Getting Oriented in the ‘New Normal’

Editor’s note: this is the full PW members’ edition, featuring your weekly horoscopes, the Create feature, and more.

Dear Friend and Reader:

With so much going on in the news that stirs up fear, trauma and a sense of powerlessness, it’s especially gratifying and surprising when something actually goes right: on Tuesday, the citizens of Alabama voted in a special election to put Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Doug Jones into the seat vacated by current U.S. Secretary of State Jeff Sessions. The loser? Republican Roy Moore: a man who has been accused by several women of harassing them — and in some cases sexually assaulting them — when they were only teenagers and he was a District Attorney.

Doug Jones and his wife Louise celebrate his win Tuesday night in Alabama. Photo by Dina Litovsky / Redux for The New Yorker.

What does it say about us as a society that most people seemed to assume Moore would win despite the allegations, which come on top of his well-known history of racism, homophobia, misogyny and extremism?

For one, it’s a barometer of the political gaslighting spearheaded by Trump. Even though we’ve seen famous, powerful men dropping like flies from their positions of status for the last couple months, the Pussy-Grabber-in-Chief remains in office, spouting irrational tirades via Twitter as though the planet itself depends on it.

If Trump seems untouchable regarding the sexual assault accusations he faces, why wouldn’t a man he publicly endorsed (at the urging of Stephen Bannon) prove the same? Especially in a state where, up until 2003, a 14-year-old child could get married with the consent of the parents.

It would seem that, for the (slim) majority of voters who turned out on Tuesday, Trump’s endorsement and Moore’s denials of misconduct were not able to overcome Moore’s hateful politics and distasteful personal behavior. At least, not when contrasted with Jones’ track record of public service (he brought to justice members of the Ku Klux Klan accused of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombings and the deaths of four little girls back in the 1960s) and effective community outreach on real issues of concern.

Not only did this special election generate much higher voter turnout than anticipated, African-American voters in particular came out in high numbers to nudge Jones in front. Additionally, enough Republican voters followed the lead of Alabama’s senior Republican senator, Richard Shelby, to write in another Republican name — further shaving Moore’s vote tally.

Today, CNN reported that Moore is refusing to concede the race until military and provisional ballots have been counted and certified by the Alabama secretary of state. The election will be certified no earlier than Dec. 26 and no later than Jan. 3. This puts certification after Mercury has stationed direct and after both the Sun and Saturn have entered Capricorn.

Planet Waves
Roy Moore failing to embody a centaur as he rides his horse Sassy to vote on Tuesday (many online have criticized his form and handling of the horse). Then again, maybe Moore acted as an unlikely ‘inconvenient benefic’ of sorts, heightening the awareness needed for voters to choose better? Photo by Carlo Allegri / Reuters.

Does this indicate the results will be reversed? Not necessarily. For one thing, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has said it’s “highly unlikely” that Jones will not be certified as the winner.

Mercury may be a trickster, and reversals can occur; but plenty of other things could be reversed, instead. For example, we might see Moore back down and concede prior to certification; Trump could walk back his endorsement and claim that he never really believed Moore would win.

As unlikely as both scenarios sound — who would try to pretend they did not endorse a candidate they clearly and loudly endorsed? — we’ve been living in bizarro-world for at least a year and a half, and strange has become the new normal. (Note: as we were putting this issue together, Amy Elliott let me know that Trump has already walked back his support of Moore in a tweet. Stephen Colbert covered it in his show last night. I probably should have guessed Trump would react that quickly, but it’s just so absurd.)

As events continue to demonstrate, Uranus and Eris are still functionally conjunct in Aries: they’re not done reshaping the environment. And as Donald Trump has demonstrated, deleting your embarrassing past tweets does not erase them from public consciousness; in fact, it actually brings greater attention to them.

But perhaps most importantly, to my mind, is that this election in Alabama occurred with the Sun, Pholus and Saturn still clustered on either side of the Galactic Core, our ‘cosmic homing signal’. It is a loose cluster; but the center of our home galaxy is a large, inscrutable phenomenon powerful enough to keep our solar system (and more) slowly revolving around it across vast distances. It may be a point of orientation beyond our immediate comprehension, but that does not mean it cannot be beautifully effective when we’re willing to tune in.

Some Astrological Orientation

What does it mean to be a ‘spiritual warrior’? It’s a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in certain circles, and it often seems (or even sometimes is) meaningless. But the astrology this week and next week appears to speak to that concept in a few ways that may be key, as you make your way through everything from social and familial holiday obligations to the highly charged political and cultural conversations and events dominating the news and social media.

Looking ahead, the major events we’re building toward are all clustered together next week: the Sagittarius New Moon on Monday, Dec. 18; Saturn entering Capricorn on Dec. 19; the winter solstice (marked by the Sun entering Capricorn, and signaling the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere) on Dec. 21; and then finally, on Friday Dec. 22, Mercury stations direct in Sagittarius. (Eric detailed all of these events and more in this week’s Monday Astrology Diary.)

Planet Waves
Milky Way viewed at the coast; photo by Michael Matti under CC 2.0.

Those events make for a busy astrological week next week, right at the time when the long nights, short days and colder weather urge us to find some stillness, some quiet and some introspection. That can be hard to come by this time of year anyway, due to our cultural focus on celebrating this season’s holidays with gatherings, gift-giving and myriad themed entertainments.

Yet, for those who lack family nearby or lack a solid support network, and especially if you deal with other challenging factors (such as a lack of funds, an unexpected crisis, mental illness, addiction, or traumatic memories of past holidays), this time of year becomes especially challenging. If that describes you at all, and if nature’s seasonal suggestion of quiet or solo introspection is depressing or anxiety producing, I hope you’ll reach out to someone who can help. Local crisis hotlines and other support services are only a quick Google search and phone call away if you’re in need.

If, however, you’re doing okay overall, being a ‘spiritual warrior’ might mean going out of your way to assist someone in need. A kind word and listening for a few minutes can go a long way. Yet there’s some specific astrology that relates to this theme, also.

Tomorrow (Friday), retrograde Mercury makes a conjunction to Venus in Sagittarius, and those planets together make a trine aspect to Ceres in Leo. You might find yourself discussing what it means to nourish your feminine side, as well as what it means to be a female spiritual warrior who leads from the heart. What might that look like these days? Where can you see the connections and patterns — the unity — between seemingly unrelated facets of your experience, and bring forth something new from that synthesis?

Planet Waves
The two cards I pulled Tuesday night from the Sustain Yourself oracle deck, by James Wanless, as I contemplated the astrology for this essay. I was only trying to pull one, but somehow this pair spoke vividly to the themes I was already teasing out while looking at the aspects. I’ll post the cards’ full descriptions on the Planet Waves blog posting of this issue.

If you find yourself articulating your love or affection for someone, notice the feeling of natural abundance it comes from, and that it generates. That self-generative aspect of love (especially in the sense of agape) feeds one’s self as much as it feeds the other.

Also tomorrow, the Sagittarius Sun makes a square to Chiron in Pisces. With Chiron named after a centaur known for healing, and Sagittarius represented by a centaur (and associated with philosophy and religion), we seem to get another image of the ‘spiritual warrior’ idea. Yet squares are about taking action; in this case, taking action to heal some facet of consciousness, perhaps spurred by crisis or wounding.

Consider for a moment our collective ‘masculine side’ along with your own inner masculine side (Western astrology describes everyone having a ‘feminine’ side and a ‘masculine’ side, regardless of your gender, sex or sexual orientation). There’s a lot of talk about ‘toxic masculinity’, and we’re seeing it in the abuses of male power being brought to light. How did it come to be that way? What is the nature of that injury, and what might healing it look like? You could think of being a ‘spiritual warrior’ as addressing your own healing process, and fiercely holding space for others to do the same.

We’re in a moment when the ways in which men and women relate to each other are coming under new scrutiny. We need a new model. The asteroid Juno often describes relationship needs and types of partners; on Saturday, Juno leaves Capricorn and enters Aquarius.

Aquarius has two rulers: Saturn (traditional) and Uranus (modern). There’s a question suggested here: Will you use this shift in energy to concretize and crystallize unmet relationship needs, or will you use it to revolutionize the collective relationship dialogue?

There’s plenty to ponder as we approach the Sagittarius New Moon, Saturn ingressing Capricorn, and the solstice next week. All of those events represent a new beginning of some kind, turning the corner in a specific phase of a cycle. The cycles involved (lunar, seasonal, Saturnal) are interlocking in a unique way — one that would appear to carry a message from deep space, thanks to the Galactic Core. My sense is that we’re being asked to hear something about orienting our lives on being humane to each other; on tending to our own healing and recovering a sense of purpose — and being willing to stand up for others willing to do the same.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

P.S. You might have heard the news that the FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, voted along party lines today to repeal the Title Two Net Neutrality protections that had been enacted by Pres. Obama to regulate the internet like the public utility it has become, thus ensuring an open internet for all users. The ACLU is petitioning Congress to use the Congressional Review Act to reverse the FCC’s hasty and misguided move, which was designed to reward massive telecomm corporations. You can read a little more about it and sign the petition here — and then call your Congresspeople to keep the pressure on.

Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Sunday and Thursday evening in Kingston, New York, Planet Waves, Inc. Core Community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Client Services: Amy Elliott. Eric’s Assistant: Ellen Dockery. Astrology Fact Checker: Len Wallick. Copy Editor and Fact Checker: Jessica Keet. Media Consultant: Andrew Ellis Marshall McLuhan. Music Director: Daniel Sternstein. Bass and Drums: Daniel Grimsland. Additional Research, Writing and Opinions: Amy Jacobs, Cindy Ragusa and Carol van Strum.
Planet Waves

New Features Added:
Understanding Key Life Transits of Saturn, Chiron and Uranus

Dear Friend and Reader:

The Art of Becoming is your 2018 annual reading. This is my 20th time at the rodeo! And that’s a good thing, because to write about the transits of the coming year will take experience. If you’re new to the discussion of this project, I’ve linked a letter in the last paragraph.

Planet Waves
Eric Francis.

I’ve added three new features to The Art of Becoming, for those who pre-order all 12 signs: videos that cover Chiron in Aries, and Aries Chiron returns; Uranus in Taurus, and Uranus oppositions; and Saturn in Capricorn, including those two Saturn return groups (first and second). These cover many age groups and sub-generations.

These videos are included if you pre-order all 12 signs. Then they will be spun off as separate products. They will not be included with post-publication orders, or single-sign orders. Each will be offered separately for $37.37 each.

I’ve wanted to do transit readings like this for years! One distinction about my astrological career is that rather than predicting transits, I’ve been listening to my clients tell me the stories of their transits for more than two decades.

The current pre-order price is $99, which includes written readings for all 12 signs, plus the Saturn, Chiron and Uranus video presentations. Those will be published before the written readings, by the way.

Delivery is expected in January. That’s the time estimate, based on 20 years’ experience doing this project. If you’re curious to read more about The Art of Becoming, here’s a detailed letter describing how I do the readings and what they contain.

And if you have not read your 2017 reading, you may do so here at no charge.

Sign up today. The next price increase will be soon!

Thank you for trusting me as your astrologer, and for participating in Planet Waves.

With love,

Create

A Modern-Day Centaur Story

By Amanda Painter

We’re approaching the Sagittarius New Moon, which is the conjunction of the Sun and Moon, and which is exact at 1:30 am EST (6:30 UTC) on Monday, Dec. 18. It’s a pretty special New Moon, as it’s exactly conjunct the Galactic Core. Culturally, it feels as though this New Moon is coming at a time particularly ripe for transformation in a new direction.

Planet Waves

With so much of the astrological action taking place in Sagittarius — a sign symbolized by a centaur (half-man, half-horse) aiming an arrow toward the heavens — what could be more appropriate than a fictional short story about a woman who undergoes a process to transform into a horse?

I discovered this story, titled “Horse,” last month as part of the Nov. 10, 2017, broadcast of This American Life, read by actors Grace Gummer and Geraldine Hughes. The piece is being published in the story collection The Wrong Heaven by Amy Bonnaffons.

In “Horse,” the female protagonist describes the contrasting transformations she and her roommate attempt: one wants to become a mother; the other craves the freedom she imagines would come with becoming a horse — something which, in the world of the story, has recently become scientifically possible and commercially available. Since the transition is not instantaneous, the protagonist spends some time partly a woman, and partly a horse — and attempts to bridge her two conflicting sets of urges, wondering if she’ll get stuck as a hybrid.

I don’t know whether it’s the placement of my natal Sagittarius Moon, or that this story is engagingly written and hits some of the buttons that get pushed simply by being a woman at this time in history, but I think Bonnaffons gets at something compelling here. (Hopefully, since the program’s airing, her editors caught the one major gaffe she’s made: horses do not have cloven hooves.) It would seem that below the surface, women might harbor a much stronger animal instinct than our culture would have us believe. Perhaps it’s past time to own that.

Create

This week on Planet Waves FM
In the Nature of Vesta Conjunct Jupiter

Dear Friend of Planet Waves:

First, thank you for your continued response to our membership drive for Planet Waves, and our sponsorship drive for Planet Waves FM.

This week’s program [play episode here] is a tour of the waterfront of the current feminist movement, the political environment and relationships between women and men. In the end, I address the question: what is sexual healing? What would relationships that are not based on ownership and control look like?

Planet Waves
Heather Fae Speaker in her incarnation as a Vestal Virgin. Photo: Book of Blue / Blue Studio, New York.

I begin with a discussion of this article, which chronicles events between now and Saturn’s ingress into Capricorn. There are many, including today’s conjunction of Vesta and Jupiter (which sets the theme of the program), Mercury conjunct the Sun, Mercury conjunct Venus, and the Sagittarius New Moon conjunct the Galactic Core. That leads to the winter solstice followed by Mercury stationing direct on Dec. 22.

Saturn is being welcomed home into Capricorn with fanfare suitable for an epic fantasy novel, though I reckon that this will be a grounding experience, putting us in contact with actual reality. The world is going insane, and Saturn in Capricorn may represent a missing piece of our sanity.

We might remember that Saturn represents accountability and Capricorn represents government. The antics we’re witnessing will soon change their color and tone.

In the second segment, I read from some of the letters we received this week in reply to our query about personal experiences of the #MeToo movement. We hear about workplace meetings, community meetings, discussions with husbands, discussions among friends; we hear some optimism and some grave concerns. Note, we’re processing these responses into a publication that I reckon will be ready by sometime this weekend.

In the third segment, I offer some of my own thoughts about sexual values under patriarchy, in times when all sex might be construed to have a victim, where the boundary lines and definitions of consent are blurred, and where “the political as personal” is having a chilling effect on social relationships.

Finally, in the last segment, I offer my ideas about sexual healing, describing some of the workshop processes I’ve facilitated, and my own tantric path. I give real-life ideas for how to engage these processes, and why one might do them. I describe the basic methods of processes for individuals, couples and groups, and account for some of the feelings that might come up along the way.

Planet Waves FM is part of the Pacifica Radio Network, published without profit by Chiron Return, Inc. We’re sponsored by your contributions, and by our sole corporate contributor, Planet Waves, Inc.

Thank you for tuning in.

Lovingly,

Scopes

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscopes for December were published on Wednesday, Nov. 22. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for November on Thursday, Oct. 26. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.

Planet Waves

Planet Waves Weekly Horoscope for Dec. 14, 2017, #1180 | By Amy Elliott

Aries

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Don’t be surprised if the new Saturn-in-Capricorn era commences for you with a burst of creativity and inspiration. It’s possible this may involve an idea already conceived within your depths, which you are now presented with an opportunity to make manifest. This process over the next couple of years is likely significant in terms of your personal development; so trust yourself, and (saving the necessary precautions attending Mercury retrograde) don’t hold back. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“Self-awareness, both of your thoughts and of your conduct, is your most powerful tool to influence your experience of growth into the new forms that you are. This includes reaching deep enough into yourself that you make some contact with the aspect of you that is timeless and changeless.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Taurus

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — After an extended period of self-reflection and internal transformation, it would seem you’re about to embark on a spiritual mission with a more outward focus. You might not feel quite ready for this, or there may be a certain risk that you fear. Yet you’re also gradually becoming aware of how important this opportunity could be, and that this is indeed the season. I suggest that for now you simply go along with the current. You’re made of far sterner stuff than you often give yourself credit for. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“There is a genuine skill in creative mastery that involves standing back from judging what you’ve created. You might listen to what other people say; you might work until what you’re doing feels good; you might take a swashbuckling attitude and not care; you might trust the fact that you always strive to do better (or any of these at the right moment).”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Gemini

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — A sudden alteration in a partnership, or a charged interaction with someone, may precipitate an extended look at the way you respond to certain situations, and how you view yourself and others. You may already be aware of how we sometimes project our own traits onto the people around us. Likewise, we tend to seek solutions in the external world, when the real key lies somewhere within us. Someplace in your life, a mirror is now being held up to you. Take courage and gaze deeply. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“You’re the one who has to negotiate between your potential and what you do with it. This is an active, everyday challenge being a Gemini. The world can seem so much bigger than you are, and in one way it is — but your mind is the thing that encompasses the world, all the world’s people and all your experiences there.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Cancer

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Saturn entering your relationship house may afford this area of your life some added stability. It might not look that way, initially: it’s likely that you’ll first need to alter your perspective in some way, potentially tackling a belief that’s been long-held. As is often said on Planet Waves, relationships really need a job: the connections we share are at their best if everyone involved is growing as a result. You may need to select with care the people with whom you choose to spend time. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“Notice your true feelings for people and make peace with the fact that you feel that way. You may have had a habit of resisting intimacy, and now you have little choice but to yield and open up to allowing others to touch your soul. In this way, you will come to the direct experience of growing into the soul dimension of your life.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Leo

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Just now you appear to be on the threshold of a rare, precious and powerful creative moment. What makes this so unusual is that, almost as soon as the inspiration comes, you’ll probably have the means to begin making it into something concrete and lasting. Seeing the whole project through will likely require a good deal of hard work and persistence. That should be easy enough for you, as long as you’re patient with yourself and place the emphasis on quality over speed. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“Rather than thinking of yourself as the entity that holds all the planets in orbit, think of yourself as someone who grounds the Sun into the Earth. This is actually what you do in the physical and spiritual sense, and it grants you some relief from the much larger responsibility of providing all the power and all the gravity.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Virgo

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Saturn entering your realm of creativity is likely to help you transform your artistic endeavors and raise your game to another level entirely. Yet just now you’re dealing with a specific challenge — from the remnants of former days — that has recently been haunting you. This almost certainly has to happen before you can proceed to the meat and potatoes, and it has to do with reclaiming your self-confidence sufficiently to be of one mind. Somewhere within you is an understanding of your true capability. Seek it out. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“There comes that time in any growth or improvement project where you have to ease back, have a glass of wine or even smoke a cigarette. Radical, I know. However, you’re at a stage of your life where you must follow your own rules, and to do that, your rules must be practical and workable.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Libra

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Something about your experience of family life or of your past is probably going to change in a profound way over the next few years, especially in terms of how it usually plays out in the present moment. You’ll likely be throwing off a habit or two that no longer serves you. What eventually replaces it is up to you. You might consider steering in the direction of real self-acceptance. It’s time you embrace who you are with all your desires and dreams, and kick out any imposed shame. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“Rather than being a clear mirror, relationships can often feel like a house of smoke and mirrors. This is especially a concern due to the experience of projection: ascribing to others feelings that are actually your own. Anais Nin is credited with saying, ‘We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.'”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Scorpio

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — With Saturn in your third house, you seem poised to learn gradually to become more vocal about who you are and what you really desire. This would begin with you: that is, admitting your feelings to yourself; then with a partner, or someone you can trust to hold space for you. Then you might widen the circle. Eventually you will hopefully feel confident enough to display your full self openly, in whatever medium you choose. Be gentle with yourself throughout. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“The self-esteem theme, described by the union of your 1st and 2nd houses, is the claiming back of your natural desire as a birthright. If you are in doubt about what you want, or if you consider it a potential moral affront, it’s difficult to feel good about yourself. For you, taking possession of desire is integral to your respect of yourself.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Planet WavesGet instant access when you order your Sagittarius Birthday Reading by Eric.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — As we’ve all experienced, when you open a pressurized container, the gas or liquid inside rushes to come out. It’s an apt metaphor for a decidedly common human trait: cause a person to feel trapped in some way, or forbidden to do a specific thing, and the desire to break the bonds becomes a powerful drive. Saturn finally leaving your sign Tuesday night is likely to feel like a momentous release. You’ll want some time to play in the open air before getting down to business: namely, being yourself with bells on. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“The overwhelming message of this series of South Node eclipses is that you must get beyond your own past, and find the present. Finding the present means sorting out your emotional reality to the point where you understand what happened, and what it means — and use it as a source of strength rather than of weakness.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

 


Capricorn Birthdays 2018
How Will You Harness Saturn?

“I continue to believe that setting goals and boundaries combined with recognizing my limits, because I thought about how I could harness Saturn, has made this the most transformative time of my life. I felt a ton of Yes energy in your words, thank you!”

— Jennifer N.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Do you tend to think of Saturn as representing the parent who stands in your way and says “No”? You can avoid that disempowering feeling by making friends with Saturn. That is, by taking on the role of authority and responsibility in your own life so that you can enjoy the benefits, growth and even freedom Saturn can grant.

If you’re someone with a Capricorn Sun, rising sign or Moon, you have this opportunity on your doorstep: Saturn enters Capricorn on Dec. 19. Eric will be covering the opportunities, challenges and essential mission of Saturn in your sign for the next three years or so in your 2018 Capricorn Birthday Reading.

Planet WavesBut that’s not all: Chiron moving into Aries and Uranus moving into your fellow earth sign Taurus will also bring important shifts to your inner landscape and to the world around you. Yet those are only the major planetary sign changes that are happening soon; Eric also homes in on the subtler astrology you’ll be navigating in the coming year.

“Your passion, deep care and love always shine through; and you have the gift of all great teachers, of making one feel that one is being personally addressed, respected and taken care of.”

— Liz Glanville

All of this is offered in a pro-quality audio-recording bundle: two segments of astrology (approximately 30 minutes each), and then a tarot reading for your year that will be ready a little later. When you pre-order your Capricorn reading, you secure the lowest price we offer: only $33 for the entire three-part reading. This price increases as we near publication, and then it increases again when it’s ready.

You get some of the clearest, most nuanced and jargon-free personal astrology available on the internet. Eric crafts these readings with the best of his life-coaching, cheerleading and problem-solving skills; the sensitivity of his therapy training; his uncanny knack to help you see challenges from a more empowering perspective; and with the kind of everyday, practical inspiration you can use immediately.

How will you harness Saturn to make the coming year one of your most dynamic to date?

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

P.S. The 2018 Capricorn Birthday Reading is distinctly different from the Capricorn written reading available in the upcoming Art of Becoming annual project. It covers your key astrology in a different format and emphasis, capitalizing on Eric’s more intuitive, improvisational skills. The Birthday Reading also makes a fantastic gift for a loved one!


 

Capricorn

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Chances are you already have a pretty clear understanding of how far you’ve come in the past few years, though that might have been hard to see while in the midst. Now you’re finally emerging into a new phase of existence. I don’t really need to suggest that you keep in mind what you’ve learned, because you know the lessons are too important to forget. I will only say: don’t be afraid to express the person you have become. The world needs the example of your wisdom and integrity. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“If you’re worried about your reputation, this is merely another way of assigning power over yourself to others. You cannot control what anyone thinks, and no matter how pure, sinister, friendly, loving, raunchy, talented or slothy you might be, people will think what they want. What they might think is not your business.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Aquarius

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Having hosted Pluto in your 12th house for several years, you can be confident that Saturn is not likely to make a huge commotion when it arrives. Instead, it will probably lend some structure to what may at times have felt like a somewhat chaotic and bewildering journey. You may well feel more in control of your developmental path, which is great as long as you’re willing to carry on with the development. If you slam on the brakes, you’re liable to skid. Remember that the key is honesty, and doing what’s right. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“It looks to me like you need to call an end to a certain line of conduct or thinking that has been in your family for a while. The opportunity you have is based on the fact that you can actually see this issue for what it is. It’s normally difficult to discern, and it’s been masked or veiled recently by its prevalence in society. Once you have it in your sights, address it on the spot.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

Pisces

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — For some time now you’ve been grappling with the question of how your actions are received in your community, especially if you’re holding yourself to the high standards you seem to maintain so effortlessly. You know that, really, the point is to continue being the best you can be, regardless of how people apparently respond. That said, you might now discover that you have, in fact, started a ripple. As it spreads outwards, it will likely gain strength and speed; and then one day, you suddenly notice the tidal wave. — By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

“You mean a great deal to the people close to you, and though they may not say anything about it, they certainly know it. If it ever seems that people benefit from you more than you benefit from them, rejoice in that fact. You need less than they do; you are more complete in yourself than most people around you; and anyway, that self-completion is the major theme of your astrology.”

— From your 2017 annual reading by Eric Francis, The Book of Your Life — which you can read here. Eric’s beginning work on the 2018 annual edition — you may pre-order that here.

 

Planet Waves

Don’t forget to take advantage of this special gift: Eric’s Daily Horoscope can arrive in your mailbox by 7 am ET, containing great astrological guidance for all 12 signs. You can sign up with our compliments, though we welcome donations.

12 thoughts on “Getting Oriented in the ‘New Normal’

  1. Amanda Painter Post author

    As promised (apologies for the delay):

    The description for the Mother/Creation card reads:

    “Born of this Earth, you are a Mother Earth, yourself. Within you is the power of creation. You are cornucopia, birthing a harvest of plenty and abundance to feed and provide sustenance and growth. Materialize and manifest your babies, businesses, brainstorms and heart stirrings with love, nurturing and compassion.”

    The description for Waves/Revolution card reads:

    “Build your life like a wave that is forming larger and fuller. Eventually you will hit limitation and resistance, so then crash, break up, turn over. Revolution happens. Chaos ensues. Creativity begins. Reform and rebuild your next wave. Dance to this never-ending cyclical wave of order into disorder into order. Ride your cycle of waves over and over to prevent your own tsunami. Surf’s up! Go for a tumble, live the adventure.”

  2. Glen Young

    Ms. Barbara Clow writes that Chiron (centaur) is the bridge to our animal self. That the genitalia is located on the horse and not the human; the place for the heart. From the Greatest Book Ever Written is the wisdom: “For God hath not appointed us to Wrath…” . That the real struggle against evil is Pluto’s principalities and power, and not our puny sex sins.
    In this battle with Pluto we must recover our animal instincts, power and energy, with an awakened awareness/ consciousness (Chiron return 48-51), not denial. Otherwise, we become the Headless Horseman, Pluto domain, filled with evil and death. Something that Ms. Clow explained to be our endless fascination with, as no doubt our current President has, filled with anger, wrath and rage.

  3. Sue Edwards

    A lot of us have heard the phrase,

    “Women have to work twice as hard as a man to be paid half as much.”

    Whenever I have heard it quoted in the past I have always responded with,

    “You forgot the most important part of it…

    fortunately it isn’t difficult.”

    You see, back in the 70’s I saw a problem in the women’s movement. Becoming equal had nothing to do with running men down, or threatening their already insecure egos. Like competing with them in Society to see which could be better at being a man. I thought of it as a foolish idea. Even being the best at being a man, for a women, would always mean second place.

    I rather liked having doors opened for me. I saw it as an expression of Respect appropriately showed a woman. That was before men started being yelled at for insulting a women as if she couldn’t open her own door.

    To me, what it required to being treated as equal, meant uplifting men. So that they could begin to recognize the Value and Worth that had been there all the time. Descending to the same level of blindness and playing war with one insecure ego battling the other , resulted in a lot of walking wounded. Women trying to be men, playing the men’s games of power (which are remarkably similar to being based on the values of the animal kingdom and the means of the animal kingdom), are always going to feel insecure. Self Denial is a game two can play.

    A woman can spend from 30 minutes to an hour picking out her clothes and putting on her makeup. Doing her best to appear as an attractive object, a body of interest. Then get all riled up when she attracts that kind of attention, from the kind of man who’s going to be attracted to how she has chosen to appear. Knowing full well that men are programmed, by “Instinct”, to being visually stimulated and taking advantage of it.

    My great aunt, born in 1890, lived to be 98 and was the proverbial old maid. She worked as a secretary all her life, even though she had a college degree. She eventually was the one in charge of training young men coming into the company. They got promoted; she didn’t. Over the decades those young men rose in the company, becoming chief executives and CEO’s. And she held the power of their gratitude and appreciation, along with still listening to what she had to say. She was Respected and well rewarded. Men may have held the titles in the companies but if you wanted to get something done, you talked to their secretaries. Just as you did with men’s wives at home. In that time, women used to use their husbands to achieve their ambitions while men looked to their wives to express their emotions. It may be wise to shift ambition to aspiration, then both would become whole and balanced.

    I find it interesting than animal DNA has 24 pairs of chromosomes, while human DNA has 23. What happened to the other pair? I suspect it has something to do with Sagittarius’ arrow and our Galactic Core.

    I share the idea that it is with the arrow’s help that we are infused with the strength and wisdom to uplift our Creative Wills out of our instinctual nature and into our Hearts. There is a difference between utilizing something and being ruled by it.

    An animal’s Will is not free. What makes a human being, human, is because ours Is. A Creative Will can be expressed physically, emotionally or mentally. The choice is up to us.

    New ideas generate new emotions which express themselves physically. The arrow, the man and the horse, working in unison and integration. If all we think are old ideas, then all we’re going to experience are the same old emotions which leads to the breeding of war horses.

  4. Glen Young

    Also, if a man doesn’t integrate his feminine side. I’m thinking his intuition will not reach its potential. For the woman, integration of her masculine side allows her to stand in her truth (hi Sue Edward) no matter the odds against that truth. The animal is the 3rd kingdom, the human the 4th, souls are the 5th kingdom; integration of one’s soul (I’m thinking) becomes a primary focus during the centaur/Chiron return at age 48-51yrs; if one surrenders to it. We become truly golden, having satisfied our purpose for being here. Again not to be in wrath but to find ourselves in love. Alright, time for some music: Sweet Home Alabama, where the Sky is Blue!

  5. beleclaire

    oh dear, I am sorry Sue. I am getting my buttons pushed here. I think it maybe because you are setting up a rigid polarity, when things are in fact, more nuanced

    Animals do have the ability to make choices about their existence – the mate they will go after, the food they will hunt/eat are two obvious actions. And some adult animals choose to play – crows, dolphins
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11998687

    In contrast many humans or ‘Man’ as you say are slaves and cannot exercise free will. Many more -it is still an issue in India for example – are indentured
    http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Modern_Day_Slavery_Statistics

    On another level many humans who might look like they have free will – buying that new phone, taking that trip – are locked into dysfunctional patterns where inside they don’t feel free. This is borne out of repeating karma where free will to change has not been exercised

    I am not sure about plants and their will, but Elisa Novick who used to write for PW worked closely with trees, she would know
    http://thrivingplanet.org/why-i-work-with-the-trees/

  6. Sue Edwards

    A *wink* to you, Glen Young. I’d really never thought about it in that way. Thank You for the heads up! I ‘see’ the energy of Will to be our masculine aspect and the energy of our sensitivity (ability to feel) to be our feminine. And yes, integrating them is the key I found that worked for me.

    Whatever idea, thought, perspective I entertain in my head creates an impulse of energy which results in me feeling a certain way. Works this way for all of us. Once we’re aware of their integration, then we are empowered to start doing something about it. Once we take possession of our home we can begin to clean it up.

    I suspect the awareness of being a Soul is undergoing a shift. Some children are showing a definite awareness while some seniors don’t look likely to. I am ignorant when it comes to the study of Chiron and many of the heavenly objects. What Chiron means to be is the Wounded Healer. “Healer, heal thyself.” And they way is shown by when he sheds his mortal identity in favor of his Divine one.

    The perspective of and from our Galactic Core has to be one of Unity, since it encompasses the Whole. Unconditional Love is an Immaculate Concept. There are no exclusions, exceptions or conditions. “Virgin” means Pure, not sexless. It’s the Love of the Whole for each part and of each part reaching for that Whole.

    Many argue over which truth is True. I simply say that if what we believe to be true, is true, then we Know it beyond a shadow of any doubt. Knowing is different than believing and cannot be experienced for us. Adults know far more than little kids do and it will be up to the kids to learn for themselves. So that then can can Know, too.

    I simply share that the essence of Truth is True and it is one of the streams of energy (or circuits) emanating from our Core. It is True in all times and in all places, since that is it’s essence. It stands on its own and needs no support.

    So it is with our beliefs. If what we believe is True and we Know it, then we can stand on our own.
    We become a pillar, instead of a leaning stick in teepee formation. Courage isn’t freedom from Fear but having enough Love for Life to face it.

  7. Sue Edwards

    Oh Dear, right back to you beleclaire, {{hugs}}

    It’s my lot in Life to push buttons. It’s like walking through a mind field and trying not to step on any. I’d much rather diffuse the triggers than explode them. I’d apologize except it’s what my job and purpose is to do. I shift consciousness and trigger expansions in awareness.

    And the only way I can avoid doing it is to not express myself in any way, shape or form or go anywhere where there are people around. It’s an energy I radiate.

    I’ve hidden away for more than a decade, trying to come to terms with it myself. I’d sooner not Be it but coming to acceptance of it took a while.

    I sincerely Thank You for being so sweet about it and the way in which you spoke up. Now we can play Well, together, instead of ill-at-ease.

    Your Insight serves you Well and is a credit to you. There has simply been a misunderstanding caused by vernacular and a bit of confusion as a result. Sigh. Typical Mercury retrograde experience. *smiling*

    First, let me distinguish freedom of action from states of Mind. The choice you mention regarding animals are all Instinctual and programmed into their very Nature. There are many choices of action available that express and animal’s Love for its own Life. A plant’s nature is also Instinctual. It turns towards and reaches for the Light, while reaching down into the earth for nutrients. This is what I would call the Instinctual level of Consciousness or Mind. (or awareness; if there were no Awareness there would be no response to outer stimuli). I would also call Instinct one of the expressions of a Love for Life.

    We will not see an animal or plant conflict with their Love for Life. A bird isn’t going to break its wing on purpose. Nor is a plant going to purposely hide from the sun or pull its roots out of the soil that feeds it.

    It’s only Man that has the freedom of Will to choose to conflict with the Love for Life and that is basically what we’ve done. With that Freedom of Will, freedom to choose, came awareness of other levels of Mind, often called “Intellect” and “Intuition”. It’s with our Intellect that we have the freedom to choose between Instinct and Intuition. One choice will serve us Well, the other leads to various forms and experiences of self denial.

    Animals and plants are “Am”. They go about am-ing away. Their consciousness always Pure in intent. While Man is “I Am”. There is an individual identity of Free Will.

    In your reference to a slave, “freedom” is thought to be an exercise in doing whatever is desired. Where the Freedom of Will I was referencing has to do with the state of Mind of the slave. How we Respond to our environment is part of our Response-abilities. Do we respond according to Instinct; alone; do we respond according to Intellect? If by Intellect, is Intellect responding to Instinct or to Intuition? Which Master is our Intellect serving?

    Maybe I can best convey meaning by relaying a conversation I had with my pain management doctor? I told him that while I may feel pain I certainly don’t have to suffer with it. He responded that there few he had seen that understood that. It has to do with my internal dialogue. It’s not one of victimization or any drama of “poor me”.

    It’s what I learned the first time I had one foot in the grave. I asked myself “How much do I Love Life?”

    And discovered I had only Loved the parts I labeled as “good” or “positive” or “pleasant”. Now I Knew that every moment of Life and in Life was a Present, a Gift of that moment. Like a gift card I could spend any way I choose (by my own Free Will). I could be Grateful for it and appreciate the fact that I was alive to experience it or I could qualify it as not quite up to my liking. There are a lot of people in their graves that haven’ t received any Presents in a long time.

    Since then my goal has been to embrace as much Life in Understanding and Compassion as I can. Always embraces all ways. What we choose (by our own free will) to qualify as ‘negative’ or ‘positive’. Life includes the whole spectrum of experiences.

    You got it when you said “repeating karma where free will to change has not been exercised”. Not been exercised is the clue. It has been a choice of Will not to choose to exercise it. Claiming it is our first step.

    For me, I try to keep things simple. All Karma is, is Self* judgment. Once the judging Mind has been laid to rest, all Karma is transcended. (*This Self being the Self that embraces All That Is. The whole cannot be separated by judgments and conditions.) Things got easier for me when I stated to ask myself what desires did my Soul havew rather than focusing on what desires me, the human personality had.

    1. Zack

      I don’t know if the problem is vernacular so much as with language itself creating unnecessary distinctions. But even speaking from within that language I’d say it doesn’t ring true that animals have no “free will.” The only difference I see in humans is increased complexity. And where has that complexity gotten us? It seems mostly just to battling over language.

  8. Sue Edwards

    Animals are going to react, as programmed through Instinct. Humans CAN react according to Instinct but have a choice, a Will that is Free to choose Intuition, instead. It’s the difference between a reaction and a Response to outer stimuli in our environment. Our Masses are reactionary, basing choices and actions upon emotions divorced from thought, for the most part. A Response requires being Self Governing and rising above the Instinctual level where survival fears rule.

    Sovereign Beings govern their own Wills. A Sovereign Being Knows they are both accountable and responsible for the ideas they choose (of that free will) to entertain in their heads, the way in which those ideas are related together (like whether the result makes any sense or not, again through the use of their own free Wills) and the resultant emotions experienced for thinking such ideas. Even if we haven’t claimed our Sovereignty, we’re still accountable and responsible as far as the Universe is concerned. We just live without knowing it.

    Animals live in a Pure state of awareness. They live in the Now and do not project into Past or Future. They do not harbor such ideas as Regret, Worry or Guilt. When in pain, it simply Is. There are no judgments of qualification about the experience of pain itself. No harboring of ideas of “what did I do to deserve this” or thoughts of being punished.

    We, however, are able to choose to be separated in consciousness from the Universal. It is the Gift and Curse of the “I” in the phrase “I Am” and where as a Whole, we are all coming from.

    Maybe some confusion has to do with what we label as ‘seeing’? Our physical eyes only see physical forms and stop right there. They do not ‘see’ the consciousness behind or within the form. It is with our Minds that we see beyond the physical. It’s how we ‘see’ Humor and Reason and eventually Understand how everything is interconnected. (Physicists call it “entanglement”. )

    When I ‘see’ a person, my physical eyes ‘see’ a body (form) but my sight does not stop there. I also ‘see’ a Soul. They are One to me. To the depth we have ventured within our own selves seeking Understanding, is the depth we can’see’ within others. To me, it’s what In-tuition, In-sight and the In-visible are all about. All physical forms are like tips of an iceberg to me. There is much more below the surface to realize and recognize.

  9. Sue Edwards

    I apologize for my manners *Zack*. I forgot to say “Hi!!!!” and Thank Your for your interaction.

    I Recognize and Respect your I Am Presence as being a part of the I Am That I Am.

    Namaste.

Leave a Reply