Tag Archives: self-awareness

The Day of Imaginative Revelations: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is July 7
The Day of Imaginative Revelations | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

Give the past its place, but not too much of one. Give it enough of a voice that you learn from your experiences. Be sure to claim the knowledge and wisdom you’ve gained. Check in with people you’ve known a long time, if you want to check whether something you’re thinking of, planning or about to do is realistic. And above all else, be strategic with money. You do not need to spend a lot to get the results you want, and it’s likely you could do with spending a whole lot less. As wise old Ben Franklin supposedly said, a penny saved is a penny earned.
— 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

Mercury stations retrograde in Leo today at 7:14 pm EDT (23:14:20 UTC). It will appear to backtrack into Cancer on July 19, and then finally stations direct on July 31 (or Aug. 1, depending on your time zone). Mercury’s tone in these two signs — Leo and Cancer — suggests you may find yourself reviewing things like how your pride and emotional sensitivity can influence your thinking (or have done so in the past). And by “influence” I mean hijack, sometimes in grand style.

To have Mercury stationing retrograde in a conjunction with Mars in Leo heightens this potential, particularly where matters of ego, over-identification with ideas, and entitlement come into play. You might watch for whether any information or insight along these lines rings a bell right around the time of the exact station. Consider imposing a delay on any emails, text messages or phone calls that deal with sensitive, reactive or potentially inflammatory matters, especially for the next several days. Depending on how the retrograde unfolds for you, you may wish to keep that protocol for the entire process. As always, if you can avoid making any major purchases or repairs for the next three weeks or so, it could save you some hassle. Usually a workaround can be found.

Venus in aspect to some objects early in the cardinal signs appears to be pushing the issue of how you feel about certain matters of sex (notably the more secretive or supposedly scandalous), and how — or whether — you speak about them. Are you facing familial taboos and associated internalized judgment? Is this just a matter of becoming willing to stand out as an individual, or is there a genuine need to understand your situation logically and keep some balance? Notice particularly if you seem to be sentimentalizing sex or relationships at the expense of your true desires and turn-ons, or in contradiction of apparent facts. Why would you feel compelled to do that?

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

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

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

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

The Day of Magnetic Desire: Birthdays and Planet News

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

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

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

Written in the Planets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Day of the Showman: Birthdays and Planet News

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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

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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

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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

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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 Motivation: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is June 30
The Day of Motivation | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

Normally I would never recommend that anyone scale back their ambitions or even suggest to keep them realistic, though your chart is sending you the “reality check” message. The sticky point is knowing what you want, rather than investing considerable energy into a goal or ideal that turns out not to be the thing that really gets you going. Keep exploring. Keep asking questions and, most of all, persist in your experiments — without making a major commitment. At just the right moment, your project will pick 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

In case you have not heard yet, we’re heading toward a total solar eclipse on Tuesday (visible primarily in parts of South America and the Pacific). That occurs with the Cancer New Moon, and is the first in a pair of eclipses; the corresponding partial lunar eclipse occurs two weeks later. One of the best ways to use these events to your advantage is to set your sights on where you’d like to direct your life, and then go about doing the things you love and want to do more of, along with activities that relate to your goal.

You don’t have to wait until the eclipse proper to set things in motion, though, and you may find it helpful to focus on this process beginning now. Don’t worry about ‘getting it right’ or having a perfectly clear vision for where you want to head (though if you do have a specific vision, definitely work with it). Eclipse weeks can act a bit like an alternate dimension when unusual opportunities crop up; yet their energy also unfolds in subtle, gradual ways over the following months. Part of that unfolding could include discoveries that shift your sense of where you want to go and how to get there. In other words: it’s okay to hang a little loose, and to feel like a work in progress. Everyone is, after all.
— 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 Airborne Dreamers: Birthdays and Planet News

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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.