Category Archives: Weekly Horoscope

Weekly Horoscope

The Way Forward

Dear Friend and Reader:

Rarely has the Earth felt like such a dangerous place, on the constant brink of crisis and chaos. I don’t know anyone who is not working the edge in some way, trying to keep a grip or make sense of their lives. Many are feeling pushed to one limit or another, and there is the sense of time being vacuumed out of some hidden opening. Over the past week, I’ve heard an unusual number of stories of personal losses (parents, partners), relationships being rearranged and individuals going through changes on the level of what one astrologer said felt like her DNA getting a makeover.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks at the ceremony to mark the end of the U.S. mission in Iraq at the airport in Baghdad, Dec. 15, 2011. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo.

The world is indeed in crisis, and it’s taking us with it — though we have many distractions from noticing, and the excuse that we cannot do anything about it. But let’s take a quick look around. I heard on Thursday that 97 million Americans are at or close to poverty. The euro and numerous European banks are on the brink of default, which if they collapsed would ripple through the United States economy like a tsunami. American and British banks were recapitalized after the meltdown of 2008; the European banks were not, and they are still sitting on tons of bad paper.

It seems like we’re suddenly being confronted by every global crisis at once, as if we’re just discovering they existed. Fukushima and the BP oil spill are still happening — neither crisis is actually under control, they’ve just been ‘forgotten’. I’ve read many reports of new undersea leaks from the BP site, and radioactive water from Fukushima is still flowing into the Pacific Ocean. We still have no real idea how much of that stuff is ending up in our food, but we know we live in a time when it’s more convenient not to check; when most people would rather not know.

One bit of good news is that the Iraq war is ending. Thursday at 1:48 pm Baghdad time, the flag of the American forces was lowered in a symbolic gesture of the nearly nine-year occupation ending. The troops may be coming home, but more than 16,000 contractors will stay there, protecting the United States’ largest embassy. We’re being told we won the war, but Leon Panetta, the defense secretary, made his victory speech Thursday, telling us how fantastic things are going in the new, free Iraq, from the airport in Baghdad. The airport? Not the halls of parliament, or the president’s office?

Why do you think that was? I’m thinking it was the only place they could actually secure, and get him out fast enough so his life would not be in danger. And as for winning: at what cost? Okay — Saddam Hussein is gone. Yet think of the millions of lives lost or displaced; the families shattered; nearly a trillion dollars spent (before interest); and the war being used as a recruitment pretext for jihadists; the occupation leaving Iraq crushed and susceptible to invasion from Iran and Turkey.

George W. Bush delivering his infamous “mission accomplished” speech aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln as it steamed toward San Diego on May 1, 2003. The White House helped create the banner. The war raged on for eight additional years and cost the lives of 4,500 American troops (not counting the epidemic of suicides) and more than 104,000 documented Iraqi civilian deaths (the real number is much higher).

Remember the lies that Iraq was responsible for the Sept. 11 incident, the nonexistent yellowcake uranium, Condi Rice promising a mushroom cloud if we didn’t take action?

Remember the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, the use of banned weapons in many battles, the entire country, and its population, and our troops, contaminated with depleted uranium and the tens of thousands of troops coming home with brain trauma and PTSD? Coming home to no jobs and struggling families, in many cases with homes under foreclosure.

All of this was done in the name of freedom, of protecting our way of life, of making the world safe for democracy, even as the civil rights of Americans were stripped away in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 incident. And now this very week, Congress is set to pass the most recent National Defense Authorization Act, which Pres. Obama says he will sign. Have you heard about this one? The law that will allow for the indefinite ‘detainment’ of American citizens, on American soil, for the mere suspicion of terrorism or association with terrorist groups?

But wait: what terrorism?

Last week we discussed the pepper spraying of student protesters at U.C. Davis. This chemical weapon has been repeatedly used on Occupy Wall Street protesters in cities across the United States. More than 5,000 Occupy protesters have been arrested for speaking up about an economic issue — the criminal conduct of the banks, and the purchasing of the American political system. It is in this context that the National Defense Authorization Act is rather frightening.

So the government is talking about terrorism but taking action against ordinary activism, and that should make anyone a little nervous. Then Congress and the president want to expand their powers to detain people without charges. As The Guardian put it, “The law, contained in the defense authorization bill that funds the U.S. military, effectively extends the battlefield in the ‘war on terror’ to the U.S. and applies the established principle that combatants in any war are subject to military detention.”

Selling out our national soul: This photo of an Iraqi prisoner being tortured by American forces (hooded, forced to stand on a box, with electrodes on his hands) was seen by everyone with access to a newspaper or computer. But who exactly objected? To this day, politicians and presidential candidates argue that torture is appropriate and necessary. By what miracle do we think that same treatment of prisoners will not be turned loose on the American people?

Please — read that paragraph a second time. Any American on American soil could be considered an enemy combatant and detained indefinitely, in defiance of every constitutional principle we say we hold dear; the ‘freedom’ for which we supposedly went to war for 10 years. It would be one thing if domestic terrorism were going on all the time, but I only hear about the most ridiculous cases, not enough to justify turning the whole country into Guantanamo Bay. Does this sound a little (or a lot) like the American government declaring war on the American people?

I don’t mean to sound like Alex Jones or like I’m a columnist for Above Top Secret, but being concerned about this is not paranoia. We are watching the American people get sprayed with chemical weapons for exercising their constitutional right to protest, then hearing about how anyone could be presumed a terrorist without a trial.

Now, what exactly is a ‘terrorist’? Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) told The Guardian Wednesday, “There are laws on the books now that characterize who might be a terrorist: someone missing fingers on their hands is a suspect, according to the Department of Justice. Someone who has guns, someone who has ammunition that is weatherproofed, someone who has more than seven days of food in their house can be considered a potential terrorist,” Paul said. “If you are suspected because of these activities, do you want the government to have the ability to send you to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite detention?”

Human Rights Watch said that Obama’s decision to support the law “does enormous damage to the rule of law both in the U.S. and abroad” and that “President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in U.S. law.” They are correct: these powers have existed for a long time, beginning under Cheney and Bush. But following a fairly typical historical pattern, Republican presidents break the boundary and then Democratic presidents codify that breach of trust into the status quo.

Speaking of Obama, there is a presidential election next year. Let’s consider the political situation. First, bear in mind that many states have passed laws attempting to restrict voting, including placing nearly impossible to fulfill requirements on the elderly, students and the poor (these types of restrictions always impact Democrats more strongly than Republicans). Districts are being redrawn to get rid of ‘problem’ elected officials or to favor one party or the other — Barney Frank, regarded by many as one of the most progressive people in congress, has had his Massachusetts district taken away by gerrymandering.

Is this what democracy looks like? You have to stand back a little further to tell for sure. Photo: HuffPo.

Just a few more points and I’ll end my pessimistic-seeming rant.

Have you been following the ongoing fight for the Republican presidential candidacy? I have not been giving it the coverage it deserves, but this has been the parade that includes Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain — people who don’t know the voting age, who believe being gay can be cured, who cannot name one Supreme Court decision or the newly appointed justices, who don’t know the date of Election Day and who want to shut down federal agencies they cannot name.

We’ve seen debates where the crowd cheered for executions and applauded the possibility that someone without health insurance might deserve to die. It was like the crowd was hand picked from a pool of people reincarnated directly from ancient Rome.

Some of these candidates displayed ignorance that made Dan Quayle look like Socrates. As The Onion said of former candidate Herman Cain, “Rumors Of Extramarital Affair End Campaign Of Presidential Candidate Who Didn’t Know China Has Nuclear Weapons.” Well, not just an extramarital affair — Cain broke the record for the most revelations of sexual harassment in one week, then it emerged that meanwhile he was having a 13-year affair behind the back of his wife, who we’re supposed to believe holds him as a prince. And that is correct — he could not identify China as one of the world’s nuclear superpowers, and he has no taste for foreign policy.

The reason these candidates don’t seem to stand for anything is because they don’t. The reason they have to make curing gayness an issue is because all of the real issues are too difficult, or will get them in trouble if they mention them. These candidates and anyone who takes them seriously are posturing in the midst of a global crisis, trying either to hold up the status quo that enriches them, or not admitting the collective problem we face. And, it would seem that the Republicans are about to name Newt Gingrich, one of the most corrupt politicians of the past century, who will say whatever he is paid to say, as their presidential candidate.

If the economy is still struggling at the time of the election, or if there is some big shock to the system (such as another round of major banks failing), he could easily be president, despite all the supposed odds against such a thing happening. Frankly, given how little people seem to know and how much they will put up with, nothing would surprise me.

Yesterday the federal government was on the brink of yet another shutdown as senators debated the urgent national issue of mandatory drug tests for the unemployed. Personally, I’d love to run blood work on our esteemed congress and find out what they’ve got going on. It would be frightening.

Which Way From Here?

So what is the way forward?

I know, we’re in a pretty serious situation. I’ve read a bit of science fiction, and I have to say of the confluence of conditions we face — from the overcrowding of the planet, the prevailing state of ethical vertigo, the environmental and economic crisis, rampant debt, fraudulent business and political leadership, a political system wholly owned by the wealthy, the rise of a police state, half of all people getting cancer, many, many people suffering from depression and alienation — and a mass media that laughs at the problems — damn, this is on par with the most dystopian scenarios I’ve ever read.

Cover of Hyperion by Dan Simmons.

True, in Hyperion, the hegemony crashes a small back hole into the Earth, intentionally destroying the planet because it favors their business interests. I am still haunted by Dan Simmons’ visions of ‘replica worlds’ that are like ghost-town clones of what once was our beautiful planet. I guess it could be worse. But we’re not living in a fictional scenario. We are living on a planet and in a society spinning out of control, that we are leaving to our children, and their children.

A lot of people are wondering what we can do about this, or at least wondering what is going to happen. We always tend to look outside ourselves for the solutions; that’s a big part of the problem. We’re told over and over again that we don’t matter, and we better play the game. One problem is that game no longer works — not when someone goes to college or grad school, accumulates vast education debt and then cannot get a job. Speaking for a moment to Americans — the whole purpose of the American experiment was to get away from the old system of kings, lords and serfs. If you haven’t read the Declaration of Independence, take 15 minutes and give it a look. Remember that the “long train of abuses” was fresh in the minds of the founders when they adopted the Bill of Rights.

The solution has got to start with you focusing your awareness and your energy — even if you think that doesn’t make a difference to the big picture. I recognize that being alive in a time like this is scary, and it can seem hopeless, especially when you have so many other concerns. The thing is, it actually is hopeless — and hope is not the answer. You may need to give yourself a reason to care. That reason may be your children. It may be realizing how close you are to becoming one of the 97 million Americans, or the equivalent in other countries — or you may already be there and you know it can get worse. Those are deeply personal reasons to care that still don’t get you above the teacup’s edge to see that we need a collective solution to a collective problem.

The point is, there will be no progress without a lot of individuals focusing and working together. What gets in the way of our own awareness is specifically denial and ignorance, both of which are voluntary states. And those are the very states of mind that got us into this mess. I could make a long, depressing list of things that people did not care about when it mattered, including stolen presidential elections, fraudulent wars and the biggest bank heist in the history of the world (the 2008 ‘meltdown’ which was really a draining of what remained in the federal treasury by the super rich). If you voted for the Cheney/Bush ticket in 2004, have you apologized to anyone?

New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg has earned his billions through the distribution of news, but he has arrested dozens of working journalists trying to cover the Occupy movement. Many of these reporters were accredited by the New York City Police, representing organizations such as The New York Post and the Associated Press. Here Mayor Bloomberg visits Zuccotti Park before uprooting that demonstration. Image via the gothamist and DJ Unicorn Thunderhearts.

Maybe the concept of civil liberties doesn’t matter to you — or perhaps it won’t until one night you go out for milk and end up in a police car for being out past curfew.

Let’s phrase the question this way: What would you be willing to do, if you knew your awareness and participation mattered? Let’s assume that particular best-case scenario. What would you offer? What would you be willing to give up, to create something better for everyone else?

Let’s put it another way. What if you were to set aside all of your excuses for not getting involved, or being informed? Then what would you do?

The purpose of my writing, and I assume the purpose of your reading, is to see the affairs of the world in a way that is deeply personal, and where the framework is in essence spiritual. The lowest common denominator of all these seemingly separate problems is a spiritual issue: what they all have in common involves a lot of individuals cut off from source, who create a situation where the easiest way to get out of pain seems to be to cut off some more. Apply the concept ‘cut off’ any way you like.

Even if the whole spiritual thing doesn’t work for you, I suggest you consider the psychological impact of suppressing the grief, or even the mere awareness, at what you’re witnessing. Not participating and not speaking up are specifically ways of denying the problem. Taking this on the micro-level, one question I would ask you is, when you’re confronted by injustice and you don’t say anything, how do you feel? And when you encounter something that’s wrong and you speak up, how do you feel in that case? Early attempts to challenge authority can be met with a psychological backlash — usually arriving in the form of guilt. We are indeed taught to expect punishment when we challenge those who supposedly hold power over us.

One thing that the Occupy movement has taught us is that when there is any resistance against the machine, it can strike back with brutal force, and reveal its true nature — you know, the nature of the beast. We actually keep seeing this happen. That is scary, and fear is both a psychological problem and a spiritual problem. How you perceive the world is how you perceive yourself. In order to perceive yourself as capable of healing, growth and expressing your potential, you would have to project the same properties onto the world, unless of course you plan to join the cannibalistic feast.

So if you have any plans for creating a better life for yourself, if that’s really going to be true, it’s going to involve creating a better world for everyone. Not fixing your life or fixing the world — rather, creating the next phase of existence. As the astrology of 2012 fully engages, and pushes the crises we’re seeing to a new level, it’s also going to push your potential to a new level. And you may find yourself walking a balance where you feel you don’t know the outcome.

There is a way forward. It’s going to be different for everyone but what works for each of us will have something in common with what works for everyone else. That’s the point of contact; how to tell what is real from what is not.

Lovingly,

Note to Readers: For the next two weeks, Planet Waves subscriber edition will publish only on Wednesday nights. These editions will include the monthly horoscopes for January 2011 and related materials. Daily Astrology & Adventure will continue to update on its regular schedule. Look for additional sign-up information about Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. — my 2012 annual readings for all the signs, or visit this page about The Most Important Year of Your Life.

I’ve completed the third recording in the Top 5 Events of 2012 series on Planet Waves FM. This week’s covers planets entering the water signs: Chiron in Pisces, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio. This is an unusual amount of energy in the water signs, which is — first — calling attention to water. The process actually began last year.

Photo by Elizabeth Joyce.

Chiron initiated this by arriving in Pisces within 24 hours of the BP oil spill in April of 2010. Neptune visited Pisces briefly in 2011, and will return to stay for more than 12 years in February 2012. Then Saturn arrives in Scorpio in Oct. 2012.

The themes focus on emotional awareness, healing and maturity, something that we tend to resist here in the land of Starbucks and Prozac. And we’re going to need to take care of the water on the planet: protecting the oceans, banning fracking and little things like making sure we drink enough water. Soda and juice do NOT count.

You can hear the whole series of Top Five Events of 2012 on a special archive. This series previews Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. — the 2012 annual edition of Planet Waves, with detailed, generous astrology readings for all the signs and rising signs, plus many articles and resources to help you do your best in the most important year of your life.

Subscribers to Planet Waves receive an incredible discount on all 12 signs, which you can access at this link. For additional information about the 2012 annual, you can read more about The Most Important Year of Your Life.

The Moon is in Virgo all day Friday, and late tomorrow it squares the Sagittarius Sun to form the last quarter (waning) Moon. Moon ingresses Libra at 3:06 am EST Sunday. Also today Vesta conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius; Black Moon Lilith (a calculated point also known as the mean lunar apogee) enters Taurus. The asteroid Psyche in Virgo makes a square to Ixion, which is hanging out at the same degree as last weekend’s total lunar eclipse (18+ Sagittarius). On Sunday, Venus in Capricorn squares Saturn in Libra. Monday the Sun makes a conjunction to the Galactic Center in late Sagittarius, and a sextile to Saturn.

The last quarter Moon generally feels like an urge to finish up whatever projects you have been working on for the last three weeks, rather than starting new ones, in the last week before the New Moon. This year we have a New Moon on Christmas Eve. If you celebrate that holiday you may feel an extra sense of pressure to finalize gift-buying and other preparations, with a natural sense of completion when done. Since tomorrow’s quarter Moon is in Virgo, don’t be surprised if you find yourself a bit more particular than usual about how your holiday preparations and projects get done.

The Sun’s alignment with the Galactic Center (the core of our galaxy and our spiritual homing signal) on Monday offers a sense of contact with something we long for — if we’re open to feeling it. With the Sun making a sextile to Saturn in Libra at the same time, see if you can let this sense of contact and spiritual clarity or spaciousness infuse your relationships. This could happen in how you perceive these relationships emotionally, or in how you actually structure them. With a sextile, you can work the flow of energy from either side of that equation to inform and evolve the other. Either way, the idea is to allow contact and a feeling of surrender to genuine, loving kindness. Then by Wednesday the solstice can arrive with the feeling of time compression letting go, a destination reached.

Mars, the planet of drive, desire and libido, is in Virgo. It is nearing a square to Pholus in mid-Sagittarius, and we tend to feel Mars aspects strongly as they approach. Feel like if you let go of any inhibition, you’ll become the scarlet whore of Babylon? That’s Mars-Pholus talking — but is there any truth to that feeling? Pholus can have the sense of letting the genie out of the bottle, and has the key phrase, ‘small cause, big effect’. But rather than keeping your inhibitions rigid, it’s more useful to keep any self-critical thoughts in check — especially with regard to who and what you desire sexually, how you want the desire of others demonstrated to you, and how you do or do not allow the concept of ‘healthy service’ in your relationships.

Mars in Virgo square Pholus in Sagittarius can also come with insights about facilitating your own spiritual (possibly ancestral) healing around desire and exuality — plus the desire to do so. And it’s an advisory to notice the effects that alcohol has on your sexuality.

You may alternate between feeling constrained and then wanting to bust out over the weekend. The square between Venus in Capricorn and Saturn in Libra carries some tension. Part of this is a case of mutual reception: these two planets are occupying a sign that the other rules. This can sometimes feel like a hostage situation, and that term at least vaguely describes many ‘monogamous’ relationships where there is some sense of being captured.

On the one hand, you may feel an urge toward the material and pragmatic; on the other, there’s the potential to demand reciprocation as the rule rather than allow it as a freely given gift. Ask yourself, ‘Do I truly want relationships in which we both receive what is offered graciously? Or do I just want what I want’?

Holder Signals Tough Review of New State Laws on Voting

Austin, Texas — Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. on Tuesday entered the turbulent political waters of voting rights, signaling that the Justice Department would be aggressive in reviewing new voting laws that civil rights advocates say will dampen minority participation in next year’s elections.

Declaring in a speech that protecting ballot access for all eligible voters “must be viewed not only as a legal issue but as a moral imperative,” Mr. Holder urged Americans to “call on our political parties to resist the temptation to suppress certain votes in the hope of attaining electoral success and, instead, achieve success by appealing to more voters.”

The speech by Mr. Holder could inflame a smoldering partisan dispute over race and ballot access as the 2012 campaign cycle intensifies. It comes as the Justice Department’s civil rights division is scrutinizing a series of new state voting laws that were enacted — largely by Republican officials — in the name of fighting fraud perpetuated by individual citizens that everyone knows doesn’t exist.

Mercury Stations Direct: Keep Your Promises

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Mercury stations direct in early Sagittarius tonight at 8:42 pm EST. This happens as we are still riding through the wake of Saturday’s total eclipse of the Moon in Gemini, the second of two eclipses for this mind-bending round that began in late November. Eclipses themselves offer an astrology lesson: borrowing a line from the late Patric Walker, “This sodding stuff works,” but how it works we discover when the eclipses themselves happen. Now as we consider the implications of recent events, Mercury stations direct in Sagittarius after 23 days retrograde, which will bring out a new layer of information, revelation or at least recognition.

Photo by Eric Francis — Blue Studio, New York.

Note that the next eclipses occur in May and June of 2012, in the midst of a concentrated series of events that leads into the first exact Uranus-Pluto square. I covered that in a recent special edition podcast on the top five events of 2012.

Tonight’s Mercury station direct makes a square aspect to a Pluto-like planet called Orcus. This is an underworld deity from the days of the Etruscans, or the dwellers of the European continent before what we think of as Europe. Orcus was probably a precursor to Hades and Pluto, but he has a special property involving the keeping of oaths, and holding to account those who swear false oaths. In our time this translates to promises and agreements. Whatever else may be going on for you at this time, please review the promises you’ve made and consider the ethics and the wisdom of coming through with them.

Given that Mercury is stationing direct (concentrated, slightly overwhelming mental energy; a point of turnaround) in a square to a planet similar to Pluto, I would include on the agenda careful consideration of what you may be obsessing over. Consider the use of power over others (direct or indirect), the use of religious power in any form (such as influencing people through their beliefs), and any attempts to run an agenda that you’re not disclosing. Subversive activity, including that which emerges as a result of your psychological tendencies, is not likely to go well. Said another way, keep your plans and your intentions above the boards, especially where prior commitments are concerned.

There are a number of other minor planets in the same aspect setup (at about 3 to 5 degrees of the mutable signs). Two aboriginal figures show up in the configuration: Altjira, an Australian keeper of the dreamtime, is one of them. Opposite Mercury, this contrasts the immediate needs of the moment (decisions, commitments, promises) with a kind of alternate reality. Just make sure that other dimension is a source of inspiration and nourishment rather than a source of delusion. It’s a reminder that this reality is not all that exists without negating the necessities of what we have to do here.

The other aboriginal god is Teharonhiawako, in Pisces. He is the Iroquois creator god depicted as a giant who holds up the sky. Coming from Pisces, you might ask: What is holding up your beliefs, or deeper in, what supports your faith? Does your faith feed you, or deplete you?

Finally, Mercury stations direct conjunct the centaur planet Okyrhoe, the daughter of Chiron and Chariklo. Okyrhoe was a prophet. Mercury conjunct Okyrhoe in Sagittarius carries a message to be aware of what you know, and to use what you know. While we like to pretend we live shrouded in mystery, in fact most of the time we know what we want, and we understand the meaning and implications of our particular circumstances. Using what you know comes back to the commitments you have to yourself, particularly to make honest decisions and follow through with them. It’s a reminder not to be surprised by what you knew all along. You are your own best divining oracle.

I’ll see you Friday with a regularly scheduled edition of Planet Waves, and I plan to have a regular edition podcast later today. Please check the Planet Waves Daily Astrology page for that.

If you’re looking for where to sign up for the 2012 annual edition with readings for all 12 signs, please use this link.

Lovingly,

Gemini Total Eclipse and the Sibling Society

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Saturday’s total eclipse of the Moon is in Gemini — the sign of siblings, often associated with young people, young attitudes and easy-to-grasp ideas. Many factors suggest that this is a volatile moment, calling for discernment and embracing the faculty of conscious choice. [Note, this is the last eclipse before the series that leads into the Venus transit of the Sun and Uranus square Pluto in late spring 2012. I have covered that group in my newest special edition podcast.]

French student drums on the shield of a riot cop during a takeover of Bastille Circle during the evening rush hour in Paris one afternoon in 2005. This is my idea of the police exercising actual restraint. Nobody was arrested, nobody got hurt, and the protest was diffused in a few hours. The cop is probably thinking, “Now how can I slip her my phone number?” Photo by Eric Francis. More related photos here.

Part of the volatility involves the eclipse spanning the mutable sign axis of Gemini/Sagittarius; some of it comes from the polarizing effect of a Full Moon (all lunar eclipses happen during the Full Moon). Mutable signs can have a nervous and unstable feeling, which will often serve as a power source. When those properties are prominent, it helps to impart the structure and discipline factor of Saturn, which thankfully is in harmony with the eclipse in fellow air sign Libra.

Another aspect of the volatility comes from planets that are close to the Sun’s position in Sagittarius. I’ve been writing a blue streak about this since the fall of 2010 — a collection of newly-discovered, slow-moving planets that span the middle of high-energy, high-velocity Sagittarius. The combination of slow-movers and the fiery energy of Sagittarius is pushing us to get clear about what we believe, and to embrace both ‘spiritual’ lessons and the direct information coming through about our origins. By origins I mean from the distant past, whether ancestral or cosmic.

They are related. We are stardust, and we are the children of our ancestors. You might not be pondering this stuck in traffic on the 101 or running for the D train, but it’s thinking of you, and the pot is currently being stirred at full strength by both the presence of these new planets and the accompanying eclipse that is compelling us to get practical in our ideas about existence. Internalize the learning, the spiritual theory, the concept you’re trying to grasp in therapy. Understand that growth is something pragmatic rather than esoteric.

Be proud of what you are! This womens’ ADHD T-shirt contours to your shape and always looks flattering, even if you forget where you left it. (Use the link to purchase the shirt.)

Then, the eclipse is square Mars in Virgo. That’s focusing attention on getting real about two points — anger, and perfectionism. Mars is slowly stationing retrograde in Virgo, compelling us to come to terms with all the ways we want to change, and focusing a demand on impeccability. But this may be manifesting as perfectionism and that, in turn, may be coming across as the feeling of being damaged if you cannot get yourself to that theoretically perfect place. The two are closely related.

Remember, this is not about theory: these aspects all point to taking practical action. The Virgo piece of the puzzle comes with an asteroid conjunction that offers some caution. The points are Apollo conjunct Psyche. Apollo is the experience of making the same mistakes over and over; of not getting ‘the lesson’. Psyche is the sense that you’re wounded, as in mentally wounded, and won’t ever be able to ‘fix’ yourself. It’s the loss of faith in healing, particularly where psychological material is concerned. In our era we tend to take these feelings and diagnose them into disorders that can be treated with meds: social anxiety disorder, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, restless leg syndrome, and so on. That’s a way of compartmentalizing the situation, cutting it off rather than taking it on holistically. Instead of working through the many factors that contribute to a symptom, too often we give it a name and a drug — and many people are doing this to their children. Many of us had it done to us.

There are two other points in the Virgo mix, square the eclipse and close to Mars: an asteroid called Hebe, which often describes the codependent quality of the relationships involved; and Arachne, which imparts the sensation that this is all one vast conspiracy (ancestral in nature, that is, related to the family line and family of origin).

The ultimate in cynical politics, the Tea Party rallies outside an Obama visit to Portland, Maine. For all their sincere efforts, they will end up with Mr. Fraud himself, Newt Gingrich. Photo by Eric.

Alcohol is almost certainly involved. This may not involve current alcoholism but rather the legacy as it has been passed on through both the family and the social network that surrounds it. Remember being a kid at a ‘grownup’ party where all the adults did was drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes? That social ritual had an effect on you — and this eclipse is about figuring out, and healing, whatever that effect was. The emotional conditions around the abuse and even unconscious use of alcohol can be extremely debilitating in family relationships, creating isolation and deep distrust that can take decades (or generations) to finally unravel.

In the most basic colors, there is a petulant quality to this eclipse. It has the sensation of childhood rage, which would be rage against something much larger than oneself, and it’s combined with the sensation that the expression of anger is useless — but yet something that we cannot help. When that anger burns out, we’re often left with cynicism. That is the feeling of being burned out and defeated, with toxic, smoldering rage. This paralyzed sensation is not what you would call healthy — and if you’re feeling this eclipse you may be feeling a release point.

Enough is enough. It’s time to grow past this stuff and take command of our lives and our mental health in a tangible way. The eclipse square Mars is an action point. How long have you waited, or tried, or efforted? What is the one thing you’re not doing? What is the obvious factor, the obvious point of action that you’ve avoided for whatever reason?

The Davis Pepper Spray Incident and the Sibling Society

In a 1997 book, Robert Bly described what he called the sibling society, a world of half-formed adults who don’t want to take responsibility for their lives. This, he says, is the world we live in. We see it as the people who don’t want to pay taxes, who think someone else’s kids should fight the wars, and that someone else should stand up to the banks. Since The Sibling Society came out, the situation has only proliferated with the massive surge of infotainment that has come along with the Internet and lives lived mainly through apps and devices.

Iconic photo by Louise Macabitas of Lt. John Pike — a campus peace officer — casually spraying UC Davis students in the face with MK-9, an extra-strength oleoresin capsaicinoid (OC) weapon.

Saturday’s eclipse reminds me of his theory, in particular the relationship between the Moon in Gemini (siblings, children) opposite vast ancestral forces we cannot control (all those planets in Sagittarius) compounded by the square to Mars in Virgo. Add to this the frustrated ‘adult’ feeling of wanting to be perfect.

I remembered that book when a friend sent me the “what really happened” video of the Nov. 18 University of California at Davis pepper spray incident. This supposedly shows the context of what happened after riot police cleared a small Occupy protest off of a lawn at UC Davis. That is, instead of the short video of Lt. John Pike spraying the students, you see 15 minutes of video that led up to the actual spraying. Of course, this is not the full context. That goes back weeks, or even months; you’re never shown a single tent, for example. What you see is an out-of-context fuss, over what, you’re not sure unless you know.

Then, you’re treated to the scene of an officer in full riot gear, backed by about 30 of his colleagues (those visible in the frame), stating into a megaphone, “This is your last warning. Should you choose to remain, you do so with the understanding that a peace officer will place you under arrest for a violation of the law. Any resistance, whether passive or physical, shall result in additional charges. You shall be arrested, handcuffed and may be transported and incarcerated at the Yolo County Jail. Will you leave at this time?” The cop then barks into his megaphone something about “unlawful assembly.” He does not mention the potential use of chemical weapons.

Career Day with Lt. John Pike, one of countless parodies of Macabitas’ photo circulating on the Internet.

After the tents are cleared and some arrests are made, you see the young students with their book bags and preppy attire, circling about a group of heavily armed riot police, chanting “set them free.” Some of them sit down on a campus walk; these are the students who are sprayed at point-blank range with MK-9, an extra-strength oleoresin capsaicinoid (OC) weapon.

A lot has been said about this incident, which in the eyes of most people amounts not just to excessive force by the police, but to torture. When we tacitly (or directly) approve of the torture of Iraqi prisoners, we are inviting the same thing in our own communities. Is that obvious yet?

Meanwhile, local police departments have been militarized against terrorists, and in the absence of terrorists, any dissenter will do. I don’t say this lightly. One of the reasons conservatism has become so popular in recent years is that it’s a safe point of view to hold. There is a long tradition in the United States of treating anyone whose views are one inch left of center as a subversive or threat.

California is not new to the issue of police abusing chemical weapons, however. Given what it’s cost them in the past, you would think they might exercise a little restraint, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Use of pepper spray has been litigated up to the U.S. Supreme Court, in a famous case involving eight people who were protesting the killing of redwoods, and who were both sprayed point blank and had the chemical applied to their eyes by police using Q-tips. The protestors sued the police, and the litigation went on for years.

In that case, the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that the police officers’ “repeated use of pepper spray was also clearly unreasonable. As we recently concluded, the use of pepper spray ‘may be reasonable as a general policy to bring an arrestee under control, but in a situation in which an arrestee surrenders and is rendered helpless, any reasonable officer would know that a continued use of the weapon or a refusal without cause to alleviate its harmful effects constitutes excessive force’.” [Read the full decision here.]

Wake Up, Empire.

The “what really happened” video is an attempt to show how reasonable and restrained the police really were, because the kids were chanting and, for a few moments, had formed a one-person-deep ring around the cops. To my eyes, the video is an attempt to vindicate the sadistic behavior, in effect saying it was the fault of the students. One ex-FBI agent, the parent of a UC Davis student, wrote on a discussion list, “After viewing the entire video, I believe that the police acted with great restraint. I can only guess how the NYPD or the LAPD would have reacted to being surrounded by a hostile crowd demanding that they release their prisoners.”

Realistically, this “hostile crowd” consisting entirely of young students reminds me a lot more of the audience on the kids’ TV program Wonderama than an anarchist riot or even an ordinary student demonstration. And it started as a bunch of students living in tents on a lawn, protesting the demolition of the economy by a few banks and a few individuals who have profited from the losses of many, many people. That’s my view; I’ll leave it to you to decide if the police with their batons, helmets, sidearms, rifles, tear gas, Tasers, bulletproof vests, pocket knives and practically unlimited backup available, were justified in feeling threatened when confronted by unarmed kids dressed in clothes from The Gap chanting “set them free.”

Okay, now for the consciousness piece — the spiritual piece of the discussion. Let’s go deeper than the apparent circumstances to the underlying levels of causation. My take — as a matter of conscience — is that police are never justified in using weapons against unarmed people, and we have become a country way too willing to accept the use of violence by police on anyone who dissents. On a campus, in particular, I believe that the administration is morally bound to avoid hurting students by the legal doctrine In Loco Parentis, or “local parents.” This is one reason why campuses have their own police departments; the cops get to know the campus community and we have a truly local police force. It’s a great idea and usually it works pretty well.

But clearly something went wrong at Davis. A friend named Eric Traub offered another point of view that I’ve been considering carefully, and I will share it with you. Here is what he wrote (note, it’s a long quote, going to the end of the article):

Lt. John Pike, about to be surrounded by little blue people whose language only has one word, defends himself before something really bad happens. Apologies to Pierre Culliford and Papa Smurf.

“In Loco Parentis is exactly the takeaway I glean from the Davis video, in this way: human beings are still a childlike and developing young species. Whoever steps forward as a ‘parent’ tends to dominate. We are only now just beginning to emerge from the patriarchal paradigm that has dominated the past dozens of millennia of societal progress. Humans being human will, for the time being, seek somebody to be the parental guiding force in their lives, abdicating their will, intelligence and choices.

“Rather than allowing the bankers, government, and various other Saturnine structures to parent us, it’s time for ‘we the people’ to rise up and be as parents to ourselves and stewards to the world around us. The healthiest form of parenting is often called ‘authoritative’ versus authoritarian
parenting. Authoritative parenting takes the stance, ‘We will find the best way together.’ It leads, but from partnership. But it DOES lead, not just team up leaderlessly. This is parenting from a self-reflexive standpoint that recognizes respective roles, i.e., I’m the parent and it’s my role in our relationship to guide you as the child, but that doesn’t make me a demigod, just the parent at this time with a responsibility to fulfill. It’s a responsibility-driven orientation, balanced by reflexivity and compassion.

“The OWS movement so far has been more like children rising up against parents, than a new form of healthy, holistic leadership. Consequently, it reinforces and exacerbates the very thing it protests against. And here enters my bottom line to watching the Davis video.

And of course, the presentation of the Declaration of Independence by the drafters to the First Continental Congress. People seem to have a clue what the conduct of police during the Occupy movement actually means.

“We have to decide: do we truly want to effect change and accept all the implications of that change, including a far greater share of responsibility for making the world and its systems work, and the tremendous labors that entails? Or, do we simply want to protest and throw a collective tantrum against the way it’s been?

“The Davis incident illustrates, I believe, the latter. And demands the very question I am asking to be answered. The cops were wrong in almost every way. But the students were equally absurd in their tactics, lowering themselves to the same level of unconsciousness as the forces arrayed against them. The cops behaved exactly as one would expect them to behave, and actually with a reasonable degree of constraint for cops. The students, granted though they be immature and in need of In Loco Parentis, needed to be the more evolved human beings in that moment and they could have demonstrated something very powerful: that the ruling structures are unnecessary now; that we are rendering the old way of running this planet obsolete.

“If we are going to Occupy Wall Street, we better start thinking more like adults with responsibilities to one another, and less like petulant kids who want parents to rebel against as a cheap and fast means for carving out our identities. Davis turned into a fiasco, and I think its best value is to precipitate dialogue about how we can accelerate the maturation of OWS and get something accomplished, which accomplishment may well determine the future of humankind. This is not a task to be treated with childish emotionality. It’s time that we ALL grow up. Together.”

I think this is a sensitive and informed point of view, and it does not justify spraying unarmed students with pepper spray at point blank range. I would love to hear what you think.

Lovingly,

The Moon is in Gemini today, the sign it will be in for tomorrow’s total lunar eclipse at 9:32 am EST and Full Moon at 9:36 am EST (they are the same event, but the Full Moon is listed by most ephemerides as happening four minutes after the eclipse — we will explain why that is in the next edition). As the Sun in Sagittarius moves into position to oppose the Moon, it forms a conjunction with the centaur Pholus (small cause, big effect) today. Several hours before the eclipse on Saturday, Uranus stations direct in the first degree of Aries. Also on Saturday, the Sun makes a conjunction to minor planet Ixion (anyone is capable of anything) just before the eclipse. The Moon enters Cancer Sunday. This weekend marks the beginning of the Mercury ‘storm’ phase before it stations direct Tuesday Dec. 13. Monday, Mars squares the North Node and the Great Attractor, which are conjunct in Sagittarius as of Saturday. Also that day, the Sun squares Ceres in Pisces.

Easy does it as we move through Saturday’s eclipse and the reverberations that spread out from it. You must simply proceed with care and caution under astrology this potent. It is easy to take things for granted. Beware of polarized situations, people who are acting unconsciously or recklessly, and situations where there is too much talk and not enough awareness or action. This is a time to guide your life carefully and to learn from the example of others who choose to do so.

If you find yourself in a situation that is deadlocked, back off and allow the momentum of the astrology to carry you to the next place. We are past the point where pushing the river can work; what is most important is that you see contrasts for what they are, and look for the decision points that present themselves organically. Know what you’re feeling and under no circumstances is it wise to defy your intuition.

Eclipses imply completion, something that most people could use some practice at. Note what you’ve been through the past six months, where you’ve been and where you are heading. As the Moon sweeps through late Gemini and into Cancer, it enters the cardinal cross, squares Uranus and opposes Pluto, reinforcing the sense that you’ve come to a new phase of your life. This is not something you can control, but it’s definitely something you can work with and influence, making choices that are appropriate to the circumstances in which you find yourself — which are rich with potential.

Uranus is about to station direct in the first degree of Aries, signifying that it will be leaving its direct contact with the Aries Point and moving on. The Aries Point is famous for its “the personal is political” effect, which translates loosely to “the news actually matters” or as David Byrne put it, “the world crashes into your living room.” With Uranus occupying this degree, that has certainly been the case.

The very day when Uranus shifted into Aries to stay for the next seven years (March 11), there was a 9.0 earthquake in Fukushima, Japan, setting off the worst nuclear disaster in the history of science. This week, The New York Times reported, “At least 45 tons of highly radioactive water have leaked from a purification facility at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, and some of it may have reached the Pacific Ocean, the plant’s operator said Sunday.”

The story continues, “Nearly nine months after Fukushima Daiichi was ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami the plant continues to pose a major environmental threat. Before the latest leak, the Fukushima accident had been responsible for the largest single release of radioactivity into the ocean, threatening wildlife and fisheries in the region, experts have said. The new radioactive water leak called into question the progress that the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, appeared to have made in bringing its reactors under control. The company, known as Tepco, has said that it hopes to bring the plant to a stable state known as a cold shutdown by the end of the year.”

The Resurrection of Newt Gingrich

After all that — after falling in love with, and rejecting, five other candidates, and the bus tours and the protests and the death panels and taking over Congress and getting the bad stuff out of government, and all its supposed “don’t tread on me” and social purity principles, the poor Tea Party is about to end up with Newt Gingrich (pronounced ging-rick, according to his sister) as its presidential candidate. The consummate, indeed verging on eternal Washington insider, adulterer and influence peddler, astro-biographer Lois Rodden described Newt thusly: “American politician who had a rapid rise to popularity in 1994 when he was named the first GOP Speaker of the House in 40 years, followed within two years by a downfall for indiscretion, lying to the House Committee and the illegal use of public funds. He has a reputation as a tart-tongued verbal congressional street-fighter who relishes a confrontation.”

Newt’s chart has unverified birth data (rated by DD by Rodden — Dirty Data, because there are conflicting reports) but is good enough to work with. He has Aquarius rising, for one thing, which is perfect. An aggressive political warrior, he has Mars (god of war) in Aries exactly conjunct Pallas Athene (goddess of politics). This is not as confident as it may seem, but at least he knows to work with a plan. He has more planets in Gemini than anyone could ever reasonably handle (okay, four, but that’s still a lot — the Sun, Mercury, Uranus and Saturn), which accounts for why he can have countless positions on any given issue. Add to that seven — yes, seven — points in Leo and a Sagittarius Moon, and you get the perfect image of the blustery, self-serving gasbag who is going to treat us to the most illustrious presidential campaign in postmodern history.

Prosecutors Drop Death Penalty Case Against Mumia Abu-Jamal

Philadelphia prosecutors have announced they will no longer seek the death penalty for the imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal. For decades, Abu-Jamal has argued racism by the trial judge and prosecutors led to his 1982 deeply-flawed conviction for killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Two years ago, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a United States District Court judge who set aside Abu-Jamal’s death sentence after finding jurors were given confusing instructions that encouraged them to choose death rather than a life sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court then ordered the Third Circuit panel to re-examine the decision. In April, that ruling was upheld, and prosecutors had to determine whether they would seek a new death penalty against Abu-Jamal. On Wednesday, Philadelphia prosecutor Seth Williams said he opted for a life sentence rather than face what amounted to a whole new trial — because the ‘death’ phase of a capital prosecution is a trial of its own, and now that would require a new jury. The problem with a new trial is that nearly every witness lied at the first one, a fact to which everyone is hip. Eric has covered this issue here.

We cannot figure out who took this photo, but obviously it has gone viral.

Gemini Total Eclipse and the Sibling Society

This week’s edition of Planet Waves FM is ready. In the first half, I read and consider the chart of Saturday’s total eclipse of the Moon in Gemini. This eclipse happens across Gemini/Sagittarius while both Mercury and Jupiter are in the process of stationing direct. I take a close look at the conjunction of Psyche and Apollo that is square the eclipse (prominently aspected, which brings out the message of these two asteroids).

Then we take a song break, featuring the musical ensemble Girlyman. I am looking enviously at their tour schedule — they played Nashville tonight, then Decatur, then Durham, Asheville, Birmingham, McCook, NE and Loomis, NE. I don’t see a NY or MA or PA on the list. Come north, Girlyman! We will feed you and read your charts and donate publicity photos if you want, and I have a fantastic luthier if you need your guitars adjusted.

In the second half of the program I talk about what Robert Bly called “the sibling society” — that is, a society of non-adults who refuse to take responsibility for their lives and the culture around them. This is in the context of the Occupy movement, in particular a video about the UC Davis pepper spray incident that sparked the conversation.

I read from a PBS interview with Bly from about 15 years ago. Here is the thing — Bly took some shit for what he said when the book came out, but his perspective has only been supported or even proven. If you’re looking for the book, you can get it for less than a buck from Half.com.

At the end of the podcast I mention a paper called Are Student Governments Obsolete? by Ray Glass, one of the founders of SASU — the now-defunct Student Association of the State University of New York. Ray is a friend in spirit. He died when I was 11 years old but his work and his ideas have influenced my thinking, and I am happy to share a PDF of his paper on the Internet for the first time.

Today’s program is about 1:14 — a little longer than planned, but there you have it. Remember that Planet Waves FM is sponsored by your subscriptions and product purchases. We have cool stuff for you — well it’s not stuff, it’s ideas that you can take with you to your next incarnation!

P.S. The pocket watch dates to the 16th century.

Friday, Dec. 9, 2011. Weekly Horoscope #884. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You are in a seed moment. They come occasionally — phases of your life when what you do, think and feel creates who you are becoming; when you express intention through action, not by planning. You’re in a moment of not knowing what you’re getting yourself into, making choices you would not necessarily have made if you knew what they implied. Yet there are few other ways to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Remember that one definition of an adventure is that you don’t know where you’re going to end up, and I promise you that this, at least, is true. What you do have control over is whether you are authentic in the moment. In a world where most people are taught to fake most of the time, that might be a stretch. Your most dependable path to right action is being entirely real, all of the time.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel like you’re racing toward some kind of limit, where an inner resource (such as faith in yourself) is running out. That sense of impending limitation or crux point is clear in your charts, but what stands out more boldly is that another limitation you cannot see is about to give way. Your current sense of urgency is more closely associated with the second situation than the first; in other words, something is happening other than what you’re obsessing over. Don’t waste time fussing over the form of the problem, or what you perceive your problem to be. This would be true especially if you are defining an issue in a way that has resisted resolution in the past. Take care of the practical matters at hand as efficiently as you can. Learn from your day-to-day experiences. Emphasize the positive role you play in the world. Heaven and Earth are indeed moving, and you are moving with them.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Occasionally you have a stunning breakthrough appreciating the person you are. It’s as if some mental block lets go, or some veil drops, and you can actually recognize and experience yourself as the strong, nurturing person you are. Something like this is happening right now. Your realization seems to come in two phases, something like this. You remember something amazing about yourself that you keep forgetting, which shifts your sense of identity. Just when that’s far enough in the past that you forgot it happened, a relationship changes. You become free within the relationship, or free yourself of the relationship. You may not see the connection between the two, but the turn of events proves that authentic self-respect can take you past any limitation in your relationships. If you remember that these two are directly related, you will save yourself incalculable time, energy and grief in the future.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You may not consciously keep secrets from yourself, but you also may not see the ways you work against your own cause. What feels like the revelation of some deep inner truth is really about you aligning with yourself in a tangible way. In fact, you are healing a split in your mind that has presented you with many challenges that you did not understand. The split has outwardly manifested many ways: as holding competing goals, divided loyalties, or a sense that you could not get the ‘two halves’ of yourself working together. The thing is, once you can see something like this, however dimly, you increase the chances of doing something about it. And you are about to get a rare glimpse at this outdated aspect of your inner makeup, or rather, your self-perception. The simplest way to put this is that honesty with yourself will get you real results in the real world.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are bigger than your public image. You are bigger than all the chatter or gossip in the world. Somewhere between nothing and exceedingly little that could become known about you would negatively influence the opinion of anyone who really mattered. Therefore, you are free to let the truth about yourself be known. Take the initiative and express your most daring innermost thoughts if that is what you choose to do. This can be in the context of an intimate relationship, or some much larger social context wherein you finally arrive at the recognition that you want to be known not just for what you do, but also for who you are. What most people have not figured out is that any aura of concealment breeds negativity just as dependably as truth and clarity dispel it. The sensation of potential risk you may be experiencing is not the same as an actual danger — it’s a lot more fun.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You make your own definition of success — or rather, when you learn that you can, you will be much happier. One problem with what we think of as success is that we tend to be told what it is, over and over again, then we try to live up to the myth. Usually that comes in the form of approval of authority figures, fame or supposed security, all of which are transient. There is very little security possible; only confidence is worth reaching for, and that is an inner state. Success is about what you want, not what someone else wants for you. You are the one — and the only one — who must approve of what you do, so that you may have a clear conscience and grounded sense of purpose. What happens next will reveal these concepts as the simple and obvious facts that they are.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It’s impressive, when you look at it, how beliefs get in the way of reality. This often happens below the boards of awareness, though of course at other times it gives people a false sense of control. If you don’t like a fact, you can always pretend it’s not true. Now, however, you are being called upon to understand not only the actual data but also its implications. Suspending your beliefs of what is true while you conduct this investigation is essential. And, I would remind you, none of this suggests that what you believe, or perceive, is wrong — only that it’s subject to verification. Along the spectrum of ‘true’ and ‘false’ I would add the distinction of ‘true enough’ — for a given purpose, for a given time. As time progresses, you may apply a different standard or metric, but the important thing is that you have a basis for validating what you believe — or not — without resorting to prejudice.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — I’ve mentioned a few times this year something about not being afraid to be unpopular, while not going out of your way to have people dislike you. Typically how you handle any issue on this side of the spectrum is by brushing it off, but that is a way of denying your deeper emotional sensitivity. Who you are, what you say and what you do seems to be having a profound effect on someone. You don’t need to be self-righteous about your values; you don’t need to compensate for what you perceive as the weaknesses of others. All you need to do is to recognize the dynamic between you and someone close to you. Be receptive to the changes they are going through. This will help both of you, it will ease the tension of the situation and you will get to experience the pleasure of being consciously resonant with your environment in a new way.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You may be outgrowing a relationship or even a whole volume in the history of your relationships, and if that is true, I suggest you welcome the change. Yes, this can be easier said than done, but you have a lot going for you, and a lot going on, and it’s not healthy for you to suppress your energy or to give anyone else the role of doing so. That said, the situation you’re in could easily transform itself into something much better, on a different level of existence. And, that said, the thing to do is release your attachment to the form of the relationship, and then discover what the content actually is. Something that was veiled is coming to the surface, but it will take you a few days to figure out what that is; in fact, what you’re experiencing is a journey that will take you about six months to ‘figure out’, and during that time, I suggest you remain open to everyone and everything.

Sagittarius Birthday Audio Report

Dear Friend and Sagittarian:

Whiskey and Owen. Photo by Beki Herrbach.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There is no way to understate the size and scale of the transformation you’re going through. I would say that ‘it’ feels like it’s coming at you from every direction, but there is only one direction — from within. This weekend’s total eclipse of the Moon is encouraging you — indeed, necessitating — that you find a healthy and creative outlet for your energy and any frustration you may be feeling. If there is a healing agenda that seems to involve a relationship, I strongly suggest you do your part of the work first, then wait several days (say, till Wednesday) before you take any discussion into a situation involving a partner, spouse or adversary. If you don’t install a delay, you’re likely to get your wires crossed and blame someone for your material and potentially take on responsibility for what is not yours. Sort it out first, then have the conversation.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Somewhere in A Course in Miracles is the notion that “you are an idea that can never leave its source.” This is directed at those who feel separate from spirit or from the rest of humanity; who feel alienated from the flow of creation. I bring it up today because your astrology presents that very image of connection that would obviate the sensation or illusion of being separate. Thought is creative, and you are made of thought. Thought is free, and you are free to create yourself into who you want to be. Yet the key words here are create and want — which imply conscious choices. This, in turn, implies taking full responsibility for the process. That one fact is enough to deter most people from ever daring to create who they are, or rather, from doing so consciously. You create yourself all the time, and the power to do so has never been more palpable or accessible to you.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Imagine how different your life would be if you had felt confident and secure the whole time. Consider how much energy you have wasted on the fear of developments that never came to pass, on lack of faith that you could come through, and on anxiety that had no special source or identifiable topic. Saturday’s lunar eclipse illustrates a breakthrough on this theme. The essence of your fear is the experience of being divided against yourself, and you are now in a moment where those two seemingly different halves are joined together. Or, more accurately, a moment where you recognize they were never separate. This is something you will feel in your body first, before you begin to recognize it as a concept. In truth, this has been developing for a while, and now it’s finally becoming obvious enough to translate into authentic confidence you can apply toward your most cherished goals.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

Venus Transit of the Sun: Top Five Events of 2012

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Dear Friend and Reader:

We’re approaching a total eclipse of the Moon. This happens Saturday, and I’m pretty sure you can feel this as the frenzied state of acceleration that eclipses almost always bring. I cover this in the Planet Waves Monthly horoscope for December — maybe worth a second look, even if you read it two weeks ago when it came out. It’s all about the current eclipse pattern and how it is influencing you.

Photo by Elizabeth Joyce.

Saturday’s is the only total eclipse we’re going to have until this time next year, a total eclipse of the Sun on Nov. 13, 2012. Yet there are an astounding 29 eclipse-like events in 2012, which includes a cluster in May and June that is at the heart of the matter of 2012 astrology, and the topic of a special audio presentation today. (There were just nine eclipses and eclipse-like events in 2011, so the increase is by a factor of more than three-fold — one example of the many acceleration patterns associated with this highly unusual year).

As for the current astrology — there are two useful articles on the Daily Adventure series at Planet Waves. One is called A Gateway to Evolution, and the other is called The Great Attractor: Clearing the Way, which addresses today’s passage of the Sun over the Great Attractor and the North Node, a once-per-18-year alignment.

I am making steady progress on Revelation. Revolution. Reality Check. That’s the 2012 annual edition of Planet Waves, which includes readings for all 12 signs and rising signs. We’ve been receiving a huge number of emails asking where subscribers can sign up — you may use this link to pre-order at the discount price for subscribers.

Last week I began a series on the top five events of 2012, wherein I covered the Uranus-Pluto square (that link will take you to the audio). In today’s edition, I look at the Venus transit of the Sun on June 5, 2012 — a rare and beautiful event that is at the heart of 2012 astrology.

Avebury Henge. Photo by John Spivey / Wikimedia Commons.

It’s hard to believe that it was nearly eight years ago when I stood in Avebury Henge in England and watched with my own eyes as Venus traced a line across the Sun. It was amazing that I was in a part of the world where it was visible, and that I met someone who had the right equipment to watch it safely. I covered that in an article you may remember called Day Zero, wherein I consciously began the interval between one Venus transit of the Sun and the next. They come in pairs separated by eight years; these pairs in turn are always separated by more than a century.

On June 5, 2012 we will experience the second of the current pair. The Mayans were obsessed with the cycles of Venus, and this Venus event is something I am looking to closely for a real understanding of the processes deep in the psychology, healing and growth of the most important year of our lives. The transit takes place in Gemini, and is about the reconciling of opposites within us. That containing and embracing of inner polarities is one of the most human experiences of all, and will influence each of us in a different way. We all have Gemini in our charts, and we all use it differently; we are getting lots of help lately doing just that.

You can think of the Venus transit as the direct grounding of the truly unusual placements in the sign opposite from Gemini, which is Sagittarius. It’s as if some vast spiritual teaching is going to settle into our direct human experience.

This audio (use link to access recording) takes you through the utterly amazing month from May 20 through the Cancer solstice of 2012. Revelation. Revolution. Reality Check. considers the event for each of the 12 signs and rising signs, revealing how this rare, fascinating astrology is directly personally relevant to you.

See you with a regular edition Friday.

Lovingly,

A Moment of Transparency

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Dear Friend and Reader:

So here we are in the thick of Mercury retrograde, with that giant magnet passing between the Sun and the Earth. The effect has nothing to do with superstition. The brain is an electrical device. The Sun is an electrical transmitter. Add a hunk of iron the size of a planet into the mix and there can be some weird effects that affect both your Flash player and where you thought your keys were.

Photo by Eric Francis.

We’re also approaching a total lunar eclipse in Gemini on Dec. 10, which is making all kinds of aspects to complicated psychological planets (centaurs Pholus and Hylonome, and a deep space point) that nobody really understands. The approaching eclipse might feel like a bubble growing inside you that refuses to burst, every minute leaving you wondering when it will. Or you might feel like you’re on a big adventure that’s on the verge of going out of control half the time.

From what my readers and clients are telling me, responses to this astrology range from “feeling compelled to clean my desk off completely and organize everything, everywhere, and be in charge of my own existence” to what one described as a “huge spiritual crisis, massive internal overhaul” in her partner. She added, “I feel like my world has turned upside down. So much going on. WHEN does it get easier?”

Someone wrote to me and said it seemed like every person in New York City was horny. Now that would be an adventure.

In the Northern Hemisphere late autumn is always a high-pressure time of year, accentuated by the very short days that seem to compress time. The Earth and Sun gradually aligning with the Galactic Center (a supermassive black hole) provides another kind of acceleration effect, as does the mundane fact of the calendar wrapping up another year. Plus we’ve just had an eclipse of the Sun, and that’s making it feel like the river is moving a little more swiftly than usual.

The forthcoming Dec. 10 lunar eclipse is a clear release point, as will be Mercury stationing direct three days later. Yet I don’t suggest you merely wait these things out, hoping your life will calm down and you can get back to normal. That is not the point at all. These moments of high intensity can be uncomfortable, but they are rich with information and potential growth. In particular, Mercury retrograding over two centaur planets this past week (Pholus and Hylonome, referenced above) can be opening up a wealth of inner information. The North Node is right there and that is about opening you to new territory and experience.

Toss your concepts of ‘spiritual’ and go right for discovering the missing data and exploring new or missing experiences. This will be revealed through inner sources, contact you initiate with family members, things that just happen, and subtle things you notice in your environment. The key to this is not letting your mind run past the best information. We’ve all had the experience of noticing some interesting detail (or person or critter or building) a few steps from our house, something that we’ve walked past many times a week for years but somehow mysteriously did not notice. That is how psychology often works. Vital information can be right in front of us, but we just don’t notice, or make the connection. It’s like looking everywhere for your reading glasses, when they’re happily parked on your nose and ears.

Photo by Eric Francis.

This is the time to make the connection. Mercury retrograde comes with a powerful inward tug. That tug may be making you feel like your life is waaaay too busy. It’s also pulling you in the direction of what you can think of as a direct ancestral energy line — a kind of bridge to the core, leading right into your ancestral history. Is that too heady or ‘out there’?
Consider what you’re experiencing now, in terms of the deeper material you’re noticing. If something comes up as an ‘issue’, ask yourself what it’s really about and wait for the answer.

You can quite literally decode crucial aspects of your childhood under this astrology. You may gain some clarity into what was so weird about certain people who could not tell right from wrong, and why so many other people tolerated that. But there is a bigger mission implied, which is opening up the adventure of your life mission. Sagittarius is all about the adventure of life (just ask one) and this astrology is a calling for everyone.

See if you can develop this into a conversation. These are deep, brave aspects going by right now — faster than you may think, if they’re getting to you — and while they last you could learn a lot.

What do you do with what you learn? You might discover something that resolves an old (and I mean very old) issue. These things happen; there are moments when learning something actually changes you. It’s deeper than ‘insight’, which can feel more like popcorn. When a missing key shows up, it can arrive with a solid sensation, such as release or actual clarity. Don’t forget the feeling that comes with the discovery. Ask how your life can be different, now that you’ve made this connection.

Personal Healing, Going Global

We’re in a moment when personal healing is unlocking the potential for global healing. One little problem with the upheavals of the 1960s was that working out our most significant troubles was not really on the agenda. Feeling good was. Standing up to power was. Great music, drugs, sex, sure. But the deeper work was generally left out of the picture. Well, it was included if you were doing Primal Therapy, but for the most part people brought their baggage with them, and kept hold of it. That’s why so many hippies ended up as stock brokers.

Photo by Eric Francis.

We are now in a moment not only when we have to take world issues personally, but when we must recognize that taking real steps toward personal healing and growth are vital steps toward world healing. In our era, we often make the mistake of stopping on the personal level and not reaching for the next step.

However, Uranus in Aries is shocking many people out of their self-absorption, and if that is not doing the trick, the ongoing earthquake of Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn is providing some shock therapy in the form of a world changing in ways that are very difficult to understand. Such as, where are the jobs and the opportunities? The unemployment rate is technically 9% but that does not include the under-employed, people who have given up and those who are on public assistance — which means that about a third of the country is in or very close to poverty. Many people are painfully aware that they could be next. With Uranus-Pluto focusing from Aries to Capricorn, this could mean a huge (and well-deserved) uprising against ‘the system’.

Why does it look like the euro and numerous European governments may all go down? Why have there been vicious crackdowns on Occupy movements across the country? Let’s pretend it has something to do with the issues they’re calling to light, such as the biggest bank robbery in the history of the world. We are literally living through the expression of unchecked corporate abuse that could put millions of people onto breadlines overnight. The personal side of this is, we could be casting ourselves into roles as victims — or as protagonists who rise to the occasion. That might be because you have nothing left lose, and it might be because you have no choice in the matter.

Knowing that, we have the options to pay attention or bury our heads in the sand. Fortunately, the ostrich maneuver is getting old and paying attention to what is obvious is becoming compelling. And one thing that’s obvious is that pretending it doesn’t matter to us is just that — making believe.

Photo by Eric Francis.

Pluto in Capricorn is ripping through global systems and institutions like Lord Shiva himself. It’s also up-ending our beliefs, our sense of stability, our relationship to the past and how we perceive the world around us.

Uranus in Aries is providing the individuality, inventiveness and a calling to wake up and take advantage of the changes the world is going through, whether you want to or whether you have to. You might be asking if you’ve woken up too late. I would say that between the two is what you decide to do when you notice your awareness is coming on. That is a sensitive moment, when you could proceed in one of many directions, some more productive than others.

You will have the opportunity to test what you believe about yourself and about life. It could be an extremely vulnerable moment. That’s the spot we’re reaching for — self-honesty beyond judgment, a moment of truth and of necessity. You could say, a moment of transparency, when the mirror suddenly goes clear.

Lovingly,

P.S. Since sending out last night’s audio on 2012 aspects, we’ve had a lot of requests from subscribers how to purchase the product. Here is the page about the 2012 annual (Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check.) and here is a direct link to the product page.

Mercury is still in retrograde motion in Sagittarius, and today it is conjunct the lunar North Node and Great Attractor. The peak of the Mercury retrograde cycle happens Sunday at 4:52 am with the interior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun. At the same time, Mercury will square both Mars in Virgo and an outer planet called Borasisi. Venus is pulling away from its conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn, and forms an earth trine with Mars on Monday. This time of year the Sun is heading into a conjunction with two deep-space points — the Great Attractor (on Dec. 6) and the Galactic Core (Dec. 19). Between those two events, we are approaching a total eclipse of the Moon in Gemini. Though it’s a little early to be talking about the Full Moon, this is an eclipse and we are currently under its influence now (please see article above).

The Moon is moving slowly across Pisces, which is delicate terrain. This is accentuated by the presence of Chiron in early Pisces and Ceres just past the midpoint; the imperative is for sensitivity to one’s own feelings and those around us. As it moves through Pisces Friday and Saturday, this porous, receptive and introspective Moon will make squares to many points in Sagittarius, which may have a provocative effect on many people. Efforts to treat this rationally will be complicated by Mercury retrograde, so some extra care will be required. Shy away from disagreements and keep conversations light if necessary. Gauge whether others display any self-understanding and respond appropriately. Saturday evening at 9:51 pm EST the Moon enters Aries, immediately forming a conjunction with Uranus — that will make for an interesting Saturday night, especially on the heels of all this inner-seeing and inner-feeling of the prior two days. The fiery moon will come with a boost of confidence, and potentially false confidence. Continue to proceed with caution, check your facts and especially check your opinions.

The recent Venus-Pluto conjunction seemed to have half the world hot and bothered, determined to express their sexuality in some direct way. The conjunction, though now growing wider, is still having an influence as Venus works its way into a trine with Mars in Virgo. Blending Venus and Mars in earthy signs is a calling to guide one’s feelings into the body, though Mars in Virgo is about expressing the exact nature of desire — and that calls for words. Mars in Virgo has very specific desires, and everyone will have more fun if these are identified, expressed and explored playfully. There is an interesting alignment involving a number of points that center on the asteroid Photographica, the planet Neptune and something called Admetos. This is about exploring the dark side of one’s visual imagination. More people are curious about this thing called ‘porno’ than are willing to admit to it, but admitting your curiosity to yourself is a great place to start. It is not a fact that ‘men are more visual than women’. Many factors demonstrate the opposite — explore and decide for yourself, though be aware that the current astrology is pointing to the darker, more transgressive side of visual expression.

Democaracy Now! is reporting that the total number of arrested in the raids on Occupy encampments in Los Angeles and Philadelphia early Wednesday morning has now topped 350 people. Nearly 300 were arrested when around 1,400 officers raided the Occupy LA site at city hall. Fifty people were arrested when Philadelphia police cleared the protest camp at Dilworth Plaza. To date, more than 5,000 people have been arrested in Occupy Wall Street crackdowns nationwide. That is about 5,000 more than were ever arrested in Tea Party protests.

Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the richest man in the city by the way, boasted to an audience at MIT Tuesday night that the New York City Police Department is his own personal army. Bloomberg said, “I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world.” The mayor has been accused of using New York City’s massive police department as his own private force to clear out Occupy Wall Street protesters from their home base in Lower Manhattan and to execute scores of arrests throughout the city. Now we may have an answer to the question once posed by Radiohead, “You and whose army?”

While Occupy movements continue to be evicted from their camps, there is an equally important issue to watch: the suppression of voter rights. Half of the states have passed or are considering laws suppressing voter rights, which include stricter ID requirements, cutting down pre-election day voting time and figuring out how to keep the young, the elderly and minorities away from the polls. We need to meet this with determination and appropriate indignation. It used to be said that if voting got results, it would be illegal — and that is precisely what we see happening now. Here is a Wikipedia article that outlines the issue. This is definitely in the “think globally, act locally” category — it’s a national issue but it’s possible to take local action, which begins with registering to vote and getting your friends to do the same thing.

“On Nov. 25, two days after a failed German government bond auction in which Germany was unable to sell 35% of its offerings of 10-year bonds, the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, said that Germany might retreat from its demands that the private banks that hold the troubled sovereign debt from Greece, Italy and Spain must accept part of the cost of their bailout by writing off some of the debt. The private banks want to avoid any losses either by forcing the Greek, Italian and Spanish governments to make good on the bonds by imposing extreme austerity on their citizens, or by having the European Central Bank print euros with which to buy the sovereign debt from the private banks. Printing money to make good on debt is contrary to the ECB’s charter and especially frightens Germans, because of the Weimar experience with hyperinflation.” Read more at Global Research.

Eclipses, Mercury and Thoughts on Occupy

This is the new (regular) edition of Planet Waves FM. In the first half, I cover the current astrology: Mercury retrograde, the approaching lunar eclipse, and Venus conjunct Pluto — the aspect of lust. In the second half of the program, I discuss some issues involving the Occupy movement, relaying some information I received from C.T. Butler, a previous guest on Planet Waves.

Here you’ll find the full archives and a downloadable zip file. They’re also available on iTunes.

P.S. Check Planet Waves FM Special Edition: Top Five Events of 2012.

Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Weekly Horoscope #883. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Your rational ideas may be coming into conflict with things to take for granted or on faith. If you’re in any conflict, I suggest you check where these two seemingly different levels of reality are trying to establish the truth of something, or vying for supremacy. This kind of tension can be uncomfortable, particularly if you find yourself questioning cherished beliefs that you don’t want to let go of. It would be worth your time, however, to ask yourself why you believe what you believe. It would be just as worthwhile to inquire whether your ideas about life stand up to the available facts, and for that matter, a few other facts that you are currently digging out. The good news is that baseless beliefs don’t really provide you with any comfort, and the even better news is that facts don’t always add up to the truth.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel like you’ve gone through a transformation of some kind, perhaps right down to the cellular level, which has left you feeling raw and vulnerable. At the same time, you’re in a highly structured environment, which you may think is limiting you but which is really providing you with a measure of stability as you go through some deep and necessary changes. Therefore you can focus on your growth, trusting that you’re supported in that experience. Whether you feel safe is another question, but I suggest you treat vulnerability as an opportunity rather than as any kind of threat. All of the finer things in life — love, sensuality, desire, self-expression, learning and friendship, are facilitated by your being open, receptive and in harmony with your environment. You may have the feeling that your surroundings are not supportive of these things, but your astrology suggests that you have some excellent opportunities for authentic contact.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Anger is a controversial emotion among spiritual types, most of whom would prefer to outlaw it or at least banish it to the dark side. However, the fact is that anger exists, and it has many causes. Whether it’s a productive emotion in the long-run is another question, but in the immediate timeframe it is calling your attention to something that you should pay attention to. The danger of anger is festering on it or turning it inward. Another danger is projecting it outward in ways that are not healthy or respectful, but it’s probably better to err on the side of expression rather than suppression. In any event, your attention is being called to a truly significant issue, and you know that you will need to take action sooner rather than later. There is no rush, however; I suggest you investigate your feelings and the history behind them for a while before you make any final decisions.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This is a good time to consider what you owe the world, or what you absolutely want above all else to give the world. You may have a significant debt that you are here to pay off in some form of selfless service. Or, you may have noticed that you’ve been doing that for a long time and need to think of it in a different way. You may be someone who has never considered the concept of world service. It’s time to give that idea a thorough and introspective investigation and find out what it means for you. You are formulating a deep relationship to this idea, and something akin to being a spiritual disciple is awakening in you. Whatever the karma behind this awakening may be, you are receiving a deep inheritance. True, you may not think of gaining an inheritance as ‘taking action’, but what you have is the privilege of authentic participation.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You have a creative opportunity to make a lot of money, with the emphasis on creative first and money second. This will require you to take some specific, carefully chosen action, which I suggest you think of as an experiment. You can wait for ‘something to happen’ but you would benefit from knowing your goal, planning your approach and making a move to see how it goes. An old friend or colleague may be involved, such as in the role of reminding you of an old idea you had, or providing you with some resources or inspiration. During this Mercury retrograde, you may find yourself digging up undeveloped ideas, dreams or desires that serve a diversity of purposes — and which will enrich your life if you follow up on them. If you’re discovering an abundance of these, pick from the ones that you think will make you the happiest. There will be many other benefits.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You are gaining confidence, but it seems to be a delicate walk because losing your courage is only a thought away. The good news is that reconnecting with your courage is only a thought away. But here is a clue: Being rebellious is not enough to get you there. Rebellion in itself is a tool, not a value, and I suggest you be cautious where you apply it. The uprisings that worked for you as a child no longer work today; the things that got the attention of your parents will no longer get the attention of anyone in authority now. Anyway, there is something else you want from your predecessors, which is the example of their authentic relationship to the world. You will gain confidence by being fully in your environment, and by proceeding if not with a sense of entitlement, a sense of belonging to the human family. You are not an outcast. You are a fully vested participant in life on the planet.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — I suggest you acquire some political skills, or refine and enhance the ones you have. Politics is the basic game of human society. It’s influenced by many things: privilege, sex, strength, resources and the propensity of certain individuals to violence — but at the end of the day, to be a skilled player you need none of that. You merely need an understanding of the game and why it is important. I am suggesting this not to get you further entrenched in an idea or an institution of some kind but rather to help you find some freedom. Getting along with others, learning to get your agenda going, and having some skill in give and take, are all essential talents worth developing. In any situation where politics is a necessary art, the antithesis is to stay in touch with your sexual desire. When you lose that vital contact, the game can become dangerous indeed.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You may be inclined to push a financial deal, but you had better check the details carefully before you sign anything. There is promise and potential here, and possibly the chance to realize a very specific dream or desire. Yet the combination of a stellar Mars aspect (driving you forward) simultaneously with Mercury retrograde (potential misunderstanding or misinformation) is the cause for concern. You could do a handshake deal now, and finalize the real agreement in the last two weeks of the year, after Mercury stations direct and become privy to certain levels of information that you may not be aware even exist. The details count for a lot, and I suggest you invest your time finding out what is going on below the surface. Chances are you will be able to use the information well, and resolve your lingering questions — but those questions have to come to the surface before you can do that.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You had better make sure your opinions are backed up by some data. It would be adequate to be able to say, “In my opinion, such and such is true, for the following three reasons.” I don’t mean to undermine your confidence in what you know is right, but rather bolster your confidence when it comes to knowing you’re not always right. I would give yourself extra points if you or anyone else spots an error in your thinking, particularly an error of interpretation. This may come from someone who you are sure is inexperienced or uninformed; don’t let that stop you from fact-checking if someone nudges you. At the heart of the matter, though, is a lingering question about something you believe and are inclined to hold onto at all costs, despite your doubts. You may think you’re a brave holdout, but I would say check the freshness date.

Sagittarius Birthday Audio Report

Dear Friend and Sagittarian:

Whiskey and Owen. Photo by Beki Herrbach.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — I am pretty sure you have not heard of the Red Goat incident in the little town where I live. This consisted of two artists tagging these brand-new, certifiably ugly white tree planters with a stencil of red goats. A little street art caused one of the biggest uproars of the year. Everyone (including me) was suspect in what amounted to a two-week police dragnet. The mayor took it so personally he nearly had an aneurysm. The masses were rallied for a fantastic cause. It was great fun — and the symbol of the unintentional revolt was a goat, just being him/herself. Over the next few days you’re likely to have a similar kind of impulse power, causing reactions you could never have predicted and getting results you were not expecting. This will be fun, if you keep your eye on the effects you’re having. For one thing, you have some luscious, charismatic sex appeal working for you. Lest you’re in doubt — people are noticing.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The deepest core of your psyche has gone from spitting out demons, to the sensation of angels flying out the windows of your soul. I would dare say there have likely been a few spaces in between, when you wondered just what it was you were possessed by. All of this is part of a necessary catharsis that will extend into early next year, when Neptune leaves your sign and enters Pisces. This is a phase of resolution; of tying up the loose ends and making sure that you’re being honest with yourself, and with the people around you, before you move onto your next major adventure. What feels like madness or turmoil in your soul will connect you to your deepest and most authentic creativity. It only feels like angels and devils when it’s suppressed. Then it has a way of turning into art, music and celebration.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The emphasis of your charts is focused on your career — and I suggest that’s where you keep the emphasis of your energy flow. There is more happening there than you recognize, and despite a few things that could be going better than they seem to be, you will have energy to spare as long as you moderate your pace and keep your communications clear. This is a seed moment for you, a time when you will make decisions and act on long-delayed plans. But don’t stop there. You are under rare astrology that is about expanding your vision and making forays into the world that you might have deemed impossible just months or weeks ago. Part of the emphasis is on partnership; the people you encounter now could prove to be truly significant collaborators. Strive for clarity and you will get clear results.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

Your Astrological Guide to Thanksgiving

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Before we get into the month-ahead themes, the astrology of the next few days is so interesting that it calls for some special focus. For many people, Thanksgiving (in the United States, held the last Thursday in November) is a family holiday, and family environments are often emotionally challenging. This may literally involve brain function: encounters with people in our family of origin tend to light up old neurological pathways, and grown adults can have reactions similar to small children when they encounter their relatives. This can be confusing, because you might feel like one person before you walk into the door and another person standing in the front foyer. In fact, for some this is so intolerable that they either avoid their family, or have grown so far from their beginnings that no meeting is possible. This thing we call ‘drifting apart’ is often a truly healthy thing.

Artist’s rendition of what we think Thanksgiving is supposed to be like. This never really happened, and these people never actually existed.

Our moment of astrology could shake up many longterm patterns, fixed concepts and beliefs, and we’re standing in one epicenter of that process right now. Mercury stations retrograde at 2:19 am EST Thursday morning, so it will be halfway between standing still and taking its first slow steps backward for a retrograde that goes through Dec. 13.

When Mercury stations, it’s like a mental reversal of magnetic poles. All your brain cells thought that one direction was the positive pole and the other one was the negative pole, and that can reverse. The result can be an extended moment of disorientation. If you know it’s happening, that puts you at a psychological advantage over someone who has no idea at all.

I keep hearing that the topics most people avoid discussing with their family involve religion, politics, sex and money: your basic taboo subject matter. Those rules just might be thrown to the four winds. So if you’re dreading seeing family members, this holiday might be a lot more fun than usual. Even the most ordinary social environment could become wildly interesting.

This Mercury station in fast and loose Sagittarius looks like a case of astrological Tourette’s Syndrome: a moment when it’s possible to open your mouth and state the truth. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself saying what you really think, not caring what anyone else might have to say about it. I suggest you skip the regrets and instead focus on how funny or meaningful it is that you (or someone else) just blurted something out, because it was the thing to say. If you’re not hanging out with others today or this weekend, it’s an excellent time for an introspective adventure. Whether you’ve got a full social calendar or nothing much going on, I suggest you consciously make some time to be alone. Sagittarian energy is always an invitation to adventure; even a seemingly modest trek somewhere could be a lot of fun.

Mercury stationing is followed up by an eclipse of the Sun in Sagittarius. This takes place at 1:09 am EST, less than 24 hours later. Thanksgiving dinner is sandwiched between these two events. An eclipse can have the feeling of pressure building, needing to be released. There is invisible tension in the air, and often the sensation that you want it to burst. This can distort perceptions and your sense of proportion — be sure to do a little reality check. Perceptions are just that; they don’t always represent the truth.

The social and political environment is rather amazingly different than it was this time last year. Traveling back in time, in November 2010 we had just gone through the midterm election, wherein the Tea Party had grabbed a bunch of congressional seats and governorships, and it looked like old-guard conservatism was finally going to save the world. That was before the Tucson shooting, Fukushima, Arab Spring, the uprisings in Wisconsin and Ohio, a wave of government defaults across Europe, the Occupy movement and a haze of pepper spray drifting from coast to coast.

What a difference a year makes. Today, there are protests in the streets, a sense of social upheaval and no promise that economic conditions are getting better. Yet to the extent there are going to be improvements, we now have permission to believe that we might have an influence, and that individual change counts for a lot. The time has come for a new conversation, and the astrology of the next few weeks is all about that — no matter who you choose to have that conversation with. Remember, you can learn a lot from the people you agree with the very least. So keep your ears open and remember, no matter how asinine an idea someone utters, there’s always someone else who thinks it’s brilliant.

In true Sagittarian spirit it would be a good idea to have a thick skin and your sense of humor ready. I don’t suggest you try to convert anyone; rather, the times are more appropriate for being yourself and seeing how that feels. That always makes an interesting experiment.

Lovingly,

Note to Readers: There will not be an issue Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday for our staff. We will return Tuesday, Nov. 29.

A Month For Ideas With Lives of Their Own

We begin the last month of 2011 in transition: between eclipses on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis, with Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius, and many planets cautioning against mental obsession or overload. The energy in the sky is pouring in from the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), which are all about ideas in motion; in this setup, ideas that seem to have lives of their own.

Photo by David Shankbone.

Here’s how that looks. Through Dec. 13, Mercury is retrograde in Sagittarius, which is challenging many conventional beliefs, religious concepts and notions we may have about the world. This is happening at a time when the world itself is changing fast.

Anything with strong Sagittarius in its astrology is going to want to make its point, whether that point makes sense or not. If ideas are truly meaningful to you, if concepts matter to you, it would help if you check your evolving ideas against the available facts. Mercury will retrograde past many slow-moving points (most of them newly identified by science) and every day could come with a new sense of discovery.

Following the Sagittarius partial solar eclipse of Nov. 25, there is a total eclipse of the Moon in Gemini on Dec. 10. This might come with a few too many words to make sense of anything much. It would be a great idea to conserve your words and not talk away your intentions. If you have something to say, focus on writing; if you have important conversations, make sure you take notes, or all the information could evaporate. (Note, with many planets hanging around the Galactic Center, this ‘evaporating idea’ phenomenon may be in full force.)

Your best ideas (which would include longterm plans, or a full-on revisioning of your life) will take on a life of their own, if you cultivate them carefully and consciously. What’s growing on the vine are not your garden variety notions of what might be possible, but are more like high-potency hydroponic philosophies that will have extra influence.

Mars is a longer visitor in Virgo, where it will be through early July. On Friday, it’s in a close aspect to the eclipse, which is suggesting that you take the time to get your facts straight, know what you want, and subject your own ideas to some scrutiny. That doesn’t mean analyze them to death (which is a possibility with Mars situated as it is in Virgo) but rather that you ask questions and do your best to answer them. Mars in Virgo square the Lunar Nodes is deeply introspective and it cautions against harsh self-criticism. Try not to worry whether an idea or plan is good enough. Rather, relate to it consciously and see where that takes you.

One thing to study carefully are interconnections of any kind. There is something about the charts these days that suggests that looked at one way, anything could seem like a conspiracy, or looked at another way, it’s obvious that all life and all people are connected. Look closely at the ways people support one another in ‘failure’ and in the futile resistance to evolving their knowledge and beliefs. If you’re surrounded by people who seem stuck and are affirming one another’s stuckness, note that carefully and see where you fit into the pattern.

Zuccotti Park the night of Oct. 1, 2011. Photo by Eric.

To what extent are you either relying on unproven assumptions, or unconsciously holding onto assumptions? Whose example are you following when it comes to being a ‘better person’? Does your drive to ‘improve yourself’ do just as much to drive you nuts? Among other topics, theses are some of what come up for review.

We are alive in a revolutionary moment. We know that this is long overdue. Quite literally anything could change, and many things we’re not expecting will happen before our eyes. Remember that this will not be a pleasant process for everyone. For many, their sense of safety is the direct result of clinging to what they believe. When facts come along that challenge those beliefs, the result can be a bunch of conflict.

At the moment, this is optional, and you can get the hang of reassessing your beliefs as a voluntary experience. As we move through the next six months, this will have an increasingly compulsory feeling, as the beliefs that no longer serve us collapse on themselves. You can avoid this by continually updating your files, and asking yourself whether what you believe 1) serves you and 2) is actually true. Most of our dysfunctional beliefs come in the form of ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I’ll never get it right’.

You can go far beyond this struggle, however. Keep your focus on your inner source of inspiration, and notice what demonstrates itself to be valid and real for you over and over again. The truth does not need any help from us to be itself. But it helps a lot if we get out of the way.

Mercury Retrograde — Eclipse in Sagittarius

The new edition of Planet Waves FM is ready. This week I describe our exciting week of astrology, which features Mercury stationing retrograde and an eclipse of the Sun, as well as our current moment wherein the Sun has just entered Sagittarius and is making all kinds of aspects to big planets.

I sort through this astrology with you, and then look at the accompanying world events — much of which has been focused on the Occupy movement and most recently, the UC Davis OC gas (pepper spray) incident that is shaping consciousness right now. What does this say about the nature of our moment in history, and the nature of our human reality?

Extended Monthly Horoscope for Dec. 2011 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Many factors have been pushing you to change your mind. I don’t mean make a new decision about something, but rather understand your way of thinking and then revise key elements of your thought process. You do have a way of getting split down the middle; different points of view can have the same apparent value, when really that’s not true. Over the next few weeks, you’re likely to have experiences that point out this fact specifically: there was something you were missing, and you’re going to get a good look at what that was. This comes with a clue. An issue you were stuck over, which seemed to be on the level of your mind, turns out to be about an emotional hang-up. By that I mean an attachment to the past of some kind, which was obscuring your view of the present. Once you get your emotions out of the way and can assess the situation from a mental or analytical point of view, you will suddenly see a distinction much more clearly, and understand the ways your attachments to how things were was blocking your perception of how things are. In short, the time has arrived for you to participate in a larger world, on adult terms, rather than a small world following the rules of a child. Look around and notice how many of your peers still live by the rules of the schoolyard, a condition you can no longer abide.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — The time has arrived to tighten up your act. I mean your whole act — there is no point practicing your singing if you don’t also work on your dancing. The issue may manifest initially as a desire to get your financial life in order. That’s a kind of ruse. What you’re waking up to is that you have two separate value systems that are in conflict with one another, and it’s time to make some choices. It could be something as simple as the conflicting belief pattern that on the one hand believes you want more money, while simultaneously thinking that money is evil, or that people who have money are evil. Both of those beliefs cannot be together in the same room, and you may have a few of those. While you’re working that one out, there is something unusually powerful in your chart right now that describes putting your whole identity into whatever you do creatively. Your creative process is not about choosing one thing at the expense of others, but rather about an ethic or method whereby you put your whole self and all of your talent into everything you do. Again the theme is about getting away from the sense of having a divided character, which is the sensation of any one part of your life competing with any other part of your life. You are one person, experiencing one whole existence. Experiencing this potential may seem daunting, though it’s simply a true fact.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — This is a special time in your life, though you do have a tendency to forget. The focus seems to be on your relationships. Yet most of what we describe as relationship issues are almost always personal material that is projected into the relationship. It’s easy, indeed, too easy, to get confused by this, and a number of factors could lead you down this path over the next few weeks. The question of why you want relationships, and the role of other people in your life, is a deeply personal one. In truth, it has nothing to do with other people; the conversation begins and ends with you, and through that conversation you set the terms of what you want to share with the people around you. In fact, that’s a great way to state the question: what do you want to share with them? Ideally, that would be your most absolutely real self, even as this changes and evolves day by day. The most significant thing you’re sorting out is what I will call the mutual fantasy issue. Often, people have relationships not with actual others, but with a character they’ve made up who is based on someone they are with. The first step in getting out of this is presenting yourself to others as you are. The second step is doing your utmost to perceive who someone else is, then working with the basic facts that this presents. Just remember, this is not about a relationship — it’s about you.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Everyone has what seems to be splits in their psyche, at least until they get a handle on that illusion. Many times, you live in a polarized world, where there are two sides of the story, two ways of looking at life and sometimes where you seem to inhabit two (or more) separate worlds simultaneously, which have little to do with one another. Underneath that sensation is an underlying emotional reality, which dates back to some experiences that shaped your perceptions in very early childhood, or while your mom was pregnant with you. These memories are veiled; they exist in one of those ‘worlds apart’ that slips into your awareness from time to time. Pay attention to those experiences this month, including what comes through in very early memories, stories you hear from others about your distant past, and what comes through an especially thin veil between dream consciousness and waking consciousness. Be on the lookout for memories associated with your medical history, which in the industrialized world begins with birth and early visits to pediatricians. If your family was into faith healers, notice your memories and feelings around them. Meanwhile, as you dance around these realms, you may be flooded with the sense that you have outgrown your own mind, which would be a beautiful development. Your consciousness is expanding, your perception is encompassing more and more, and the present moment will eventually swallow the past like a puff of smoke disappears into the air.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You can finally forget what you think other people think and explore your own creative ideas and erotic desires. There’s a reason why it doesn’t matter what other people think, which is that everyone has their own version of what is too weird to talk about. You can be confident of this. What stands on less solid ground, indeed, more of a swamp, is how comfortable others are with their own ‘weird’ side, but this isn’t your concern. Stretch into your most creative reality, going past the taboo threshold and into space that feels new and daring. One way or the other, most creativity or passion starts in the mind; we experience most things in consciousness first, and then follow up in the ‘real’ world. Notice if you run into the notion that ‘this makes a great fantasy, but I don’t have to do it in real life’. It may be true that you don’t have to experience something, but do you want to? And if you do, what’s stopping you? Chances are it will be some form of, what would Mother think? That’s a great place to get, because once you’re there, you’re standing at the point of transcending someone else’s idea of who you are and directly entering the space of who you are. You’re not a child. Your consciousness is yours to guide as you wish. Often we don’t find that out until we do something about it: something daring and fun that’s supposed to be a little embarrassing.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Does the past ever go away? It does, when we have a more interesting vision for our lives, but even then the past can be one of the most important teachers there is. If you find yourself caught in old emotions or beliefs when what you want more than anything is to move forward, I suggest you stop and make the process fully conscious. Perhaps instead of resisting the past you can take yourself there fully. This might be an easy time to do that, with the holidays coming up. If you have any commitments or plans involving family, turn it into a fact-finding expedition rather than an expedition. Bring your camera and digital recorder. Notice the things you normally overlook. Even if you don’t have family contact during the holidays, I suggest you go exploring the places and if possible, the people of prior decades. The place to pay special attention is your father’s side of the family. In the lives of many Virgos this is an especially critical area of life to resolve, and it’s been burning up the planets lately. I would propose to you that the past does not stay the same. Our perception of it changes, there are things we don’t know, and subsequent events (and generations) influence the meaning of things that seem long since gone. So I suggest you probe as deeply as you can, with an open mind. One message of your charts right now is that the way to the future is backwards.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Most of what we hold onto, or what holds back our progress, is rooted in the emotional level, but sometimes it goes deeper. You might think of that as the karmic level, where the patterns of the very distant past are held. These are the patterns that keep repeating, the ones you cannot seem to control. They might feel like wheel ruts or grooves worn into stone where water collects and flows. Freeing oneself from these kinds of patterns can feel extremely vulnerable and disorienting, which is why we don’t do it. Yet you’re reaching a point of inevitability. You’ll know you’ve arrived there when you feel a sudden shift in your environment, which you may experience as the sensation of density or feeling trapped in a home situation or emotional state. That may be followed by the impulse to liberate yourself, potentially something so impetuous that you care about nothing else. You may not have time to even consider that reaction. Then there is one last step, which is coming to terms with the pattern as something within you that needs to change. The way this process looks is like an evolutionary fire. You might feel the sensation of having your identity totally consumed, something like a caterpillar feels like in its cocoon before it melts into the substance that becomes a butterfly. There is little point fearing something that is inevitable; the question is how you can facilitate your experience as you transform yourself from one who crawls to one who can fly.

Your Libra birthday audio for 2011 is finished. Created outside next to an open fire, this reading covers the astrology for your sign in about 70 minutes (looking at career, relationship, home life and the many influences to change you’re now experiencing). I then do and offering a tarot reading that looks at other subjects from a the different perspective that tarot offers. Visit this link for additional information.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The word is precision. To be precise, that’s the word between now and July 3, 2012. Precision applies to three things mainly: desire, decisions and emotions. Your quest is to find out precisely what you want. At all times, know what your options are, and count as a good day any day where you have at least two choices in any matter. Finally you must direct your emotions with precision, at the right temperature, particularly toward friends and associates — but especially toward yourself. All of this would fall under the general heading of intentions: knowing them and using them with discretion. That said, it would be a mistake to be too much of a hard-ass, and that is a real risk. Many of the most nourishing and profound developments in life come from a mix of discipline and creativity. While Mars, your traditional ruling planet, will soon be retrograde in Virgo, Chiron is in Pisces, a water sign similar to your own. That means indulging the part of your mind that moves in three dimensions; that engages with the world intuitively; that goes beyond the facts and details into a kind of visionary space where your mind creates something new. As Neptune enters Pisces early next year, that becomes even more meaningful. Precision is therefore the vehicle, but your ultimate destination is disciplined creativity. Keep contact with how much flexibility, gentleness and authenticity are necessary to handle actual, original ideas — and in the coming months, count on giving birth to lots of them.

Hello Scorpios! Your 2011 Birthday Report is ready. It’s about an hour of astrology, plus a 20-minute tarot reading. Prepared with the Sun in still in Scorpio, it’s hot with transformational energy. I focus on your ruling planet Mars, your imagination and desire nature, and a phase of solid achievement. Please check this page for more information.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Most authority is a matter of self-mastery. Just about anyone who has succeeded in the world has figured that out, and for those who have not, we understand why some have said that nothing fails like success. You may feel a diversity of impulses to be the best at what you do, to have control over your affairs and to assert your authority in your profession. This may drive you to a new level of competition as you become a taskmaster and push your influence and your reputation. I suggest you not get too carried away with this; for example, if you have the feeling (or the suspicion) that you’re losing your emotional grounding, that’s the time to change approach. You need sleep and food; 25 pounds of laundry is too much. You might have experiences where you disconnect from your sensitivity, come close to the notion that the ends justify the means. Success is worthless if you lose contact with your humanity. Ultimately, you want your drive to come from a mix of inspiration and motivation; problems are solved less by attacking them and more by thinking them through. Yet life is not a problem. It’s more often a human equation. Therefore, I suggest that while you’re taking care of details and taking care of business, you direct most of your energy inwardly, into the emotional and intuitive places within you. And remember as Jerry used to say: the storyteller’s job is to spread light and not to master.

Sagittarius birthday report coming soon! Meanwhile, to order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 go to this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You’ve opened new territory inside yourself, but you may be wondering whether it’s enough to have the experiences you want. You may be wondering if you’ve pruned away enough of the old dross in your life for new growth to sprout. What’s important is not how far you’ve gotten but rather that you have begun a challenging process, and that you’re proceeding in earnest. While there are likely to be more challenges along the way — that is life, especially when you’re in an intense growth phase — arriving at the point of actual commencement is the most important step, and you passed that point a long time ago. You cannot be sure when your deep personal exploration is going to open up into a whole new world. That could be at any moment. One thing about your life for the foreseeable future (and I do mean for years) is that the moments of breakthrough will be sudden and unexpected, and they are not necessarily going to arrive when you feel the most confident. Remember that, because you might be inclined to use your insecurity as an excuse for not being ready. Therefore keep your focus on the present. Be aware of any paradoxes you encounter. They are like atoms that contain a lot of energy. One such paradox is likely to be the experience of bold determination, which then morphs into the sensation of total instability. Hint: don’t try to divide these factors, but rather, multiply them.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You seem to be in a highly unusual moment of clarity. It’s as if everything you ever learned is organizing itself into a pattern where you can see and access it all. You may also be a little overwhelmed, as ‘it all’ encompasses wide psychic territory, long spans of time and deep history. This clarity may be arriving with the sense of the big lessons of your life and how they are coming up now not for practice but for actual mastery. Most significant among them appears to involve confronting the idea of sacrifice. My spiritual training is specific on this topic, and I will pass it onto you: stop and question everything the moment that concept arises. You know the particulars; I can speak in generalities. There are two definitions of sacrifice. The newer one is to give something up for the sake of another. The older one is to perform a sacred rite. Which of these two established definitions would you prefer, and which seems the more inevitable? Consider that for a moment. The next issue is, to what extent does your current situation involve dealing with consequences of your past actions, or past actions that were done to you by others? There is a psychological component here, and there’s likely to be a sexual one.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — For you, everything comes back to how you feel. When you feel good you can conquer the world, and when you feel depleted or divided, it’s hard to get anywhere. Therefore, focus on how you feel as your first priority, rather than on any specific goal. It’s not that you don’t have big stuff happening — indeed, from the look of your solar charts, you may have some of the biggest stuff ever going on. The next month is going to present you with some challenging opportunities, and while you may be tempted to think your way to success, or work your way there, I suggest you work backwards from the place of embodying the feeling of the success you want. How do you do that? The experience of fully engaging life has a sensation to it. You’ve felt it before; you can envision it now. That sensation involves how it feels to be in your body walking around on the planet. And it involves how you wield your vision. The word ‘wield’ is usually associated with things like swords and light sabers; consider your vision a power tool. This includes your communication skills, your ideas and your message. Timing is everything. For the next month, some important matters may seem to be delayed and others will feel like some kind of invisible partition over your head opened up and started letting in this really interesting kind of cosmic sunlight you’ve never seen. The world will look different, and seen in this new light, it’s one vast opportunity.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

The Nature of the Beast

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Protest in New York City on Thursday night, walking from Foley Square toward the Brooklyn Bridge. Photo by Miah Artola for Planet Waves. Thank you to the many Planet Waves readers who faithfully called with field reports or sent in photos and reportage of the N-17 protests Thursday and overnight.

“The future’s here. We are it.” — John Perry Barlow

Dear Friend and Reader:

There is a kind of combat happening on the streets of New York City, and many cities across the United States. Evicting the calm, sedate protest from Zuccotti Park Tuesday morning caused the Occupy Wall Street movement’s two-month celebration, long planned for November 17, to cascade into a massive event that New York City officials could not control. There are more people than police in New York City and every city in the world. Nearly everyone is affected by the economic issues that the Occupy protesters are organizing around, and crackdowns are only having the effect of bringing more people into the movement.

Dorli Rainey, age 84, was pepper sprayed this week by Seattle Police. She would have been trampled after the police started a stampede by plunging their bicycles into the crowd, but she was saved by an Iraq veteran who got her to safety. Image: Screen shot from Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

We’re now witnessing a standoff on the streets of the United States that has been brewing for decades, as wealth condensed into the hands of a very few people and one war after the next was fought for profit. Many of the wealthiest 1% have made their money profiting from the national security state that has emerged since Sept. 11, 2001. Now, the economy is so top-heavy that it’s toppling over.

As I write Thursday, I’m watching live video of a doctor with the organization PNHP.org talk about how the number one reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States is medical costs — even among those who have health insurance. He described a patient who came in with a broken leg with the bone sticking out who told him, “Do as little as possible. I cannot afford this.”

When people with legitimate concerns rise up exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest and are pushed down by armed police, who broadcast pepper spray into a crowd or plunge bicycles into groups of people, that is not civil society; it’s a combat situation. It’s a coordinated assault on human beings and on civil rights. I believe that this week’s multi-city eviction of Occupy movements was part of an organized effort to deny people their constitutional right to protest.

Yet it’s more than that. When police shoot videographers, arrest accredited journalists and inflict critical injuries on military veterans, that is open combat on a free society, and that is exactly what we’ve been witnessing in recent weeks.

When the powers that be react to political speech with a show of absolute power, responding to unarmed people with violence and aggression, you can be sure they feel threatened. They are outnumbered, and they know they are the less popular side, when it comes to hearts and minds. And they know more than we do. We’re experiencing massive, nearly nationwide protests with the banks open, funds moving and food available in stores. I am sure they dread to think what might happen were that to change.

New York City Council member Ydanis Rodriguez, who represents northern Manhattan, was arrested by the NYPD Tuesday morning as he observed the eviction of Zuccotti Park. He was held for 17 hours without access to an attorney. Photo: Video screen shot.

As I write on Thursday afternoon, the NYPD has barricaded hundreds of people into Zuccotti Park. There are police with helmets in every direction. Let’s remember that this is not a student protest. It’s a statement by people of all ages and many backgrounds demanding redress from the ripoff of the economy by bankers, the corporate money that controls politics and government, the untold thousands of jobs that have been converted to slavery in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Thousands of people have figured out they have nothing to lose. And they are under psychological pressure they experience mainly as fear, and then that bursts through and comes out as energy. That is the Occupy movement: an economic civil rights movement. What historians don’t know when they question why this is happening now is that the astrology is right. The confluence of oppressive events in the economy and the rest of society is meeting with the astrology of revolution.

There are always mass uprisings, revolutions and unprecedented cultural breakthroughs when Uranus and Pluto get together. That’s what we’ve been seeing all year. (Incredibly, Arab Spring was just a few months ago, even though it seems to be in the distant past.) As I have written many times, this is only the beginning; the first exact square of Uranus and Pluto is not until June, and the last one isn’t until late 2015. I know I keep saying this. We won’t really have a clear picture of what this energy is going to bring until the first square next spring. That is when the real acceleration begins.

What we’re witnessing now is a process of polarization. People are being radicalized, coming to terms with the nature of existence, and taking a stand, many for the first time in their lives. In the process we’re realizing we’re neither alone in what we feel or what we’re experiencing. Then the power structure is responding with unrestrained brute force, and rage that almost seems personal in nature. Years ago, Mike Frisch, my American Studies professor, explained that the purpose of a protest is to bring out the nature of the beast. By that, he meant that the nature of the power structure, its agenda and its conduct are latent until they are challenged. Then they show their true colors.

Riot squads arrive Thursday at Occupy Los Angeles. Photo by Kyle C.

That’s what you’re seeing when you see Iraq or Afghanistan veterans being clobbered by the cops, young women being pepper sprayed and people being corralled someplace they would never go and arrested by the hundreds. Then others respond to this, and the protests grow. City officials and police feel more desperate, fearing they’re going to lose control, and they act more aggressively, which only feeds the protests and raises awareness of the issues.

Thursday, you had to produce corporate ID or proof of local residency to walk down a street in lower Manhattan. At Brooklyn College, there was an incident where an Occupy general assembly being held in a campus building was interrupted by police, who demanded student ID and would not give them back to the students until they left. Students were then pushed by campus security down a hall, down a flight of stairs and out into the rain. We don’t even need to ask whether this is necessary. It’s not, but it’s telling us something about the people who are responding this way. We can gather a clue that they fear this is going to get larger.

As this goes on, we are seeing just how much firepower the civilian police actually have: the kinds of weapons and tactics, the sheer numbers, all of which is being brought to bear on protesters. Someone just told me they were concerned that the NYPD might bring out the Hercules Teams, which New York magazine describes as “elite, heavily armed, Special Forces–type police units that pop up daily around the city. It can be at the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, or the stock exchange, wherever the day’s intelligence reports suggest they could be needed. These small teams arrive in black Suburbans, sheathed in armor-plated vests and carrying 9-mm submachine guns — sometimes with air or sea support. Their purpose is to intimidate and to very publicly mount a show of force.”

Actually that would be worth something: let’s see what power they are willing to bring out in the face of little kids riding piggyback on their parents’ shoulders, young people with their dogs and pet rats, unemployed nurses protesting the lack of jobs, people playing drums and young women holding placards about peace and love.

Centaurs, Personal Planets and the Great Attractor

On Tuesday, I summed up the astrology that blended the personal planets (Venus, Mars and Mercury) with highly potent planets called centaurs (at the moment, Chiron, Pholus, Nessus and others). These in turn are aligning with the Great Attractor, and the mixture is illustrating a kind of rapid acceleration and transformative alchemy. My impression from this astrology was that we would witness events that would have impact far into the future; that this would be a week of both history precipitated, and catalysts of future developments.

Protesters in New York City. Photo by Sherry Mazzocchi.

Yet this kind of energy movement can raise the sense of fear and conflict in many people. How you feel under potent astrology depends on your density level. The more fearful and contracted your energy, the more panicky you’re likely to feel. The more open you are, the more exciting and momentous it’s likely to feel. This is not a time to be caught in ideology, in denial or even in anger. It’s time to hang loose and pay attention.

In January 2010 I wrote that the next few years would make the 1960s seem like a walk in the park, in the same article proposing: “When the energy rises like this, many people feel it as something passionate. Yet for those who are struggling with obstacles, it can be extremely frustrating. We can find ourselves at a moment of awesome potential with nothing but chores to take care of. I suggest we remember that we’re in a moment of quickening. There are no shortcuts to growth, but there are moments of rapid acceleration, and we’re about to stroll into one of them.”

That was nearly two years ago, and we’ve been through this over and over again. This week, some of the most emotional planets, the ones that are closest to the core of how it feels to be human, have been (and still are being) catapulted through the realm of the centaurs — energies which for many people are the most uncomfortable. For most people, centaur energy is so far beyond the edge they would never go there voluntarily. Centaurs can represent the emergence of subject matter that (at times) is no more pleasant than the pus coming out of an infection.

In the midst of this acceleration, there is something extremely personal developing: the Penn State child rape scandal. This may seem entirely removed from the Occupy protests, but I would say they are aspects of the same thing, developing under the same astrology. The common thread can be summed up in one word: power. There is another common theme: group dynamics.

The difference between rape and voluntary sex is precisely the exercise of power as opposed to choice. That power can take many forms, and in the case of Jerry Sandusky, the coach accused of 40 counts of sex crimes, it took many different forms. By that, I mean within the one-to-one relationships he had with the boys he raped.

Hundreds of police surrounded protesters as they marched through nearly constant rain and rapidly falling temperatures in New York City on Thursday. By most accounts, police were hostile but restrained; there were relatively few arrests and only isolated incidents of violence against protesters. Image is from video by Tim Pool.

Yet there was part of his power that came from beyond him, which was the vast, decade-long conspiracy to cover up what he was doing. It extended through the ranks of the Penn State athletic program and administration and straight into the judicial system.

The cover-up included an active, aggressive and persistent form of denial, and lots of seemingly passive but equally toxic looking the other way. From testimony we’ve heard so far, Sandusky apparently had the active cooperation of university officials in committing his crimes, which is why the president and many other campus officials have been prosecuted or fired in recent weeks. I described this Tuesday as an aspect of the centaur Nessus in Aquarius, the sign of groups. Nessus is a focal point of the Uranus-Pluto square, and it’s calling group dynamics into focus. This can reflect how otherwise ‘good’ people can surrender their power and become a group that perpetuates evil. It’s almost as if many people have two identities — the one they show to people one on one, and the the other that emerges when in some form of collective. I believe this is a dangerous form of psychic fragmentation, responsible for much pain in the world.

Now that this is spilling out, we’re hearing on TV that there are many, many Jerry Sanduskys in the world. Actually, the Jerry Sanduskys, that is, the serial pedophiles of non-related children, are fairly rare. The vast majority of child sexual abuse happens inside households.

Photo by Wesley Middleton.

Yet in terms of the denial element, and the power element, what happened at Penn State — up to the revelations of the crimes, that is — is the same thing that happens in many households where the children are sexually abused by adult caregivers right under everyone’s gaze. That is the more common setup and it’s in many ways worse, because the betrayal is so intimate.

I am aware as an absolute fact that many of my readers have been harmed this way, and many others have been stricken indirectly (for example, they’re aware of or unconsciously struggling with what has happened to their parents, siblings or cousins), and the repeated exposure to this story is likely to be stirring up old wounds and unresolved anger. So too is the current astrology (please see ERO section below).

All of this is happening in a sexual environment where there is constant feigning of care and concern for underage people, whether this involves federal regulation of sexual imagery on the Internet or the potential suspicion of anyone who takes care of kids. Today, two 14-year-old girls who voluntarily choose to have sex with one another can be charged with statutory rape. Yes, it’s rare that they would be charged, but the laws are in place, and prosecutions do happen, despite the lifelong pain this can cause to kids who simply do not deserve it.

Now we find out what was going on, and being suppressed, in one of the most famous university athletic programs in the world, and how many well-placed, influential people had to cooperate in order for it to continue as long as it did.

The positive side is that this takedown is providing some healing for the many people who were raped by Sandusky, they will have access to civil damages, people will go to jail, and some future attacks may be prevented. There may be a sense of poetic justice and some healing for those who have suffered at the hands of others. Yet this whole incident also offers evidence of how much work we have to do on the personal level, even if we succeed in creating economic or political reforms. I suspect, however, that engaging in actual inner personal reform is the prerequisite for any meaningful changes in society as a whole.

The negative side is that any sex scandal is bad for all sex. Publicly associating attack, grief, shame and humiliation with any form of sex, no matter how evil, may evoke a sense of justice, but it also chills the entire emotional and erotic environment. Even as the toxins are cleansed from that one situation, they enter the total environment, adding to the pain that is already there.

Photo by Eric Francis — Book of Blue, New York.

This verges on impossible to see because the background level of guilt and the feeling of wrongness about sex is so pervasive even in those who have done nothing to intentionally harm or abuse others. The feeling of betrayal of emotional trust is so pervasive. The dishonesty that surrounds sex is so ubiquitous, and many respond with an attitude of sanctimonious purity — despite whatever they may actually do behind supposedly closed doors.

What are we going to do about this? I am pretty sure there’s a sexual revolution on its way. I can’t exactly tell you what kind, but sexual mores have become so restrictive on the one hand and so ridiculously unbridled on the other, that they are due for the kind of revolt that Uranus-Pluto events are famous for. Has anyone read the story about the Egyptian woman who decided to protest against macho by undressing on her blog? She nearly caused the Internet to explode. We might think, oh, that’s a Muslim country. But Westerners carry most of the same inhibitions as everyone else, rooted just as deeply. And we’re at a huge disadvantage for thinking we’re so free.

During the last sexual revolution, the thing that didn’t happen was an actual renegotiation of relationships. Sex became more available, but the terms largely remained unconscious and rooted in the economic discrepancies between men and women. If power relationships changed, much of the change was superficial. One starting point is learning to openly negotiate the terms of our relationships, and to be able to communicate our own point of view clearly enough for someone to understand it. We have to make room for one another, but closer to home, we have to make room for ourselves in our own lives. If you ask me, the next sexual revolution will start in the mirror and expand outward from there.

It’s truly beautiful and exciting that people are rising up in the face of economic injustice and political corruption. What we need just as much is to go inside, and begin to make peace with ourselves, and then to reach out to the people around us.

Lovingly,

Publishing Schedule Note to Readers: Planet Waves will be on a Thanksgiving holiday schedule next week. There will (most likely) be just one horoscope — the December monthly edition, with its month-ahead introduction. I’ll also do a basic guide to Mercury retrograde. I have not settled on the dates of these mailings. Please watch your inbox for more information. — efc

Something to Try: Infrequently Asked Questions

Patricia Thomas of London, a friend of Planet Waves (and Eric’s former editor at The Ecologist), has created two virtual decks of questions designed for anyone who would like to challenge their assumptions and shift their thinking — and anyone who already feels this process occurring and would like to engage with it proactively.

Questions have a way of creating momentum, of moving us forward. They make the mind active rather than passive, make us attentive to new ideas, open up new worlds and possibilities. Questions define and refine our thinking and our philosophy of life; they are the basis of our search for the truth of things. Questions are a manifestation of curiosity — and curiosity helps build awareness, appreciation and understanding.

What started as a way to remember the questions that were most important to her personally and in her work as a journalist — questions that often get forgotten under pressure of life and deadlines — evolved into two rough decks of cards, and eventually into a web-based project, Infrequently Asked Questions. The website features two virtual decks of cards with more than 100 questions each. The CultureShift and InnerQuest decks prompt the user with the kind of questions each of us needs to ask when we find ourselves on the threshold of a new challenge — whether personal, cultural, technological or philosophical. They work like Tarot in that we often draw the cards to us that we need — even if their meaning is not always immediately apparent. It’s a game — but it also has a serious purpose. Have fun with it and feel free to help it evolve further by providing your feedback.

Today is the last quarter Moon, which is when the waning Moon makes a square to the Sun — in this case, from Leo to Scorpio. The Moon then enters Virgo just before 5:19 pm EST this evening, and continues through that sign until Monday evening, when it enters Libra. Mercury is about two-thirds of the way through its shadow (or echo) phase, as it continues to slow down in Sagittarius. It will station retrograde on Nov. 24, and continue retrograde until Dec. 13. Right now Mercury is still close on the heels of Venus, also in Sagittarius. Venus, moving a little faster, makes a sextile to the centaur planet Nessus today. Currently Mercury is quincunx (or inconjunct) Jupiter in Taurus, and Saturday it will make a sextile to Vesta in Aquarius. The major news in the sky this weekend is the Scorpio Sun making a square to Neptune in Aquarius. That aspect is exact Sunday, but we are feeling it now. Both the Sun and Neptune are very late in their signs; the Sun ingresses Sagittarius Tuesday.

Sun square Neptune, exact Sunday but with a long time orb, offers a caution that you might not know what you’re feeling, or that you might keep forgetting what it is or changing your mind. I suggest you let this pass like a wave rather than trying to fight the sensation. Friday as the Leo Moon passes through last quarter phase, it also makes an opposition to Neptune and a square to the asteroid Ophelia, which is conjunct the Sun. The natural turning point (or stress point) of the quarter Moon can trigger just the kinds of paranoia and sense of betrayal that the astrology is warning against. As the Moon moves into more pensive, analytical Virgo (making aspects to both Chiron and Mars), that’s the perfect setting for excessive self-critique — so you might want to find a creative alternative to that.

This is the weekend to discuss and indeed to embark upon authentic sexual healing. Both Venus and Mercury in Sagittarius make sextiles to Nessus in Aquarius. That’s a way of saying that Venus (female desire nature, deeply-held values) and Mercury (androgynous, communication tools, reasoning ability) are in a position to negotiate with the wounding/healing power of the centaur Nessus. Despite a strong sense of potential, you may have the feeling of wading through uncertain territory. That is exactly the sensation you want in any form of a therapeutic situation: a sense of certainty is usually counterproductive. Remember that healing is usually something that happens in layers, and it takes many forms. This astrology is suggesting you go for another layer or two deeper, and that one form the process will take is being able to share with intimate partners what has been bothering you. Putting things into words is more significant and helpful than most people realize. As you do, notice the emotions that come up, be they anger, a sense of powerlessness, a sense of empowerment, pain, desire or pleasure. If you choose to focus on this aspect of your life, you may experience a mix of feelings. Mercury slowing down toward its retrograde suggests that the conversation may be an extended one, which takes you far deeper into the past than you were expecting to go.

Centaurs in the Fog

A new edition of Planet Waves FM is ready. Our current astrology is happening in two dimensions — many planets aspecting centaurs (Pholus, Chiron, Nessus) and then the Sun square Neptune. One is a wake-up influence, the other is a fog-over influence. Which one will win the day? There are other clues. Mars in Virgo is also saying pay attention to the details. Mars will be retrograde in Virgo fairly soon.

In this edition, I also decode some current news events, including the Penn State scandal. The fans (including students) are experiencing a deep struggle in coming to grips with the truth about the coaching staff there; the centaur planets are working to shift us to another level of consciousness.

I also get into the apparent low IQ Republican requirement from its presidential candidates, a kind of ignorance test; and a catch-up on the Occupy movement. Over 200 people were arrested Tuesday when police broke up the New York Occupy encampment. Said NY mayor Bloomberg, “There is no ambiguity in the law here — the First Amendment protects speech — it does not protect the use of tents and sleeping bags to take over a public space. Protesters have had two months to occupy the park with tents and sleeping bags. Now they will have to occupy the space with the power of their arguments.” We’ll see what the astrology has to say about that.

Here you’ll find the full archives and a downloadable zip file. They’re also available on iTunes.

Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. Weekly Horoscope #882. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Are you feeling like you’re about to explode? That’s what it looks like from your chart, more or less. There is indeed something in you that’s pushing to be reborn into the world, which is a version of yourself that has faith in your own confidence. You keep going through this, and every time you hope you’ll get it right. Try this visualization. You’re standing face to face with a being you perceive as much greater than yourself: taller than you, enormous on a scale different than human, and the essence of creative power. Now imagine this being morphs into someone who resembles you, before your eyes. It is you, and you can ‘become’ this seemingly separate entity — and then you remember. You’ve made a promise to yourself. It feels more like a sacred vow, and you know that the time has arrived to honor that commitment. But how? I am sure you know.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel like you’re out of place, in over your head or that too much is expected of you. Yet at the same time, you’re a determined, persistent person, who loves a challenge and who has some real ambitions to do the right thing in the world, and for the world. How can both conditions be true at the same time? Well, they can be, though the meeting point is making peace with being called to live up to your potential. Yet called by whom? If it feels like you’re being called by someone or something outside yourself, you may be projecting the matter. But then, that’s often how ‘callings’ arrive in our lives. We are presented with opportunities, and the means to explore them. What is presenting itself directly to you, in your immediate environment or your mental environment? What are you doing in response?

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — When we admire someone, the question is, are we seeing something in them, or seeing something about ourselves that we identify with in them? And is one more legitimate than the other? These are questions you have to ask for yourself, with regard to one particular relationship. Both conditions may turn out to be true. This would also be worth inquiring about if the situation is a negative attachment of any kind, which might be a judgment or the perception of someone as egotistical, self-serving or arrogant. I know that first impressions mean a lot; if that is the case, go back to your very first impression for more information. In the meantime, I suggest you give this involvement the rest of the year to work itself out, and make careful observations before you take any action or make any commitments. In the world of personality, anything can be a mirror, so use your discernment.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This may feel like a particularly messy or alienated time where your relationship commitments are concerned, but what if those mattered far less than being true to yourself? You may think that you’ve lost your way, but your astrology suggests that your true quest has just begun. It’s far less about your relationships and more about a soul journey that you’ve been preparing to embark upon. Most of the time, this gets confused with having a ‘soul mate’, which is a distraction from the elemental truth that your journey through the world is an experience unique to you. The intimacy you’re seeking is a state of spiritual harmony with yourself. This is something you can share with others; and the more in tune you are with yourself, the more meaning their self-presence will have for you. I would just remind you that this is not about relationships, it’s about being in tune with your own existence.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The next few days you may feel like you’re walking through a fog. It’s likely you’ve driven through a fog, and you know what to do: slow down, increase your mental focus, and relax at the same time. The problem with this fog is that it has a psychic charge to it, and the charge is a kind of reactivity. If you have any sensation of mistrusting others, or the feeling of lurking betrayal, slow down. I don’t know the source of these thoughts, but a careful reading of your solar chart advises caution about believing your own fears. Once the Sun enters your fellow fire sign Sagittarius next week, you will proceed with new confidence, but I suggest you be vigilant any time you feel your confidence falter. You’re stronger than you think, and your awareness gives you more information than you know. Proceed with care rather than caution, and faith rather than hope.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Be careful what promises you make for the next few months; make sure you’re fully prepared to come through immediately when you offer something to someone. I also suggest you conduct an inventory of promises you’ve made but have not kept. You don’t have to fulfill all your old commitments at once, though I suggest you keep them in mind, and get in contact with anyone you feel you’ve neglected and let them know you’re aware of that fact. You’re doing this more for your own sake than for anyone else’s. The chances are that you’ve injured people far less than you may fear, if at all. Yet the way things go in our particular world, people are always grateful when someone voluntarily makes amends. Often the result is a greater overall gain than if the whole thing had not happened, coming with the subtle but authentic feeling of faith in humanity being restored.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You’ve had an unusual week, that’s for sure. I suggest you write some diary notes about what you experienced, thought, felt, heard and said — because it’s going to come in handy. The beauty of it all is you’ve had a chance to assert yourself in some unusual ways, but this is not the moment to stop: rather, it’s your jumping-off point. You may not at this moment recognize the influence you’ve had, or the strength of your ideas; you may not know the power of what you’ve discovered or indeed that you’ve discovered anything at all. This is why I’m suggesting you put some notes in your journal, take some photos of yourself, save a few artifacts and bookmark the whole thing. What you’ve created is a formula that blends freedom and responsibility, neither of which is meaningful without the other.

Your Libra birthday audio for 2011 is finished. I’ve prepared a comprehensive reading for you, covering the astrology for your sign in about 70 minutes (in two segments) and offering a tarot reading of just under half an hour. Visit this link for additional information.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — As the Sun moves through the final degrees of your sign, it’s making an aspect to Neptune in Aquarius — a square, which implies tension, emotional conflict and the sensation of not knowing what’s true. This looks like a playback of confusion you’ve experienced many times before, particularly around your birthday. If you’ve never quite arrived at the point where the confusion became your teacher, now is a great moment to let it be just that. The space of not knowing is a vital one to enter fully. Usually we react with denial, which often comes in the form of false certainty. The thing you want to watch out for these days is false uncertainty. You know you’re pushing certain issues a little more than some people who say they like you would prefer. Don’t worry about being popular. Don’t argue for your cause. Pause and walk away before you respond or react in an emphatic way. You may think that others challenge you at their own risk, but if you overreact, the peril is yours and yours alone.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — If our culture is infused with narcissism, how can we distinguish it from anything else? We live in a society that confuses self-esteem with arrogance, self-love with vanity, creativity with self-obsession and self-awareness with having a big ego. Yet there’s another layer as well. Having grown up in such an environment, many people lack any sense of who they are or what they want, since that rarely mattered to their early caregivers. Being raised by narcissistic people means their goals became your goals, and their fears became yours — another way of saying that you didn’t exist in your own right. In the midst of a sea of narcissism, the first step is often to come back to — or find for the first time — what we value and desire. Be aware of that, and take the next step and encourage others to discover what matters the most to them.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Sagittarius, please go to this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Someone close to you may be offering intuitive or common sense guidance, but you may still have your doubts. I suggest you take a look at why you feel that way. It may be reluctance to take any guidance at all, or it may be that you’re questioning their motives. You may be concerned that you’ll have to rearrange your life if you change your mind about something. But most likely you’re resisting information that comes from this elusive thing known as intuition. Fear may be getting in the way of your own subtle senses, and you may think you’re getting conflicting information. Anyone who is offering their viewpoint is likely to have a lot deeper information than they’re letting on. If you want to know more, ask. In the end, you’re responsible for any decisions you make, but decisions are best made having considered several points of view.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You may feel like you’re under some unusual pressure that you have no idea how to respond to. It’s like the air is getting heavier and the walls are growing closer in, but I suggest you pause and ask how much of this is some combined effect of your mind and your feelings. This is adding up to a sensation that feels like it’s coming from your environment. I suspect this is true, though you’ll have confirmation (and some relief) soon enough, when the Sun changes signs to Sagittarius next week. Meanwhile, Neptune has just stationed direct in your sign, about to exit after a 12-year journey. There’s some natural advice that comes with this: you have a window of a few months to tidy up any matters of self-deception that have afflicted you going as far back as you can remember. The pressure you may be feeling is the need to be real with yourself, something that’s best done gently.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — I suggest you do a little study of the times when taking care of your own needs was used against you. This can include anything from being responsive to your own feelings to taking care of your dietary needs. Start with your parents and other dominant adults who were present when you were a child. One result, especially for you, can be a guilt complex around taking care of yourself, which many try to assuage with self-neglect. It doesn’t work. But neither does fighting for the ‘right’ to look after your own basic interests. You can go a long way by noticing when you’re having either response — guilt, or fighting. You may have the impulse to run from either. I suggest you hang out with the feeling and see if you can map it out, and learn something from it. Then, observe how you feel as you focus on basic self-care with a clear conscience. I know, it can be a little strange.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

Deep Sky Survey, and The Week of the Centaurs

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Dear Friend and Reader:

It was excellent to have a week to dive into the 2012 charts full-on, in preparation for writing Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. I’ve been studying these horoscopes for years, looking for clues, writing many articles along the way and putting my discoveries together into a coherent theory. (Those articles are gathered together in an e-book called Light Bridge: The 25-Year Span). This time around I burrowed into the minor planets, using the full set available from the Serennu.com ephemeris. Note: I will probably lighten my schedule at least two more times through the end of the year to facilitate completing the annual edition on time.

Nessus, Deianira and Heracles photographed from a Pompeiian fresco, captured in an albumen print, circa 1865. Photo courtesy of Theresa Luttenegger.

Month by month, I carefully tracked the entire year, looking in detail at the moment the Sun entered each of the 12 signs of the zodiac, concluding with the winter solstice of 2012 — the day the Mayan calendar turns over. One of the challenges of astrology is organizing a lot of data into something coherent. That requires some focus.

My next step was to do a recording focusing on the events within each sign, which is my starting point for each of the Reality Check readings. I’m sure you’re aware that what happens in any one sign affects every other one. In order to keep my focus on the most personal experiences as a starting point, I stuck close to home, which provided a reading of the 2012 movements on the most immediate spiritual/psychological level.

I’ve said a few times that the Uranus-Pluto square (two slow-moving planets meeting at a right angle) is the most potent focal point of 2012, extending until the end of 2015 with effects well beyond. When you look closely at the square, a theme pops out: group dynamics and how we respond to them.

Here is how this works: When Uranus and Pluto are exactly 90 degrees apart (which they will be through most of the decade), you can divide that angle in half and find what’s called the midpoint. Both planets focus into the midpoint like a laser. It is in Aquarius, the sign where individuality and groups take turns as the dominant themes. This forms a dynamic, where group consciousness intersects with the individual will of people. Group dynamics are one of those slightly hidden facts of life that we have to deal with all the time, whether in families, the office or the friends we might go out with.

Do you ever notice how you feel like a different person when you’re in a group, and how that changes depending on who else is there, the purpose of the group and other factors? This experience is one of the main places where we gamble our integrity: where we stand out, or sell out.

Now, here is the catch: Right at the midpoint, there is a slow-moving planet called Nessus (expressed in astrological notation as Uranus/Pluto = Nessus). Nessus is a centaur, which means that it stands right at the line between wounding and healing. It pushes events, emotions and thoughts to the edge, where we can get really uncomfortable. All centaurs have the quality of bringing the truth to the surface.

On the most basic level, Nessus is a factor in the psychological environment. You could think of it as an intimidation factor, and in Aquarius it’s going to show up as some extreme pressure to conform — or the fear of what might happen if you refuse to do so. It might also represent the experience of the group itself, such as when a number of people who are reasonably nice individuals can turn into a caustic group. A particularly horrific demonstration of this is the Penn State coverup of child sexual abuse. The values of the group (‘protect Penn State football’) became the values of each of the individuals within the group. In this case the group included the district attorney who apparently buried the issue, right up to the judge who let the accused coach out on ridiculously low bail.

While the 2012 astrology is progressive and revolutionary, there is a catch: standing up to group dynamics as an individual, and participating in healthy groups in a productive way. There will be no escaping this — one way or the other, we will have to confront this issue. One key theme of the 2012 readings is understanding how this works for each of the signs: where it is most likely to express itself, and what you can do about it. Given that we really are in a position where we have to get together to solve our problems, we must know how to work with this energy.

The Week of Pholus

Another centaur planet is in the news right now — Pholus. I’ve adapted the following from Monday night’s daily edition of Planet Waves. I am aware that early Tuesday morning, this astrology began to manifest (among other ways) as the police clearing Occupy Wall Street out of Zuccotti Park in New York City. (Occupations in Oakland and Portland, Oregon were also cleared out this week.) Apart from the certified miracle that the occupation/protest lasted two months, this is a turning point for the worldwide movement that will have far-reaching effects as this extremely persistent movement is radicalized even more, and adapts new tactics. I will have more to say about this in Friday’s edition.

Heracles & the centaur Pholus, Athenian red-figure kylix from the 5th century BCE, Antikenmuseum und Sammlung Ludwig, Basel.

This week, all week, the astrology is dominated by the centaur planet Pholus. You may have never heard of Pholus, but you’ve felt its effects many times. It’s the thing at work when a small decision or action has an unexplainable, cascading effect where one thing leads to another to some unexpected — and large — result. When Pholus is in the picture, it’s vital to use the energy in your favor rather than have it work against you. As with all the centaur planets (the first of which was Chiron), the key to this is awareness.

Awareness — that elusive thing. Every spiritual or therapy tradition has a name for it: mindfulness, raising consciousness, focus, paying attention, coming out of a trance. Then there is real life. We live in a world where it’s considered okay to drive a car through a crowded city while simultaneously listening to the radio, drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette and talking on the phone. Nearly everything around us is designed to distract us or put us in a hypnotic state.

This is the week to drive (and only drive) while you’re driving, eat when you’re eating and read when you’re reading. Even if you’re an extremely talented multitasker, keep things down to a dull roar and really pay attention, because this week your actions will have effects. You can prevent things from going in unwholesome directions if you know this, and you can remind yourself that small moves mean a lot.

It’s also the week to proceed with intention. Either work on developing your vision, or stick to the one you’ve got. Sagittarius, where most of this astrology takes place, is a visionary sign, and the aspects are calling for clear focus and making conscious choices, as if what you decide actually matters. The chances are it matters far more than you think.

Chiron, left, instructs Achilles in the arts of warfare in this undated classical image.

In a moment we’ll provide the technicalities about this astrology, in case you’re curious. Two more points first. One is that on many accounts, the sky is lit up with centaur energy. For different reasons, Chiron, Pholus and Nessus are all activated right now. Centaur energy is edgy; it can have us feeling on edge, which is sometimes a double edge. There can be confusion between healing and wounding; there can be unusual fear or psychological material coming to the surface. Situations can be unusually reactive. Prepare for this in yourself, and expect it in the people around you.

Second point: one of the planets involved in the setup describes the absence of moral or ethical boundaries. Be especially cautious of anyone who professes that there is no difference between right and wrong, that ethics are inconvenient or that it doesn’t matter if this thing we’re doing hurts someone. We are in an extended moment when things really do matter, and matter a lot more than we may think.

The technical description of this astrology involves Venus and Mercury reaching the middle of Sagittarius. At the moment there are many slow-moving planets and points right there. These include Pholus, to which both Venus and Mercury will be making conjunctions; the North Node of the Moon, which has a feeling of amplifying karma; and the Great Attractor, which amplifies everything that comes into contact with it. So if Pholus is reactive, Pholus together with the North Node and the Great Attractor is several orders of magnitude more potent. I covered an earlier version of this alignment in the article The Chaos Generator.

Then add one last thing — a slow-moving Pluto-like planet called Ixion is in the planetary picture this week, big time. What’s especially interesting is that Ixion is the common ancestor of all the centaurs except for Chiron and Pholus, but this week he shows up directly in planetary form. That’s the piece cautioning about suspending morality and warning that you or others might be tempted to do so. One not-so-little problem we face on this plane of reality is not understanding karma. That is to say, we don’t tend to understand the relationship between cause and effect. Our actions have effects and what happens in the world has a cause. But most people pretend this connection does not exist. If there was ever a week to consider the reality of karma, this is the one.

For Planet Waves subscribers, I will see you Friday with a regular edition including my weekly astrology forecasts.

Lovingly,

P.S. For those with Scorpio Sun or rising — your birthday/rising sign report is done and available. We sent out a mailing last night — in case you missed it, here is a direct link.