Author Archives: Eric Francis Coppolino

About Eric Francis Coppolino

Lives in Kingston, friend of critters, etc.

Neptune, Nessus and the Government Shutdown

Photo by Romaine Laurent via We Transfer.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Before we get into tonight’s topic — some astrology related to the government shutdown, which I’ve traced back to the beginning of the Trump candidacy — I’m here to check in personally.

I know that my role as a reporter is to write about how unusual things are and to document the astrology behind them, though we are really off the charts (so to speak) these days. I keep noticing an energetic quality of everything pulled taut and thin, like Saran Wrap placed too tightly over a bowl with pressure coming from inside. Some days it feels like the oxygen is running out of the environment.

Other days, it seems like every system in the world is stretched beyond the capacity for which it was designed. This is true of people, too. Humans are resilient, to a point; many are feeling the strain right now, and are fragile. This is psychological and emotional, where resources are running thin; and it’s also about time. People have never seemed busier and more overextended, often needing to plan basic social interaction weeks in advance.

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Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for January 2019

Monthly Horoscope for January 2019 (#1232) | By Eric Francis Coppolino
New sign glyphs are by Lanvi Nguyen.
Aries

Aries (March 20-April 19) — This year you will meet Chiron. You might have at some point in the last four seasons, though most likely you were addressing some urgent material from the past that took up most of your energy. Yet in the sense of experiencing a particular kind of activation, and an unusual challenge that compelled you to grow, or threw you into some kind of crisis, what you experienced was pure Chiron. What you are learning is how to distinguish yourself from others. This is mostly an internal process. You begin by awakening to the degree that you allow your ideas about yourself and your existence to be determined and even dictated by others. The early stages of this — which you may well have experienced — may include the consequences of being different, such as you might stumble into accidentally, by stating your opinion. The place you will want to study is the point of resistance, where your will meets that of “some other force.” The “other force” you’re encountering is a combination of your past conditioning and the current movements in society that might reinforce it. So you might look at this as a clear case of you against the world, or vice versa. That is how Chiron can seem, at times, because it’s so closely associated with standing out and standing apart. There’s another way to experience this dynamic, which is internal: expressing your self as contrasted with your not-self. The quest — and the urgency — to be real exists entirely within you. It has nothing to do with all those other people. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Taurus is considered the sign of stability, of etiquette, and of determination. You reach for impeccability, whether with the passion of an artistic master, or the steadfastness of an oak tree that drives its intention to exist deep into the ground, and into the sky. Yet few see what you go through to maintain this state of being. To say the least, it’s not easy. I would remind you of what Alice A. Bailey said of your sign in the well-known but little-read work Esoteric Astrology. She describes Taurus as the blacksmith shop of the soul. It’s dark and smoky, hot and loud. Down at the core is not the elegant Aphrodite but the limping Hephaestus, whose mother threw him off of Mount Olympus due to his apparent imperfection. Then, as the metalsmith of the gods, he made all the weapons of the Olympians. He served a profound purpose, though it was in no way glamorous, or related to appearances. It was born of practicality and of honor; his singular role emerged from the agony of abandonment and misunderstanding. With Uranus entering your birth sign for the next seven years, you are now in a new phase of fashioning yourself, and the tools of your consciousness. Keep in mind that this is not a delicate or pretty process. There’s no pageantry and no accolades, and few who will even notice the progress you’re making — so that must come from you. Remember: you are not only constructing tools. You are developing the skills to do so. You will need to be patient, and accommodate the potential for change every single day. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — At this stage of your life, the focus of your growth is on your agreements. This includes the agreements you’ve already made, the ones you are about to make, and the legacy of those that existed in the distant past. You are also subject to the agreements that others make on your behalf, such as through various arrangements in marriage, business partnership and trusts. I suggest you develop your skill in contracts. Start by reading the ones you’re presented with, no matter how boring they may be. You might also read something in the genre of Contract Law for Dummies. Find someone in your life who has a knack for the topic, and work with a collaborator or two — someone who has no interest whatsoever in the outcome of the arrangement. That part is essential. Contract law is a cold art. There is one principle I suggest you hold above all others, which is knowing what is asked of you, and entering no agreement that you are not 100% confident you can fulfill. This applies to business arrangements, intimate situations and family business, with a special emphasis on the agreed time of delivery. And one other: every agreement you sign must have a reasonable exit clause. There will be times when, despite all of your precautions, you find yourself in over your head. And in those situations, you will need to be something of a ninja, keep your cool and make decisions. One thing to keep in mind is that this is all a group enterprise. You’re not in anything alone, though it’s also essential that you allow nobody to make your decisions for you. Hold people to the fire, especially where the facts and figures are concerned. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — In order for your life not to seem like an ongoing confrontation, you will need to study your environment. Translated, that means learning how to see what everyone else misses, and how to see what’s invisible. This will give you many, many advantages over those who simply don’t pay attention. You’re willing to defend yourself and your brood when you have to, though this is not your preferred way of life. Therefore, you must know people and know yourself. Study the landscape, and get a sense of what strategy others are applying in their dealings with you. You must surround yourself with people you actually trust, which means understanding what trust is, in the strange verging-on-insane world in which we are living right now. Notice who demonstrates their fidelity to you, and stick with them — and return the favor. Your real project this year is not defensive; it’s about setting your mind on tangible, useful and necessary achievement. Chiron is about to enter Aries, and will be there for another eight years. That’s your 10th house, which is about leadership, responsibility, and the authority you wield in the world. After many years of studying this house, the concept that threads the needle is responsibility. More than anything, this means taking charge of your own affairs. That will become a habit and then a pattern, all the while serving as an example for those around you. In many ways, you were born to lead; you are a natural pioneer, and you have the ideas to back it up. Therefore, I’ll say it again: know people, and know yourself. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You’ve been through many unusual changes in the past two years, mostly centered around eclipses of the Moon and particularly those of the Sun in your birth sign. The question now is of restoring some stability to your existence. The place to focus your efforts and your energy is the work and wellbeing angle of your chart, which means some form of enhanced work/life balance, or work/life integration. There are two approaches, though I would suggest that what you’re doing is all about integration rather than balance. For you, life and work are not distinct entities. Work is so integral to your existence that it’s essential for any notion of living well. This will mean, in the coming seasons, working at what you find to be the most meaningful, and making the most of each day as it passes. There’s a word tossed about lately, I believe improperly: that is sustainability. This is not an especially helpful concept, since nearly nothing qualifies at the moment. You would do better with the notion of resilience. This is a working principle that can be applied from moment to moment, rather than something that exists only in theory. It’s the ability to recover from the expenditure of energy; this implies having some reserves — of energy, of cash, of time, and of other resources. Leave yourself headroom, rather than pushing your efforts to 10 or 11. Prioritize, and master the art of collaboration, so that you can shift the nature of your responsibilities and your efforts to accommodate your energy level and other demands. Consider time your ally, and be bold about making the changes you need to make. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — There’s something within you that you urgently need to set free. This will inevitably call for you to let go of your concepts of what it means to be a proper adult, a well-behaved person or a responsible child. Those self-images and roles have come under some tension this year, as something else about you has been struggling to be born. You would serve yourself well to be a little less risk-averse. That means taking possession of your experiments; you will take your chances, or they will take you. The first thing to do is let your imagination run a little wild, and explore some of the possibilities. Then start bringing your body into the scene, and physically explore some of them: go somewhere unusual, do something you’ve never done, or have an encounter with a person you’re curious about, and take your time doing it. Every cell in your body is reaching for the child within you, who lives for how strange and interesting life is. As you do this, you will begin to shift your relationship to what you consider your responsibilities. You will recognize that you can let some of them go; others may seem to be taken from you — and it would be helpful if you gave them back from whence they issue, or delegate them to someone who likes them more than you do. One thing that the pressures of adult life do for you is to shield you from new experiences. This includes within your work, where you would benefit from boldly exploring aspects of your profession that you’ve never experienced before. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Over the next year, your primary job is to bring to a close every matter of your life that is ready to end. This end phase of what must conclude goes back a year, though certain matters have been on your agenda for up to a decade, and now is the time to write the final act. Part of what’s distracted you is your need for security; however, you may be in that situation where you’re struggling to make decisions, and that gets worse as the pressure builds. For this reason, I suggest you begin taking steps sooner rather than later. You may have a mistaken idea of what it means to make a decision, or what readiness is, and are likely to figure out that you were ready and decided long ago. You will not know that, however, until you actually move, which for you is the last stage of making a decision: to actually enter the territory, and then you recognize you complete your decision-making process by taking action. Said another way, taking action is how you finalize your decisions, and no amount of contemplation can get you there: only movement itself. Therefore, make a punch list of that which you know must end. That could mean personal arrangements, business arrangements, living arrangements, the storage unit: the things that influence your life every day and that you’ve said anywhere from 10 to 1000 times are done. Let them be done. Meditate on the phrase, “the end of the matter.” Write it on the wall, or tape it to your computer, and make it a way of life. Once you get started, you will want to keep going, and going, and going. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You may think it will be impossible to get your head together; to have some peace of mind; to have one voice that you communicate in. Yet a little focus will go a long way, as will some flexibility. Your mind is a living creature, not a machine. You will develop what you cultivate, and if you want clarity, then you need a way to grow it. I propose writing as a daily discipline; and further, that your approach not be precious but rather practical. This is not about the beauty of your words or the precision of your expression, but rather about clearing clutter, and making room for your real ideas. Henry Miller said that to find one’s writing voice, it’s necessary to write a million words. For you, finding your voice means thinking clear thoughts, and knowing where you stand with yourself. Life is rather different when you can do these things; when you’re not squirming around trying to decide what you really think and feel. This is also a process of learning how to be more honest with yourself, at which you have a C+ average most of the time. Such honesty is about breaking through the clichés of your own thoughts, and getting to the real material that’s beneath them. But you don’t know you’re down there till you actually arrive, and it can seem like a long, craggy slog for a while, until it’s not. From the look of your chart, it’s possible that being able to write is really, truly something you want to learn, like wanting to breathe. I would encourage you, and I would also remind you that for a while, moving words can feel like hauling rocks; and then you find that they are as portable as yoga blocks, and as soft and as colorful. Do the work. Do not stop. You will thank yourself. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Make careful use of your technology. Ensure you are the one using it as a creative tool, and that it is not using you. This is challenging, because we tend to become like the tools we use; our minds shape and form around them. It can be painful to take up your tools, because they are sensory devices, sending you feedback that can be overwhelming. So, too, can thought itself. We are now well into the age of delegating the making of decisions to technological processes (falsely called “artificial intelligence”). What our society does not see right now is that our technology exists on the level of a religion. That is the part of the brain and of consciousness they occupy. We accept that they are miracles and that the gospel is true. You must keep your conscience about you in the coming years. Above all, this means making your own choices, and knowing the moment you deflect the responsibility to do so. Normally I might say that you can trust your own goodness, but this time I’m going to suggest that you raise it to question. Subject your intentions to scrutiny. Make sure you differentiate the emotional level of your consciousness from your mental process. You are more easily subject to propaganda on the emotional level, where it’s easier to be persuaded and to persuade yourself. Therefore, the planets in their courses are calling upon you to be a master of doubt. And if that is true, your most effective tool will be your curiosity, because it will lead you to the place of true intelligence: the desire to know and understand. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You may have the urge to run from your responsibilities. You might ask yourself how you would feel if you did; just say screw it all, I don’t need this crap. Who are you living for, anyway? And what are you living for? The chances are that you’re trying to maintain several agendas or sets of priorities at once, and you need to figure out which one is really yours and yours alone. Yet this will take courage of a special kind, because you’re so accustomed to doing everyone’s bidding, even to your own detriment. You’ve learned a lot in recent months about your true priorities, though you may have had a difficult experience of seeing what happens when you go against the grain of what you think is expected of you. That’s what this is all about, Grasshopper: expectations. That word deserves to have a disgusting feel in your mouth; I will skip the metaphor but invent your own — something you really, really don’t want in your mouth — and connect it to that word, and that concept. You will do better to sweep the deck clear of all of your preconceived ideas about life, and then add them back one at a time, and ask yourself, one by one, if this really matters to you; or if it has that gross feeling of being tethered to someone, something, or some other time — purely as a consequence of your own thought process. Nobody else can free you of these things, but they can try to heap a little more on you. At a certain point you will need to decide what’s more important: your freedom or thinking you’re perceived as perfect. It’s time to give yourself a break. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You can trust that whatever just happened will never happen again. You’ve released an enormous amount of pressure that was clouding your whole environment, and bending your reality — and now you can get down to what you really need to do. That involves ongoing inner work, though few people have a sense of what that means. Here’s a clue: it’s not about rehashing the past, and it’s not about denying the past. And it’s too complex to sum up in a tweet or two. Yet history is very much a factor, by which I mean the history of your family going back many generations. It’s no easy task claiming back your life from what seemed to have an invisible grip on you. Yet you’ve had a good 10 years in the process, and now the pace of changes is accelerating. I suggest you make peace with one basic fact, which is that much of what you’re dealing with is not really about you. You’re still responsible for it on some level, because it’s been passed down to you as some kind of inheritance, like an old house you’re not sure you want but suddenly you’re paying taxes on it and you have to fix the roof and all of that. There’s a plus side to all of this, which is you have material to work with, if only you will take a creative approach to the questions you face. Yet now, that facing will be inward, not into your thoughts or into your feelings, but directly at the cosmos from which you emerged, as strange and as turbulent as it may be. Borrowing a line from the eternal professor, Bob Dylan: “I have a brother or two and a whole lot of karma to burn… Isis and the Moon shine on me.” Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You’ve been through the great initiation known as Chiron in Pisces. Well, technically, it ends the day the Sun enters your sign on Feb. 18. The time remaining presents you with a brief opportunity to look back and consider how far you’ve come since April 20, 2010. While you’re doing that, make a list of everything you need to complete, which will probably mean closure with certain individuals, specific creative projects, and matters of healing that date back to around the beginning of the transit. The growth process you were taken through involved the clarification of your emotional body. Depending on what day it was, this might have had the feeling of dropping a hook down the drain and dragging out all the weird gunk that was down there. Other days, you might have felt like you were pumping water out of a well, waiting for it to finally come through clear and cold. And at other times you were standing in front of an ocean, knowing that in truth it’s not the only thing in the world you actually respect — it just feels that way. With Chiron moving on to Aries, you’re on your own, in your relationship to your intuition and your creativity. You will need to be discerning, focus your mind, and know the difference between your prejudice and what you truly perceive. You will need to split the difference between instinct and fear. You will need to know when you can trust yourself and when you must pause and get additional data. These are tools that will help you on the way to aspiring to greater experiences and accomplishments than what you’ve known, though all depend — and depend entirely — on exercising your capacity to be honest with yourself. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

Monday Morning Horoscope #157 for Dec. 31, 2018

New sign glyphs are by Lanvi Nguyen.
Aries

Aries (March 20-April 19) — There’s no better way to start the New Year than Mars arriving in your birth sign. Nothing could possibly better express your desire to be the full-on individual that you are. This is the theme of your entire existence for the foreseeable future, by which I mean the next eight years or so (a story that will be told by Chiron, explained in more detail in the monthly horoscope). This is an experiment. Being yourself is an experiment, in that it always requires bumping or scraping into someone, or having them think you’re aggressive or whatever; and the skill you’ll need to adopt is being at peace with that. If you’re worried about being offensive (which is possible, even for an Aries), the thing to remember is that if you don’t have some degree of social conflict in your life, you don’t figure out who you are; you don’t grow. You don’t need to provoke anything; merely being you will be sufficient. Then, as time goes on, you will become more confident in yourself, and find your way to common ground with those around you. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You have a funny way of forgetting who you are, then remembering right when you need to the most. That would be right around now. You can pretend all you like that the wild, passionate ‘part’ of you does not exist, though you’re destined to discover otherwise. Maybe you can act blasé and then surprise yourself with how hungry you are for life, which includes self-discovery and sexual discovery and fully engaging all of your creativity. This will kick up some turbulence, though most of it will be in the form of thinking other people are judging you when in fact they don’t really care so much what you do with your life (that’s the true nature of judgment; it’s really a form of not caring). So don’t trouble yourself with that, or maybe have fun with it — it’s high time for an insurrection, an overthrow of any belief that does not serve you. This is particularly true of the tired, wilting ideas about life that your predecessors tried to inflict on you, but failed, because you’re too interesting. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Your ruling planet Mercury is making a sweep past the Galactic Core over the next couple of days, which will guide you into some interesting situations if you let it. Fortunately, you’re curious enough to subvert the paranoia of our times. Therefore you leave yourself some space to engage with the unexpected and unfamiliar. It remains true that one thing can lead to another, which only means to keep your wits about you and make your decisions sober, rather than being cynical (which means bitter, which is not really you). The thing to remember, particularly as Mercury changes signs to Capricorn later in the week, is that everything is negotiable. So don’t sign away or voluntarily surrender your power without engaging all parties in a discussion. Know what you want, and know what you’re not willing to give up. You can still do that and maintain some flexibility, and keep an honest conversation going. There’s a line from ancient Rome, in vino veritas (“in wine there is truth”). Maybe so, but fact-check using multiple sources before you sign anything. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — While everyone else is busy partying, quietly go about your business over the next few days. You have plans, and through this week you’re in an unusual position to engage them and pick up some momentum. Your agenda should include initiating some new projects, and wrapping up some old ones, in a well-planned transition. The cautionary note is that Mars entering your ambitious 10th house is calling on you to mind your relationships, which in particular means staying on good terms with various authority figures, whether official or unofficial. You can do this and still maintain your independence and your integrity; that is the essential skill in both politics and in business. While it’s inevitable that you will rub some people the wrong way, being polite when you encounter them helps — particularly if you’re acting within your rights and, more particularly, your responsibilities. And where both are concerned, you have an obligation to yourself to be true to your mission. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Pace yourself over the next few days, particularly as the holiday season peaks with New Year’s and then people try to saunter back into the work week. Make sure you’re the one who shows up to work on Wednesday morning well rested and with a clear head. Then, if you’ve paused in the action for the holidays, or even if not, take your time coming up to speed. Don’t try to do everything at once. Prioritize, and use your time effectively. Focus on closure rather than starting new projects. The New Moon in Capricorn on Saturday is suggesting there still may be some residual business from the past 12 months that needs attention. However, as you tidy up and make sure all of the old accounts are closed, you’ll start to get ideas for how to structure your agenda going forward. As you may know, the Sun rules your sign, and its current conjunction to Saturn assures that a methodical approach to getting your work done is the one that will be the most effective, now and in the future. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You will have some opportunities to experiment with new experiences this week, which will call forth the rare combination of being both bold and self-aware. All that really means is knowing the difference between the gas pedal and the brakes. You can ease off on one without using the other; you can go gently on both and get where you’re going on time. Yet operating your vehicle is one thing; where you choose to go is another, and the stars may be guiding you to some unusual destinations, if you’re willing to go. You’ll take that branch in the road when you gently veer in the direction of the unfamiliar. Be alert to a problem that you’re addressing, left over from childhood: that of false caution, which is based not so much on your own safety but rather on addressing the mostly nonexistent dangers perceived by others. Now, however, it’s time to explore the benefits of doing what others are afraid to do, and what may have triggered your fears in the past. You know that’s no way to live — and it really is time to live. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — The theme of closure is strong in your chart this year, and you get some added leverage this week as the New Moon takes shape in your 4th house (from ancient astrology, “the end of the matter”). While that’s happening, certain events and people may arise unexpectedly on the horizon, which will spur you to take the necessary steps to tidy up the past, and how you feel about it. Most of what you’re dealing with are indeed your feelings. The central matter seems to be addressing the results of what you did in order to feel secure, but which really didn’t work out. Go back to your original intent: what was that decision supposed to be about? If you didn’t get the results you were planning, you can reverse your decision; however, stick close to the roots, motives and values that were driving you. Those are the things that need attention and adjustment, as you work out new ways to perceive and engage with your environment. Just note, the pace is about to pick up. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Don’t let others lull you to sleep, or lure you into thinking you’re anything other than fully alive. Remember that when you’re really living, that can feel a little odd, as those around you lumber through life or aspire to mediocrity. Therefore, stick to the interesting people, the ones whose fun comes from inside themselves, those who like to think and who are bold about doing so. If you can’t find any of those folks at the moment, then entertain yourself. It would be silly and a waste of some excellent opportunities to settle for spending time with people who are uninspiring. Keep your inner fire burning, keep food on the stove, and focus on what you really, truly want to do. Mars, your ruling planet, makes its way into Aries today (Monday), indicating many new beginnings, and a positive attitude toward meeting the challenges of life. Let this week’s events emphasize your need for meaningful work: a role that gives you room not only to be yourself, but to become yourself. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Listen to the messages of others, no matter how cryptic they may seem. Seemingly external voices are coming from the depth of your psyche, speaking directly to you. They may arrive in the form of an invitation, or an idea, or some pleasant shock to your system that calls attention to your need to be a little more courageous. The one thing you don’t need to do is spend a lot of money. Many factors suggest this would be an excellent few days to dial back your cash outlay and focus instead on ways to improve your long-term financial prospects. One concept could go a long way toward doing that, particularly if you’re willing to make the investment of thought and time. The right idea is the one that harmonizes with your most deeply held values; what you know to be true; what you truly want from life. Most people think this is far more than they can ask, but for you at this stage of your growth, it has to be a bare minimum and a starting point. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Over the next few days, the Sun makes a conjunction to Saturn in your sign, followed by the ingress of Mercury and then a New Moon. That’s a lot of motivational factors acting on you at once, and in total describing your need to get your ass into high gear and focus your efforts. There are no shortcuts along the road you’re on; there are no steps you can skip and, in truth, you don’t want to. While the Sun-Saturn conjunction says that you need to take your time and be methodical, that’s merely preparation. The message coming from Mercury is that nothing is as influential as a single thought. Yet thought requires development, care, collaboration and attention to detail — which punts us right back into the realm of Saturn. If you have an idea, build a little structure around it: a plan or set of plans, a prototype, a test or experiment of some kind. Avoid the temptation of magical thinking, and have faith not just in your abilities but in your necessities. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Few people ever get over their fears, and most people are driven by them. This is not the life you want, and you know it. Yet the world makes such a thing about genuflecting to anxiety that it’s clear our society holds it as a god. One potential reason for this is that fear masks over passion and desire, and distracts us from them. That serves the purpose of “protecting” people from the very elements of their awareness that would be most inclined to set them free. Fear is a scrim; it’s an illusory barrier that seems solid and intractable, but when you touch it, it turns out to be made of gauze. Keep your lights on inside, and orient your reference points inwardly rather than out in the world. Stay in touch with your desires, even if they make you nervous. That’s how you know you really want something, or someone — you get a little agitated at the thought. It’s a clue that you’re tapping into an energy source. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Events this week strongly favor your long-term financial prospects, if you will take the cue and do what’s necessary to set your plans into action. There are two things to bear in mind. One is to consider your changing role within your social circle or community. You don’t need to be popular — you merely need to know what you want to do, and who you actually serve. Your role is coming into focus, as if a niche you started to ferret out over the past year now has plenty of room to move around. You can be visible, though the days are gone when you must be everything to everyone. Which brings me to the second point, involving Mars entering Aries: you will find it easy to be true to your values, so go for it while the going is good. Assert who you really are and what you actually believe; live for what matters to you. We are now counting the weeks until Chiron departs from your sign, a reminder to focus on how much you’ve learned in recent years about why you’re alive, and what you want to do. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

dec30-2018

Mars in Aries, and the Capricorn Solar Eclipse

We have just published the INTELLIGENCE readings (part one, RESET 2019), so I’m going to keep this note short and sweet, and invite you to explore the new website, and to read your extended monthly horoscope as well. I’ve got a new audio Q&A feature that’s easy to find.

dec30-2018

Photo by Lanvi Nguyen.

The New Year holiday arrives with a burst of energy, mostly supplied by Mars entering Aries Monday at 9:20 pm EST. This puts some heat onto the Aries Point, that sensitive spot where the wider affairs of society intersect with our individual lives.

There’s plenty of mojo focused there right now, with Pholus (a propulsion source) right in the first degree of Capricorn (an extension of the Aries Point). I’ll come back to that in a moment.

One influence this week is that we’re approaching a partial solar eclipse in Capricorn. Whatever influence this eclipse might seem to lose for being a partial, it compensates for by being right at the midpoint of Capricorn. (For those born under the sign Capricorn, I address this in your birthday reading.)

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Mars Conjunct Chiron: Trying to Talk to a Man

The Martian landscape looks a lot like that of our home planet.

Dear Friend and Reader:

We end this remarkable year with Mars conjunct Chiron in Pisces. This is the last of five such aspects while Chiron has been in Pisces, since 2010. Chiron enters Aries to stay on Feb. 18, and remains through April 14, 2027 (spending more time in Aries than any other sign).

In many ways, Mars conjunct Chiron in Pisces is an aspect of our times. We have two masculine elements, Mars and Chiron, placed in the distinctly feminine, receptive, watery environment of Pisces.

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Weather Advisory: Mercury Square Neptune

Dominick’s Cafe in Kingston, early this morning. Photo by Eric.

Dominick’s Cafe in Kingston, early this morning. Photo by Eric.

A friend just wrote to remind me that these days, Mercury is square Neptune. This can be stressful, particularly with Mercury conjunct the Great Attractor, the focal point in Sagittarius. You might say that the tension is centered around sincerity, which can be compromised when Mercury and Neptune meet up in a tense aspect, as if they are bending off of one another (a physical property of squares), or even clashing.

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Solstice, Full Moon, Mars Conjunct Chiron

Right on the solstice and hours before the Full Moon, the U.S. federal government was shut down over whether $5 billion should go to “the wall” along the southern border. Just wondering — do we really need that much money for a wall, right now? This very minute, such that it’s worth closing dozens of departments and putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work?

Chart for the shutdown of parts of the federal government, at midnight Saturday morning, with the Sun a quarter of a degree into Capricorn, and the Full Moon about 16 hours behind.

Chart for the shutdown of parts of the federal government, at midnight Saturday morning, with the Sun a quarter of a degree into Capricorn, and the Full Moon about 16 hours behind.

Here is something interesting that I’ve just about always found to be true, as in dependably so. Full Moons tend to release an impasse. In this case, however, that didn’t seem to work — the problem being that even Republicans in the Senate were not interested in funding “the wall.” One week ago I wrote a caution about unusual developments in government, and how they could open up a kind of cascade effect.

The shutdown occurred in advance of the Full Moon, so the spring had not yet sprung — and has yet to do so. What we’re hearing as an excuse for this action is unrelated to the actual issue; that is something deeper. We could say that the problem is government by tantrum, which is not government at all. We are not seeing a shutdown but rather a meltdown.

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The Pulse of Life

Planet Waves
Photo from Green Earth Village. “A community developed for the planet’s future. It begs the question, why didn’t we build this way sooner?”

Dear Friend and Reader:

We’re now at the southern solstice — the beginning of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. Measured by the Sun’s ingress into Capricorn, this takes place Friday, Dec. 21 at 5:23 pm EST [for a detailed reading of the chart, please see Monday’s edition, or Amanda’s article below].

There are times when I can physically feel the movement of the planets. That is one of the things that awakened me to astrology.

I once experienced the solstice happening. I was on the ferry dock heading back to Vashon Island in Washington State when the Sun entered Capricorn. Just as this happened, the cosmos felt like a huge machine that slowed down, came to a halt, started back up, and began moving in the other direction. It was a little like being on an enormous carnival ride.

My first thought was: OK, this is about the angle of the Sun to the Earth, though it feels a lot bigger. It felt like more than the Sun-Earth relationship, though when you consider that, it’s pretty large from the standpoint of an individual body or consciousness on Earth. It might just feel like everything, and it did, kind of like the teacup ride feels like everything when you’re riding on it.

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