Dear Friend and Reader:

Consider the current astrology for a moment — Mercury retrograde, one eclipse just passed and another on the horizon, and today’s Mars-Pholus-Ixion conjunction (free registration necessary to view that link).

This is a thick brew, which is having a diversity of expressions — whether feeling mired, frustrated, volatile or like change is absolutely necessary but wondering how, exactly, to go about it.

I think that for the duration of Mercury retrograde (which ends Oct. 25), the message of the planets is to go deeper. We are in a time to understand the need for change and to prepare for change, rather than to plunge ahead.

This takes patience, but something more. What is necessary is going deep. And in addition, going closer to the root of resistance to change. What is not often said is that improvement is change, and that to improve our lives it’s necessary to let go of resistance to change.

It’s easy to look out at the world and say, “Oh, that has to change! Then the world will get better. It could be so simple.” Now for a reality check, focus closer to home and consider the challenges you face when you strive to make any minor changes or improvements at all, or if you want to shift even the simplest pattern.

Continue reading →

Dear Friend and Reader:

We’re entering the second eclipse season of 2014. Eclipses usually come in pairs (sometimes there are three), and the two weeks between them have a special quality: often a sense of acceleration into a new phase.

The first of this pair is a lunar eclipse of the Aries Full Moon on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 6:51 am EDT (10:50 UTC). The corresponding solar eclipse will be on Oct. 23.

Len Wallick has interpreted this Full Moon and eclipse for all 12 signs in your Moonshine Horoscopes, published below. If you have a moment, we’d love to hear your feedback on the column.

You may email your comments to editors@planetwaves.net.

Eclipse periods are an especially useful time for setting new patterns for the next six months to a year, which suggests you focus your energy and efforts on what you love and most desire to cultivate going forward — even just briefly, with intention.

Eric discussed more about tomorrow’s Full Moon and lunar eclipse in Monday’s Daily Astrology column, noting that this event activates the Uranus-Pluto square and the cardinal grand cross that characterized the first half of the year. Notice if unfinished business from that period is asking for your attention now.

Planet Waves FM should post to its site around 5:00 pm EDT with more coverage; Eric also introduced the eclipses and the current Mercury retrograde in last week’s broadcast, available at that same link.

If you are a Libra by Sun or rising sign (or know someone who is) Eric has published the Libra birthday reading. This is an hour of astrology in two segments, plus a section of astrology afterthoughts and a tarot reading for your year — and you still have time to purchase the reading for the lowest pre-order rate.

Yours & truly,

Moonshine Horoscopes — Aries Full Moon Edition

Wednesday, Oct. 8 is the Aries Full Moon, exact at 6:51 am EDT (10:51 UTC). (View full chart here.) Len Wallick has interpreted this lunation for each of the 12 Moon signs in their horoscopes below.

To read these horoscopes, it helps to know your Moon sign (where the Moon was at the moment of your birth), which you can find out by entering your birth data into Serennu.com. If you know your birth time, that will ensure accuracy — but often you can still be sure of its sign even if the exact degree is fuzzy. You can also read these horoscopes for your Sun and rising signs for additional insight.
By Len Wallick

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Please consider the virtues of unconventional wisdom and counterintuitive (yet intentional) responses. If any emotional experience of yours provokes something akin to vertigo, look down into it, take it in, examine it — even savor it. Instead of resisting pressure, find a way to yield and be stronger for it. Release any notion about being a force of nature, and let nature show you a thing or two. Get together with others when you feel the need to get yourself together. Seek solitude when you feel the need to show off. Remember, catching the next escalator always requires you to go to the other side.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Knowing what works for you is one of your greatest strengths. It’s also important not to lose sight of what doesn’t work for you. That being said, authentically engaging in some genuine, good faith give-and-take might go a long way towards making the world work for you about now. To begin with, be open to possibly having a blind spot or two in how you see yourself. If you can accept criticism from those who know you well, and act on it without losing sleep, you will have found the finest line. After that, allow walking the line to be what makes you, not what breaks you.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — The more a phrase is repeated, the more meaning it often loses. The term ‘spiritual warrior’ appears to have suffered such a fate. While the term may never recover its original power in public discourse, now is an opportune time to redeem those two words for yourself. Start with an etymological dictionary. Then, put your Internet search engines to use, and perhaps your local library. The path toward becoming an authority on both words — and their combination — just might serve to enhance your personal authority as never before.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Would you rather be right? Or would you rather be loved? If you do not have a definite preference, getting clear on that choice might be the best way out of any conundrums you are going through. If, on the other hand, you can state your priority with certainty, the answer will probably reveal who or what you truly serve, and any sacrifices made to do so. Such an inner dialogue could go a long way toward helping you figure out how you got to be who, what and where you are — while also helping you to grasp how what you really want to do or be might have evolved somewhere along the way.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — If you can be your own best friend now, the world will almost certainly be a friendlier place for you. Fortunately, being a supportive benefactor for yourself does not appear to be very complicated at this time. First, friends serve to witness your life and hold space for you to live it. Do that for yourself by uncovering the roots of your most important needs and strongest devotions. Once you have such intimate access, take an inventory of how your daily activities and immediate environment jive with your root motivations. Then begin acting to resolve any discrepancies in your favor.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — It’s about time to engage with any strange relationship fascinations that have long fascinated you to no end. Engagement means going beyond vicarious validations and aloof affirmations towards total involvement. Granted, that’s a big step. More likely several big steps are involved. To find your way through to a more resonant level of intimate connection while also maintaining (or better, improving) your productivity, make sure each step is to a higher level of functioning before you take it. This is more than a haircut. It’s a farewell to vanity.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You could not be blamed for wanting to take the rest of this year off. So ask yourself how it might be possible to afford a break from what’s worn you down, while still being able to carry what this time in your life has placed on your shoulders. Search within for all the responsibilities and duties you are most fiercely proud of, and delegate those attachments to others who have similar affinities but fresher legs. Show what you know. Be an example for others by releasing attachment as proficiently as you accept responsibility.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Taking care of yourself is more than just a cursory admonition offered by friends who are too busy with their own affairs to express their concerns more deeply. Get a clue from the best wishes of others and grant them for yourself. Don’t worry about added expenses or greater demands on your time. Serendipitously for you, self-care appears to entail making do with less, more than anything else at this stage of your life. Let intelligent and discerning simplification govern your choices and guide your priorities.

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Whenever you find yourself wondering whether life is more than just one thing after another, hold that thought and follow it. Authentically taken, the path should lead you toward somebody who seems to have been down the same road but who is not so busy now — even better, a group of such somebodies. Make time to be with any such person so as to take in how they got from where you are to where they are. If you are lucky enough to stumble upon a collective of similar souls, invest some energy into figuring out what brought them together. It might be the best investment you ever made.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Allow reluctance to be your guide. Move toward any encouragements you have been resisting, while also giving yourself permission to pull back when the world is too much for you. Yes, you have paid your dues; nobody who really matters would argue with you about that. Simply consider being more open to what reaping accrued dividends might look like. Be especially aware of those who have looked up to you even when you were looking down on yourself, because now is the time to begin showing them (and yourself) how right they were.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — If every achievement now only leads to greater challenges, give yourself a pat on the back for having probably done something very right. If you are not encountering difficulties at this time, carefully consider where you might have gone wrong and how to correct your course. For as strange as it may seem, your most prickly skeptics are likely your best allies now, provided you heed them. Furthermore, the most persistently demanding people in your life could be your salvation, provided that serving them also serves the highest good. To take the highest road, steer clear of Easy Street.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — At its most fundamental, chaos is the absence of heat. At its most basic, heat is matter in motion. Even though it might be a big adjustment, your best practices for the rest of this year will involve making heat. Look hot, not because you are self-involved, but because you are self-aware. Feel hot, not by being angry, but by being active. Be hot, with your every first step, and from your very first word. Get moving more as an example for others than for yourself. Don’t worry about being misunderstood, worry about breaking through complacency to the other side where life is lived, where existence is a dynamic and uncertain thing. What the world needs now is heat, and you are just the one to bring it.

 

This is the week that the intriguing astrology of Northern Hemisphere autumn takes full form. I have written the Inner Space horoscope for October with some ideas about how to work with this astrology to your maximum benefit.

Mercury is now in Scorpio, just a few degrees from where it will station retrograde on Saturday. During the three-week retrograde, there will be two eclipses, one of the Moon on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and one of the Sun on Thursday, Oct. 23.

Detail of stone bed of the Coxing Kill on the Grandmother Land in High Falls, New York. The direction of water flow is to the left, a few feet north of the waterfall. Photo by Eric Francis.

The overall effect could be some confusion, and the possibility of getting blown off course. Before that happens, you might want to check your navigation — where are you headed, or where do you think you’re headed? I think that it will be essential to know your priorities, your objectives and your goals, so that at least you can keep some perspective.

There’s another pretty wide-open possibility, however. If you investigate and decide you don’t have any desire or plans to which you’re truly committed, then this astrology will help you shuffle the deck and make some discoveries. It’s interesting enough, potent enough, strange enough, that you could come out in a totally new place, on whatever level of your life you’re considering.

Speaking to the first possibility, if you have some definite objectives, then keep your focus and observe the opportunities that arise in the mix of upcoming events. Unexpected developments can help you advance in ways you were not planning on and could not have foreseen. At least using astrology we can see that much.

I will cover this in tonight’s edition of Planet Waves FM, which usually posts to the program’s homepage and also to the new site (available to everyone) by about 5 pm.

I’ll see you then and there.

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: $99/year. Core community membership: $199/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:

In the past two daily columns I’ve been describing Mars and its newly begun trek through Sagittarius. Mars will be in Sagittarius through late October, and along the way will make 18 conjunctions to a diversity of asteroids, centaurs, Pluto-like planets and deep space points.

Scene from Neil Young’s Living With War series of videos. We will be featuring one song from this album tonight on Planet Waves FM.

It’s worth getting a sense of this terrain, first in a short essay called A Sagittarian Adventure, wherein I cover that series of conjunctions, plus the forthcoming Mars squares to Neptune and Chiron.

In today’s column, I write about the taboo on desire. “There exists a taboo on going for what you really want. Because we live in a society that’s all about ‘freedom of choice’ it’s not easy to see this, especially to someone who gets lost in the choice between Arby’s and Wendy’s, or between Cialis and Viagra.”

In tonight’s Planet Waves FM, I will look at the current astrology and the Libra equinox, and then consider the chart for Obama’s speech last week. That was the speech declaring world war on the amorphous entity known as ISIS or ISIL. I discussed this scenario in last week’s edition though I did not cover the chart. The chart is bigger than it seems on its face. The Moon-Uranus conjunction that happened — exactly during the televised live presentation — is really an occultation (an eclipse).

In addition, there is a solar eclipse about to happen in Scorpio (on Oct. 23), aligned with one of the most sensitive angles in the chart. These and other clues indicate that something larger than we understand has been begun, and that history is once again repeating itself — this, at the 50th anniversary of the official Vietnam War and the 100th anniversary of World War I.

Commenting on these kinds of turns of history, my musical guests will be Neil Young and Bob Dylan. The program usually appears on the Planet Waves FM site by 5 pm EDT.

On Sunday we sent a letter about the 2015 All-Access Pass, a level of service where you can have access to everything Planet Waves produces, on one website. Here is that letter in case you missed it.

We are also offering the Libra birthday reading for pre-sale. If you’re Libra Sun or rising, or a Libraphile (you like the whole concept, your partner or one of your kids is a Libra, etc.), you will love this reading. It consists of two astrology sessions and a tarot session, plus a live call-in discussion. Here is your half-price pre-sale offer.

I’ll see you Thursday night with your weekly horoscope focused on the Libra equinox, and a new article. Till then —

Lovingly, your astrologer,

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: $99/year. Core community membership: $199/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. 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, Elizabeth Michaud, Amanda Moreno, Amanda Painter, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Below are your Moonshine horoscopes for the Pisces Full Moon, now being written by Elizabeth and Len. If you have a moment, we’d love to hear your feedback on the column. You may email your comments to editors@planetwaves.net.

Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

I also want to remind you that tomorrow night during the Full Moon, I will be hosting a special live call-in edition of Planet Waves FM. This will actually happen during the Full Moon, which will be exact while the program happens. So it counts for a Full Moon ritual as well.

If you would like to join the discussion, here are the details for you to participate tomorrow, Sept. 8 at 8:00 pm EDT / 5:00 pm PDT. You may participate by Skype or phone, and may listen on the Web. There is no charge for this event — everyone is invited.

If you can’t make the call, you can still listen to the replay after the event.

I look forward to speaking with you.

Lovingly, your astrologer,

 

 

Moonshine Horoscopes — Pisces Full Moon Edition

Monday Sept. 8 is the Pisces Full Moon, exact at 9:38 pm EDT (Tuesday at 1:38 UTC). (View full chart here.) Elizabeth Michaud and Len Wallick have interpreted this lunation for each of the 12 Moon signs in their horoscopes below.

To read these horoscopes, it helps to know your Moon sign (where the Moon was at the moment of your birth), which you can find out by entering your birth data into Serennu.com. If you know your birth time, that will ensure accuracy — but often you can still be sure of its sign even if the exact degree is fuzzy. You can also read these horoscopes for your Sun and rising signs for additional insight.

By Elizabeth Michaud and Len Wallick

 

Aries (March 20-April 19) — This is likely to be a very personal Full Moon for you. Personal in the sense of a dream you cannot describe to anyone else because they would have had to be there in order to understand. To better grasp what you might be unable to convey verbally, think of yourself as an explorer. Carefully observe, so as to remember. Follow the flow of your emotions as the surest, swiftest way in, but keep your wits about you through the twists and turns so as to also find your way out. Most of all, seek out new resources you can use to resolve old complaints.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — If you get the sense that you are entering strange days without end, assuage yourself by entertaining the possibility that you are in fact emerging from such a period. Consider whether your life is actually returning to a more nourishing and healthful normal, which only appears strange for its long absence. Draw upon past experiences of re-acquainting yourself with what once was familiar. Settle down where you are. Take what time you can for rest and recreation this month. Fortify yourself. At least one more transition awaits you before you are home.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — If you are feeling the world is too big for comfort, the sensation will probably pass as soon as you grow your recently achieved awareness. If, on the other hand, your life is feeling confined and narrow, you will have to be the one to divest yourself of that notion. Right now, a broader level of comfort and an expanded sense of opportunity are available should you but open your mind to the possibility. Soon you will have the requisite motivation to achieve that opening, but there is a question of whether you will master your desires or whether they will master you.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Being of service does not necessarily require sacrificing yourself completely, just like being of use does not entail being responsible for every detail. The time period surrounding this Full Moon brings issues of passion and faith to your awareness. Sometimes, when things are flowing — when you love and feel loved in return — you can give boundlessly and selflessly. Instead of being awash in the tides of passion, you are in a position to guide yourself in the emotional current. You can afford to be more honest with yourself about what you want in relationships, and what you are willing to give in return.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — While it is certainly true that money isn’t everything, the stress involving finances can often be an overwhelming burden. Part of dealing with that stress is sorting out the details involving your income and resources. There is a freedom being offered to you right now to deal with some uncomfortable issues, to shed some baggage, and to gain a more mature sense of self-worth regarding how you sustain yourself and what you need to feel good. Remember that your value is measured within, not without. It is a useful time to cut out the superficial and get down to basics.

 

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — The therapeutic opportunities that this Full Moon makes available to you are invaluable. How do you feel in your relationships? Since one of your innate skills is the ability to make sense of the pieces of the whole, this is a good time to look at the inner workings of people you are close to, and see if all the pieces add up to something healthy. Don’t be too critical, of yourself or of them. Just be honest and compassionate and see what you come up with. Who do you really feel good with? Take a moment to appreciate the people that lift you up. There is a long line between self-interest and self-sacrifice, and you will be a happier part of the whole when you understand that.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — If something seems to be nagging at you, like a vague discomfort, take a moment to ask yourself one question — do you feel valued for what you contribute to the world? This doesn’t only apply to work that earns you money, although that is part of it. You may find yourself tapping into deeply buried insights, systematically showing or hinting at steps to take. Follow your gut, particularly regarding sharing your creative skills. From making art to encouraging a friend in need, you have more imaginative talents than you know. Express those traits, and let things take off from there.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Your perseverance and resilience have opened up a world of emotional empathy. The depth of understanding is a resource — you are in touch with your own motivations and the impulses of others. Visualize dumping garbage down a trash chute. That’s what you are doing right now. By releasing the old, you will let wounds and stubborn grudges fall away, opening up space for supportive and nurturing interactions. It is likely that the space now emerging may soon be filled with exactly the kind of passion and integrity you seek. For now, consider your emotional world as a piece of land you must clear and heal in order to build on it in the future.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — It’s OK if you feel a little on edge these days — this phase will not last forever — and soon the bee that may have been buzzing in your bonnet will rest. Before the momentum shifts your way, do yourself a favor and clean out the closets of your personal life. When the party gets going, you are going to want as many friendly faces around you to celebrate as possible. Do what you can to heal the hurts that linger while those channels are still open. If something is making you feel nervous or guilty, tend to it. Make amends. We are human, and forgiveness and self-acceptance are keys to living freely in this life.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Sometimes less is more. Sometimes it isn’t. Until the end of the year, it would probably be a good idea to consider how concepts of less and more have been working for you, and how things might work better. Begin with something easily under your control: how much you say. If ever there were a time to express succinctly without sacrificing what you need to say, it appears to be now. Economy with words nearly always adds to their force and value, but they have to be the right words, and well timed.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Now would be an appropriate time for you to invoke the proverb about still waters running deep. Although Aquarius is an air sign, its iconic association with water is comparable to a paradoxical but persistent nickname — like a tall person called “Shorty,” or a short person known as “Stretch.” To better honor and be at peace with your own paradoxes, do what you can to cultivate stillness as the Pisces Full Moon approaches. The result could find you evoking a greater depth than ever before. You may also find yourself better understood and more loved for who you truly are.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may not always be comfortable with the spotlight, but here it probably comes. Rather than avoid the attention you will potentially be attracting, use it. Not so much for gain; more for self-awareness. Whenever, however and wherever you become the focus of others, acknowledge it respectfully and appropriately without getting caught up in it. It’s not the perceptions of others that matter at this time. It’s how you respond to being the center of attention that you should study intently — in the moment, at every opportunity. What you learn could change the course of your life.