Editor’s note: this is the full PW members’ edition, featuring your July monthly horoscopes by Eric, the Create feature, Planet Waves FM and more.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today is the Cancer solstice: the day when the Sun ingresses Cancer. It’s the longest day of the year, kicking off summer in the Northern Hemisphere (in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the shortest day and winter begins). And this year, two of the strongest themes of Cancer certainly are at the forefront of U.S. consciousness: taking care (or not), and emotions/sensitivity.

Excerpt from “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, 1883, on the Statue of Liberty; photo of a mural in Phoenix, Arizona.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent a decent amount of time this week making calls to various political officials and departments, signing petitions, and getting pulled into heated social media exchanges — all regarding the continuing separation and detention of young children from their parents at the U.S. border. As I write this on Wednesday, news is breaking that Pres. Trump has signed an executive order to reverse this policy — one that was implemented by his Administration.

While that strikes some as good news on the surface, it does not undo the trauma caused to thousands of children (most appallingly), to their parents, and even to the Immigration employees tasked with carrying out the separation and commanded not to comfort the crying, terrified kids. Additionally, the executive order appears to set up an even more complicated situation. (Addendum: it looks like crossing the border without permission could become a felony rather than a misdemeanor; and, there appears to be no plan to reunite children with their parents or to track them. I’m also seeing reports of a history of giving separated kids psychiatric drugs to keep them subdued. Please see today’s Democracy Now! post for more information on the deepening mess. You can read today’s show transcripts and watch video segments here.)

With Mercury and the asteroid Pallas already in Cancer, we get an image of the emotion-soaked thinking going on now, and of the sympathy-provoking strategies at play (or the hypersensitivity-provoking strategies, depending on your political viewpoint). When the Sun joins these objects in Cancer at 6:07 am EDT (10:07:11 UTC), will there be a reinforcement of empathy and willingness to take care of others? Or will it manifest as needing to be taken care of (such as wanting the government to keep more immigrants out to keep us ‘safe’)?

Chart for today’s ingress of the Sun into Cancer. The Sun is the yellow circle on the left. From the lower left to the upper right, you can see Venus in Leo opposing Mars in Aquarius, conjunct the lunar nodes (the orange horseshoes). View glyph key here.

Either scenario is possible. Or, rather, both are likely, given the spectrum of current emotional states and worldviews.

It’s worth noting that in the Cancer solstice chart, there are a couple of grand trines operating. There’s a grand fire trine involving Juno conjunct Eris in Aries, Ceres in Leo, and Vesta conjunct Pholus in Sagittarius. I’d say this describes how fired up people are: both in terms of being spiritually lit up, and perhaps in terms of tempers flaring.

Then there’s a slightly looser grand water trine: Mercury conjunct Pallas in Cancer, Jupiter in Scorpio, and Neptune and Nessus in Pisces. Here we see an emotional whirlpool: free-flowing empathy and creative imagination at its best, or a lack of grounding at its worst.

Interestingly, the earth element in this chart comes through primarily with Uranus in Taurus. Uranus is not generally thought of as a stabilizing force.

However, the Cancer Sun immediately makes a sextile to Uranus, which may help you to get creative with how you use the emotions you’re feeling to care for others in tangible ways. And Saturn in Capricorn is not far off, bringing a stabilizing influence to the originality of Uranus — even if you feel like you’re facing off against an impossible opponent.

The last feature of the solstice chart that I’d like to touch on is an opposition between Venus in Leo and Mars in Aquarius. As you’ve likely read in Planet Waves recently, Mars is about to station retrograde in Aquarius on June 26. That alone suggests that this Venus-Mars opposition is a little different from most.

I’m not entirely sure, though, whether the impending retrograde station of Mars here indicates that the inherent creative and sexual energy could be harder to express (or might get reversed somehow) — which might then manifest as conflict instead. Or, whether it describes the loyalty, courage and heart of Venus in Leo as being the more stable, forward-acting agent in your personal interactions. Likely it depends on your individual circumstances and astrology — and on the choices you make.

“Liberty in Crisis” by Enrique Felix.

For sure, if you have an opportunity to dig into self-expressive creative work or healthy ways to release sexual energy (solo or with a partner), those would be ideal for channeling Venus and Mars. Given that Leo and Aquarius are involved, you might also find that engaging fully with some kind of humanitarian work (especially if you take the lead in some way) could scratch the itch.

Either way, astrologer (and former Planet Waves contributor) Gary Caton has suggested that this particular Venus-Mars opposition is actually a rare one, and may manifest as a cultural tipping point. I’ll try to remember to post a link to his public Facebook post on the topic in the comment section; it’s a little on the technical side, but I suspect a number of readers may find it fascinating.

For many people all over the world, a tipping point could be constructive (depending on which way things tip). The idea brings to mind this passage from the end of the section on solar Cancer in Isabel Hickey’s book Astrology: A Cosmic Science:

Cancer rules the public; mass consciousness. Mass consciousness is ruled by feeling, never by reason. Propagandists and advertising agencies know this fact well and make full use of it in dealing with the public. America, born on the fourth of July, is Cancer born. At the entrance to New York harbor stands a feminine statue that portrays the Cancer type so very well. The protective, yearning, sustaining power is Cancer at its best. We, as a nation, do have a very strong emotional response to the world’s need. We need to add to this quality the qualities of reason and discrimination.

Of course, by “discrimination,” Hickey means discernment. She’s not calling for us to discriminate against those in genuine need, any more than the famous poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty does. How we collectively got to the point of doing so in such a specifically barbaric way as we’re witnessing now involves many factors; one of which is surely the misdirected and magnified desire for ‘safety’ and ‘security’ and to be ‘taken care of’.

That need has been exploited, as has our fear. If you’ve read this far, perhaps you’re someone who’s begun to find your sense of security within yourself and can model that for others — shining your light like Lady Liberty’s famous torch, caring for the huddled masses in whatever small ways you can.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

Are You Ready for the Sacred Space of Self?

Dear Friend and Reader:

It’s not for everyone. It may be for you. Are you ready for a journey into your astrology, and the astrology of our times? Are you ready for a full-spectrum view of Mars retrograde?

This event is in Aquarius, the sign of society and its patterns. I have done something truly shamanic, which is to be transported deep into the shadowy underworld of what is going on, right beneath the level of appearances, and the level of technology. I have witnessed and experienced things I can barely describe.

All that I’ve learned, I’ve shared in the Sacred Space of Self. This reading covers Chiron in Aries, Uranus in Taurus, and Mars retrograde in Aquarius — all of which are directly related events. (Mars is the classical ruler of Aries, where Chiron is, and Uranus, now in Taurus, is the modern planet associated with Aquarius). We are working out an energy pattern.

Eric recording the Taurus Spring Reading video.

Everyone feels the need for change, sometimes to an urgent depth of necessity. These readings (12 of them, plus a supplemental one on Chiron in Aries) are a guide to moving through, working with, and experiencing these energies in a creative way.

I have designed a guide to change, as society changes.

In this letter, we have three offerings for you: for the readings as a stand-alone purchase; the readings combined with a discounted membership; or the readings combined with my written The Art of Becoming reading and a discounted membership.
Those are listed below.

We can customize a purchase for you, though that is easier by phone. This will also get you an opportunity to talk with Amy or Ellen, and if I’m in the office, with me.

Here are your options, described a little more elegantly:

Option One — The Sacred Space of Self video readings, all 12 signs, one purchase per household (i.e., share with your kids); or individual signs. These readings are 40-50 minutes long, applicable to your Sun sign, rising sign, Moon sign and the astrological ideas you have of others. I consider it ethical to ‘research’ possible viewpoints of others as a means of improving communication.

Option Two — The Sacred Space of Self plus a year of Core Community membership, whether new, an extension, or upgrade and extend. Core Community gets you all of our publications, website access, and The Oracle divination tool (and intelligent horoscope archive). This includes daily, weekly and monthly horoscopes. Also included is a Planet Waves diary (beautiful new pink ones arrived) or personalized astrology kit.

Option Three — The Sacred Space of Self, plus Core Community, plus The Art of Becoming Annual Reading. This is if you are super curious, and you want to catch up. The Art of Becoming will always be relevant, though I propose you want the information that it contains right about now, or as close to now as possible.

Remember, if you’re confused or want some other options, or need help on the financial end, call us at (845) 481-5616. If you leave a message we will get right back to you.

Thank you for your business, and for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love,

You Don’t Need to Be a Happy Camper, Just an Emotionally Present One

By Amanda Painter

Today is the Cancer solstice: when the Sun enters Cancer, heralding the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere). What could be more summery than summer camp? And what’s more emotional — and universal — than having to say “good bye”?

Welcome to Camp Solong.

Described by its creators (Dafna Maimon and Ethan Hayes-Chute) as an “activated sculptural installation,” Camp Solong takes its form as a three-day summer camp for adults. Making this camp unique, however, is the way it takes the inevitable “goodbye” inherent in the beginning of any summer camp experience and makes it the focus of the whole camping experience from the very beginning.

Chosen through an open call, campers involved have the experience of a recent loss in common. Set in a rural space (in 2018 that will be Orr’s Island, Maine; in 2016 it appears to have been a park in an urban area in Germany), campers focus on the emotional labor of saying goodbye.

Activities include performance exercises, awareness assignments (including some borrowed from Gestalt therapy), breathing and stretching classes, craft workshops, cooking, games, and “directed playing.” Each night, campers sleep side-by-side in an open-air, covered bunk structure.

Among the photos in the PDF photo gallery for the 2016 session is the explanation that in the 1880s, summer camps for boys (and later, girls) in the U.S. began based on a military model, much like the Boy Scouts. This was to counter the perceived “feminized homes” springing up in the wake of industrialization. Camp Solong questions this model, asking, “What if Summer Camps had, from the very beginning, been about fostering emotional and somatic well being; empathy, equality, rest, play and catharsis?”

As part of the Manifesto of Camp Solong, Maimon and Hayes-Chute have written, “Living according to the principles of Goodbye acknowledges that you cannot decide your own Goodbye to life!” That is, being fully present in the process of Goodbye is not about ceasing to exist yourself, nor about ending one’s own life. To the contrary; it’s about being open to the ways in which we cannot control life, and how that is a vital part of being alive.

Camp Solong’s application process for the 2018 session is open until July 1. Who couldn’t use some Emotional Trash-binning and Self-Conscious Napping this summer?

This Week on Planet Waves FM
Father’s Day: The Tree and the Apple

Dear Friend and Listener:

This week I have a special father’s day edition for you, featuring my dad.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve become fond of saying that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree [play edition here]. But it cannot fall in the same place. The last hour or so of the program is a conversation with someone named Joe Coppolino, who lives in Long Island with his wife Yael. He’s a college professor; he teaches communications.

Joe Coppolino in his Long Island home, with his wife Yael and an unnamed canine companion. Photo by Eric Francis.

Somewhere there’s a photo of me about tall enough to stand up and grab the railing of a crib, and next to the crib is a Gibson amp, and next to the amp is my dad playing a 1957 Gibson ES-350T that he still has, and I’ve got this huge smile on my face. I heard that before I heard the sound of a subway.

Speaking of music, tonight we have for you Anoushka Shankar.

This week’s program begins with another take on Mars retrograde in Aquarius. I keep looking for new ways to interpret and develop this rare event, which has never happened the way it is about to; and which last happened in any form in 1971.

Then I get into a discussion of the news, which morphs into a discussion of existence. In the third segment, I do the tantra thing, and talk about the value of experimentation, and how to embark on, and manage, your experiments. You can hear the story of my early relationship with Betty Dodson.

Finally, I introduce Prof. Coppolino (who comes in about 1:15 from the end of the program), and we just kinda roll with the latest phase of the same conversation we’ve been having since I was born.

Just imagine the five-year-old me engaging with this person, in the intensity of his youth, as a grad student at New York University in the early days of Media Ecology, a McLuhan concept then in its infancy.

Planet Waves FM is sponsored by your memberships to Chiron Return. Please become a one-time or monthly contributor. This actually pays our modest bills, and facilitates many good things, including the Gemstone File.

Thanks for tuning in.

With love,

Planet Waves Membership: Help When You Need It the Most

Listen to Vision Quest on Live Stream

Planet Waves has an in-house music ensemble, called Vision Quest. We have a 38-hour loop of our music, which you can listen to any time. Included are finished pieces, rehearsals, live concerts, drum grooves, and spoken word recordings. I consider it a kind of musical divination. Click in randomly at different times of day and see what you discover.

Four Winds Almanac Now Includes Daily Horoscope

Planet Waves publishes a nifty daily astrology newsletter called the Four Winds Report. Designed as a fast read arriving early in the morning, we’re now trying an experiment — we’re including the daily horoscope for everyone.

Were it not for horoscopes, I wouldn’t be an astrologer. It was the Patric Walker daily that convinced me there was actually something to astrology, and I got my basic education studying his column each day in the New York Post.

I pack a lot of energy into each sign’s 50-word write-up. Part of the value of astrology is the timing, and daily allows for precision, as well as chronicling a narrative day by day.

Your almanac also includes information about Mayan astrology (long count and short count dates), several formats of the current date (including Hebrew and Islamic), a daily birthday reading, and special discounts on products and services.

Best of all, we take no outside advertising.

Sign up free here.

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

We’ve published your extended monthly horoscopes for July below in this issue. Your extended monthly horoscopes for June were published Thursday, May 24. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Thursday after the Sun has entered a new sign.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You will have an unusually close-up view for one of the strangest shows on Earth, and you may also be a participant in the changes that are now in progress. The first thing to be conscious of is who you consider a friend. This is not an honorary position in your life; the word must have real meaning, which is demonstrated through both correct action and honesty. Most people you know have already established a track record with you. You will need to be aware of what that is, and not pretend it’s something else. A friend is someone who accepts you as you are, who embraces you no matter what you are going through, and no matter what your opinions may be. That may seem like a tall order — and in fact, most of us have very few actual friends. You are likely to find yourself in many situations where you will feel called to go against the grain of what is popular, and this is likely to last through the summer. You are also inaugurating another phase of your life, wherein you live up to your reputation of being the headstrong one who always goes your own way, who sees the world through your own eyes, and who makes all your own decisions.  Pay attention: this is about leadership.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Mars retrograde takes place in your solar 10th house. While this region of the horoscope has many associations with fame, notoriety and profession, it also comes back to your dominant parent. That’s the one who did most of the parenting; and in the 20th century, that usually meant mother. Mars retrograde in Aquarius is about challenging the thought patterns that have, in a sense, ruled your life, or that at least set templates you have tried to follow. Underneath all the activity and the choices and the strange ways that mothers tend to maintain control over their daughters, there is a thought form lurking. This would be easier to find, if anyone knew it was there. It would be easier to address, if you could identify it and maintain a dialog with it. Yet let’s translate that: whatever this notion, idea, or concept is, it lives inside you, although it came from somewhere else. All of the rationalizations and neurotic tendencies that grow from it are meaningless. Even so, this thought form is concealed by them. It is a specific fear or belief. It is closely related to religious ideas, and all the knots they tie people in. Remember that religion is built on declaring sex as its antagonist. Sex is about your body but it’s also about your capacity to love. God is great. Human love is what you need and must learn to trust.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — We are in an era where belief is proving to be extremely problematic. It always was, though we’re entrenched in times when to believe something is to think it’s not only true, but that it must be true for everyone. Questioning one’s beliefs takes courage — and it takes the mastery of certain spiritual and psychological tools. Yet it’s also the work-a-day tradecraft of people known as fact-checkers, who spend their day asking one question over and over: “Is this true?” Translating a little, it means: how do we know this is true? What evidence is there to support this assertion? Is this number or quotation or location accurate? Does the story check out? The way to “question your beliefs” is to spend your day questioning them, in a structured manner. Therefore, the first step is identifying something as a belief. The way you do that is to question all of your thoughts, and you find the ones that are not standing on a foundation of facts and data. This is likely to include anything that you have not personally witnessed, or read about from multiple sources — none of them accessed on a smartphone or through a social media platform. The problem here is that most people don’t recognize their beliefs as such. They’re just simply “what is right.” So that is the place to start. Therefore, strive to prove yourself wrong. You will discover many interesting things: about yourself, and the world.

Cancer Birthdays 2018:
Embarking on Your Actual Path of Discovery

“One property of your sign is that it makes you a pioneer and a leader, at least potentially, when you do the work that you take the most seriously, or that’s the nearest to your heart. It also turns out that your work is where you can do your most effective self-exploration. It’s an actual path of discovery.”

— Eric Francis in The Art of Becoming, your 2018 annual reading

Dear Friend and Reader:

Happy Solstice! If you have a Cancer Sun, Cancer rising or a Cancer Moon, you’ve likely figured out one essential truth about yourself, alluded to by the quote above: you have what it takes to be a leader in the things that matter most to you. This doesn’t mean you need to be ‘the boss’; but it does mean that you’re an ideal candidate to do something meaningful — for yourself, for those you care about most, and for your wider world.

If you’re not entirely sure what your next steps need to be along that path, you can count on your upcoming 2018 Cancer Birthday Reading to contain some excellent ideas.

Saturn, Uranus and Chiron are all in signs with direct and special relationships with your own. Life is on the move. And 2018 is looking like your time to shine: Saturn, Uranus and Chiron are occupying some of the more public and relational zones of your chart.

Eric will be covering what this year’s big planetary moves mean for your relationships, work life, impact on your wider community, deepest calling, family and ancestral patterns, and more. Not only that, but eclipses are on the way: primarily along the axis that describes what you value and your self-esteem (Leo) and your relationship to money and sexuality (Aquarius).

“Ah Eric — just listened to your reading. I was moved to tears by your closing words. 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

Your two segments of astrology (at least 30 minutes each) come with an extended description of your sign and access to last year’s reading. When you pre-order your full Cancer Birthday Reading early, you’ll lock in the discounted price of $33. The price increases when the reading publishes.

If you could use a friendly, calm, motivating voice this year, you’ll find it in this reading. Eric does his best to use plain language, and always brings the best of his decades of astrological, therapeutic and spiritual training to these readings.

Wishing you a beautiful start to your birthday season,

Amanda Painter

P.S. This reading will make a thoughtful gift for any of your Cancer loved ones.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The 8th house is the one that covers ordinary secrets — the kind we tell to others. So it’s not really secret at all; rather, it’s the house of pillow talk, financial arrangements and whisper campaigns. It’s the house of information that’s supposed to stay in the family. Now, we live in a world where the 8th house has exploded, largely due to the internet: the concept of privacy is nonexistent. For this reason, it’s better not to have secrets. The necessity to live transparently has never been more urgent, because if people know the truth about you, you have a much greater chance of setting the terms of your life. For the next two months, Mars will be retrograde in this region of your solar chart, and you will be making discoveries about what you want. You may come up against some seemingly invisible pressure not to desire that person, or experience. This is where you will need to go your own way, which will take some rearrangement of your psychology and possibly your relationships. In essence, your contracts with the people around you, which are one form of your contracts with existence, must permit you to be who you actually are. This will be a process of both negotiation and defiance. Yet you have many options besides destroying your relationships. Try being who you are. Yes, it takes practice.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — One thing that Mars retrograde is likely to bring up for you is the necessity for you to associate with people who have similar belief systems, particularly where religion is concerned. It’s true that not everyone is “religious,” though everyone was impacted by some form of religious tradition. Especially in American society, there has been a false imposition of the beliefs of a certain few people onto everyone, and this, too, presents a condition we must address. Also, everyone has a relationship to
existence, though for some this is dim, and for some it’s more conscious. Consider any changes that develop in your relationships within this frame of reference and they will make more sense. The one thing you cannot do is pretend that you abide that which does not work for you. You don’t need to be violent about this, or aggressive, though you will need to hold space for the ideas that are true to your soul. What you may find out through this process is that you’re discovering what those ideas are; nothing is a given. Nothing is fixed, and part of what you’re doing is challenging fixity itself. The real difference between the beliefs of one person and another may not be the content, but rather whether there is the ability to adapt to one’s circumstances and human environment. One other bit: It’s been said that “sex changes everything,” to which I would add, “sex must always change.”

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You depend on your work patterns to be as productive as you are, and this summer will be an excellent time to make sure that your routines really support you. This is especially important if you are devoted to the work that you do, or to the organization you serve. Your wellbeing and your ability to be of service are closely related. Another factor you may engage with are changing social patterns; and, if those are influencing you, it will help if you go deeper than what may seem obvious. When it comes to the ways that society organizes itself, including on the most mundane social level, things are rarely what they seem. One reason for this is that the perceiver’s point of view is rarely taken into account. We are encouraged to claim that a certain thing is reality, without questioning who is doing the observing and the interpreting. This is what you most urgently need to do. Many factors of your reality are based entirely on your quest to get to know who you are. To do that, you invest yourself heavily in people and in situations. Part of your process involves a measure of conflict, which is understandable if you look at it closely; we really do learn about ourselves through clashing and crashing into others, among other ways. Is that really your first choice, though? There are many methods to work out relationships. Some are more pleasant than others.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — From time to time, people wake up for a moment and question the impact of technology on their minds, and on our society. Now is an excellent time for you to do so. There are two main facets to the question. One is the impact of the technology you use on your ability to think coherently; meaning, in language that makes sense. What have you noticed on this topic, in your personal meditation on your life? I would ask: what is the condition of your writing skills now, as compared to 10 years ago? What about reading? Just checking: what was the last book you read that deeply influenced you? Second topic: creativity. Do you use your technological devices as creative tools, or are you more of a consumer? If you determine that you use the web more for consumption — by which I mean either to read, to view videos, or to make purchases — I suggest you begin to shift that balance. The impact of technology on society is something you can monitor, and observe your part in. Yet your personal experience of the digital environment is something you can do a lot about. Here’s how Marshall McLuhan put it, many years ago: Most people pick up a technology and, because it’s so intense, they numb out. An artist picks up a technology and uses it to stay awake, alert and expressive.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The importance of family and tribe stands out for Scorpio in a way that is unusual among all the other signs, even in our increasingly tribal world. The thing to study is patterns: in particular, where your family of origin’s social and psychological patterns seem to mimic those of your current world. You are in the process of becoming aware of, and clearing away, the tendency of your current social experiences to mimic those of the past, seemingly to no end. Yet you must claim your space, and your right to organize your world in a way that consciously suits you. The question on one level is about patterns; though, on the visceral level, it’s about attachments. If you endeavor to consciously make changes in your world, that will require changes in individual relationships. You will need, therefore, to trust that the loving ties that bind are more valuable to everyone involved than the toxic patterns you are trying to transcend. At first it will seem to require the greatest depth of courage you’ve ever mustered — unless, of course, you’re aware that you’re suffocating or otherwise stifled. Even then, it can take some guts to draw a whole breath and assert your right to some freedom to move about the planet, and the social spheres, on your own terms. Remember: this all comes back to very old patterns, long predating your current life.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are rapidly letting go of old thought patterns, which will make room for a new form of intelligence. Yet as those old thought forms crumble, you may feel like you’re losing something valuable; in truth they are no more useful than the outgrown shell that a sea creature is shedding. You are an unusually intelligent person, though certain forms that your mental abilities take limit your ability to perceive ideas. The patterns are too rigid, and need to be challenged, and evaluated, based on their capacity to do what you want them to do. You may, therefore, encounter issues that require you to think in new, different and expanded ways. This is not merely about ‘knowing more’ but rather about how you work with the information and the perceptions that you have. This is likely to arrive in real-time experiments, based on immediate circumstances you may be facing. We have all heard the term “thinking outside the box,” which refers to a specific puzzle you can find in Wikipedia. This is a good example of what you’ll be learning, only imagine this on a three- or four-dimensional model. You can practice this by doing things like physically looking at a circumstance from as many viewpoints as possible. Take one question and get 10 opinions and notice the patterns. Remember that mathematics is an invention of the human mind. You are such an inventor.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You must have some strong motivation to get your finances in order, and I suggest you ride that horse while it’s fresh and the day is young. You can start anywhere: for example, digging out and organizing your old files, or picking a current project. One exercise I advise my clients to do, when money is a question, is to figure out exactly where they stand: determine precisely how much debt, how much cash and how much credit you have. Just the process of doing this will be empowering, and I mean that directly. You must know where you stand. Then, do an evaluation of all of your other resources: a kind of inventory of talents; people who will help you; spaces that you own, rent or can use; ideas you’ve developed; art and manuscripts lying around; undeveloped ideas; and whatever else you might consider an asset. Once you have this inventory going, you will start to get ideas for what to do next. You will also clarify what no longer needs to be part of your life. It’s important to dispose of anything you don’t need, don’t want and don’t use, which can include passing many things forward to others. The overall idea here is to clear the way for what is new, what is alive, and what you really want. This is best done as a conscious act, so that you stay one step ahead of nature.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) —
This summer, Mars will be retrograde in your sign for the first time since 1971. Astrological events gain meaning and influence through being unusual, and this qualifies: it’s describing a truly momentous time in your life, a time not just of re-evaluation, but also re-creation. Don’t be afraid to ask the big questions, and trust that you will get answers. Those answers may not arrive immediately. But they will indeed show up, perhaps in pieces that you assemble, perhaps in layers, and perhaps in the form of revelations or discoveries. I would borrow an idea from A Course in Miracles that you may find helpful: your role is not to seek love, but rather to seek and find the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence. This will entail coming to terms with anger; we are talking about Mars, after all. You will need to come to terms with desire, whether sexual or otherwise. You will need to understand the various shades of assertion, aggression and attack, and gain an understanding of what those mean, and where they are rooted in your psyche. Find a way not to take anger out on yourself. Rather, direct it outward at what cannot be hurt, such as in martial arts training of some kind. When Mars is active in your life, you need to move your energy through you, and learn to focus it as you do. This and many other factors will help liberate you.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Mars retrograde takes place in your 12th house, which is where you keep all your deepest secrets from yourself. So we could say that the theme here is learning to be scrupulously honest with yourself, about everything there is to be honest about. As a Pisces, you have a way of containing the universe within you. My favorite way of describing our sign is to say that the ocean refuses no river. You take on a lot; all the other signs, and what they represent, flow into yours. You have a way of organizing all that you absorb; and now the time has come to clean off the shelves and dig out the closets and the storage unit and all of that. Make that your focus this summer. Lighten up your load, whether mental, emotional or material. This will have results on the spiritual level: that is, your sense of self will come into focus as you pare back what you don’t need and don’t want. You will also notice that certain ways you’ve been conditioned to think — perhaps going back to specific ancestors you can identify — no longer serve you. In sum, the bottom line here is learning how to let go of fear. You will be doing this in a time when there is plenty to be afraid of in the world, and when we live in a time of rampant uncertainty. This will make your efforts all the more meaningful.