Monday Morning Horoscope #185 for July 15, 2019

Aries

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You might be ready for an answer to the eternal question: what will it take for you to set yourself free from certain overpowering conditions that seem to run your life? Be alert for an opportunity to see through the power that others appear to hold on you, and be eager to take back the reins. The first step in this process is always choosing to make your own decisions. The barrier to that step is sometimes invisible, sometimes veiled by denial, and more often blocked by guilt. To get yourself to that place of decision will take some special awareness and courage, particularly if you feel blocked by some sense of being wrong for wanting to make your own choices. Often that takes the form of worrying who you might hurt. For those who are serious about their growth and liberation, there’s just one remedy for that, which is to be honest with people who are in any way impacted by your decisions. Taking the position that you don’t have to explain yourself is usually a cop-out of some kind. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — It’s not just that most of what we deal with in life is family baggage; nearly everything turns out to be. Yet it takes countless shapes, with people showing up in a diversity of forms representing parents, their spouses, siblings, early caregivers, and so on. There seems to be a blind spot here, and I suggest you look right at it, till you can see it. This is not about ruminating on the past, but more like looking at the balls on a billiards table and deciding what is your best shot. By shot, I mean your best angle on living your life without having to be responsible for the burdens others have laid on you. Many situations trigger people into responding as if they are as powerless as a child. That is no longer true; you have options, you have feet that walk, and your happiness is the responsibility of nobody but yourself. Yet there is something about being a child that you must reclaim: your sense of wonder at life, your curiosity, and your faith in yourself. Remember: it’s not about them, it’s about you. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — What seems to be a confrontation over joint finances or sexual fidelity is a metaphor for something much deeper. Be honest about the status of trust in any situation where it might apply. Is it there? Do you suspect anyone of lying or concealing information from you? Is someone using their monetary or sexual power over you? More to the point, are you allowing them to? And if so, do you have any understanding of why that is? There is a degree of comfort that comes from being powerless, though I suggest that at this stage of your life, it’s not the zone you want to be hanging out in. Getting entangled in the problems of others has a way of being a distraction from dealing with one’s own situation. Try to look through that window and see the wider world around you. At the moment, your solar chart cautions against being caught in past thought forms or self-concepts, as if you’re in a mental habit you cannot find your way out of. Now is the time. You owe this to yourself, and you’re good for the debt. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This week’s eclipse of the Moon in your opposite sign Capricorn will help release you from any relationship situation that’s not serving your greatest good. I am inclined to say “the greatest good for all concerned,” though that might be a distraction from your necessity to actually take care of yourself. While there are certain relationship situations you absolutely must attend to, there are many, many others where you’re best leaving people to their own devices and their own problems. Be especially mindful of any situation that is not rewarding, that is disruptive, or that is demanding too much from you. Notice in your life who is a taker, and who is a giver. If someone is on the line, it’s fair to have one “come to Jesus” discussion where you give them the opportunity to wake up and participate in whatever your shared goals are. That, of course, would depend on having any. It’s time to see things for what they are, and to see people for who they are. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Events this week will lift the veil on a situation where your health and wellbeing are impacted directly. That might also include the revelation of a solution, though that will depend upon having identified and stated the problem in an accurate way. This may seem convincingly to be a situation outside your control, though there is always a degree to which you have an influence. It’s essential therefore that you identify your options and evaluate them carefully. This includes how you invest your time and energy, what you devote yourself to, and what you take on in the way of personal responsibilities. There can be no doubt that you are dealing with a situation calling for your full attention and all of your resources, and you must invest your energy where it’s truly needed. The correct approach or solution may come when you feel like you have no other options. And with all of those false approaches out of the way, you will see your way through. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You might feel that if you take a chance and express what you are feeling, or what you have to say, that you will explode in an unstoppable reaction. That fear is probably the thing stopping you from opening up and being real with yourself, in whatever context you want to take that. Whatever you may share with others (and you are under no obligation to), you must be honest with yourself. That is always the challenge, as denial is such a useful tool, until it becomes toxic and dangerous. You’re in a position where you may be the last person to figure out something very basic about yourself, and that’s simply not necessary. You know everything you need to know, if only you would be willing to admit that to yourself. Yet therein lies the rub. What would you do if you acknowledged the obvious? In any event, it’s high time you mastered the lesson that you can only be who you truly are. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It will help if you confront directly something that you’ve been inclined to “process” or “work through” in a subtler way. You may feel like your options are limited, or that some force outside your control has you feeling like you simply cannot be safe on the planet — much less explore your passion or your curiosity. You must be aware that something is eating at your self-confidence, yet you may not be aware how old this feeling, or condition is. It’s being brought to the surface by aspects developing in Capricorn, including the earthshaking Saturn-Pluto conjunction and an eclipse of the Moon right near it. If your confidence has come from some sense of belonging with your family of origin, or any kind of conformity to the past, you’re likely to be feeling like you cannot find solid ground. Yet this same location in your chart (the solar 4th house) also represents endings. One interpretation is that you must complete or conclude something before you can begin something else. That is the order in which to take things. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — It’s not easy for you to change your mind, even when there are compelling reasons to do so. We could say this of the human race in total, though Scorpio being an emotionally rooted fixed sign brings out this quality in an especially strong way for you. Yet there are now tectonic forces moving you to re-evaluate not just your opinion on certain key matters, but your entire orientation or point of view. At the moment, one of the main things standing in the way is pride. Some feel it’s not easy to admit that they were wrong about something, or did not understand something, or did not accept what was looking right at them. It does not help that one of the current ways of the world is to double down and power through any situation you don’t agree with. Yet that will not serve you, and it never has. When you make your life a matter of power, it turns out there is always going to be someone more powerful than you are. Truth works differently. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Current aspects are working on two levels. One is financial, where your circumstances are insisting you take a more realistic view of your financial resources and what you do with them. The other involves self-respect, which is a persistently challenging topic for you. The difficulty comes from how this issue is internally mediated: the reference points must be internal, which makes it difficult to have sufficient orientation, metrics or basis to evaluate where you really stand with yourself. Yet I can assure you that any issue troubling you at the moment, whether involving finances, professional matters or your relationships, directly coincides with the level of respect that you have for yourself. That you are generally a positive person who can get through anything does not matter in this situation. We are not talking about survival here; we are talking about your growth and evolution. We are talking about attaining a new depth of self-awareness. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — This week’s eclipse of the Moon in your birth sign seems custom tailored to give you a window into what someone else is feeling or experiencing now. Your circumstances are such that you must devote considerable energy and focus to your own inner reality, and your challenges often seem so daunting you don’t know how you will ever resolve them. If you want to, you will. Yet let this week be about the people you care about. Seek both contact and understanding. Allow yourself to be a little more vulnerable than usual, and let them into your reality, and take their feelings on board. One of the current head-trips of our culture is that the only way to live is “every man for himself.” That might work on a reality TV show, where alliances last as long as it takes for personal survival to kick in, but that’s not about intimacy. It’s not about caring, and it’s not about love — but you are. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You’ve been wrestling with inner demons for some time, and this has been exhausting. Yet do you have any better sense of the challenges you face, for all of the squirming around in the dust and the dirt? There is something fundamental you need to grasp about how you feel and what you’re going through at the moment. You can take heart that with Saturn, Pluto and an eclipse in your 12th solar house, you’re facing some of the most challenging astrology of your lifetime. Yet that means you need to truly bring your awareness to the matter, and stop acting as if everything involves something or someone outside yourself. There are definitely external factors, though they are minimal at the moment. Your whole being is calling on you to grow, to change, and to evolve into who you know you can be. And if you don’t know, you’re surely in a position to make a significant discovery this week. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — No current fad or fashion reflects who you are. At the moment, it may seem like your whole life is what Marshall McLuhan called “anti-environment” — that which not only does not fit in, but which challenges prevailing norms. The special challenge, though, is that those norms are often invisible or unreachable by standard perception. To see them, one must draw inferences from careful observation. There’s no obvious “this is the way it is,” and therefore, there is no easy solution for how to respond. Bear in mind many factors in the prevailing environment are changing fast, and by the time you figure out that attitudes and values have changed, they are already changing into something else. This week’s lunar eclipse will give you a glimpse of where the trend lines are going. Or perhaps a glimpse combined with an intuitive sense of where you need to position yourself to ride the wave to a better next destination than where you are placed right now. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

Capricorn Eclipse: Feeling Out Saturn-Pluto

This Tuesday, July 16, is the Capricorn Full Moon and partial lunar eclipse. It’s essentially direct-dialing into the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of January 2020 — no operator to transfer the call, no Skype interface, no going straight to voicemail. Whatever comes up for you this week with this eclipse is most likely to be what the Saturn-Pluto conjunction is about for you in January.

Planet Waves

Image by Lisa Ann Yount.

Is your reflexive response to reading that one of fear, or a desire to avoid it all? Are you at all curious? What are you feeling, and do you have any strategies to address it?

As was noted in the Thursday edition, all the biggest issues right now are Capricorn related: things like family, work responsibility, accountability in many other forms, and corporate and government power. Related to its Saturn rulership, sometimes events or natal chart placements in Capricorn can feel heavy or depressive. Capricorn issues tend to feel very ‘real’ — as in: tangible, concrete, inescapable. Unlike, say, Pisces with its dreamy, ephemeral flow; or Sagittarius with its philosophical abstractions.

So not only does a Full Moon inherently imply a confrontation, but there’s something about that idea carried by the sign Capricorn itself. There are times when we can think of confrontation as being like a dance: two partners facing each other, moving in synchrony with give and take, or with a clear lead and a responsive follow. It can be a negotiation process. Sometimes confrontation is more like mirroring: being met externally by something or someone that offers a view of our inner selves that would otherwise be hard to see and understand.

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The Day of the Convincing Storyteller: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 14
The Day of the Convincing Storyteller | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

Remember that relationships and collaborations of all kinds work best when everyone involved is honest and willing to do their share. Don’t wait for others to set the example; make sure you’re holding up your side of whatever agreements you’ve made. Even if you’re not used to taking the lead, this is your moment to do precisely that, and show who you really are. This will help give those around you the space to do the same, to your mutual benefit and enhancement.

Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading — now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

We’re on the approach to an eclipse: the July 16 Capricorn Full Moon and partial lunar eclipse. This is the companion event to the July 2 solar eclipse in Cancer. Typical protocol in the couple days surrounding an eclipse is to do your best to focus your intentions on some goal or life vision you’d like to move toward, and to do things you love and want to cultivate as steps toward that goal. Yet some eclipses also ask us to do some heavy lifting in the process. This may be one of those events, and if so, chances are you’re already aware of that feeling. The Cancer Sun’s opposition to Pluto describes this situation.

Bear in mind that ‘heavy lifting’ does not mean forcing a situation or dictating to others in order to get your way. It might, however, mean making an honest assessment of your emotions and overall wellbeing; and in light of that information, then taking a realistic, ground-up approach to fixing what has broken down — preferably by enlisting the help of anyone else involved and impacted.

The Moon enters Capricorn tonight at about 7:05 pm EDT (23:04:35 UTC). Its immediate conjunction to the centaur Pholus is a reminder that a little may go a very long way right now, especially where reactions are concerned. You don’t have to stuff your emotions and seal the jar tight, since that’s likely to backfire. Just remember that our current sky suggests implementing a delay on all responses that come from a place of frustration, slights to your ego, or old pain being triggered.
— by Amanda Painter


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

Planet Waves Daily Oracle for Sunday, July 14, 2019

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Gemini weekly for August 11, 2016.

oracle

On more than one occasion Eric has said, “space is intelligence.” If you have an idea on the brew, it’s possible that the first step to drawing it forth is to make sure your space is ready. Tidy up any clutter that’s preventing you from breathing freely. You may be surprised by how much clearer your head feels afterwards, and by the potentially multiplying effect on your creative skills. Then you can get on with the business of making a more vibrant and wonderful world. — by Amy Elliott.


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

The Day of Taken Opportunity: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 13
The Day of Taken Opportunity | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

Confront your challenges and problems head on. There is no point sidestepping them, or bobbing and weaving, or pretending they’re not there. Your challenges are what build you up, even if there are moments when they seem to tear you down. In the end, this process makes you a more solid person, connected to your inner truth, and courageous enough to speak the truth to anyone. Make sure your ears are open as well. Not everything everyone says contains vital wisdom, but it just might, and it’s worth listening.
— by Eric Francis

Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading — now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

Limitations, supposed ‘rules’, and your own past could be creating some friction with your innate sense of what really turns you on today — thanks to a square between Saturn in Capricorn and Eros in Libra. This could apply very literally to sex, especially if you still have parental voices that chime in and enforce your inhibitions whenever the potential for erotic adventure appears. (Another take: an urge to buck the ‘detachment’ rules around hookup culture.) Or, it might describe something more like The Man crowding your artistic joie de vivre, or some other authoritarian hindrance to your Life Force. Yes, we all have adult responsibilities we must fulfill, but be careful to discern those from guilt trips that aren’t really about you at all.

The Moon cruising by Jupiter in Sagittarius today describes an expanded urge to be free, play and enjoy a few of your favorite things. That should help to balance the Saturn thing to a degree — though focusing your indulgences in a few select, high-priority areas will likely carry the greatest long-term benefit.

If you’re feeling depressed, stressed or in some way stuck under someone else’s thumb, can you see where you’re empowered to make some changes that will benefit both you and everyone else involved? Chances are such an opportunity exists, though it might not become visible until after the situation breaks down in some way. Chaotic as it might feel at first, there’s no telling what unexpected corners might birth a solution if you’re willing to see what’s being revealed — and if you’re committed to not playing games.
— by Amanda Painter


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

Planet Waves Daily Oracle for Saturday, July 13, 2019

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Taurus weekly for November 5, 2015.

oracle

If you are not in a partnership now, there may be one looking for you. Should you already be navigating through an existence of co-mingled assets and mutual aspirations, you might soon need to adjust your style of participation so things work better for everybody involved. Either way, it would be a good idea to go back to basics and be fully aware of what you are either getting into, or working with. Here’s a primer: partnerships are neither independence nor dependence, at least ideally. Rather, there are elements of both. Two heads are better than one, unless those heads are butting. Labors shared are also less burdensome, so long as they are shared fairly. Communicating your values and keeping your balance are the crucial skills either to acquire or to enhance. — by Len Wallick


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

The Day of the Persuasive Presence: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 12
The Day of the Persuasive Presence | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

For the past year, you’ve been confronting a kind of power that seems to be coming from outside of you. There are times when it’s seemed relentless, yet the truth is, it’s pushed you to be a better person and to accomplish some great things. Now, you get to take over the process. You get to be the source of motivation, from the deepest level. Yes, there will still be some circumstances that push you, and to rise to the occasion, you must bring that rare combination of talent and discipline. Then your potential will get results.
— by Eric Francis

Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading — now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

Activities requiring depth work are probably best suited for first thing this morning. After the Moon enters Sagittarius just after 11 am EDT (15:04:54 UTC), details could feel less compelling compared to the broader view. If your plans for tonight or tomorrow feel a little loose at the moment, that’s okay, as a Sagittarius Moon often favors ‘winging it’ — especially regarding new adventures, travel and socializing.

Just bear in mind that the shoot-from-the-hip potential of Sagittarius combined with Mercury’s current retrograde status could contribute to a slip of the tongue or an awkward moment. Chances are everyone will be willing to shrug it off, though, once corrections have been made. Mercury’s status is also a reminder that even spontaneous activities will likely benefit from checking things like directions, schedules, the weather forecast and other logistics (is your phone charged?) before setting out.

That said, the Cancer Sun moving into its opposition to Pluto in Capricorn brings in the serious side, especially for any interpersonal relationship where there’s tension brewing or a power imbalance. So even if you’re feeling easy-breezy overall, keep some awareness of the undercurrents at play. Anything coming to light these next few days that has an element of showing where things have been ‘off’ demands your genuine attention.
— by Amanda Painter


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

Planet Waves Daily Oracle for Friday, July 12, 2019

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Gemini monthly for February 23, 2017.

oracle

It’s necessary to take your relationships seriously, but what exactly does that mean? First, it means having the right people in your life, and making sure that people who don’t belong in your life are not there. Perhaps this sounds harsh, but Saturn in your opposite sign has been encouraging you to use your discernment for at least a year — and to act on what you observe. People who crowd your space, or who box you in to their idea of you, are not helpful. You need room to maneuver, and you need the freedom to make up your mind about who you are; this, your relationship partners must know and respect. Speaking affirmatively, the most significant qualification for anyone being in your life must be that you share similar spiritual goals. Now we’re getting deep: for that to happen, you need to have spiritual goals, as well as to understand them somewhat. Then you would need to select others who also have spiritual goals, and find a meeting space. All sex and intimacy lead to procreation, which means a lot more than making babies: there is an exchange, karma is created, and people become like one another. Therefore, choose carefully whom you relate to. Embrace people you respect and admire. This is a high standard, but no other will work for you.


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.