Tag Archives: Pholus

The Day of Magnetic Desire: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 6
The Day of Magnetic Desire | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

If you are trying to figure something out, write it down, the old fashioned way, on paper. Map out your thoughts in a visual way, so you can see them; and then scribble, erase, revise, rewrite, sketch and develop what you’re thinking. There is something a bit slow and ponderous about your charts right now, and you will benefit from the full use of your intelligence. This must be a deliberative operation. You will need to change your mind, change it again, and change it one more time. This is not about being indecisive. It’s about an actual decision process.
— by Eric Francis

Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading — now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

Be prepared to adjust or abandon your plan on the fly — particularly in the morning — though that does not mean you shouldn’t bother to have one. The Virgo Moon is a natural time for focusing on practical, precise and orderly tasks. However, early in the day the Moon makes trines to Uranus in Taurus and Pholus in Capricorn. Unexpected factors are likely to pop up.

Yet you might actually find this to be emotionally exciting, and it could stimulate some constructive change in your personal relationships or physical environment. Pholus in the picture indicates that it may not take much to surprise you (or those close to you), and that small adjustments made in response could develop into an unusual level of creative change. One key to that is remembering to keep sight of the bigger picture, rather than over-focusing on what would have been ‘perfect’ according to your original plan.

Last but not least: bear in mind that Mercury stations retrograde in Leo tomorrow afternoon (or evening, depending on your time zone). This is likely today’s most important descriptor of mental, interpersonal and mechanical/digital curveballs, as well as the need to meet them with an open mind and relaxed attitude. If you’re feeling confident about tackling problems, that’s great — just remember there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. A positive solution is one that takes everyone’s needs and desires into account, even if it can’t satisfy all of them equally. And right now, it could be harder to hear the details of others’ desires clearly if you don’t make the conscious effort to.
— by Amanda Painter


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by <a href=

Anthony Ayiomamitis.” width=”900″ height=”489″ /> Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

The Day of the Group Representative: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 4
The Day of the Group Representative | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

You were born on Independence Day, and for you, the only meaning of that word comes from having your own resources, control of your finances, and the motivation to be a success. You simply must tap your drive, and at the same time, you must be wise with your resources. There’s the clear potential for having plenty of motivation and desire for success, and then making bad choices financially. This is not necessary. You must fully inform yourself, and triple-check your sources; and put a delay in between you and any major moves you want to make.
Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading — now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

We’re now entering the ‘storm’ phase prior to Mercury stationing retrograde on July 7. This is the 2-3 days on either side of a station retrograde or station direct, when communication, technological gadgets and life in general can often seem especially disruptive. If you can slow down your general pace of thought and action, you may find it easier to navigate any hiccups you encounter in the next several days. If you’re in the U.S. and celebrate Independence Day, please be especially careful with fire, alcohol, travel and your temper.

Several of today’s exact aspects appear to describe a certain theme: how you experience and express caring, especially when you meet challenging situations. For one, Venus in Cancer is making an opposition to the centaur Pholus in Capricorn. When faced with a potentially out-of-control situation, what do you do with your concern about it? Do you let yourself spiral off into worry, or do you figure out how to meet it with empathy-in-action? The same questions apply if you’re confronting the result of generations’ worth of cause and effect that have rippled down through the years to this present moment. You have a choice in how you channel your emotional responses.

The Cancer Sun opposite the centaur Hylonome suggests a similar dynamic: some form of caring self-expression in response to a “cry of the poor,” particularly when that cry is emerging as a result of institutional (such as governmental) systems, policies and structures. If you’ve been watching the news, you know there are very real opportunities for this. Meanwhile Mars, newly in Leo, is conjunct Varuna — an object that carries the keyphrase “the great equalizer.” True courage — which, like the word’s root, comes from the heart — may be the greatest equalizer of all. As Bayard Taylor once wrote, “The loving are the daring.”


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

Written in the Planets for Thursday, July 4

We’re now entering the ‘storm’ phase prior to Mercury stationing retrograde on July 7. This is the 2-3 days on either side of a station retrograde or station direct, when communication, technological gadgets and life in general can often seem especially disruptive. If you can slow down your general pace of thought and action, you may find it easier to navigate any hiccups you encounter in the next several days. If you’re in the U.S. and celebrate Independence Day, please be especially careful with fire, alcohol, travel and your temper.

Several of today’s exact aspects appear to describe a certain theme: how you experience and express caring, especially when you meet challenging situations. For one, Venus in Cancer is making an opposition to the centaur Pholus in Capricorn. When faced with a potentially out-of-control situation, what do you do with your concern about it? Do you let yourself spiral off into worry, or do you figure out how to meet it with empathy-in-action? The same questions apply if you’re confronting the result of generations’ worth of cause and effect that have rippled down through the years to this present moment. You have a choice in how you channel your emotional responses.

The Cancer Sun opposite the centaur Hylonome suggests a similar dynamic: some form of caring self-expression in response to a “cry of the poor,” particularly when that cry is emerging as a result of institutional (such as governmental) systems, policies and structures. If you’ve been watching the news, you know there are very real opportunities for this. Meanwhile Mars, newly in Leo, is conjunct Varuna — an object that carries the keyphrase “the great equalizer.” True courage — which, like the word’s root, comes from the heart — may be the greatest equalizer of all. As Bayard Taylor once wrote, “The loving are the daring.”

The Day of Romantic Exaltation: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 22
The Day of Romantic Exaltation | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

You’ve been through some unusual events the past year and a half, by which I mean on a lifetime scale. The thought of another year may be filling you with a sense of both optimism and some concern about repeat performances of some challenging situations. You are well past most of them, though one particular scenario involving your family will benefit from your sustained attention. Do not get dragged in; take it to therapy. It’s time to learn this lesson and move on.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading

Written in the Planets

Myths involving both Mars and Eris don’t get a lot of airtime; usually we hear about Mars on his own (whether as fighter or wooer), and Eris on her own (sowing subversive discord with the golden apple that catalyzed the Trojan War). Yet Mars and Eris were siblings, and she is said to have accompanied him on the battlefield, which gives a major clue to their shared energy. Today the planet Mars in Cancer squares Eris in Aries, the final stage of this season’s often-challenging (and at times combative) Mars aspects.

Could this square be interpreted as a sort of sibling rivalry — possibly for someone’s attention? Do you feel as though some facet of yourself is jockeying to be expressed more strongly than another? Or like you have dual urges: to be direct and assertive on the one hand, and to be indirect and passive-aggressive on the other? Is some situation triggering a sense that your identity or security is being threatened?

Even though Mercury in Cancer is right in the thick of it, and also square Eris, it may hold a key to navigating these dynamics. Consider speaking in “I” statements about how you feel (not how someone else has “made you” feel), while staying sensitive to your environment — which includes the feelings of others.

With the Cancer Sun exactly opposite the centaur planet Pholus today, the ripple effects of how you present yourself in the world could reach far. The more you can think a few steps down the line in terms of possible consequences (or understand the sequence of events leading to your current position), the better position you’ll likely be no matter who you encounter or what the situation. A little empathy and understanding often go a long way, whether you offer it to another or to yourself — which, to be honest, can be a great starting point.
— by Amanda Painter

Did you know that Eric Francis recorded insight-rich videos for all 12 signs, specifically investigating Mars interacting with some of astrology’s most influential planets this season? His Call the Astrologer readings are available individually or as a 12-sign set to share with your loved ones. Check out samples here and here.

Children dance to music after lunch Wednesday at the Portland (Maine) Expo. Photo by Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Cancer Solstice Calling

By Amanda Painter

On Friday, at 11:54 am EDT / 15:54:07 UTC, the Sun enters Cancer for the solstice: the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s one of the year’s four major, seasonal turning points, by which ancient cultures once organized their practical lives and their understanding of the cosmos.

Children dance to music after lunch Wednesday at the Portland (Maine) Expo. Photo by Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Children seeking asylum dance to music after lunch Wednesday at the Portland (Maine) Expo. Photo by Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Most modern cultures have become rather detached from this rhythm — thanks to things like electric lights and other industrial and agricultural innovations obviating our complete dependence on seasonal shifts; along with what we’ve gained in that, there have surely also been losses. Astrologically, the Sun entering Cancer also signals us to be aware of the Aries Point: those first degrees of Aries — extended to the other cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) — that describe events and issues where the political and personal weave together.

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Choice of Movement

By Amanda Painter

On one level, this week’s astrology is describing some very insistent and action-oriented themes, related to Mercury making the same aspects in the cardinal signs that Mars has been making. At the same time, we have activity in mutable signs lending their own sense of movement, in their own style.

Photo by Amanda Painter

Photo by Amanda Painter

To start with, Mercury is currently in early Cancer.

Over the next couple of days it makes squares to Makemake and Logos in Libra, an opposition to Quaoar in Capricorn, and squares to Salacia and Chiron in Aries (it opposed Pholus in Capricorn on Wednesday). So we’re still working with ideas about how family and generational patterns play out; what we think of ‘secret’ sexual material and how it does and does not get spoken about; and the ‘mystery’ and logic of how things have come to be the way they are.

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The Day of the Brilliant Path: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 5
The Day of the Brilliant Path | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

This year will bring tests of your true priorities. You already know what they are; the question is whether you will exercise them like options. It’s too easy for people to subvert their most cherished desires to what they think is the will of others. Yet when one takes the chance and dares to stand up for oneself, there can be considerable pain and confusion. This is a temporary stage in the growth process, and one that at a certain point we must learn to push through. If you want to call this experience your life, that’s the necessary project.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

Mercury in Cancer opposing the centaur Pholus (along with Quaoar) in Capricorn could be focusing your attention on a ‘runaway emotions’ situation. Is it yours, or one that you’re witnessing? It could also feel more like your mind is getting carried off, or has been catalyzed into an ever-developing chain reaction of thoughts. If this describes you, however, you’ll want to consider whether any of these thought patterns and emotional habits are hand-me-downs from a past generation. Do you really need to burn up all that energy? Same if someone you know is currently mirroring a dynamic like that to you.

With Juno in Cancer also opposing Pluto in Capricorn, the question of emotional security in relationships arises. As much as it can seem like ‘stability’ is the key to that (that is, things staying the same), you may discover that flowing with the changes both you and a partner are experiencing offers the most comfortable (and honest) way to stay present — and connected.
— by Amanda Painter

Did you know that Eric Francis just recorded new videos for all 12 signs, specifically investigating Mars interacting with some of astrology’s most influential planets this season? His Call the Astrologer readings are available individually or as a 12-sign set to share with your loved ones. Check out samples here and here.

The Day of the Bottom Line: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is May 17
The Day of the Bottom Line | Order Your 2019-20 Taurus Reading | All Other Signs

Prepare to take a revolutionary new perspective on your identity, especially in the context of others in your life, past and present. We are each partly made up of the relationships we’ve had, of our roots and of our own unique, irreplaceable energy. You are on the brink of a discovery regarding how all these facets of your being weave together to form the phenomenon that is you. May it inspire and delight.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

With the Scorpio Moon moving towards its opposition to the Taurus Sun (tomorrow’s Full Moon), notice whether and with whom you’re feeling any tension. It could be emotional, sexual or physical; it might take the form of stubbornness, possessiveness, or a need to be expressive coming up against an urge to be private. If you’re feeling frustrated, can you communicate that in a constructive way, rather than projecting the frustration onto the other person in hopes that they’ll figure it out and address what’s wrong for you?

Beginning by emphasizing the ways you (and the other person) are safe and secure could help to set the groundwork for more productive negotiations over the next couple of days. Even something as simple as being sure you’re both well fed and rested may help — though if a situation is truly high stakes and feels like it’s volatile, waiting until after Saturday might be wiser. With Mars in Cancer still moving into its opposition to Pholus in Capricorn, strong emotional reactions have the potential to spiral out of control.

That said, sex could be a useful outlet over the next few days, particularly if you stay aware of how you’re connecting emotionally to your partner (and/or to yourself). Venus in Taurus is holding open the door for some experimentation and surprises in relationships; actively seeking new stimulation should help to mitigate any uncomfortable feelings of disruption. Today, in particular, it might be satisfying to review and restructure the spaces in your home (and therefore in yourself) set aside for erotic or creative self-exploration.
— by Amanda Painter

Have you tried the Astrology Readings Channel?

Planet Waves offers readings for all the signs and rising signs. These readings are must-haves among a core group of people who love them, though perhaps you have not heard what Eric is doing. We’ve taken many readings from 2018 and put them on a 24-hour audio stream, which anyone can tune into. Whatever your sign, you will find it interesting no matter when you tune in. If you’re up late and want something soothing and informative to listen to, or if you’re curious about astrology, tune in here. No login is required.

Shadow Meeting; photo by Amanda Painter.

Dancing on (or with) the Edge: the Libra Full Moon

By Amanda Painter

Tomorrow morning, at 7:12 am EDT / 11:12:03 UTC, the Libra Moon opposes the Aries Sun for the Libra Full Moon. While a Libra Moon tends to be a ‘people-pleasing’ placement — an intellectual and artistic Moon that seeks harmony — the chart for this event describes an emotional current that’s under pressure, and which therefore could tip either way: toward creativity or toward disruption.

Shadow Meeting; photo by Amanda Painter.

Shadow Meeting; photo by Amanda Painter.

In fact, you may already be experiencing provocative encounters with certain people in your life; possibly someone is being reactive. Or could it be that you’re the reactive one?

Remember that one inherent property of a Full Moon is that the Moon is reflecting the Sun’s light. It’s a great metaphor for the type of emotional projection that can happen between people, especially if a situation carries unacknowledged baggage from the past, or if a current-moment factor is being left unsaid.

We human beings can have a hard time being introspective when something is thrust in our face; or when too much is demanding our attention around us. Yet one thing this Full Moon appears to be asking for is a high degree of self-awareness — in particular, some self-monitoring of our less-controlled urges.

For one thing, the Sun and Moon are facing off from the very last degree of their respective signs. This may translate to an added edginess — especially since the Sun and Moon are also both in close contact with Uranus in Taurus. The Moon will oppose ‘the cosmic sparkplug’ later on Friday; the Sun will conjoin Uranus on Monday.

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