Tag Archives: self-awareness

The Day of Gutsy Confrontation: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 14
The Day of Gutsy Confrontation | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

For some time, your life has been a confrontation about whose power and influence not only guide but also define you. Ask yourself frequently who is actually making your decisions, and on what basis. Even if you feel that it’s you, the thing to question is what constraints seem to box you in. It’s high time that nobody held any power over you, though if there is indeed power, someone has to hold it: and it will be you, or someone else. This is not a hard choice to make.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

Today Mars in Cancer makes its exact opposition to Saturn in Capricorn (it will encounter Pluto in Cap — and Eris in Aries — next week). One possible manifestation of Mars-Saturn, particularly in an emotional sign like Cancer, is to feel lonely, cut off, inhibited or somehow unable to make an impression on others (though you may be feeling angry, feisty or frustratingly lusty). I suspect that when this dynamic is present, it adds a particular kind of fuel to whatever inner fire is sputtering for some recognition or sense of authority.

Feeling lonely or inhibited can foster resentment toward anyone who seems to possess more freedom, attention or power; that resentment can act like a burr in your britches. And that irritation could come out sideways in destructive ways if you don’t feel empowered to articulate it directly. But remember: the point of knowing that this kind of energy pattern may be afoot is that you then have an opportunity to see what’s going on, and can make choices that feel better and may lead to more productive outcomes in your interpersonal interactions. Note that you could encounter this in projected form, coming from someone else.

Mars in a trine to Neptune in Pisces may reflect a lower energy state than usual, and that inertia might exacerbate any feelings of being blocked or stymied. Yet Neptune at its best also offers considerable creative energy. And with Mercury also moving into these same aspects, you could very well put your imagination to good use in coming up with sensitive-yet-expressive ways of communicating your will and desires.

The Scorpio Moon will briefly turn this configuration into a grand water trine. Translation: watch out for emotional whirlpools. Staying in touch with verifiable facts and the actual, tangible limits of a situation could help — and see if you can dive under the surface of whatever’s bugging you or swirling around you. The deeper the water, the more stillness is available where you can get your bearings.
— by Amanda Painter

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

The Day of Far-Off Adventure: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is June 13
The Day of Far-Off Adventure | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

You will have to work for what is yours, and that’s what will make it your own. Taking possession of your talent, your energy, your efforts, your desires, your ability to love, your creativity and your sexuality — these are all body-level commitments much more than mental activities. Yet they are all connected to decisions, and these decisions must be made consciously. And then, if necessary, made consciously again the next day, and the next. What you are really exercising is your freedom to choose.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

In what ways do your acts of love and friendship help you to establish your individuality? How does insisting on being wholly who you are open up the way for a wide variety of friendships and partnerships? A sextile between Venus in Gemini and Chiron in Aries today could give you a foothold to making these connections — in the form of lived actions — though you’ll likely have to choose consciously to step into the territory when you see the opportunity.

Mars currently in aspect to Neptune in Pisces could open up your imagination, allowing you to see a new way of going toward what you desire. Mars is also opposing Saturn in Capricorn (exact tomorrow). Notice whether any kind of authority figure (possibly present and external, or an internalized voice from the past) seems to be standing in the way of these choices. Where is the point of negotiation that empowers you to be your own authority without getting deadlocked and stuck in past expectations?
— by Amanda Painter

Photographic Proof: Mars and the Sagittarius Full Moon

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By Amanda Painter

As you may be aware, we’re in the thick of Mars in Cancer making “the” aspects of the season (and of the year): oppositions to Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, which themselves are headed toward a stunning conjunction in January. We’re also building up to a Full Moon in Sagittarius on Monday that appears to carry some profound themes.

Photo by Amanda Painter

Speaking broadly, that’s a lot of energy looking for a way out, and it’s likely to find its expression in your relationships with other people. The Mars aspects indicate navigating the difference between empowered interactions and power struggles — with a layer of karma-fueled growth pointing toward new territory. The Full Moon, taking place on the ‘mental/spiritual’ spectrum, also carries its own karmic twist, which you may be able to apply to your relationships.

First, a refresher of the Mars aspects. Tomorrow (Friday), Mars makes an exact trine to Neptune in Pisces and makes its exact opposition to Saturn in Capricorn; on Wednesday, June 19, Mars opposes Pluto and heads toward Eris. All of these aspects have been in effect and growing in strength for a number of days already; you may find it useful to review Eric’s coverage of the themes from earlier in the week.

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The Day of Buoyant Optimism: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is June 12
The Day of Buoyant Optimism | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

Can there really be a battle between the past and the present? The past exists only in our minds, though for many people, that’s compelling enough to hold them there permanently. You are being summoned to find the present, and to resolve to live your life your way. That means you will need to abandon the seeming requirements and obligations others placed on you in the distant reaches of your history. Commit yourself to being the person you are today, not the figment of anyone’s imagination, including your own.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

Current aspects being made by Mars in Cancer appear to be marked by things like pushing against authorities, an urge to try a new path, or the impulse toward “aggressive caring.” Yet Venus — newly in Gemini, and opposing Ceres in Sagittarius today — seems to favor a lighter approach to interpersonal situations. For example, notice whether you find intellectual rapport, easygoing flirtation or verbal-philosophical banter to feel especially engaging now, and even nourishing on some level.

What new modes of relating do you feel like exploring? Does it vary like night and day, or like two sides of a coin, depending on who you’re interacting with? David Byrne once said, “Sometimes it’s a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence.” Today could be one of those days.
— by Amanda Painter

The Day of the Limit Pushers: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is June 11
The Day of the Limit Pushers Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

You may not know where a creative or emotional opportunity will lead you, though that’s not a good reason to pass it up. If you don’t follow your curiosity, what are you following? Caution is not a motivator, any more than you can drive to California only by stepping on the brake pedal. Challenges will most certainly arise, and they are more than “tests” and “lessons.” Your experience of your life is your opportunity to understand yourself, and to experiment with what you want. There would be no point to freedom otherwise.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

Today’s Libra Moon will be picking up on a longstanding aspect pattern in the early cardinal signs. Getting the Moon involved could make it feel more personal, or may bring in a less conscious layer of emotional response to old material that’s been making itself known lately. If you’ve been feeling indecisive about how to handle certain familial patterns or baggage, the influence of Libra could add to your vacillation. Then again, you may discover a balancing effect — a moment of equilibrium that allows you to see your situation with a little more grace, or to express it to a partner with real diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Mars in Cancer is moving into contact with Saturn, Pluto and Neptune this week. Given the option between digging into any kind of power struggle and using your empathy or imagination to help others (or to take your own new tack forward), which feels like it will be more beneficial and enjoyable in the long run? Know when you’re hitting your limits with others’ agendas, but also know your own deeper motivations.
— by Amanda Painter

The Day of Laughter and Sadness: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is June 10
The Day of Laughter and Sadness | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

Keep your perspective: don’t make small things larger than they are, and don’t count the small things as meaningless. Everything counts, though be aware of your tendency to exaggerate on the one hand, and get lost in the details on the other. Handle your affairs by prioritizing the most important matters, and the most timely; and by breaking big tasks into manageable steps. Venus newly in your birth sign suggests you will associate generosity with popularity. Be sure to keep those things in their proper places.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

Today’s first quarter Moon describes a good landscape for moving something forward, perhaps in an especially expressive way. This lunar phase is actually part of a bigger pattern: a grand cross in the mutable signs involving the Gemini Sun, the Virgo Moon, Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces. That configuration may offer some stability for whatever it is you need to do.

Here’s the question: do you feel like you need to loosen something up, or nail something down? Over the course of a year around the zodiac, the mutable signs come at the ends of seasons: after a fixed sign and before the next cardinal sign. As a result, they can sometimes act like one or the other. So you may want to check whether you’re at a point of needing to add flexibility and wiggle room to a process that has plateaued, or whether you’ve been vacillating to the point of inaction and now need to make a firm decision between options.

With the Sun also conjunct the centaur planet Asbolus, it’s also possible you’re in a ‘survivor’s mindset’ of some sort. We’ve all been through shit, and it’s not productive to compare who’s been through the worst; at the same time, there’s value in awareness of where you’ve been, seen alongside where you are now. All of that exists within you at all times. Since you get to choose what to do with it, why not see what new and beautiful places you can go with your well-earned wisdom? Today’s astrology suggests that you don’t have to be a Pollyanna to contribute to the cycle of positive vibes — and even small acts of courage. You only need to be you.
— by Amanda Painter

The Day of Mental Insistence: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is June 9
The Day of Mental Insistence | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

One interesting fact of literature is that it’s the fictional books that last the longest, and the factual books that seem to fade into obscurity long before their pages go yellow. What is memorable about life is what we learn from story. This can have mighty power, and it can be equally toxic, as people abuse the power of narrative to convince themselves of things that ultimately do not serve them. From day to day and year to year, you tell stories about your life. Make sure those stories are ones that actually support your growth, and put you into contact with your deeper being. Listen carefully when you speak.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

Are you feeling evasive or daring? Low-energy or optimistic? Does it depend on what you’re doing (or are supposed to do) and who you’re with? The Gemini Sun appears to be raising these questions as it squares Neptune in Pisces today and opposes Jupiter in Sagittarius tomorrow. Notice if you’re feeling inclined to sidestep an uncomfortable situation or confrontation through deception, just because you’re discouraged or not in the mood. That said, it’s equally possible your innate idealism could get a boost today. Just keep tabs on the potential for extravagance — which is essentially overstepping your own boundaries — and for overstepping the boundaries of others. Are you sure that person really needs to know everything you have the urge to tell them?

The asteroid Vesta entering Taurus today appears to offer some steady focus and practical devotion you can tap into if needed. Connecting to nature with all of your senses and reorienting on protecting both your personal resources and those of planet Earth may also begin to call to you.
— by Amanda Painter

The Day of Influential Individualism: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is June 8
The Day of Influential Individualism | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | All Other Signs

What drives you? What is your true motivation? Is it creativity? Or is it the need to survive? That’s the question to keep asking yourself this year. If you find that you’re leaning heavily on survival instinct to get by, you might want to reassess that and take a bolder and more adventurous approach. Your life is an experiment, though for you these days, it’s an experiment in being real. How bold can you be about calling the events of life as you see them? What are the limits on your ability to be truthful?
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading.

Written in the Planets

The more you can keep any inner tension around relationship needs and their attendant emotions front and center (as opposed to operating from the shadows), the better today. The asteroid Juno in Cancer is square minor planet Eris in Aries; this could have the potential to manifest as an urge to be less-than-upfront about what’s really driving you emotionally. If you’re feeling ‘unmet’ in any way by a partner or prospect, resist the urge to use any tactic smacking of manipulation to get the attention you desire.

Speaking directly about what you want may feel awkward or scary, but it should give you the satisfaction of taking action that is clear to all involved. Even if the answer you receive is ‘no’, you’ll be in a stronger position within yourself to see your options for next steps. A Sun-Neptune square emphasizes the need to stay aware of just how honest you’re being with yourself — and therefore with others — this weekend.

Also note that Venus, the planet of love (among other things) enters Gemini tonight. This describes a social environment that’s charming, friendly and possibly marked by intellectual rapport and flirtation — which bodes well for many types of weekend situations. If sex is on your agenda, you may feel inclined to a little more variety than you were while Venus was in Taurus. Why not play?
— by Amanda Painter