It was an eventful day in the sky yesterday. Jupiter resumed direct motion after having been retrograde in Virgo since Jan. 7. In the middle of its own Taurus retrograde, Mercury made news by visibly moving across the face of the Sun for the first time since 2006.

Soon after Mercury and Jupiter did their thing, the Moon came home to Cancer, the sign it rules. It arrived shortly before 1:24 pm EDT (17:23:26 UTC) yesterday. Luna will remain in its watery cardinal realm until it enters Leo shortly before 5:32 pm (21:31:52 UTC) late tomorrow.

You may have felt a difference after the Moon entered its dominion yesterday. That’s because both the Moon and the sign Cancer, perhaps foremost among their other symbolism, represent feelings

You also might want to take yesterday’s feelings into account today. Specifically, it would be a good idea to consider how you felt (and possibly continue to feel) in the context of what seems to be the operative prefix at this time: “re-.”

Words that begin with the prefix “re-” typically come up repeatedly during periods distinguished by the quantity and/or quality of retrogrades — like now. Even though Jupiter is progressing forward again, four other sign-ruling planets continue to regress back through their respective signs: Mercury (in Taurus), Mars (currently in Sagittarius, but on its way back to Scorpio), Saturn (also in Sagittarius) and Pluto (in Capricorn). That’s no small thing, nor is it at all common.

In spite of beginning with the same two letters, not all of the many words with the “re-” prefix mean the same thing. There are some striking contrasts among them. Perhaps the most important distinction for you to reflect on at this time, however, is more subtle: the implicit differences commonly assumed between two words that could reasonably be considered synonyms: “reaction” and “response.”

Maybe it all started with common use of the term “equal and opposite reaction” as part of describing Sir Issac Newton’s third law of motion. Also, consider how the phrase “chemical reaction” is common, whereas the term “chemical response” is less often used — and would probably carry a far different meaning if it were. The list of such examples could easily go on and on, but you get the drift.  

Whether it’s proverbially cricket or not, common use of the word “reaction” usually implies something automatic and without reasoning far more often than the word “response” does. Given the aforementioned context of the astrology today (and actually, for the remainder of this week), it would be worthwhile for you to think about whether (and to what extent) such relatively arbitrary distinctions are less than helpful when it comes to what might be the most important “re-” word of all: relationship. After all, uncommon times often require an uncommon approach to make the most of their potential.

Perhaps what you perceive as somebody’s emotional reaction is actually a reasoned response from their point of view. Maybe you have had occasion to be misinterpreted in kind. No matter which way the words flow, no relationship is helped when one party perceives a lack of reason or thought while the other side feels a recriminating dearth of sympathy and compassion.

So use your words carefully today. Instead of assuming something derogatory of another person, ask for information that would allow you to put yourself in their place, and better understand how they feel. Additionally, make an extra special effort to be clear with and about yourself and your own feelings. That way, you can help the world experience this uncommon period of many planet retrogrades at once as the time of rewarding recuperation, renewal, refreshment and restoration it has the potential to be.

Offered In Service

By Rob Moore

A while back I came across some proofs from a professional photo shoot of me taken when I was just barely into my 30s. I have to say I was rather disturbed by the person I saw staring back at me in those images. So uncomfortable. So guarded. I recall the photographer wanting to get some tough-looking photos as well as some pleasant ones.

“Being Physical” by Rob Moore.

Unfortunately, the only look he captured was ‘uncomfortable’. As in, ‘not comfortable in this life’.

With the Sun presently in earthy, sensual Taurus, I have noticed my thoughts leaning toward things of a more physical nature lately. It is quite possible you have, as well. To that point, Eric looks further into Mercury’s retrograde passage through Taurus in the latest Planet Waves FM and discusses the importance of claiming ‘our right to be in our bodies’.

Also, Eric describes his personal experiences with world-famous astrologer and my fellow Sagittarius Jonathan Cainer following his unexpected passing this week. If you think that might be a downer, think again. Eric’s accounts are as full of life as Cainer was himself.

Many years ago during a grave and extended illness, I briefly slipped out of the body. That turned out to be one of the greatest gifts I ever received because I was essentially reminded how there is nothing to fear or be sad about. Here or beyond. Yet upon learning that Jonathan had passed, I cried. Deeply and repeatedly. I believe this is the first time I have cried about a death since my own experience with it. But since Cainer has been amongst the brightest of guiding lights that has led me to a better way of living, I wept completely for myself.

I perceive Jonathan’s easy transition as a direct testament to how freely and comfortably he lived in the physical world. And that is an inspiring thing. Yet most of us do not plop out of the womb onto a direct path of living quite so freely. For a great many of us, it is a rather winding and tunneled path we have to navigate to at last feel all is well within our bodies, and therefore within our world.

My attention has been brought to all this recently by some people on the periphery of my life who are painfully uncomfortable in their own bodies. One of these individuals resides at my address. Seeing him walk around with his rigid limbs extended out like armor is so difficult to watch, I feel sure he has arrived on my scene specifically to teach me something.

One thing is for sure: Aided by finding those uncomfortable-looking photos of myself, I am now able to recall what it felt like to exist in a state of perpetual self-consciousness and being ill at ease. Are these feelings or states of being that you can relate to in any way? Such deep discomfort is not at all uncommon among us.

Also very notable to me have been some closed-off and guarded types I have encountered among my more recent sexual experiences. To me, kissing is just about the most sensual way to engage. But pressing my lips against a tightly held mouth that is so on guard its muscles can barely open I find to be a deeply saddening state of affairs. What’s deeply exhilarating, though, is having the opportunity to stick with the interaction and feel that partner physically soften, soften, soften until they let go fully into the very moment we’re sharing. Mmmmm. Good stuff.

To feel safe as a member of the world and to have the opportunity to extend a zone of safety to someone else — if only for a little while — is a direct result of all the unlearning I’ve done to be able to relax completely into myself. It started for me with the practice of rebirthing, which involves deep emoting but always aims to end in a place of deep peace. This is actually how I came to first discover the place of higher wisdom that resides in and around me.

This was a profound discovery for me. It’s how that frightened and guarded young man in those photos soon found it safe to relax into his true feelings and true self. And that never would have happened if I had blindly swallowed the think-only-positive-thoughts insistence handed down since the 1980s.

I have relished being reminded by Jonathan Cainer of the positive spin on things each and every day. I will miss his brand of that delicious nectar. But I have always been very aware of what different Sagittarius cloth Cainer and I were cut from. Whereas he seemed so often to go directly to the light, bright and positive, I have found myself to be more akin to positivity’s plumber. I feel drawn to locate and snake out the feelings, perceptions — and misperceptions — that block the brilliant truth. I mean, when we honestly can’t see any picture but a bleak one, this is very often the most direct route to realizing the perfection of ‘what is’.

I never found merely chanting positively spun sentences while feeling like crap inside to be genuinely seeing the positive. It always felt more like denial, which is how that 30-year-old me became guarded and closed-off and not at all comfortable with his life.

In 1999, after contemplating the idea for over a year, I took time off from work and poured my heart, soul and truth into compiling The Black & White Book. Using the palette of a black page and white page per spread, I expressed every emotion that had welled up in me about any and every topic that came to mind. What I allowed to spew forth led naturally and organically to an uplifting shift in perspective, which I joyfully recorded on that white page.

My hope was to demonstrate the transformative power of this exercise when our heartfelt goal is to find a way of looking at events in a new way. I invite you to see some examples on my site and find out if this approach speaks to you.

For a great many the idea of delving into such emotions does not seem inviting at all. I’m glad to say there are actually some simple-to-execute life improvements I also put into place that rapidly became so second nature, I rarely ever consciously think about them.

One is the often-overlooked practice of finding my ground. For much of my life I walked around with my head in the clouds ignoring whether or not my feet were firmly planted somewhere… anywhere. I didn’t care, didn’t want to be bothered with it and didn’t think it mattered. And yet I was completely, 100% baffled at how nothing was coming of my hopes and dreams. Quite simply, they weren’t gaining any ground.

Purely from a physical standpoint, I have a genetic predisposition towards a giant torso and skinny legs. This, I have learned, is a clear indicator of the need to consciously incorporate grounding principles throughout this lifetime in order to balance things out. The great news is that achieving this is no big deal at all. (Which is exactly why I skipped over it for so many years.)

In the simplest of terms, right where you are, consciously feel the Earth beneath you. Or feel the floor beneath you, which is, after all, directly connected to the Earth. Whenever I’m setting my sights for a new project, an excursion or just a new day, the first thing I do is stand up and acknowledge the Earth’s gravitational force that is literally anchoring me in place. Feeling solidly anchored, I then breathe in the energy that hums just beneath me, and proceed to lay out my intentions to my guidance.

The main thing here is to feel your body’s connection to the Earth however it works best for you; right there where you sit, stand or lie. And then above all, incorporate this acknowledgement into each day. It may not seem like much at first; God knows for me it sure didn’t. But I’m here to tell you, in the most physical of ways, certain tasks and movements that have been an arduous chore begin to lighten.

The most notable shift for me was working out legs at the gym. I used to actually cry on leg day because I hated and dreaded how terrible the exercises felt. Once I made that conscious connection to the ground beneath me, my workouts became less and less difficult. Today, not only do I look forward to leg day, I incorporate a little leg-strengthening exercise into every single workout.

Basically, that leg feeling was the feeling of fear. Tremendous fear. Bordering on internal terror. Just like ‘think only positive thoughts’ will never deal with any hurt or anger buried underneath, no amount of ‘just keep pushing’ my resistant legs would change the situation. Turned out there was a vital factor I was ignoring: the Earth. A remedy that is everywhere I looked, and basically its mere acknowledgement was all that was needed.

The Spring Reading is now published. You may order all 12 signs here or choose your individual signs here for immediate access. You may listen to a free audio introduction here now.

Similarly, for so much of my life I wasn’t feeling or listening to my body. I mean in the most rudimentary of ways… like giving it the rest it was crying out for. It has been my experience that the more sensitive I have become to what’s going on beneath me and around me, the more sensitive my physical body has become. It is literally used as a message center for me to personally decipher.

I mentioned a couple weeks back that I haven’t been having sex lately. My body is definitely telling me that human touch is in order again. I have found that just the experience of touching others for a good, quality amount of time does much to alter my perspective. Following this enriching activity, I feel so much more connected with all those I encounter in the world. My sense of oneness increases. Interesting how engaging beyond my one body does that.

As we pass through this season of retrogrades, it is quite likely that our ability to be in touch with what our bodies need is heightened. What is your body asking for? More specifically, what does your body indicate it wants before the analytical brain makes a judgment about it? Whether it’s a sensation, sight, sound or feeling that you feel drawn toward, I would suggest merely considering how that can be realized. No matter what anyone would think should that desire manifest.

For now, maybe just get comfortable with the ideas that your body is suggesting. Maybe just get comfortable with what you’re feeling. Maybe just get comfortable.

The Spring Reading is now published. Order all 12 signs here or choose your individual signs here for immediate access. You may listen to a free audio introduction here.

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves

Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. In Switzerland, a weasel chewed through a power cord at the Large Hadron Collider, forcing technicians to suspend operation of the 17-mile-long particle accelerator until mid-May. Having been counted down and out by MSM, Bernie Sanders beat Clinton soundly in Indiana, and his numbers are good in Oregon, West Virginia, and into future primaries. Meanwhile, sure her super-delegates are in the bag, Hillary has already turned her eyes toward the national debate.

Ted Cruz bonked his wife in the face with his elbow not once but twice while putting an unexpected end to his 2016 presidential run. His concession prompted Full Frontal’s Samantha Bee to tweet, “Shouldn’t #TedCruz have been forced to carry his unviable campaign to term?” Donald Trump — millionaire bully and blowhard, called a pathological liar by Sanders and a loose cannon by Clinton — has become the presumptive Republican candidate.

But things aren’t always the way they look, especially in these days of purge and pandemonium. Reports that a weasel stopped us from discovering the secrets of the universe were inaccurate, as the critter at fault was in the same family, but was most likely a beech martin, something of a weasel look-alike. No one can be sure, since munching on a 66,000-volt power cable leaves little behind to identify. If the smallest mammals were given epitaphs, this one would be a doozy. Stopping a 9 billion dollar project in its tracks is a pretty impressive trick.

Sometimes it’s the little things, you know? As Scottish poet Bobby Burns put it in his ode to another wee creature, the mouse whose winter burrow he’d inadvertently plowed up, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” That last is translated “often go askew,” and I’ll add a big Amen to that.

There’s so much wrong with a Trump presidency that I could fill volumes, but one of the most dangerous problems seems to be his friendship with David Pecker, Chairman and Chief Executive of The National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media. This has evidently convinced Trump that every improbable thing he reads there is fodder for American foreign policy. And it doesn’t stop there.

With our Donald hopelessly addicted to conspiracy theories, it’s clear that Enquirer stories are the equivalent of candy to a sugar junky. While that’s unseemly in a wanna-be president, it’s completely appropriate to someone who monitors television 24/7 in order to know what’s up in the world. Easy to see how the notion that Obama is a Kenyan, a Muslim, a Commie or whatever yellow journalism might be found in the publication’s archives might inevitably show up in the contents of today’s tweets, and — stand by, citizens — tomorrow’s, regarding Hillary.

The rag’s egregious gossip-mongering led Donald to accuse religious extremist and family patriarch, Rafael Cruz, of helping Lee Harvey Oswald do in JFK. Really, Donald? It’s one thing to be corrupt, brutish and belligerent but quite another to be, at best, cynically opportunistic or, at worst, naive to the point of ignorance.

Comedian Bill Santiago called Donald “Archie Bunker with the nuclear code.” Will Pitt, over at TruthOut, said “Trump is genuinely dangerous, but he is at the end of the day a carnival barker with a flat head. He is a certain menace ….” These opinions (heard in stereo everywhere we turn) make us more comfortable with our own feelings of disbelief when it comes to Trump and his minions, hopefully un-electable if not easily forgotten. I particularly appreciate the legislators who have taken him on, people like Elizabeth Warren and Alan Grayson. Obama, too.

Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid didn’t mince words about Trump: “He’s the embodiment of everything Americans hate about a system that’s rigged for the top 1 percent, he’s the definition of a man who was born on third and thinks he hit a triple. What’s worse, he uses his wealth to rip people off and is now sowing hatred and division every place he steps.”

Harry hit the nail. Donald Trump is running, full speed ahead, for CEO of America, Inc. It’s a ‘for profit’ enterprise. Trump is interested in growing the nation by furthering the art of the deal in backroom arm-twists and aggressive negotiation. He joins a good many people who see the job in exactly those terms: not the captain steering the ship of state but the boss, pulling the strings, risking the whole ball of wax and playing a blood sport, winner take all.

To anyone who has been watching these last years, it should be clear that occupying the bully pulpit makes a big difference in the tone of national progress, but not so much with specifics, as the Donald seems to think. The authority of the President is limited to considerable power in foreign policy, with a nod to Congressional approval, and much less power domestically. Eight years of Republican obstruction have given us a very clear picture of a president hamstrung by non-cooperation.

Doesn’t Donald see it? Most of what he would like to do can’t be done, at least not here and not now, but neither he nor his faithful have noticed. In fact, they don’t seem to care, they just like the ‘plan’ and the aggressive talk. What the Trumpeters don’t understand is that a Chief Executive Officer has a very different way of looking at the world than an American president who must be part statesman, part strategist, and wholly public servant, charged with putting the good of the country and its citizens ahead of any other goal.

For instance, the New York Times reports that Trump proposed “negotiating with creditors” while discussing the national debt this week. Basically, he’s suggesting not paying in full and repurchasing debt for less than face value, which is a common business practice. Clearly, it won’t wash. The U.S. government enjoys very low interest rates BECAUSE it can be depended upon to repay its debt, and the slightest hint of instability costs the nation dearly. A temporary delay of $120 million in interest payments in 1979 caused interest rates to climb, resulting in an increase to taxpayers of around $12 billion.

This “profit before people” issue has the blessing of the Republican ethos, if not its current talking points or its policy. Yet, even though the Robert’s Court has made corporations equal to people, and money the same as speech, there is still a job definition for POTUS that the Donald simply can’t inhabit with any comfort. There are way too many middle-men and women in the way of his authority, too many fingers stirring the pot, too many not on his personal payroll, too many wagging the dog to make someone like Trump —  who learned much of his politics at the knee of infamous mob lawyer, Roy Cohen — happy as the autonomous King of the Hill.

No, he hasn’t got all the delegates, although he’s got the Klan and the disenchanted right. He hasn’t got the establishment GOP, although he’s got billionaire Sheldon Adelson and ex-VP Dick Cheney. It’s the hostile take-over of a lifetime for the Donald, a power-play and reality show too heady not to shoot for, despite his disdain of a shabby little home like the White House and a salary he considers peanuts.

While he won’t have a hefty CEO retirement to count on — 100 CEO’s reportedly have as much in their company retirement assets as the entire retirement savings of some 50 million American families — he’ll have REAL brand-ability if it all works out, right? Right!

Why the Pubs don’t jump on this train, given their track record at supporting corporate concerns, nation-wide, with public money, is something of a mystery. Their willing participation in screwing over the citizenry was denounced by Matt Taibbi as ” … a scam of almost unmatchable balls and cruelty, accomplished with the aid of some singularly spineless politicians.”

Sounds Trump-like, don’t you think? Birds of a feather, yes? But Trump’s too much a maverick to please them, a man without a leash, a CEO and not a politico. Still, it’s hardly over at this point — not for Bernie or Hillary OR Donald. And strange things are afoot.

Consider: Mary Matalin, ex-assistant to Dick Cheney and the Bush tribe, infamously married to Dem strategist, James Carville, has registered as a Libertarian. She’s pissed at establishment leadership and thinks she’s “provisionally” for Donald, especially if he’d quit insulting women.

Think of it! Mary Matalin has LEFT the GOP behind, and that must mean that Hell has frozen over. Clearly, it’s a season of surprises and unintended consequences — and you just never know when you’ll find a weasel in the works.

A common gaffe with modern electronic media (social media especially) is posting something too hastily. Not so long ago, the situation was reversed. When the most advanced form of communication was a rotary dial telephone, it was considered ungracious to terminate (rather than initiate) a conversation prematurely by abruptly ‘hanging up’.

The old telephone etiquette may very well be applicable to how the astrology next week and beyond manifests with and through you. This will be especially true with regards to two significant celestial events on Monday.

On Monday, the interior (or ‘inferior’) conjunction of retrograde Mercury with the Sun will be precise to the degree for both latitude and longitude as Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun. The result will be Mercury making a visible transit across the face of the Sun.

It will be the first Mercury transit in 10 years, and the longest since 1970. Please do not look for it without the proper eye protection. Regular sunglasses will not be enough. Consult with a local observatory or college astronomy department first if you feel it’s important to see it.

From an astrological point of view, seeing the Mercury transit will not be as important as what you do with it. For many astrologers, all of Mercury’s interior conjunctions represent a day of grace when the usual Mercury retrograde protocols do not apply.

To use a phrase made famous by domestic diva Martha Stewart, the implication is “a good thing.” Given how Monday’s interior conjunction of the Sun to Mercury will be an extra special case, the importance of your showing just a bit of grace yourself will essentially be doubled. The same can be said for what will be going on with Jupiter.

The Spring Reading is now published. You may order all 12 signs here or choose your individual signs here for immediate access. You may listen to a free audio introduction here now.

That’s because Jupiter will conclude about four months of retrograde motion in Virgo on Monday. While Jupiter retrogrades should never be classified as necessarily a bad thing, the resumption of direct motion nearly always represents “even better.” Even so, Jupiter will not exactly be sprinting forward — not at first anyway. Any planet changing direction on the zodiac takes a little time to pivot and get up to speed.

Jupiter’s gradual turn-around, combined with with an unusually long solar transit by Mercury, implies that you should hang in there rather than hanging up. Give your efforts and hopes a chance.

Remember the admonition often credited to the late, great Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over `till it’s over.” Give the new lunar cycle starting with today’s New Moon in Taurus sufficient time to show all the promise it implies. If there is anything to astrology, patience with both the cosmos and developments taking place in your life will be rewarded.

For next week at least, it will almost certainly be worth whatever forbearance and restraint it might take to remain engaged with other people until your conversations can be completed politely, if not amicably. Indeed, for as long as two weeks, until the Full Moon in Sagittarius on May 21, it will almost certainly be advisable to give life, peace and love (among other good things) a chance to prevail — no matter how difficult any given moment may seem.

Hang in there. Amazing times are on their way.

Offered In Service

By Amanda Painter

How often do you think about the difference between what it means to be fully present with your entire being during sex, versus ‘performing’ sex or ‘acting sexy’ to meet cultural expectations? That is, how much do you allow yourself to experience sensuality, vulnerability, intimacy, passion and some sense of union — whether with some facet of yourself or with another person — when you engage your sexual energy?

Photo by Amanda Painter.

I ask because this week’s astrology seems to be offering those very questions, plus a few others.

You might not have an answer at your fingertips, and that’s okay; society in general does not seem to encourage a lot of deep introspection on this topic. Although, if you read your horoscope and astrology columns, that suggests you’re looking for some kind of deeper insight into yourself.

Friday’s Taurus New Moon, which is exact at 3:29 pm EDT (19:29 UTC), is the main event prompting a more inward focus this week. This is the Moon conjunct the Sun in mid-Taurus — a special zone of the zodiac, most notably because the Sun’s arrival there divides the current season in half.

The Sun at mid-Taurus signals one of the old Pagan cross-quarter days: mid-season celebrations that fall between an equinox and a solstice. I’m not a practicing Pagan, so my understanding of these very old holidays comes mainly through the context of astrology; but the early May / mid-Taurus holiday is called Beltane, and it celebrates sexual fertility, the fertility of the Earth, and union. Traditionally one might slip out into the fields or woods to, ahem, frolic al fresco, and in so doing, bless the Earth.

With the Moon currently in Taurus and waning toward new, however, you might be noticing that your awareness of Beltane themes — sexuality, union, contact with the Earth, experiencing your senses — is drawing you within yourself, rather than inviting you to go frolic wantonly under the Sun. The again, maybe not; maybe you’re always primed for an expressive, lusty rendezvous. Even in that case, consider allowing for a little more introspection as you head toward the weekend.

One of the factors emphasizing this direction of awareness and understanding is that Mercury is retrograde in Taurus, having stationed one week ago on April 28. On one level, Mercury is possibly throwing a monkey wrench into things like communication, your computer, travel plans and major purchases.

In fact, just yesterday a friend of mine detailed on Facebook her repeated, frustrating attempts to have an assembled gas grill delivered to her home, only to find it did not work each time. After requesting suggestions from her friends on how to handle the situation, she finally attempted to take part of it apart and fix it herself. She succeeded — illustrating that one theme of Mercury retrograde in Taurus might be to discover resources and resourcefulness you did not think you possessed.

On a less mundane or tangible level, Mercury retrograde in Taurus — just a few degrees from the New Moon — emphasizes that some form of review or inner accounting of your inner erotic resources may be in order. Venus, just a few degrees from the New Moon on its other flank, enhances the emotional-level understanding of these ideas. It’s softening the ground, so to speak, to help you feel the insights and let their value soak in.

This brings us back to my initial questions regarding whether you really let yourself connect your physical senses to your emotions and conscious awareness in sexual situations. It can be hard for a lot of people, and scary, even if you do not carry significant emotional or physical pain in this area of your life. True intimacy and vulnerability might be intimidating; following passion can seem ‘too wild’ or risky.

The Spring Reading is now published. You may order all 12 signs here or choose your individual signs here for immediate access. You may listen to a free audio introduction here now.

Yet, at the same time, if you really tune into your sensual longings and the emotions they evoke, do you also start to notice glowing embers that begin to brighten with each breath? Do they cast enough light for you to see something you’d like to make contact with, and perhaps even share with another person?

There’s a fascinating collection of asteroids and minor objects lined up in the other three fixed signs (Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius), all in the same degree that the Sun and Moon occupy in Taurus Friday. This makes a fixed grand cross. Without getting bogged down in details, I think I see a message emerging. (I’ll post the list in the comments for those who are curious.)

It has something to do with the push and pull of your own personal, deep, unique sexual desires; opening the lid on something you’ve been told not to look into (perhaps out of fear or an effort to control you); perhaps exceeding what others think is possible; and meeting the regenerative power of what you think it will take to make things better or heal.

The first step, I think, is to engage your senses in any way that feels like a personal celebration: enjoy touching, smelling, tasting, hearing and looking at what’s around you. From there, you can listen within. The choice is yours.