Tag Archives: Mercury retrograde

Deeper than Confetti: An Introspective Year

Dear Friend and Reader:

I’ve been watching the news the past few weeks for signs and symbols of Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, which ended Monday. This and the surrounding astrology (covered in Tuesday’s edition featuring Twin Peaks) caps off a deeply introspective year. I feel confident saying everyone learned a lot about themselves. Yet it was also a truly intriguing moment for personal-meets-political.

Portable podcasting gear set up in Montauk, NY, earlier in 2012 (probably for the Spring Report). Photo by Eric Francis.

My personal favorite story from the time of the retrograde — maybe my favorite Mercury retrograde story ever, except for the yak butter incident — happened Thanksgiving Day in New York City. Some of the confetti distributed by Macy’s for the famous parade consisted of shredded Nassau County (Long Island) police documents. This is not supposed to happen. Macy’s claims to use only commercially produced confetti.

By whatever miracle, some of what was actually used included shredded confidential police reports, with names of undercover officers, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and account information, according to a variety of press reports. Confidential documents are supposed to be shredded vertically, but these were shredded horizontally, so the information was legible.

Best of all, details of Mitt Romney’s motorcade to the last debate (held in Nassau County) made it into the mix. This was after the debate happened, but it’s still useful information to some.

The news reports were full of exclamations and inquiries about how this happened, and there is an investigation in the works. They need an astrologer on the panel, so they don’t miss the biggest clue — Mercury was retrograde in Scorpio, the sign of all things secret, concealed or otherwise on the down-low. Hence, these secrets were liberally sprinkled, in legible form, all over the public.

The confidential confetti metaphor works on every level I can think of. It describes the current state of privacy, with the perfect non-Internet incident. Some have remarked that privacy is being reduced to just another commodity, available to those who can afford it. I would say we have evidence that it barely exists at all.

Is there any such thing as privacy? Here is one description. Photo: Eric and Sarah, Blue Studio.

We have, at least, enough information to put us on notice that the notion of ‘private’ is a bit behind us — though there remains the question how we’re supposed to respond. Most people still cling to the idea that certain things about them are unknown to most people, and the idea of them getting out, even if nothing illegal was done, is a bit mortifying. Indeed, it is evocative of death, where so much about us becomes known — it’s just that we’re not around to experience the benefits.

The benefits? Yes! The benefits of feeling all that pressure taken off. The benefits of no longer wondering what everyone will think, and projecting judgment onto others with negative self-talk.

Yet as far as I can tell, the secrecy issue really has two sides: the information that we deny to others, and what we deny to ourselves.

The resounding message of this year’s astrology has been: come out to yourself. Reveal all of your inner secrets — to you. Explore inwardly; shine the light within and know yourself for who you are. I know that the fear in the way of that is deciding that you are going to encounter more self-judgment. While it’s true that we have to pass through some shadowy territory, I believe that most of it involves dealing with the effects of previous judgments and self-criticism, rather than encountering pain about who we are. In other words, what we’re dealing with is past emotional patterning affecting us now. This is good news; it lets us off the hook, as long as we don’t climb back on by replaying old scenes over and over.

In any event, to unravel this shadowy stuff subverts all kinds of ego games, obsession with image and problems we have relating to others. Liars lie to themselves, and someone who is honest with herself or himself is more likely to be honest with others. Part of that honesty means establishing a relationship with the truth and its value, as a primary focus of existence. Once you do that, many other values and ethics fall into place. The fog lifts over obvious distinctions between right and wrong.

One of the sticky spots does seem to be sex. This is the one place where nearly everyone grants themselves a pass to deceive others or deceive themselves, on some level. It’s one reason why I think it’s the place to begin, and why I suggest being honest with yourself about what you want, what you’ve done and what has been done to you. If you hang out in that space for a while, you can collect a lot of your scattered energy, find some relief or even peace of mind, and then open up to others in a way that isn’t terrifying.

Studio setup for Internet privacy photo in Blue Studio. We started with a complex setup and progressively removed elements to get a photo simple enough to be visually appealing.

Part of why it’s less scary is because you don’t have to worry about what anyone is going to find out. I have no way to quantify the energy that’s held in worrying what will happen if others discover something, but we all know that it’s agonizing.

Our introspective year has included retrogrades of Venus and Mars, plus the Venus transit of the Sun, which no person alive today (barring some technology that doubles the length of a human lifetime) will see again.
The retrogrades took us in, in, in — and Venus revealing herself against the backdrop of the Sun, in broad daylight, seems to have awakened something in the feminine spirit.

Though my viewpoint is limited, and biased by a special interest in the topic, I have seen how Mercury retrograde in Scorpio has led to an impressive sexual and emotional awakening: people making decisions, coming to realizations, coming out of denial and into themselves, and the desire to express this in words.

We now head for the one remaining landmark event of this year — the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice of 2012, which is day 13.0.0.0.0 of the Mayan calendar. I read that chart for you last week in the article Something About Juno, and my not-so-surprising discovery is that the solstice chart mainly presents a deeply personal message about self-relating and relating to others.

Speaking of Introspective: Personal Astrology

This is the time of year that I dive into the personal astrology for all 12 signs, in the creation of the Planet Waves annual edition. Each January, I release a set of readings that covers the entire zodiac, applicable to Sun sign, rising sign, Moon sign and special topics such as relationship partners. This year the annual is called LISTEN.

In my reading of the world and of the planetary movements, this is the next step in saving the world — learning to listen: to ourselves, to our environment, to our children, to our partners: listening and paying attention to what we learn. The astrology is providing rich information about how we may do this — especially the part about going past the fear and the mental chatter and listening on the soul level.

Eric, working in Yum-Yum Noodles of Kingston, photo by Sarah.

I’ve been developing this work since July, casting more than 100 charts and studying the positions of dozens of minor planets as they move through the zodiac, dancing amidst the well-known bodies. The project is well underway, and completing it is something I will associate with this time of year for the rest of my life.

The annual is always a deep journey for me. Setting aside the production details, the art, the music and the articles by other contributors (most of which is now handled by the talented people around me), I essentially have to re-learn astrology every time I do it, then express what I have learned in empathic language that makes sense to you.

The annual now consists of a written and audio portion for each sign. I go to a depth that most astrologers would say is impossible for “Sun sign” astrology, which may be true — I use many techniques not employed by Sun sign writers, including a solid understanding of the houses, some ancient techniques and modern planets that speak to the human condition at this time in history.

Mainly, I pour myself into the work. At a certain point, the need to provide something original for everyone catches fire, and the whole thing becomes a discovery process. The charts never stop speaking. Once I start the audio, I can go on for hours — it is astonishing how much information the charts provide. I have to set a word limit on the text so I can stop and move on to the next sign.

The result is something that changes my life, and is designed to help you change yours, in the ways that you want. You bring that willingness and that motivation; I provide some information about themes and timing. I offer a way through the noise, and an interpretation of the aspects that you won’t read anywhere else. I work with the foundational idea that astrology does not describe a problem to which it does not also offer a solution. What good would it be otherwise?

Horary chart for LISTEN in my kitchen recording studio. The chart has Pisces rising, with Neptune, Chiron and the Moon in the ascendant. Pholus is on the midheaven. Chart’s data is July 7, 2012 at 10:53 pm, Kingston, NY.

I also work with the idea that the main quest we are on is healing, creativity and growth, which are aspects of the same thing.

For subscribers who have a little difficulty keeping up with how we offer products, the annual is a separate purchase from a regular subscription or any other product. It’s priced to be affordable and worth many times the price. Pre-ordering information is here.

[Note, you may now order all 12 signs (recommended, so that you can read your rising sign, Moon sign and learn about your significant others) at the subscriber discount. Soon, the signs will only be available individually.]

This year, I am making some space to do this work a little more comfortably. The Planet Waves edition you’re reading will pause for the holidays, so that we can all catch our breath and spend some time off of deadline. I’ll be sending out a special schedule notice about that later Friday or Saturday morning. Please check your email.

Today it occurred to me that it would be helpful to get some of this information to you by the winter solstice. In terms of the 2012 readings for LISTEN, I may be able to finish the audio by the winter solstice. I am not promising that — but it seems possible. The written portion would come out sometime in January, as usual.

Meanwhile, I highly recommend that you review the 2012 annual, Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. (If you were a customer of that edition, please revisit it; if you need your login information, please write to us.) If you have not signed up for it, we will be offering that next week at a special price for current subscribers. Reality Check was the culmination of four years of work researching and reading many charts leading up to 2012.

Each annual edition builds on the prior one, and is designed to have a shelf life of two to five years. It is relevant now, and so too are the past several annuals. We will make the last three editions available as a package offer (Next World Stories, Light Bridge and Reality Check).

Basically, what you see in Planet Waves annuals fulfills the dream of many astrologers who came before me — making available individually relevant astrology, affordably, in a beautiful presentation. The voice you hear and that you read is my own, and I view our relationship as a bond of trust.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

With love,

Next Stop: Deep Sagittarius

Mercury retrograde — the famous one, that began on Election Day — ended Monday, with Mercury stationing direct in Scorpio. There was an eclipse of the Moon on Wednesday morning, and much other interesting astrology clustered in.

Chart for Sun opposite Jupiter on Dec. 2. See glyph legend here.

For Mercury hawks — Mercury will return to Sagittarius on Dec. 10 (Dec. 11 in Europe), making a square to Neptune. It will leave shadow phase a few days later, and then make a square to Chiron, when we may learn something a little extra about the American presidential election that everyone has fortunately forgotten.

The Moon is now in waning phase, and arrived in the sign Cancer Friday at 8:55 am EST. It makes a conjunction to Ceres, a reminder that nourishment on the emotional level is as important as food. It’s also a reminder to eat more wholesomely, remembering that everything you put into your body influences how you feel. This food-feeling relationship is often overlooked, but with the Moon conjunct Ceres in Cancer it’s impossible to miss.

Over the next few weeks, we get some clear weather, after a turbulent year of astrology that seems mainly to have pushed an inner confrontation rather than a political or social one. The general trend of the astrology continues to be more introspective than expressive. There is an interesting contrast between 2011 and this year, as last year was noted mainly for protests, uprisings and stunning disasters (one of which is still unfolding: that would be Fukushima).

We do have an expressive moment approaching, though, in the form of the Sun opposing Jupiter. This is an alignment across 11+ degrees of Gemini-Sagittarius. Imagine the Sun and Jupiter, the largest planet, in an alignment with the Earth in the middle, the approximate size of a pea compared to a beach ball (only hotter, the Sun) and a softball (but less dense, Jupiter). This is a powerful polarity that may feel a little like a Full Moon.

The Sun then makes a conjunction to the Great Attractor, a deep-space point, on Dec. 5. This is a kind of Sagittarian head rush, an event I think is partly responsible for the outrageous sense of time acceleration this time of year (forgetting the fact that it gets dark at 4:30 pm up here in the Northern Hemisphere).

We’re also headed for a significant public event: the winter solstice of 2012. This is the end of the 13th baktun of the Mayan long count. Part of its public resonance involves its occurrence on one of the solstice points. I have written many times that I don’t know the significance of this event; it’s a kind of x-factor. In a recent issue, I give my interpretation of the chart, and in that issue’s monthly horoscope for December I describe how it will influence the 12 signs and rising signs.

Apropos of much other astrology we’ve encountered through 2012, the planets seem to be describing what we need to change about ourselves and how we relate to others. One of the central questions, as I read the aspects, involves what we experience inwardly as contrasted with what we present to others (I cover this in the link above).

There is too much tension between these two poles of consciousness — who you really are, versus your public relations position. I suggest you notice when you’re saying one thing and feeling something else, acting one way but knowing that you really have another agenda.

For the rest of the year, the astrology is sending the message: your primary relationship is with yourself. I know this is an invitation to authentic sincerity, which can be as repelling to some as it is charming to others. So if you choose to take up that inner relationship, and then make yourself available to others, get ready for some mixed reactions — and notice who is nodding in your direction and saying ‘yes’.

Florida Republicans ‘Fess Up, Mercury-Style

Yet again, the 2012 U.S. presidential election is showing its Mercury retrograde stripes to great effect. Coinciding with Mercury’s station direct — an event known for letting the truth out — former Republican officials in Florida have admitted that their goal all along was to block Democratic votes, not to ‘prevent voter fraud’. Of course, everybody knew this already.

“I know that the cutting out of the Sunday before Election Day was one of their targets only because that’s a big day when the black churches organize themselves,” said an anonymous Republican consultant to The Palm Beach Post. Other Florida GOP members, including former Florida governor Charlie Crist, have confirmed the tactic was pure marketing bullshit. Former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer, currently under indictment for embezzling from the party, chimed in, saying “[Republican strategists] firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates.” President Obama ultimately won the battleground state of Florida.

Senators Propose Ban in Indefinite Detention Under NDAA

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would protect American citizens from being indefinitely detained. The amendment, which is cosponsored by several other Republican and Democratic senators, uses essentially the same language as the Due Process Guarantee Act, which Feinstein and Lee introduced last year.

NDAA, which turns the whole United States into a ‘battlefield’ in the War on Terror, was passed by Congress last year, and signed into law by Pres. Obama, while he was in Hawaii on Dec. 31. [The chart data is 12/31/2011, 10:03 am, Honolulu.]

The language of the amendment assures that no authorization to use military force, war declaration, or any similar authority would allow an American apprehended in the United States to be held without charge or trial.
During a discussion of their amendment on the Senate floor today, Sen. Lee said, “Senator Feinstein and I have worked closely together over the course of the past year to craft what we believe represents a very prudent course in protecting both our nation and our liberties at the same time. Security is important, and precisely because it’s important, it must not be acquired at the expense of our individual liberty.

“It may well be said that government’s most important basic responsibility is to protect the liberties of its citizens. Our nation has fought wars on American soil and around the world in defense of individual liberty. And we must not sacrifice this most fundamental right in pursuit of greater security, especially when we can achieve security without compromising liberty.”

Stars of October: You Go On

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October / And Kingdoms rise
And Kingdoms fall / But you go on…and on…
— Bono

Dear Friend and Reader:

This is a clip-and-save edition of Planet Waves, containing vital information that will influence your life between now and mid-December. This is a time when astrology matters. Please mark important dates in your calendar. Saturday is the Full Moon, which I’ve covered already (in Tuesday’s edition). This is a big Full Moon — the full expression of the 2012 aspect, and a planetary setup to handle with awareness and a measure of caution.

Star sculpture on playa floor at Burning Man 2012, with the just-past-full Moon in the background. Photo by Amanda Painter.

As you’ve no doubt read, we are in the middle of an historic aspect, Uranus square Pluto. When the more immediate astrology highlights something big (but which is usually in the background), energy, events and ideas previously lurking behind the scenes can emerge into the foreground. The Sun and Moon make the Uranus-Pluto square into a personal event.

Taken in the highest possible light, it’s about creative breakthroughs, awakenings and moving along (or even resolving) situations that have seemed stuck — even for years. Yet many people will be experiencing this event as destabilizing, unpredictable and even a bit frantic. All the usual Full Moon recommendations apply, but redouble the ‘think before you act’ part. Expect the unexpected and remember that awareness and flexibility are your best friends.

Developments of October

The world is watching these last weeks of the presidential election in the United States. Our globe is now global; events that happen in one country can and do influence developments in many other parts of the world. October will be an interesting, somewhat strange month in the ‘international’ department, though each and every development has personal implications. In the event you’re considering international travel in October or November, I suggest you plan carefully and check in with an experienced, qualified astrologer before making your plans.

This is one of those months that begins one way and ends another. You can make all of these changes work for you, as long as you’re aware of the energies involved, and you’re ready to adapt. We all have things in our lives that we want to change — know what that means for you. Look for your opportunities, and if you don’t see them, create them.

On Oct. 5, Saturn changes signs from Libra to Scorpio. The Saturn in Libra phase goes back an unusual three years, to October 2009 (Saturn took its time transitioning out of Virgo). Saturn is now leaving a sign where it’s well suited (Libra, where it is exalted), and entering a sign that it has little in common with — Scorpio. Yet there are many other planets in the water signs right now, and I think that while Saturn may be challenging, it will offer some stability, and it emphasizes the theme of emotional maturity that all of the water signs are resonating with.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Mars also changes signs, from Scorpio to Sagittarius, just as Saturn changes signs. So this is a significant shift in the climate, involving two planets that people tend to have the most difficulty with — the one about expressing desire and energy (Mars) and the one about handling authority (Saturn). I also recommend being cautious and alert in all matters involving international travel and international business while Mars is in Sagittarius. It’s not strictly a red light but definitely a yellow light.

One thing about Mars is that in entering Sagittarius, it immediately squares Neptune in Pisces. Aspects from Mars to Neptune (especially the conjunction, square and opposition) require temperance, mindfulness, moderation and most of all, keeping self-destructive and also escapist tendencies under control. Monitor your consumption of alcohol and any drugs that change your mind. Keep them far away from important decisions, negotiations and discussions about emotional and sexual matters.

The problem is that most people tend to open up under the influence of alcohol. That would be fine, except for the ways in which it bends judgment and distorts emotions. Mars square Neptune is not naturally given to integrity and honesty — it’s one of those things that you have to work for, under that influence.

Mercury Retrograde: Real Span is Oct. 18-Dec. 14.

Finally, we are approaching a Mercury retrograde. This one starts in Sagittarius on Nov. 6 (which is Election Day in the United States, covered in this article).

However, its influence reaches into mid-October and extends out to mid-December, so I’m mentioning it now. That will be good for an adventure or two; I suggest you plan around this one, and know in advance that it’s a good idea to put off major purchases, signing contracts and new commitments of any kind under this astrology. Yes, this is astrology 101 but you would be surprised how much grief I have saved my clients by helping them steer clear of the standing wave, undertow and shifting wind known as Mercury retrograde.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

The retrograde process begins when Mercury enters shadow phase on Oct. 18. This is Mercury entering the degrees where it will be retrograde in just a short while.

Mercury stations retrograde in early Sagittarius on Nov. 6. Mercury stations direct in mid-Scorpio on Nov. 26. Mercury then crawls along through the end of Scorpio, ingresses Sagittarius again and then leaves shadow phase on Dec. 14. That is your ‘all clear’ signal. If you’re feeling rushed about anything during this process, the chances are it can wait.

Mercury will make three squares to Neptune in the midst of all of this (Oct. 29, Nov. 13 and Dec. 11) and this aspect can be challenging to get a handle on. It will require extra discernment, focusing your mind, and striving for honesty. Factor in the interests of everyone concerned, even if you plan to make a decision that only benefits yourself; Mercury square Neptune is a reminder to consider whether there even is such a thing as ‘separate interests’.

Many other aspects say essentially the same thing — so please take this one to heart.

Lovingly,

Note to Libra and Libra rising readers — your birthday reading for 2012-2013 is ready. Please check this link for more information.

Voter Rights Watch 2012: Targeting Latinos

Through this year, one of the most prominent election stories has been the restriction of voter rights to tip the election. Twenty-three states have passed laws that could restrict or deny the right to vote to 10 million Latinos — a number that could affect the outcome of the entire election — according to The Advancement Project, a civil rights organization.

Don’t miss The Onion’s special feature on the 600-levered, steam powered voting machine that sums up the voting issues in the election of 2012.

The wave of restrictive new voting laws threatens to crash on voters in 16 states that have adopted or are considering voter purges. Most of these target people suspected of not being citizens, plus nine states have new voter ID laws (and two more are considering them). The laws stipulate documentation procedures many people lack the time and/or money to carry out; many are equivalent to poll taxes — that is, making people pay to vote.

Federal protections against noncitizens registering to vote, already in place for ages now, have generally rendered extra measures unnecessary — hence the prevailing view that these new laws aim to disembowel democracy, not encourage involvement.

Democracy Now! reports that in swing states Nevada, Colorado and Florida, where Obama receives tremendously more support from Latinos over Romney, the undertow from these laws could mean sinking rather than swimming for Pres. Obama — and indicates yet another area where Mercury stationing retrograde on Election Day could cloud the waters.

We’ve been warning that Mercury stations retrograde on Election Day. This might have the effect of many seemingly smaller issues coming together and making a large problem. We’ll be following this story.

Monsanto’s GMO Corn? Nyet!

The French study linking Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GMO corn to increased rates of cancer and organ failure in rats (covered by Planet Waves last week) has prompted Russia to ban the stuff outright. The news broke just as Ceres, named for the goddess of agriculture, entered the sign Cancer, associated with agriculture, the digestive system and its connection to the emotions — thereby engaging the political/personal power of the Aries Point.

Photo by Achim Raschka/Wikimedia.

Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer rights watchdog group, has said the country’s Institute of Nutrition has been asked to assess the validity of the study.

In addition, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), has ordered its own review of the research, which is noted for following rats for their entire two-year lifespan, rather than the 90 days common in industry studies. GMO corn is not available for human consumption in Europe, but is used for animal feed.

Monsanto is confident the French study will not impede its take-over of European agriculture; however a number of independent scientists are praising its extensiveness, even though its results must be replicated and confirmed.

“The results are significant,” said Mustafa Djamgoz, the Professor of Cancer Biology at Imperial College, London, who describes himself as a neutral on GMO. “The experiments are, more or less, the best of their kind to date.”

It remains to be seen whether other countries follow Russia’s lead, which might cause an actual dent in sales and international credibility for Monsanto. Meanwhile, France says it will continue to uphold its own ban on GMO crops, and a group in New York City is holding a fundraiser Oct. 1 to help support California’s Proposition 37, which is seeking to label GMO foods in supermarkets. The initiative is up against heavy spending by several corporations, including Monsanto. If you’re in New York, you can get more info and buy a ticket here for the event.

“Pro-sex. Pro-porn. Pro-knowing the difference.”

When Cindy Gallop, a chic, British-born 52-year-old ad exec (now Web entrepreneur) living in Manhattan decided to test the online dating website her firm was pitching, she had no idea it would change her life — or that it would put her in a position to become a sex educator. Of sorts.

At the time, nearly a decade ago, she was delighted to find young men attracted to her — but not so delighted to find many of their moves were taken straight from the scripted, often-bizarre and highly one-sided world of hardcore pornography.

In 2009 she left her TED talk audience all a-twitter, revealing that abstinence-only sex ‘education’ meant easy-to-access Internet porn was the only source of information for many young people, resulting in insecurities, unrealistic expectations and disappointments; stunting sexual communication; and cutting a whole generation off from fulfilling, loving and genuinely hot sex (whether kinky or vanilla).

Gallop’s solution? To establish the website MakeLoveNotPorn.com, which attempts to compare the “porn world” with the “real world” of sex. (The testimonials from 20-somethings on the “About” page are poignant in their gratitude for Gallop’s mission.)

“The issue I’m tackling is not porn,” she explains. “It’s the complete lack of open, healthy dialogue around porn and sex.”

Now, Gallop is taking it to video. Still in an invitation-only beta testing phase (you can sign up to be invited!), the premise of MakeLoveNotPorn.tv is that real people send in videos of themselves having real sex with a $5 submission fee. Then viewers pay $5 to ‘rent’ a video for three weeks of unlimited viewing, with up to half that fee going back to the person who submitted the video. It’s part sex ed and part sex toy, using social media and a cheeky, DIY-style business attitude to make the world a happier, sexier, more authentic place.

“It’s not about performing for the camera,” Gallop adds. “We’re looking for the comical, the messy, the ridiculous. We’re looking for the real.”

She has made the personal political in a positive way. With much of the Aries Point action lately having to do with trying to suppress women and sex, astrologically this is like finally finding a partner who understands foreplay. And likes it.

An iPhone a Day Keeps the Riots Away?

About 2,000 Chinese employees at a factory in Taiyuan that makes iPhones rioted early Monday, resulting in 40 taken to the hospital and a number arrested after 5,000 police were sent to end the brawl. Occurring just three days after Apple finally made its highly anticipated iPhone 5 available for purchase, Foxconn Technology Group, the plant’s Taiwanese owner, called the violence a personal disagreement fueled by regional tensions in a dormitory.

Contrary to the official story, employees and their friends have posted messages online that suggest the fighting was spurred by security guards beating a worker nearly to death.

“Clearly there is deep-seated frustration and anger among the employees and no outlet, apart from violence, for that frustration to be released,” Geoff Crothall, communication director at China Labour Bulletin, a labor rights group in Hong Kong, said in a statement. “There is no dialogue and no means of resolving disputes, no matter how minor. So it is not surprising when such disputes escalate into violence.”

This is not the first time that Foxconn, which also makes components for other electronics companies, has been cited for poor working conditions and mistreatment, though reportedly they have been working to improve conditions and wages. Whether or not this takes the shine off the ‘Apple’ for salivating consumers remains to be seen.

Spout ‘Inspirations’, Earn Flags, Become President!

Certain members of the Planet Waves editorial staff were barely able to stop laughing long enough to actually post this item in today’s issue. The Gregory Brothers have created a mash-up of the acceptance speeches delivered by Obama and Romney at their respective recent national conventions, complete with 80s-era Atari graphics and music. Published online by The New York Times, you’ll never look at talking points quite the same way.

Planet Waves FM :: Jesse Ventura on 9/11; Patric Walker

This week’s edition of Planet Waves FM looks at the Sun in Libra and Saturday’s Aries Full Moon. This is a potent Full Moon, which lights up the 2012 aspect — the Uranus-Pluto square. I covered this in Monday’s daily edition as well as Tuesday’s subscriber edition. I begin with a discussion of the Sun in Libra aspecting Uranus and Pluto, and what this says about the state of our relationships.

Patric Walker.

My musical guest is American composer and performer Diane Cluck, who has recently ventured into being a full-time professional musician and has offered to share her work with us. I play three of her songs — “Sara,” “Red August” and “Why Feel Alone.”

In the second segment, I look at Jesse Ventura blowing the whistle on the Sept 11 incident, live on the Piers Morgan show on CNN. This is an astonishing moment in TV history, which happened while Mercury was transiting through the Uranus-Pluto square.

I also fact-check Jesse — he gets a few things wrong but in essence he has the right idea — and becomes the first person to challenge the official story, in a vocal, obvious way, in the American media.

Finally, I look at the life and work of British horoscope master Patric Walker (1931-1995), who would have been 81 years old Tuesday. I read some of Patric’s horoscopes, describe some of his techniques, tell some stories and then do a short reading of his natal chart, focusing on his Mercury-Moon opposition — the perfect blend of intellect and intuition. This is a rare look at the life of Walker, who is remembered by his fans from back in the day and unknown to many contemporary astrology readers.

Note to Readers — If you have old Patric Walker columns in your files and would like to add to my collection, please get in touch. Thank you!

Planet Waves monthly horoscopes provide a broader perspective that surveys the themes of the coming month and often, the weeks that follow. The September Monthly horoscope was published Friday, Aug. 24. Inner Space for September was published Tuesday, August 28. The September Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Sept. 18. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign (the October monthly is below in this issue); Inner Space still publishes on Tuesdays. Last week’s weekly horoscope (#918) covered the Libra equinox in detail.

Monthly horoscope for October 2012 standing in for Weekly Horoscope #919

Libra Birthdays This Week (Applies to All Libras!)

If you have a birthday in the neighborhood, this year is a doorway into a new life for you. The current astrology is about breaking free from any deadlocks and opening up blocked energy. It’s true that you’ve been under many influences that are encouraging you to turn the page, yet there are just as many that are leading you to obsess over the past (and perhaps even the distant past). Yet potent forces are provoking you to face the future with a sense of adventure. Which will win the day, and your year? Well, time marches on, wherever your mind may be — and you continue to make your presence known on the planet. You continue to live every day, as consciously as you want. The key to you thriving is about not taking the outside world, particularly your intimate relationships, too seriously. That is, they are not the ultimate goal, nor the bellwether, of your life. Every outer event or encounter has an inner correspondence that is far more important than the particular circumstances that are surrounding you. Let everything you experience point you deeper into yourself. If you can follow this philosophy for a while, you will get a sense of what it’s like to feel your presence in the world much more tangibly. Meanwhile, Saturn ingressing your solar 2nd house (Scorpio) says that your number one project for the coming few years is working out every possible dimension of your self-esteem questions. While in the past you might have told yourself that you can live with compromised self-respect, that is no longer true — Saturn won’t stand for it, and neither will you.

Note to Libra Sun and rising readers: I have just finished recording your birthday reading, which includes more than an hour of astrology (in two sections) and a tarot reading. The reading develops these and other themes. Check this link for more information.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — The time has arrived to carefully consider the role of religion in your life, in society, and in the place where the two meet — which is where you make your most personal choices within the context of society. Your charts tell the story of someone who goes from making their decisions more or less autonomously, to then suddenly making them in the context of numerous outside influences that vie for which of them will run your life. One of those seemingly outside forces is religion, as if you have some kind of stunning awakening, conversion experience or revival of belief. This could be productive, and who knows, it might be, though your charts describe a scenario of both getting high on power and also of restricting your emotional and erotic freedom in the name of purity. I suggest you start with the notion that there is no such thing; even under laboratory conditions, actual purity is rarely attainable. Within the psyche, there is so much churning around and such a mix of elements that denial would be a more suitable word. I suggest you save yourself a lot of conflict and remember that you’re human. As such, you have both sexual impulses and also the impulse to a relationship with the mysteries. We’re basically forced to convert ‘the mysteries’ to some notion of God or higher power, who invariably wants you to be a better person. It’s time to question whether any of this is really true.

Hello Aries — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Saturn enters your opposite sign Scorpio this month, and that’s a dependable cue that you’re entering an extended phase of housekeeping in your relationships. As with many things Saturn, this is a study in boundaries, which is another way of saying agreements. Part of this experience will be practical: who in your life belongs there? With whom do you have wholesome and healthy connections, and with whom do you have unhealthy or destructive attachments? What are you going to do about them? You may notice that you’re attracting older, ‘more serious’ people who you may recognize have something to teach you about yourself and about life. They will hold up a mirror to the aging process, through which you will be invited to make some decisions about how you want to grow older. Another aspect is conceptual, and even philosophical. What does commitment mean to you? What is bonding? What is the nature of attachment? What does jealousy have to do with any of this? Perhaps most significantly, what role do you allow others to have in your life? One of the most beneficial things you’ll gain from the experience of Saturn in your opposite sign is that of learning how not to give away your power. You may feel like the universe is taking some extreme measures to keep you in alignment with yourself, though remember how challenging it is for you to change in response to any factor besides your own will — and even that can take a miracle.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — One role that Jupiter plays within our solar system is to absorb stray asteroids and comets, and as a result there are fewer that might strike the Earth. Currently Jupiter is in your sign — and there’s boundless energy coming at you from your opposite sign, Sagittarius. You’re subject to these incoming influences, which will arrive in a diversity of forms, and what they have in common is high energy. Some will be obvious and bold; others will be subtle, and change you in ways that you would never have predicted. As for the obvious, this may come in a diversity of offers to play, to engage with different beliefs and to wage a social crusade or two. As for the less obvious: pay attention when others are inviting or enticing you to compromise your ethics or to rearrange your moral structure. Such may come in the form of “well, now that I’ve had you do this [against your ethics], you may as well do this [even more against your ethics].” Remember that you become like the people you have sex with (this is based on a direct transfer of energy), so if you’re wondering why you’re becoming the way you are, pay attention to who you’re waking up with. The thing to remember is that for the next two months, you’re going to be deeply susceptible to influences that come from outside yourself. The key to managing this is choosing which of these influences to accept, and which to reject — at the first possible opportunity.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Heed early warnings, especially where sexual boundaries are concerned. This isn’t about saying no; it’s more like saying maybe, until you understand your environment and everyone’s involvement in your life. Then, do what’s appropriate based on your understanding of your situation. At first this may seem like you’re having a limit placed on your fun. Actually two other things are happening. One is a limit being placed on the new karma you incur based on choices you make. Whatever you encounter is sufficient for a moment of reflection, and to put you on notice where you need to be more vigilant. Second is that you are about to discover ways to channel your vital force in a more structured way. In a sense, you have to get organized about what you want, and make sure you are also aware of what you don’t want — then make your choices using this as your guide. The thing to bear in mind all the time is that whatever theory of relationships we may subscribe to, sex leads to something deeper. That depth could be love, and it could be a diversity of other means of human bonding, connection or entanglement. Saturn is the lord of time, and it’s essential that you use time to your benefit, in order to save time. Taking a little while to test the true nature of your relationship to another person, before you dive in, would be well advised in this moment and for the next couple of years.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Saturn’s ingress this month into Scorpio, your solar 4th house (security, home base, family) is about the use of space, and its relationship to your emotional grounding. Scorpio is a somewhat strange energy to have on your house of security, since it’s all about plunging into the deep dark waters of the psyche, and coming out a different person (something you do fairly regularly, and you’re safe knowing that you can). Seen another way, it’s the image of living with a swamp in the basement of your house, wondering if you’re going to get swallowed, or if the whole house is going to sink — and calling that shelter. Saturn making its way through this region of your chart for the next 10 seasons is about getting onto dry ground. It’s about shoring up your foundations and clearing out inner space. As part of this journey, you’re going to stabilize emotionally, which will be good for you and the people you care about. As part of this emotional stability, you will be doing an inventory of family influences from your early childhood, and making sure that you have them contained and confined to your own inner space — this way, you won’t pass them on to anyone younger than you are. One of the over-arching themes of this transit is learning how to feel safe. The combination of Saturn and Scorpio may conspire to do this in strange ways — but if you work with these influences, you will get the job done.

Hello Leo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Did you miss your birthday reading? Click here to order an hour of astrology plus a tarot reading by Eric.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — From time to time, you’re subject to bouts of what feels like emotional chaos, insecurity and deep questioning. This can compromise your happiness, and at worst, limit your ability to function in the world. In truth, these episodes are about your inner spiritual life, which means it’s deeper than you may think. If the issues were just emotional, it would be a lot easier to address them. Yet you can count yourself lucky when you have any real insight into your situation, or meet anyone who has an actual grasp on what you’re going through (rather than speculating or guessing). Your sign is said to be earthy, intellectual and focused on rationality, though the truth is that you have your vital roots in the world of spirit, a dimension that most of the world denies the existence of. My sense is that you’ve been processing the issues using your intellectual capacity as best you can. However, to effectively learn from, grow from and actually cope with what emerges over the next few weeks, you will need to go directly into the deepest available level of your psyche: your core spiritual identity, or what you might think of as soul level. There’s a lot of competition for what that really means, though I can say at least this: soul level embraces everything and does not deny anything. Therefore, any feeling or memory that comes up for you is normal. Soul level is oriented on the greatest good for all concerned. And there are no problems that don’t come with solutions — as long as you state the problem in a way that makes sense.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Hello Libra and Libra rising readers. I’ve just finished your 2012-2013 birthday reading. Check this link to listen to your hour-long astrology reading plus tarot. If you’re a Virgo and you missed your birthday report, it’s still available at this link. All other signs, please check our audio store for your birthday reading.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — There’s always a difference between theory and reality, and you’re about to find out what it is — in reality and not in theory. Through most of the month, your ruling planet Venus is trekking across Virgo, where you do lots of contemplating, ruminating and a very precise kind of fantasizing. Toward the end of the month, Venus emerges into your sign, where it starts making aspects to planets that have already been stirring a revolution in your life. You’re likely to see how little a real-time experiment has in common with all of your (admittedly) fascinating concepts and plans. You can expect the pace of events to pick up rapidly. You can expect to go deeper into questions that have been nagging you, though about which you have only skimmed the surface. And there is something about allowing your relationships to change you. I suspect this may be a sticking point for you, as one of your goals is stability and change happening only in a controlled environment, and only with your consent. That’s more for the laboratory, and you’ll be there for a little while longer; then comes an extended field experience. As you’re going through all of this, a new theme emerges in your life, which is: understanding the reasons you do and do not respect yourself. Most people know there is something called self-esteem, but what exactly is it made of? How does it express itself, in its positive and negative manifestations? In the long run, everything hinges on this — and I do mean everything.

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You are approaching one of the boldest ‘get serious’ moments of your life, a process spanning nearly three years. When you get to the other side, you’ll have acquired additional self-knowledge, privileges and responsibilities of adulthood. This is about Saturn in your sign, which arrives on Oct. 5 and departs in early 2015. I’ve described Saturn in your Sun sign (or in your rising sign) as an extended phase of coming to terms with yourself. Said another way, this transit is about becoming your own inner authority, something that few people ever do — and which is much likelier with Saturn in your neighborhood. One sad story of our society is people refusing to grow up; other people continue to have authority over their choices and even their opinions. Saturn in your sign can feel like authority figures or seemingly more powerful people imposing themselves on you. This is a reminder to take authority over all of those aspects of your life, and many more where you anticipate this kind of involvement by others. There are structured and organized ways to do this. Many people have described therapy as a kind of ‘re-parenting’ process, at the end of which you’ve taken over the role previously delegated to them. This is what I’m talking about, in whatever form works for you. You have to answer to some authority — whether you provide it, or whether someone or something outside yourself shows up and imposes it on you. The choice is yours.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Know when you’re coming from belief, and when you’re coming from knowledge. Somewhere in the high 90th percentile of people live like they have no idea what I am talking about, though you cannot afford the luxury of ignorance. I say this because you run the risk of being driven by belief, at the expense of what is true and verifiable. It’s not any excuse that many believe “there is no such thing as the truth.” That’s a good assignment for students to discuss in postmodernist philosophy class. I mean verifying in the most practical ways what you believe against facts that you can identify. I mean reading the fine print, reading between the lines, and remembering what people say to you. I also mean belief in the biggest sense — for example, your relationship to your cosmology. I’ve only heard about five hundred people tell me they weren’t influenced by religion, while they spend their lives acting out the irrationality, guilt and obsessive conduct that can have few other sources. Therefore, reconcile your ideas about life with the actual facts about how you treat people and how you want to be treated. One thing about beliefs is that they tend to be fixed like epoxy, or change every 10 minutes. I suggest you be suspicious in either case, and engage yourself in a reasoning process of evolving your ideas consciously as new information becomes available. Don’t just move on and forget; remember where you’ve been, because before long, it will become significant.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — This is the time to be responsible not to your own ambitions, but to your community. I know that this idea is pissing into the wind of the privatization, privation and exclusion that is all the political rage now. Greed worshippers can keep their lies; not only don’t they influence you, you must stand up to this false philosophy, both in yourself and in society. Establish a commons in your life: hold the space for an authentic, equitable exchange of resources. This is leadership in action; there are goals and results involved. There are competing interests involved. There are those who will immediately take advantage of any fair system, and you will have to address that factor as well. Note that there are aspects of this that will happen in your ‘official’ capacity (such as your professional role) and outside of any official capacity, and perhaps even out of sight of others. Another way to describe the aspects that are developing in your chart is that you are shifting your concept of self-interest into a full embrace of the conditions of the world around you. Your role is to use your power, your knowledge and your experience to uphold the personal values you have stated many times are precious to you. Acting on those values requires taking a chance, not the least of which is wondering what all those greedy people will think of you when you insist on fairness and integrity. What they think of you is their issue; what you do is yours.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Saturn finally changes signs this month, ingressing Scorpio, where it will be into 2015. This is your 10th solar house, the one associated with your highest ambitions, your reputation and your true professional calling. Saturn through the 10th is sometimes associated with having the golden touch of King Midas; however for you there may be some extra challenges involved. As you hear and heed your calling, expect some adversity. Expect a tempering process, where you refine your goals. Imagine that your life is a theater production, where you do the performance, listen to the director’s notes, rewrite, rehearse and do the show again the next night — over and over again, with no intention of just ‘settling in’ to a routine. Bear in mind that the world does not owe you success: not because you’re a good person, not because you’re talented and not because you choose to develop any useful skill. Success is the product of all of these factors, and something else: your determination, and a commitment to be true to your values. This is the kind of success that doesn’t happen overnight, and to which you must dedicate yourself for much longer than you might think. Most of the early progress will be invisible, and you may be convinced you’re in the midst of a setback. It’s nothing of the kind — though you may see it that way unless one of your top priorities is to use anything and everything that you experience as a resource.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Sexuality has always been your portal into your spiritual side — or rather, sex and the cosmic questions that it evokes, and the inner mysteries to which they grant you access. Yet this organic approach to existence is denied and resisted by many forces in society, including those that would control sex to promote religion, those that use sex for commercial gain, and anyone whose approach to natural human feelings is moralistic (controlling rather than exploratory). Even as adults, we can be constantly entangled in the control dramas and moralizing of others, which include scandal and jealousy. It’s fair to say that unless we intervene, for all our lives, someone else seems to be in charge of our sexuality, and this extends into our creative power, our perspective on life, death and relationships. The time has arrived to live your way of life with full commitment. That means taking charge, and deciding what is right or wrong for you. If you don’t step in and take over yourself, it’s likely that someone else will. This is the Saturn principle in operation: where you lack discipline, boundaries and structure, these things will be imposed on you. If you have discipline, and take a realistic, honest, longterm (and, notably, not a hedonistic) approach to your sexuality, you will have done something that few humans ever accomplish. What would that be? To be the master of your vital force, your creativity and your emotional drives, rather than their slave.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

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Mercury Retrograde Election Day: Astrology is No Excuse

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By Eric Francis

Something happens this year that’s never happened before in American history: Mercury stations retrograde on the day of a presidential election.

Everyone who follows astrology has heard the term “Mercury retrograde” — the astrological manifestation of Murphy’s Law. This is an approximately three-week spell, happening three times a year, wherein Mercury appears to move backwards through the zodiac. It’s a visual illusion, a little like the train next to yours appearing to move backwards because it’s moving more slowly.

Where did that dimple chad go? What candidate actually won Florida? Where is Karl Rove’s conscience? This iconic image is from the last — and so far only — time Mercury stationed on the day of a presidential election. We’re still living with the effects. Now for the second time, Mercury will station on an Election Day. Photo by Alan Diaz / AP.

Mercury is actually passing between the Earth and the Sun; the visual effect is an illusion, though the real effect may involve the influence of a gigantic magnet passing interfering with all the little magnets here on Earth (particularly the one known as the brain). Anyone who has followed this phenomenon knows that when Mercury goes retrograde, things get a little weird.

This happens three times a year. I know it seems a lot more frequent than that. Lots of people say that “Mercury is always retrograde,” which is not true — but Mercury is always Mercury, which means it’s tricky, and requires a combination of cleverness, skill and respect to handle, whether moving retrograde or direct.

For those who are paying attention, there’s a little reward involved in a Mercury station, which I’ve observed many times: the truth comes out.
If there is a stroke of good fortune to this chart, and this election — that’s what it is.

November 6 is a Blustery Day

The first and last days of any Mercury retrograde are usually the most challenging. Those days are called “stations,” which is short for stationary; one is the station retrograde (when the retrograde begins), and one is the station direct (when it ends). The word “station” in this context means “changes directions.”

There can be considerable confusion on the day of Mercury station, and in fact for about four days on either side there’s something astrologers refer to as the Mercury storm. Think of this as the change of direction rippling out in time. It’s turbulent, just like a ferry pulling into the dock, with the captain putting the engines in reverse to slow the ship down.

When that happens, the water is churning in all directions.
On the day of a Mercury station, that’s how the mental and psychic energy feels. We get the worst, and the most interesting, manifestations of the retrograde on the days that it begins and ends — and that happens next on Nov. 6, the day of the 2012 presidential election, when Mercury stations retrograde in early Sagittarius.

Someone on the Planet Waves research team compared all the dates of retrogrades to the dates of presidential elections, and discovered that Mercury has never before stationed retrograde on the day of a presidential election.

Mercury (in green, at the center of the image) the moment it stations retrograde. It’s conjunct asteroid Isis, which is about fragmentation or ‘putting the pieces together’. One particular asteroid in this graphic — Apollo — is about lessons of the past not learned, or the same mistakes made over and over.

And it’s only stationed direct on an Election Day once. Take a guess what year that was.

That was on Election Day 2000, when Al Gore won the election and George Bush took office. Remember the chaos that surrounded that election? It really was classic Mercury station material. And it’s not a good precedent. Clearly, it was a terrible outcome; we ended up with a president who owed nothing to the people, because the people did not elect him. The Supreme Court elected him, in part by halting a recount. (The station direct happened in Libra, the scales — an appropriate sign for describing judicial intervention.)

Mercury stationing retrograde on Election Day begins a long process of the retrograde (three weeks retrograde, and then three weeks when Mercury moves direct through the territory where it was during the retrograde, called the shadow phase). This begins just in the last hours of the voting process.

All of the tallying, the news reporting, the certifications and the legal challenges, will happen not just under a retrograde; most of it will happen under the influence of the station, the retrograde and the shadow phase. This means there will be questions about accuracy in all of the above areas.

What is this suggesting? We are looking at the possibility first of uncertainty about the outcome; and of irregularities that could take weeks or months to sort out, and where the truth may never be known. The results may seem to change suddenly — and then change back. We could see an avalanche of incompetence in the work of running the elections. Where Mercury and especially Mercury retrogrades are concerned, there is always the possibility for technical failures that are poorly timed, or well timed, depending on who benefits. These events can represent things beyond anyone’s control, but when there is so much at stake, it’s necessary to scrutinize events and all the surrounding facts carefully.

With the retrograde happening in Sagittarius (another sign associated with the courts) there are likely to be legal challenges. My colleagues and I at Planet Waves have been analyzing this chart for a year; it seems to illustrate the meltdown of the electoral process. Arguably, it’s already in a meltdown, though when Mercury stations retrograde, an overloaded system can suddenly find itself manifesting a collapse that was previously concealed.

We don’t really need astrology to see this coming. Most of us are familiar with Republican efforts to block Democratic voters in many states, including purging the voter rolls, blocking early voting in Democratic counties, blocking Sunday voting in places where black people go from church straight to the polls, requiring identification that many old people, students and poor people lack, and numerous other games. These fraudulent efforts are being conducted in the name of allegedly preventing fraud; yet the only fraud we’ve actually seen has been in years when a Republican won, particularly 2000.

Gore got more votes and Bush took office. This photo was taken within moments of Mercury stationing direct on Election Day 2000 — so far the only Mercury station in presidential election history. Photo by Stephan Savoia / AP.

The organization Common Cause lists Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia as states vulnerable to problems. For example, there could be poll watchers whose job is really to bully people at the polls, and block them from voting. Common Cause wrote in a recent report that these are “states where races are expected to be competitive, which makes voters in those states particularly vulnerable to challenges.” Quoting one Tea Party voter reform activist, we hear they want to make voting “like driving and seeing the police following you.”

All these efforts conclude on a presidential Election Day — the first in history — where Mercury stations retrograde. It makes perfect sense, really, even if we only use astrology as an illustration of conditions pointing to a probable result. Or, many small results that lead to an avalanche. One curious thing about this chart is that Mercury is exactly conjunct asteroid Isis when it stations retrograde. You can look at this as “putting the pieces together” (such as the public figuring out what really happened) or as “how many small things it takes to make a lot.”

Mutual Reception: Two Sides to One Story

There’s an especially interesting factor in the chart for the retrograde, which suggests the potential for even more complications than normal. Think of it as an astrological shell game. Mercury will be in Sagittarius, and Jupiter will be in Gemini. If you know a little astrology you might recognize that Mercury will be in Jupiter’s sign and Jupiter will be in Mercury’s sign. That’s a rare condition called mutual reception. These are powerful, and they can be very strange. There was a similar mutual reception happening, also involving Mercury, in the chart for the Sept. 11 incident.

Obama and Romney are considered different candidates with different ideologies. Yet when you look at their actual records, they’re not really so different; it’s more like they’re different expressions of the same corporate government.

Mutual reception can have several effects. One is that the planets can seem to trade places in their influence. We have to look carefully what’s coming from what direction, who is projecting and who might be blaming someone with doing what they just did.

Another interpretation is that of a hostage situation. The two planets are in a sense held captive in a sign they have little in common with. This isn’t necessarily a literal hostage situation, but rather one of interlocking dysfunctional ideologies, or a situation involving extreme codependency. We live with this every day, and rarely call it what it is; the problem is that this kind of involvement reflects something about our personal lives, and our inability to stand up for what we really believe in, quite often, no matter how much it matters.

A third interpretation is that this indicates a situation in which seemingly different political theories and approaches actually support one another. In an election, we’re supposed to be differentiating between the candidates, but we don’t usually notice the ways in which their approaches and conduct are similar, identical, or where the ideologies are codependent. An influence of this could be that whatever happened is being planned, or at least accepted, by both sides in the election.

However this may manifest, the two sides here are inextricably linked. We can see how this manifests in policies that have continuity from one administration to the other — such as when legal and moral boundaries that are breached during Republican administrations become business as usual during Democratic administrations. Many were upset or even outraged at Guantanamo Bay, saying it represented the most oppressive conduct of the Bush/Cheney administration. Obama promised to change that, and he’s left it in place. There are many examples of how this happens.

And this is described by the planets, representing the opposing forces being in one another’s signs, locked in a kind of spiral they cannot get out of. Part of that spiral is the extent to which corporate money, in vast amounts, has been infused into this election, thanks to the Citizens’ United ruling of 2010.

Behind the facade of ideology is the fact that “the business of America is business,” and I don’t mean the local ice cream shop. I mean the companies that can afford to buy elections

The Last Weeks of the Race: The International Angle

Let’s look at the few weeks prior to the election, which are just as interesting as Mercury stationing retrograde. On Oct. 6, one month before the election, Mars arrives in Sagittarius. Currently, there is a power source in Sagittarius that’s in part responsible for all the religious fanaticism we’re seeing in the world, including the strange beliefs driving the American right wing, and its mirror image, what we call “extremist Islamists.”

Last year’s Occupy protests emerged seemingly out of nowhere — and spread around the world. There is the possibility for much wider-scale protests in mid-autumn. In this photo, Mashtots Park activists, part of the Occupy movement, protesting in front of the city hall of Yerevan, Armenia. Photo by Songoffall / Wikipedia.

Most people think these Koran-thumping, bomb-throwing Muslims are weird; I say that the American fundamentalist movement is far stranger. We know about their apocalyptic thinking, the notion that the world is ending and that Jesus is coming back and therefore, let’s help things along and have a big for-profit, misogynistic, homophobic hate orgy.

Mars in Sagittarius (the planet of aggression in the sign of religion) is going to heat this up, and we’re very likely to see numerous unusual outbursts of religious fervor in October and early November. This will be on both sides of the ideological divide. We are looking at an election where religion is the most likely factor to mobilize the base (whatever base that is), rather than (for example) the economy. The issues involving religion are the ones that evoke the deepest emotional response; voters are easily agitated on the pro-choice and anti-choice sides of the fence, and this is inherently a religious issue. We may see this pushed to a new and impressive degree.

Sagittarius is also the sign of international affairs; Mars trekking across this sign in the last weeks of the election and for the week after looks like some kind of contentious international event. In the first week of November — right before the election — Mars is right in the thick of the Sagittarius mix, making contact with a group of small planets that carry themes of cruelty, warfare, grief and mourning. Are we looking at some outsized terrorism event? An assassination? A ‘new’ war?

We are also in the midst of the 2012 aspect — Uranus square Pluto, which spans from mid-2012 through early 2015. The charts of Iran are aligned with this aspect, and the current astrology is coming right at them. Some form of manipulated international event is likely to influence the election, with everyone standing in shock wondering how this could have happened.

If you ask me, this chart and the scenarios that surround it have as much in common with the election of 1980 as they do with the election of 2000. The 1980 election was influenced by the hostage crisis in Iran. Reagan and Bush cut a deal with the terrorists, who kept the hostages through the election and then released them just as Reagan was being sworn into office on Jan. 20, 1981. This was a facet of what became known as the Iran-Contra scandal, which finally bubbled up to the surface during Reagan’s sixth year in office.

Corporations United

On one level, all of this chaos is a ruse. It’s being used by people who have other agendas, those that thrive in conditions where order has been broken up into a kind of cultivated anarchy. The chart for the 2012 election is a warning to be aware of the agendas that are at play.

The Supreme Court of Corporations.

As author Chris Hedges wrote after the Citizens’ United decision that allowed unlimited corporate spending in elections, “Liberals, socialists, trade unionists, independent journalists and intellectuals, many of whom were once important voices in our society, have been silenced or targeted for elimination within corporate-controlled academia, the media and government.”

For this reason, he says, political discourse ignores or marginalizes nearly all of the brightest thinkers. Even if they get into the media, can they count on people knowing who they are? I once watched an interview with Ramsey Clark, who was identified as a “peace activist,” not as the former attorney general of the United States.

Hedges continues, “The uniformity of opinion is reinforced by the skillfully orchestrated mass emotions of nationalism and patriotism, which paints all dissidents as ‘soft’ or ‘unpatriotic’. The ‘patriotic’ citizen, plagued by fear of job losses and possible terrorist attacks, unfailingly supports widespread surveillance and the militarized state. This means no questioning of the $1 trillion in defense-related spending. It means that the military and intelligence agencies are held above government, as if somehow they are not part of government.

“The most powerful instruments of state power and control are effectively removed from public discussion. We, as imperial citizens, are taught to be contemptuous of government bureaucracy, yet we stand like sheep before Homeland Security agents in airports and are mute when Congress permits our private correspondence and conversations to be monitored and archived. We endure more state control than at any time in American history.”

So what are we to do? Pay attention. Yes, vote. Help bring out the vote; encourage others (especially young people) to vote and try to take at least one other person to the polls, who might not normally go. If you experience anything strange, document it.

Question what you see and hear in the media. Question your own opinions. Educate others about what you learn. Use every tool at your disposal to get the word out. Take a personal stand and refuse to believe lies, and refuse to be manipulated. Research the truth yourself, and try to figure out what’s really going on. Yes, Mercury will be retrograde, and it may be hard to get to the bottom of things. But astrology is no excuse.

Note — minor edits were made to this article on Sept. 23. The original publication date is Sept. 22, though one email edition said the 23rd; we have reverted to the original date. Second Note: Additional minor edits were made Sept. 28, including the replacement of one photo, with the Armenia protest image from Wikipedia. — efc.

Another Note — A revised version of this article was published on Huffington Post on Weds., Oct. 3. — efc.

About that Metalogue — and the Revolution

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Dear Friend and Reader:

I began my comments about this week’s astrology in my Daily Astrology post overnight Sunday, where I proposed we were about to experience a metalogue of some kind. That’s not a word that’s used a lot; think of it as a meta-level conversation, a conversation about what’s being talked about, while that topic is formulating. Or you could say it’s another word for “actual conversation.”

Screen shot of video published by Mother Jones magazine, wherein Romney spills the beans. View the full video here.

I learned the word early in my astrological studies; it was going around the Psychological Astrology crowd in England in the 1990s, and we thought of it as meaning “that which is being discussed is also arising.” I got this idea because Mercury — the planet of mind and communication — had ingressed Libra on Saturday, putting it where it would be making many aspects.

Among other things, that put Mercury into contact with the Aries Point (an exact opposition, from the first degree of Libra to the first degree of Aries). I knew that would translate to some kind of big news with a personal feeling, and a conversation happening (both in the news, and amongst folks) about whatever that thing was. As Laurie Anderson said in one of her songs, “Oh boy! Right again!”

Sure enough, the ball was in play and we had an extremely interesting discussion this week about those 47% of Americans, all of whom allegedly voted for Obama, who suck off of the government, who have no sense of personal responsibility and who pay no taxes. We think we’re entitled to food, water, health care and a dry roof to sleep under, even if we never want to get out of bed.

This was a rare moment of transparency in politics, and I think that most people actually recognized it for what it was. Everyone who believed that Mitt Romney stands for nothing had a rude awakening. In a secret recording made (apparently by one of the servers) at a $50K per plate fundraiser in Florida earlier this year, we found out that he doesn’t think he’s supposed to actually be president of those 47%, many of whom are Republicans, who collect retirement benefits from Social Security, or veterans on disability. They’re not his concern, he told us. He actually said it; that’s the incredible thing. Think of what else you’re missing.

From an ethical standpoint, he has a lot of nerve, but then, you may not realize how much contempt your supposed representatives have for you — and how many millionaires pay reduced tax rates, or none at all. From a political standpoint, the problem is that many people who are too poor to pay federal income tax vote Republican, which is a topic unto itself; though their choice of candidates is inherent evidence that such voters may lack the analytical skills to figure out that Romney was actually talking about them, not someone else. But then, everything is about someone else, till it’s not.

According to Mitt Romney, none of these people paid income tax. And according to Barack Obama, they could even be terrorists. Isn’t that one guy wearing a hoodie? Photo by Eric Francis.

In his usual hapless way, Romney punted the ball of Mercury right into personal is political territory — and it mysteriously surfaced this very week when Mercury engaged with the Aries Point. (If you somehow missed that story, you can refer to the original at Mother Jones and you can hear my rendition on Planet Waves FM.)

And then Mercury, moving through Libra, came into contact with Uranus in Aries (an opposition) and Pluto in Capricorn (a square) — which it’s doing as I write on Thursday afternoon, when the big news is that candidates for lower office are abandoning Romney, and even big funders like Rove are investing in ad buys for Senate races rather than going against Obama. Said another way, Mercury is talking to, and listening to, the Uranus-Pluto square — the 2012 aspect that has been shaking the world since 2011 (Arab Spring, Occupy, Fukushima, etc.). Among the events this week was an uprising against the United States, including protests at numerous embassies across the Middle East and North Africa, where there are many, many unemployed, angry men with nothing to lose.

There are hints in the astrology that these protests could be coming home any time now. I’ll come back to that in a moment.

Of note, the Uranus-Pluto square made its second exact contact on Wednesday. This is a slow-moving aspect, part of a cycle that began in 1965, which always comes with a blast of revolution. Because Uranus and Pluto move so slowly, and these planets go retrograde (due to the Earth’s movement), the square will happen seven times between mid-2012 and early 2015. (By contrast, the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of 1965-1966 happened just three times.)

The first exact square was in late June, and the second was Wednesday. So when Mercury made its aspect to Uranus-Pluto this week, the alignment was so perfect you could use it to tune an oboe.

My take is that the conversation that is happening — the many conversations — is infused with all of that charged-up, let’s-move-the-game-along, Uranus-Pluto energy, and anything that happens this week will have added impact as a result; we are in a seed moment, when an agenda is being established. There are many important topics that need to come up, but this discussion of what happens to the resources of society is a meaningful one.

We are told a lot of outrageous lies in politics. It was nice to see a pushback against one of them. It was even more satisfying to see the facade of compassionate conservatism tumble down with a thump. Along with Mitt’s comments about the 47%, we learned that he really doesn’t think the Palestinians can handle their own country, and he gave direct instructions for how a terrorist organization can blackmail the United States by threatening to use a dirty bomb, say for example, in Chicago.

Most impressive was Romney’s stupidity, a fact alone that disqualifies him from holding public office, particularly the presidency. In this moment of history, nearly every person who can write his or her name is carrying a video camera. There are more video cameras in people’s pockets than there are guns, and heck, they’re a lot more dangerous. If Second Amendment advocates fancy themselves a menace to the government, they might want to switch amendments to the First, and feel what it’s like to really have some power you can use every day — not just think about using.

NDAA Litigation Against Obama

While this cyclone was brewing, a far more significant story got far less attention. At the end of 2011 (that’s to say, on New Year’s Eve), Pres. Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a law with the primary purpose of funding the military. In this particular version of the law was a provision that allows the president to arrest any American citizen deemed to be aiding our enemy in the War on Terror, detain them indefinitely, keep them in offshore penal colonies and to have the military serve as a domestic police force — something that violates the traditions and explicit provisions of American law.

Six people, including Chris Hedges (Pulitzer Prize-winning author), Noam Chomsky (linguist and Papa Smurf of the American left) and Daniel Ellsberg (who helped end the Vietnam War by smuggling the Pentagon Papers home from work), sued Pres. Obama in federal court, seeking to block that provision of the law. Late last week, U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Forrest in New York ruled that the law was unconstitutional and issued an order blocking it, saying that the issue touched the heart of civil liberties.

If anything vibrates with Uranus (the planet of revolution) and Pluto (the planet of evolution) working together, it’s activism on this level — taking on the King directly.

Obama’s lawyers, representing the federal government, appealed that decision, waging “an all-out campaign to block and overturn an order of a federal judge,” in the words of the lawsuit’s co-lead counsel, Bruce Afran.

“As Judge Forrest noted in her opinion, nothing is more fundamental in American law than the possibility that journalists, activists and citizens could lose their liberty, potentially forever, and the Obama administration has now lined up squarely with the most conservative elements of the Republican Party to undermine Americans’ civil liberties.”

Hedges, in his column this week, wrote that, “The decision to vigorously fight Forrest’s ruling is a further example of the Obama White House’s steady and relentless assault against civil liberties, an assault that is more severe than that carried out by George W. Bush.” (A lot of people who study government are saying this, though if you listen to FOX News, you will never hear Obama criticized for doing the same things as Bush.)

Author Chris Hedges. Photo: Wikipedia.

Obama won the next round — early this week, a single judge on the appeals court placed a stay on Judge Forrest’s order. One question Hedges and his lawyers raised is why Obama went to court to fight for the same provision of NDAA that he said he had problems with, when he signed it into law.

Hedges wrote, “The request by the government to keep the law on the books during the appeal process raises a disturbing question. If the administration is this anxious to restore this section of the NDAA, is it because the Obama government has already used it? Or does it have plans to use the section in the immediate future?”

Afran, his attorney, proposed an answer. “A Department of Homeland Security bulletin was issued Friday [Sept. 14] claiming that the riots [in the Middle East] are likely to come to the U.S. and saying that DHS is looking for the Islamic leaders of these likely riots.”

“It is my view that this is why the government wants to reopen the NDAA — so it has a tool to round up would-be Islamic protesters before they can launch any protest, violent or otherwise. Right now there are no legal tools to arrest would-be protesters. The NDAA would give the government such power. Since the request to vacate the injunction only comes about on the day of the riots, and following the DHS bulletin, it seems to me that the two are connected. The government wants to reopen the NDAA injunction so that they can use it to block protests.”

Speaking of protests — I spent a lot of the weekend and week studying the chart for the 2012 election, and writing a special report that you’ll read in this space shortly. The weeks leading up to the election look like the scene of a protest, including violent incidents, and a mess internationally, including acts of war.

Cloaked in darkness and operating in the stealth of a Saturday, a holiday and hiding out in Hawaii, Obama signs NDAA in Honolulu on Dec. 31, 2011, at about 10:03 am local time. Photo: Forbes.

Since I’m not the White House astrologer, I cannot tell you if the government is aware of this astrology — but it sure is impressive, and it squares (pardon the pun) with a plan to suppress the very protests that look inevitable.

It’s interesting that if you packaged up this whole NDAA business — deporting of citizens, anything and everything (including political speech and even peaceful protests) subject to being called terrorism, and a government giving itself license to round up its people and put them in military camps — and said it was happening in another country, many Americans would be indignant. It’s the kind of thing used as propaganda to get us to go to war against evil-doers who have no respect for freedom. But if you point out the law that says it could happen here, well, that gets the ostrich effect. “I am not a terrorist. Thankfully, it will be used against someone else — someone who probably deserves it.” Right?

Hedges added, “In the last 220 years there have been only about 135 judicial rulings that have struck down an act of Congress. Most of the cases involved abortion or pornography. Very few dealt with wartime powers and the separation of powers, or what Forrest in her opinion called ‘a question of defining an individual’s core liberties’.”

And This Week, Even Sex is Political

Did you catch that Naomi Wolf, an American author and political consultant, has a new book out, about sex? It’s called Vagina: A New Biography. I commend Wolf for figuring out that there is a sexual-social-political connection, and taking advantage of it.

Naomi Wolf, author, political consultant and fashion icon. Photo: Wikipedia.

Toni Bentley, who reviewed the book for The New York Times, summed it up this way: “The female counterpart to your penis is not (spoiler alert) our vagina, and calling a book about the female sex ‘Vagina’ is like calling a book about the male sex ‘Scrotum’. Talk about a near miss.” I kept thinking the same thing. Did this woman get her entire sex education at The Vagina Monologues?

“The clitoris is the diva at our party, and she sports the most sensitive millimeters of flesh — male or female — in human existence. Her 8,000 nerve endings — let me repeat that: 8,000 — outnumber those on your circumcised penis by a mere 100 percent,” Bentley wrote in her review. But the clitoris, well, hardly anyone talks about that in polite company, while science is still trying to deduce what it’s for. (Implication: its evolutionary purpose cannot be female orgasm. It has to be about something else, perhaps related to women’s role in hunting-gathering).

Wolf has been something of a sensation this week, as the latest heterosexual woman to come out of the closet (right on the heels of Sandra Fluke). There is so much sexual tension in the air that the world has a spontaneous orgasm any time a woman even mentions sex publicly. Whatever it takes.

This week Wolf wrote an opinion piece for CNN, and I would like to offer my analysis of some of her thoughts. She asks: “Who decides when and how breasts might be exposed; who decides who can say vagina and where; who decides who is a slut; and who must be punished with hard labor for asserting their right to define their own sexual and artistic identities.” [She forgot the question mark, which insinuates that she was making statements, not actually asking questions.]

“The sexual revolution came and went, and yet women are still not as truly sexually free as they deserve to be — here or around the world. They are not yet, as these struggles show, fully free to define the meanings of their bodies and their desire, to assert their sexual wishes without punishment — including punishment by the state. And they are not yet fully free to claim the right to sexual pleasure and autonomy without enduring public shaming.”

Let’s start with the sexual revolution, assuming there even was one. What exactly was it a revolution against? Well, presumably against sexual oppression. Most of what we think of as sexual oppression is created with guilt and shame. Yes, there are plenty of efforts to make sex illegal, but they’re not really efficient. As for who deserves to be free: with an emotionally based self image issue like this one, those who deserve to be free are those who do the personal work that it takes to be free.

Sexual revolution is specifically revolution against shame. That’s because nearly any ‘outer’ source of oppression requires shame of the individual as its power source. Photo by Eric Francis.

The way oppressive forces control sex is to shame people. You can, therefore, be pretty sure that when anyone speaks up for sexual freedom, someone is going to try to shame them. That shame, which has as its power source our natural instincts, is used to turn us against ourselves. To be free, the first thing we have to deal with is the shame itself.

As long as that shame exists — as a public function or as a private one — there is a need for sexual revolution. Or perhaps the concept we’re looking for is healing. While it might seem that we need to stand up for our rights to abortion and birth control and to be queer and for that matter to be ‘straight’, I would propose that most of what we need to stand up to are our own toxic emotions. Those are what hold us back; those are the tools that are most readily used against us by anyone else.

To have sexual freedom for oneself, it’s not necessary to enter public discourse. In fact, it’s better to shut up about what you’re doing. You just figure out how to have a good time, and the chances are you’ll be left alone. Maybe you might come out to your friends, and your mom and dad, so you don’t feel so lonely, and even when you do that, the thing you’re up against is indeed shame.

It’s only when we want to take the step into advocating liberation on a larger scale that it’s necessary to engage with the larger public realm, and stand in that mysterious ‘personal as political’ Aries Point magnifier — where Mercury has been all week, sparking these kinds of conversations. Then one invariably gets an earful of what society is made of, and what judgments and emotions are contained in the humans who populate it.

We can only blame advertising for so long. If she’s ashamed of her body or her sexuality, or if she thinks she’s fat or ugly, eventually she has to work that out, and it’s unlikely to happen at a protest — though you never know. Photo by Eric Francis.

Though Wolf seems to long for a world where it’s safe to speak up without being shamed, she is missing the very point of what we need to do right now — which is to confront precisely that shame as the oppressive force. The problem is that things considered shameful are presumed to be that way because they’re also presumed to be ‘wrong’.

Therefore, to speak up is to stand up and to do exactly the thing that everyone else seems to be judging in the first place — being open about your sexuality. This is territory that’s taken back, and you can expect a few people to throw tomatoes. Said another way, if you’re going to confront resistance, you can reasonably expect a little. If you’re going to stand up for anything besides alleged Biblical monogamy, you’re very likely to piss off a good few people.

Wolf concludes her article, “Until that real freedom arrives, we can honor the pioneers such as Lisa Brown, Pussy Riot and the young women of Tahrir Square — and keep up the fight to be free to name our bodies and ourselves.”

Until that real freedom arrives? Does she think that freedom pulls into the station like a train, steps onto the platform, stops for a cappuccino and takes a taxi to the hotel? This reminds me of the people who want the fruits of the land without plunging in their pitchfork and turning over the soil. We want fire, but we’re not willing to split the wood. We want food, but we’re not willing to cook. Wait — where are we? I just checked my GPS and it’s flashing the words WESTERN CIVILIZATION.

The state of the sexual discussion is so dismal at the moment that Wolf’s ideas may have value if we bother to consider and question them — though I don’t think she understands the nature of the problem and therefore cannot speak about the solution.

Mercury is still on the move, and the Sun is about to ingress Libra, where it too will pass through the Uranus-Pluto square, and stir the pot. May the metalogue continue.

Lovingly,

Libra Equinox: Evolution in the Air

Saturday is the [Northern Hemisphere] autumn equinox, when the Sun enters Libra and the new season begins. The Moon is in Sagittarius for this event, conjunct the Galactic Core. I’ll come back to all of that in a moment. First, though, a few additional words about the rather interesting week we’ve just experienced (in nutshell form).

This chart is set up with the Aries Point rising. Notice Pallas and Uranus on the left. Opposite them is the Sun, to the right — with Mercury close by. On top of the chart is Pluto. The Sun will move into alignment with Pallas, Uranus and Pluto over the next few days, which will activate the aspect, resulting in events that make it visible, expressive and obvious that something unusual is happening.

You may have read in this space that we’re in the middle of a major, generational-scale aspect. It’s called Uranus square Pluto. The aspect spans from mid-2012 to early 2015, with a long warmup on the front end and a cool-down on the back end. We saw many effects of this in 2011, between Arab Spring, the Wisconsin protests and the Occupy movement. There is a gradually rising tide of increasing social and political consciousness, and it’s associated with this longterm aspect.

There are seven exact events; the second one was Wednesday, Sept. 19 — and we are now seeing another peak of protests (mostly in the Middle East, against the United States). These are not just associated with political events; the square indicates that we’re all under considerable pressure to change and to grow. Yet we humans have this tense relationship with the concept of change, and many put lots of energy into resisting it.

Outer planet aspects have many effects that can influence the feeling of a phase of time lasting years. An aspect in 2001-02, for example (Saturn opposite Pluto), was associated with the 9/11 incident and shaped consciousness for the next decade. It was associated with an outer event, and a lot of people feeling a lot of fear — and all of that fear was harvested and used to manipulate us. So, the last time we experienced big change, it came in the form of trauma, and subconsciously (or fully consciously) this is what most people expect.

We are in a similar moment now — though it’s more chaotic and less predictable. It’s oriented on liberation rather than on fear, contraction and oppression. Unlike the 2001-02 aspect, which was all about confronting externals (an opposition), the 2012 aspect is about making, and acting upon, a deeply personal commitment to change and grow in the ways you know are necessary.

This is what we can see of the Galactic Center, the core of our Milky Way galaxy, located 24,000 light years away. The Moon will be conjunct the core for the equinox on Saturday, infusing the energy of this point into our bodies.

It extends from Aries to Capricorn — describing the meeting place between an individual (Aries) and the institutions that influence and often seem to control our lives (Capricorn). There is tension between the liberationist energy of Uranus in Aries, and the experience of power over us evoked by Pluto in Capricorn. And last, there is tension between the glitz and glam of appearance, excitement and technology, and deep (and deeply concealed) issues, psychological scarring and fear of change.

On Saturday, the Sun enters Libra, which is a power point in the year because it’s a change of seasons, and because the Sun aspects something called the Aries Point — the first degree of Aries. During the following week (next week, that is), the Sun will also oppose Uranus and square Pluto, moving the center of consciousness and the core of the solar system through this aspect structure. This is more than change on the level of words and ideas. Get ready for a direct experience of your own growth, your own adventure. It’s going to be a big week, as the Earth and the Sun align with Uranus, Pluto and other points in that aspect structure.

Here’s the catch: this is an inwardly focused aspect, but it’s not all about you. Rather, it’s about you and what you have in common with many other people, addressing topics that are much easier to address together. As for that Sagittarius Moon conjunct the Galactic Core — to me that’s a reminder that our spiritual quest is a need and not an option.

The Galactic Core is a homing signal toward greater spiritual depth. The Moon on the GC suggests this will be a palpable, physical sensation, coming through our bodies and the collective body known as ‘the public’. It’s a good use of the Moon, a great use of the body and the perfect use of this elusive thing known as the public.

Uranus-Pluto Takes a Walk(er)

Last Friday, five days before the second exact contact of the Uranus-Pluto square, a Wisconsin judge struck down much of the 2011 state law championed by Governor Scott Walker that strips collective bargaining rights from most public workers, declaring it unconstitutional. This is the law that triggered several weeks of protests in Wisconsin’s capitol last February and prompted all 14 of the state’s Democratic senators to flee to Illinois in an effort to stop the law’s passage. Though more than 930,000 signatures were collected to force a June 2012 recall vote of Walker, which happened about three weeks before the first exact contact of Uranus-Pluto, he survived. Walker vows to appeal.

GMO Corn, Roundup and You: Not Exactly “The Secret of NIMH”

Do you eat corn chips? Is your neighborhood patrolled by chemical-spraying weed-police? A study released this week, as the Virgo Sun has been squaring Ceres in Gemini, shows that rats fed a lifetime diet of Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn or exposed to the company’s ubiquitous Roundup herbicide developed tumors and suffered severe organ damage, reported Truthout and other publications.

Gilles-Eric Seralini, a professor and Roundup in his lab. Photo: Charente Libre. Note — that mask he’s wearing is absolutely useless. It won’t keep that stuff out of his lungs.

Scientists fed the rats either Monsanto’s patented NK603 corn alone, corn treated with agricultural levels of Roundup, or water treated with levels of Roundup commonly found in contaminated U.S. water used for drinking and irrigating crops. Rats developed mammary tumors (breast cancer) and severe liver and kidney damage. There were two or three more deaths in each group than in control groups, and in one group, they died sooner.

“This is around the level [that] the American population may eat, where, unfortunately GMOs are not labeled,” said Gilles-Eric Séralini, a professor of molecular biology at the University of Caen who lead the research team. “In Europe, we have this labeling, and it helps us to avoid these compounds if necessary and promote personal choices.”

The news is disturbing, yet may strengthen Proposition 37 in California, a ballot initiative that would require groceries containing genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled accordingly. Biotech chemical companies and food manufacturers such as Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer and Nestle have spent millions of dollars so far in efforts to defeat Proposition 37. Before Californians get to vote on it, however, the Sun, in the sign of the goddess of the harvest, will move on from its illuminative square to Ceres — the goddess of agriculture. It will take her message to the Aries Point via the early degrees of Libra (justice) and into the heart of the Uranus-Pluto square. Your personal health is political, in the sense that its importance is shared by all of us. And this study is not about rats.

Tit for Tat or Much Ado?

Are Kate’s Royal Tits that much more sacred than Harry’s Royal Balls? Last week, photographs of the Duchess’ breasts were released by French tabloid Closer, to the chagrin of the Royal Family. This is the second time in less than a month that photos of royal parts were made public, after Harry was photographed naked in Las Vegas playing strip billiards. Reactions to the two royal exposures (ahem) have been different, however.

“Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner,” began the statement released by St. James’ Palace, seat of the Royal Court.

Since that statement, The Royal Family has won an injunction prohibiting further publication of Kate’s photos by Closer; no such lawsuit was brought on Harry’s behalf. Reactions to both incidents by bloggers, commenters and media pundits have run the gamut: applauding the freedom of both young Royals; chastising media and paparazzi; trying to shame Harry and Kate for being immodest in the first place.

Both the palace and the public have invoked the tragic death of Princess Diana as a reason Kate’s photos are off limits. Yet, the virgin/whore mentality combined with the good girl/bad boy trope has its fingerprints all over this.

Articles warning of the dangers of nakedness and photography, with the implied vilification of our bodies, are wearing thin. The dangerous combination of sexual repression and hypocrisy is far more compelling — no matter how cute the Royal Tits.

Astrology note by Eric: I just checked the asteroid Photographica, which is dependably about photos and their impact. It’s in Capricorn, square Eris and opposite Varuna. That’s a lot of energy, though the square to Eris implies the search for identity and the sense of chaos; the opposition to Varuna is about equalization — in this case, through photos. Paraphrasing Bob Dylan, sometimes the prince and princess must stand naked.

NASA: Vesta Probably Had Some Water

Vesta, from a NASA video.

NASA on Thursday announced that studies of imagery and geologic data captured by its unmanned Dawn spacecraft of the large asteroid Vesta, located 117 million miles from Earth, likely contained hydrated minerals, or minerals that released water.

To be clear, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft didn’t detect any water on the asteroid itself, but rather signatures of hydrogen, bound up in minerals on the asteroid’s surface in the form of hydroxyl.

NASA states in two new papers that the hydroxyl likely came when “high-speed collisions with asteroid belt rocks released water … thought to have explosively degassed into space, leaving behind pothole-like depressions as it escaped.”

— by Carl Franzen, TPM

Artist’s rendition of Numenor, J.R.R. Tolkien’s version of Atlantis.

The Sixty-Fifteenth Anniversary of The Lord of the Rings

This year marks the 75th anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien beginning writing The Lord of the Rings and the 1937 publication of The Hobbit. An epic fantasy tale whose themes provide social commentary as relevant now as during World War II, if you haven’t read it lately (or ever), consider wandering for a while through a world where the small and humble accomplish feats for the greater good of all, simply because they must be done. As Tolkien noted, not all those who wander are lost — and we could use more adventuresome hobbits these days. In celebration of Tolkien’s vision, here is a recording of Martin Shaw reading Akallabeth, the fourth part of The Silmarillion — Tolkien’s companion work to LOTR and its prequel. If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, being familiar with what’s in The Silmarillion and Akallabeth make it a lot more interesting — and the best way to take those works in is on audio, due to all the Elvish pronounciations and exotic names.

Planet Waves FM :: Uranus Pluto Square & Libra Equinox

Here’s Planet Waves FM. My musical guest is New Paltz, NY-based recording artist Seth Davis. In this edition, I do an audio presentation on three of the topics in the lead article — the equinox and the Uranus-Pluto square, Mitt Romney declaring half of us deadbeats, and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Planet Waves monthly horoscopes provide a broader perspective that surveys the themes of the coming month and often, the weeks that follow. The September Monthly horoscope was published Friday, Aug. 24. Inner Space for September was published Tuesday, August 28. The September Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Sept. 18. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign (the October monthly will publish Sept. 28); Inner Space still publishes on Tuesdays.

Friday, September 21, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #918 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Libra Birthdays This Week

In my 2012 annual edition, I promised that 2012 would be “the most important year of your life.” That’s still true, though the next four seasons also promise to be the most interesting year of your life. I suggest you avoid having expectations about anything, mainly for the reason that those expectations will often have you aiming too low. I suggest you do everything you can to consider the highest, most creative potentials — which might feel like aiming for the stars. But you’ll be doing no such thing — what you accomplish and what adventures you embark upon will take place on Earth, among people, in an environment of experimentation rather than false certainty. There are a lot of people who wish they could be as open to the possibilities as you are, and as willing to let go of the dreaded habit of clinging to what is known. I assure you that what you don’t know, and what you’re about to discover, is a heck of a lot more interesting than what you think you know. Note to Libras: I plan to have your 2012-2013 birthday reading completed next week.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Whether a relationship or partnership holds any promise as a long-term involvement remains to be seen — though events certainly seem to be moving quickly at the moment. The speed of developments is not a fair indicator of how things might work out in the future, though how you and whoever else is involved move through the sequence of changes certainly is a valid indicator. This is a real-time experiment, under field conditions; this is not about speculation or theory. You’re actually in the territory you want to be covering, and this experience will come with excitement, sense of risk, the emotional exchange and being turned back on yourself to process the experience, basically all at once. Pay attention to how events develop, how you feel about them, and what you notice about the dynamics of the relationship. Notice whether you feel the truth is being told, pay attention to how responsive others are and how you feel at the end of the day. I suggest you take notes, because there are too many details to remember them all. This is one situation where the end really is written in the beginning.

Hello Aries — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Beware of emotional pitfalls, particularly ones that have been a big problem in the past. It’s your destiny to outgrow and resolve these issues, not to be bound by them. Here is what the aspect structure is describing. You are in close proximity to a spot in your emotional body that feels like an injury to your self-respect. Whatever it was, it has roots in (Northern Hemisphere) summers of 1999 and 2001, though you may not connect those two dates. You may fear that you’re in the same place, or still carrying some residual tendencies — though I suggest you note that feeling and keep going forward. There is something else going on, and it involves your relationship to this elusive thing called ‘maleness’. Much has been said about the alleged differences between male and female desire, though at least for you right now, there is something of a role reversal going on. You can regard any experiences you have of men over the next few days as a form of inner exploration. You’ve skipped over this territory before; I suggest that this time around, you go in deep.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — In order to understand the nature of a problem, you will need to take a chance. That may mean considering possibilities that seem risky, or point to potentials that you don’t want to consider. When it comes to understanding psychological and emotional dynamics, many people will avoid an idea because they don’t like what it implies. I suggest you treat anything like this that you encounter as opportunities, and even as low-hanging fruit. Meanwhile, I suggest you ditch the notion of a ‘happy childhood’, if such a thing influences you. Childhood is extremely complicated, we tend to forget most of it, and in truth, it’s never easy. Embrace the complexity of what you went through, and the contradictions involved, and recognize the fact that there are parts of you that are still aching from some of what happened. You’re also very likely to be carrying the pain of your parents, and at the moment, what your mother passed along to you is high on the agenda to be looked at, understood and resolved. Said another way: you are ready.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You’re ready for some deep nourishment — which is different from your average, everyday kind of nourishment. The best way to have this need fulfilled is to admit you have it, and remain open and aware, rather than in a state of frustration. I know there’s a taboo against admitting need — whether we (as in we humans in Western society) fear being perceived as that dreaded thing ‘needy’, or whether we fear some compromise of our image as being fully satisfied. Forget your outer image, and I suggest you be mindful of the interplay of you and your self-image. It’s time, I believe, for you to acknowledge directly what you want, and what you know will nourish you, first to yourself and then to someone with whom you may share something so intimate. If you enter territory where there is shame, embarrassment or guilt, you know you’re in the right place. These things are almost always veils thrown over what is the most meaningful, what is the very hottest and ultimately, over who you know you are inside.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Keep going and you’re bound to get results. You may be experiencing mixed feelings about that idea, since you know that you’re exerting more energy than you need to. You may also be stalked by the feeling that ‘everything has to change, all at once’. While that’s going on, you may have the feeling that you’re mired in something that’s consuming your energy unnecessarily, though you don’t necessarily know what it is. You might feel at the same time like you’re pushing against an obstacle that seems like it’s outside you, but which is really part of your own emotional makeup. Yes, there is a lot going on at once. But it’s all one experience, and I suggest you step back and see your current circumstances for what they are. You’re in a truly adventurous dynamic with your environment. You’re changing it, and it’s changing you. You’re currently the one in the situation whose ideas can have the most positive influence. Therefore, stay on that level — of being open, and of respecting what comes through your mind and hopefully ends up being jotted down for reference and elaboration in the immediate future.

Hello Virgo and Virgo rising readers. I’ve just finished your 2012-2013 birthday reading. Check this link to listen to your hour-long astrology reading plus Tarot.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — I was about to write that it’s not possible to devote too much energy to self-esteem, though if you are, I suggest you ask yourself why that is. I’ve said many times that in terms of personal psychology, the self-esteem deficit is one of the most serious problems we face as individuals and as a society. You’re in exactly the position you need to be in to make some bold progress on this seemingly intractable issue — but to do so, you need to be unusually honest with yourself. I suggest you start by questioning and even stopping the things you typically do to make yourself ‘feel better about yourself’. This might range from any form of self-improvement technique to the designer handbag. You might also include accounting for the influences of medication, on the chance that might be involved. Treat these things as cover-ups for both the real problem and the real solution. They interfere on two levels: one is a physical obstruction, and the other is a matter of where you invest your faith. You don’t want to feel good about who you are; rather, I would propose that what you want is to have faith in yourself.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — What do you identify with, within yourself? Your personal assets? Your problems? What you’ve accomplished? Your relationships? You’re bigger than all of these things combined. This can be a challenging lesson to learn, since one at a time these different elements of experience tend to take over consciousness and our sense of identity. Yet none of them are really you. Yes, they all give you clues, and those clues point to something deeper, bigger, vastly more significant than any transient experience. You can, however, use these experiences in interesting ways. One is to notice what they all have in common. Look for the underlying motive, need or desire that connects the many seemingly different experiences of your existence. Trust that there is a common thread, use your imagination and see if you can figure out what it is. You can also experiment with the sensation that everything is a mirror, or that consciousness itself is a reflection — and if that is true, what, exactly, is being reflected? You may wear a thousand masks, but someone is behind them all.

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Your charts describe the way in which you’re striving to be, or at least to experience, the opposite of what you are now. This looks like a healthy expression of your creative imagination. It’s also a viable way to explore the tension that you’re feeling, which is a kind of inner standoff between two different emotional realities. It’s as if you feel entirely like one of them in one moment, and entirely like the other in the next moment. Which is really you? How can they both feel so vividly true? Consider the possibility that you contain parallel realities. They can coexist like separate dimensions, each of which is valid when you’re in it. Rather than trying to reconcile them against one another, be fully in each of them as you experience it. This will feel a lot better than trying to compel yourself to reconcile them. Both are valid, even if one seems to exclude the other. Be fully where you are and what you’re feeling in every moment and understanding will come.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You’re in the process of figuring out how much fun you can have, if you get this pesky thing known as attachment out of the way. I know, most people cling to their attachments, even beyond being attached to them. This is similar to being in love with being in love, only it’s less fun. You of all people have the ability to slip right into the space of nonattachment, which is not about giving things up one at a time. Rather, it’s about making contact with your cosmic origins as a direct emotional and psychic experience. While few of us know with certainty the full nature of our journey through the universe, you have the ability to feel the essence of that journey and to embrace it, even if you only do this occasionally. Feel the essence of everything, particularly yourself, as being in motion. Everything is transient within time, though the planets are aligned such that you can feel that transience, and experience both the freedom it contains, and your ability to make contact with others in the midst of the kaleidoscope of your life.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There is an imperative on emotional maturity right now; consider this a kind of professionalism in the face of change, uncertainty and the demand for leadership — that is to say, your leadership. You have a unique, and well-seasoned, perspective on the unsettled quality of the moment, though you are also in full contact with the potential that’s lurking beyond the chaos. In times such as these, people who can offer a steady example and have a vision are the ones who have the opportunity to shine, while everyone else is scrambling around. Now, as for the maturity piece: this is a learned skill. It’s learned from experience and by following examples, and you have both. The pace of events is about to pick up; you must slow down, long enough to confer with certain people you trust (most likely older than you) and to make reasoned decisions that you don’t have to reconsider. Take things one step at a time — that number is one, not two. And if you find yourself positioned high up, use that as a means of gaining perspective, rather than demanding respect.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Do you have to be powerful to be successful? It depends on your concept of power — and of success. If you view power as something that a king has, which is basically that of a ruler over people, success would be measured in how much authority you have. If you view success as the ability to get a job done well, power is more like the gift of being able to muster up cooperation, support and enthusiasm toward a goal. Under this model, power is also about any ability you have to move creative energy and resources in the direction you deem necessary, fun or useful. Under this second definition, you are just getting a taste of what is possible. Once Saturn crosses the success angle of your chart early next month, you will be taking a step up in the world — though initially that means an increase in your responsibilities, and the beginning of doing the work to establish and solidify your reputation. I don’t mean your image or the theory of success that you’re using — I do mean your actual reputation for achievement, which is very much a work in progress.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The art of the deal — it’s not usually your thing, though I suggest you make it your thing for the next few weeks. One thing about your chart, and about life, is that everything is negotiable. Most people don’t believe that, and don’t have the chutzpah to put that idea to work, though I suggest you keep it in mind. Consider everything flexible, everything subject to the principle of fairness, and remember that life is a social and relational affair above all else (rather than being a bureaucratic function or a game). Therefore, stick to the human level in everything you do. Grease the wheels that make your community turn, look for the leverage points to get action and remember what you want at all times — both individually (for you) and collectively (what serves others). Ideally you will engage only in situations where you feel confident that the outcome will be the greatest good for all concerned. And remember you have more influence making that happen than you might think at the moment — though I suspect you’ve got a clue.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

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Mercury Direct, Nessus and Your Cue to Be One

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Dear Friend and Reader:

In August, the sky starts to open up and the energy flows more freely. The obstacle course that we’ve been running since January morphs into the art studio / healing space indicated by the Leo-Virgo line, which the Sun is gradually approaching. If you’ve been having productivity or creativity challenges, prepare to focus and move forward. Granted, this is happening in August when most people would rather be taking it easy.

Moon Rising. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Before we get there, though, there are (as ever) some highlights worth mentioning. Currently, Jupiter in Gemini is square Chiron in Pisces. This is an aspect associated with those who devote themselves to social causes; the wisdom attribute of Jupiter and the applied healing / focus quality of Chiron join forces in a provocative way. Start with yourself first and work your way into helping the world. Make your contribution from a solid place. As my friend Scott Kalechstein once said (as if describing this aspect), “get the word in before you get the word out.”

The Aquarius Full Moon is Aug. 1. This is the Moon in Aquarius opposite the Sun in Leo. When you see a Full Moon on the first of the month, that hints that there will be a second Full Moon that month — and that’s called a Blue Moon. I have absolutely no interpretation of this whatsoever; it’s pure trivia. (The Pisces Full Moon happens Aug. 31 — more on that in a few weeks.)

In all sincerity this seems like a reasonable, easygoing Full Moon (it’s trine Jupiter in Gemini, for example, which looks like a relaxed mental and emotional posture). Aug. 1 is a Wednesday, though that would be a great day to plan an extended weekend and (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere) start your midsummer holiday.

Next up is Mercury stationing direct on Aug. 8. It’s been retrograde in Leo since July 14. That will begin the first extended stretch of 2012 with all of the inner planets direct. That condition lasts a whole three months, until Nov. 6, when Mercury stations retrograde on Election Day here in the United States. [I’ll come back to that one as well — let’s just say that event will give us a moment to pause and reflect on the meaning of elections.] If you recall, we covered this in the Top Five Events of 2012 audio series.

Take advantage of this phase of direct inner planets, by which I mean tackle your biggest projects during this brief three-month phase. Use the remainder of the current Mercury retrograde (through Aug. 8) to prepare yourself for what you need to accomplish with all the red and yellow lights suddenly turning green. Summer is a nice time to chill out, though I suggest you keep your focus on your goals and intentions.

Photo by Eric Francis.

On Aug. 15, there is a conjunction of Mars and Saturn in Libra. There are a few ways to look at this aspect; I will sum up by saying that your sense of fairness is the thing to be working with as it approaches. This is not a time to cheat or to take advantage of anyone — it will blow back in your face. Keep your balance and use the energy of Mars-Saturn to develop your goals and as an opportunity to take action on an important professional matter. It might be a tense time in relationships; if someone is acting immature, deal with them on something other than their level.

We then have the Leo New Moon on Aug. 17. This is a special event, as the Sun and Moon will be opposite centaur planet Nessus. Nessus is the third centaur, with two layers of meaning. The first is about understanding the connection between cause and effect, and altering the cycle when necessary. The second is that it relates directly to themes of sexual healing, including the healing of abuse legacies (part of the reason I’ve introduced my four-part series on erotic themes on Planet Waves FM, which began with Wednesday’s edition). The essence of the New Moon opposite Nessus is cultivating an understanding of what is your material in a relationship and what belongs to someone else. Often we take on someone’s abuse legacy, or project our own into the partnership. This is a time to sort this out.

There is one more notable event in August — 1992 QB1 turns 20 years old. I keep mentioning this bit of space dust, which was the first planet ever discovered in an orbit beyond Pluto. That’s in a place called the Kuiper Belt, a vast region of space just past Neptune where there are millions of little icy and rocky planets orbiting our Sun. I promise you that you won’t read about this anywhere else, unless of course someone takes the lead from Planet Waves. I am planning a rousing tribute to 1992 QB1 in a late-August edition.

As you can see, 1992 QB1 is a planet with a temporary designation and no actual name. Dale O’Brien wrote to me and said, “It’s already named! Cue: Be One.” Now that’s an apple from the very tree I’ve been barking up since I heard about this point not long after its discovery.

Enjoy your horoscope, which I’m offering with a few other short features. I’ll see you Tuesday with the Inner Space monthly for August.

Lovingly,

Midyear Report Forthcoming

I am now working on your Midyear Report, a 12-sign audio devoted to putting your calling, your cash flow and your career in the same place. Many people are trying to do this, some of them spurred by our challenging economy — which I think presents special opportunities for resourceful people with ideas and energy. Look for an announcement of that soon; it will come out after Mercury stations direct.

Shades of Grey: 2012 Olympics Opens Friday

The XXX Olympiad — otherwise known as the 2012 Olympics — opens Friday night in London. The ceremony starts at 9:00 pm London time, which means it’s possible to cast a chart (for viewing purposes, please check your local listings for the time in your area). [View chart at this link.]

The 2012 Olympics were almost in Paris. This neon sculpture of the Olympic rings was erected next to (not around) the Eiffel Tower in 2005, which I photographed while I was living there. Photo by Eric.

This is a slippery chart full of all kinds of cryptic messages. There is tension behind the scenes, on many levels. For example, the Moon is void of course when the games begin (though it makes aspects to minor planets, which paint a nice complicated picture). As well, the ceremony happens just a day before the Sun-Mercury conjunction (the halfway mark of Mercury retrograde). That’s a way of saying that the trickster is in the air, which Mitt Romney just demonstrated on his trip to London (see POL section below).

In our current world, I think that the Olympics are especially necessary. They’re an example of what can be created for its own sake, without the Air Force being sent in, and where the profit motive isn’t particularly successful. They are a testament to actual human achievement for its own sake; a statement of our potential. Woe be unto anyone who turns them into something cynical.

Where Mercury is a factor, it’s helpful to look at what’s happening in the Mercury-ruled signs, Virgo and Gemini. Virgo is on the 8th house of this particular chart (which means it’s associated with money, banks, sponsorship and partnership). Gemini is on the 4th house — (home base, security, father). Of the two the 8th concerns me the most; there’s something dishonest about this Sun-Mercury retrograde setup. We could be looking at some sort of news about the games being rigged — or for that matter, bungles involving news coverage itself.

The 8th in this chart also includes Libra, and there’s a conjunction brewing there — Mars and Saturn. But that conjunction doesn’t happen till after the games end, so this is a setup for something that develops during the games that finally comes out when that conjunction happens. There may be a delayed reaction.

My buddy Astrodem notes that the Aquarius ascendant for this chart has an interesting Sabian symbol — “A man who had for a time become the embodiment of a popular ideal is made to realize that as a person he is not the ideal.” Translation: stern caution about performance-enhancing drugs. One Greek athlete has already been disqualified.

I think it’s possible that we may see something never-before encountered from the Olympics — a sex scandal. I am aware that the Olympic Village makes the old Studio 54 seem boring as a party spot; those kids know how to carry on, they have a ton of energy and this is their big moment. Athletes and sex go together like the ingredients of a peach melba. (As of Thursday night, long after this was written, Stephen Colbert was already doing comedy about sex and Olympic athletes.)

This newspaper headline appeared in Paris the day that London was selected to host the games — and the day that the 7/7 false flag attacks in Tube stations and a Metro bus happened there. That felt a bit ominous. Photo by Eric Francis.

Therefore, I hope this is not a sex abuse scandal (which would translate to some form of rape). There are some dark shades to this chart (Scorpio Moon square Nessus, and opposite the Black Moon Lilith). Where there is sex, there is shadow, and we’re looking right at it with that aspect. It would be lovely if we could relax and have the whole conversation — light, shadow, body, soul; this chart is an invitation.

Last, everyone who worries is wondering about terrorism. The thing that makes me nervous is that London winning the Olympic bid was announced on July 6, 2005, and when that made news the next day, we had the 7/7 bombings in London. That was a ridiculously false flag attack (that day the police were running terrorism drills in the same four tube stations as where the bombs went off). I am not so concerned about terrorism as I am about Terrorism, Inc. — that’s to say, some kind of staged event. However, as the games begin, I can say that I don’t feel that happening.

To the extent it’s possible, today or any other day, this is something we can help with. Holding the whole thing in the light is a real-life exercise in creative visualization. I believe the more chatter there is in advance, the less likely that something weird will happen. The element of blindsiding the public is the essential ingredient in false flag attacks; there has to be shock value or what’s the point?

Now as for all those fantastic athletes showing up from some 200 countries, who have prepared their whole lives for this event, nearly all of them in good faith — well, let’s see how they do.

Greenland Turned to Slush in Four Days

It’s been a hot summer, with record temperatures, droughts and wildfires, being described as the worst since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The American corn crop looks like it might fail as a result of the weather, which is expected to push up food prices (chickens and pigs eat corn).

Ice melt off in Greenland between July 8 and 12. This kind of thing has happened before — but has it happened in four days? Well, it just did.

Meanwhile, a massive ice sheet covering most of Greenland has melted over a record area this year, with the melt covering 97% of the ice in just four days earlier this month. This happened between July 8 and 12. While climate change deniers say this kind of thing happens every 150 years or so, they cannot say for sure how long it took — and four days seems pretty quick.

Though about half of the ice sheet normally melts during the summer months, the speed and scale of this year’s melt was extraordinary — the fastest in three decades of observation. One problem is that the melt off feeds on itself. Ice is white and reflects heat. When the ice melts, less heat is reflected and more ice is affected.

At its center, the ice sheet is nearly two miles thick. Melting even occurred at the Summit station, the coldest and highest place in Greenland. Ice core records show melting last occurred there in 1889. “When we see melt in places that we haven’t seen before, at least in a long period of time, it makes you sit up and ask what’s happening,” said NASA chief scientist Waleed Abdalati.

While this kind of melt off may happen every 150 years or so, it’s still alarming. The news comes just days after a massive iceberg, twice the size of Manhattan, broke off of the Petermann Glacier, one of the two main glaciers in Greenland. It’s the second time in two years that parts of the Petermann Glacier have broken off after an ice island four times Manhattan’s size cracked apart in August 2010.

Still, climate change deniers are on the march. One such website commenting on an expected rise of the oceans chirped, “An additional foot of sea level rise is about twice the amount the world has experienced since 1880. Our wealthier, more mobile, and more technologically advanced children’s children’s children should be able to adapt to it just fine.”

Romney Slips on Mercury Retrograde; Bum Over Teapot in London

Mitt Romney began his international “charm offensive” with a visit to England with the perfect gaffe — telling NBC’s Brian Williams Wednesday that some of the challenges leading up to the games had been “disconcerting.” Romney’s resume includes overseeing the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which he promptly outsourced to China.

Mitt Romney’s astrologer forgot that Mercury was retrograde — or left that out of the reading as sabotage. Here, Mitt is outside the famous black door at 10 Downing, speaking with reporters. Reuters photo.

“The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials — that obviously is not something which is encouraging,” the presumptive GOP nominee said.

Apparently he had not been advised that Mercury was retrograde, therefore, to be quiet and just wave at all the nice people.

His remark prompted a reply from Prime Minister David Cameron. “We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world,” Cameron said. “Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.”

In later comments Romney forgot the name of British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband. Even for Romney, he was in rare form. And it gets better.

After he stepped outside the famous doors of No. 10 Downing St., the current prime minister’s office, he admitted that he had been given a secret briefing with the head of MI6, the British intelligence agency. Aspiring U.S. presidents are not supposed to admit that they met with anyone in the organization, the existence of which was secret till 1994.

The Guardian asked, “Do we have a new Dubya on our hands?” Or as Howard Dean commented Thursday night on MSNBC, all that’s missing from this trip is a visit to the Cayman Islands.

As News of the World Turns (and Pholus Keeps Going)

The Fall of the House of Murdoch continues in its illustration of the ‘small cause, big effect’ indicated by centaur planet Pholus in charts associated with this event. Two ex-editors of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World — the original scandal sheet, profiting on the misery of others — face 19 charges related to phone hacking, including former top executives of the company. When we covered this last year, we demonstrated how Pholus feels like a runway reaction, and predicted that this scandal would keep going for a long time.

Cover of The Guardian, one of Britain’s left-leaning actual newspapers, from 2010, breaking the story of how News of the World writers hacked the phone of slain teenager Milly Dowler. After publishing her parents’ anguished voicemails in the newspaper, they deleted the messages, leading her parents and police to believe she was still alive. This outraged England and sent the news across the Atlantic, forced the closure of the newspaper and has resulted in nine arrests.

Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson are among seven former members of the now-defunct British tabloid charged with conspiring to intercept communications. Between 2000 and 2006, the phones of 600 people were allegedly hacked into — with the erasing of voicemail belonging to murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler’s phone leading to the paper’s closure in July 2011. Brooks, a former chief executive of the newspaper division News International, naturally denies the charges.

Coulson, formerly British Prime Minister David Cameron’s communications chief, also faces charges linked to the phone messages of Dowler and others. Check that out — the current prime minister’s former press secretary was charged criminally with hacking into the phone of a murdered girl, to sell more newspapers.

Last week Murdoch himself resigned from directorship of several subsidiaries of his News Corp, in a move announced as ‘corporate housecleaning’ in preparation for splitting Murdoch’s newspaper holdings from his entertainment enterprises. Included in that split is FOX News which will be kept with the entertainment division. Some speculate it’s more like a fire sale — and Murdoch and his top staff are holding the matches. While many are downplaying Murdoch’s resignation from his directorships as a public relations gesture, you can be sure it’s a lot more meaningful to him, stepping down from leading the companies he created as the world looks on in disgust.

As we wrote of this incident last year, “Something new seems to be escaping from a structure in a way that can never be reversed: the truth of what went on behind the scenes. With Pluto in Capricorn we have the energy of the unstoppable force, combining with Pholus in Capricorn (in the natal charts of Murdoch and News of the World) to wreak havoc on one of the world’s biggest companies and oldest, most established governments.” What we’re seeing is how the thing we rely on for supposed truth has become an instrument for disinformation and chaos. The consequences are only just beginning to clear out the whole toxic enterprise.

Groundbreaking Gay Activist was Historian of Cinema

If you have HBO or you can cozy up with a friend who does, don’t miss this documentary. It’s called Vito, and it’s about the life of early gay activist Vito Russo, also the author of The Celluloid Closet. He was the first historian of the depiction of homosexuality in cinema, about which his book was written (covering Thomas Edison’s early films up through contemporary cinema of the 1970s and early 1980s). The HBO documentary covers Russo’s life as well as providing many examples of his observations about the early history of film through contemporary times.

Planet Waves FM: Pleasure, Play and Healing

Late Breaking News — I was at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA this week, teaching astrology. I gave two presentations — one on the development of the minor planets, and the other on sexuality and astrology. The links take you to high-quality recordings of the seminars. These are both designed for people without prior astrological training. — efc

Author Sheri Winston.

This week’s guest on Planet Waves FM is Sheri Winston, author of Women’s Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure. Our topic is pleasure, play and healing. Sheri is a gifted writer, teacher and guest and it was a real treat spending an hour hearing what she has to say. You can reach Sheri at her website.

I open the program with a recap of the news and a short summary of the astrology leading into this weekend’s Mercury-Sun conjunction, which is the peak of Mercury retrograde. I also cover the Sun’s aspects to Dionysus and Kassandra, which we’ve been writing about on this page as well.

Then we get into our conversation with Sheri, which I focus with my questions. As for Sheri’s philosophy, just to give you an idea — here is how she defines ‘wholistic sexuality’ on her website:

Wholistic Sexuality is about connection. First and foremost, your sexuality is about your connection with your Self — that’s your primary relationship.

Your Self includes all of you: body, mind, heart and spirit, past, present and future, genetics and environment — everything that makes you uniquely and completely you.

Your sexuality is about who you are, not who you do (or don’t) have sex with. Whatever you do or don’t do — you are a sexual being. Your sexuality is an inherent, inseparable and vital aspect of you.

I hope you’ll spend some time checking out her site, and I’d love to hear any feedback about my conversation with her in this broadcast.

Planet Waves

Monthly Horoscope for August 2012 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — There’s this concept from psychology that everyone would benefit from knowing about: projection. Projection is when you see your qualities, issues or challenges in another person. It’s called ‘projection’ because it’s like having a light on your forehead that shines your material onto them, rather than being anything that comes inherently from them. This kind of transaction makes relationships difficult because when it’s happening, it verges on impossible for anyone to take responsibility for what is really their own, and thus open the way to have two people make their way through the world as conscious adults. This month, I suggest you listen to any accusation or claim you might make about another person and ask whether it has something to say about you. If you find yourself in any form of conflict, pause and do what’s called ‘withdraw your projections’. Start with taking full responsibility for being in the situation, and take ownership of your responses to it. Give others the opportunity to do the same thing, without pushing them in any way to do so; your example is enough. You’re likely to discover that this reveals the conflict for what it is, and puts everyone in a position where it can be resolved. The problem with identifying projection is that it can be psychologically uncomfortable and vulnerable. It can feel weird to observe what you’re doing, much less admit it. It’s easier to go on projecting, which only pushes the conflict deeper.

Hello Aries — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Love is a gentle experience and needs to be handled delicately. When we say love and really feel it, I believe that most of the time what we really mean is trust. Trust is about being on level ground with someone, and sharing mutual respect. Much of what we call love exploits inequities between people. Though we’re told these are economic issues, I’ve observed that most of them are emotionally rooted. Whose needs are ‘more important’ than the other’s? Who is an inherently more supportive or generous person? Who can handle crisis better? I suggest that as August progresses, in matters of the heart, you go for the slow, conscious evolution process. Make sure that you’re proceeding with trust first and affection second. When your affection runs ahead of your ability to trust someone, that’s the moment to pause, because it’s the moment when you’re most likely to feel like you’re out of control, and thus respond in ways that don’t make sense (to you or to anyone). If your life emphasis is currently on a relationship, I suggest you take a couple of weeks and focus on your own inner emotional needs — the ones that can only be met by growth, not by the presence of another person. Be aware of the unusual intensity that may be gathering around resolving a childhood issue centered on the theme of trust (particularly in communication). This will be far easier to resolve apart from a relationship than as the focus of one — for example, I suggest you address it with a therapist or counselor rather than a lover or partner.

Hello Taurus — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed) If you would like to hear your Taurus birthday reading, please visit this link.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You may be inclined to push your luck in a relationship situation. This could translate a few ways, and will apply equally to established situations, new ones or ones that you are reaching for. You may want the situation to develop faster than it’s currently moving, which could involve wanting someone to change or grow. You might be emphasizing the sexual aspect of a relationship when you’re not quite ready for that. You may be feeling frustrated and experiencing an impulse to break free, wishing it could be with someone rather than from someone. I suggest you get clear what you’re experiencing, then proceed to investigate the source of the feeling. The first question is, who is stuck? Who is experiencing inhibition? The chances are it’s equally distributed among the people involved. Take ownership of your part. I also suggest you account for anger. What might look like desire is more likely to be a form of resentment, and it’s likely to predate this situation — all the more reason for you to be well-versed in the deeper roots of what you’re experiencing. Last, I suggest you do a review of your relationship to risk. Go back about two years, and consider the kinds of chances you’ve taken, and why you’ve taken them. Do a little audit of how each of these has worked out, and why you think that is. The game of life is easier to play when you understand yourself, and when you stack the cards in your favor. What you learn this month will help you do both.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Your Gemini birthday reading is ready! Click here for an hour of astrology plus a tarot reading by Eric.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You seem to be outgrowing something — your physical space, your emotional orientation, a job, a relationship. You may be stoked and impulsive to make a sudden change, though I suggest you take a balanced approach to your situation. The change you make has to be the right change, and at the same time, it’s essential to use a moment when you’re really aware of what you want to change. This is the balance that you must reach, which comes down to knowing your priorities and keeping a focus on matters of timing. You may not be able to act at a moment of frustration, and it would be unwise to do so. Yet a mature person can keep a focus on what they need to shift or rearrange in their lives, and look for an opportunity to do so. At the same time, the world is changing around you, and events that take place a bit later in the year, especially in October, may provide the ideal circumstances — or arrive with even greater changes that obviate the things you want to adjust now. That may seem like a long way off, though in truth it’s right around the corner, and you may be able to get a sense of the trajectory of your life when Mars enters Scorpio later this month. You will, at least, get a taste of the territory you’re going to be entering, and if you’re paying attention you will learn enough to see, and address, certain obstacles well in advance of when you actually encounter them.

Hello Cancer — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Your Cancer birthday reading is ready! It includes more than hour of astrology plus a tarot reading, and has been wildly popular (also great for Cancer rising people). Use this link to order.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The past few weeks have been an introspective time for you, and you may have gotten to know yourself in a whole new way. It seems you’ve made some deep commitments for how to proceed with your life; you’re willing to make adjustments. Flexibility is an excellent property for you to develop, yet it’s easy to have these experiences and then forget them. To remember, I suggest you begin making decisions based on what you have discovered to be true about yourself. That’s the best way to reinforce learning: to use values and self-discovery as a practical tool. This will come in handy mid-month, around the time of the New Moon in your sign, when you face what seems to be an especially significant choice. If you have the feeling that this is about a relationship, you’re correct, though really there are a lot more than two people involved. There is a family or a metaphorical family in the picture, and you have to be clear about how much emphasis to give their needs or their opinions. You might use Mr. Spock’s analysis — the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Or you might decide that what’s best for you is best for everyone by default, because you have to be happy. In any event, this seems bigger than it really is. If you’re feeling pressure, weigh and balance the two sides of the equation for a while and you will have the clarity you need. Trust that you’re well-aligned with your truth.

Hello Leo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). See below for a description of your 2012-2013 birthday reading, which is available now.

Hello Leo and Leo Rising! I’ve finished your 2012-2013 birthday reading. This is composed of two 35-minute astrology sessions, plus a combined tarot and astrology reading. It covers all of the major astrology happening now — with an emphasis on recovering a childhood dream. I also cover the influence on your relationships, your home environment and your finances. Astrologically this includes Mercury retrograde in your sign, the Leo New Moon, the Uranus-Pluto square, Saturn in Scorpio and more — all in clear, easy to follow terms. This report is designed for those born with the Sun in Leo but is equally applicable for Leo rising. Visit this page to get access.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Your solar chart looks like you’ve been having a beautiful experience of admitting to yourself what you really want, moving through often-impossible-to-access territory, as if you’ve been able to enter a dream consciously and ask all of the characters in that dream what they really think, and what they have to say about you. If your dream activity happens to be more prolific than normal or even if you’ve had one of those ‘big dreams’, make sure you write it down. It seems to me like you’re doing some of the deepest exploration of self-acceptance in many years. There is, however, a chance that this has felt like facing all kinds of unpleasant truths about yourself or your past: things that happened to you that continue to stress you out or knock you off alance, even if in subtle ways. The solution set remains the same: this material is coming up for review and awareness, and you’re situated perfectly to go into those places that you may have never accessed. If you seem to be stalking ‘the truth’ or if it seems to be stalking you, it’s not as dangerous or disturbing in reality as it may be in your imagination. In any event to resolve the material, or even to find out what it is, you have to bring awareness there. I will say this: what happened to you in the past matters, and it influences your life more than you may think. That is, until you do something about it.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — When the time comes to break free from your shell, do it gently. Given the astrology of the past month — particularly, Mars in your sign after spending eight months in one of the most introspective angles of your chart — you seem determined not just to think independently but be independent. Yet going back longer than this, you’ve been struggling with the authority principle: you simply don’t want other people setting your limits, telling you what to do, or rearranging your boundaries for you. And, after spending a lot of time dealing with various shades of lurking fear, you’ve started to adjust the circumstances in your life to reflect this basic truth. As the astrology of August develops, you’ll discover that you’re not done making changes — though as you consider your situation, I suggest you reflect on two things. One is the extent to which you’re adjusting your inner psychological and emotional landscape rather than the world around you. You’re in a challenging maturing process that, at the moment, is compelling you to see that in truth you live your life from the inside out. It’s not always so obvious and there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, though as you strive to set yourself free from someone or something, remember that most of what you’re liberating yourself from is from you. Second idea — that something is a past concept of who you are. The past is gone, though now you’re finally challenging one of its most enduring emotional artifacts.

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Commitment is a dance, rather than a fixed entity. In our quest for permanence in a world that seems to change ever-faster every day, there’s an idea that commitment is about grafting yourself to someone or something in a way that will never change. When you dance with someone, you hold them intentionally but gently, and with enough flexibility to move, and to let go and rejoin in another configuration. I suggest that this is the way to think of your relationships. Remember too that there are two things happening: one is the relationship or arrangement, and then there are your ideas about it. Your ideas will tend to dominate your reality, often obscuring the actual experience they’re supposed to be describing. The good news is that your ideas are flexible, as are you — and that’s your most useful asset this month. Probing a bit deeper, you seem to be unraveling a question: what is your point of contact with another person? What’s the basis of the relationship? Is it a conscious healing process, or is it an obsession with wounding? Is it an experience of emotional exchange, or is it more like a projection? Often one of these will masquerade for the other. This phenomenon is something worth investigating, even if you think you’ve gone down that road before. Your ability to take command of your life, something you now seem determined to do, depends on your knowing and understanding the difference — and using the information consciously.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Your relationships are like seeing your reflection in one of those mirrors that magnifies whatever you’re looking at, which in this case is yourself. Relationships tend to reveal our inner nature to both parties. However, what we see reflected is usually mistaken for some property of the other person involved. Though this may have an element of truth, I suggest you do an experiment where you take full ownership of whatever personal material you’re presented with. Mainly I mean your responses to someone, the choices you make, the words you say, and the ways you feel about yourself — in the context of the relationship. I am proposing that you assume this is all about you — not about anyone else. In case you’re inclined to be self-critical (a quality of your sign that’s described only in the fine print), remember that who you truly are is a lot more than the tally of your faults and your assets. Who you are exists alongside those qualities, though you are not them, no matter how much you may feel like it. One of the happier challenges you have now is to relate to others as that ‘who you really are’ factor rather than all of the details — and when you do that, it’s what you will feel mirrored back to you. The key to this is not to get distracted by judgment of any kind. This may seem like walking across coals, though at the moment, you have plenty of support.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Handle issues involving authority like you’re on the bomb squad. Rule one is, assume the thing is real. You don’t want to provoke any conflicts with anyone who has authority over you, such as traffic cops, the IRS or your boss. If you’re in a position of authority, carefully mind your ethics, your sense of fairness and most of all, your boundaries. If you practice a policy of holding the line, you will know where the line is. This is vital information if you find yourself arriving at a situation where you have to cross a boundary of some kind, exceed your authority or stand up to someone because the ethics of the situation demand that you do so. Do not do this casually or unconsciously. Rather, hold off on using this particular expression of power for when it’s clear that it’s your best (but not your only) option. That may happen once and once only in the next month. Meanwhile, if you feel anything like this brewing, I have one other suggestion. Additional information that may influence your thinking will emerge after Mercury stations direct on Aug. 8, and a second revelation is coming with the New Moon of Aug. 17. In the situation you’re in, knowledge is power, and you don’t have to impress anyone in order for that power to work. Your primary job is to know the facts, and to see the patterns develop as more information becomes available — which it will. Till then, bide your time.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Pay attention to everything in your life that seems to be running in a cycle. There are two kinds of cycles to watch for. One is when something keeps happening repeatedly, such as the sensation that you keep having a similar kind of experience because you don’t ‘get the lesson’. The second is when you’re involved in a series of events wherein one thing leads to another — and the buck stops with you. When you have experiences like this, it can be frustrating and distracting, though apropos of your current astrology, it can shake your faith in your ability to make long-term plans and carry them out. You might feel like you’re involved in a pattern that specifically makes believe that something you can envision and want to work for is unavailable to you. This is the time to challenge your beliefs, rather than feel like you’re limited by them. One indication that you might be up against a belief that you want to challenge is that you’re angry, though the anger isn’t directed at any one person. It’s more like being ‘angry at God’. This is another way of saying ‘angry at existence’, which I would say is a fertile state of mind — the kind of mental or emotional space where you know you want to make a change, but you may not be sure what change you want to make. Perhaps this question will help. You are someone who lives with a purpose, but do you have a mission?

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Many have commented on the dualistic nature of Pisces — you know, the two fish swimming in opposite directions, though connected to one another. This property runs deep in you, though it has its origins in the angle of your chart occupied by Gemini, the angle involving security and your emotions — which aligns with the sign of the twins. For the past 18 months or so, you’ve been making special progress resolving various splits within your emotional body. As you’ve done this, you’ve encountered those inner divisions in a more direct way, with the purpose for this being recognizing your situation and doing something about it. Now, you’re starting to see that these divisions that dominated your life for so long are beginning to heal. Elements of your nature that seemed to oppose one another are now more harmonious. Your living spaces are starting to feel more like you want them to feel, and you’re more at home there — the most significant living space being your presence within your own skin. There’s a real gift here for you, as you embark on a time when you’re much more likely to be in harmony with yourself than at odds with yourself. You will save time and energy, it’ll be easier to determine what you want — and to pursue that specific thing. And there is most certainly something that you want, which is the feeling of a settled life and a true home. The more you feed your passion for this, the more realistic it will seem as a creative goal.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Working up to Sun Square Saturn; Venus square Chiron

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When I was a cub newspaper reporter who whose editor happened to be an astrologer, we were involuntarily instructed in the cosmic science. Flo Higgins, editor of the Echoes-Sentinel (infamous for moonlighting as an astrologer) would stamp around the office in her high heels, informing us of the impending astrology as we wrote our missives about the goings-on in various government agencies in central New Jersey.

Flo Higgins: Not taking any bullshit from Mercury.

Among her favorite aspects was what she called “Saturn square the Sun,” which she said was about Discipline! Discipline! And more Discipline! (Which translated to, keep typing! If you’re ever wondering how, where or why I learned to write five articles a day, now you know.)

What Flo meant was Sun square Saturn — when the Sun approaches Saturn at a 90-degree angle, the two form a square aspect. With the Sun in Cancer now aligning just that way with Saturn in Libra, Flo is probably expecting an extra-thorough article about the Borough of Watchung Planning Board. The aspect is exact Sunday, July 15. I am giving you extra advanced notice because it’s a good one to work with if you have any goals that seem out of the reach of your motivation.

You have more than a week to gather your energy and focus it into something meaningful. Organize the basement. Purge your files. Empty your storage shed. Do some other thing you might think is impossible.

Mercury goes retrograde the prior day, on Saturday July 14 (this was another of Flo’s favorites — she could get the entire publishing group of five newspapers worried about this one). As Mercury approaches its station retrograde (in Leo), you may have the feeling of building up to something: a goal, or a sense of urgency about time for something running out. It’s best not to take that too seriously with Mercury stationing retrograde; at a certain point you have to let the dice tumble.

This will be the next in a sequence of inner planet retrogrades whose energy has dominated nearly all of 2012. So far we’ve experienced Mars, Mercury and Venus retrograde — and now we get another ride on Mercury. When that resolves on Aug. 8, we will have a spell of no inner planet retrogrades for four whole months — which ends on Election Day in the United States (though I will come back to that).

Closer to the moment, as reported previously, Mars has entered Libra, a placement that will stir the pot in relationships. The possibilities include the burning desire to get in or out of a relationship, to establish your independence within one, and/or to see the extent your identity is invested in a partnership. it’s one thing to be invested; your identity is another matter.

At the same time, Saturday Venus forms a square to Chiron. This is more about sex and less about relationships, though it does involve the ruler of Libra, which is Venus. So there does seem to be a tipping point involved: are you making a decision of some kind? Are you making a commitment to yourself? Are you admitting what you really want? If so, you’re right on time, though the astrology doesn’t add up to a fairy-tale — more like an adventure where the author doesn’t know the outcome of the story.

Not Exactly Bringing Good Things to Life

A Japanese parliamentary panel has declared the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant a profoundly man-made disaster, in a report released this week. Both the government and the plant’s operator, Tepco, were cited with numerous deficiencies in their response to the disaster, which “could and should have been foreseen and prevented,” and its effects “mitigated by a more effective human response.”

More broadly, the report notes Japanese cultural conventions, including a reluctance to question authority, as contributing factors. Mariko Oi, giving analysis for the BBC, notes that, “The panel called the disaster Made in Japan, because the mindset that allowed the accident to happen can be found across the country.” Contrary to the previous official story, the panel stated that the plant may have been damaged by the earthquake preceding the tsunami (common sense would say inevitable, with a 9 on the Richter scale).

This raises concerns over the government’s recent authorization to restart two nuclear reactors in western Japan that also sit atop a fault line. The reactors at Fukushima were GE Mark 1 designs, used extensively around the world. This was among the problems that Kurt Vonnegut was warning about in his novel Cat’s Cradle, which popped up a week before the meltdowns.

WikiLeaks Releases Syria Files; Assange in Ecuador’s London Embassy

On Thursday whistle-blowing organization Wikileaks said that it has begun releasing “the Syria Files,” which comprise more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.

Syria has been the site of brutal violence against protesters (plus massacres of non-protesting civilians) since the Syrian uprising began March 15, 2011 as part of the wider Arab Spring — one of our first clear signs of the Uranus-Pluto square heating up. Protesters are demanding the end to nearly five decades of Ba’ath Party rule, currently headed by President Bashar al-Assad. According to WikiLeaks, The Syria Files shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could not attend yesterday’s press conference announcing the release of the emails because he is still inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has been since just before the Cancer solstice on June 19, attempting to avoid extradition to Sweden. Assange’s supporters fear his removal to Sweden would facilitate his extradition to the U.S., where he would be prosecuted for his work with WikiLeaks. Last week, Susan Benn of the Julian Assange Defence Fund said Assange will remain inside the Ecuadorean embassy while his application for asylum is processed, stating, “Under both international and domestic U.K. law, asylum assessments take priority over extradition claims.”

Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations observer mission in Syria says violence has reached an unprecedented level in the country. On Thursday, Major General Robert Mood again called for a ceasefire to allow hundreds of monitors stationed in Syria to resume their work.

Planet Waves FM: Full Moon, Mars in Libra, and Independence

Here is this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM. I posted it early to stay ahead of the holiday — and because the Full Moon was Tuesday.

Eric Francis.

For those interested in a detailed written account of the Full Moon, please see Monday’s edition.

In this week’s Planet Waves FM, I look at the details on Tuesday’s Moon-Pluto occultation, followed by the Mars ingress into Libra. These events were simultaneous, in theory separated by about 20 minutes but in truth part of the same experience. There’s something here about our concept of self and the patterns of our relationships. In the first segment I look at some of the possibilities.

After a song break, I go over the Full Moon chart — that was at 2:52 pm Tuesday. The Full Moon resonates with the Uranus-Pluto square, as well as rings bells throughout the sky. Venus, Chiron, Pallas Athene and Mercury (among other points) are involved in the aspect structure.

I also look at the Sibly chart — the main July 4th USA chart. If you would like to see the chart, you can browse this subscriber edition of Planet Waves (please note my misspelling of Sibly on the horoscope — there is no ‘e’ in the name). We are still in ‘going through changes’ mode as Pluto and Uranus make aspects to many planets in the USA chart, including the big ones — when Pluto opposes the USA Sun as Uranus squares it (that’s around 2014).

Last, I read the Declaration of Independence. It’s not that long — and it’s pretty darned interesting. In case you’re having a weekend July 4th party tomorrow, the recording is in a separate file so you can blast it from your iPhone’s PA system.

Here is your program in the old player, where you’ll find the full archives and a downloadable zip file.

Friday, July 6, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #909 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Cancer Birthdays this Week (also valid for Cancer rising)

The essence of your life right now is about learning to trust the unseen. You may be asking, how can I do that, if I can’t see it? The answer to this question is spiritual development. There’s a psychological element to this, which is about developing an understanding of who you are, which involves discovering what you didn’t know before — and this is one element of the ‘unseen’. There’s an emotional element, which is about knowing what you feel and having some sense of why you feel that way. Then there’s a mystical element, which is about making friends with the vast cosmos you contain, and the many possibilities that hints at. Now, if you’re wondering what I could possibly mean by ‘vast cosmos’, I would propose you have little to lose by trusting that statement, and then pointing your attention inward to see what’s in there. You will find a mix of contradictions — and a marvelous way that they resolve themselves into something more beautiful.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — If you get the feeling that someone close to you feels like they’re in a burning building, don’t be so surprised. To them, you’ve felt restless and agitated for as long as they can remember. Therefore, I suggest you keep your mind open to what someone close to you needs or wants. Any consideration of equality or balance needs to be considered on a long-term basis: this story has a history. Meanwhile, even in your day-to-day contacts with people, you may notice that they are being more assertive with you. I suggest you keep your cool. As the next few weeks unfold, you may notice that the assertive or aggressive energy coming in your direction gradually ramps up. The only thing you can control is your response, and that will count for a lot; you have the power to defuse, diffuse or clear up any situation with the quality of your response and your state of mind. The less reactive you are, the less reactive others will be.

Hello Aries — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You now have access to a truly unusual quality of communication, where you can be direct without being pushy. That’s coming from a deeper place than your feelings or your mind; you have available a level of confidence that comes from taking ownership of what you’re learning. Let me say that another way. You’re starting to feel intelligent in a new way, like you have deeper knowledge available to you. That’s the direct product of self-knowledge. It’s also the product of getting some relief from your age-old conflict about what you want, and what is true for you. Now you can explore based on your increased depth of knowledge and confidence. The next few days offer you an experiment to explore what you want, regardless of any hesitation you may have felt in the past. You can go a little (or a lot) further out on a limb, particularly with what you open up and allow yourself to feel. As you do, keep your focus. You’re in an excellent position to use what you know — and you’ll benefit from doing so.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You’re at a peak of sexual power right now — which may be granting you some unusual charisma in every other area of your life. Your chart suggests you can have any fun you want, including access to people you might never have imagined possible. There’s just one caveat: impeccability with your words, and how they express your feelings. It’s not enough ‘to be honest’. What you want is to be precise. Your charts are so potent right now that you run the risk of not caring what other people might feel, how they might respond to you, or whether you will have exactly the influence you want. Yet if you honor the need for that precision, you will avoid most or all of the negative effects that can arrive when sexual energy is exchanged, or political power is used. Your longterm reputation is at stake, which is not a caution against having some serious fun; rather, it’s about making sure that fun is beneficial to everyone.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Mars has changed signs into your solar 4th house — the one associated with your security base and living environment. This is an excellent time to get control over your physical spaces — though while you’re doing that, it’s also time to consider the issue of safety within your physical spaces. Let’s take that concept as a full-spectrum idea. This includes the emotional dimension and the quality of communication you have with anyone who so much as enters your private space. It includes doing a check for toxic substances: I recommend a purge of your garage, storage closets and under-sink areas. Every one of those products is more dangerous than you think. Mostly though I suggest you consider whether you are emotionally and sexually free. You may be feeling a push in this direction — and you may encounter some resistance, whether it’s from within yourself or whether it comes from a relationship partner. Follow your instincts, and understand what any resistance is really about.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The Sun is about to make one of its two annual square aspects to Saturn, and this is about focus and discipline. You don’t need to pour it on all at once; over the next week, gradually gather your energy and set a few clear goals. I suggest these goals be a little more ambitious than you think you can accomplish. I recognize you’ll be doing this at what is a pleasantly social time of your life, and you value the company of the people around you. That’s where discipline comes in — and not giving in to peer pressure (for example, someone randomly accusing you of ‘working too much’). In fact there is time for everything, if you keep your priorities in order. Meanwhile there are certain people in your environment who will be supportive and available to help, particularly with ideas they’ve thought through so well that you’ll both be surprised by how useful they are.

Hello Leo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — I trust that it comes as a relief that Mars has left your sign. If you’ve been wondering why you were going through what you were going through since November, this transit may not account for that though it vividly describes the feeling of having to question every dimension of your existence. You’ve had to examine every element of what you want and why you want it. Said another way, you’ve been through what I can describe as an integrity check, which has included stress testing, investigating your health, and most of all, figuring out that it’s correct for you to want what you want. Now, your mission is to trust what you’ve learned. You may be moving from a place of having gathered considerable confidence in yourself to one where you may be more ambivalent — though if you call your mind present and remember how hard you’ve worked to learn what you’ve learned, that ambivalence will be meaningless.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You may be noticing an exaggeration effect: of desire, need, restlessness or any other focused emotion. You may be feeling more independent than usual. If you do, be aware of your environment. You are surrounded by forces much larger than you are. It’s not that you cannot move, flow or dance with them — you just need to be conscious of what you’re doing, which includes what you’re thinking. You are an autonomous person, though currently this has some limits on it that are calling for a disciplined approach to life. If you start to experience resistance, tension or blowback from your environment, I suggest you rein yourself in a little and investigate why that might be happening. It’s true that certain people in your environment are the ones who seem reactive, though this is a dynamic response of two forces responding to one another. What is the cause and what is the effect? In your life, you’re the primary cause.

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The sky is the perfect setup for fantasy scenarios — that is, as long as they don’t involve Cinderella and Prince Charming. Recent changes in the astrology are opening the door for you to explore fantasies that transgress what you normally do, or deem acceptable. A partner, lover or friend may be considering the same kinds of experiments that have been running through your imagination. One question is: who should lead the way? I will say this: the astrology strongly suggests that women or those with a strong feminine orientation are feeling particularly bold, though not saying much about it. If that’s you, I suggest you speak up. If you’re in a position to influence someone else, set up the situation so they can state what they want openly. The free will factor is important, as conscious choice is going to be the basis of feeling safe and secure enough to act on some truly unusual and adventurous desires. The key through all experiments is keeping communication open.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Others close to you may seem to have all the advantages, though you have a lot you can learn from them. You’re also seeing your own potential reflected in the choices they make and the ways which their lives are improving. I suggest that you guide your energy toward the healing needs you’ve been identifying and working with in recent years, using this moment to commit to going deeper into your most pressing life questions. You may find that certain close partners are both willing and knowledgeable enough to guide you through certain levels of yourself that you’re less than comfortable with. One pressing question is the way that family dynamics manifest in your life, particularly when you find yourself in a group of people. In a word, this is about trust. While you may have the idea that you can go it alone, that’s not really true, though everything depends on your ability to trust both yourself and others, in that order.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Express your leadership skills in moderation. You will seem bossier to others than you feel within yourself. In your own mind, you’re just doing your job and fulfilling your mission. To others you may seem to be swaggering, arbitrary and even unfair. Therefore, make a habit of being diplomatic. If you’re making a decision that influences others, make sure that you get their input, and offer them some evidence that you’ve considered it carefully. The thing to emphasize is fairness, and remember that what’s fair in your mind may not be so in the perception of others. This is why you want a collaborative effort, even if you’re in a leadership position where you get to be the one who makes the final decision. You may have the upper hand today, but you will need allies in the not-so-distant future, during a phase of your life when your negotiation skills will count for a lot. So I suggest you make a point of refining them now.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your faith in yourself seems to inflate and deflate like a balloon, though at the moment it’s building rapidly. I suggest you focus this through your work, and by that I mean the next phase of your work that’s unfolding. Now, ‘work’ may be the wrong word here; the feeling is more like an erotic craving to do or accomplish something, as if your happiness depends on it. So this isn’t work in the sense of effort, but rather connecting a deep desire to the focus you need in order to accomplish it. Don’t worry about whether you can do it; the thing your happiness actually depends upon is your willingness to take the chance. The conditions are such right now that you have the combination of raw desire, a good idea and the discipline to go at it every day. Try this for a while and see where you end up. Remember that creative impulses need a lot of guidance on this plane of reality, which includes deflecting any opinions contrary to what you want.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You can trust what you’re feeling, even (and especially) if it’s coming from below. A rare mix of factors is inviting you to feel not only safe, but free, in experiencing and expressing your deepest passions. I suggest that you use multiple outlets for what you’re thinking and feeling: for example, physical, visual and in words. Of the three, words are likely to be the most expressive and helpful. What’s happening to you is that an emotional element of self-acceptance is slipping into place. You know who you are, and who you’re becoming; now you’re feeling your state of peace with that. Part of this is reaching a deep sense of peace with how different you are. It’s one thing to be different and another to feel content and confident being so. Though certain elements of your inner reality and your outer one don’t necessarily seem to match up right now, that tension itself is presenting you with a truly interesting form of inner harmony.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Titanic: The Atlantis Connection

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And the little children cried as the waves swept o’er the side
It was sad when the great ship went down.
— American traditional

Dear Friend and Reader:

Evangeline Adams, the mother of modern American astrology, is said to have advised her client J. Pierpont Morgan, “Do not get on the Titanic.” Morgan, a man so wealthy he twice saved the United States from bankruptcy, depended on astrology, and she was his astrologer. Though there is no official recording of Adams’ statement, it’s a well-regarded bit of astrological lore. Looking at the chart for the ship departing Southampton, England at noon on April 10, 1912, it’s easy to see why she would have made that recommendation.

Bow of the wreck of RMS Titanic, which sank early the morning of April 15, 1912, taking 1,514 people with her. Photo: NOAA.

In its day, RMS Titanic was hailed as a marvel of technology — though this was largely a matter of show, or perception. Remember this was in a time when telephones and electric light were considered new and exciting. She was, however, the largest and most luxurious passenger ship of her day, designed with safety features that led informed people to believe she was unsinkable.

Titanic was never officially advertised as such, yet there was considerable word of mouth, and it was the presumption at the time. Edward J. Smith, Titanic’s captain, had said of another ship the year before, “I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.”

In response to a female passenger’s apprehension during the boarding process the morning Titanic launched, a deck hand famously said, “Even God cannot sink this ship.”

Then on the morning of April 15, 1912, Philip Franklin, vice president of Titanic’s owner, White Star Line, was confronted by reporters and said, “We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe that the boat is unsinkable.” By this time, the ship had already struck an iceberg and was at the bottom of the Atlantic, having taken 1,514 people with it. Talk about famous last words.

RMS Titanic, seen from the stern on the port side, leaving Southampton on April 10, 1912.

The statements by those involved with Titanic have a religious tone; they remind me of nuclear power advocates going on the offensive after the meltdowns at Fukushima. Despite a history of maritime disasters lasting as long as humans have been sailing, Titanic’s captain, though a beloved and well-respected commanding officer, did not think a modern vessel could sink. Imagine getting on a jetliner flown by a pilot who doesn’t believe that it’s possible to crash.

To study the Titanic incident is astonishing at every turn. For some reason it grabs hold of one’s attention and has a way of not letting go; we are still picking apart the details a century later.

Astrologers are no exception.
Titanic sinking is one of the most studied charts in modern astrology. Let’s start with a basic reading of a different chart and see how it fits the circumstances — then go deeper, into the mystery of why Titanic is such a persistent topic. There is something deeper going on — including how it foreshadows so much of what happens in the 20th century, and perhaps describes something in the distant past.

What Evangeline Would Have Seen

Adams (much like any astrologer) would have checked the chart for the time the ship was scheduled to sail. She might have also used other techniques, such as checking her client’s natal chart for potential issues, but any astrologer faced with a question about a pre-scheduled voyage would work with the planned departure time. The time of the beginning of a journey tells you a lot about how things are likely to develop.

Chart for the sailing of RMS Titanic as it would have looked in 1912 — without Pluto or Chiron, which had not been discovered. Evangeline Adams did not use asteroids. The Sun and North Node are the two glyphs at the top of the chart (next to the dark line). Those are in the 10th house, the house of admiralty and high command. Neptune is the blue trident to the left; it is square both the Sun and the node. The Moon is the gray crescent to the right side; its high number (close to 30) means that it’s void of course.

I’ve cast the astrology the way that Adams would have been looking at it: Neptune was the latest planet discovered (Pluto was still 18 years from discovery, though it still plays a major role in the chart for the ship sinking). Here is the chart with only the traditional points, the Part of Fortune, then Uranus and Neptune: a typical chart for 1912.

The Sun, the yellow circle at the top of the chart, represents glory and expression. It’s high in the sky, in the sign Aries, where it’s very strong (the word is exalted). This is the chart of not just a beginning but of a crowning achievement, and that elevated, blazing Sun in a fire sign describes this beautifully. The chart has Leo rising, making the Sun the ruler of that regal ascendant. This really should have been a moment of triumph. Note also that the Sun is in the 10th house, which represents high command, admiralty and corporate power.

Yet studying the chart for a moment longer, it’s easy to see that Neptune, the lord of the sea, and of disasters at sea, is making a lot of troublesome (and rather exact, which means strong) aspects. Remember that this is not merely the chart for a voyage — it’s a chart for the maiden voyage; a chart for the beginning of the ship’s career. These aspects to Neptune vividly describe the many, many cloudy judgments as well as the delusional thinking of those in charge.

It’s easy to find Neptune — that’s the blue trident on the left side of the figure. It’s in the sign Cancer — a water sign. Notice the number 21 next to it. Now look for three other points that have a 20 or 21 next to them — they are most of the problem. The Sun is square Neptune, which is a problem in the launching chart of a ship. A square aspect is a little like Neptune is drowning the fire of the Sun. This is also a condition of false beliefs: the word is delusion. Yet Neptune is in the 12th house, enhancing the Neptune effect and making it nearly impossible for anyone to discern the issues.

The thing to remember about Neptune is that like the power of the ocean that it represents, it’s often underestimated or overlooked. It has a way of disappearing, but that’s not possible in this chart because the aspects are so obvious.
In this particular chart, the Sun-Neptune square is even more of a problem than it might ordinarily be, due to the Sun’s elevated position, its presence in a fire sign, and Leo in the ascendant. This means that the Sun has a lot of energy to trip up, which is exactly what Neptune does to it. This influence of Neptune will influence everything that the Sun represents, including the ship’s captain and his judgment.

Detail of the 10th house of Titanic’s departure chart. The 10th — the house of the command structure — includes the Sun and all the planets to its left. Note the orange glyph — that’s the North Node, close to the Sun, indicating the proximity of an eclipse. Both the Sun and the node are square Neptune (not shown), suggesting the delusional thinking and clouded judgment of those in authority (10th house theme). Mercury is the green planet, and it’s retrograde, indicating the communication issues that pervaded the situation. Also shown are Saturn (in gold), the Part of Fortune (blue circle) and to the far right, Venus. Saturn in Taurus suggests that people in leadership were stuck in their thinking.

Last, the Sun is conjunct the North Node. That’s the orange horseshoe just to the left of the Sun. The North Node has a strong tug to it, a sense of urgency. The North Node is a ‘positive’ influence only if used consciously. Though this might not matter to some astrologers, the Sun is a few days short of being eclipsed (which happens as word of the disaster spread around the world). Think of the Aries Sun having all that fiery momentum — but it’s vexed by the watery power Neptune. Water always finds a way in.

For its part, Neptune is square the lunar nodes, which tells us that everything in the sequence of events depends upon being aware of whatever it represents. It should be an element in consciousness, though due to its house placement — the 12th — Neptune is even more veiled than usual, which is saying a lot. Survival depends on simple respect for natural forces, which calls for humility.

Two other elements of the chart might sound familiar: for one, Mercury was retrograde. That’s one of those things that messes with technology, with communications and with rational thought. Second, the Moon is void of course in Capricorn. The Moon void at the beginning of a trip says, “You have no idea where you’re going or how you’re going to get there.” The Moon is also coming out of a square to retrograde Mercury — these two factors are working against one another. Moon square Mercury describes a situation where intuition and mental reasoning conflict, which especially can be a problem with Mercury retrograde.

I would have looked at this chart and told my client: this is not going to end well. Stay off of that ship. And in fact, within minutes of leaving the port — literally minutes — the weight of Titanic caused a massive water displacement in the harbor, and caused two other ships to snap their moorings. One of them, The City of New York, came within four feet of cracking into Titanic as she was pulling out of the port.

The Neptune Effect: ‘A Very Deceiving Night’

In the background of this whole story was operating one particular delusion: that Titanic was unsinkable. With Neptune square the Sun and nodes, much would hinge on that belief — and many other effects of Neptune.

A century later, persistent questions about the Titanic disaster include why she didn’t slow down or stop, despite warnings of ice, and why a nearby ship, Californian, did not come to her aid — despite seeing distress rockets. Speculating about the answers requires trying to enter the reasoning process of those making decisions, much of which is based on testimony from the British and American inquiries.

Map of Titanic’s journey, and its resting place about 1,000 miles east of Boston. Greenland, where many icebergs originate, is shown at the center of the image to the north.

Yet facts about the natural environment offer some objective information that helps explain what the people involved in the incident might have been experiencing just before it happened. The night Titanic struck an iceberg that was standing 80 feet above the ocean’s surface, the weather and climate conditions were extremely unusual, apparently one of a kind in recorded maritime history. An unusually large mass of clean, high pressure Arctic air had settled over the area, so the air was clear and cold and the ocean temperature was below the fresh water freezing point. The sky was lit only by stars, which were bright and twinkling. One survivor described the stars as seeming to talk to one another, deciding on the fate of the survivors.

Three months before the disaster, there was an unusual celestial alignment: the Moon was at a close perigee — its closest point to the Earth — and simultaneously, the Earth was at perihelion, its closest point to the Sun. The three bodies were in their closest proximity in 1,700 years, causing unusually high tides. This dislodged thousands of icebergs (created by an unusually warm Arctic summer the year before) that would typically have been stuck along the shores of Greenland and northern Canada. These ice masses, once set free, took three months or so to intersect with Titanic’s future path.

The night of the collision, the sea’s surface was extremely smooth, partly as a consequence of all the ice in the area — and there was a lot of it: many sizes of icebergs, and a vast sheet of field ice 75 miles long by three miles wide, floating on the surface of the Atlantic.

Cover of Titanic: A Very Deceiving Night. The image shows the smoke from Titanic rising through the cold air, and then reaching a layer of warmer air, where it seems to be trapped by a glass ceiling. This layering effect in the atmosphere refracts light, and is what caused the ‘looming’ issue that both obscured the view of the iceberg, and made Titanic seem like a smaller ship to the crew of nearby Californian.

Tim Maltin, a British Titanic historian who has written three books on the subject, said in a Planet Waves interview Thursday that the atmospheric conditions conspired to create some strange effects — sensory distortions — that influenced everything from visual perception to reasoning processes. [Listen to the full interview here.]

In Maltin’s account of the weather that night, which took him more than six years to research from ships’ logs, testimony and other sources, we can see the manifestations of Neptune in the leading actors: issues of belief and faith, of visual illusion and psychological delusion.

Maltin’s newest book, published in 2010, is called Titanic: A Very Deceiving Night, a title evocative of Neptune. This book is a scientific account of atmospheric conditions that interprets the events of Titanic’s voyage in a new way. The book offers a proposed explanation for what happened that night.

Titanic had been warned many times that there was ice everywhere, but proceeded full steam ahead. Maltin proposes that Titanic’s command was not ignoring the warnings; rather, they believed they would see any ice in time to avoid it — hence based on prior experience, they did not slow down. Proper watch had been set. The bow of the ship was made absolutely dark, so that the light would not cause the watchmen’s pupils to constrict, giving them maximum night vision. The watches were being rotated every 20 minutes. So, besides the fact that they didn’t slow down on an icy sea, normal precautions were being taken by the crew.

One of the visual illusions that night involved a dramatic mirage effect. The frigid arctic air near the water, combined with the much warmer air higher up, caused distant objects to seem higher than they were. Due to such refraction of light, it’s possible to see over the horizon. When there are no objects to see, the horizon line itself seems to elevate. This effect is called ‘looming’. (The phrase ‘looming on the horizon’ means that something is visible and looks higher or closer than it is.)

In terms of the effect this had on the lookouts, the elevated horizon blurred the contrast between the iceberg and the sky; imagine the ocean seeming like it was sloped uphill, behind the iceberg. Contrast between the water and the ice is minimal at best. But the combination of the moonless night and the visual distortion on the horizon made it much more difficult.

This image illustrates the looming effect, also called the mirage effect. When an object is in a layer of cold air, with warmer air above, a viewer will see the image much higher up than it appears. In some cases it will appear inverted. This effect allows viewers to see over the horizon, and also accounts for seeing an object as both smaller and closer. Image by Keith C. Heidorn, PhD.

One of the lookouts, Frederick Fleet, later testified about a “slight haze” on the horizon before the Titanic struck the iceberg, which he discussed with a colleague, as did all of the lookouts who testified. Another lookout, Reginald Lee, described the iceberg as “a dark mass that came through that haze.” Maltin believes that had these conditions not existed, the lookouts would have seen the iceberg well in time.

Maltin says these conditions also explain, at least in part, the mystery of the closest ship to Titanic, called the Californian, which did not come to the aid of Titanic despite its officers seeing numerous distress rockets. Strangely, both ships were owned by the same company. Californian was commanded by a young but highly decorated captain, Stanley Lord, whose conduct that night has been a persistent topic of controversy in understanding the Titanic disaster.

Californian was about 10 nautical miles from Titanic. But the looming effect made Titanic seem higher than it was. That, in turn, led Californian’s crew to believe that it was a smaller ship, but much closer. They knew that Titanic was the nearest ship, but due to the looming effect, what they saw didn’t look like it at all.

Lord, in his testimony at the inquiries, described that the nearby ship seemed as the size of a medium-size steamer rather than a giant passenger liner. “I am positive it was not the Titanic.” He added, “It was a very deceiving night.”

Californian’s captain, Stanley Lord, who for whatever reason did not come to the aid of Titanic that night, despite his ship being stopped just 10 miles away. Lord is perhaps the most controversial figure in the whole story. Maltin’s book strives to account for some of his thinking that night based on atmospheric conditions.

The looming effect also distorted the apparent height of the distress rockets. The refraction effect that causes looming only occurs low on the horizon. The rockets were exploding in warmer, normally refracting air — higher up, while Titanic was looming in the cold air at sea level. “These rockets did not appear to go very high. They were only about half the height of the steamer’s masthead light,” according to the testimony of Californian’s second officer, Herbert Stone.

“Captain Lord should have gone to Titanic’s aid. But if it hadn’t been for the abnormal atmospheric conditions, he would have gone,” Maltin says. “Had he recognized that it was the Titanic, he would have radioed to her.” Maltin reconstructs events this way: the only other ship in the area with a radio was Titanic, “but his brain told him it wasn’t the Titanic. His brain was correct to deduce that it wasn’t the Titanic. He made a rational decision that in hindsight was very, very bad.”

Maltin believes fear played a role: Lord was afraid to move his ship, even to rescue another vessel, which he tried to contact with a Morse signal lamp. “Lord believed this other vessel was only four or five miles away, she should have replied to the Morse lamp. But the nearby ship didn’t reply, leading him to believe that she was not in trouble.”

This is a lovely description of the Neptune effect: visual distortions, haze on the water, seeing something as something else, denial, danger coming through the haze as a dark mass, a sense of deception pervading everything — and this was influencing the catastrophic decisions that Lord made. We could add to that his denial that there was a problem, despite his having considerable evidence of one — mainly in the form of seeing Titanic’s distress rockets and his knowledge of the dangerous conditions.

Neptune can feel like a drug that you don’t know that you took, and therefore you don’t know you’re under its influence. Yet when you actually notice, in the moment or in hindsight, you wonder why you didn’t act. The precautions Titanic’s captain took seemed reasonable; the ones he failed to take seemed strange only in hindsight. That is Neptune: it works within a world and a logic of its own, and there is always a lot to be said after the fact.

Mercury Retrograde and a Void Moon

Mercury was retrograde when Titanic set sail, and through her entire short-lived career. As anyone who follows astrology knows, Mercury retrogrades are famous for miscommunication, crossed signals and misunderstandings.

Marconi wireless radio room on the Titanic. The operator shown is junior wireless officer Harold Bride.

The void of course Moon, meanwhile, is famous for hapless behavior and as the name implies, for lack of direction. In the departure chart it’s in Capricorn — the sign of management and command. Remember that these two factors exist under the simultaneous influence of Neptune.

Despite repeated warnings about ice, inquiry testimony reveals that Titanic’s officers never conferred and made a conscious decision what to do. Titanic plunges ahead through the ice-strewn sea at top speed.

Just 10 nautical miles away, the captain of the nearby Californian was so concerned that he ordered his ship to stand still for the night. Earlier that night, Californian had run into the edge of an ice field — a broad, thin sheet of ice that didn’t harm the vessel but which shook up Captain Lord. Californian’s crew knew Titanic was in the area, and Lord instructed his radio operator to inform Titanic that Californian was stopped, surrounded by ice.

Enter a series of spectacular Mercury retrograde communication failures. According to testimony at the inquiry, Titanic’s on-duty wireless operator, Jack Philips, was busy working off a substantial backlog of personal messages with the wireless station at Cape Race, Newfoundland — a distant station with a quiet signal. When Californian sent its final ice warning, it cut loudly into Titanic’s stream of Morse code. Philips rebuked Californian’s operator with a snarky Morse signal that translated to: “Shut up, shut up, I’m working Cape Race.” Californian’s wireless operator listened for a little while longer, turned off the wireless and went to bed. Ten minutes later, Titanic struck the iceberg, sending out her first distress call 25 minutes later.

One communication failure in that last transaction was that Californian’s operator didn’t put a special code in front of her message called an MSG code, which designates that the communication is for the captain. This lack of protocol led Titanic to believe that it was a casual communication, and she replied casually, saying she was busy.

Jack Philips, Titanic’s senior wireless officer, on duty as the ship hit the iceberg and sank.

As Titanic sank, she sent up a series of distress rockets — but in response, Californian didn’t turn back on her radio. Maltin explains the reasoning behind this decision: Captain Lord didn’t think the ship he saw, which appeared much smaller than Titanic and therefore could not be Titanic, had a radio. What point was there sending a message? So instead, Californian sent light signals in Morse code. Yet the fluctuations in the density of the air between the two vessels visually scrambled the Morse lamp signal. Titanic didn’t reply.

The next morning, the Californian’s officers saw a ship on the horizon. They turned on their radio to inquire what had happened to the ship that had fired off a series of distress rockets earlier that morning. It turned out to be a ship rescuing survivors.

When Californian’s officers testified in the inquiry, they argued that they thought the rockets may have been ordinary company communication and not signs of distress. But all seamen know that a series of rockets fired from a ship indicates an emergency, so this was a thin denial. Californian’s officers also claimed that they were stopped and could not use their radio. Yet Californian was under steam the whole night in case the vessel had to be moved out of the way of ice, as well as for heat and electric power.

So we see the Neptune effect at its worst: distorted perception, prejudiced by belief, aided and abetted by denial. With Neptune there can be the failure to investigate the obvious; the failure to heed a warning. Top among these distortions was the notion that Titanic could not sink. Had her captain, or anyone, believed that she could, perhaps the spell would have worn off. Yet with Neptune, proof is often of little use.

“This was a tragic event that was not caused by stupid human errors. It was caused by the universe,” Maltin said, adding: “It was a natural event, caused by nature, a perfect storm of atmospheric conditions, not avoidable human errors.”

The Atlantis Factor

The mythology of Atlantis, the lost continent, is about humanity’s hubris handling its own technology. Myths and parables relate themes, and the theme of the Atlantis parable — the lost continent — is a story about ethics as they are applied to the advances of our civilization.

Artist’s conception of what Atlantis might have looked like, in part based on Plato’s descriptions and composited from various images of classical architecture — from the Nat Geo film Finding Atlantis.

On the day that Titanic sailed, humans had been sailing the seas and sending signals to one another for a long time. Yet the people, and the companies, involved in this endeavor could handle neither their vessels, nor their communication devices, nor their better judgment. Many conscious choices were made that contributed to what happened. We could analyze them one at a time, or we could look to the philosophy that facilitated the confluence of events. In this article, I’ve only told a thimbleful of the Titanic story; there was was also the lack of lifeboats, the underutilized lifeboats, and who got to board them. No drills had been conducted, even for the crew. Third-class passengers were locked below decks and could not get out. Most of the children in the third-class area drowned, as did their parents. See the data here. The list of atrocities goes on.

In many ways the Titanic disaster forebodes the history of the 20th century that is to follow: a study in the precautionary principle. Faced with a potential problem or danger, how do you respond? For example, if you’re a chemical company and you find out your pesticide might make people sick, what do you do? Leave it on the market? Or take it off the market? The precautionary principle says you err on the side of the least harm.

The precautionary principle used to be called the worst-case analysis: considering the possibility of an extremely low-probability event that could have an extremely high impact. That went out the window with the 20th century and its many inventions (particularly all things nuclear, banks too big to fail and ‘food’ becoming a synthetic chemical brew), and was replaced by risk analysis. Risk analysis or risk assessment is based on assumptions, which can always be made up, minimized, manipulated, ignored or redefined. Today we think that there’s no need to consider the worst-case scenario if it probably won’t happen — which is why it happens so often now.

The research vessel Atlantis II, owned by the National Science Foundation, joined the WHOI fleet in 1963. It was used by Bob Ballard to explore the debris field of Titanic, which he had discovered earlier, while on a Navy mission searching for lost nuclear submarines. The ship was retired in 1996. Photo by Larry Workman, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Humans are blindsided by their own cleverness and blinded by their beliefs. But humans also tend to love their circular reasoning processes: we didn’t need to test for contamination because there wasn’t any. Therefore, the place is safe — don’t worry. It’s one thing for a corrupt health official to make that statement; it’s another for nearly everyone to risk it willingly. Some would call this hubris; some would call it attempted murder or murder; you could call it suicide.

To learn about the spiritual crisis at the heart of this, we don’t need to look for the lost continent of Atlantis, or figure out what happened there; we merely need to look at these thought processes for what they are. The myth and the idea of Atlantis, the continent that sank because it lacked the ethics to handle its own technology, are alive in all of them. We know this is a story about us, that we’re watching as it happens. We don’t know ‘how it will end’, but then we’re not doing much to change the ending. When we experience a Titanic or a Fukushima, a mirror is held up to our consciousness.

For about 10 years I’ve been noticing a pattern in the astrology charts of world disasters. Many of the biggest ones have one particular degree of the zodiac occupied. I first noticed this when the position of the Moon in the chart for the massive Banda Aceh quake and tsunami that killed 240,000 people in 2004 was the same position, to one-quarter of a degree, as the Moon in the chart for the Sept. 11 attacks — something that would seem to be impossible. The degree position is 28+ Gemini.

The next time I noted that degree in a world horoscope, it was in the chart of WikiLeaks — as the exact degree rising. WikiLeaks is devoted to exposing the prevailing denial of our culture. Then that degree appeared again in several charts for the Fukushima disaster. I’ve seen a lot of weird synchronicities doing astrology but this one was quickly going to the top of the list. By this time I had started calling it the Atlantis degree, which I covered in an article last March called Here at the Edge of the World. To make the point that splitting the atom was (and is) courting Atlantis, we illustrated the article with archival photos from the history of nuclear war and atomic energy.

Children being scanned for radiation on March 11, 2011, hours after the Fukushima nuclear plant melted down. In Atlantean thinking, the human factor is the one left out. Reuters photo by By Kim Kyung-Hoon, who has written a blog post telling the story of this photo, showing some alternate shots, and asking if anyone knows the whereabouts of this girl or her mother.

One idea that this article points to is how the environment itself is being used as a weapon of war. It took me a while to figure that out, and I felt like I was going out on a limb saying so. Yet the night I published the article I got an astonished email from someone whose work many of our readers would recognize, who told me about a dream she had weeks before Fukushima that warned her that a nuclear power station was about to be hit by a kind of weapon beam and blown up.

I haven’t done much with the Titanic charts till now. When I cast the one that I’ve used for this article, the departure chart, one of the first places I looked was 28+ Gemini to see what was there, in that very degree. I could barely believe what I was looking at: the asteroid Atlantis. In astrological delineation, Atlantis is associated with sea disasters, the fear of drowning and events at the end of an age. Martha Lang-Wescott describes it as representing “the feeling that others know something you don’t, know more about it or you than you do, are keeping secrets, and can betray one’s trust.”

Now, magnify these issues onto an industrial scale; imagine the damning corporate documents that reveal how much companies know about how much can go wrong, but don’t tell you.

Atlantis connections abound with Titanic. The wreck was discovered while a scientist named Bob Ballard was searching for two sunken nuclear submarines, as a special operative for the Navy. He returned to Titanic’s resting place and explored the debris field from aboard a ship called Atlantis II.

There are several accounts, including that of Edgar Cayce, which put the location of the wreck as just off the northwest coast of where Atlantis might have been, and where it exists mythically in the minds of many people, which chills them a bit. And Titanic herself, that self-contained world, has the feeling of a civilization that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with nearly all her inhabitants, merely because her masters believed they were infallible.

Lovingly,

Historical and Photo Research: Sarah Bissonnette-Adler. Additional Research: David Arner, Genevieve Hathaway, Martha Lang-Wescott, Dale O’Brien, Carol van Strum and Len Wallick. Additional Editing: Suzanne Guillette, Amanda Painter, Jessica Rosemary Shepherd. Web Production: Admiral Anatoly Ryzhenko.

Note to Readers: We will be taking Tuesday’s edition off.

As Titanic Sinks, Moon Aspects Undiscovered Pluto and Eris

In the article above, we got a look at the chart for Titanic’s departure from Southampton, England. The more frequently studied chart is that of the vessel sinking, widely reported as 2:20 am. Now that the wreck has been found, it’s possible to have an exact chart. There is a lot we can say about this horoscope, but I want to focus on one feature: the Pluto-Eris square, and how prominent it is in the chart.

Here is the full chart for the sinking of the Titanic. The time may be about two minutes earlier, though this is the widely-used time. I suggest you treat this as a chart that reveals astrology, as much as a chart that reveals what it’s about. It is a world horoscope. Not shown is asteroid Atlantis, which was is in late Gemini when the ship launched, and had moved into the first degree of Cancer when the ship sank. Neptune is still square the lunar nodes. Note Jupiter in the 10th house in Sagittarius, illustrating a kind of cosmic-scale event. Jupiter is conjunct an intergalactic point called the Great Attractor. Vesta is looming on the horizon, indicating a sacrifice of life.

Neither of these planets had been discovered at the time — so this chart is a study in how planets can have effects before anyone has ever known of their existence. In this chart, it’s two undiscovered planets that are in an aspect at the time of the incident: Pluto (discovered in 1930) is making a long square to Eris (discovered in 2005). The square aspect between these slow-moving points stretches from 1906 to 1911, though there is a close near miss on the night of April 13, 1912 — the day before Titanic struck the iceberg. You can review the list of events here to see for yourself.

When you consider that these planets have orbits of 251 years (in the case of Pluto) and 557 years (for Eris) that’s a suggestion that the aspect is influential in this event — and of what it portends. Not only does the aspect between the two slow-movers emphasize their presence: the fast-moving Moon is right in the mix. It is conjunct Eris, and square Pluto.

First let’s look at the Moon square Pluto, which has been interpreted by many astrologers. The Moon is in Pisces; this is an image of a vessel on water. That vessel is in an exact square to a big hunk of ice that nobody could see — Pluto, which is also an agent of death. What is interesting is that the Moon is in the same degree that Venus was occupying when the ship left the port; in that chart, Venus is square Pluto. In both charts, they indicate the profound loss of life that will come out of this event.

As for Moon conjunct Eris: that aspect had just happened; it is separating, and it was exact throughout the disaster sequence. This was the next aspect at the time the ship struck the iceberg. Eris, too, is an icy, distant and invisible planet. In mythology she is associated with warfare and disaster; in astrology I associate her with a kind of mental identity chaos, a mark of the postmodern age. Titanic was supposed to be a modern vessel, but in truth a modern ship would have had proper safety features, such as sufficient lifeboats. Postmodern is when those things decay.

Detail of the Sun and the Moon at the moment Titanic sank. The Pisces Moon is in an eerie, exact square to Pluto as the ship goes down, indicating death by water. The Moon is still separating from a conjunction to Eris, which was exact that whole evening. The Moon is about to make an annular total eclipse to the Sun.

Let’s look at a few more features of this chart. In any death chart, it’s essential to check the 8th house — the nature and cause of death. We find Virgo on the cusp, and Libra intercepted. That means the house has two rulers. Virgo is ruled by Mercury — and retrograde-Mercury communication failures were an undeniable cause of this whole incident. Note that Mercury is retrograde and is about to conjunct the Sun, who represents the officers of the vessel. They are having a full-on encounter with Mercury retrograde.

As for Venus: she is sextile Uranus. All of this comes as a ‘surprise’ that should not really be a surprise. Events come out of nowhere and proceed very quickly, in true Uranian style. Venus is also a planet of money and value; the 8th covers those topics as well (through themes like inheritance). Who invested money, and who lost and who gained from this incident, would make an interesting topic for a book. Venus square Uranus describes a kind of expedience and corner-cutting where it counts the most. And Uranus is about technology. We have a human factor (Venus) colliding with a technological one (Uranus). Venus also rules the South Node, which is in Libra; she is a visitor from the distant past.

Titanic sinks right before an eclipse of the Sun. Remember how powerful the Sun was in the chart for Titanic’s departure? That Sun is about to be eclipsed by the Moon, in Aries, a sign where the Sun should be supreme. Think of this as an extinguishing of the light, both for Titanic herself and all that she represented.

Eclipses have a potent resonance effect, often timed with something that the whole world can feel. That eclipse happened as news of the disaster spread, with all of its shock and outrage.

Mars Finally Stationing Direct — Really

Mars stations direct in Virgo on Friday at 11:53 pm EDT. It has been retrograde since late January. This has been compounded by Mercury retrograde from mid-March to earlier this month, making the past month or so especially challenging. Mercury is still working out its ‘shadow phase’, and seems to be up to as much ‘mischief as during a retrograde. But back to Mars direct. For most people, this cannot happen too soon — but it’s about to happen in a few hours. Instead of leaping into action full-force, however, use this weekend to focus your will.

Atmosphere of Mars, visible on the horizon in this low-orbit photo.

If you have been experiencing frustrating delays and inner conflict, you may naturally want to get past it as fast as you can, but this station direct may offer up some crucial new information to you. Instead of creating complications by acting with incomplete or inaccurate information, use the next couple days to plot your course, check your facts and assumptions, and envision clearly your desires and trajectory.

This phase of Mars retrograde has been a ‘systems check’ for the upcoming big astrology this spring, and it has also taken us deep through layers of guilt and self-criticism. Review what you’ve learned over this 11-week retrograde.

Mars is stationing opposite Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, which emphasizes the influence of the event. Neptune oppositions can be foggy and exhausting; Chiron often brings up old pain to be healed, acting as a focusing agent, and bringing out the spiritual warrior even in the meek and mild. Be gentle with yourself as the pressure of this retrograde gradually releases. You’ve been recovering your soul on this journey; now use it to focus your will. Mars will be moving direct in Virgo through July 3. We will have more about this next week.

Santorum Ends Presidential Run; Resigns Himself to Being Slang Term

As Mars slowed down to its station direct this week, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum withdrew from the Republican primary race, which has gotten itself messy with anti-sex, anti-woman froth. Santorum — the most vocal of the remaining four candidates about such issues — has been letting his inner conflict about his sexuality leak out for years. In fact, his was a campaign made of the need to impose his injuries on others. What’s amazing is how many people were enticed by his emotional burdens. Santorum will be back in 2016; we have not heard the last of him. “We are going to continue to fight for those voices, we are going to continue to fight for those Americans who stood up and gave us that air under our wings that allowed us to accomplish things that no political expert would have ever expected. There’s a lot of greatness, a lot of greatness in this country, we just need leaders who believe in that.” This development means that the general election is game on. Mitt Romney, the Republicans’ very least favorite Republican, is now the presumptive nominee for his party.

George Zimmerman Charged with Murder 2

The man who shot Trayvon Martin to death was charged with second degree murder Wednesday, more than six weeks after admitting to shooting an unarmed teenager. Two weeks ago, we said in a special edition of Planet Waves devoted to the case that there would be a turning point in the case at the time of the Mars station direct. The chart for the announcement of the charts depicts a kind of carousel, and the story has a long way to go. The defense will first move to dismiss the charges based on the Stand Your Ground law, which allows a person to defend himself or herself. If there is a trial, it will be televised, and is already being hyped as the “trial of the millennium.” Hopefully not, with 988 years to go till the year 3000.

This year’s UAC conference features a media panel to discuss how astrologers can better use available media and improve astrology’s mainstream reputation from ‘woo-woo’ party game to useful, valid tool. One member of the panel is Art Harris, an award-winning journalist. Harris is a rare critter: a big-league reporter who isn’t afraid to speak about how astrology has enriched his life. He will be offering his take on how astrologers can bridge the gap with mainstream media — incidentally, suggesting the very style of news astro-journalism done at Planet Waves, in a recent interview on the Astrology News Service (ASN) website: “The more the community is able to attach its message to breaking news the better… Being transparent and not taking yourself too seriously can work wonders. But the biggest sin in the media is to be wrong and boring, not necessarily in that order.” Harris is appearing alongside Eric Francis and other prominent astrologers with a media angle on their work.

If you have not yet heard of Caine’s Arcade, be sure to watch this video for the biggest smile you’ll get all week. Nine-year-old Caine Monroy had spent his summer vacation in his dad’s used auto parts store in East LA, building his own arcade games out of cardboard boxes. Most of the store’s business is online, so there is little foot traffic – and the people who did come in were too rushed to take the boy up on his offer to play his arcade. One day, filmmaker Nirvan Mullick walked in. Faced with the boy’s offer to get four turns at the games for $1 or a $2 Fun Pass with 500 turns, Mullick chose the Fun Pass. Then he hatched a plan to make the boy’s day with a flash mob of eager, sign-waving arcade-goers. Imagine if all kids got their creativity rewarded instead of squashed?

This section also includes the upcoming publishing schedule! The April monthly horoscope (long edition) was published Wednesday evening, March 21. Inner Space Monthly was published Tuesday evening, March 27. We published Genevieve Hathaway’s Moonshine Horoscope on Tuesday, April 3. The next monthly horoscope by Eric will be the May edition, to be published the evening of Wednesday, April 25. There will not be a regular edition that week.

Mars Stations Direct; Cuba Rant; Keith Olbermann

This week’s extravagant edition of Planet Waves FM covers Mars stationing direct and the Sun’s current conjunction to Eris. These events are related, they’re exciting and they are interesting. Mars is changing directions square the lunar nodes, so this is a bigger moment than it may seem — a moment of consciously directing your will. Mars will move on from Virgo charged up with all the impeccable Virgo vibes you can imagine — a great thing for Mars.

In the second half of the program, I cover Ozzie Guillen’s run-in with the anti-Castro forces. I look at the controversy the way it’s been cast on TV, and then go below the story and explain what Guillen meant when he said he respected Castro not because he’s so nice but rather because he’s survived six decades of assassination attempts. Finally, I go over the natal chart of Keith Olbermann.

Here is your program in the old player, where you’ll find the full archives of Planet Waves FM, and a downloadable zip file of the current program. This program is also available on iTunes — we will post instructions how to get there next week, but for now you can just search “astrology” or “Eric Francis” and you should see it. If you subscribe, the program will load into your iTunes automatically — that solves the Mac issue.

Correction: At about 22 minutes I reference Eris as representing service — I mean VESTA. The Sun is currently conjunct both, in Aries. Note 2, Pholus was indeed square Neptune for 20 years. Here is an aspectarian.–efc

Friday, April 13, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #899 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries Birthdays This Week

With the Sun conjunct both Eris and Vesta, you may be feeling some unusual pressure to figure out who you are. You’ve been doing this for a while, though the chaos factor may be reaching a new peak. I suggest you see this as a positive development: your psyche is trying to free you from your ideas of who you were in the past. I don’t even mean the reality of who you were — I mean your concept of who you were, which is a kind of story. As soon as you see that story as such, you will have the most significant tool to liberate yourself from it. As Mars stations direct on Friday, you will be reminded that healing is indeed finding freedom from the past. Mars has been retrograde now for 11 weeks, dragging you through many layers of your inner being, and your fears, and the harsh way you sometimes treat yourself. This has been quite an odyssey, and you’re about to be released all at once, and sprung forward into new adventures.

Learn more at your Aries Birthday Reading. “I listened to the Aries birthday report last night and was blown away as usual — right on the money.” — Karin in Los Angeles.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You are correct in that the ultimate cure, solution resolve, is spiritual. There’s only so much we can manipulate the physical world, or even our thoughts. True healing occurs on a deeper level. What you may be feeling, though, is how far away that place of healing seems — as if somehow it’s a world apart. Even if it is, you can still get there. It will help if you not concern yourself with whether you believe it’s true or possible; this is a matter of setting your intentions, and having faith in yourself. It’s clear from your charts that you’ve made great efforts to cross what may not, in retrospect, seem like such a great distance. Yet we’re talking about inner space, where the sense of scale is different than external space. What you’ve succeeded in doing is shifting your attention to an introspective direction. You have dared to inquire about something that you might have otherwise overlooked. That required an act of faith in yourself — faith that you still possess.

Hello Aries — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Not everyone is blessed with curiosity about themselves. Though some people are, that curiosity is often fragile and can be thwarted by everything from external distractions to the fear of what one might discover inwardly to an odd kind of shame about getting to know oneself as a conscious act. For the past few months, it’s as if you’ve been dragged inward, and have felt compelled to explore territory that you might have avoided otherwise. Yet as you’ve moved through these regions in yourself, you’ve noticed all the things you want that exist there. You’ve also come within sight of a truly significant personal goal, this despite some protest along the way. And you’ve opened up inner territory that until now was truly unfamiliar. Remember, as you enter a new phase of experience, how challenging it was, and what you had to go through to learn what you did. Never take that for granted; what was strange to you yesterday or two months ago still deserves to be treated with the respect for the unknown — and that starts with curiosity.

Hello Taurus — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — I’m looking at your chart thinking: this has to be an interesting time for sex, or at least your ideas about sex, and discovering what you want. That’s something you’re fortunate to have available, and I suggest you use it to your maximum advantage. Yes, there is an uncomfortable edge, as if you’re having to stretch in a direction you’re not totally sure about: in particular, how it feels to respond to the erotic power of someone else. There may be an element of simultaneous attraction-repulsion. If you’re experiencing that, look no further than yourself for understanding. Your responses are all about you, no matter who else may be involved. Any sensation of approach-avoid can indicate the presence of hidden guilt. You may be worried about what ‘someone else’ would think if they knew what you wanted, or were experiencing with such pleasure. Go past that and see what’s on the other side.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — There’s no crisis — only a minor disturbance, and from that, you can learn a lot about how to use a challenge to create an invention. You seem to be working out some kind of mental puzzle — maybe several of them — which all point back to one basic idea: how you think. It’s special for an entity to be aware of its own awareness. It’s a kind of reflexiveness that distinguishes certain kinds of individuals, in particular, the ones capable of conscious change, because they are capable of being self-aware. An untrained mind is cumbersome. You are starting to learn some mental discipline, and you may have discovered that mostly means guiding rather than pushing yourself. As one born under such an intensely emotional sign, a significant element of discipline is the ability to detach a little, and not be carried so far, so fast, by your stream of feelings. Yet all of this is secondary to one truly useful discovery you’re about to make about yourself.

Hello Cancer — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The Sun opposing Saturn looks like you’re going through a test of your ethics. This comes on top of a long, careful quest to determine your true values; to figure out what’s actually important to you. The two are related. It’s one thing to figure something out in theory, and another when the time comes that you have to put your idea to work in a real-time situation. The scenario looks like you must make difficult decisions, having been confronted by a limit of some kind, be it your time, your energy or some external factor. Before you spend too much time figuring out what to do about that, I suggest you check for where you have additional resources that you hadn’t thought to apply to the situation. Most of the time (contrary to the messages of advertising) when you need something, you already have it. In this situation, though, that ‘thing’ isn’t a thing — it’s an approach to the question; you might think of it as applied science, as opposed to theoretical.

Hello Leo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

If you have more questions than answers, consider this.

We will soon figure out that it’s actually 2012. The recent retrogrades of Mars and Mercury seemed to create a delay, but really this winter and early spring has been a phase of gestation. Over the next four weeks, the energy starts to pick up pace dramatically, and we will discover where we are and that something unusual, and beautiful, is happening.

Even as we approach the truly beautiful potential of the astrology that’s developing, many people are struggling with their day-to-day lives. There are more questions than answers; the economic and political situations seem hopeless; the pace of existence is going so fast that there seems to be nowhere to get in a little meaning, or seek some peace of mind.

Here is where astrology can help. Astrology looks at the longer cycles, and the deeper themes — and can help you see your life in context of the present moment, no matter how chaotic it may be. Context means a sense of where you fit in that will help you see your potential and make better choices.

For years, I’ve been helping my clients prepare for making the most of the astrology of the 2012 era. Based on this experience, and many years of study, I’ve prepared a set of readings for all 12 signs (and rising signs, and Moon signs) that guides you through this astrology, step by step. I cover the most challenging and energized developments of this spring, which includes eclipses, Venus retrograde, the Venus transit of the Sun, and then a few days after the Sun ingresses Cancer, the Uranus-Pluto square.

I suggest you get this report in its current form, where you have access to all 12 signs. This way, you will be able to listen to your Sun, Moon and ascendant, and gain added depth. You can listen to your opposite sign and learn something about how this astrology will influence your relationships. Each sign gets a half-hour discussion. These came through loud and clear, with strength and meaning. I spent a week designing and recording them, and I am grateful to be able to offer them to you as a tool to help you guide your decisions, as you seek deeper meaning along your journey.

Spring 2012 is a kind of checkpoint along the way to wherever you are going. But really it’s a calling into the adventure of existence, a bold invitation to go beyond your past limits and explore something truly new about yourself.

All 12 signs are now available for $19.95. Next week they will go on sale for $9.95 each with no discount for multiple signs. The report is getting rave reviews from people who are currently working with it, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order.

Individual signs will be available soon — please drop us a note if you want to be notified of when, or if you have any other questions.

Lovingly,

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mars has been retrograde in your sign since January, which may have run you out to the end of your tether. Overnight Friday to Saturday, Mars changes to direct motion, and you get your answer to the question, ‘what gives?’ Yet unlike our typical (Western world) response of leaving problems mostly solved or being satisfied with questions that are mostly answered (or worse, accepting an answer that just sounds good), this is your opportunity to work through this particular personal material thoroughly. This weekend brings a significant turning point; make sure you’re moving slowly and consciously enough to feel it. Yet between now and early July is a time for you to make sure you tidy up, summarize and most of all put what you’ve learned into practice. Yes, give it that long. This does not allow a lot of time for delays — you have, in fact, exactly enough time to consolidate your accomplishments and move on to something extraordinarily productive.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Do your beliefs help you feel any safer on the planet? You can test your theory by getting clear what you believe, where there is no evidence to support that belief. I know this is asking for a lot of self-reflection, and for intense honesty of a kind that’s pretty rare. Whether you feel safe is the question right now, which includes within the private confines of your mind, with the way you relate to someone close to you, and how you feel within your physical environment. You’re more likely to notice an unsupported belief by accident. For example, you encounter an ‘issue’ and you figure out that a series of assumptions got you there. Or you discover that you really were being dragged around by a religious value that you hadn’t identified as such previously. Or you find yourself acting in a way similar to much older relatives who you know are disconnected from reality. It’s easy to forget these discoveries when we make them. I’m suggesting you notice them, and remember them, and then go on a hunt for both their origins and their effects on your life. If the term ‘being your own person’ has any meaning at all, examining these themes would be included in its meaning.

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Expect people to treat you differently. That’s to say — you can release them from their past opinions of you, which is a burden that both they and you carry. The nature of the burden is that when people are locked into their old ideas of who a person is, that leaves no room for who they are in the present moment. We all know how much people seem to walk around with their minds made up about everything and everyone. You have the power, at least, to create a liberated zone where this is possible. Inside that space, you will notice that you have the freedom to set some new goals for yourself, and to admit some new desires, ones that in the past you feared might have conflicted with what others thought your life was supposed to be about. This is the liberation you need the most: to be able to define your purpose, irrespective of what all those people in the past might have thought, and shorn of any perceptions of others of who you’re supposed to be today. This may feel daring, but it’s not as dangerous as you think.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Progress in one’s career is rarely a rapid process. True, some of the most visible careers are the ones that go off like meteors: for example, those of young celebrities, many of whom seem to have done little to deserve the kind of money and adulation that’s poured all over them. This can be frustrating for those whose success is incremental, or is in fields that are considered less marketable than fast food or smartphones. You’re not letting that stop you, however. What you’re doing has inherent value — both to you and to the world around you. If the cash-in-instantly factor is not there, something else is, which is the feeling of integrity. It’s essential that you view your ‘small’ successes as successes. Note when your direction of travel shifts in the direction of what you want. Remember that persistence over the long haul is more effective than one or two big achievements. Yet despite all of this, when you are recognized for something, it’s crucial that you be gracious about that, and pause for a moment and reflect on what you did, how you did it and why anyone actually cares.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The Sun opposed to your home planet Saturn this weekend is a reminder that true strength comes from within. Authentic motivation is something you carry in your body, not something that you get from your environment. Yet if there is one environmental factor, it’s a sense of grounding in your personal space. You need a measure of emotional stability in your life, no matter how challenging that may be to create. Notice all of the factors around you that are designed to knock you off balance, which in turn creates the need for things you don’t really need. These influences range from advertising to religion, which are basically the exact same social force. When you feel complete in yourself, you feel capable of anything. This is not a mirage — it’s actually true. I suggest you take time this weekend to cultivate that sense of grounding. Go where you feel the most sane and secure. Take some time and make a simple improvement to your living space. Pause and actually get enough rest — and then notice what happens to your anxiety level.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your mind has been a kaleidoscope lately, though if you’re trying to finish a project of some kind, this weekend will be a good time to do that. In particular, if you’ve been trying to write something, pull together a web project, organize your workspace or focus a business project, this is the time. One thing that will come in handy in the coming weeks is an updated resume or CV. I suggest you get that going, even if you don’t finish the work (those things take some time). Several factors that have been presenting a challenge to your mental focus are now out of the way, and other factors will offer the sense of having all of your wheels touching solid earth. Use these opportunities well. When the Sun changes signs into Taurus in less than a week, your professional goals and position in the business community will come into focus — and I suggest you be prepared well in advance. There’s an old expression I love: luck is where preparation meets opportunity.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — I trust that Mars retrograde in your opposite sign Virgo has taught you about the virtues of self-reliance. On one level, it’s been a long demonstration of the meaning of relationships in your life. You’ve had one opportunity after the next to tidy up your boundaries and get clear about your commitments, and the commitments of others to you. You’ve had opportunities to get clear on your Yes and your No, and to see where you’ve made mistakes with those in the past. One quality of this transit has been learning that people will really only do what they want. They might pretend for a little while, but the only truly motivating factor comes from within. Which brings me to self-reliance. You’re the engine of your life. It’s not that others are merely coming along for the ride — though it’s time for you to fully make peace with your leadership role. Leadership in what? Chiron and Neptune in your sign suggest that you’re directly connected to a source of ideas that, for most others, is simply not available, or something they understand.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Evolution Revelation: The Adventure Begins

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“Redemption.” Digital art by Charlie Lemay.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Vernal equinox arrived and the new season began yesterday on a fiery note, with the Sun joining many planets already in Aries — including Uranus. The Sun changing both signs and seasons made its annual conjunction to the Aries Point and the astrological year reset. The Sun’s presence in Aries keys us into the Uranus-Pluto square, which has been developing the past couple of years and reaches its first of seven peaks on June 24. This is what I’ve been calling the 2012 aspect — a juncture point in the cycles of revolution that had its last big celebration in 1965-1966.

In total, the many astonishing events of this Spring are like a garden path, or rather, wild safari that leads to the first of those seven exact Uranus-Pluto squares in late June. Yet because the Sun is in Aries now, it will be passing through the square, in effect setting it off a little early: the Sun conjoins Uranus on Saturday, March 24 and squares Pluto on Thursday, March 29.

Total solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. Photo by Anthony.

But we’re just a little ahead of ourselves: Thursday, March 22 is the Aries New Moon, a spectacular chart for many reasons, mainly because the New Moon happens so close to the Aries Point, that mysterious intersection of what we think of as ‘public’ and what we think of as ‘private’. That crossing has been getting a lot of traffic lately — so much someone should put in a big stop light with turn arrows. It seems like the only things that do end up on the political stage have nothing to do with public policy — such as how to run the government or regulate big corporations.

Rather, we’re in an era where debates over ‘public policy’ involve nothing but private matters, such as what your doctor can and cannot say to you, and in truth, whether you actually own your body. However, the real question is: Do you own your mind? Do you even influence it, and what do you do with the information it’s sending you?

Said another way, are you able to utilize your creative power? We see this in the form of Mercury retrograde on the Aries Point (the first degree of Aries) for the New Moon (heading into Pisces). And speaking of Aries, its ruler Mars is retrograde as well, in the brainy sign Virgo — at the moment the astrology seems to be asking more questions than it is giving answers, though that changes soon enough. Remember that the more sincere your questions, the better the responses you’ll get.

One other very noteworthy aspect in the New Moon chart is retrograde Mars opposite Chiron in Pisces. Mars retrograde has been stirring up all kinds of material, including the psychological baggage we carry around the theme of desire. Mars opposite Chiron focuses desire on the healing agenda, as Mars has a direct encounter with the deep consciousness and reparative quality of Chiron in Pisces.

In case you want to follow the play by play, here’s a detailed overview of the events of Spring 2012. These are descriptions of the events themselves; the sequence is interpreted for each of the Sun signs and rising signs in the Spring Report.

Aries Point New Moon on March 22 — A spectacular New Moon conjunct Mercury and Uranus, with many other planets in Aries — including Vesta, Uranus and Ceres. This event is a portent of the many surprising turns of events over the next three months. While it looks like an event in linear time, this electrifying New Moon sets the emotional and mental tone for the next three to four months.

Solstice Full Moon over Sounion (temple to Neptune) near Athens, taken in June 2010. Photo by Anthony.

Sun square Pluto on March 29 — A turning point in its own right, this aspect between the Sun and Pluto turns the questions internally. Behind the stage show we’re seeing in the media in the drama of our lives, there are pressing questions of growth, healing and personal evolution. Many of them involve our relationship to authority and how we tend to be willing to hand over our power — then wonder where it went.

Mercury retrograde ends April 4 — Mercury stations direct in Pisces, ending a three-week retrograde that began March 12. Mercury re-enters Aries on April 16, setting off the Aries Point again (ideas, drama, big news), and then makes a square to Pluto on April 25; once again we take what is personal personally rather than getting caught in the floor show.

Mars retrograde ends April 13 — Mars has been retrograde in Virgo since mid-January; it stations direct in early Virgo, in the process of making two oppositions to Chiron (as described above). There are many themes of focusing your healing mission and personal integrity; there is an essential blending of the concepts ‘spiritual’ and ‘psychological’. There’s something here about courage: invoking the warrior energy for the benefit of putting your knowledge to work. If you haven’t read much about the current Mars retrograde, I suggest you check it out. Here is an article that opens the topic.

Sun enters Taurus April 19 — Taurus is a fixed earth sign, and the home of the Beltane cross-quarter day. Are you born under this sign? Here is a description.

Venus retrograde starts May 15 — Venus is making a rare retrograde this spring. We’re going through a nearly simultaneous sequence of all three inner planets in retrograde motion in one season. Once again this focuses the energy inward and calls for a review of the past. Venus goes retrograde just after a natural holiday associated with her — Beltane. Astrological recommendation: have sex outside, praising the goddess of love and abundance.

Sun enters Gemini. Annular solar eclipse on May 20 — That would be annular, not annual. That’s a total eclipse with the Sun a bit too far from Earth to fully block the Sun, but a powerful eclipse no less, which takes place in Gemini — the scene of much other adventure this season. This happens the day the Sun enters Gemini, which is unusual and compelling in its own right. Eclipses pick up the pace of existence, and act like convergence points where many different themes and events merge together. Events take on the sensation of being more significant and driven by forces outside our control; therefore, maintaining your power of decision at these times is that much more meaningful.

Partial lunar eclipse on June 4 — Corresponding to the Gemini eclipse, this is a partial eclipse of the Moon in Sagittarius. Note, from this point on, eclipses start to shift onto the Taurus/Scorpio axis. The next set occurs in November 2012. If you’re super-curious about eclipses, here is a list of them from 2012 through 2017. The Sun also makes an occultation to Pluto in Capricorn — another eclipse-like event.

Among the most distinctive events of spring 2012 is the Venus transit of the Sun. 2012 event corresponds to one in 2004 — the next is in 2117. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Venus transit of the Sun on June 5, in Gemini — The most distinctive event of 2012, a Venus transit is as rare as it is spectacular. If you have clear skies and daylight, you will be able to see Venus cross the disk of the Sun (using special glasses so you don’t fry your eyeballs). Think of this as the emergence of the solar feminine — the assertive, creative side of the feminine soul takes up residence in consciousness. For many this will be about resolving competing agendas and personality splits. Note that on this day, Wisconsin holds its recall election. Here is an article on the 2004 Venus transit of the Sun.

Gemini New Moon on the Atlantis Point on June 19 — I call the degree 28+ Gemini the Atlantis Point because so many really strange things happen when planets show up here. I cover them in the article Here at the Edge of the World from last year — worth reading if you’ve been noticing how strange everything is getting. This is the degree that links together such disparate events as the Sept. 11 incident, the 2004 tsunami, Wikileaks, the charts for Japan and the 2011 nuclear disaster and much else. This New Moon occurs right before the solstice (adding emphasis) and sets off all of those charts at once. I really don’t know what to say about this event but I predict it will be interesting — and we may get another little burst of the 911 Truth Movement.

Solstice on June 20 or 21 (depending on your time zone) — the new season begins, and the Sun once again aspects the Aries Point, Uranus and Pluto in close succession.

Uranus square Pluto June 24 — This is the first of seven squares between now and 2015, which focus the cycle that we last heard from in 1965-1966. We’ve been warming up to this event for a couple of years, particularly with the astonishing events of 2011, from Arab spring to the Wisconsin protests to the Occupy movement.

Venus stations direct on June 27 — This wraps up the rapid sequence of events with its roots in the Spring of 2012, and (with any luck) will come with a revelation about what it all meant.

Alrightie then! Now that I’ve left your head spinning, here is your extended monthly horoscope for April. If you’re curious how all of these events influence you, that’s why I’ve done the Spring Report. It’s a passionate, positive, motivational audio compilation that covers all 12 signs.

All hail the new season and its many mysteries.

Lovingly,

P.S. You can listen to audio that covers many of these events in our Top Five Events of 2012 series. This is free audio connected with the 2012 annual edition.

Monthly Horoscope for April 2012. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You could look at the whole human drama as a struggle with awareness. We already have the solutions to most problems; many of the most persistent have been solved at least 100 times. What stands between an issue and finding the answer is awareness, and often that translates to self-awareness. You have the answers you need; what you don’t have, you can invent. You may not believe that, though to test the theory you merely need to slow down and be with your existence in a conscious way. Do this often, and with a touch of faith that might feel like ‘suspending disbelief’. While your astrology certainly is illustrating an exciting trip through the outer world, other factors are pulling you deeper into yourself. Don’t get too distracted by all the activity and drama — keep your focus on your soul, which I assure you will be easier than you think. You may even have a breakthrough, which could feel like accessing a deeper part of your consciousness that offers you better information about yourself than you’ve ever had. Yet this is about far more than you. Being invited into a contact point reminds you that in waking up, you’re not alone — many other people are reaching a similar place within themselves. You’ll recognize them more by the look in their eyes than by face; more by their tone of voice rather than the words they say.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — The concepts ‘Taurus’ and ‘change’ sometimes seem to have nothing in common, but this is the season when you may shock yourself with how much stuck energy you can move in a short time. This month, Venus ingresses Gemini, where it will be until August — a long time for Venus to be in one sign. This is an extended special occasion, which includes Venus retrograde and the Venus transit of the Sun — a rare event that will be visible during daylight hours. One theme is a sudden, liberating release from the past. This includes moorings into history deeper than you remember, which will allow you to do something else — make contact with a point of origin or what you can think of as your original instructions for this lifetime. Don’t worry if today you don’t have any notion of what that means; live your life as normally as you can, but being responsive to opportunity, to chance encounters and to anything that has an odd sense of familia rity. In essence, the theme of this season is staying open to the experience of existence. Notice what seem to be random encounters, desires that come out of nowhere and people who you find unusually moving. Experiment with new activities, or going deeper into the ones that you love but have not had time for. What influences your life in these very days has the power to do so deeply, and in ways that can truly shift your reality.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Venus enters your sign this month, where it will be making some spectacular moves later in the season. These come along with eclipses in your sign and your opposite sign, Sagittarius — all of which I can sum up in one word: progress. This whole sequence of events is about getting all the seemingly separate parts of yourself talking to one another, working together, and gaining the kind of strength that comes from integrity. Whatever may change in the external world, remember that it’s part of a deeper inner project, a growth project whose time has come. We’re now at the very beginning of a long sequence of events that will gradually transform your life. The charts for April have a few bold reminders: one is to be flexible. This might include stretching out in the morning, considering different possibilities when you’re making a decision, and being circumspect when considering an important subject. Another hint is to listen. Be receptive to what other people say, and listen to what you say. Hear your own words and consider their meaning. Get a feeling for where you’re coming from. Part of the shift you’re making is from mental intelligence to emotional intelligence — and all factors are pointing in that direction. How you feel about what is said to you, or what you say to others, is just as meaningful as the content of the words. Of course this is so obvious, most of the time only dogs notice that it’s true, but we all have a lot to learn from them.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Maintain your devotion to your professional path — the one you’re on, the one you’ve chosen, or the one you want. Do this diligently, as if something larger than you depends on your actions. Follow the momentum of your life as it carries you, and add extra focus, as if you’re tending a fire that might go out, or might go out of control. You may not be able to see your destination (some would say destiny), and you may not be sure how to think about what you’re doing. As regards to ‘thinking’, the most significant thing you can do for yourself is be conscious and review events carefully, though without being too critical, or trying to judge. There’s a difference between judging and assessing; between criticizing and paying attention to details. Be particularly conscious of your use of language, which you can consider a kind of firepower. You’re visible right now — visible to more people than you might imagine, or than yo ur present circumstances might suggest. That of course is not a good enough reason for maintaining your integrity, but it’s as good as any. Over the course of the month, you begin to establish solid contact between your ideas and your aspirations. Old concepts that had merit come to life, and you will begin to see that there was a plan in motion all along. I’ll emphasize again that much of your success comes from your precise and careful use of language. Creativity will follow from precision — so say what you mean and mean what you say.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You’re near the end of a phase of sorting out. It’s good to go through these from time to time, so you can establish your real priorities. Sometimes the sorting is imposed on you, such as when you’re moving house and must decide what to keep and what to toss. Other times it’s an internally driven experience, which seems to be what happened this winter. Note, this assessment is not quite over — it will take all month for you to prepare your final report to yourself. Be aware that what you’re doing is establishing a kind of contract with yourself about what is the most important to you. You’re deciding what you want to do with your precious time and energy, and moreover, you’re making the decisions now that will influence your life for at least two years. There is part of you that wants to take a conservative approach, avoiding risks and staying to one side of a fine line. There’s another voice in your mind that’s saying now is the time to open up a bold vision and explore the world in a new way. The magnificent bird’s-eye view offered by astrology is suggesting that these two values need not conflict. You can remain true to your most basic values and ethics while pushing open a new world of possibilities. Here is a hint: your experience will follow your personal development. You will discover something about yourself, and your agenda will follow that revelation.

Introducing the Planet Waves 2012 Spring Report by Eric Francis

Spring 2012 is the wildest season I’ve ever seen in 18 years of doing around-the-clock astrology [listen to short audio preview here]. It fits the 2012 pattern of ‘everything, all at once’, even making that sound like an understatement. I am working on the report even as we edit this issue, and it’s coming out beautifully — every sign is coming through loud and clear and distinctive.

We have retrogrades of all three inner planets involved — Mercury, Venus and Mars. There is a rare Venus transit of the Sun — an exact conjunction of Venus and the Sun that you will be able to see if you have a clear view during daylight hours (you will need special equipment to protect your eyes). There are eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. And then, just four days after the Cancer solstice, we have the first exact square of Uranus and Pluto.

In honor of putting all this action to work for you, I’m preparing a special Spring Report for all 12 Sun signs and rising signs, as well as an introduction to the astrology that will be useful to everyone. This is a package of all 12 signs for one price. I’m designing it so that you can actually put many of the signs into use — for example, Virgo will be able to use the Gemini report as a career reading. Pisces can use Virgo’s report as a relationship reading, and so on. I give suggestions at the end of each sign, and will do a detailed description so you can get maximum use from this product.

All 12 signs are now available for $24.95. The report is getting rave reviews from people who pre-ordered, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order. Thank you, and enjoy.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mars retrograde in your sign has been a long quest into yourself, which has taken you through many layers, and you’ve had a chance to get to witness your own process of conflict creation and resolution. In the process, you’ve passed through many different elements of your psyche: your desire nature, how and whether you have faith in yourself and others, and the interconnections between many seemingly separate things in your world. Yet this quest has had a deeper mission: learning how you experience and ultimately create your most intimate relationships. Many of the more painful questions of the past decade are starting to resolve themselves as you claim your strength with partners and loved ones. One element of this is recognizing what an integral role you play in the lives of the people you love; another is recognizing the ways in which you seek and offer healing in those situations. Yet the most meaningful information has come in understanding how significant it is to remain in contact with one fact: what you want. Desire in any form is often subject to a kind of guilt attack, especially for you. Yet you’re waging nothing less than a revolution against this unnecessary, unproductive state of affairs, and in the process, you’re regaining the ability to guide your life in healthy ways. You have learned that you cannot leave this to chance, nor can you leave it to others to decide what is good for you. Said another way, your life is your life.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — One thing you’ve likely discovered is that no matter how strange life gets, or how unpredictable, you’re standing on a solid foundation. Though this theme is emphasized now, I trust that it’s a gift you’ll take with you even as one phase of planetary history melts into the next, and the next. Yet what is strong can always be stronger; what functions well can always be refined. That’s the theme of the season that’s just begun, and that will arrive with some of the most interesting developments for many years. All eyes will be on Venus, the planet that represents you in your own chart. You are on a quest that involves assembling the different elements of what seem to be competing visions for yourself. The coming astrology, as it influences you and all things Libran, is so astonishing I am reticent to make any predictions — except I can offer a couple of thoughts. One is that elements of life, and your ideas about life, that you thou ght had to compete with one another, actually support one another. You can let go of many ‘either/or’ type of equations; they are simply no longer valid. Yet as you transition from that as an idea to that as a fact of your life, a kind of miracle happens. Many other nagging issues resolve themselves. You will redefine your notion of what a problem is to the point where you recognize you have exceedingly few of them — or maybe none at all.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — As you know, we live in a culture obsessed with image, too often lacking any expression of what is real or meaningful. Any time you try to make an impression on someone, or lead them to believe something about you, stop and ask yourself why. Image is powerful, even dangerous, and for you this power must be applied to honest and worthy causes. Given that you stand at a major signpost of your life, it’s time to inquire: who or what do your actions serve? Mars stationing direct (after a long retrograde which began in January) in an angle of your chart that includes the themes of service and your vision for your life, is a reminder that (in the words of Dylan) you’re gonna serve someone (or something). That fact you cannot alter, though you get to decide what that something is, based on your true values. I don’t just mean what might be external to you — I mean searching your depths for what you want to offer to the world. Mars retro grade in Virgo has infused your traditional ruling planet with all of the properties of that sign: attention to detail, devotion to healing, tempering aggressive impulses (particularly toward yourself), and the integration of your masculine and feminine sides. And then there is the famous Virgo theme of devotion to something beyond yourself. Yet what this really suggests is that you’re expanding your concept of yourself, and can now bring together many elements of life you might have thought were separate.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — One really beautiful element of your astrology right now is a rediscovery of what commitment means to you. You’ve had your ideas — and you know how well they’ve worked. You’re now expanding into a whole new concept. It’s more open minded and expansive than your prior ideas; you can think of the new concept as a house with many doors and windows, that allows in the light, and where everyone has enough room to exist comfortably. Said another way, commitment is about who you are, rather than what you promise. When you offer yourself, that’s something you do with your entire being. One recent lesson involved taking care of the details in advance, so that you can proceed with that full sense of engagement. The old astrology books sometimes tell us that Sagittarius likes to skip the details, being more concerned with the broad strokes. Yet one message of the current Mars retrograde is that the details can set you free — if you address them before they become problems. They are opportunities to refine your goals, and with Mars about to complete its long retrograde through your house of ambition, you’ve been doing a lot of that. Make sure that you condense and consolidate your smaller objectives and never lose sight of what inspired them in the first place, or what they add up to when you consider them together. This is likely to come down to one significant decision you make right around April 14 — no sooner.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — One thing about living on this planet is that it helps to make friends with chaos. I don’t mean warfare or pandemonium — I mean that slight sense of overwhelm, of not being able to keep your house neat, of orderly theories not quite fitting together with what we think of as reality. I am talking about the fertile chaos of not quite being sure what to do, and then you have a real idea. Or the feeling of figuring out that a whole bunch of what you believed in the past isn’t true, which shakes your moorings — and in that moment you figure out something that is actually true and relevant for you. Travel can have this effect on us, by cutting us loose from familiar moorings, which in turn allows us to have a different experience of being. One expression of fertile chaos this month involves certain long-held goals. Some elements are working for you and worth keeping; others on review need to be updated or discarded entirely, to make room for new ideas. One cue to observe for the points of chaotic creative contact are stumbling blocks. When something gets in the way, stop and rethink your plan. When you are typing and type a wrong word, read what that word is and see if you’re trying to tell yourself something. If you lose track of your plan, ask yourself what your objective really is. And most significantly, if someone randomly tries to mess with your idea, listen carefully.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Many years of relentless pressure have left you in possession of a secret. You hold the key to understanding evil. By this I mean the force within the psyche that guides people to treat one another badly, or unfairly, or dishonestly. I’m also speaking of the impulse to deny oneself, or to deny others. And I am speaking of that strange thing that encourages people to give up their power and go against their own values. You understand the concept of a motive. There are other ways to grasp this, though if you think about it starting with the dark end of the concept, you have the orientation you need to guide your experience into the light. You’re able to remember the one thing that everyone wants to forget, and that many are trying desperately to conceal from themselves — and because of this, you have a distinct advantage. One way to say this is that you’re not trying to fool yourself, or that your learning has reached the point w here you see the danger of trying to. Whatever you may be doing, one thing to remember this month is that you’re in a position of leadership. This may not be about formal authority — rather, it’s a leadership of ideas. You are setting the example of what it means to have a responsible worldview, and also one that’s oriented in the future. One of your most valuable teachings is reminding people that we must do better than ‘every man for himself’.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This time in your life is an experiment with what it feels like to have an enhanced sense of self-esteem. This is the sensation that you belong on the planet, that you have a mission, and moreover, that you possess the personal resources to accomplish it. When we talk about the lack of self-esteem, these are the elements that are most often missing. I’m not sure, on the personal level, what it is that can make up for the loss; though it’s easy to see in your solar chart that you’re well on the way to doing precisely that. There are of course pitfalls that you’ll encounter along the way, but if you know what they are you won’t need to step into them — you can go around them. For example, you may be accompanied by some persistent questions about your existence. These can be turned to strengths. You may have the sensation that few others understand you. Yet if you’re alert for those who have similar values as you do, or similar mot ivations, you will feel a greater sense of companionship. As for personal resources: I do mean personal. This includes creativity, intelligence, problem-solving ability and ethics. Yet the bridge you will be crossing every day is the one that goes over the gap of applying these things to real-life situations. Your job is to put your mind to work — and this is about making a conscious and ongoing choice.