Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, #1029 | By Eric Francis
Concern yourself with one thing only — clear agreements. Watch your tendency to be self-sacrificing, which is probably an outgrowth of feeling like you’re the less powerful person in business or joint financial situations. You may notice a tendency to respond to those in power in a rebellious way — I strongly suggest you keep a lid on that. If someone proposes something that makes no sense, ask them for clarification. If something you’re expected to do or to go along with explicitly contradicts your values, then state that in a respectful way. Remember that every person has their own customs, as does every culture. Some of them make absolutely no sense, but are harmless enough. Some are toxic. You must have the maturity to know the difference. And remember never to sign any agreement that you’re not absolutely certain you can fulfill. People sometimes put some crazy things into contracts. Read carefully. Be alert at all times.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, #1028 | By Eric Francis
There are times when existence has the quality of a reflection, or rather, when it’s more noticeable. You might not recognize this moment as such. What you perceive is likely to be more than you think you are. It may also lack the simplicity and clarity that you aspire to; you may be looking at some rather unusual and complex circumstances. Rather than a mirror, I suggest you consider everything you perceive or experience to be relational. By that I mean, it’s available for you to enter into a relationship with. I mean anything, anyone, any situation, no matter how blazingly glorious, ordinary or weird it may seem. Treat everyone and everything around you as simply human. Present yourself as simply human. Make eye contact, say hello and extend your hand. Smile warmly and laugh at anything funny. (Footnote: check ‘star-struck’ at the door. Admiration is OK, but just a little, as it will get in the way. Stick to respect.)
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, #1027 | By Eric Francis
You could be the walking controversy this weekend, for no good reason. You could cause a fuss by saying ‘have a nice day’. The key will be not taking this personally. Along the same vein, you could be triggered by something said by another. Remember, this is all an illusion. It may feel very real to some people, especially the ones who thrive on controversy or use it to stoke their identity. As a Gemini you have a gift for keeping it light. You can get serious, though you can dial in a kind of levity and the appearance of being superficial. You may need this skill over the next few days, and I suggest you use it without hesitating. It’s highly unlikely that anything polarizing will have actual meaning, though it could have real impact — not the best combination. Keep a smile on your face, and when people get feisty, pretend not to understand. Then listen carefully — there may be some profound wisdom underneath all the bluster and chaos.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December 2014, #1026 | By Eric Francis
You will need to put extra care this month and into January into all matters of a joint financial nature, taxes, investments and shared resources. You may find this irritating or challenging, though I suggest you devote yourself to the tasks at hand. The thing to avoid is rebellion, whether in words, actions or even thoughts. Go along with the program and your process of tidying up the past. People of power and influence may be paying attention, and your job is to make sure that you do what you’re obliged to do. The most positive aspect of this is that once you clear this material out of the way, you will have a much lighter approach to existence. In addition, the relationships that are involved are struggling under the burden of too much in the way, too many unresolved commitments and a corresponding energy drain. Events this month are your invitation to get clear. You may be nervous about this because you’re fearing that in the process, something will have to give. What is actually happening is that everyone is learning how to give and how to receive. The underlying skill that will make this possible is listening. Learn to do it and do it well. Listen carefully enough and you will get actual insights, and convey the idea that paying attention actually helps. Absolutely radical, I know.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, #1025 | By Eric Francis
You seem to be hung up on one particular strategy for making something happen. Yet I suggest you check whether it’s really working, and in turn whether you need to throw your old plan to the wind. You might not get an idea of that until the Sun enters your opposite sign Sagittarius on Saturday, and you realize how much more is possible than you had in mind. The thing is, you may be stuck in the past, even if that past is what seemed like a brilliant idea one week ago. I suggest you set aside your entire strategy as you contemplated it earlier, including anything that seems like an emotional strategy or the desire to get someone to change their mind about something. Once the Sun changes signs, you will see that none of that matters, though you may feel like you’re getting way ahead of yourself. You’re not; you merely need to catch up with yourself.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, #1024 | By Eric Francis
You’re about to be blessed with insights and a line in on deep information about some issue that’s been troubling you. This may involve joint finances or shared resources, and I would guess that it’s been causing you some anxiety. What you need is information — and your charts suggest that is exactly what you’re about to get. Keep your eyes and ears tuned. Stay open and you’ll learn a number of things about policies and regulations that affect you, and you will also sharpen up your points of negotiation. You need to know where your real strength lies, and on the first layer that is in the basic factual information about your situation. Your astrology has another message, which is about the underlying psychological level, what you might call the human level. You need to work both skillfully, but the personal dimension is the more important of the two.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, #1023 | By Eric Francis
Your intuition is strong right now, and you have the ability to see the invisible (including into yourself). You may be able to see around corners or into the future. Yet you must not let yourself be carried off by your emotions, particularly fear. When distinguishing what is intuitive from what is noise or static, there are two necessary metrics. First, what is the very first thing your mind said back to you when you considered a particular issue or question? Second, what is merely speaking the language of fear? It’s true that intuition can warn you, though it will more often be in a calm form rather than a panicky one. You will just know something, though then of course you must verify that thing. Verification is investigating whether there is solid evidence, which you would then look into carefully. Other times you will get instructions. The question to ask is, “Could following that cause any harm?” If not, then perhaps give it a try.
Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for November, 2014, #1022 By Eric Francis
You have collected plenty of information the past couple of months, and now you need to review it all. If this information has involved a health issue, you will probably need to discard most of it and keep the one or two gems that will point you in the direction of actual improvement. I suggest you focus on matters of sexual health: maintaining and nourishing your Scorpio parts, your hormones, your desire. Yes, desire is a vital part of sexual health, because where the sex organs are concerned, life really is a matter of use it or lose it. Some people love to hear this and others cannot stand to. It is, however, a matter of elementary biology to which we are all subject. And when the biological aspect of living critters is happy, there’s a good chance the rest of them will be too. It also works the other way.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November, 2014, #1021 | By Eric Francis
For about six months, a topic has been on the agenda of a close personal relationship. It rises to the surface and then disappears. Sometimes it seems easy to consider; other times it seems too personal to talk about, and it’s the thing to avoid. Yet sooner or later you need to clear the air, with yourself and with people around you who in truth have a right to know what’s on your mind and share what is on their mind. In an intimate relationship, everyone needs to be listened to, otherwise it’s not really intimacy. Said another way, avoiding the most meaningful topics is an excellent way to turn down the level of contact, a way to make intimacy less intimate. Once you check for that factor and make up your mind how you feel about it, the next step is to have the conversation. You may feel intimidated by the weight of the past, or by how much there is to heal, when you write it out like a shopping list — though that is not how healing works. The larger questions all involve trust, and how to consider what has happened in the past. They are closely related. Trust is built and maintained, in a delicate process. Part of how that happens is that everyone involved demonstrates through their actions that they really have learned from history. That, and there are no more agreements to deny or pretend.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, #1020 | By Eric Francis
With any discussion of sex, clarity is essential, and it’s usually the last item on the agenda. It’s not only difficult to find the words to describe things, it’s also considered embarrassing to say those words. There’s also the fear that if there’s any real discussion of actual issues, for example, about sexual health, or the truth of what one wants or what one has done (to name two possibilities), the whole thing will be a turnoff. It’s more likely that the opposite is true. Move in the direction of what is embarrassing and you also move in the direction of what is the most daring and exciting. Embarrassment is a veil, and behind the veil there exists another universe. So say the words, describe what is in your mind, and go to another level of both clarity and fun. As someone once wrote, “Only the truth is erotic.”
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, #1019 | By Eric Francis
Negotiate and compromise. Use compromise as part of your negotiation strategy. There are many points to the conversation, most of which you are flexible on. There are others that are essential to you. Know what those are, and if you must trade or bargain, start with the points that may mean less to you and mean more to someone else. I recognize this is not exactly a heart-centered approach, yet neither is a breakdown in communication or its consequences. At the moment, I would say that strategy reflective of authentic respect is the heart-centered way to proceed, because it will keep the conversation open and quite possibly focused on getting everyone’s needs met. Sometimes this kind of happy accident occurs on its own, and sometimes it’s the result of focused intention; in the current astrological climate, the more precise the better.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, #1018 | By Eric Francis
You will need to balance the urge to get out and make a splash with some deep needs for solitude and emotional healing. You might start with the healing piece, and take some time to yourself this weekend, and attend to your emotional needs. Then follow your intuition outside your door to whatever interesting places they lead you — though only when you’re ready. Some profound forces of transformation are at work in your life, and I suggest you honor their movements fully. This will not take as long as you might think; it’s a little like how taking a catnap can be more refreshing than sleeping for two hours. Close your door, surround yourself with silence, and allow your inner healing energy to call you to your center. When you proceed from there, you will be more focused and confident — and ready to meet the world.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for October 2014, #1017 | By Eric Francis
You may be facing a persistent question about the role of sex in your relationships. Cultural mythology on this subject would make any anthropologist’s head spin. We could at least begin by saying that sex plays an important role even in ‘non-sexual’ relationships, for countless reasons, but at least one that you can relate to: People are curious about one another. And there are lots of people who turn you on. But there are no provisions for that in The Rules, and denial is no longer going to work for you. The thing to remember all the time is that you are a biological entity first, and a socially conditioned entity second. So let your biology and your curiosity speak. Notice who is noticing you — these days, plenty of people are –and maybe experiment with that being OK. You don’t need to make excuses for why you supposedly don’t care, especially if you actually do care. There is a zone in life and in your chart where healing and sex meet and blend, and for several different reasons, that zone is under focus right now. Any emotional, psychological or spiritual question deserves a thoughtful review of how your sexual feelings, experiences and values influence that matter. This of course all points directly to your relationships with others, and the question of how real you can be, which is another way of saying how honest.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, #1016 | By Eric Francis
You may be so connected to your creative source that you’re feeling overwhelmed. Please don’t let this stop you from exploring an idea, a creative project or a relationship experience. You don’t need to get it (or anything) absolutely right the first time; you only need to be sincere. You will get a few other opportunities to revise what you’re doing, and you’re unlikely to lose contact with your original inspiration for long. Give yourself the time and space for creative activities for the next month or two, and take a creative approach to everything you do. My definition of ‘creative’ means taking some risk, which you will feel in your body as well as your mind. You don’t need to strive for ‘pure originality’ but rather consciously approach everything from your own angle or point of view. Originality is grossly overrated and misunderstood. It often works very well to take something from one context and apply it to another, like the Yellow Submarine lunchbox.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, #1015 | By Eric Francis
Next to self-esteem, I think that trust is the most pressing issue facing Western society. Indeed, this may be a global issue, though I think of it more as a problem of those who have the option not to trust and still make it through the day, which is our story here in the lavishly wealthy part of the world. One thing people tend not to trust is when someone desires them, or makes a direct approach of some kind. If that happens over the next few days, will you meet the person face to face, or will you bob and weave, and avoid the encounter? Remember, you are required neither to make nor accept any promises. You only need to trust enough to learn more. I suggest you go through a few layers of experience rather than allowing yourself to be turned off at the first meager question or appearance that does not fit your idea of who someone is supposed to be. Stay around long enough to find out.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 4, #1014 | By Eric Francis
The forthcoming Full Moon streaks across the sky in the angle of your chart involved with achievement and reputation. It’s a direct invitation to be bold about who you are and what you do, and to keep those two things as aligned as you can. I suggest you eliminate the concept of ‘career’ from your vocabulary and instead replace it with the concept of your vocation. A vocation is a calling, and there has rarely been a time when a calling was summoning you more boldly. Are you listening? Can you hear it? Can you see the signs leading you to the place you want to be? Or are you afraid that what you want to do is too good to be true, or too adventurous to be possible? Perhaps it might be for most people on most days, but not for you, at this time in your life.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for September 2014, #1013 | By Eric Francis
Sex is communication. Whatever else it may seem to be — recreation, reproduction, creativity, commerce — on the deepest level, it’s an exchange of feelings, energy, contact and words, all inherently communicative. When there’s any kind of breakdown around sex, from antipathy or cheating to violent assault, you can count that as a failure of communication. When you notice one of those, the first thing to do is to get the conversation going. The semantic origins of the word communicate are “to share, divide out; impart, inform; join, unite, participate in,” literally “to make common.” That’s the thing to reach for. This concept could be the basis for an entire course on sex education, suitable for adults or children. Think of it — common ground as the basis for relationship. What a radical notion. You are being drawn into that common ground right now, and it may seem on the surface to be about some form of romance or partnership. That would be true if the world were rated PG-13, but it’s not. Biology runs things on our particular planet, and that topic usually gets an XXX rating. Now, there aren’t usually many words spoken in those awesome little 10-minute features, and it’s up to you to bring some form of a dialog to the table. Not the bedroom; that’s not the best place to talk. The kitchen table is much better.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, August 22, 2014, #1012 | By Eric Francis
Don’t panic. I mean, OK, you can if you want. If you insist. If you think it would be fun. But would it? If there is a crux of your fear, it’s an especially harsh level of criticism that you may be inflicting on yourself. However, you don’t look like the original source of the data. It looks like you’re carrying around the self-inflicted emotional torture gene, and it’s acting up. While you don’t have to blame anyone, it might help to notice where this is coming from. To you it may seem as natural as holding a spoon, and it may indeed have been passed along to you from the person who also taught you how to eat. You seem to be burning up so much energy that you could make yourself unwell. I suggest you commit to expressing every drop of your energy in a positive and creative way. Don’t ask how, just do it.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 14, 2014, #1011 | By Eric Francis
You seem ready to put the pieces together. That is, the pieces of yourself — which may be different interests, opinions, inner voices, plans or ideas. They are not separate and therefore they don’t need to compete. Yet you may first have to go through a tight spot where you decide that everything in your mind is irrelevant, which might feel like a crisis. If you persist, you will pop through to the other side where you may notice that your ideas are indeed irrelevant if you don’t relate them to one another. Once you start to make the connections, meaning will emerge. Said another way, meaning is always contextual. The same astrology chart can apply to a child born in a birthing center, and a car running a stop sign outside the birthing center. The meaning of astrology, or of ideas, is revealed by the context in which they are set. The first context is you; the second is their interrelationship.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 7, 2014, #1010 | By Eric Francis
Beware of resentment in any form. Beware of the sensation that someone — potentially anyone, though it looks like someone you’re intimate with — is interfering with your ethics or values. It may be that you really do want to take someone’s point of view on board, but make sure that’s true — make sure you’re not being influenced by some external factor, such as money. One test of the situation is whether you really can say what you feel. Do you believe that you will get fair treatment if you were to speak up? If you’re concerned about either of those things, I suggest you go deeper and investigate what is influencing you. I will give you a clue from your astrology — the concept of marriage is involved. By that I mean what it is, or is supposed to be, or that marriage is the pearl of great price, or your most valuable asset — and your real feelings about that, and I do mean feelings and not your opinion.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 31, 2014, #1009 | By Eric Francis
Turn it up, by which I mean, turn up your energy, and turn yourself on. Your ideas are sweet and juicy right now, especially if you happen to love words, which you do, though the current astrology is lavish for photos, video and other forms of imagery. Your mind is hot right now and if you tap into your idea core, you won’t be able to stop yourself. At the same time you have energy and drive to get a lot of work done, so choose what you want to do and do it. Pick the thing you’ve wanted to say or express visually and get about doing it. Don’t worry if you end up working all night. You will have plenty of energy for more mundane tasks the next day. And as I suggest to every true artist or writer, keep a notebook or sketchbook with you at all times. Graft it to your cellphone and keep them in your hand together. Write down or sketch everything that comes to you. Don’t worry what your friends might think. They know you don’t work for the NSA — because it would be too boring.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for August 2014, #1008 | By Eric Francis
You’ve been involved in some unusually deep soul searching in recent seasons of your life, and working out some concept of your value. I would say that you’ve been through a time of making up your mind that life is worth living. That phase of reflection for its own sake has drawn to a close, and now is the time to come out of your shell and express yourself. You certainly have plenty going on in your mind, and I think you know or at least suspect that they are great ideas. Remember, thinking about an idea is not writing about that idea. Thinking about art is not making art. You could slip into a pattern where all you do is think about your possibilities, which is easy and self-satisfying. I’m suggesting that you get yourself busy making your ideas real. This is a translation from imagination to physical form, which you might think of as the great leap of humankind. One interesting attribute of your solar chart is that when you fire up your own creative process, you will invite collaborators. They may be of a higher caliber than you’re expecting and may in many ways surpass your own current abilities. That would be a perfect scenario, since you have a lot to say and you also have a lot to learn about how to say it.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 17, 2014, #1007 | By Eric Francis
It’s been said that a smart person learns from his or her own mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others. You are now entering territory that you’ve seen others struggle with many times. You may be concerned that you have to go through some similar crisis, though I assure you that you do not. The experiences of others do not need to warn you off of any ambition or intention you may have. Rather, I suggest you get some information about the territory from those who have been there. In the end, your success is going to depend on how resourceful you are. So I suggest you take a wide view of resources, including your own talents and skills, what people close to you might be able to offer (starting with blood relatives you actually trust), and finally, money. There may also be one well-positioned individual who can be a positive influence. Remember: use your allies.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 10, 2014, #1006 | By Eric Francis
You can afford to feel better about yourself. Better would mean less worried about what other people think and what they do, and more focused on what you want to do, and what you want to share with others. You’re working with a potential emotional distortion, which might manifest as difficulty expressing your needs and your feelings. Complicating things somewhat is the fact that you seem to feel two different ways, which are likely to conflict, so you’re never fully sure that you are expressing a true need or feeling. There is one absolutely safe one that you can explore — express love, gratitude and care. It’s always appropriate to share your appreciation and your loyalty, particularly since so few people do it in words. Support people in whatever they want. Set them free from your expectations and attachments and you will set yourself free from those same bindings. Then, love is possible.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 3, 2014, #1005 | By Eric Francis
Now that Mercury has stationed direct in your sign, you can see how quickly the tide can turn. What made no sense, or was frustrating your best efforts, can suddenly run smoothly. Completely bungled communications can seem to sort themselves out. Seemingly intractable problems can unravel. You might ask how this happens. You might ask what factors of your own consciousness contribute to your perception of problems that may not even exist. There is, however, one matter that is calling for immediate focus. If the question involves sex, then the underlying matter relates to health. If everyone is healthy, there really is no issue. If the matter involves money, make sure you sort out the motives of the people involved and see whose intentions are self-serving and related to power, and whose intentions relate to taking care of others. You cannot change people but it always helps to know who they are.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for July 2014, #1004 | By Eric Francis
The biggest mistake you could make is not trusting yourself. This can be projected and disguised many different ways, and I suggest you be vigilant about them. I will give you an example. You might have an idea about what is right for you, but then get distracted by some form of, “Another person would disapprove of this decision that I am making for myself.” Then the cover story becomes your own seeming hesitation, when in reality, the underlying issue is that you’re basically serving two masters. Now, you might ask who the prototype is for this other master. Your solar chart suggests that it’s something about needing to have your father’s approval. This topic is some old stuff, and it appears to run in your family. The thing is, it does not necessarily take its original form in the way it’s manifesting currently. Indeed, it can seep into any relationship dynamics, especially if they take any form of the parental model. The challenging part is that we hardly know any other model, and many people are not interested — they just want to be told what to do. The first step out of this pattern is going beyond exactly that. You have your own opinions. You have your own ideas. You even trust them. If you get into an argument with yourself, pause and ask yourself and ask who, exactly, are the parties to this debate.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 19, 2014, #1003 | By Eric Francis
Divide your focus evenly within and without; on your own projects and those of people around you. Look for opportunities to get involved. There’s a meeting point between what is distinctly your own and what is something intriguing, exciting or different that someone else is doing. Don’t worry, you’re not invading or jumping on someone else’s train. The entire universe is aching for, and ripe for, collaboration. This will benefit any form of partnership, wherever it lands on the friend/lover spectrum. Another quality you can work with is that of concentrating resources. You have plenty, though it seems to be a bit scattered — try gathering like with like in one place. Arrange your life in such a way that you get a sense of how much you’re working with. Cash in all those pennies and buy a notebook.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 12, 2014, #1002 | By Eric Francis
Few people on Earth don’t struggle with self-esteem. This is a complex issue, in part because so many are challenged, and we don’t have many healthy models of what it means to respect oneself. Self-esteem is conflated with narcissism; which is only true to the extent that one is attempting to compensate for the other. On the other side of that coin are people who just don’t feel adequate and there’s no way even to fake it. Know where you stand on these matters. This means knowing where you stand with yourself. This can be tricky, because there are likely to be false messages involved. If so, account for those, and think carefully about the impact they have had on how you feel about yourself. The other thing to keep in mind is that you’re not alone. Many are on this quest seeking inner clarity and acceptance. You stand among them, and they among you. Remember, selflove comes from your self.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, June 6, 2014, #1001 | By Eric Francis
There is a power source in your ability to embrace the fertile void. That could start with embracing uncertainty, of which there is plenty in the world, and plenty in your chart. Though this may take a little courage, it almost always comes as a relief to let go of false certainty, whatever may come next. What is likely to follow is contact with an intuitive level of knowledge, not quite instinctual but definitely centered on your body and on your feelings, that is easier to follow than the chaos of trying to sort things out again and again. Said another way, if you don’t try to ‘make things make sense’ but rather start from the position that they don’t make sense, you will feel your way to a level of perception that’s much more trustworthy than where you might otherwise be. I suggest you be highly conscious of the stories you tell yourself, and remember that is what they are. Remember that your stories are likely to become true, so that would be a good incentive to choose well.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 30, 2014, #1000 | By Eric Francis
The recent New Moon in your birth sign has demonstrated how good it feels to act in unison with yourself — mind and body, heart and soul. Your solar charts describe mighty goals, and state that you have a vision for yourself that’s becoming clearer every day. It will take strength and focus to meet those goals, and that begins and ends with being in harmony with yourself. Most of us are taught to fight ourselves. Simone de Beauvoir in her masterpiece The Second Sex described how women are raised to spend so much time in conflict with themselves that they have little time to rise to the challenges of the world. Wilhelm Reich described the plight of the “little man,” the man who is conditioned to feel small, worthless and powerless, and is therefore weak and miserable. So it seems that everyone is in the same boat. To rise up and meet the challenges of creativity and career, you must be aligned with yourself, and get over any delusion of littleness. You would do well to have these things be your first goal, every day of the week, for every decision you make.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for June 2014, #999 | By Eric Francis
This month’s astrology illustrates an idea that’s dear to my heart: that self-esteem and one’s financial situation are closely related. I know that money supply is often blamed on the economy, and one’s place in life seems to be about how many credentials or connections one has. I think it’s much more obviously an emotional connection to feeling good about who you are, good enough to assert yourself to others and to excel at your work. This is one of the most basic measures of self-esteem — whether you feel you have a role in society. It also works the other way: the more you cultivate your talent and assert yourself as a gifted person, the more likely you are to develop those qualities. There are always ups and downs along the way, and dealing with them in a mature way is a significant part of personal growth. One aspect of this is being passionate about your talents, which means enough to take a risk on them. Then there’s one more bit. You may need to give up something in order to move forward doing what you’re best at. That might be your time, it might be some other interest, it might be a financial involvement or it might be an attachment to not succeeding. This is not really a sacrifice — in time, you’ll figure out that it was an exchange.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 16, 2014, #998 | By Eric Francis
You may be feeling edgy and uncertain as the Sun makes its way across the very last degrees before entering your birth sign. When it does, I think you will feel new determination that may seem, on one level, to be driven by your desire to survive or endure. Yet there’s much more going on, in particular, a surge of creative and sexual energy that you’ve been holding back for some reason — perhaps out of an abundance of caution, or because your life seemed too complex to give yourself the space to take any chances. However, that seems to be the very thing you now must do, if you want to get anywhere. Taking chances sometimes means risking everything, but more often it means allowing yourself to do something that you previously hesitated over. As of today you may think you’ll never have the courage or the confidence to do that. I think you might feel a lot differently in a week.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 2, 2014, #997 | By Eric Francis
You must mind your politics and your manners even if you have no specific reason to do so. Be impeccable with your words and be mindful what you express to others. You may be inclined to reveal secrets about yourself, and while I might normally advise transparency, for the moment I suggest you practice restraint, especially in work-related environments. In determining what to say to whom, I suggest you use the ‘need to know’ basis — do you need someone to know some particular bit of information about you? Why do you think so? If you have a solid reason, then reveal what you have on your mind. In truth, there is little that most others really need to know about you. Part of this scenario involves some discoveries you’re about to make about yourself. Anticipating those revelations, and wanting to know more, is what might incline you to reveal more than you should, or more than you need to. Therefore, I suggest you take your time, make your inner discoveries and then make statements to others only when they feel absolutely right.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for May 2014, #996 | By Eric Francis
There are karmic implications to sex. If nothing else, that has been the resounding message of the lengthy Mars retrograde that draws to a close over the next few weeks. Karma is merely an analysis of cause and effect, which is a simple law that says every cause has many potential effects and any effect has many potential causes. But the heart of the matter is that there is a relationship between the two sides of the equation. In our era, most of the karma around sex is created due to lies, secrets and silence. We would remove many of the implications of sex were we to open up and tell the truth — but at the same time, many relationships as we know them would crumble. People who go through this almost always emerge with a better life, a lighter conscience and a more direct way of relating. As Mars comes to a halt in Libra, your 5th solar house, you’re being invited to clear the air of anything that is lingering; of all that you have not said; to express the basic, elementary truth of your heart and soul. The risk involved is shifting, tipping or upsetting the seeming balance of your existing relationships. You might ask: is it really balance, or is it a balancing act? How do you tell the difference? Balance is easy; a balancing act is a struggle.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 18, 2014, #995 | By Eric Francis
You currently have the ability to see around corners and deep into yourself, though I suggest you turn your head and look in all directions. Travel home by a different route than you went someplace. Make conscious decisions to alter your routines and to keep your perspective moving. If you can, go to a high place like a hilltop or a tall building and look down on your neighborhood or community. Extraordinary astrology in your 10th solar house, Pisces, is encouraging you to re-evaluate your goals and allow yourself to do so in a radical way. It’s easy to consider what you want based on what you think is the right thing, or what you planned on doing in the past. Your astrology is describing a scenario where you take the chance of considering what you really want to accomplish. That would obviously involve a risk of some kind, engaging with the unknown and unpredictable. When you see the potential to fail as well as to succeed, you know you’re in the right place.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 11, 2014, #994 | By Eric Francis
You look like you’re ready to play the lottery of life and take a chance that you would never usually dare. It may actually be worth it. You may not feel like you have a choice, or as if you would never forgive yourself if you didn’t take the opportunity. If so, get ready to dive in with total courage. And understand that you are opening yourself up to what looks like total change, renewal, self-reinvention or some vast experiment with your life. One thing I would suggest is that you identify and sort out your values from those of people around you. Know your own motives and know when you’re being influenced by someone else, or particularly by a group. Try to notice whether you’re acting out of fear or desire. In all, the planetary picture is complex, but that may not stop you from making a choice that seems simple and that you feel driven by some mysterious forces to make. And remember there is no predicting the outcome, which seems to be the most vibrant benefit of the experience.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 4, 2014, #993 | By Eric Francis
You may be feeling the need to take responsibility for your actions and your past decisions. You might be getting the message that if you don’t do so, you will be held accountable, and it’s better if you make the moves instead of someone else. The deeper issue, though, is about events set in motion long ago that are coming home now, and pressing you to own up for what has happened in the past. I believe that you will do this in time. I would also point out that the pressure you may be under now is exaggerated by your perceptions of how others might feel. Nobody ever really takes responsibility for something because someone else wants them to do it, which is why I suggest you set your intentions and then take your time. If you must invest your energy into something now, put it into listening, both to yourself and to others. Stating how you feel is less important than making sure you understand how others feel — and not feeling any special pressure to do something about it. This is not necessarily an easy position to hold, but I assure you there are a lot worse.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, March 28, 2014, #992 | By Eric Francis
Stick to the truth and admit when you find yourself believing something that may not be true, or that is not true. Notice when you ‘believe’ something because someone in a position of authority ‘believes’ it; notice if you bend things a bit to focus your own authority. In short, your solar chart right now is a study in the power of false belief and deception for the purpose of gaining power. That could include power gained over you, which is the main reason why I suggest you be vigilant. It’s the main reason why I suggest you make no compromises about the nature of reality. The best way to handle any situation where you’re lacking knowledge is to admit at least that much. If you’re in a position where you have to conduct yourself a certain way for political purposes (such as getting ahead), admit at least that much. Do everything you can to eliminate deception from your life in any form, and happily forfeit the power of denial in place of the greater power of truth.
Planet Waves Monthly for April 2014, #991| By Eric Francis
You must keep your wits about you at all times, and be realistic at every turn. That means making no assumptions, which is a miracle in a world where so few people even know when they are doing so. Therefore, the first step is being aware when your perceptions are supported by actual data rather than by something you would like to be true, or by something that someone is trying to convince you is true. We are about to enter one of those ‘all is fair in love and war’ phases of social history where for a while it may seem like all bets are off and none of yesterday’s rules apply. As Graham Nash said, you who are on the road must have a code that you can live by. You need your own personal code, your way of life, that is distinct from anything that was ever imposed on you, and which depends on what you have learned from all your travels. Most of all your guide to living must be informed by the outcomes that you want, measured not so much in material things but rather in the form of ethics, cooperation, the value you place on your relationships and most of all, the value you place on the future. These are things that count, and the things I suggest you keep right at the front of your mind, every step you take.
Horoscope #990 Unavailable
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 28, 2014, #989 | By Eric Francis
There are times you have no proof and you know something is true. There are times when you have a mountain of data that may as well be a heap of compost. How do you tell the difference? You could call that intuition, but you could also call it having sensitivity to when something is authentically meaningful. One way to tell you’re on solid ground is when you have a hunch about something and also several independent sources of verification. For this to work, you must account for observer bias, so make sure you design that into your review process. Then you get to use what you know and make a decision and learn from the experience. I suggest you put your energy into making sure your data is good, and seeking out sources who are far removed from the situation in question. Yet the most significant thing your charts are telling you is to aim for a specific goal that serves both immediate and long-range needs; among other factors, these will be in harmony when you’re on the right path.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for March 2014, #988 | By Eric Francis
Situations that were puzzling or seemed impossible will start to make more sense — in direct proportion to how weird they seemed before. In particular the last few days of February into the first few days of March may have that sensation of walking on the ceiling, playing music backwards looking for the secret messages or waking up being able to perform magic tricks that you don’t remember learning. Or, alternately, if you find yourself in a crunch point where you feel like you have no clue how to handle yourself, pay attention to how quickly your environment is changing. Then, adapt from moment to moment. That’s your specialty anyway, but usually you do this in autopilot mode. The challenge of the moment is doing everything manually, taking each breath consciously, and noticing the unusual openings that may come in the most mundane transactions. Many of those will be interior. The adventure of Mars retrograde in your 5th house makes possible a creative and sexual self-discovery experience like nothing you’ve ever felt. Your ability to experience life from both sides of the coin, your curiosity about the dynamics of desire and power, and a rare moment when you will allow yourself to say anything, well, it will all add up to a bold few months — as bold as you want. In fact, you may open doors that you’ll never want to close.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, #987 | By Eric Francis
Mercury has retrograded back into Aquarius, which has taken some of the pressure off of a professional situation that seemed like it might run out of control. I suggest you remember (rather than forget) what you learned during the past week or so. The situation or something like it is bound to surface again sometime in the next month or two, and you want to be prepared how to deal with it when it does. That includes knowing what to do with those who play fast and loose with the truth, those who deceive in order to gain position and reputation and those who wear so much makeup they need to dunk their head in witch hazel. If you want to be real, and if you want to live a life of truth, you need to be clever, and you need to use your considerable knowledge. And at the moment, you need to know when to make your move, which won’t be for a few more weeks.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, #986 | By Eric Francis
Any real career is likely to be a story of two steps forward, one step back — though the good news is that there are more forward steps than backward ones. One brilliant detail about your astrology right now is that any setback has the potential for conversion into achieving something that seems impossible. Your charts look like you’re coming close to your dreams, but are not fully willing to take the plunge. Over the next few weeks, I suggest you consider what it would mean to dive into a goal so important, it may have stalked you since you were a child. Go back to that original notion of “what I want to be when I grow up,” the first one or two that you can remember. Then look around at the world today and see what needs you perceive that match with what you have to offer. Note, I am not talking about a five-minute think-over — more like a five-week investigation.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, #985 | By Eric Francis
You are getting some clues about a career move, which is more like a re-envisioning of your life. This is not the kind of thing you do all at once, though there are indeed flashes of brilliance and illumination that can happen. Be aware that you don’t need to be in a place of love and light for that to be true, though you will feel better if you are. Either way, this is a moment when you can actually feel that your potential is real. Work with that. Get your idea into some tangible form, not just merely an inner picture or notion. Sketch it, put it on paper, write it down, come back to it the next day, revise, invent, reinvent. Keep all your notes. Keep going. Try one version where you describe what you would do in a perfect world with any opportunity. If you notice yourself declaring anything impossible, don’t believe it.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for February 2014, #984 | By Eric Francis
Current aspects may have you rethinking a career or business plan. That’s actually a great idea. You seem to have a good idea, though what you need to do is balance your idealistic concept of what is possible against a diversity of practical concerns. Give yourself time for this — you seem to be involved in a thought process that will take about six weeks. My first question is not ‘is this thing too idealistic’ but rather, are you reaching for what you know would be the very best goal? However, before you get there, I suggest you strip your plan down to its most basic elements — what you want and why, what you need and why, what you want to accomplish. Consider how you manage your reputation. To what extent is your strategy defensive (laying low, protecting your supposed image) and to what extent is your strategy proactive (carefully cultivating the reputation you want, and deserve, for what you’ve accomplished)? Gradually, your logical mind will take over, and I suggest you run all your ideas through this particular mental filter. Keep reducing your idea till you’ve arrived at the bare essence, and understand every element of your plan or idea. Then toward the end of the month, you’re likely to rethink it yet again, only this time with greater clarity. At that point you will find the missing piece, the creative gem, the love in the dream.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, #983 | By Eric Francis
It’s clear that the past couple of months have presented certain difficulties communicating about a sensitive matter or whole subject area that you really need to get out into the open. Actually, the person or people you need to get an exchange going with have been working their way onto the same page, though they have not necessarily been saying much about it. Once the conversation begins, it has the potential to go some interesting places, and into some deep places. There may be some role reversal involved. There will be some transposing of words into actions and actions back into words. Be bold, and please allow yourself the space to allow any idea to become a potential reality.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 10, 2014, #982 | By Eric Francis
You’re about to resume thinking for yourself, after a brief hiatus of filtering your thoughts through someone else’s priorities. It’s not that their priorities are wrong or lack a basis in truth; rather, you know what is right for you and you have had more than enough input from others. At the moment you seem to be working out a set of sensitive details involving an intimate relationship or business partnership, and to do this effectively you need some detachment so that you can think more objectively. One temptation you might have is to proceed from weighting one person’s point of view too heavily to losing yourself to some form of group consciousness, and I suggest you make sure that you maintain your clarity and your independence from that as well. Stop asking people what they think; stop asking for advice or validation. You have all the information you need.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope — January 2014, #981 | By Eric Francis
The edgy quality of your charts may be a reminder of the fragile, transient nature of existence, and this is summoning you into unfamiliar territory. That alone would be a value — the waste of time that the world withstands is a terrible loss, and most of it involves denial about beginnings and endings. You seem to be fully aware that time is transient and that relationships are experiences that exist only in the moment we notice them. With the world moving so fast, there is precious little time to waste. Many factors in your astrology have drawn you out to a region where you will feel better addressing people about what actually matters than you will engaging in any form of diversion or games. While superficiality is smothering consciousness, you are being confronted with facts about yourself that are calling you to engage fully with reality. This translates directly to having a respectful relationship with the unknown, and that which you don’t understand. It no longer serves you to do anything else — there are great rewards possible when you focus only on what is true. You may think this requires more courage than you have; courage is an option you can choose, and is almost always helpful. Meanwhile, I suggest you use curiosity and persistence as your main assets on this quest.