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A Fine Line: Roe v. Wade at 40

Dear Friend and Reader:

Tuesday, the Roe v. Wade decision of the U.S. Supreme Court has its 40th anniversary. As I imagine most people know, this was the court’s 1973 landmark ruling that defines a woman’s right to terminate an early-term pregnancy, in consultation with her doctor.

Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, left, and member of her legal team Gloria Allred outside the Supreme Court after the historic 1973 ruling. McCorvey regrets her role in the case and has for many years been involved with the pro-life movement. AP photo.

Less often discussed is the extent to which the the right of a woman to choose her reproductive destiny influences every other aspect of her life. Borrowing some logic from The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, the female body is the reproductive pod, with its own set of biological instructions; the one who inhabits the body gains the distinction of person through her ability to determine the course of her own life. And for a woman, that includes deciding whether, and when, to have children.

We don’t have an Equal Rights Amendment in the United States. The ERA, had it passed, would have said (it’s very short), “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Too bad that one didn’t go through. I believe that Roe v. Wade is the closest thing we have to it, particularly if you think that on the physical plane, biology influences destiny.

Few decisions in Supreme Court history have stirred up more controversy than Roe. Yet if you read it, the decision itself is not especially controversial, except of course for its logical result. It analyzes the issues thoughtfully and weighs the interests of the parties involved: the pregnant woman, the fetus and the responsibility of the state to regulate a medical procedure in order to protect the safety of the patient.

This is prudent given that in the 20th century, as many as one in six women who had an abortion died as a result of the procedure. The decision also protects the rights of the fetus upon reaching viability, including with life support, now held by the court to begin anywhere from 24 to 28 weeks into the pregnancy. The decision also attempts to clarify the legal issue of what a “person” is, since it’s not defined in the Constitution, and decides that it does not include the unborn.

Background and the 44-Second Time Difference

Before we get into the truly fascinating astrology of the decision — my purpose for writing today — I think it’s a good idea to have some background on the decision itself, you know, a little actual information about what was at stake. Just as a preview I will say that the chart for the decision is timed such that 44 seconds changes the rising sign. This, in turn, changes key rulerships in the chart, in a rare case of a chart changing entirely with less than one minute’s difference in the time.

Cover of the New York Times reporting Roe v. Wade decision the prior day. Former president Lyndon Johnson died the same day.

In Roe v. Wade, the court was reviewing the legality of an old Texas statute that made it illegal to “procure an abortion,” except with respect to “an abortion procured or attempted by medical advice for the purpose of saving the life of the mother.” Texas also allowed abortion in cases of rape and incest.

The case challenging this law was brought by Norma L. McCorvey, whose name was changed in court documents to Jane Roe. Pregnant with her third child in a state where most abortion was illegal, her friends suggested she claim to have been raped, so she could get a legal one. But she had no police report demonstrating that claim, so she then attempted to obtain an illegal abortion but found that the site had been shut down by police. She was out of options. By the time her case was litigated, she gave birth to the child and gave it up for adoption.

With the help of a legal team that was looking for a plaintiff to challenge the Texas law, McCorvey sued Texas (personified by Henry Wade, the Dallas County district attorney who also happened to be presiding at the time of the Kennedy assassination a decade earlier). She lost her case and her initial appeals, and then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court, in a 7 to 2 decision, determined that the Texas law was vague and unconstitutional, and infringed upon McCorvey’s right to procure a safe abortion, including violating her liberty, her right to privacy and her right to due process. “Due process” means that in theory, when the state takes away someone’s freedom, they do so in a judicially sound way.

In a concurring opinion affirming the majority ruling, Justice Potter Stewart wrote, “Clearly, therefore, the Court today is correct in holding that the right asserted by Jane Roe is embraced within the personal liberty protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is evident that the Texas abortion statute infringes that right directly.”

And he added, “Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a more complete abridgment of a constitutional freedom than that worked by the inflexible criminal statute now in force in Texas.”

The court also held that the longer a pregnancy lasted, the more the state’s interest in regulating that pregnancy increased. In the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy, the decision was up to the pregnant woman and her doctor. In the second 12 weeks of pregnancy, the health of the pregnant woman becomes the focus, and in the last 12 weeks (when the fetus becomes viable), the state has the most rights and may even ban abortion.

A History of Controversy

On and off throughout history, abortion has been a source of controversy, in part because abortions were so dangerous for so long, far more dangerous than childbirth until the 1930s. Other sources of controversy seem to involve the fact that in marriage, a woman can be considered chattel property, and that historically, men have a claim to the heirs to whom women give birth.

There is a relationship between abortion and the Inquisition that may be at the root of Christian mania about the issue. ‘Witches’ were often wise women and midwives who were versed in the ‘secrets’ of women’s fertility and abortion. Many of these women were burned at the stake during the Inquisition, removing their knowledge from the culture. This is an illustration of the Val Camonica, Italy’s ‘witchcraft’ executions during the early part of the 16th century.

The court was aware of the territory it was stepping into. Harry Blackmun, the author of the court’s majority opinion, framed the controversy in almost poetic terms:

“We forthwith acknowledge our awareness of the sensitive and emotional nature of the abortion controversy, of the vigorous opposing views, even among physicians, and of the deep and seemingly absolute convictions that the subject inspires. One’s philosophy, one’s experiences, one’s exposure to the raw edges of human existence, one’s religious training, one’s attitudes toward life and family and their values, and the moral standards one establishes and seeks to observe, are all likely to influence and to color one’s thinking and conclusions about abortion.”

And he adds, in a true statement of the times: “In addition, population growth, pollution, poverty, and racial overtones tend to complicate and not to simplify the problem.”

However, the zealous intensity around the issue we are used to is a relatively new thing. In its decision, the court includes a summary of the history of abortion, acknowledging, “It perhaps is not generally appreciated that the restrictive criminal abortion laws in effect in a majority of States today are of relatively recent vintage. Those laws, generally proscribing abortion or its attempt at any time during pregnancy except when necessary to preserve the pregnant woman’s life, are not of ancient or even of common-law origin. Instead, they derive from statutory changes effected, for the most part, in the latter half of the 19th century.” Note, this is among a lot of things that we take for granted as having existed forever; the 19th century was a festering pond for very bad ideas written in very good English.

It is worth noting that abortions were an issue in what are called the burning times — the murder of alleged witches in Europe that lasted for centuries, as part of the Inquisition — because often the term “witch” really meant wise woman, midwife and herbalist who knew how to prevent conception and terminate a pregnancy.

Skipping ahead a bit, among the most vocal opponents of abortion in the 19th and into the 20th centuries was the American Medical Association (AMA), which has done more than its share of witch hunting over the years. Even as late as 1967, the AMA took a stand objecting to abortion except when the pregnancy threatened the mental or physical health of the mother or the life of the mother; cases of rape or incest; and situations where the child was expected to have a birth defect.

By 1970, the AMA was starting to change its tune. According to the text of Roe v. Wade: “[The AMA] emphasized ‘the best interests of the patient’, ‘sound clinical judgment’, and ‘informed patient consent’ in contrast to ‘mere acquiescence to the patient’s demand’. The resolutions asserted that abortion is a medical procedure that should be performed by a licensed physician in an accredited hospital only after consultation with two other physicians and in conformity with state law, and that no party to the procedure should be required to violate personally held moral principles.”

Justice Harry Blackmun, who was appointed by Richard Nixon, wrote the majority ruling.

So, this is a complex issue, and the health of the mother has been a concern for much of the history of the debate. This includes the awareness that abortion will happen no matter what, and everyone, including the government, has an interest in abortion being as safe as it can be, which means that it must be regulated like all other medical procedures.

This is key to the court’s reasoning and is part of why this decision will be so difficult to reverse:
“The State has a legitimate interest in seeing to it that abortion, like any other medical procedure, is performed under circumstances that insure maximum safety for the patient. This interest obviously extends at least to the performing physician and his staff, to the facilities involved, to the availability of after-care, and to adequate provision for any complication or emergency that might arise.”

The ruling makes the issue clear: “The prevalence of high mortality rates at illegal ‘abortion mills’ strengthens, rather than weakens, the State’s interest in regulating the conditions under which abortions are performed. Moreover, the risk to the woman increases as her pregnancy continues. Thus, the State retains a definite interest in protecting the woman’s own health and safety when an abortion is proposed at a late stage of pregnancy.”

The court also admitted that the state has some interest in protecting prenatal life, ruling that:

Some of the argument for this justification rests on the theory that a new human life is present from the moment of conception. The State’s interest and general obligation to protect life then extends, it is argued, to prenatal life. Only when the life of the pregnant mother herself is at stake, balanced against the life she carries within her, should the interest of the embryo or fetus not prevail.

Logically, of course, a legitimate state interest in this area need not stand or fall on acceptance of the belief that life begins at conception or at some other point prior to live birth. In assessing the State’s interest, recognition may be given to the less rigid claim that as long as at least potential life is involved, the State may assert interests beyond the protection of the pregnant woman alone.

In the end, the court held that women have the right to make their own decisions about pregnancy, in consultation with their medical doctor, up to the point where the life of the fetus is considered viable — for three months in all cases, and then potentially for an additional three months into the pregnancy where her health is an issue.

The court described a right to privacy stemming from an earlier decision about birth control, Griswold v. Connecticut, holding: “This right of privacy… is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. The detriment that the State would impose upon the pregnant woman by denying this choice altogether is apparent.”

And Now for the Chart — or Charts

Looking at the astrology, we can get some insight into the nature of the controversy. There is actually a chart for this ruling. Data collector Lois Rodden (1928-2003), founder of Astrodatabank, states 10 am as the time, based on when the court goes into session. Rulings are then read and the text is made public. [To see the chart I’ve been working with, visit this page.]

This is one of those rare charts where 44 seconds makes all the difference in the world. If you cast the chart for 10 am, using the exact location of the Supreme Court building, you get very late Pisces rising — that is, the last quarter-degree of the zodiac is on the horizon. If you cast the chart for 10:00:44 am, you get a chart with the first degree of Aries rising — the Aries Point.

This is the ascendant for the 10:00 am chart. The two planets you can see are the Chiron-Eris conjunction. Notice that the last degree of Pisces is the degree rising. It’s not just the last degree, though, it’s just 18 arc minutes or 44 seconds of clock time away from being Aries rising. I look at both charts in the sections below. If you want to see both charts side by side, they are on this page.

This is an edgy chart, on the edge. The last degree of Pisces rising describes the transitional nature of the issue. When a mutable sign is rising, there’s sometimes not a strong hold on physical reality. However, I attribute some special properties to the last degree of Pisces, as it’s the end of the entire astrological wheel. In my experience, it’s a degree where you look for ways that the situation is the exception to a rule.

When you advance the time by less than a minute, that puts the first degree of Aries rising; the Aries Point is exactly on the ascendant. As I have written many times, the Aries Point is about the intersection of private and public life; the place where the personal is political. Indeed, this particular case is as personal as the political gets.

The stated time of the court going into session is 10:00 am (late Pisces rising). But obviously, it took the justices longer than that to settle in, the chief banged the gavel, and it took a moment for the audience to hush up; there was obviously a crowd in the courtroom that day. Then the decision was announced and distributed; this was probably later in the hour.

However, by 10 am the decision was finalized and printed and for all practical purposes, already in effect. So the main chart becomes the stated time chart. This is a documented phenomenon in astrology.

This changes more than the rising sign, though that in itself is significant. In mundane astrology — that is, the astrology of world events — the planet that rules the rising sign is the significator for the issue at hand.

With Pisces rising, the question is described by Jupiter in Capricorn (Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces). This basically describes the pro-choice position: reasonable public policy, described in part by Jupiter in the 11th house (of groups and aspects of the public).

Aries rising means the question is described by Mars
in Sagittarius (Mars is the traditional ruler of Aries). Located in the 9th house, this placement describes the pro-life position; Mars, the 9th and Sagittarius are the perfect image of religious fundamentalism and judicial activism.

Let’s come back to what these two charts say in a moment.

Chiron Conjunct Eris: Watershed Feminism Era

First I would like to point out one historical marker in this chart — it’s Chiron conjunct Eris. You can see this to the left, immediately below the horizontal line. Both Chiron and Eris are slow-moving points. Chiron spends nine years in Aries and Eris is spending more than a century there, so this is not an aspect that happens often — particularly in Aries. This has an influence that lasted perhaps five to seven years.

This is what democracy looks like — a feminist suffrage (pro-voting rights) parade in New York City, 1912. Photo: Library of Congress.

Chiron conjunct Eris seems to be a good one for women’s rights, at least in recent eras. The immediately prior conjunction happened in Pisces between 1917 and 1918, when the American women’s suffrage movement was going strong. Women were given the vote by the 19th Amendment in 1920. Half a century later, Chiron had gone all the way around the solar system and was again conjunct Eris.

Chiron tends to bring out, intensify and focus the properties of any planet that it’s conjunct. Here we have Chiron focusing the disruptive power of Eris, specifically disrupting the known order of reality and, in Aries, of personal identity. In the early 1970s, the feminist movement was again at its peak. There were many developments associated with women’s rights at that time, among them the Roe v. Wade decision. Whether this chart has Pisces rising or Aries, that rather precise conjunction is in the 1st house; it’s a defining feature of the chart.

If anyone has their doubts that it’s really relevant, the asteroid Magdalena is within one degree of Eris. I think of Magdalena as the woman who is her own person, as well as having attributes of sexwork and sexual healing. The right to choose whether to carry a child to term is all about a woman being her own person.

Mary Magdalene is clearly illustrated at the right hand of Jesus in Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper. She is the very archetype of equal rights for women, and Magdalena’s bold presence in this chart informs our understanding of this asteroid. Its placement in this chart is one of those things that really makes an impression.

Scenario One: Pisces Rising at 10:00 am

In the chart for the stated time of the court going into session that day, the last degree of Pisces is rising. That means the ruler of the ascendant and therefore the significator of the issue is Jupiter, the ruler of Pisces; we find that in Capricorn in the 11th house.

Can you say boring? Well, maybe not boring, but not heaped on with pizazz. Better perhaps: mundane in nature. But then Jupiter is about justice. So we have an image of common sense justice holding up. The Pisces rising chart is a chart about a public policy discussion, involving what is actually a mundane matter of public health. Capricorn is government and policy; the 11th is the public focused on a special issue (all those who might need a safe abortion, and those affected by such a decision) and the court is acting in the public benefit (Jupiter).

With Pisces rising, the planet that rules the question is Jupiter in Capricorn in the 11th house — common sense, pragmatic, even conservative public policy. Roe was a conservative decision because it preserves the state’s power to regulate medical practice.

Mercury is close to Jupiter. Mercury rules the 7th house — the opposition. When considered in sane, reasonable and common sense terms (Capricorn), the two sides of the issue are actually pretty close together. Everyone, for example, should be concerned about the health of patients seeking a medical procedure. Even people who oppose abortion would, presumably, not want to see women who seek one bleed to death in an illegal facility.

Capricorn is about restraint. Both sides have a common interest in there being fewer abortions. There are many other points of common ground that both sides could agree on if they wanted to.

Pisces rising has a second potential ruler, which is Venus (I am sticking to traditional rulerships in this discussion). Venus is exalted in Pisces, and has a strong resonance with that sign. We can think of Venus as a second ruler of the issue — and we find her in Capricorn in the 11th house, not far from Jupiter. Here is where we see some of the serious collective and personal pain lurking behind this issue, which is almost always lost in the blaring debate.

Venus in Capricorn makes many aspects to other planets, particularly a square to the Chiron-Eris-Magdalena conjunction in Aries. This is the image of a woman with traditional values coming up against the progress indicated by Chiron-Eris-Magdalena. Venus in Capricorn square these three points is just painful. It may lead to progress, but there is pain, chaos, confusion and an identity crisis to get through first — an accurate depiction of many women at the time this decision came out.

In the 11th house, women’s sexuality is put on display in one of its most sensitive moments: the regret or crisis of a pregnancy that would lead to the need for an abortion. There is often profound shame around unwanted pregnancy, which comes from families, the church and social norms that collectively are described well by Capricorn in the 11th house. You can still hear the stories of children born to mothers who were forced to hide in the house for the duration of their pregnancy, ostensibly to save the family the shame of the pregnant woman being seen in public.

To portray a woman as needing an abortion, in all of the potential shame, moral agony and unnecessary social pressure that comes with it, is about as unglamorous as it gets. It is a woman admitting that there is such a thing as sex for its own sake; that she does not want to be a mother at this particular time; and that she is capable of an error.

I will add that there is a lot of festering residual guilt about all of the abortions that have happened in the past, which is illustrated perfectly by the Venus-Magdalena-Chiron-Eris pattern.

To publicly acknowledge the abortion issue in the Roe v. Wade decision was to put this all on public display. It’s about the whole society admitting the existence and claiming the underside of women’s sexuality. This is a profound source of controversy as we all have some stake in what is done to women.

Scenario Two: Aries Rising at 10:01 am

If we advance the time of the chart by less than a minute, the chart has Aries rising. That makes the planet that rules the question Mars in Sagittarius. This is militant, zealous, driven by opinion and belief and obsessed with religiosity. There is no common sense, logic or thought of the public welfare in the Aries chart. It’s the chart for the over-the-top public reception of the decision, or perhaps how the losers did not take defeat so well.

Emphasizing the point, this is in the 9th house of religion and ideology. And making matters worse, Mars is conjunct the Great Attractor, a massive deep-space point that polarizes issues. Simply put, the 10:01 am chart is a bully pulpit for religious leaders to grandstand their own cause, stir up controversy and make a huge mess on supposedly moral grounds.

This is the chart set for 44 seconds later, putting Aries in the ascendant. This makes Mars the planet that rules the question, which we find in Sagittarius and the 9th house, full of fire and brimstone.

Further, the 9th rules the higher courts, and with the Roe v. Wade decision, the whole issue was pushed — at least for the Pro Life side — into an exclusively judicial forum. The one and only goal surrounding abortion became making abortion illegal.

Now, everyone knows that making something illegal does not stop it. It only pushes it underground, to some extent out of sight and to a large extent outside the ability of government to regulate it. There is also the power trip involved, and it’s basically male in nature (Mars), as well as driven by religious belief which in theory will be dramatized in the courts.

Mars is opposite Saturn, which has the feeling of a hammer coming down on something. Saturn is in Gemini, emphasizing that there are two sides to the issue, but Mars in Sagittarius doesn’t care about that — except for the advantage of causing a polarized controversy. Such is great for raising money for your cause, concentrating political power and getting a years-long adrenaline rush to the thought that you’re doing something bold for the Lord.

The Pro Life camp belies its position by going out of its way to make sure there are more abortions, not fewer of them. The same movements and politicians who will fight to make abortion illegal are opposed to birth control and sex education. The past few years the Pro Life camp has gone on to state its opposition not just to Roe v. Wade but also Griswold v. Connecticut, the decision that makes birth control available to everyone.

Anyone who is really against abortion would want to have fewer unwanted pregnancies. To have fewer unwanted pregnancies, we need to have real sex eduction, widely available birth control, and a society that promotes the values associated with thoughtfulness and with the care of children. The Pro Life position seems to affirm the rights of fetuses only until they are born.

The Aries rising chart describes this as what it is, a religious crusade having no investment in the reality of the human condition. The 9th house where we find Mars is packed with planets and points — there are as many as there are in Capricorn. These include Neptune, which in religious environments can be an inspiration or an intoxicant. There is Ceres, which is about mothers and daughters, and what they go through emotionally. There is the Black Moon Lilith, which can represent the fear of women and their darker tones; and there is Juno, which is about the ‘role of the wife’ as someone who does not get her emotional needs met, and who can barely open her mouth to say what they are.

At the front of the pack is Mars, ready for a religious war at any cost. Fortunately, the United States Supreme Court intervened a moment earlier, reminding everyone that at least for that moment, we were a nation under the rule of law and not religious zealots ready with their nails and crosses.

In the end, however, matters of pregnancy, birth and raising children are about neither law nor religion, and this whole conversation needs to find a new forum if we are to take better care of ourselves and one another.

Lovingly,

To purchase the signs individually please use this link.

Reader Feedback on LISTEN, the 2013 Annual Readings

Dear Eric,

Just got through listening to Capricorn Listen. It was remarkable and so healing to listen to! The Pluto transit can bring a lot and it’s hard to wrestle it down into words unless you’re in therapy perhaps. But you did just that and in the end gave us a focus as we pass through our personal underworld into the light. Thank you for your persistence, patience and brilliance.

– L.

Dear Eric,

I am weeping with happiness right now after reading and “listening” to your Aquarius reading. Tears are running down my face and I am sobbing. But that is a good thing.

I don’t know how to express my gratitude for your reading of Aquarius. I am thinking that you should attach happy rabbit ears to the picture of you in your hoodies. I feel understood, and APPRECIATED for who I am at this point in my life.

Love you Eric, and Thank You and All at Planet Waves.

Love,

Dear Eric,

I just listened to Part 1 of the Capricorn audio; tears of joy as I absorb the truth of your interpretation as I am bathed in the bright sun coming over the golden gate bridge on the morning commute! It verifies my experience since the new millennium, celebrates all my hard work, releases me into the beauty, richness and privilege of this time. Love the music — really icing on the cake. A magnificent start into the LISTEN journey! Just a little feedback for you.

Big virtual hugs,

Plus a few more random bits of feedback:

Thank you for a brilliant, just amazing reading for the next two years, though I will listen next year as well. You are very generous of spirit.

Eric, just a quick note to say I am blown away with the relevance of LISTEN. I have to listen again and am still processing before I can really comment, but so far, it’s astounding in it’s direct application to the state of my life NOW.

The accuracy of this reading and framing of concepts is brilliant.

I just finished the first half of the audio. So affirming. It’s like Eric has been living at my house these last few months.

Sun and Mercury in Aquarius

The current big news is that Mercury and the Sun are about to enter Aquarius. But first let’s review some events of the past week — this has been a transitional moment for partnerships, including marriages and marriage-like relationships.

Mercury as seen by the Mariner 10 spacecraft. Photo by NASA.

Through the past weekend and into this week, Venus, Juno, Saturn and Pluto have been dancing around in an aspect pattern. There is a gentle push for what might feel like immediate change — though really, it’s a confrontation with long-pent-up feelings about the way we are conditioned to be in relationships.

This is not just about the relationships themselves; it’s about the cultivation of a certain sense of being, or self, or existence, that makes us able to be in relationships that don’t work for us — and when we start to grow, the relationships can be strained. That’s been happening, and there has been a long discussion brewing in the planets, which peaked this week, about the nature and meaning of marriage and associated models of relating.

As for Aquarius — this is the sign of groups, and of group thinking — this is to say, the dynamics as they change when an individual meets several other people. Mercury ingresses that sign on the 19th and the Sun a bit later the same day.

Note that just before Mercury and the Sun change signs, they form a conjunction in Capricorn at 3:56 am EST on Jan. 18. This can lend itself to the ability to convey ideas to others, especially in a teaching situation. However, Mercury conjunct the Sun can also contribute to a lack of perspective, as ego-consciousness (the Sun) gets right up in the mind’s eye (Mercury). Light can blind as well as it can illuminate.

If you’ve found yourself in a situation where tempers and egos are getting in the way of clear perception and thinking, consider taking a step or two back away from the immediate action. Things could cool off as Mercury and the Sun enter Aquarius, allowing for some damage control — and an open, airy space for new ideas.

Simplified chart showing the Sun at its moment of ingress to Aquarius, with Mercury (green critter with horns) just ahead of it. At the top are Venus (blue ‘female’ symbol), Juno (purple asterisk) and Pluto (red golf tee) in Capricorn. Mars (red ‘male’ symbol) is approaching a conjunction to Nessus (aqua glyph), a centaur planet in late Aquarius.

Mars is already in Aquarius, and it’s going to be making an aspect to a slow-moving point currently there, which could trigger some emotional material in group environments. The upshot of all of this is to pay attention when you’re in a group of three or more people. Make sure you preserve your individuality. I don’t mean by being an annoyance or antagonizing anyone, but by being true to yourself and what you believe. Being true to yourself means not giving up your power to others, for approval or acceptance or any other reason.

And what about the Moon? It leaves Aries for Taurus at 8:36 pm EST on Friday, Jan. 18. Taurus Moons highlight our sensual and material natures, bringing questions about value (including the quality of our sensory experiences) and resources to the forefront. As the Moon opposes Saturn in Scorpio the next day, notice whether you feel any sense of limitation in these areas — especially if it seems to be coming from another.

That Taurus Moon will be making favorable aspects to the Venus-Juno-Pluto grouping mentioned in Capricorn. It may feel easier this weekend to sense how any insights you’ve had recently about relationships, marriage, jealousy and love can allow you to act in better alignment with your overall values. A Moon-Mars square in the fixed signs Taurus and Aquarius could give a stubborn edge to any emotional flare-ups in groups this weekend.

On Monday the Moon moves into Gemini at 9:04 am EST. Those working on Monday can look forward to a mentally focused (or perhaps distracted) and communicative day.

Capital Building during Obama’s first inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009.

Obama’s Second Term Begins Sunday

Pres. Obama’s second term begins Sunday. The president, under regularly scheduled conditions, takes office at noon on Jan. 20 after an election. In modern times this produces a chart with Taurus rising, Aquarius Sun and Capricorn on the midheaven for every presidential term. We can study these charts long into the future, but let’s look at Sunday’s chart.

Note that there will be two inaugurations this year — a private one Sunday and a public one on Monday, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Obama was also sworn in twice the last time around. After flubbing the oath of office, Chief Justice John Roberts came over to the White House later that night and swore in Obama a second time. Obama will be tied for the record number of times a president has taken the oath of office, second only to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served four terms.

Chart for the beginning of Obama’s second term Sunday.

The Aquarius Sun and Mercury are high up in the chart, presenting the image of friendly populism. However, Capricorn actually rules the midheaven, so it’s really more problematic than that. There are two presidencies — the friendly Aquarian one that we see as its public face, and then the real agenda going on behind the scenes, indicated by Capricorn.

With Capricorn on the midheaven — that is, the 10th house, which is about the presidency — the ruler of the issue is Saturn in Scorpio. Saturn is placed on the relationship angle; this looks like more obstruction. As usual in these years of our history, the issue seems to be religious, with Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn in one another’s signs. There remains a titanic struggle between government bureaucrats and the American Taliban.

The Moon is rising in this chart — the ceremony begins about 20 minutes before moonrise. The Moon is square Mars, which is angry and, moreover, given to camping out in its position. The ‘camping out’ factor — stuck in an emotion — is accentuated by the Moon being close to its own South Node. Also the Moon has special dignity in Taurus because it’s exalted in that sign.

The word ‘intractable’ comes to mind: old values, religious values, and festering anger. It is old anger, which we know because the South Node is there. The interesting thing is that it seems to be directed at or have some contact with whatever is represented by Mars in Aquarius — there seems to be considerable public anger as well. It’s like values on two different levels of reality are clashing — the private interests of the Taurus Moon contrasted with the collective interests of Mars in Aquarius. However, Mars in Aquarius could also be the few, the proud and the pissed off (over their issues).

The Moon, co-ruler of the Taurus ascendant, runs into that rage pretty quickly after this event. The anger might be racial and it might be about the inevitable trend toward gun control that will be emerging this year.

This whole issue of old values informed by old religion comes up again with Venus, the ruler of the ascendant, showing up in Capricorn in the 9th house. This is a chart more appropriate for the coronation of a pope than for the beginning of a presidential term in a supposed democracy.

Now, where are the openings? I think that anger might be one of them — if people are angry about the right things. There is power in anger; it needs to be focused into something productive, however.

The wider public is ruled by Pisces, which is on the 11th house cusp — Neptune and Chiron are there. This is a kind of mix of idealism (Neptune) and the sense that we have to do something about all of these problems (Chiron). It’s not going to happen until we get our priorities in order. What exactly is the big attachment to the past? What is the fear of the future, or of our potential?

This sounds like a good question for therapy, which would probably be time better spent than getting involved in the federal level of politics, at least at the moment.

Nessus, the Nodes and an International Tipping Point

In the last few weeks two particularly horrific instances of gang rape in India (and one in the U.S) have been getting a lot of attention. Astrologically, there is a strong indication of why: centaur planet Nessus, representative of deep shadow material often linked to multigenerational patterns of abuse and potentially inappropriate sexual contact, is square the lunar nodes — a pair of points linked to the ideas of ‘karma’ and ‘dharma’.

The South Node is currently in late Taurus; the North Node is exactly opposite in Scorpio. The Taurus-Scorpio axis is known for themes of sex, possessiveness and deep exchange, among others.

Indian men attending a rally against sexual violence in Bangalore this past weekend donned skirts to point out that simply wearing a skirt — or any clothing choice — is not an invitation to rape.

Having Nessus square these points is indicating a potential turning point or tipping point on the issue of the global conflation of violence and sex. At least the issue is coming up.

In one high-profile incident in late December, a 17-year-old Indian girl committed suicide after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers. News of her death came amidst growing public outrage over a rash of gang rapes in India.

Another incident in particular — the brutal rape of a 23-year-old pre-med student who was traveling by bus with a male companion — has sparked unprecedented ongoing protests for the last several weeks in India. The young woman was recently named by activists in a gesture of honoring that she was a real person who suffered, despite the Indian media’s refusal to name her.

Her name is Jyoti Singh Pandey, and she died as a result of her injuries after nearly two weeks in the hospital last month.

Activists are calling for redefining rape in Indian law in addition to greater sensitivity to survivors and a need to get to the roots of such widespread violence against women (it is estimated that a woman in India is raped every 20 minutes).

This is a significant change in attitude and surge in activism in a country where rapes are largely considered to be the fault of the woman (and a disgrace to her family).

Secrets and lies masquerading as ‘honor’, violence appropriating sex to perpetuate power and possession: these are the patterns at the tipping point. Which direction the Nessus-nodes square tips is up to us.

Idle No More Heats Up

Across Canada, the union of human rights and environmental stewardship has evolved into the Idle No More campaign — an activist movement gaining momentum and global attention. Following a series of 130 events in Canada and worldwide in solidarity last Friday, the group has called for another global day of action on Jan. 28.

Idle No More began as a series of protests against a controversial government budget bill last year, and has since expanded into a nationwide movement for political transformation. Aboriginal and environmental activists are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to honor treaties with First Nation tribes, open dialogue with environmentalists, and reject tar sands pipelines that would infiltrate First Nation territories.

“Something that Canadians don’t often realize is that First Nations are the last best hope that they have of protecting lands for food and clean water for the future, not just for our people, but for Canadians, as well, because we have constitutionally protected aboriginal and treaty rights that they don’t have,” said Pamela Palmeter to Democracy Now‘s Amy Goodman. Palmeter is the chair in indigenous governance at Ryerson University and spokeswoman for the Idle No More movement.

Theresa Spence, chief of the Attawapiskat First Nation, has been on a liquid-only hunger strike since early December as part of the movement. She was due to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other First Nations leaders, but pulled out of the meeting over the exclusion of Canada’s governor general and in solidarity with Friday’s protests.

The environment — specifically climate change — is actually a key human rights issue. (Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine, explains this in a recent interview with The Boston Phoenix.) That interconnectedness is now heating up the Canadian winter by taking tangible strides to demand action.

The Road Map to Harmony.

What Harmony Can Look Like

The website awesome.good.is has created a “Road Map to Harmony.” Their introduction explains, “In the complex web of our world, each part of the system affects all of the others.” Many areas need improvement, and many organizations, businesses and individuals are working toward greater balance. It’s a well-known idea, but this site takes our understanding of how energy, education, sustenance, health, earth, flora & fauna, connectivity, exchange and coexistence interrelate, and translates it all into a clear, visual interactive project — complete with actions you can take to help guide us all to a sustainable future.

Here is an audio introduction to LISTEN, the 2013 annual edition, which includes readings for the 12 Sun and rising signs. Each reading is about 3300 to 4000 words in length, plus two 40-minute audio readings. This half-hour audio explains how I did the work, and what is included with your purchase.

In the LISTEN readings, I cover a diversity of personal growth issues, relationships, money and professional development. Different signs have different emphasis; the written and audio readings are completely different, though there may be occasional overlap. The audio was all completed on Dec. 20 and the written was completed Monday.

Subscribers can get all 12 signs for the price of three. Individual signs are $19.95, which includes access to the associated articles and resources that are part of LISTEN. If you are not a subscriber, you can get a free trial subscription and still be eligible for the subscriber price.

Use this link to purchase the signs individually.

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The January monthly horoscope was published Friday, Dec. 21. Inner Space for January was published Friday, Dec. 28. The December Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Dec. 18; we will be publishing the January Moonshine on Tuesday, Jan. 22. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; a new Inner Space is still emailed on the following Tuesday.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 #934 | By Eric Francis

Late Capricorn Birthdays

You may have gone through an unexpected, rather thorough revolution in your values over the past few weeks, casting off ideas that have not served you, embracing other ideas that feel right and most of all, bringing yourself firmly into the present moment. That is the place to stay; that’s the place to find your true purpose and your authentic pleasure. Venus in your sign is suggesting that you understand that your ideas about love are changing. Your ideas about commitment are going through a kind of modernization process. And you are developing an ability to see your insecurities for what they are. I suggest you stay close to your fear this year instead of running from it. Pay attention to what it’s saying and see if you can figure out where it’s coming from. In so doing, you can gradually cultivate your freedom. Note to Capricorns: I plan to have your birthday reading in one week. I also invite you to check out your LISTEN annual reading. They will be significantly different products.

Early Aquarius Birthdays

This is a visionary time in your life. That means it’s a time for you to open your eyes and see who and what you are, and embrace who and what you can be. I suggest an actual, immediate and informed process of considering your potential. This would include any evidence (in the past or present) of your talents, any desires to accomplish something unusual that you may have kept to yourself or abandoned, and accounting for how you feel about the fact that you’re alive and have a life to live. Most people look at their life as if gazing down the wrong end of a telescope. I have been there myself. What is near looks distant; what is large looks small; what is beautiful lacks detail or context. I suggest you turn the telescope around and consider where you may go. I suggest you use a wide-angle lens and see your life in context — the widest possible context of you in a world that may be going through some chaos, but also one where anything is possible. Note to Aquarians: I plan to have your birthday reading in one week. I also invite you to check out your LISTEN annual reading. They will be significantly different products.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Be conscious of group dynamics. That means knowing what group dynamics are: it’s the peculiar way that people change when they get together with a few other people. It’s not always pretty. Groups in many ways seem like an invitation for things to get weird, and for people to surrender their individuality. You’re not likely to do that, but I want to suggest that you take a special advantage here, and become the facilitator. The thing is, you need to do this in a slightly subtle way; as subtle as you can muster up for an Aries, which means using your political skills. Get to know everyone and their point of view before you state your own. Take the temperature of the people around you, and figure out which way things are headed organically. You may need to do nothing more than to guide things in that direction; you may need to intervene. Proceed gently, slowly and carefully and avoid, at all costs, being argumentative, aggressive or even overly assertive.

Order your 2013 reading from Eric Francis now, in LISTEN, the 2013 annual edition of Planet Waves. As a subscriber you can still get all 12 signs for the price of three. This is a detailed written and audio reading that you will love. You can also purchase signs one at a time (including audio and written, prior to our splitting those two products).

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You have been through some kind of ‘test of faith’, which has changed you in some way. It may have changed your point of view on a relationship or on relationships in general. The thing about faith is, we don’t usually know we have it until it’s tested in some way. There’s another way to look at it, which is as an experience designed to bring you into the present moment. You have your share of old, quaint ideas that don’t work for you. And that not working is no longer working. You need, and you are searching for, something new. I suggest you begin your search with an understanding of the purpose you want to serve. Discovering your purpose will suggest specific goals, philosophies and an approach to life. Much of this will involve the purpose of your relationships, which are an extension of the purpose of your life. So, the most basic question is: are these two things in harmony?

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You are in a phase of working things out on the idea level, including figuring out who are the right people to have in your life. You also seem to be experimenting with concepts for what you might do in the future. I suggest that you focus this process, and be prepared to put your ideas into action. There is a short timetable on some rapidly approaching opportunities. The timing involves Mars, which is currently in Aquarius and which crosses the sensitive 10th house of your solar chart when it enters Pisces on Feb. 1. This is a point of decision, action or opportunity — and you will need to recognize it when you see it. You will also need to be prepared for a few challenges early on, which will give you the chance to prove your dedication to what you’re doing and what you believe. This opportunity may be subtler or more humble than what we see glorified in the world around us, and it’s of no less importance to you for being so. It’s what you make of it that counts.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — If we need an ethic for the next age of humanity, it’s ‘the greatest good for all concerned’. When you think of the shift in thinking and orientation that would be required to use that idea, it seems like a lot. But it starts with something simple, which is being able to see past self-interest. I believe it’s necessary to take care of yourself so you can participate in taking care of others, but that’s another way of seeing beyond your own life as the cosmic be-all. Now, in your life, it may be, and this is the thing that I’m suggesting you stretch: that you stop and before making any decision, consider the influence on everyone who is involved. Then consider your self-interest. You are making progress when you’re able to keep both in your mind at the same time, and consider the facts until you get some pieces to a solution set that works for everyone. Such a thing actually exists — though it will help if you believe that first.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The Sun and Mercury enter your opposite sign Aquarius this weekend, which places an emphasis on your relationships and in particular your relationship to groups. You’ve already been on this page for a few weeks, and I would remind you that you’ve already worked out most of the challenging issues, the bumps, the grinds and the potential points of contention. Therefore, the Sun and Mercury coming along are a likely point of empathy, cooperation and progress — I suggest you run with this opportunity, and set about doing all the things you know you cannot do alone. You understand the personalities involved, and you have a good sense of what you want to happen. Here is the key — creative leadership. Initiate the ideas that focus the goals. Set the goals that actually constitute progress. Count on your intelligence, that of the people around you and be the one who openly has faith in everyone else. It’s a great role to have on the planet, and you happen to be the one who has this assignment.

To purchase the signs individually please use this link.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You are certainly managing to stay busy. The key is staying healthy. To this end, I suggest you note the close connection between your mental state and your state of health. You are the living incarnation of psychosomatic: the mind influences the body. This is associated with having Aquarius on your 6th house, the house of health and work. Mars is now moving through this region of your chart, and that’s an indicator to take care of your mind, which means to observe your mental state and to back down from your efforts when you start to overheat. You may want to do this preemptively and focus on certain points of conflict that have come up the past few weeks, and work them out while they are obvious and are still motivating you. Over the next few days, you may get the feeling that you were missing something obvious. And if you get that feeling and get that something obvious into focus, then I suggest you do what you know you need to do about it.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Controlling tendencies have a root, which is usually some form of insecurity. Right now, any such tendencies that you have are being challenged by circumstances that are offering you the opportunity to see that you don’t have control, but you do have a significant influence. I suggest you assert that influence, which involves asserting your creative authority. I am saying it this way to give you extra faith that your ideas are good enough to be authoritative; you can afford to be confident in them. That means putting them into words and maybe pictures, and presenting them to whomever you think needs to see them. Trust your creativity. Trust your ideas. They may need some revision, true of any idea really, but they are strong enough to stand up to a review and you are strong enough to participate. Make sure that you stay with the process of anything being implemented through to completion. Assert yourself at every stage. This could be big.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — If you’ve been feeling insecure lately, or struggling with family members or housemates, you should see a turn for the better this weekend as Mercury and the Sun ingress the sensitive ‘home’ angle of your chart. The key to success with those you live with and among is communication. You happen to be extra sensitive to what I will call the tribal level of reality, though if someone can find that reference in an astrology textbook in the Scorpio chapter I will be impressed; it gets overlooked, maybe even by you. When you don’t get along with people, or when you feel like an outcast (even a little like one) it tends to color your whole life; you really feel it. You can now make up for some lost time by both expressing how you feel in a gentle way, as well as hearing from others how they feel and not being threatened by what they think, feel or believe. You really do live in a safe world, and it’s essential that you keep remembering that.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are in possession of an idea that could change your life, and could even change the world. To be fair, these things pop up all the time, and plenty gets in the way of their development or manifestation. The first thing, however, is lack of respect for one’s own thoughts; the second thing is lack of discipline and the third is usually difficulty communicating the idea to others. So I suggest you work on these one at a time, beginning with honoring your thought process, focusing your discipline to develop whatever it is you’ve been thinking about, and finally, learning to communicate what you’re doing
and why it’s a useful thing. This equation may be the direction that your whole thought process needs to go in order for you to be successful. They’re not such difficult steps, but they require actual self-respect; they can be equally good at helping you create it. That is the master theme of your astrology in these years of your life — take advantage of it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Pluto in your sign has been seeing a lot of action these days. You may feel like you keep getting dragged into emotional dramas, or like people come running up to you and pounding their fists on your chest. As it turns out, you are the force to be reckoned with. You don’t even have to do much and the mere fact of your existence is leading others to rethink their ideas and re-feel their emotions. One theme coming up is the nature of commitment, which is getting a total overhaul. You have seen, and gone through, some truly remarkable transitions over the past week or so, and I suggest you make sure you are seeing the world in the present moment, and meeting people where they are right now. It’s likely to be a truly different place from what it was
a year ago, a month ago or even a few days ago. What is happening in your life is evidence that both people and circumstances change. That means that you change, and you can count on this happening now.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — With the Sun and Mercury about to enter your sign, you may be feeling a mix of apprehension and excitement. What you may actually experience is a sense of grounding, and the ability to catch up with where some of your desires have been going. It’s true that they’ve been running ahead of what you think you’re ready for; that’s another way to say that you’re making progress and are oriented on forward motion. Over the past few weeks you’ve been through some kind of inner odyssey. Remember what you’ve been through; commemorate it in some way, preferably in a way that preserves a few of the details that may not seem important now but which will be significant reference points as the weeks and months of this year unfold. Always remember your inner reality, even as you make your way in the world. Always remember that you’re part of a community even in your most deeply introspective or solitary moments.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — One gift of the next few weeks is going to be the opportunity to understand your fears, particularly the ones that get chalked up to being ‘unconscious’. You want to know about this dimension of yourself because when the energy ramps up, as it will certainly do over the next two or three weeks, all of your emotions will be amplified — and you don’t want any hangups to get in the way of the fun, the opportunities and the potential that are waiting for you. You’re about to become a magnet for human contact, and that will give you choices in the matter of who you associate with. I have a suggestion: stick with people who have a healthy opinion of themselves and their capabilities, rather than those who are overly self-critical or hung up. Resist every urge to ‘fix’ these people and instead, focus on what feels right for you. If you have something to say to someone who experiences struggles that don’t turn you on, be direct, clear and gentle, and maybe remember when you were held down by a similar affliction; then get back to doing what you’ve wanted to do for so long.

Listen is done and beautiful. Monthly horoscopes are done. It has been a busy week for this little fish! I am looking forward to my first weekend off in a while.

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Water Sign Theater

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Daybreak in the path of annularity, in Valencia, Spain, looking southeasterly at the Mediterranean Sea — about an hour or two before a solar eclipse on Oct. 6, 2005. Photo by Eric Francis.

Dear Friend and Reader:

What is it about 2013 that makes its astrology distinctive? In a word, water. That means a year of exploring the nuances of, and the existence of, emotion, empathy and intuition. If you’ve ever wanted to take up photography, painting, music or filmmaking, now is the perfect time.

The Asian year of the Water Snake begins in a few weeks, which accents the Western astrology perfectly (more on that closer to the event). Over the past few years, there has been a gradual accumulation of planets in water signs, calling attention to corresponding issues with actual water on our planet. I’ll come back to those — let’s start with the feeling realm, which is where we benefit most from water placements.

Mostly harmless, non-poisonous water snakes waiting in the wings for their cue — or rather, cuddling in a rock formation along the Coxing Kill on the Grandmother Land in Ulster County, NY. Photo by Eric.

To those with strong water sign charts (for example, Sun, Moon or rising sign in one of the water signs Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces), the world feels a little more like home when there are planets in those signs. There is space and a kind of invitation to open up the emotional spectrum, and to feel ourselves, one another and existence itself.

Everyone else benefits too. Our society is made of earth, wind and fire; water is the scarce element. Every now and then, an architect throws in a little fountain. We ignore water until Lower Manhattan is reclaimed by New York Harbor.

Meanwhile we are constantly interacting with material objects, electricity, data, money, ideas, concepts, paper, metal and machines that burn fuel flying across the sky and speeding across the countryside. How much time do we spend with water? Let’s see, 10 minutes in the shower, 10 minutes doing the dishes and an extra 15 minutes chatting by the water cooler. Water is the missing element in most of our lives. We live in a kind of desert.

My old friend Be’jamin once said the world is divided between those who drink water and those who do not. Those who do are in the minority. Note, Diet Pepsi is not water, it is hazardous waste. Smart Water is neither. That said, it’s gratifying to see so many people starting to tote around non-BPA-type jugs of water wherever they go (if you’re one of those people, you might want to read up on the non-BPA controversy). Plastic bottles don’t just pollute the world; they inject your body with a kind of chemical called phthalates — basically, toxic hormones used in the formation of plastic that are pissed out in a few weeks but are constantly refreshed because there’s always more plastic to eat from.

The thing that really needs to be refreshed is water itself. Because the planet is a closed system, we have to do our best to add water to ourselves, detox and contain the contamination when we can. And, of course, make a lot less of it.

Rising Tide, 2010 to Present

Over recent years, planets have been moving into water signs. As happens with water, the tide rises slowly and steadily. It’s now about to come to a crest. But let’s take the story back a few years.

In 2010, Chiron began its ingress to Pisces, which started things off. That is Chiron for you — leading the way. (Well, Uranus had been in Pisces for six years prior, but that wasn’t very watery; it was like a hot tub with a short circuit).

Fishing boat reflected in Montauk Harbor. Photo by Eric.

Just prior to that was the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune series of conjunctions in Aquarius, which got us used to the concept of water. Jupiter’s year in Pisces (early ’10 through early ’11) plus Chiron changing signs offered some contact with the reality.

The very day that Chiron ingressed Pisces for the first time, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded. We watched for 90 agonizing days as crude oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico. Chiron will be in Pisces through 2018-2019, and is a constant reminder to take care of the oceans, lakes and rivers. However, it’s never really clear how to do this, since the problem comes from industry. Fighting industry, its lawyers and its scamming environmental consultants is never easy, but we all have to participate in the old heave-ho that will be necessary to set things right. Every product choice, indignant phone call to customer relations and public meeting in your community counts, as does doing what you can personally.

Neptune, a watery blue planet named for the god of oceans (and earthquakes) began its ingress into Pisces in 2011, completing that ingress in early 2012. Many people waited patiently day by day for that one, especially those with Pisces Sun or Pisces rising charts. Rockie Gardiner, in one of the most touching Sun sign horoscopes I’ve ever read, described Neptune in Aquarius for Pisces people as a journey so long you might not believe it would ever end, or have any sense of scale that might lead to a feeling of progress.

Meanwhile, Uranus left Pisces with a bang in March 2011. I mean several bangs, starting with an earthquake and tsunami followed by multiple reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station exploding and melting down, and then spilling unknown, though vast, quantities of radiation into the air, the ocean and the groundwater.

It’s fair to say that the combination of Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius was not good for water: through these transits, hydraulic fracturing became all the rage. This is a process of gas extraction that consumes millions of gallons of water per gas well, and leaves the Earth and groundwater contaminated with many toxic chemicals — all to do what solar or wind energy could do more cheaply and cleanly.

In October 2012, Saturn ingressed Scorpio for the first time since the early 1980s. This is providing some stability to the planets in Pisces. Chiron and Neptune give us more water and more awareness of the feeling level of existence. Saturn is here to help keep that yin energy in balance, and also help dredge out the territory deep at the bottom of things. I think of Scorpio (fixed water) as representing underground deposits of water, fossilized seas, inland brackish or high-pH lakes, riverbeds, bogs and shipping channels.

Montauk, NY. Photo by Eric.

In human consciousness, the Saturn in Scorpio factor brings up the theme of emotional maturity. Oh, that thing! It’s about learning to have some modicum of boundaries around our feelings, some sense of containment. We are said to live in a society where yang energy is out of balance — our aggressive, competitive and warlike society.

Just as strong a case can be made that we struggle with emotional stability and maturity. That people are not encouraged to grow up is a problem. That there are so many constantly refreshing sources of instability is an even worse situation. One of these is the persistent habit of manipulation, which if you ask me is an act of interpersonal warfare. Saturn in Scorpio is a reminder to cool down this factor; to mind your beeswax and not use secrecy as a way to concentrate power (really, that’s it’s only purpose).

Saturn in Scorpio is the territory where sex meets the emotions — the hormone drive, hormonal cycles, the deep emotional need to connect sexually in a way that’s not merely physical, and any time we exchange or merge DNA. Saturn in Scorpio is here to help us dredge out these channels. They are so cluttered with emotional discharge it’s amazing anyone knows what they feel.

There is big problem with ignorance around sexually transmitted infections, which is a form of passing around karma through sex. Saturn is saying: wise up, grow up and get a grip.

We also face a significant problem of hormone pollution. Everything you consume that has touched plastic (including cans, which are plastic-lined), and many, many other products, contain hormonally active chemicals. Then there are untold millions of people consuming hormone birth control and discharging it into the public waterways.

In many areas of the United States and other countries, there are just nine short steps between what you flush down the toilet and what comes out of your kitchen faucet. (Four of the steps are for sewage processing into effluent that’s ‘clean’ enough to discharge into a river; there is the brief time in the river; and there are the four steps to turning river water into ‘clean’ drinking water.)

The sewage per se is the last thing we need to worry about; the problem is the contaminants, such as the drugs and in many places, PCBs at the bottom of riverbeds. PCBs are a form of liquid plastic that was used through most of the 20th century and which still finds its way into nearly everything [for too much information, see my PCB website]. They are hormonally active chemicals, like every pesticide, dioxin and most heavy metals.

Personal story — I was recently looking at a house for sale in a nearby town; my friend reminded me that the town drew its drinking water from the Hudson River, which is the nation’s largest Superfund site thanks to GE’s ongoing PCB discharges. I called the town; there are indeed PCBs in the municipal water. There is no safe level. To find this kind of information out, you have to know what you’re doing. I did not buy the house, though one of my trusted PCB mentors explained how to get the chemical out of the water, if I wanted to.

Fountain in lobby of the Museum of Erotic Art, Paris. Photo by Eric.

I often wonder about the effects of all of this hormone pollution on our behavior and the ways in which we interrelate, which are so dependent on hormones and pheromones. I wonder about how much of the gender anarchy that’s so popular now is fueled by toxins on the parts-per-billion level. For years I have been proposing that there is a behavior problem with these contaminants.

Now, that turns out to have some validity. A recent retrospective of prior studies associates reduced lead rates with lower rates of violent crime. The researchers looked at every other social or economic explanation for the trends they could think of — and it turns out that lead is the probable culprit in unexplained, wide-scale violent behavior.

We can only wonder what the thousands of other chemicals are contributing to planetary insanity, as well as the political madness that is swallowing all common sense and reason. [Please see ECO section below for more information.]

One vision I would offer for Saturn in Scorpio is coming to terms with this issue, both as an environmental pollutant and as an emotional pollutant. How many people do you know who suffer from some endocrine disorder? Common ones include endometriosis, diabetes, thyroid problems, pituitary disorders and obesity (often undiagnosed as a hormonal issue).

Saturn in Scorpio is calling for awareness — and for a kind of purge. Do you know the sources of hormone pollution in your diet? Do you consider things like high fructose corn syrup as one of them? What about the hormones present in milk and meat? It’s time to get a grip on these issues.

One other not-so-minor point: Scorpio is associated with jealousy and possessiveness, and all the dramas that often ensue from there. Of all emotions, I think jealousy is the one that (suitably) people are the most covetous of; it’s treated like an entitlement. I would say more people feel entitled to be jealous than feel entitled to be happy. This is not serving anyone’s creative, constructive or loving purpose.

Saturn in Scorpio is going to push the issue, which has a first cousin — the truth about the sex we want, the sex we actually get and our whole history. Most of this is left out of the relationship discussion, which is convenient until it is not so convenient at all.

Clip and Save — More Water in 2013

That’s just the background! In mid-2013, Jupiter joins Saturn, Chiron and Neptune in the water signs, as it ingresses Cancer. By July and August, there’s an impressive lineup in Cancer, which brings the water issue to the most personal level. That’s the dimension of home, nourishment and the choice whether to nurture ourselves and those around us.

Fountain at Place Monge, Paris. Photo by Eric.

Cancer is about the most tangible level of actual human feelings. Yes it has the intuitive dimension, but really it’s where feelings come home to the gut level, the bosom and maternal instinct. I would propose that this is about a reconsideration of how and whether we take care of ourselves, our families and those we say we love.

What is the balance of giving and receiving in your life? What are your motives to share, or to express your needs? Can you discern a need from a desire?

Mercury ingresses Cancer on May 31, where it stays through Aug. 8 (more on that in a moment). Through nearly all of the month of June, Venus is in Cancer.

Meanwhile, Jupiter ingresses Cancer on June 25, a few days after the Sun does. It’s there for about one year. This is the faster-acting piece of the grand trine — Jupiter spends just a year in Cancer; and when it shows up it will be accompanied by several other quick-movers passing through this sign.

Mars enters Cancer on July 13, where it stays through Aug. 27. So through Northern Hemisphere spring and summer, there will be a rather impressive grand trine in the water signs, involving the following planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter (all buzzing around in Cancer) as well as Saturn, Chiron and Neptune. If you count times when the Sun and Moon are in water signs, all of the traditional planets will be part of that grand trine for part of the year.

There’s one more fun thing to consider: every time Mercury is retrograde, it will be in a water sign. Indeed, during the retrograde phase it will not leave the water sign it’s in — that is, it doesn’t dip into the neighboring sign.

The Mercury retrograde beginning Feb. 23 is exclusively in Pisces (Venus, Mars, Neptune, Chiron and the Sun will also be there). The one beginning June 26 will be exclusively in Cancer. It will be joined by the Sun, Mars, Vesta and Jupiter. The one beginning Oct. 21 will be exclusively in Scorpio, joined by the Sun, Saturn and the North Node.

Flooded cement mines in Marbletown, NY. Photo by Eric.

Okay, that’s a lot of water. This is coming from someone with about 10 water placements in my natal chart, depending on what you count, and it still feels like a lot of water. The meta theme here is that it’s time to connect with the truth that we are beings made of water, with feelings attuned to water, which flow like water.

We need to nourish our bodies with water, and take care of the Earth’s limited supply of fresh water. And it’s time to imbibe those forms of watery creative expression, and tune into the ‘psychic’ or intuitive realm — which will be coming through more distinctly (that’s a topic deserving of another article). Water is the medium of intuition. Imagine that all water resonates with all other water. There are no secrets and no point trying to keep them. Sooner or later, anyone aspiring to a more spiritually grounded life figures this out.

There is one last event that I’ll mention and cover in detail later in the year: the solar eclipse of Nov. 3, 2013 in Scorpio. This eclipse is the full activation of the grand water trine — and notably, it happens concurrently with a grand earth trine. In a sense the whole year, and all of its steadily increasing water energy, is focused on this event.

Think of it as an enforced moment of reckoning (the eclipse is conjunct Saturn; that’s the enforced part). This will be preceded by many opportunities to voluntarily come to terms with how we feel — beginning with the fact that we feel. This is the kind of thing it’s necessary to remind people of in 2013. This is not the time to hold back, it’s the time to express and explore the deep element.

Lovingly,

Dear Annual Edition Customers:

This is my last weekend writing the 2013 annual. As of today, it looks like I will wrap up Sunday night and we will have your readings to you Monday night.

These readings include written reports about 3,500 words long (10 pages single spaced) as well as two 40-minute audio readings per sign. They work for your Sun sign and rising sign (I highly recommend getting both, or all 12, as you really get a more complete picture the more you read and listen to).

Subscribers still may purchase all 12 for the price of three; or you can purchase the signs individually for $19.95. Each of these signs takes me about 10 hours to complete, and my research goes back to July. That’s a lot of astrology for twenty bucks. You will love it, but do let me know if you do.

Lovingly,

Today (Friday) at 2:43 pm EST is the Capricorn New Moon. That’s the alignment of the Sun and Moon in Capricorn and the start of a new lunar month. Capricorn is a reminder that the Sun is still square a tropic by the same name, and that here in the Northern Hemisphere we’re in deep winter.

The Moon, with the limb of Earth near the bottom transitioning into the orange-colored troposphere, the lowest and most dense portion of the Earth’s atmosphere. Photo by the Expedition 28 crew aboard the International Space Station / NASA.

Today’s New Moon is intriguing because its closest aspect is to a newly discovered planet, Eris, the one that got Pluto ‘demoted’ back in 2006. The aspect is a square — maximum tension. It’s as if there’s some energy lurking behind this New Moon, as if something is trying to burst out and crack through the world like an egg.

Mercury is in the picture; that’s a suggestion to think consciously about what you’re experiencing and to communicate it directly. However, with Eris in the picture, you might be inclined to push that a bit hard — so do your best to apply a little diplomacy.

In addition to this tension, there’s some wistfulness in the air. This New Moon is conjunct an asteroid called Requiem. There may be some longing for what might have been, what was lost or what went unexpressed. It may be possible to let that go; events or developments over the next few days may conspire to help you do that.

This New Moon has the sensation of an ending and a beginning. I think it needs to be handled carefully, in emotional terms as well as practical. Take it slow, and I suggest you let things develop for a while before taking action. There is plenty going on behind the scenes, and some of it starts to emerge Friday and into the weekend.

If things seem to get out of hand, that is, if there’s chaos or crazy making in the environment, I do suggest that you step back and observe, till you actually understand what’s going on.

One reason to slow down and process is that Venus, newly in Capricorn, is square Uranus in Aries (exact Jan. 12 at 11:12 pm EST). Venus square Uranus can bring surprises: surprising magnetism (which may or may not be reliable) and also sudden emotional upsets in relationships. In general, Venus in Capricorn offers a sense of strength and patience for working through fear and jealousy in love.

Simplified chart section showing the Capricorn New Moon (Sun and Moon conjunct), joined by Mercury nearby (green glyph with horns). Pluto (red golf tee) and Juno are conjunct in Cap; Venus (blue ‘female’ symbol) is square Uranus (blue ‘H’) in Aries. Eris (red oval with an arrow) in Aries is square the Sun and Moon.

That will be the end of this equation to work if a relationship experiences some volatility this weekend. Squares call us to take action, true; but it’s also a form of action to devote yourself to getting a handle on your emotions and stabilizing them before reacting out of hand. Think of it as a ‘time out’ for your heart, one that keeps you in touch with the foundations of a relationship even if momentary decisions, words or actions feel inflammatory.

With Juno also in Capricorn and conjunct Pluto (exact Monday), the area of relationships is feeling some pressure from both sides of the Uranus-Pluto square. Note when the issue of jealousy arises in your relationships, and how you react to it.

What we think of as marriage (represented by Juno) is supposed to do something, which it does not do: provide a framework for commitment. So what is your framework for commitment? What actual agreements do you make, and why? What expectations do you have on marriage and marriage-like relationships? Are you living your parents’ or grandparents’ ideas of relationship more than your own? This happens a lot and I do mean a lot. How many people get married because it will make their parents and their grandparents feel better?

Do you know any examples of healthy, creative relationships personally? How many people can you name that have the kind of relationship you want — people you know intimately?

All of this and more is up for consideration now. Venus square Uranus can provide the spark for change, but it may take a deeper level of emotional maturity and stability to use that spark constructively, rather than destructively. Juno conjunct Pluto is laying out the blueprints for where the renovations to the ‘house of marriage’ are most needed — but getting caught up in a jealous pique won’t contribute to efficient work. If you’re going to rebuild a relationship with all this energy in Capricorn, you need to be able to see the past for what it is and let it go — just take the time to measure twice before you pick up your saw.

FBI, DHS Were Spying on Occupy Movement

Gee whiz, it turns out that the FBI and Homeland Security have been monitoring the Occupy movement all along, treating it as a terrorist threat. Are you shocked? This little revelation also demonstrates that the government felt that the movement might actually be effective — otherwise they would have no reason to mess with it.

National security threat: the Fox News guy with the cardboard mic and camera dressed up like Michael Moore was one of my favorite features at Occupy. He was a threat to the government, which spent money spying on him. Photo by Beth Bagner.

Yes, the “mic check” thing, the guy pretending to be Fox News with his cardboard TV camera, the free library, the kids camped out in the park — that’s the new Osama bin Laden.

This is an old story. Malcolm X warned his followers that in any political meeting, as many as one in three people in the room could be an agent. That seemed ridiculous until the FBI’s COINTELPRO program was exposed a decade later.

That was the federal program designed to disrupt and destroy the activist movements of the Sixties.
Or as stated in the more poetic language of the FBI, the goal was to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize” the activities of these movements and their leaders. This was done through a variety of tactics, including infiltrating the most private relationships of movement leaders.

Hardly any young (or even old) activists know this copiously documented story. They don’t know how to protect themselves from surveillance or disruption, or what forms those things might take. Most people don’t believe it’s really possible, despite the many similar stories that have come out during the past 10 years (for example, the NSA and CIA capturing all phone calls and Internet communications of private citizens).

Author and activist Chris Hedges has been reporting on this issue. In a recent column on Truthdig, he tells how Shannon McLeish, a Floridian who is active in the Occupy movement — and perhaps hundreds of thousands like her — are being monitored at peaceful protests by federal agents and police, who record personal information about them. She discovered references to herself by the FBI on documents recently obtained by the Partnership for the Civil Defense Fund.

Yes, waking up is a threat to the government. DHS and the FBI want you to press the snooze button. Photo by Beth Bagner.

“These documents show that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are treating protests against the corporate and banking structure of America as potential criminal and terrorist activity. These documents also show these federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America,” said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, executive director of the PCJF, quoted by Hedges.

Hedges believes intrusions such as these against law-abiding citizens “are part of the plan to make us fearful, compliant and disempowered. They mark, I suspect, a government attempt to end peaceful mass protests by responding with repression to the grievances of Americans.” He continues, “We are much farther down that road [to corporate fascism] than many of us care to admit.”

What exactly does this mean? It means that you’re less likely to participate in a protest of any kind, fearing that you might be spied on. It’s your right to do so; the Constitution explicitly states that the right to protest shall not be abridged by the government — which means the framers of the Constitution understood that such protest was necessary. The right wing lunatic fringe is correct: the government is waging war on the people.

I researched the chart of the Occupy movement to see where we could find this. It’s right there for anyone to see. The 8th house is the one that deals with your ordinary kinds of secrets (money, power, sex and so on). That house has Gemini on the cusp. Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, can be found right in the 10th house of government.

But this also works the other way. The Occupy movement was exposing corporate secrets, particularly those about the influence of money, and using that as a means to gather some power over the corporate system.

The moral of the story is that to be an activist, you have to be well-informed, brave and intelligent. You have to be willing to be spied on, and you need to be able to deal with it and to notice when it’s happening. If you know someone involved in activism, buy them this book about COINTELPRO. Remember, the Internet raises the stakes considerably, but this is the government we’re talking about. They are not geniuses of innovation. They just have that combination of a budget, the hunger for power and no conscience.

Don’t Miss This!
Lead Levels Associated with Violent Crime

First, let’s claim a victory — by whatever miracle, the United States banned lead in gasoline and most industrial products. I don’t know the story, but common sense and science prevailed. Second, a new retrospective has been published that associates peaks of lead pollution with peaks in violent crime.

The perfect metal; the perfect poison.

The retrospective looks at several countries and many cities and has concluded that violent crime peaks 20 years after lead levels peak — suggesting strongly that exposure to lead as an infant leads to violent criminal behavior. This is not merely one study; it’s a review of many studies, their results and their methods, which attempts to disprove the results but ultimately finds them to be true.

I’ve been ranting for years about the potential behavioral and emotional effects of environmental pollutants. I even got an article in The Ecologist about how hormonally active PCB and dioxin levels were messing with sexual instincts, behaviors and even anatomy.

As the world goes increasingly insane, we need to question the role that the brew of supertoxins in which we are soaking is playing in that. The political crisis, the economic crisis, the inability of countless millions of people to get a grip on their lives or to have any workable boundaries: all of this can be influenced by hormone pollution.

This new retrospective says, we need to look closer — and remember, lead WAS banned from most uses in the United States. There is no longer lead paint (in homes and businesses), plaster or gasoline. Now it’s time for a chlorine ban. Repeat, now it’s time to get rid of chlorine. That one move will solve a lot of our problems.

Overlay of the Kepler star field against a photo of the Milky Way. The Kepler spacecraft is focused on an area bordered by two of the brightest stars in the sky: Vega, which is part of Lyra (the harp) and Deneb, which is part of Cygnus (the swan). Together with Altair (in the constellation Aquila, the eagle) these stars form the summer triangle. Image: NASA.

What Are Those Stars Saying?

Listen up, and listen closely: this webpage for NASA’s Kepler mission to look for habitable planets around stars other than our Sun is not that exciting to look at, admittedly. But it offers a chance to hear the sounds of distant stars.

More accurately, the page features links to sound files that are the “sonification of light curves” of some of the 100,000 stars being observed by the Kepler spacecraft. According to NASA, “The light curves contain certain frequencies of brightness variation that are akin to sound waves, but the frequencies are not audible to the human ear.”

In the sonification process, those frequencies are scaled to a range that we can hear. Get out your headphones, and check out the funky sounds made by stars ‘winking’ at us as a sister-planet passes by.

Cap New Moon, Old Dick Nixon

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I go over the Capricorn New Moon chart as well as commemorate the 100th birthday of Richard M. Nixon. If you’d like to see Nixon’s chart, here’s the page in Astrodatabank.

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The January monthly horoscope was published Friday, Dec. 21. Inner Space for January was published Friday, Dec. 28. The December Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Dec. 18. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; a new Inner Space is still emailed on the following Tuesday.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 #933 | By Eric Francis

Capricorn Birthdays This Week (for Cap rising as well)

A New Moon in your birth sign this week is a reminder that it’s time to leave the past behind, though you may still be processing some sadness or regrets about things that have happened before — including in the distant past. Rather than pressuring yourself to feel or not to feel a certain way, I suggest you stay with yourself and inquire within about what it will take to be ready to move on. Be open to what comes back; take the steps that you get in reply to your inner query. Meanwhile, you really do seem to be ready to take a leap forward, and this is all about confidence. That is the thing to study, to observe and most of all to practice. I know that confidence can seem like some kind of innate gift that’s bestowed only on the rare few. It’s like any other skill; it can be broken down into steps, understood in a clear way and most of all, improved through a course of repeated, realtime experiments. After a while you will see your faith in yourself was much stronger than you imagined. So you may as well take advantage of that now. NOTE — there will be a Capricorn birthday report, substantially different from LISTEN, the annual reading. It will take me another week or so to record that. — efc

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Remember to mind your politics. You are in rare form in many other ways — unafraid to stand out, bold about expressing your ideas and willing to take charge. Yet what you need is to employ your political skill. That means politeness, following basic policy and applying a little polish to your presentation. You are in a visible position of leadership, though I suggest you focus your efforts on fostering cooperation. You will have to take some initiative but if you remember to do all those things beginning with ‘pol’ you will find that your charm and positive attitude get you further than letting anyone know who is boss. One other not-so-subtle point — be aware of emotions like envy, jealousy and the desire for control. Leave that to other people and be aware that these emotions are in the environment. What they all have in common is a competitive edge; that is the thing to identify in any form that it arrives, to let go of and to find viable options for.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — What we think of as marriage is a religious concept. Then by some miracle it ended up a civil instrument, influencing taxes and under the jurisdiction of the state courts. I am aware that there are ways of thinking of partnership and even marriage unrelated to any of these venerated institutions. I would ask what role any have in the exchange of human emotions or organizing a household. You’re in a phase of questioning many other values that have percolated through to you via religion, though you may never have recognized them as such. It is time. They all have one thing in common: controlling behavior and concentrating wealth in the hands of the church, in both cases using guilt as the lever. The matter can be reduced to one short inquiry: what would you do in a world where guilt held no value? Would you need in some way to be reined in? Or would you conduct yourself ethically anyway, and still have a good time?

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Now is the time to renegotiate certain contracts and agreements that no longer serve their purpose. Therefore, I suggest you go over every agreement that you’re currently subject to, assess its reason for existing and see if that reason is being fulfilled. Some of these may be pretty old, you may have forgotten others, and some, you may not even be aware you’re subject to. Here is a clue: is something or someone ‘driving you crazy’? Is there a source of chaos in your life? Something putting pressure on you that you seem unable to get out of? See if you can trace this back to some kind of commitment or agreement that you made. Go back to the moment of that transaction and look at the exact language, whether in writing or what you recall having said. Research or remember what was said to you, in terms of what promises were made. Did you hold up your end of the bargain? What about the other person or organization? Once you have that information, you will have plenty to work with. The concept of a relationship is taken too seriously, and the reality of a relationship not seriously enough.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You are in extraordinarily rich relationship territory; your bonds with others are deepening and the potential exists for one particular person to join you in entering unusually deep caverns within yourself. I suggest, however, that you embrace these developments with a spirit of welcoming change rather than courting permanence. It’s not that the people you encounter now will not last; to the contrary, one or more may prove to be around for quite a while. I suggest that you stay in the present and keep the energy moving, allowing the elements in the environment to form new compounds, and the sensations in your body to lead to a new depth of emotional sharing and contact. Your concept of a partner or lover is changing, as is your desire for language to describe the experience and to share your feelings with others. These are matters more practical than mystical, particularly the language piece. Listen carefully, say what you mean and get your conversation partner to propose what they think you mean. Certainty of understanding is rare; you can come close now.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — It’s time for some deeply ingrained patterns to change, particularly involving the work you do. You have a leverage point right now; key elements of the system within which you operate are at maximum stress. As designed, the system cannot take the pressure it’s being subjected to. But don’t wait for things to ‘get better’ to make the changes that you need to make; the whole point is to redesign things to accommodate — or better yet, eliminate — the kinds of tension that you’ve been experiencing lately. Several factors are involved, including communication, how resources are allocated and understanding the nature of commitment as it exists within your environment. Speaking personally, you have to get out of two modes: one is “this is how it’s going to be because this is how it always was” and “we need a rigid structure or set of rules to solve this problem.” In truth what you need is flexibility — on everyone’s part, though you’re in the leadership role when it comes to setting that particular example.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Loosen up a little and you will be a lot happier. You need a more playful outlook; I think naughty is the word. I suggest you stop asking if you’re ‘in integrity’ and realize there is only so much that can go wrong, under your present plan; the world will not end if you have more fun. Yet you may have to consciously set aside attachment to the fun you didn’t get to have, that you opted out of or that ended way too early. I know it’s difficult not to have some feelings for what you sincerely regret, though it’s likely to get in the way of what you can experience now — and there is plenty being offered to you. What all those opportunities for fun have in common is the need to take some kind of chance. I don’t mean walking along the ledge of a skyscraper, though it may feel that way sometimes; I mean an emotional risk, such as entering a vulnerable situation where you have the potential to get hurt. Yes, it could happen, but it’s less likely if you’re conscious of your environment. It’s the vulnerability that will allow in the sense of contact and pleasure.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — I suggest you stay close to home the next week or so, close to a place where you can pull in and retreat. You seem to be processing some unusually deep feelings, though they’re coming through with the approximate ease that water moves through the bedrock of an aquifer: dependably, though slowly, requiring time and patience. The material includes a review of your as-yet unmet emotional and relational needs; there is something about the past that’s holding you close and about which you may have some regrets, including regrets about how you treated someone when you were feeling neglected. At the same time, you may notice that your curiosity is going in new directions. You may think that it’s your brain acting up, though I would propose that this is an actual physical inquisitiveness that is calling you to explore. You may not feel ready now, though if you’re patient with yourself and don’t try to escape from the past, you’ll discover renewed freedom to try some truly interesting experiences.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Something is much simpler than it seems. But to see that, you must think it through for yourself and not be swayed by the opinions of others. I suggest that you skip the part about analyzing everyone’s motives and see what the situation looks like in its most elemental form. If you had to script it into a play for shadow puppets, how would it look and sound? Who would the characters be? I think, probably, it would look like some family scene that you decided you were tired of long ago. You seem to perceive yourself as an irritant in a group environment, as the one who stands out or is different, and a) gets hassled for such and b) always feels like you’re the one who might have to go, so that everyone can settle down. That’s the scenario to let go of; it’s no longer true and seems to be entirely a replay of old tapes. In reality, under the current astrology you seem to be the one wanting to be the adult in the room, which is a good thing — as long as you recognize the difference between adult and parent.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You may feel under pressure to make some big decisions, particularly of a financial nature. I suggest, however, that you wait until the end of the month (when Jupiter stations direct) before finalizing anything, particularly involving an investment or banking matter. You have more to learn about where partners or significant others are coming from, and what you learn will influence your decision. Meanwhile, it would help if you turned your sense of pressure into a sense of opportunity: in this case, you need to restructure your affairs in some way, which will have a benefit over time. There is an intimate connection between money and the structures that surround it, which takes many forms (including relationships). I suggest you make a commitment to have no guilt about doing what you need to do in order to make your affairs run more smoothly. And, though I will mention it again, take the next few weeks and see if you can deduce what close partners or associates really have on their mind.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Accept the past in its current form and recognize that there is little you can do to change it, or to mitigate its effects. Yet if you take an attitude of ‘let it be’, you may find that more peace of mind comes to you than you could ever have if you try to rewrite history, pretend certain things didn’t happen or get stuck on your regrets. If you allow it to be so, the past will start to make sense in a way you had not considered before. You stand at a new moment in your life, though you will recognize this in a more palpable way if you embrace what is present for you now, and notice that you have many new options for how to live. This calls for shifting your perspective, along two orientations. One is your relationship to attachment. It’s no longer possible for you to be stuck in the way things were in the past, or to use epoxy and jealousy to graft yourself onto anyone. Second is your relationship to stating your basic emotional needs. Resolve to speak up and state them clearly, in language that another mortal can understand without the help of a detective.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your mission is to foster cooperation without worrying about your popularity, and without going out of your way to make enemies. In other words, the people around you are not going to work together so well because they like you so much; and they are not going to work together because they hate you so much. They’re going to do it because it’s the right thing to do and because everyone’s life will be easier. Therefore, you have to be gentle in your approach to leadership, and recognize that you have a real measure of authority before you ever open your mouth. However, I suggest you tune into certain facts of the underlying psychology — both your own and that of the circumstances around you. It seems to be driving everything, and you may be the only person in the environment who has the ability to perceive what’s going on, including being able to suss out the sexual politics that are involved and are, as usual, significantly influential.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may or may not consider yourself ‘marriage material’ though I would propose (pardon the pun) that this is an excellent few weeks to explore your partnership potential. You have your own ideas about what a relationship is, and you may think that few others share those ideas. There are people in your circle of friends who are starting to catch up with you; these may include former partners and those you know through some aspect of work. Anyway, my point is: for the next month, experiment with the idea that your ideas about relationships are right for you and that other people have been learning from your example. There is a kind of collective transformation in progress right now, and it’s likely to manifest in your life as opportunities for contact that you thought were unlikely or impossible before. The challenge for you will be to leave behind the pain of what has not worked; any past struggle with rejection; and any prejudices you still may hold about what other people think about how you live. There is a lot that others have not been saying. Love, listen and learn.

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We’re About to Go Off the Map

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Dear Friend and Reader:

The third week of December has been, at least, the last week of the Mayan 13th baktun — a span of time within the Long Count that dates back to 3114 BCE, or 5,125 years. By human standards, that’s a vast reach, encompassing 1,872,000 days. A baktun is 144,000 days, though it’s not the longest measure of time that the Mayans used; there are several longer ones documented, including a piktun, though there is a controversy — we don’t know for sure if a piktun is 13 baktuns or 20 of them. Either way, time goes on, and so too does the Mayan calendar.

Yet if the 13th baktun, which ends today [see SKY section], is the end of the piktun, which I believe it is, then 12/21/12 was the culmination of a significant cycle, constituting one-fifth of the Great Cycle — the precession of the equinoxes — 25,625 years. The Mayans knew about the precession of the equinoxes, and they knew about a lot of things it took our scientists centuries to figure out, such as the Galactic Core, which had a central place in their mythology. It contained the gateway to the underworld.

One reason I give the Mayan calendar a little extra weight is because it’s an indigenous creation of the Americas. It’s how the most advanced ancient civilization we know of here thought of time, and devised the elegantly beautiful systems of mathematics to keep track of it. Their ability to end the cycle in a year with a transit of Venus, one of their favorite events (back in June) and to land on the winter solstice is truly impressive and worth taking note of.

I think that these things, whether consciously or not, influenced not just the popularity of 12/21/12 but the subtle respect that many people seemed to feel about it.

In Mayan tradition, the end of an era would be a cause for celebration. A baktun is 394 years, far longer than a human lifetime, and we made it. This era started in 1618, shortly after the founding of the Dutch East India Company, at the dawn of colonial times. [Related article here.]

Since then, we in North America have endured a Book of Revelation-induced mass exodus from Europe, a holocaust of the buffalo and many native tribes, slavery, being pioneers on the prairie, the Wild West, a war between the states, the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, nonstop war in the 20th century, 140 air burst nuclear bombs over the Southwest, the contamination of our entire continent (and the world) with PCBs and dioxin, repeated nuclear accidents, the rigging of the planet with hydrogen bombs, too many drunk or otherwise incompetent drivers, and the dawn of the GMO era.

Sounds like a good excuse for a party. We are doing fantastic. Today I am baking a cake and finishing up my list of resolutions for the new baktun, and a separate list for the new piktun. This is a special moment.

There is another model called the Mayan time pyramid that says something similar. This is arranged in layers, each layer up being more recent and 20 times shorter than the previous one. The base layer is a little over 16 billion years. The next layer up was 828 million years, the next one up was 41 million years, and so on upward in reverse exponential form. Each time pulse contained a certain amount of experience equivalent to the one that follows, but in 1/20th the span of time.

The one at the top of the pyramid began March 8, 2011 and lasted 234 days. That might explain why 2011 felt the way that it did: like everything happened all at once. I am not sure where this model comes from or how well it can be verified, but I think it’s a really interesting concept of time, and it helps explain why it does feel like we have exponentially more to do every few years. That helps explain why every new, faster model of computer is slower than the previous one, or why it seems like I have to write the monthly horoscope more often than the weekly.

And this model, too, suggests that we’re off the map; we made that particular jump in late 2011. It does not directly correspond to the Long Count that turned over on Dec. 21, 2012, but it’s close.

As for the Long Count: the last week before the solstice has been a compressed moment; an eternity lived out in a week. It was to be, by any estimation, a special week, a kind of bellwether of what was to come, and an indicator of where we were at. The conditions at the end of one cycle often point to the conditions at the beginning of the next, and vice versa. So these have been seven days worth looking at carefully, and remembering for what we learned during them.

They began on Dec. 14 with the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. This was, said The Nation, the 16th mass shooting in the United States since the beginning of the year. We watched and grieved the burial of 20 kids, ages six and seven, as well as six of the adults whose job it was to take care of them. We got a look into the dark world of the household from where this well of death had sprung.

During that final pulse of the 13th baktun, we saw every problem our society faces flash by before our eyes, through our minds, and weigh heavily on our hearts. The Onion even parodied this: “In Wake of Tragedy, Americans Demand Reform of Everything, Anything.”

The shooting was one of the most appalling ever, killing mostly kids six and seven years old, and it demanded an explanation. Bob Geldof’s line, “And he can see no reasons ’cause there are no reasons” was no longer good enough. Nothing happens for no reason. For every effect there is a cause — which I believe is the spiritual lesson that we in the United States need to learn more than any other. So, I went looking for the cause.

After so many other shootings with the same MO, the lone gunman version of events was starting to feel implausible. Over the summer, after the shooting at the Milwaukee Sikh temple, I had begun to consider the potential for a relationship between the events. That’s usually, or nearly always, what it is, right? A solitary nutcase who, of his own accord, with no help from anyone, ruins everything.

Therefore, I spent a good part of the following weekend researching the basic facts and many different conspiracy theories about the most recent incident, in Connecticut. I don’t like speculative constructions of events, but I had a reason to check them out as best I could, after ironing out the basic facts. Even the basic facts proved to be challenging because details of the story changed a number of times during the first few days.

Meanwhile, the astrological chart for the shooting, set for 9:35 am the morning of Dec. 14, was not, so far as I could read it, the chart of a ‘lone gunman’ at work. The planets were concentrated in the public sectors of the chart, the 10th and 11th houses, and there was a strange cluster in the house of secrets and secret enemies — the 12th. There seemed to be collaboration.

And, there were theories of people working together. The most outrageous of these linked the shooting in Aurora, CO, back in July, plus the killing of two kids by a nanny who then killed herself, to the one in Newtown, CT, by way of men involved (in all cases, fathers) purportedly being “about to testify” before the U.S. Senate about the vast, far-reaching and underreported LIBOR scandal, said to be one of the biggest financial heists ever. This link seemed beyond any possible credulity.

However, 1) people do kill over these things and 2) the astrology presented a question. It was easy, following basic rules of reading a chart, to see a government and/or corporate connection. There were financial connections and corporate connections indicated in the chart as well.

Every planet seemed to have a relationship to every other planet. There seemed to be a secret co-conspirator, which doesn’t fit with a lone gunman. The cause of death included meticulous planning and was not a spontaneous act; yet once it started, it was an uncontrolled release of energy. The chart, with a prominent Mercury (similar to the chart for Sept. 11, 2001), described a message. That message seemed to either come from far away, or be global in nature. In short, you could read this chart in such a way that could encompass any of the darkest possibilities, including being a false-flag event: that is, something with a cause bearing no resemblance to what we were being told.

At the same time, the chart also supported the psychological health issues that were coming out in the official version of events, the sense of wounding and the isolation of the alleged gunman; there is a mother, who shows up in the chart as recently killed, but also as a collaborator. There was the involvement of drugs. A New Moon the previous day was conjunct planets that I had summed up as describing the unmitigated release of evil that shattered the family structure, a valid description of this event on the most basic level.

In other words, both versions of the scenario fit: some deep, dark and sinister conspiracy, as well as an eminently private set of circumstances involving individuals with really serious problems. The scenario fit something happening in a deeply secretive space, a description which we learned was true of the perpetrator’s household. Working with a researcher, we dismantled both the official version of events and the various theories, and at the end of this process, the official version is what withstood the scrutiny better than the theories — that is, based on the available facts. There are still a few things I am questioning, based on the fact pattern and my knowledge of history.

It started to occur to me that the public’s obsession over conspiracy theories — which was impressive in this situation — serves a psychological purpose: distraction from the serious issues at hand, and abdication of responsibility. If this was a government hit, that implies this was something we have no control over, no power to do anything about. Yet investigating the theories pushes the mind open and compels objectivity.

After a while, the official version started to make more sense; the element that pulled the whole scenario into focus for me was that the shooter’s mother was a Prepper — that is, a doomsday survivalist whose preparations for civil disorder included a small arsenal, complete with a .223 Bushmaster, the equivalent of an M4 assault rifle. The psychology of the shooter seems to have emerged from a world of fear and pain and spiraling paranoia.

Yet I was still left with a chart that described something vast, where all the parts were interrelated; a chart that described something much larger. Then a wider scenario began to emerge.

On the most obvious level, it included government policy that allowed these weapons in the hands of people. This in turn contributed to a state of paranoia that, if not culture-wide, is characteristic of a vast subculture, where these powerful weapons are presumed to be kept at the ready for use against the government in some kind of presumed defensive episode or insurrection.

The emerging scenario from within the alleged shooter’s household included the possibility, indeed the high likelihood, of prescription meds used by the killer, which points directly to the pharmaceutical industry. These meds can make a person extremely sick, and switching from one to another can do genuine damage to a person’s neurology.

Next, we have what typically happens to young people, especially young boys: they are exposed to a lot of violence through every possible avenue, from movies to television to news programs to video games. To grow up today is to see tens of thousands of simulated deaths, and not Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff.

Then there was the angle of a government that kills a lot of people, including children. The United States’ 22-year war against Iraq comes to mind — the one that began during Bush I, continued through Clinton, was escalated again through Bush II and extended into the Obama administration. During the Clinton years, the U.S. and the U.K. regularly bombed Iraq, including water treatment plants, the loss of which caused children to drink contaminated water and contract cholera.

Then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked on 60 Minutes whether the resulting loss of 500,000 Iraqi children on her watch was worth it, and she said that it was. When the government sets an example like this — and there have been many of them — it’s not surprising when that example extends into the well-armed population. Indeed, from an honest look at society, it’s sincerely amazing that these kinds of massacres don’t happen every single day of the week.

With a little perspective, the systemic level of the problem became obvious. There was a conspiracy, composed of many facts of our lives.

And, remarkably, I heard that being discussed. I saw, at least among the people I know and the public that I serve, the awareness emerge that the killings must stop and that part of that involves gun control, and part involves raising awareness and addressing all the other problems that contributed to this school massacre, and other related crimes. It involves seeing the ‘unintentional conspiracy’ of the society in which we live. And that has started to come into focus.

Said another way, what seemed to emerge during the last week of the 13th baktun was the awareness of a relationship between an effect and the cause that preceded it; as well as an awareness of the problems that we face on a systemic level.

The world, so far anyway, has not ended on Dec. 21, 2012. There was not, that I could discern, a merger with the 5th dimension, inducing spontaneous enlightenment. But there seemed to be, on a level that to my perception was more than vague or ephemeral, a clear look at the process of karma — an understanding that the conditions of society have consequences in society, for all of us.

I don’t believe in panaceas, and I may not be spiritually advanced enough to believe that deeply entrenched problems, whether personal or cultural, will just work themselves out spontaneously. I do believe in starting places, and if we got there, if we got to the point where we can see the interrelation of complex causes, and understand that there is a result that manifests, that’s a really good place to enter a new era in history.

Assuming we keep hold of this thought, it’s all we really need to go forward in the direction of a future different from the past.

Lovingly,

About the Images Above

Illustrations above are from the Dresden Codex, a Mayan document and the oldest known book created in the Americas. It originates to the 11th or 12th century of the Yucatecan Maya in Chichen Itza. This Maya codex is believed to be a copy of an original text of some three or four hundred years earlier, made during the classical era.

It contains astronomical tables of great accuracy. It is most famous for its Lunar Series and Venus table. The Lunar Series has intervals correlating with eclipses. The Venus Table correlates with the apparent movements of the planet. The codex also contains almanacs, astronomical and astrological tables, and ritual schedules. There are no advertisements.

The Dresden Codex also includes instructions concerning New Year ceremonies as well as descriptions of the Rain God’s locations.

Text design and selection of codex details is by Sarah Bissonnette-Adler.

New Baktun Eve: 13th Baktun Ends Today

Friday is the last day of the 13th baktun of the Mayan Long Count. A baktun is 144,000 days long; the one that ends today began in September 1618 [see related article]. Today may also be the end of the next longer measure of time — a piktun, which I believe to be the measure of 13 baktuns or one-fifth of the Great Cycle — the precession of the equinoxes, or 25,625 years.

Painting using a color archeologists call Mayan blue, which is very bright and lasts for centuries.

Note, the new cycle has not begun; the old one ends today. This is similar to 2000 being the last year of the 20th century. The ’20’ in ’20th century’ manifested in the form of 2000 in the last year of that century.

Long count date 12.19.19.17.19 was Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 CE, and 13.0.0.0.0 is Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 CE. In the tzolkin count, this is 4 Ahau. The new baktun begins on Long Count date 13.0.0.0.1, which is Saturday, Dec. 22. In the tzolkin count this is 5 Imix. (I will invite the daykeepers I know to comment on the tzolkin dates, which are part of the 260 day short count or spiritual calendar that’s become pretty popular the past 25 years.)

The Cancer Full Moon happens Dec. 28, with the Sun in a close conjunction to Pluto — a fitting end for 2012, with the Sun aligned exactly in the 2012 aspect (Uranus square Pluto) and Mercury aligned with the Galactic Core.

The yod pattern in the 12/12/12 chart continues for months, which will hold the energy pattern of the solstice. This consists of Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Scorpio and Jupiter in Gemini. These three points form an isosceles triangle (two sides having the same length) that points to Jupiter in Gemini.

Looked at one way, this is about the evolutionary process (Saturn and Pluto) that will lead us to revise our story of who we are, what we know and what we are doing here. Jupiter in Gemini says: get along with your neighbors, or nothing else is possible.

This message is emphasized by Mars being in Aquarius (the sign of groups and collective ideas; it arrives there Christmas day, just in time to stir up the group dynamics of the family).

Mars in Aquarius is a reminder that cooperation is a matter of initiative. In order to work together, people have to want to do so. Usually it doesn’t happen spontaneously. Mars will be square Saturn through the first week of the month, so we need to get below any emotional resistance to doing that, which would include this thing we need to deal with known as authority issues.

Reproduction of Mayan art from Palenque, Mexico 590 A.D. Surrounded by hieroglyphs, an ancient ball player demonstrates his skill and strength. The player’s ability to manipulate and move the ball into stone rings, without the use of hands, was played to honor the gods with skill — just like we think of soccer today.

The Capricorn New Moon is Jan. 11. For that event, Mercury, Venus, Juno and Pluto will also be in Capricorn. The lunation is conjunct asteroid Requiem, indicative of all that we will simply have to leave behind as we enter a new era in the history of the Mesoamerican calendar tradition.

The Sun ingresses Aquarius on Jan. 19, in a conjunction with Mercury, and we enter the sign that is at the peak of the season, featuring Imbolc (Midwinter holiday) two weeks later.

Mars will be working its way toward a conjunction to the third centaur planet, Nessus, exact on Jan. 26. This is a reminder to pay attention to the way that groups influence individual thinking in potentially cruel ways — people will do things as part of a group that they would never consider doing as an individual (it’s a long, ugly list). We need to be aware of these matters of unproductive social conformity, and address the individual integrity matters, as well as the leadership issues, that facilitate them. Just take it easy when you’re in group situations; keep your head and rather than be bossy (that as so 13th baktun) try to work with where people have common ground.

Late that day (or on the 27th in the UK and Europe), is the Leo Full Moon. The Full Moon’s axis is square Saturn, indicating that it’s a point of restructuring. It is trine Jupiter, indicating that the energy reserves to do this restricting work will be available, if you remember that those energies will be liberated by communication, which in turn is facilitated by a clear state of inner communication.

On that day, Jupiter is the only retrograde planet; it stations direct a few days later, for a rare moment of all planets moving in direct motion.

That’s OK: No One Will Need Social Security After Dec. 21 Anyway

Ida May Fuller receiving a Social Security check in 1940. Photo: Social Security Administration.

On Monday, the Obama administration disclosed that it has offered to Republicans to cut so-called entitlement programs for the elderly in exchange for a slight increase in taxes on the wealthy. In continued attempts to avoid the ‘fiscal cliff’, Obama has suggested cutting $130 billion from Social Security spending; $30 billion more than would be cut from military spending.

Obama has already offered to begin taxing those earning more than $400,000 (the original threshold was $250,000), and promises to veto the latest Republican plan to raise the threshold to households making more than $1 million annually.

Despite being named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year (even though his administration continues to authorize drone strikes in the Middle East, killing many civilians), Obama can’t seem to get past Republicans’ personal grudge against him. Are they opposing the president’s plans “just for the heck of it,” or are they hoping something will happen on Dec. 21 to eliminate the fiscal cliff for them? Or more likely, is this a bipartisan game to cut social programs, dressed up as a looming fiscal crisis?

LIBOR, Liars and Conspiracies

The latest banking scandal, concerning the manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), is taking some twisted turns — a massive fine and a rare prosecution against a corporate giant.
The scandal involves fixing the interest rates on interbank transactions worth tens of trillions of dollars, and is considered the most massive banking fraud we’ve heard of so far. The banks inflated their interbank interest rates, which were then passed onto customers of loans, credit cards and other financial products.

John Cole / Scranton Times Tribune.

The Swiss bank UBS has been ordered to pay a $1.5 billion fine for its role in the scandal. LIBOR provides the basis for rates on trillions of dollars of global transactions and its manipulation over five years forced borrowers to pay the wrong amount on their loans.

Part of the settlement also involved a criminal charge, with UBS admitting to wire fraud, through its Tokyo branch, in LIBOR rates in Japanese currency.

What’s unusual here is that the prosecutors broke a taboo by bringing criminal charges against UBS. Authorities are loath to press charges because they feel it would doom the banks and crash the financial system. However, three former UBS traders have already been arrested in the United Kingdom and more arrests are coming in the U.S., according to the Huffington Post.

There is a pervasive rumor on the Internet that three different crime scenes — the Aurora shooting from July, the killer nanny suicide from Manhattan in August and the Newtown crime scene, are linked by LIBOR.

The rumor is that the fathers of the two mass shooters, and the father of the kids murdered by the nanny, were ‘supposed to testify’ at LIBOR hearings before the U.S. Senate (though obviously there should be hearings, and it would be the job of Sen. Elizabeth Warren to make it happen). But we’ve been able to document the existence of no such hearings, much less a connection to the crime scenes. This does, however, tell us something about suspicion related to LIBOR and how big the scandal is.

Going Out With a Bang, New York-Style

Some lusty New Yorkers are seeking a hot friend for the end of the world, and are turning to Internet dating sites and Doomsday parties to facilitate the hook-ups — though it’s probably a trend in your town, too.

Niki Ghazian. Can you believe she can’t find an apocalypse date?

Bars and clubs there are throwing apocalypse-themed bashes, including an “End of the Funking World Party” at B.B. King Blues Club in Midtown.

Singles posted ads on Craigslist.org and OKCupid.com, seeking Doomsday-themed dates, “casual encounters” and even “end of the world sex.”

“If you’ve got no plans for the apocalypse, let’s get together,” wrote a 30-year-old single guy from Midtown.

He added, “Send me how you’d like to spend your last hours on earth — and a photo.”

“Everybody should go out feeling satisfied,” said swimsuit model Niki Ghazian to The Post. “If the world’s gonna end, why hold back?”

Then again, why hold back even if the world isn’t supposed to end? ‘Feeling satisfied’ sounds like the perfect New Year’s resolution for the next Mayan baktun — whether the Mayans calculated it or not. After all, they did have a thing for Venus.

Village of the End of the World Closes Up, Cashes In

As thousands of tourists bent on surviving The End descend on the 178-person town of Bugarach, France, its mayor closed the town and the mountain above it, Pic de Bugarach, to further traffic on Monday. Seems the End of the World was a little too busy for them.

Rumors began circulating two years ago on the Internet that the hamlet, in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, would be miraculously saved from Doomsday.

One theory holds that its inhabitants will be whisked away by aliens purportedly long housed in Pic de Bugarach. Others believe the tiny town will somehow survive an impending crash with an incoming planet — hence the onslaught of the survivalist-minded.

The locals — on whom the meaning of carpe diem has not been lost — have been cashing in, selling ‘Apocalypse Pizza’ and ‘End of the World’ wine. If there are any lucky survivors there on Dec. 22, they can toast their good fortune with a ‘Survivor’ vintage. One resident is renting his house, where one can eat, drink and make merry for $2,000 per night — or do it up in a no-frills camping spot for $400.

He reportedly told the local paper, “I possess a rare asset, the land of immortality.” And the rare asset of opportunism, to be sure.

Dealing with Doomsday the Capitalist Communist Way

Is it a good sign or a bad sign that Doomsday paranoia is not limited to Western cultures?

Authorities in two Chinese provinces have rounded up nearly 100 members of a so-called Christian cult for spreading rumors about an impending, Mayan calendar-based apocalypse. The “Almighty God” group has been going door to door proclaiming that only they can save peoples’ lives when the Sun goes dark and electricity fails for three days beginning Dec. 21, 2012.

Almost 100 people have been arrested so far according to the state-run Xinhua news agency, and police have seized a variety of the group’s materials and equipment. Established in 1990 in central China, the cult requires that members relinquish all personal property to the group.

It’s unclear what three days of no electricity has to do with the Mayans — or Christianity, for that matter. Then again, the psychology of embracing Doomsday thinking is not exactly logic-based in its effort to bring existential threats into the realm of the predictable — and therefore, paradoxically, the comfortable.

Finally: Some Common Ground on Guns

Alt-media outlet Daily Kos had the pollsters at Public Policy Polling take a look at national attitudes towards various potential gun safety reforms. (You can see the full results, including crosstabs, at that link.)

Sculpture titled ‘Non-Violence’ by Swedish sculptor Carl Fredrik Reutersward outside the U.N. buildings in New York. Photo: Brian Dubé.

In short, a majority of gun owners and Republicans agree with gun control advocates on gun safety measures currently being discussed to prevent future massacres like last week’s Sandy Hook shootings. Among the findings:

–92 percent of Americans support requiring a criminal background check when buying a gun, including 92 percent of conservative respondents.

— By a 63-28 margin, respondents supported requiring a mental health examination before the purchase of a gun. This measure was supported by conservatives by a wide 59-31 margin, and gun owners 52-38.

— By a 63-32 margin, respondents support banning assault weapons, including conservatives by a 50-43 margin and gun owners by 51-44.

— By a 69-26 margin, respondents support banning the sale of guns and bullets over the internet, including 61-34 among conservatives and 59-36 among gun owners.

— By a 71-23 margin, respondents support closing the gun-show loophole, the huge, ridiculous one that allows the suspension of all of the rules at once, including 71-23 among conservatives.

54 percent of respondents in this poll said they owned a gun, which far outstrips the 32 percent that the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey estimated in 2010. So if anything, this sample is skewed more heavily toward gun owners than the nation at large. But it doesn’t matter — on every question that was asked, a majority of gun owners — and people of all political persuasions — agreed with the position of gun control advocates on these basic reforms.

Anonymous versus Westboro?

Someone claiming to be the vigilante hacker group Anonymous released a video this week warning the members of the Westboro Baptist Church to stay away from the funerals for the victims of the Newtown, CT, school shooting. The Westboro group has gained notoriety by protesting (and threatening to protest) funerals for anyone whose life has had anything to do with being homosexual, having AIDS or even living where gay rights legislation has been passed (as is the case in Connecticut).

Anonymous usually targets governments and corrupt corporations with their activities, yet the transcript posted with the video states in part, “[We have witnessed you] desecrating the name of God by protesting in the proximity of churches and synagogues, and mangling the biblical text to conform in accordance with your malevolent cause.” It continues, “You are self-appointed servants of God who rewrite the words of His sacred scripture to adhere to your prejudice.”

We’re questioning the idea that a bunch of anarchists have become defenders of the ‘purity’ of Christianity. A lot of people, including mainstream media outlets like CNN, took it on faith that it must be Anonymous, demonstrating how much we collectively wish for masked avengers to protect us — and how much life has become a twisted cartoon for many. In the end, unmasked citizens, including the biker group Good Samaritans, made a showing in Newtown to protect the funerals — and Westboro stayed in the shadows.

View of the Mayan city Chichen Itza from the Maya 3D animation for TimeTours.

The Mayans Definitely Did Not Predict This:

Just in case you’re not completely burned out on the Mayans at this point, here’s a way to see what their buildings may have actually looked like — and imagine more vividly where all the fuss started. Maya 3D, a small group of media designers from Germany who specialize in 3D animation and web design, have parlayed their common interest in Meso-American culture and its architecture into a series of interactive 3D apps for iPhones and iPads in cooperation with TimeTours. So far, they have digitally reconstructed Uxmal, Chichen Itza and Palenque, all in Mexico, as well as the Dresden Codex. No need for a time machine to roll back the baktuns — just a little imagination.

In This Last Week of the Mayan Cycle

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I look at the issue surrounding the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. First, I cover the Sun’s conjunction to the Galactic Core, as well as the details about the Mayan calendar that raise the question of whether we’re at the end of the piktun or not.

Eric Francis.

In other words, how important is Friday’s turnover, to date 13.0.0.0.0? And does Saturday begin a new cycle entirely (13.0.0.0.1, or do we totally reset and start over at 0.0.0.0.1?) This is about the Mayan long count that ‘ends’ on Friday morning.

The diagram above is a similar concept; it involves time pulses, which begin with a 16 billion year pulse and end in a short one. By either account we are off the map, or soon to be. I try to read some figures from the above diagram during the program but I keep messing up, so I’ve included the thing so you can see it for yourself.

Then, I comment on the chart of Friday’s shooting and account for why the thing looks like it supports every conspiracy theory in existence. The chart is included in this article on Planet Waves called Connecting Cause and Effect.

Here is that article by Shelley Ackerman on the discovery of the Galactic Center. Here is a panel of photos of many kinds of galaxies, with ours on the bottom right; this is the 2007 annual edition called The Spiral Door (anyone can dive in and read).

My musical guest is Renee Blue O’Connell, with one selection from the Grateful Dead.

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The December monthly horoscope was published Friday, Nov. 23. Inner Space for December was published Tuesday, Nov. 27. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. The January monthly horoscope is published below in this issue; after today, we are taking a break from regular subscriber issues to work on the 2013 annual edition. The next full edition of Planet Waves after the solstice will be Friday, Jan. 11. The December Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Dec. 18. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; a new Inner Space will be emailed on this coming Tuesday.

Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for January 2013 | By Eric Francis

Capricorn Birthdays This Week

If your birthday is this week, this will be a pretty special year. In the Mayan long count system, we begin a new baktun of 394 years, or a new piktun of 5,125 years. That’s the image of a bold new beginning and it is, in truth, an honor. You can shift your priorities to bigger and better things than you’ve been concerned with, or obsessed with, in the past. Your process of evolution has put you in contact with something much larger than yourself. You can stop thinking of your relationships as a matter of life or death, and more like a matter of life: the thing about existence that puts you in contact with a broader field of reality. You are in truth free to relate to anyone you want, on any terms you want. Your one requirement is to honor your growth process first; take care of yourself and be your own devoted friend. Then it will be possible to engage in relationships with others that are shorn of fear and help weave the integrity of the world.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You have the potential to accomplish great things, and you know it. You also know that discipline and focus are the keys to doing this. You can no longer depend exclusively on exterior structures to keep your goals or work pattern in place. And it would seem that the reputation you worked so hard to cultivate now translates mostly to experience. Yet that experience, if nothing else, can remind you that you have what it takes to get the job done. The question really comes down to who will keep you focused — you, or some force outside yourself. If you depend on your own inner resources to build your structure, you will have the creative freedom that you want. If you depend on something outside yourself, you will be compromised in what you get to express. I realize that the high-temperature, erratic nature of your idea flow doesn’t lend itself well to focus, but that is precisely the point. You want to maximize your qualities of initiative and originality, and in order to do that, you need your own management structure. This will give you a sense of ownership of your ideas, and help you take full responsibility for their use. Whatever you’re saying, doing or developing has more influence than you think, and you may have at least one experience this month of seeing the potentially negative impact when you pretend they don’t. This will remind you to align with your intentions, which means knowing what they are.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Over the coming seasons, I suggest you go light on ambition and put your energy into the quality of the work that you do. You may feel a temptation to climb, compete or socially orchestrate your way to the top. It would be better to keep your focus on the integrity of what you’re doing, as well as an actual emphasis on ethics, even if you have to overdo that a little. You don’t need ambition because you’re already visible; you have a viable role. Your current astrology describes a question of what you’re known for, and you have a lot of influence over that, though this process works from the inside out. This is why I’m suggesting you keep your emphasis behind the scenes, with a focus on content and conduct, rather than appearances. It’s your direct impression on your closest collaboration partners that matters. Whatever ability you have to exert leadership or bring a message to an audience will be better effected by setting an example for others. It may seem that they have undue control over you at the moment, but the truth is, you are depending on their guidance, and they are intimately involved with your learning process. That’s a journey that never ends, and anyone who decides they don’t have any more to learn would be someone wise to avoid — but if you ever catch yourself thinking that, I suggest you pause and reflect. Your ability to learn is now intimately linked with your success and your contentment with that success.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Relationships always present challenges of growth, communication and understanding. And when we’re involved with someone, it helps to know who that person is, their circumstances and their intentions — which can take time. For you, it’s essential to know your environment. By that, I mean your physical environment and who inhabits it, as well as your inner mental environment, which colors your view of the world. We all have our points of view and our biases; that’s a fact of perception. Yet you need to be acutely aware of what those are at all times. This will help you sort out what is a verifiable fact from a belief that you have. There may be some conflict between how you see the world, and how certain intimate partners see the world, especially those in parental-type relationships or those you perceive hold power over you. Remember that you don’t have to prove your point in order to be free of their judgments. If that were a qualification, you would never free yourself, because they are unlikely to ever agree with your reasoning or your point of view. The truth is, you’re less invested in those situations than you may think, and you’re under no obligation to get into any new ones. Proceeding forward, having clear agreements will help, whether in writing or at least in words spoken and understood. When an agreement is broken you may never be able to convince the person or get redress, but at least you will recognize a fact that you might otherwise have missed.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You don’t need anyone else’s permission to succeed. You don’t need to build consensus. It’s nice when people agree with you and support you, though that’s meaningless unless it’s based on having mutually respected values with another person. What I suggest you do is gently exert your leadership, which is to say, be clear what you are doing when it impacts the lives of others, and live by example. A significant part of that leadership now involves listening, without challenging what you hear. If you do that carefully, you may notice that any position taken by another, that angers or frustrates you, is coming from some intersection with your own sense of injury. That’s the place to start the resolution process within yourself, and when you do, remember not to let it affect your confidence. What you are experiencing is part of learning leadership skills. That involves walking a straight and narrow path, but it’s essential that you not let others dictate your route. We all influence one another, and it’s clear that you’re being influenced by your social environment at the moment, though this much is essential to know: leadership is not about popularity. It’s about respect, and that begins with self-respect. We can break that down to a few ideas. One of them is, do you have a clear enough understanding of yourself not to be swayed by the views of others? Can you listen to what people say, and take that information on board without being pushed around? You will likely find out this month.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — One root of the word integrity is in the concept of wholeness, and another line stems from untouched or pure. Yet we have all been touched and none of us is pure in any meaningful sense of the concept. Is it possible for anyone to have their wholeness, after having been through as much as we have on Earth? That is your quest. As you reconstruct, recover or possibly create your wholeness for the first time, you’ll encounter the feeling of being through much that has threatened it. If you know that, you’ll experience an easier and more satisfying journey. Wholeness for you means connecting the person you are on the inside to the person you show the world on the outside. This implies revealing some of what has previously been contained in the shadows, so that you can make peace with it, and have some evidence that you’re loved and lovable despite any perception to the contrary. This is a year when you will be making contact with your deepest sensitivity, and that means bringing your healing process into every aspect of your life. It means recruiting everyone you consider yourself close to as allies, and understanding that there’s a connection between your relationships and how you feel about yourself. Nobody can ‘make’ you feel safe, though people can assault your sense of safety. You need, therefore, to be selective about who you let into your life, and more precisely, why you invite them into your heart or your home.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Cooperation is supposed to be the hallmark of human society, though in our time of distract, divide and conquer, that’s becoming increasingly challenging. Your job for the seasons ahead is to be the facilitator of group effort. I don’t mean people pleasing, or politicking, or diplomacy, though you will need all of those skills. What you’re doing is more along the lines of asserting yourself, and taking a central role in the process of organizing others. It’s more the Virgo style to be organized; that remains true. Worrying yourself with what all these other people are doing, or must do, can be a bother. You may have the temptation to be bossy, but that will only work on a few occasions, and it might get you into some trouble. What will work a lot better is facilitating communication. This will require listening first, and speaking second. You may have the impulse to do the opposite, and I suggest you keep it in check. Before making a statement, ask a question. Make sure you know the viewpoints of everyone involved, and make sure you take them under advisement. That doesn’t mean do what everyone says; it means know what they are saying, and how you feel about it. The key element, however, is holding the vision. This may take some extra focus for you — especially if you have two sets of goals that seem to conflict. It’s okay to have two sets of goals — as long as they are in harmony with one another.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Self-confidence is ultimately an emotional phenomenon. It doesn’t matter how much you know or what risks you’re willing to take; those are different qualities. True confidence in yourself, that is, the feeling of belonging in your body and in the world, and possessing faith in your ability to handle your circumstances, is a feeling and it emerges from your emotional presence. You may be figuring out the ways that you were taught not to trust yourself, which you then tend to project outward into an environment you think you cannot trust. You may be discovering the ways you’ve been taught to live within the constructs of the past, rather than in your true desires. I would call that a good thing, because if you see your adhesions to the past for what they are, you’ll be able to address them. That can set the template for your whole approach to growth: be glad you see an issue for what it is, then take steps to work it out. Through this process, you may at times feel a deep, burning desire to be independent. You may find yourself making decisions that compel you to indulge a deep autonomy that you’ve never felt before. Take this as far as you can, but not so far that you isolate yourself. If you lean in the direction of emotional self-sufficiency, you’ll figure out that it’s easier to build healthy relationships from that state of being than from any other. And that’s what I would call true confidence.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — If you’re feeling burdened by responsibility, then exercise an option. The sensation of burden is your cue to make a choice. Easier said now then remembered later; I’ll remind you in the future, but please remember now. Saturn will be in your birth sign for two more years. This is a blessing, though few people see it that way at the time. It’s a get-serious phase of your life, and you’re about to go deep. Yet that seriousness, even in the form of focus, can be heavy, and it can come with a sense of being powerless. You may feel hemmed in by situations you feel you cannot control; you may be caught in the density or fixity of your own ideas. This is when to put your options out right in front of you. The expression ‘claim your power’ means seeing your options — and I assure you, you have them. Making this move is the shift from passive to active mode. I suggest you play a game and notice how long it takes for you to go from recognition of your situation, to making a decision, to taking action. Is it a matter of minutes, of weeks or of years? Saturn will teach you that in the life of a person, time is not infinite. If you find yourself acting as if you have all the time in the world, or if you’re going to make your important decisions ‘eventually’, then you have your most meaningful growth agenda laid out for you in clear, useful terms.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The question is, are your feelings about yourself your own, or are they the collection of everything that everyone said about you, projected onto you and conditioned you to believe about yourself as a child? You’re probably thinking: Well, I wish it was the first possibility, but I have a hunch that it may be the second. The question is one of context. Everything new that you’ve learned was fit onto shelves and into compartments that were established by the first few layers, and also by ancestral patterns. When you try to put new information into the context of old information, it’s often hard to tell which is which. That, in short, is the beauty of the current moment of your life; the old context is being dismantled (which can feel like falling apart, disintegrating or being shattered, depending on the day). When the structure of your mind is changed so radically, that can feel disorienting, and give you the sensation that you don’t know yourself, and you don’t know what’s really important to you. The thing is, you do. Yet what you’re doing in this era of your life is learning how to perceive that self-knowledge outside the framework of what has been done to you, said about you, or sold to you. It matters not how well-meaning anyone was; the framework is a root of your loyalty to the heritage that you’re freeing yourself from, and the truth is, you will be a lot happier with your own original self-understanding.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — I suggest you be vigilant for ‘survivalist’ thoughts and ideas, which may show up as Pluto reaches a new peak of activity in your sign in 2013. Capricorn has that gritty quality of being able to get through anything, but it’s not serving you now. In fact, if it flares up, it’s likely to be a response to an inner sense of instability, of a particular kind: the sensation of not knowing who you are. Yet you would be wasting your energy if you tried to defend yourself against that. There’s truly beautiful creative energy in not knowing, because then you leave the space open to find out. I must credit a therapist and teacher named Joseph Jastrab for pointing this out, in one mention that I heard and thought about for the next 20 years: it’s powerful to hold open the space of not knowing. I mean powerful in that it connects you with the strength of your quest for self-understanding. If you think you know, you cannot find out. If you fill in missing knowledge with false information, you clutter the space where the truly meaningful wisdom could come in. This is partly why ‘quick answers’ are so perilous to growth: they prevent it. If you honor your lack of knowledge, the discomfort of admitting that you don’t know who you are will, fairly soon, give way to the experience of your authentic quest. And that is an expression of your commitment to yourself — a commitment which now moves to front and center in your life.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — If you haven’t figured out that it’s useless to keep secrets from yourself, now would be a fantastic time to come around to that discovery. Indeed, the essence of your life is all about self-discovery, which implies a courageous inner quest. To go there, you will need to learn how to work with fear. Though it’s usually put down as unnecessary, that’s of little consequence when you’re confronted by it. The question is, what, within yourself, do you have to fear? Well, there is a source, but it’s a lot older than you. It’s so old you would be shocked, and that’s precisely the point of why you will benefit from a conscious embrace of the issue. Think of yourself as dancing with it instead of running from it. Or, perhaps, as a kind of homing signal back to its source, which may be one single ancestor whose thoughts and feelings got a grip on your entire lineage, or on you personally. You’re on a kind of search and rescue mission, to search out the fear and rescue the substantial piece of your soul that’s being held hostage by it. This has been going on for a while, but through the next few seasons you have the benefit of knowing what you’re looking for, and how it feels. You’re closer than you may think, though I can suggest a kind of secret portal into the place you want to get to: if you carefully consider any idea, thought, or relationship that involves authority, your use of it or its use on you, you will have big clues.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may not be sure if you can create yourself, but in that case I would ask who can. You must assume one way or the other — and your own creativity is far more trustworthy than anything anyone might impose on you. You have full access to all the resources you need to do this; tune in and listen. And you’re called to do one other thing: engage with what may seem like opposite or competing psychic currents. One is inviting you to open up and experience the full flow of inspiration. This allows you into the realm of vision, phantasy and empathy with the world and the cosmos, with no special agenda. (That’s one description of Neptune in your sign.) The other is focused, purpose-driven and oriented on your relationship to yourself. You will find yourself needing to stand apart or stand out, and to know yourself in a way that calls for deep acceptance of who and what you are. (That is one description of Chiron in your sign.) These two cosmic forces are more than you may have ever experienced as direct influences, and they are significantly different from what you have lived through in many recent years. Note the changes in your inner and outer climate. Speaking of outer: there is suddenly a lot more room in the world for you to be yourself. Walls have turned to doors. What at one time demanded formality now welcomes originality. Try and see.

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The Mayans, Juno and the Abyss

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Dear Friend and Reader:

It’s time for yet another visit with the chart for 12/21/12 before the event itself. Well, maybe ‘event’ is too strong of a word, though this seems to be the conclusion of a 5,125-year span of history that began on Aug. 11, 3113 BCE, day one of the first baktun of the Mayan long count.

Ruins of an ancient Mayan city called Altun Ha, 30 miles north of Belize City. Mayan people first occupied Altun Ha around 200 BC, with the majority of construction occurring from 200 to 900 AD.

Long means pretty long. The big day concludes a span of 5,125.37 years, or exactly 1,872,000 days. On Friday, at the Capricorn solstice, the long count reaches day 13.0.0.0.0. This will conclude the passage of 13 baktuns, or phases of 144,000 days (each lasting about 394 years).

Is this the end of the Mayan calendar, or do we proceed into the 14th baktun (assuming, that is, that time continues at all)? That’s something of a mystery. Logic would say we move onto baktun 14, but the Mayans were in love with 13, which factors prominently into their spiritually oriented short-count calendar that is still used as a kind of ‘astrological’ reference today. The 5,125 year span of time indicated is one-fifth of a precessional cycle (that is, the full cycle of ‘astrological ages’). The long and short counts were among many calendars innovated by the Mayans, which also included a civil calendar. Unlike our calendars, theirs could handle long spans of time neatly and with precision.

They managed to land the ‘end date’ of the long count on the winter solstice, thousands of years in advance. That is pretty impressive, don’t you think? They were really into daykeeping, and they were good at it. And I am sure they would be impressed at all the fuss we are making today — or that anyone even knows or cares at this late date in history.

The Mayan long count is unique in that it vastly predates the coalescing of the civilization around 1800 BCE, and extends well past its (possibly very) sudden decline beginning around 800 to 900 CE. These are people who obviously took a long view of history, though those who created the calendar are not around to ask about their intent about whether there should be a 14th baktun. (For those curious about the technical aspects of the Mayan long count, see this article by Bruce Scofield.)

Considered the most advanced Mesoamerican civilization (meso meaning middle — it was located at the juncture of North and South America), the classical-era Mayans are known for their advanced writing, mathematics, architecture, urban life and long-distance trade. Eventually, they also suffered from political strife, warfare, corruption and the effects of climate change. Like us, they were humans living on Earth. No one theory explains the decline of the civilization, and aspects of it lasted well into the 17th century. [If you’re interested in the decline of classical Mayan civilization, here is an interesting Wikipedia article.]

Geographically, the civilization extended from what is now southern Mexico into Guatemala and Belize, and into northern El Salvador and Honduras. The Mayan people did not disappear; as their civilization declined, there was a diaspora, and their descendants still live throughout the region where the civilization existed, and far beyond.

Dr. Strangelove, played by Peter Sellers, explains to Pres. Merkin Muffley, also played by Peter Sellers, why the Doomsday Machine cannot be disarmed; the thing would be useless if it could.

Though there are no specific predictions, hints, clues or suggestions from Mayan culture that the world will ‘end’ a week from today, some people are on edge. There have been many predictions of the end of the world, and this is the latest among them, even though no such references exist from the culture that created the calendar. There is, however, the lurking feeling that maybe these mysterious old Mayan mathematician-shamans knew something that we did not.

Actually, we have a problem that they didn’t have, which is the belief in the Christian apocalypse — that is, the notion that our loving, compassionate God will destroy the world. This has been an obsession of the Christians since the beginning of their history. Their myth anthology ends with the Book of Revelation, featuring a protracted scene of devastation of the world, encrypted with all manner of mystical references, portents, forebodings and symbols — the Four Horsemen, the Seven Seals and the Scarlet Whore of Babylon (my date for next Friday night), to name a few.

Study of Revelation has given rise to such great literary works as The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women by John Knox, published in 1558. He was objecting to female sovereigns running countries and thus ruling over men (among them Queen Mary of England), reasoning, “For who can denie but it repugneth to nature, that the blind shal be appointed to leade and conduct such as do see?”

The Apocalypse in Your Undies

The word apocalypse means unveiling, as in the unveiling of the woman’s genitals on the wedding night. Translated into Christian terminology, it became understood as the gospel of God murdering everyone and calling their souls home. As Planet Waves contributor Astrodem commented this week, apocalyptic thinking “has a long and illustrious association with antisemitism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, fundamentalism, capitalism and imperialism.”

In other words, it’s not our friend. He continued, “Also, if apocalypse is fundamentally a sexual construct, then everything Wilhelm Reich said about suppressed sexuality and mystical longings fully applies. Think of our modern concept of apocalypse as a kind of mega anti-orgasm.”

The apocalypse has a diversity of sexual connotations, originating in Greek as the revelation of what was concealed (presumably the vulva on wedding night), extending into the Scarlet Whore of Babylon, one of its supposed heralds.

The reference to Reich is about the use of sexual repression to drive the individual emotional need for living under dictatorship. Reich demonstrated that the mystical longing created by suppressed orgasm is harvested by the political system and used against us. This is why the church and so many other political institutions preach a doctrine of abstinence from sex, which was a theme of Christianity from the earliest days (including trying to convince women to stop having sex with their husbands).

The notion of The End is so deeply encrypted into Western thinking that we have succeeded in developing the capacity to make it real, in the form of a world rigged with hydrogen bombs — that is, the apparatus of wargasm.

We must note, however, that even the end of human civilization as we know it would not be The End. Even people who believe in The End know that; I was reading Prepper News the other night, and found the instructions for how to make a rabbit trap, just in case the supermarket isn’t open, or is out of hamburger. (“Most people fear the moment when disaster strikes and most people are not prepared for the moment it does,” its editors write. So you better stock up on on Bunny Helper.)

Some humans would survive even nuclear holocaust, along with “a republic of insects and grass,” in the words of Jonathan Schell in The Fate of the Earth, his appeal for nuclear disarmament. Life would go on, for those who survive — the name of the tune any day of any century on Earth.

The apocalypse is an idea, a fixation and most of all, a projection. It’s the result of something in consciousness, seen as an event in the world. Festering over the apocalypse is a cop-out. It would be a too-convenient way to get out of the problems we have created for ourselves on Earth, or have participated in creating, or have so far refused to help solve. And it’s a big waste of our potential, which of course is challenging to tap and develop.

As for the desire to solve those problems — I am listening carefully. I don’t hear much opposition to permanent war, nuclear power (a far more serious problem than nuclear bombs, because all we need is an earthquake, a power outage or solar flare to set things off) or fossil fuels. Hydraulic fracturing is gradually taking over the United States, extracting natural gas and contaminating our precious few freshwater aquifers with benzine and other vicious toxins. In many cities, the residents already drink their own piss, in the form of sewage recycled into tap water.

If I stretch my ears, I do hear some grumbling about genetically modified foods, though nothing in comparison to the problem. Fully one-third of American farmland has been cultivated with GMO crops, so we are at the point where genetic contamination is ubiquitous (that is, everywhere). These crops are often designed to withstand greater applications of pesticides, so they are more contaminated with weed and insect killers; some of them are, in themselves, registered insecticides that we eat for dinner.

The ultimate fallout shelter — the Svlabard Global Seed Vault, near the Arctic Circle. It works like a safe deposit box for countries who want to store seeds, free of charge, and is adorned with art, as are all large public buildings in Norway. Photo by Mari Tefre.

Meanwhile, we have no idea what is happening to the genotoxic waste being created by the process of developing these crops, which cannot be tested for by any watchdog group, since we don’t know what it is.

Fear of the apocalypse is related to the world ‘ending’ all at once (powered, whether we like the idea or not, by suppressed orgasm). What’s actually happening is a slow, painful decline of the biological integrity of the planet and its natural systems, including our bodies. Earlier this year I commemorated the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, which was our first warning of things to come. Things have not gotten better since.

Dealing with these issues is overwhelming and inconvenient. There is plenty we can do to mitigate the damage personally, and to contribute to a longterm solution. Eating organic food (which is better for us, and helps organic farmers) is more expensive than eating from the processed food trough. This is particularly challenging for low- and middle-income people under the current economic strain. For those with more money, they might have to shift their priorities a little.

Most people are too busy working to survive, maintaining their lifestyles or entertaining themselves to death to have time to contribute to larger solutions. We do need to look carefully at how many of these circumstances are distractions from engaging the challenges at hand — which I would propose would likely lead to more fulfilling lives. In other words, I don’t think we’re happier for avoiding the problems we face, individually or collectively. I think that most of our pain, frustration and dysfunction are the result of trying to avoid them, and then encoutering the resulting depression and despair.

A Personal View of 12/21/12

Unlike most of my colleagues who have been discussing 2012, including various philosophers, futurists and literary speculators, I have taken a personal view on the topic. We don’t really understand what this date means in the Mayan context (except that from what I know, they celebrated the ends of eras) and they did not understand ours, since it didn’t yet exist.

The rapture, illustrated by a Christian website. Everyone goes to heaven at once. In some versions, they go there naked.

My own motto has been “2012 is up for grabs.” I have avoided both the end-time approach to change as well as the ‘everyone will become spontaneously enlightened’ approach (you know, the one about the shift into 5D). The spontaneous enlightenment perspective also denies the growth factor, as well as avoiding our need to address what’s holding us back. It’s similar to the Christian apocalypse in that it does not rely upon individual intent or cooperation. It’s the same thing, in that it’s involuntary and imposed upon us.

We can shift contexts from the Mayan date 13.0.0.0.0 to Dec. 21, 2012 by casting the Western astrology of that date and reading the chart. When we do, we see the prominence of many factors that were discovered by modern science starting in the 19th century. The one that stands out most boldly involves relationships. When the Sun arrives on the solstice point, there are two asteroids waiting for it there, (3) Juno and (81) Terpsichore. These help us call the tune of the chart.

Juno is considered a ‘major’ asteroid, the third of the big four that were first discovered between 1801 and 1807 — Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta. It was named for Juno, the chief Roman goddess, who was the wife of Jupiter. In modern astrology, Juno is often associated with marriage, but also with jealousy and control (sometimes viewed as the patron saint of the cult of monogamy). I am aware of the debate over how Juno has been mischaracterized and slandered by mythology and our interpretation of it, though she is in fact a creature of mythology and its interpretation.

I’ve suggested that the Sun conjunct Juno in the first degree of Capricorn on 12/21/12 is about marrying ourselves before we try to marry someone else. The problem with this is that most of us would be marrying a bitch or a bastard. The lack of appeal is obvious. We present ourselves as nice people. Yet many, many peoples’ relationships with themselves are characterized by a seemingly endless litany of negative self-chatter, vicious self-critique and colored by various shades of ‘I wish I had’, ‘I wish I hadn’t’ and ‘I will eventually’.

This is an image going around in the Internet illustrating the difference between GMO corn vs. the real thing. We cannot verify that it’s real, but perhaps it makes the point better than saying that Bt corn is an insecticide, which ruptures the stomach of any insect that eats it, which causes organ failure in rats and and which has been found in the blood of pregnant women.

We could say that it’s genetic, radioactive or toxic pollution that’s killing the Earth. We could say that it’s a corrupt political system, or the takeover of the planet by corporations. I propose that it’s our stressed-out, unforgiving relationships with ourselves. These in turn tie into all manner of family karma, which is typically full of all kinds of abuse.

This in turn results in the projection of our inner dynamics and the family system onto our partners and the whole society, as well as our obvious paralysis when it comes to doing something about whatever we perceive needs help.

In other words, do we not take action against GMO and nuclear power because we don’t have time — or is it because we’re too terrified to do so, fearing we’re going to be cast off? As for warfare, if we cannot get along with ourselves, how exactly can we get along with others? Note, Martha Lang-Wescott associates Juno with devotion to social justice causes, which checks out.

Juno’s Discovery Chart

For those who may be thinking that Juno has been given a raw deal in this discussion, let’s visit the discovery chart (that is, the astrology on the day that Juno was discovered) and see what we’re really looking at when we use this point. As I noted in a major feature on the minor planets in The Mountain Astrologer earlier this year, the discovery chart is a helpful tool for delineating a planetary discovery. The mythical figure and all its baggage is one thing; the chart is a more objective device. The discoverer, Karl L. Harding, did not know he was discovering Juno. He was discovering an object in space one night in September 1804.

Juno was discovered close to the Aries Point, retrograde at 3 degrees of Aries [see discovery charts here]. Its closeness to the Aries Point is reminding us that with Juno, we’re standing at an intersection of the individual and the collective — this emphasizes the significance of this point as an astrological factor with wide impact.

At the time, the cardinal points (which all have this personal/collective property) were loaded with planets in this chart, and these help us understand the meaning of the new discovery. For example, Juno in Aries is in a close square to Mars in Cancer, and opposite a Mercury-Saturn conjunction in Libra. Juno square Mars is angry. Juno opposed by Mercury and Saturn is that frustrated person encountering someone who wants to reason and compromise — that’s even more frustrating.

These aspects present a genuinely difficult situation. I am being polite when I say this; it feels infuriating. The fire of Aries is retrograde, that is, it’s internalized and struggles to express itself. The ruling planet of a sign that a new planet is discovered in tells us a lot about that planet. Being square the Aries ruler, Mars in Cancer, is about internalized emotionally based anger and frustration (involving pent-up feelings, desires and volition). Mars in Cancer can also be passionate, but in this chart, it’s trapped in a kind of construct that is difficult to escape.

Smoke rises from Unit No. 3 of the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Juno is in a conjunction to Vulkanus, a hypothetical planet that is about power. “If a sentence has the word mighty or powerful in it, the planetary signature will have Vulkanus in it,” Arlene Kramer writes of this point. So all of that frustrated retrograde Aries energy is subject to a case of megalomania — it can be very, very bossy, a known attribute of Juno. It’s also conjunct Quaoar, which is about family patterns and creation myths. This is part of a pattern of the family constellation. Whatever Juno is results from longterm family conditioning and has ‘always been that way’.

Juno is also in an opposition to Mercury and Saturn, which are in Libra. To Juno, this opposition feels like a limit on emoting, a fixed boundary wherein the rules are set by someone who is allegedly being too reasonable. The opposition is relational, but it’s also about projection. This is the sense of being inside a container when inside a relationship, and within that container, there are strict rules of what is appropriate and what is not. Saturn is the strongest planet in this chart, and it opposes Juno, or rather, Juno opposes Saturn. In this opposition, Juno meets not just his or her partner but an inner attribute that he/she does not like.

Just outside of that boundary is the asteroid Sappho (whose glyph is a double Venus). Sappho represents fellowship among people, and it also represents what Adrienne Rich described as the lesbian continuum, that is, the ways that women relate to one another that approximate intimate partnerships but take many other forms, some sexual, some not.

Relating on that continuum is outside the container of Saturn in this chart, suggesting that while inside the appropriateness construct of Mercury-Saturn, conditioned by the emotional frustrations of Mars in Cancer, there can be a real struggle to relate to others of the same sex in an intimate way. This goes in all directions. It’s an illustration of women mistrusting other women, and also of how same-sex friends can be as much of a perceived threat to an intimate partner as opposite sex friends can be. (In the discovery chart, Venus is in Leo on the South Node, describing a sense of entitlement, including the right to possess another person.)

Simplified chart for the discovery of Juno, showing the grand cross. Juno is to the left, close to the first degree of Aries (where we see that the personal is political). Mars is below; Saturn and Mercury are to the right, and Chiron is above. More detailed charts here.

Finally, Juno is square Chiron, which is the fourth leg of a grand cross. There is healing in the picture, but really there is a sense of injury from the authoritarianism of Saturn and Capricorn. Chiron in this sign is in survivalist mode. This can be easily triggered by a diversity of factors, both personal and collective (since it stands at that intersection). We would do well to see where, exactly, that seemingly imposed authority is coming from.

Chiron is joined by two other points in Capricorn — Panacea and Icarus. The implication is that Juno seeks peak experiences of healing that will solve everything, i.e., if we go to couples counseling, everything will work out fine, or if I fix you, everything will be fine.

Chiron is opposite Mars. This is a clue how to work with Juno, which can include reverse psychology instead of trying to reason and compromise. Mars should say something to her like, “So I guess sex between you and me is out of the question?” This leaves an opening for her to say, “Maybe not! I’ll be the judge of that.” Note, if you are susceptible to reverse psychology, you probably have a mixed up relationship with yourself and are subject to manipulation.

To sum up, this thing called Juno, which astrologers think describes marriage and marriage relationships as we know them (and can represent both women and men), has a hard time expressing its most basic needs. Communication is a chore, even to the point of seeming impossible. Juno demands that tactics be used, instead of straightforward communication. There is constant emotional frustration, deeply engrained by the family constellation. Sound familiar? If we associate Juno with jealousy and control in relationships, we might go deeper and look at the rage and frustration that lurks beneath it, retrograde in Aries.

The message of this chart is: deal with the rage and frustration. Stop pretending it’s about someone else. Learn to communicate your feelings and your desires, and recognize that not doing so has consequences.
When we can do this, then the more constructive attributes of Juno emerge, including a sane approach to relationships that is based on devotion rather than demands. But we all know how long it can take to get there, and we know that many of our relatives never did. So this is a full-scale transformation project if there ever was one.

As for The End of the World

Now, if we remember that all of this material is rolled up in a little ball, waiting for the Sun to arrive in the first degree of Capricorn on the fabled, mythologized day 12/21/12, we have some real information. Whether we take Juno as representing an inner relationship, or how our inner relationship extends into interpersonal relationships, we need to focus here.

Now, what has this got to do with the end of the world?

This one has been going around for a while, but it’s still funny — and it may be true.

Two things. In his article Jealousy and the Abyss, William Pennell Rock explains the relationship between the emotion of jealousy and the fear of death, or what he calls the abyss. Most people identify so closely with their relationships (or their desire for a relationship) that the notion of losing the connection comes with the feeling of imminent doom. Said another way, the sensation that the relationship might end is the same as the feeling that life will end, or one’s ego will die.

This is not just some spiritual theory — it’s a description of the actual sensation of jealousy, which is experienced as doomsday, with all of the elegance of the gag reflex. Jealousy is like a glove, and inside the glove is the hand of death, sticking its finger down your throat. In a sense, it’s a mockery of the fear of death, which is why we give it so much power.

Rock suggests that we embrace jealousy as our teacher. He’s saying that if a jealous episode is turned into a control drama, we are missing the opportunity to learn about ourselves, and to learn about the nature of love as surrender. When we turn love into control, we basically kill it, and part of ourselves along with it. This is the constellation of issues that we have on the agenda when it comes to learning about jealousy.

I would take Rock’s theory one step further, something that he doesn’t address in this article. I believe there is an erotic pull to what we think of as jealousy — that is, we can be passionate about embracing our lover as a whole person, with all their desires and feelings included. If we want to go beyond the gag/control reflex of jealousy, that’s the thing we have to do; it’s the only sane or loving response. It’s easier if we recognize this passion as an expression of legitimate sexual desire for, and embrace of, someone we love. This can be expressed many ways (monogamously or not), though the essence is embracing the beloved
as a whole person, complete with all their feelings, even the ones that might threaten you.

If we consider that this whole arrangement of feelings is described by Juno, we get a message from Terpsichore so directly involved in the solstice event — it’s the muse of dance. We have to move with this in order to address it. It’s not enough to stand still or be stuck.

All civilizations rise and then fall. It’s difficult to imagine ours in ruins a thousand years from now, though that may be because it’s not as well-constructed as this temple. Called Lamanai in Belize, it was occupied as early as the 16th c. BCE, and the Mayans continued to inhabit it into the 17 c. CE. Photo by Jeanne and Ray Burnham.

There’s one last connection to The End. In the solstice chart, asteroid Atlantis is on the Aries Point. It’s the earliest point in the whole zodiac that day. Atlantis, the myth of the ‘lost civilization’ — the one that killed itself due to its lack of ethics about its technology — is one of the most pervasive archetypes in our consciousness. That is to say, the planet representing our deepest collective fear of The End is sitting on the collective/individual intersection in the first degree of Aries, square Juno, Terpsichore and the Sun.

Our Juno crisis is speaking directly to our sensation of an impending apocalypse, and I believe, driving it forward. This suggests that the relationship crisis, and in particular our struggle with an inner relationship, is directly involved with our fears about the imminent demise of our society and our planet. This is an image of our obsession with do-or-die moments, imminent deadlines for enlightenment, the idea that ‘I must die married’, or the notion of the Wargasm at the End of Time: suicidal cultural narcissism.

When that doesn’t happen next week, we’ll still be faced with the same basic agenda for planetary healing, which starts with our emotions, and learning to be true to ourselves — and extends outward from there.

Lovingly,

Additional research: Tracy Delaney, Maggie Kelly, Alex Miller, Dale O’Brien and Bruce Scofield.

About That Yod Pattern in the 12/21/12 Chart

People are starting to figure out that there is no special “2012 alignment” in the sense of something lining up with the Great Pyramid or the Galactic Center on Dec. 21. I am however starting to get inquiries about the yod pattern that’s in the solstice chart, which is illustrated here, highlighting only the planets in this discussion.

The yod is that triangle pointing at Jupiter. It consists of Saturn in Scorpio (yellow glyph, above left) and Pluto in Capricorn (red glyph lower left) making a sextile, which is then met by Jupiter at a 150-degree angle to both of them. Not shown is the hypothetical planet Poseidon, which is very close to Saturn in Scorpio.

Most astrologers consider yods (of which there are several other exotic varieties — this is the garden variety) to be powerful aspects. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. I will note that they are not especially rare; they happen a lot and you can find one on many charts. But this is a pretty hefty one, made stronger by the fact that Saturn and Pluto occupy one another’s signs of rulership. I covered this in last week’s edition.

The Saturn-Pluto aspect is all about getting clear about sex, sexual abuse, the confusion of power and desire and the use of sex as a source of power over other people. We are used to being confused about all of these issues, and using sexual power as a kind of entitlement. After all, if it’s the only power you have, then why not use it? There are good reasons not to, including the fact that if you go to the power side of the spectrum, you go away from the pleasure side of the spectrum.

If you apply an ancient rule to modern astrology, Saturn and Pluto are in what’s called mutual reception — they are in one another’s signs, and can therefore switch places. This is a reminder that we have options, and that we can change perspectives. Most of our problems come from the idea that we don’t have any options and cannot change our perspective. If we could see that, we could do something about it, but the problem stems from being stuck in one’s viewpoint.

Synthesis by Eric Francis – Blue Studio, New York.

Given that the focus of the 12/21/12 chart is relationships, and in particular, the role of frustrated but power-obsessed Juno in our relationships, this aspect gives us a key to work with. In a yod pattern, the planet at the end is sometimes thought to resolve the issue described by the aspect structure. That points us to Jupiter, which is retrograde in Gemini. Jupiter is in its sign of detriment, opposite one of the signs that it traditionally rules.

Jupiter in this position is telling itself stories. These stories are past tapes (retrograde). They also don’t add up to anything that makes coherent sense, but we keep telling them to ourselves. There are two sides to the story (a Gemini factor) but we may only be seeing one of them, or one at a time, and not reconciling both sides of the issue.

Saturn and Pluto are saying go deep. That is to say, go deeper, then go deeper again. If you’re not willing to share your reality with someone you say is a partner, then it’s not an honest relationship, or at least not a useful one, except to preserve the false version of events that you’re repeating. The idea is not to tell yourself new or better stories, but to see these stories for what they are, when it actually helps to do so.

Jupiter is opposite Venus, which arrives in Sagittarius Saturday. This provides a clear, alternate point of view, perhaps in the form of a friend or exemplar who has already been through what you’re going through. You may feel like you’re in this by yourself, but I assure you that you’re not. Many other people face the kinds of issues that you do, and they are willing to share their wisdom. Your role is to get out of your head; get out of your thought loops; stop the argument; and honor the process of growth and healing.

This is not theoretical; it is real — and the best thing you can do is find examples of sanity that you can use as your reference points. One way you will recognize them is that no topic is off limits. And sex is not a moral issue, it’s a practical and cosmic one.

There is one last aspect in this chart that I will cover separately — Mercury in Sagittarius opposite Vesta in Gemini. Check next Tuesday’s edition of Planet Waves FM for that. I will also discuss the yod pattern further.

And Now a Little Good News:

We may be at the edge of the fiscal cliff, but on Sunday scores of same-sex couples in Washington State took a different plunge on the first day they were legally allowed to marry. Colorado has enacted its new law allowing the recreational use of marijuana one month ahead of schedule; Washington State enacted a similar law on Thursday.

Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren, tapped to serve on the Senate Banking Committee. Photo: Wikimedia/Twp.

So far, those are two items from the fabled Election Day Mercury retrograde station that look like they are holding fast. Sources report Santa has been advised to avoid cookies and brownies left out in those states on Dec. 24.

In another positive post-Mercury retrograde, Election Day development, Massachusetts Democratic Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren, who won an impressive victory over Republican incumbent Scott Brown, has been selected to join the Senate Banking Committee when she is sworn in with the new Congress next month.

Best known for launching the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Obama, Warren’s bid to join the Senate, and subsequently the Banking Committee, was heavily opposed by Wall Street lobbyists.

“Perhaps most important, the Senate committee seat gives Warren an even more influential bully pulpit than if she had ended up as director of the consumer watchdog bureau. Now she’s in a position to enact legislation,” noted David Lazarus, writing for the L.A. Times.

Doing Right by King

Photo by the National Park Service.

Mercury leaves its echo (or shadow) phase today in Sagittarius, sign of beliefs, higher ideals and justice, and this week brought a perfect illustration of the corrective sense that can come with Mercury moving on. A truncated quotation by Martin Luther King, Jr. on his memorial in Washington, D.C., is being removed.

The quotation on the monument, “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness,” removes crucial phrasing that, according to poet Maya Angelou, indicated King’s humble acceptance of this view of himself by others.

King actually said, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.” He spoke the words in a 1968 sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Angelou asserted that the rephrasing made King sound arrogant. Artist Lei Yixin, who sculpted the monument, said removal was the best way to ensure the structural integrity of the memorial, rather than trying to fix it, according to the National Park Service.

Is the Digital Age Transforming Intimacy?

Everyone knows about ‘generation gaps’, but there is one growing in the realm of sex. ‘Digital natives’ — young people who have never known a world without the Internet — are exhibiting less and less interest in real-life sex (especially young men) and serious/committed intimate relationships (both young men and women).

When does more contact equal less intimacy?

The median number of daily texts sent by teens is about 60; texts are a way to be ‘in contact’ yet distant, and they’re just one indicator of the aversion to actual intimacy that seems to be growing in many populations, but especially in those under 30 years old.

“In fact, a rapidly growing percentage of digital natives report literally being disinterested, even turned off by ‘in the flesh’ sex,” writes Robert Weiss, on Huffington Post.

Studies are showing increasing numbers of young men are seeking out the company of other guys and the fantasy worlds provided by online games, movies and porn over real-life social interaction.
Even for young women in college, a ‘serious relationship’ is more often viewed as a threat to future school and career goals like an unintended pregnancy was decades ago. ‘Hookup culture’ appears to be an unlikely bastion of ‘feminist’ independence — and yet, young people of both genders are actually having less sex than prior generations.

Is this something young people are likely to grow out of? Or are current younger generations being ‘hard wired’ not to have the tools to engage in, sustain and grow with face-to-face intimate bonds? Serious intimate and sexual relationships can certainly be challenging. But we also learn to grow in relationship, and we are tactile beings with a creative drive that expresses itself biologically.

Alexandra Katehakis, also writing for Huffington Post, outlines three meditations aimed at achieving greater emotional/spiritual intimacy through daily acts of sexual mindfulness. The meditations are offered by The Center for Healthy Sex, which has a focus on treating sexual addiction — the opposite issue from the one written about by Weiss, yet also a barrier to intimacy.

The first meditation offered last week focuses on eelings of betrayal and their release to open up relational space. The second is an exercise in celibacy to gain sexual perspective, akin to fasting to gain perspective on how your body responds to what you eat. The third is a way to cultivate a sense of abundant, fulfilling sexual energy and identity regardless of whether you are engaging in any sexual acts.

Snow Turtles on the Wing

Environmentalists on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, were able to fly 35 endangered sea turtles to rehab facilities in warmer climes, with a little help from a regularly scheduled Coast Guard training flight a week ago. The Loggerhead and Kemp’s Ridley turtles had gotten stuck in the crook of Cape Cod’s ‘arm’ when they instinctually tried to swim south for the winter, not realizing they had to go north first and then east to get out of the bay.

A Loggerhead sea turtle flies through the sea. Photo: Wikipedia.

In past years, environmentalists have been able to use a network of private plane owners from Long Island to Maine to shuttle a few stranded turtles south as they fly to Florida for vacation. This year, however, a record 150-plus turtles, mostly young, got stuck in the bay.

Since they are reptiles, turtles easily develop hypothermia in the colder water and become malnourished. They get wrapped in blankets and boxed up for flight only after the rescue facility at the New England Aquarium deems them healthy enough to travel.

“It’s exciting. We’re getting ready for the ‘snow turtles,’ as I like to call them,” said Nadine Slimak at the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, whose animal hospital took three 30- to 70-pound Loggerheads. Staffers there named them “Cindy,” “Lou” and “Stu” — after characters in Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The rest of the turtles are being distributed to five different facilities in Florida.

Fiscal Cliff Proving Hard to Climb

Talks in Washington about averting the so-called fiscal cliff (it’s more like a slippery slope of tax rate negotiations) continue with no real breakthroughs. If none are forthcoming, the American government will become subject to the Budget Control Act of 2011 at the end of this year.

At stake is whether or not your taxes go up — a more pressing issue than the Mayan calendar for most people. Remember those tax cuts for the super rich that were supposed to expire at the end of 2010, that were extended and that Obama allowed to be extended for two years? That’s a big part of the story, as are automatic budget cuts that come into play as part of a prior deal.

The economy and the climate are related, but only taxes seem to get anyone’s attention. Larger version of this cartoon here.

The Budget Control Act comprises automatic spending cuts to many government programs (including Medicare and defense) and expiring tax cuts (such as last year’s temporary payroll tax cuts and the so-called ‘Bush tax cuts’ for the wealthy, mentioned above). Taxes supporting Obama’s health care plan, among other things, will begin.

U.S. lawmakers are in a deadlock drama, with a lot of help from the Tea Party caucus. (Remember that Tea is really TEA, “taxed enough already.”) They could let the current scheduled policies take effect in January, which would likely plunge the country back into a recession (though not immediately, Wile E. Coyote-style).
The other extreme would be to cancel all or some of the spending cuts and tax increases, adding to the deficit and making a Euro-style financial crisis likely.

Or, they could choose some middle path, dealing with budget issues in a more limited way and with less dramatic potential for economic growth.

“In the five weeks since we’ve signaled our willingness to forge an agreement with the president, he has never put forth a plan that meets these standards. And frankly, that’s why we don’t have an agreement today,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) this week, who is outright lying.

“The obstacle, thus far, has been the adamant [Republican] refusal to accept the proposition that rates have to go up for the top 2 percent and that rates must continue to stay where they are so that there is no tax hike on 98 percent of the American people,” countered Jay Carney, the White House press secretary.

Last week Boehner said he understands the rich will be providing extra revenue, but wants to do so without raising tax rates, which amounts to a blowjob for his mega-rich corporate sponsors. Boehner is the real thing — the guy who once gave out campaign donation checks from cigarette companies on the House floor.

The issue is more complicated than that, and is not being helped by the fact that a new Congress will not be sworn in until Jan. 3 — after the deadline.

For a more thorough explanation, visit this page on About.com.

“Most people get used to being away from home but I find it hard. It’s your fear that keeps you alive here.” Photo of Private Chris MacGregor, 24, by Lalage Snow.

It’s All in the Eyes

The website My Modern Met features a haunting photo essay titled We Are The Not Dead by photographer Lalage Snow. Each image is a triptych of photos taken of a British soldier before, during and after his tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Quotations by the men and women for each phase of time accompany the images.

“It was a very personal project and stemmed from having embedded with the military on and off for four years in Iraq and Afghanistan and bearing witness to how many young men return as shadows of their former selves and, in many cases, with deep, psychological scars,” said Snow. “As the body count of British servicemen killed or wounded rose and the political ramifications of the British army’s presence in Afghanistan became increasingly convoluted, more and more soldiers felt like they didn’t have a voice, or at least, weren’t being listened to. We Are The Not Dead is an attempt at giving the brave young men and women the chance to explain how it really is.”

Sagittarius New Moon & The End

Here’s the new edition of Planet Waves FM. In this edition, I cover the Sagittarius New Moon chart (which was 3:41 am EST Thursday), as well as continuing the discussion of The End of the World. If you’re looking for Renee Blue O’Connell, here is her homepage.

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The December monthly horoscope was published Friday, Nov. 23. Inner Space for December was published Tuesday, Nov. 27. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. The January monthly horoscope will be published Friday, Dec. 21; after that, we are taking a break from subscriber issues to work on the 2013 annual edition. The next full edition of Planet Waves after the solstice will be Friday, Jan. 11. The November Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Nov. 20. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; Inner Space still publishes on Tuesdays.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 #930 | By Eric Francis

Sagittarius Birthdays This Week

Your birthday falls in the very last days of the Mayan long count. Are you impressed? You should be. While I don’t believe that mass-scale spontaneous enlightenment is likely this week, it’s eminently possible for you. You have both Mercury and Venus in your sign, which suggests that you’re feeling good about yourself and have resources available. What are you going to do with them? Don’t be deterred by the notion that relationship partners don’t seem to be ‘ready’ or on your level. Focus on your own healing, growth and happiness. Focus on the mission that you have chosen in this lifetime, which is the thing that you want to do the most. As you develop yourself, and do your best to maintain communication with others about your growth process rather than theirs, you will see that they will seem to come on board. But this starts with you; consider what you’re seeing in the world around you as a reflection of your own thoughts and ideas. The most significant thing you can bring to the process is devotion: to yourself, to life, and to the people that you love.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You have seen the ways that working with precision and high focus benefit you. Now the focus is on ethics. This is a bigger problem, because in our current version of the world, good work is sometimes rewarded, while honesty is not. But you’ve reached the point where you no longer have a choice in the matter. Looking at your charts, one could say you’re under too much scrutiny to involve yourself in any kind of monkey business. This matters a lot less than your conscience, though it may be that the spotlight you’re under is making you feel like you had better pay attention to your image. Go deeper. Consider the influence of your actions, your choices and your point of view. It’s much more significant than you may think, and people are picking up on a lot more than your appearance. It is your thought process that counts the most now; how you work out the logic of right and wrong. It’s clear that you have big ambitions. Make sure you get where you’re going with sincerity, kindness and respect.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You have expanded your horizons many ways this year. How do you feel, compared to where you were at this time in 2011? Your charts suggest that most of this expansion has involved changing your relationship to what you think is possible. You’re not done with this. The next phase of the process is what you think is possible — without connecting it to an intimate relationship. While your sign is notorious for its themes of attachment and possessiveness, you’re starting to figure out the way that this rigs the whole game of life against you. Your view of love, of relationships and yes, of money, is more global than you may imagine. If you emphasize your broad and portable perspective rather than camping out in any one point of view, you increase the odds of success and happiness exponentially. Measure potential based on what you have never done rather than what you have tried to do. Think of the world as comprising all the places you have not been, rather than the ones you know well.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You’re starting to see the light about a relationship or partnership situation that’s been a persistent mystery. You’ve figured out this situation in layers. Yet how exactly did you miss the obvious for so long? You’re in a good position to figure that out as well; this is the piece that’s 100% about you rather than being about anyone else. It involves your need for security, which has a way of leading you into situations wherein you don’t exactly end up being so safe. The safe place is not a situation; rather, when you find it, you will discover that it’s your inner orientation. This seems difficult or even impossible for many people to learn, though every factor in your chart is pointing to precisely this fact. Once you understand what projection is, it will be easier to see how your confidence or sense of belonging outside yourself not only distracts you from where that confidence really resides; you also miss opportunities to share with others as a result of making them into something they are not. This is no longer necessary.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You have taken considerable territory in your professional life this year, and even if you don’t feel that way, I assure you that the space is open. The key is balancing being different, innovative and iconoclastic with sufficient grounding that you can count on yourself to get the job done well. Yet there is also something here about recognizing the power that you perceive others to have, and in particular, their power over you. Simply put, most of the time, they have that power because you think they do. The most important thing you can do to ensure your longterm success and happiness is see all the ways in which the world really is built on level ground. I know this can take some careful looking, though mainly it requires maturity. Emphasize the human dimension. All these people around you have one thing in common — they are people. This is the reason they are approachable; it’s why you can get over your habit of being intimidated by talent, reputation or power. You may not have the same potential as everyone you meet, but they can remind you that you have your own potential.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The creative process is calling on you to take a chance and change the world. That’s what creativity does, and it’s what sex does. Or looked at another way, these aspects of life are about creating new worlds. Clearly it requires a measure of what some would call arrogance to do this. James Joyce associated being a novelist with playing God, because you control the whole universe of the story. Yet there is another perspective, preferred by many writers (including J.R.R. Tolkien) — what is created starts to take on a life of its own. Either of these situations calls on a high degree of ethics in the creative process. While it’s necessary to take risks, it’s also necessary to observe the law of unintended consequences. This is the responsibility piece of creativity, and while it’s necessary to pay close attention to this factor, you also know that there is only so far you can take it. You must use care and intention through the process, then at a certain point, you have to let the flaming arrow fly.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mercury, your primary planet, has finally left the degree where it began its retrograde dance for the past two months. This is leading you directly to a moment of emotional clarity. For the next few weeks, you have the opportunity to see how, exactly, it works out that you feel under emotional siege so much of the time. Much of why this happens involves the persistent effects of certain seemingly long-gone situations, which are not actually so gone. They exist within you and within the realm of karma. It would be incorrect to call this an illusion, since the effects are real, though when you finally see through it you will realize that it had a kind of unreal quality. You have to look directly at it, with a measure of detachment, and actually feel how old this struggle is, and how far back it goes. If you plan to be visiting any relatives (particularly on your father’s side of the family), you have the perfect opportunity for study. Note how easy it is to get dragged into the negativity. Once you learn to stay out, many doors will open.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — I suggest you take every opportunity to get out of your head. You are immersed in a world of ideas; some are friendly, some are creative, and some represent the darker shades of existence. ‘In your head’ means thinking and thinking with no sense of resolution. ‘Out of your head’ can mean a few things — one is out into the world, the 3D world of experience. It can also mean into some form of expression, which would be both exciting and therapeutic, and lead to other adventures. There is a lot to be said for the imagination. Arm-chair travel is a real thing. But to have some fine, exotic experiences, you actually don’t need to go far. In fact, some of what you want is coming in your direction even as you are heading toward it. There is a meeting place, and it’s not necessarily that far from where you’re sitting right now. Meanwhile, to the extent that you are using your mind, do so in a creative way. Use pictures. Use words. Use sound. Your mind contains the deep pool known as your imagination — a truly beautiful thing.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — No matter how complex you are, or what you’ve been through, you’re in an excellent position to have true companionship. This may come in the form of new friends or openings with long-standing friends and/or lovers. You have the option to open nearly any conversation with anyone, and by that, I mean the discussion of real subject matter. There is only one little condition, which is that you be willing to be forthright and vulnerable. Your sincerity is the elixir that opens up the portals to a deeper place. Your willingness to investigate and question your values is what makes it safe for others to do so. And you do have questions, as far as I can see — questions about what is really important to you; questions about why you’re alive; questions about the nature of existence. It’s usually easy to gloss these questions over; it’s easy, most of the time, to pretend they don’t exist. But not now. The questions are there, they run deep, and you will benefit from going deep with others into their true nature; into your true nature.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — An extraordinary New Moon in your birth sign on Dec. 13 is pushing you to express yourself, your whole self and nothing but yourself. This is often a risky venture on our planet, where we like to think that most of the people who tell the truth end up martyrs. I am not merely suggesting you tell the truth or lead the people or lay out a philosophy that could benefit many, based on the challenges you have faced so bravely. I am suggesting that you live your truth without compromise. Now, doing that also means living the truth of the aspects of yourself that you may not like, or that compromise your peace of mind. It includes being real about the history that led you to where you are today. Being real, however, does not mean acting out. It more suggests acting on — which can include opening yourself up to the healing and contact that you need. Sometimes it’s the darkness in us that can lead to a sense of isolation; and fact one of your life now is that no longer needs to be true. And if it ever did, it no longer matters today.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — One theme of the astrology the past few months has been about inner reality vs. outer. In a world dominated by appearances, it’s easy to forget that there is an inner reality, though you’re unlikely to be missing that fact now. The question seems to be not what you want to bring forth into the world, but how exactly you’re going to do it. Your inner space is churning with passion and pathos; with questions about your past, and an urgent desire to enter the moment you are in now. Crossing over this barrier can seem like finding your way through an invisible portal, or making your way into a parallel universe. It’s really not so difficult; ordinary circumstances will draw you out of that veiled world. Bring your feelings into your daily experience. Remember at 10 am that you’re the same person who had those thoughts, feelings and desires at 6 am when you were dreaming. Remember that you’re never separate from yourself; you are yourself.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — If it’s true that Aquarius has a socially crusading nature, part of that is about the placement of Sagittarius in your chart — on the 11th house of your vision and your relationship to the public. This suggests a spiritual orientation within the world, and what is very likely to be a form of aspiration to grow and expand. Yet to what extent do you feel authentic in this? Do you ever get nervous when you’re seen as being ‘more spiritual’ than you feel? I would suggest that having your doubts is healthy, because you know that so much of what seems holy is such unmitigated hogwash, suds, grime and all. What makes spiritual real is its ability to manifest in relationships. A calling focuses itself as an inner alignment, which then must extend into social existence in order to have an influence. You may not feel ready to extend yourself this way; in truth you may feel less ready than you did a year ago. I would propose that these are healthy sensations, if you’re feeling them. None of this indicates actual lack of preparation, or lack of clear intention, only the willingness to reality check.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You’re at one of the most meaningful professional turning points in recent decades, assuming you’re old enough to have been plying your trade for that long. What’s developing now is reminiscent of what was happening in 1995, or 2001/2002. This is a standout moment when you faced real challenges, yet you had the passion and motivation to recognize them as opportunities. You have come a long way since then, and what I suggest you remember is how much you’re working with in the way of personal resources. You are finally starting to take full possession of who you are, which means having access to those inner resources. Opportunity you experience now is different from what it was in the past; so too is the elusive concept of potential. Both of these notions are only meaningful if we apply them to existence, and this seems to be what you’re doing. You may think this is taking a while; in truth, it has already taken a while, and you’re at the point of contact, action and expression now. Be patient and choose carefully your approach to every situation you find yourself in.

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Onward, Inward, and the Unseen Guide

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Dear Friend and Reader:

I have been boycotting the news lately, devoting myself entirely to the study of psychological and spiritual astrology for LISTEN, the 2013 annual. I have been studying my annotated 2013 charts, about 100 of them, since early July, and now is when I pull many planets and aspects together into a series of coherent narratives that offer some guidance for growth and living.

O’Hare International Airport. Photo by Eric Francis.

That’s what I do every autumn, however my change in direction this year involved more than a seasonal project. It started after more than 18 months of tracking the U.S. presidential election, which led directly into the David Petraeus scandal — the story of the CIA chief who resigned allegedly for having an affair. In retrospect, the election seemed like a farce, and the Petraeus story did not add up no matter which way I ran the numbers. As this holy mess unfolded, I kept looking at the TV and reading articles thinking: You. People. Must. Be. Kidding.

I started to feel something verging on cynicism at the end of all of that; the sensation that I had been played. Yet I have no regrets about taking certain issues seriously — one in particular, the threat to women’s reproductive rights, the blatant misogyny and the truly vicious homophobia that were so boldly exhibited in the election cycles of both 2010 and 2012. Election or not, that needed an airing out.

This was, however, political material that pointed us inward, as the astrology has been doing through the past year, particularly the retrogrades of Venus and Mars. In the public arena, what we witnessed was the emergence of political material focused not on actual discussion of right and wrong, or how society should be run, or how to handle global crisis, but the eruption of a dark, controlling, self-serving impulse that basically views the life force, and particularly being female, as inherently immoral. We can’t wage a political campaign against that, but we can do our best to recognize the problem and seek healing. The underlying problem is ultimately personal, not one of policy.

On some level, in order to take the kind of abuse that the political system doles out so generously, it’s necessary to have been conditioned to feel wrong for being alive. What we call spiritual or psychological growth, or healing, is about coming to terms with that conditioning and then doing what we can about it. And there is plenty we can do. The problem is that it’s inconvenient, defying the thought patterns, beliefs and ideas that support a way of life, yet one that doesn’t necessarily support us back. And perhaps most of all, we are conditioned to be dishonest with ourselves, and with others, and often rewarded for being so.

The transits of the next two years are calling us to get beneath that conditioning, and to do what we can to resolve it. The result would be freeing up creative energy to do whatever we want, and there is plenty to do. There’s plenty we’re all saying we want to do.

Transcending the Obstacles

Many obstacles stand in the way, besides mere inconvenience. One is guilt. It is guilt that says, “It’s your fault that you feel this way, and you’re wrong for wanting to claim yourself back.” Make a note: guilt about wanting to heal is evidence that something was done to you, and that you have internalized the oppressor or attacker as a guilt-inducing mental script. This can manifest as many different forms of negative self-talk, self-sabotage and inviting others to do further damage to us, often under the guise of good intentions.

The Bean, Chicago. Photo by Eric Francis.

There is extra guilt in that much of the injury is located on the sensitive sexual/emotional dimension — where we are so conditioned to think we’re wrong for feeling bad, and for feeling good. The mere thought of exploring sexuality, including the part about healing a deep injury, is enough to send many people into a guilt spasm, which often manifests in the form of fearing moral retribution.

That double bind alone is evidence that a crime has been committed, and among other things, it’s a crime against trust. This can make it difficult to take one of the most important steps in the healing process — learning to trust others enough to allow in some help or guidance. Then there is the double bind, “If I admit something was done to me, then I am a victim, and that’s not allowed.” Under this logic, going for therapy is evidence of being messed up, rather than evidence that you want to feel better.

Another obstacle is the sensation that there is so much to deal with, we’ll never get it done. Another is relationship patterns that pretty much guarantee that the sexual/emotional material is intractable, since the rules of the relationships tend to prevent the discussion, and then often repeat the injury. A diversity of social rules support people in sticking with relationships that don’t work, in part by failing to support us in being autonomous people.

Dr. Wilhelm Reich had a term for this — he called it the emotional plague.

Let’s put it this way. To get out of this loop, you have to really want to. It is possible. It is necessary, even if many don’t get around to it. Yet it takes focus, determination, time, willingness and resources. It takes cultivating selflove and patience. It does not happen ‘by itself’. And it’s not realistic to expect there to be one magical relationship that will come along and save you. That expectation is a big part of the problem we face.

Pluto in Capricorn: Rearranging Reality

The astrological aspects that have developed the past few months — a pattern that will hold in various forms through 2014 and into 2015 — offer a map to the territory I’m describing.

Pluto began its ingress into Capricorn in 2008, signaling an end to the ‘post-9/11’ world (though arriving with another manufactured catastrophe, the banking collapse at the end of the Cheney/Bush administration). That was a news alert that we were embarking on many structural changes that are described by the unstoppable force, Pluto, encountering a form of the immovable object, Capricorn (ruled by Saturn). This was the selling out of the American dream — the home.

Winter view to the west from my back porch toward Washington Ave., in Kingston, NY. Photo by Eric Francis.

For you, a home is simple: you turn the key, walk in, and you’re in a safe place. For a speculator, mortgages and mortgage-backed securities can be converted into scores of different greed-driven gambling schemes, all of which went bad at once.

Contributing to the problem was that many people signed for mortgages they could not afford, and where the banks lacked the integrity to care. They were moving product. On a much smaller scale, tens of millions of people find themselves in debt they cannot deal with — a complex problem related to real wages going down steadily since the 1970s. (This is one reason why so many people need three jobs. If everyone wants the 99-cent breakfast, you can be sure the people making it aren’t going to be paid much to flip the eggs.)

The energy of Pluto always goes somewhere, and via Capricorn, where it’s going is into changes that reach the patterns we live, the structure of society and the foundations of our beliefs. Pluto in Capricorn can work two ways. One way is the impulse to dive deep into what we are dragging along from the past, recovering what works and transforming what does not.

The other way is the concentration of power, ranging from control drama to blind ambition. To work the healing side of the Pluto-in-Capricorn equation we need to be mindful of the power-oriented side of the equation. The evolutionary impulse of Pluto can quickly turn destructive, especially if one tastes something one thinks of as power, and wants more.

Pluto in Capricorn is a long process (lasting until 2024), and it’s going to leave no stone unturned, no cave unexplored, no mountain unclimbed. This is a journey deep into shadow, into the core of the psyche, entering what you might think of as the collective unconscious. Pluto in Capricorn is not strictly about an individual process. It’s something that’s collective property, collective responsibility and which will require cooperation.

Saturn in Scorpio: Enforced Growth

More recently (in early October 2012), Saturn arrived in a sign associated with Pluto — Scorpio, where it will be into 2015. Scorpio and Pluto are associated; Saturn and Capricorn are associated. Here we have two of the most potent psychological forces in astrology occupying one another’s signs, and for many months to come, dancing in a sextile aspect. Think of the sextile as the option to cooperate, and as entities close enough to reach one another for a common purpose.

Saturn is a maturing influence. It represents the principle of the boundary, the necessity, the limit and the maturing impulse. Saturn represents the passage of time and the time limit, and prior to the discovery of Pluto was considered a significator of death.

Self-portrait, Baltimore, 2006. Photo by Eric Francis.

Saturn in Scorpio is about establishing a relationship with all of these things on the emotional level. Scorpio includes the sexual / reproductive level, as well as addressing any topic related to shared or exchanged resources (this includes subjects related to debt and investment, including the obsession with credit cards and the stock market).

On a more intimate level, Scorpio is the place where two people meet on the level of an exchange, and also admit the transience of their bond in this world. Saturn in Scorpio is about understanding the nature of the exchange, creating a safe container for it to happen in, and most of all, is a reminder that this is an exchange and not a total merging of interests.

Seen another way, Saturn in Scorpio is about compelling a level of maturity on all of these topics. We can really use it, and we know it. Part of that maturity includes addressing what we fear, which seems to be a morph of sexual shadow and all things related to intimacy. Part of this includes the fear of abandonment and the fear of aloneness, which are integral to the intimacy crisis we face. It does not help that we teach our children dependency rather than autonomy, and often push our peers to be dependent on, rather than independent of, dysfunctional and even dangerous situations.

One reason why abusive relationships are so wildly popular is because they provide a hedge against intimacy. The abuse, the drama, the standoffs and the lack of empathy render intimacy impossible, so in this respect the dramas serve those who are afraid to be close to others. Yet it goes deeper — I am fond of the definition of intimacy offered by my friend, the poet Jason Blickstein — into-me-see. The fear of intimacy is also the fear of seeing into oneself, to address what might be there.

And this is what Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn are inviting us to do. For many, inward looking is terrifying; hence, the persistent emphasis on appearances, on status, on money, on everything but the actual content of who a person is. One resulting shadow side of both of these transits is emotional fear resulting in knee-jerk conservatism, denial and withdrawal. Such is almost always directed at sex and its creative power, and that is much of what Pluto and Scorpio are describing. If the reactionary thinking is recognized for what it is, there will be an obvious invitation to healing.

Main entrance to the Chironian, in the cement mines near Keator’s Corners in Rosendale, NY. Photo by Eric Francis.

As I mentioned, Saturn and Pluto are occupying one another’s signs, which is a way of occupying one another’s spaces and energy fields. This is called mutual reception (note, I am bending the ancient rule by applying it to Pluto, a modern planet). It’s a situation that points to options, to alternative viewpoints and gaining mutually aware perspective within any relationship.

But when planets occupy one another’s signs and can, therefore, be seen to switch places, that transports in time as well. Pluto in Scorpio takes us back to the dawn of the modern AIDS crisis, when much of the present sexual neurosis took hold — all based on the obsessive connection between sickness, death and sex. This was so persistent that it could only be denied, and denial is what we now live with most of the time.

Saturn in Scorpio takes us to the same era, when religion-based social conservatism was on the march, supported by fear and driven relentlessly into government policy. So, with this setup, we get a chance to visit the late 1980s and early 1990s, and heal what was done then, including the values and attitudes that were put into place, and which most people accepted without questioning. One of those simply must be abstinence-only sex indoctrination in public schools, which I believe has done far more harm than we recognize. This must be replaced with honest, socially tolerant and most of all, science-based sex education.

A Presence Within the Darkness

There is one last detail that I have been observing and dialoging with in the process of doing the 2013 readings. Saturn in Scorpio is making a long conjunction to a point called Poseidon. This is a hypothetical point, one of the eight trans-Neptunian points that were developed in Germany early in the 20th century. Its use is considered controversial outside of Uranian astrology, though from years of observation I have learned to respect these points.

Poseidon is like a super-Neptune, offering the vision and inspiration without the delusional side effects. It is associated with mirrors and windows, and therefore with reflectivity and transparency. It has a psychic quality and can help spread ideas through an etheric conducting medium. Saturn-Poseidon will offer the opportunity to challenge the religious dogma of our times, as well as the persistent image-over-substance crisis that has itself become a form of religion.

On the most personal levels, I think this placement goes deeper. I view Poseidon’s role in this setup as an unseen guide through all of the issues I have described.

Photo by Eric Francis – Book of Blue, NY.

As we are called to descend into shadow material, and see what we’re dealing with, there is a spiritual presence that accompanies us. Nearly every system of healing, metaphysics and even religion describe this in one way or another. It’s the ‘presence at the threshold’ that helps those on deep healing missions light their way through the dark.

Yet awareness of the spiritual presence manifests in direct proportion to the commitment to healing. If one commits oneself in earnest to understanding and resolving their shadow material, then the guide makes itself known. If one does not, the guide is still there, but one is unlikely to be aware of it.

Said another way, we are not being asked to go through any of this alone. Indeed, the sense of being alone, and even the reality, is a direct consequence of the isolation caused by the initial injury, and not being able to say anything about it. For a time, the company we are offered will manifest as an inner presence rather than as an outer one; it is this inner presence that will make other forms of companionship more meaningful. Indeed, it’s vital that we set aside the company of others who deter us from our mission, once we have committed to it, and invite in only those willing to be supportive. This can require making decisions that seem difficult at first, but obvious in retrospect.

We need to remember this, as the astrology of 2013 is in many ways a deeply introspective journey into the heart of what troubles us the most. This is not a task for the faint of heart. Courage and the cultivation of self-respect are required. If we focus the goals of liberation, resolving the causes of pain, self-knowledge and nourishing pleasure, I believe we will know what to do.

There’s a reminder from A Course in Miracles that I would offer you, which places a lens in front of the astrology we’re experiencing.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all of the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. It is not necessary to seek for what is true, but it is necessary to seek for what is false.

“Every illusion is one of fear, whatever form it takes. And the attempt to escape from one illusion into another must fail. If you seek love outside yourself you can be certain that you perceive hatred within, and are afraid of it. Yet peace will never come from the illusion of love, but only from its reality.”

Lovingly,

Photo selection by Sarah Bissonnette-Adler.

Mercury Square Neptune: Test of Truth

Over the next few days, we experience a reminder that Mercury was indeed retrograde for three weeks in November, and there may be unfinished business that comes up for review now.

No need to swear on a stack of bibles — something is either true, or it’s not.

As you may have read in this space, Mercury started a retrograde in Sagittarius on Nov. 6, which ended Nov. 26. Yet the weeks following Mercury retrograde help us complete the process. This is particularly true for this Mercury cycle, since Mercury is in the process of making three squares to Neptune — one before the retrograde, one during the retrograde and now one in the weeks after.

Neptune is in very early Pisces; on Monday, Mercury re-enters Sagittarius, and that means the two planets will be in a square aspect (exact Tuesday). One translation is: what is true? What are you denying and why? What is your definition of true, and does it include some denial?

There may be something precise involved, that is to say, this is not a general philosophical question but rather something relating to a specific topic or set of facts. One clue is that you may be feeling self-critical about something, or avoiding certain specific data because you’re not sure what it will reveal.

The chart also suggests that you may have the feeling that if one little bit of the truth gets out, something will give way and there will be no getting control of the situation.

When it comes to talking about family material, alcohol, concerns about sex, or the generally demolished state of personal integrity that many people live with, well, we humans are not so good at getting the conversation going. Yet this is one that may start on its own. I suggest you take the initiative and speak first — acknowledging what’s up for you inwardly, and then initiating the conversation where necessary.

After Mercury squares Neptune, it moves on to square Chiron. That’s a reminder — there is no truth but the whole truth.

MDMA Returns to its Therapeutic Roots

A small but promising study suggests that the therapeutic use of the party drug MDMA — also known as Ecstasy — may be a highly effective treatment for people suffering with severe PTSD. The condition, which is a common consequence of extreme trauma, is closely associated with war veterans. This study focused on an even more common population with PTSD: long-term survivors of rape.

MDMA in its party-pill form (rather than pure). Image: Wikipedia.

Dr. Michael Mithoefer got the go-ahead to try using MDMA along with psychotherapy in the early 2000s. He and his wife Ann, a nurse, would administer two doses of MDMA over one intensive eight- to ten-hour therapy session in combination with a week-long series of shorter, non-drug sessions, and then repeat the cycle.

During the MDMA session, patients were asked to focus on their sexual assaults. Dr. Mithoefer found they were able to work through their problems and make progress with much less fear, and in ways they could not before.

The study reinforces something that two Planet Waves FM guests touched on this summer when discussing tantra and healing sexual/emotional pain: to work through it without simply reinforcing the trauma, it’s important to stay present in pleasure. Dr. Mithoefer’s work with MDMA seems to open a space in which some serenity and sense of safety, if not pleasure per se, is available to those with PTSD. For more information on MDMA, visit the Vaults of Erowid.

Are the Kids All Right?

If you’ve been reading Planet Waves for more than a week, you know that the world does not ‘end’ on Dec. 21, and the Mayans never predicted that it would — that date simply marks their calendar turning over. But do your kids understand this?

Apocalyptic predictions have been around for ages, but with the Internet and other media latching onto the Mayan End-times meme, a lot of kids are genuinely afraid. A post on the U.S. government’s blog (picked up by Huffington Post) is careful to dispel this and other popular doomsday ideas:

Children are not always savvy to doomsday jokes, and even some adults fear the possibility. The Mayans themselves never predicted the world would end Dec. 21 (or ever).

“At least once a week I get a message from a young person — as young as 11 — who says they are ill and/or contemplating suicide because of the coming doomsday,” said David Morrison, a planetary astronomer and senior scientist for NASA, on USA.gov.

In fact, one Planet Waves staffer says that she has heard similar comments from kids, and just this week heard of a suicide by a middle-aged man that may have been related to this fear.

The misconceptions and hysteria are not limited to children or Americans. Over the weekend, The New York Times reported that Russia is also taking steps to keep people from panicking:

“[Russia’s] minister of emergency situations said Friday that he had access to ‘methods of monitoring what is occurring on the planet Earth,’ and that he could say with confidence that the world was not going to end in December. He acknowledged, however, that Russians were still vulnerable to ‘blizzards, ice storms, tornadoes, floods, trouble with transportation and food supply, breakdowns in heat, electricity and water supply.'”

Speaking of which: our planet faces far greater risk from global warming and various human activities, although the effects are likely to be far more gradual than the turning over of a very long calendar on a single day. Regardless, check in with your kids (and anyone else in your sphere who may be showing subtle signs of distress) on what they have heard about the Mayans, the end of the world or Dec. 21, 2012.

Be ready to hear their concerns with compassion and have some facts at your fingertips so you can reassure them that despite the edge of uncertainty underlying all the Internet joking, the Mayan calendar is simply a feat of early mathematics — and the solstice is mainly a reason to celebrate a little more light and a little less darkness the next day.

350.org Fuels Up Viral Stock-Divestiture Campaign

Students at a number of U.S. colleges are mounting a campaign to get their schools’ endowments to divest from stocks in fossil fuel companies — and there is an Internet campaign to make sure the story goes viral.

Bill McKibben (pictured front, center), kicking off his Do The Math tour with a focus on divestment, in Seattle on Nov. 7, 2012. Photo: InsideClimate Change.

“We’ve reached this point of intense urgency that we need to act on climate change now, but the situation is bleaker than it’s ever been from a political perspective,” said William Lawrence, a senior at Swarthmore College, where one student group is leading the charge.

Unity College in Maine has already voted to get rid of fossil fuels, and Hampshire College in Massachusetts has adopted a broader investment policy to do so. It’s easier at small schools such as these; the ‘big kids’, with endowments over $1 billion (Harvard’s is $31 billion), aren’t budging.

The movement echoes the student-led push to divest from South Africa in protest over apartheid in the 1980s; many administrators fear heated boardroom standoffs as happened then. But students see the South Africa divestment as proof it can be done.

Several organizations have been working on the divestment angle for over a year. But it was Bill McKibben’s group, 350.org, and an article he wrote for Rolling Stone magazine this summer, which finally fanned the spark into a flame.

You can add to its momentum by reading The New York Times coverage here, then clicking the ‘Email’ button to send it to your friends. By getting the story on the newspaper’s ‘most emailed list’, you can help send it as far as possible, as fast as possible.

New Ancient Trees for a New Climate

On Tuesday, members of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive planted two saplings cloned from one of the largest stumps in the world, plus 28 other clones from California’s biggest, oldest coast redwoods and giant sequoias, near the Oregon-California border. The area, a little further north than the trees’ normal range (to hedge against global warming), will eventually be populated with another 248 cloned saplings.

If this young, cloned coast redwood sapling grows like the original tree did, it will dwarf us humans with a trunk diameter of 20 feet. From a photo essay by Jamie Francis/The Oregonian.

Archangel is attempting to create an old-growth forest from its storehouse of rooted cuttings from the tallest, oldest and largest samples of each species it can find. The theory is that these ‘champion’ trees may have lasted so long partly because of genetic superiority.

David Milarch, co-founder of Archangel, began his quest after a near-death experience, after which he received the message that the big trees were dying, and to “build an ark that will hold the genetics of the greatest trees on Earth.” Redwoods and sequoias are among the best at capturing carbon dioxide.

The Archangel project is neither a sure bet nor a quick fix, but there is enough possibility to make propagating trees that are thousands of years old worth trying.

The Archangel project planted its ancient saplings during the second week of the U.N. climate talks in Doha, Qatar — and in a week in which the most southerly typhoon ever recorded in the western Pacific has claimed the lives of 477 people in the Philippines. Hundreds more are still missing and at least 200,000 have been displaced after the high winds and flooding of Typhoon Bopha destroyed their homes.

The reach of the typhoon underscores that even slightly higher global temperatures are already altering lives with dramatic and tragic effects.

Kenya Says No to GMOs

In a controversial move, Kenya has become the latest country to ban GMO food imports, until the health effects of such food can be verified. The Kenyan cabinet asked Public Health Minister Beth Mugo to provide scientific proof of the safety of GMOs, and government agencies must immediately comply with the directive to enforce the ban.

There was a “lack of sufficient information on the public health impact of such foods. The ban will remain in effect until there is sufficient information, data and knowledge demonstrating that GMO foods are not a danger to public health,” the cabinet said in a press statement.

Not everyone in Kenya agrees with the wisdom of the ban. Some scientists believe that the ban will lead to food shortages otherwise mitigated by modern technology and that it will disrupt university biotechnology research.

“The essence of GMO research is to provide a product that can complement efforts towards food security. This ban will discourage research, as the product for which the research is being conducted has been placed on import ban,” said Richard Okoth, a biotechnology scientist at Kenyatta University, Nairobi.

Kenya has joined Ireland, Japan, Egypt and Peru in banning the import or cultivation of all GMO crops. Peru last week began a 10-year moratorium that prevents the import, production, and use of GMOs. Earlier this year, Russia suspended imports of Monsanto’s GMO corn after a French study linked the corn to cancer; France also has a temporary ban on the corn.

You may be nuts, but you’re no longer a lunatic

The sharply divided Congress has been able to agree on one thing at least — that the word “lunatic” should be purged from federal legislation. The 13th-century word means “affected with periodic insanity, dependent on the changes of the Moon,” which happens to influence millions of people. Just ask any waitress, cop, EMS worker, astrologer or member of the congressional staff.

“Lunatic” is derived from the Latin word for moon, and the belief that it could affect mental health.

The House of Representatives voted 398-1 on Wednesday to strike the term from all federal legislation, after the Senate did the same in May. Having completed this important work, the House adjourned for a five-day weekend.

The bill will now go to Pres. Obama for his ssignature. Then, if you call up the FBI because the lunatic next door (who gets really weird around the time of the Full Moon) is hoarding 50,000 rounds of Glock 19 ammo in his garage, you will have to use a different term, such as “presumably insane person.”

“Lunatic” still appears in some parts of federal law — a section of financial regulation, for example, addresses the power of a bank to act as a “committee of estates of lunatics.”

The only ‘no’ vote came from Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, who said it was lunacy for lawmakers to waste time on such a measure when more high-profile issues loomed, such as the fiscal cliff, which a bunch of zombie-werewolves are pushing the country toward every hour.

Just a few clicks out from human-size we start getting our solar system neighbors — but that’s only the beginning. This tool takes you from the subatomic level to the perspective of the observable universe.

The Scale of the Universe: Interactive Art

Prepare to be in awe of how vast and how miniscule our universe is, and where we fit in terms of relative size. Twins Cary and Michael Huang have created a funny, meditative and scientific interactive site called Scale of the Universe 2. By scrolling in and out and clicking on images for more information, you can bend your mind out to the estimated size of the universe and then zoom your awareness down to quantum foam, one of the smallest theorized things. Somewhere in between are those human-scale things (like ourselves, and beach balls) that we take for granted — though you might not after this. Oh — and make sure the sound is on.

Is There Really a 2012 Alignment?

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I take on the “2012 alignment” on Dec. 21, 2012. Many people have been asking about this, and there are numerous theories as to what really is lining up on this day.

Before I get into that, I cover the astrology of the next week or so, which includes the Sun’s alignment with a deep space point called the Great Attractor, and then subsequently the Galactic Center. These are difficult points to explain…I hope I did it adequately, though if you are curious, I do have some writing on the topic available.

The Great Attractor is one of the biggest things known in the known universe, which is saying a lot. The Great Attractor is called that because it’s vacuuming a million or so galaxies — galaxies — toward it at 24 million miles per day or so. If you find that intriguing, you can read an old article series I did for my Sagittarius buddy Jonathan Cainer — Sagittarius Secrets Revealed act one and act two.

Note to those following the Blue Studio Series — you can find the latest editions here.

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The December monthly horoscope was published Friday, Nov. 23. Inner Space for December was published Tuesday, Nov. 27.
The November Monthly Horoscope was published Friday, Oct. 26. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. The November Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Nov. 20. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; Inner Space still publishes on Tuesdays.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 #929 | By Eric Francis

Sagittarius Birthdays: Integrity Check, Ongoing

The word “factcheck” has become part of the modern lexicon; with Mercury square Neptune in your solar return chart, I suggest you add it to your hourly routine. Check everything you hear, before you repeat it. Check everything, before you believe it. Verify that your parents really did get divorced in such and such a year, and look for evidence of how you really felt about it. Look up the spelling of ‘Tucson’ before you send it in an email. Read the fine print in everything you sign. Take people at their word, then wait for them to offer some proof of what they say, or at least evidence that it’s true. Most important, make sure you’re being honest with yourself about what you feel, since you’re likely to have reason to deny it — if only your idealism. I suggest being cautious of entering into shared domestic situations; if you do, make sure that you leave a back door for yourself, in case you find the person doesn’t turn out to be what you thought. You will know most things in advance — the key will be listening to yourself. If your intuition whispers something twice, stop and pay attention on the spot. Note to Sagittarians and Sagg rising — your birthday reading is ready. You can get instant access at this link.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Just because something is dressed up in ‘spiritual’ terms or spoken by an allegedly holy one, that does not make it true. What is said or written by the Dalai Lama, an eminent scientist or a venerated author is not true just because they said it; it has to be true on its own merits. By the same logic, something spoken by one allegedly stupid or insane is not wrong because that person said it — it too must be subjected to a test that’s more rigorous than whether you believe it. You have the intellectual and intuitive discernment to assess what you hear or read, and I would propose that this is the time to use it. Is a product safe? Is a claim that someone is making actually valid? Does an idea hold water? Your mind and your intuition may disagree at first, but if you subject all incoming information to rigorous scrutiny, it won’t be long before the two are in agreement.

Hello Aries — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). If you would like to hear your Aries birthday reading, please visit this link.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — How much of how you conduct yourself in relationships is a reaction to the past, and how much is a response to what is available in the present moment? To sort out this question, you’ll need to slow down and live from thought to thought — that’s where the information is contained. It may often seem that the story arc of your life bends around the weight of history, and that what happens today is strictly the consequence of what happened in the past. It may seem that the results of prior choices intervene in your life from moment to moment. Yet if this is true, please consider that you’re being reminded of the need to step outside of that reality. This is not merely ‘escaping’ the effects of the past. It’s about an orientation on existence, and an orientation on your journey through time. You may be caught in the perception that time is linear. That is a compelling illusion. If you pay attention over the next few days, you may notice that each moment is a gateway to many dimensions of time, extending in every direction — and offering possibilities you had not considered.

Hello Taurus — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). If you would like to hear your Taurus birthday reading, please visit this link.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — There are many levels of honesty, though they contain one another. The one to monitor now is emotional honesty. This is to say, are you feeling what you feel, and are you admitting to yourself what you feel? I mention this in connection with a particular relationship situation, which is trying to get your attention — though you may not be hearing the bell through the fog. I suggest you listen, and feel. You need the information that is trying to come through to you now. If you find yourself doubting anything, or pretending it does not matter, that’s the time to pay attention. But this is subtle, as you have to notice when you’re not exactly noticing, which is a form of double mindfulness. In the moment you wake up, you will make a discovery about someone that can change the course of your life merely for being willing to notice, and reveal a potential in you that you have long denied — and will be unlikely to let slip away ever again.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Have you listened to your birthday reading? Click here for an hour of astrology plus a tarot reading by Eric.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You can get a lot of work done this week — in fact, you may be able to wrap up everything you have planned for the rest of the year. However, I would encourage you to slow down, prioritize the top most important projects, and focus on quality. That translates to maintaining your intellectual and spiritual impeccability, in a moment when you may be in a minor crisis over doing just that. There’s no irony involved; moving through this territory carefully is the whole point of the astrology you’re under. I can sum it up fairly simply — when in doubt, get real. That is to say, get real about what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling and most of all, what you want. There is a chance that with a little reflection you will see that it has less to do with what you accomplish and more to do with existing with full awareness at the intersection where pleasure meets healing. This is a bold space, and the thing to be bold about is your imagination. Pleasure is healing, and you can allow this idea to soak into everything you touch.

Hello Cancer — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Numerous indicators in the astrology continue to remind you to pick the locks, open the windows and tear down the walls that separate sexuality and mysticism, or what some would call God. If you start from the point of knowing that the division is itself false, and was introduced into thought as a kind of virus, with an agenda, that makes things a lot easier. The division starts with any moral position on sex whatsoever. Let me state this another way: sex is not a moral issue, and anyone who says it is has a control agenda. Sex is an experience of pleasure, a way to learn about yourself, an experiment, a journey, a matter of personal choice, a mode of creative expression, a way to explore your connection to someone, a way to mirror yourself in someone, and an offering of yourself as witness, mirror and container. It is not a moral issue. Morality potentially enters where there is deception and where autonomy is violated, but there are more practical ways to work through these problems, should they arise. Meanwhile, a passionate mystical experiment is calling your name.

Hello Leo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — What is that little voice in your mind telling you? I have a clue: it’s trying to tell you something specific. This is not about a ‘general message’ coming through, or summing up the meaning of life in a platitude or two. It seems like you’re searching for a precise bit of information, like that information is trying to find you, and closer to the point, like there is a predestined meeting. In particular, you’re seeking some information about yourself, mainly to confirm or deny something that you have become aware of in a relationship or partnership situation. I am making an educated guess when I say that this has been puzzling you for at least a month, and you may be wrestling whether you’ve been informed of a limit you cannot bypass, or have been informed of what is your lot in life. You may think you’ve reached the edge of your potential based on conditioned limitations or the expectations of others. The roots of this perception are complex, and they have a long history. The answer you seek, or that is seeking you, will turn out to be relatively simple. Listen carefully. Listen for the obvious.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You seem to have made up your mind about yourself based on some poor treatment, negligence or abuse that happened to you in the past. This point of view may ‘inform’ you at certain points, especially when you want to take a chance on an intimate experience. The chance may seem extra risky due to the potential that someone would abuse your trust. Note also your possible concern about what might get out through a social network or some form of gossip. The question here is: are you trying to hide something? Are you trying to cover a perceived vulnerability, and in doing so, do you block off the kind of experience that you can only have by being vulnerable? Leaving the whole matter unresolved can become a kind of a hedge that you use, much like people use the excuse of having a partner to make sure they don’t meet anyone new — having nothing to do with their existing relationship. Be honest with yourself and get to the bottom of this. You will be much happier.

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link .

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — To get out of the mental knot you seem to be caught in, you need to think beyond yourself. This may be difficult for a few days, because there is currently a kind of exaggeration effect in your astrology where changing your mind can feel like giving up everything. Or, you may have this idea that once you come to terms with one specific thing about yourself, or a particular fact of your life, there will be a cascade effect and one thing will lead to another as you gradually go out of control. You’re probably right about that. All it takes is one realization about yourself, one moment of truth, to get you to make a series of necessary changes that have in fact been long overdue. This particular psychological configuration is why so many people spend much of their time being ‘stuck’.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The question surrounds the role of a particular relationship in your life, which you seem to be seeing with about as much perspective as looking backwards through opera glasses. However, there is about to come a moment when you flip your perspective and get a clear look at what you’ve been experiencing. You may decide you like it a lot. You may decide that you are in a situation that’s more complex than you realized. Here is a simple way to tell: make a list of everything you have not said to whomever this situation involves. Take some time, for example, an hour or a day, to make sure you’ve thought of everything. How long is this list? And what is on it? What is your reason for not mentioning everything you’ve not mentioned? Now for phase two: what do you think has been left unsaid, coming in your direction? How would this person respond to being asked to do the same inventory? The thing that would make any situation in your life new and different is what you don’t withhold — love, pleasure and what is really true for you.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There is a lot that seems ready to burst out of you right now. You may wonder if you will set the house on fire by allowing any of whatever that may be out of yourself; there is a lot in there, and it has the approximate constituency of cosmic fire. One of the biggest Capricorn secrets is how passionate you are. I know it’s easy to conceal behind your somewhat formal demeanor and your constant attention to your image, but that does not change the fact of what is behind the veil. If astrology offers any clues, the time is long gone that you need to conceal who you really are. Indeed, it’s verging on impossible for you to do so, and if you pretend that nobody knows, you will just seem silly. Here is an analogy: imagine you’re wearing thin summer clothes, and you get rained on and they become transparent — and you have nothing dry to change into. If you want to feel good, acknowledge everyone can see what you’ve got — because they can.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Remember that public image and self-esteem are two different things. No matter how anyone perceives you (or how you think they do), that only goes so far toward allowing you to feel good about yourself. In a similar way, public recognition does not substitute for being adequately compensated for your time, talent and effort. And having an edgy or spiritual appearance is, of course, not a substitute for what those things are supposed to represent. So, one theme that comes up for the next week or so is the difference between the appearance and the reality. One way you can go right to the heart of the matter is to forget appearances entirely. You are capable of this, though perhaps it will be persuasive if I say that you will make a more vivid impression on people if you don’t care how they perceive you. Also, I would remind you that you have very little influence over the impression you make. You never really know for sure, and you have more influence on focusing your need for affirmation inwardly rather than outside yourself.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You seem to be poised for some advancement in your career, which may come in the form of visibility, notoriety or your reputation spreading rapidly. You have the most spin control before this happens, which will arrive in the form of maintaining a position of impeccable truth at all times. This way, you have nothing to go back on if you’re ever questioned; your story will be simple, because it’s true. It’s worth one sentence of caution on what you could unleash if you deceive anyone intentionally or inadvertently, or deceive yourself, over the next few days. Therefore, the question must always be, ‘Is this true?’ Go word for word, line for line, idea by idea, and ask yourself. I am not saying doubt — I am saying verify. The reputation you want is the one for being fully present, authentic and concerned not with how people perceive you but rather the substance of what you say and do. You have plenty of both image and substance — this is a matter of emphasis.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

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Deeper than Confetti: An Introspective Year

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Dear Friend and Reader:

I’ve been watching the news the past few weeks for signs and symbols of Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, which ended Monday. This and the surrounding astrology (covered in Tuesday’s edition featuring Twin Peaks) caps off a deeply introspective year. I feel confident saying everyone learned a lot about themselves. Yet it was also a truly intriguing moment for personal-meets-political.

Portable podcasting gear set up in Montauk, NY, earlier in 2012 (probably for the Spring Report). Photo by Eric Francis.

My personal favorite story from the time of the retrograde — maybe my favorite Mercury retrograde story ever, except for the yak butter incident — happened Thanksgiving Day in New York City. Some of the confetti distributed by Macy’s for the famous parade consisted of shredded Nassau County (Long Island) police documents. This is not supposed to happen. Macy’s claims to use only commercially produced confetti.

By whatever miracle, some of what was actually used included shredded confidential police reports, with names of undercover officers, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and account information, according to a variety of press reports. Confidential documents are supposed to be shredded vertically, but these were shredded horizontally, so the information was legible.

Best of all, details of Mitt Romney’s motorcade to the last debate (held in Nassau County) made it into the mix. This was after the debate happened, but it’s still useful information to some.

The news reports were full of exclamations and inquiries about how this happened, and there is an investigation in the works. They need an astrologer on the panel, so they don’t miss the biggest clue — Mercury was retrograde in Scorpio, the sign of all things secret, concealed or otherwise on the down-low. Hence, these secrets were liberally sprinkled, in legible form, all over the public.

The confidential confetti metaphor works on every level I can think of. It describes the current state of privacy, with the perfect non-Internet incident. Some have remarked that privacy is being reduced to just another commodity, available to those who can afford it. I would say we have evidence that it barely exists at all.

Is there any such thing as privacy? Here is one description. Photo: Eric and Sarah, Blue Studio.

We have, at least, enough information to put us on notice that the notion of ‘private’ is a bit behind us — though there remains the question how we’re supposed to respond. Most people still cling to the idea that certain things about them are unknown to most people, and the idea of them getting out, even if nothing illegal was done, is a bit mortifying. Indeed, it is evocative of death, where so much about us becomes known — it’s just that we’re not around to experience the benefits.

The benefits? Yes! The benefits of feeling all that pressure taken off. The benefits of no longer wondering what everyone will think, and projecting judgment onto others with negative self-talk.

Yet as far as I can tell, the secrecy issue really has two sides: the information that we deny to others, and what we deny to ourselves.

The resounding message of this year’s astrology has been: come out to yourself. Reveal all of your inner secrets — to you. Explore inwardly; shine the light within and know yourself for who you are. I know that the fear in the way of that is deciding that you are going to encounter more self-judgment. While it’s true that we have to pass through some shadowy territory, I believe that most of it involves dealing with the effects of previous judgments and self-criticism, rather than encountering pain about who we are. In other words, what we’re dealing with is past emotional patterning affecting us now. This is good news; it lets us off the hook, as long as we don’t climb back on by replaying old scenes over and over.

In any event, to unravel this shadowy stuff subverts all kinds of ego games, obsession with image and problems we have relating to others. Liars lie to themselves, and someone who is honest with herself or himself is more likely to be honest with others. Part of that honesty means establishing a relationship with the truth and its value, as a primary focus of existence. Once you do that, many other values and ethics fall into place. The fog lifts over obvious distinctions between right and wrong.

One of the sticky spots does seem to be sex. This is the one place where nearly everyone grants themselves a pass to deceive others or deceive themselves, on some level. It’s one reason why I think it’s the place to begin, and why I suggest being honest with yourself about what you want, what you’ve done and what has been done to you. If you hang out in that space for a while, you can collect a lot of your scattered energy, find some relief or even peace of mind, and then open up to others in a way that isn’t terrifying.

Studio setup for Internet privacy photo in Blue Studio. We started with a complex setup and progressively removed elements to get a photo simple enough to be visually appealing.

Part of why it’s less scary is because you don’t have to worry about what anyone is going to find out. I have no way to quantify the energy that’s held in worrying what will happen if others discover something, but we all know that it’s agonizing.

Our introspective year has included retrogrades of Venus and Mars, plus the Venus transit of the Sun, which no person alive today (barring some technology that doubles the length of a human lifetime) will see again.
The retrogrades took us in, in, in — and Venus revealing herself against the backdrop of the Sun, in broad daylight, seems to have awakened something in the feminine spirit.

Though my viewpoint is limited, and biased by a special interest in the topic, I have seen how Mercury retrograde in Scorpio has led to an impressive sexual and emotional awakening: people making decisions, coming to realizations, coming out of denial and into themselves, and the desire to express this in words.

We now head for the one remaining landmark event of this year — the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice of 2012, which is day 13.0.0.0.0 of the Mayan calendar. I read that chart for you last week in the article Something About Juno, and my not-so-surprising discovery is that the solstice chart mainly presents a deeply personal message about self-relating and relating to others.

Speaking of Introspective: Personal Astrology

This is the time of year that I dive into the personal astrology for all 12 signs, in the creation of the Planet Waves annual edition. Each January, I release a set of readings that covers the entire zodiac, applicable to Sun sign, rising sign, Moon sign and special topics such as relationship partners. This year the annual is called LISTEN.

In my reading of the world and of the planetary movements, this is the next step in saving the world — learning to listen: to ourselves, to our environment, to our children, to our partners: listening and paying attention to what we learn. The astrology is providing rich information about how we may do this — especially the part about going past the fear and the mental chatter and listening on the soul level.

Eric, working in Yum-Yum Noodles of Kingston, photo by Sarah.

I’ve been developing this work since July, casting more than 100 charts and studying the positions of dozens of minor planets as they move through the zodiac, dancing amidst the well-known bodies. The project is well underway, and completing it is something I will associate with this time of year for the rest of my life.

The annual is always a deep journey for me. Setting aside the production details, the art, the music and the articles by other contributors (most of which is now handled by the talented people around me), I essentially have to re-learn astrology every time I do it, then express what I have learned in empathic language that makes sense to you.

The annual now consists of a written and audio portion for each sign. I go to a depth that most astrologers would say is impossible for “Sun sign” astrology, which may be true — I use many techniques not employed by Sun sign writers, including a solid understanding of the houses, some ancient techniques and modern planets that speak to the human condition at this time in history.

Mainly, I pour myself into the work. At a certain point, the need to provide something original for everyone catches fire, and the whole thing becomes a discovery process. The charts never stop speaking. Once I start the audio, I can go on for hours — it is astonishing how much information the charts provide. I have to set a word limit on the text so I can stop and move on to the next sign.

The result is something that changes my life, and is designed to help you change yours, in the ways that you want. You bring that willingness and that motivation; I provide some information about themes and timing. I offer a way through the noise, and an interpretation of the aspects that you won’t read anywhere else. I work with the foundational idea that astrology does not describe a problem to which it does not also offer a solution. What good would it be otherwise?

Horary chart for LISTEN in my kitchen recording studio. The chart has Pisces rising, with Neptune, Chiron and the Moon in the ascendant. Pholus is on the midheaven. Chart’s data is July 7, 2012 at 10:53 pm, Kingston, NY.

I also work with the idea that the main quest we are on is healing, creativity and growth, which are aspects of the same thing.

For subscribers who have a little difficulty keeping up with how we offer products, the annual is a separate purchase from a regular subscription or any other product. It’s priced to be affordable and worth many times the price. Pre-ordering information is here.

[Note, you may now order all 12 signs (recommended, so that you can read your rising sign, Moon sign and learn about your significant others) at the subscriber discount. Soon, the signs will only be available individually.]

This year, I am making some space to do this work a little more comfortably. The Planet Waves edition you’re reading will pause for the holidays, so that we can all catch our breath and spend some time off of deadline. I’ll be sending out a special schedule notice about that later Friday or Saturday morning. Please check your email.

Today it occurred to me that it would be helpful to get some of this information to you by the winter solstice. In terms of the 2012 readings for LISTEN, I may be able to finish the audio by the winter solstice. I am not promising that — but it seems possible. The written portion would come out sometime in January, as usual.

Meanwhile, I highly recommend that you review the 2012 annual, Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. (If you were a customer of that edition, please revisit it; if you need your login information, please write to us.) If you have not signed up for it, we will be offering that next week at a special price for current subscribers. Reality Check was the culmination of four years of work researching and reading many charts leading up to 2012.

Each annual edition builds on the prior one, and is designed to have a shelf life of two to five years. It is relevant now, and so too are the past several annuals. We will make the last three editions available as a package offer (Next World Stories, Light Bridge and Reality Check).

Basically, what you see in Planet Waves annuals fulfills the dream of many astrologers who came before me — making available individually relevant astrology, affordably, in a beautiful presentation. The voice you hear and that you read is my own, and I view our relationship as a bond of trust.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

With love,

Next Stop: Deep Sagittarius

Mercury retrograde — the famous one, that began on Election Day — ended Monday, with Mercury stationing direct in Scorpio. There was an eclipse of the Moon on Wednesday morning, and much other interesting astrology clustered in.

Chart for Sun opposite Jupiter on Dec. 2. See glyph legend here.

For Mercury hawks — Mercury will return to Sagittarius on Dec. 10 (Dec. 11 in Europe), making a square to Neptune. It will leave shadow phase a few days later, and then make a square to Chiron, when we may learn something a little extra about the American presidential election that everyone has fortunately forgotten.

The Moon is now in waning phase, and arrived in the sign Cancer Friday at 8:55 am EST. It makes a conjunction to Ceres, a reminder that nourishment on the emotional level is as important as food. It’s also a reminder to eat more wholesomely, remembering that everything you put into your body influences how you feel. This food-feeling relationship is often overlooked, but with the Moon conjunct Ceres in Cancer it’s impossible to miss.

Over the next few weeks, we get some clear weather, after a turbulent year of astrology that seems mainly to have pushed an inner confrontation rather than a political or social one. The general trend of the astrology continues to be more introspective than expressive. There is an interesting contrast between 2011 and this year, as last year was noted mainly for protests, uprisings and stunning disasters (one of which is still unfolding: that would be Fukushima).

We do have an expressive moment approaching, though, in the form of the Sun opposing Jupiter. This is an alignment across 11+ degrees of Gemini-Sagittarius. Imagine the Sun and Jupiter, the largest planet, in an alignment with the Earth in the middle, the approximate size of a pea compared to a beach ball (only hotter, the Sun) and a softball (but less dense, Jupiter). This is a powerful polarity that may feel a little like a Full Moon.

The Sun then makes a conjunction to the Great Attractor, a deep-space point, on Dec. 5. This is a kind of Sagittarian head rush, an event I think is partly responsible for the outrageous sense of time acceleration this time of year (forgetting the fact that it gets dark at 4:30 pm up here in the Northern Hemisphere).

We’re also headed for a significant public event: the winter solstice of 2012. This is the end of the 13th baktun of the Mayan long count. Part of its public resonance involves its occurrence on one of the solstice points. I have written many times that I don’t know the significance of this event; it’s a kind of x-factor. In a recent issue, I give my interpretation of the chart, and in that issue’s monthly horoscope for December I describe how it will influence the 12 signs and rising signs.

Apropos of much other astrology we’ve encountered through 2012, the planets seem to be describing what we need to change about ourselves and how we relate to others. One of the central questions, as I read the aspects, involves what we experience inwardly as contrasted with what we present to others (I cover this in the link above).

There is too much tension between these two poles of consciousness — who you really are, versus your public relations position. I suggest you notice when you’re saying one thing and feeling something else, acting one way but knowing that you really have another agenda.

For the rest of the year, the astrology is sending the message: your primary relationship is with yourself. I know this is an invitation to authentic sincerity, which can be as repelling to some as it is charming to others. So if you choose to take up that inner relationship, and then make yourself available to others, get ready for some mixed reactions — and notice who is nodding in your direction and saying ‘yes’.

Florida Republicans ‘Fess Up, Mercury-Style

Yet again, the 2012 U.S. presidential election is showing its Mercury retrograde stripes to great effect. Coinciding with Mercury’s station direct — an event known for letting the truth out — former Republican officials in Florida have admitted that their goal all along was to block Democratic votes, not to ‘prevent voter fraud’. Of course, everybody knew this already.

“I know that the cutting out of the Sunday before Election Day was one of their targets only because that’s a big day when the black churches organize themselves,” said an anonymous Republican consultant to The Palm Beach Post. Other Florida GOP members, including former Florida governor Charlie Crist, have confirmed the tactic was pure marketing bullshit. Former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer, currently under indictment for embezzling from the party, chimed in, saying “[Republican strategists] firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates.” President Obama ultimately won the battleground state of Florida.

Senators Propose Ban in Indefinite Detention Under NDAA

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would protect American citizens from being indefinitely detained. The amendment, which is cosponsored by several other Republican and Democratic senators, uses essentially the same language as the Due Process Guarantee Act, which Feinstein and Lee introduced last year.

NDAA, which turns the whole United States into a ‘battlefield’ in the War on Terror, was passed by Congress last year, and signed into law by Pres. Obama, while he was in Hawaii on Dec. 31. [The chart data is 12/31/2011, 10:03 am, Honolulu.]

The language of the amendment assures that no authorization to use military force, war declaration, or any similar authority would allow an American apprehended in the United States to be held without charge or trial.
During a discussion of their amendment on the Senate floor today, Sen. Lee said, “Senator Feinstein and I have worked closely together over the course of the past year to craft what we believe represents a very prudent course in protecting both our nation and our liberties at the same time. Security is important, and precisely because it’s important, it must not be acquired at the expense of our individual liberty.

“It may well be said that government’s most important basic responsibility is to protect the liberties of its citizens. Our nation has fought wars on American soil and around the world in defense of individual liberty. And we must not sacrifice this most fundamental right in pursuit of greater security, especially when we can achieve security without compromising liberty.”

Something About Juno

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Dear Friend and Reader:

The long-anticipated winter solstice of 2012 is now just weeks away. I may be one of the few people who has been considering the 2012 issue for 25 years who did not make a religion out of this event, which marks the end of the 13th baktun of the Mayan long count. I have a prediction for you: the world will not end.

Wedding cake ornament courtesy of Deising’s Bakery of Kingston, photo by Eric Francis.

I was first introduced to the 2012 idea when I was living in a spiritual community in 1986, in my first year as a professional news reporter. My year in the community — Miracle Manor in Piscataway, N.J. — ran from Sept. 1, 1986 through Aug. 31, 1987. That August was the Harmonic Convergence, a global event orchestrated by Jose Arguelles, author of The Mayan Factor.

Twenty-twelve is coming, he said, and we better get ready. By ready, I think he meant centered, focused and connected with others around the world who are setting their intensions on peace and healing.

Arguelles did not come up with all of this himself. Credit to introducing Dec. 21, 2012 into public consciousness goes to the brother act of Dennis and Terence McKenna in their 1974 book The Invisible Landscape. Yet it was Arguelles who, with some collaborators, took tangible, worldly action and helped us establish an anchor at one end of what some came to know as the 25-year span, from the Convergence to winter solstice 2012.

We are now on the exit ramp from that span, completing a cycle that has stretched on for 5,125 years, or more than 1.89 million days. It will deposit us right on the winter solstice of a year that included one of the Mayans’ favorite things ever, a transit of Venus (that was the big news back in June). There was also a transit of Venus in 2004 (the first of the pair). Whatever the implications of 2012 for you, there is another connection or turning point to be found in 2004, particularly June of that year.

The Mayans calculated this and plenty else besides without the benefit of the U.S. Naval Observatory’s ephemeris or the Cornell supercomputer. They were amazing at math and astronomy, and worked with numerous calendars simultaneously. They also dealt with a lot of the same problems we now face — climate change, war and political strife. In all likelihood they were not transported back to the Pleiades aboard the Mothership. It is probable that their civilizations were scattered and they became refugees, long before the arrival of Magellan.

From the beginning of my astrology studies, I cast the chart for the 2012 winter solstice over and over, and I could find little that was distinctive about that particular day. It’s true that every day is different and has something special; this chart does not especially stand out.

However the era we are now in was daunting to consider. Many outer planets would be changing signs in the years leading up to it (they have all done so — including Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). In the last years before 2012, there have been many planets discovered orbiting our Sun. Many interesting stories are being told in the sky in these years, and these very days.

Yet no matter how carefully I looked and how many new planets I brought into the chart, I could find no special ‘winter solstice alignment’. When the Sun sets that night, there will not be an eclipse or a string of planets glowing in the sky, harkening the New Age. The Sun will make no special alignment to the Galactic Center. I could not find one of those theories that checked out against the actual astronomy that was supposedly involved.

Photo by Eric Francis.

The one thing I kept noticing involved an asteroid called Juno, which was discovered in 1804. When the Sun arrives in Capricorn on Dec. 21, there will be a little planet waiting for it on the solstice point, one that most astrologers associate with marriage and jealousy. Juno, the third asteroid discovered, was named for the Roman equivalent of the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus and the queen of heaven. She was notoriously jealous and thought nothing of spreading all the emotional grief, despotism and clever revenge she could dish out.

“Well, her husband had a lot of affairs,” her apologists always say, as if that’s vindication for all the agony she wrought. Here is evidence that jealousy is rarely perceived to be the issue of the jealous person. It’s usually blamed on the person who is ‘making’ them jealous. The thing is, planets when used in astrology can develop themes that go beyond a literal reading of the mythology of the name.

Juno in a natal chart also describes potential marriage partners and tendencies around marriage, particularly the first one. A Sun-Juno conjunction in Capricorn looks like it’s describing the ‘institution of marriage’, since Capricorn addresses all things corporate in nature. This would include the institutionalization of relationships: their tendency to be rigid, to follow old rules and traditions, and to be excessively materialized (all properties of Capricorn).

Yet does this aspect cut it as the ‘2012 alignment’? The thing is, that’s what’s in the chart. Not only is it in the chart, it’s right at the winter solstice point, the focus of this whole business we have been describing as the [Northern Hemisphere] winter solstice of 2012. Even speaking as a minor planet specialist, I kept looking at the chart, seeing that Sun-Juno conjunction, and thinking, well, that can’t really be important enough to be the 2012 alignment.

It was one of those weird astrological games of hide and seek. I would look at the chart, see the Sun aligned with Juno, and then keep looking for something that seemed to be more important. Then I would come back to Sun-Juno and wonder what it was about.

It wasn’t till weeks before the event itself that I actually questioned whether that really is the central message of this momentous time in world history — something about marriage, or at least something about Juno.

Well, as it turns out, relationships are one of the most significant issues of our moment of history. Marriage remains a central goal of many people, as well as one of the biggest sources of profit for lawyers. Marriage itself is at a historic turning point. Same-sex couples can now marry in many places, even in the puritanical United States. This is an evolution not just in the history of our particular culture but also since the time of the Old Testament, when a man lying down with a man meant that he had to be stoned (now in Colorado and Washington, he can be).

Ideas about new relationship models are starting to percolate into our various communities, and have been covered by nearly every major print or Internet media outlet. Anyone who looks can find good information. Some people are starting to get the news that they have options. Others are starting to figure it out. Some figured it out a long time ago. This is still almost always ‘controversial’, though the seeds of progress have been planted.

Photo of found photo by Eric Francis. Model is Kit Brown, holding a wood cut by Suisse Moroccan at 59 Rivoli.

Here in the U.S., we’ve finally backed off of the Defense of Marriage Act, a ridiculous concept. The whole issue is about to get to the Supreme Court. Europe is already on board with this; we are at a significant turning point in world history where the fact of relationship diversity is being admitted.

One thing about the first degree of Capricorn — the winter solstice point — is that it relates to all of the other cardinal points, one of which is the first degree of Aries. The whole cardinal cross resonates with the Aries Point, which has the theme ‘the personal is political’.

Fifty or one hundred or five hundred years ago, who would have predicted that marriage and personal relationships would be one of the most contentious issues at this time in history? Who would have imagined that we who live in the capital of the free would be fighting for the right to have a relationship with the person we love, or trying to explain the obvious?

Yet we’re not talking about Juno by herself here; the Sun is in the picture, and it is the Sun’s movement that completes the 5,125-year cycle. In astrology, the Sun is one of the most vivid symbols for self. A Sun-Juno conjunction so prominent in the chart can be read as a kind of alchemical union with oneself.

This is the thing that our relationship-obsessed culture so often overlooks: that a relationship to oneself is the basis of all of the bonds and associations we form with others. It seems like just about all the time, every other relationship topic gets the attention, the books and the courses. There is still significant misgiving about the topic of self-relating. At least in the U.S., we have a taboo on the topic, concerned that it will be conflated with vanity, narcissism or being egotistical.

A great many relationships are about a narcissistic infatuation with ‘the other’ rather than recognition of the other. It’s possible to fall in love with oneself through another. It’s possible to fall in love with love. None of these options help us get our basic needs for contact met; they dry up quickly. And there is still what seems like a vast, orchestrated game to avoid intimacy and vulnerability.

This is one reason why our relationships are in such crisis. There are many other drains on intimacy, including the time shortage and an attention deficit, but if yourconsciousness is not centered in yourself as self-awareness, and if you are unable to recognize the value of someone you care about, that does not bode well for clear relating.

So to me, Sun + Juno on the Aries Point on this momentous day suggests that we really do need to get right with ourselves before we can be right with anyone else. That, or we need to go into our relationships honestly admitting that we’re also working out an inner relationship, and leave the bond with the other flexible enough to accommodate some self discovery.

Photo by Eric Francis.

Sadly, we are taught to do precisely the opposite in our intimate bonds. In order to preserve a relationship, it’s considered reasonable to subvert one’s own process of growth and change — or that’s what often seems to happen. The relationship is elevated to supreme status, and the life quest of the individuals involved seems to become its disciple.

The 12/21/12 chart — and the current relationship crisis — is suggesting we take the opposite approach. It’s time to ask honestly if our relationship structures, including our concepts of relationship, actually serve our growth. Are they flexible enough to allow the space necessary for the people in them to continue their process of being individuals? Or do the people in highly structured relationships gradually individuate in spite of them?

We seem to do a lot of growing through the process of forming and then cracking bonds with others, rather than creating flexible, sustainable associations that recognize who and what a person is, and allow for that ‘who and what’ to evolve naturally.

In part because I have a dialog with the public on relationship themes, I know that the discussion of evolving our relationship models is controversial. The seat of the controversy seems to be the unwillingness to confront jealousy, a theme deeply connected to Juno. This in turn reflects some deep insecurities that it’s simply not fashionable to confront, nor is it easy without a brave heart and some social support.

One thing that nearly everyone who tries to make their relationship more flexible comes up against is the crisis of what their friends might think. Juno is obsessed with playing a social role, relative to another. This indicates that our tendencies in relationships tend to be driven by a conformist obsession with what we pretend is the only socially acceptable way to relate. Yet another odd delineation of Juno involves the quest for social justice. The relationship issue is one that’s subject to activism and a bit of eduction.

Photo by Book of Blue Studio.

And everyone knows that people will do what they do, regardless of the rules. As we’ve been approaching the end of the Mayan cycle, one of the last big stories in the news was an extramarital love affair by someone considered a great war general. Everyone knows that perhaps half the time, the supposedly monogamous marriage is a kind of public relations position.

In my reading of the 2012 chart, this group of themes emerges as the culminating spiritual quest of our era. It’s time to guide our obsession with relationship toward an actual union within, which is to say, healing the many schisms that we take for granted.

As we commit openly to making peace with ourselves, we can form relationships that nourish and respect this most basic journey of existence. Then as we allow our curiosity to be set free, we can explore the infinite mystery of the other, from a grounded place of loving (which means accepting and appreciating) ourselves.

Here on the eve of the winter solstice of 2012, I envision a world where our relationships are built more of mutual support than of jealousy or competition.

More sympathy and less control.

More appreciation and less guilt.

More devotion and less obligation. More fidelity and less obsession with monogamy.

Where living sincerely takes the place of worshipping at the altar of our insecurities.

A world where we encourage curiosity and set aside expectation. A world where a creative approach to loving is embraced, and where there is less emphasis on ‘doing what we’re supposed to do’.

A world where we see the pain that deception causes, and recognize that only the truth is erotic.

Lovingly,

Sun in Sagittarius: Across the Universe

The Sun entered Sagittarius Wednesday, Nov. 21, commencing the last month before the winter solstice of 2012. To be clear, there is no Mayan prophesy — or any credible prophesy — calling this the end of the world, or anything other than the end of the 13th baktun, a span of time (13 baktuns of 394 years each) that has lasted 5,125 years, or about 1.89 million days. Nor, so far as I can reckon, is enlightenment about to seize the population, in one radical moment. We can agree that day 13.0.0.0.0 of the Mayan calendar arrives on the southern solstice on Dec. 21.

Looking toward Sagittarius, this scene includes the Lagoon Nebula (M8), the Trifid Nebula (M20), and NGC 6559, in the crowded, dusty starfields of the central Milky Way. Photo: PS1 Science Consortium/NASA.

Would it serve any purpose to hype this event up any more than it already has been? In many respects, 2012 has been a year like many others, though perhaps with a few extra positive turns in the story. Yet the year is ending with many record climate events (for example, the hottest year on record, with one of the biggest storms ever witnessed), another war in the Middle East, another sex scandal in the top echelons of government and a trip to the edge of the fiscal cliff.

If this is the ascension, I would rather go play in Amsterdam. So, let’s consider the astrology of the Sun’s trek through Sagittarius. Note that there are plenty of events still unfolding in Scorpio, including the current Mercury retrograde that began on Nov. 6 — Election Day in the United States.

Mercury will be retrograde in Scorpio until Monday, Nov. 26. The same day, Venus and Saturn form a conjunction in Scorpio. And the next day, Mars and Pluto — the ancient and modern rulers of Scorpio — form a conjunction in Capricorn. These three events work together, revealing some deep shifts in our emotional orientation toward sex, and a depth of truth coming out. Scorpio represents not only our visceral, emotional desires, but also all of the values that surround what we want, and our perceptions of the opinions that others might have about them.

One common factor is the idea of power exchange associated with sex, whether conscious or not. Mars-Pluto aspects and Venus-Saturn aspects both describe this, and now we have simultaneous conjunctions. Done unconsciously, the result could be a struggle for domination. Done consciously, the result could be the intentional exploration of authority, domination and submission, whether in fantasy or reality, for the purpose of pleasure and sharing. These dynamics could spill over into any area of life where human interaction is part of the story.

Summer view of the Milky Way by Anthony Ayiomamitis. To see an overlay of deep space objects captured in the photo, visit Anthony’s website and scroll over the image.

Coupled with Mercury stationing direct (‘the truth comes out’), these aspects may manifest as a personal discovery that surprises you, or embracing something about yourself that you’ve known for a long time. Contained within this grouping of aspects is the image of having options — something that we don’t usually consider too often, particularly where sex and relationships are concerned.

One suggestion is to consider the role that you give to structure (illustrated variously by placements in Capricorn, and the presence of Saturn in the equation).

Options are also described by the fact that Mars and Pluto are occupying a sign that is ruled by Saturn; at the same time, Saturn is occupying a sign co-ruled by Mars and (in modern astrology) by Pluto. When you see this kind of setup, it’s a suggestion to consider the ways in which you feel trapped in a situation, and the options offered to you by that same scenario. If you look closely I think you’ll see that either may be true, yet that exploring an option you would not usually consider can offer you an innovative way forward.

Meanwhile, Venus and Mars are not in the same place getting it on — rather, each is conjunct another planet. Venus is conjunct Saturn and Mars is conjunct Pluto. This is another illustration of options or of unconventional ways to express yourself.

When the Sun is in Sagittarius, it means that when we see the night sky, we are looking out into intergalactic space. During the summer, the night sky faces into our Milky Way galaxy, a familiar, reassuring sight. This time of year, the sky we see at night points toward deep space, meaning that the Sun aligns with two points that have emerged as significant to astrology — the Great Attractor (with which the Sun aligns on Dec. 5) and the Galactic Core (with which the Sun aligns on Dec. 18). Both of these are concentrations of dark matter and massive gravity.

When the Earth and Sun align with these points, the result can be overwhelming influences, which can feel like getting flooded with cosmic rays, as the Sun gathers and condenses their energy. I think these conjunctions are partly responsible for the sense of time compression that we experience in these weeks of the Sun’s trek through Sagittarius. It’s true that in the Northern Hemisphere, we have short days and long, cold nights.

As the Sun nears Capricorn, we approach the famous solstice of December 2012, day 13.0.0.0.0. That is the x-factor, the thing that is in truth still up for grabs.

We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Warrant

In a strike against U.S. citizens’ right to privacy, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont bowed to pressure from law enforcement agencies and his own internet security bill, originally designed to protect our email privacy more strongly. If passed in its new form, it will actually give several agencies more surveillance power than they possess currently. After receiving an onslaught of criticism for his reversal, Leahy said Wednesday that he would not support the bill when it comes up for a vote next Thursday in front of the Senate Judiciary committee, which he chairs.

‘Yay privacy! Boo privacy! Yay privacy!’ Patrick Leahy flips flops on email privacy in the Senate. Photo: U.S. Senate.

As rewritten, Leahy’s bill grants 22 federal agencies authority to access Americans’ e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. In some cases, it would also give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge. Originally, Leahy’s bill required police to obtain a search warrant backed by probable cause before gaining access to the contents of e-mail and other electronic communications.

“There is no good legal reason why federal regulatory agencies such as the NLRB, OSHA, SEC or FTC need to access customer information service providers with a mere subpoena,” said Markham Erickson, a Washington D.C. lawyer. “If those agencies feel they do not have the tools to do their jobs adequately, they should work with the appropriate authorizing committees to explore solutions. The Senate Judiciary committee is really not in a position to adequately make those determinations.”

If the bill passes congress and is signed into law by Obama, it’s a disturbing setback for private citizens — and an inconvenience for a coalition of Internet companies. If users’ data is safer on personal hard drives than in cloud-based services, the shift to use of those services could be greatly slowed — though if you’re in the CIA and having an affair, it may not matter where you store your emails.

I discovered an awesome audio presentation visiting the website of my soul-twin, Bjork. To hear the audio, go to Bjork.com and let the animation end. The audio is at the bottom. She describes a concept that I’ve introduced in Planet Waves — biophilia. This is about your whole body and soul resonating with existence. Bjork didn’t come up with the concept, though she describes it well, as part of an offering for some music software she’s developed (which I have not looked at). — efc

Scorpio to Sagittarius and Back

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I cover all of the ongoing super-interesting astrology in Scorpio developing even as the Sun ingressed Sagittarius Wednesday. Check this out — Venus is now ingressing Scorpio, and will soon make a conjunction to Saturn.

Mars and Pluto, the ancient and modern rulers of Scorpio, are now in a conjunction in Capricorn. And Mercury is about to station direct in Scorpio. All of this comes into full focus Monday and will be gathering strength all weekend. I also offer my thoughts on Thanksgiving and gratitude as a way of life.

Our musical guest is Seth Davis, with two songs from his new CD Morning Songs.

I also mention that I have a 2012 book — an e-book called Light Bridge: The 25 Year Span.

Do you use Facebook? Please join our two pages — the Planet Waves Group Page (where there are many interesting real-time discussions among Planet Waves readers) and our company page. You will also see our latest blog postings, microblogs, special announcements and lots of other good stuff. Thank you and please spread the word to anyone you think would be interested.

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The extended forecast for December is published below in this issue. There is no weekly horoscope today. Inner Space for November was published Tuesday, Oct. 30. The November Monthly Horoscope was published Friday, Oct. 26. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. The November Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Nov. 20. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; Inner Space still publishes on Tuesdays.

Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December | By Eric Francis

Standing in for Weekly Horoscope #927

Sagittarius Birthdays This Week

What you don’t know can hurt you, and what you do know can empower you. This is not the year to have “Ignorance is Bliss” as your personal motto. This is a time in your life when questioning assumptions, particularly about yourself, will advance your growth more than anything. You seem to be standing in a blind spot, particularly when it comes to understanding your own creative power. You may feel like your vital force, or at least your good judgment, is being weakened by something. Please notice if this is true, and don’t take it for granted. Make sure you know what’s going on within your home and with your own family. There is just as much wake-up energy in your charts, though the sequence of events looks like you drift off and are then called to awareness by some inconvenient factor. If you push or even accentuate the awareness part, you will reduce the inconvenience factor. Meanwhile, note if anything has been trying to get your attention over and over. It could range from a physical symptom to something troubling your conscience; from a creative desire to a kind of spiritual mission; it may involve how you relate to your physical space or people in your household. Be mindful of any patterns. The sooner you notice them, the better. Note, I plan to have your Sagittarius birthday reading early next week. Check this space for more info. — efc

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Being weird is not enough. Having no fear of being perceived as weird is essential. This will help insulate you from any misguided impulse to sacrifice your individuality or conform to what some authority figure wants you to be, and I assure you that the temptation will be there. Yet experiencing the tension between ‘rebellious’ and ‘conformist’ is not enough to guide you, on its own. You must do something subtler, which is trust that your self-guidance is more effective than anything any ‘leader’ could provide. Worship of authority is one of the most common forms of the mommy/daddy drama that adults, by definition, have resolved and put behind them. Getting clear about these things will allow you to step into the bold place of being an actual creative person, rather than an iconoclast. Of course, one persistent icon does need to be taken off of the altar, and that is your self-image. Remember that actual self is stronger, more influential and more beautiful than any mockery of it could be. Therefore, avoid glamour, fashionable trends of belief or doing anything for the sake of appearances. If you can do this, you will guide yourself deeper into the confidence that you are the only leadership you need. To many this will seem like a dangerous place, and it just may be. I suggest you equip yourself with a few more tools. The most important one is honesty, by which I mean the willingness to know yourself, and call something what it is.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — It’s easy to turn relationships into a religion. It’s also easy to group with others based on a structured belief system. Having the two in the same place is a hazard to your growth. Intimate relationships do not need to be grounded in materialized form, in ideology or in commitments that extend far into the unforeseeable future. If humanity is to proceed in a way that could vaguely be called progressive, enlightened or honoring of human potential, relationships need to be a flexible meeting of individuals who support one another in getting to understand themselves. Please don’t underestimate the extent to which relationships as we’re taught to think of them are designed to undermine that very process. The problem you may face is that stepping into actual individuality is so daunting. The reasons for this go back as far as the first person who declared himself king, and demanded the loyalty of others; they extend into the present day, when most people fully expect to be punished for authenticity. I don’t think that either of these are the real issue. For you, it’s about diving into the unknown, and by that, I mean consciously entering the space within yourself where you actually don’t know who you are, and where nothing can substitute. If you can embrace what you don’t know about yourself, you may catch a glimpse of how much you have to discover, and what beauty the mere willingness to meet yourself would release into the world.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Actively cultivate your vision, both for your own life and for the world. Then hold that vision gently, and take a conscious step every day in the direction of expressing it. To do this, it will be necessary to look beyond what you think of as the potential in your current relationships. Whether you think of that potential as limited or extraordinary, whether your relationships are inspiring or distracting, there is something more that you have access to. At times this thing I’m calling a vision feels so subtle you can barely bring yourself to admit that it exists, much less to accept that you can manifest it. Other times you may engage directly in the controversy and sense of difference that seizes the world. And at yet other times you can feel the actual power contained in your vision, including the subtlety and the controversy. They are all part of the same thing. What I am saying, though, is that to bring this in fully, you need to look beyond the parameters of your current relationship involvements, whether personal or professional, friendly or hostile. Those relationships may, at some point, factor into what you do, and they may provide you with suggestions about what you want or don’t want. To attain your potential, you must be willing to take leadership, and for a while, that may mean accepting being misunderstood, or perceived as a threat to the security that others usually enjoy in your presence.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The world is your mirror. It is therefore the place to extend any compassion or appreciation that you have discovered on your journey to wholeness. Selflove emerges from your center, though if it’s to be meaningful — indeed, if it exists at all — it will extend beyond you into the gentle embrace of the people around you. One indication that you’re doing this is that you find yourself treating people on equal terms. The usual hierarchies and pecking orders of life give way to the understanding that we are all on the same journey, that we all contribute to one another’s lives, that we all reflect one another. While I am not suggesting that there is absolute equality among all of your relationships, they are a lot less different from one another than you may imagine. And the one thing they all have in common is you. In this way, the compassion that you offer to yourself extends out to others the moment that you feel it — unless you feel threatened and choose to hold back. I suggest you notice if you’re doing that, because when you hold onto defensiveness, attachment, fear or guilt in ‘someone else’, you’re really holding onto it within yourself. They want to be free from their pain, and want to be close to others, just as much as you do. For anyone to feel secure in this world is as meaningful as your own need to. If you think you take risks, consider that others may take even greater risks. If you want the privilege of vulnerability, extend your hand. Take off your glove first.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Nobody in this world should be excluded from healing, and in the end, nobody is. Yet you may need to balance your desire to include everyone with the understanding that some resist, some go kicking and screaming, and others have another agenda entirely. The most significant theme to focus on is your own healing agenda; if you’ve ever wondered when the perfect time would come to do this, you’re standing right in it, right now. Here are some themes as I see them: how do you handle your need to belong to the world around you? (Some options are: conforming, collaborating, communicating or coveting.) How do you relate to the past? (Some options are: destroy it, reinterpret it, regret it or learn from it.) How do you handle your obsessions? (Some options are: self-control, hyper-focus on your immediate environment, or eating your brain alive with anxiety.) How do you handle your violent tendencies? (Some options are: take them out on yourself, collect weapons, play sports, argue with everyone.) Most significantly, what is your concept of relationship? Does it include or exclude others? Are you basing your conduct on a commitment to freedom, or retreating into jealousy? The implication of your chart is that relationships are the most significant focus of your healing process right now, which will, sooner or later, include providing both an example and a safe space for others. In this regard you are far more influential than you may suspect.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — If you are hesitating, make sure that it’s not to avoid provoking the insecurities of someone else. There are many reasons to pause, reflect and to use your power judiciously, though one of them is not acting out a childhood fear that someone more powerful than you will be scared by your potential. I have a suggestion. Try on the world from two points of view. In the first, imagine that everyone around you is threatened by your existence. Make no exceptions — imagine that every response or reaction is the result of a threat that someone else feels, and it’s all about you. In the second, imagine that nobody is threatened, that everyone embraces you, and that anyone’s apparent response or reaction to you is all about who they are and has nothing to do with you. Practice this for a little while and the difference will start to become stark. I suggest you develop sensitivity to when you’re trying to compensate for what you think are someone else’s potential reactions to you. Notice when you cut yourself off and therefore don’t give yourself a chance to get anywhere near full expression. Notice when this whole dynamic is influencing your decisions. There is another way to be — though it calls for a mix of self-awareness and bravery. If at any time you feel yourself compromised, add one or better yet both of these ingredients, and see how this shifts things. Note, there is an efficient way to access both in one gesture: curiosity.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) —
Are you feeling confident, or afraid that the ground is going to drop out beneath you? Is it time to embrace the people in your life, or are you making more excuses to keep them at arm’s length? What you’re going through is certainly deep, and it’s stirring up some old questions, some fear and many of your old reasons to keep people at a distance. That said, I don’t think there is a time when we’re actually ‘ready’ to be close to others. Rather, I would say there may be a time when we understand that everyone is a work in progress. Part of that progress is the willingness to accept your insecurities, not as a permanent part of who you are but rather something you experience. To accept your insecurities implies revealing them in intimate situations, which in turn implies giving people power over you. Here’s the problem with this point of view: if you see your life as a power dynamic, you’re living in the world of politics rather than human emotions. Part of your Libra karma is to understand what one professor at my university called ‘the politics of love’, which includes the politics of your early-childhood environment. That may have been a rigid world, based more on expectations than on compassion. You have the awareness and determination to see the implications of the past on your life today, and to work them out. I would ask: what’s that inside your velvet glove? Is it an iron fist, or a warm, loving hand?

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The time has arrived to distinguish you from your ideas about yourself. You may not be the first kid on the block to succeed at this, so don’t expect a keg party in your honor. Yet what is likely to happen is that by experiencing yourself differently, you will see the world differently. This is most of the issue, right? The willingness to see, to envision and to experience the world as different (particularly, as different from the one that our parents imposed on us)? Yet to embark on this requires consciously embracing instability, uncertainty and the unknown — not the flavors of the month these days. Both your ‘ideas about yourself’ and ‘yourself’ are powerful concepts, though they are different kinds of concepts and need to be distinguished from one another. For some, this is about sorting out the appearance of something from the underlying reality — the press release from the contentious meeting where it was written, and where much else was said. For others, this is about distinguishing where you are now from where you want to be in the future. And for others, this is a question about how the past weighs on you, and may drag you back to a time and place that no longer exists. All of this would be much easier, were you willing to take the risk of rejection. That implies having little to no influence on what people think of you. Then, you could be honest with yourself, and proceed on that basis alone.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — If there is nothing holding you back, then what is holding you back? At this point, it’s likely to be the feeling that you’re not on solid or stable ground with yourself. So I would ask, can you get accustomed to the fact that the Earth is moving? Can you accept that as a fundamental truth of existence? (The Earth really is moving beneath you, literally and metaphorically.) Many factors in your astrology suggest that there is no certainty, and that nobody can hand it to you. Yet this also means that you are standing in a rare, and beautiful, opportunity to embrace the potential contained in an actual review of what you think, what you feel and what you value the most. In other words, questions are more valuable than answers, in part because they lead you to an open-ended place. If your phase of questioning is to end before you embark on your experiment, that’s a little like buying a set of paints, putting them in the closet and waiting for them to dry out before you make a painting. The uncertainty you feel is an experience of your potential — as is any self-doubt, or anger at yourself, at your past, or for that matter anger at your parents. You seem to be pulled between the desire for total, radical independence at the same time you’re aware that every aspect of your life contains subtle or overt interdependencies with the rest of existence. This is less of a paradox than it seems.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — “Become the change you want to see in the world” may be getting old as a slogan, but not as the thing to do. The 2012 phenomenon — day 13.0.0.0.0 of the Mayan calendar (marking the completion of a 5,125-year cycle of time) — happens when the Sun ingresses your birth sign in December. What is the message, to you personally? It’s a resounding cry for social justice, which can only be answered in the embodiment of leadership by example. It’s the only kind that works, whether intentional or not, and whether the example is of corruption, truth or love. Therefore, be conscious of the example you provide. Be conscious of the alignment of your words and of your actions. What you say, what you do and who you are has an impact on the world. You may not feel that way, yet. One thing that will help you notice your influence is to pause in trying to live up to what you think others would have you be. You do not need to be anything but who you are. In our particular world, the fact that this may not be acceptable to some people is evidence that you’re doing what is right, and popularity may be a sign that you’re wasting your time. Express your passion for justice by being just. Include people rather than exclude them. Make nobody conform to your point of view. Offer your empathy and consciously, vocally refrain from trying to control anyone — especially yourself.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — I would suggest you take a less somber and more celebratory approach to life, to sex and to work. Remember — you’re not in this alone. That would be your worst fear, and thankfully it’s not vaguely possible. Yet something equally daunting is. In order to work with, bond with and grow with others, you must be willing to do these things with yourself. At first, deep self-embrace can feel like reaching for someone’s hand in the darkness. Yet imagine this hand in the darkness is grasping for you, though you cannot see where it is, or be sure that it’s there. It’s far easier to reach for someone else, but less meaningful until you’ve embraced your fear not of being alone but rather that you might not show up for yourself. The nice thing is that unlike in an interpersonal relationship, you get to decide what you’re going to do; you have all the influence and you make all of the decisions. When you get to the place where you’re entirely certain that you’re going to meet yourself, and know that you will never abandon yourself, that gives you a lot more freedom in everything you do, particularly in your relationships with others. The world has this one backwards, as the usual logic runs, “I will show up for myself when someone shows up for me.” By now you’ve seen the futility of this — and you’ve tasted the essence of nourishing yourself, which is your prerogative every moment of this life and beyond.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You have come a long way to get where you are. It’s taken you a long time and impeccable patience, and for years you’ve sorted through your mind with the approximate feeling of sifting through a box of pottery shards. You are finally starting to get a sense of your wholeness — and the strength that this offers you. One gift of wholeness is the benefit of being able to see the world from many points of view. Your psychic mobility is your best asset, and it’s in full bloom right now. Don’t worry if those who lodge themselves in one point of view find this disorienting. In this moment of history, nobody can really afford to be rigid, or convinced of their rightness. And you cannot afford to have the idea that there is no truth, or that the truth can never be known. As you shift from viewpoint to viewpoint, observe the world and notice what changes, and what the different perspectives have in common. After a while, I think you will start to see the obvious, and then you will be able to express it in a way that entices others to embark on their own healing process as a matter of free will. Any fool can spot differences; it takes a perceptive person to notice common ground. You may wonder, however, why others don’t see it. The answer is because they have not looked. In truth there is so little we don’t know — about our problems, or about our solutions.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

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The Affairs of Captain America

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Everything in the world was proceeding normally and calmly as usual, and life was simple — that is, until Andrea Mitchell, NBC’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, interrupted MSNBC’s regular programming last Friday afternoon (Nov. 9) at 2:51 pm EST with the news that David Petraeus, the chief of the CIA, had resigned due to an extramarital affair. This is an unusual kind of news for the days after a presidential election, which are usually pretty sedate.

General David Petraeus and his biographer-turned-mistress, Paula Broadwell, in July 2011. Photo: U.S. Navy photographer.

Were we to have heard no more, had it all ended there, that story would be pretty interesting. Petraeus, described as a well-respected retired four-star general who had overseen the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, had resigned from his relatively new job as the head of one of the world’s top spy agencies — over an affair?

Can’t the chief of the CIA keep that kind of thing quiet? Wouldn’t he have lots of help doing so?

If you follow astrology, you know that this is a fitting story to have breaking just before a total solar eclipse in Scorpio, one that had additional impact due to being the first solar eclipse in that sign in 17 years. I said in that morning’s edition that this eclipse would dredge up the ancient silt from the bottom of the Scorpio lake, and spread it all over the land.

The timing, less than three days after Pres. Obama won re-election, was also interesting and to many suspicious, giving rise to a diversity of theories as to what might have happened (most of the more paranoid ones are being proffered by FOX News and some Republican politicians).

It’s worth considering: was this news delayed to protect the president’s re-election bid, or was it a botched attempt at an October surprise that happened a week too late? Was it a ploy to drag down his newly won second term?

Or was it a diversion from the fact that Petraeus was about to testify before members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees the following week, speaking on the CIA’s role in the attack on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, this past Sept. 11? Would the scandal discredit Petraeus, who had promised to tell the truth? [Despite having resigned, he was scheduled to testify at 7:30 Friday morning in a closed session.]

The Benghazi attacks were supposedly prompted by a video making fun of Mohammed, resulting in a protest at a consulate where things got out of hand [covered in Planet Waves]. The attack turned out to be a pre-planned military assault on the compound, which killed Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three members of his staff.

One right-wing theory is that the State Department intentionally neglected security at the consulate, resulting in the deaths of Stevens and his staff — or worse, that someone on Obama’s team ordered the guards to stand down and let the attack happen.

This is being ascribed by some to be the product of “some insane political motive” of Obama’s, as one conservative characterized it, though few want to state it out loud. The clear implication of this viewpoint is that Obama is a pro-Jihad Muslim sympathizer or actual Muslim — and an enemy of the United States, aiding the enemy. In case you’re wondering what part of the fuss is about, and what some are blaming Obama with, this mindset is lurking just below the level of what’s broadcast on the news. It’s also an indicator of how much can be made of how little, and the ways in which these events might be further politicized.

Yet considering this theory, what purpose would have been served by allowing Stevens to be killed with the election just two months off? And what about all that money the Republican-controlled House of Representatives did not approve for embassy security? It would seem more likely to be either a colossal screw-up of a covert operation, or potentially the work of Obama’s enemies in the CIA or the military.

For its part, the CIA stirred up suspicion when it ‘got the story wrong’ in the days after the event. They originally went with the ridiculous out-of-hand protest over the Mohammed movie version of events, an obvious cover story, then the story morphed a few times — and now the CIA seems to have been directly involved in Benghazi.

Two of the security agents killed were CIA contractors. Reportedly only seven members of the 30-member ‘consulate’ staff were part of the State Department. By some reports the ‘consulate’ that was attacked was actually a CIA compound involved in a program to buy back weapons sold to the Libyan government before they got into the wrong hands — and it was holding Jihadist prisoners there. (Paula Broadwell spoke about the prisoners in a public presentation recently, information that she presumably got from Petraeus.)

In a similar version of events, the CIA had the prisoners at what’s called a ‘forward observation post’ (FOP) involved in the weapons buyback program (called “locate and neutralize,” or LOCNEU) just half a mile away from the supposed consulate. In any event, the CIA was closely involved with this supposedly diplomatic outpost, the primary mission of which may have been to funnel the weapons out of Libya and into the hands of Syrian rebels.

The Benghazi controversy was brewing through September and October, though the only notable time it came up during the campaign was in the second debate, when Romney tried to claim that Obama hadn’t acknowledged that the incident was terrorism. In fact he said it was terrorism on Sept. 12, which moderator Candy Crowley confirmed. That was pretty much Obama’s knockout punch of the evening. (This also reveals how superficial the debates really were.)

On Tuesday afternoon Nov. 6, just before Mercury stationed retrograde on Election Day, we’re told that Petraeus was informed by his boss, a guy named James Clapper, Obama’s director of national intelligence, that he should resign due to the scandal. Here, we have a manifestation of the Mercury retrograde factor on Election Day, though it was temporarily behind the scenes.

Quitting, Clapper said, would be the noble thing to do, despite this ending a long and storied career by one of the most respected generals in recent history. (Even Jon Stewart portrayed Petraeus as Captain America in a way designed to be flattering rather than mocking.) Petraeus submitted his resignation, Obama is said to have taken a day to consider it, and news that Petraeus was stepping down broke Friday afternoon.

For years, it seems like going back to childhood, I have been ranting about how the Aries Point, the first degree of the zodiac (00+ Aries, the location of the Sun on the vernal equinox), has a theme of “the personal is political.” This chart for the news breaking, posted below, has the Aries Point rising — to the degree, describing an event that’s both personal and political and which as a result is likely to have a far-reaching effect.

Any one degree of the zodiac rises for just four minutes each 24-hour period, and when Andrea Mitchell went on the air in Washington, DC, the Aries Point was precisely the degree that was rising, indeed to one-sixth of a degree. The chart is an Aries Point bull’s-eye. The position of the ascendant depends on the location of the chart; the chart is cast for where Mitchell was at the time of the newscast.

We were about to see just how personal the political could become. Petraeus (as the story goes) was discovered by the FBI to be having an affair with his biographer — intelligence analyst Paula Broadwell, West Point graduate and daughter of the military academy’s superintendent. She would be the central casting mistress for a four-star general. As it happened, he became chief of the CIA and was taken out by an FBI investigation into the affair, despite the fact that everyone acknowledges that no crimes had been committed.

Chart for Andrea Mitchell breaking the story about CIA chief David Petraeus. Notice the Aries Point on the far left side of the chart — the 00 and the Aries symbol in the outermost wheel. That is the Aries Point rising, exact to one-sixth of a degree. Each degree of the zodiac rises for about four minutes a day. Mars, the ruler of the ascendant, can be seen on the top right of the chart. It’s conjunct the Galactic Core, which is not shown in the display. See full chart here. See glyph legend here.

Then over the following 48 hours, the story became more complex, when we were told how this information got out in the first place. Apparently the scenario comes back to Tampa, Florida — home of porno shops, fried chicken and the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the center from which the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are being run. Lots of generals hang out there.

A socialite named Jill Kelley, who with her husband hosts parties for dignitaries visiting CENTCOM, was friendly with some of those generals, perhaps a little too friendly, and she got some threatening, jealous emails telling her to keep away from Petraeus.

Kelley had a friend in the FBI and he got an investigation going. She turned over her computer to investigators. By tracking internet addresses (called IP addresses), and prying into one inbox after the next, FBI agents discovered that the threatening email sender was Paula Broadwell, a famous author. They discovered that she was having an affair with Petraeus, about whom Broadwell had written a book.

Emails from the same address — KelleyPatrol — had also gone to a diversity of generals, warning them of Jill Kelley’s seductive and flirtatious ways.

With access to the email accounts, the FBI kept fishing, and discovered that Kelley was involved in a salacious correspondence with another four-star general, John Allen, commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Allen was, this very week, up for promotion to the top NATO job in Europe; that appointment was put on hold and is unlikely to materialize. For what it’s worth, all of these people are married to others not named in this story. So it’s a pretty good sex scandal, with an impressive cast of characters, set within a sensitive, potentially explosive moment in history.

While it’s possible to describe, the problem with this whole scenario is how few of the facts add up to something cohesive. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but as one of my readers said, as you study the facts, it’s not like putting together a puzzle; it’s like sifting through the pieces of five different puzzles mixed up in a box.

Or it looks like we are peering into the rarely seen private world of military aristocrats as it goes through the upheavals of a power play of some kind, in a morph of Peyton Place and the myth of Pandora’s box.

It remains true that a sex scandal is just about the only thing left that can rivet the attention of American media consumers, and sex scandals are always worthy of suspicion. One of the reasons that sex scandals are so appealing is because few people feel sexually clean, or right with themselves. When the drama gets projected outward, we get some relief from that pain. So it’s possible to get a real hook into the public with one of these dramas.

Yet as the fireworks go off and the clouds of hazy smoke rise, I keep wondering what exactly is all of this drama designed to obscure? And at the same time, what message is it sending?

A general having a mistress is about as surprising as teenagers making out on Saturday night. It is not a national news story, not a crime and not inherently a breach of national security. Then that general became CIA chief. So what is the FBI, which is supposed to be protecting us from kidnappers, the mafia and terrorists, doing investigating him, especially if no crime was committed? There would seem to be some kind of war going on inside the government. It almost looks like a mob bloodbath — or a total farce.

Are we to believe the head of the CIA to be so feckless that he forgot about the numerous programs designed to spy on American citizens, which copy every email and text message, and may record every single phone call? All of that is well documented; it’s old news.

Are we to believe that a woman reared in the household of a top military officer, who graduated West Point and was trusted with security clearance, would actually send anonymous, potentially harassing emails to top-ranking military officials — while in the midst of an affair?

Are we to believe that the FBI can get a federal warrant to enter the private email inbox of the CIA chief, who is not suspected of a crime? Who signed that warrant? Was there even one?

There are other freaky twists. Supposedly, the FBI agent who spurred the investigation went to Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, at least 11 days before the election — because he thought the investigation had stalled. FBI agents are supposed to stay far away from political activity. They are not freelancers. Yet this tells us that Cantor knew about this for at least 11 days and sat on the information? He knew about the situation before Obama did?

Are we to believe that the timing of this whole thing is an accident? It strains credulity — all of it. One thing to remember is that people involved in espionage and intelligence-gathering are accustomed to leading lives woven of deceit. Many of them know nothing else, and as a result don’t even know who they are. When the lid is lifted off of that box, it’s almost always disgusting in there.

There are plausible elements to the narrative; secret love affairs are common, especially among wealthy men. Women can get catty and competitive. Powerful people make mistakes and can get in beyond their depth, thinking they’re invincible — such is the nature of hubris. All of this adds intrigue and aura to the story. It has a kind of universal appeal, especially when we get to see the mighty and the powerful fall from supposed grace.

Let’s take a closer look at the chart, and then consider a real conspiracy — the biggest one of all.

As mentioned, the chart has the first degree of Aries rising. That gives the chart far-reaching impact as well as describing an event with staying power. The Aries Point is also an image of how all this personal baggage is being unpacked before the world. The private emails of top generals and people they’re intimate with are at this moment being read by investigators. (There is some irony here in that American citizens have been spied on in the name of supposed national security, and now a spy chief and top general have been ensnared in the same rationale.)

Chart for the news of the Petraeus resignation breaking on MSNBC one week ago today. Saturn, which represents Obama, is in the 8th house, to the right side of the chart, in mustard yellow. (It’s just outside the 8th but it’s within five degrees of the cusp, making it part of the 8th.) It’s in Scorpio. This suggests that we’re looking at a scandal that Obama could be dragging through much of his second term, if it’s exploited. See full chart here. See glyph legend here.

This is a chilling reminder that there really is no such thing as privacy, and chill us is precisely what it does. We’re reminded again when we see scenes of FBI agents carting off Paula Broadwell’s iMac and file boxes, during a “visit” to her home (that’s what it keeps being described as), supposedly with her permission.

Setting aside the narrative (which is easy to get lost in) these facts and images are designed as a kind of threat to the public. The message is that there’s is no inner sanctuary, no place where we’re safe from scrutiny, no space for intimacy in the world. Every keystroke is recorded and can be used against us. It’s as horrifying as the telescreens on the walls of every room in the novel 1984, recording everything that happens.

The ascendant of this chart is Aries, so we can look to Mars for more information. The Mars/Aries thing is appropriate for a scandal focused on the military. We find Mars in Sagittarius in the 9th house — with global influence. There is no doubt that this is an international military issue. It’s not merely a case of the spy who loved me, though we do see the mistress/lover looming over the western horizon — that’s Venus in Libra in the 7th house (blue planet on the right, above the dark line). She looks like a decoy.

Mars (and the question of what happened) has even wider influence due to the fact that it’s in a conjunction to the Galactic Core. Think of the GC as being so high you can’t get over it, so wide you can’t get around it. To me this says, “this issue — whatever it is — lurks behind everything.”

If we are looking for the involvement of, or impact on, Obama, we can look to the 10th house, the house of “all the way to the top.” This is the house of high office, admiralty and the presidency. The 10th house has Capricorn on the cusp — indeed, the first degree of Capricorn, an extension of the Aries Point. For more information we look to the ruler of Capricorn, which is Saturn — which represents the president.

Saturn is in Scorpio and the 8th house. The 8th is the house of death and transformation. This describes a troubled presidency — unless it’s handled cleverly, this whole issue could follow Obama through his entire second term. The Republicans have lost everything, and they have nothing to lose. They have no other issues to work with, except to go on the offensive against Obama.

The problem is that he may be involved — at least in the sense that he’s the political arm of the Military-Industrial Complex, which I wrote about two weeks ago. He has a secret role in this, or at the very least he knows a lot more than he can say at the moment; Saturn also rules the 12th house, because Aquarius is on the cusp (Saturn is the traditional ruling planet of Aquarius). It’s as if his hands are not clean of the karma of this chart — or he may be playing two roles, or being influenced by forces much larger than he is. We know from the history of the Kennedy administration that this is true of any president.

The Common Thread

One thing that everyone involved in this scenario has in common is involvement with the military or some spy organization. Everyone is involved with warfare. And the minds of all media consumers are consumed by the notion that some people had sex or sexy email exchanges. This romanticizes things, which in turn conceals from thought that in the background of everything is warfare.

Frame of Collateral Murder, the video of the U.S. ambush on unarmed civilians in Baghdad in July 2007. The voice from the helicopter is saying, “Light ’em all up. C’mon, fire!” Photo from Collateral Murder.

Petraeus is being presented to us as a hero who fell from grace. In fact, he presided over the fraudulent, botched and illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have killed, injured and displaced millions of people the past 11 years. Everyone in the media seems to be missing this point — what sponsors all of this madness is murder.

Petraeus is offered to us as a venerated general, who served his country well. Consider this fact. Petraeus took command of operations in Iraq in January 2007. On July 12, 2007, there were a series of airstrikes in Baghdad conducted by a team of two U.S. Army Apache helicopters. Crew members reported that they had seen a group of nine to 11 men, two of whom were war correspondents for Reuters — Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. They claimed the men were armed when in fact nobody was. A journalist’s camera does not look like a rifle.

In three incidents concentrated within 20 minutes, helicopter snipers (firing 30mm cannons, bullets nearly two inches wide) shot the journalists, killed at least 12 civilians, fired on a man crawling for cover and fired on a van, killing two children, and fired a rocket at a building where people had run for cover.
They acted with approval of their higher-ups. None of the people killed were militants.

This incident was revealed in the video Collateral Murder, given to WikiLeaks by Pvt. Bradley Manning, who is currently facing charges for turning over this and many other documents, without which the public would know little about the truth of the atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Baghdad helicopter attack, in which 12 to 18 or more civilians, including children and journalists, were killed, happened under the watch of David Petraeus. After an Army inquiry, there were no repercussions for those involved.

Commenting on the report, Julian Assange told Democracy Now! that, “The tone and language [of the report] is all about trying to find an excuse for the activity… It’s very clear that that is the approach, to try and find any mechanism to excuse the behavior, and that is what ended up happening.”

American helicopter about to fire on a van full of civilians, including several children. The voiceover on the cockpit video says, “Come on!” — as in shoot. Photo from Collateral Murder, a WikiLeaks project.

Assange also said, “There were three families living in that apartment complex, many of whom were killed, including women.”

The WikiLeaks files are brimming with incidents like this one — thousands of them. And with the exception of the WikiLeaks files getting their brief moment in the sunlight, countless civilian murders and military atrocities have been concealed and unaddressed.

David Petraeus is not a guy who had an affair. He is a war criminal. It was on his watch that this massacre happened and was covered up. Often the tone of an organization will be set by its leader, especially in a strict top-down structure like the military. As the old saying goes, “Shit rolls downhill.”

The nature of this whole love affair charade is to conceal that fact, and to conceal that many of the people involved are also war criminals, involved with mass murder. That Petraeus took a bright young woman as his lover reveals that he has human tendencies. It’s the good part of the story, the part where there is a spark of life — though in the context of things, just a little one.

It’s also a ruse to cover up far more important events, their impact and the real motives behind what’s happening. A lot of bad things happened when David Petraeus was on duty. That he covered his chest in an ever-expanding pile of medals and decorations is just more coverup.

And at the moment, war rages on and on — in Afghanistan, in Iraq (by mercenaries known as contractors) and with Israel and the Hamas pounding one another.

Lovingly,

Mars Jumps Into the 2012 Aspect

Friday morning, the Moon made a conjunction to Mars, right before Mars enters Capricorn, which will continue to stir the pot.
The world is still vibrating after the first solar eclipse in Scorpio since 1995. That happened Tuesday, and will help us set patterns for the coming six months or longer.

Mars on the cardinal cross is one of those moments when the 2012 astrology, in particular the Uranus-Pluto square, might go up like a gas pipe. Mars first aspects Neptune (pretty mellow, imaginative, lusty) then over the week it will make a square to Uranus and finally, a conjunction to Pluto.

That’s the moment when you may look out your window or turn on the TV and think you’re living in the early 1960s, with all the excitement, or the early 1970s with all the scandal in government. That will be a switch — all the recent retro movements have pointed us back to the days of slavery, the time before women’s suffrage, prohibition and the 1950s.

As you feel that bust-loose, cut-loose energy of Mars setting off the Uranus-Pluto aspect (in effect from Friday through the end of the month), just make sure you direct your thoughts and your actions as consciously as you can, and make course corrections as early as you can, should you make an error.

On the immediate radar, Saturday is what’s called the interior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun. This is the midpoint of the Mercury retrograde cycle we’re in; it’s a slightly shorter one than normal. This is a triple conjunction, actually, of Mercury, the Sun and the North Node. This looks like a morph of sorting out your purpose for being alive, searching yourself for some emotional clarity, and opening up the sexual dialog with yourself, with partner(s) and with anyone else who belongs in the conversation.

Mercury will station direct on Nov. 26, so from now we have 10 more days to go. That event will come with another new wave of intrigue, though let’s read this book one chapter at a time. Remember that Mercury is making a series of squares to Neptune — check your facts. Check your opinions. Don’t take anything for granted.

Hostilities Escalate Between Israel and Hamas

Israel and Hamas are on the verge of all-out war. Israel pounded positions in the Gaza strip after Hamas fired rockets deeper into Israel than it ever has, striking hundreds of times. Air raid sirens were heard in Tel Aviv for the first time since the Persian Gulf War.

Three Israelis and 20 Palestinians were reported killed, and 235 Palestinians have been wounded. The conflict began Wednesday when Israel killed Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari in an airstrike and destroyed dozens of rocket launchers.

An Israeli defense forces spokeswoman reported today they were “recruiting” 16,000 reservists in preparation for a ground invasion; there are already up to 2,000 troops at the Gaza border, according to an anonymous Israeli official.

World leaders are trying to stem the escalation. French President Francois Hollande has begun talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other world leaders, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said. However, it would seem that that the two entities have irreconcilable differences, as Hamas is an Islamist terrorist group that does not recognize Israel’s right to exist.

And in a conference call with reporters, Ben Rhodes, U.S. deputy national security adviser, said, “We’ve urged those that have a degree of influence with Hamas such as Turkey, and Egypt and some of our European partners to use that influence to urge Hamas to de-escalate.”

A planned ceasefire set for today, to accommodate a visit by Egypt’s prime minister, failed when both sides reportedly continued fighting.

It Ain’t Over Till Mercury’s Direct

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., is facing a GOP vow to block her nomination by President Obama to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are leading the charge to obstruct any Senate confirmation of Rice, based on her handling of the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Rice spoke on several Sunday morning news programs about the incident, citing information given to her in a CIA briefing. Republicans in Congress claim she intentionally lied to them.

U.N. ambassador Susan Rice saying on ABC what she was told by the CIA — that the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was not premeditated. Republicans are saying she intentionally lied, and is not qualified to be Secretary of State.

Omaba issued a challenge to the senators earlier this week. “If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me,” the president said in his first post-election news conference.

“And I’m happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N. ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation, is outrageous.”

Meanwhile, in Mercury retrograde style, Mitt Romney continued the campaign well past Election Day. Though Romney conceded the presidential race, he continued to campaign. In a leaked recording of a conference call with his donors, Romney blamed his loss on “gifts” Obama has given to supporters — especially blacks and latinos.

“What the president — president’s campaign did was focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government, and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote,” Romney said. “What the president did is he gave them two — two things: One, he gave them a big gift on immigration with the DREAM Act amnesty program; number two, put in place ‘Obamacare,’ which is — which basically is $10,000 a family. I mean, it’s a proven political strategy, which is, give a bunch of money from the government to a group and, guess what, they’ll vote for you. The giving away free stuff is a hard thing to compete with.”

Romney goes on to whine about young people and college students, saying: “Forgiveness of college loan interest was a big gift. Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women. And then, finally, ‘Obamacare’ also made a difference for them because, as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people.”

Not all Republicans are amused; even the governor of Louisiana has distanced himself from Romney’s remarks, calling them wrong and divisive.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives kept its leadership on both sides of the aisle. John Boehner will retain his position as house speaker, and Nancy Pelosi will remain minority leader.

BP’s Payback: A Drop in the Bucket

British Petroleum (BP) said Thursday it will pay $4.5 billion in fines — including a $1.3 billion criminal penalty, the largest in U.S. history — and other payments to the United States government in connection with the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the spring of 2010.

Early on Thursday, BP said it would plead guilty to 11 felony misconduct or neglect charges relating to the deaths of 11 workers.

Later in the day three federal indictments were handed down: two manslaughter charges for BP well site leaders and a charge of obstruction of Congress and lying to federal investigators for BP’s vice president of exploration for the Gulf of Mexico.

The explosion, coinciding with the first of two ingress of Chiron into Pisces, led to millions of barrels of oil leaking into the water. The health of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem was further damaged by the widespread use of Corexit, an oil-dispersant that caused oil to sink to the ocean floor, where it can enter the food chain when ingested by microorganisms.

The charges and fines do not address the widespread death of wildlife or any ongoing health problems being experienced by emergency workers and those in the Gulf fishing community. In March, BP agreed with plaintiffs’ lawyers to pay claims from the local seafood industry and medical claims stemming from the oil spill, from a trust the oil company set up for such payments.

BP says it is in advanced talks with the U.S. government about settling criminal claims related to the spill. BP would still be subject to claims other than those pending criminal claims, including federal civil claims and claims for damages to natural resources.

“In particular, this settlement does not include what is potentially the largest penalty: fines under the Clean Water Act,” reported The New York Times. “The potential fine for the spill under the Clean Water Act is $1,100 to $4,300 per barrel spilled. That means the fine could be as much as $21 billion, according to Peter Hutton of RBC Capital Markets in London.”

The news comes the same week that the Paris-based International Energy Agency says the United States will surpass Saudi Arabia’s oil production by around 2020 with the aid of controversial extraction techniques such as “fracking” and horizontal drilling, which involve blasting rock formations with chemical-laden fluid.

A Rolling Jubilee for the 99%

The Occupy Movement, criticized by many last year for being too diffuse and disorganized with its ideas, seems to be finding its stride in taking action — first in quickly organizing post-Sandy relief efforts, and now with a movement to bail out people in debt. Called “Rolling Jubilee,” activists are raising money to buy distressed debt from financial firms, often for pennies on the dollar, then canceling it so that borrowers don’t have to repay.

Video still from Rolling Jubilee video, courtesy of Democracy Now!

Usually the third parties that buy debt from financial institutions try either to collect on it or ‘bundle’ it for resale. The Rolling Jubilee, however, is acting to “liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal,” according to an interview Thursday on Democracy Now! with Pamela Brown, a Ph.D. student in sociology at the New School and one of the organizers of the Rolling Jubilee.

“We came together, and we started to talk, and we realized that debt was really the tie that binds the 99 percent. It’s the intersection of Wall Street and our lives,” said Brown. Rolling Jubilee grew out of a coalition formed in the Occupy Movement earlier this summer called Strike Debt; debt is shaping up to be a virtual battleground, replacing Zuccotti Park. As of Thursday, Rolling Jubilee had raised over $185,000 in online donations — a drop in the $13 trillion of U.S. consumer debt, yet still enough to buy $2.5 million worth of defaulted loans.

It’s not enough to truly impact the system or jeopardize the cheap price of debt, but that’s okay. The point is to expose the predatory debt system. Find out more at strikedebt.org, where you can download The Debt Resistors’ Operations Manual.

Scorpio Eclipse Over Sesame Street

In a quick turnaround befitting a Scorpio New Moon during Mercury retrograde, a young man who had accused Kevin Clash, the voice of popular Sesame Street character Elmo, of having sex with him when he was underage has recanted his story. The man, who has not identified himself, now says the relationship was adult and consensual, in a statement released through the Harrisburg, Pa., law firm Andreozzi & Associates.

Kevin Clash and Elmo survived the eclipse but are still on leave from Sesame Street.

The news broke Monday morning, and the accusation was recanted the following day. The original accusation that Clash had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old was released by Sesame Workshop, which produces “Sesame Street” in New York, when they announced Clash would be taking a leave of absence.

Clash, who is gay, has a grown daughter from a previous marriage. He denied the charges immediately; soon after the accuser recanted, Sesame Workshop stated, “We are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode.”

The accuser first contacted Sesame Workshop in June. They immediately launched an investigation and met with the accuser twice and also with Clash. The unidentified man is currently in his 20s; sex with a person under 17 is a felony in New York if the perpetrator is over 21.

Clash announced Monday he will follow through with his leave of absence “to deal with this false and defamatory allegation”; there has been no word from Clash or Sesame Workshop as to when he may return to the show.

Russia Loses Contact With Satellites, ISS

In a classic case of Mercury retrograde mischief, a broken cable outside Moscow was the culprit behind the Russian space agency Roskosmos’ loss of communication Wednesday with its civilian satellites and its portion of the International Space Station. State-run news agency RIA Novosti had cited an unnamed source as saying Russia lost the ability to control most of its civilian satellites and send commands to the space station. However, once communications were reconfigured, the space agency said, all operations were back to normal, and the departure of a Russian, an American and a Japanese astronaut from the station, scheduled for November 19, would take place as planned. Military satellites were not affected.

Planet Waves FM :: Blue Studio Series :: (sex conversations)

This week I introduced a new Planet Waves FM audio series: conversations with Planet Waves readers about sex. These are not really interviews; they are an exchange of ideas, in an informal, freeform format. We’ll be hearing from people — so far, women — of a diversity of ages and sexual orientations. In the first installment, I speak with Nora, a 56-year-old mom and grandmother, who has discovered her freedom and is now exploring erotic adventures.

In the second edition of the Blue Studio Series, my guest Cat and I take up the question of what it means to be your own lover. Cat is one of many people who has a preference for being her primary sex partner. We talk about her selfloving journey, how she feels about it and how she relates to the world around herself as her own lover.

Here is would-have-been Senator Christine O’Donnell’s anti-masturbation revival video from MTV’s Sex in the 90s.Her last line really says it all…

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

Tuesday, Nov. 20, we will publish the Moonshine horoscope for November by Genevieve Hathaway. Friday, Nov. 23 we will publish the extended forecast for December. There will not be a weekly horoscope that day.Inner Space for November was published Tuesday, Oct. 30.

The November Monthly Horoscope was published Friday, Oct. 26. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. The October Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Oct. 16. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; Inner Space still publishes on Tuesdays.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Nov. 16, 2012 #926 | By Eric Francis

Scorpio Birthdays This Week

If you have a birthday anywhere in the neighborhood, or if you’re born with Scorpio rising, this is the year that you have the opportunity to get clear with others. Get clear about what? Your shared priorities — what some would call the most important things in life. They are also the most intimate. While this astrology suggests that you have a lot to discuss with partners about money, that’s not really the issue — the driving forces behind your values are the things to focus on. To do that, you need to be clear with yourself. You’re in a position where the values of another person could be influencing who you think you are. It’s easy to get lost in this maze, that is, to have others define you, without your even being fully conscious of that fact. This is the time to get conscious of the way these interactions work and the influences they hold over you. To do this will take some soul searching as well as some guts, but you’re a Scorpio — you have the strength to do it. Note — I’ve prepared an extended birthday report for Scorpio and Scorpio rising, which you can get at this link.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — For a child, work is play. That’s the space to get yourself into as you reach for some of your best accomplishments of the year, or indeed the past few years. It will be easier to use astrology to describe this. There are two things going on in your solar chart right now. One is that Mars is about to reach your midheaven, the career and achievement angle in a chart. Pluto has been there for a while, warming up the territory; Mars (the Aries planet) arriving there represents some tangible, conscious move on your part. There is the potential for you to over-reach or push a little too hard on the power attribute of Mars conjunct Pluto, so I suggest you take it easy and focus on the work at hand rather than making it about you. Meanwhile, the meaningful asteroid Child has arrived in your sign. This is suggesting to appreciate the moment you are in, to look at the world through young eyes, and to maintain what Buddhists call beginner’s mind. There are several ways these points could interact: at worst, childish tantrums or control dramas, and at best, a fresh, ongoing appreciation of work well done.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Your charts continue to emphasize your current relationship situation(s), a fact that’s not going to change for a while. Immediate factors suggest that it’s time for a careful
review of the past, including the way that mental habits have influenced your choices and in particular, the words you have spoken and the impact they have had. One choice you have is to build your new encounters on the heap of what has happened in the past. Another is to seek understanding about what has happened, and to re-evaluate your role, and that of everyone else. If you choose to camp out in a fixed point of view, you will miss the subtleties and indeed miss the many opportunities for nourishment that come from true understanding. It’s worth considering the history of all the ways you orient your existence on relationships and in particular, your concepts about them. Life when actually lived is not scripted, the end is not pre-determined and it’s not a role play. It’s something different, indeed, something much easier.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You seem to be making a profound decision about yourself, though I suggest that as a metaphor you imagine that you’re putting on a glove. That’s the feeling — it’s a choice, and something that you slip into, contoured to who you are and what you want. It facilitates your dexterity rather than getting in the way. You can apply that image to everything you’re trying to work out in your life right now. The slipping in and the dexterity are emotional rather than physical — though the most physical aspect of the experience involves your use of time, and the way you fit your priorities into time. The conscious use of time is one of the distinguishing factors of maturity and adulthood. Factors in your chart are informing you that the time has come to get a handle on this aspect of your life, which also translates to knowing your priorities and then being in emotional harmony with them. The emphasis is indeed emotional; the hand slipping into the glove is your emotions fitting snugly into your mind.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Remember that sex is an experiment. It’s also an interesting morph of expressive, relational and introspective. It’s not always easy to get your partner onto this page, or to find someone who is — and it’s easy enough for you to forget. Yet right now this experiment is calling you in a profound way. It’s as if your fantasies are aching for exploration and expression, yet you are wavering in your balance between ‘external’ and ‘internal’ focus. This may manifest as questions about what you will and will not say — about what you want, need and want to do. I recognize the potential delicacy of this situation, and the edge you may be perched on. What I suggest is this: get clear with yourself in words, over a series of days. Describe to yourself what you want, preferably in writing or recorded, that is, in a form you can retrieve. Then take the leap and share it with someone you trust. This may or may not be the person you would prefer to explore with; the first step is to transcend your inhibition about sharing. If you notice fear or shame, work with these things consciously, and tap the erotic energy they contain.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — As you take care of the details of your home, perhaps digging yourself out of some physical or financial disarray, I suggest you consider as deeply as you can what it really means for you to feel safe in the world. I say this recognizing that there are many people who have not felt safe for one minute since the day they were born. Others have grown up in the midst of so much turmoil that it’s difficult for them to have enough of a sense of what safety feels like to recognize it when it comes their way. Still others associate violation, pain or chaos with a kind of psychological ‘safety’ that’s really just a form of familiarity. There are a scant few people who actually know what it means to be held. Current aspects are inviting you to sort out where you are along this spectrum. You’re verging on a breakthrough of understanding what it really means to feel safe in your environment — particularly emotionally. I would remind you that part of this involves knowing where your boundaries are, and knowing when you’ve reached one of them.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — I’ve been doing a series of interviews with my readers about how they feel about sex, and what they think about it. One impression I am getting is how vital it is that we know where we stand with ourselves, and that we be willing to push the edges of what feels good, of what we need and most of all, what we want. Your solar chart tells me this is a topic that may be on your mind. It seems like you may be wanting to come to terms with, or understand in a deeper way, something that you’re not so sure about. You may be wrestling with a question from your past, or some element of your erotic psyche that is making you question yourself on a deep level. I recognize this may be uncomfortable at the same time that it’s deeply alluring and inviting. I know that sex and sexuality are sold to us as controversial. I can tell you that when you are settled with yourself in this aspect of your life, you will feel much better — and you have that opportunity now.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) —
For Libra and Libra rising, I’ve been developing the theme of self-esteem in recent columns. This is because Saturn, the Sun, Mercury and a recent total solar eclipse have been dancing around the sign next to yours — your solar 2nd house, Scorpio. As a matter of psychic structure, Scorpio is the region of the zodiac that holds the keys to how you feel about yourself, which includes the ways you can learn to feel better about yourself. Because Scorpio is involved, you have the special karmic mission of ‘self-esteem’ translating to making peace with some of the deepest matters we encounter in a physical lifetime: the mysteries of sex and death; questions about our cosmic origins; and the often contradictory nature of the human emotional body. Because the questions go so deep, they are not your average matters of self-respect. Yet what this gives you is profound access to your humanity. Libra is one of the most creative and multifaceted energies on the wheel of life. There is a reason: you are drawing from a deep well.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You may feel like you don’t understand yourself, or like you have so far to go before you do. If that’s what’s going on for you now, I suggest you take it as a reminder of how far you’ve come. Yes, your questions are real, and they may seem to lead to more questions rather than simple answers (or any answers at all). Yet while you’re doing this, some things are available to you that are not available to others who do not get so deeply involved with the mysteries. One thing is that your self-inquiry provides you with energy that will fuel your passion and your art. You are capable of being free from the kinds of judgments that ensnare so many people. Perhaps most significantly, you can groom this into curiosity that gives you a truly interesting life. If there’s a catch, here it is: this all becomes valuable and life-affirming to the extent that you put it to use. Guide these feelings into some tangible means of expression, thought or relating. For the next few weeks, writing may lead you to some deep spaces. Be generous with yourself.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — A lot is brewing inside that wide-open space you contain. Your imagination may be running away with you. The astrological picture is one of passionately emotional fantasy, the sensation of astral contact with others, or a driving urgency to connect with yourself. If you’re on the edgy side of these emotions, you may be experiencing fear, self-doubt and uncertainty about existence. It’s possible that you’re feeling lonely and craving contact of a kind that you cannot describe, much less admit to someone else. I would propose that all the emotions I’ve described here are part of the same thing. Fear and passion are closer than we usually admit. They can masquerade for one another, they dance with one another, and one can lead you to the other in unexpected ways. You are safe feeling all of these things. You are safe in your longing and your desire for contact. It is safe to imagine anything you want, whether you think it’s possible or not.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Mars is about to ingress your birth sign, and that’s likely to arrive with a bolt of energy and the release from anxiety you may not have noticed you were experiencing. If you did, it may have come in this form: is anxiety the cause of inaction, or is inaction the cause of anxiety? When this riddle resolves itself, it suddenly may not matter which was the cause and which was the effect; action itself is a form of relief. Focus helps you clear up the blurry edges of your thoughts, and expressing energy gives you more energy rather than consuming anything. As the next week progresses, this sensation may build. I suggest that you invest yourself into your choices and actions without hesitation. Practice living as if you have total confidence in yourself. Think of it as a gift you give to yourself. Dare to go beyond any feeling of doubt, taking confident steps. Fear is an emotion and it rarely speaks the truth. What we think of as freedom always takes courage, and offers courage as its first reward.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — One purpose of this past Tuesday’s total eclipse of the Sun in Scorpio was to blow through what felt like a glass ceiling that has held you down for so long. Yet what was this thing exactly? It was anything but transparent, so glass really isn’t a good metaphor. This was really about coming to terms with the darkness of the world, including some of your worst fears, your struggles with authority in various forms, and your fear of your own power. You have a tendency to whitewash the world in a philosophy of love and light, yet this doesn’t do anything to change the reality of a planet obsessed with control, survival and scarcity. The authentic expression of goodness depends upon a root into grief and suffering. Generosity depends upon awareness of the ways people deny one another. Freedom demands that you know how fragile freedom really is, how few people it actually exists for, and how much responsibility it entails. If you can do this, you will start to make contact with the true nature of trust.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Be clear about what you want to do, and also about the results that you want. You are now in possession of your vision and you know something about the method you’re pretty sure will get you there. Put all these ingredients together with faith in yourself. Remind yourself continually the ways in which you’ve succeeded at challenging things in the past, if you need a hedge against any lack of confidence — the truth is, you can afford to believe in your abilities and the virtues of your mission. Now, however, is the time to get your traction in the form of results. Take action and trust the action that you take, and recognize when something you do bears fruit. This may come in many forms, so I suggest that you not be attached to any one — at this point everything leads to one destination. Therefore, motivate yourself to be persistent, trust your passion and never let the hesitancy or self-criticism of others deter you.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

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