Dear Friend and Reader:

Wednesday there’s a truly unusual New Moon — one that happens so close to the edge of Aquarius that it’s simultaneously in Pisces as well. Said another way, the Moon and the Sun enter the last sign of the zodiac within two minutes of one another, at about 6:47 pm EST.

An early version of the Core Community meeting. Only now, you can talk back to your radio! In this photo, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper and family tune their wireless to listen to a speech by Winston Churchill, May 19, 1945. Photo: Daily Herald Archive / Science and Society Library.

I have covered this in Monday’s Astrology Diary, which makes the event easy to follow and understand astrologically.

I’ll be covering this in tonight’s edition of Planet Waves FM as well. I’ll also have an interview with David Christopher, executive producer of a feature film called The Seed.

It’s the story of an organic family farm whose crops are contaminated by GMO pollen — and is then sued for patent infringement by the manufacturer of the GMO crops. Set in Texas, it’s based on many true stories of what Monsanto has been up to over the years.

I have a few audio events to tell you about. I will be offering for the first time a class called Astrology Tools and Power Tools. This is an all-level class about how to collect and use your astrology workbench. It’s designed for anyone, from an astrology fan to a beginning student to an advanced student. That will be on Saturday, March 21. Read more about that here.

At 8 pm EST on Wednesday, Feb. 18 (that’s tomorrow!) I am hosting the Talk To Me conference call for Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius birthday readings. If you purchased one of these readings, check your email. If you would still like to get on board, please visit this link.

At 8 pm EST on Tuesday, Feb. 24, I will be hosting the Talk to Me community forum for Cosmophilia: You Belong Here purchasers. Check your email for that login information.

Astrology is a practical art. There are tools you need to do the work, just like on a basic workbench. Photo: The Family Handyman.

On March 18, right before the equinox, I will be hosting a Core Community meeting. The subject will be the effects of the digital environment on your mind and on your relationships. Check your email for information about that as well.

And From Our Columnists

Judith Gayle’s latest column, posted Monday due to some technical issues, notes that truth isn’t what it used to be in America: “Now truth has become something more than just stories we tell ourselves, they’re becoming something to inhabit.”

Amanda Moreno describes a shift in the type of stones and crystals she’s been attracted to, and the changing ways in which she experiences and uses them — as well as “how strange it can feel to have thoughts like, ‘I don’t quite trust this rock’.”

In this week’s tarot reading, Sarah Taylor discusses how the Five of Cups makes its third appearance in as many readings, “bringing you back into a reckoning with what Disappointment has meant to you, and how its presence has shaped you.” Now it’s time to use your power to shape something new.

The latest Cosmophilia article featured on Planet Waves offers astrologer Dale O’Brien’s tale of chi-ronic outsiderhood and indigenous wisdom to show how the wisdom of the outsider is necessary, valid and heard most clearly outdoors.

Len Wallick explores in his latest column the theme of “departures” in relation to what follows this week’s Aquarius New Moon. You can read his thoughts on mindfully choosing with this astrology at around noon EST on the main Planet Waves website.   

See you tonight over at Planet Waves FM.

Lovingly,

Article research by Amanda Painter

Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $97/year. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Copy Editor: Jessica Keet. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Brendan Merritt, Amy Elliott, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.

Dear Friend and Reader:

First, we have had mailing issues with this past Thursday night’s edition. We even mailed it twice and some people still did not get it. Here is a direct link. Remember, the edition is always posted to two different locations on the Planet Waves website and archives — good reasons to keep your login information handy.

Will Robinson and the robot from Lost In Space.

Thankfully, Mercury is stationing direct in Aquarius on Wednesday just before 10 am EST (15:00 UTC). I covered this in my Monday diary entry, which includes a discussion of the evolving meaning of Mercury retrograde as we are all carried by the rising digital tide.

Speaking of digital evolution, most links in this letter go to the new Planet Waves website. People who use the new website love it. That is an invitation.

I will take the password protection off of all the articles we post today, all of which are on the free registration level.

However, in the coming weeks I am going to do my best to lure you into either a free registration (which gets you many excellent daily features) or an upgrade to a Core Community Pass. It’s worth it!

To those who have invested years of reading and subscribing in Planet Waves, you may rejoice in the fact that we have invested in the future, and upgraded our archaic website. We can now accommodate things like individual logins and password updates.

If you have not done so, please register with the new site. It’s free and easy. Note, Core Community and All-Access members do NOT need to do this.

In tonight’s Planet Waves FM, I will have more news about Mercury direct for you. Then I plan to continue the discussion of how digital life is impacting our relationships, which is another way of saying our consciousness. This is the conversation that rarely happens when a new medium takes over — and nothing has ever come at the world so fast and furious as digital.

I will also look at the Brian Williams situation — the managing editor of NBC Nightly News who was recently caught lying in the form of war stories and is now suspended. What Williams, the highest-rated newscaster on television, is going through reveals something about the nature of reality.

Conference Calls Coming!

We have a few conference calls planned. They are not scheduled; we’re not doing that until Mercury is direct. But to sum up: they will include calls for the recent Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius birthday readings; the Cosmophilia discussion; a Core Community meeting; and finally, the rescheduling of a special class for astrology beginners and advanced students alike, Tools and Power Tools.

We will email you about these readings, and also post notices to the Planet Waves website, my personal Facebook page and the company Facebook page.

Photo by Eric Francis.

In our latest installment from the series of Cosmophilia featured articles, Maria Jawan recounts her personal journey back into her body, through various therapeutic modes, after years of dissociation. She writes, “I have started to feel more alive, and more active and I keep inviting more breath in, even though it can be hard to navigate through the intense grief it releases.”

In a new column, Amanda Moreno describes her reverence for words and a respect for their power, especially in ritual — along with the potential to get fixated on them, or to distrust of them. Yet these days she thinks “more about the container and intention than anything else.”

Guest-writer Kristin Luce opens up to readers about the amazing healing that can happen with deep sexual surrender and union. She writes, “Through these encounters it began to occur to me that only in sex do we touch each other in the same place that we were conceived, that we were born, that we were nursed, and only in sex can we be held, adored and physically met in that same place.”

Political-spiritual columnist Judith Gayle reports that, “despite the fact that [political regressives have] captured even more law-making authority, it’s been a very good week, surprisingly, packed with positive signs and omens.” Can I get a hallelujah?

Sarah Taylor was unable to write a tarot reading for this week on her usual schedule, but hopes to have one for you Wednesday — Mercury willing, of course. And in Len Wallick’s latest column he offers that the Moon’s last quarter is poised to help you overcome whatever challenges Mercury’s station direct may pose for you. Check the Planet Waves website around noon today for that piece.

Thanks for reading, catch you this evening over at Planet Waves FM, and KEEP IN TOUCH.

Lovingly,

Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $97/year. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Copy Editor: Jessica Keet. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Brendan Merritt, Amy Elliott, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.

Dear Friend and Reader:

The Full Moon is at 6:08 pm EST (23:08 UTC). I covered the Full Moon and Groundhog Day in Monday’s astrology diary. In that I correct my previous incorrect assertion that groundhogs don’t hibernate. In fact they are such good hibernators that as power animals, they invoke the dreamtime.

Matt Groening was born at the Leo Full Moon.

Please check out this page of feedback on the Cosmophilia annual edition. We have left this one in slightly longer form, preserving the original context of the writers. It’s truly heartening, and about a seven-minute read.

In tonight’s Planet Waves FM, I will look at the chart for this evening’s Leo Full Moon. The Moon is conjunct Jupiter, and we are fresh in the beginning of the Mars-Chiron cycle and the Venus-Neptune cycle. In the second part of the program I will consider the influence of digital life on sex and sex-based relationships. These, in turn, influence all relationships and all social interactions.

Continue reading →

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today we have your Inner Space horoscope for February, available at that link. Now that the heavy lifting is done on Cosmophilia, Eric’s getting back into his usual rhythm.

Dogs play in the snow in Central Park in New York, after a massive 2013 blizzard. The Blizzard of 2015 turned into an ordinary snow storm (at least in New York) and extraordinary TV hype. Photo by Carlo Allegri.

Monday’s Astrology Diary focuses on the conjunctions of Venus with Nessus and Mars with Chiron, as they point us to the need to address and heal sex and sexuality — specifically, the double binds our culture places on both men and women. This post has a fantastic discussion thread developing. Some of the best writing on Planet Waves is in the comment areas.

This article is available to any reader registered for the new website. If you’re not a Core Community or All-Access member, all you need to do is get a free registration to our new website to see the Monday diary series.

Even if you have not signed up for Cosmophilia: You Belong Here, I suggest you check out the many articles that are available to everyone on that website, no registration required. Many Planet Waves readers have contributed featured articles to the project, which could keep you busy through two or three blizzard nights.

Today in a new edition of Planet Waves FM, Eric will be following up on the centaur conjunctions of Venus and Mars, as well as Venus ingressing Pisces today. He will offer a comment on the binary asteroid that flew past the Earth yesterday. And apropos of the forthcoming conjunction of Mars with Chiron in Pisces (exact Jan. 31), Eric will be talking about the theme of male bisexuality, how it’s presented in culture, and how it largely remains a taboo. Eric’s musical guest will be his Hudson Valley neighbor Bjork — performing in her native Icelandic language.

We have other items by our writers that have published over the past few days.

Judith Gayle writes in her latest column that, “Times change when we’re not looking,” and suggests we each look at our new ability to recognize what’s over the top, hysterical, or designed to manipulate us — and choose something else.

Midtown Manhattan is pictured from the top of the United Nations building in New York on Jan. 26, 2015. Photo by Carlo Allegri.

For this week’s sex-and-relationships guest-post, Erin Cressida Wilson’s piece from The Guardian recounts her 1970s upbringing by bohemian parents and early introduction to erotica.

As Wilson (who wrote the movie Secretary) notes, “Secrets that fly around a house actually do get absorbed by children in ways that are mysterious.”

In this week’s tarot reading, Sarah Taylor sees history repeating itself. Or, more accurately, we are revisiting something to experience both synthesis and change — and three readings from the past six weeks are asking for our attention again now.

And after Mercury retrograde in Aquarius repeatedly thwarted Amanda Moreno’s attempts at her latest column, she finally gave in to its demands that she pay attention. The result is a personal consideration of Aquarius, that paradoxical sign of individuation and the love of tribe.

Len Wallick’s column will post to the website by noon EST today. In it, he explores with wonder and appreciation the synchronicity of Jupiter and Mercury as they align with the Sun and Earth from their respective retrogrades.

See you tonight over at Planet Waves FM.

Yours & truly,

P.S. Mercury remains in retrograde motion in Aquarius till Feb. 11. Here is an article from last year that goes into the basics and the details of Mercury retrograde.

Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $97/year. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Copy Editor: Jessica Keet. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Brendan Merritt, Amy Elliott, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.

Dear Friend and Reader:

As often seems to happen this time of year, there’s been a major world event to grapple with astrologically, emotionally and intellectually. You might be one of our many readers who is very sensitive to the psychic violence perpetrated by mainstream media when tragedy occurs.

Cover of the new edition of Charlie Hebdo, which the surviving staff members were able to pull together. It’s the prophet Mohammed, shedding a tear. Above him is the inscription, “All is Forgiven.”

Eric will be considering the emotional impact of the Charlie Hebdo shooting and related events in Paris on Planet Waves FM this evening. He’ll look at various inconsistencies and hypocrisies in the story, and see where they fit with the event’s chart.

What do we make of the accounts of this being a false flag incident? What do we do about the horrid civil rights record of the world leaders who marched arm in arm, mimicking the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King?

Eric’s musical guest will be American bluegrass artists Old and In the Way.

We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have Planet Waves photographer Danielle Voirin on the scene in Paris, documenting the peaceful marches with her humane, artful touch. (You can see another gallery of images here, and third set here.)

In Monday’s Astrology Diary, Eric considered the ingress of Mars into Pisces (where it meets Neptune) in the context of the Sun conjunct Vesta in Capricorn.

He writes, “it’s necessary to have some sense of what is self-creative and what is self-destructive,” adding that, “this week has sex, drugs and rock and roll painted all over it; which you might experience alternately as music, art, passion or Key Lime Pie.”

In his SMS message to Core Community members this morning, he expanded on that theme: “Mars is now in Pisces, full of passion, curiosity and naked lust. You know, the meaningful, friendly kind. That’s an invitation to explore and to stretch. The cautionary note is to be real; to proceed under the guidance of sincerity. And the contradiction is summed up in what some would consider an oxymoron — honest pleasure.”

Photo by Danielle Voirin. You can see her three photo series here, here and here.

Sarah Taylor explores in this week’s tarot reading how the three cards tie in with last week’s spread, and with the reading of Dec. 14, 2014, to indicate a shift in what was starting to develop back then. Amanda Moreno describes her belief in the cyclical nature of life — and in the fluidity of beliefs and truth in general — in her latest column.

David Steinberg’s article from the Sexuality.org archives offers a lens into the sexual conflicts of feminist men in this week’s sex-and-relationships column.

On a loosely related note, Judith Gayle’s column homes in on the free exchange of ideas, and the ability to speak candidly without fear of censure.

In current astrology, today is the last quarter Moon as it wanes toward its New phase. You might have noticed the urge to hunker down and wrap up projects that peaked with the Full Moon Jan. 4, or that began in earnest last month.

That’s a pretty good description of the staff at Planet Waves as we enter the final ‘all hands on deck’ phase of producing Cosmophilia: You Belong Here. We’re about as hunkered down as we can get, and Eric is nearly done with the written sign readings; we should be able to put the finishing touches on this weekend.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

P.S. Please join me in congratulating Planet Waves’ business manager Chelsea Bottinelli and her husband T.J. Jarosik on the birth of their third son, Emmet Lee, last night! Mother and son are doing well, and we can’t wait to see a photo.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Welcome to a new year! With the major holidays of this season over and the Cancer Full Moon just past, hopefully you’ve been able to take a breath, re-group and begin implementing any resolutions and intentions you’ve set for 2015.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

In support of that, Eric is chugging along under full steam with your 2015 annual readings, called Cosmophilia: You Belong Here, on track for the mid-January release he’d set for that project.

In fact, he’s returning to Planet Waves FM later today with a fresh broadcast. That will feature a current astrology roundup (including the 10th anniversary of the discovery of Eris) and his tribute to former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, with a personal account of how Cuomo helped him crack the SUNY-New Paltz PCB case. Eric will also tell some stories from his work on Cosmophilia and what he’s learning about astrology these days.

Speaking of Eris, the Planet Waves website today features a retrospective by astrophysics professor Mike Brown on his discovery of this planet, famous for its role in the demotion of Pluto. Please note that all Planet Waves articles linked to in this letter are open access and do not require a password for you to read them.

On tonight’s Planet Waves FM, Eric will tell personal stories from his encounters with NY Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Other recent columns on the website include Amanda Moreno’s contemplation on the difficulty of being ‘present’ in the face of modern technology and surging divine feminine energy. Sarah Taylor’s latest tarot reading looks at the foundation being built for what you are creating in the physical world, bringing you deeper into your purpose and into connection with others.

Guest-writer Christina Louise Dietrich describes her climactic return to her “entire alive body all at once,” feeling all of herself again for the first time since early childhood, in her journey of healing deep wounds to her sexuality.

Judith Gayle looks ahead to the new year, acknowledging that as good as it can feel to ‘put a difficult year behind us’, it takes everyone collectively deciding to make a new beginning for there to be any meaningful difference between one calendar year and the next.

And of course, be sure to check the website sometime around noon EST today, for Len Wallick’s column about Ceres entering Capricorn — a cue to tune into the personal and interpersonal resonances this event holds for you.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

P.S. The link in the first paragraph takes you to the individual sign purchase for Cosmophilia — but it’s not too late to pre-order all 12 signs for significantly less than the published price.

P.P.S. Eric said his New Year’s resolution is to write a book a year for 10 years.

Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $97/year. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Copy Editor: Jessica Keet. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Brendan Merritt, Amy Elliott, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Here we are: the last two days of 2014. And although astrologically we already experienced an energetic reset button with the Capricorn New Moon just over a week ago, culturally speaking New Year’s Day is when we release the year that was and set intentions for the year about to be.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Eric is making great progress on this year’s annual edition, titled Cosmophilia: You Belong Here (that link takes you to his latest letter about the project, which introduces the opportunity to pre-order individual signs of the annual). He plans to resume Planet Waves FM when the annual publishes, although there’s a chance he might sneak in a broadcast tomorrow evening.

In today’s Astrology Diary, I consider Mars opposite Jupiter as the poster children for this week between Christmas and New Year’s. For some, it’s easy to coast in a mode of excess, though the astrology cautions being aware of that. Taken consciously, this aspect could help you start your resolutions early.

Sarah Taylor has held her tarot reading for this week to coincide with the turn of the calendar, so be sure to check the Planet Waves website Thursday for her interpretation of the symbols launching 2015.

If you have not yet had a chance to pause and reflect on how your personal narratives have shifted in these past 12 months, check in with Amanda Moreno’s latest column. She notes the importance of keeping love and soul at the center as we move forward.

Sticking with the year-end theme of ‘review’, this week’s relationship column comes from Joshua Levin, who offers his relationship review process as “one possible template to help us stay clear, connected, open, and engaged” with those we care about.

Judith Gayle brings her spiritual-political sensibility to the events of 2014, noting that, “We accomplished a good deal this year under ridiculously constricted circumstances” — and she sees reason to believe we can continue the good work in 2015.

Finally, be sure to check the Planet Waves website sometime just after noon EST today for Len Wallick’s latest column, covering the movements of the sky as only he can.

Whether 2014 for you has been more triumph or trial, I wish you ease and joy in implementing its lessons in 2015.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $97/year. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Copy Editor: Jessica Keet. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Brendan Merritt, Amy Elliott, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.

Dear Friend and Reader:

With the Capricorn solstice behind us, the days in the Northern Hemisphere begin getting longer (if imperceptibly so), while in the southern half of the world they begin shortening. Only about a week is left in 2014, and Eric is making great progress with your 2015 annual readings, called Cosmophilia: You Belong Here.

Christmas Trout invites you to slip into the astrological flow. Photo by Amanda Painter.

To facilitate the creation of your 2015 annual readings, there will be no subscriber issue this Thursday. The next issue will publish Jan. 1, with your first extended monthly horoscopes of the year.

On the Planet Waves website, we have several offerings to help you reflect on your past year, note the progress you have made despite (or even because of) any challenges, and then look ahead to the year to come. After all, Saturn enters Sagittarius today at 11:34 am EST (16:34 UT) — and Saturn in Sagittarius loosely translates to “get serious about your goals.”

Wondering what the declaration of renewed U.S.-Cuban relations means for your sign? Madame Zolonga has put together a “bad advice” horoscope on how to deal with your own personal “cold wars” at your holiday gatherings.

Sarah Taylor’s tarot reading for the week shows what it has taken to come this far; the presence of teamwork toward a common goal; and the breaking free from karmic chains with a new kind of energy.

Amanda Moreno reflects on the instinct she’d had at the beginning of this month to be introspective, and invites readers to join her in consciously integrating the experiences of 2014.

Judith Gayle turns her attention to the recent spike in international news, and reminds readers that if we give the day to love, there can be no fear in it — and we can find the expanding joy in these last days of 2014.

This week’s sex-and-relationships guest-writer, Andie Nordgren of Sweden, offers a short, straightforward “instructional manifesto” for relationship anarchy, full of ideas that can be applied to any conscious, intimate relationship model.

As always, you can find Len Wallick’s latest column on Planet Waves at about noon EST today. He looks at the “Astrology of the Night Before Christmas,” with a special focus on Saturn in Sagittarius.

Wishing you peace and joy this season,

Amanda Painter

P.S. Eric is planning to post the recording of Sunday’s All-Community Meeting either later today or tomorrow for those who were not able to attend the live event on the solstice.

Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $97/year. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Copy Editor: Jessica Keet. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Brendan Merritt, Amy Elliott, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.