Tag Archives: Jupiter trine Saturn

Sign Language for the Insane

Dear Friend and Reader:

Adding a touch of irony to the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, it turns out that Thamsanqa Jantjie, the supposed sign language interpreter hired to stand three feet from the podium and be broadcast to hundreds of millions of people, was talkin’ jive.

Planet Waves
Pres. Obama speaks during Tuesday’s memorial service for Nelson Mandela, having his words translated into gibberish by Thamsanqa Jantjie — who said he was having a psychotic episode.

His assorted hand gestures and moreover his stiff posture and deadpan expression were not South African sign language for the deaf — it was all an act. Sign language utilizes facial expressions and shoulder movements, in addition to signs with the hands and arms. It’s not High German in pantomime.

Given that Mandela’s whole life was about inclusion, and that the purpose of a sign language interpreter is to include the deaf in the world of sound and speech, it’s fair to say that this pushed the line into something truly cynical.

One would think that when a country is hosting a long-expected global event honoring the life of one of the most revered men of our lifetimes, knowing they would be host to some 90 heads of state, and knowing the whole affair would be broadcast on global television, they might cover that kind of detail well in advance.

It gets better. Questioned this week by the Associated Press, Jantjie said he was having a psychotic episode. Yes, standing three feet from the president and a diversity of other world leaders, he claimed that his anti-schizophrenia meds were not quite doing the trick. In other words, he took the insanity defense to fraud.

“What happened that day, I see angels come to the stadium,” he said, adding, “I start realizing that the problem is here. And the problem, I don’t know the attack of this problem, how will it comes. Sometimes I react violent on that place. Sometimes I will see things that chase me.”

Planet Waves
In happier days, Obama gives the thumbs up for the health insurance program that got his name. This is a viral image that right wingnut websites love to publish for its irony value.

Wait, he didn’t put that on his employment application? I guess we’ll have to wait till the PDF goes viral, but the chances are he just knew someone who knew someone and got the ‘good enough’ rating. You know, I’m not a sign language interpreter, but I play one on TV.

His stunt reminds me of The Yes Men, who do things like get on the agenda as the keynote speakers at conferences for oil executives, then give presentations on climate change.

The Yes Men, who exist with a purpose, prove how easy it is to pass through the flimsy or nonexistent vetting process no matter how important something is, as long as you’re wearing a business suit that cost at least $10. And, in true Yes Men tradition, as long as they invite you.

“I was in a very difficult position,” Jantjie added, explaining his predicament, standing there with everyone (as in everyone) watching, not being able to do the one thing he was supposed to do. “And remember those people, the president and everyone, they were armed, there was armed police around me. If I start panicking I’ll start being a problem. I have to deal with this in a manner so that I mustn’t embarrass my country.”

Well, so much for that idea. And wait: he thinks that the president is armed? And why panic? He could just say he was seeing angels and go to the First Aid tent.

It gets better. The Associated Press reported, “Jantjie said he was due on the day of the ceremony to get a regular six-month mental health checkup to determine whether the medication he takes was working, whether it needed to be changed or whether he needed to be kept at a mental health facility for treatment” (emphasis mine).

The only difference between South Africa and the United States is that in South Africa, you find out this kind of thing. Here in the U.S., we don’t want to spoil the show.

Planet Waves
Metro-North train derailed after the engineer “zoned out” while coming around a 30 mph curve at 82 mph. Image: CNN video.

I could easily see this translated onto the recent mock government shutdown a couple of months ago. Imagine this in an AP report: “WASHINGTON, DC — In a press conference held several hours after the government re-opened, Speaker of the House John Boehner apologized to the American people and said that it was not really he who shut down the government, it was the demon he’s possessed by.”

“Actually, to tell the truth, I am a demon in human form and I was in possession of the government,” Boehner said. “I’m sorry to have put you all through that. I don’t really belong here. I’m kind of lost. I thought this was one of the hell worlds, but it turned out to be a lot nicer than I imagined. I have to compensate by smoking a carton of cigarettes daily and spending six hours a day in a tanning bed.”

The shutdown was the perfect product of a fake House of Representatives that repeatedly passes fake bills designed to roll back women’s rights to some time around 1913. The House of Representatives is controlled by a mock political entity called the Tea Party, which is supposed to be populist but is supported by billionaires.

Speaking of — the minimum wage is not a wage; it’s essentially slave labor, supported by the fact that half of all fast food workers are on some form of public assistance. The rather wealthy people at the top of McDonald’s and KFC, all of whom take the “free market, free enterprise” point of view, and the stockholders who reap the profits, are subsidized by the government. Of course they don’t want to raise the minimum wage.

Then there was Healthcare.gov. Who needs a real e-commerce site when you can have something that looks just like one? It’s a fake, so who needs to do a beta test? The fact that it cost more than $300 million to create adds to the illusion that it might be real.

Planet Waves
Lara Logan, the faux reporter for 60 Minutes, interviewed a faux witness for her faux story. But she looks great in red. AP photo.

And who needs affordable medical insurance when a healthy, relatively young person still has to pay $500 a month to have coverage?

Then we have the Republicans accusing “Obamacare” of being socialism — when it was really the rightwing Heritage Foundation that thought this scheme up, to enrich corporations. This is being called a government takeover of health care, when really it’s a corporate takeover. But you wouldn’t know that because the Heritage Foundation has been on the front lines of attacking its own idea.

Meanwhile, right before the most dangerous maneuver ever conducted in civilian nuclear power — the removal of spent fuel from Fukushima Unit 4 — CNN broadcast a movie-length infomercial about how wonderful, efficient and perfectly safe nuclear power is. Hardly anyone thought to mention the spent fuel removal project, which basically has the world on the brink of a very quiet nuclear war.

Then there was a Metro North guy acting just like a railroad engineer who obviously had never played with electric trains. Everyone knows when you take a turn too fast, the whole train falls over. (And all passengers of that line know that the track angle leans out of the curve rather than into it.)

Then there was Lara Logan, the pretend news reporter for 60 Minutes, who interviewed Dylan Davies, who didn’t really know what happened that night in Benghazi; he made it all up, but it sounded good. That went along perfectly with the whole made-up story about a protest at a fake “embassy” in Libya (it was a CIA outpost in a fairly typical weapons buyback program, hence everyone on all sides had to do the dance and pretend it was something else).

Along the way, George Zimmerman was found innocent of both first and second degree murder after killing Trayvon Martin after a mock trial with fake prosecutors whose only job was to piss off the jury. In the perception of many, Zimmerman was as pure as the driven snow, lending true meaning to Second Amendment rights — the right to ‘defend’ oneself against black people. Which he seems to have thought also applied to women; he was arrested for pulling a gun on his (ex) girlfriend — though she dropped the charges and he’s free again (until the next time).

Planet Waves
Newspapers from late 2012 focused on the Sandy Hook School massacre. Photo from Salon.com.

The year began with the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. We all put on a sad face and then allowed

Congress and our state legislatures to do nothing about the problem, not even close the gun show loophole — except that twice as many state laws were passed laws opening up the flow of weapons than were passed restricting them.

The solution to gun violence is more guns. Wayne LaPierre offered the brilliant idea of arming teachers. The NRA, which has a quarter-billion dollar budget, called my office this week seeking a donation. They are, after all, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

How come so many of these mass shooters, from Columbine to Sandy Hook, are on mood-altering medications? Seriously — these drugs have a suicide problem. Anybody paying attention? That does not mix well with depressed, angry boys with assault rifles. But hey we can just paper that over with pride in our Constitution.

Astrological note: Mars is about to take a long retrograde in Libra. One thing about Libra is that it’s the sign of appearances. Everything in Libra has to look good, and where you have Libra in your chart is one aspect of life where you will aspire to beauty and a sense of perfect presentation. Even horrid things that happen under the influence of Libra can have elegance and beauty to them.

Mars retrograde is going to get underneath all of those appearances, and peel back the layers one by one. As it makes repeated encounters with the Uranus-Pluto square, and the Sun in the primary chart of the United States, we are likely to have a long sequence of ‘truth revealed’ kind of events that expose what is behind the facade.

There is plenty. It’s about time we had a look.

Lovingly,

 

Writing and Editing Credits: News items below are written and edited by a team consisting of Hillary Conary, Anne Craig, Eric Francis, Elizabeth Michaud, Amanda Painter, Susan Scheck, Chad Woodward and Carol van Strum. Page assembled and coded by Anatoly Ryzhenko. Special thanks to the Fact Checkers List, which goes over each edition on Thursday night — and to our main astrology fact-checker Alex Miller, and Amanda, who goes over all their suggestions. Our editions are also proofread and fact-checked by Jessica Keet.

 

Planet Waves

A Comment on Jupiter Trine Saturn

Depending on your time zone, today is the second occurrence of Jupiter trine Saturn. There are three points of contact for this aspect in the current cycle. The first took place on July 17, the second is/was Dec. 12/13 depending on your time zone, and the last will be May 24, 2014. Jupiter is in Cancer and Saturn is in Scorpio. Chiron in Pisces makes this aspect into a grand water trine, which will be close to exact on May 24.

Planet Waves
Probably rendered (but still cool) image of Saturn from Cassini Space Probe, taken from free wallpaper.

For reference, the next trine between these two planets takes place in 2026. Therefore it’s something of a rare resource, to be taken advantage of consciously. It has the feeling of a reward for a job well done, which might come in a moment of relative ease and a kind of harvest, and also as a new opportunity. That opportunity can be squandered; as a natal placement, if taken unconsciously, this is the “easy come, easy go” aspect. If taken consciously, one can build things of a lasting nature.

The Rev. Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, one of the founders of modern astrology, noted that any contact between Jupiter and Saturn is significant. From his point of view, they describe the story of the current lifetime in relationship to others; from a worldly point of view, these planets represent two of the most necessary qualities of the psyche.

Jupiter offers the ability to expand boundaries and Saturn is the ability to contain them. Jupiter asserts itself within the environment, and Saturn describes response to the environment. Jupiter can describe what one offers; Saturn describes leadership and the way one interrelates with those in authority. When they’re not working, Jupiter comes to represent excesses and Saturn represents scarcity. It’s fair to say that how the two planets blend addresses how one uses opportunity and resources; how one works with the energy of a benevolent uncle (Jupiter) and of a parent with the tendency to discipline (Saturn).

Mastering either calls for a high degree of self-knowledge and cooperation with others. These are the transpersonal planets, neither deeply intimate (such as Venus or Mars) nor alien and working below the level of consciousness (such as Neptune or Pluto).

Planet Waves
Jupiter is actually denser than Saturn, though the astrological interpretation has Saturn being the planet of form and structure.

Looking at the placements and contact of your Jupiter and Saturn can tell you about how you handle your personal role in the greater world around you. If they are not in an ordinary aspect in your chart, check the ‘minor’ aspects (septile, novile, sesquiquadrate, etc.). Also check what is at the Jupiter-Saturn midpoint — that is a kind of superaspect that will tell you a lot.

Jupiter trine Saturn shows up in the charts of a few people with an unusual degree of spiritual evolution, skilled at stretching boundaries. They include John F. Kennedy, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Ralph Nader, Gertrude Stein, Gloria Steinem, Alan Watts, Kate Millett, Thomas Merton, Carl Jung, Elton John, Aldous Huxley and J. Edgar Hoover. The lack of women in astrology databases is somewhat compensated for, in this case, by three pioneering feminists having this aspect. All of these people seemed to have the gift of redefining boundaries in some way; many were significant trailblazers who saw their role as establishing a new order.

Previously, Jupiter and Saturn were trine one another in 1993-1994 (Libra to Aquarius; then Scorpio to Pisces in three contacts). Then they were trine again in 2007 and 2008 (Sagittarius to Leo, then Capricorn to Virgo in five contacts). When they are trine next in 2026, it will be from Leo to Aries.

— Written by Eric Francis

Gemini Full Moon, Sun Conjunct the Galactic Core

Mars entered Libra Saturday — an energy we’re just beginning to get acquainted with, but which we’ll come to know intimately in the coming months (including through a long retrograde). It’s a complex placement for Mars, whose expression can swing the arms of (Venus-ruled) Libra’s scale from one extreme to another, calling for patience and diplomacy as we relate to each other.

In fact, those qualities are always worth practicing any time we approach a Full Moon (the Gemini Full Moon is Tuesday, Dec. 17). This monthly opposition between the Sun and the Moon heightens emotions and reactions between us and our partners, coworkers and friends — thanks to the light of the Sun (consciousness) projecting onto and being reflected back by the Moon (the subconscious). In other words, we see something about ourselves reflected back at us by others, and that can be provocative in relationships.

Planet Waves
Shop window, Portland, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

The Gemini Full Moon is exact at 4:28 am EST Tuesday, with the Sun in late Sagittarius and the Moon in late Gemini. With the Sun very close to its annual conjunction to the core of our galaxy, the sense intensifies that ‘there’s more to this life’ than what we usually perceive. It stokes an urge to explore — whether distant lands, inner worlds, a new corner of your neighborhood or the bounds of your perception.

The Moon won’t get to Gemini until 1:41 am EST on Sunday, Dec. 15 (it entered Taurus yesterday, Dec. 12, at 3:40 pm — making the weekend excellent for taking sensual breaks from your Christmas shopping for beautiful things, and then for extra fun, balancing your checkbook).

Once the Moon is in Gemini, it loses some of its sensual-emotional flavor and detaches a little into an airier mode — better for talking about anything at all. The emotions get filtered through the mind, and could just as easily go one way as another. That tendency is worth noting, as the Full Moon will be in aspect to an asteroid (Juno) and a centaur planet (Nessus) that are conjunct in Aquarius.

In Aquarius, both Juno and Nessus speak of crystallized social expectations around relationships (especially regarding jealousy, marriage, sexuality and abusive behavior), which we’ve internalized from endless conditioning — and the potential to give them a push and update our files. The Gemini Moon is trine these two objects, suggesting ease — and that you could just as easily stay set in those patterns and cling to those social expectations as not.

Or, you could use the mutable-sign energy of Gemini and Sagittarius to light a fire under these expectations; melt them, evaporate them, shatter them, morph them — whatever works. The Sagittarius Sun is also in a helpful aspect to Juno and Nessus (a sextile). You have to make some conscious effort to use that energy. But if you’re willing to take what you’re learning with the broader perspective, fiery spirit and bold calling offered by the Sagittarius Sun, you might find your choices are not only truer to who you are, they make the world a little larger for you to explore.

— Written by Amanda Painter.

 

Planet Waves

The Opposite of Progress is Congress, but They Pass a Budget

After wasting most of 2013 on fake abortion laws, pretending to repeal the Affordable Care Act and shutting down the federal government, the House of Representatives yesterday approved a federal budget that covers spending for the next 21 months. The plan was passed by the House 322 in favor to 94 against. House members then went home for the holidays, hoping they had done something that would save them from their 1% approval rating.

While the plan represents progress — for example, it prevents the kind of government shutdown that we just experienced — it does little to address real problems with the balance between spending and revenues. It calls for no new taxes, a topic which seems to be a political taboo in these years, leading you to pay more income tax than General Electric.

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Woo hoo! We finally got something done, even if it wasn’t very much.

The new law, which has to be passed by the Senate and signed by Pres. Obama, does not extend unemployment benefits that run out at the end of the year. The Farm Bill was not extended, though the supposed “dairy cliff” was not reached — that is, milk prices will remain subsidized and not double, as threatened; food stamps for the poor (including many veterans) will be cut.

The right wing spin machine spun into action immediately, attacking the plan as (among other things) something that would destroy the American Dream. House Speaker John Boehner actually went on the offensive against right wing organizations (such as the Heritage Foundation) that he said were trying to use members of Congress to advance their own agenda.

The deal seems to have been brokered, at least symbolically, by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash). In the beginning of the negotiations Murray’s proposed $975 billion in new tax revenue projected $1.85 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade. Ryan’s approach was to block increased taxes, calling for balancing the budget with cuts to Medicare.

The deal that was reached sets discretionary spending at $1.012 trillion, which will then rise to $1.014 trillion in fiscal 2015. It also replaces sequester cuts slated to take effect in January with more specific spending cuts. The sequester relief is set at $63 billion with $85 billion in total savings — a tiny amount of money by federal standards.

Also, new federal employees will have to pay more into their pension plans to the tune of $6 billion. Another provision of the law leaves the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba open.

What the deal does not include is raising the debt ceiling, which is being pushed off until next spring — leaving the door open for Republicans to throw in another red herring. The debt ceiling is the borrowing limit that the government imposes on itself, under which funds are used to pay back old debts.

Reaching the debt ceiling can shut down the government on its own, thought that’s less likely to happen due to repercussions to the federal government’s bond rating.

 

Planet Waves

Homeland Insecurity: Military Mindset Driving Police/Civilian Clashes

In Charlotte, North Carolina, it was a man seeking help after a car accident. In Des Moines, Iowa, a 19-year-old driving recklessly on a college campus in a truck he’d stolen from his dad. In Escambia County, Florida, it was a 60-year-old man in his own driveway. In Texas, yet another college student driving recklessly.

Planet Waves
If they were wearing white, they’d look like the Storm Troopers they are; police break up demonstrators protesting the May 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago. Photo: Norbert Schiller/Mint Press.

Relatively small mistakes — resembling someone a complaint has been filed against; failing to coherently identify yourself; behaving in an agitated manner; or brandishing absolutely anything at all that could be mistaken for a weapon — get civilians shot by police with rising regularity.

In extreme cases, such as that of a New Mexico cop who shot at a minivan full of children after a traffic stop, the episodes result in a cop’s being fired; far more often, officers are placed on “paid administrative leave” while an investigation takes place.

Shootings are but one symptom of an ugly divide between civilians and paid enforcers. Revelations accumulate: in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ATF officers went to great lengths to make cases by blatantly manipulating disabled teens. “Zero-tolerance” policies have become a basis for harassment, as happened in Miami Gardens, Florida, or in the case of New York City’s “stop and frisk” mandate.

As Fourth Amendment rights erode in the era of pervasive NSA spying and a steady stream of returning combat personnel turn to careers in civilian enforcement, as even small-town police departments are encouraged and funded by the Department of Homeland Security in acquiring military equipment like armored vehicles and grenade launchers, there has been little to no corresponding growth in any effort to equip police with the skills of non-violent conflict resolution.

Other systemic factors in play include forfeiture procedures that allow police departments to keep seized assets regardless of legal outcomes and private prisons that contractually require states to keep prison cells full. Just how extreme do things have to get before we take steps to correct the police state we’re living in?

 

Planet Waves

Evidence Found that Organic Whole Milk Increases Heart Health

A Washington State University research professor, Charles Benbrook, and his team on Monday released a study finding that organic whole milk has more omega-3 fatty acids, beneficial for the heart, than conventional milk. The study is the first large-scale nationwide study of the fatty acids in organic and conventional milk. Scientists looked at 220 organic milk samples from the Organic Valley cooperative and 164 conventional milk samples.

Planet Waves
If it’s not organic milk, you might as well be… Photo: LadyDrgonflyCC/Wikimedia Commons.

At issue is the ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in organic versus conventional milk. Omega-3 is the fatty acid most needed for heart health, and overall health, with omega-6 (and omega-9) being less beneficial.

In the modern American diet, the use of soybean and corn oil in fried and processed foods, and the amounts we eat of these types of food, have dramatically increased the intake of omega-6 and -9, and decreased the intake of omega-3.

Conventional milk had an average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 5.8, and organic milk had a ratio of 2.3. Organic milk had 25% less omega-6 fatty acids and 62% more omega-3 fatty acids than conventional milk. The organic milk also had high concentrations of the individual types of omega-3 fatty acids, too, the authors wrote.

The study “provides consumers with some pretty powerful evidence that choosing full-fat dairy products is going to help bring about a greater degree of balance” between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, said Benbrook, lead author of the study at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University.

Increasing full-fat organic dairy products alone won’t make you heart-healthy, the authors point out. That and eating less food containing vegetable oil may, however, by dramatically improving the diet’s omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

A crucial difference — and one that was noted by Benbrook — is that cows on organic farms are grass-fed and pastured (their natural method of feeding) and are rBGH and antibiotic-free. Cows on conventional dairy farms are fed grain (containing pesticides), are pastured less and receive pharmaceuticals as part of their regular diet, even when healthy.

So a glass of ordinary milk is a cup of dead mucous, water, proteins and pus, contaminated by drugs, hormones and genetically modified material. Just yummy.

 

Planet Waves

It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Caught Spying

In the latest news stemming from Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, online gamers geeking out the world over have been the targets of U.S. and British spies.

Planet Waves
Yep, she’s gotta be FBI. But are the big furry things CIA or terrorists? Image: Blizzard Entertainment.

Games such as the crazy-popular “World of Warcraft” have internal messaging systems that allow gamers — also known to the spooks as ‘potential terrorists and informers’ — to communicate to each other undetected. Or so they thought.

It is unknown at this time just how much personal information spies were able to collect — though so far, according to documents acquired by The Guardian UK, no counterterrorism successes have been reported.

Yet apparently while running around virtual lands populated by magical creatures, digital ladies with impossible breasts and so on, the government’s undercover gamers had to take steps not to inadvertently spy on each other:

“So many C.I.A., F.B.I. and Pentagon spies were hunting around in Second Life, the document noted, that a ‘deconfliction’ group was needed to avoid collisions,” noted a New York Times article this week.

It’s bad enough that the GPS data from our phones is being collected, tracing our every move, and that the NSA uses Google cookies to track which porn sites we visit. Now we can’t even play video games without being snooped on?

In related news, Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo! have written an open letter to President Obama and Congress calling for the need to reform surveillance practices around the globe, citing the violation of U.S. Constitutional rights, and based on five principles addressing all governments. You can read their stance at ReformGovernmentSurveillance.com — and decide for yourself whether they’re more concerned about individual liberties or their own bottom lines.

 

Planet Waves

Climate Activists Risk Life and Liberty As Resistance Grows

Last year, amid the fuss over the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar and the possible ‘end of the world’, four women in Canada organized a teach-in about fossil fuel extraction and indigenous rights that would grow into Idle No More, one of the largest resistance movements in Canadian history, and spark solidarity demonstrations in the U.S., Europe and Australia.

 

Planet Waves
The founders of Idle No More: Jessica Gordon, Sylvia McAdam, Sheelah McLean and Nina Wilson.

Around the world, as petro-capitalism ramps up its assault on the environment and basic human rights, citizen resistance has been growing, too. Nonviolent blockades and encampments have sprung up in Montana, Oregon and Texas, in Romania and the U.K., in Taiwan and Tanzania.

Authorities have been pushing right back on behalf of their paymasters, exposing still more of the ugly face of greed.

The arrest of the Arctic 30, Greenpeace activists who climbed on an oilrig in Russia in September, sparked solidarity protests in 30 cities across India. Clashes between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and activists in New Brunswick have solidified opposition to fracking throughout the province and across Canada.

Riot police and private forces in the employ of Chevron have been beating and incarcerating protesters in the poverty-stricken Romanian village of Pungesti, sparking still greater resistance.

Romanian environmental defender Alex Summerchild sums it up:

“We know that if we do not defeat them they will leave behind a poisoned landscape where we and our animals can no longer survive … We also know we can win, if only we fight hard enough.”

Extreme Is The New Normal as Planet Convulses

Publications like Forbes and The Wall Street Journal may still be able to find writers who’ll debate the narrow issue of whether carbon emissions are driving global climate change, but ordinary citizens facing hail the size of boulders, unprecedented tornadoes and typhoons, fires, floods and beaches littered with dying sea creatures have little doubt that the planet’s trying to tell us something.

Planet Waves
Survivors of typhoon Haiyan walk through the remains of Tacloban city, Philippines, on Nov. 10. Photo: Bullit Marquez/AP.

In January, Las Vegas froze while folks in New Hampshire took off their jackets. Los Angeles saw record highs and lows in the same month and, in one instance, in different places on the same day. And just this month, as much of the U.S. experiences frigid arctic air, Alaska’s been experiencing record high temps. In between, anything could happen and usually did; these are just a few highlights:

The northern hemisphere experienced record cold temperatures last spring, which climate researchers tied to a major loss of arctic sea ice.

Summer brought seven times the usual number of dying dolphins to beaches on the East Coast. Meanwhile a raging wildfire season in the west consumed some four million acres, including the Rim fire that threatened Yosemite, and in September, Colorado’s Front Range saw catastrophic flooding (Planet Waves coverage here and here).

Sea stars (starfish) are dying off and dissolving in massive numbers everywhere along the west coast of North America.

In late October, a severe coastal storm brought rare hurricane-force winds to the U.K. and Western Europe, in a “stormageddon” event that killed 13 and was nicknamed after St. Jude, patron saint of hopeless causes.

In November, Typhoon Haiyan decimated the central provinces of the Phillipines (Planet Waves coverage here); later in the month, seven volcanoes in widely scattered locations erupted almost simultaneously, one creating an entirely new island off the coast of Japan.

Fasten your seat belts, folks, and keep those emergency kits handy. It seems highly unlikely that we can expect things to return to “normal” anytime soon — if ever.

 

Planet Waves

Continuing Coverage: Women’s Healthcare, Military Sexual Assault

Women’s health care rights and the military’s handling of sexual assault have been hotly contested topics this year, and this week brought more news. In the first category, Michigan has become the ninth state to approve a measure requiring insurance companies to charge extra fees for abortion coverage.

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The legal counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at a hearing in Washington, D.C., June 4, 2013. Photo: AP.

Such insurance is often referred to as “rape coverage,” since it requires women to buy special policy riders. A report by the Guttmacher Institute outlines the various ways states are restricting abortion coverage under the Affordale Care Act insurance exchanges, both for private insurance policies and for public employees.

As Michigan state senator Gretchen Whitmer pointed out this week, the law basically demands that women “plan ahead and financially invest in healthcare coverage for potentially having their bodies violated and assaulted.”

Michigan’s pro-life Republican governor Rick Snyder actually vetoed a similar measure passed by lawmakers earlier this year, saying it went too far and interfered with the private insurance market. However the current law was a voter initiative, and does not require Snyder’s signature.

Meanwhile, in continuing coverage of sexual assault in the U.S. military, a Pentagon policy has been approved by Congress that will keep military sexual assault cases within the chain of command. This comes despite vigorous efforts by Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and others to take sexual assault cases out of the let’s-cover-our-asses good ol’ boys’ club, and instead appoint independent military prosecutors.

The policy includes new protections, including not allowing officers to overturn jury verdicts in sexual assault cases — but it’s not enough. As Planet Waves reported earlier this year, approximately 19,000 military sexual assaults were reported in 2011, with fewer than one in 10 perpetrators held accountable in any way.

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves

Metro Meteor’s original paintings may be a little harder to come by since his newfound fame via NPR last month, but you can enjoy some of his art in your home — and still support retired racehorse adoption — through ecologically produced pillows and tote bags. Image: “Spumoni” by Metro Meteor.

 

Who Says Centaurs Aren’t Real?

Metro Meteor was a promising racehorse until recurring bone chips in his knees (partly congenital, but likely made worse by racing) put an end to his demanding athletic career. Adopted by Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, artist Ron Krajewski and his wife, Wendy, to ride for pleasure, it soon became clear that his knees could not even take a rider. The Krajewskis were told that within two years, Metro Meteor’s knees would lock up — and he would have to be put down.

But Ron Krajewski noticed the horse’s tendency to bob his head and decided to try putting a paintbrush in his mouth and a canvas in front of him, and Metro Meteor’s new art career took off. Better still, with the money from his paintings, the Krajewskis were able to afford an experimental treatment that has reversed the bone spur growth in his knees.

Now, Metro Meteor’s paintings sell so well his humans are able to donate half the proceeds to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, helping other retired racehorses find new, loving homes. Chiron might not be one of the centaur planets the Sun is currently conjoining in Sagittarius, but chances are “the wounded healer” is looking fondly on this real-life centaur’s work.

 

Planet Waves

Nelson Mandela — Return to Orius and a Musical Tribute to the Anti-Apartheid Movement

Link to program.

Before I introduce this week’s awesome edition of Planet Waves FM, first a reminder that LISTEN, your 2013 annual reading, is open to all readers and listeners as our gift this week through the weekend). All 12 signs and rising signs, written and audio, are open to everyone.

Planet Waves
Nelson Mandela and the flag of the African National Congress.

This edition is a tribute to the music of the anti-Apartheid movement, to Nelson Mandela and the extraordinary astrology of the newly discovered centaur planet Orius. My ideas for what music to play came from both my readers and also the LA Times pop music critic Randall Roberts (visit his compilation here).

I discuss Mandela’s chart as well — you can find one version of the chart here.

Later in the program, I discuss the collection of planets gathered in Sagittarius, which you can see here as a graphic or here as a list from Serennu.com.

Because this edition addresses delineating the minor planet Orius and also many other points in Sagittarius, here is a link to an article about how that is done, which I wrote for The Mountain Astrologer in 2012.

 

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Have you pre-ordered your 2014 readings by Eric Francis yet? The Mars Effect (our 16th annual edition!) will be out in January, and will include in-depth audio and written readings for your Sun, Moon and rising signs. We always receive a flood of positive feedback for these readings, and it shows just how meaningful they are. One customer wrote, “I’m so grateful to you for the illumination and the reassurance this reading has bestowed.” We’re offering you a special package price of $79 for all twelve signs, available only to current Planet Waves members. Or you may purchase individual signs for $19.95.

 

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Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

We published the extended monthly horoscope for December Friday, Nov. 29. Inner Space for November was published Friday, Nov. 1. Moonshine for the Sagittarius New Moon was published Tuesday, Nov. 26. We published Moonshine for the Gemini Full Moon Tuesday, Dec. 10. Please note, we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign; Inner Space usually publishes the following Tuesday.

 


Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Dec. 13, 2013, #979 | By Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Don’t let your idealism be used against you. You have plenty of it right now; you seem to be fully conscious that there is a future and that you are being shown what is possible. You know that you have much more potential than you’re expressing now. Others are picking up on that, and you may have noticed that your enthusiasm is contagious. You will make some genuine friends now who may co-create some beautiful things, and travel with you for quite a while. Be aware that not everyone’s positive response is equally deep or meaningful. In your excitement you may be vulnerable to being taken advantage of, or being told things that you want to hear. Therefore, be discerning. Channel your positive vibes in deliberate ways, be conscious of how you allocate your resources and make sure that others back up their words with actions before you invite them in on your plans.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You seem to be making up your mind about something, trying to sort out your original impulses from what your past conditioning is telling you. This could be a longterm career or life-path question, though it’s connected to a deeper spiritual issue. I think it’s a good idea to consider the possibilities, especially what you would do if you could do anything at all. Then you can refine and narrow down the possibilities. While you’re doing this, be aware of the sometimes subtle shades of what you’re saying to yourself and what is being said to you from people in the past who lacked your sense of potential and, moreover, your devotion to self-esteem. Those who came here before you may have been snagged in the trap that the only thing possible today is what was possible yesterday. You have other ideas.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Pull in the reins on your spending. I know it’s the holiday season and you may be feeling generous, and like you want to make an impression on people. I would count that as sincere. With gifts, it really is the thought that counts — not the thought that you did anything, but rather that you actually considered who a person is and therefore what would have real meaning. Gifts really matter, and when they are conscious, they can convey a message of acknowledgement and affirmation. And they don’t need to be expensive to do that. This also counts for the gifts you give yourself, and the way you support your own efforts. Over the next few months you’re going to learn a lot about value, finances and shared resources. Many of these will be once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities; treat them as precious.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You may feel inclined to talk, and even to reveal some of your secrets; you have a lot brewing around in there and it will feel good to let some of it out. I suggest you be aware what you’re sharing with whom. Select appropriate people when you want to open up — those who you know are most inclined to receive and appreciate you; those who you know will give you space to be yourself. If you’re going to experiment with that, start in small ways and feel the response. The thing is, the energy over the next few days, as the Full Moon reaches its peak, has anything but a selective, reserved or cautious feeling to it. As the Moon aspects the chart for your sign, it lights up an inner world that you may have never considered, and the idea that you don’t need to have so many secrets, or any at all. Still, take a moment to feel the relationship into which you’re expressing yourself.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are a creative and sexual powerhouse right now, and the more you want to be one, the more energy you will dial in. Once you get going it will be difficult to stop, or more likely, you will wonder why you would have to stop. You might want to consider things like whether you need to get up in the morning or alternately, whether you can rearrange your schedule to accommodate your passion. The crest of the wave is from Friday through the peak of the Full Moon on Tuesday of next week. You have a rare opportunity on your hands to explore and stretch your potential; if you’ve been feeling blocked or restrained in any way, this is the time to break through to the next level. While this particular cosmic wave passes through pretty quickly, it’s tapping into much deeper forces that will be with you for a long time.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.
Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — The past is much closer than you may think, which means that resolving old problems and tapping into your reservoir of experience are also closer than you may think. You are working through a legacy that has been passed to you by prior generations; this is true of everyone, but it’s an especially vivid aspect of your life experience. Anything you have to say to your ancestors — parents, grandparents and beyond — say it now, whether these people are in-body or not. Consider the idea that some of the more messed-up people in your family line (particularly those who are deceased) are now aware of the problems they caused for you, and are willing to provide help from the ‘other side’. You will open up to that help if you remember that you are never dealt a disadvantage without some corresponding gift of power. It’s your choice what to emphasize.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Any sense of being emotionally stuck deserves a closer look. This may manifest as feeling more complicated than usual, hesitating expressing yourself, having anxiety attacks related to your personal security or feeling like your sexual energy is blocked. What you’re feeling is starting as one thing and then as it bubbles up to the surface, expresses itself as something else. So I suggest you not be overly concerned with the form that any of your emotions are taking, but rather that you go deeper and see if you can learn more about the source of the energy. One possibility is that you’re feeling the extent to which you’re dependent on others for affirmation. That in turn may be a manifestation of some abandonment fears that are usually concealed below the surface. You might test your perceptions against a simple question of how this relates to that particular theme. Remember, too, that guilt is never what it seems to be; it always travels incognito.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — There are at least two sides to the current intrigue, and rather than see one as right and one as wrong, try to see matters from all points of view. You will not lose anything by doing this, so you can afford not to be insecure. By seeing all sides, I mean really considering the different positions involved, giving them each the benefit of the doubt. This will help you step away from the influence of someone to whom it seems you’ve handed over your power. While that may seem frustrating, your ability to see the situation from many points of view will prove to be empowering. You may have the notion that if you exert your awareness or authority over yourself, some sensitive issue or secret is going to be used against you, though I don’t think that’s true. Just don’t remind anyone of anything you don’t want them to know.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are the master of your destiny, but for that to have any meaning, you must remain in fidelity to what you know is right and true for you. That means understanding your motives and setting aside anything driven by jealousy, the sense of being unfairly treated or thinking that someone else is supposed to meet your needs. Anything of that general variety is a ruse or a distraction, a kind of ego game that can block you from awareness of your true strength. This is a moment when your choices have more power than you can imagine; when you have more personal influence than you’ve ever acknowledged; and when the karmic stakes are unusually high. Therefore, this is a time to think your options through and to make your choices carefully. Small decisions can lead to great things, though that’s too much power for most people to handle.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You must be bursting at the seams of your soul. You are being flooded with etheric energy, which seems to have its source deep inside you. This is opening up what you can think of as a direct spiritual connection to something that seems beyond yourself — though you’re really seeing, and experiencing, what you’re made of. But…spiritual? I know, it hardly seems like an accurate way to describe the diversity of strange, steamy, potentially socially transgressive thoughts that are coming through you. These could also be manifesting as fear, though if so, that would be a sign of resistance. You might have the idea that if you let yourself indulge just a little, you will lose control entirely (and this idea didn’t come from you). You are safe witnessing and feeling whatever is coming to the surface of your consciousness. I suggest you not seek others for validation, but use this occasion as a reminder that who you are is natural, and that if freedom means anything, that would include the freedom to know yourself.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You’re probably aware that you have the reputation among your friends of being an advanced soul. You know what you must go through in order to maintain your sense of balance and to resolve the inner wrinkles and twists that seem so natural to who you are. This may, at times, lead to you feeling like there is a contradiction between how others see you and who you are inwardly. There are moments when you might feel like a hypocrite for not living up to the ideals that others perceive of you. Events of the next few days will go a long way toward allaying any such fears. It is your transparency that people respect the most; what you may not recognize is that people close to you, and even those who just meet you, already understand that you’re a complex individual with many inner dimensions and contradictions. These are nothing to hide from but rather something to embrace. People love you and you can love yourself.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — I suggest you take full advantage of the professional reputation you’ve built. You might hesitate, because to own your reputation would mean to invoke a kind of personal power, perhaps claim an entitlement or to exert influence onto others. This would only be a problem if you have some value that conflicts with it, such as the belief that it’s not right to impose your will or even your vision onto people. That would be a valid issue if you could actually do it. In truth, everyone chooses what influence they want to accept. Everyone has volition and the right to decide what works for them. Therefore, it matters not whether you influence one person or a million people; it amounts to the same thing. The universe does not care whether you’re mildly successful, wildly successful or struggling to succeed — though it matters considerably to you. Therefore, be proud of what you’ve achieved, step into your strength and creativity, and trust that your positive message (and example) will benefit everyone — though especially you.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

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The Orius New Moon

Dear Friend and Reader:

This past Monday, the Sagittarius New Moon was conjunct a newly discovered centaur planet called Orius. The Moon-Sun conjunction was to the exact degree, which is usually a good moment to suss out some clues regarding what the new point is about. Technically called (330836) Orius, it was discovered on April 25, 2009, and named only recently.

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A centaur is a Chiron-like planet, distinct for being smallish, and with an inclined path that crosses the orbits of other planets. They are much further from the Sun than asteroids, but are still inner Solar System objects, many with orbits going inside Saturn’s realm and only rarely extending beyond Neptune. All centaurs focus or intensify experience, are related to healing processes and bring what Carl Jung called shadow material to the surface. If used consciously, they are some of the best creative fuel available.

Orius was discovered at 3+ Scorpio, exactly opposite the Chiron discovery degree. It has an orbit of just over 100 years, so it has another close resonance with Chiron, whose orbit is just over 50 years. I prefer to publish something about these points before a potentially once-in-a-lifetime event such as a New Moon conjunct the new discovery, but this time I got going on my research the weekend before it happened. [To read an article on how newly-discovered minor planets are delineated, check this PDF.]

I had some excellent help on the project. At one end of Europe, in Wales, Tracy Delaney, the programmer and author of Serennu.com (recently rated the best astrology secret on the web), went to work researching the charts in which this point appears, and helping come up with a delineation. At the other end of Europe, in Finland, Kirsti Melto, a minor planet researcher and Planet Waves blogger, began searching for personal and event charts connected to Orius.

Orius turned up as a prominent influence in the charts of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (who both have it conjunct Eris and the Moon), Pablo Picasso, James Dean, French surrealist poet Arthur Rimbaud, American rock star and surrealist poet Jim Morrison (who said he was the reincarnation of Rimbaud), Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. In many ways their lives have defined eras of history, taking their professional lives to the level of profound cultural contribution.

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All of these men are or were unusually influential people — bold innovators, each of whom changed the world in some significant way, all of whom as young men. Note, no women came up on our rapid survey, but that sometimes happens because astrology birth databases often have far fewer women than men. That is an issue that needs to be addressed.

This new centaur planet is also prominent in the life history of Malcolm X, and one of my very favorite Supreme Court decisions, the one that bans politicians from suing newspapers for libel, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. Orius seems to have an affinity for top-notch iconoclastic art, social justice and activists who don’t take any bullshit.

Orius also turned up in the chart of Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, who reunified the country after many decades under the Apartheid regime. Orius seems to have an affinity for the Moon and Jupiter in the charts of influential people; in Mandela’s chart Jupiter is opposing it (accurate to a tiny fraction of a degree) and many other planets are in aspect to it.

The forced separation of blacks and whites in South Africa was one of the great blights on the world, and one of the most important political issues of the 1970s and early 1980s. Apartheid was largely brought down by activists who demanded that one institution after the next — banks, universities, corporations, pension funds, cities, towns, states, countries, whatever — divest their funds from anyone doing business with South Africa.

After being enriched for decades by numerous capitalist entities, Apartheid was, under public pressure, finally starved of money and died not a day too soon.

Through all of this, South Africa’s most compelling leader, Nelson Mandela, was in prison, first on Robben Island, then Pollsmoor Prison, then Victor Verster Prison. Under global pressure he was finally released in 1990. He served as president of the African National Congress from 1991 to 1997, and as president of South Africa from May 1994 through June 1999.

It is fair to say that he has become one of the most respected men of our extended era of history, for his contribution to peace, for his wisdom and compassion and for his willingness to endure hardship and oppression. First arrested in 1962, he served nearly a third of his long life in prison, much of it doing hard labor and in solitary confinement. While at Robben Island, he was permitted one letter and one visitor every six months.

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Throughout that time, he and his fellow inmates took part in work and hunger strikes as part of the anti-Apartheid struggle.

Planet Waves copy editor and horoscope coordinator Jessica Keet grew up in South Africa until she was 23. “I for sure knew nothing of the apartheid struggle or not in depth anyway,” she said Thursday — something I had not considered, that young caucasian people were not told what was going on around them.

But still as a schoolgirl she remembers writing FREE MANDELA on her pencil case. She admired Mandela in part because “he came out of 27 years in jail with no trace of bitterness whatsoever.”

“In a way I had never quite comprehended before, I realized the role I could play in court and the possibilities before me as a defendant,” he said in 1994, describing how he handled his trial.

“I was the symbol of justice in the court of the oppressor, the representative of the great ideals of freedom, fairness and democracy in a society that dishonoured those virtues. I realized then and there that I could carry on the fight even in the fortress of the enemy.”

In his inaugural speech the same year, he said, “The task at hand will not be easy. But you have mandated us to change South Africa from a country in which the majority lived with little hope, to one in which they can live and work with dignity, with a sense of self-esteem and confidence in the future.”

Nelson Mandela’s natal chart is noteworthy mostly for its sensitivity. He was born with the Sun in Cancer, the Moon in Scorpio and Eris in late Pisces. There are not a lot of people left on the planet who have Eris in Pisces (nearly everyone has it in Aries, where it still is today).

Also in Cancer is a conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto, one of my favorite pairings, which I call the Golden Thread aspect. It gives a thirst for social justice as well as the ability to translate fluently among and between any spiritual or religious paths. Jupiter and Pluto were opposed by Orius, which distinguished Mandela as an innovator. Mars in Libra square that alignment illustrates a fighting spirit, but done in a beautiful way, in the spirit of Libra.

In the mix (also in Libra, very closely square Jupiter and Orius) is one of the first-discovered centaurs, called Asbolus, which I describe as the survivor. Its name means carbon dust, and people with strong Asbolus in their charts seem able to withstand very nearly any adversity, dust themselves off and get on with their lives.

Planet Waves
Nelson Mandela, with his wife, Winnie, walks to freedom after 27 years in prison on Feb. 11, 1990, in Cape Town.

This arrangement, finally, is squared by a Chiron-Nessus conjunction, in Aries, right near the Aries Point. Mandela had a lot of centaurs working with his Mars, Jupiter and Pluto. No wonder he was a powerhouse, and one who seemed to understand everyone and everything.

He also has clusters of planets in Gemini and Leo, which describe how articulate, self-aware and strong he was — and which hint that his wisdom was coming from someplace long ago and far away.

We might say that the world has lost a beautiful soul in Nelson Mandela, though it’s more appropriate to say that such a person came here, and was not afraid to do his bit.

At some point in the 1990s, a quotation from Marianne Williamson’s book A Return to Love was incorrectly attributed to Mandela, supposedly as part of his inaugural address. Williamson has said she has no idea where the story came from, though in the end, these words always seem to evoke the spirit of Nelson Mandela and I think they always will.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.

“There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So be it.

Lovingly,

Note to Sagittarians and Sagg Rising — I have completed your birthday reading. It’s now available for instant access.

Writing and Editing Credits: News items below are written and edited by a team consisting of Anne Craig, Eric Francis, Elizabeth Michaud, Amanda Painter, Susan Scheck, Chad Woodward and Carol van Strum. Page assembled and coded by Anatoly Ryzhenko. Special thanks to the Fact Checkers List, which goes over each edition on Thursday night — and to our main astrology fact-checker Alex Miller, and Amanda, who goes over all their suggestions. Our editions are also proofread and fact-checked by Jessica Keet.

 

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Jupiter Trine Saturn: Putting Emotional Stability to Use

Note, I covered in some detail the current sign changes of Mercury and Mars as well as the Jupiter-Saturn trine in Wednesday’s blog entry. — efc

Amidst the excitement of Mercury finally leaving Scorpio for Sagittarius this past Wednesday, and Mars entering Libra on Saturday, a cooperative trine aspect has been building between Jupiter and Saturn, and is offering some incredibly useful emotional stability.

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Photo by Amanda Painter.

If life in recent months has been at turns exciting, confusing or simply moving too fast to comprehend, it could be easy to take something like emotional stability for granted. By all means, enjoy it; but we do not live in an era when we can rest on our laurels — or the astrology — for long.

In fact, this trine between retrograde Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Scorpio is about more than just ease in the more fluid parts of ourselves. Jupiter trine Saturn is an aspect to put to work for you. It represents judgment and practicality, inner and outer, working together in a way that can allow you to project into the future your goals and desires, and then work toward them with genuine willingness — and to measurable effect.

In water signs, which represent our emotional bodies, this translates into the ideal time to focus on whatever therapy/counseling/healing goals you have. Especially with Cancer and Scorpio involved, consider issues around how you feel about your home, nurturing others, your mother, being a mother, sex, death, surrender, transformation and any blocks or resistance you have around money. That’s a pretty broad net; there’s a good chance at least one of those topics is ringing a bell or raising your hackles.

The Jupiter-Saturn trine is exact just before 7:31 pm EST on Dec. 12. It will still be in effect a good while after that, but then Jupiter and Saturn will not trine each other again until late May. After that, Jupiter and Saturn will not be trine in a water sign until 2034, when Jupiter is in Pisces and Saturn is in Cancer.

So for the next week or two, see what you can do to get clear on your top one to three goals for emotional/therapeutic exploration, domestic restructuring, sexual evolution (whatever that means to you) or gaining better financial control in your life. These are all high-trigger areas for many people. And while there is distinct benefit to allowing ourselves to be present in our most extreme and unstable (and therefore frightening) emotions, there’s something to be said for the inner work that can get done when you’re not constantly in reaction mode or crisis mode or fear.

Interestingly, at the moment that Jupiter-Saturn is exact next week, the Sun is conjunct Pholus in Sagittarius and approaching the core of our galaxy. Sometimes setting off a ‘chain reaction’ or a ‘big effect with a small cause’ can have its rewards. Putting therapeutic projects in motion in a context of emotional stability is one of those times — especially with a Sagittarius Sun and the Galactic Core drawing our consciousness toward levels beyond ‘normal’.

Written by Amanda Painter.

 

Planet Waves

Worse Than Slavery?* Eh, Not So Much

Last Sunday marked the administration’s self-imposed deadline for repairing the Healthcare.gov website, an effort that seems to have largely succeeded. In the first two days after the repairs were declared complete, the site saw roughly 29,000 new enrollments — about 2,000 more than took place during the entire month of November.

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At a Virginia health fair earlier this fall, a woman inquires about Obamacare. Photo: Jonathan Alcorn/Reuters.

This comes amid a backdrop of emergent truth: the website and the law itself may not be the sensible single-payer plan most progressives would prefer, but many of the worst horror stories associated with its introduction have been revealed to be lies, exaggerations, or the results of underhanded dealings not by the Obama administration but by insurance companies.

In the initial weeks following the launch, site crashes and slow-loading pages caused considerable annoyance to friends and foes alike. Even this, however, has come to look tarnished as a right-wing talking point following revelations that the site experienced 16 cyber-attacks, many conducted with a software attack tool entitled “Destroy Obama Care” that was passed around among right-wingers.

In other horror tales, many people received cancellation notices of their existing insurance plans and were told that higher-priced substitutes were their only options. Some of these stories were discredited when it was revealed that the prospective enrollees could actually get better coverage under the Affordable Care Act; it also became clear that the policies being cancelled did not meet all ACA requirements.

The whole issue was somewhat defused by Obama’s announcement that those who wanted to keep such plans could do so for another year. “We’re not going back,” the president declared on Tuesday, doubling down on an effort to switch the dialogue from tales of woe to success stories.

Insurance companies and conservatives have come to look just a bit silly in their mass freak-out over a law that, progressives point out, they themselves helped to craft.

*Dr. Ben Carson, a conservative African-American neurosurgeon and contributor to FOX News, actually compared the ACA to slavery in October.

Ukrainian Protests Grow Amid Increasing Support

Many thousands of Ukrainians have been demonstrating in Kiev’s Independence Square, in protest of their government’s decision not to sign an open trade agreement with the European Union. Ukrainian special police forces have attempted to crush the uprising with violence — most recently on Sunday, landing dozens of demonstrators and some journalists in the hospital, but demonstrators soon took the square back, employing mace and even a bulldozer in their resistance.

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Protesters pack a square in Kiev, Ukraine. Photo: AP.

The Kiev uprising is the largest of a wave of protests across the country, leading some to speculate about a second Orange Revolution, referring to the 2004 protests that deposed a prime minister. Three post-Soviet Russian presidents have come out in support of the protesters, and on Wednesday they were visited by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who told them that “the gates of the European Union are still open.”

The situation highlights the struggle over the allegiance of the Ukraine, which was the second-largest economy of the Soviet Union before that nation’s dissolution. Ukraine has a strong heavy-industry sector but imports most of its oil and natural gas; the struggle to control those imports, which currently come from Russia, is key to the current conflict.

The Russian government has urged Western countries to stay out of the conflict, which the pro-Moscow Ukrainian government has characterized as a “coup attempt.” Russian president Vladimir Putin has gone farther and styled the dissent as a “pogrom.” So far, all the attempts at suppression have brought still more Ukrainians into the streets. Ukrainian expatriates and their allies are planning solidarity actions in St. Paul, Minnesota, this weekend.

 

Planet Waves

Mystery Surrounding Cause of Arafat’s Death Continues

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s widow said on Tuesday a secret French medical report found that her husband died of natural causes nine years ago, contradicting Swiss findings last month that said he had been poisoned by radioactive polonium-201. However, an intelligence source told Planet Waves that the newer report could be a diversion and was not necessarily true.

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Dec. 3, 2013: Suha Arafat, left, flanked by her French lawyer Pierre Olivier Sur, attend a press conference in Paris, France, on Tuesday. Photo: AP.

The report, part of a French investigation, found evidence of above-average levels of the poison, but said this can be explained by a natural source in the environment contaminating the body, Suha Arafat told a news conference.

Her attorney said even though the report is secret, she was at liberty to announce what she was told about it.

Planet Waves reported last month on the findings from Switzerland’s University Center for Legal Medicine, which suggested strongly that Arafat had died from ingesting polonium. The Swiss team acknowledged that their work was hindered by the lack of biological samples from Arafat and the corruption of some evidence over the past nine years, but they stand by their findings, according to a spokesperson.

 

Planet Waves

GM Study Retracted Amid Questionable Practices

Late last month, the scientific journal Food and Chemical Toxicology retracted the controversial University of Caen rat study article, published in November 2012, wherein rats fed NK603 maize and Roundup displayed toxic effects, higher mortality and increased tumor rates. It was one of the most critical studies to date of the effects of GM products.

Planet Waves
One of Prof. Gilles-Eric Seralini’s rats, which grew tumors after a Roundup and GMO corn diet. Photo: GMO Seralini.

The journal cited a “legitimate cause for concern” with both the low number of animals used and the particular strain of rat selected. It deemed the results inconclusive, and beneath the threshold of publication for the journal.

This came after an orchestrated campaign to discredit the study in the media and persuade the journal to retract it, GreenMedInfo.com reported.

Turns out, however, that Monsanto used the very same number of animals and strain of rat in an attempt to prove the safety of NK603 maize and Roundup in their studies, some of which were published in FCT, according to a statement by Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, the head of the University of Caen study.

“A factual comparative analysis of the rat feeding trial by the Seralini group and the Monsanto trials clearly reveals that if the Seralini experiments are considered to be insufficient to demonstrate harm, logically, it must be the same for those carried out by Monsanto to prove safety,” Seralini said.

“Basically, all previous studies finding adverse effects of GE crops have been treated by regulators with the attitude: only those studies showing adverse effects receive a rigorous evaluation of their experimental and statistical methods, while those that claim proof of safety are taken at face value. All studies that reported no adverse effects were accepted as proof of safety regardless of these manifest (but deemed irrelevant) deficiencies of their methods.”

As if this particular rat didn’t smell bad enough, FCT hired earlier this year an ex-Monsanto employee, Richard E. Goodman, to fill a new editorial position reviewing biotech papers. Goodman, a professor at the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, University of Nebraska, worked at Monsanto from 1997 to 2004, where he assessed the allerginicity and safety of GM crops and published papers on its behalf.

Planet Waves
Prof. Gilles-Eric Seralini in 2009 with some Roundup, which he fed to rats and which is made by Monsanto. Photo: M. Daniau.

“Goodman had no documented connection to the journal until February 2013,” the GreenMedInfo.com article states. “His fast-tracked appointment, directly onto the upper editorial board, raises urgent questions. Does Monsanto now effectively decide which papers on biotechnology are published in FCT? And is this part of an attempt by Monsanto and the life science industry to seize control of science?”

It would not be the first attempt. In the film The World According to Monsanto, Marie-Monique Robin showed how Dr. Arpad Pusztai’s career ended when he revealed on British TV that the GM potato caused organ damage and precancerous cell growth in rats.

How many more attempts will it take before those in the scientific ivory tower reject Monsanto’s strategy of planting former employees in influential positions to advance its interests? Science used rightly is a tremendous tool for improving our lives; used wrongly it has the same capacity to destroy. A discussion on scientific ethics is long overdue and desperately needed; our food supply hangs in the balance.

 

Planet Waves

In Japan, the Solution to Pollution is Censorship

Freedom of press may soon be a thing of the past in Japan. The Designated Secrets Bill was passed by the influential lower house of Parliament last Tuesday, and is expected to glide through the upper house later this month.

Planet Waves
In Tokyo, a spectator at a special Parliamentary hearing in which legislation was voted on that would impose stiffer penalties on those who leak information and journalists who seek it. The sign says, “Information is for people. It is rough-and-ready to deliberate at the Diet.” Photo: Kyodo News.

The bill enables the government to declare information secret when touching on topics of national security, such as defense and anti-terrorism policy. It mandates a severe 10-year prison sentence on journalists found guilty of defying these restrictions, and it also allows police to raid media organizations and seize content.

Japan says it’s passing the law to honor the demands of the United States, which wants to share more secrets with Japan — in the era of Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.

The proposed law would ensure that Japanese officials have unchecked authority to prevent the release of vital information. Considering their refusal to disclose pertinent radiation data in the past two years, the pending law could legalize a system of bureaucratic propaganda.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to strengthen Japan’s state secrets law to tighten control and persuade the U.S. to share military intelligence. Abe’s goal is to revise Japan’s anti-war constitution and to move toward a more fully developed military.

Critics argue that the definition of “secrets” is too vague, and will threaten the constitutional rights of the Japanese people. The bill lacks any provisions for checks and balances — for example, no committee or review board to determine what is deemed secret. In a country where information is often already far from transparent, people fear this could be a move toward dictatorship.

Planet Waves
Protestor against secrecy law is removed from the lower house of Parliament. Photo: Toru Hanai/Reuters.

In a recent Reuters report, Sophia University political science professor Koichi Nakano states that governmental cover-up may be the real purpose of Abe’s bill. Japanese officials are embarrassed by the mishandling of Fukushima Daiichi, and do not want this information clouding the country’s image.

“As things stand, the state gets a more or less free hand in deciding what constitutes a state secret and it can potentially keep things secret forever,” Nakano said.

This poses an imminent threat to public safety, particularly in regard to nuclear fallout from Fukushima. The government has already been reticent in releasing data on radiation pollution since the March 2011 disaster. This bill gives the government a monopoly on relevant information, taking away people’s rights to protect themselves.

During the Fukushima disaster, residents blindly fled straight into the path of the radioactive plume, due to the government’s failure to disclose the forecast of that material. Mayor Tamotsu Baba, of the evacuated town Namie, refers to the negligence of prompt prediction by SPEEDI (System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information) resulting in failed efforts to protect their people.

At the General Meeting of the International Olympic Committee, Abe claimed that the Fukushima accident was under control. Soon it was revealed that the situation was far from controlled, and hundreds of tons of radioactive water continued to flow into the ocean each day.

 

Planet Waves

TEPCO: All is Ducky with Fukushima Unit 4 Fuel Removal

Removal of fuel from the Unit 4 building of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has so far not encountered any serious problems, the utility that owns the plant says.
According to TEPCO, 44 out of 1,533 assemblies have been successfully removed from the fuel pool on the 5th floor of the earthquake-damaged building.

Planet Waves
 

Several weeks ago, Planet Waves described the unprecedented fuel removal process, which is one of the most dangerous maneuvers in the history of nuclear power. One small mishap could result in the fuel reaching critical mass, or burning, spreading the contamination globally and rendering the entire facility unreachable by humans for millennia.

Twenty-two out of 202 unused fuel assemblies and 22 out of 1,331 used assemblies have been safely transferred to fuel racks in the common pool, an on-site storage facility. The transfer of the second set of 22 assemblies was completed last Saturday at 5 pm JST.

Because the fuel removal is so dangerous, and presents many engineering challenges, it could be well over a year before the rest of the fuel is out of the storage pond. Full decommissioning of the plant could take 40 years. A major quake could cause the whole building to collapse.

Media coverage and details on the fuel removal have been sparse, both in the United States and Japan.

Elsewhere on the facility, seemingly endless problems and obstacles have persisted with a hydrochloric acid leak in a pipe joint from one of the three Advanced Liquid Processing Systems — water treatment systems used to filter radiation from the water accumulating at the plant.

Planet Waves
 

TEPCO’s low-tech solution was to wrap a vinyl bag over it and call it good. The system was in trial operation and was scheduled to go into full swing Sunday, but the leak prompted the shutdown of the entire system instead.

However, the acid leak may be the least of concerns. The supposed nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently spent 10 days at the nuclear facility to assess TEPCO’s progress. The IAEA team praised the progress so far, but admitted the complexity of the situation and the long road ahead.

They also concluded that more toxic water should be dumped into the Pacific Ocean, on top of the 300 tons per day of contaminated groundwater leaking into the ocean, according to Juan Carlos Lentijo, who led the IAEA team.

“Controlled discharge is a regular practice in all the nuclear facilities in the world. And what we are trying to say here … is to consider this as one of the options to contribute to a good balance of risks and to stabilize the facility for the long term.”

Nuclear experts agree that eventually such controlled discharges will be inevitable, as the on-site storage of contaminated water [thousands of tons, stored on-site in shoddy containers] becomes increasingly unsustainable. But the idea has come up against strong opposition from local fisherman, other countries and environmental groups.

The IAEA stated that the water must be decontaminated and released in compliance with authorized limits. However, the treatment of the water fails to remove tritium, a radionuclide considered less dangerous than cesium or strontium. The IAEA’s full report of the inspection and assessment will be released by the end of January 2014.

Graphics above are by an anonymous Japanese street artist raising awareness of the environmental impact of Fukushima radiation. His artwork is transferred onto stickers and placed throughout Tokyo. To see the full gallery, visit this link. Reuters recently published an article on the artist.

Fracking Resistance Growing

Protests against shale gas exploration and fracking in New Brunswick were literally on fire as of last Monday, as a resistance movement spearheaded by indigenous Mi’kMaq leaders squared off with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Planet Waves
Leonard Higgins, a climate justice activist, locks his arms around part of a tar sands “megaload” transport vehicle. Photo courtesy Portland Rising Tide.

The protests against Houston-based SWN Resources Canada have resulted in multiple arrests and increasing popular support from a wide cross section of New Brunswick residents.

Liberals in the Canadian parliament are pushing for a fracking ban, but New Brunswick courts have taken the side of SWN. Protesters have responded by blockading a section of highway, burning tires and dancing and singing as they repeatedly inform the media that they’re not going anywhere. Demonstrations in solidarity took place across Canada on Monday.

In Oregon, indigenous activists from the Umatilla Reservation working with members of 350.org and Rising Tide have been blockading their highway against “megaloads” of Canadian tar sands extraction equipment.

And in Romania, police have had to forcibly remove dozens of villagers who camped for two months in peaceful protest on a field slated for fracking exploration by U.S. energy mega-corporation Chevron.

 

Planet Waves

HIV Laws: When Not Telling Is a Crime, But Not Knowing Is Normal

Did you know that 35 U.S. states have laws on the books making it illegal to expose another person to HIV if you are infected, even if there was no transmission of the virus? And that doing so is a felony in 29 states? Or that a person can take active steps to protect a partner from HIV, and still be sentenced to more jail time than many murderers and rapists?

Planet Waves
At least 35 states have criminal laws that punish HIV-positive people for exposing others to the virus, even if they take precautions. See a summary of each state’s laws and responses.

ProPublica, in collaboration with Buzzfeed, this week published an extensive investigative article on the existence of what many believe to be outdated (and even counterproductive) laws surrounding HIV transmission and disclosure, including the history of such laws, how they get misused.

The investigation included an in-depth profile of Nick Rhoades — an Iowa man originally sentenced to 25 years in prison for not disclosing his status to a partner; the sentence was reduced to five years’ probation. Rhoades must remain registered as a sex offender. (Adam Plendl, the partner, did not contract HIV, and both men claim a condom was used.)

Beginning in 1987, shortly after AIDS and HIV were named and brought into public awareness, the first law against intentionally exposing a person to HIV without their “knowing and lawful consent” hit the books in Louisiana. Georgia followed suit the next year, with no mention of “intent.”

At the time, there was a problem with people who had tested HIV positive proceeding to have unprotected sex with others. One study published in the American Journal of Public Health documented as many as one in three such people had unprotected sex even after getting their test results and having the transmission issues explained.

From there, HIV/AIDS criminalization efforts appeared in federal lawmaking discussions. ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council — a conservative non-profit group that drafts draconian legislation for states (for example, ‘stand your ground’ laws) — published prototype statutes in 1989 on HIV/AIDS issues. Among the model legislation was a bill called “HIV Assault Act,” which a number of states used in drafting laws still on the books.

In the 500 cases of people pleading guilty to or being convicted with HIV-specific laws since 2003 that ProPublica collected in its research, only four were aimed at protecting blood and organ supplies. That was the original concern in passing most such laws in the first place.

Planet Waves
Nick Rhoades talks at a PITCH meeting in Waterloo, Iowa, in November. PITCH (Positive Iowans Taking Charge) is a support group for people living with HIV. Rhoades is currently on probation for criminal transmission of HIV. Photo: Stephen Mally.

Focus seems to have shifted, however, in how law enforcement and the courts use the laws. That shift has been creating another layer in the atmosphere of fear that already surrounds HIV — and contributes to ignorance and silence around knowing one’s status.

HIV is no longer the immanent death sentence it once was, but the stigma and fear continue — now aided by social media and exacerbated by law enforcement officials taking over the role perhaps best handled by public health authorities, who argue that criminalization laws as worded and as used only serve to undermine their efforts to convince people to get tested. If you know your status, you can be held legally culpable for not disclosing it.

As one astute commenter stated on the ProPublica site, “What we’ve learned in 30 years of this epidemic is that NOT talking is what spreads HIV. Those of you advocating punishment are advocating the spread of HIV.

“Ultimately what has to be said is that everyone who is not HIV positive is responsible for their own health, because you can’t know if the next person you’re having sex with is positive or not — because they don’t know! This is not ‘blame the victim’ but it is a letting-go of the victim-consciousness that rules our legal system. As long as we think there are ‘blameless victims’ we are not assigning responsibility for ending the epidemic where it belongs.”

 

Planet Waves

Motor City Stalls Out, Bankruptcy Sets Precedent for Cutting Pensions

Detroit, Michigan — once the fourth-largest city in the United States and now 18th — was declared by a federal judge Tuesday to be eligible for bankruptcy. Known as the Motor City, its automobile industry once birthed the middle class; now it faces approximately $18 billion in debt, including $3.5 billion in pension obligations and $6 billion in health care costs.

Unions are big in Detroit, but they may not be big enough to stave off cuts to those pensions as the city figures out how to restructure itself. An average Detroit pensioner receives $19,000, which doesn’t leave much wiggle room for cuts. The problem here is not local. Detroit, rather, is seen as a test project for many other cities facing budget issues and the ongoing burden of pensions.

Planet Waves
Protesters in Detroit point out that slashing pensions is a giveaway to the city and to the banks. Photo: James Fassinger.

Another part of the plan to regain solvency could involve selling off assets such as public utilities and the Detroit Institute of Arts collection to private bidders, but that would raise only chump change in contrast with the city’s problems. Meanwhile, plans to build a nearly half-billion dollar hockey arena for the Detroit Red Wings, at the taxpayers’ expense, are going forward.

Detroit was already struggling financially when the 2008 recession struck a devastating blow to its housing market. At this point, about one third of the city’s 700,000 residents live in poverty, amidst insufficient services and record levels of violent crime.

However, most news outlets are not covering the role of state government in Detroit’s current situation.

In an interview Wednesday on Democracy Now! Wallace Turbeville, senior fellow at Demos and a former Goldman Sachs executive who worked in 1990 to help prevent the city’s credit rating from getting downgraded, explained more.
Kevyn Orr, Detroit’s emergency manager, was appointed against the wishes of the popular vote after the Michigan state legislature and the office of the governor swung far to the right politically in 2010, and passed a law allowing the state to appoint an emergency manager for a city.

An emergency manager is allowed to “basically become a dictator in that city for the duration of any financial crisis,” according to Turbeville.

Turbeville describes tension between the large urban cities in Michigan — which are predominantly African-American, Democrat and high in trade union membership — and the more conservative areas of the rest of the state as a factor in the motives of the largely Tea Party government.

“From a political standpoint, it serves the interest of Governor Snyder and his party to actually undercut the role of trade unions, because they’re the ones that are institutions opposed to his political viewpoint,” says Turbeville.

Whatever the motivations, the people of Detroit have a long, hard road ahead of them — and other large U.S. cities struggling with their revenue now know that the door is open to slash pensions.

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves

The Beauty of Data: Surprising Time-Lapse of Protests

Anyone really getting into the global manifestations of the Uranus-Pluto square and other astrological events linked to activism, citizen unrest and political protest, take note: Penn State doctoral candidate John Beieler created a time-lapse animated visualization of every protest on the planet since 1979. You know how the 1970s are categorized as highly charged, politically? Just wait till the map really gets going in the late 1990s with protests against globalization — and then in the last couple years with the Occupy Movement, environmental actions and more.

 

Planet Waves

Orius New Moon, Mercury and Mars change signs

Link to program.

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I talk about the New Moon conjunct the newly discovered centaur planet Orius, which appears prominently in the charts of many innovators, including Steve Jobs, Ed Snowden and Julian Assange. I also cover Mercury ingressing Sagittarius and Mars ingressing Libra. Additionally, I give a rant on Obamacare and talk about the chart of the Metro-North train wreck. My musical guest is Hudson Valley-based Sasha Pearl, an extraordinary artist whose work you can explore on her website. For additional resources and the chart, please see the full post.

 

Planet Waves

We are happy to offer once again one of our most popular products: the Planet Waves All-Access Pass for 2014. The All-Access Pass is for members who want access to everything we offer in a calendar year. In recent years our product line has grown considerably, and the response from our All-Access subscribers has been overwhelmingly positive. You can read about everything that’s included with an All-Access pass here. For those who can’t get enough Planet Waves astrology, it’s an unbeatable value.

 

Planet Waves

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

We published the extended monthly horoscope for December Friday, Nov. 29. Inner Space for November was published Friday, Nov. 1. We published Moonshine for the Taurus Full Moon Tuesday, Nov. 12. Moonshine for the Sagittarius New Moon was published Tuesday, Nov. 26. Please note, we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign; Inner Space usually publishes the following Tuesday.

 


Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, #978 | By Eric Francis
 

This is an Oracle edition of the horoscope — the sign readings have been selected from the archives by our Oracle program, one of the favorite subscriber features we offer. Regular horoscopes will resume next week.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You are experiencing far too much anxiety for your own good. Worrying will not get the job done, besides which, you cannot rightly expect anything much to resolve itself with the planets in their current state. So please stop worrying. You are only wasting precious energy you could be allocating to sitting under a tree or hiding in the back of your favorite cafe scribbling in your notebook. I can assure you that as the next four weeks progress, each issue you are dealing with will resolve itself one by one. This will not be by magic, but miracles that arise from love, not fear.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Ideas, revelations, solutions and numerous projects are flying circles around your head like jetliners around LAX. I suggest you let them land one at a time. No matter what you feel, you can’t actually do more than one thing at once. But you can do one thing at a time extremely effectively, and you can do it with a level of mastery quite beyond your years or experience. In fact the current moment is an opportunity to do some of the best work of your life. So keep burning the midnight oil.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — When my grandfather was working as a letter carrier in New York City, he was approached by a colleague with an idea: each would put up about $50 and they would have a pushcart where they would sell bagels with cream cheese, filled with crushed nuts. My grandfather thought it was too risky to get involved. The business became Chock Full o’ Nuts, and unfortunately, I am not one of its heirs. There really is no telling what’s a potentially lucrative venture in our time in history, but for your part, it needs to be more than a good idea. You must set out to make your fortunes not just in something you think will work, but in what you know will serve the community in a vital way that depends on your unique constellation of talents. You know it’s possible.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — There are two potent influences working in your solar chart this week. One is giving you a profound sense of certainty; the other, a troubling sense of doubt. You may wonder how these two factors can coexist simultaneously. You may wonder which to listen to; indeed, which is the truth. But I suggest you not rush or push for an answer. You need to look at the alternatives you face. Moreover, you need to understand the source of your doubts about yourself. When you catch a glimpse of that factor, a lot of things will make a lot more sense.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — A relationship is looking for some extra space within your household or living space. This may account for the pressure you’re feeling. It’s not enough to clear things up on the mental or emotional levels; the physical plane needs a lot of attention these days, and in your life right now that means freeing up a room or finding a space to spend time where there is enough room to have some freedom and uninterrupted time. The emotional challenges still persist — but will be easier in a clean, well-lighted place.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — In Western culture only rarely do we seem to get beyond the equation “you are what you do.” But how far from the truth is that? Yes, doing can exist on several levels, for example, as affirmation of what you know, or denial of it. You seem intent to make your reputation in the world and you are poised to succeed in a very big way. You have likely heard hints or seen glimpses of what is possible, and you may be wondering whether you deserve the recognition, the privilege and the authority that you feel coming. There is no question here. Remember what you’ve endured, stay close to the raw emotional vulnerability that unleashed your potential, and remember that you’ve managed to keep your faith up till the moment it needs you most.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — There are certain people who when some worldly power is vested in them immediately strive to establish their position and make all kinds of changes. That would be ill advised right now. I suggest you take an approach that combines “wait and see” with the kind of leadership that stays focused on maintaining some continuity for a while. As recent events have demonstrated you don’t know everything and people are not going to tell you everything. Eventually you’ll find out everything you need to know but the operative word is eventually. So take your time to find out who your real allies are and solve important problems as they arise.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Mercury recently making its way across Scorpio while so much else was currently happening in that sign is offering you a chance to learn quite a lot about the people closest to you, and to serve a function in their healing process. But healing is always a mutual experience, and a mutual reward. The law of grace demonstrates (among other things) that we can actually give what we don’t have, and yet it’s always a good idea to receive that very gift while we’re passing it on. What you have to offer these days is a measure of solidity, clarity and fullness that may have proven elusive in recent days. You’re in a great position to learn something from yourself.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Imagine you’re standing between two mirrors. You want to see the front of you and the back of you at the same time. But you’re in the way, no matter how you do it, and you’re starting to get frustrated. What would happen if you got out of the way and allowed the mirrors to reflect one another? That would open up a seemingly infinite space, into which you could see in two distinct directions. Now, observe that this is all a metaphor. The ‘body’ is your ego consciousness; your sense of ‘I’. The mirrors may be two philosophies, two situations, two people, or most likely of all, your ongoing confrontation between the past and the future. If you get out of the way, they can have an authentic dialog. You’ll be able to make subtle adjustments and see their perspectives accurately. You’ll be able to feel your way down the two time tunnels, and sense which is the most authentically you.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — When the rewards for all your hard work the past couple of years arrive they’re unlikely to be quite what you were expecting. Often the personal benefit of being in service is the opportunity to be of even greater service. So get used to it. Is this not exactly what you’ve been asking the universe for? What’s worth noting is that you’re being called upon to help in ways that only you can. You’ve built a reputation to a great extent on this fact alone. Success is no longer a matter of whether you fit in; it’s a matter of being entirely willing to play your precise role on the great stage of life. As such you can indulge fully in the experience; you can take every advantage that comes to you; you can afford to take a few risks.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Aquarians share a reputation, whether deserved or not, for being some of the most revolutionary people in the world, though also some of the most practical. I would encourage you not to compromise and think you have to be one way or the other right now. It turns out that the most innovative choice you can make or idea you can create has enormous practical value that will only increase with time. Yet it’s true that you need to cast aside all your brittle beliefs about what is possible or impossible, and go straight for what you know you want, or better still, what you know must be. Then, make it so.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — People are watching, and noticing. Let’s just say that invisible is the last word I would use to describe your condition right now. So make your comments, your actions and your decisions count. The main risk you face is burning out on your own energy, so pace yourself, and before you do anything, ask if it really needs to be done, and what else might be more important. It may well be impossible to balance what seem to be personal needs against professional ones, but at the moment, professional is very, very personal.

Looking for an in-depth reading for the coming year? Pre-order THE MARS EFFECT, your 2014 annual readings, for a special rate of $79 for all twelve signs. It’s a great package of audio and written readings (plus bonus articles) that gives you access to your Sun, rising and Moon signs (and those of your loved ones). You may also pre-order individual signs for $19.95 here.

 

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