Aries (March 20-April 19) — During this peculiar phase of our history, you are increasingly aware that now is not a time to hide behind false concepts or choose to believe something because it’s convenient. Treat your honesty as your best and most vital resource, especially when you’re speaking to yourself. Current circumstances are affording you an unprecedented opportunity to understand what is real, without any decorative veils. Get used to standing in that space of complete truth, and make it yours. Wednesday’s Taurus New Moon will help you focus on what is really important to you, what needs to shift, and what no longer serves you. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.
The Journey of You and Chiron | A New Reading by Eric Francis
Anyone who has encountered it is curious about Chiron. Planet Waves provides one of the few dependable online sources of information on this unusual planet. For the 10th anniversary Astrology Studio reading, I will be covering Chiron in Aries — a momentous event for all those born under this sign, and of high interest to everyone else. Get instant access to this reading here.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — The Sun has now taken up residence in your sign, and on Wednesday the New Moon will occur. Your charts describe the potential for accelerated learning: a rapid series of truths revealing themselves one after another. You’ll want to be on the watch for these, and to practice holding open your mind as a conscious act. One factor you’ll need to watch for is the narrowing influence of fear. In particular, that means fear holding back your ability to explore and to trust, wherever that is warranted, and especially in yourself. Notice your responses to whatever information emerges: this will likely give you a great deal of helpful knowledge in its own right. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.
You can now pre-order your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $33. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Certain developments seem to have awakened old fears within you. You might think of this as a challenge you need to face so you can move forward: the knight blocking your path, offering a duel, or the lake you need to build a raft to cross. What this hurdle really consists of will be a concept you created in your head to help you in difficult former times, but which is now holding you back. The points where you meet the most stubborn resistance probably indicate areas into which you need to probe more deeply and bring to the light. Do this gently and gradually, like an archeological dig: one layer, one artifact at a time. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Wednesday’s New Moon in your 11th house suggests this is a pivotal moment for you in terms of your relationship to social groups and collective issues. That could include moving past certain elements of group consciousness, or updating your ideas on specific matters, or clearing some clutter in terms of your circle of friends and acquaintances. Regardless of how this applies to you, it is vital that any changes you make are in line with your most fundamental ethical principles, and in service to your dharmic path. Draw on the wisdom you’ve previously learned to guide you, and make your decisions carefully. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The astrological focus has now turned to your zone of career and status, with a New Moon happening Wednesday on Chiron’s discovery degree. This rare connection is a reminder that what you do is an extension of who you are. Said another way, your role in the world has complexities beyond what you draw a salary for. As many people now are discovering in some form, you are not merely your official job title, and your worth is more than just a dollar amount or a credit score. How far are you experiencing that truth in your daily life? If the answer is “not very,” consider how you might restore that balance. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Probably you have some vision of how you want your life to appear: some concept of the perfect job, relationship, home, and so on. Alternatively, there may be something specific you wish for at this time. How prepared are you to receive such a gift? Think this over carefully. For example, moving to a new location or job requires being able to let go of the familiar and enter new territory. Meeting new friends or potential lovers involves opening up to trust and intimacy, which means willingness to be vulnerable. Once you’ve ascertained what you want or need most, the next step is to start creating the room for it within yourself. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — In a few weeks, your ruler Venus will station retrograde in your fellow air sign Gemini. Retrograde phases have a way of focusing attention on internal matters; that is, inside your mind. The Sun’s entrance into Taurus is an invitation to run some pre-flight checks on your emotional body, starting with how you are feeling in the moment. You can perhaps get a sense on what the upcoming retrograde means for you, and prepare the ground to help it flow as smoothly as possible. One idea that might help is not underestimating your capacity for healing and growth. You are very well able to forge your own spiritual path. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — A potent New Moon this week in your opposite sign will help you explore your concepts of power relations and projection. To some degree everyone projects onto everyone else; the key is understanding when you’re doing this, though it’s also a matter of self-confidence. It’s important to recognize that you need no other person to “complete” you. You are whole in yourself, as is everyone around you. Nobody has the right to impose their framework on you; likewise, steer clear of any temptation to exert control over others due to insecurity. You have an opportunity now to address and communicate your feelings in a healthier way. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — At this moment there is a collective spotlight on health issues, including hygiene practices, diet and various habits. Your charts suggest this is a good week for you to consider your own routines and whether there’s anything you would like to alter. This isn’t about self-judgment, or striving for a robotically perfect lifestyle. Rather, place the focus on taking the best possible care of yourself and of loved ones. That would include, by the way, talking to someone should you have any problems or worries, and likewise offering a receptive ear when it’s needed. There is real power in people and communities working together to care for one another. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The Sun is now in the area of your chart relating to creativity, sex and play, among other things. One theme 5th house matters tend to have in common is willingness to trust and to be open to unfamiliar experiences. Where resistance to this occurs, it’s usually driven by fear — and these are scary times for many. I’m not going to suggest you organize a Tinder hookup. Rather, what this week’s astrology is about for you involves gently enquiring into your fears, holding space for them, and finding ways to cultivate your sense of trust in spite of their presence. This week’s New Moon is the ideal backdrop for you to do precisely that. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Wednesday’s Taurus New Moon takes place in a rare contact with both your ruling planets, anticipating an event that does not culminate until next February. This is a chance for you to take stock and assess where you are heading. You may also get to deal decisively with some elements of the past that have been chafing at you rather stubbornly of late. One thing you will need to be relentless about for a while is divorcing your own material from that of others. You have plenty to occupy you without also being weighed down by someone else’s baggage. Make sure you hand it back to them — be gentle if necessary, but nevertheless be firm. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Take care not to underestimate the reach of your voice. You may well have more influence than you realize; regardless, it would be wise to measure your words carefully. Treat everything you say as if it carries a lot of weight, which will be more likely than usual just now. Make a particular point of being clear, so that you are understood: this includes stating plainly when there is uncertainty. Here’s the thing: you currently have important and unique information to convey. People need to hear this, and they will listen to you, to the extent your message could well spread beyond your expectations. Therefore, get it right the first time. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.
Excellent stars once again, Amy. I’m going through some amazing and amusing changes at the moment which I believe will culminate in February next year. Just time to father a child! Now, where did I put that great novel I was writing?
One thing we should all remember about the current lockdown. It’s better than a lock-up any day. Ask any Wormwood Scrubber.
Thanks, Geoff. Hope you’re doing well. 🙂
I am a white man and I’m sorry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5GHkljX-So
That’s a rather unfortunate take.
As we learn to better understand our history and to pay more attention to voices that have previously been sidelined, the first step is to realise that this isn’t actually about us, and to drop the defensiveness.
Nobody is saying that being born white is our fault, that we should be punished solely for existing. Likewise, white privilege is not defined as something that guarantees a problem-free life: it only means that whatever problems we do have would likely have been even worse if we were not white.
That we be willing to listen, learn, spread awareness and do everything we can to correct this imbalance, without trying to centralise ourselves in the discussion, seems to me a perfectly reasonable ask.
In any case – good to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well.
Amy
Well said, Amy, although I would argue that masochists might well think that they should be punished solely for existing.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether I should find this song amusing or not. It seemed an original take – a credit on my scoreboard – and the riff on Dylan was another plus since it came just as I was suspecting the piece was about to turn into an anti-black rant. My delight references how much reverence Bob has achieved in my lifetime.
At some other time, this song might have seemed to be a self-mocking parody in the style of The Goon Show or Monty Python. Now, though, we are at the barricades in support of Black Lives Matter, and comments such as “Don’t mention the war” are as unacceptable in entertainment as blackface.
As an eyes-distant Aquarian, I saw this piece as much a comment on antagonism between the sexes as on racial conflict. It may just be my experience but I have recently seen too many older men sitting alone in bars, drinking themselves to death, because the woman in their life had extracted a home and children from them and then kicked them out when all had been secured. I was always a supporter of women’s rights in the 60s but it was based on a desire for sexual equality, not female dominance.
Laughing at oneself is good psychology in my opinion. You don’t see fascists doing that very often if at all.
Hrm. I wonder what story the ex-partners of these men would tell, if you asked them. It might be rather different. Though I am very willing to accept that there is douchebaggery among women as among men.
We still have a long way to go to achieve real equality imo, and no feminists I know want to go further than that. Though it is currently put about by certain interests that we do, I know.
With regard to the video – if you’ll bear with me a little:
When it comes to understanding pieces like this, it has become necessary to understand the context in which they are being created; what ideas precisely are under discussion, and where they might be echoed or sourced.
We are in the midst of an attack on social progress, in which certain principles we have long since known to be reasonable and fact-based, such as feminism, racial equality, gay rights, etc. are now being actively fought against by reactionary forces. They are using the ability of the internet to proliferate ideas quickly, and they’re very good at it. (I recently read the book Antisocial by Andrew Marantz, which details part of how this is done; I’m now in the midst of Mindf*ck by Christopher Wylie, formerly of Cambridge Analytica. I consider both essential tools for understanding this phenomenon.
In the case of the Frisby video, whether knowingly or not, he’s making use of a specific framing which has rather dodgy origins, and which works by sparking what Marantz calls ‘activating emotion’. Let’s break this down a little.
First, we know that white people have a better deal than BAME within our current society. The current BLM movement seeks to address this imbalance.
Change of any sort tends to make people uncomfortable, especially those who benefit (even if unconsciously) from the status quo. This discomfort can be galvanised by bad actors, e.g. Steve Bannon, who then give these nebulous feelings a voice and a platform, without ever explaining them properly to the laity.
Because if what you hear is “We think social progress has gone too far, and we want to take back white privilege, kill or forcibly remove POC, force white women to become sexual slaves so that they make lots of white babies and prevent non-white populations becoming a majority in the West, and replace democracy with an authoritarian white nationalist state” then – at least for any decent human being – the spell is broken. Rather like with Scientology if you hear all about Xenu and clams before you’re properly indoctrinated.
Instead we get the watered-down propaganda version, which is that if you’re white and male then you’re being blamed for everything and will be rendered “obsolete” by [insert dystopia of choice here – and again, notice how vaguely it’s presented]. This discussion might extend on social media to the concept of “white genocide”, which actually just means a non-white majority in the US or wherever. Which of course would be completely cool, if one is not a racist.
Notice also the narrative of “look at what white men have achieved”, which is a fallacious position suggesting white men are (collectively) responsible for all of our modern benefits; not only is this false, but it’s ultimately racist, because it implies those who are not white men are lesser – in other words, in essence it’s the opposite extreme of the straw man that white men are supposedly to blame for all ills.
Note: I’m not suggesting Frisby is deliberately pushing this narrative or even wholly aware of it. I’m just supplying the missing context.
I would have agreed with your first paragraph until it happened to my brother and then I was propositioned in my own home by the daughter of his perpetrator to repeat the experience. I’m sure they would have made up the most awful lies to justify their behaviour. My feeling is that this was misandry, passed from mother to daughter as an easy means to financial independence and its ensuing freedoms in the land of male-dominated capitalism. The mother was abused as a child by a member of the rural household she was sent to for safety during World War II and I believe her attitude arose from that trauma. I’m sympathetic but I’m not a sucker.
I agree that we are a long way from perfection in our understanding of the role our relationships play in the survival of our species. As a gay man, I am particularly sensitive to this since we do not breed, but my belief is that Nature is intervening to combat excess popuiation. Seven billion people must surely be near the limit that Gaia can reasonably be expected to sustain.
My main point in my first reply is that we should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Equanimity is needed between the many varieties of human experiences. We must be able to understand the viewpoint of our opponents if we are to compromise for a non-violent solution.
It might be of help to put this into a wider context than the “me” generation. Fascism has arisen through fear in almost every generation and the means of communication – the media – has served its purpose in disseminating those values. Now, with the internet, we have, for the first time, the ability to talk back to the radio, the television or, indeed, the Marathon runner who brought the news. That surely is a positive but it doesn’t explain why the message still finds favour through fear. The medium isn’t the message, the meaning is the message.
I don’t think for one moment, Amy, that we are not on the same side. My belief is that we should be careful what lesser benefits we jettison when we stride forward for bigger gains, for therein may lie our come-uppance.
I am very sure we are on the same side, and you are right in what you say here. I was just expounding on the issue of why I found that specific video troubling.
Sorry to hear about what happened to your brother. Certainly nothing justifies abuse, regardless of the gender of the perpetrator, or their background.
Thank you, Amy. I, too, found this video troubling which is why I brought it to attention. Nevertheless, I did wonder why the white male could be reasonably blamed for everything, yet when he apologised it was not accepted.