Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, #1029 | By Eric Francis
“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” “It was love at first sight.” “I have never begun a novel with more misgiving.” “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.” “You better not never tell nobody but God.” Every story begins with a single line, a statement of the truth as it is in that moment. No matter how complex the scenario, nor how many people are involved, nor how ordinary or strange, to tell the story, one must begin — and you surely have a story to tell. It seems to be bursting from your mind and aching to be expressed. There is so much that it may seem impossible. Yet I would encourage you to begin. You might find this better done with an older kind of writing — a pen or pencil on the page rather than an electronic device. This will foster a sense of seclusion rather than the idea that everything is public the moment you write it.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, #1028 | By Eric Francis
Keep your money to yourself, at least for a few days. Be careful making any commitments that are indefinite or that you don’t understand. Any ‘good time’ you have needs a fixed budget, such as how much you spend on alcohol, how much you spend to impress someone or how much you put on credit. Your charts seem to be offering some caution around expenditures associated with your infamous holiday generosity. The other side of this astrology is that you may be sitting on some unusual potential for earning revenue, which I suggest you consider with authentic interest and care. This plan must not require an outlay of cash, and if it does, I suggest you pause until the Sun enters Capricorn on the 21st before making any commitments. It could be good, though you really need to think it through methodically and perhaps with expert advice.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, #1027 | By Eric Francis
Aah yes family, the original group. The tribe. The thing to which we think we belong, and yet somehow, so often, do not belong. The group by which all other groups are measured. You may encounter the temptation to define yourself by the ways in which you’ve got nothing in common with those people. You may be feeling some anger, directed at the past, perhaps for the way things are today. You may get the urge to “burn down their house” (metaphorically, of course). Anger is useful. It’s a reminder that you may actually have a beef with someone, though it’s not always clear who, or why. I suggest you sort that out. Start by assuming that anger is a clue; merely a clue. Then once you have that clue, follow it in and see if you can figure out the dynamic. Don’t be attached to any one discovery. Hang loose and be flexible as you move from idea to idea. You will learn a lot the next few weeks as you do this.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December 2014, #1026 | By Eric Francis
This month a pressure you’ve endured for quite a while starts to come off of you. You might also think of it as an external support system. Its absence will be an experiment, and a test of how strong you’ve become. You may not feel entirely confident, similar to the end of healing a physical injury, uncertain whether you’re up to who you were before. Yet this experiment is about going far beyond who you were, and it’s about exploring and developing new forms of strength. In the past, you have put great reliance on your emotional power to get the world to bend to your will. What you are learning is how to reason carefully. You have also been able to sidestep the idea of self-reliance, in part due to your ability to take part in structured entities and know how to work within the tribe. Yet Saturn making its first foray out of your sign this month is an indication that you will be learning some significant ways to be self-sustaining and emotionally independent. This also translates to a greater degree of freedom, which often you’ve been willing to sacrifice in exchange for certain social bonds that have sustained you. This will be a gentler process than you may think. Yet it will also be more meaningful and more necessary than you believe.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, #1025 | By Eric Francis
Don’t worry about how to do it, just take the first step and get moving. You seem to think that you need to have your whole strategy or agenda planned out, but that’s never the way things work. Sure, you can sketch out a rough plan, but I think that even that would go against your purposes because you could easily get hung up on having that plan be the right plan. What you need is some momentum; what you need is movement in what seems like it might be a good direction to go. If you meet resistance or challenges, then take them one at a time. You are embarking on actual terrain, which has geographic features like hills and streams. These have never stopped the human race from getting anywhere, most of the time without a map, and I don’t think they will stop you.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, #1024 | By Eric Francis
Nearly every stitch of planetary activity this week is focused in your sign, or involving the planetary rulers of your sign. That may feel like a lot of pressure. You may be trying to push out the walls, looking for a little more room to breathe. At times you may be longing to get outside of your own thoughts and feelings and push into some new reality. I would say that’s exactly the point. Some of the most magnificent astrology is happening four signs away in Pisces, your fellow water sign. You can go anywhere you want in your chart. The way you do that is by shifting your perspective, your activities and your agenda. Sometimes you can do that by changing locations. The place to go is Pisces, which is your 5th house. In astrology that is the house of pleasure, art, creation, games and risks taken for fun. It’s also the house of sex. Your astrology is saying get out of your mind and into your senses.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, #1023 | By Eric Francis
Your chart is urging you to mind your politics, which means finding a means of working with the established power structure that’s around you. Said another way, your chart is urging practicality. Yet there is some passion burning in your mind, some idea, something that you must say, do or revolt against. Saturn in your sign is protecting you from cutting loose inappropriately. Saturn is reminding you of your responsibilities and of your own need to be accountable. Yet there is this sensation inside of you. What to do? Let’s use some astrology. Thursday is the Full Moon in your opposite sign Taurus, something of an emotional high tide for you. In two weeks there will be a New Moon in Sagittarius. Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you want to say or do, take those two weeks and check back in with yourself.
Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for November, 2014, #1022 By Eric Francis
You are bigger than any situation in your life. I would also remind you that no situation is intractable — everything is subject to movement. Everything is subject to change. That fact of existence is your best friend right now, since you have a tendency to live so much of your life as if certain things will never change. Use your discernment and apply this principle to what you know you want to move on from, but doubted that you could. Remember all the time that growth and change are inseparable; that they are necessary partners. In the midst of this, I would remind you that your capacity to feel is something to embrace as your best navigational tool. Yes, the modern way of life is to eschew feelings and tap on an icon. I would say pause, feel, and be well-guided.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November, 2014, #1021 | By Eric Francis
There is a sober quality to your charts this month, though it may take you a little while to catch onto that. You will the moment you get your mind out of the clouds, and away from any idealistic visions of how things might be. There are times for idealism and there are times to be fully focused on what is happening right now. If you want to unlock the potential of your moment, if you want to have it be more than a dream or a potential, I suggest you take the grounded and steady approach to your life. What is required the most of you is commitment. Not the words or the idea, but steadfast action, sustained over time. There are days when you will need to be content with less progress than you know is possible. That is why you will measure your progress in longer stretches of time than a day, a week, or even a month. When things seem difficult you must not allow yourself to lose your gumption or to choose what seem like easier options. Easier is not necessarily better, though there will be times when you’re sure that it is. In just a few weeks, Saturn will begin the process of moving from your sign to Sagittarius. Saturn has been a consistent guide and mentor to you, and in the remaining time that Saturn is in your sign, it’s necessary to internalize the Saturn principle, which translates to self-leadership.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, #1020 | By Eric Francis
You don’t have to live with this uncertainty for long, though I suggest you make the most if it. Uncertainty is important, it’s helpful, and it gets a bad rap. I’m sure you’ve noticed how people rush faster in the direction of false certainty than they do in the direction of an honest question. I can promise you at least one thing from your astrology: If you ask honest questions, you will get real answers. They may not come immediately, and there will be enormous benefit in focusing on the mystery. A gifted therapist in my community named Joe Jastrob once said in a workshop (I am paraphrasing — it was a while ago) that it takes strength to stand in the face of the unknown, but that one simply must do it if they want to live their truth. Therefore, do not rush. Don’t jump to conclusions. Let the unknown be the unknown.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, #1019 | By Eric Francis
Mars, the planet traditionally associated with your sign, is conjunct something called Pholus this weekend (exact Tuesday, Oct. 14). Mars is the planet of action, self-assertion, desire and at times, aggression. The best key phrase for Pholus I’ve encountered is ‘small cause, big effect’. It’s also associated with runaway reactions and unintended consequences, which can sometimes go on for years. This meeting is happening in Sagittarius, a fire sign best represented by the flaming arrow. The cosmic message is twofold. One is, pay attention to what you do, what actions you take, and how you direct your desire. The other side is that a little (of anything) can go a long way. You do not need a lot of anything, be it effort, intention, desire or any form of ‘push energy’, to get a result. Apply your intention and your willpower with extreme care.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, #1018 | By Eric Francis
Your inner struggle comes down to your ability to receive nourishment. If I were to teach an introductory therapy class, the first segment would cover understanding blocks to receiving love, and blocks to the awareness of love’s presence. The first thing to do is to take care of yourself in a conscious, dependable, structured way. Start with what you eat. Food is not a game, and it’s not connected to statistics (calories, pounds, stone, etc.). It’s not about image. You know what is nourishing for you and what is not. If you are gluten-free, gluten-free cookies might not be what you need; you might need more mineral-rich foods (for example). The thing is, you know. And if you think of this more as an act of receiving than of giving, you might find it easier to negotiate with yourself. Then, of course, there are people. Some are nourishing and some are depleting. It’s good to know who has what you’re willing to receive.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for October 2014, #1017 | By Eric Francis
You may be wondering when things are going to change; you may start to think you’re going backwards rather than making progress. You may seem to lose sight of an important goal, or some crucial idea that you’ve been developing. Fear not. The astrology of the next few weeks is certainly mysterious and will leave plenty of people guessing. Yet as those weeks unfold, you will discover that something is brewing under the surface, and that something is likely to manifest on the day that the Sun ingresses your sign, which is Oct. 23. Now, this leaves a question of what to do if you find yourself in a zero-gravity space, or feeling like you’re unable to think clearly. Your chart says that you will get maximum value from getting lost in your work. Proceed with what you are doing, with full devotion, authentic passion and a healthy dose of curiosity. Imagine that you have no need to think about what’s coming next, nor any desire to do so. Keep yourself focused on the task at hand, which over the next two weeks is likely to get more interesting and take on a value of its own; that is, to be interesting for its own sake. You could call this art or science in its most essential and sincere form, which is the setup for an inevitable breakthrough.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, #1016 | By Eric Francis
You know more than you think you know, though it would help immensely if you let go of your attachment to what you know is not true. That would be a long list of things, stories, behaviors, tendencies, goals you’re not really interested in — and the ways you can get dragged into the self-deception of others. The less emphasis you put on all that is untrue, the more energy you will have to focus on what is life-affirming and creative. This may have a daring quality, or the sensation that you’re ‘doing something wrong’ by doing what you want. Alternately, that list of what is untrue may feel comfortable and normal, and if you notice that, I suggest you think it through and ask yourself why exactly that is. There is a reason, and if you understand the reason you will go a long way toward liberating yourself from that whole dimension of drama.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, #1015 | By Eric Francis
I’m here today to remind you of something the magnificent Lois Rodden, one of the great astrologers of our lifetime, once said to me. Mercury, she said, is often considered the money planet (mainly since it’s associated with merchants and commerce), but for money, the planet you really want on your side is Mars. The reason for that is because making money requires motivation and focused intention. Mars is about to ingress Sagittarius, your house of available resources (the 2nd house), and that will provide just those elements. Yet there is one caveat — that your mode of creating resources be connected to your soul-level mission, or what most people would think of as your true values. I’ll say this another way. You’re about to get a serious boost in your money-creating power and for it to work well for you and for everyone else, focus that energy on doing the right thing. You know what it is.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 4, #1014 | By Eric Francis
Monday’s Pisces Full Moon happens in what you might think of as the pleasure center of your solar chart — the 5th house. Most of what passes for pleasure in Western society is really an effort to avoid pain. There are several ways you can tell the real thing from the counterfeit version. One is the presence of curiosity about yourself, and it’s an intensely pleasurable curiosity. It’s the kind of feeling good that goes deeper into previously unknown, or forgotten, regions of who you are. Another is the desire for freedom. That can translate to craving the unknown, which is a specific kind of liberty. This will teach you something about pleasure anxiety, which is really a form of self-control rooted in a ‘need’ for what is absolutely familiar. Take an extended moment and allow your existence to be a mystery and an adventure. You are being invited into an unusually deep inner space.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for September 2014, #1013 | By Eric Francis
It’s possible to be motivated by both ideals and money, but don’t confuse one for the other. It’s possible to take profits gained through more conventional motives and invest them in what you consider socially relevant, though this usually requires a level of care and discipline that most people only ever dream about. You might ask what gets in the way of translating what you think of as materialistic into what you hold as spiritual — that is, what values, or what conflicting desires. I suggest you check in with whether you hold back when it comes to your own stated commitment to make the world a better place. Are you concerned that it’s futile, or that it will take too long to make a difference? It may be true that you’re doing everything in your power to stretch beyond your limits and make a positive contribution, but only you can know that for sure. Be aware that a deeper level of motivation is starting to wake up and make itself known. It’s a kind of calling that can only be answered by taking action — not in the future, but right now. Here is the catch: right now has to last a long time, because only sustained action gets results. For that to happen, you really have to be in harmony with yourself and with your deepest motives.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, August 22, 2014, #1012 | By Eric Francis
You know you want to let go. You seem to be holding on as a matter of will, but deeper down you know that what you need to do is let go of all the resistance in your body. This is not about letting go of your commitments, or of your desire for some consistency in your life. Rather, it’s an invitation to honor the truth that life not only involves change, it is based on change. This is true for everything from the development of an individual fetus to the evolution of a species to how we will respond to the biosphere crisis. Perhaps the single most useful, most beautiful and most potent human attribute is adaptation. You don’t want to give up this power; you want to work with it as closely as you can. Change is imminent, and the truth is it can serve you very well, if you participate as its creative partner.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 14, 2014, #1011 | By Eric Francis
How honest with yourself can you be? If there is some limit, what is the hang-up? Your life story for the next couple of weeks will be about working your way to that boundary or limit. Many times in your life, you’ve found it easy to be in denial. Now, between your own inner pressure and the lurking sensation that you cannot respond to your own needs, denial will verge on impossible. Incidentally, there seems to be something here about your mom. The reason she did not respond to her own needs was not because she didn’t want to — by my estimation, it was because at key times she was not flexible enough to change when she needed to. That is the name of the tune — flexibility. The more conscious the better.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 7, 2014, #1010 | By Eric Francis
I love the connection between the word ‘authority’ and ‘authorship’. Authority means taking control over something, which is directly related to creating a story. If we add the concept ‘authorized’, that means you certify that the story you are creating is in fact of your own creation, and something you approve of. How would it feel to live this way? You know you want to; you know that the element of story has been vital to your life lately, as has the element of being present for your own power, and also willing to use it. If this makes you nervous, think of it as writing the story you want to tell. The great thing about writing is that it can be rewritten, revised and re-thought-through, and when you are doing this with your whole existence, you know you really are living. You are indeed the author of your own life, so pick up your pen and make contact with the page.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 31, 2014, #1009 | By Eric Francis
Consider the ritual aspect of everything you do — making breakfast, getting ready for work, preparing to go out. Think of these things less as habits than as moments of preparation for an experience. Take every step consciously, with as much mindfulness as you can muster. Notice how you feel while you’re doing this. One attribute of ritual is preparing space — that might be your desk or your living room or a clearing in a forest. It might be your kitchen before baking or your bedroom before a lover comes over. Focus on the use of space, its purpose, how it feels and how it looks. Remove anything that is extraneous. And consider the central organizing principle of the space, the way that a hearth used to define the central idea of a home. Every space has its hearth — know what it is, and tend the fire.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for August 2014, #1008 | By Eric Francis
After spending eight months in a strange and sensitive angle of your chart (known as the solar 12th house), your ruling planet Mars has ingressed your sign. This may have arrived with the sensation of your ear pressure equalizing after a fast elevator ride. And you may suddenly have the added confidence of knowing what you want. In consciousness and in biology, the human experience is driven by desire. It has all kinds of names, with various inflections of good and evil attached to them, though they amount to the same thing. That thing is the desire to live and to experience life, and it’s likely that you’ve been infused with this sensation in a whole new way. The question is how you respond and/or react. Lately you seem more given to the moralistic/control side of the spectrum than is useful. It would be helpful to recognize when you’re judging yourself and others for something that is either natural or not harming anyone. You may feel some need to live up to an image, that is, to be perceived a certain way for the sake of your reputation. If there’s a devil, this is it. While you must always be mindful of integrity, that is different from any form of obsession over what people may think about you. There is only one person who needs to respect you, and that is you — with any luck, just for being real.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 17, 2014, #1007 | By Eric Francis
Sleepwalking, being in autopilot, trance state, spacing out. Everyone drifts into this state at some point, though currently many people are drifting through life paying as little attention as possible. Often this is aided and abetted by alcohol, pills or other substances. I don’t know your personal circumstances, but I do know your solar chart. Right now you need to pay attention. I could list off a dozen reasons from just your solar chart, though let’s skip that. Pay attention. Notice where you are and who is around you. Notice what you’re doing and why. Come out of the dream state and enter fully waking state. That means taking nothing for granted and yes, as one of your Scorpio cousins recently said to me, it means keeping your mind alert and active at all times even if this seems really weird. Engage your awareness fully, in manual mode, and keep waking up as many times as necessary.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 10, 2014, #1006 | By Eric Francis
Saturn in your sign is the original symbol of enforced growth. Saturn is saying, “It is time.” It’s true that most people experience Saturn as a depressive influence, as a burden or as a limit — though this is a limited perspective, and it most likely does not take into account the essential factor of maturity. Saturn in your sign is saying you need a structure to your life that embraces all of the functions you want to fulfill as an adult with the freedom of choice. Your life is not about recreation. It’s not about self-fulfillment. Those are ingredients in a whole life, but not the whole purpose of life. In a word, your current purpose is fulfilling your function; taking up elements of why you came to this planet at this time. One measure of purpose is your creative work product. It’s about what you make, which is an expression of your purpose. The key here is tangibility — the actual substance of achievement, not merely an abstract concept of growth.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 3, 2014, #1005 | By Eric Francis
Mars retrograde is over, and the planet that traditionally rules your sign will soon be in your sign; then you can add up your various losses and gains and see where you really stand with yourself. But before that happens, you’re about to go on a kind of odyssey — an inner and outer adventure. Some of the places you go will seem oddly familiar. Others will seem entirely new. What you must be careful of, in the first instance, is your unconscious actions leading to strife among others. The core of this journey is being able to maintain your mindfulness and understand the impact of your thoughts and your actions. In other words, you are learning to pay attention. This does not mean tiptoeing around others who are easily provoked. It means engaging them directly, and recognizing the influence that you have on them and on your environment. You have substantial power in your hands. You must learn how to use it wisely — and the next three to four weeks will bring many opportunities to do so.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for July 2014, #1004 | By Eric Francis
So — what good is fear? I mean obsessive fear, anxiety, worry and panic? What purpose has it served during the past few seasons, besides providing a way to burn up energy? I know these emotions are rampant, and they’re usually considered something that cannot change. Now, one option is that you can compromise with fear, which will basically leave you stuck. Or you can take a stand within yourself. Fear is actually a toxic form of desire, and the antidote to fear is clear, bold desire. Like many things, I know this logic is reversed by the world (such as in the form, “if I were only unafraid, I could allow myself to desire”). Yet it’s easy to see that this is self-defeating. Desire is the starting point. Consider the outcome you want in any situation. This is the most important factor. Once you know that, the steps and the logic leading to it will become clear. If the steps do not become obvious, go back to your stated outcome, consider it carefully, and make sure it’s what you want, and make sure it’s described in a legible way. Make sure there are no hidden compromises involved. What you’re about to discover is that you want more from life, and to accomplish that, you must be willing to admit that it’s true.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 19, 2014, #1003 | By Eric Francis
The Sun’s ingress into Cancer this weekend is telling you that it’s time to take a wider view of your own life. That probably means figuring out how narrow your perspective may currently be, so that you know where exactly to stretch your boundaries. How many miles do you consider to be a long distance? How many years a long time? What achievement would you define as being truly significant? As part of this review, I suggest you consider your parents’ expectations for themselves and notice some of the ways you may have taken them on. To the extent that you’re pushing against something or experiencing resistance, you might consider whether you’re trying to surpass a limit that was set during your upbringing. This might even stem from the limited worldview of a grandparent that has been passed down the generations. It’s time for you to determine the boundaries of your own life. Remember, you live in a wider world than nearly anyone who came before you.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 12, 2014, #1002 | By Eric Francis
You have a perfect view of who someone is. If you pay attention you notice that this seems like peering into a mirror. The unusual thing is how different from how you feel the image in this mirror looks. You may be feeling old and looking at young, knowing it’s yourself. You may be feeling inflexible and looking at the very picture of relaxation. You may be feeling unworthy and know that you’re being embraced by love. You don’t have to trust this image or accept it as real, though it would be useful if you asked yourself, “what if what I’m seeing is real?” Just consider the potential and notice your response. One thing I would point out is that you may be harboring some fantasies of purity. Those could take a diversity of forms, including ideas of celibacy, virginity, relationship orthodoxy, or wanting to work out your issues with your parents before you get close to anyone. Go where it’s hot.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, June 6, 2014, #1001 | By Eric Francis
Saturn in your sign is urging you to hold fast, while other factors are saying that you must dance with existence in a bold way, with the rhythm seeming to change from moment to moment. Yet you’re no longer dancing at the edge of a cliff, or under any threat to your existence. Your relationship to your fear has changed profoundly over the past six months, and this has changed your relationship to existence. Perhaps I may offer a point of clarification there. Imagine you live a life where you don’t fear that the universe or the world is a hostile place. It may not always be fully cooperative, but you know it’s not specifically hostile toward you. How would you live differently? At the moment you are being asked or feel compelled to change in some way that you know is profound, and that seems (correctly or not) like an either/or choice. How would this choice be different if you could proceed with trust in existence? Remember, fear ain’t what it used to be.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 30, 2014, #1000 | By Eric Francis
What happens when you get what you want is always an interesting reality check. Not everyone is happy about it. Not everyone is comfortable. Some people are thrilled and others are resentful. Some feel entitled and some feel guilty. Some want more, and some are eager to share. So, I would put the question to you — how do you feel when you get what you ask for? Next level or layer, how do you feel honestly wanting who or what you want? How do you feel when you notice or see whomever or whatever that is? Some people feel control, some feel greed, some feel desire, some feel appreciation, some feel a focusing of their intent. Your astrology calls for careful reflection on your responses to who or whatever you may desire, inquiring deeper than you might ordinarily go, noticing things subtler than you might usually observe. Pay particular attention to fear that may arise, in any of its many forms.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for June 2014, #999 | By Eric Francis
In most of my recent Scorpio commentaries, I’ve explored the concept of fear, and the way your charts are describing how you’re working it out. The sum total of this topic is that the most poignant, threatening subject of fear is oneself. This manifests many ways, including as fear associated with dropping the charade and being oneself. It’s always fear that keeps the game of being ‘someone else’ going. It manifests as fear of one’s potential. Or it can express itself as the quality of needing to hide behind a barricade, concerned what will happen if you come out. And one of the most common, and for you debilitating, ways it can manifest is fear of your sexuality. All of the pseudo-conservatism we are seeing in our current era of history, and false modesty and intentional ignorance of biology, are all expressions of fear of sex and sexuality. This is especially distressing and debilitating for you because your sign is all about sex: the sign that in ancient astrology rules the sex organs, and in modern astrology one’s hormones, desire and the nuances of attraction. Because life emerges from sex, the fear of sex, in any form, is fear of life. You who want to be alive need to align with your desire and your erotic power, as if it were the cosmic gift that it actually is.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 16, 2014, #998 | By Eric Francis
You may have dreamed many dreams about what you would do, if only you were less afraid. You may have even tried, and succeeded, to go beyond your own inhibitions. The journey of Mars through your 12th solar house has been a study in these hesitations, which has served to remind you how much time you’ve spent wondering if you were doing the right thing, or what might have happened if only things were some other way. It’s time to leave your regrets behind you and confront the moment in which you stand, edgy though it may be. You’re not really standing at the edge of a cliff; you’re standing right on the edge of your relationship to yourself. There really is no point hesitating about that. If you were fully committed to your relationship with yourself, many factors in your life would seem far more confident than they often do. And that moment of full commitment is about to arrive.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 2, 2014, #997 | By Eric Francis
Take your time working out an emotional issue, and remember, this is about how you feel rather than being about a relationship. It may seem for all the world and in your imagination like the subject matter is partnership or involvement with someone else. That’s a kind of mirage. Here’s a way to think about it: As in dream interpretation, every aspect of the dream is an aspect of yourself. Given that you may be in a phase of increased unusual dream activity, that’s a good thing to keep in mind. Dreams are deeply personal and situation-specific. There are no stock interpretations for dream symbols. If you remember that all aspects of the dream are facets of your own psyche, and your own state of mind, it will be much easier to discern what messages you’re receiving from yourself. The same can be said of any thoughts involving a relationship. I’m not saying that other people involved don’t have volition or intent — rather, I am saying that your experience is your experience, and that is the place to start.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for May 2014, #996 | By Eric Francis
For months, Mars has been retrograde in Libra, the most sensitive angle of your solar chart. This has provoked your imagination and your anxiety, and stirred you up emotionally. Now the retrograde is about to end, though once Mars stations direct on May 19, it will take more than two months to reach your sign. This phase takes the discussion to the subject of privacy and secrecy. Two months is enough time to make decisions about what you share and what you hide in your relationships. I suggest you make a careful inventory of what you allow others to know about you and what you choose to conceal, and why. Along with that, I suggest you look at any strategies you may have to insulate yourself, such as keeping separate groups of friends for different purposes, or managing whether certain individuals do or do not get to meet certain other individuals in your life. All of these scenarios present not just a map of your concept of intimacy, but of your concept of reality. These last phases of the Mars retrograde process are likely to emphasize the fact that you must live in a transparent way if you’re going to trust existence. Every secret you keep affirms that the world is dangerous and threatening. Every time you reveal yourself, you demonstrate that it’s safe to be alive as the person you really are.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 18, 2014, #995 | By Eric Francis
You may feel lost or powerless when the exact opposite is true. What you’re experiencing now is a perfect example of the distinction between perception and reality. Of course, if you feel lost, you’re likely to act that way, and that will be real to you. The main challenge you face is twofold. One is that you have an overwhelming sense of responsibility, to someone or something — I suggest you direct it toward yourself. The other is denial. It’s easy for you to pretend that what is, is not (in a diversity of forms.) Over the next 10 days, you will have a number of orientation points that will help you determine where you stand with yourself. Some of these may emerge in moments of conflict. If you are in a situation where you are triggered or where you strongly disagree with someone, that is a point of orientation. You will be able to see clearly what your opinion about anyone or anything really is — and that is the very thing you want to navigate by. This means that all emotions, negative and positive and seemingly neutral, will be useful — in truth, everything you feel and learn must go to productive use. That is the nature of your moment.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 11, 2014, #994 | By Eric Francis
Your situation is not as complicated as it seems. I know, it does seem complicated, but actually it’s your emotional state that’s the thing creating the interference. Like, what is the source of all this worry, and why are you so convinced that it’s actually an accurate response to the world? It’s true that your ruling planet Mars is stirring the pot, provoking you and agitating your anger (subtle though it may be) and possibly keeping you up at night, even though there’s unlikely to be a serious or even moderately serious issue. It’s true that Saturn is in your sign, close to your Sun, and may be weighing on you with a sense of responsibility or the weight of the world. Listen to me. Relax. Cheer up. Wake up. Get outside your house and out of your head. You live in a much bigger world than you think, and the people who live here love you more than you care to admit. Yes, this is a moment of growing up, and settling some long unresolved psychological business. It’s also potentially one of the boldest times of your life. Don’t miss it.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 4, 2014, #993 | By Eric Francis
Note the fear factor and the healing factor, and where they meet. Most of what needs healing involves — or is specifically — fear. Yet it’s difficult to see this when so many factors are designed to inflict fear in its many forms: ads designed to provoke insecurity about your self-image, earthquake warnings, economic threats and the usual litany of health-related ‘news’. In order to exist in any kind of balance, it’s necessary to consider your responses to all of those influences. Yet there is an inner scenario that you’re unraveling, something that is distinct and personal and that cannot be accounted for by any visible influence. To a greater extent than you may recognize, your fears surround abandonment and issues of fidelity in relationships. These can take many forms, morphing and disguising themselves — that is the speciality of fear. Rather than accept this theory, I suggest you test it out, and inquire when you are feeling some deep concern whether it involves abandonment or fidelity — whomever might be responsible.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, March 28, 2014, #992 | By Eric Francis
You may be having panic attacks over some potential change in your work environment or work assignment. That kind of response is not exactly the key to success. I suggest you remove from your thinking any need to ‘feel appreciated’ and replace it with the need to focus your mind, your efforts and your intentions on what actually matters. Focus on the nature of commitments being made to you, and asked of you. Once the changes you’re going through gather actual momentum, there will be the moment where you have to give up control over the outcome. But that does not mean giving up awareness of where you are at any moment, or the words that come out of your mouth, or listening and hearing the words that are said to you. Said another way, lack of control over the outcome is a thing apart from maintaining your presence and awareness and using what you know to make moment-to-moment assessments and decisions.
Planet Waves Monthly for April 2014, #991| By Eric Francis
It would be easier to deal with fear if we could recognize it when we see it. Yet the problem with fear, and its first cousins guilt and anger, is that most of the time, we don’t recognize them when we see them, or feel them. They take so many forms, come wrapped in so many packages and dressed in so many disguises, we could be dealing with them all day and still not know it. And that is precisely what we do. Your job is to know when you’re dealing with these emotions, and when they are driving you. It is only this awareness that will protect you from being manipulated and manipulating others. Only this awareness will allow you to connect with more loving motives. At the moment, it seems like the entire ‘outer’ world we are witnessing is being driven by dark emotions and self-serving motives. At the same time many things seem wrapped in a blend of ambivalence and ignorance that could lead otherwise intelligent people to support the cause of (for example) fracking or genetically modified foods. Yet neither your most wholesome survival instincts nor your most sublime creative guidance will be apparent when you’re caught in the deceptive, slippery haze of fear, or guilt, or anger. And that is what you must now focus every skill and grain of wit into transcending. If there is a road to truth, it is surely the same one away from lies.
Horoscope #990 Unavailable
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 28, 2014, #989| By Eric Francis
In modern astrology your sign is ruled by Pluto, but in traditional astrology it’s ruled by Mars. Now your two guiding planets are headed for an unusual meeting, which takes place in late April. Yet this is the kind of thing to consider long in advance. What this event gives you is a kind of growth lever. Consider the very most important changes you would make in your life — the ones you wish you could make, but don’t have the time, strength or resources for. Now is the time to consider doing precisely those things, whether you know how you’re going to get it done or not. The idea is to set your intention, but in the immediate moment, to draw in a vision for how you want your life to be. Then, elaborate specific changes you want to make from there, and you have set the wheels in motion. It’s likely that events will conspire in some unexpected way to bring some of those changes to fruition, and others that obviate seeming necessities may turn out to be less than necessary. Powerful forces are at work; it’s essential that you remain alert.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for March 2014, #988 | By Eric Francis
Fear is a fact of life on Earth, the planet of eat or be eaten. How you handle your fear is not a given; you have many options. How you exercise them will make a difference. Let’s start with the basics: fear is a form of energy and it points to a deeper energy source. If you treat it that way, and seek understanding of what is not immediately obvious, you will learn that fear does not need to be debilitating, and that in fact it can be empowering. The first thing to do is let your fear speak. Get the message of what it’s saying. Translate it into terms that are clear, and that lend themselves to decisions. You’re likely to feel the most panicky when you feel like you lack the power to choose. Therefore, information that leads to a state where you can make decisions is what you want and need to have. Indeed, we could call this the theme of the entire Mars retrograde. This is a set of transits intimately linked to you because both of your ruling planets — Mars and Pluto — are so directly involved. When this fully takes shape in late April, you are likely to feel some serious pressure to make progress on many things you have set aside or left for the future. The thing to remember is to get the information you need in order to make an informed decision, and then another.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, #987 | By Eric Francis
Friday and this weekend you get a clear line of sight on some of the material that’s going to come up when Mars stations retrograde on March 1. The information will come across more as an FYI than a warning; more of a ‘to do’ list rather than a ‘do or die’ list. You have time to clear many small matters off of your agenda before Mars stations retrograde, so that you can focus on the more important things when the time comes. Much of what you will be focusing on through the duration of the retrograde are matters of mental and psychological balance. This is what’s called inner work. I suggest you set your life up to accommodate this, as much as possible. I know it’s difficult to have time for anything, though from the look of your charts, you will be drawn into handling some of the deeper issues that have taken up residence in your life, and if you focus on them you will be able to make some adjustments and grow through them. The sooner you start the better.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, #986 | By Eric Francis
Scorpios are often regarded as the sign known for their intensity rather than for taking care of people. My take is that this involves the anxiety others experience when confronted by someone who compels them to feel something other than a sugar high. I want to propose that your presence is an actual source of nourishment and support, even if you make people uneasy sometimes. Or to refine that statement, you have the option to focus your presence and your influence in a wholly positive way, and you’re in a moment when the faint of heart are more receptive to you than they usually are. Don’t underestimate the extent to which you play into their fantasies and their desires. People often refuse to admit who and what they want, or worse, they’re afraid that actually having that experience will in some way change them. In honor of that, I suggest that you be open to what you want, and to having it, with full awareness that you will change for doing so.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, #985 | By Eric Francis
A loved one or close partner may influence you to change your mind about something you have believed — or misbelieved — for a long time. Don’t worry if it feels strange that you’re being influenced by someone else; if there is trust, that is the bottom line. Coming around on an issue or giving up an old position is a necessary skill. The world has a lot of this that it needs to do, in order to get out of its current circumstances, which specifically come down to being stuck in the past. Yet there is a deeper lesson about you needing, and wanting, to be more mentally flexible, and more open to new ideas. Nothing has validity merely on the basis of “that’s how it was done before.” Value must re-affirm itself in every moment. It’s often said that there is nothing like an idea whose time has come — I would add there’s nothing like an idea whose time is done.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for February 2014, #984 | By Eric Francis
It’s essential for your wellbeing to sort out what influences in your life are nourishing and which are depleting. This is not as easy as it seems in a society where it’s considered normal for people to eat unhealthy food for the sake of ating, to have relationships for the sake of relationships and to purchase many things that they don’t need and barely even want. Since that is the cultural standard, it’s necessary to take the time to figure out whether something you take in — be it food, entertainment, information, family influences or emotional contact — actually sustains you. It would be worthwhile to consider this question in the context of any sexual influence as well. I think the concept of ‘addiction’ is overused and misunderstood, but it begins to have meaning when there is the quality of some influence potentially controlling your life. If during the next few weeks you find yourself at a full stop, or feel like you can no longer effectively negotiate with yourself, that’s the time to take some time and inquire about the issue of control. There is often an associated question about whether you want the responsibility implied by self-determination. The most common reason I’ve seen people abandon their power is because it seems to offer liberation from the consequences of their own mistakes. That’s one form of liberation that will never serve you.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, #983 | By Eric Francis
Your relationships may have taken a serious turn lately but I suggest keeping things a little lighter. Make sure you can always see yourself in others. And remember to focus on options rather than seeing one dubious choice staring you in the face. You have at this point in your life a responsibility not only to fulfill your commitments; you have a responsibility to shed commitments that no longer work for you. This may seem contrary to what everyone is saying and what everything is pointing to but I assure you it is true.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 10, 2014, #982 | By Eric Francis
You have no need to consider anyone, or any idea, a threat. It’s true that some influence is trying to undermine your thinking about something, and it’s also true that you may be frustrated trying to get anything done, hampered mainly by some challenges focusing. You can afford to slow down and think strategically. Retrace your steps and think about three or four moves ahead. But mainly, don’t let anyone undermine your confidence by offering a suggestion or an idea different than you might have come up with yourself. One of the most helpful roles others can play in your life is to do just that. If anyone seems to get under your skin, it’s likely to be because they have said something you were already thinking. While you may not have the answers right now, you definitely have access to the right questions.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope — January 2014, #981 | By Eric Francis
You may be feeling like you’re under some strange pressure, which on one level feels like the necessity to get control of your life. On another level you’re being pushed to cut loose, and to dive into your passions, your fears and the desire that you’ve spent so much time denying. So what do you do, hold fast or let go? Saturn in your sign is providing a boundary. Though it may feel like you have to make necessary changes, Saturn’s real message is about getting to know yourself. Meanwhile, Mars, your ruling planet, will be spending much of the year in the zone of your chart where you conceal your deepest feelings, needs and anxieties. Unless you follow Mars into that mysterious realm, you may feel like you’ve ‘gone missing’. If that happens, take it as a message to look within rather than obsessing over circumstances, other people or external responsibilities. You will get your work done; you will keep your promises. The time has come to keep a promise to yourself, which is to clarify your inner relationship as your top priority. Though many would think this idea as comprehensible as Mandarin, you know this already. The calling to absolute self-honesty has been nagging you very nearly forever, and it’s high time you answer.