Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, #1029 | By Eric Francis
All of this and many other things shall be revealed. Like, in the next three days or so. I would say you’re approaching the single most interesting moment of self-discovery of your life, but you’ve had a few of those lately. Still, one builds on the next. And it helps if you’ve cleared some debris out of the way, which you have done. One of the most intriguing things about your current chart is the blend of chaste purity and unfettered lust. You may be thinking you’re having some kind of identity crisis. Like, how can both of these things be true? It’s not that they can be true; rather, it’s essential that they be true at the same time. They are opposites that support and affirm one another’s existence. They are options that you can choose from at any time, and live in for extended periods of time. The White path and the Red path are simultaneous realities and they both lead to the same place — to yourself.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, #1028 | By Eric Francis
Your inner life and your outer life could hardly be more different. On the outside you’re the very image of impeccability. On the inside you want to explode with excitement, lust or cosmic energy. You may have those days where if someone brushes against you, you’ll let out a moan and burst. Said simply, an inner portal is open. Life force is pulsing through you, and that portal where all inspiration comes in is wide open. People work for years to make this happen, though it cannot be conjured — it can only be allowed, encouraged and appreciated. You might try to force that door closed, though that’s not really a good idea. It would be a waste of beautiful energy, and you could hurt yourself. I suggest you stop worrying what people might think if they knew what was really in your mind. Anyone perceptive enough to guess would be thrilled about it.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, #1027 | By Eric Francis
Mars leaves your sign on Thursday, ending an interesting micro-era of your life. This began Oct. 26, and it probably started with a bang or two. Looking back, what do you see from a distance, and with the perspective of time? I would encourage your curiosity about the events of the second week of November. What did you learn? It has a bearing on the next few weeks, with the main point of contact being what happens when you judge yourself for things that are outside your control, or judge yourself at all. One of the ways that you, personally, handle the global self-esteem crisis is to detach yourself from the issue. It’s actually a pretty good strategy, since so much of “lack of self-esteem” is a kind of red herring. Often, it involves a con-job by someone else — in the distant past or five minutes ago. But sometimes you cannot distance yourself; sometimes you have to grab the question, look it in the face and say: AND?
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December 2014, #1026 | By Eric Francis
If this isn’t the most interesting month of your life, it will likely come up on the top 10 list. It may be challenging to hold your center. You may feel like some vast change is about to sweep through your world. The astrology illustrates a scenario where you are surrounded by a vast amount of activity and energy, yet you appear holding yourself steady at a still point. Let the energy move around you. Allow yourself to be central rather than peripheral. Allow yourself to be the one sought after rather than the seeker. Allow others to be changed by you, without imposing any plans or intentions on them. There is so much momentum carrying you and your whole environment that you don’t need to. You will feel sane and stable if you observe rather than explain, if you allow your attention to expand rather than reacting to what others are saying or doing. I know that on Earth this is all easier said than done, but that’s true of just about anything. This will be worth the relatively small effort, with the greatest reward being the recognition of how many options you have open. To succeed at this you must do one thing, really — resist the temptation to rebel for its own sake. Speak softly and clearly when you truly have something to say — and trust that you will be heard.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, #1025 | By Eric Francis
You know what you want. You’ve earned that knowledge and you’ve earned the privilege of striving for your preferences. At the risk of stirring up revolt against this currently derided thing, privilege, I will say this: Semantically, the word privilege has its origins as a law that applies to one person. Later, it came to mean an advantage granted. If you have some advantage, you have granted it to yourself. Though there are obviously precursors to that — for example, you know how to read, you are educated, you have a bank account, and others — the privilege I am talking about is something you have given to yourself by your own effort. If you want a balancing factor, I suggest that you proceed in full awareness of your environment, and strive to be responsive to your environment. If everyone did that, we would all be privileged and we would live in something close to utopia.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, #1024 | By Eric Francis
It may seem like the Earth itself is cracking open under your feet. It may seem like the environment that surrounds you is changing so fast you have no way to keep up with it. Both of those are illusions that mask the deeper truth; that you are changing, faster than you ever imagined possible. Well, changing might not be the right word. What’s happening is that your inner nature is being revealed to you, and clearing out of the way everything that is unlike itself. As this is happening, your perception of your surroundings is changing, simply because perception is a direct result of how you experience yourself. There are times when you know this is true and yet it’s difficult to access that level of reality. There are times when it’s a lot easier, and now happens not to be one of them. Seize the moment. Let the energy moving through you be guided by the intentions of your deepest intelligence.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, #1023 | By Eric Francis
Looked at one way, the paradox of existence is that existence begins within and extends without. Yet at the same time we are demanded not to be so self-centered. We must be relational and responsive to others, and yet we all know that all those others are in some way secondary to the fact that we can be fully self-conscious — aware that all consciousness, including of the other, happens within oneself. Rather than fight this, I suggest you experiment boldly with it. Ask yourself how much of your experience is relational and how much is projection. How much of the love you feel is love of the other, or love of yourself extended to the other? You may feel like you’re going to explode these days, and this question, asked now at this stunning moment in your astrological life, may blow your mind. I don’t think there are objective answers though I do think there are honest, interesting and pleasurable ways to navigate the hall of mirrors.
Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for November, 2014, #1022 By Eric Francis
Often has it been said that only you have the power to change yourself. Yet this is either too much responsibility for most people to handle, or it defies some other logic that external factors are what really make the difference. This month Mars and Pluto form a conjunction in your birth sign, an indication that you have the ability to rewrite just about any facet of your existence. Yet this cannot be haphazard, left to chance or done with blurry vision. You must focus, you must choose, and most of all you must hold yourself accountable for what you want and what you create. If you think of this as the cost of success, you will see that it’s not so high after all, though more than most think they can afford.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November, 2014, #1021 | By Eric Francis
You must keep your cool at all times. There will be times when this won’t be easy. You are potentially the most volatile ingredient in any situation, and in every one of those situations you have something to lose. It is of course a blight on our times how many people live like they have nothing to lose, which is creating an increasingly reckless society. You at least know you have something at stake. You can remind yourself that you depend on your friends and your allies, and that you would have little to show for your efforts had you not had their cooperation in the past, and if you don’t have it going forward. So you have a good reason to be aware of, and to adjust, your responses and your tactics. One way to know you’re in jeopardy is if you ever get the thought that you can go it alone. That may be your one warning, valid because it contains the idea that the people around you are expendable, and therefore, it does not matter how you treat them or how they feel. Yes, it can be burdensome to think about everyone and how they are doing, all the time — and I assure you that such care and attention could save your career, your reputation, your business or an important friendship. And if you stay alert and even-headed, you will have opportunities to solve problems and regain your creative grounding.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, #1020 | By Eric Francis
Be careful in any leadership role that you might have. This would be an excellent time to step back and play the role of the impartial chairperson, or better yet, as the observer, listener and finder of fact. Do not let on that you have changed your posture; merely pay attention, and consider carefully what you know. It will be vital that you put your data into context. Take no single fact on its own; consider it in the context of everything else you know. One other point, perhaps the most significant — I strongly suggest you not repeat anything you hear, nor that you tip your hand on any solid discoveries or observations that you make. There is the vast potential for misunderstanding, and that could compromise your reputation, your leadership position or any political advantage that you have. Mud may be flying over the next few days — stay back and keep it off your nice new suit.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, #1019 | By Eric Francis
Pay attention to your anxiety. Listen to it, and understand what it’s saying about you and your circumstances. Your fears may be running away with you at times; at least I suggest you notice when this is happening. Many people do not; or rather, are not mindful enough to know that fear is the issue, rather than the thing they are supposedly afraid of. It would be immensely helpful if you were to sort this one out, since if there is any issue it is fear and not the thing feared. Your current astrology is carrying some potent manifestation power, so I suggest you turn your energy toward something creative. Psychic energy is inherently neutral and can be turned to something loving or something toxic by choice. Though this is often forgotten, now would be the time to remember. Remembering means making the choice to focus the power of your mind in the direction you want to go, or what you want to become. Above all else, be truthful with yourself.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, #1018 | By Eric Francis
What are you withholding, from yourself or from others? What, in the way of feelings, nurturing, words, or anything? Withholding can come with a sense of power, whether over yourself or over others. Do you detect any of that going on? If so, what do you think is at the root of that drive? Is it the fear of being exploited? One thing that our business-driven, allegedly capitalist society does not like to admit is that it’s from giving that people figure out how much they have. If you’re experiencing the feeling of not having enough, I suggest you try offering yourself to the people around you. You have plenty, and you can also afford to be a lot warmer and more communicative. People like you more than you may think. They care about you more than you know. Your generosity would be an excellent way to acknowledge that — even as an experiment. For example, invite some friends over to a home-cooked meal.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for October 2014, #1017 | By Eric Francis
From time to time, or all the time, you may be feeling like you’re about to explode. You must be careful with this. You are indeed experiencing some profound internal movement, which is provoking you to question and investigate every aspect of desire. If you have not recognized this yet, I suggest that you weave together the many clues that you have. If there is an issue involved, it’s how much you conceal from yourself. This is not a joke. From the look of your chart, it would be fair to say that you conceal (or try to conceal) very nearly everything from yourself, as if doing so would somehow protect you from it. But now the action of Mars, one of your special agents, is provoking every one of your desires, your instincts, your secret issues and most of all, your ambition. The thing to remember is that you cannot pick and choose. To have your power, you must confront your shadow material. To have your strength in the present, you must confront your past. To embrace your desires, you surely must confront your fears. Not doing these things has been stirring up all kinds of chaos in your heart and soul. This is putting you under a lot of unnecessary pressure, and cutting off your true strength. Set yourself free and take a good look inside that vast, extremely interesting inner space you contain.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, #1016 | By Eric Francis
You have a moment when you can really shine — whether that means advancing in your profession, initiating a new business or project, or raising your public profile in some significant way. This window begins Monday night (at the equinox, which is Sept. 22 at 10:29 pm EDT), though you may be getting manifestations earlier. I suggest however that you not make any serious moves until the Sun ingresses Libra (that is the equinox). In fact, you would be wise to consider your options until the Moon ingresses Libra just before midnight (EDT) on the 23rd, and extend that window through the New Moon on the 24th. (The opening lasts a while after that, but the New Moon is the main threshold.) Remember that you will be more visible during this phase, and the best thing you can do is put yourself in the right place at the right time (rather than trying to be everywhere all at once). Visibility means accountability. Be alert.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, #1015 | By Eric Francis
People respect you in a way that you may not fully understand. Yet you may be receiving the message that you must set an example for others. Remember that such an example does not imply that you must be pure, or practice chastity, or deny that you have feelings and attachments. I suggest you focus the experience of your full humanity into what you offer the world, and draw strength from having no fear of controversy whatsoever. It is true that at this time in your life, you are creating an ever-greater impact on the world around you, and part of how you’re doing that is through focusing your sincerity. This is not an option. It’s not a frill. It’s an evolutionary imperative, and at its core is your ability to be real with yourself at all times. So accept no excuses, and grant yourself no casual exceptions. Progress is at stake –- of a rare kind, available in this moment.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 4, #1014 | By Eric Francis
These years of your life have been some of the most driven and urgent ever, arriving with one enforced change after the next. Yet there is another way to evolve, which is to relax into what is possible. You don’t need to resist yourself, and you certainly don’t need to dwell on your worst fears. You can find that space inside yourself where you have no concerns at all about whether you’re accepted by others, or have a place in society, and when you get there, you may feel like you’re taking a warm bath for the first time. There is a way of being where you can, at least for a while, step out of any judgment, which is more likely to feel like stepping into self-embrace. If you feel a tinge of guilt, don’t fight it; keep going; you are headed in the right direction. It will rinse off of your skin like soap.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for September 2014, #1013 | By Eric Francis
Laced throughout the literature of spiritualism and occultism is the notion of religion as a kind of science. The idea holds that there’s a true religion, or that if religion is practiced truly, there will actually be a result. This may not manifest for you so overtly, though it may show up as a devotion to purity, to sacrifice, or to the notion that faith must in some way make sense. You’re a more organic person than this. Yes, I see the appeal of the idea, because the human psyche can be chaotic, and you are in an extended phase that often seems to carry the message grow or die. That is not neat or tidy, though I suggest you not succumb to the idea that your growth somehow depends upon your becoming a perfect person, or living your life perfectly. What you can have, and have plenty of, is faith in yourself. The beauty of faith is that it’s not dependent upon any precursor; there is no test you must take in advance. It’s just somewhere you allow your mind to go. You know you’re there because you have less to worry about, rather than more. You know you’re there when your intellect relaxes a bit and accurate information starts coming back to you. You know you’re there when you feel more confident but you don’t necessarily understand why.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, August 22, 2014, #1012 | By Eric Francis
You may find yourself in a position where you need to take an unpopular position. That may be the right thing to do. I suggest however that you consider what, exactly, you’re pushing back against. Do you really need to assert yourself against anyone or anything outside yourself, or do you just need to do your thing? It depends on what your goal is, which is partly about your circumstances. For example, in order to make a statement, you don’t need to defend your right to free speech; you just need to say what’s on your mind. That strongly implies that you have a right to do so, and you don’t need to make that extra point. It seems that you want to find your distinct place in society. Therefore, do what you must, do what you want, and don’t explain yourself until someone tries to stop you.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 14, 2014, #1011 | By Eric Francis
You do not have to conform to what someone else wants or says is right for you. You do, however, have the option to agree with someone’s opinion, or to tailor what you’re doing to what you think would be socially appropriate. But is that really going to help you succeed? My take is that you will cover the most ground by tuning into what you know you want to express, and saying (or doing) it in your own way. True, you might make mistakes. You might rub some people the wrong way. You might transgress a few boundaries. And what if you do? It’s necessary to experiment with the edge in order to figure out where it is, and to determine your relationship to it. This is never mastered by considering the theory alone. Experience is the key, and while experience is its own reward, you can be sure that there will be others.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 7, 2014, #1010 | By Eric Francis
The question of Self is written all over the sky right now. Many people offer the idea that all love is rooted in selflove, though there is a question lurking behind that — at what point does selflove become narcissism? I will tell you — it doesn’t. They are two different things, both of which are part of our psyches and part of our environment. Often narcissism describes the lack of selflove, which is how you can identify it. Yet there is that part of the psyche that must focus exclusively on its own experience; that must admire itself in a fully self-absorbed way, which is different from the gentler and subtler light of actually loving oneself. Narcissism is a problem, but the bigger question is what to do about it. Loving oneself is part of the solution, though I think that indulging the full experience in a fully conscious way can be helpful. Consider the possibility that your life is all about you. Consider the idea that existence is a reflection of the fact that you exist and nothing more. I am not saying this is true — I’m saying it’s worth running through your biocomputer and seeing what you get back.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 31, 2014, #1009 | By Eric Francis
Rare aspects this week suggest you have a knack for investments and other topics related to shared finances. You may experience a windfall, or the solution to a longstanding problem may suddenly manifest. It might look too good to be true. Of course, it’s your job to perform due diligence on even the best-looking opportunities or solutions, though you don’t need to approach this with suspicion. Contrary to popular belief, there is a surplus of energy in the universe, including money. If you want money, I suggest you be friendly with it and toward it. Recognize that nearly any profit or success emerges out of a collaboration of some kind, and that resources and talents can combine to create a synergistic condition — the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. If you proceed in an atmosphere of trust, and with people you respect, you’ll do very well.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for August 2014, #1008 | By Eric Francis
You may have this idea that you’re on the right track but heading toward an obstacle of some kind. You might also consider what could intervene long before that obstacle materializes. Said another way, nothing is certain; everything exists in a state of potential or of probability. Those factors are changing constantly as various factors blend and new factors emerge. It would be mighty healthy of you to think in some concept other than what you want as the guaranteed outcome. It’s not only how often this leads to misery. The fact that there is no absolute certainty is your best ally right now, because it keeps your potential open. Most people get panicky if they make contact with their potential or have anything less than the illusion of control. You don’t need illusions of anything right now; you need to be in the moment, responding to your environment, and aware of your feelings. Notice the ways in which you limit yourself, whether it’s with language (such as how you speak to yourself, or describe your possibilities) or by trying in any way to limit the range of your emotions. I suggest you have a long talk with yourself about the concept of appropriate. If you have a tendency to cram yourself into a box, this is the one. There is such a thing as appropriate, but it’s a lot more inappropriate than you may think.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 17, 2014, #1007 | By Eric Francis
Your chart describes an inheritance of some kind. That concept can be expressed many different ways, though the overall inference is success and benefit. You have resources available to you and there are people willing to help you out. Should you be in a position to receive assistance of some kind from an investor, make sure you preserve your rights, that you don’t get in over your head and that you have a relatively easy way out of the arrangement if it does not work. Understand who is taking the risk and what risk that really is. Finally, keep the benefits in mind. Any arrangement would best be based on mutual benefit and on love of the work. The same aspect pattern describes a very friendly scenario in love and sex. Just keep reminding yourself that every person is their own individual, free to come and go as they please.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 10, 2014, #1006 | By Eric Francis
This weekend brings an extraordinary Full Moon in your birth sign, and with that will come a surge of confidence and energy. Mixed in with that might be some bouts of insecurity, which may have you wondering which side of the equation is really true — your strength or your fear. This is a situation where the presence of fear serves a useful purpose, which is to alert you that you’ve entered (or are about to enter) some new personal territory. You may think of this as alerting you to actual, external risks. The real risk, it would seem, is to your dependency on structure, on following past patterns, and on the fear of venturing into unfamiliar territory — in a word, your ego. But don’t think of ego as an identity, rather as a set of attachments that hijack your identity. Your job is to get it back. Recognize your attachments and focus your courage. You asked to be set free from your past and this is your chance. You asked to do something different, and this is your opportunity.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 3, 2014, #1005 | By Eric Francis
Do not cower in the face of beauty. Stand tall and make friends with those who are talented, passionate and charismatic. Consider them an example for how you can be. You would be wise to consider them a reflection of your potential self. One other suggestion, as the Cancer Sun moves into opposition to Pluto in Capricorn. You need to understand the impact you have on others. You’re quick to assume that you make no special impression; it would seem that many times you feel invisible. If that’s your perception, you have that backwards. You often make a profound impression on others — though you almost always miss this fact. If the impression you make does not align with how you feel about yourself, that is, if you are wondering how or why you could influence someone or be so noticeable ‘cus it’s just li’l ol’ you, I suggest you study the details of life more. Engage in closer conversation with people until you get a sense of who and what they perceive when they experience you.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for July 2014, #1004 | By Eric Francis
In the many months that Mars has been traveling through your 10th house of achievement and reputation, you’ve become more sensitive than ever to the opinions of other people in your life, and have discovered that all power and influence are based in relationships. This has come at a price: allowing others more influence in your life than you really want. You will now need to maintain awareness of those relationships and how they work while being more brassy, doing more of what you want and worrying less what people think. This is a fine line to walk, since you still may have the idea that your reputation is on the line. Yet you know that you cannot allow the bounds of your reality to be determined by others. There is a solution set to this seeming paradox, which is that people tend to respect those who are confident even if they don’t agree with them, or even like them. Rather than worrying whether others in some way object to you, pay attention to how they are in fact responding. If someone objects, notice how you handle it. Do you immediately want to yield to them, or do you ask yourself whether they are entitled to an opinion, and what that opinion counts for? Think of this as the next stage of leadership. It’s one where politics matters, but only to a limited degree.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 19, 2014, #1003 | By Eric Francis
You may find yourself filled with a kind of ambition you have not expressed in a long while, or even dared to let yourself feel. I suggest you do this as the slow, steady burn rather than as some kind of revolt or revolution. Every bit of authority, influence or power you gain must be tempered by devotion to service and remembering that you’re accountable for every use of that power. Imagine that everything you say and do is part of the public record — that you can have no secrets. Imagine that you are responsible not just for everything you say but also for everything you hear, read and see. That may seem intolerable, or like too much pressure. Yet in a sense it’s true, and it’ll help you because the choices you make will continue to have an impact on other people for quite a while to come.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 12, 2014, #1002 | By Eric Francis
Don’t worry if you feel like you’re going to explode. You probably won’t, though I suggest you find a way to let off some psychic pressure. Anything from art to orgasm to loud music will do, though definitely vent energy in the direction of creativity and/or pleasure. It would be useful to do this tonight, while the Moon is at exact full phase in a mysterious little (actually, enormous) dimension of your chart called the 12th house. Yet once the Full Moon passes, Luna herself will ingress Capricorn and be there through Sunday afternoon, so you get an extended moment of embodying movement, change and cracking free of whatever may have contained you. You do have the option to hold this energy down, which would be worse than a missed opportunity. The impulse to get drunk may be rather potent — that doesn’t count as creative either. Give yourself what you actually need and want. You know what it is.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, June 6, 2014, #1001 | By Eric Francis
It’s finally come to the point where what other people think does not matter, and it’s got less influence on you than ever. Or certainly it can, while you take care of things that are absolutely not the business of anyone but yourself. One particular issue that may have been troubling you for ages is coming into focus, and you are in a position to do something about it. But to make full contact you have to pass through a kind of nonexistent barrier, similar to what used to be called the ‘sound barrier’. There is no boundary, just the fear of chaos, and the fear that your own sense of identity could be threatened by the healing process. I suggest you sit quietly with that and let the fear speak up even as you move forward. What you are seeking is also moving toward you, and when the meeting happens you won’t have to cross the whole distance yourself.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 30, 2014, #1000 | By Eric Francis
If you are trying to sort out the difference between self-esteem and narcissism, I have a clue for you. I know that these two ideas are often confused or conflated, and that’s a problem. It’s necessary to center one’s life on oneself, but there are many ways to do that. One way to distinguish them is to notice whether you’re interested in other people for their sake rather than for your own. The problem with narcissism is that it really does not care — either what happens to others, or how others actually feel about them. There is a kind of chilly emotional detachment to narcissism, and that is what makes it such a problem. If you care, show that you do. Don’t play it cool; be real. Say it in words and demonstrate it in deeds. Allow yourself to be part of someone else’s existence in a real way. This calls for vulnerability, the real thing. Now, if you happen to discover that you don’t really care so much? You can start by inquiring as to how that came to be. Once again it comes back to vulnerability.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for June 2014, #999 | By Eric Francis
This is your take-charge moment, though for the next few weeks as Mercury treks backwards through Gemini, I suggest you keep this fact concealed. Rather, work with people on their familiar level of the game, of the company or of society. Learn everything you can, about them and about what they do. There is a style of leadership (such as onboard a ship) where the captain must have mastered every single station, task and routine that any of his or her sailors must do. This is the approach that I suggest you take. As you do so, establish relationships with everyone you know who is doing those tasks and make sure they know you appreciate them. Once Mercury stations direct, you will then step into a coordinating role. Again, this will not be the ordinary kind of top-down leadership that our society seems to worship, leading to the $25 million CEO who cannot actually do anything. As time goes on, and you demonstrate your competence and skill by passing through a series of initiations or tests, you will earn the respect of those around you. Along the way, I suggest you think of everyone as your potential benefactor and supporter rather than as a competitor. This will be a refreshing change, and who knows, maybe other people around you will start to pick up on the idea.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 16, 2014, #998 | By Eric Francis
Everything you’ve been doing the past few months has been mere preparation for the Take Leadership position you’re about to adopt. Since that was preparation, it’s worth remembering everything you’ve learned since early December, especially about your professional relationships. It is clear that you either want or are destined to dominate a certain situation, though you may realize you cannot do this in an obvious way. You must do it in an artful way. That involves an emphasis on beauty, any time you get the chance, but mainly it involves finesse in your relationships. Even if you’ve rubbed certain people the wrong way, you have the chance to make amends and align your mutual goals. One thing you can trust is that you have something of worth in the relationship, be it power, influence, talent, a vision or charisma. Remember that, and notice how well the skills of others compliment your own. That is a good position to be in.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 2, 2014, #997 | By Eric Francis
You may be allowing your mood or emotional state to hang in the balance on how someone else feels. You know well how you feel, though you may not be thrilled about it all the time. It would be better to address that basic fact of your reality than to pass the issue to someone else. My impression is that there is a commitment issue on your part. Were you to fully commit to the situation, you would have to do two things — pluck up some real self-esteem, and truly offer yourself. The two are related, more closely than is usually acknowledged. One way to reality check this is to consider the ways you hold back on the excuse that you’re not really valued. Were you to not hold back, you would have to put that theory to the test. You would need to find out, in reality, how much someone cares, and how they care. Then you would have to respond to that information. At the moment you seem to be in a state of limbo, waiting for someone else to take action. Very soon it will be your move — within about three weeks.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for May 2014, #996 | By Eric Francis
With Mars stationing direct in your 10th house — the one that goes ‘all the way to the top’ — remember that leadership and authority are about relationships. These are not equal or level relationships, either. They are about authority, yet they also can be fair. What’s significant is that you are the one who must define fairness, and to do that, you must have a balanced mind, which is another way of saying equanimity. This is an interesting concept. It’s about one’s inner state, which has a way of expanding and reaching into the feelings of others. The relationships you’re building must be built on trust, and where you are in a position of authority, your willingness to play your role is a fundamental element of that trust. As the month unfolds, you’re likely to have a series of opportunities to step up to new challenges. I suggest you do this incrementally, never taking on more than you can handle. The goal is not to have power; the goals, if I may suggest a few, are to explore the feeling of competence, and what it’s like to collaborate with others in a satisfying way. Emphasize the quality of what you get done rather than how much or how impressive it is. If you’re concerned what others watching you might think, clearly, this is the focus.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 18, 2014, #995 | By Eric Francis
You know who you are and where you’re going. You know — but I don’t suggest you say a word to anyone else. Rather, begin to slip into the life you’re embarking on like a hand gently wiggling into a well-fitted glove. As I’ve suggested before, your astrology seems, on one level, to be pushing you into making radical decisions, particularly where your career or business is concerned. I am suggesting that you make subtle decisions, choices smaller than you may think matter. Most of them involve people and how you relate to them. In terms of your business life, everything you do right now comes down to the most intricate fabric of your human contacts, and the conscious cultivation of trust. Yet at the same time there is also a matter of appearance involved. You must be careful about ever using appearance to deceive. Rather, use the magic and power of presentation to convey the underlying truth of who you are. Present your real talents in the most elegant way, coming right from your soul. Most success is not built on this — yours will be.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 11, 2014, #994 | By Eric Francis
If I have not said it lately, I suggest you set any major career plans aside. You do need to work, so work well, and focus on developing trusting relationships with your colleagues and people in positions of authority. You will in the near future be counting on that trust. That is more than enough emphasis on your career. In fact, it’s exactly the emphasis that your chart is calling for: on real people, and real situations, right now. What you need to know about these situations is that the actual content is not restricted to work but rather is deeply intertwined with your integrity as a person, which is why it’s such a productive time to hang out there. As for everything else: your charts are describing an emotional state that’s all about asserting your independence. Here is a clue — you don’t need to assert it from anyone else; you only need to refine your thinking and step out of the limited concepts of a ‘self’ that have kept you trapped in the past. One theme of this inner discussion involves not needing to be so cocooned. You don’t need to hide your real personality three layers back from the world. When you introduce yourself to someone, let them meet you, right then and there.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 4, 2014, #993 | By Eric Francis
You are deep into a phase of enforced growth and changes, though you may not realize how much help you have. You seem to be feeling the pressure but not the support in your environment. True, Pluto in your sign is the original symbol of the lone wolf. Yet rather than feeling like it’s you against the world, I suggest you tune into the idea of you in cooperation with the world. If there is a disconnect, it’s emotional. Because other aspects of your astrology may have you feeling agitated and unstable, you may not notice the calmer, more consistent and friendlier influences in your surroundings. However, they are present, and willing to extend a helping hand if you would slow down and notice their presence. This will call for a change of emotional orientation on your part, which is so basic to the equation you can think of it as the whole purpose of being open to the love and kindness of others.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, March 28, 2014, #992 | By Eric Francis
If you’re going to rebel, focus on what makes no sense, and then wage the rebellion by making sense. Rather than object to what is ridiculous, propose the alternative. The posture of rebellion I am suggesting is not waged in the negative but rather in the affirmative. That leaves a lot more room for creativity, actual innovation and sense of humor. It also disguises the rebellion as something else, such as an invention or a party or art or something that is just interesting. There are a lot of stupid customs in the world, ridiculous beliefs, pointless social rituals and absurd expectations. You seem to be aware of this now more than ever, and determined to do something about it. As the next few days unfold, that may grow to the point of having revolution in your heart. So be it — and Remember The Onion.
Planet Waves Monthly for April 2014, #991| By Eric Francis
Of the many messages I could deliver at the time of the grand cross, at the top of the list is to protect your reputation. Like a bookstore, reputations take years to build and can burn in minutes. There is no indication in your chart that this will happen, but many factors conspire to raise the probability level. Therefore I suggest you temper your ambitions for the moment and focus on maintaining what you’ve currently got going on. You have plenty of responsibility, and some of what you’re being required to do is sufficiently ambiguous as to require considerable thought. One potential risk is ending up taking responsibility for the actions of someone else, so I suggest you refrain, for the moment, from doing anyone else’s bidding, no matter how politically expedient it may be. There are also likely to be a few matters from the past that are coming up for closure, especially involving your professional activities. Take care of them. The planets in their courses are, as you know, holding out a vision of success, yet it’s vital that you allow this to unfold in due time, and that you skip no steps on the way to getting there. Soon enough, once you’ve passed unscathed through your current adventure thanks to your persistent vigilance, you will once again be able to throw caution to the four winds.
Horoscope #990 Unavailable
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 28, 2014, #989| By Eric Francis
Though Mercury direct and Mars retrograde are dominating astrological news, something that influences you more personally is happening — on March 6, Jupiter will station direct in your opposite sign Cancer. This may hold the answer to the ‘so much potential, so little movement’ riddle. Yet when things get moving they are really going to rock. Jupiter will make an opposition to Pluto in your sign. With that, Mars in Libra and Uranus in Aries form a grand cross — an aspect that has you at the center. This is a moment of astrology that calls for a bold and courageous approach. Therefore, take what you would normally consider your idea of brave and magnify it by about 10-fold — then you’re in range. As part of this experience you may have to admit to yourself just how cautious you tend to be, and how that impacts your life. But forces larger than you are pushing you out of your safe zone and out of the labyrinth of your own mind, into the open where you can actually get something productive done. That as we all know is your bottom line.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for March 2014, #988 | By Eric Francis
You will be summoned to leadership in the coming months, perhaps immediately. Events and your own desire for integrity and achievement will give you the opportunity to exceed your current abilities and expectations of yourself. What you must be cautious of is any moment when you’re doing something that cannot be reversed. This could be applied to many different situations, but I really mean decisions from which there is no going back. Despite that, you will need to be bold, and I suggest you assert that by listening to people you respect and taking what they say under advisement. That does not mean ‘take all advice’, it means consider what people say. This is basic politics and it’s also common sense. Speaking of politics — know who your allies are, and put them to work for you. Seek their assistance, and make sure they know how much you appreciate their contribution. Leadership is not all about the leader — it’s all about the people who surround and interrelate with that person. You want one or two people who are not afraid to disagree with you, assuming you have determined they are intelligent and respectful. When life is coming at you from all corners, make sure you have those corners covered. At the same time, you will command respect by standing on your own and never shrinking from a decision.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, #987 | By Eric Francis
Do you have the idea that others are acting like selfish, childish brats? Your chart suggests you might have that impression. You might be mistaken, however. I suggest you listen for clues how others perceive you — they may have the impression that all you care about is yourself. This is not a formula for domestic happiness and tranquility. As the Leo Full Moon builds and comes to a peak on Friday, I suggest doing what you can to avoid any kind of showdown, and instead, listen for common ground. The emotional space you share is likely to come in the form of values, your underlying ideas about what is true and necessary. I believe that most conflicts are superficial; so too are most differences of opinion. The solution to any seeming disagreement is to go deeper, below the surface, and see what’s going on down under the deeps of the sea. It’s another world down there.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, #986 | By Eric Francis
You may be feeling like your mind is anything but clear, however, your astrology is saying you have an opening for something better than clarity, which is originality. The chaos that’s swarming around your thought process is a necessary ingredient of authentic creativity. Perhaps a musical metaphor will help. It’s necessary to learn scales and theory and be somewhat disciplined to be able to play an instrument. When it comes down to having your own ideas, improvising or letting your feelings out, you have to step outside those frameworks and embrace the unpredictable with a flexible state of mind. Current planetary movements may seem to be overdoing this a little, though think of what you’re doing as surfing rather than paddling around a heated swimming pool. Also I would note, you cannot actually drown in an idea, and if you find one that seems like it could do that, you can be sure it’s a pretty darned powerful concept.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, #985 | By Eric Francis
Venus is about to return to direct motion in your sign after a six-week retrograde. Whatever has happened to you in these weeks, I suggest you make a conscious choice to remember what you learned, and put it to work on a daily basis. Remember what you discovered about yourself, and don’t forget that it’s really about you, here and now, not some alternate version of yourself somewhere else. You may be wondering why it was necessary to put up so much resistance to something so obvious. You don’t owe anything your emotional loyalty, and the sensation of owing is what would render any affection worthless anyway. That you still may struggle with guilt is the product of what was done to you — not what you did to others. You can heal almost any relationship with your sincerity. What you may appreciate is that’s exactly how you heal yourself.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for February 2014, #984 | By Eric Francis
Something seems to have happened to you over the past couple of months, involving coming into deeper contact with your creative gifts and your sexuality. You probably know or can guess that I consider these elements of humanity to be closely related, stemming right from the same source. To develop one, it’s essential to develop the other. Venus retrograde in your sign beginning at the solstice, spanning through the end of January, has done something magnificent for you: you have embodied something that was previously abstract or that existed in potential. You have taken steps to reclaim gifts that may have previously made you nervous, that you took for granted or considered something that only had relevance when you were younger. Here is the ongoing challenge: Devotion to artistry and the arts of erotic love requires self-focus. Even in our narcissistic culture, that can be considered suspect, and it can certainly be an irritant (or threatening) to people who have never considered any such quest. You need courage to persist on this mission, and you need to be willing to wrap your whole life around what will seem like a form of over-focus. Yet the idea is not to get lost in yourself — in order for your work or your discovery to have relevance, it’s necessary to find yourself. You are well on the way. Keep going.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, #983 | By Eric Francis
I’m concerned that the pressure you’re feeling will translate to a hasty or premature decision on a financial matter. Let me be the first person to remind you that you have time to bide, and that there are certain key facts of which you are not aware. You will know when you’re working with enough information to make a key decision; it will be obvious. The fact that you’ve noticed that certain people are far from agreement does not count. You’re the person who holds the key to what everyone has in common, and that ‘what’ may be a who, in the form of yourself. But you haven’t figured out how powerful your bargaining position really is. Just be patient, like a spider in her web.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 10, 2014, #982 | By Eric Francis
You’re getting to know yourself in a new way, and I do hope you’re interested in what you’re learning. You may be sick of the past, questioning the past and/or living in the past. Yet what you’re learning involves getting to the bottom of emotional attitudes and values that are very much a product of your conditioning, but which you have not fully evaluated your commitment to. Once you do, it will be abundantly clear what you want and what you don’t want; what is a positive influence and what is a negative influence. However, as you go about making up your mind what to do about this, beware if any guilt slips into your thinking. Guilt is evidence of control mechanisms that are leftovers from childhood. You are not betraying anyone by making up your own mind about how you feel. If anyone cares, remind yourself that your values are your business.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope — January 2014, #981 | By Eric Francis
You know that you cannot be content with anything superficial or make believe, so you may as well not lose any more sleep over that. You’re discovering that you have something to say, and you may be wondering if anyone wants to listen. You can set that one aside too; your charts say that it’s time to get the word in before you get the word out. As you invest your energy in self-knowledge, and making the changes you have wanted to make for so long, you will become your message. Part of what you’re seeking in this process is an understanding of how things got to be the way they are. This applies to your life, and to any aspect of the world that you are seeking to influence, change, develop or in some way correct. The story of the world the way you perceive it corresponds directly to the story of your life. The changes you are going through connect to the urgent need for progress in the world. You are a kind of personal intersection between the two, but in order not to have that become a burden, I suggest you focus on your life and your learning process, and take action only when you feel profoundly moved to do so. Less is more — and when the time comes, that will be plenty.