never influenced by someone else unless you want to be.

Introduction to Chiron with Eric Francis

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Dear Friend and Reader:

For today’s Tuesday mailing, I have a class announcement for you. Note, for those curious about the current Mercury retrograde, check this article on our daily blog, which includes a short, free audio summary.

On March 26 I will be teaching a version of my Introduction to Chiron class at Nightlight Astrology in New York City. This is a four-hour version of the class I’ve taught at Omega Institute and other venues. This note includes a rundown of the class, as well as some links to resources for everyone.

Chiron is often misunderstood as a point that is “read” in a chart like any other. That is possible, though Chiron is more useful when seen as part of a dynamic process that cycles throughout the lifetime.

I will teach the theory behind, and demonstrate, the technique that I’ve developed to understand your Chiron journey or those of your clients. When working with others, this will help you understand them well enough to actually have a useful exchange devoted to their healing. It’s a way of revealing the energy behind the apparent layer of the chart.

If you’re working with your own astrology, you’ll get a window into a whole level of your development process: how you experience life, learn from those experiences and gradually awaken to full awareness. This process allows you to see how a chart — yours or anyone else’s — works in reality, not just in theory.

In the spirit of the current Mercury retrograde, what I am teaching is primarily a listening process, which happens in a special session devoted to that purpose. Deep listening helps build trust, gives you a sense of your client’s inner world, and allows time for your intuition to understand the challenges another person is facing (which is challenging).

With that foundation, astrology can have a truly beneficial influence on the client — though the astrologer must be prepared for unexpectedly deep emotional, spiritual or psychological material to arise. I will go over how to handle that as well. In terms of technique, this is a fairly simple process — deceptively so, given the results that it can get.

The class is on a sliding scale of $30 to $60 and will take place from noon till 4 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012. To sign up, contact Adam Elenbaas at Nightlight Astrology by emailing nightlightastrology@gmail.com.

I describe the process in the article When Astrology Listens. If you would like a basic introduction to Chiron, try this article from Small World Stories. Just to remind you, I still have available a 12-sign audio on Chiron in Pisces (2010-2019).

Participants in the class will need to print this file, which is a 100-year Chiron ephemeris. This gives the position of Chiron monthly, which is often enough for most purposes.

I’ll see you Friday with a regular edition.

Lovingly,

P.S. If you’re looking for a link to the Spring Report, you can access that here (it’s still at the original lower price) If you’re looking for a link to the Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces birthday readings, those are available here.

Taurus 2012

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Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 #930 | By Eric Francis
You have expanded your horizons many ways this year. How do you feel, compared to where you were at this time in 2011? Your charts suggest that most of this expansion has involved changing your relationship to what you think is possible. You’re not done with this. The next phase of the process is what you think is possible — without connecting it to an intimate relationship. While your sign is notorious for its themes of attachment and possessiveness, you’re starting to figure out the way that this rigs the whole game of life against you. Your view of love, of relationships and yes, of money, is more global than you may imagine. If you emphasize your broad and portable perspective rather than camping out in any one point of view, you increase the odds of success and happiness exponentially. Measure potential based on what you have never done rather than what you have tried to do. Think of the world as comprising all the places you have not been, rather than the ones you know well.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 #929

How much of how you conduct yourself in relationships is a reaction to the past, and how much is a response to what is available in the present moment? To sort out this question, you’ll need to slow down and live from thought to thought — that’s where the information is contained. It may often seem that the story arc of your life bends around the weight of history, and that what happens today is strictly the consequence of what happened in the past. It may seem that the results of prior choices intervene in your life from moment to moment. Yet if this is true, please consider that you’re being reminded of the need to step outside of that reality. This is not merely ‘escaping’ the effects of the past. It’s about an orientation on existence, and an orientation on your journey through time. You may be caught in the perception that time is linear. That is a compelling illusion. If you pay attention over the next few days, you may notice that each moment is a gateway to many dimensions of time, extending in every direction — and offering possibilities you had not considered.

Planet Waves Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for December

You seem to be invested in a relationship as if your life depended on it, yet with the feeling that you don’t really have a choice. The thing to be careful of is rooting your self-esteem in the feelings of another person (whether positive or negative). In an intimate relationship this will almost always happen — relating closely to another person changes us, and there is always some overlay of self-image. Yet whatever may be happening in the relationship aspect of your life, it would be wise of you to draw your self-esteem from a diversity of sources, including and especially from your own sense of who you are rather than who anyone reminds you that you are. This is a delicate balance for you right now, and I suggest you take your steps consciously.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 #928

Belief is the central theme of your life — what you believe, why you believe it, and the origins of your point of view. Ideally, it would help to go ‘beyond belief’ entirely, because the concept is so flimsy. But at first it helps to sort out what you think is true, and why you think so. Once you get there, an investigation of what’s actually true is the next step. This is partly a matter of learning, and partly a matter of direct experience. Information or an idea is obviously not wrong by default when it comes from someone else, though you can go deeper into the truth when you have your own experience to illustrate or modify your perception. This is another way of saying that meaning is only truly meaningful in context, and one context you now have is a relationship or close interpersonal situation. You seem to be in a situation where someone else’s beliefs are good as far as they go. Be grateful when you reach that limit, because that’s the point when your deeper learning begins.

Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December | By Eric Francis
Standing in for Weekly Horoscope #927

It’s easy to turn relationships into a religion. It’s also easy to group with others based on a structured belief system. Having the two in the same place is a hazard to your growth. Intimate relationships do not need to be grounded in materialized form, in ideology or in commitments that extend far into the unforeseeable future. If humanity is to proceed in a way that could vaguely be called progressive, enlightened or honoring of human potential, relationships need to be a flexible meeting of individuals who support one another in getting to understand themselves. Please don’t underestimate the extent to which relationships as we’re taught to think of them are designed to undermine that very process. The problem you may face is that stepping into actual individuality is so daunting. The reasons for this go back as far as the first person who declared himself king, and demanded the loyalty of others; they extend into the present day, when most people fully expect to be punished for authenticity. I don’t think that either of these are the real issue. For you, it’s about diving into the unknown, and by that, I mean consciously entering the space within yourself where you actually don’t know who you are, and where nothing can substitute. If you can embrace what you don’t know about yourself, you may catch a glimpse of how much you have to discover, and what beauty the mere willingness to meet yourself would release into the world.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Nov. 16, 2012 #926

Your charts continue to emphasize your current relationship situation(s), a fact that’s not going to change for a while. Immediate factors suggest that it’s time for a careful review of the past, including the way that mental habits have influenced your choices and in particular, the words you have spoken and the impact they have had. One choice you have is to build your new encounters on the heap of what has happened in the past. Another is to seek understanding about what has happened, and to re-evaluate your role, and that of everyone else. If you choose to camp out in a fixed point of view, you will miss the subtleties and indeed miss the many opportunities for nourishment that come from true understanding. It’s worth considering the history of all the ways you orient your existence on relationships and in particular, your concepts about them. Life when actually lived is not scripted, the end is not pre-determined and it’s not a role play. It’s something different, indeed, something much easier.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 #925

You are encountering the mystical aspect of sexuality — likely through a partner or partners. Yes, you also have a direct connection, though currently your experience involves what you might think of as transcending yourself through someone else and your experience of him or her. If this doesn’t have a specifically erotic feeling, you might notice it in other relational experiences that involve deep bonding. Yet with so much happening in your opposite sign Scorpio right now, sexuality is on the radar. One theme to watch is ‘what you cannot have’ or ‘what you’re denied’ or possibly ‘what you deny yourself’. This is the very thing that may be acting as the enticement or portal for you to go further. It’s essential that you explore your relationship to withholding or denying, because through doing that you will better understand your willingness to give, to share and to offer. You have it in you right now to discover just how unlimited you are.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 #924

You may feel like you’re caught in something much larger than you are, dealing with forces more powerful than yourself — and with no obvious way out. Take this as an opportunity to figure out just where your true strength is seated: that would be in your initial choice to respond, and specifically how you respond. If you have faith in your ability to make decisions, and if you remain open-minded enough to do so, you will feel stronger and learn a constructive life lesson. There is an idea you’re being challenged to dismantle: that you are subject to life, rather than being a participant in it. I suggest that you proceed through this experience consciously, and slowly, not making snap judgments or saying anything that you cannot take back. You’re not being asked to break a commitment, but rather to evaluate it carefully — in particular, to see whether it supports your growth and is expressive of your true values. There is a denial factor you’re working through; this may involve an exception to a rule that you now have a valuable opportunity to reconsider.

Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November 2012 #923

Whatever else may be going on in your life — and there is plenty — I suggest you keep your emphasis on your wellbeing, such as maintaining a balance between your work and your personal life. The most intimate aspects of your existence are likely to be compelling, as you rethink your involvement in a certain agreement based on factors you’re unlikely to have considered before. The practical aspect may seem to compete against the emotional aspect, though you’re making progress when you see them as the same thing. It’s essential that you become a highly conscious decision maker, which may be challenging amongst so many unusual factors, events that somehow seem fated, and doubts about your past choices. I suggest you develop the skill of knowing when you’re in denial. Each time you figure it out, consider that a moment of awakening. From there, your first objective would be to remain awake, so you can use your awareness to help you guide your life in a wholly positive direction. One additional challenge is the sense of mystery that may be pervading everything. There are the usual questions, such as where am I and how did I get here? These have answers. The most pressing questions involve you and what you want. You’ve taken some strides on this particular issue; you’ve figured out some of what you don’t want and discovered a few things that make you happy. Yet you remain the most persistent mystery in the room. Sit with that one; don’t rush yourself.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 #922

The Sun ingresses your opposite sign Scorpio on Monday, which indicates a shift of tone in your relationship life. Things could go one of two ways from here: toward greater depth and understanding, or toward separation. My impression is that events will proceed along a path that seems organic; emotions, like water, tend to flow with the psychic landscape. There’s a larger story involved, however, and it involves your longterm needs for clarity in your relationships. Clarity is a form of understanding, and in our current version of the world, it’s natural to experience that as vulnerability. There is also something about the nature of exchange. I believe that many people withhold generosity because to give to someone is to set up the conditions for loving them; I’ve seen over and over that we love who and what we take care of. I know it’s supposed to go the other way, and sometimes it does. The question is no longer what you can get, but what you can give. It’s no longer who belongs in your life, or not; the question is why or why not.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 #921

It would appear as though someone wants to marry you, and I suggest you pause and reflect before deciding whether you want to marry them. This may be literal or figurative; the ‘marriage’ in question could be a business partnership, a spiritual partnership, the merging of an idea — or actual nuptials. One of the first things to investigate is whether everyone involved in the situation is being real with themselves, and with others involved. Check the theme of ‘availability’ from every angle you can think of. Then I suggest you account for any exaggeration on your part — whether this involves your feelings, or overlooking certain key details because you’re having so much fun. There is one other factor. While you obviously cannot respond to what you don’t know about, you can make room for the potential that you’re working with incomplete facts. Over the next week or so you’re going to learn a lot, and what emerges will be useful information.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Oct. 5, 2012 #920

Your solar chart suggests that you’re taking a relationship situation more seriously while someone close to you seems to be playing fast and loose. If you can see this contrast, it will prove to be a useful learning tool. You’re at a stage in life when you really need to think things through, more than you need to talk them through. You cannot know what will work the best in a relationship when you don’t know what will work the best for you. I suggest that this is a situation that calls for about at least five parts thought for every one part conversation. You seem to know the truth; beware of how the false confidence or self-delusion of others might knock you out of center. Beware of a tendency to second-guess yourself, especially if you have a strong hunch. And be conscious of when you’re fearing the worst. It rarely happens, though in truth there’s a potent energy source in you that could just as well manifest as creativity as it does anxiety.

Monthly horoscope for October 2012 standing in for Weekly Horoscope #919

Saturn enters your opposite sign Scorpio this month, and that’s a dependable cue that you’re entering an extended phase of housekeeping in your relationships. As with many things Saturn, this is a study in boundaries, which is another way of saying agreements. Part of this experience will be practical: who in your life belongs there? With whom do you have wholesome and healthy connections, and with whom do you have unhealthy or destructive attachments? What are you going to do about them? You may notice that you’re attracting older, ‘more serious’ people who you may recognize have something to teach you about yourself and about life. They will hold up a mirror to the aging process, through which you will be invited to make some decisions about how you want to grow older. Another aspect is conceptual, and even philosophical. What does commitment mean to you? What is bonding? What is the nature of attachment? What does jealousy have to do with any of this? Perhaps most significantly, what role do you allow others to have in your life? One of the most beneficial things you’ll gain from the experience of Saturn in your opposite sign is that of learning how not to give away your power. You may feel like the universe is taking some extreme measures to keep you in alignment with yourself, though remember how challenging it is for you to change in response to any factor besides your own will — and even that can take a miracle.

Planet Waves Inner Space Horoscope for October 2012

There is such a thing as a mature relationship, though it’s not what most people think it is. I can leave out the definition, not because it isn’t essential but rather because it takes care of itself when an essential element of authenticity is present: and that is trust. Trust does not take care of itself; it needs to be cultivated and maintained as a conscious act, usually from day to day. I suggest you do a trust inventory of your relationships, and include looking at the ways in which you extend trust to others and signal that you’ve done so, as well as the ways that the people you’re in any way partnered with extend trust back to you. Then, consider the ways that any given relationship reaches out into the social environment. Is anything missing? Now is the time to address it.

Friday, September 21, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #918

Beware of emotional pitfalls, particularly ones that have been a big problem in the past. It’s your destiny to outgrow and resolve these issues, not to be bound by them. Here is what the aspect structure is describing. You are in close proximity to a spot in your emotional body that feels like an injury to your self-respect. Whatever it was, it has roots in (Northern Hemisphere) summers of 1999 and 2001, though you may not connect those two dates. You may fear that you’re in the same place, or still carrying some residual tendencies — though I suggest you note that feeling and keep going forward. There is something else going on, and it involves your relationship to this elusive thing called ‘maleness’. Much has been said about the alleged differences between male and female desire, though at least for you right now, there is something of a role reversal going on. You can regard any experiences you have of men over the next few days as a form of inner exploration. You’ve skipped over this territory before; I suggest that this time around, you go in deep.

Friday, September 14, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #917

You seem to be invested in a situation that’s approaching a moment of truth. Said another way, that’s a checkpoint where you reconcile with yourself and someone else involved in the scenario, and clear up any factors of denial or deception that may be present. The reason that these are so popular is really a matter of convenience, in the short-run, anyway. One of the first things to check is whose conduct in the situation is self-serving rather than mutually supportive. This is another way of asking whose agenda is dominating? Who benefits, and who pays? Ideally, those things would be distributed more or less evenly, and if they’re not, it’s time to figure out why. This includes a number of emotional dimensions to the situation. When it comes to hidden material and motives, however, you’re the one in the best condition to investigate what’s going on for you — and I suggest you do precisely that. If you do, you’ll learn quite a bit about yourself.

Friday, September 7, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #916

It’s about time you made that decision to feel good about yourself, which translates to feeling like you actually belong on the planet. To do this, you’ve had to take a chance on something, though you’ve also had to be honest with yourself about some darkness that you’re struggling with. From the look of your charts, the moment you made contact with that honesty, you felt the potential to meet — or actually did meet — someone who was willing to match your energy, which has led to an experience of what seems like your real potential. If you keep doing this, which will feel like opening up a little more every day, you will see that the path you’re on is leading you in the direction of your true potential. Yet as you experience that, keep looping back around into the awareness of your deepest fears, your most distasteful attitudes and that part of you that just refuses to let go. The more you look right at these things, the more power you will have over them, and the less you’ll feel like a victim, whether of yourself or of anyone else.

Inner Space Horoscopes for September 2012

If you eliminate what is not true, you will be likelier to focus on what is true. The first thing to remember is that there’s a difference. The second thing to remember is that that difference exists whether or not you like it; though I think you’re far more likely to value and appreciate what is authentic once you have acknowledged its existence. For the next few weeks you’re likely to experience something approaching actual self-esteem, which is a rare psychological condition. I suggest you make a conscious effort to remember how this feels. Much of what you learn through the rest of this year and into 2013 is focused on this theme. There is no taking it for granted if you want to live a grounded, sane and content life.

Friday, August 31, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #915

If you want more fulfilling relationship experiences, you need to be less rigid. That’s to say, loosen up and dare to experiment with what you don’t know. Opportunities to do this look like they’re arriving in abundance. You may be noticing how different other people are, and the diversity of possibilities. Yet what you may be feeling is precisely your way of adhering to what’s familiar. Think of this as being confronted by your own boundaries. It may make you nervous to even think of going past those self-imposed limits, though the first step in doing so is finding out what they are. While you’re doing that, I suggest you observe any self-critical or self-judgmental thoughts, particularly if they come in the form of concern over anything within you that you think is dark. Now for the expert-level spiritual maneuver: If you have a negative reaction to anyone or anything, can you see how it’s an extension of your fear of being that same thing? If you can acknowledge that much, you might notice that your fear is really desire.

Moonshine Horoscope by Genevieve Hathaway, standing in for Planet Waves Weekly 914 for Friday, August 17, 2012. Edited by Eric.

An old-growth tree can withstand storms because the roots extend deep into the soil. But it also remains standing because it’s flexible. You’ve spent time cultivating your own grounding point — inner resources that run deep and can hold up under even the most difficult situations. Think of your emotional grounding as self-worth, confidence in your skills, and an unwavering sense of feeling good being you. These, of course, are ideals to reach for, which you will grasp with greater confidence as time goes on. That brings up the flexibility question, which is your ability to adapt to the changing conditions of the world, including your inner conditions. You tend to place your security in the material world — your home, your car, the status of your bank account. Instead, I propose a question — what would be your greatest assets if you lost all worldly possessions and financial reserves? What would you use to rebuild yourself? These are your true resources. Begin with your work ethic and your carefully crafted network of people. That one is particularly valuable. In some ways, your network is your net worth. Opportunities will arise this month to improve your web of personal connections, coming in the form of something in which you have a mutual investment. Focus more on the quality of the relationship and less on who has the upper hand in the situation. — By Genevieve Hathaway

Friday, August 10, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #913

You may be getting the message that the time has come to focus your mind. One peculiar property of Taurus is that your intellectual talents often find themselves under the water of your powerful emotions. Resolving this is more a matter of maturity than it is of having (or not having) some innate gift. Over the next few days, you may feel what it’s like to be a mature thinker. It’s different from the usual tidal flow of your mind, or the cyclical ebb and flood of your ideas that you live with. Many factors over the past few years have guided you in the direction of the skills necessary to steer your mind a bit like how someone can use the wind and currents to guide a sailboat almost effortlessly. Remember that you actually possess the abilities that seem to manifest over the next few days, and you can access them at any time. The one thing you have to remember is that this doesn’t work as long as you let your emotions overwhelm your mind — and your mind being in charge is the point of maturity for which nothing else can substitute.

Friday, August 3, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #912

You seem to be trying to work out the details of a decision, with no obvious options and a very high ideal in mind. I suggest you simplify matters, and focus your most basic goal. Then ask yourself what, exactly, you need to do in order to meet that goal. Once you have an understanding of this, it’ll be a lot more obvious how to proceed. If you find yourself bouncing back and forth between possibilities, or plans, that’s a sign that you need to focus your goals. There seems to be an overload of emotional energy clouding your mind, and for the next week or so you will need to sidestep this. The way to do this is by making step-by-step plans toward your minimal objective — not your ideal destination or the grand plan. Clarity is going to be key to this process. You will know you’re moving in the right direction when you start to feel a little insecure or outside of your comfort zone. That’s the feeling of energy moving into manifestation. Keep going.

Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for August 2012

You seem to be preoccupied with the theme of authority or power. Currently you’re less directly subject to power, and are dancing with its various influences. I suggest you bear in mind the ways that your internal emotional state may be distorting your perceptions. It’s always true that our mind and our senses filter what we perceive; that’s what they’re for. Now the key is to use your intelligence to observe and correct those distortions. One question that may be percolating is: did you feel safe in your father’s home? This question comes with another — what was your reference point for safety? How exactly do you define the concept of ‘secure’? If you’re asking this question well, it’s going to lead to more questions before you start to arrive at coherent information — though it will, if you’re patient.

Friday, July 20, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #911

You may be feeling the desire to cut loose — to do all the things you might not ordinarily do, because your boundaries are too firm (or said less politely, because you’re wound a bit too tight to try). Remember that this is an emotional impulse rather than, say, an intellectual one. Tapping into it will require that you let go of one of your ideas about what it means to be safe — or rather, one of your false ideas. People make up a lot of ritualistic notions about what protects them, ranging from their lucky T-shirt to not having sex before the third date. Try to be mindful of when you’re leaning on something like this. There’s also something about the fear of consequences based on a past situation that seemed similar. Yet does it really apply? And were the consequences that bad? Anyway — all of this may end up being academic, as you follow an impulse to set yourself free. Remember to keep some condoms and the number of a taxicab company in your pocket.

Friday, July 6, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #910

Over the next week you may get a taste of how complex an emotional situation is, though the outer circumstances are truly the superficial layer. When you start asking yourself the right questions, you will discover that the real subject involves your self-esteem. A central question is not how much someone else values you — rather, it’s how much do you value yourself, and are you able to live and breathe that value? As you move through the events of the next week, quietly ask yourself that question over and over again. You can also inquire whether you feel like you’re associating with people who really do honor the best things about you. While you’re doing that, it would be healthy to inquire whether you notice and appreciate the qualities that others offer you. Sincere and openly expressed gratitude is a remarkably accurate measure of self-esteem.

Friday, July 6, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #909

You now have access to a truly unusual quality of communication, where you can be direct without being pushy. That’s coming from a deeper place than your feelings or your mind; you have available a level of confidence that comes from taking ownership of what you’re learning. Let me say that another way. You’re starting to feel intelligent in a new way, like you have deeper knowledge available to you. That’s the direct product of self-knowledge. It’s also the product of getting some relief from your age-old conflict about what you want, and what is true for you. Now you can explore based on your increased depth of knowledge and confidence. The next few days offer you an experiment to explore what you want, regardless of any hesitation you may have felt in the past. You can go a little (or a lot) further out on a limb, particularly with what you open up and allow yourself to feel. As you do, keep your focus. You’re in an excellent position to use what you know — and you’ll benefit from doing so.

Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for July 2012

Focus your financial priorities. Even if you’re in a state of relative abundance, now is the time to plan carefully for the future. I suggest you take two lines of approach. One is to get clear about what’s important. There are a lot of ways your money could be directed, and some are clearly more important than others. Some of the most expensive things are entirely meaningless, particularly if you have them only for show. Second is I suggest you look for (and work with) non-cash forms of resources. This includes everything from ideas to people willing to help you to repurposing what you already have. Be bold about asking for what people don’t seem to need; bartering and other forms of exchange will be mutually profitable.

Friday, June 29, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #908

Your ruling planet Venus has stationed direct in Gemini, which is another way of saying that information is forthcoming about what in life is most important to you. That, in turn, will lead to your ability to make better decisions about what to do about that significance; to use what you know. One characteristic of the recent Venus retrograde phase has been an experiment in values. By this I mean that you’ve been able to explore aspects of life that may in some way go against your usual ethics, habits or morals. Seen one way, these parallel values systems are equally valid. Seen another way, you cannot be sure what is important to you unless you experience something different, in physical reality. It’s crucial to be able to experiment without the looming threat of failure or disaster, and you’ve come a long way in setting your worst fears aside. That alone has been worth the experiment, though you’ve gained a lot more than that.

Friday, June 15, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #907

An unstoppable, primal force deep in your psyche is having its way with a concept of relationship that you think of as an immovable object. For example, perhaps your concept of being married or in a committed partnership is getting a taste of the rest of your sex drive. This in turn is ‘threatening’ to crack open the relationship concept, which in turn is shaking up your whole identity structure. Though this seems to involve a kind of battle between sex and repression, in fact the energy source is deeper than sex and the structure is deeper than your concept of relationship. But these make viable metaphors and you will learn a lot working on that level. Remember that both of these forces are in your mind and/or emotions, and the whole matter is coming up for healing first and recreation second. This is about something you’re working out — so for now, keep your focus of change directed inwardly. This is what will get you the results you want.

Friday, June 8, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #906

Don’t try to judge your own progress. There are too many wheels in spin for you to predict where you’re going to emerge from your current adventure, or is it odyssey? Meanwhile, you can learn plenty from studying people’s reactions to you. They might be stronger than you’re accustomed to; if some people express adulation and others extreme irritation, taking the average won’t help you determine the truth — rather, experiment with not taking opinions so seriously. You could find yourself diving into situations beyond what you think of as your better judgment, perhaps inspired by someone who lacks your usual resistance to risk. You tend to overthink things, something you may find yourself bypassing these days. You can afford to live in a way that, for you, seems daring — your luck is better than you think, as long as you stay in the moment and don’t make any promises.

Friday, June 1, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #905

It is often said that the basis of love is selflove. Yet selflove is often confused with vanity, arrogance and self-obsession, and has a way of being put down as such. While many are busy doing this, the world is crumbling under the weight of the self-esteem problems that many people face, which come disguised in a thousand forms, most of which are not seen for what they are. Let’s come back to our starting point, which was selflove. This is not generally related to sex, which is presumed to come from other people — the sex we give ourselves isn’t usually regarded as ‘the real thing’. I would propose the idea that not only is masturbation real sex, it’s the basis of all sexual awareness and hence sexuality — and that it plays as meaningful a role in your relationship to yourself as sexual contact plays within any couple. Next week’s transit of Venus is pumping energy into your relationship with yourself — in its sexual aspect and many others. Explore this dynamic and you’ll discover that you can go deeper with yourself than you ever expected. Within your own inner space, you can work out anything that’s interfering with your relationships with others, and prepare yourself to go deeper than ever before.

Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for June 2012

You don’t have to be in as much conflict as you are. You don’t need to accept what other people say is right for you, or the rules that they impose on you, which might seem to be the source of your inner tension. It’s easy to go there by default when your own inner guidance conflicts, or when you’re uncertain about what you want. This thing we call religion, by the way, is about people giving up their power of choice, then imposing that on others, and that seems to be a quickly fading influence right now. This is the moment when you take control of your desires. That means not letting them run you, not feeling guilty and most of all, resolving any conflicting values that might be present in your heart. As these weeks progress, you will find this more compelling, necessary and eminently possible.

Friday, May 18, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #904

It’s as if you’re split between two different existences right now — one in which you feel the emotional challenges and darkness that you want to work through, and another in which you can feel and experience your potential. I suggest you allow those two seemingly separate worlds to coexist, and feel the tension that creates. Hold open the space between them. Don’t let the two sides of the equation mush into one nondescript morass. If you can do that, you’ll see that you have a choice in the matter of how to experience your existence — and there is more in this choice than you may recognize. For example, emotional challenges almost always relate to the past. What role does the past play in what you’re doing now? Expressing your potential is about making contact with yourself, and that can only happen in this very moment. What is stopping you? Don’t worry about how to resolve this issue. I suggest you work with the various dichotomies as long as you can.

Friday, May 11, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #903

This weekend is the Sun’s annual conjunction to Jupiter — the only one in Taurus for the next 11 years. That’s the astrological picture of a rare gift coming to you (and the image of a very, very special birthday). Yet there are those moments when the astrology looks brilliant yet there seems to be some underlying issue. One thing to be careful of is the sensation that nothing is ever good enough. This may seem like a peculiarity of our society, though it’s been an issue for so long that it’s recorded in mythology. Sometimes it’s the feeling of abundance coupled with imperfection; or it could be the feeling of having a strong presence in the world, yet you are trapped or isolated. The beauty of life can, at any time, be complicated by self-doubt. And if you feed it, that’s the emotion that’s sure to grow. If you emphasize and explore your life-affirming emotions they are the ones that will grow — in a spectacular way.

Friday, May 4, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #902

Take a practical approach to any situation or challenge in your life, particularly if you reach a point where you don’t know quite what to do. What appears to be an obstacle is not just an opportunity; it’s also the approach to a breakthrough point. While this is not merely a ‘trick of the mind’, how you think about matters profoundly influences how you perceive them, as well as how they develop. I suggest you be wary of any situation that involves a tease, seems out of reach or unavailable (an asteroid called Tantalus showing up vividly in your charts right now). I am not suggesting you avoid or run from any circumstance fitting that description, rather that you apply consciousness and the power of choice. Desire is a beautiful thing, though this is the time to ask yourself whether what you desire will bring you happiness, and if not, what you might choose to further that worthy cause.

Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for May 2012

Remember what is important to you. Remember, and at the same time, learn. There is a message in your chart about seeing the other side of something — a way of life, an idea about yourself, a basic value you hold. You’re not typically given to exploring what you think is precisely opposite what you might normally do, though this would be an exceptionally healthy thing to work into your routines. You’re about to see how valuable it is when you can step out of your point of view and consider what you might have considered strange, threatening or irrelevant in the past. This is just one of many occasions you will have to reinvent yourself from the inside out. True freedom is based on your ability to adapt to your circumstances and your desires.

Friday, April 27, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #901

Having a healthy relationship with your community is vital to having a fulfilled existence. But how many people have that? Who even considers the issue? Your solar charts suggest that you’ve adjusted your behavior with the people around you to fit in with their expectations. This has brought you the illusion of stability because your group structures did not change like they would, had you asserted your creativity, passion or authentic self. Eventually illusions crack, and yours is doing so as you re-evaluate what is truly nurturing your highest needs. As your personal identity shifts in relation to your network, the community around you will change. I suggest you see this less as a disruption to your inner state of calm and more as a sign of progress toward a more authentic life. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Friday, April 20, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #900

If you’re feeling some unusual tension within yourself, I suggest you consider what will be the central theme of this birthday season for you: making sure you understand your motives. That’s to say, I suggest you constantly refer back to why you want whatever it is you want. What is driving you to make choices, to favor certain people, or to desire certain experiences? Why do you feel about yourself the way that you do? These questions have answers — in fact, they may have two answers each. So the decisions you make are less about the outer expressions of things and more about connecting with what is driving you. Pay special attention to when those motives conflict, and note this as a potential source of any paralysis. A related theme of this spring is taking a trip back to the past, and while you’re there, disconnecting from the values you once acquired that no longer serve you. You’ll find plenty — and you’ll be happier without them.

Friday, April 13, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #899

Not everyone is blessed with curiosity about themselves. Though some people are, that curiosity is often fragile and can be thwarted by everything from external distractions to the fear of what one might discover inwardly to an odd kind of shame about getting to know oneself as a conscious act. For the past few months, it’s as if you’ve been dragged inward, and have felt compelled to explore territory that you might have avoided otherwise. Yet as you’ve moved through these regions in yourself, you’ve noticed all the things you want that exist there. You’ve also come within sight of a truly significant personal goal, this despite some protest along the way. And you’ve opened up inner territory that until now was truly unfamiliar. Remember, as you enter a new phase of experience, how challenging it was, and what you had to go through to learn what you did. Never take that for granted; what was strange to you yesterday or two months ago still deserves to be treated with the respect for the unknown — and that starts with curiosity.

Friday, April 6, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #898

You seem to be caught in something. From the look of your solar chart, it’s an idea. Elaborating further, it seems to be an old idea about yourself, which you don’t usually recognize — though you notice when you get caught in it from the feeling of being stuck. Its properties include the sensation of being of ‘two minds’ about something, which is another way of saying that your goals conflict. This roots more deeply either in not knowing your priorities, or having some attachment to an old idea and a new one that will not work together. Every now and then it’s a good idea to go through your goals and make sure they’re still valid for you. Notice what you do that’s not on your list, and what’s on the list that you haven’t done anything about in a long time. Don’t be brutal — simply be real. Then, update your files. You may need to do this three or four times over the next month.

Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for April 2012

The next couple of months contain many opportunities to shift your relationship to the past. At first it may seem like the past has an unusual amount of influence on you now, but what you’re seeing is something that’s always a factor. What is changing is an awareness factor — in particular, seeing how over-focus on the past divides your attention, as well as leads you to invest precious energy in circumstances that don’t exist. Yet it’s necessary to see this before you let it go. It’s necessary to see and notice any inner division before you can work it out. Where you go from there is another question entirely, but one thing is sure: if you’re honest and forgiving first with yourself and with others, many interesting options will open before you.

Friday, March 30, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #897

Venus is about to enter Gemini, where it will be until August. Plenty of history is going to go by between now and then, both for you personally and for the world around you. However, at the commencement of this trip, it’s as if you pass through a series of gateways. Think of them as pressurized chambers. The first one involves coming to terms with something you were in denial of, which may clue you in to your tendency to pretend certain things don’t exist. A corresponding discovery may come in the form of learning that you prefer the very thing you were in denial of. The next one involves the way you compensate for a past hurt by an excess of some kind. If you can tamp down the excess as an experiment, you may be able to reach the deeper material. This in turn will help you shift your relationship to pleasure, in essence helping you make it a more honest pursuit for its own sake rather than for an ulterior purpose.

Weekly Horoscope # 896 for March 23, 2012

There are things unfolding behind the scenes that you can’t quite make sense of. You may be wrestling secret fears that you can’t even fully articulate or voice or simply don’t dare talk about. You may not even be sure who you can trust. But as much as the unknown unnerves you and as risky as a situation may seem, remember the fear of the unknown is often far worse than your reality. Take the time to go inward this week and confront the subconscious veil of fear, rejection, anger, mistrust or other negative emotions that hold you back from discovering your core potential. You are being awakened to the greater reason behind your existence and the unique purpose you came to this planet with. Your intuition is blazing right now and there are new realms making themselves known to you. Follow a hunch and you might be pleasantly surprised. — by Priya Kale.

Friday, March 16, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #895

Are you feeling overwhelmed? I see a few possibilities. You may be in a cycle that you don’t know how to get out of. Or, you may be noticing some qualities of yourself that you wish you could change, but you’re not sure how to do it. These qualities might exist inside your idea of yourself as a ‘good person’ or ‘helpful person’ and may even lead you to wonder whether that’s really true. Be aware that you’re in the midst of a magnifying effect — certain elements of your psyche are under a lens right now, where you can see them and where you can, in fact, address your concerns. But that’s not all that’s happening; you’re making discoveries about the love that you have to offer, and you may be figuring out that the only thing you really can do with love is to give it away. Whatever else you may be working out — and there do seem to be a few deep issues — there’s a miracle waiting for you in the recognition that love is what you give.

Friday, March 9, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #894

You may be getting the message to be yourself; in fact it’s never been easier. Yet there’s a second theme coming through, which is the experience of being yourself and then experiencing some fear or backlash of guilt as a result. That’s unlikely to stop you, though you obviously would prefer that reaction not be there. Where it comes from is another question, and knowing the history may help you resolve the matter. However, it really comes down to a decision about what part of your mind you want running your psyche — and you do choose. Uncomfortable as this may be, I will say this. There are plenty of people who get cocooned into a crypt by that reaction of every surge of real self being met by some shadowy reaction. It’s enough to make most people stop proceeding in the direction of their reality just so they can avoid the discomfort of doing so. At the moment, anyway, you don’t need to have that problem. I think you’re discovering that opening up your options is better protection than shutting them down.

Friday, March 2, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #893

Maybe it’s my positive experience with Gestalt therapy speaking, but the notion of ‘unconscious’ has always seemed suspect to me. ‘I did that unconsciously’ or ‘that person has an unconscious motive’ sound more like denying consciousness than anything else. There does seem to be a level of information that at times percolates into the one to which we’re normally accustomed, such as remembering a dream that reveals something interesting. I suggest, however, that you’re fully responsible for knowing your motives and your goals, and that if there is any question or issue, it’s going to have a manifestation, for example, as some form of conflict or frustration. Another clue that something might be going on ‘beneath the surface’ is that you find yourself rationalizing, that is, making excuses for why something is a certain way, rather than investigating how it got to be that way. Yet none of this is beyond your ability to perceive it. Your mind is a light; I suggest you look directly at what it illuminates.

Inner Space Horoscope for March 2012

Take care of yourself. Take care of your mind, and take care of the place you hold in the world. Both are precious and deserve to be treated that way. You may be feeling on top of your game, however I would propose that your situation is more delicate than is obvious to you. If you’re not using your relationship experiences as a mirror and a template for growth, you may be missing some key opportunities that are not available on a regular basis. It’s true, you can make nearly any decision at nearly any time, but your experiences are offering you a perspective on ‘the other’ that can, if you pay attention, reveal a lot about what you want from life. If you’re obsessed over what you don’t want, I would propose taking another approach. Being affirmative will provide a more direct path.

Planet Waves Weekly Horoscope # 892, for Friday, Feb. 24, 2012

What did you dream your life would be like when you grew up? And has life lived up to your dreams? A situation is drawing you ever further into the unknown, but through this process, you are learning what it means to authentically trust yourself. When there is doubt, I would suggest you reach for the most fiery part of yourself. The part that gets angry, or rages when it feels unheard. It will tell you something about your deepest desires or why you have felt disillusioned before. Then you can let go of false ideas that have clouded your vision in the past, putting you back in touch with your reality. Your ideals some would say are rather unrealistic and untouchable at times. But still you know your abilities and potential and what you are capable of manifesting when you put your mind, heart and soul into it. If at anytime you feel lost, speak to someone you can trust implicitly with your soul. There are friends on hand, who’ve proven their worth to you and who can offer sage advice to a dilemma. Above all have faith in yourself and you can get closer to creating the life you’ve always dreamed of, offering you the freedom you need to be wholly yourself. — By Priya Kale for Planet Waves

Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #891

Venus is now in Aries, and this may be taking you on a quest for your lost self. Your whole life may feel like a recovery mission that has you venturing into strange or unfamiliar territory. I suggest you stay in these regions of yourself until you gain some familiarity with the environment you’re uncovering. You might have a tendency to want to move on and have things get back to normal, but normal is not what you really want, as far as I can see, or what will really serve you. In fact becoming friendly with what you might otherwise decide is downright strange would be more the way to go. It’s time to throw away all of your prior notions of ‘normal’ and ‘proper’ and habitual in place of a recognition of what is so. Be mindful of your rituals and do things differently every chance you get. Experiment with your methods of working, relating and most of all the way you take risks (or struggle to do so). You’re going to learn a lot if you do, and the information will help you make some crucial decisions shortly after your birthday.

Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #890

There may be some vivid contrasts in what you’re feeling and what others are perceiving about you. They’re not incompatible, but they are different enough that you need to account for any potential contrast. While on the one hand you may be creatively lit up, and have an abundance of good ideas, other factors suggest you want to be extraordinarily careful where communications are concerned, particularly where anyone in a position of authority is involved. What you say matters, and you cannot take it back. Along a similar line, the quality of any idea is only as good as your ability to express it or put it into action in a useful way. This could be a genuinely fortunate time in your life, when actual opportunities are abundant. But you can take no chances on anything other than careful, honest effort, and sincere gestures to cooperate within any group environment.

Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #889

Do you have the guts to actually be the person you want the world to think you are? Or perhaps more to the point, the person you want to be? Projecting an image is relatively simple. Finding the truth of who you are can be complex and challenging. It takes less courage to create an image than it does to seek within yourself and identify the truth of what you are trying to weave for the world to see. Now is the time to dare and take that inner quest. It’s not neat or tidy; for example, the other side of appearing sexy is the truth of desire. The other side of external beauty is the psychological struggle associated with doubt. Concentrated exploration often precedes inspiration, and we often have to reckon with the inwardly violent aspects of our nature in order to experience the gentler ones. Embrace those contrasts as a sign of authentic exploration; as evidence that there is substance behind your image.

Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #888

One of the most deeply ingrained patterns involves sex and — more significantly — how we think about sex. Mars making its retrograde in the angle of your chart associated with pleasure and experimentation is also involved in the Virgo dimension. If you’re looking for why, so often, you have to think about whether you’re going to think about something, rather than just trying it as an experiment — look no further. There’s something for you in Mars retrograde about being comfortable with taking risks, and most of those risks involve how you think of yourself as a sexual being. Many people spend their lives seemingly trying to impress others with their purity, which is another way of saying with their hangups. There’s an old expression: free your ass and your mind will follow. Or is it really free your mind and your ass will follow? Actually, you can do both at once.

Planet Waves Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #887

We each have a special role to play in this cosmic drama called life. Yet until you embrace and accept your individual talents, you’re likely to feel like a fish out of water, or worse, one swimming in a sea of endless comparison. Something you’ve been working towards is stabilizing this week, bringing you the recognition you’ve long deserved professionally. Along the way, events are asking you to move past subconscious limitations you carry regarding your success (baggage that may be related to your religious or moral beliefs) as you recognize your authority and power. You don’t need to impress anyone, nor do you need to worry about what others think. Even if others are impressed, I suggest you remain grounded in your self-awareness and a soul-truth of what you are working for and you won’t get carried away or lost in a crowd. You were born for greater things. Accept it.

Friday, Jan. 6, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #886

Remember your negotiation skills. I only remind you because negotiation is not in vogue these days — making demands is, typically in the style of all or nothing. Given that nobody really needs it all, but nothing does not suffice, keep in mind that the essence of negotiation is making sure that everyone gets the basics covered. You can afford to think with a little more foresight than what you might want or need right now. Devise a way of consciously prioritizing. And you will have to be the one who rises above any atmosphere (or perceived intention) of less than pleasant psychology. Part of being a professional is contributing to reducing tensions rather than escalating them. The question to ask is, ‘What if everyone acted this way?’ Many people don’t realize it but they are waiting for someone else to set a good example — you’re the one who would be that example.

Mercury on the Move

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Dear Friend and Reader:

But before we get into that — overnight Tuesday to Wednesday there was a positively huge coronal mass ejection, which is to say, an explosion on the Sun. The image below is an actual photograph of the event (taken from video shot by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory). The Sun is illustrated by the small circle at the center; the solid blue ring is blacking out the zone that’s too bright to photograph, and the burst to the upper left is the ejection before it got very large.

Solar flare, which eventually expanded to engulf the Earth this week. The size of the Sun is shown in the small white circle at the center of the image. Photo by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory — your tax dollars doing something besides paying for another war.

In fact it got so large it washed over the Earth. Under the right circumstances, one of these things can take out part of the power grid; it’s happened before. The solar radiation storm triggered by this ejection was rated as an S3 class — “mainly a nuisance to satellites, causing occasional reboots of onboard computers and adding noise to imaging systems,” according to SpaceWeather.

If you could hear it, all that energy would sound really cool crashing into the magnetic pickups of an electric guitar. I often wonder about the effect of solar storms on consciousness. So far, I haven’t been able to discern anything stranger than normal in human behavior, compared to what I observe with many planetary events, but anything that can fry a power plant on Earth or a satellite-based computer has to have some influence on the brain. When I imagine how that might feel, the aspect Mercury conjunct Uranus comes to mind, which happened to be exact at the time of the solar burst and is still in effect now.

That conjunction is an exact alignment of Mercury, the Earth and Uranus, so think of it as a direct line of energy bringing all three ideas together, focused through Mercury — the planet of mind. It could feel like a not-so-subtle jolt of energy, sustained long enough to notice it. In Aries, there is a kind of aggression involved, and there does seem to be some hostility reaching a new peak lately. I’ll come back to that in a moment — first let’s look at the current Mercury retrograde cycle, which includes a series of three Mercury-Uranus conjunctions.

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Mercury Retrograde — March 12 through April 4

Mercury stations retrograde in Aries Monday at 2:49 am EST. Currently it’s in what some astrologers call ‘storm phase’ — when it slows down and changes apparent directions. Mercury retrograde in Aries is a warmup for the vernal equinox on March 20, when the Sun will enter Aries and join retrograde Mercury, plus Uranus, Vesta, Eris and Ceres.

Artist’s conception of a view of Uranus as it might appear from from one of its many moons. Uranus does not have land masses and the Sun is drawn waaaay too large for that distance, but it’s an evocative image and gives a cool sense of perspective. The image is from free wallpaper, and a high-res copy is available.

No wonder (borrowing a phrase) there’s all this loose talk of war; bombing Iran is being sold to us as an inevitability. Yet I guess what you hear depends on who you’re listening to. Better ideas than war are not only possible but inevitable under this series of conjunctions, which seem designed to keep as many people awake as possible. If nobody notices, it would not be the first time humanity has slept through the alarm clock.

Uranus, the first planet discovered by science, is a slow-mover, taking 84 years to go around the Sun. It’s movement produces noticeable effects. That’s the planet that ingressed Aries (and thus touched the Aries Point) the very day of the Fukushima earthquake, last March 11. It’s the quicker-moving side of the Uranus-Pluto square, what I’ve been calling the “2012 aspect” that lasts from this year through 2015 (really, with effects lasting much longer). Uranus-Pluto aspects shake the world, and in many ways, recreate it. (You can learn more at my free audio, The Top Five Events of 2012.)

Think of Uranus as representing the creative breakthrough, or alternately, an erratic quality. It can represent the idea that’s ahead of its time; it can just seem weird. You know your reaction to someone who lacks a well-groomed Uranus: there’s something charming about them, but the quirky, pushy quality can turn you off, they can be a bit too reactionary and they don’t know when to chill out. Think of the person who is shamelessly convinced the CIA is following them from the pizzeria to the taco place to the record store.

When Uranus is expressing itself effectively, the result can be a nonstop fountain of ideas, innovative perspectives and an inventive mind that can have a similar eccentric quality, but now it’s useful and friendlier if still a bit high-strung. Yet in Aries, this can take on a militant quality. We can see this clearly in the tenor of the current political discussion, which is all full of Marsy piss and vinegar that the wannabe fascist fringe is directing mainly at women these days.

Mercury makes two additional conjunctions to Uranus in Aries: the next is March 18 with Mercury retrograde, then the third is April 22 with Mercury direct. Think of this as a process of evolving an idea, and in Aries, an idea about yourself. Mercury retreats from hot, brash Aries into the cooler, softer waters of Pisces, letting go of some of its heat before stationing direct. Then it re-enters Aries and makes its third conjunction to Uranus — and a few days later, makes a square to Pluto. April is when we really start to feel the fact that it’s 2012, and Mercury passing through the Uranus-Pluto square will make this extremely obvious — especially as a media event. But there will be a sobering quality as Mercury finally makes its square to Pluto on April 25.

About What Martha Said

Let’s consider how this might feel, and how we can orient ourselves on the process. Remember that old idea from depth psychology about how when shadow material is not consciously acknowledged, it will wreak havoc below the surface, causing chaos and disease? On the other side of that, when we contact, feel and express some of that darkness, authentic healing is possible.

Our colleague Martha — no wait, it’s the renowned Elly del Sarto; postcard c. 1910.

Last week, Martha Lang-Wescott described Uranus square Pluto as “unbidden empty narcissism surging from the depths of Pluto and all of its psychological scars. People can get distracted by the twinkles and the erratic behavior of Uranus and overlook Pluto,” which addresses deeper material and is a more urgently necessary agent of growth. That erratic behavior includes the conduct of various political movements that want, in effect, to ban women from being people and who are creating a huge distraction in the process.

“There is the show and the excitement of Uranus [in Aries], and then there’s this underbelly of the concealed drives of Pluto [in Capricorn], such as greed. Uranus presents as the perfect distraction — all this technology stuff — when Pluto is often acting invisibly. There’s also the attraction to the dangerous element of Pluto charisma. Nessus accents that quality of Pluto.” [Nessus is the minor planet at the midpoint of the Uranus-Pluto square; I covered this in last week’s issue].

Hence, the argument about Rush Limbaugh’s verbal attack on Laura Fluke (who testified about birth control before congress, and who Limbaugh called a prostitute and a slut) is the side show. His comments and all the controversy they create are a distraction from actual issues, when the more important developments are represented by whatever is taking place over at the Pluto in Capricorn side of the equation. This would include the deep psychological scarring that’s beneath all of the fire and fury, as well as subversive activity on the corporate-government front. (I’ll come back to this soon, but when Mitt Romney or the Supreme Court says that corporations are people, that’s a very serious problem; it’s the essence of the problem.)

Capricorn in this context can represent the disproportional influence of so many institutions that try to run our lives. It can represent unresolved family baggage that we know we’re dragging around. Pluto’s movement is trying to get us to do something about it — and to see the connection between our family material and how susceptible we are to deception by corporate entities. The movement of Pluto can represent the deep inner drive to bring some life back into those regions of ourselves. Yet be aware Pluto will wreak havoc when it’s not worked out consciously and given an opportunity to express itself in a healthy way — and that is part of what we’re seeing right now.

Several readers have suggested that this latest cycle of misogyny and pleasure-bashing is really just an old idea being exposed and thrashing around before it dies. Perhaps, but the only thing that can replace it is getting the discussion of sex out of the political arena. The political arena provides a shield for people who are both hateful and those who are on the ‘correct’ side of the issue who don’t want to speak about sex in anything other than a defensive way. [I cover this in the new edition of Planet Waves FM.]

Once we find a home for the discussion outside of the news, a congressional hearing or the committee room of some backwater state legislature, we will need to talk about healing the sexual and emotional injuries we’ve sustained after being exposed to a society that seems bent on sex-negativity; we’ll need to make contact with sexual desire as being part of an impulse to grow and evolve; and we will need to challenge the veil of guilt and shame and open up about the pleasure aspects of sex. Sex and the relationships that support it cannot be themselves if they are constantly shamed. They will be shamed until we realize that the shaming and guilt are a fraud, and until we claim our right to be alive.

Mars is Still Retrograde

Mars has been retrograde since late January and it will remain so through April 13. We need to work this energy carefully. When Mars is retrograde and tries to act like it’s not, it can shoot itself in the foot. Apropos of Mars retrograde in Virgo (a sign illustrated by a young woman, called jungfrau in German), one historical fun fact is that the last time we had an all-in-Virgo Mars retrograde was in 1965 — the year the Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized birth control. Now suddenly that decision is being questioned — granted, by a bunch of religious nut cases who get a lot of airtime on TV.

Microscopic photo taken by Opportunity rover showing a gray hematite concretion, indicative of the past presence of liquid water on the planet’s surface. The rover has been operative on Mars for nearly 3,000 days, though the original specs called for a 90-day mission. The project is organized by Jet Propulsion Lab at Caltech.

There have been other Mars retrogrades partly in Virgo, but the last one entirely in Virgo happened the last time this issue came up for discussion. In true retrograde fashion, we are getting a visit to the past, a review of ideas we’ve seen before, and an opportunity for introspection.

Mars in Virgo has that element of healing desire. The desire part comes from Mars and the healing piece from Virgo. The retrograde feels like making contact with all of the psychological complexities associated with desire. Think of how ‘uncomfortable’ people can get when you want them, or how ‘uncomfortable’ you can get when someone expresses desire for you.

What’s that about, anyway? Despite all of our protestations, do we want sexy without the sex (i.e., nothing but a constant tease), sex without the intimacy, intimacy without the risk, and deep experiences without them having any real influence on us? Sometimes that’s what it seems like.

We might well ask what it is that we’re avoiding with this whole dance. Lots of people would prefer to suppress an entire culture or the whole world just so they don’t have to deal with their own biology, their own feelings, their unresolved problems. That’s what I believe is happening when we see politicians go on their rampages, and we watch them get away with it. This drama serves anyone on any side of the issue whose deeper goal is to avoid some inner truth. It’s easy to scream and yell. It’s more challenging to be with your own pain, or to admit the pleasure that you want, and to confront the possibility of what you might do if you weren’t constantly distracted from your creative potential.

Yeah — what would you do?

Lovingly,

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The past day or so we’ve been experiencing the Full Moon. One interesting thing about that is that the whole world has one experience, a consequence of it being a celestial event; something beyond the Earth. We, as in all of us here, have also been awash in the remnants of a solar storm that took place overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, resulting from a mass coronal ejection from a sunspot, with the energy bursting out to many times the size of the Sun.

Vesta photographed from the Dawn probe in 2011.

And that energy rains all over us. As fast and as uncontrollably as our technology is moving, or the speed of our minds or activities, the Sun in all its passion and Moon in all its silence embrace the Earth between them and there is some collective awareness that something is happening, happening to all of us, in the background though it may be. A burst of energy comes from the Sun, and we’re reminded that our power grids can be taken down in a matter of moments.

Because the Sun is in Pisces — the last sign — this was the last Full Moon of the astrological year. The Sun is now moving through the last 10 degrees of Pisces, called a decanate or in older terms, the last face of the zodiac. The astrology to watch is how close Mercury is to stationing retrograde — in Aries. It’s in a bold part of the zodiac, the first few degrees, and Mercury is conjunct two other points — an asteroid called Vesta, named for the goddess of fire; and Uranus, representing a kind of fire of his own — the fire of the mind.

Continue reading.

As the far-Right’s War Against Women heats up, the backlash is getting feistier, too. Mother Jones writer Hannah Levintova has compiled a list of tongue-in-cheek bills proposed by legislators of both sexes aiming to show just how absurd — though no less dangerous — the attacks on women’s health are getting. For example, Georgia state Rep. Yasmin Neal wrote a bill outlawing most vasectomies because they leave “thousands of children … deprived of birth.”

On a more grave note, Democracy Now! reports that there have been a number of developments in the Republican-backed campaign against reproductive rights nationwide. Virginia’s Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed into law the controversial bill forcing women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound. The Georgia state senate has approved measures that would ban abortion coverage under the state employees’ healthcare plan and prevent employees of private religious institutions from demanding contraception coverage under their insurance.

In New Hampshire, legislators passed a similar measure to exempt religious institutions from including contraceptive coverage in their insurance plans. And Utah lawmakers have passed legislation that would make their state the first to ban public schools from teaching contraception as a way to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. The measure would also bar teachings on homosexuality or other issues of human sexuality, with the exception of abstinence before marriage.

One question for you: Isn’t it strange that this is happening now?

In Wisconsin, state senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) is proposing a bill (Senate Bill 507) that would formally consider single parenthood — “nonmarital parenthood” — a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect if passed into law. The bill’s language therefore also takes aim at same-sex and unmarried couples. Grothman is an ally of Republican Governor Scott Walker, against whom procedures for a recall election are still underway following his actions last spring to strip collective bargaining rights from unions. According to Grothman, being a single mother is a choice women make, and he says, “we should educate women that this is a mistake.” Grothman also commented of ‘unwanted’ or ‘mistimed’ pregnancies that “I think when you have an epidemic of this great proportion, people are not so dumb that it’s surprising when they get pregnant,” and, “I think people are trained to say that ‘this is a surprise to me’, because there’s still enough of a stigma that they’re supposed to say this.” Opponents are quick to note that one of the articles in the bill states that 41% of children in the U.S. are born to single or unmarried parents. According to Human Development and Family Studies Professor Dave Riley, however, family type has far less impact than the family process. This is something that polyamorous people have noted for decades. What counts is an environment respectful of children and with some semblance of stability. Marriage per se is no guarantee of that.

Mercury stations retrograde on Monday. This means that in your intimate contact with others, you’ll want to listen carefully, stop and think before replying, and if something doesn’t quite make sense, back up a step and ask about it. Mercury in Aries dancing around Uranus may be game for some new ideas; be bold and propose something.

Fire Goddess Vesta.

Mercury and Vesta, conjunct in Aries, are making a fire trine to Juno in Sagittarius. Let’s start with Mercury and Vesta together. The brightest asteroid, Vesta is named for the goddess of the hearth, though there’s a deeper layer to the story. The flame she’s tending is the core creative and sexual flame, giving this asteroid a connotation of erotic priestess.

Core sexuality is usually a veiled dimension, but Mercury is coming along and picking up the subject, and delivering it like a message. Note the proliferation of sex in the news right now, and though it’s been a bit warped, there’s still awareness — and something bigger in the air, and that something has a touch of taboo. One core expression of Vesta is devotion, which can be to pleasure, to healing or to holding space.

Uranus is in the equation — it’s right next to Vesta and Mercury is making contacts with both over the next week or two. Uranus brings the factor of the unexpected, the unusual, the spontaneous — and in Aries it’s glowing with the idea of self-awakening. This will come through the exchange of words, so keep your ears on and your mind open and be willing to say what you’ve never said before.

Juno in Sagittarius is trine this conversation. Madame Jealousy herself is in harmony with something original happening, and she’s in Sagittarius, in full expression in her more dignified role as the Queen of Heaven.

The fiery temperament of the moment is grounded by the physical expression of Venus and Jupiter in Taurus. Stay close to your senses, and follow them as you tune in to the deeper psychological material of Pluto in Capricorn, which is calling for some love and healing; and a source of healing waters in Pisces, coming from Neptune and Chiron. The beauty of riding with the current is that you stay in the moment.

Buddy Up at UAC With Planet Waves Readers

If you’re planning to be at UAC and are looking for a roomie, we may be able to help, by connecting people who are interested in sharing a hotel room. Drop a note to info@planetwaves.net and we will put you in contact with other people who reply.

Featured Class of the Week: Donna Woodwell, my co-presenter for the astrology marketing intensive, May 23 (extra fee, very good information, more info here):

Using the Internet to attract clients and build your astrology business

That’s Donna!

Not only is the Internet a great place to meet new clients, it’s getting easier (and cheaper!) to use successfully. Astrologer and Internet entrepreneur Donna Woodwell will demonstrate free and low-cost ideas to use social media and other online tools to increase traffic to your website and convert those visitors into clients.

During this three-hour workshop, you’ll learn techniques and tools you can go home and implement immediately, including how to:

• Discover your authentic voice and use it to build your unique marketing niche

• Build remarkable websites with enticing content that attracts readers

• Engage clients in social media including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more

• Add sizzle to your content with audio and video media

• Harness free Internet advertising resources such as Yelp, Google Places and Amazon

• Spread the love with your email marketing newsletter

• Measure your marketing success with Google Analytics and other tools

Whether you’re just starting your astrology business and looking for clients, or are a seasoned pro who wants to learn more about the web, this workshop contains something for you.

Pisces 2012 Extended Birthday Report Ready

Dear Friend and Reader:

This week I recorded the 2012 extended Pisces audio birthday report. I just started doing these in 2010, and this completes the first full run of all 12 signs. In addition to Pisces Sun, it will also provide good guidance for those with Pisces rising and Moon. The presentation is one hour of astrology in two sections, plus a 20-minute tarot reading. (Capricorn and Aquarius came out last week. Note, if you have an All Access pass, it works for each of these reports.)

Fish Boy Arlo, photographed by his mom — Chelsea.

In this report I cover the recent arrival of Neptune and Chiron in your sign, and describe the energetic shifts of having these two distinguished, slow-moving points in your sign for the foreseeable future (Chiron till 2019 and Neptune until 2025). My intent with this reading is to help you orient on the new quality that you’re likely to experience both as an inner journey and as many shifts in your outer environment. This report both elaborates on the Reality Check annual edition and enters new territory.

These are deep influences that will, over time, transform your life and your perception of yourself. They’re distinctly different from the energy of Uranus in Pisces, which ended one year ago, after seven years.

Chiron and Neptune in your sign will help you bring out your true nature, and establish a kind of inner contact that you may have read about in books on spirituality. Yet there is a cautionary note: Neptune in Pisces will influence you to exist in a world apart. Fortunately, the realistic, high-focus energy of Chiron in your sign for the next seven years will provide an access point to both your quest and your healing mission.

I also take a close look at Mars retrograde in your opposite sign Virgo, which is leading you to rethink the way you do your relationships and the role that others have in your life. The retrograde is an extended question that will help you make decisions about what you want, what is appropriate and how to arrange your boundaries. What’s beautiful is the sense of inner strength that you can now bring to the table; the feeling of substance and a new measure of stability, regardless of what others are going through.

I also look at the Uranus-Pluto square as it will influence your financial dimension of existence — both planets are passing through different sectors of your chart associated with money and the flow of resources. The revolution of this aspect is how you think of, acquire and use all forms of material resources.

There is more; no need to go into it here. The reading comes with resources including the Pisces ingress chart, a photo of the tarot spread, and access to the 2011 annual (Light Bridge) for Pisces, so you can review certain factors from the recent past that may have a bearing on your life now.

Here is the link to order. The fee for this product is $19.95 including everything, with unlimited access (it never expires) and you can download the audio sections as an archive so you can listen in iTunes.

Lovingly, your Pisces astrologer

How (and How Not) To Talk About Sex

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I look at the Virgo Full Moon, and some of the material that might be associated with this event in your life. I relate it to Mars retrograde in Virgo, which to me is about the healing of desire.

One thing we’re getting with this Mars retrograde is plenty of opportunity to do just that — particularly as sex keeps getting run up the flagpole day after day in the midst of the Republican primary race. I propose, however, that having the discussion of sex in congressional hearing rooms, the news and the Supreme Court is a huge distraction, and I recommend ways we can get the conversation into more intimate settings. At the end of the program I announce an essay contest that anyone (or rather, everyone) can win — check for details. The prize (for the first 10 coherent entries) is a copy of Betty Dodson’s new DVD.

I mention a sex education website — SoloTouch.com — where you can read 50,000 stories that prove that you’re not weird. I recommend a book, Eros Denied by Wayland Young, and I suggest you peruse Betty Dodson’s site, not for the end of the sex conversation but rather for an excellent point of beginning.

Friday, March 9, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #894. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Mars is still retrograde. You seem to have been reminded of that fact boldly this week, as some arrangement didn’t quite turn out as planned. It seems like everything in your life comes back to a reminder to pay closer attention to the kinds of details that you normally can take for granted or overlook. In fact though your reputation casts you as dashing and inattentive, focused only on the future, one of the reasons why you can be so bold is that you do have a knack for making sure the finer points are covered. Yet now there seems to be no limit to the number and variety of details that the universe is capable of producing. You may as well slow down. Although all those small elements seem so effective at holding up progress, in reality each question, issue or puzzle that you resolve is specifically an element of progress. The solutions will arrange themselves into something you recognize, and if you look carefully you may discover that this is the constellation of thought you were missing — the one that holds the answer that was right there all along but which you couldn’t see. The name of the game is pattern recognition.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may be getting the message to be yourself; in fact it’s never been easier. Yet there’s a second theme coming through, which is the experience of being yourself and then experiencing some fear or backlash of guilt as a result. That’s unlikely to stop you, though you obviously would prefer that reaction not be there. Where it comes from is another question, and knowing the history may help you resolve the matter. However, it really comes down to a decision about what part of your mind you want running your psyche — and you do choose. Uncomfortable as this may be, I will say this. There are plenty of people who get cocooned into a crypt by that reaction of every surge of real self being met by some shadowy reaction. It’s enough to make most people stop proceeding in the direction of their reality just so they can avoid the discomfort of doing so. At the moment, anyway, you don’t need to have that problem. I think you’re discovering that opening up your options is better protection than shutting them down.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Now is the time to be a politician, and I mean that in the best sense of the word: someone who can work any situation for maximum benefit, who can work the crowd and who is in control of their image. I suggest you boldly advertise what you think is your best idea, and give those discussions time to propagate. Gradually certain specific goals you have will gain popularity, and those will in turn fit a larger pattern that will follow the scheme of bigger plans. If you’re working with others, don’t delegate the part of your plan that involves public contact. You’re the one for that; you’re the one with the charm and the charisma. In particular you have the gift of being able to engage anyone in any conversation, which has a way of building trust. More to the point, you’re the one with the idea. Even if someone tries to persuade you to have second thoughts or give equal weight to alternatives, trust where you’re going. The so-called alternatives will make handy places from which to adapt improvements and enhancements to your far-superior plan.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — In the current political debate over sex there is the underlying assumption that sex isn’t spiritual. Have you noticed that? Making pleasure a moral issue in any way denies not only that it has some inherent right to exist, but that you’re somehow questionable as well. That might be true were we to define ‘spiritual’ as ‘that which does not approve of sex’ (or the emotion of desire). But if we define spiritual as ‘all that’s natural and real’ and factor in the spirit of freedom that’s supposedly our guiding principle as a society, that would clearly point to other conclusions. You’re someone for whom these connections are inborn, intuitive and interesting — sex is so much better when the natural associations are allowed to be what they are. There are all kinds of control agendas afoot right now, and your role is to subvert their action within your own life. Whether you tap into the highest levels of ethics or the most elementary common sense, liberty means leaving one another be. It also means you’re free in the midst of any debate, and not merely free to be powerful; I mean free to choose your pleasure.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Others are far less inscrutable than they seem. The feeling that you’re looking at someone who has the capability to transform or change their appearance does not change the underlying substance of who they are. Take that as guidance to bring out the most authentic qualities you have, including your goals, and use every tool at your disposal to put your plans into action. Think through your highest goals, particularly in a professional situation. The seemingly most ambitious and valuable ones are those most likely to succeed; that’s the way your chart is set up right now. You may have to override some annoying inner message in order to think big, though it’s clear which one is true. If you want to give any nagging fears a voice, cut back on waste and do one last check-over of the details, thank your anxiety for doing its job and go back to arranging the world on the largest scale you can imagine. Your best plans aren’t really individual; many will benefit from your success, which I know you find appealing.

Introducing the Planet Waves 2012 Spring Report by Eric Francis

Note: We plan to have this report ready for distribution by this evening. If you’ve purchased, please check your email for the note.

We’re offering it at a special pre-sale price for current subscribers and customers — all 12 signs for $19.95. Once the report comes out, it will go on general sale for $24.95. The report will be ready later tonight, well before the spring equinox — and it’s amazing. Here is the link to pre-order. Thanks for signing up.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You cannot change your beliefs as easily as you can choose to believe what you know is true. This converts the matter to one of choice rather than something you’re subject to. As you do this, feel the power of your authentic passion as you crack open the influences that were inflicted on you in the past, and notice what’s inside them. Beneath all the control drama is what that control was supposed to be keeping in check — your drive, your independent spirit and your sense of autonomy. Remember that if you ever happen to feel any guilt about being, or wanting to be, autonomous. Notice whether you can trace any emotion to some religious value or teaching — and keep that thought conscious. You might ask yourself how it happened that someone else’s belief became so influential in your life, if only to serve as something that prevents you from taking action. On the deepest levels, this really is about control. You’re taking back control of your life from those who would try to constrain not just you, but everyone. This happens one person at a time, and it has to start from inside, which means with you.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Recent losses, episodes of stress and various disruptions may now be revealing themselves for the gifts they contain. Yet you may not quite be trusting yet, so take your time and listen carefully. It’s true that one or perhaps many aspects of your relationship situations is a work in progress. Yet beneath that is a stable foundation you can build on, and depend on. Make sure you notice this, because it’s the real gift of your involvements with others — the ways that are a demonstration of your common ground and the common values that you share. If you have one reason to feel safe despite the looming sense that one change after the next is acting on you, this is the one. Be confident that your addition to the environment is wholly positive, and is perceived that way by the people you care about. Simply put, you can ignore your doubts and treat your fears merely as psychological or spiritual subject matter to work through and learn from. Whether you’re accepting the gifts that come to you or viewing any changes as an adventure, there’s neither room nor need for fear in your life.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The thing to go for is not acceptance or approval — it’s the full indulgence in your creative process. There is no audience, or you don’t need one; what will serve you best is the spirit of experimentation. Imbibe experience as if it’s a form of nourishment. Embrace your mistakes as turning points that can send you in new directions you never would have noticed otherwise. While you’re exploring, you may notice there’s a critical voice in your mind, that seems to be shining on you like a projector, complete with soundtrack. However, I would propose that if you notice the critics in your mind, remember that’s exactly where they are. You cannot necessarily silence them, but what you can do is make a conscious choice what voices you listen to. Meanwhile, others around you are available to offer their full support — not as an audience but as peers and potentially as collaborators. Their perception of you is more likely to be the accurate one. I doubt you could think of any ulterior motive they could have, other than to endorse your happiness and affirm your existence.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Your work speaks for itself, that’s true, but don’t expect that to be persuasive when it comes to others investing in you. Far from being ‘not worth it’, the issue is that people rarely recognize quality when they see it. As the one who is being true to your values, make sure that you’re the one who is the dependable investor in yourself. Think of this as a process of building the image and the reality of self-sufficiency. While it’s true that there is no actual autonomy, there does exist a state where you’re more dependent on in-house resources than you are on those external to your direct influence, and that is the longterm direction your life is taking. Obviously resources will flow in your direction; that’s the nature of business and art. Yet the ones you want are the ones you don’t have to pay back. What you’re creating is yours outright, and I suggest you embark on a Buddhist meditation of seeing the value of what you do from a detached place, so you have a chance of recognizing that more objectively. When something turns into cash from any other form, that is a conversion of energy — the actual ‘making’ of that value is what happens long before that.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — One dimension of Pluto in Capricorn is that energy of concentrated lust and soul reaching deep into you and turning over fresh, humid and fertile parts of your psyche. That crust you used to live in just doesn’t fit anymore, though the better news is that you figured out it simply isn’t practical. Now that you have freedom of mobility and a craving for life, look at what’s being offered to you. Notice the opportunities for creative pleasure that you’re drawing to yourself. Don’t misread that one; they are not merely ‘coming your way’ — rather, your inner momentum and willingness to explore a different facet of yourself every day are acting like an energy magnet. Therefore you can trust what’s traveling in your direction, and you never have to give up your power of choice whether you want a certain experience or not. Remember that nothing is stopping you, there are no shoulds or should nots — only action and its results. At the moment, your astrology says that pleasure is prudent.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — It’s good you’ve pulled back from the edge, and that the last few weeks seem to have gone without serious incident. Regardless of how unstable your life has been for how many weeks, seasons or years, this is a moment of settling down for you. Do what you can to make your home more your own; that will be a therapeutic exercise because it involves experimenting with a commitment. You might also open your mind to decisions about where the right place to live is, if you’re not in love with your present location. Whatever it takes to build your confidence, security and sense of grounding, I suggest you do. Time in the kitchen will be more restful than sleep. Make a list of your favorite foods, and go out and get them. This kind of grounding is good for your soul, and it’ll be good for your productivity. One discovery you can get into your body is that when you feel good, your life is easier. That’s easier than the other way around, and gives you clear direction where to invest your energy.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The beauty of this time in your life is that you have the strength and experience to stand up to even the most complicated or pushy people. That they might have ‘good intentions’ no longer distracts you from your strength and focus, which by the way have their roots in your learning from past mistakes. I don’t think you’ve ever been clearer with yourself that errors in your history are no longer necessary to repeat. Your feeling that you have substance to work with, and to give you a distinct feeling of presence, validates something real, something you suspected. I suggest you proceed as if you expect people to take you seriously. Assume your ideas will be given real consideration. Remember that you’ve been through very nearly everything, and have repeatedly solved issues and learned to turn any circumstance to your advantage. That was then. What you have now is an abundance of both creativity and focusing power. Just remember to use them both at the same time, and to apply them to everything.

Moonshine Horoscope for March 2012

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By Genevieve Hathaway

Full Moon rising at Sounion, the temple of Neptune near Athens, on July 15, 2011. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Note to Readers: This is the second Moonshine Horoscope by Genevieve Hathaway. We’re distributing it the week that the Moon is the big star — the Virgo Full Moon is Thursday.

This horoscope pertains to your Moon sign. You can look that up by casting your chart at Astro.com or Serennu.com. You may need your time of birth. The Moon changes signs every three or so days, and the closer you are to the edge of a sign the more necessary it is to know the time of your birth. For this purpose, the approximate time will do, but it’s better to cast your chart right if you’re casting it for the first time. In any natal chart, there are three basic personality elements; the Sun, the Moon and the rising sign.

There’s no easy way to describe the differences in these positions; it takes practice with real charts to get the subtle points. However, you can think of the Sun as the expressive adult ego, the self we actively and most confidently are in the world. Think of the rising sign as the face we put on for the world, though there is a deeper quality of the future self we are trying to grow into.

Think of the Moon as the inner core personality, which is closely related to the child we once were, and which is closely related to the influence of mother. The Moon describes security needs, personality tendencies that seem like they will never change, and the ‘real person’ we feel like inside, that we don’t always show the world.

The house, sign and aspects of the Moon tell the story of this inner person so closely related to our childhood self, but this self is still alive and with you. Often it’s set aside with the rest of our basic needs, or comes out in situations where we find ourselves in a child role or ‘revert to default personality’ situation. Also think of the lunar placement as veiling another influence, one that is usually hidden. Where you have your lunar placement, it’s always possible to go deeper, or to peer behind the veil. — efc

P.S. The Pisces birthday report is recorded, and we’re producing it today. Look in your email for an announcement later in the day. I’ve also completed the Capricorn and Aquarius birthday reports. You may purchase Capricorn here and Aquarius here.

Aries Moon — Your Moon needs to initiate, to shape, to mold. And that initiating quality has real influence. When you try to wrap your emotional bearings around a situation, the first thing you usually do is to reach outwardly for it. This month you can’t use dynamite or your usual mojo to get things done. Rather, you have to gently mold and shape your world like a glass blower shaping a work of delicate art in a kiln. You are taking a journey into your own intuition, but through the hidden realm of your subconscious. It may be difficult for you to track this journey, like it’s behind a veil. You can almost make out its profile at times, but not quite. It’s the same feeling as when a word is on the tip of your tongue and you can’t quite find it. Clear answers won’t come from staring at the question. Even the glow from a burning dynamite fuse won’t help you see any better. Let this deep, subconscious journey float around the most hidden corners of your emotional realm and trust that the answers will arrive once they have fully gestated, often when you least expect it. This highlights an important element for your happiness: providing yourself steady outlets for the expression of your fiery core. If you feel like you’re burning up inside, like you have so much energy and power and nowhere to direct it, that’s a sign not enough of your passionate emotional energy has been expressed. Allocating set activities to channel this fire into, will free up a part of your emotional world to hold space for time to work its course and answers to grow and become clear when they are mature ideas. To you that may feel like waiting, but it’s really an active, fertile pause. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Taurus Moon — The sensation of expansion you currently live with at times has made you feel as though you can take on the world, all at once. Simultaneously you are also moving through a period of seeming constriction, as though you’re passing through the neck of a bottle. You may feel the need to stretch into the larger space ahead of you, or just beyond where you are now, but your existence in the present moment might feel like the narrower space of the bottle’s neck. This feeling of constriction is trying to guide you to remember to take care of your health and emotional wellbeing. Trying to do everything at once stretches you too thin — your health will suffer, your energy will be depleted, your work will suffer and your relationships will suffer. You will have less of you to give. But if you maintain balance between inward sustenance and outward flow, you will have plenty for yourself and plenty to give. Even though that constricting feeling may have felt in the past like it was dampening the fun in your life, in fact it was providing you with temperance, that rare, precious and often hard-won human quality. That required you to take stock of what was most important and not overextend yourself. Whether you’re tackling many goals or channeling your energy into a focused mission, your emotional resources are a source of energy for you to draw on, though that requires actually feeling them for what they are. You must tend and manage your process of tapping these resources. This stewardship will be important as the intensity and speed with which life moves increases exponentially. Practice now so you can apply this managing of your energy and emotional resources when it most matters. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Gemini Moon — An amphibian is an animal that can live both on land and in water. Your Moon is like this critter: you split your time between living in two or more different elements, such as your mind and your emotions, your outward temperament and your introspective side. Even though the Gemini Moon comes with its share of mental ideas and detachment, when it comes to the expression of your emotions, it’s all water and reflection. I suggest you see this as an advantage, and harness the power of being able to shake off your skin and slip into a different element. This month, let the mental give way to the emotional and intuitive. Shake off your mind’s control over your emotions, slip into what you feel. And then ask yourself whether you are living your highest goals and greatest aspirations. Are you fulfilling your highest calling in life? A clue that the work you do is your highest calling is that it resonates deeply in your emotional realm. Take stock on where you stand and what you want. Proceed from a place of intuition when checking in on what you want to be known for. For you, there’s an importance placed on creativity and dualism. Your “calling in life” is dualistic. It may have two distinct sides or be two distinct things, but the common thread is creativity. Sink into your intuition and explore without a need for facts or answers, and as ideas surface, write them down. After a few weeks look at the page and connect the dots. Clarity and insight will come from what you find. But with this new understanding will come the responsibility of making the necessary changes in direction and structure to your life. Remember, your life at the end of the day is your own and only you can prioritize your biggest, most meaningful goals. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Cancer Moon — Caring for others is essential to your emotional well-being. It brings you meaningful happiness, and is a big part of how you participate with the greater world. Part of your ability to care is the ability to slip out of your skin, your own issues and struggles, and slip into someone else’s experience to bear witness to their struggle, healing or growth. This ability is a rare gift, though I would caution that if you slip into enough skins you’ll begin to lose contact with your own. Be careful not to adopt pain, fear and guilt from those individuals whose space you hold and pain you join with to help them heal. Caring is a core value for you, a core principle that governs your philosophy of life, and that’s a beautiful thing in a world that is so often lacking in just this quality. But my Cancer Moon friend, who is caring for you? You have a need to care for others, but like everyone else, you also need to be cared for. Part of your emotional security is having plenty of reserves to care for yourself, and a support network of people close to you who do not just ask you to shed your shell but also build you up and nourish you emotionally. As you reevaluate your approach to nourishing others, notice where nourishment is lacking for yourself; pay attention to where your need to be cared for is not fully actualized. Then see what you learn here about your relationship with your mother and her inner emotional material. Some of that is what gets in your way — and if you work through some of that you’ll be more open to receive, and find it easier to look after yourself. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Leo Moon — Your Moon sign is ruled by the Sun, the only body in our solar system that produces its own light. Like the Sun, you need to shine forth to feel good. This is the most essential daily experience for your happiness. Part of shining brightly is not giving away your light, or power, to others without clear intentions. It can take some experience to learn how not to give away your power to others. This might include worrying about how someone else is living their life — such as what they are thinking, feeling and doing, or trying to solve their problems for them. This month, I suggest you do an all-systems check. Where is your energy going? Where are you worrying about other people’s business? To clarify, caring is not the same as worrying. Listen to your gut. If you feel off kilter, anxious, or if your emotions feel murky, that’s a warning. If you’re worried, stressed or jealous around someone else, that’s a sign you’re not shining in your inner light but instead giving it away. You may be caught in a subtle power struggle. In the desire to control what another person does, you lose your power. Where you notice you’ve done this, pull it back to you. Focus on feeling good, being confident, and living in your truths. Be confident. Those around you will be drawn to your inner Sun shining brightly. And remember, you have the right to shine brightly. For you, it’s the same as having the right to breathe air, drink water and feed yourself. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Introducing the Planet Waves 2012 Spring Report by Eric Francis

We’re offering it at a special pre-sale price for current subscribers and customers — all 12 signs for $19.95. Once the report comes out, it will go on general sale for $24.95. The report will be ready by March 7, well before the spring equinox — I’m working on it now and it’s coming out amazing. Here is the link to pre-order. Thanks for signing up.

Virgo Moon — You’re at your happiest when the little things in life are ironed out. When details are straight and your environment is orderly and those around you are appreciating how hard you work, you’re feeling good. And when they’re not you can get cranky. Be careful of frustration and self-criticism this month, and of criticizing your closest relations. For you, relationships strike an emotional and satisfying note when there is a strong element of creativity, artistic quality, fluidity and depth. For these sorts of relationships to flourish they can’t be held to strict, unchanging details that are nailed every time. With Mars retrograde occurring in your Moon sign and your ruling planet Mercury soon retrograde as well, that’s a lot of inner focus. Relationships are often a reflection of our inner struggles, inner growth and work we need to do. You are in the process of an inner journey into your emotions and their reflection. Basically, you get to approach the situation from two angles. If approached from an open place, those two perspectives will bring greater clarity. Clarity is something you can work with. Resist the urge to nitpick anything at all, yourself or others. If you get all the small things right and the other person appreciates you for it, but they can’t get all the small things right (even though they try hard) what is the worst that would happen? Would the love and caring end? Would the whole house of cards come crashing down? I propose the answer is no. Even when the little details falter, the structure and purpose of the relationship remains. This is a good moment to employ that detachment air signs are known for. Get perspective and realize that the feelings of the need to be critical may not be appropriate for the slights that occurred. And then give partners in your life grace to be imperfect. You may just find this grace reflecting back on yourself. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Libra Moon — For you, beauty is an essential aspect of your environment: beauty that you can see, touch, hear and admire. Yet you also thrive on the awareness of intangible or inner beauty, the kind that requires one’s spiritual eyes to be open. For you, that inner-outer relationship is the ultimate expression of balance. I would caution you against getting caught up in the idea that for there to be beauty there needs to be perfection. Imperfection is an essential element: it reminds us that it is part of this world and not some unattainable ideal. It’s hard to enjoy life when you’re always chasing what you cannot reach. Life is ‘imperfect’, yet what that means is that there is always room for improvement. Part of its beauty lies in the creativity that is spurred by what we think of as imperfection. This month examine your perspective on beauty. What does beauty look like for you? What role does perfection play? Explore where you require perfection in your life — and where those ideas on perfection came from. You may get some interesting answers — answers that could stem from your earliest memories. Part of your living a happier, emotionally healthier life is grounding your perceptions in tangible reality. Life is a work in progress and as such never reaches the ideal state. As you ease up on this chase for perfect balance, you’ll know you are making headway when you feel a release of pressure. It’s like you’ve been holding your breath without really noticing it, and soon you can breathe easy again. Then take note of how more comfy and welcoming your emotions feel, and more importantly how much easier it is for them to feel balanced with the pressure easing off. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Scorpio Moon — One of the rulers of your Moon sign is Mars, Mr. God-of-War himself. As March progresses, I suggest you focus your energy on making art, not war. You already have abundant creativity at your disposal, and yet another layer of creative depth has been revealed. You’re being pulled through your emotions into this newfound dimension of creativity to learn how to harness it. This journey is not a logic puzzle or Rubik’s Cube you can figure out with your mind; rather, it’s a journey navigated by your feelings and intuition, a journey that’s a focused investigation. As you work out your relationship to the larger social spheres or even the public, this month you’re simultaneously working out what you are going to create to share with the world around you. Consider what provides you with meaning, and then approach that from an artistic mindset. If something emotionally fulfills and sustains you, that’s a clue you’re on the right track. As you get to know your own creativity, you’ll then be able to share it. Experimentation is part of the process. It involves letting go of controlling the outcome, testing the waters, and seeing what happens. This is an uncomfortable prospect for most Scorpio Moon folks, who often feel best when they have a sense of control. Create a physical space in which to experiment. This is an art studio of sorts for you, but more importantly it is a safe space where you can drop your guard, be imperfect and not be in control every second. As you explore art, think of yourself as a sculptor working and shaping your approach to experimentation itself. At first it may look or feel crude; but with practice an elegance begins to form. Go boldly this month — in the art you make and pushing into your deepest creative emotions. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Sagittarius Moon — For someone who spends so much time connecting to the world at large, you need to have a solid grounding in your intuition. Intuition is crucial in situations where you’re operating with partial knowledge and learning the rest of the information on the fly. Oftentimes when we are interacting with people we don’t know that well, we come to the table with some understanding of the situation and then learn more information or reach greater clarity in the midst of ongoing interactions. An example of this is travel. When you travel there’s always a piece of information that you don’t know, but then learn when you have your feet on the ground and meet real people. What gets you safely through operating with partial information is your intuition. That includes discernment — having a baseline to quickly categorize information into “more true” and “less true.” The other piece of intuition is the hairs on the back of your neck, a vibe check of people, and listening to what comes up through your core root of security. Be sensitive to how spaces feel, the first thing you notice about someone and the scent in the air. You’re as sensitive as a precision instrument. Your emotional security base is highly tuned to the psychic world to begin with, and for a while is even more highly sensitive, but in an easily accessible manner. None of this is cut and dried, nor can it be reduced to instructions. The information that comes back is more difficult to evaluate than a multiple choice test. If you’re unsure, test the waters before you dive in. Know where your comfort zone is, then go out to the very edge, and see what you notice. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Capricorn Moon — This month, I suggest you investigate your father’s psychological state and how it affected your ability to be clear on your needs. Much in your chart in March is calling for a conscious addressing of this issue of that ‘fatherly’ environment, in whatever form it may appear. Accompanying this call for healing are the tools to heal any challenge you might encounter. Whether the timing seems right or not, whether your father is alive or not, you can make significant headway this month in clearing out this old material that has hindered you for too long. As you sift through the information that is coming up through your emotions, look for residue of earlier power struggles or where you had to cover up how you felt to survive living under your father’s (or father figure’s) roof. If you approach this inquiry from a place of shameless and unfettered honesty, you’ll gain unusual clarity. These issues may seem unappealing to bring up, especially if you thought they were settled, but this is critical healing work you must do to sort out what your emotional needs are and how to get them met. Sometimes the most unpleasant emotional work is the most necessary. Once you exorcize these demons of pain and guilt, the next step is to realize that you don’t need to propagate this dynamic anymore. Your emotions don’t need to be tied up or influenced by how you were treated as a child or what the ‘rules’ were. You’re in fact in the middle of a years-long process of noticing these emotional patterns and triggers. Rather than trying to dig with a shovel, I suggest you take your lead from archeologists and use a brush. Dust off the debris gently. If you have siblings and they were not direct propagators of your wounding, use that trust and share what you learned and ask them what they learned. You may be surprised to learn that you were not the only one who had to play by the rules and sweep who they were under the carpet to survive. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Aquarius Moon — You have complex, imaginative and creative emotional resources. Basically, you have a big, colorful bag of tricks that include portable teleportation devices, wormholes, your own private comet and some flying horses for good measure. You can draw on these almost mythic resources whenever you need to. For you, all these fantastical things seem ordinary, and I would propose that you consider this is not true for others not of the Aquarian lunar breed. It’s important to understand your emotional resources and how others perceive them, so that you can clearly communicate your needs to those who may not understand how you produce a flying horse or hitch a ride on your own comet. Put another way, your emotional realm is like a Salvador Dali painting — melting clocks, doors in the sky, roads that go every direction at once, wispy people that appear and disappear before your eyes. You perceive the message and love the seemingly endless complexity, strangeness and newness — others can see the odd beauty but don’t necessarily connect with the meaning or the message. This month you are getting plenty of insight and good ideas regarding your emotional resources, which have a creative aspect to them and a deeply intuitive connection — almost like they come straight from the fabric of the Universe. That means you can’t think your way through them no matter how hard you try. You must feel your way through the territory, perceiving with all of your senses. As you proceed, honor and cherish how different your emotional resources are. Once you notice, others will too. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Pisces Moon — Surround yourself with beauty and take the time to just sit and soak it in. Get inspired, then go and create your own art or music from that inspiration. You may feel more drawn into your inner world than usual. It’s as if you have been teleported in an instant into one of the deepest layers of emotions, but when you get there the world is moving in slow motion. I suggest you not be alarmed how slowly your inner world moves at the moment. This will give you an opportunity to take stock and examine what you find in fine detail. There’s something here about your relationship to your partners and your relationship to yourself and the point where those two meet. Ultimately, for you it’s about knowing how to establish healthy boundaries, particularly when others are experiencing conflict that has nothing to do with you. Plenty of information and clues will be coming through as you explore that idea. Part of your creative process is allowing others the space to feel what they feel. That implies that you have the space to feel what you feel, which is essential to your creative process. This will allow you to let go of the heavier things some people around you are experiencing. As a Pisces Moon, you have an endless tank of inspiration for creativity. As you paint or photograph or make music, or sculpt or dance, you will be able to bring out to the surface some of what you’ve been feeling deep in your emotional spaces. When you talk about ‘relationship’, this is what you’re talking about exchanging with others. — by Genevieve Hathaway