Dear Friend and Reader:

As you may have read on our main page, the Mercury Retrograde Special Report has been published. The retrograde is in Libra and Virgo from Sept. 7 through Sept. 29, arriving with a significant series of events that leads the way into a whole new astrological cosmos, taking us that much closer to the true astrology of 2012. As I’ve written before, this retrograde is a warmup for Saturn changing signs to Libra in late October.

The idea for the special report came from the lead article a couple of weeks ago, “The Electric Tide.” That article (which you’ve probably read) is included — I consider it my most comprehensive piece of writing on the Mercury retrograde phenomenon to date. I’ve also added a section called “What to do if…” in case you have to make a decision during the retrograde. We also added an “Expert Guide,” that covers the key dates in the cycle, and which provides the astrological charts for anyone who cares to study them. Because there are a series of Mercury-Pluto contacts, there is a section (in true Planet Waves fashion) called “How To Talk About Sex.”

Finally, there is a 12-sign horoscope for all the signs which calls the theme of this retrograde for each of the Sun and rising signs. This is about as long as the long monthly horoscope, Planet Waves Monthly.

Here is how we’re handling discount pricing for subscribers: you’ll get the pre-order price of $8.95 (the price for everyone else has gone up to $14.95). Then, if you’re a subscriber you’ll get to give one to a friend, on us. Once you order, send an email to Chelsea and we will make sure your gift recipient gets the report promptly.

Here is the ordering link. Thanks for your business!

Yours & truly,

Aries (March 20-April 19)
Beware of toil. Most things you think need to be done actually don’t need to be done; and when the time comes they should be a little easier than you think rather than more difficult. However if you dive into work unconsciously, without a plan and without a clear goal, you may find yourself lost in a maze of unrewarded effort. The key will be to let your mind do as much of the work as possible. Take five times longer thinking about what you need to do and why. Work out the issue until you have a breakthrough. I know, this is a tall order for an Aries, but you’re not just impetuous. You like things to be easy.

Taurus (April 19- May 20)
Part of the creative process involves letting your inspiration flow like a waterfall; part involves the use of things like sandpaper, databases and chisels. Mainly, however, this thing we call creativity involves courage, if we’re ever going to go from the idea stage to the manifestation stage. If you meditate and indeed act on courage rather than the work or work product, you will get a lot further than you have recently. The issue I see is that while you feel pulled to develop your potential and take a chance, you’re scared of that same potential. Now you get to test the logic of this: not in theory but in a series of creative experiments. Proceed with faith.

Gemini (May 20- June 21)
You seem to keep clearing out the same emotional closet over and over again, only to find more debris. At this point you may want to figure out who keeps putting it there. Is it you or someone else? But I suggest you just keep clearing, because if you do, sooner or later you’re going to find something different: a different kind of emotion, and a different kind of intelligence. I can describe it briefly. There are thoughts that consume energy and thoughts that give us energy. The one that you find is the kind that creates energy, helps your mind rest, and is focused on beauty rather than on imperfection. Learning this one distinction is the point of the whole experience.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)
Remember that you’re a person who is guided by your feelings; and your feelings are different than your emotions. Emotions are a form of output. Feelings are a form of receptivity. It is that simple. We do feel our emotions, like we hear our own voice when we shout in a cave. The rest of our feelings are all the other data that comes in through our senses and psychic openings. The key will be clearing enough of your mental space to be able to listen and to hear the messages that are coming in. Some will get you to look at your life a new way.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)
With Saturn moving through your solar 2nd house of resources, most astrologers would say you’re supposed to be living in tight times. I have seen that Saturn creates financial opportunities as well as any other planet, though for its part by making us persistent. Now you need to be persistent in the face of some insecure people who will try to convince you that either the sky is falling or that the price of your portfolio is falling. You can’t do anything about the sky, but you are in the flow of some innovative business or investment opportunities. Some will be quite good — but I suggest you work the bugs out until after Mercury stations direct on Sept. 29.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)
There is no such thing as perfection, but apparently you are on a hunt for some of the stuff. You just need to define it in a way that you can actually meet the standard, which by all accounts will be revised approximately twice a day for at least the next month. I’m just wondering why you feel you need to work so hard toward this particular goal. What you really need is to shake off your insecurity. You know, the insecurity you don’t admit that you have, which you cover by using your obsession with impeccability. You usually hold yourself up as an example; this month, let it be an example of how beautiful it is to be rough around the edges.

Libra (Sep. 22 – Oct. 23)
If you only knew the thoughts that were in your mind, you would be shocked. I’m looking at a few of them right now — the ones you’re going to be thinking next week. They are so incredibly intelligent, but you never seem to type them into your BlackBerry before you forget them. Here is a short list of the ones to remember: the person who has the phone number of someone who would definitely want to hire you; the long-elusive strategic key to your business plan; the simple way to fix the security breach in your company’s website; the direct phone number to your senator. Some things are worth writing down.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)
It is true, you have mixed feelings about being a socialite. You aren’t really one; but you do what you must, purely out of necessity, or because your boss needs you to. Those are pretty good reasons, but there are better ones coming your way. It would appear that this is the month to actually meet several people you’ve known on the Internet for a long time. There would also appear to be an old friend coming back into the picture. They either want to help or need your help. It doesn’t matter which — I suggest you approach either potential the same way. Once the conversation starts, the actual plan will come out — and it will serve you both.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 22)
You like to give the impression of someone freewheeling who absolutely trusts the plan of the universe, but in reality you’re as meticulous as a computer engineer about designing your future. I would suggest it’s time for a comprehensive review of the different versions of this plan, as they have evolved. For some of you, they date back as far as 28 years. For others, you can safely go back to about 1995. You’ve made a long series of revisions of your core ideas, and you’ve arrived at a breakthrough point. You’ll need to be shrewd and observant to see this, because the concept you’re after will finally emerge from something you’re certain has been a persistent failure, error or flaw.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)
You’ve been training yourself to take a more spiritual view of existence. It’s not easy: in many ways the world is a living testament to how badly things can go. For your part, you want something that is ineffable and based on faith to take a logical course through your mind. Miracles and revelations, though, work on a different kind of logic than most worldly endeavors or thought processes. You seem obsessed with finding a rational solution to something that is really about letting go and letting God. Now, the issue is how to do this and as far as I can tell, it will come in a moment when you have no other possible solution to a particular issue. In this particular case, giving up will serve you brilliantly.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
You consider yourself intelligent, and I would say you’re right — but you don’t give yourself enough credit for that intelligence coming from intuition. There comes a time, however, when it’s necessary to break out the scientific method. You are facing something that requires you to be methodical in your thinking, and to understand every step in the process. You need to check and recheck your logic. If you’re not finding flaws in your thought process, look more carefully. There is probably at least one significant one and several small ones. Note that you can’t rush this process. You can safely assume it’s going to take about four to five weeks: and in that sense, time is on your side.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)
You are trying to work out a relationship or arrangement with someone whose viewpoint is changing so fast it’s making your head spin. This is a good sign. Fortunately, you’re accustomed to absorbing plenty of fluctuation in the people and the world around you. You have a knack for understanding people and their genuinely unique situations. The thing to do in this situation is to keep understanding, and encourage this person to keep stating their situation in their own words. There seems to be a dialog between something ‘real’ and something ‘ideal’. There is another dialog between the past and the present. Make sure you differentiate the two, and when in doubt, cross-multiply.