Week of July 16th, 2014

Sex By Sign begins with Jupiter ingressing Leo — an event that happens once every 12 years. Today is the day.

Jupiter is the sign of wisdom. Leo is one of the most creative and sexual signs — passionate, loving, and able to hold its own center.

Leo is ruled by the Sun. The Sun is the center of our solar system, and holds all the other planets in place. That is a big responsibility. With Jupiter in Leo, the core idea is the knowledge that holds our minds together, and the basis of all knowledge is knowing yourself.

Yet there are so many distractions in the world right now that we have infinite options to avoid knowing ourselves. Every day you are told who and what to be, having nothing to do with your inner reality.

One area of life in which this is out of control is sex. Sex has largely been turned into a spectacle or a commodity — not a natural thing that natural people do. My plan as an astrologer and artist is to explain and illustrate sex as something necessary, beautiful but mostly ordinary. I know sex is considered special. When I say ordinary, I mean like trees and mountains. Ordinary like a beautiful beach or a forest.

There’s just one little problem — most of us have had something taken away from our sexuality; we’ve sustained injuries, some of them repeated, some of which go back more than one generation. So in any true discussion of sex, there is a healing dimension necessary. That’s part of where astrology comes in.

Astrology can describe our lives, though it has a special gift for looking beneath the personality level and helping understand and resolve what may be troubling us.

One little clue I can offer from a lot of experience is that in our time of history, healing around sex and sexuality equates to making friends with pleasure and letting go of guilt and shame. I think we have some work to do on separating sex from violent impulses, which translates to understanding that human beings do not own one another.

On that whole project, I’m happy to have the help of all the planets, and one particular star that guides me.

w/love,
Your astrologer,
Eric Francis Coppolino

 

ARIES  (March 20-April 19)
You’re starting to figure out that you want something besides the choice between all or nothing; something between married and hooking up. That is to say, you want something real, not a figment of someone’s imagination or agenda. Yet you may have past commitments that you must address and resolve, and you may be wondering how you can do that. Wanting something better has a way of making those situations seem a lot simpler.

TAURUS  (April 19-May 20)
How much structure do you need in your relationships? I would propose that you need less than you think. You do need some — such as hanging out with people who show up on time and who mean what they say. That is nearly enough. You want options and the freedom to choose. You want to be free from expectations. You want some space around you, and some space to be with your own thoughts. This is not as scary as it seems.

GEMINI  (May 20-June 21)
You have learned how important it is to feel good about yourself. If you don’t love yourself, what love do you have to give others? We could take this one step further. Selflove and selfsex are closely related, especially for you right now. Think of masturbation as proto-sex, the root of all erotic feelings, which in turn feeds you emotionally. Then not only can you take care of yourself — you have something to share with others.

CANCER  (June 21-July 22)
Sex is about what you have to offer, and right now you have plenty. I suggest, however, that you either hang out with people who love to share what they have, or be content to offer pleasure and healing and not expect anything in return. It’s not that you won’t get anything — it’s that the expectation will get in the way of the pleasure of giving. The more you offer, the more you will discover you have.

LEO  (July 22-Aug. 23)
Jupiter enters your sign today, which must come as a huge relief. If you’ve been under any strange pressure, having sleepless nights or experiencing anxiety you don’t understand, I think this will help. Yet what will help more is if you embody your desires. It’s true that fantasy is never the same as reality, though if you experiment and give everything at least three chances, you may discover that reality is a lot better — though a bit more daring.

VIRGO  (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
You cannot do everything according to a plan. And these days you are exceeding even your own reputation for overthinking. I suggest you let go of your need to strategize and go with what feels right. You may discover that it feels right to be more open, which means genuinely available. Relate to people intuitively, with empathy, rather than based on appearances. I know this is not exactly in style, but who knows, you may start a trend.

LIBRA  (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
It’s time to take authority over your sexuality. You are the boss — you set the rules. You are accountable only to yourself. Make sure that it is real accountability based on honest ethics. Taking authority often means taking it away from someone who imposed it on you in the past. Feeling guilt is typical when you make a decision to get control of your own life. Don’t put up with it.

SCORPIO  (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
The story of Scorpio these days is about healing and imagination, in equal measure. As you allow your mind to go places you would not have imagined, you will reach deeper into yourself. Then allow yourself to desire without any impulse to control. Allow yourself to feel. Give yourself permission to experience rather than to dream, and take the chance of making your desires real. Remember — the risk factor, the sense of daring, is essential.

SAGITTARIUS  (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
The less you expect, the more will be offered to you. You are going through an interesting process of adjusting what you believe you have coming, and also aligning yourself with something more solid rather than just the idea. Remember, there is plenty of nourishment in simple gestures like love and affection. Just remember you don’t need epic romance or high drama. I propose you need authentic exchange with someone who means it.

CAPRICORN  (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
You may be too worried about what other people think of you and whether you will fit in. But do you really want to adapt to make yourself acceptable to someone else? I don’t think so. So you might want to try making your own scene, which could mean anything from having a dungeon party to opening up a fetish store to finally putting up a Model Mayhem profile. Then you will open up a whole new space for yourself — and for others.

AQUARIUS  (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Your prospects are opening up, and fast. Do what you can to keep your options going. Most people can’t stand being single for more than 10 minutes; you don’t have to do that. Your sign is noted for its independence and its need for space and freedom. Honor that about yourself, and see the benefits of not just choosing between options but also of allowing yourself more than one choice.

PISCES  (Feb. 19-March 20)
Sex is better with a touch of the dark side — that might be a hint of doubt, or experimenting with feelings that most people would rather avoid. People who are open to the full spectrum of their feelings are less likely to be stuck, because usually stuckness is about avoidance. Go directly into your experience. Make a promise to be undeterred by any form of shame or stupid social rules. Be bold and be real, and if that scares people, don’t be afraid.