Tag Archives: Relationships

The Day of the Showman: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 5
The Day of the Showman | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

You have not chosen an easy path, but you have chosen a meaningful one — or you surely want to. You have things you want to do, and you have the passion to accomplish them. Here is what I suggest you remember, and remember all the time: you are your most important asset. Not your money, not your friends, not your circumstances — you personally. That includes your talents, your knowledge, and your spiritual connection, which I suggest you focus on first and foremost. Any problems you may face are merely puzzles to be solved.
— by Eric Francis

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

Written in the Planets

Chances are you can trace many of your sensitivities, concerns, sense of security (or lack thereof) and emotional response habits to those of your immediate family members. They, in turn, can trace theirs back to the previous generation. And so on. As Venus opposes Quaoar in Capricorn today, notice whether you see any of that mirrored to you in any way.

The great thing about such moments is that when we’re able to recognize what someone is showing us as our own ‘stuff’, we get an opportunity to choose a new approach if we don’t care for what we see. If you’re being shown a constructive or creative way of meeting the world (whether it’s your family’s typical approach or something new), you can be more conscious about modeling it for others.

The Moon continues through Leo with flair today, lending end-of-the-week activities an extra social vibe. Playing with kids could feel especially rewarding — and if you’re lucky enough to enjoy a four-day weekend, offers a great way to keep the energy moving, especially if adult interactions seem fraught with miscommunication or frustration. Mercury is very slow and powerful now as it prepares to station retrograde on Sunday, requiring extra focus with communication of all sorts. Easy does it.
— by Amanda Painter


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

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

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

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

Fireworks or Fireflies? Mercury Stations Retrograde

By Amanda Painter

Mercury stations retrograde in Leo this Sunday, July 7, at 7:14 pm EDT (23:14:20 UTC). This means that we’re now in the ‘storm’ phase: the two to three days on either side of Mercury stationing retrograde or direct. Given the astrological location and cultural timing of this event, you’ll want to approach the next several days with increased awareness.

LED hula hoop in lieu of fireworks; photo by Amanda Painter

LED hula hoop in lieu of fireworks; photo by Amanda Painter

Eric has dubbed this the “Anger Management” retrograde, thanks to Mercury stationing in a conjunction to Mars: a fiery planet in a fiery sign.

With Mars relating to such things as desire, ambition and aggression, and Leo often shining through as pride or drama (though it can also manifest as more heart-based leadership), you can probably start connecting the dots. Add in the mental level represented by Mercury — and the ways that our attempts to communicate and be understood often fall short — and frustration levels can spike quite easily in such an astrological environment. Our increasingly digital landscape adds another layer of disconnect — subtleties get lost; buttons get pushed; egos flare up.

Mercury-Mars conjunctions, when working at their best, can describe great mental and physical energy, especially in a fire sign. You can tap this to accomplish much if you have a goal in sight, or an obstacle you need to overcome.

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The Day of the Group Representative: Birthdays and Planet News

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

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

Written in the Planets

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

Written in the Planets for Thursday, July 4

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

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

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

The Day of Emancipation: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 1
The Day of Emancipation Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

It is a fact of your reality that you have little choice but to be exactly who you are. Yet in order to do that, you need to know what you are not, and drop it like ballast from a balloon. There is some old story that is clouding your perception, and some old commitment that is blocking your ability to move effectively in the world. With a little thought, you will be able to determine what this is. Whether you have the power to let go of negative attachments — well, that, you will see. That would be good, since much better possibilities await you.
— by Eric Francis

Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading

Written in the Planets

You might consider today how your closest bonds and pairings support your creativity, your mind, your emotional wellbeing and your sense of yourself as a whole and interdependent (but not codependent) being. There are many ways this can happen; usually we look for our relationships simply to make us feel good — and that’s an excellent sign. Sometimes, though, our most effective relationships — even if short-lived — are the ones that spur us to reconsider what we’re doing, or to realign with what matters most to us, or to grow. And often growth comes about in challenging ways.

However you think about it, you might have an encounter today that helps you to see things from this perspective, or similar. It’s possible you’ve already had such an experience sometime in the last few days, as Venus in Gemini has moved into an opposition with the Galactic Core and the centaur Ixion in Sagittarius. Notice in particular what people are showing you about your power to choose.

If you’re seeing something that looks like a ‘second chance’, how might you prefer to choose this time? What might feel like a truer, more authentic, or more holistic way of relating? If you find yourself sliding into frustration or critical self-talk about your choices and tendencies, consider that a hint to look for the grace in the situation, such as gratitude that you’re able to see it at all. As a spiritual being having a physical experience, a little self-forgiveness can go a long way toward learning the lessons we keep repeating.

Later this evening, Mars joins Mercury in Leo, which suggests getting fired up in spirit and body. Then the Moon enters Cancer (at 9:24 pm EDT), on its way to tomorrow’s New Moon and solar eclipse. What intentions would you like to set for your next 6-12 months, and what can you do in the next couple days to put energy toward them?
— by Amanda Painter


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

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

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

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

The Day of Airborne Dreamers: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 29
The Day of Airborne Dreamers | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

Hold out your full respect for the power of desire. That is what drives you, on whatever level you may need to be motivated. The words, “I shall not want” represent the surrender of your personal volition, the most potent force in your psyche. The challenge, though, is knowing what you want, which is also about knowing what’s true for you. This is your quest. As you embark on it sincerely, you will notice there are a lot of things you have no use for, and should not be part of your life. And you will notice what really turns you on. Mark the difference.
— by Eric Francis

Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading

Written in the Planets

How many different stories do you tell yourself about who you are in your friendships and love relationships? If you hold any conflicting beliefs or emotions about yourself in this regard, do you tend to favor one side and try to ignore the other? Venus in Gemini is making a square to Borasisi, and could raise these issues. Venus is also conjunct the asteroid Chaos. Is there a place in your heart that predates your relationship narratives? If so, does it feel like a place of origin or homecoming, or does it just feel confusing?

With Venus also moving into an opposition with the Galactic Core, stepping back to see the bigger picture — such as in spiritual terms, rather than ‘personal’ emotion — could help you to get oriented. In other words, how do concepts like agape or the Golden Rule intersect with how you think about and offer love? Notice if anyone this weekend offers that view to you, and maybe write a love note to yourself about what you learn, for future reference. The Moon entering Gemini later today could accelerate the speed of thoughts and moods, making them trickier to pin down as sociability increases.
— by Amanda Painter

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

A boy from Honduras is shown being taken into custody by US Border Patrol agents near the US-Mexico Border near Mission, Texas, June 12, 2018. Photo by John Moore

Caring in Action: the Cancer Eclipse

By Amanda Painter

Dear Friend and Reader:

Eric wrote at the beginning of the week about today’s Sun-Chiron square, and the collective healing needed to our inner masculine/yang sides. Then I looked at the chart for the July 2 Cancer New Moon and solar eclipse, and started thinking about the daily assaults on our empathy and capacity to care that are being made by the daily news.

Demonstrators gather to protest against the separation of immigrant families at the border in Austin, Texas, on June 14,  2018. Photo by Amanda Voisard / Statesman.com via AP

Demonstrators gather to protest against the separation of immigrant families at the border in Austin, Texas, on June 14, 2018. A year later, things are no better. Photo by Amanda Voisard / Statesman.com via AP

And it all cascaded together in my perception of what amounts to the ongoing psychological and physical torture of immigrant children separated from their families and being held in detention at the U.S. border. I’ll get to the astrology in a moment.

I’ve been seeing a lot about this in my Facebook feed and my email inbox. The strongest recurring theme, however, is an overwhelming sense of paralysis: not knowing what we can do; wondering ‘why isn’t anyone organizing a mass protest?’; asking ‘who is organizing something I can join with?’; feeling completely at a loss regarding which actions will help and which might actually make things worse.

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Today is The Day of Stamina: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 26
The Day of Stamina | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

You seem impatient to reach a new phase in your professional life, though it would help to ensure you follow all the necessary steps. If you want to fit into a specific role but don’t yet have the qualifications needed, get the training, or apprentice yourself to someone who will teach you and answer your questions. You are never too old to learn new skills, and few prizes worth gaining require zero effort. Set aside any preconceptions you have of how things ‘should’ be, though your enthusiasm can serve as an excellent source of fuel to drive you onward.
— by Amy Elliott
Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading

Written in the Planets

Our current sky appears to be describing a particular idea a few ways: who we are in our sexual identity, how we express that, and the ways that such a personal matter has taken on out-sized political significance in Western culture. Astrologically, these ideas are described by the Cancer Sun (consciousness and self-expression) square Chiron (awareness, healing) and Salacia (sexual secrets and ‘scandalous’ material) in Aries, in a T-square with Eros in Libra (what turns you on, in any sense).

It’s worth bearing in mind that while the sign Cancer has that spark of initiative all the cardinal signs are known for, there can also be an element of indirectness to it. Think of the way crabs run sideways for an image of how that can work. Many people go to great pains in order to sidestep any kind of direct acknowledgement and overt embodiment of such topics as their most private sexual longings and leanings, their deepest wounds to identity, and even any kind of passionate excitement or curiosity (gotta be cool and ironic, right?). You can probably see the potential for tension here, even if you’re not feeling it yourself.

If you are feeling tension around these themes, communication — at least of the verbal sort — could feel less vulnerable after Mercury enters Leo later tonight, at 8:19 pm EDT / 00:19:17 UTC Thursday. You don’t need to be dramatic to claim your right to be who you are; even small experiments in self-expression could feel bold and get results.
— by Amanda Painter

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

The Day of the Sensitive Receptor: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 25
The Day of the Sensitive Receptor Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

What might seem like a challenging or stressful situation in terms of your career path has the potential to serve as a spur that drives your development. You’ll need to engage with it actively: take that course, seek out the promotion, start your own venture — and make it your own. If you’re bored, irritable or restless, check whether you’re angry. You might not need more stimulus; you might need to address a situation you have not considered before. Though the idea may seem scary, it’s a necessary step toward acknowledging your true capability and sense of purpose.
— by Amy Elliott
Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio ReadingWritten in the Planets

Written in the Planets

Today’s the last quarter Moon: a square between the Moon in early Aries — conjunct Chiron — and the Sun in early Cancer. This indicates at least a couple of things. One is that you may notice an emotional or intuitive sense of some Sun-Chiron themes.

Included could be such things as: the ways your self-expression has in the past been damaged or stunted; issues around your father, particularly how well he was or was not able to be fully himself; other struggles around expressing your identity, including but not limited to your sexuality; how you balance your emotional/receptive and physical/active sides. Other minor objects in the aspect pattern suggest some possible tension between how you feel compelled to express yourself now and the prevailing story you tell about how your relationships came to be the way they are. Is it possible that leaning into the expressive side could actually help you to integrate the rest of it?

The other thing to know about this last quarter Moon is that it’s the final Moon phase on the way to next week’s Cancer New Moon and total solar eclipse. That happens on Tuesday, July 2, and is the first of a pair of eclipses this summer on the Cancer-Capricorn axis. I’ll have more about the solar eclipse chart in the coming days.

In the meantime, continue to keep a finger on the pulse of your frustration, anger, resentment and desire, as Mars in Cancer is still in a square to Eris in Aries. Have you been able to express those emotions constructively? Or is it proving difficult to own your reactions and be direct with the other people involved? Being honest with yourself about this first may make it easier to communicate more effectively with others.
— by Amanda Painter

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