Tag Archives: politics

The Personal is Personal: Nessus in Aquarius

Dear Friend and Reader:

I propose that we need to ponder how and why Rick Santorum is doing so well in the Republican primaries. This week he tied Mitt Romney in Michigan, the state where Romney’s dad was one of the most venerated governors. Romney got a few more votes; Santorum won exactly half the delegates. He did so spending one-sixth the money that Romney spent, working with far less experience, a much smaller organization and a perfectly vicious message.

John F. Kennedy, the first and only Catholic president, wanted to guard against merging state and religious interests, consistent with the Bill of Rights and the main text of the U.S. Constitution.

Though it’s couched in moral and religious terms, the message amounts to: women and their reproductive capacities are the property of men and all sex is the property of the church-state.

In case you don’t know the name, Rick Santorum is the former senator from Pennsylvania who has equated same-sex marriage with men and dogs getting it on, and with pedophilia and with three men getting married. He has been at the head of the class on the ban birth control message, importing the position of the Holy See into Republican politics verbatim. Earlier this week he took on John F. Kennedy, the only Catholic president, who in the 1960 campaign emphasized his intention to honor separation of church and state. Many had falsely assumed that his first loyalty would be to the Pope — or used that idea to discredit him knowing it wasn’t true. And apparently Santorum is worried that JFK might be on the Democratic ticket in November.

“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote,” Kennedy said in a speech at the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in September 1960. Santorum this week told the nation that Kennedy’s position “makes me want to throw up.”

Can you say American Taliban?

This comes in the context of many other related developments. Four different states are currently considering requiring vaginal ultrasounds prior to a woman getting an abortion. That is to say, the patient (or the government) would be required to pay for an unnecessary procedure requiring penetration prior to exercising a constitutional right. Abortion is just as much a constitutional right as is going to church, per the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade.

Their commercials talk about smaller, less invasive government, which may just mean that it fits into smaller places.

Many states in recent years have introduced or adopted a diversity of laws designed to reduce access to abortion. If you’re an abortion doctor in Kansas, you stand a good chance of being shot.

And lately, taking this a few steps further, the anti-birth control movement has been big news. Anti-abortion activists know that the Supreme Court decision underlying Roe v. Wade is a previous decision involving birth control — the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut decision. Yet the Supreme Court is not the current focus — the health insurance system is. On Thursday, the Senate defeated Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R-Missouri) proposed amendment that would have allowed employers to decline to cover health benefits that conflict with their purported religious beliefs. This too was being done in the form of “religious freedom” — honoring my religious beliefs, I will deny you yours. While not always connected to religion, similar issues are gaining ground in other countries as well. For example, obstetricians in Western Australia last week called for fetal homicide laws that give a fetus legal rights to be used to criminally prosecute moms and midwives if a baby dies after a home birth.

The immediate history of this stance in modern American politics goes back to 1981, when Ronald Reagan and the Heritage Foundation successfully got the first Abstinence Only indoctrination program through congress. This was back when the whole “say no” thing got going and, in the wake of the 1970s, sexual purity campaigns became a standard part of American politics. Not only would they succeed in getting real sex education thrown out of many schools, and abstinence programs put in place abroad as a requirement of foreign aid, authentic discussion of sex would have a difficult time finding a home. And now we have a presidential candidate who embodies this message.

Rick Santorum at the bully pulpit.

While we’re pondering why Santorum is doing so well — he won the Iowa caucus, as well as the Colorado and Minnesota primaries, tied in Michigan and has had solid support in every other primary this year — we might want to consider that the whole religion thing is a ruse.

For one thing, he’s an impressive liar, claiming that “people of faith have no role in the public square” when we all know that the “conservative base” (of fundamentalist Christians) is leading the Republican party and all of national politics ever further to the right: toward a politics of so-called morality, fear and control.

Sex is often the vehicle that’s used to do this, since so many people have so much unresolved material, so much guilt about sex and so much shame about what was done to them as children. A Rick Santorum would have no hook into the psyche of any person or the public consciousness unless there were a pre-existing weakness. He is a kind of opportunistic infection that seems to be taking hold in a weakened, low-vitality body politic that’s terrified of freedom. Is there any other way that a Rick Santorum could be taken seriously? Said another way, he’s the reflection of all of the unresolved baggage that’s being dragged around in American culture.

He’s only running in the Republican primary race so far, but if he gets the nomination that puts him one stolen election away from the presidency. Remember, Mercury goes retrograde right in the middle of Election Day 2012. The only other time that’s happened in American history was Election Day 2000, when Al Gore won and George W. Bush took office.

It’s Not Normal — It’s Weird

One thing about all this anti-sex, anti-women rhetoric is that to most people, it doesn’t seem that strange. It may seem wrong, it may seem unjust, but the truth is, it’s really, truly, weird. It’s weird from a human perspective. Women exist and are more than half the population. Aside from having a shorter average height than men, there would seem to be no reason for a bias. And sex is a normal biological function, essential to emotional health and to the basic happiness of many people. It might seem to have a place in national politics, but what place, when you consider the ice caps melting, peak oil, various global economies teetering on the brink of collapse, world hunger, children in sweatshops who made nearly every stitch of your clothing, nuclear meltdowns and numerous wars being fought or threatened? Why is sex an issue at all?

Pro-life van parked outside of the women’s clinic that was bombed by Eric Rudolph in the mid-90s. Don’t try to wrap your head around why anyone who claims to be “pro-life” would bomb people. Photo by David Walker from Wikipedia.

The reason that attacking sex doesn’t seem weird is because the attack matches the misgivings that so many people already have — misgivings that are the toxic residue of previous attacks that go back through the ages. It’s possible to have the current ‘discussion’ because nearly every other discussion has been banned or shamed out of existence. This has done nothing but add to the sexual pain that so many people are in, many of whom have no idea they have an option, much less any ideas what those options might be. With rare exceptions, even many therapists are embarrassed to have real conversations about sex. This is a weakened state; it undermines us from the core outward. Passion in every form is compromised: creativity, political will, relating to one another free from paranoia and many other ways. With this comes the idea that “sex is not so important,” and that the only real pleasure from sex comes when you’re “in love” — which negates the exploratory and experimental kind of sex that helps people figure out who they are.

Sad to say that in my experience as an astrologer and participant in the world, few people have any clue where to turn even if they figure out they want to heal and grow past this insanity. And few people are willing to look at the ways that sexual injury, repression and general misgiving compromise every other aspect of their lives. The sexual energy has to go somewhere (we all have plenty of it, no matter what we might think), and where it goes if not into creative play is into neurosis and other forms of mental imbalance, mental illness and personality armor. If you’re wondering about Rick Santorum’s power source, it’s sexual energy per se. It’s part of why he’s so obsessed with the topic and cannot stop talking or thinking about it, and it’s why so many people are willing to listen.

I looked at his chart a few weeks ago in an edition of Planet Waves FM. If a chart could be dripping with emotional infection, his wins the prize. Charts have little meaning outside the context of a life — and the two conform to one another.

Nessus and the Anti-Sixties

You’ve probably read something about the current aspect that’s in the background of everything right now — the Uranus-Pluto square. This aspect is an outgrowth of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of 1965-1966, and it’s the one I’ve suggested will make the Sixties look like a walk in the park. Uranus and Pluto are both slow-movers. They get together only rarely, especially in the heavy-hitting quadrature aspects — the right-angle ones (conjunction, square, opposition).

Uranus square Pluto on June 24, 2012. Nessus is in light blue, at the midpoint. Uranus, the blue H, is a rebellious influence, and is conjunct one of the more influential asteroids that day — Pallas Athene, which can represent a political leader or attorney involved in the situation.

We’ve been living with the warmup to the Uranus-Pluto square for a couple of years, and we haven’t even had the first exact contact yet — that’s in June, and the last of seven is in early 2015. The first undeniable signs that it was taking effect were Arab Spring, the Wisconsin rebellion and the Occupy movement, which all commenced within a few months.

To sum up, Pluto in Capricorn is gradually re-shaping the institutions of the world, causing some to collapse and others to become obsolete. Uranus in Aries is stirring up the quest for self-actualization and self-awareness. But it’s also the energy behind a kind of militant narcissism that we see in many of these anti-sex, anti-women operatives.

In many ways we’re still in an anti-Sixties time. Instead of people stating their desire for women’s rights (for example) we have an open movement to deny them. Instead of a quest for sexual liberation, we have an active movement to convince us that sex is wrong. This is part of a much wider social control campaign of which peoples’ misgivings about sex is the hook, the place where it’s easy to snag people, many of whom have fallen for the lie that they’re sinners and that there’s something wrong with their natural desires.

Where do we find this in the astrology? The chart above gives us a clue. It’s the chart for the Uranus-Pluto square. I’ve left four planets in the display. Pluto is the red one at the top. Uranus is the large blue glyph at the left. There’s a pale blue one about halfway between the two, which is Nessus. This is a centaur planet (in the same group as Chiron), which was discovered in 1993.

Nessus has themes that include the results of action, such as karma biting someone on the ass. Melanie Reinhart has noted that it’s the place where the buck stops. It often comes tinged with the darker sexual themes: sex where consent is in question, sex involving disease vectors, revenge and betrayal. Stepping outside of sexual themes, Nessus can represent an environment of psychological abuse, or a tendency to get caught in psychological abuse patterns. Chiron and Neptune recently left Aquarius and entered Pisces. That has left behind one last slow-mover — Nessus. In Aquarius, Nessus is involved in a group dynamic. Aquarian group dynamics include organizations, informal social networks and anything that considers itself elite.

Anti-choice students, some of the most impassioned activists of our day, at the 2004 March for Life. Photo from Wikipedia.

All year, Nessus is close to what’s called the midpoint of Uranus and Pluto. It splits the distance between the two better-known planets, revealing something underneath their dynamic. If the Uranus-Pluto square represents tension (it does) then the midpoint is the place where we can look for how to resolve that tension, or what the deeper issue might be. That deeper issue seems to be a form of sexual abuse projected into a group environment (Aquarius) with the help of the media, including the Internet.

Here, we have an image of the negativity being broadcast into the environment with its special obsession around sex. The dynamic is so beautifully illustrative of Nessus in Aquarius that it affirms 15 years of research into this small, little-known planet. You could say that those people who identify with Nessus are having their revolutionary impulses spurred, regressive though they may be.

If we need confirmation of this, in Rick Santorum’s natal chart, there is a conjunction of the Moon and Chiron right there in Aquarius. Some of his deepest personal wounding, particularly around women, is right there. And this is square his natal Nessus in Taurus. So he’s getting both transiting Nessus and Uranus-Pluto at full strength. On one level he’s in tune with the times; on another, his deepest unresolved material is coming up and finding a home in the political discourse.

Among the places that you can turn for sane discussion of sex is the website of Betty Dodson. Betty and her creative partner, Carlin Ross, provide an example of what an authentic, friendly sexual conversation sounds like.

Yet he is merely a spokesperson for a perspective. He’s an extreme example of what can happen, indeed what in fact happens, when personal abuse issues are left untended and unresolved: one can easily become an abuser. Sociopaths often wear the uniform of a superhero, and clearly Santorum is Superman to his devotees. To anyone who is biologically and emotionally functional, he’s the ‘small government’ guy who wants to get between your legs with his ultrasound probe, get between you and your doctor, and ultimately between you and yourself.

Here’s the thing to remember: As the Uranus-Pluto aspect takes hold, everything will hinge on whether we can really address the issues of Nessus at the midpoint. In true centaur style, they will keep coming up for healing again and again until we see them for what they are — and address them directly, meaningfully and beyond their superficial expressions. Nessus in Aquarius is raising some deep issues and to get to the bottom, we’re going to need to go just a little deeper.

I was curious about this placement of Nessus at the midpoint of Uranus and Pluto, so I called up a minor planet specialist who also has a pulse on midpoints — Martha Lang-Wescott. Regarding Nessus and related bodies (in the centaur group), she said: “If you’re not willing to see yourself, these points can scare the pants off of you.”

Her take on Uranus square Pluto with Nessus involved is that, “It sounds like this unbidden empty narcissism surging from the depths of Pluto and all of its psychological scars. People can get distracted by the twinkles and the erratic behavior of Uranus and overlook Pluto,” which addresses deeper material and and is a more urgently necessary agent of growth. That erratic behavior includes the conduct of various political movements that want, in effect, to ban women from being people and who are creating a huge distraction in the process.

As such, she believes that it’s serving to mask a whole layer of awareness. “There is the show and the excitement of Uranus [in Aries], and then there’s this underbelly of the concealed drives of Pluto [in Capricorn], such as greed. Uranus presents as the perfect distraction — all this technology stuff — when Pluto is often acting invisibly. There’s also the attraction to the dangerous element of Pluto charisma. Nessus accents that quality of Pluto.”

She said that one theme of the Uranus-Pluto square is about “how power can be exerted using technology. At what point do people scream about that? Or are they so distracted that they’re willing to relinquish power and control over their lives? At first I thought, that nut [Santorum] doesn’t have a chance. But that he has a chance makes me scared for my country.”

Taking This Personally

For anyone interested in healing, there’s a valid question about what to do about this personally. I would note that from the start, questions of healing are headed directly for some of our most personal struggles around sex, including our phobias about how our ‘friends’ and other groups (including family) would respond if they knew the truth about our sexuality. I’ve said before that heterosexuals are some of the biggest closet cases, terrified of revealing their secrets for fear of excommunication. Lesbian and gay people have crossed this bridge a long time ago, recognizing that they were neither safe nor sane in the closet. Bisexual and transgender people are starting to figure it out.

Keith Haring illustrates coming out of the closet. It’s not just for gay people anymore.

Starting with Aquarius, there are at least two ways to look at the social environment. One is the way that it influences us. What choices do we make on the assumption of how others will judge us? That includes fear that the police are going to kick in the door; the fear that someone is spying on your Internet habits; the fear of getting fired because you have a certain sexual desire or tendency; and anything where the group dynamics of religion come into play.

If you actually start to notice how you’re responding to your own thoughts and feelings, you might begin to observe the relationship between you and all those expectations and presumptions.

The other side of Nessus in Aquarius is how you influence others around you with your actions and your choices. It’s your role in the dynamic, particularly as you make the commitment to healing. People will have a response to you, and your presence will shift the social dynamic around you. The response may not be positive. Women in particular, in my experience, are rarely supportive of one another’s forays into erotic freedom, no matter how meek. One sexually free woman can lower the price of marriage for a whole group of them.

Men tend to be much more supportive of one another’s experimentation — as long as it’s within the approved sexual orientation of the group. One man among others coming out as bisexual (for example) can make the rest feel threatened and stir up their homophobia (which means their sexual shadow material).

If you take a step out of your particular closet, that means announcing your existence in some way, which is an experiment. When you do, you’ll find out how your friends actually feel — and you may need to respond in some way as a result. It can be challenging indeed to find a group of friends who are supportive of your actual sexual and relational desires, and you may need to go it alone for a while. That’s more than enough to keep most people in the closet, wishing they could do something about their desires but terrified to take action in any form. And it’s also a pretty big excuse not to take any risks, particularly the risk of actually being yourself. After a while, though, the walls of that closet are likely to feel like they’re closing in.

As I’ve been reporting the past few weeks, Neptune has recently joined Chiron in Pisces, which is activating some of the most rich erotic territory of the zodiac. Neptune is feeding our dreams and fantasy lives, and providing plenty of inspiration for art and photography. Chiron is accentuating both curiosity and a craving for experience, and the awareness that experience is essential on the path to healing. Chiron in Pisces might point to any of a wide diversity of things you haven’t tried yet but have long wanted to. At a certain point, fantasy is not going to be enough.

Lovingly,

Additional Research: Christine Simek.

Note to Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces Readers: Birthday reports for Cap and Aqua will be available later today. Check your inbox for a second mailing with signup info. Pisces birthdays will be done early next week. Look for an announcement Monday night. These reports are a whole new spin on your annual astrology, picking up where Reality Check left off. This will be our first year completing all 12 signs! We appreciate your patience with the pause associated with the annual edition. — efc

The waxing Moon enters home-loving Cancer today, making this a good weekend to nest in. But Cancer is an emotional sign, so be prepared to feel anything that comes up for you a bit more deeply than usual over the next couple days, as the Moon picks up on considerable energy currently in Pisces. Note that the Moon is building toward the Virgo Full Moon on March 8.

Closer to the present moment, there are a number of aspects this weekend that point to turning points in relationships, including leaving behind one form of relating for another — or perhaps finding a new perspective on how your relationships can work. There are also some potentially volatile triggers in the sky, calling for awareness as to whether any conflict you may experience is actually located between you and another, or within yourself.

Continue reading.

Astrologically, this week’s theme has been one of ‘turning points’ — and nobody in politics saw this one coming. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), a moderate known to split against her party on key votes, announced Tuesday that she will not seek a fourth term this year, despite original plans to do so. She has long been a ‘safe’ incumbent, having never lost an election in 35 years of politics. Her announcement is a monkey wrench in the Republicans’ plan to gain a majority in the U.S. Senate, and is an indicator of just how outrageously far the Republicans have slid to the right.

Olympia Snowe.

Snowe remarked in a prepared statement, “I do find it frustrating … that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.” According to the Portland (Maine) Press Herald, “… she has never seen a legislative body as ineffective as the current Senate. ‘Unfortunately, everything is concentrated in political messaging, and the art of governing and legislating has been virtually lost’, Snowe said.”

Snowe, who lives in Falmouth Maine, has served Maine as one of its two senators since 1995 and as U.S. Representative from its 2nd District for 16 years prior to that. She was the first woman to serve in both houses of state legislature and both houses of the U.S. Congress. Said Josh Tardy, a former House GOP leader who now works as a lobbyist, “On all sides, it blows (the race) wide open. The Democrats may take another focus on it and increase their field. It will create a frenzy on the Republican side.” Said another way, this makes it a lot harder for the GOP to take over the Senate in 2012.

In a ruling handed down Feb. 24 and announced Monday, federal judge Naomi Buchwald dismissed a case brought in New York by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Assn. and others against agricultural chemical company Monsanto. The farmers were seeking to prevent Monsanto from suing them if their crops become contaminated by Monsanto’s patented products, genetically modified pollen which can drift onto nearby fields. Monsanto, in its insanity, is considering this contamination of farms adjoining those of its clients to be “patent infringement” and has been suing those farms.

According to the Organic Consumers Association, since the 1990s, “144 farmers have had lawsuits brought against them by Monsanto for alleged violations of their patented seed technology.
Monsanto has brought charges against more than 700 additional farmers who have settled out-of-court rather than face Monsanto’s belligerent litigious actions. Many of these farmers claim to not have had the intention to grow or save seeds that contain Monsanto’s patented genes.” Some farmers have stopped growing certain crops to avoid a lawsuit.

Said plaintiff organic farmer Bryce Stephens of Kansas, “The careless, inattentive, thoughtless and negligent advertisement Monsanto has published on their website to not exercise its patent rights for inadvertent trace contamination belies the fact that their policy is in reality a presumptuous admission of contamination by their vaunted product on my property, plants, seeds and animals.” As of mid-February, 300,000 activists, including country singer Willie Nelson, had joined the lawsuit as part of the “Occupy the Food System” campaign, protesting the corporate takeover of small farms and the use of harmful chemicals. The plaintiffs plan to appeal the ruling.

WikiLeaks announced Monday that it was releasing 5.5 million emails that detail corporate spying on activists. The emails were obtained from the servers of Stratfor, a private U.S.-based intelligence-gathering firm described by some as a ‘shadow CIA’ for corporations and government agencies.

Andy Bichelbaum of the Yes Men leads a musical outburst during a 2009 takeover of a Whole Foods Market in NYC. Photo by Eric.

The hackers group Anonymous claimed responsibility for acquisition of the emails. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the files implicate some of the world’s largest firms in corporate espionage, including Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, Dow Chemical and sectors of the U.S. government, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Marine Corps and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Included among the activist groups apparently spied on are the Yes Men, subject of several previous Planet Waves articles.

Democracy Now! spoke with Andy Bichelbaum, co-founder of the Yes Men, who appeared as a spokesman for Dow Chemical on an eight-minute interview broadcast on BBC World. Bichelbaum said that Dow had finally taken responsibility for the Bhopal tragedy in India on its 20th anniversary, an event described in the emails. He told Amy Goodman, “What surprised us in those emails, though, was that we would have assumed that Dow would be really concerned with the exact issue of Bhopal and Dow’s responsibility, stuff that could directly impact their bottom line. But what Stratfor seems to be really a bit obsessed with is whether we or other organizations are going to draw this into a bigger critique of corporate power.”

The WikiLeaks/Stratfor story unfolded against the backdrop of Google’s planned change in their privacy policy. This change had many Internet users scrambling to suspend their Google browsing history, so that the company could not store and share detailed data about heir Internet habits — including medical reading, political reading, and porn — linked to their identity.

Conservative ‘commentator’ Andrew Breitbart died unexpectedly on Thursday at age 43. He was apparently losing his mind in the weeks before his death. Earlier this year, he confronted a group of Occupy protesters outside CPAC, a national conservative conference, screaming at both men and women, “stop raping people, stop raping the people … you freaks, you filthy freaks, you filthy filthy filthy raping murdering freaks.” Breitbart, one of the ‘Net’s earlier bloggers who helped Arianna Huffington found Huffington Post, had falsely accused Occupy protesters of rape in a series of reports on his website.

Breitbart was an Aquarius with a Leo Moon (born at the Full Moon). He had an alignment of Jupiter, Chiron, Uranus and the lunar nodes on the Aries Point, which have been taking a lot of transits lately. His chart is an indication of how much influence you can have compared to how little substance you have. Apparently it was little enough that he felt he was brainwashed into liberalism by his professors and the “Democratic media complex” that does not exist.

In another casualty for the conservative cause, James Murdoch’s head was severed from News International, the UK division of News Corp that included the now-defunct News of the World as well as The Sun. James is the son of Rupert Murdoch and was until recently considered heir apparent to News International. The Murdoch feifdom has been caught up in a scandal involving its ‘reporters’ hacking into the phones of murder and terrorism victims, politicians and entertainment figures, as well as bribing police and government officials, manipulating investigations and lying to Parliament. There have been many arrests in this scandal, which we covered in a recent issue of Planet Waves.

Still Time to Apply to be a UAC Room Monitor

Until March 10, UAC is accepting positions for room monitors. Being a room monitor is a wonderful way to attend the conference, save money, and be eligible for a number of benefits.

Room Monitors can:

— Attend the UAC conference for only $150

— Apply for free tickets for the banquet and other entertainment through the Fortunate Ones Fund

— Enjoy lectures presented on many tracks throughout the conference

— Receive a gift of 18 MP3s

Don’t miss out on this fabulous opportunity to attend the conference at a minimal fee and get the maximum benefit!

Please email Charlotte Benson for more details and to apply as a UAC 2012 Room Monitor. Applications must be received by March 10, 2012. Charlotte will be happy to email additional, detailed information regarding your obligations and benefits, and to answer any questions you may have.

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.

We’re offering it at a special pre-sale price for current subscribers and customers — all 12 signs for $19.95. Once the report comes out, it will go on general sale for $24.95. The report will be ready by March 7, well before the spring equinox — I’m working on it now and it’s coming out amazing. Here is the link to pre-order. Thanks for signing up.

This section also includes the upcoming publishing schedule! The March monthly horoscope (long edition) was published Wednesday evening, Feb. 22. Inner Space Monthly was published Tuesday evening, Feb. 28. We will publish Genevieve Hathaway’s Moonshine Horoscope for March on the morning of Tuesday, March 6. The next Planet Waves monthly will be the April edition, which will be published on the evening of Wednesday, March 21. This will include coverage of the spring equinox. There will not be a regular Friday edition that week; Priya Kale will stand in for Eric Francis for the weekly horoscope of Friday, March 23.

Friday, March 2, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #893. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Mercury has just entered your sign, which illustrates a kind of awakening to something that should have been obvious. Yet you may soon decide that it wasn’t so obvious after all, or that what you have to give up is worth more than what you might have gained by making a decision. Other factors in your chart indicate that you may be more obsessed by hesitation than by the prospect of action. Yet no sooner will that become obvious than you become seized by the desire to be spontaneously, impetuously and boldly decisive, and do things that you might regret. I suggest you pause and consider what you actually want to do. While you’re doing this, give the concept of ‘sacrifice’ a good once-over. That does seem to be the sticking point. While you’re reflecting, I suggest you consider why you’re devoted to whatever you feel devoted to. Does it nourish you back in some way, or are you devoted for its own sake? Once you’ve sorted out these themes, it will be easier to make clear decisions.

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) — Maybe it’s my positive experience with Gestalt therapy speaking, but the notion of ‘unconscious’ has always seemed suspect to me. ‘I did that unconsciously’ or ‘that person has an unconscious motive’ sound more like denying consciousness than anything else. There does seem to be a level of information that at times percolates into the one to which we’re normally accustomed, such as remembering a dream that reveals something interesting. I suggest, however, that you’re fully responsible for knowing your motives and your goals, and that if there is any question or issue, it’s going to have a manifestation, for example, as some form of conflict or frustration. Another clue that something might be going on ‘beneath the surface’ is that you find yourself rationalizing, that is, making excuses for why something is a certain way, rather than investigating how it got to be that way. Yet none of this is beyond your ability to perceive it. Your mind is a light; I suggest you look directly at what it illuminates.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You can safely let the tensions of the week go. It seems like people around you were feeling a bit revved up and expressive at the same time, and their reactions may have left you feeling some shade of insecure. Or rather, they may have affirmed certain pre-existing insecurities you’ve been experiencing, which in turn date back to old material. It’s strange when something someone says in the middle of your adult workday relates to some feeling you had when you were five years old, but it happens. There’s a significant relationship between what you have experienced in the past and what you’re experiencing today, though it’s here for a reason — so you can work it out and get yourself free from any snags that have persistently held you back. I will give you one clue from your chart — you don’t need to be popular to be successful. But you don’t need to be unpopular either. It would help immensely if you feel good in your skin.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Be on the lookout for news about your professional life for the next few days and indeed the next few weeks. You’re in an extended phase of developing both your career aspirations and your reputation. And now the immediate astrology is making contact with the longterm astrology and there is a synergistic effect developing. I have a few suggestions for how to make the most of this. One is consider your goals a work in progress. Second, focus on what you’re the most devoted to. That may mean what you do the most of (that’s one way to tell what you’re the most devoted to) or it may mean shifting your priorities a little so that you give some of your energy to something you want to do or create, and be persistent about that for a while. This may be something you gave up at a certain point in the past, and now want to reconnect with or devote yourself to. I suggest you consider some of your most persistent desires and make sure that they are getting some of the energy they deserve. Keep the flame alive; add the fuel a little at a time, and tend the fire around the clock.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — There’s no need to wrangle over a money issue. Your fiscal conservatism is at its most committed right now, to the point where I suggest you do what you can to avoid paranoia about money. At the same time, the values of others may seem extravagant lately when in fact they match your own values a lot more than you might recognize. I suggest you let key partners or loved ones have an influence on you that you can use to balance out any concerns you may have. However, this all goes deeper than money. You’re in an exceptionally beautiful moment to work out and let go of certain judgments about yourself that have contributed to some unhappiness in the past. These include various shades of being imperfect or not good enough. If you’re going to embark on a self-improvement campaign, you might start with cutting yourself some slack so you have actual space to make the changes that matter to you the most. You’re correct that impeccability is a meaningful agenda item, though how you get there matters.

Introducing the Planet Waves All Access Pass for 2012

Last year we offered an All Access Pass for subscribers who wanted access to everything we offer in a calendar year. The response from our All Access subscribers was overwhelmingly positive, and we are happy to once again offer one of our most popular products: the Planet Waves All Access Pass for 2012. One price gets you a subscription to the weeklies and all other products on Planetwaves.net through December of 2012.

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We trust that this idea is a fun way to meet your needs, whether you use astrology for daily spiritual inspiration, therapeutic purposes or pragmatic decision-making. And it’s truly a valuable resource for students of Astrology.

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– Tuesday/Friday Email editions of Planet Waves weekly content and horoscopes. Follow Eric’s weekly and monthly interpretations for all of 2012.

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– Your choice of the 2012 or 2013 annual edition, all 12 signs. This book-length online publication includes written and audio segments, is accessible by password at any time, and always meets rave reviews by readers who refer to it throughout the year for its long-range, big-picture guidance.

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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — People love you even when you don’t feel at your best. The only thing that really changes is your ability to receive love. Therefore, practice receiving. I know that it’s easy to make the argument that many people in our culture (and others) practice a self-centered and superficial approach to life. But what’s really going on at the core of that? I recognize that many people feel unworthy of love, but when you peel that back even just one layer, what’s in there? I would propose there’s something about the ability to receive. Yes, that’s directly related to one’s sense of worthiness. Though we might seem to be in chicken-and-egg territory here, I believe that when we’re cut off from emotional nutrients earlier in life, we might decide it’s our ‘fault’, whether that comes from child-logic or from having no other probable explanation available. Being open to receive from others who are happy to give to you would teach you something about how to treat yourself — and the time is right. As in right now.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — This is a complex time in your life and in particular, your relationships, though I would remind you that you’re the one in control. I say this because, sooner or later, everything you accept into your life comes down to a decision, and while you will definitely arrive at a series of decision points, I suggest you take them up on the soon side. That is to say, don’t wait until you think that something has gone too far. Run every circumstance through the filter of your actual boundaries whenever that situation arises, and make your adjustments incrementally rather than all at once, at the ‘end’. The key to avoiding being stressed out is never letting anything get too far. This will require you to stand up for yourself, which I assure you won’t tarnish your image as a reasonable person. To the contrary, certain people in your environment will feel reassured that you’re asserting yourself and your needs when you actually need to.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — I suggest you not push the health campaign, workout routines or dieting right now. What you need is balance. At the moment there’s no escaping the amount of work you have, but at least you’re into projects that you can use to bring out the best in you. At the moment to balance that you need the right amount of the right food, and just enough physical activity to let off any mental or physical tension you may be carrying. However, I suggest you not stretch too far in that direction; the pull will be too much for now. Rather, listen to the signs that your body is sending you; pay attention to the foods it’s asking you to eat and make sure that your physical space is clean and orderly. That will save a lot of energy and help your efficiency. I also suggest that you invest plenty of energy getting the opinions of others — and that you not take too much credit for what you get done. Point out the contributions of everyone else. Work in a spirit of service, and thank everyone for their shared effort and influence.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The time is nigh for you to let go of your old ideas about your personhood — or anyone’s — being associated with relationship status. That’s the relic of another era, and for the most part it’s only served to the detriment of humanity. Relationship status is used for many purposes, ranging from ‘acceptability’ to certain communities to the appearance of decency, no matter what someone really does. It’s a way of signaling social status (married to the ‘right’ person) and as various dog whistles for unavailability, availability for surreptitious activity, and most of all, an acceptable form of relationship to our parents — no matter how many times they got divorced. This all amounts to a sham. You are acceptable for who you are, not for your status or who you’re with. The thing is, these programs run so deep they verge on impossible to see and unappealing to question. Sooner or later you will figure out that you are you and that your life is an experiment, and that’s likely to be sooner than you think.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Your feelings are loaded — and loaded with information. Over the next few weeks you may be making many discoveries, potentially involving a range of subjects including your family, your father’s family, certain misunderstood events of the past, your local community and your current living environment. I suggest, however, that you pause before you make any decisions based on any of that information. At this stage, once you decide something, you’re likely to discover something else that shifts or even radically alters your viewpoint. No information is final at this stage, and you have so much left to learn that I suggest you consider it an ongoing process that will last a while. I don’t know if you’re excited about any of this yet, but you’re in a dimension where one discovery will lead to another, and eventually you’ll be hooked on the process of learning and the experience of your perception changing. We both know you have a craving for history and the truth of what went on in the past; you now have access to one of the most interesting attics of your life, so take your time exploring.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You have more power in someone’s life than you may think. Forget what the press release says, or how big of a shadow someone casts in your mind. Imagine you really do have influence. You have the power to say yes or no. You have the ability to grant or deny access. Indeed, you have the ability to take up space that might actually belong to someone else — physical space, or emotional. Are you feeling generous, or are you responding some other way? What is motivating you to act a certain way? The relationships are more involved than they may seem. There are several levels to what you’re feeling, and you may not be aware of some of them. Bear in mind that your choice to act a certain way may create a blind spot that prevents you from seeing the real effects of your choices or emotional posture. The deeper question I suggest you ask is, how do you want the situation to work out? Then act accordingly.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Check any door you think is locked; it may be open and you may be able to walk right in. You may be welcome where you thought you were not, and with certain individuals you may have previously thought had no interest. However rather than trying to decide what anyone else wants, what matters the most is what you want. I suggest you make some decisions about that because those openings will work for you in any event — so you may as well go from your own inner guidance. In our moment of time, however, you could make an operetta called, “But What Do I Want?” mocking at least half the human race. It would have all kinds of song and dance numbers and the running joke would be that everyone really does know what they want, but they keep forgetting or they’re afraid to say anything about it or too paralyzed to take action. I suggest you stop making excuses and get clear with yourself, and start making some decisions.

Neptune in Pisces: A Watershed Event

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Dear Friend and Reader:

In 2008, Pluto entered Capricorn and within a matter of months, we saw the collapse of the banking system and a massive heist of public resources by different private entities. It was an event so perfectly described by Pluto in Capricorn (which lasts till 2024) that it was a little eerie. Many astrologers had been discussing the potential for various forms of systemic collapse under Pluto in Capricorn, and one happened immediately after the transit began.

The world’s first underwater presidential cabinet meeting, held by Mohammed Nasheed off Irufushi Island in the Maldives in October 2009. Image is screen shot from “The Island President,” a documentary about Nasheed and his quest to call attention to global warming. As ocean levels rise, the Maldives could become geographically extinct.

Then in April 2010 when slow-moving Chiron ingressed Pisces, within 24 hours, the BP oil platform explosion and spill happened, dumping millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for months (and the well may still be leaking). Once again, an outer planet changed signs and we saw an event that was strikingly similar to the astrology involved — Chiron, which can call attention to issues of wounding and healing, put all eyes on the ocean.

In March 2011 when Uranus made its ingress to Aries, within hours an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, creating one of the top two worst nuclear disasters in history. Uranium, the primary fuel for nuclear reactors, is named after the planet Uranus, which has a volatile, even explosive quality at times. Aries is hot and fiery, and what happens close to the Aries Point (the first degree of Aries) can affect the world — and once again we had an effect that illustrated the astrology in a vivid way.

Astrologers are on notice: when slow-moving outer planets change signs, there may be an immediate effect. Pay attention.

Knowing that Neptune would be entering Pisces, I was on the lookout for a development at the beginning that would give us some clues about what might be up. I suspected that the rising of the oceans, involving global warming, would be an issue. Neptune is the planet of water, named for the god of the sea (and of earthquakes). Pisces is a big ocean. What happens when you put a lot of water in an ocean? The level rises — and that is exactly what’s happening due to the melting of the glaciers. It’s obvious that with Neptune in Pisces, we will be dealing with the reality and not the concept of global warming.

Former Maldives president Mohammed Nasheed after his underwater cabinet meeting in 2009. Image from “The Island President,” an upcoming documentary.

In a late edit to last week’s edition, which summarized the history of the past 14 years of Neptune in Aquarius, I mentioned that the global warming controversy was a kind of poster child for denial (Neptune) of science (Aquarius). An inconvenient truth that is convenient to deny, global warming may turn out to be the biggest scandal in the history of the world. Has anyone noticed that the biggest deniers are those who profit from doing so?

But not everyone has been in denial. At the head of the class has been the president of the Maldives, an island nation located just above sea level in the Indian Ocean. It’s the country with the lowest average elevation — 1.5 meters above sea level. One of the country’s outspoken politicians, Mohammed Nasheed, came home from exile in 2008 to be the first democratically elected leader of his country. Nearly 30 years of dictatorship ended with an authentic triumph for the people, and the inauguration of a progressive, intelligent president.

And Nasheed was breathing fire on the issue of global warming. The Maldives are so close to sea level that when the 2004 Indonesian earthquake and tsunami happened, most of the country (which consists of a group of islands) was submerged. That’s to say, most areas were flooded under one to three meters of water, a stark reminder of what is possible if ocean levels continue to rise.

When Nasheed took office in November 2008, he quickly brought global warming to the top of his agenda and became one of its most articulate spokesmen. He stated his intentions to have the country purchase land in India, Sri Lanka and Australia for its citizens to inhabit, saying, “We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades.” If the rising of the seas wasn’t stopped, his own country would become geographically extinct by 2100. He spoke at the United Nations, and he participated in a recent documentary, The Island President.

Among other methods of getting attention, in 2009 Nasheed held an underwater meeting of his cabinet in scuba gear to illustrate the point that his country was being swallowed by the ocean. (For astrology fans, this happened with many planets in Libra, and during the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius.)

Then on Tuesday, just four days after Neptune entered Pisces, Nasheed was forced to resign the presidency at gunpoint. He was ousted by allies of the old dictator, who apparently wanted some of their power back, or didn’t want to face prosecution. Nasheed had just ordered the arrest of a criminal court judge who was allegedly refusing to allow corruption cases against members of the old administration to proceed. That was used as an excuse for the military and police to force him out of office.

The Maldives are a nation consisting of about 1,200 islands, close to the equator in the Indian Ocean. They are on average 1.5 meters above sea level — the lowest country in the world. Image from “The Island President,” which comes out in March.

The judge who Nasheed had arrested “was the chief judge of the Criminal Court, which is one of the middle-ranking courts in the Maldives,” according to one of Nasheed’s aides, quoted on Democracy Now! “And the government had accused him of defending the former dictatorship of [Mohammed Abdul] Gayoom. There was a number of cases against former regime members for [inaudible] and corruption, and some involving hundreds of millions of dollars. And the government contended that this judge was essentially preventing those cases from ever reaching fruition.”

Yet the effect is that one of the few people in power speaking up about global warming and rising sea levels was taken out of commission. As of press time, an arrest warrant had been issued for him. Many fear that he will be imprisoned, and his adversaries have stated that’s their goal. Despite this, he led a street rally on Thursday. BBC has reported that there is no sign of the new government trying to carry out the arrest warrant.

Nasheed has more important plans, focused on the fate of the Earth. He used his presidency to cast the Maldives as a canary in the coal mine of global warming. Many areas of Manhattan, he’s pointed out, are only slightly higher above sea-level than his country.

And there are American scientists who agree with him. One of them is Malcolm Bowman, a professor of oceanography at SUNY Stony Brook, who said in an interview, “Looking at the city, with the setting sun behind the Williamsburg Bridge, it’s a sea of tranquility,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine the dangers lying ahead.”

Severe beach erosion in the Maldives has claimed substantial amounts of coastal land. Image from “The Island President.”

He told WNYC Radio in New York that as global warming brings higher temperatures and more violent storms, flooding in parts of the city could become as routine as the heavy snows of this winter. We could even have “flood days,” the way the city now has snow days. Higher sea levels will give severe storms much more water to funnel toward the city.

“We could expect the FDR Drive to be underwater,” he told the station, referring to Manhattan’s East Side Drive. “We could expect the water lapping around Wall Street,” he said. “We could see vital infrastructure, hospitals, sewage treatment plants, communication conduits all paralyzed by flooding with seawater, which is very corrosive.” He said the city could resemble Venice in 200 years.

How would the city deal with this? Possibilities include building enormous storm surge barriers like the kind used in the Netherlands, much of which is below sea-level. The Dutch have managed to hold back the ocean successfully for many years. Or, the city could pull back from vulnerable neighborhoods, moving them to higher ground and using low-lying areas as parks and buffer zones. But given real estate values, that seems unlikely. And with half of the world’s population living within 200 km of the shore, we would have to build a lot of dykes to protect even the areas that could be protected.

All the studies in the world may not convince world leaders to take action. It’s going to take actual events, and even then, many people are too despondent or corrupt to deal with a problem this complex. And even when the proof comes in the form of an event, it can take a generation or more to get the physical infrastructure in place, such as happened after the North Sea flood of 1953. This flood affected the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.

Official New York City map showing flood zones. This is an actual document, not speculative.

The flooding was caused by a high spring tide and a severe windstorm that caused a storm tide. Existing sea defenses were overwhelmed and many breached. (Appropriately enough, this happened during a Saturn-Neptune conjunction. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita happened during a Saturn-Neptune opposition, which is similar to the conjunction.)

In the Netherlands, where 9% of the country’s farmland was flooded and 1,836 people died, a flood defense system was put into place, but it wasn’t completed until 1998, nearly half a century later.

There is no doubt that Neptune is associated with floods and events involving the sea, and Neptune in Pisces certainly seems to be the image of a lot more seawater. The thing about Neptune is that it’s a slow acting influence, until the drop that spills the cup. The story of floods is always the story of what was not expected, but which was obviously coming.

One thing to keep in mind from an astrological perspective is that Chiron in Pisces is running vanguard of Neptune in Pisces. During its whole time in Pisces, Chiron will be a few years ahead of Neptune’s progress, finally leaving in 2019 (about six years before Neptune leaves Pisces). Chiron will bring sufficient warning-type events that we can have all the foresight we might need. Precaution is another story.

Speaking of Chiron, Nasheed was born in 1969 right at the end of the last run of Chiron through Pisces. His Chiron is placed in the very last degree of that sign, which is also the last degree of the zodiac. It’s theme is the self-created person.

During the Sixties, we learned that martyrdom makes the movement stronger. It was an era of assassinations: JFK, RFK, MLK, names so common we don’t even need to say them, representing people who set an indelible example of leadership. I trust that this time around, Nasheed can make his point without becoming a martyr. In less than a month, he’s about to become a movie star, as The Island President, the documentary about him, is released to select theaters.

Let’s not forget that mythic Neptune can be as placid as the ocean can be, he can be equally violent and wrathful if wronged. The tyrants who seized power might recall just a few years ago when their whole country was under water. Don’t dis Neptune, ’cause paybacks are hell.

Lovingly,

Additional research: Fe Bongolan, Dale O’Brien, Amanda Painter, Yasa Angelus Sereno, Carol van Strum and Lizanne Webb. If you would like to see the film “The Island President,” here is a schedule.

Venus, newly in Aries, made a conjunction to Uranus last night/early this morning, depending on your time zone. Today that energized Venus makes a trine to Juno in Sagittarius. Also overnight Thursday to Friday, Mercury conjoined centaur Nessus in Aquarius. Saturn, which recently stationed retrograde in the last degree of Libra, is trine Pallas Athene in the last degree of Aquarius. Pallas will leave Aquarius for Pisces minutes after midnight EST on Sunday, where it will conjoin Neptune Monday. Later today (Friday) the Moon ingresses Libra at 2:54 pm EST, where it will oppose Uranus and Venus in Aries. Sunday the Moon ingresses Scorpio at 5:01 pm EST. The Aquarius Sun sextiles Eris in Aries Friday, then tomorrow squares Sedna in Taurus. Sunday the Sun makes a conjunction to Nessus. Mercury, also in Aquarius, sextiles the Galactic Center in late Sagittarius Sunday, and then on Monday makes an air trine to Saturn.

In the upside-down world of the Republican presidential primary race, candidates have taken aim against President Obama’s initiative that requires health insurance companies to pay for women’s birth control. In particular, he’s even required that religious institutions that don’t approve of birth control still make it available to their employees, who might benefit from it. (You can read more about this in Venus on the Aries Point in the News on our daily blog.)

Santorum after winning the Republican primaries this week.

Here is something to consider. Republicans have come out waving the flag of the First Amendment, saying that mandating that a Catholic hospital provide access to contraception for its non-religious employees is a violation of freedom of religion.

Actually, they have it backwards: any employer bound by federal anti-discrimination laws attempting to compel its employees to follow a religion they don’t believe in would be the real violation of the First Amendment — known as compelled speech. This is is so obvious that it’s comical. Many have noticed that modern Republicanism is a religious crusade focused on sex (and little else), but few are pointing out how bizarre this is.

Meanwhile, the competition for ‘most surreal comment’ prize continues at an exciting pace. Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator and representative from Pennsylvania, recently surged from behind, winning Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri on Tuesday. Santorum is famous for a 2003 episode in which he ignited the ire of gay rights activists when he implied a comparison between same-sex marriage and marriage based on pedophilia or bestiality. In response, sex columnist Dan Savage held a contest to coin a definition of “santorum.” The winning entry was “the frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex,” which was the top Google return for his name until recently.

Following his three-state win, Santorum took the pulpit and claimed that making birth control available was a product of, “The intolerance of the left, the intolerance of the secular ideology. It is a — it is a religion unto itself. It is just not a biblical-based religion. And it is — it is the most intolerant, just like we saw from the days of the atheists in the Soviet Union. It is completely intolerant of dissent, because they fear dissent. Why? Because the dissent comes from folks who use reason, common sense and divine revelation, and they want no part of any of those things.”

Note, this is coming from someone who in this primary race compared gay sex to people having sex with dogs, and from the same man who rebuked a college student who’d suggested people should be able to marry who they want (with regard to same-sex couples) by asking, “So anybody can marry multiple people? What about three men?” Notice that social conservatives are ahead of the curve, getting ready for when people start to speak up in favor of polyamory. That’s why they define marriage as one man and one woman.

Oops, sorry — here’s the real picture of Rick Santorum, after winning a few Republican primary elections this week.

Meanwhile, multimillionaire candidate Mitt Romney is calling out established D.C. Republicans on their lavish ways with money.

“Republicans spent too much money, borrowed too much money, earmarked too much, and Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have to be held accountable. This is one of the reasons the Tea Party grew up, of course, is that people were unhappy about incumbents, people who had spent their careers in Washington borrowing, spending and earmarking. … And in this race, I’m the only guy that hasn’t spent time in Washington. And Senator Santorum and Speaker Gingrich, they are the very Republicans who acted like Democrats. And when Republicans act like Democrats, they lose.” Once again, right words in the wrong order: Democrats are the ones who have become Republicans, going along with illegal wars and tax cuts for billionaires, among other things.

Newt Gingrich raised the right’s latest favorite bogeyman and invoked the obscene false-flag tragedy of the 9/11 attacks in a transparent appeal to people’s fear in the name of creating manufacturing jobs. “You think about an Iranian nuclear weapon. You think about the dangers, to Cleveland or to Columbus or to Cincinnati or to New York. Remember what it felt like on 9/11 when 3,100 Americans were killed. Now imagine an attack where you add two zeros, and it’s 300,000 dead, maybe a half million wounded. This is a real danger. This is not science fiction. And that’s why I think it’s very important that we have the strongest-possible national security. And so, I wanted to come see how you manufacture, remind the news media and others that manufacturing in America can be the dominant system in the world.”

Apparently Newt is happy to roll up his sleeves and do some manufacturing of his own when it comes to paranoia and its exploitation. Ron Paul, on the other hand, seems to be waging a stealth campaign for the surreal comment prize, given the lack of juicy quotes form this week in a quick search. But maybe that has something to do with the fact that one of the super-PACs supporting him is headed by a supporter of the 9/11 Truth movement.

If you pay attention at all to the news (even if it’s just the articles in this issue), don’t be surprised if you find yourself empathizing with the world’s injustices — and how they manifest in your own life. When the Moon moves into Libra later today, it opposes Uranus, Venus and Ceres, which are within a few degrees of each other on the Aries Point. Activity on the Aries Point tends to raise our personal struggles onto the cultural stage in some way, and brings political issues close to home. In this case, aspects of women’s health, women’s rights, motherhood and the health of Mother Earth may all feel especially compelling to you — especially with Uranus charging up the batteries.

When the Moon shifts to Scorpio on Sunday, watch your feelings closely. You might find your sensual passions intensifying; it’s also possible that any lingering frustration with the injustices you noticed earlier in the weekend could grow into brooding. One release point could come in the form of physical/sexual pleasure. You can also explore how it feels to put your money where your mouth is — literally or figuratively — with regard to your values. Taking action even in small ways can move energy. Neptune and Chiron in early Pisces suggest creative solutions that move from imagination to tangible practice would be a great way to channel your emotions.

U.S. regulators on Thursday approved plans to build the first new nuclear power plant in more than 30 years, despite objections of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman, who cited safety concerns stemming from Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster, Reuters reported. The NRC voted 4-1 to allow Atlanta-based Southern Co to build and operate two new nuclear power reactors at its existing Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia. The units will cost Southern and partners about $14 billion and enter service as soon as 2016 and 2017. How many solar panels could $14 billion buy?

The approval was cold comfort for nuclear industry officials who have touted a “renaissance” that has failed to materialize, undercut by high costs and the cheapest natural gas prices in about a decade. No nuclear power plants have been licensed in the United States since the partial meltdown of the reactor core of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania in 1979. After the accident, the NRC adopted more stringent safety standards, which caused construction costs for nuclear plants to skyrocket and stopped dozens of planned plants in their tracks.

Just one day after a federal appeals court ruled California’s ban on same-sex marriage (called Proposition 8, or Prop 8) to be unconstitutional, Washington State positioned itself to become the seventh state to legalize gay marriage following a vote in the State House. Washington State lawmakers approved marriage equality legislation on Wednesday — just a week after it was passed by the State Senate. Gov. Christine Gregoire is expected to sign the legislation into law next week. Meanwhile, this week’s ruling in California all but ensures that the same-sex marriage issue will go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Art of Astrological Storytelling with Eric Francis

Note to Potential Participants: This workshop will be at UAC 2012, but I will be doing a test run in New York City at 1 pm on Monday, Feb. 27, 2012, hosted by Nightlight Astrology. Write to nightlightastrology@gmail.com for more information.

Eric Francis.

How do you write astrology in a way that others understand you? First you must understand the chart, then express it in ways that don’t rely entirely on astrological references. Metaphors, descriptions of form, color and other sensory data, and most of all, a cohesive narrative will help you relate to your readers and clients. Eric Francis, founder and editor of Planet Waves, has been developing astrology content on the Internet since its nascent days. His articles present world events as personally relevant experiences, and reveal how and why readers can participate in seemingly global changes.

In this workshop he will cover how to write astrology for novices that also breaks new ground and makes sense to those advanced in the field. We will work on the details of description, of phrasing ideas in an understandable way, what you assume your reader knows, and how to tell when you have a good idea to work with. Eric’s central idea is that the best way to ‘market’ your website is with excellent content.

If you’re going to be at UAC, come a day early and catch this workshop on May 23. It’s part of a full-day presentation being taught by Eric with Donna Woodwell. Here is the official website.

Eric Francis is an investigative reporter, photojournalist and essayist who has been a practicing astrologer since 1995. He’s a specialist in new planetary discoveries. He has written for many magazines and newspapers in North America, Europe and Australia, as well as for Astrology.com, StarIQ.com, Rob Brezny’s Televisionary Oracle and many other astrology websites. He’s taught astrology in England, Canada and across the United States at many conferences and events.

Austin Kleon, artist and author of the books Steal Like An Artist and Newspaper Blackout, has taken a unique approach to horoscope creation. Using newspaper horoscopes, he blacks out the text except for a few choice words to create a new message.
It’s a technique he began playing with to create poems out of redacted newspaper stories in 2005, as a way to beat writer’s block. You can read all 12 of his February horoscopes here. What do you think — did he get your sign right?

We’ve received much gratifying feedback on the 2012 annual edition, which provides readings for all 12 signs and rising signs. Here are a few of the notes that you’ve sent in. Subscribers may still purchase all 12 signs at the discounted price (12 signs for the price of three) or just get your individual sign.

“This is like you took a page from my soul and wrote it out for me to look at and remember, when I get lost, that there are breadcrumbs to knowing again. This is my first impression, that this is beautiful and accurate and poignant for us Tauruses this year. Thank you, Eric!”

Leo. Painting by Carlos Cedillo.

“Ok were you a plant in my house when I was growing up? The Virgo audio and written parts (so far, I still have yet to listen to part 3) are EXACTLY what I have experienced. The section about sex is so true it is as though you have been privy to my innermost thoughts! How can you know these details and articulate them so well? Thank you SO much for doing what you do so perfectly. Like an intense and beautiful light in a dark room, your insights are a wonder and an inspiration.”

“I ride with great glee on the positive, hopeful, visionary challenge you present in your readings. You pour crystal-clear light into the chalice. Thank you. I have been so thirsty.”

“I just listened to Eric’s 2012 Taurus horoscope and it was AMAZING! I learned some crucial, new information about myself that is really vital to my self-healing. I am just constantly blown away not just by Eric’s ability, but also his compassion and sensitivity.”

“I am absolutely amazed and grateful at how deep you went and how accurately you managed to describe or tap into the essential Leo SELF. Some of which I have kept hidden from all except those closest to me… Much Gratitude, Appreciation and Love to you Eric.”

“This roadmap of a horoscope is phenomenal. You nailed it! I have become aware of the power I possess to change my world and use it on a daily basis. We are all powerful beings, we must acknowledge this power. And thanks to Eric’s prediction, I just might save the world (or at least my little corner of it — with lots of love to boot)!”

“I don’t know where to begin in saying thank you. Such a careful and thoughtful package of insights put together with love and craft and care. I am very grateful for this.”

The February monthly horoscope (long edition) was published Wednesday evening, Jan. 25. The long edition of the monthly horoscope is now on a new schedule — it will be the only Planet Waves mailing the week that it comes out, giving the Planet Waves team a chance to slow down a bit once a month. The next long edition monthly horoscope will be published the evening of Weds., Feb. 22. There was not an Inner Space monthly horoscope for February due to an overload of work during the production of the annual edition. The next Inner Space will be published the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #890. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You may feel challenged by a situation that feels beyond your control — particularly one involving the opinion that others hold about you. Obviously what matters more is the opinion you have of yourself, but you’re especially vulnerable to outside influences right now. It’s the kind of setup where one thing could lead to another, therefore, when any one thing points in a direction that you don’t want to go, quickly make a decision to go another way. You seem to have a particular vulnerability where the opinions of coworkers are concerned, when you’re doing your best to mind your business and do your job. I would say do one better — make a point of doing your work in the most competent and creative way possible — and really shine despite what vibes you may feel are in the air or what anyone may think or say. Very simply, that whole head-trip is meaningless. The good part is that right now, many other elements of your life are beautifully meaningful.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — There may be some vivid contrasts in what you’re feeling and what others are perceiving about you. They’re not incompatible, but they are different enough that you need to account for any potential contrast. While on the one hand you may be creatively lit up, and have an abundance of good ideas, other factors suggest you want to be extraordinarily careful where communications are concerned, particularly where anyone in a position of authority is involved. What you say matters, and you cannot take it back. Along a similar line, the quality of any idea is only as good as your ability to express it or put it into action in a useful way. This could be a genuinely fortunate time in your life, when actual opportunities are abundant. But you can take no chances on anything other than careful, honest effort, and sincere gestures to cooperate within any group environment.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — As you’ve figured out by now, most spirituality has nothing to do with spirit and most religion has nothing to do with anything Divine. The substitute or the excuse is not the reality, though there are many who would — and do — confuse the matters. You cannot afford to be confused, though at the moment it could happen easily. The most likely entry point for misunderstanding is going to be false belief, so I suggest you subject what you hear and what others try to persuade you to an extra high level of verification. This would count for anything that you find is emotionally disturbing or where you get the sensation that you’re shutting down because you’ve encountered some information. That shutdown sensation may be precisely the clue you need to know that something is simply wrong. But doing nothing about it is not a useful option. At the very least, a clear decision is called for.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This week’s Full Moon may still have you feeling like you just got off an entire afternoon on the teacup ride. Clearly, you’ve taken a few steps to renegotiate some of the more sensitive situations in your life, yet you likely figured out how much more you have to change. One particular situation where push came to shove contains a lot of good information for you, and I suggest you do some data mining and make the most of what you learn. There is something fundamental you can discern about your own nature and that of someone close to you. We may be talking about your relationship to a group. The truly important thing to focus on is how to make sure that your values, opinions and sense of presence do not take second place, or get swallowed by, some entity seemingly larger than yourself. Yet the way to distinguish yourself is not with how ‘different’ you are, but with the power and beauty of your gradually awakening sense of self-worth.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Your relationships are in a delicate spot, and you can help yourself immensely by being the person who defuses any tension and lets any seeming insult roll off your back. This may not be easy, because you’re almost as edgy as certain people around you — almost but not exactly. This is all going to come down to communication, which means being a specialist in understanding everyone’s motives: certain individuals around you, certain dynamics as they manifest in a group, and of course keeping a pulse on your own inner currents. Here is the thing to remember — life is more flexible than you remember it being any time in the recent past. Opinions are subject to change, facts are subject to reinterpretation and any situation you may encounter has many negotiable points. What will make that flexibility available is creativity: that is, imagination, seeing the possibilities, and knowing that any problem has a solution waiting to be discovered or invented.

Introducing the Planet Waves All Access Pass for 2012

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– Tuesday/Friday Email editions of Planet Waves weekly content and horoscopes. Follow Eric’s weekly and monthly interpretations for all of 2012.

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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You would be wise to pull your punches over the next few days — that is to say, meet aggression with something other than aggression. This won’t be easy but it’s definitely possible. If something makes you angry, start by shifting perspectives and figure out where someone is coming from. Merely empathizing with them will have a healing effect from the outset of the discussion or encounter. You will then be less inclined to think or act in a way that is self-judgmental — which is one of the best ways to defuse tense situations. You are the one who is dealing with the inner-violence dynamic. The person you’re connecting with is working through a mix of an identity crisis and self-deception. Therefore, be honest with yourself, listen with care, and set the example that there’s another way of looking at the world. Once you actually observe and acknowledge that, the whole relationship will shift.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Mars retrograde (now through April 13) is about you turning a corner in your relationship to fear. The thing about fear is that it seems so real, yet it so rarely works out to be true. Have you ever noticed that? Here is the thing about fear that is true, in my experience: it points to an energy source. What could be creative potential is converted into something, heavily tinged by the negative elements of the imagination, and something ‘unreal’ is created. The objective your charts seem to be describing is learning how to convert fear back into something creative. This would start first with feeling the fear or inner tension, acknowledging the inherently neutral nature of energy. Then notice how you color it one way or the other; how you make it into whatever it is. Though it’s emotionally difficult, stay with the feeling a little longer than you might otherwise, so you can get to the good stuff.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — One theme of this season is discerning what you think from what is true. Thoughts are powerful in that they have the power to subsume the mind. Whether you believe in ‘manifestation’, thoughts are creative, and they can also be destructive. It’s not a coincidence that the most destructive ones are those that are not true, by which I mean, the ones that are based on fear, attack or have no basis in verifiable reality. Yet one challenge you face is discerning those thoughts from what is real for you. The easiest way to tell the difference is going to be by the results. What leads to a creative outcome was a creative thought; what leads to conflict was a destructive or deceptive thought. To use this method of discernment you’ll need to track your mental process, through the actions it leads to, and then observe what happens. Think of this as observing yourself, which is a vital skill any time, but especially with Mars traveling retrograde for the next few months.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You need to apply effort, but a certain kind that to you might feel passive. The idea is to slip into the flow, and know when you’re there. You’re in one of the richest and most abundant creative moments for many moons — though this also has a potentially disruptive quality if you don’t ride the tiger just right. This is why I am suggesting a move-with-the-energy, no-resistance approach to what you have to do, and for engaging with the thoughts and ideas that pass through you. Definitely keep a notebook, and remember that not everything is worth acting on — but nearly everything will be worth considering, and some will be worth developing. Ideas for career development may have to wait, but it’s never too early to prepare with knowledge, strategies and most meaningfully, with a vision for what you want to do. Remember, visions develop in layers, and are combined of adding what you want and removing what you don’t want.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — I suggest you be cautious of any ideas that equate money to power. They are likely to be turned against you. You can think of money as creative potential or energy, but that is different than this thing we call power, as in the power to get people to do things, or to motivate you to action. If you’re looking for motives or inspiration, find more imaginative ones. You might think in terms of what inspires people to cooperate toward a creative goal, or any goal, for that matter. These days it seems that ideas have more energy than cash when it comes to focusing the energy of groups, and there’s certainly no shortage of those right now. I would note that there is a bold, new quality to what is coming through, which may seem to challenge your preference for what is tried and true. Yet it’s a fact that time marches on, and you’ve been trying to light the fires of progress for a long time.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — One of the defining characteristics of our moment is the refusal to think in terms of consequences. Notably, this is happening at a time when a lot of consequences of the past are emerging for everyone to notice. An aspect between the Sun in your birth sign and a small, potent object called Nessus, are a reminder to think your plans and desires through. Consciously consider a diversity of what-ifs. This is not for the sake of ‘worry’ but rather for the sake of considering your options based on the potential of what they might create. At the same time you’re doing this, you may be experiencing a boomerang effect of things that you initiated in the past and to which you did not devote this consideration. Now is the time to make the necessary corrections, one at a time, as you become aware of what needs to be done. Note that some will require going through layers to get to the core of the matter.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — There seem to be many hidden factors at work in your life, though the most significant, useful and creatively rich are the ones you can see, feel and hear. Certain factors in the astrology suggest that you have a line into the unseen aspects of your life, which you can navigate intuitively. Therefore, use your senses. Look and listen for opportunities, both to express yourself and to exchange with others. Most of all, feel what you’ve got: notice your resources, your potential and how much freedom you actually have to make choices. The truth is that many options are open, and your freedom is available to the extent that you can mix potential with focusing power. To get that equation right, it’s necessary to work both sides, and I suggest you experiment with one and then the other till you can put them both together. If you keep your eyes open and your mind on your priorities, that ability will come sooner rather than later.

The Way Forward

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Rarely has the Earth felt like such a dangerous place, on the constant brink of crisis and chaos. I don’t know anyone who is not working the edge in some way, trying to keep a grip or make sense of their lives. Many are feeling pushed to one limit or another, and there is the sense of time being vacuumed out of some hidden opening. Over the past week, I’ve heard an unusual number of stories of personal losses (parents, partners), relationships being rearranged and individuals going through changes on the level of what one astrologer said felt like her DNA getting a makeover.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks at the ceremony to mark the end of the U.S. mission in Iraq at the airport in Baghdad, Dec. 15, 2011. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo.

The world is indeed in crisis, and it’s taking us with it — though we have many distractions from noticing, and the excuse that we cannot do anything about it. But let’s take a quick look around. I heard on Thursday that 97 million Americans are at or close to poverty. The euro and numerous European banks are on the brink of default, which if they collapsed would ripple through the United States economy like a tsunami. American and British banks were recapitalized after the meltdown of 2008; the European banks were not, and they are still sitting on tons of bad paper.

It seems like we’re suddenly being confronted by every global crisis at once, as if we’re just discovering they existed. Fukushima and the BP oil spill are still happening — neither crisis is actually under control, they’ve just been ‘forgotten’. I’ve read many reports of new undersea leaks from the BP site, and radioactive water from Fukushima is still flowing into the Pacific Ocean. We still have no real idea how much of that stuff is ending up in our food, but we know we live in a time when it’s more convenient not to check; when most people would rather not know.

One bit of good news is that the Iraq war is ending. Thursday at 1:48 pm Baghdad time, the flag of the American forces was lowered in a symbolic gesture of the nearly nine-year occupation ending. The troops may be coming home, but more than 16,000 contractors will stay there, protecting the United States’ largest embassy. We’re being told we won the war, but Leon Panetta, the defense secretary, made his victory speech Thursday, telling us how fantastic things are going in the new, free Iraq, from the airport in Baghdad. The airport? Not the halls of parliament, or the president’s office?

Why do you think that was? I’m thinking it was the only place they could actually secure, and get him out fast enough so his life would not be in danger. And as for winning: at what cost? Okay — Saddam Hussein is gone. Yet think of the millions of lives lost or displaced; the families shattered; nearly a trillion dollars spent (before interest); and the war being used as a recruitment pretext for jihadists; the occupation leaving Iraq crushed and susceptible to invasion from Iran and Turkey.

George W. Bush delivering his infamous “mission accomplished” speech aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln as it steamed toward San Diego on May 1, 2003. The White House helped create the banner. The war raged on for eight additional years and cost the lives of 4,500 American troops (not counting the epidemic of suicides) and more than 104,000 documented Iraqi civilian deaths (the real number is much higher).

Remember the lies that Iraq was responsible for the Sept. 11 incident, the nonexistent yellowcake uranium, Condi Rice promising a mushroom cloud if we didn’t take action?

Remember the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, the use of banned weapons in many battles, the entire country, and its population, and our troops, contaminated with depleted uranium and the tens of thousands of troops coming home with brain trauma and PTSD? Coming home to no jobs and struggling families, in many cases with homes under foreclosure.

All of this was done in the name of freedom, of protecting our way of life, of making the world safe for democracy, even as the civil rights of Americans were stripped away in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 incident. And now this very week, Congress is set to pass the most recent National Defense Authorization Act, which Pres. Obama says he will sign. Have you heard about this one? The law that will allow for the indefinite ‘detainment’ of American citizens, on American soil, for the mere suspicion of terrorism or association with terrorist groups?

But wait: what terrorism?

Last week we discussed the pepper spraying of student protesters at U.C. Davis. This chemical weapon has been repeatedly used on Occupy Wall Street protesters in cities across the United States. More than 5,000 Occupy protesters have been arrested for speaking up about an economic issue — the criminal conduct of the banks, and the purchasing of the American political system. It is in this context that the National Defense Authorization Act is rather frightening.

So the government is talking about terrorism but taking action against ordinary activism, and that should make anyone a little nervous. Then Congress and the president want to expand their powers to detain people without charges. As The Guardian put it, “The law, contained in the defense authorization bill that funds the U.S. military, effectively extends the battlefield in the ‘war on terror’ to the U.S. and applies the established principle that combatants in any war are subject to military detention.”

Selling out our national soul: This photo of an Iraqi prisoner being tortured by American forces (hooded, forced to stand on a box, with electrodes on his hands) was seen by everyone with access to a newspaper or computer. But who exactly objected? To this day, politicians and presidential candidates argue that torture is appropriate and necessary. By what miracle do we think that same treatment of prisoners will not be turned loose on the American people?

Please — read that paragraph a second time. Any American on American soil could be considered an enemy combatant and detained indefinitely, in defiance of every constitutional principle we say we hold dear; the ‘freedom’ for which we supposedly went to war for 10 years. It would be one thing if domestic terrorism were going on all the time, but I only hear about the most ridiculous cases, not enough to justify turning the whole country into Guantanamo Bay. Does this sound a little (or a lot) like the American government declaring war on the American people?

I don’t mean to sound like Alex Jones or like I’m a columnist for Above Top Secret, but being concerned about this is not paranoia. We are watching the American people get sprayed with chemical weapons for exercising their constitutional right to protest, then hearing about how anyone could be presumed a terrorist without a trial.

Now, what exactly is a ‘terrorist’? Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) told The Guardian Wednesday, “There are laws on the books now that characterize who might be a terrorist: someone missing fingers on their hands is a suspect, according to the Department of Justice. Someone who has guns, someone who has ammunition that is weatherproofed, someone who has more than seven days of food in their house can be considered a potential terrorist,” Paul said. “If you are suspected because of these activities, do you want the government to have the ability to send you to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite detention?”

Human Rights Watch said that Obama’s decision to support the law “does enormous damage to the rule of law both in the U.S. and abroad” and that “President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in U.S. law.” They are correct: these powers have existed for a long time, beginning under Cheney and Bush. But following a fairly typical historical pattern, Republican presidents break the boundary and then Democratic presidents codify that breach of trust into the status quo.

Speaking of Obama, there is a presidential election next year. Let’s consider the political situation. First, bear in mind that many states have passed laws attempting to restrict voting, including placing nearly impossible to fulfill requirements on the elderly, students and the poor (these types of restrictions always impact Democrats more strongly than Republicans). Districts are being redrawn to get rid of ‘problem’ elected officials or to favor one party or the other — Barney Frank, regarded by many as one of the most progressive people in congress, has had his Massachusetts district taken away by gerrymandering.

Is this what democracy looks like? You have to stand back a little further to tell for sure. Photo: HuffPo.

Just a few more points and I’ll end my pessimistic-seeming rant.

Have you been following the ongoing fight for the Republican presidential candidacy? I have not been giving it the coverage it deserves, but this has been the parade that includes Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain — people who don’t know the voting age, who believe being gay can be cured, who cannot name one Supreme Court decision or the newly appointed justices, who don’t know the date of Election Day and who want to shut down federal agencies they cannot name.

We’ve seen debates where the crowd cheered for executions and applauded the possibility that someone without health insurance might deserve to die. It was like the crowd was hand picked from a pool of people reincarnated directly from ancient Rome.

Some of these candidates displayed ignorance that made Dan Quayle look like Socrates. As The Onion said of former candidate Herman Cain, “Rumors Of Extramarital Affair End Campaign Of Presidential Candidate Who Didn’t Know China Has Nuclear Weapons.” Well, not just an extramarital affair — Cain broke the record for the most revelations of sexual harassment in one week, then it emerged that meanwhile he was having a 13-year affair behind the back of his wife, who we’re supposed to believe holds him as a prince. And that is correct — he could not identify China as one of the world’s nuclear superpowers, and he has no taste for foreign policy.

The reason these candidates don’t seem to stand for anything is because they don’t. The reason they have to make curing gayness an issue is because all of the real issues are too difficult, or will get them in trouble if they mention them. These candidates and anyone who takes them seriously are posturing in the midst of a global crisis, trying either to hold up the status quo that enriches them, or not admitting the collective problem we face. And, it would seem that the Republicans are about to name Newt Gingrich, one of the most corrupt politicians of the past century, who will say whatever he is paid to say, as their presidential candidate.

If the economy is still struggling at the time of the election, or if there is some big shock to the system (such as another round of major banks failing), he could easily be president, despite all the supposed odds against such a thing happening. Frankly, given how little people seem to know and how much they will put up with, nothing would surprise me.

Yesterday the federal government was on the brink of yet another shutdown as senators debated the urgent national issue of mandatory drug tests for the unemployed. Personally, I’d love to run blood work on our esteemed congress and find out what they’ve got going on. It would be frightening.

Which Way From Here?

So what is the way forward?

I know, we’re in a pretty serious situation. I’ve read a bit of science fiction, and I have to say of the confluence of conditions we face — from the overcrowding of the planet, the prevailing state of ethical vertigo, the environmental and economic crisis, rampant debt, fraudulent business and political leadership, a political system wholly owned by the wealthy, the rise of a police state, half of all people getting cancer, many, many people suffering from depression and alienation — and a mass media that laughs at the problems — damn, this is on par with the most dystopian scenarios I’ve ever read.

Cover of Hyperion by Dan Simmons.

True, in Hyperion, the hegemony crashes a small back hole into the Earth, intentionally destroying the planet because it favors their business interests. I am still haunted by Dan Simmons’ visions of ‘replica worlds’ that are like ghost-town clones of what once was our beautiful planet. I guess it could be worse. But we’re not living in a fictional scenario. We are living on a planet and in a society spinning out of control, that we are leaving to our children, and their children.

A lot of people are wondering what we can do about this, or at least wondering what is going to happen. We always tend to look outside ourselves for the solutions; that’s a big part of the problem. We’re told over and over again that we don’t matter, and we better play the game. One problem is that game no longer works — not when someone goes to college or grad school, accumulates vast education debt and then cannot get a job. Speaking for a moment to Americans — the whole purpose of the American experiment was to get away from the old system of kings, lords and serfs. If you haven’t read the Declaration of Independence, take 15 minutes and give it a look. Remember that the “long train of abuses” was fresh in the minds of the founders when they adopted the Bill of Rights.

The solution has got to start with you focusing your awareness and your energy — even if you think that doesn’t make a difference to the big picture. I recognize that being alive in a time like this is scary, and it can seem hopeless, especially when you have so many other concerns. The thing is, it actually is hopeless — and hope is not the answer. You may need to give yourself a reason to care. That reason may be your children. It may be realizing how close you are to becoming one of the 97 million Americans, or the equivalent in other countries — or you may already be there and you know it can get worse. Those are deeply personal reasons to care that still don’t get you above the teacup’s edge to see that we need a collective solution to a collective problem.

The point is, there will be no progress without a lot of individuals focusing and working together. What gets in the way of our own awareness is specifically denial and ignorance, both of which are voluntary states. And those are the very states of mind that got us into this mess. I could make a long, depressing list of things that people did not care about when it mattered, including stolen presidential elections, fraudulent wars and the biggest bank heist in the history of the world (the 2008 ‘meltdown’ which was really a draining of what remained in the federal treasury by the super rich). If you voted for the Cheney/Bush ticket in 2004, have you apologized to anyone?

New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg has earned his billions through the distribution of news, but he has arrested dozens of working journalists trying to cover the Occupy movement. Many of these reporters were accredited by the New York City Police, representing organizations such as The New York Post and the Associated Press. Here Mayor Bloomberg visits Zuccotti Park before uprooting that demonstration. Image via the gothamist and DJ Unicorn Thunderhearts.

Maybe the concept of civil liberties doesn’t matter to you — or perhaps it won’t until one night you go out for milk and end up in a police car for being out past curfew.

Let’s phrase the question this way: What would you be willing to do, if you knew your awareness and participation mattered? Let’s assume that particular best-case scenario. What would you offer? What would you be willing to give up, to create something better for everyone else?

Let’s put it another way. What if you were to set aside all of your excuses for not getting involved, or being informed? Then what would you do?

The purpose of my writing, and I assume the purpose of your reading, is to see the affairs of the world in a way that is deeply personal, and where the framework is in essence spiritual. The lowest common denominator of all these seemingly separate problems is a spiritual issue: what they all have in common involves a lot of individuals cut off from source, who create a situation where the easiest way to get out of pain seems to be to cut off some more. Apply the concept ‘cut off’ any way you like.

Even if the whole spiritual thing doesn’t work for you, I suggest you consider the psychological impact of suppressing the grief, or even the mere awareness, at what you’re witnessing. Not participating and not speaking up are specifically ways of denying the problem. Taking this on the micro-level, one question I would ask you is, when you’re confronted by injustice and you don’t say anything, how do you feel? And when you encounter something that’s wrong and you speak up, how do you feel in that case? Early attempts to challenge authority can be met with a psychological backlash — usually arriving in the form of guilt. We are indeed taught to expect punishment when we challenge those who supposedly hold power over us.

One thing that the Occupy movement has taught us is that when there is any resistance against the machine, it can strike back with brutal force, and reveal its true nature — you know, the nature of the beast. We actually keep seeing this happen. That is scary, and fear is both a psychological problem and a spiritual problem. How you perceive the world is how you perceive yourself. In order to perceive yourself as capable of healing, growth and expressing your potential, you would have to project the same properties onto the world, unless of course you plan to join the cannibalistic feast.

So if you have any plans for creating a better life for yourself, if that’s really going to be true, it’s going to involve creating a better world for everyone. Not fixing your life or fixing the world — rather, creating the next phase of existence. As the astrology of 2012 fully engages, and pushes the crises we’re seeing to a new level, it’s also going to push your potential to a new level. And you may find yourself walking a balance where you feel you don’t know the outcome.

There is a way forward. It’s going to be different for everyone but what works for each of us will have something in common with what works for everyone else. That’s the point of contact; how to tell what is real from what is not.

Lovingly,

Note to Readers: For the next two weeks, Planet Waves subscriber edition will publish only on Wednesday nights. These editions will include the monthly horoscopes for January 2011 and related materials. Daily Astrology & Adventure will continue to update on its regular schedule. Look for additional sign-up information about Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. — my 2012 annual readings for all the signs, or visit this page about The Most Important Year of Your Life.

I’ve completed the third recording in the Top 5 Events of 2012 series on Planet Waves FM. This week’s covers planets entering the water signs: Chiron in Pisces, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio. This is an unusual amount of energy in the water signs, which is — first — calling attention to water. The process actually began last year.

Photo by Elizabeth Joyce.

Chiron initiated this by arriving in Pisces within 24 hours of the BP oil spill in April of 2010. Neptune visited Pisces briefly in 2011, and will return to stay for more than 12 years in February 2012. Then Saturn arrives in Scorpio in Oct. 2012.

The themes focus on emotional awareness, healing and maturity, something that we tend to resist here in the land of Starbucks and Prozac. And we’re going to need to take care of the water on the planet: protecting the oceans, banning fracking and little things like making sure we drink enough water. Soda and juice do NOT count.

You can hear the whole series of Top Five Events of 2012 on a special archive. This series previews Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. — the 2012 annual edition of Planet Waves, with detailed, generous astrology readings for all the signs and rising signs, plus many articles and resources to help you do your best in the most important year of your life.

Subscribers to Planet Waves receive an incredible discount on all 12 signs, which you can access at this link. For additional information about the 2012 annual, you can read more about The Most Important Year of Your Life.

The Moon is in Virgo all day Friday, and late tomorrow it squares the Sagittarius Sun to form the last quarter (waning) Moon. Moon ingresses Libra at 3:06 am EST Sunday. Also today Vesta conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius; Black Moon Lilith (a calculated point also known as the mean lunar apogee) enters Taurus. The asteroid Psyche in Virgo makes a square to Ixion, which is hanging out at the same degree as last weekend’s total lunar eclipse (18+ Sagittarius). On Sunday, Venus in Capricorn squares Saturn in Libra. Monday the Sun makes a conjunction to the Galactic Center in late Sagittarius, and a sextile to Saturn.

The last quarter Moon generally feels like an urge to finish up whatever projects you have been working on for the last three weeks, rather than starting new ones, in the last week before the New Moon. This year we have a New Moon on Christmas Eve. If you celebrate that holiday you may feel an extra sense of pressure to finalize gift-buying and other preparations, with a natural sense of completion when done. Since tomorrow’s quarter Moon is in Virgo, don’t be surprised if you find yourself a bit more particular than usual about how your holiday preparations and projects get done.

The Sun’s alignment with the Galactic Center (the core of our galaxy and our spiritual homing signal) on Monday offers a sense of contact with something we long for — if we’re open to feeling it. With the Sun making a sextile to Saturn in Libra at the same time, see if you can let this sense of contact and spiritual clarity or spaciousness infuse your relationships. This could happen in how you perceive these relationships emotionally, or in how you actually structure them. With a sextile, you can work the flow of energy from either side of that equation to inform and evolve the other. Either way, the idea is to allow contact and a feeling of surrender to genuine, loving kindness. Then by Wednesday the solstice can arrive with the feeling of time compression letting go, a destination reached.

Mars, the planet of drive, desire and libido, is in Virgo. It is nearing a square to Pholus in mid-Sagittarius, and we tend to feel Mars aspects strongly as they approach. Feel like if you let go of any inhibition, you’ll become the scarlet whore of Babylon? That’s Mars-Pholus talking — but is there any truth to that feeling? Pholus can have the sense of letting the genie out of the bottle, and has the key phrase, ‘small cause, big effect’. But rather than keeping your inhibitions rigid, it’s more useful to keep any self-critical thoughts in check — especially with regard to who and what you desire sexually, how you want the desire of others demonstrated to you, and how you do or do not allow the concept of ‘healthy service’ in your relationships.

Mars in Virgo square Pholus in Sagittarius can also come with insights about facilitating your own spiritual (possibly ancestral) healing around desire and exuality — plus the desire to do so. And it’s an advisory to notice the effects that alcohol has on your sexuality.

You may alternate between feeling constrained and then wanting to bust out over the weekend. The square between Venus in Capricorn and Saturn in Libra carries some tension. Part of this is a case of mutual reception: these two planets are occupying a sign that the other rules. This can sometimes feel like a hostage situation, and that term at least vaguely describes many ‘monogamous’ relationships where there is some sense of being captured.

On the one hand, you may feel an urge toward the material and pragmatic; on the other, there’s the potential to demand reciprocation as the rule rather than allow it as a freely given gift. Ask yourself, ‘Do I truly want relationships in which we both receive what is offered graciously? Or do I just want what I want’?

Holder Signals Tough Review of New State Laws on Voting

Austin, Texas — Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. on Tuesday entered the turbulent political waters of voting rights, signaling that the Justice Department would be aggressive in reviewing new voting laws that civil rights advocates say will dampen minority participation in next year’s elections.

Declaring in a speech that protecting ballot access for all eligible voters “must be viewed not only as a legal issue but as a moral imperative,” Mr. Holder urged Americans to “call on our political parties to resist the temptation to suppress certain votes in the hope of attaining electoral success and, instead, achieve success by appealing to more voters.”

The speech by Mr. Holder could inflame a smoldering partisan dispute over race and ballot access as the 2012 campaign cycle intensifies. It comes as the Justice Department’s civil rights division is scrutinizing a series of new state voting laws that were enacted — largely by Republican officials — in the name of fighting fraud perpetuated by individual citizens that everyone knows doesn’t exist.

Gemini Total Eclipse and the Sibling Society

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Saturday’s total eclipse of the Moon is in Gemini — the sign of siblings, often associated with young people, young attitudes and easy-to-grasp ideas. Many factors suggest that this is a volatile moment, calling for discernment and embracing the faculty of conscious choice. [Note, this is the last eclipse before the series that leads into the Venus transit of the Sun and Uranus square Pluto in late spring 2012. I have covered that group in my newest special edition podcast.]

French student drums on the shield of a riot cop during a takeover of Bastille Circle during the evening rush hour in Paris one afternoon in 2005. This is my idea of the police exercising actual restraint. Nobody was arrested, nobody got hurt, and the protest was diffused in a few hours. The cop is probably thinking, “Now how can I slip her my phone number?” Photo by Eric Francis. More related photos here.

Part of the volatility involves the eclipse spanning the mutable sign axis of Gemini/Sagittarius; some of it comes from the polarizing effect of a Full Moon (all lunar eclipses happen during the Full Moon). Mutable signs can have a nervous and unstable feeling, which will often serve as a power source. When those properties are prominent, it helps to impart the structure and discipline factor of Saturn, which thankfully is in harmony with the eclipse in fellow air sign Libra.

Another aspect of the volatility comes from planets that are close to the Sun’s position in Sagittarius. I’ve been writing a blue streak about this since the fall of 2010 — a collection of newly-discovered, slow-moving planets that span the middle of high-energy, high-velocity Sagittarius. The combination of slow-movers and the fiery energy of Sagittarius is pushing us to get clear about what we believe, and to embrace both ‘spiritual’ lessons and the direct information coming through about our origins. By origins I mean from the distant past, whether ancestral or cosmic.

They are related. We are stardust, and we are the children of our ancestors. You might not be pondering this stuck in traffic on the 101 or running for the D train, but it’s thinking of you, and the pot is currently being stirred at full strength by both the presence of these new planets and the accompanying eclipse that is compelling us to get practical in our ideas about existence. Internalize the learning, the spiritual theory, the concept you’re trying to grasp in therapy. Understand that growth is something pragmatic rather than esoteric.

Be proud of what you are! This womens’ ADHD T-shirt contours to your shape and always looks flattering, even if you forget where you left it. (Use the link to purchase the shirt.)

Then, the eclipse is square Mars in Virgo. That’s focusing attention on getting real about two points — anger, and perfectionism. Mars is slowly stationing retrograde in Virgo, compelling us to come to terms with all the ways we want to change, and focusing a demand on impeccability. But this may be manifesting as perfectionism and that, in turn, may be coming across as the feeling of being damaged if you cannot get yourself to that theoretically perfect place. The two are closely related.

Remember, this is not about theory: these aspects all point to taking practical action. The Virgo piece of the puzzle comes with an asteroid conjunction that offers some caution. The points are Apollo conjunct Psyche. Apollo is the experience of making the same mistakes over and over; of not getting ‘the lesson’. Psyche is the sense that you’re wounded, as in mentally wounded, and won’t ever be able to ‘fix’ yourself. It’s the loss of faith in healing, particularly where psychological material is concerned. In our era we tend to take these feelings and diagnose them into disorders that can be treated with meds: social anxiety disorder, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, restless leg syndrome, and so on. That’s a way of compartmentalizing the situation, cutting it off rather than taking it on holistically. Instead of working through the many factors that contribute to a symptom, too often we give it a name and a drug — and many people are doing this to their children. Many of us had it done to us.

There are two other points in the Virgo mix, square the eclipse and close to Mars: an asteroid called Hebe, which often describes the codependent quality of the relationships involved; and Arachne, which imparts the sensation that this is all one vast conspiracy (ancestral in nature, that is, related to the family line and family of origin).

The ultimate in cynical politics, the Tea Party rallies outside an Obama visit to Portland, Maine. For all their sincere efforts, they will end up with Mr. Fraud himself, Newt Gingrich. Photo by Eric.

Alcohol is almost certainly involved. This may not involve current alcoholism but rather the legacy as it has been passed on through both the family and the social network that surrounds it. Remember being a kid at a ‘grownup’ party where all the adults did was drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes? That social ritual had an effect on you — and this eclipse is about figuring out, and healing, whatever that effect was. The emotional conditions around the abuse and even unconscious use of alcohol can be extremely debilitating in family relationships, creating isolation and deep distrust that can take decades (or generations) to finally unravel.

In the most basic colors, there is a petulant quality to this eclipse. It has the sensation of childhood rage, which would be rage against something much larger than oneself, and it’s combined with the sensation that the expression of anger is useless — but yet something that we cannot help. When that anger burns out, we’re often left with cynicism. That is the feeling of being burned out and defeated, with toxic, smoldering rage. This paralyzed sensation is not what you would call healthy — and if you’re feeling this eclipse you may be feeling a release point.

Enough is enough. It’s time to grow past this stuff and take command of our lives and our mental health in a tangible way. The eclipse square Mars is an action point. How long have you waited, or tried, or efforted? What is the one thing you’re not doing? What is the obvious factor, the obvious point of action that you’ve avoided for whatever reason?

The Davis Pepper Spray Incident and the Sibling Society

In a 1997 book, Robert Bly described what he called the sibling society, a world of half-formed adults who don’t want to take responsibility for their lives. This, he says, is the world we live in. We see it as the people who don’t want to pay taxes, who think someone else’s kids should fight the wars, and that someone else should stand up to the banks. Since The Sibling Society came out, the situation has only proliferated with the massive surge of infotainment that has come along with the Internet and lives lived mainly through apps and devices.

Iconic photo by Louise Macabitas of Lt. John Pike — a campus peace officer — casually spraying UC Davis students in the face with MK-9, an extra-strength oleoresin capsaicinoid (OC) weapon.

Saturday’s eclipse reminds me of his theory, in particular the relationship between the Moon in Gemini (siblings, children) opposite vast ancestral forces we cannot control (all those planets in Sagittarius) compounded by the square to Mars in Virgo. Add to this the frustrated ‘adult’ feeling of wanting to be perfect.

I remembered that book when a friend sent me the “what really happened” video of the Nov. 18 University of California at Davis pepper spray incident. This supposedly shows the context of what happened after riot police cleared a small Occupy protest off of a lawn at UC Davis. That is, instead of the short video of Lt. John Pike spraying the students, you see 15 minutes of video that led up to the actual spraying. Of course, this is not the full context. That goes back weeks, or even months; you’re never shown a single tent, for example. What you see is an out-of-context fuss, over what, you’re not sure unless you know.

Then, you’re treated to the scene of an officer in full riot gear, backed by about 30 of his colleagues (those visible in the frame), stating into a megaphone, “This is your last warning. Should you choose to remain, you do so with the understanding that a peace officer will place you under arrest for a violation of the law. Any resistance, whether passive or physical, shall result in additional charges. You shall be arrested, handcuffed and may be transported and incarcerated at the Yolo County Jail. Will you leave at this time?” The cop then barks into his megaphone something about “unlawful assembly.” He does not mention the potential use of chemical weapons.

Career Day with Lt. John Pike, one of countless parodies of Macabitas’ photo circulating on the Internet.

After the tents are cleared and some arrests are made, you see the young students with their book bags and preppy attire, circling about a group of heavily armed riot police, chanting “set them free.” Some of them sit down on a campus walk; these are the students who are sprayed at point-blank range with MK-9, an extra-strength oleoresin capsaicinoid (OC) weapon.

A lot has been said about this incident, which in the eyes of most people amounts not just to excessive force by the police, but to torture. When we tacitly (or directly) approve of the torture of Iraqi prisoners, we are inviting the same thing in our own communities. Is that obvious yet?

Meanwhile, local police departments have been militarized against terrorists, and in the absence of terrorists, any dissenter will do. I don’t say this lightly. One of the reasons conservatism has become so popular in recent years is that it’s a safe point of view to hold. There is a long tradition in the United States of treating anyone whose views are one inch left of center as a subversive or threat.

California is not new to the issue of police abusing chemical weapons, however. Given what it’s cost them in the past, you would think they might exercise a little restraint, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Use of pepper spray has been litigated up to the U.S. Supreme Court, in a famous case involving eight people who were protesting the killing of redwoods, and who were both sprayed point blank and had the chemical applied to their eyes by police using Q-tips. The protestors sued the police, and the litigation went on for years.

In that case, the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that the police officers’ “repeated use of pepper spray was also clearly unreasonable. As we recently concluded, the use of pepper spray ‘may be reasonable as a general policy to bring an arrestee under control, but in a situation in which an arrestee surrenders and is rendered helpless, any reasonable officer would know that a continued use of the weapon or a refusal without cause to alleviate its harmful effects constitutes excessive force’.” [Read the full decision here.]

Wake Up, Empire.

The “what really happened” video is an attempt to show how reasonable and restrained the police really were, because the kids were chanting and, for a few moments, had formed a one-person-deep ring around the cops. To my eyes, the video is an attempt to vindicate the sadistic behavior, in effect saying it was the fault of the students. One ex-FBI agent, the parent of a UC Davis student, wrote on a discussion list, “After viewing the entire video, I believe that the police acted with great restraint. I can only guess how the NYPD or the LAPD would have reacted to being surrounded by a hostile crowd demanding that they release their prisoners.”

Realistically, this “hostile crowd” consisting entirely of young students reminds me a lot more of the audience on the kids’ TV program Wonderama than an anarchist riot or even an ordinary student demonstration. And it started as a bunch of students living in tents on a lawn, protesting the demolition of the economy by a few banks and a few individuals who have profited from the losses of many, many people. That’s my view; I’ll leave it to you to decide if the police with their batons, helmets, sidearms, rifles, tear gas, Tasers, bulletproof vests, pocket knives and practically unlimited backup available, were justified in feeling threatened when confronted by unarmed kids dressed in clothes from The Gap chanting “set them free.”

Okay, now for the consciousness piece — the spiritual piece of the discussion. Let’s go deeper than the apparent circumstances to the underlying levels of causation. My take — as a matter of conscience — is that police are never justified in using weapons against unarmed people, and we have become a country way too willing to accept the use of violence by police on anyone who dissents. On a campus, in particular, I believe that the administration is morally bound to avoid hurting students by the legal doctrine In Loco Parentis, or “local parents.” This is one reason why campuses have their own police departments; the cops get to know the campus community and we have a truly local police force. It’s a great idea and usually it works pretty well.

But clearly something went wrong at Davis. A friend named Eric Traub offered another point of view that I’ve been considering carefully, and I will share it with you. Here is what he wrote (note, it’s a long quote, going to the end of the article):

Lt. John Pike, about to be surrounded by little blue people whose language only has one word, defends himself before something really bad happens. Apologies to Pierre Culliford and Papa Smurf.

“In Loco Parentis is exactly the takeaway I glean from the Davis video, in this way: human beings are still a childlike and developing young species. Whoever steps forward as a ‘parent’ tends to dominate. We are only now just beginning to emerge from the patriarchal paradigm that has dominated the past dozens of millennia of societal progress. Humans being human will, for the time being, seek somebody to be the parental guiding force in their lives, abdicating their will, intelligence and choices.

“Rather than allowing the bankers, government, and various other Saturnine structures to parent us, it’s time for ‘we the people’ to rise up and be as parents to ourselves and stewards to the world around us. The healthiest form of parenting is often called ‘authoritative’ versus authoritarian
parenting. Authoritative parenting takes the stance, ‘We will find the best way together.’ It leads, but from partnership. But it DOES lead, not just team up leaderlessly. This is parenting from a self-reflexive standpoint that recognizes respective roles, i.e., I’m the parent and it’s my role in our relationship to guide you as the child, but that doesn’t make me a demigod, just the parent at this time with a responsibility to fulfill. It’s a responsibility-driven orientation, balanced by reflexivity and compassion.

“The OWS movement so far has been more like children rising up against parents, than a new form of healthy, holistic leadership. Consequently, it reinforces and exacerbates the very thing it protests against. And here enters my bottom line to watching the Davis video.

And of course, the presentation of the Declaration of Independence by the drafters to the First Continental Congress. People seem to have a clue what the conduct of police during the Occupy movement actually means.

“We have to decide: do we truly want to effect change and accept all the implications of that change, including a far greater share of responsibility for making the world and its systems work, and the tremendous labors that entails? Or, do we simply want to protest and throw a collective tantrum against the way it’s been?

“The Davis incident illustrates, I believe, the latter. And demands the very question I am asking to be answered. The cops were wrong in almost every way. But the students were equally absurd in their tactics, lowering themselves to the same level of unconsciousness as the forces arrayed against them. The cops behaved exactly as one would expect them to behave, and actually with a reasonable degree of constraint for cops. The students, granted though they be immature and in need of In Loco Parentis, needed to be the more evolved human beings in that moment and they could have demonstrated something very powerful: that the ruling structures are unnecessary now; that we are rendering the old way of running this planet obsolete.

“If we are going to Occupy Wall Street, we better start thinking more like adults with responsibilities to one another, and less like petulant kids who want parents to rebel against as a cheap and fast means for carving out our identities. Davis turned into a fiasco, and I think its best value is to precipitate dialogue about how we can accelerate the maturation of OWS and get something accomplished, which accomplishment may well determine the future of humankind. This is not a task to be treated with childish emotionality. It’s time that we ALL grow up. Together.”

I think this is a sensitive and informed point of view, and it does not justify spraying unarmed students with pepper spray at point blank range. I would love to hear what you think.

Lovingly,

The Moon is in Gemini today, the sign it will be in for tomorrow’s total lunar eclipse at 9:32 am EST and Full Moon at 9:36 am EST (they are the same event, but the Full Moon is listed by most ephemerides as happening four minutes after the eclipse — we will explain why that is in the next edition). As the Sun in Sagittarius moves into position to oppose the Moon, it forms a conjunction with the centaur Pholus (small cause, big effect) today. Several hours before the eclipse on Saturday, Uranus stations direct in the first degree of Aries. Also on Saturday, the Sun makes a conjunction to minor planet Ixion (anyone is capable of anything) just before the eclipse. The Moon enters Cancer Sunday. This weekend marks the beginning of the Mercury ‘storm’ phase before it stations direct Tuesday Dec. 13. Monday, Mars squares the North Node and the Great Attractor, which are conjunct in Sagittarius as of Saturday. Also that day, the Sun squares Ceres in Pisces.

Easy does it as we move through Saturday’s eclipse and the reverberations that spread out from it. You must simply proceed with care and caution under astrology this potent. It is easy to take things for granted. Beware of polarized situations, people who are acting unconsciously or recklessly, and situations where there is too much talk and not enough awareness or action. This is a time to guide your life carefully and to learn from the example of others who choose to do so.

If you find yourself in a situation that is deadlocked, back off and allow the momentum of the astrology to carry you to the next place. We are past the point where pushing the river can work; what is most important is that you see contrasts for what they are, and look for the decision points that present themselves organically. Know what you’re feeling and under no circumstances is it wise to defy your intuition.

Eclipses imply completion, something that most people could use some practice at. Note what you’ve been through the past six months, where you’ve been and where you are heading. As the Moon sweeps through late Gemini and into Cancer, it enters the cardinal cross, squares Uranus and opposes Pluto, reinforcing the sense that you’ve come to a new phase of your life. This is not something you can control, but it’s definitely something you can work with and influence, making choices that are appropriate to the circumstances in which you find yourself — which are rich with potential.

Uranus is about to station direct in the first degree of Aries, signifying that it will be leaving its direct contact with the Aries Point and moving on. The Aries Point is famous for its “the personal is political” effect, which translates loosely to “the news actually matters” or as David Byrne put it, “the world crashes into your living room.” With Uranus occupying this degree, that has certainly been the case.

The very day when Uranus shifted into Aries to stay for the next seven years (March 11), there was a 9.0 earthquake in Fukushima, Japan, setting off the worst nuclear disaster in the history of science. This week, The New York Times reported, “At least 45 tons of highly radioactive water have leaked from a purification facility at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, and some of it may have reached the Pacific Ocean, the plant’s operator said Sunday.”

The story continues, “Nearly nine months after Fukushima Daiichi was ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami the plant continues to pose a major environmental threat. Before the latest leak, the Fukushima accident had been responsible for the largest single release of radioactivity into the ocean, threatening wildlife and fisheries in the region, experts have said. The new radioactive water leak called into question the progress that the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, appeared to have made in bringing its reactors under control. The company, known as Tepco, has said that it hopes to bring the plant to a stable state known as a cold shutdown by the end of the year.”

The Resurrection of Newt Gingrich

After all that — after falling in love with, and rejecting, five other candidates, and the bus tours and the protests and the death panels and taking over Congress and getting the bad stuff out of government, and all its supposed “don’t tread on me” and social purity principles, the poor Tea Party is about to end up with Newt Gingrich (pronounced ging-rick, according to his sister) as its presidential candidate. The consummate, indeed verging on eternal Washington insider, adulterer and influence peddler, astro-biographer Lois Rodden described Newt thusly: “American politician who had a rapid rise to popularity in 1994 when he was named the first GOP Speaker of the House in 40 years, followed within two years by a downfall for indiscretion, lying to the House Committee and the illegal use of public funds. He has a reputation as a tart-tongued verbal congressional street-fighter who relishes a confrontation.”

Newt’s chart has unverified birth data (rated by DD by Rodden — Dirty Data, because there are conflicting reports) but is good enough to work with. He has Aquarius rising, for one thing, which is perfect. An aggressive political warrior, he has Mars (god of war) in Aries exactly conjunct Pallas Athene (goddess of politics). This is not as confident as it may seem, but at least he knows to work with a plan. He has more planets in Gemini than anyone could ever reasonably handle (okay, four, but that’s still a lot — the Sun, Mercury, Uranus and Saturn), which accounts for why he can have countless positions on any given issue. Add to that seven — yes, seven — points in Leo and a Sagittarius Moon, and you get the perfect image of the blustery, self-serving gasbag who is going to treat us to the most illustrious presidential campaign in postmodern history.

Prosecutors Drop Death Penalty Case Against Mumia Abu-Jamal

Philadelphia prosecutors have announced they will no longer seek the death penalty for the imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal. For decades, Abu-Jamal has argued racism by the trial judge and prosecutors led to his 1982 deeply-flawed conviction for killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Two years ago, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a United States District Court judge who set aside Abu-Jamal’s death sentence after finding jurors were given confusing instructions that encouraged them to choose death rather than a life sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court then ordered the Third Circuit panel to re-examine the decision. In April, that ruling was upheld, and prosecutors had to determine whether they would seek a new death penalty against Abu-Jamal. On Wednesday, Philadelphia prosecutor Seth Williams said he opted for a life sentence rather than face what amounted to a whole new trial — because the ‘death’ phase of a capital prosecution is a trial of its own, and now that would require a new jury. The problem with a new trial is that nearly every witness lied at the first one, a fact to which everyone is hip. Eric has covered this issue here.

We cannot figure out who took this photo, but obviously it has gone viral.

Gemini Total Eclipse and the Sibling Society

This week’s edition of Planet Waves FM is ready. In the first half, I read and consider the chart of Saturday’s total eclipse of the Moon in Gemini. This eclipse happens across Gemini/Sagittarius while both Mercury and Jupiter are in the process of stationing direct. I take a close look at the conjunction of Psyche and Apollo that is square the eclipse (prominently aspected, which brings out the message of these two asteroids).

Then we take a song break, featuring the musical ensemble Girlyman. I am looking enviously at their tour schedule — they played Nashville tonight, then Decatur, then Durham, Asheville, Birmingham, McCook, NE and Loomis, NE. I don’t see a NY or MA or PA on the list. Come north, Girlyman! We will feed you and read your charts and donate publicity photos if you want, and I have a fantastic luthier if you need your guitars adjusted.

In the second half of the program I talk about what Robert Bly called “the sibling society” — that is, a society of non-adults who refuse to take responsibility for their lives and the culture around them. This is in the context of the Occupy movement, in particular a video about the UC Davis pepper spray incident that sparked the conversation.

I read from a PBS interview with Bly from about 15 years ago. Here is the thing — Bly took some shit for what he said when the book came out, but his perspective has only been supported or even proven. If you’re looking for the book, you can get it for less than a buck from Half.com.

At the end of the podcast I mention a paper called Are Student Governments Obsolete? by Ray Glass, one of the founders of SASU — the now-defunct Student Association of the State University of New York. Ray is a friend in spirit. He died when I was 11 years old but his work and his ideas have influenced my thinking, and I am happy to share a PDF of his paper on the Internet for the first time.

Today’s program is about 1:14 — a little longer than planned, but there you have it. Remember that Planet Waves FM is sponsored by your subscriptions and product purchases. We have cool stuff for you — well it’s not stuff, it’s ideas that you can take with you to your next incarnation!

P.S. The pocket watch dates to the 16th century.

Friday, Dec. 9, 2011. Weekly Horoscope #884. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You are in a seed moment. They come occasionally — phases of your life when what you do, think and feel creates who you are becoming; when you express intention through action, not by planning. You’re in a moment of not knowing what you’re getting yourself into, making choices you would not necessarily have made if you knew what they implied. Yet there are few other ways to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Remember that one definition of an adventure is that you don’t know where you’re going to end up, and I promise you that this, at least, is true. What you do have control over is whether you are authentic in the moment. In a world where most people are taught to fake most of the time, that might be a stretch. Your most dependable path to right action is being entirely real, all of the time.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel like you’re racing toward some kind of limit, where an inner resource (such as faith in yourself) is running out. That sense of impending limitation or crux point is clear in your charts, but what stands out more boldly is that another limitation you cannot see is about to give way. Your current sense of urgency is more closely associated with the second situation than the first; in other words, something is happening other than what you’re obsessing over. Don’t waste time fussing over the form of the problem, or what you perceive your problem to be. This would be true especially if you are defining an issue in a way that has resisted resolution in the past. Take care of the practical matters at hand as efficiently as you can. Learn from your day-to-day experiences. Emphasize the positive role you play in the world. Heaven and Earth are indeed moving, and you are moving with them.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Occasionally you have a stunning breakthrough appreciating the person you are. It’s as if some mental block lets go, or some veil drops, and you can actually recognize and experience yourself as the strong, nurturing person you are. Something like this is happening right now. Your realization seems to come in two phases, something like this. You remember something amazing about yourself that you keep forgetting, which shifts your sense of identity. Just when that’s far enough in the past that you forgot it happened, a relationship changes. You become free within the relationship, or free yourself of the relationship. You may not see the connection between the two, but the turn of events proves that authentic self-respect can take you past any limitation in your relationships. If you remember that these two are directly related, you will save yourself incalculable time, energy and grief in the future.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You may not consciously keep secrets from yourself, but you also may not see the ways you work against your own cause. What feels like the revelation of some deep inner truth is really about you aligning with yourself in a tangible way. In fact, you are healing a split in your mind that has presented you with many challenges that you did not understand. The split has outwardly manifested many ways: as holding competing goals, divided loyalties, or a sense that you could not get the ‘two halves’ of yourself working together. The thing is, once you can see something like this, however dimly, you increase the chances of doing something about it. And you are about to get a rare glimpse at this outdated aspect of your inner makeup, or rather, your self-perception. The simplest way to put this is that honesty with yourself will get you real results in the real world.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are bigger than your public image. You are bigger than all the chatter or gossip in the world. Somewhere between nothing and exceedingly little that could become known about you would negatively influence the opinion of anyone who really mattered. Therefore, you are free to let the truth about yourself be known. Take the initiative and express your most daring innermost thoughts if that is what you choose to do. This can be in the context of an intimate relationship, or some much larger social context wherein you finally arrive at the recognition that you want to be known not just for what you do, but also for who you are. What most people have not figured out is that any aura of concealment breeds negativity just as dependably as truth and clarity dispel it. The sensation of potential risk you may be experiencing is not the same as an actual danger — it’s a lot more fun.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You make your own definition of success — or rather, when you learn that you can, you will be much happier. One problem with what we think of as success is that we tend to be told what it is, over and over again, then we try to live up to the myth. Usually that comes in the form of approval of authority figures, fame or supposed security, all of which are transient. There is very little security possible; only confidence is worth reaching for, and that is an inner state. Success is about what you want, not what someone else wants for you. You are the one — and the only one — who must approve of what you do, so that you may have a clear conscience and grounded sense of purpose. What happens next will reveal these concepts as the simple and obvious facts that they are.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It’s impressive, when you look at it, how beliefs get in the way of reality. This often happens below the boards of awareness, though of course at other times it gives people a false sense of control. If you don’t like a fact, you can always pretend it’s not true. Now, however, you are being called upon to understand not only the actual data but also its implications. Suspending your beliefs of what is true while you conduct this investigation is essential. And, I would remind you, none of this suggests that what you believe, or perceive, is wrong — only that it’s subject to verification. Along the spectrum of ‘true’ and ‘false’ I would add the distinction of ‘true enough’ — for a given purpose, for a given time. As time progresses, you may apply a different standard or metric, but the important thing is that you have a basis for validating what you believe — or not — without resorting to prejudice.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — I’ve mentioned a few times this year something about not being afraid to be unpopular, while not going out of your way to have people dislike you. Typically how you handle any issue on this side of the spectrum is by brushing it off, but that is a way of denying your deeper emotional sensitivity. Who you are, what you say and what you do seems to be having a profound effect on someone. You don’t need to be self-righteous about your values; you don’t need to compensate for what you perceive as the weaknesses of others. All you need to do is to recognize the dynamic between you and someone close to you. Be receptive to the changes they are going through. This will help both of you, it will ease the tension of the situation and you will get to experience the pleasure of being consciously resonant with your environment in a new way.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You may be outgrowing a relationship or even a whole volume in the history of your relationships, and if that is true, I suggest you welcome the change. Yes, this can be easier said than done, but you have a lot going for you, and a lot going on, and it’s not healthy for you to suppress your energy or to give anyone else the role of doing so. That said, the situation you’re in could easily transform itself into something much better, on a different level of existence. And, that said, the thing to do is release your attachment to the form of the relationship, and then discover what the content actually is. Something that was veiled is coming to the surface, but it will take you a few days to figure out what that is; in fact, what you’re experiencing is a journey that will take you about six months to ‘figure out’, and during that time, I suggest you remain open to everyone and everything.

Sagittarius Birthday Audio Report

Dear Friend and Sagittarian:

Whiskey and Owen. Photo by Beki Herrbach.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There is no way to understate the size and scale of the transformation you’re going through. I would say that ‘it’ feels like it’s coming at you from every direction, but there is only one direction — from within. This weekend’s total eclipse of the Moon is encouraging you — indeed, necessitating — that you find a healthy and creative outlet for your energy and any frustration you may be feeling. If there is a healing agenda that seems to involve a relationship, I strongly suggest you do your part of the work first, then wait several days (say, till Wednesday) before you take any discussion into a situation involving a partner, spouse or adversary. If you don’t install a delay, you’re likely to get your wires crossed and blame someone for your material and potentially take on responsibility for what is not yours. Sort it out first, then have the conversation.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Somewhere in A Course in Miracles is the notion that “you are an idea that can never leave its source.” This is directed at those who feel separate from spirit or from the rest of humanity; who feel alienated from the flow of creation. I bring it up today because your astrology presents that very image of connection that would obviate the sensation or illusion of being separate. Thought is creative, and you are made of thought. Thought is free, and you are free to create yourself into who you want to be. Yet the key words here are create and want — which imply conscious choices. This, in turn, implies taking full responsibility for the process. That one fact is enough to deter most people from ever daring to create who they are, or rather, from doing so consciously. You create yourself all the time, and the power to do so has never been more palpable or accessible to you.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Imagine how different your life would be if you had felt confident and secure the whole time. Consider how much energy you have wasted on the fear of developments that never came to pass, on lack of faith that you could come through, and on anxiety that had no special source or identifiable topic. Saturday’s lunar eclipse illustrates a breakthrough on this theme. The essence of your fear is the experience of being divided against yourself, and you are now in a moment where those two seemingly different halves are joined together. Or, more accurately, a moment where you recognize they were never separate. This is something you will feel in your body first, before you begin to recognize it as a concept. In truth, this has been developing for a while, and now it’s finally becoming obvious enough to translate into authentic confidence you can apply toward your most cherished goals.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

Neptune to Chiron: from Denial to Awareness

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Dear Friend and Reader:

I’m wondering what kind of week you had. What did you experience and what did you learn the past five days? It’s been an unusually interesting sky, as Mercury and Venus (personal planets associated with emotions and senses) first made aspects to Neptune (denial, delusion) then to Chiron (painful revelation or healing impulse) and Uranus (sudden awareness, ideas, invention). The story arc of these transits is like the psyche passing through a fog of denial, then getting caught in the spotlight of instant karma, then experiencing a wave of awareness that might lead you to make a decision and act on it. This has manifested in large and personal and collective ways, but let’s start with you. (You may email me if you want to share your experiences.)

Photo by Eric Francis, Book of Blue – Paris series.

These aspects describe not only the need to wake up and grow up, but the inevitability of doing so. There is a prevailing theme of noticing what’s going on, then connecting actions with consequences — something that we humans are not especially good at. We are very good at pretending there is no connection, and then wondering whom to blame when the catastrophic results suddenly become obvious.

In what we think of as public life (while we have the luxury of thinking there’s a difference between that and anything else), we’ve just lived through a truly incredible week of the personal as political. It was so revealing of the astrology — and what I can only call our moral crisis of leadership — that I’ve prepared a little news roundup for you.

As the United States gets ready to decide who will lead us deeper into the 21st century, two more Republican presidential campaigns burst into flames. Herman Cain, the gospel-singing pizza guy, found himself all over the news as several past cases of sexual harassment were revealed by the news website Politico. First Cain made a series of bumbling denials that anything happened or that any settlement was made, and finally admitted that something had indeed happened.

When confronted on video Wednesday, he lost his cool, telling reporters to bugger off and mind their own business — churning up even more interest in the situation. We will likely be hearing from some of the women involved, all of whom were given cash settlements and signed confidentiality agreements, and for that reason could not come forward. It looks like his campaign is road pizza.

Next, Rick Perry, the sitting governor of Texas, found himself in the news when he regressed into a kind of giggling, giddy man-child speaking to a bunch of New Hampshire conservatives, apparently under the influence of some substance or a manic episode. This was not the Rick Perry of, “No, sir, I’m not worried that I executed any innocent people” fame. (More executions have happened under his administration than under any governor in American history.)

Photo by Eric Francis, Book of Blue – Paris series.

Rather, it was a Rick Perry brimming with sentimental enthusiasm about the Live Free or Die slogan on New Hampshire’s license plates, then clutching a little bottle of maple syrup wearing a sappy, Texas-sized grin. When you see the whole speech, it’s not as twisted as it seems when you excerpt it. He seems more like the religious huckster that he is, who goes over the top a few times and then ends seeming like he’s mentally unstable.

Next, here’s one you may have heard about by now as the story goes viral — the most personal of all. In Dallas, Hillary Adams, the daughter of a family court judge, posted a seven-minute video of her father viciously flogging her with a belt when she was 16 years old, while her mother looks on. Apparently she had been caught downloading potentially-pirated video games and music (her father didn’t think she should have one of those computer thingies).

Hillary, who has cerebral palsy, says she was beaten regularly and finally posted the video this week when he would not stop harassing her. Her father, Judge William Adams, now faces a police investigation and a judicial probe, and has been suspended from his duties.

“In my mind I have not done anything wrong other than discipline my child when she was caught stealing. I did lose my temper, I’ve apologized. It looks worse than it is,” Adams told Texas television station KZTV.

Hillary Adams, now 23, told television station KRIS on Wednesday her father was “making light of the situation,” adding, “I just can’t believe he would say something like he doesn’t think it’s a big deal.” The story is replete with twisted details: for example, Hillary doesn’t blame her mom for the situation because she was emotionally abused by Adams too, and has since left the marriage.

It’s like our political process itself has ended up on the set of The Jerry Springer Show. It reveals what is going on beneath the surface of so much that we see.

Isle of Tinos,
Greece. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

And there is a distraction effect. Efforts to solve Greece’s rapidly escalating financial crisis fell apart this week, and the country may not be able to avoid defaulting on its loans. The government itself seems on the brink of collapse. What you may not have heard is that earlier this week, the government replaced the heads of the Navy, Army and Air Force due to the fact the armed forces were allegedly planning a coup similar to the junta which ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974.

If Greece defaults, there could be an economic ripple effect that spreads across Europe and possibly to the United States — so everyone is watching this carefully. Here, the political could become intimately personal. As one of our colleagues in Greece wrote to me Thursday, “It really is a very pathetic situation and something I would not wish on anyone.”

Meanwhile, Pres. Obama is in France at the moment, at a meeting of the G20 group of nations that has this issue on its agenda. Democracy Now! noted that Monday, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou angered many European leaders by announcing his support for a popular referendum — allowing the Greek people to decide if they want to accept the conditions of the $179 billion European Union bailout. Papandreou is now facing calls from within his party to resign after days of increasing criticism from European leaders.

The Greek debt scandal has also pitted U.S. banking interests against France, Germany and other European powers. “The Americans are putting immense pressure on Europe, saying, ‘We will wreck your economy, if you don’t wreck Greece’s economy,'” says economic analyst Michael Hudson. President Obama is “basically telling Europe, ‘Don’t go the democratic route. Support Wall Street’.” Clearly the irony of Obama’s position while the Occupy protests are still taking place in cities around the United States is not lost on many.

The Common Thread

The common thread of these events is power-based relationships, and personal responsibility (or the total lack thereof). There is something here about where the public trust intersects with deeply personal values. Presidential candidates are included in the ‘power relationship’ category by default, as they want to be the presumed ruler of the nation. And we are seeing this for the power trip that it is. What we’re witnessing are not individual cases of abdicated responsibility but rather the death of a model of leadership that is disconnected from any ethics at all.

Graffitti mural in Battery Steele, Peaks Island, ME. Photo by Amanda.

Herman Cain, like many people, managed to turn sex (or rather the idea of sex) into a power trip. By the time it comes down to four (and counting) accusations and at least three different women receiving cash settlements to settle sexual harassment charges, obviously this is a way of life. This person wants to be president, with access to nuclear weapons? That’s also a power relationship, to the whole world. Why, exactly, does he want to be president?

Rick Perry, the executioner, also wants access to those nuclear bombs. He’s a Dominionist, which means he feels it’s his duty to accelerate the end of the world, on behalf of God. But he’s delusional and he can’t hold his shit together, even at a public event with the television cameras on. It’s all about the power and glory. What I see in these presidential campaigns is people trying on the ‘I am the president’ trip with no sense of what that might mean to the people they’re supposed to serve. It’s like something has become hollowed out and feels like it’s going to collapse on itself. But I don’t think this is going on exclusively ‘up top’. We see many examples of how it manifests in more humble places, and to some extent we all enable the dysfunction in other people who live from power trip to power trip — until we don’t any more.

As for Judge Adams: all judges spend their days rearranging the private lives of others, more or less arbitrarily. They hold themselves above the law, and few mechanisms exist to keep them in control. If not for YouTube, we likely never would have found out about this situation. Everyone is shocked that a family court judge would beat the daylights out of his daughter. But that’s merely an extension of the same power he holds over everyone who comes through his courtroom. I’ve met very few people who have the guts to call out a judge on their illegal or immoral conduct.

Economically, we are facing a similar betrayal on a vast, even incomprehensible scale. We may not have seen the worst of it yet. It is no longer the paranoid who are predicting another collapse of the banks and a massive tsunami of defaults. It’s the people who know the most about economics. Part of the betrayal is on the part of the people with the most power, and part is on account of those with the very least. By that I mean that our economic woes are in part due to predatory lending, and the rest is due to people who could not resist their own greed and signed up for loans they could not afford. Meanwhile, countries and massive corporations have been busy doing the same thing. In this economic crisis, the conduct of governments, corporations and many private individuals has been nearly identical — and I rarely ever hear about that.

Everywhere we look around us, we see the aggressive use of power. The question is, how is this playing out in our own lives? Most individuals are more in the position to squander their power and creativity than abuse it, but opportunities to do both abound. The question is, what part of the problem are you willing to take responsibility for, and what are you going to do about it?

The Next Alignment

I ask because the same story is continuing in a different form. Mercury and Venus are now making an unusually long, exact conjunction that is moving through Sagittarius. Looked at one way, this aspect is brimming with idealism and potential. It’s a kind of astrology about having the best intentions.

Mercury and Venus (toward the right) in a long, near-exact conjunction. The two planets are moving at about the same speed for a while, but they don’t ever align precisely for this cycle. (Mercury, usually the faster planet, goes retrograde before catching up with Venus.) They form a conjunction in June 2012, which takes place in Gemini. Points above left are Pholus and the North Node.

Yet Mars in Leo is making a long opposition to Neptune, and soon it will make an opposition to Chiron. Like Mercury and Venus have just done with their squares to Neptune and Chiron, Mars is going make an opposition to Neptune first and then, when it changes signs, to Chiron. So we get the same sequence of denial/delusion with a subsequent feeling of radical awakening.

Treading this path with Mars is a little more dangerous because unlike Mercury and Venus, Mars is a sharp, hot and potentially flammable object. Opposite Neptune, we have a warning about going out of bounds, taking too much for granted or pushing an issue or a lie of some kind. There is a caution about emotional violence, psychic attack and severely compromised judgment. Because Aquarius is involved, this could involve some form of group denial or delusion (that would be nothing new, but as the astrology develops we can see a distinct event approaching — just in time for many local elections in the United States).

With Mars-Neptune aspects, the theme of motives needs to be investigated carefully, especially where any form of violence, force or power-over is involved. Deception needs to be considered an example of all three.

You might think of it this way. When power itself becomes the goal, that is dangerous territory. If you keep asking yourself about your motives, that is the time to call a timeout. Fortunately, there is a built-in boundary in the current planetary setup: as Mars opposes Neptune, the Sun makes a square to Vesta.

Vesta defines space, and will help focus the terms of the discussion. If you take action from the place of true and sincere devotion, you’re on solid ground.

Lovingly,

PS: In case you missed our special offer sent to subscribers for Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check, the 2012 annual edition of Planet Waves, here is that link again. Also, check your email Sunday evening for a special announcement.

Note that in the United States and Canada, daylight savings time ends and standard time begins this weekend. Mercury’s shadow/echo phase begins Saturday, heralding a retrograde that runs from Nov. 24 through Dec. 13. Mercury will be retrograde entirely in Sagittarius this time around. Speaking of planetary stations, Neptune stations direct on Nov. 9, just before the Taurus Full Moon. Mars forms an exact opposition to Neptune on Nov. 7, just before Neptune stations, so the two events are related. The opposition from Mars emphasizes the presence of Neptune at a sensitive moment in its cycle. Notably this will be the last Neptune station in Aquarius; it’s headed straight for Pisces, where it will remain until March 25, 2025.

The Moon entered Pisces early Friday morning, in a conjunction to Chiron. The Pisces Moon is already sensitive enough, especially after just having passed through the Mars-Neptune opposition. As with many other points this week that have aspected first Neptune and then Chiron, the message seems to be about gaining clarity, in this case emotional clarity. If after any potential disruption you consciously focus on healing, you’re likely to make actual progress. Then the Moon ingresses Aries at 2:02 pm EST on Sunday. That’s an aspect full of interesting surprises, as the Moon makes a conjunction to Uranus shortly after arriving in Aries, and squares Pluto that evening (overnight Sunday to Monday in the UK and Europe). This is a good day to avoid drama and keep your focus. Such conflict might come in the form of the sensation of ‘not fitting into the group’, being ‘too much of an individual’ or the notion of being too much in general.

Mercury and Venus remain in a long conjunction, which suggests making your desires verbal, or looked at the other way, feeling the words that you speak. In Sagittarius there may be a sense of adventure. At the same time, the Mars-Neptune opposition is providing some fuel for the imagination, the desire for something a little dangerous and the craving to push some boundaries with the help of a consciousness-altering substance. The thing to be aware of when doing that is that one does indeed negotiate one’s boundaries differently when consciousness is altered, and it’s good to keep a pulse on just how that works for you. No matter what you’re doing, be mindful of limits and boundaries. On that theme, perhaps the most interesting aspect with erotic overtones this weekend is Sun square Vesta. This aspect is developing all weekend and is exact Monday. Vesta can work like an organizing principle, such as within a physical space. There is the message here that if you set a safe container, you can do some bold experimentation within that container.

After repeated attacks from the police, with the enabling behavior of the mayor, Occupy Oakland became a general strike on Wednesday. Thousands of protesters shut down many stores and the commercial ports (Oakland is the nation’s fifth-largest port, where many of our imports from China come in), and nearly 20 percent of the city’s teachers did not report to work. The strike — the first general strike in Oakland since 1946 — was largely peaceful, though tension escalated overnight. Police arrested at least three dozen people and repeatedly fired tear gas and other projectiles to break up late night protests.

Elsewhere in #Occupy protests across the country, pepper spray has been used repeatedly by police. Police in Seattle used pepper spray to clear a side entrance to a hotel where JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon was invited to speak Wednesday, so patrons could leave. Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, pepper-sprayed Occupy protesters when they refused to vacate a local park. Police have made arrests in Seattle, Tulsa and Philadelphia, where demonstrators denounced Comcast for failing to pay taxes in a city with severe poverty issues.

Denial and Awareness

This week’s edition of Planet Waves FM develops the story of Mercury and Venus making aspects to Neptune and Chiron, a theme we’ve been exploring all week on our daily blog and covered in today’s edition. This is a fast-moving 30-minute presentation.

Here you’ll find the full archives and a downloadable zip file. They’re also available on iTunes.

Friday, Nov. 4, 2011. Weekly Horoscope #881. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Resist the temptation to be dishonest, which also means stand up to anyone who is less than forthright. Most people resist straight talk because they expect to be punished for it. As for why we don’t call people out on their deception: there are two big reasons for that. One is the fear of being seen as a liar. Second is to keep the peace, or rather, what passes for peace. There are other mucky, cloudy excuses for denial, ranging from social lubrication to the camouflage that a little deception offers. But this is not the time for that. Now is the time to look at the fog, admitting that it exists. It’s time to apply every available form of perception to your situation. Be sure you cross-check and don’t rely on any one source of information. Mostly, it’s time to be true to yourself. You may have to face a relationship issue that you’ve wanted to address for a long time. Get used to that idea — the time is nigh.

Aries, your birth sign or rising sign, is getting some of the most potent transits of them all right now. I’ve recorded an hour of astrology and a tarot card reading for you. Learn more by visiting this page.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You’ve finally gone past a point of a deep personal crisis — and now the real work begins. Just as when there’s a fire, a flood or an earthquake, the first response process is different from the long-term repair, the same is true for personal matters. You have discovered the places where your integrity is compromised. You have learned the ways in which you need to be more honest with yourself. You have probably figured out that it’s not only ‘okay’ but necessary to use what you know. And now you can apply these discoveries to your daily experience of life. There is no special time for growth and healing. If these words have any meaning at all, they are things we do all the time, even in our sleep — just like breathing. Many have noted that we’re a culture of shallow breathers, which describes our spiritual condition. Therefore, when in doubt, take a few deep breaths.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Your relationships don’t exist outside of you. There is no ‘third party’ known as the ‘relationship itself’, though at the moment it may seem that way. The risk in perceiving the relationship as a kind of corporate entity is dissociating yourself from a direct experience. It also dissociates you from the direct experience within someone close to you. I suggest you ask what’s happening on their end of the universe and listen carefully. This goes for anyone who would fit the definition of partner or close friend. You might even check in with those you consider your adversary or enemy. Those, too, are ‘special relationships’ that offer us plenty, and can sometimes be even more fruitful than the things we describe as relationships based on love. The question to keep in mind throughout your inquiry process is, ‘what does this say about me?’ I don’t mean this in the sense of a judgment, but rather a reflection.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Scorpio is your house of playful sex, and the Sun is still there — but since last week, two other planets have ventured from Scorpio into Sagittarius. This puts the emphasis onto two themes: one is on what some call spirituality. Another is what some call healing. Typically, sex is considered as ‘unspiritual’ as you can get, and what we think of as healing usually exempts sex from the conversation. You may be figuring out that not only are these areas of life related, but for you they are the same thing. You might want to investigate the mental constructions that would tell you otherwise. Or, you can experiment with the idea that they are one and the same. This would involve coming out of denial, though it seems that you’ve recently had an experience that helped you do just that. Let’s start the process with desire. For the next week, try being scrupulously honest about what you want. Forget about why you might want an experience. Consider judgment and guilt forms of dishonesty, and keep going.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Hugh Prather once wrote that it takes ego to see ego. I would add, it takes ego to miss the point entirely. Your human journey needs a container, and for most people that container is this thing we refer to as ‘I’ or ‘me’. But it doesn’t stop there; we then take that ‘I’ or ‘me’ and seek affirmation of our existence in our experiences of other people. At the moment, some of those may feel a little strange: such as, the more you assert yourself, the less of a response you get. Or you act one way and you get a response that makes no sense at all. Here is the thing astrology reveals that you may not have a pulse on yet — there is a whole level of response that you cannot see but soon will. In part this involves the filter you’re looking through, and in part it involves the way someone is cloaking who they really are. Changing either one would go a long way toward clearing up the scene.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — The heart of the matter is emotional, but that means something different to you than it means to nearly anyone else. To be valid, something has to make sense to you — and there’s a good chance that you’re finally getting some clarity that is starting to feel like ‘making sense’. I would propose that this particular issue is going to make sense in a slightly different way every day for the next week or so. Give yourself the space to come to a different revelation that’s related to the prior one but still contains a unique idea. The key is to feel the idea and its implications. Try it on with your physical body and your emotions. Translate your discovery into words and decide how you like them. Consider what action you would take if that day’s possibility were actually true. Then, move onto the next one — with no special concern about where you’re going to end up.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You recently came to terms with something, and this has had a liberating effect on you. You’re more of a free spirit than your astrology has enabled you to be the past couple of years, and you seem to have turned a corner that has come with the feeling of desiring freedom. At the same time you have greater clarity what it is — and from the way the planets are lining up, that has something to do with your ability to express yourself in words. For a while you may have felt beyond any hope of a cohesive idea, much less being able to express it tangibly. Why that has changed may be something of a mystery — perhaps something that stabilized your tendency to go from one emotional rush to the next. You may have noticed the pain you caused someone, or that some experience caused you — and the result is liberation that comes with acknowledging that simple truth.

Your Libra birthday audio for 2011 is finished. I’ve prepared a comprehensive reading for you, covering the astrology for your sign in about 70 minutes (in two segments) and offering a tarot reading of just under half an hour. Visit this link for additional information.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — It’s your birthday season, and I have a few messages for you. One is that this is going to be a good year for money, if you prioritize integrity above all else. That means being true to yourself, and to the people in your life. You will have opportunities to do anything and everything but be honest, and which only emphasize the point. In the old days when I used to train professional tarot card readers, I heard several of them say, ‘But I can’t charge money to help people’. And I would say, ‘Well what do you want to do, charge money to hurt them?’ This defines the first half of the integrity issue. The other half is not kidding yourself about the concepts ‘hurt’ and ‘help’. If you sell your soul, you cannot buy it back. You have to get it back some other way — but it’s far better to keep it in the first place.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Scorpio, please go to this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Two planets have just entered your sign — Venus and Mercury. The real-life version of that story may be an encounter or event that jolted you into a new level of discovery of who you are. It may have come through your dreams the past week or so, and in that dreamy way you may have forgotten what it was. Yet it’s had an influence on you. It feels like you unexpectedly resolved some old emotional pain. One clue about that pain is that it’s connected not only to your father but to some pattern involving his whole side of the family. You don’t necessarily need to analyze this, but it might help if you understood the connection. Your father had injuries and was subjected to influences that he did not understand. For a while that was the story of your life — and now a new story is finally beginning.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Sagittarius, please go to this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Leadership is about having your act together. Using that as a standard, just about everyone in political authority today, and mostly everyone in corporate authority today, would need to be described using a different term than ‘leader’. One story that your charts are telling is that you’re making the connection between emotional integration and your success in the world. By emotional integration, I mean getting the different parts of yourself to have the same conversation, and recognizing that they are aspects of the same whole entity — you. It’s not possible to divide your character (for example, trying to be honest with some people and dishonest with others). It’s useless to be constantly at odds with yourself. Insecurity of any kind simply must become a thing of the past. As you take action on these ideas, you will take yourself more seriously, and so will the people around you.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You’re involved in an extended process of cleaning up some relationship issues, which may involve an actual encounter, several different experiences or your long-term patterns with others. This has less to do with those others and more directly with you. You are collecting the parts of yourself that you’ve scattered or invested in others, and which you are now claiming as your own. Think of this as a form of soul retrieval, or as a spiritual growth experience — it’s both. In either case, there is a special focus on the hidden psychological legacy of your mother. Repeat those words to yourself a few times. Note that such a thing even exists and that it influences you profoundly. Most of the unprocessed material of parents is passed directly to children — and we all know there is plenty. You’ve been in possession of the tools you need for a while; you’re now getting a handle on how to use them.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The time has come to be known for what you are best at, for what you want to be known for and most of all, for who you are. To some extent, your actions speak for you; your reputation precedes you. But you’re the one who has to provide the point of crystallization for an idea, and take the steps to assert yourself. While this takes energy, knowledge and the desire to succeed, most of what you need now is trust. That means trust in yourself, in what you’re offering and that the right people will respond in the ways that are in harmony with your process. Trust also means acting without hesitation or delay. Assert yourself, assert your message, and push beyond the containers that have held you in the past. Then be prepared to do this for a while, until you get either the results you want, or something better that you were not expecting — and could not have expected.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

2012 Letter: Not Your Parents’ Activism

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Note to Readers: Here is your Inner Space October monthly horoscope.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Monday morning I picked up my local paper, attracted by the headline, “Wall Street Protest Grows; Demonstrators Vow to Hang In.” The occupation of a small plaza in the midst of New York City’s financial district has entered its third week and is showing no signs of letting up. The plaza, called Zuccotti Park, is owned by a private real estate development company, not the city, so police cannot raid the protest without the permission of the property owner.

Zuccotti Park in New York City, home of the Occupy Wall Street protest. The vibes were mellow, friendly and introspective. Photo by Eric Francis.

Meanwhile, the police choosing to trap and arrest 700 mellow demonstrators on the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday afternoon sent the story rippling out around the world and gave lots of other people the idea to have a protest of their own. In the game of ‘cops make hippies, hippies make cops’, it’s a lot easier for the cops to make the PR gaffes that stoke the movement. Showing their power, they purchased Occupy Wall Street an international advertising campaign as a gift. A lot of people can relate to what the protesters are concerned about: jobs; financial rip-offs by banks, brokers and traders; bailouts going directly to bonuses; people’s homes being illegally foreclosed. It is a protest against the corporate system, but it’s also a protest to point out the need for basic fairness.

Society’s institutions, or more accurately, the people running them, have failed us. These demonstrations are about creating something new. But that something new is an ethic. There is a message about the need for people to take care of one another. Contrast that with the Tea Party protests of 2009-2010, where you had a lot of people saying, ‘Health insurance for me and not for you!’

Last week, a political science professor named Frances Fox Piven visited the occupation and was asked how these kinds of protest movements spring up, seemingly on their own. “I teach at the Graduate School of the City University of New York,” she said.

“I am here because I am so enthusiastic about the possibilities of this sit-in, over the marches that are occurring over postal worker issues, the sister demonstrations that are starting in Chicago and Los Angeles, and maybe in Boston. I think we desperately need a popular uprising in the United States. None of us know. I study movements. None of us know the exact formula for when those movements erupt, but it could be. And if that is true, then these people who are here are really wonderful. I would do anything to help them.”

A lot of observers have asked similar questions. Why do these things emerge when they do? Actually, the most passionate and sustained uprisings are reasonably predictable: they tend to happen when Uranus and Pluto come into alignment. When the planet of revolution (Uranus) and the one about evolution (Pluto) get together, there is always an international revolt. The alignments spread out over 10 to 12 years, and we are still toward the beginning of this one.

The last time these two planets got together was between 1960 and 1972. Astrologer-historian Richard Tarnas wrote of this time, “By all accounts the Sixties were an extraordinary era. Intense, problematic and seminal, the entire decade seems to have been animated by a peculiarly vivid and compelling spirit — something ‘in the air’ — an elemental force apparent to all at the time, that was not present in such a tangible manner during the immediately preceding or subsequent decades, and that in retrospect still sets the era apart as a phenomenon unique in recent memory.”

Saturday’s events at Occupy Wall Street included a meditation, a direct action training and a Slut Walk, which unfortunately I was not there to photograph. A Slut Walk is a kind of protest where (mostly) women dress up provocatively to make the point that just because you’ve got a hot outfit on does not mean you’re inviting sex. It’s a lot more fun than Take Back the Night, which is a more aggressive kind of ‘anti rape’ protest about venting anger. Photo by Eric Francis.

I visited the protest Saturday, to take pictures, check out the vibes and lend my support as a journalist. The feeling was nothing but friendly. There was not the fist-in-the-air sensation that Sixties demonstrations are remembered with. The vibe was loving — and there was not a big ego trip about revolution. This is being described as a leaderless movement, one that is based on a collective approach to decision-making and agenda-creation.

One thing about the Sixties movements is that they were led by the ‘big heavies’, leaders who became icons: Jerry Rubin, Abbey Hoffman and others. At least as far as the media was concerned, this was activism on the star system. Even the on-the-ground movements that tried to organize by consensus were not welcoming of women in leadership. Every sub-movement did its own thing until eventually they figured out they were on the same side. Ultimately it was the Vietnam War that was the uniting factor. In many respects it was fear of the draft that was driving most of the young men to stand up and get involved. It is fair to say that there was a strong element of self-interest in the protests of the Sixties.

The next wave of political movements came in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This was during the rise of Neoconservatism, as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall. The astrology was focused in Capricorn; there was a rare outer-planet conjunction between Uranus and Neptune that as the image of established social structures crumbling. We are still living with the results of this conjunction more than 20 years later.

Political activity was characterized by a kind of bitterness and sense of futility. Everybody joined a coalition or caucus that was vying for attention. I constantly felt reminded that I wasn’t cool enough to be there, and I discovered over time that this was an intentional message. As a ‘heterosexual white male’ I was ineligible to be part of a minority, and I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Many women were alienated by the anti-sex, anti-male attitude at the time. It was a stressed-out movement, because many organizers had the feeling that nobody really cared. I watched these movements get conquered by their own divisions. This was the era of hyperbolic political correctness and Take Back the Night marches.

Simply put it was not a movement of inclusion but rather of exclusion. The one exception I can name was the anti-tuition hike protests at the City University of New York (CUNY) in 1989 and 1991, which were amazing — and which got results. There was a military campaign at the time, what we call the Persian Gulf War. As far as I could tell, It barely registered in the minds of student activists at the time, at least on the East Coast.

Actual billionaire joins the protest. Photo by Eric Francis.

By the mid-1990s, the anti-death penalty protests surrounding Mumia Abu-Jamal had taken off, and these had a festive feeling. Mumia had a national network of activists working for him. There wasn’t really a sense of serious involvement, though. It was more like a party for a good cause. Mumia is still alive, in part due to the international attention that the protests brought to his case. But I always had the feeling that nobody understood how a death penalty trial worked; they just knew that killing someone was wrong. That movement did not have a wider idea about social justice, though it tried. The confrontation was palpable: supporters of an alleged cop killer versus the cops. The band Rage Against the Machine held a benefit concert for Mumia’s defense, and the Fraternal Order of Police sued and blocked the money from going to his attorneys.

Then in 1999, the first wave of anti-globalization protests were sparked off in Seattle. These were associated with another rare aspect, Chiron conjunct Pluto in Sagittarius. To me this represented an actual spiritual awakening manifesting on the political level. Sagittarius gave it a global feeling.

These went on for years, traveling from city to city like Phish tour but not as mellow. The image you saw over and over was the activist with his or her face covered by an American flag bandanna — not so inviting, but I think a lot of people gave those kids credit for having such guts. They caused a run on the market for tear gas, and were constantly being chased by the new breed of Ninja Turtle riot cop. Every time one of those world management team groups would meet — the WTO, the G7 or whatever — they would have to build higher and higher barricades, to the point where they had to meet inside a fortress. Once again the feeling was one of confrontation, but Chiron favors the underdog and these protests helped call attention to the ripoff of globalist economic policy.

What is interesting is that the emphasis of the protests had finally shifted from the government to corporations. This was a significant reorientation in how to think about problems and solutions. A decade on we are seeing the results of ‘free trade’ (all the jobs get exported).

This is my favorite photo from my day visiting the protest at Zucotti Park in the financial district of New York City. I love the empathy on these women’s faces. To me it sums up the openness and introspection that characterizes the emerging wave of political activism. Photo by Eric Francis. All pictures taken on Oct. 1, 2011.

Before we come to the current moment, there’s one other protest movement to mention: it lasted for a day, Feb. 15, 2003. This was the F-15 worldwide uprising against the invasion of Iraq. It was something of a miracle, involving mass protests, rallies and marches in every major city in the Western world. In retrospect, this feels more like a mirage than a historical event, but it really did happen. The prevailing energy, in a word, was Aquarius.

Now we are back around to a Uranus-Pluto aspect, which directly recalls the energy of the Sixties. That’s because the Sixties happened under a Uranus-Pluto conjunction, and now 45 years later, we have arrived at the first square. This is a major turning point in world history, as we are seeing. The effects go back about three years and will carry us through the end of the decade, and if we use it well, perhaps much longer.

Along with Arab Spring and the uprisings in Wisconsin and Ohio earlier this year, we have Occupy Wall Street as one of its expressions. Zuccotti Park was one of the most laid back, friendliest places I’ve visited in a while. The vibe was open but also introspective. People were expressing concern and anger about the economic situation and there was a clear sense of understanding that Wall Street holds a lot of the responsibility for that — but no sense of rage being projected onto anyone. My sense from many things I’ve read and heard is that among this generation of activists, there’s the awareness that we need to change ourselves and change the world in the same gesture.

That would be the essence of a square, especially between Aries and Capricorn. As you think about what this aspect represents, remember that the personal awakening process of Uranus in Aries is about to meet up with the changes in society represented by Pluto in Capricorn. There is potential for wide-scale cultural change, but it starts from the inside-out. That approach, if we follow it, will help us avoid many of the really huge mistakes that were made during the protests of the Sixties.

Uranus in Aries also connects people to groups, but from the perspective of being an individual. Pluto in Capricorn turns over the soil of society’s institutions, bringing out their frailty and their fertility. It will be exciting to see what happens as this aspect builds to its first peak in June 2012 and then develops for the next three years. Remember though, we’re not just watching.

One way or another, we will all be involved.

Lovingly,

PS, many more photos are on the Planet Waves blog from over the weekend. Here is one set, and here are our photos of the Brooklyn Bridge takeover.

Whatever That Thing Is

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Dear Friend and Reader:

I recently mentioned a conjunction developing in mid-Sagittarius, aligned with a body called the Great Attractor. The alignment was precise to the arc minute this week, which I trust opened a door to its meaning. I associate it with a kind of toxic spirituality that is on the loose lately. The conjunction involves centaur planets, which can manifest as the desire for healing, or if they’re taken unconsciously, as some inflamed, weird behavior. The alignment also involves a little Pluto-like planet called Ixion, which I associate with the curious lack of moral or ethical consciousness in public discourse, and also in individuals.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

We’re seeing this blatantly in modern politics; the campaign of 2012 has begun, and it’s all about who you can screw over the worst. I know you may not watch the news, and if that is true, I can tell you that the political environment would qualify as unconscious, inflamed and weird lately. I am as disgusted by politics as anyone right now. But as I was watching one of these “jobs creation” discussions today, peering through the language and the deception, it occurred to me that politicians get away with what they do because most people don’t understand politics — that is, how the game is played, and who influences it from backstage.

Most people don’t even know that it’s a show. It takes time to get there (you have to participate directly or watch from the first few rows to notice that). It requires some experience to see the Democrat/Republican game for what it really is, and what it has become. Though the parties have different outward positions, they’re about as meaningful as dividing the summer camp into the Blue and Gold teams for the mock Olympics.

The summer camp is capitalism itself. Wall Street sets the most basic terms of our society, which you can tell (in part) because there is a stock ticker on every TV station’s news ticker rather than, say, the voting record of our representatives. Political campaigns are now all about the money invested by people who purchase influence, and the supposed issues are a total ruse. The flow of cash, lots of cash, determines nearly every decision. The ongoing debate over eliminating Social Security — I cannot believe I’m even typing those words — is about who gets their hands on that huge fund. The ‘social policy’ angle, I believe, is a kind of game.

In order to convince us that we need to take away benefits that people have paid for their whole lives, and that every employer pours money into every week, we have to be convinced that it’s a bad thing, and to do that, we need to chill down the emotional temperature of society. We all have to be turned a little colder and desensitized to one another’s needs. Usually this is done indirectly.

Photo by Eric Francis.

You may have seen video of the discussion during the Republican candidates debate when eternal presidential hopeful U.S. Rep. Ron Paul was asked what society should do if someone who was healthy and didn’t think he needed health insurance (and didn’t want to pay the $300 a month) ended up in a coma. Should society keep him alive? The audience cheered at the possibility that he should be allowed to die.

This was not at some homespun yahoo political rally — it was at a Politico/CNN event, and the questioner was Wolf Blitzer. At the prior debate, something even weirder happened. Brian Williams, the anchor and managing editor of NBC News, asked candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry: “Your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any governor in modern times. Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?”

The weird thing was, at the mention of the executions, the audience sent up a cheer, Williams paused, and then he finished his sentence. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised, but the little kid in me feels nauseous that people would cheer about executions. Of course, we’ve all seen the ‘pro death’ rallies in dark prison parking lots as someone receives the lethal injection.

Perry replied, “No sir. I’ve never struggled with that at all. The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, very clear process in place of which when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States if that’s required. But in the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you’re involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice in the state of Texas, and that is you will be executed.”

Photo by Eric Francis.

A thoughtful, clear process? That would be the same one, mandated by the Supreme Court’s Furman decision, that resulted in at least 13 false convictions in Illinois, which as a result stopped its death penalty in 2003. I cannot imagine not struggling with something like the potential execution of an innocent person at all. And if he’s appeasing himself that there is Supreme Court review of each case, he’s kidding himself. That review is strictly at the court’s option. It is he who has the power of executive clemency.

He cannot, or will not, admit that he’s struggled even a little bit. By its advocates, the death penalty is always presumed right, no matter who is declared innocent after they were killed (at least 24 executed people were later declared innocent in the United States prior to the temporary suspension of the death penalty in 1967). For the population, the death penalty is about blood lust. For politicians, it’s about demonstrating who is boss, and I believe that it’s a form of modern-day human sacrifice. Note that if economic conditions persist and the unemployment rate stays where it is or gets worse, Rick Perry is the person we’re most likely to have as our next president.

This does not worry me as much as the spiritually vapid social environment we’re living in, evidenced by all those people who raise a cheer about lethal injection or letting a patient die. It does not worry me as much as the people who consider themselves spiritual who think they are going to meditate away the bad people — that’s as ridiculous as Perry’s plan to pray for the federal budget deficit to go away, and I think we need to recognize that fact. I don’t think the solution to the problems we face will be a political one. But I think that along the way we will have to understand politics.

That is not the final destination. The final destination is understanding ourselves. And we might start with understanding the disconnect that is allowing all of this to happen, and the way it’s being exploited by a kind of opportunistic infection. Choosing not to participate in politics does not make one immune. This is particularly true given that we’re experiencing an artificially created economic crisis concurrently with the same forces wanting to remove the social safety net that is the only thing between what we have right now and an actual depression. Most working people curse the poor and not the wealthy for their problems, but they have a lot more in common with the people they look down on. And this whole mental complex has developed into a kind of sadistic mania.

Photo by Eric Francis.

We have to ask ourselves how this can be happening. I think we need to cultivate an understanding of what is happening within humanity, and I mean that on an individual level, then multiplied out by however many people there are. What we think of as ‘the media’ is prohibited from discussing this issue as a matter of personal ethics, and it’s not a small matter. Politics is currently all pumped full of religious rhetoric, which is a ruse for something that’s essentially a spiritual problem.

Let’s revisit the conjunction happening in Sagittarius for a picture of how that looks. Sagittarius is the sign associated with the spiritual quest, or quests of any kind for that matter. I like Alice Bailey’s description the best: the arrow represents the one-pointed direction of the soul determined to be conscious, free, and most important, determined to travel on its path of initiation or discipleship. Sagittarius is on one level about the centaur (who shows up there in some representations of the sign, because it’s in the constellation Centaurus), and this describes the spiritual question of, ‘Am I a man, or am I an animal?’ The whole war against sex that politics is currently so drunk on plays off of that very conflict, and it’s a septic conflict at the moment: it’s infected. But if we take Sagittarius on what you might think of as a more evolved level, it’s about the quest of making contact with one’s soul. And here, our society and many people in it have a little problem.

The way most people are trying to handle the infection factor, and many other attributes of the issue, is with painkillers. This is represented by Pholus, which is about intoxicants; those include everything from alcohol to video games. One of the mental states of Pholus is being so drugged that you’re out of control.

Hylonome is the next factor — a female centaur about grief and how we deal with it, extending from the most personal response to mass eruptions in society. It’s about ‘the cry of the poor’ (a cry growing louder by the day) and how we respond to it. Hylonome can have a suicidal or ‘senseless’ quality. We must suppress an enormous amount of grief just to get through the day. We do so every time we turn away from pain and suffering, every time we walk past someone we could afford to help, every time we train ourselves to be insensitive. We might dress this up as ‘having boundaries’, or we could say that to be alive right now, many think it’s necessary to live behind walls.

Photo by Eric Francis.

You can think of people who cheer about a patient dying, or inmates dying, as a wall. What is behind that wall? The answer is a world of pain. This would be better served in a therapy room, and is safe enough in one’s living room, but when it becomes expressed as public policy, we all have to be concerned.

I have also mentioned Ixion, the small planet hanging out in this neighborhood, the one that’s about lack of morals and ethics; in a word, depravity, disguised as religion (nothing new, I know). Ixion is less precisely aligned in this mix (it’s about two degrees from Pholus and Hylonome) — but it’s been working over the Great Attractor for several recent years, evangelizing the weak with the idea that there is no difference between right and wrong.

As for the Great Attractor itself. What we know is that it’s a supermassive, pumped-up radioactive deep-space point that even astronomers have a hard time understanding. It’s not what you would call human. Nobody has ever seen it. Its existence is inferred by many clues, such as all the galaxies rushing in its direction — more than a million of them. But it’s rushing away at the same time. If Sagittarius has anything to do with our soul’s quest, this is an extremely tense situation — and to some degree we are all in it.

We might start to work out our situation with a basic understanding of cause and effect. Every effect has a cause, every cause has an effect, and the two cannot be separated, no matter how fast we run, or how blotto we try to make our awareness. In a word, this is the law of karma.

Much of what we seem to struggle with is free will. If we have free will, then we need karma as a governing agency. We currently live as if cause and effect have no relationship. We don’t need to prove the point one way or the other — we just need to look at what is so.

Lovingly,

Planet Waves FM: Venus in Libra, 9/11 and the Gardasil Girls

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I look at Venus entering Libra, which is the chart I used for the horoscope in today’s edition of Planet Waves. Venus is making a lot of aspects as she moves through the first few degrees of Libra, including a conjunction to Typhon (the planet named for the god of storms), an opposition to Uranus and a square to Pluto. That’s a lot of aspects for sensitive, complex Venus.

This involves Uranus square Pluto, the 2012 aspect. We’re going to keep getting new experiences of this all the time; Venus making an opposition to Uranus and then a square to Pluto over the next few days is a good example. Venus opposite Uranus feels like a relationship experience, and then the subsequent square to Pluto feels deep and introspective. I also previewed the aspect that is the subject of the article above — Pholus conjunct Hylonome. Speaking of that kind of deep cultural stuff, I wrap up my discussion of 9/11 for now. This includes a visit from Dick Cheney, who was portrayed brilliantly last night on The Daily Show. This is must-see, if you have any fetish at all for Mr. Evil. If you are a student of Jon Stewart’s pregnant pause approach to comedy, there are some juicy ones.

This short segment is featured on the cover of The Daily Show site at the moment (you may have to look for it now that it’s Friday, but the segment is called The Humanization of Dick Cheney). Note a correction, Cheney did appear as a guest on MSNBC, on Morning Joe.

One last topic, that I think takes about half an hour — HPV and Gardasil. This is just an introduction to an issue I’ve been following for more than 20 years, but it’s timely now because Michele Bachmann claimed that the vaccination caused mental retardation in one of her out-of-district constituents. Bachmann came under fire from both the ‘left’ and the ‘right’ for her position, which was apparently anti-corporate and anti-science at the same time. However, she is right, if not specifically correct in this instance. I reference two webpages in this discussion: The Truth About Gardasil site (don’t miss the video at the bottom), and then an editorial that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2009 — the best thing I’ve ever read about HPV or the vaccine.

I will come back to this issue, sooner if I hear from my listeners with their personal experiences. HPV is a significant issue in that it will affect from half to 90% of all sexually active people at least once. Yet the medical information is all over the map, contradictory and driven by marketing and profits. If you’re curious about how this relates to politics, CNN actually covered the issue yesterday. Amazing.

Here is your program in the old player and a downloadable archive.

Lovingly,

Photo by Eric. This is from slide film — now I remember what it looks like.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Sept. 16, 2011, #875 – BY ERIC FRANCIS

Revised and Updated! Click for Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — The past six weeks have been a challenging time in your home life, and you seem determined to resolve certain family or personal issues once and for all. However, I strongly suggest you check carefully and make sure that you’re solving the right problems. Your solar chart suggests that the main thing you’re struggling with is confidence. This started in early August disguised as an emotional issue, leading to all kinds of conflict and mischief. However, recent developments indicate that the actual matter involves the deepest level of faith. You may not be able to see this; matters of faith have a way of rendering themselves invisible. We more often see the results. Faith in this instance translates to faith in yourself, though that in turn connects to your sense of connection (or lack thereof) to something larger than you. The next few days may feel edgy, as if you’ve reached the limit of how far you can work with these themes; stay close to the edge and you will learn a lot.

Aries, your birth sign or rising sign, is getting some of the most potent transits of them all right now. I’ve recorded an hour of astrology and a tarot card reading for you. Learn more by visiting this page.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may be confronted with so much opportunity you don’t even recognize it as such — you may just feel overwhelmed. I suggest you do what you can to shift from an emotional orientation to a mental one. Think of your various life situations in a logical way, using words rather than impressions. You’ll not only feel better if you do; you will also be able to make some clear decisions that can free up your time and energy for what matters the most. Clearly you have a lot happening on the work front, and this is where I suggest you focus your energy — though this is going to require that same mental clarity I just described. Your emphasis on projects and responsibilities is not happening in a compartment. In truth it connects to every other aspect of your life; what you call ‘work’ is a doorway to many points of contact with yourself. Think of it as an organizing principle or point of integration rather than someplace you go every day — or would go, if you had the chance.

I’ve recorded an hour of astrology and done a tarot reading especially for you. It’s information that will help with your relationships, your professional life and your personal growth. Visit this page to find out more.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Life is not a game of how little consciousness you can get away with, but rather how much you can stand. You seem to keep drifting into a kind of slumber, then waking back up in the nick of time. This is partly because you’re using your mind for what you need to be doing with your senses. Let your mind process the information coming in through your senses, and you’ve got the formula for staying awake and alert: that’s a fancy way of saying paying attention. That is likely to lead you directly to creative mode. For you at the moment, the opposite of dullness is not alertness but passion, and you will know it’s passion because it comes with a blast of impulsive curiosity and the desire to dare. There is still part of your psyche that wants to lull you back to sleep, but once you catch the energy wave that’s building inside you, you will love where it’s taking you.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Someone you meet this weekend will give the impression that they’re important — and may be very important in your life. I suggest you not trust this on its face, but rather treat the person respectfully as your equal and see what develops. You’re at the end of a challenging cycle of experience, and are apt to be looking for a sense of authority. Tune into that within yourself. You know enough; you’ve been through enough. At this point authority translates to knowing what you want, and nobody else can tell you that. Others can keep you busy as you make your decisions about your own desires, and they may be able to point you in the general direction of yourself. That, however, is the limit that I suggest you allow others to have on you, no matter how enchanting, charming or all-knowing they may seem. Resist the temptation to think so — but make sure you listen carefully for grains of truth and wisdom. They are equally likely to come from you as from anyone else.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Have you ever had the experience of a splinter or shard of metal embedding in your skin, then healing over? Gradually it works its way toward the surface, and then finally one day pierces through. It’s an amazing feeling, and it reminds you that the body’s healing process works gradually but dependably. You’re experiencing something like this on the psychic level. It’s as if a fear got embedded in your mind, and disappeared beneath the surface. It’s presence down there was not exactly benign — it caused its share of chaos until it finally settled into place. Now it’s working its way upward, and it’s about to break the surface and set itself free. You may be experiencing this as the expectation of getting injured in some way, and in a sense that is true — there will be a little tear as it emerges fully into your awareness. But you’ll be a lot happier that it’s ended up where you can see and feel it, and where it cannot do any more damage.

Hello Leo! Your birthday report is now available. I’ve recorded 70 minutes of in-depth astrology plus a 20-minute tarot reading for you, exploring relationships, personal growth and your professional life. Visit this page for additional information.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — The Sun is now making its way through the last degrees of your sign. It’s been a long month, but you’re about to be the recipient of one last surge of summer energy, motivation and drive. You will, that is, if you don’t allow a partnership situation to sap your energy. I suggest you keep your focus on yourself, as challenging as that may be. The main distraction is likely to be emotional turbulence, and you may want to go deeper into the relationship in order to ‘work that out’ or ‘resolve it’. This is more like a temptation than a reality; the more you extract yourself from the situation and get some perspective, the easier it will be to see it for what it is. I recognize that you may have the sensation of descending into an uncomfortable kind of self-judgment, but your release from that feeling arrives shortly after you’re directly honest with yourself about it.

Eric is working on your birthday audio — we plan to have it available shortly — sorry for the delay. Please stay tuned!

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You have come to a point where you must discard your antiquated ideas about relationships. The people around you may not be on the path that is right for you, but they’ve certainly been providing enough provocation to wake you up. Finding your way is likely to fit a ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ model of thought, and this may come on like a storm. It’s essential that you recognize that your environment has become too confining for you. Yet everything in your surroundings serves a purpose — and you’ll have to redefine those purposes or how you engage with them, if you’re going to make any progress. Said another way, you have to get your needs met. But many of those needs are no longer valid or useful, and the best thing you can do for yourself is take this opportunity to figure out what is what. Allow yourself a moment of everything being transient. Imagine your life with no attachments, and consider what you would do.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Libra, please go to this link.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Taking authority has been a huge theme in your life this year. It’s been more like a dance with leadership, with power, and with ego drama. As Mars crosses the midheaven angle of your chart, you’re about to begin a whole new round of the game. Don’t let the temporary sensation that you’re standing on quicksand trick you into doubting your confidence. In a short while you will be fully engaged in a scenario that calls for your competence, leadership and restraint. How you handle yourself will either stir people to rebellion or command their loyalty. What makes the difference is how much confidence you inspire in them — and this really is up to you. Part of that ability to inspire will come from being undeterred from your goals, which I suggest you know well enough to recite in your sleep. Part will come from your ability to relate to people in a way that transcends the game level of reality. Connect with the idea that you’re in service to something larger, then carefully demonstrate this to others so they can do the same thing.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Scorpio, please go to this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are running on your instincts, to say the very least. I don’t just mean guiding yourself by them but rather caught in a torrent of inner guidance that may be taking over your mind. This goes deeper than intuition. I’m talking about something that feels more like surfing: being driven by the actual power of your thoughts and emotions. Intuition would be how you guide yourself within that stream. You may continually reach the point where your mind (or someone close to you) tries to intervene, and tells you you’re doing the wrong thing or don’t have the facts. Rather than getting into a pissing match, I suggest you enter into a dialog and do some fact checking. You then have a clear basis to accept or toss any idea that goes contrary to your inner flow. You’ve experienced plenty of examples where your logic was wrong, and I’m sure you wish you had tested it rather than merely taking its word for things.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Sagittarius, please go to this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Be careful in your financial dealings with others the next few days — there may be a predator in your midst, and if so, their behavior will not be obvious at first. You will need to be extremely sensitive to your boundaries and your sense of when your principles are being violated. That is the time to take notice. This in turn will help you notice what your principles are. If you maintain a continuous analysis of what is right and what is wrong for you, your sense of potential will open up. This is not the time to bend your ethics in the direction of what is most convenient, though I recognize that this is a prevailing theme of the times in which we live. Rather, subject everything you encounter to actual scrutiny, including your own thoughts. There is a line between this and not trusting anything at all; you’ll be able to see it if you look and feel. On one side of the line, everyone is suspect. On the other, everything appears in a shade of gray.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — I’m sure you would be grateful to know just what is bothering you. It seems to come into your awareness then sink beneath the surface. You may have the idea that it’s something specific, however I think that you’re responding to your environment. You’re more sensitive to your surroundings than you think, and the past five or six weeks have come with a diversity of twists and turns that have taken their toll on you. You may be tired of what some call passive aggression; you wish people would give you straight talk and reveal their motives. But deeper down, there is a question brewing about your philosophy of relationships. You know you need commitment and stability, and you know you need your freedom. This seeming contradiction is perhaps more evident in the lives of Aquarians than any other sign. At the moment, I would remind you that it has an abstract quality, based on the past. Treat your relationships individually, and size up how each one plays off of this theme.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Your faith in relationships may be at low tide, though I suggest you invest that faith in individual people rather than an abstraction or idea. Most people don’t know the difference. There is a difference — one is a thought in your mind, and the other is a person with whom you can have a real exchange. Such a person may well be in your environment right now. Their presence may be a little stronger or assertive than your usual tastes would prefer, though there is a real point of contact between you. I suggest you allow yourself to be provoked. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. The beauty of this encounter is that someone’s strength can make contact with an aspect of your psyche that you rarely allow anyone to see. Allowing that vulnerability is about you — not the other person. You’re the one making the choice, you know it, and that’s the ultimate turn-on.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

On the Shores of Scorpionic America

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Dear Friend and Reader:

If ever there was a week during the past nine years and 11 months to wonder what is happening in the United States charts, this would be the week. The debt ceiling hostage game that ended less than two weeks ago led to a reduction of the U.S. credit rating, which in turn set off a week of madness on world stock exchanges. The United States lost 30 of its most elite troops in Afghanistan on Saturday, including members of the Navy SEAL team that we were told assassinated Osama bin Laden in May (not the same guys, just members of the same group). And a slate of Republican candidates are vying for the presidential nomination, each one more driven by apocalyptic religious values than the next.

Uncle Sam, who is the Aquarius rising face of the United States: compelling, serious, traditional but somehow still friendly.

The probable Republican nominee, Rick Perry of Texas, held a revival meeting at Reliant Stadium in Houston last weekend, wherein he prayed for guidance about things like fixing the federal deficit. This might be meaningful — prayer often is — but it’s worth noting how many of his guests that day were rapture Christians (properly called dispensationalists) obsessed not with the God of love but rather with the end of the world. This segment from The Rachel Maddow Show explains that they are all part of one religious movement, which has vowed to take over the United States government for the purposes of hastening the end of the world. I know this sounds like science fiction, but it is neither scientific nor fictional.

Meanwhile, the Republican campaigns this year, while temporarily backing away from openly banning being gay or female, are focused on the issue of slashing what they call ‘entitlements’ — that is, the Social Security and Medicare payments of people who have paid into the system their whole working lives. Personally I remember being paid $2.90 an hour to work the deli counter at Foodtown, and seeing FICA deducted from my paycheck. I am sure you have a similar memory. Somehow making sure that nobody collects is going to save the country from the fantasy of ‘socialism’. But we seem to be suffering from a kind of antisocialism, and I think I have figured out where it’s coming from in the astrology.

Last week I introduced an alternate chart for the United States, called Scorpionic America. Most astrologers use a chart for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, called the Sibly chart. Scorpionic America is the chart for the Articles of Confederation, which were signed and sent to the colonies for ratification in 1777. Due to a technical error, I got the time of the chart wrong; I set the zone for local time in Pennsylvania, instead of Greenwich Mean Time. The Moon and planets are all in the same signs; changing the time in this chart mainly changes the ascendant and house positions. I read a chart with Gemini rising. Cast for GMT, the chart has Aquarius rising.

Once I saw that, I remembered my prior work (in the 1990s, mostly covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton for Rob Brezsny’s website) with the Aquarius rising chart. But that Gemini ascendant, with Uranus right there stirring up everything, all the time, describes a fickle country with no stable sense of identity. Uranus in Gemini rising reveals a mentally obsessed nation, over-identified with its concept of technology, that cannot decide whether it’s a Mac or a PC. That placement also describes a country obsessed with driving itself forward, while negating or destroying the past.

Scorpionic America, with its time zone corrected. The chart now has Aquarius rising. The Capricorn alignment shifts to the 11th house, where the United States fits into the community of nations — as a force obsessed with dominance. This also describes the population (of corporations that profit from war, and the wealthy who resist paying taxes). And it describes our supposedly puritanical culture that revolts by constant indulgence in excess.

What’s interesting is how the ‘wrong’ chart provides a picture of the United States that’s so accurate as to be disturbing — for example, that Capricorn 8th house, illustrating money and sex as a power trip, and an unaddressed obsession with death. The current Pluto transits to the 8th house of that chart describe our system of values crumbling, and the flourishing of an ‘end of the world’ mentality that is in something of a heyday right now.

But it’s not the ‘right’ chart. This has happened to nearly every astrologer: they cast a chart based on incorrect data, yet the chart provides useful information. The phenomenon of when the wrong chart works was documented by British astrologer Geoffrey Cornelius in his landmark 1994 book The Moment of Astrology. He uses examples of the wrong chart providing good results (in particular, analyzing the birth time discrepancy of Diana, Princess of Wales). In his view this demonstrates that astrology is a divinatory art. It’s closer to tarot cards than it is to scientifically documentable causation.

It’s a little spooky when the wrong chart gives a strong, accurate reading, and we also get a kind of reality check. It’s weird enough that we’re expecting any results at all following the orbits of little balls of ice, tracing imaginary lines in space and telling stories of long forgotten gods and goddesses.

However, what I’ve seen when going through a ‘wrong chart’ scenario is that even when it works startlingly well, the ‘right chart’ provides additional information and always has a surprise. As I mentioned, when you look at the chart drawn from ‘accurate’ data (remember that all of the national charts for the United States have speculative or reconstructed times), the chart comes out with Aquarius rising. The identity of the United States with Aquarius rising is Uncle Sam, that friendly personification of the government who wants you to join him — fighting wars.

Nessus Crossing the USA Ascendant

Specifically, the chart comes out with 22+ degrees Aquarius rising — and at the moment, there happens to be a minor planet right there, one that keeps coming up in charts over and over this year: Nessus. It’s transiting (i.e., going over) the Scorpionic America ascendant, a temporary (albeit very slow-moving) presence that is now dominating the identity of the United States.

This is a close-up of the ascendant of Scorpionic America. Though it’s not shown in the chart, Nessus is transiting the ascendant of this chart, currently at 21+ Aquarius; it will be in this range of the zodiac for another year, and in the first house for many years. The two brightly colored small glyphs (Pholus in green, Nessus in blue) are natal positions that strongly influence the character of the United States.

Nessus is a Chiron-like centaur planet — a small, potent thing with an erratic orbit, taking about 122 years to go around our Sun. All the centaurs have keywords such as healing process, focus, intensity and awareness. Nessus addresses the issue of consequences. It’s about the cycle of karma, what in Western thought translates loosely to the law of cause and effect. With Nessus, that cause and effect can relate to the themes of revenge, toxins and potentially inappropriate sexual behavior. This is a theme dominating sex-obsessed American politics, which seems to posit that all sex and discussion of sex is inappropriate. The logical outcome of this whole discussion — check my work, but this is what I have observed — is that women should have no right to control their bodies or their reproductive process. The gay question forces the issue into the paradigm of mental illness but of existential crisis. (For some evidence of this, watch this music video while it’s still available on You Tube, but I caution you, it’s distressing.)

Nessus has a distinct feeling tone to it, perhaps best described by Alice Miller in her books about multigenerational abuse patterns. Aquarius is a sign that speaks about patterns, often social, mental and psychological ones. And now the energy of Nessus is dominating the identity of the United States. We are not only seeing the mean streak of the United States emerge in a new way, it’s being sold to us again and again as the coolest thing ever. For example, people who paid in to Social Security their whole lives are being blamed for bankrupting the government — by collecting benefits with which they’re barely able to buy food.

There is currently a war being waged on women’s reproductive rights, which means women’s rights in general. There is a war being waged on public employee labor unions, and we’re being told that it’s somehow a good thing to reverse a century of progress of workers getting organized and having some collective bargaining power with the government. I could go on.

On one level this seems like a kind of drawing out of a toxic substance. But like most toxins it seems to be making the patient a little woozy. I’m noticing a lot of people waking up to how ugly the political situation is, and how much it’s influencing life, mainly because it’s suddenly being thrust into everyone’s face. If you’re in this situation, this may not be an easy moment for you. Fortunately you’re waking up at a time when many others are doing so, and when there are resources available to help you get informed and direct your energy constructively.

Capricorn Moves From the 8th to the 11th

In the version of Scorpionic America that I came up with for last week’s issue, I pointed out that Capricorn is in the 8th house, a region of the chart dealing with matters of power, money, death and sex. This resonates with what the United States is going through, particularly repeated crashes of various financial systems at the same time there is a mania for suppressing and controlling all forms of sexuality. That sounds a lot like a Pluto-8th house transit taken on an unconscious level, and it describes the obsession with power at all costs in current Washington politics that would make the Nixon administration envious.

United States of Corporations flag. This used to seem like a comment on our pervasive marketing culture; today it’s a comment on our actual political structure, particularly after the Citizens’ United v FEC decision of January 2010. That expanded the ‘personhood’ rights of corporations, many of which are as large as countries. They are also immortal — clearly these alien beings are not ‘people’, despite a series of Supreme Court decisions that make them out as such.

With the time revised to the original, that Capricorn material goes to the 11th house. The 11th is usually a much happier house than the 8th — the house of hopes and dreams. It’s also the house of one’s social group, as well as public benefit. I think of the 11th house as being about all of us here. With a cluster of Mars, the South Node and Eris there, the United States wears its hopes and dreams like a crown of thorns. And we can see a distinct paranoia of socialism. In the odd, modern version of that paranoia, we don’t want to help, but we expect to benefit from others — which is shown if you take a look at Jupiter in this chart.

The 11th house has two special meanings in the chart of a country. One meaning is that it’s the house of the government’s money. As the house that comes right after the 10th house, that money comes from the public. That public would include corporations (especially with Capricorn involved), and many of them don’t want to pay taxes — and get away with not doing so.

With Mars in that house, particularly on the South Node (obsession, past karma), we see an image of how much conflict this country has on the issue of taxes, particularly now with Pluto running through that house (which will be happening until a little past the end of 2023).

The second meaning involves the 11th as self in context of a group. The 11th is the role of the nation within the world community. It describes how we’re perceived. It’s an important house in the chart of a nation that used to control the economy of the world, and that still does control the world militarily, so much as that is possible.

You may not sit around wondering whether, or when, judgment day is going to happen, but it’s something of a national pastime for much of the United States. Further, rapture Christianity is now the dominant force in the Republican party and a significant — if unacknowledged — force in the Democratic party.

Bombing another country in the name of freedom — something that the United States does regularly — is a demented version of this house. Whipping up ‘freedom fighters’ in Central America, motley bands of CIA-backed rebels who bombed schools, churches and farming cooperatives during the 1970s, is another. I would describe that Capricorn cluster as cynical.

There used to be a term tossed around — Pax Americana. This refes to the peace established after the end of World War II in 1945. The term refers to the military and economic dominance of the United States in relation to other nations. It’s a derivation of Pax Romana of the Roman empire, the Pax Britannica of the British Empire and the Pax Mongolica of the Mongol Empire. I have always thought of it meaning, “We will carpet bomb you into peace.” If you’re one of those people for whom this policy of endless the bombing of others in the name of loving kindness never made sense, good for you.

This is a cynical way for a country to be. It’s time we started calling all of these wars out for what they are: crimes against humanity, for world domination and for the incalculable profit of the companies that supply the military with everything from weapons to food.

Full Moon in Aquarius

Now, this degree of Aquarius shows up just in time for a Full Moon this weekend. As we described in Tuesday’s edition, that Full Moon happens in Aquarius, closely conjunct Nessus — and conjunct the ascendant of Scorpionic America. So this degree is really in the spotlight. Indeed, the United States is in the global spotlight, and everyone is starting to figure out that something a little strange is going on. But I’m not sure many people know where, based on certain historical factors, this could all be heading if we don’t sober up and get involved.

Thirty years ago this would have been a fun little joke in National Lampoon. Today it’s a promo for a kind of ‘rapture central’ website, one that asks questions such as, “Is hell constantly expanding?”

I think if there is one thing suggested by a Full Moon in the Aquarius ascendant of this chart, it’s an eruption of public opinion — or at least public awareness. To me that Moon suggests we can taste the bitterness of who we have become as a country, an experience that just might influence some people to choose to be something else.

The question isn’t limited to public identity — it’s a personal matter with the Moon so closely involved. I suggest that’s the level we take it on — personally. National identity is a matter of pride for many people who have benefitted from what their country has to offer, or who appreciate their freedom. It’s also a matter of false pride for many who are willing to turn the other way on the conduct of their government.

We are entering a time of no illusions, when we must see our world for what it is, even if that means a revolution of consciousness. It’s time to see our culture and our society for what they are, even if that means we have to feel like hypocrites while we figure out what to do about it. This awareness will be thrust upon some; others will choose to change their perception consciously; for others it will be a gradual awakening. True, there are always some who remain asleep, or rather, who pretend to sleep. I doubt that’s your agenda; it does not serve your growth.

I would note, however, that hypocrisy plays an important role in the dominant political framework. The whole thing seems to be addicted to hypocrisy. The rage at ‘socialism’ seems to be rooted in fear about how we might all be equal — that a bank executive and his family might have more in common with an ‘illegal’ Mexican immigrant family than he thinks. There are actually people who experience this as terrifying.

Awakening often involves waking up in the middle of a paradox. How we can adjust to this new state of awakened consciousness, and what we might do with our awareness, are questions I want to leave open for now. Meanwhile, I suggest you tune in for a wave of consciousness as this Full Moon peaks Saturday. And follow the Planet Waves daily series this week — we’re about to enter another very unusual spell of astrology, which we’ll be covering day by day.

Lovingly,

Additional research: David Arner.

Planet Waves FM: Mars and our Moment of Revolution

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I look at Mars setting off the cardinal cross (currently square Uranus and opposite Pluto), as well as the Epoch of Revolution aspect Uranus square Pluto.

Eric on WDST Radio Woodstock – 1997.

When we reach one of these movements, we seem to have less to lose, and more to gain by experimenting, flexibility and not honoring the old, intractable and boring way of doing things. We might be feeling some instability — and that is the invitation to explore. The revolutionary activity — mainly the personal revolution in your own consciousness — is being set off by this weekend’s Full Moon in Aquarius. I also cover how Mercury retrograde is influencing all this adventure.

In the second segment I talk to Liz DiNovella, the cultural editor of The Progressive, who was on the scene of one of the recall elections yesterday in Wisconsin. For our musical guest, I reprise the Grateful Dead one more week, extending Jerry Garcia’s birthday celebration.

I have another special edition podcast — featuring a conversation with Gary Caton, and a short introduction about what happened in Wisconsin on Tuesday (Dems took back two of the four Repub senate seats that were up for recall). Note that because this happened with Mercury retrograde, the whole matter is still up for discussion.

If you prefer the old player you can listen by that method — and also have access to the full archives from the past 18 months.

Lovingly,

PS, Note to All the Signs: We’re still offering the Mercury Retrograde Report (one of my favorite 12 sign reports ever; this one came in on a beam of light) and the Midyear Report also offers 12 signs of useful, in-depth astrology for one low price.

Special Edition Planet Waves FM, featuring Gary Caton

This is a special edition Planet Waves FM covering the Wisconsin recall election, and the current astrology — the Full Moon, Mercury retrograde, and Mars getting into the Epoch of Revolution aspect, which is Uranus square Pluto.

Now Playing: Planet Waves Mercury Retrograde Report

Dear Friend and Reader:

The Planet Waves Mercury retrograde report is done. I’ve recorded an introduction and about 25 to 35 minutes of audio for each of the 12 Sun signs and rising signs. The audio introduction to the Merc Rx phenomenon in general is available to all readers, in which I give a primer on Mercury retrograde and describe key details of this one. The product itself is the sign-by-sign interpretation, which I offer in clear, easy-to-follow language. As you may know, I am always reaching for the point of sanity in the astrology, the solution set to what seems like an overly complex puzzle. I trust these readings will bring you some comfort, clarity and a few good ideas to work with in these wild and unusual days.

Analemma & the Tholos, Delphi, Greece. Photo: Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Mercury retrograde is a challenging event for many people. I do my best to counter those challenges with creativity and the intelligence made available by a careful reading of the charts. Whether you’re looking for work, sorting out your relationships or trying to turn a corner in your life, I trust you will find these readings helpful.

I’ve had an amazing time creating this report all week in the midst of much other activity — it seemed to create itself as the days went on, and I was a little wistful letting it go as I finished the 12th sign, Pisces. Now it’s in your hands — and I’m happy to offer it to you. If you’d like to hear the general introduction, you may listen to the audio above. (Please note one correction — when I say that the retrograde is 88 days, I mean the full orbit of Mercury around the Sun; the retrograde is usually 24 days.)

One thing about this particular Mercury retrograde is that it crosses the line between Leo and Virgo. We got the first such crossing in direct motion on July 28. Then we got another in retrograde motion on Aug. 8, and the third is in direct motion again on Sept. 9. Some astrologers describe the Leo/Virgo line as the sphinx point — where cat (Leo) meets human (Virgo). The crossing of house/sign cusps blends themes and helps us navigate unfamiliar territory. There are planets hanging out here — Transpluto on the Leo/Virgo line, and Neptune on the Pisces/Aquarius line. This adds some intrigue and depth to the circumstances surrounding this retrograde.

Leo/Virgo is the line where play meets work; where self-expression meets service; where passion meets the details of creative process. For each of the 12 signs I explore that relationship. You will find out what this means in your chart — whether you know your birth time (and hence your rising sign) or not. This report is brimming with personal guidance, strategy points and hints that will help you benefit from this retrograde, based on my experience covering (as in writing about) the past approximately 51 Mercury retrogrades.

If you’re vaguely interested in studying astrology, all 12 signs will be worth listening to because I go over all of the house cusps in one place. The house cusps are each a special zone of their own, each having unique qualities (like an extra 12 houses).

This is a one-purchase-gets-all-12-signs product, so you can read your Sun, Moon and rising sign — and those of your friends and loved ones. You may download or listen as many times as you like. There are some special offers included on the project’s homepage, in case you want to expand your self-inquiry. We’ve also included last year’s audio and the prior year’s written report (The Electric Tide), for the super-curious.

Here is how to get instant access. Or, listen to the free introduction.

Lovingly,

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, August 12, 2011, #871 – BY ERIC FRANCIS

Revised and Updated! Click for Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) — It’s always interesting how people who are, on their own, well-meaning and ethical, can form themselves into a group that ends up being scheming and nefarious. I suggest you make a note of anything like this happening in your social environment or any company you find yourself in, and do the Aries thing and stand away from the crowd. Note also that this may involve the collective mass psychosis of our society. You don’t need to play along with that, especially if you can see it for what it is. Take this opportunity to find your true friends: people devoted to clarity, healing and nonviolent communication. An environment that’s healthy for you is one that responds to you, and that offers a vibe that you recognize as creative and friendly. You may have to be brave and declare your independence in order to do this, and you may fear you’ll be lonely — but you won’t be for long.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — So, about your reputation — what do you think it is, what do you want it to be, and what is your worst fear of what someone will discover about you? You might want to make peace with that being known, so that you don’t fear being seen for who you really are. I’ll say this a different way. If you fear something about you being known by others, you may translate that into the fear of being seen at all. So make peace with your fears, and then let yourself shine. I would especially encourage you to put your ideas out where people can see, hear and read them. Be bold about your philosophy of life; challenge yourself and others to think; challenge others you don’t agree with; and don’t fear being challenged. Most people cower because of their own lurking sense of guilt, usually about nothing. Throw that into the flames.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — There is something trying to get your attention right in your local environment. I know, things rarely seem worth it if you don’t have to drive for at least an hour, but you may not need to drive anywhere to take advantage of this opportunity. You may not even notice that it is an opportunity; you will have to use your imagination. In support of making contact with whatever this thing is that I’m seeing, I suggest you spend time on your feet, walking around, visiting neighbors, friends, local businesspeople. Get to some kind of outdoor event this weekend. Don’t be afraid to drop the small talk and delve into real subject matter. Mercury is retrograde, which means invoke curiosity and ask questions. If someone puts something into your hand, look closely at it — it could be a gem of some kind.

Gemini is one of the most misunderstood signs — and as someone born under this sign, part of your role is to hold a mirror to the world. I’ve recorded an hour of audio for you, plus a 20 minute tarot reading. You can get access to these by visiting this page.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Friday’s Full Moon happens in your 8th house — the house of deep exchange and sharing. It happens in the sign Aquarius, which is about groups and the reality we all agree exists. The thing is, there are several main formats of reality going around lately. Some are friendly, some are not. I suggest you look for friendly, and if you happen to land someplace else momentarily, keep going. Friendly, for you, is going to mean friendly to sex. Many are figuring out that this is possible and even healthy. You seem to have your own healing work to do around your sexual values, and how they manifest in relationships; it’s as if you’re unsure whether you trust the whole erotic thing or not. It’s certainly led plenty of people to misery, and it’s also led many people to authentic liberation. Remember: ideas are involved. This is territory where intelligence is greatly rewarded.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — I have a friend whose partner is one person around her, and another person when others are involved — and the difference is not nice. You’re more the kind of person to be who you are all the time. What is the point of acting? You may have some opportunities this weekend to stand tall in your own beliefs and, more to the point, your own desire to be a benefactor to the world. Try not to be too shocked at the prevailing state of self-centered and superficial; you may be witnessing people acting out their injuries on one another. The place to draw the line is when this gets too close to you. How your direct partners and associates relate to others is indeed your business, because their conduct, and their beliefs, influence your immediate environment. Set the example of integrity, and the value of honest self-questioning.

Hello Leo! Your birthday report is now available. I’ve recorded 70 minutes of in-depth astrology plus a 20 minute tarot reading for you, exploring relationships, personal growth and your professional life. Visit this page for additional information.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Looking within is one of the most fearsome things that a modern person can do. Yet at the moment, your chart is all about an introspective journey — an honest quest to discover who you are. Part of why we’re so discouraged to do this is because we fear that we’ll be as wrong as others have tried to make us out to be. But what really happens is that we take on the role of the accuser — and the only way to get out of that role is to actually investigate and to prove oneself innocent. While this exists as a superficial issue, we can carry around a lot of tension, self-doubt and low self-esteem. There is only one way out of this, which is to proceed inward — past your doubts, past your fears, past the layers of judgment, and into a dimension of yourself you may have never encountered. Yes, as you travel, you may see shadows — but that’s all they are.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Virgo, please go to this link.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — If in your immediate environment you’re noticing that the views of certain people are too narrow to give you any room at all, you can surely find someplace where they are not. I suggest you make your assessment based on where you feel like you can be entirely yourself, which means free to express any opinion, including taboo subject matter. Now, there’s something encrypted in Friday’s Full Moon chart about your relationship to your mom — and your parents’ relationship to one another, and how this in turn influenced your childhood environment. To sum up, you may have ended up in a condition where you believed that being creative was dangerous because it shook up the people who were taking care of you. It’s time to let go of that fear — and that means taking a creative risk of some kind.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Libra, please go to this link.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — If you haven’t already figured it out, you need to keep your emotional management skills on full alert. If you don’t, certain disagreements you may be involved in could easily spiral out of control. I suggest you be very careful of your surroundings, especially if your family is involved, or some kind of household situation that you know in your heart is not healthy for you. You’re not one to walk away from a fight, but especially as the Full Moon peaks the next few days, discretion is the better part of valor. You happen to be in a phase of life when things can go amazingly well for you, if you keep your emotional energy clear and life affirming. Therefore I suggest you consciously surround yourself with positive influences, people who support you, and whose philosophy of life is in harmony with your own. I mean that starting immediately.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Scorpio, please go to this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Make sure you don’t take on someone else’s karma unwittingly. By karma, I mean responsibility for their conduct, or their less-than-wholesome intentions. There are lots of ways that karma is exchanged, which range from financial transactions to sex to catching cold in someone’s house. Therefore, I suggest you raise the bar on your psychic hygiene practices. Exchange energy only with people whose lives you affirm. I am aware that we’ve all been so injured by betrayal that we barely have any capacity to trust, even though we need to dearly. When trust is injured, it doesn’t go away; instead, it gets misdirected and invested in situations that don’t work out. So what you really have is an opportunity to select who you trust and why. At the basis of this whole growth process is having faith in yourself, because without that you have nothing — so please start there.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Sagittarius, please go to this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — If there is some kind of business deal imminent, I suggest you delay developments long enough to get the facts. You may think you know everything, but I would propose that you still have a few key bits of information coming to you. Overall it’s a potentially workable situation, however there is a liability that could change everything if you don’t address it. Be especially careful if you seem to be coming from a place of lack and others are coming from a place of abundance or power. It’s precisely that sense of lack where your vulnerability comes from. It’s not merely financial; attitudes about money are closely related to self-worth. Nobody is any better than you for seeming to have more — it does not make someone right, and contrary to popular belief, it’s not certification of their integrity. Therefore, I suggest you do your homework.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — This weekend’s Full Moon in your birth sign will test your capacity to be objective, and to tolerate all points of view. You may also have the challenge of making peace with many of your inner viewpoints, including some of the darker ways you feel about yourself. I suggest you go through this process boldly, while at the same time doing your best to suspend the belief in judgment. It simply does not work, as a practical matter. If you’re doing an assessment (of yourself or of others), look at the actual consequences involved in any situation and make your decisions based directly on those — not, for example, on your own emotional reaction or that of anyone else. This is often a challenging lesson for many humans to learn, but if something does not matter, it does not matter. Once you understand that I suggest you quickly give up trying to convince anyone else.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Your imagination is likely to be extremely active these days, though I suggest you be conscious about this and choose what movie you run. I also suggest you get out of your head and go for direct experience. The angles of your chart that describe actual exploration of the world are getting strong aspects right now (for example, energetic planets in Cancer and Leo), and you’re certainly free to experiment in real life. Be aware that doing so can have a guilt blowback, which is a typical psychological response that anyone who finally sets him or herself free has to learn to address. You’re in one of those moments where ‘the brighter the light, the darker the shadow’. Remember that shadow is not a substance, and it’s not energy. It’s based on lack of consciousness. Therefore focus on awareness, movement, activity, on direct encounters with people — and stoke up your most creative passions.

To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.