Tag Archives: Taurus

Photo by Amanda Painter

Chiron in Aries and the Sun in Taurus

By Amanda Painter

Tonight, at 11:12 pm EDT (3:12 UTC Friday), the Sun enters Taurus. This happens just two days after Chiron’s noteworthy move into Aries. You might be having an “interesting” week — though having the Sun in Taurus should help you to ease back on the pace and find some solid footing.

Early sumac leaves; photo by Amanda Painter.

Early sumac leaves; photo by Amanda Painter.

Part of the “interesting” factor likely comes from the fact that Mercury is still getting itself sorted out after its station direct in Aries this past Sunday.

While the planet of the mind gradually makes its way in forward apparent motion, things sometimes stay a little bumpy for a while. Often that’s the result of new information leading to reversals of decisions, and new levels of insight.

In the midst of that, I hope you’ve taken a moment to notice some of the week’s news stories, especially those that broke on Tuesday with Chiron’s entrance into Aries. This is one way to gather clues about a planet’s “message” in a new sign; that is, what it’s trying to bring our attention to. When a planet enters Aries (or any of the cardinal signs, which also include Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) political events and news that embodies something of the current zeitgeist — and which is personally relevant for many people — can be very telling.

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Finding Strength No Matter How the Light Breaks Through

By Amanda Painter

Every once in a while, if I’m feeling a little stumped for an overarching theme for one of these columns, I’ll draw a tarot card or an oracle card of some sort, with a question: what do readers most need to hear — what serves their highest good — regarding this week’s astrology? Sometimes it takes some meditation for me to see how the card offers a way in; such was the case today.

Acadia National Park; photo by Amanda Painter.

Acadia National Park; photo by Amanda Painter.

I think that’s partly because this week’s Taurus Full Moon — which is exact on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1:23 am EDT / 5:23 UTC — has a busy chart. There are several strong aspects involved, most of which are already palpable — either in people’s personal lives, or reflected in the news (think surprises — including sudden tragedies, disruptions, confrontations or stalemates, and an urge to do something).

Even so, it can be tough to see the big picture of a particular astrology chart when there’s so much detail begging for interpretation. So I’m going to start by describing the card I pulled: the Nine of Wands from the Rohrig Tarot, created by Carl-W. Rohrig.

Traditionally, the Nine of Wands is associated with resolve and resilience, often in the face of roadblocks. Those themes can still apply with the Rohrig Nine of Wands, which carries the word “Strength” at the bottom. But this card depicts the theme differently: as a brilliant burst of white light that has blasted some sort of stone container open.

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june18-2017

Energy Surge: Bring on the Solstice

Somewhat astonishingly, we’ve nearly arrived at summer solstice. On Wednesday, within hours of one another, the Sun and Mercury ingress the sign Cancer. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the week when the days are longest and the nights are shortest. The Sun seems to be at stasis.

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The Lighter Side of Taurus

Dear Friend and Reader:

The Sun is now in Taurus, the first earth sign of the astrological year, and the first fixed sign. After the fiery start of the cycle in Aries, Taurus stands as an anchor in the zodiac, making sure that the cosmic wheel doesn’t go flying off the axle. Taurus offers consistency, a sense of grounding in the sensual world, and its own special kind of fertile chaos.

Planet Waves
The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali, 1931. The landscape is as much part of the message as are the melting pocket watches. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

I’m sure many of you who attract those from among the herd of Taurus people have noticed some of this. With that stability covered, then comes the need for flexibility and change. That’s not always so easy in Taurus Land, though the configuration of the sky is telling a different story this year. Two main features describe this, though by the time I’m done writing this article I am sure I’ll come up with a few more.

Think of this sign as a place where the soul goes through a tempering process. Just like the Earth itself, Taureans are hot, hot, hot on the inside and cooler on the outside. Just like the Earth, they can be all temperatures and all climates on the outside, though that core is always burning. To an observer looking at the exterior of a person, they might see a slow-moving majestic quality, the kind of quiet dignity that you feel in a forest.

Yet this inner-outer temperature differential creates a pressure dynamic within the person. Looking at or even speaking casually to someone with this sign strongly placed in their chart, you might not figure that out. It’s revealed in the indescribable magnetism they have; a certain compelling quality that almost everyone notices. It’s a subtle kind of intensity, and it’s powerfully creative.

My personal favorite Taurus artists include Bono, David Byrne, Brian Eno and Salvador Dali; then there is Carrie Fisher (Moon in Taurus), Audrey Hepburn, Meryl Streep (Moon in Taurus), Dionne Warwick (Moon in Taurus) and Barbra Streisand — notice more than a few unforgettable voices among them. Taurus is the sign associated with the throat, speech and vocal quality.

Planet Waves
The Lady With the Lamp (Miss Nightingale at Scutari, 1854). From the painting by Henrietta Rae, Library of Congr. Prints & Photos Division.

Taurus energy can be obsessive, and driven to service in a way often ascribed to Virgo. Pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale had both the Sun and the Moon in Taurus, in a close conjunction.

She laid the foundation for the modern nursing profession with her devotion, foresight and attention to detail. So on the one hand we could say that while Taurus energy is resistant to change, that’s another way of saying it has the stability to be a pillar of society. Her contributions went on and on, and she lived to the age of 90. If you’re curious about this sign, I suggest you read about her truly fascinating and visionary life.

Time feels different when you’re a Taurus (depicted by Dali’s visions of melting clocks; they were autobiographical). It’s rather like how a geologist will look at a mountain range and see an animation: they see the glaciers in motion (even though that was 25,000 years ago), they see the gradual uplifting taking place, and they see the evidence of long spans of time.

Most of us look at a mountain and see something just standing there, and it is — but the motion is subtle and persistent. Like mountains, Taurus has an enduring quality (Queen Elizabeth II) — but it is far from stagnant.

As for what is different about our current Taurus experience. One salient quality of our moment is that Jupiter is in Taurus. It has been there for just under a year; all Taurus birthday (solar return) charts for 2012 will have Jupiter in Taurus as a distinctive feature.

Jupiter’s energy expands and magnifies. In a fixed sign, it will offer some extra flexibility. It can bring to visibility the best qualities of this sign, as well as have a softening quality. This lightens the energy of what can be a serious and reserved sign. If Taurus tends to see the world in sharp contrasts (it often seems this way), Jupiter is adding subtle shades and hues. That includes a more philosophical approach to life and a wider worldview and self-concept. For many with strong Taurus placements, this is a time of spiritual awakening. For everyone, Jupiter in Taurus is an opportunity to notice what is valuable, and treat it that way (that’s a useful description of spiritual).

Planet Waves
Venus in Gemini. Photo by Eric Francis / Book of Blue – New York. Link to higher resolution version.

The other standout feature this year is that Venus, the traditional ruling planet of Taurus, is in Gemini for an extended visit. This is another picture of mutable energy influencing Taurus, as Gemini is all about flexibility. We’re also about to experience Venus retrograde in Gemini, though this is a special event because it involves the Venus transit of the Sun in early June. All Taurus solar return charts include Venus in Gemini, which brings the quality of mental vibrance to all things Taurean this year. I think of Venus in Gemini as a picture of emotional (Venus) intelligence (Gemini). This will serve to make Venus more expressive in words and tangible ideas than it might ordinarily be.

Venus is our most vivid representation of goddess energy in traditional astrology, and we sure could use some of that now. The professional pool sharks we call politicians have resurrected every anti-woman concept, policy and plan they can cram onto the airwaves. The Venus transit of the Sun, which takes place June 5, is a moment when the world will see Venus not as a bright feature of the night world, as we’re accustomed, but rather as a celestial feature visible in the light of day.

Astrologer Adam Gainsburg has described this as the emergence of the solar feminine — the boldly creative expression of feminine energy. Think of the Sun being penetrated by Venus, then pouring the energy out in all directions as pure, vivid light. One gift this will offer is some balance, yet it’s more than that. Fully expressed, hot, clear, creative feminine energy is something that most people have not considered, much less experienced, and as you might imagine it’s making some people nervous.

It will be beautiful to see what influence this has on the world, and on you.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

 

Taurus 2012 Birthdays: Behold the Solar Feminine

Dear Taurus Reader:

I’ve just finished your 2012 audio reading, a high-energy, loving, inspired look at your astrology over the next year. This is a special year for Taurus, due to the Venus transit of the Sun. Nothing like this again will happen until 2117 (not 2017, but a century later).

Planet Waves

Venus being the planet that represents you, this must mean something — and you can probably feel that something arriving in your life. It is indeed time for a change, though this is change on a cellular level, a re-creation of who you are. The Venus transit of the Sun describes someone who is bolder, more assertive and better able to tap your creative potential. This is the you who can shine out
in the world, and who is bold enough to welcome some glory and excitement into your life. There is a message in this transit about finding your voice, valuing who you are, and a beautiful, mysterious end to the way that two values systems have competed for your loyalty.

The transit of Venus is a cosmic gift that will help you get clear about what’s important to you, what you want and what you want to be doing. There’s no need to worry about ‘getting this right’. Rather, what you’re being called to do is approach the future with an open mind, willing to let go of what is not working to make room for what is — when the time comes. I also describe the influence of Jupiter in your sign, as something that facilitates change — as well as Jupiter’s entry into Gemini as the onrush of new ideas and priorities.

In the second segment, I work with the transits to your relationship angles, taken from three perspectives. In this part, I go over the influence of Mars retrograde in Virgo (technically over, though still having profound effects). Perhaps the most significant relationship transit is Saturn entering your opposite sign in October, which yet again describes clearing away old values and situations and embracing something clear and mature. And I cover Chiron and Neptune in Pisces, your house of hopes, dreams and your visions for your life. These transits in particular will offer you new ways to have both social and erotic relationships.

Planet Waves
Your astrologer — Eric Francis. Photo by Darcy.

Part three is the tarot reading using the Voyager deck. Before I get into that, however, I talk about the rather beautiful way the Uranus-Pluto square is working to wake you up to who you are, and shed the conditioning that has, in the past, prevented you from making contact with yourself. I will let the tarot reading speak for itself — it’s a beautiful spread.

In this reading, I guide you through your astrology in easy to understand language — not technical jargon. This is an impassioned reading, offered in the spirit of motivation, liberation and your responsibility to yourself.

Your birthday reading includes the charts I used to create it, photos of the tarot cards and free access to last year’s Taurus reading so you can check on both how you handled the astrology and test how accurate I was. There are also special discounts on other products.

All of this is just $19.95. You have unlimited access to the page, as well as the ability to download the audio as an archive to listen to in iTunes (on any device).

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

 

Planet Waves

Monthly Horoscope for May 2012. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — If you’ve been through a crisis recently, I suggest you look at where it enabled you to go, which is someplace you might not have gone without it. Mercury has been in your sign for a few weeks, stirring things up. Yet this has clearly been a project with a purpose. Recent events have conspired to bring you up to date with the times we’re living in. Even for an Aries, it’s too easy for the human brain to live in the past, and to get wound up in familiar patterns. Your mind is doing its best to burst free for you; it would be fantastic if you would consciously help with the process. If you feel that anything is blocking you, the chances are it’s a kind of mental block based on an attachment to something that is no longer valid in your life. Said another way, you may be turning an attachment (to someone or something) into an element of your identity, and confusing it with who you are. People do this all the time — but you have much better options. You have, over the past few weeks, seen some glimpses of the future. You may have wondered whether the best potentials were really possible — and I assure you that they are. You tend to become what you identify with, and if you want to become something new, I suggest you identify with that. You will distract yourself from the past, and crystallize what is real and valid in this moment.

Hello Aries — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Now would be a good time to realize that you cannot proceed through life with two competing sets of values. What seems like superficial confusion often masks this very issue — that you’re trying to make decisions based on deeper principles that conflict with one another. As long as you’re wondering whether you want to do this or that, you’re still hanging out on the surface. When you find yourself asking why you want to explore one particular option, and why you want to explore some other particular option, and how you feel about those reasons, then you’re getting closer to the heart of the matter. Yet the real discovery comes when you find out that you have several programs running at the same time, which guide you in different directions. These conflicting programs will be problematic only if the conflict is ‘unconscious’ — that is, if you’re not aware of the roots of the debate, or even that the debate has roots. Those can reach into many places, but the one thing they have in common will be the past. You now have the opportunity to decide what values are truly your own, and you have a bold moment to allow your life to be guided by them and nothing else. Between where you stand today and the confidence that this will give you, there’s a process you’ll undergo — and it will take you into some forgotten places. You will benefit from learning, and from using what you learn to make conscious choices. This way, you will be one person, guided by what is actually meaningful to you.

Hello Taurus — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — An eclipse of the Sun takes place in your sign on May 20, then two weeks later is the Venus transit of the Sun, also in your sign. This is a truly rare conjunction of the Sun and Venus, so precise that you can actually watch it happen (with eye protection, and if the Sun is visible where you are). Visible translates to visionary, and a personal turning of the eras. Let’s begin with a question. What would your life be like if you resolved much of the nagging tension that you carry around, year after year? What if your mind were a quieter place? How much more confident would you be? To understand the influence of this event, I suggest you look back to this time of year in 2004. What is the story of May and June of that year? This is one of the key ‘before and after’ points of your life. Venus transits come in pairs, separated by eight years, and 2004 was the first of the current pair. Think of ’04 as a time when you initiated changes that you didn’t necessarily recognize were part of a total self-reinvention. You embarked on ‘another way of looking at the world’. This comes to full fruition during the next six weeks. You may find yourself making long-delayed decisions, finding the courage to express yourself in ways you’ve always hesitated to, or being released into a total rebirth. Look around and remind yourself: the end of the past is near.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — In astrology, the 12th house is like a hidden dimension, a vast psychic closet where we keep everything we think we’ve forgotten, or that we were never quite aware of. Often things disappear into this realm, and sometimes they emerge — for example as unusually potent dream imagery, or as discoveries about ourselves we make in therapy or on a vision quest. Sometimes revelations can be precipitated by astrology itself, and that’s what it looks like is happening to you now. The highly unusual sequence of events of the next six weeks is concentrated in this area of your chart, as if you’re being granted access to the hidden dimension of yourself. Given that this is the place most people avoid (because it’s too strange, or they would ‘rather not know’), I suggest you open up your mind to self-discovery. Certain ideas you have about yourself may suddenly reverse; but mostly the theme I see is self-reconciliation. It’s as if a split you’ve lived with all your life, but were barely aware of, is finally going to make itself known, or resolve itself. In the process, you can make peace with many things that you’ve denied, including the split itself. This may include divisions between your male and female sides; rational versus intuitive approaches to existence; and other competing forces in your psyche. There is a point of resolution, and you’re approaching it quickly. One result will be freeing the energy that it takes to maintain the division — energy that you will have good creative use for.

Hello Cancer — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are only as successful as you feel. I’m sure you’ve noticed that many are driven by hunger and accomplish many things, only to feel like they’re failures. This is in a sense the story of Western civilization; it’s all about an empty kind of desire, and when the desired thing is attained, it goes into the abyss. I suggest you monitor this issue carefully this month. You are at what could rightly be one of the most fulfilling times in your life, in whatever you consider your core mission to be. Yet it seems as if there’s a shadow you keep encountering. Sometimes it feels like a question. Other times it feels like your most cherished goal keeps slipping out of reach. The most meaningful thing you can do is not be distracted by what amount to mental illusions, distractions or what you might think of as self-defeating programs. Stick to your goals; stick to what you want and let any doubts you have serve to make your plan and work method stronger. One theme that comes up is what it’s like to have the reputation that you do. Any public presence, even a moment in the spotlight, can cause weird feedback inside the ego. Wondering how you’re perceived by others can be a strange experience. You don’t need to worry what people think; trust that they respect you, and know that you’ve earned that respect by your dedication to service and your ability to walk in the strength of your true principles.

Hello Leo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

 


If you have more questions than answers, consider this.

We will soon figure out that it’s actually 2012. The recent retrogrades of Mars and Mercury seemed to create a delay, but really this winter and early spring has been a phase of gestation. Over the next four weeks, the energy starts to pick up pace dramatically, and we will discover where we are and that something unusual, and beautiful, is happening.

Even as we approach the truly beautiful potential of the astrology that’s developing, many people are struggling with their day-to-day lives. There are more questions than answers; the economic and political situations seem hopeless; the pace of existence is going so fast that there seems to be nowhere to get in a little meaning, or seek some peace of mind.

Planet Waves

Here is where astrology can help. Astrology looks at the longer cycles, and the deeper themes — and can help you see your life in context of the present moment, no matter how chaotic it may be. Context means a sense of where you fit in that will help you see your potential and make better choices.

For years, I’ve been helping my clients prepare for making the most of the astrology of the 2012 era. Based on this experience, and many years of study, I’ve prepared a set of readings for all 12 signs (and rising signs, and Moon signs) that guides you through this astrology, step by step. I cover the most challenging and energized developments of this spring, which includes eclipses, Venus retrograde, the Venus transit of the Sun, and then a few days after the Sun ingresses Cancer, the Uranus-Pluto square.

I suggest you get this report in its current form, where you have access to all 12 signs. This way, you will be able to listen to your Sun, Moon and ascendant, and gain added depth. You can listen to your opposite sign and learn something about how this astrology will influence your relationships. Each sign gets a half-hour discussion. These came through loud and clear, with strength and meaning. I spent a week designing and recording them, and I am grateful to be able to offer them to you as a tool to help you guide your decisions, as you seek deeper meaning along your journey.

Spring 2012 is a kind of checkpoint along the way to wherever you are going. But really it’s a calling into the adventure of existence, a bold invitation to go beyond your past limits and explore something truly new about yourself.

All 12 signs are now available for $19.95. Next week they will go on sale for $9.95 each with no discount for multiple signs. The report is getting rave reviews from people who are currently working with it, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order.

Individual signs will be available soon — please drop us a note if you want to be notified of when, or if you have any other questions.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You’re blessed to exist within two worlds, as far as your professional goals come. You have two distinctly different sets of talents, missions in life and leadership skills. Often these worlds seem far apart, and each seems to exclude the other. You might feel that your work or creative life would be perfect if you could only get these two different aspects of yourself working together for one goal. I would propose that they have more in common than you may think. At some point in the past, they may have existed as one body of thought or even a single goal. But the way the world divides and categorizes things, they became two seemingly separate realities. Yet they have one important thing in common: you. Over the next few weeks, you will have an opportunity to travel back into the origins of your most meaningful goals. If you follow this adventure, you may arrive at the spot before they differentiated. You’re about to discover the many things they have in common, and how they support one another, mainly by allowing you the more full use of your brain. This is likely to reach the level of full synthesis, where you have the experience of being more than the sum of your parts. You have many talents, intellectual skills and perceptive abilities, and they all support one another. Yet when you encounter this as a direct experience, whether in subtle or obvious ways, your life can truly shift.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Beliefs interfere with perceiving existence as it is. This is one reason why so much that’s not even vaguely true is accepted on a mass scale; the test of whether something is valid is belief, which favors those who are more convincing. Your astrology this month vividly describes your process of testing every belief that you come across. The question is, how do you know something is a belief? First you have to be curious about the nature of your own thoughts. In a sense, you have to fact-check yourself. When you ‘know’ something and have no basis for that knowledge, or you discover that someone told you but offered you no proof, then you’re dealing with a belief. Another hint will be when you step into a world of multiple viewpoints on the same, something that you’re a bit famous for. Looked at one way, this indicates that you’re working in the realm of beliefs rather than of concrete knowledge. Yet if you are able to look at something enough ways, you will eventually begin to understand its deeper nature — including yourself. It’s time to penetrate through these things into something tangible. You may feel this involves making a commitment to something that you’re uncertain of. Really, the commitment is to finding out; to admitting that uncertainty and finding out what’s on the other side. This won’t undermine your faith in yourself, or in life, or in the cosmos; a commitment to seeking actual knowledge will only strengthen your faith.

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Someone you love is serving as a powerful mirror. By powerful I mean emotional, intellectual and spiritual: they’re offering a full-spectrum image. You may not understand what you see, but somehow you recognize it as your reflection. It’s revealing many aspects of yourself that until now have existed outside of your ability to see them, or notice their significance. In relationships, we often seek our ‘other half’, and desire self-completion in sexual experiences. The experience you’re having is showing you the way that you’re already complete, or at least pointing you to the compelling idea that you can seek all aspects of yourself from within. The thing about being whole is that this necessarily includes the darker shades of your emotions, including your fears, and those moments when you notice you’re disgusted with yourself. There’s no point blaming others for those feelings — and the more you claim them as your own, the more you integrate the cast-off parts of yourself, and heal the insults and injuries that create the situation in the first place. Far from making your relationships less fulfilling, this will put you in a position to relate to others as a whole person (which is a lot more fun than thinking you’re a fraction of a person). There is confidence that emerges from self-acceptance and self-understanding that you cannot fake and that nothing can substitute for. When you are solid with yourself, you will draw solid and aware people to you — which I am sure you’ll appreciate.

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — I feel like the Sagittarius horoscope has been the Career Advisor as far back as I can remember; I’ll keep that short: whatever has happened the past three months has helped you work out the bugs in a plan that will work a lot better debugged. One of the reasons people respect you is because you can admit an error and are aware that there’s strength in admitting imperfection. Moving on to the more interesting relationship angle of your solar chart, I see the cosmos offering you an opportunity and a challenge, and in order to embrace them you will need to do your best to stay in the present moment. There are forces that will try to trick you into finding some retreat in nostalgia, or past relationships, or fantasies about what is possible; stick to grounded, tangible reality. Notice when others are lost in the past, which is a way of defending against intimacy that’s available right now. You may be surprised to notice how many people fit this description, and how few are willing to see eye-to-eye in the present moment. Yet they exist and if your perception is clear, you will see them. You will see a lot else. Without trying too hard to nudge you into hobbies that might not be your true devotion, what do you think about photography? I don’t mean snapshots, which are more about passive observation. I mean creating pictures that express a personal vision of the world that is obviously burning like fire inside of you.

Hello Sagittarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Disease process is about fragmentation, and healing process is about making whole. You can also say that disease process often involves lack of awareness, and that healing process begins with raising awareness. For you in particular (though this works for many), healing starts with the mind: with soothing your mental state. Chaos is not good for you. When your mind competes within itself, or is divided somehow, or when the dialog gets out of hand, the stress can lead to your feeling physically ill. You have one of the most sensitive charts this way and, incidentally, you have to take good care of your lungs. Events of the next two months will teach you not only how you can take better care of yourself, but also demonstrate the direct benefits of doing so. Meanwhile, I suggest you take the time to go over your health history, as well as studying your track record of health-improvement campaigns. Now for the truly useful part: track this against your work history. During which jobs have you felt healthier, and which have come with phases where you were less healthy? Did the relationship involve stress, or some other environmental factor? Do you feel better when you have more or less responsibility? Knowing these things will help you adjust your plans and design your life in a way that is fully supportive of your natural state of being. That natural state is integrity — and you seem determined to cultivate that in yourself with a deep determination right now. If so, you’re on the right track.

Hello Capricorn — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — When you arrive at a crossroads, how do you decide which way to go? Though you’re a devoted student of psychology, when it comes to your own self-guidance, intuition is the first and last word. Your mental process can help at times, and get in the way at others. To figure out which is in effect, I suggest you evaluate how you make your decisions. This experience will come in handy when you encounter a significant opportunity or option that is on the way. Understanding a little more about your decision-making process will help you decide what to do, especially if you discover you don’t like how you tend to make decisions. Past disappointment gets too many votes; it deserves just one — knowing what you don’t want. That information is worth a lot more when you have a constructive, positive option in mind. Making a decision in the moment usually involves letting go of something in the past. Here’s the point where you tend to overthink, without realizing that your thought pattern is covering up an emotional attachment. What you want is to think enough — just enough. Once you wake up and pay attention, events this month will proceed quickly, and come on with the slight sensation of disorientation. This is evidence that you’re letting go of your usual moorings — that means keep going. You know what you want, and you know what is possible; now for the matter of trusting yourself, which is not as grandiose as it might seem some days.

Hello Aquarius — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Some days it seems you need a thicker skin than you have, given the state of the world. Remember that your sensitivity is your most dependable asset. If people don’t respect that, it may be inconvenient for you but in truth, it’s their problem. Part of that problem is using aggression (active, ‘passive’ or otherwise) as opposed to intelligence. That’s not going to work with you. Your most appropriate response, if transgressed in any way, is to allow others to feel the effects of their own energy. You’re sensitive to this as well; sometimes when you refuse to take on something that’s being dished out in your direction, you feel like you’re doing something to someone — and this is a key piece of the game you need to master and, in a sense, subvert. You can go a long way to avoid needless confrontation (which includes nearly all of it) but if you smell it in the air, acknowledge that at the first moment. Stay alert to the fact, and lightly step out of the way. There are, however, many more creative expressions of the same astrology — in particular, Mars opposite Chiron in your sign. In its most positive form, you’ll experience this aspect as a point of creative and intellectual contact. You’ll be able to tell what’s going on from the sensation of either authentic passion or devotion to healing. Still, expect to use your power of refinement and the benefits of age and experience to work with a situation that may seem a bit crude at first, but which may develop beautifully over time.

Hello Pisces — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed).

Of Cows, Bulls and Mars in Taurus

Dear Friend and Reader:

Have you ever seen that Far Side cartoon where one cow is standing up on two feet in the middle of the herd, trying to get all the other cows to stampede? The thing is, they’re not interested. They just want to stand around and graze.

Planet Waves
The Forge of Vulcan by Luca Giordano, c. 1660, located in the The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia. Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaistos.

Taurus is about values, that is to say, it represents what is important to us. There are those days when this Far Side cartoon is what it feels like to care. Do you know what I’m taking about? You have something really meaningful on your mind, but everyone else wants to eat grass. Taurus is interesting that way. It can be loaded with passion, and it can want not to get up off the couch. There are days when nobody wants to budge about something that really makes a difference, and days when everyone wants to stampede to the new flavor shake at Dairy Queen, willing to commit acts of violence to get a better spot in line.

It’s often a mystery what makes the difference, besides a good publicist.

One symbol of Taurus is a bovine critter — either a bull or a cow, depending on how you think of it, and depending on what day you inquire. The bull and/or cow are among the many symbols associated with Taurus, which also include the pentacle (or five-pointed star), Venus (which traces the pentacle in the sky) and various manifestations of the Goddess, the Moon (shown in the crescent over the circle) and others, most of which are drawn together in the mythology of Crete. That was one of the last goddess-based cultures in the Western world, if not the very last, and was probably destroyed by the eruption of a volcano on the Greek island of Santorini (properly, Thera) around 1640 BCE. There was also a big earthquake, which probably happened about 10 years earlier (archeologists know that because piles of rubble were found encrusted in volcanic ash).

The association of Taurus with an earthquake and volcanic eruption is essential to understanding this sign. Elegant and composed on the outside, Taurus is more like a blacksmith’s shop on the interior. There is heat, smoke, loud noise, and the clashing and shaping of the soul.

We are in a Taurus moment right now. The Sun will be in this sign for another week, and Mars just entered this week (where it will remain till June 21). Many other planets (still in Aries) are on the way — those would be Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. For the moment let’s focus on Mars.

Planet Waves
Cow munching alfalfa — non-GMO, for now. Acting on one’s values can include putting one’s money where one’s mouth is.

Mars is a visitor from either the sign opposite Taurus (Scorpio) or the prior sign (Aries). In this arrangement lies a subtle point — Mars is the daytime ruler of Aries and the nighttime ruler of Scorpio. That is, it’s the warrior during the day and operates by stealth at night. Either way you look at it, Mars has an opposition energy to Venus-ruled Taurus.

Note that in astrology there are two kinds of opposing signs; one is the sign directly across the dial, and the other is typically one of the adjoining signs. The adjoining-sign kind of opposition is rarely mentioned by astrologers, but it’s significant because the sign next to any other sign will be of the opposite gender energy.

For example, while Scorpio is ruled by Mars, it’s still a feminine sign (as a water sign). Aries is ruled by Mars, but it’s a masculine sign. Taurus is a feminine sign ruled by Venus. So we have Mars in a sign ruled by Venus, and this will bring out the underlying fiery energy of Taurus. Most astrologers would say that Mars is compromised (it’s called being ‘in detriment’ because the natures of Taurus and Mars are supposedly so different), but I think that Mars is really bringing out or activating a fiery property of Taurus. You might say it’s choosing the bull version of Taurus rather than the cow.

In terms of a psychological effect, it could translate to active desire rather than hoping something comes along; that is, outward passion rather than feeling desirable, or quietly yearning. It can be about the direct expression of one’s values rather than simply ‘having’ a value. You could think of a Mars influence on Taurus as the active use of resources rather than saving them up for a rainy day.

By the traditional rules of astrology, Mars is definitely out of its element in Taurus; a bit on the defensive, with less ability to take advantage of its usual gifts. In a modern context, it is going to change the quality of Taurus and make contact with this underlying element — and like an earthquake, it can all emerge at once. So with Mars in Taurus you will want to be aware of this, and make sure you keep a handle on your temper. You need to find a way to let off the steam, especially if you have a lot of Taurus in your chart. Figure out ways to use that energy creatively.

By the way — with fiery Taurus, we’re talking about the archetype of Hephaistos, the consort of Aphrodite (Venus in Roman terms). Alice Bailey associated Taurus with the Roman god Vulcan, equivalent to Hephaistos — which is an asteroid by the way, and which happens to be in Taurus at the moment.

As I mentioned, Mars will be in Taurus till June 21 — right on the eve of solstice. (Speaking of June, Keith Olbermann returns to cable on Current TV at 8 pm on Monday, June 20).

Other planets will be moving in, meanwhile:

Mercury enters Taurus May 15. Mercury is the ruler of Gemini and Virgo. Because of the Virgo connection, it has a natural affinity for earth signs; yet in Taurus it tends to be more pensive and emotional rather than mercurial and quick-witted. Its intelligence is the more thoughtful and enduring kind. For reference, when Mercury is in Capricorn, the third of the earth signs, there’s a stronger emphasis on the past (a quality, to some extent, of all earth signs).

Venus also enters Taurus May 15. This is one of the signs of which Venus is the traditional ruler. The mix of Venus, Mercury and Mars brings quite a nice dose of erotic energy to Taurus. The three are moving into a trine with Pluto, which will give that energy some means of expression and depth, taking advantage of the psychic space that Pluto in Capricorn has been clearing out for us (whether we like that clearing out process or not).

Planet Waves
Artifact of the Inuit creation goddess Sedna, who rules over the seas; photo from the collection of M.E Brown.

Jupiter enters Taurus June 4. It stations retrograde at 10+ Taurus on Aug. 30, and retrogrades back to the first degree of Taurus — it does not re-enter Aries for this cycle. It stays in Taurus until June 11, 2012, when it enters Gemini amidst many other world-changing events.

Sedna is also in Taurus. This is the planet with the longest known orbit — 11,400 years. It’s currently eight billion miles away from the Sun (and that is close; it’s at the near side of its orbit). It is, for us, a seemingly permanent fixture in Taurus. It’s currently at 22+ degrees of that sign. It begins its transit into Gemini in 2024. The Sun is currently conjunct Sedna, and over the next few weeks Mercury, Venus and Mars will also make conjunctions as well. The themes of Sedna take us into some of the darkest territory of the psyche, including alienation and rejection. Melanie Reinhart once described its themes as being about ‘keeping your heart open in hell’. That might mean while you’re looking at Coke Zero and Exxon-Mobil ads everywhere.

Tuesday, by the way, is the Scorpio Full Moon (Sun Taurus/Moon Scorpio). This will happen with the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars in Taurus — so we are in a moment of full activation of Taurus, with just four days of the Sun’s passage to go after that Full Moon — but thanks to the presence of many inner planets, more than a year of Jupiter and Sedna for another decade, Taurus is an energy we will be exploring for quite a while.

Because Taurus is about an investigation of what is meaningful and valuable to us, and because it relates so closely to how we feel about ourselves, I would say that’s a good thing.

Yours & truly,

Eric Francis

 


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Planet Waves

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Planet Waves

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 13, 2011, #859 – BY ERIC FRANCIS

Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — The late, great Lois Rodden (the astrologer who created the system by which birth data is rated) once wrote that astrologers think Mercury is the money planet — but they have it all wrong. The money planet, she said, is Mars, the reason being that in order to make money you need drive. Mars provides motivation and energy, and it has recently entered the money sector of your chart. If you’ve ever felt complacent about your finances, you now have a phase of time where you can experiment with being more assertive, and also more persistent or maybe it’s consistent, or both. The contact point is drive, connected to action, sustained for the next five or six weeks. I assure you, you can make progress, but I would add some caution. Anything you do that is not directly connected to what you actually value is liable to backfire.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Inaction, or what is sometimes called paralysis, is usually the result of fear. The human psyche runs in a fairly typical cycle: for many, only fear is a motivating force. When fear subsides, then we can find ourselves going back into lazy mode. Mars has entered your sign, which means two things. One is that you are being relieved of significant mental pressure that has been at the root of a good bit of frantic emotion, paranoia or psychic irritation the past couple of months. Another is that you now motivate yourself directly, without having to process or dance with paranoia. There is freedom with this, but that implies movement, change and a dynamic — not predictable — relationship with existence. To make the most of this, you’ll be shaking your bones, even the lazy ones. Get in the groove now. More planets are on their way into your sign — a lot of them.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You seem to have had your mind rearranged recently, or at least your thinking. The subject is how you see yourself in the world, or how you think others see you. Need I say that the differential can be more impressive than that big canyon on Mars? How you think people perceive you has nothing to do with how they actually do. This is important to keep in mind, all the time. The potentially troubling news is that, try as you may, you have only a limited ability to influence how people think of you, or experience you; most of that influence comes from where you present yourself, and to whom — rather than how. The good news is that you have far more freedom to be who you are than you think. People tend to be distracted; they tend to be forgetful; when necessary, most can be seduced with self-interest, no matter what they may have thought yesterday.

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

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — With planets starting to exit your career house (Aries), you may find it easier to focus on some specific goals related to advancing your work or profession. Fewer planets means less pressure, and more acting from choice and a bit less acting from compulsion. Yet while it may seem like the chaos of the past two months hasn’t helped much, or helped anything, you’ve made more progress than you think. If you don’t know what you’ve learned, I suggest that you have some data-mining to do. All these experiences you’ve been through may be things you hope you have to avoid going through twice, but every one of them has taught you something, whether you deem it a success or a failure. Let the dust settle on these recent events; you’ll see you are still in possession of an excellent idea that you have every intention of developing — and you now know enough to do it.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You can now take authority; it would be great if you did. Here’s the thing to remember: It’s easier to bring people into consensus if you start with getting them to agree on values and principles involved. Leave the exact subject matter out; stick to the underlying things that everyone can agree to. Then, once a subject is added, you have a basis for the conversation and with that it will be easier to reach an understanding. Your outer role, therefore, is not really being the boss or the authority but rather the one who establishes a framework of ethics. Let everyone around you take credit for the accomplishments that result from the progress that you guide them into making. Of course, you do have the option to declare yourself chief in some obvious way, but that is far less likely to be effective. And effective is precisely what you want.

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

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — As planets move into your fellow earth-sign Taurus, you will have support plucking up your moral resolve and your sense of adventure. For weeks life has had the approximate overtone of a sudden-death event of some kind, where your ego was on the line every day. This may have been fun at first but it is likely to have grown tiresome. People to whom crisis is interesting make excellent paramedics and ER docs, but the rest of us thrive on some balance between crisis and placid times. One advantage to planets leaving Aries is that you and others are less likely to take so many things so personally. This will make it obvious that neither you nor others have to get defensive, and you’ll tend to see defensive responses for what they are. One thing they are not is useful. What we call ‘ego’ is a frustrating perspective from which to see the world, and yourself — fortunately, other options are on the horizon.

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)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Saturn in your sign has provided you with a base of stability through some unusually torrid weeks and months. Well, it’s not just Saturn; it’s how well you embody the Saturn principle of flexible structure, and of stability through times of change. The theme of your life is now about negotiation, rather than confrontation or of being confronted. Yet it will help considerably if you are the one who opens the discussion. This will mean being conscious of what you want sooner rather than later; and dispensing with your usual strategy of leading from behind or ‘topping from the bottom’. You gain a significant advantage both by admitting your actual desire and taking initiative on that desire on the framework of your relationship. This is not about being aggressive; it’s about being aware and assertive.

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)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Mars in your opposite sign presents you with a mirror. The first question is, what do you see in that mirror? What do you feel? You can tell that by the shift in perception, experience and what some call ‘energy’ both in the world around you and in your most intimate relationships. For practical purposes, assessing a transit in your opposite sign, they are basically the same thing: your environment. Notice in particular the shift of the 48 hours surrounding this moment. See if you can observe what within you has changed that is coloring your perception. Observe how what you are noting is changing how you feel about yourself. The idea is to come as close to ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ being one experience as you can. This is not intended to blur a boundary — it’s intended to reveal your influence over your own experience of life.

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)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — One house in your chart has been lit up for months now — your 5th house, which is Aries, which is daring art, adventure, passion and sex. There has been so much going on in this house, peaking the past two weeks, that I would not be surprised if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by all of this so-called creative energy. It has been difficult to focus, difficult to gather your ideas, challenging to follow through on so many fleeting matters initiated by an impressive collection of planets. Now that most of these critters are moving into Taurus, two things happen. One is that you can tap into some persistent focus and work-related drive. The second is that your 5th house clears out except for two of the most inspirational energies, slow-moving Uranus and Eris, which will be around for years. In other words, you lose nothing in the way of inspiration, and gain plenty in the way of drive and dedication.

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)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You could relax and loosen up a little. Your concept of existence has been so driven by a mix of responsibility and the need to grow that quite a few times you’ve forgotten to have fun. But you have not forgotten how to have fun; that’s the meaningful thing. The kind of fun you’re likely to want to have involves risk, and that risk involves daring to act in a way you might consider childish or irresponsible. I can see where you might think this, though it’s unlikely to be true. In fact, one of the greatest risks you run is to allow the pressure to have fun and indulge yourself to build up, which could lead to actually acting irresponsibly (for example, such as when you drink). A little conscious indulgence will go a long way toward helping you fulfill more ‘serious’ responsibilities, but more to the point, it is springtime and that is a natural time to frolic and play.

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)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — As more planets — beginning with Mars — cross your sensitive 4th house cusp, you may feel restless, even unsettled and like it’s time to pick up and make changes. At the same time you may have the feeling that it’s not a good idea to act from a point of frustration. Yes, maybe that would be true at a New Age workshop or Buddhist monastery. In reality, though, the things that spur us to action are valuable, be they ‘negative’ or ‘positive’. And given the challenges that so many of us face making changes at all, I suggest you take any inspiration to improve your situation as helpful and creative. You have the option to see the humor in any situation; to not get too emotionally wound up; to merely experience any feeling as the motivation to act. Indeed, the fact that you may feel anger or frustration is likely the result of waiting.

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)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Sometimes you’re slow on the uptake, but once you get something, you really get it. The thing about your intellect is that it’s tactile, and it’s becoming more so. You like the actual document and substantial proof over somebody’s say-so. You like to see the thing in question, or at least see a picture of it, rather than merely having a description. Mars joining the Sun in the brains/cognition/idea angle of your solar chart is inviting you to be assertive, inquisitive, curious and bold about learning what you want to learn. You’re invited to be passionate about what inspires you to creative action, and by passionate I mean feeling anywhere along the whole spectrum. Love your ideas for how they feel as much as what they say. Your mind is a kinesthetic thing; that is to say, your preference most days would be for having clay in your hands over a math problem, for going into the woods over going into the gym, and for sex over the idea of sex. In the words of old Uncle Fritz, lose your mind and come to your senses.

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

Anything But Stuck: A Taurus Adventure

Dear Friend and Reader:

The mystery of ‘self’ is one of the most persistent questions of modern times. In fact, it seems to be a good bit older; who is this critter lurking behind the mind and the senses? In our own age, many of us have grown up immersed in psychology. Of course, what we think of as psychology started as the study of the soul, and that has long been the domain of mysticism.

Planet Waves
Photo by Eric Francis.

However you prefer to slice the orange, May is an exceptionally interesting month for the process of self-awareness. Now, what do I mean by that? I mean the journey of growth and healing that many of us are on, or aspire to be on. I mean collecting on all those workshops you’ve taken, and all those books you’ve read, and all that therapy you’ve done — all designed to help you wake up to being a whole person, with access to your talents and resources.

Still, the question can persist: when we have the sensation that there is something about ourselves we want to change, how do we go about doing that? Or maybe it feels like this: “I have so many options, which is right for me?” Or even, “I seem to have no options at all. How can I make some?”

Think of this as the puzzle of claiming who you are, summoning your resources and deciding that your life is yours to live, and therefore, to change. That sequence of events takes a mix of awareness, understanding and action. If you’re paying attention for the next few weeks, all of those things will be bubbling and percolating in a rather bold way. In the background is Uranus in Aries, which puts the world on notice that self-awakening is the theme of our decade. Then there is Chiron in Pisces, which is deeper, reminding us that soul awakening is the theme of our decade. Gradually, the two levels will merge.

In our immediate moment, this unusually exciting month has just begun with the Taurus New Moon earlier today, May 3. The New Moon happens at a time of year called Beltane, the ancient celebration of The May, famous for the May Pole, the May Queen, and the “bustle in your hedgerow” of Led Zeppelin fame. It’s the time of year for bonfires and frolicking in the fields to make them rich and fertile for the crop that’s about to be planted. This New Moon is packed with both Taurus and Aries energy. The Sun and Moon will be in Taurus, yet we also have Uranus, Venus, Mercury, Eris, Jupiter and Mars in Aries, along with an interesting lunar point called the Black Moon Lilith. All of that is pointing to the unusual array of ‘selves’ we have available to try on.

Taurus wants something solid and unambiguous. Yet lurking right behind it is a paintbox full of colors (mostly yellow, red and orange hues) that we can use to illustrate this elusive notion of self.

Planet Waves
Photo by Eric Francis.

Mercury was recently retrograde in Aries, and has been making many conjunctions, emphasizing the point. Still slow and powerful in the sky, Mercury is in contact with many of these Aries planets — in particular, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Eris, in a close sequence. That is showing us option after option for who we can be and how we can feel. There’s a particularly spectacular triple conjunction on May 9 between Mercury, Venus and Eris, the basic message of which is: there are many ways to love, and many ways to express love.

This energy is anything but stuck. Taurus can have a challenge getting going (like the cow in the Far Side cartoon who proposes a stampede, but none of the other cows are interested). Yet mixed with Aries, we get the true nature of Taurus — earthy on the outside, fiery on the inside. There is raw passion inside all of that sensuality, and there’s curiosity too. You can think of the solid nature of Taurus as something to ground into or use as a foundation while we’re busy exploring the more explosive energies that reside below the surface.

To the other side of Aries is Pisces. Much of the developing news this year has involved Chiron and Neptune arriving in the most watery sign of the zodiac, connected with the depths of inner awareness, emotions, creativity and out-of-body communication. We have the constant reminder to be inwardly aware. Chiron and Neptune, both decidedly spiritual influences, are in a long conjunction, lasting many years — and now the conjunction has moved into Pisces. This is an invitation. Yes, the material world and the expression of the personality are interesting. Yet Pisces grants a sense of depth and meaning, the potential to create a vision, and the reminder that only you can know who you truly are.

The horoscopes below interpret these aspects. There is much, much more for you in Light Bridge, my annual readings (in audio and written word) for 2011. Catch you Friday — or see you over at Planet Waves with the Wednesday podcast.

Lovingly, your astrologer

Eric Francis

Eric Francis Birthday Audio and Tarot

Planet Waves

Birthday audio for 2011 will be available soon. These are extended readings for your sign which explore your solar return for 2011. These in-depth readings cover new subject matter you haven’t read about before, and take a new look at topics I’ve covered elsewhere. Aries will be done shortly, with Taurus soon to follow. I’ll then backtrack and cover the signs that had birthdays earlier in the year. Check for Aries this week and please watch this space for other signs. The readings are about an hour in length and also include a tarot reading for your sign. They were a big hit last year and we look forward to making them available soon.

Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for May 2011

Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Be careful about being right. I don’t doubt — at least on one level — that you are correct in what you’re thinking, but I suggest you be cautious about any presumed entitlement or privilege flowing from that notion. Right is too close to self-righteous, and that won’t work in your favor. The equation, ‘I have this, therefore, I deserve more’, is especially toxic, though it takes subtle forms that you may not notice. Any such feeling is being driven by forces lurking beneath your awareness, which may include the fear of isolation, conflict within your values, or a phobia about not knowing who you are. You may find yourself obsessed with trying to figure yourself out, and to evaluate whether you’re acting in an ethical way. I suggest you measure your happiness using factors such as your sense of abundance, your generosity and your level of fear. This is the time to mix having with giving, rather than to mix having with withholding or demanding. Now, I recognize you may think these are good ideas, but perhaps you’re wondering where you’re going to find the flexibility to keep an open mind. That is an internal matter, something you really cannot negotiate with others. You are not at the mercy of your personality or your conditioning. You are only at the mercy of your awareness. With so much activity in your world, pausing to reflect deeply may not be something that occurs to you naturally; this is your reminder.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — To understand the nature of your inner struggle, consider your parents’ relationship to one another. It may serve as a useful map to your psyche. On what points did they get along? On what points did they conflict? Did they consider one another faithful, and what became of any incident wherein there was some breach of faith? What was their shared experience of sex? How were decisions about money made? Who ruled the roost, and how? Map out their experiences and you will have a tangible way of mapping out your inner reality. You may notice that in your day-to-day choices, you dramatize the harmony or conflict that they lived with, possibly for decades. And what if you don’t know about some of these dynamics between them? You may have an indication of missing knowledge of your inner territory. How would it feel to ask your parents about their most private matters? What subjects could you broach, and which would you avoid? What does that say about your willingness to explore your own motives? Any psychic or emotional exercise involving one’s parents may point to a missing parent, or a relationship that wasn’t really a relationship. This can provide as much information as direct facts; it always helps to be aware of what is missing. One thing is clear: one of your parents may have been deeply mistrustful and envious of the other. How does that dynamic play out in your inner life? How can you foster trust in yourself? This would be the key to your happiness.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — The time has arrived to be bold about your vision, and about putting it into words and especially action. You need all three now; each is an essential ingredient of manifestation. You are past the phase of doing things in a seeming vacuum, or in the confines of your own mind. You are at the phase where cooperation is essential, and where the results of what you create will involve a community experience of some kind. At least that seems to be your intent. Yet if you’re new to this level of accomplishment, you may feel some distinct unease at ‘putting yourself out there’. For example, you have no way to control an idea once it’s out of your hands. You have no control over how people perceive you, no matter how careful you are about guarding your reputation. I suggest, therefore, that you give up on control and stick to the core of what you are offering. Why is it original? What are the benefits of what you’re doing? One thing that I’ve seen a lot of people struggle with is the notion that others will benefit from something that they do, without a direct return to themselves. I can think of few things that would more effectively stand in the way of abundance than being concerned that someone else might benefit from you. Take pleasure in that possibility. It seems that at the basis of your vision is some significant benefit to the world; get that going from day one.

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

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — What you do and what you accomplish is not merely directly, intimately connected to who you are; right now there is no distinction at all. Therefore, project yourself fully into what you’re doing. Bring in every resource that you have, every talent, every idea. I suggest, in particular, that you focus on what you consider your most radical ideas or plans. Radical means reaching into the roots, so what I am suggesting is about depth rather than about how shocking something is. Some may consider it shocking, and one measure of depth is the feeling of being drawn out of your safe zone. Ideally what you begin at this juncture will have a feeling of risk, and of being a little edgy. Ideally you’ll feel like you have to risk your reputation in order to do something more authentic than you’ve ever done. Think of what would be your most idealistic future plan, and then remember that it’s possible to put into action now. At this moment you are opening a door to a new phase of your creative life, which is what you used to think of as your professional life. Therefore, this is the time to claim your deepest mission. Send yourself the message that what you’re doing is real and you will signal this to the world. Let everything you say and do have the same basic message. If you get distracted or caught in externals, go back to the roots of what you’re doing and express yourself from there.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Various religious manifestos claim that mankind is guilty of usurping the power of God. This has always struck me as odd. It seems that religion is what has stolen many precious things from humanity. It tries to tell us who we are and are not; it defines ‘bad’ and ‘good’ in ways that brutally limit us and coopt the study of ethics; and it has swiped cosmology wholesale, taking control over our ideas of birth and death. There is just one artist mentioned in the Bible — Bezalel, whose job is to build a temple (go figure). Last and surely not least, I cannot think of one of the world’s major religions that is friendly to sex. So what of the human experience hasn’t religion usurped? Automotive repair? To a surprising degree, religion has not succeeded in doing much at all to you personally. While it’s better to overestimate the damage caused by turning God into an institution and law book, you seem to have made it into adulthood as someone who has direct access to your cosmic source. You have your own fully conscious ways of discerning right and wrong. And your notion of who you are is defined not by what anyone has told you but rather by your own impressively restless, staunchly independent quest for truth. Man, I hope even half of that is true! It’s certainly what is possible for you right now. Just remember when you run up to Mount Olympus and get some of that fire, you’re not stealing — you’re stealing back.

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

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You seem to be involved in many different levels of business arrangements and personal commitments. It almost seems that your quest for self-discovery is being distributed among many situations. This can be confusing, though for the past few weeks it looks like you’ve been experimenting with the possibilities and getting a feel for who your potential collaborators are. This process isn’t over yet, though something interesting seems ready to emerge — which is your vision for yourself. It’s as if the more options you see that involve others, the more you see that you’re different, and that nobody’s model or concept fits your life, your plans or your talent. Yet you can, if you want, draw on the resources and talents of many people in support of your dreams, and that seems to be the most productive use of your options. The beauty of the moment is that no one personal contact is defining or limiting who you are. You now know that you make the final decisions about who you are and what you want, and this is the month to stake your turf. Put down a solid foundation now, in terms of a clear declaration to yourself, as well as some concrete action or investment, and you are likely to see an excellent return on that commitment during the next few months. The bolder and the more tangible your plan, the better. One last clue — anything you’re envious of, you can do better. So don’t waste your time on anything except creating your world.

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)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — For the 17 years I’ve been writing this horoscope, I’ve been sensitive to the idea that many people have multiple relationships, and that others want to, while only rarely referencing the concept directly. Checking my archive of 12,000 horoscope entries, I’ve used the word ‘polyamory’ just three times since 1999. You just heard the fourth. There’s an old expression in art that form follows function. Your life would seem to be populated by a diversity of truly interesting people at the moment, and full of the surprises, innovative ideas and potential disruptions that they have to offer. From the look of things, you’re interested in several of them, though with different experiences developing independently of one another. One of these influences seems to be radically transforming your vision of yourself, your aesthetic sensibilities and your idea of freedom. Other people have different roles, though the common thread is that you have a point of contact with each of them. There is an equally strong pull to bond with someone in a way that may have been more appropriate for our parents’ generation. Yet you are at a kind of a crossroads where you can look honestly at your predecessors and their relationship style, how that shaped their lives. Remember that nobody is forcing you to make a decision, and you don’t need to follow the old values of the past in thinking that you have to. You have options, and now is the time to keep them open.

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)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You’re probably getting tired of working so much — and it seems like a new horizon in a relationship is opening up. I would just offer you a word of caution about one thing. At the moment you’re becoming aware what a multifaceted person you are. This has always been true, though you’re likely to be feeling its true potential now, as you open up to being a full-spectrum human. The relationship situation that might seem so appealing has the potential to limit this nascent awareness that you’re developing. So if you choose to get involved with someone, or take a situation to a deeper level, make sure that you bring your diversity with you. You’re under no obligation to be less of a person so that someone else doesn’t feel threatened. This simply doesn’t work; I’m not saying that from theory, I’m speaking from experience, and not just my own. Therefore, don’t make any promises you aren’t sure you can keep, even if they get you something you want. Be cautious if you think you’re compromising your values system for a good cause. It won’t be long before you figure out that you’re boxed in. At the moment, you’re only at the beginning of your journey of self-expression. I suggest you guard your freedom carefully. Remember that there are concepts of relationship other than the ones that insist you have to give up a piece of who you are as the price of admission. Where you want to be is the place where your whole existence is welcome.

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)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — When you look around and you see a world that metes out amoral and unethical treatment of others, I imagine you wonder what you can do about it. You don’t need to look far to see this, and at the moment you’re particularly vulnerable to noticing injustice. The appropriate response is connected to what you think the cause of these problems is. You may have noticed that it goes a lot deeper than most people realize. Humans are confronted not only with an environment wherein there is exceedingly little trust in many relationships, but with constant effort to use that as a manipulation device. You could, therefore, respond by striving for trust within your personal relationships, and do what you can to correct the small injustices that you notice. In a world where it’s considered ethical to take, you could invest your energy in giving. I suggest you strive to nourish the world not as a special activity, but rather as part of all that you do. While you’re doing that, notice what is nourishing about everyone you meet. There is always something. You don’t even need to like someone to find something about them that enriches your perception. And you don’t need to like someone to be friendly and supportive. One simple but bold approach to avoiding exploitation is to set up the various exchanges of your life on terms that are mutually supportive. And if you give a little more than you receive, you will figure out how much you have.

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)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You need a new way to express yourself. There is so much steam and fire in your chart, I strongly suggest you not only vent it but put it to creative use. You may be feeling overwhelmed and looking for a way to calm down; you may feel like you’re being crowded out of your own home or your own emotional body. These are real feelings with actual causes behind them; but it’s not the kind of thing you can fix or sort out in a short time. The sensual world is the place to take refuge. It’s worth reminding you that Capricorn is an earthy sign, so your mode of expression needs a kinesthetic quality to it: something you can wrap your hands around. Music would work well; a hand drum would let you express some of the fire that’s burning in your soul. If you’re going to do art of some kind, I suggest clay rather than drawing, and if you’re going to experiment with a craft, I suggest something more like welding and less like paper mache. Meanwhile, what are all these factors from the past that have shown up, right in the moment when you want to spring yourself into the future? From the looks of your solar chart, the moment you decided you were done with the past, a whole lot more history showed up for you to look at. Have no fear: the force of progress is a lot greater than anything that could hold you down. Just remember to keep your energy moving, and moving fast.

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)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — While the astrology of the next month doesn’t give your mind, or your workload, much time off, there are big changes in the home and family angle of your chart. For as restless as you are, the emphasis is now on grounding yourself in a meaningful way. You need a solid base of operations. While you may have many ideas for where or what that could be, you seem well poised to make some significant improvements in your situation. If nothing else, you can get clear about your newest idea of what a home really is, and conduct some experiments to see what fits. There is the sensation of making something new from basic elements rather than walking into a pre-fabricated situation. This is more like building a new house than it is like buying an old one, but the implication is emotional rather than physical. Your knowledge of what makes you feel secure is evolving. Your sense of your income potential is evolving as well. But mostly you seem to be getting clear about your necessity for stability and comfort, and this is illustrated by the Taurus New Moon, which happens in the angle of your solar chart associated with putting down roots. If there is a note of caution, this involves the relationship between jealousy and security. Most people you ask would say the two are related, and that jealousy is a sign of true love. I would say you’ll feel a lot more secure if you understand what jealousy is and why you want a better option.

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)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Everything you see in the world has a point of origin, which was invariably a human idea, decision or action — usually all three. You are at a point in your life when the things you think, decide or go for have a deeply original quality. You not only have the power to make something new, you are very likely doing precisely that. You may not recognize it at the moment; I strongly suggest you bring your full awareness to what you’re doing, and what you can be doing if you give yourself the flexibility and space to express yourself. How you manage space is vital to this, and that primarily involves your mental space. If there’s something you know is important to you, that your soul is calling out to create, make a space for it. By definition the space would be empty at first, existing for the sake of eventually being filled. It will be, soon enough. Have the flexibility to recognize if something a little different comes in; creative process is enhanced by exploring variables in a playful way. But remember your purpose, your initial intent, your true desire. And keep holding open that space, as a conscious strategy. It may be a space of time devoted to a single purpose. It may be a physical space that you work in, or alter. It may be some kind of a notebook or online work area. Remember that these are physical metaphors for honoring and working with the inner space of an idea. Begin in earnest now, apply yourself every day, and evaluate in three months.

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

Eric Francis Birthday Audio and Tarot

Planet Waves

Birthday audio for 2011 will be available soon. These are extended readings for your sign which explore your solar return for 2011. These in-depth readings cover new subject matter you haven’t read about before, and take a new look at topics I’ve covered elsewhere. Aries will be done shortly, with Taurus soon to follow. I’ll then backtrack and cover the signs that had birthdays earlier in the year. Check for Aries this week and please watch this space for other signs. The readings are about an hour in length and also include a tarot reading for your sign. They were a big hit last year and we look forward to making them available soon.

From Aries to Taurus, and the Mercury Storm

Dear Friend and Reader:

Next week is monthly horoscope week. These are published after the Sun has entered its new sign.

With the Sun about to move from the sign of I Am (Aries) to the sign of I Have (Taurus), we’re at the cusp of the two concepts. Yet the imaginary line between them (and their corresponding realities) is not clearly defined. In our materially oriented society, there’s plenty of overlap between being and having. Were there not, you could never sell someone a car based on its supposed prestige value. We have this idea that what we have defines who we are. It’s easier the other way.

Planet Waves
Photo by Eric Francis.

The Sun enters Taurus Wednesday, yet for the full 30 days of that transit there will still be lots of activity in Aries; both signs are going to be fully turned on at the same time. Potential expressions of this range from self-obsession that implodes on itself, to being able to concentrate our energies with unusual focus. This is a great time to practice moving through life with a higher-confidence, more self-aware version of yourself.

Aries and Taurus represent yang and yin energies respectively, so an unusual degree of balance is possible — along with some excellent opportunities for total lack of balance, and the quest to bring things back into some equilibrium. That journey will be full of surprises. Though many factors are present in the current astrology, Uranus on the Aries Point is still the strongest of them. It’s a reminder to count on the unexpected, and to be ready to make the most of it. One sign that you’re actually alive is the ability to be spontaneous.

Speaking of turning points, surprise developments and making the most of ordinary changes — Mercury stations direct on Saturday, April 23 after a 24-day retrograde. These retrogrades take so long, and yet they seem to go by so quickly. We’re now entering the ‘storm’ phase of the retrograde cycle — the last few days when the movement of Mercury (relative to the Earth) slows down right before the reversal of apparent direction. These last few days approaching the station-direct can be some of the most challenging and interesting days of the whole process.

If you haven’t yet applied this bit of astrological hygiene, now is indeed the time to pause in making new commitments, decisions, purchases and joint arrangements. Pause means until after the weekend, or as far into the other side of the echo phase as you can. The echo phase (sometimes called the shadow phase) is a timespan wherein Mercury is re-crossing (in direct motion) the degrees where it was just retrograde, working over the same ground again. This gives us a chance to reconsider what we’ve learned and observed, and get things right the second (or third) time.

Planet Waves
Photo by Eric Francis.

Mercury exits echo phase and enters new territory on May 11, in an exact conjunction to Jupiter. That is a clue: keep your options open for as long as you can.

Looking at the immediate future, the moment that Mercury stations direct has some interesting properties. One of them is that the truth about a mystery can reveal itself. Mercury just has this odd quality of things shaking out of the ethers right around the time that it stations direct. I would use an orb of about two days on either side of the exact station Saturday morning (that’s for US time zones; early afternoon across the UK and Europe, and late Saturday in Australia). But these events can be remarkably precise. You don’t need to do anything except keep your ears open, and know what you don’t know. That is, be aware of missing information, such as when there is an information gap. Then, when you get information, make sure you use what you know.

Given that Mercury is in Aries, this information may come in the form of a self-discovery; in any event, it’s likely to be information that benefits you directly, or reveals something about you that’s pivotal.

As I suggested in Friday’s edition, Mercury in Aries may represent something about our self-concept. This is the sometimes-flexible, sometimes-stuck concept of who we are that we live with and mistakenly identify as our ‘self’. With so much moving, and so many planets in Aries, one valid interpretation of the charts is to keep that concept as open as you can. Rather than getting stuck in a concept of who you are, you can consider your experience of ‘self’ an experiment. You have many options, and you’re free to choose who you want to be. It helps a lot if you go deeper than a concept to decide; we each contain the idea of who we authentically are, and that is a helpful place to go for information.

Catch you with a new podcast Wednesday, and a new edition Friday.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Check this audio announcement for information about Eric’s new e-book, Light Bridge: The 25-Year Span.


Planet Waves

Light Bridge: The 25-Year Span by Eric Francis is the story of irrevocable change told through the lens of astrology, history and self-awareness. This is a carefully selected set of articles and essays by Eric written since 1987, which take you through the transition of the millennium into 2012. The essays are a continuing meditation on the experience of confronting global changes from long before anyone was certain they would really happen. It begins in a spiritual community in 1987 and comes to the present day, including a look at the astrology of the 2012-2015 era. Included are Eric’s best essays on sweeping world changes, relationships and maintaining some sense of one’s inner life in the midst of it all. The book, available as a printable PDF, is 174 pages and is illustrated by Carol McCloud. It’s just $14.95. It’s the perfect companion to Light Bridge, the 2011 annual edition of Planet Waves. Purchase your copy here.

 

In the Wings: Taurus Full Moon

Dear Planet Waves Reader:

Last week I described the rare alignment in Sagittarius, consisting of many kinds of planets. That was the one conjunct the Great Attractor with all the political themes. It’s still happening. So far there have been a lot of quirky news stories this week, from Charles Rangle running wrangle to the one about getting X-ray photographed naked or groped by the TSA as a condition of flying [funny CNN video here].

Planet Waves
The interior of the Auditorium Building in Chicago built in 1887. The rectangular frame around the stage is the proscenium ‘arch’. This weekend’s Full Moon is waiting in the wings. Photo by J.W. Taylor, from the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey via Wikiedia.

The Sun is about to join this grouping, though before that happens there is a Full Moon across the last degrees of Taurus and Scorpio on Sunday (the Taurus Full Moon). About 90 minutes later, the Moon ingresses Gemini and about 17 hours later the Sun enters Sagittarius. This sequence of events has the feeling of something coming out of the background. It’s as if the Moon-Sun opposition happens in the wings off to the side of the stage, just out of sight — then suddenly it becomes obvious what’s going on. Solar-Lunar aspects (such as the New or Full Moon) have a way of precipitating what’s going on in the rest of the sky, especially if they are nearby, and this definitely is.

Thursday, Venus stationed direct in Libra, adding to the feeling of an energy release of some kind — and potentially keeping our focus on individual priorities, since Venus stationing direct (and what it represents) will have a way of taking center stage in our consciousness. During the retrograde here in the States, we went through, or were dragged through, the midterm election cycle, which was based on abuse of personal values. The wealth of our nation, what’s left of it anyway, is being looted by people with five houses and 10 cars who used the United States as a tax shelter, and we’re supposed to be worried about Mexicans.

You can only do this to people if they’re angry and confused, and the American public would definitely qualify now. The people who are bent on believing lies are confused because they’re having a hard time homing in on the truth, and it seems so much has been taken away. Many who are committed to truth are confused because most of them believe they’re powerless to do anything. Lately I’ve been noticing the extent to which people will go to argue for their weaknesses, and if we do, sure enough that’s what we get.

Let’s take a look at the chart. Notice how the Sun and Moon (obvious glyphs, they actually look like what they represent) are way at the end of their signs; you can tell because they have the number 29 next to them. That’s as high as it gets; there is no 30. So we have an event on the edge of Taurus and Scorpio. That last degree is sometimes called anaretic. That implies a life and death kind of struggle; it can be a struggle for transformation, growth or survival. Whatever it represents is described by a quality on the brink. And what both Taurus and Scorpio represent are values. Taurus is about personal values; Scorpio is about what we share in a common ground with others. There is an encounter described by the opposition, but it’s more of a confrontation than a meeting, and it’s like that confrontation is happening at the edge of a cliff.

The next thing to look at is what other planets make contact with the event. There are a good few planets in the setup with degree values in the high 20s — and they are all part of the energy pattern. The first thing I notice is the Chiron-Neptune conjunction in late Aquarius.

Planet Waves
Chart for the Taurus Full Moon on Sunday, set for the location of the astrologer. This chart gives Neptune and Chiron in the Aquarius ascendant. The Sun is the yellow circle at the top of the chart; the Moon is the gray crescent below. They are in the very last degrees of their signs, suggesting a fast-changing turn of events. The Sun enters Sagittarius on Sunday and the Moon enters Gemini about 90 minutes after the exact full aspect.

The Moon-Sun opposition (that is, the Full Moon) makes a square to this long-standing aspect that is one of the defining features of our era. Chiron and Neptune are both slow movers and they don’t get together very often. The last conjunction was in 1945, just as the troops were coming home from World War II. Prior to that was 1879-1880 (shortly after the Civil War) and before that, 1799 — in the early days of the United States, when the ink was still wet on the Constitution.

This conjunction is in Aquarius. I’ve described this a number of times, but it’s worth one more go since it’s in the spotlight now, on this little chart and in actual reality.

I have long viewed Neptune in Aquarius as a decade of public delusion. Politics is often a game based on deception and manipulation, and this reached some soaring heights with the Monica Lewinsky scandal that led to a period of unmitigated greed and psychic chaos. Think of the events that followed — the Nasdaq crash (the burst of the dot-com bubble), the mysterious election when Al Gore won, Bush took office and all that happened was a movie got made about it. Then there was Sept. 11 and not one but two Vietnams got started on pretenses you might believe if you drank a quart of cough syrup — and for the most part everyone fell for it. On and on it went. During this phase, the Internet went from being a technological advance to a mass public dream — well illustrated by Neptune in Aquarius.

Then Chiron showed up, and worked its way toward Neptune. This began a gradual focusing process. If you think of Neptune as a beam coming from a film projector, think of Chiron as the lens. If you think of Neptune as a fog, think of Chiron as a proper fog light that actually helps us see rather than throws glare back in our faces. We can think of Chiron and Neptune as a funnel, with Neptune as the wide end and Chiron as the narrow end. Neptune gathers the psychic data and Chiron focuses it. Better yet you can think of Neptune as the rain and Chiron as the whole funnel, which collects what would otherwise be lost.

Neptune may be the most challenging planet, mainly because we don’t usually see its effects while they’re happening. To do so, one really has to pay attention. It’s such a part of our environment that it disappears until Chiron (or some other focusing influence) arrives and reveals the crisis — and that’s just what happened: i.e., what is currently being variously called the banking crisis, the economic crisis or the environmental crisis.

Planet Waves
Moral psychologist and University of Virginia professor Jonathan Haidt, giving a presentation for TED. You can watch the 19-minute video here. Haidt makes some excellent points — but see if you can spot the logical flaw in his conclusion and the last few steps leading up to it.

Actually, I think Chiron is revealing that what we’re in the midst of is really a crisis about what we believe and why. There is a crisis over what we perceive as truth, whether truth exists, and why people believe what they believe. This has become a field of study called moral psychology. Moral psychology asks why it is that people will vote against their own political and economic interests. It would ask why so many people eat disgusting, toxic foods. It would certainly ask why so many people in Germany pretended they ‘couldn’t smell’ the crematoria churning out smoke a mile from their homes.

Moral psychology is a contact point between individual perceptions of the environment and sweeping public reactions. I’ll offer four examples of research areas from leading thinkers in the field, adapted from the website of Jonathan Haidt, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia. These are from the description of a series of seminars that are available for listening at this link.

    • Harvard cognitive neuroscientist and philosopher Joshua D. Greene sees our biggest social problems — war, terrorism, the destruction of the environment, etc. — arising from our unwitting tendency to apply paleolithic moral thinking (also known as “common sense”) to the complex problems of modern life. Our brains trick us into thinking that we have Moral Truth on our side when in fact we don’t, and blind us to important truths that our brains were not designed to appreciate.
    • The failure of science to address questions of meaning, morality and values, notes neuroscientist Sam Harris, has become the primary justification for religious faith. In doubting our ability to address questions of meaning and morality through rational argument and scientific inquiry, we offer a mandate to religious dogmatism, superstition, and sectarian conflict. The greater the doubt, the greater the impetus to nurture divisive delusions.
    • Jonathan Haidt’s research indicates that morality is a social construction which has evolved out of raw materials provided by five (or more) innate “psychological” foundations: Harm, Fairness, Ingroup, Authority and Purity. Highly educated liberals generally rely upon and endorse only the first two foundations, whereas people who are more conservative, more religious, or of lower social class usually rely upon and endorse all five foundations [see video linked with photo, above].
  • Disgust is the subject that’s been keeping Cornell psychologist David Pizarro particularly busy, as it has been implicated by many as an emotion that plays a large role in many moral judgments. His lab results have shown that an increased tendency to experience disgust (as measured using the Disgust Sensitivity Scale, developed by Haidt and colleagues), is related to political orientation.

Interesting stuff, right? And it’s a representation of the kind of search for clarity indicated by the Chiron-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius that this Full Moon highlights. In truth, this nascent thought process represents actual progress in thought and evolution. The moral psychologists are giving us some clarity about why people believe lies. We understand why people tell them — conquerors predate Alexander, and Rupert Murdoch is just one of many.

The question that remains is: what do we do about it? What’s the point of action? Let’s leave that question open while you consider what you’re doing about it in your own life.

Yours & truly,

Eric Francis

Judith Gayle’s Political Waves will now appear Saturdays on Daily Astrology & Adventure — the Planet Waves blog. She also has her own blog, called Political Waves.

 

Planet Waves

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, November 19, 2010, #840 – BY ERIC FRANCIS

Aries (March 20-April 19)
I recently got into a conversation with the proprietor of a local mystical bookstore; the topic was whether poo is ‘spiritual’. I was making the case that everything has a role in the universe, and you cannot subtract something from the natural world and claim that it’s ungodly. Cultured people tend to keep things in their appropriate places, but we need to be careful what we close our minds to. At the moment your astrological region of spiritual — Sagittarius, your solar 9th house — contains just about every ingredient known to humanity, from politics (Pallas) to murder (Ixion) to the language and the Internet (Mercury) to the zealous use of alcohol (Pholus) to sexual desire and ambition (Mars). This is not the time to ‘not think about chocolate cake’ when you’re meditating. It’s the time to look at the world and grant everything equal meaning, and notice how the many pieces of the cosmos fit together to reveal the mystery of existence.
Aries Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Taurus (April 19- May 20)
You have more talent than you reveal, including to yourself. I’m going to guess (it’s an educated guess) that you may feel that if you dare put some of that talent on display, you’ll be revealed as someone who’s faking it half the time, but I’m here to suggest that the opposite is true. All the people whose work and accomplishments you admire were folks who got up every day and set about doing what they do, learning at every step along the way. One of those steps was offering their talent or gift to the world. You have an abundance of natural ability that’s likely to far exceed your current understanding of what you’re capable of. On some level you seem to fear conflict arising if you express yourself, though that would not be the case if you set aside your competitive nature and took the one chance that sooner or later everyone who actually lives has to take — being you.
Taurus Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Gemini (May 20- June 21)
Lately you’re playing the role of the beloved Lt. Uhura of the Enterprise. Her job was to find the right frequency on which to speak to any aliens in the vicinity, to persist until meaningful contact was established, and to keep the conversation cool. Don’t worry if you have to be compromising, diplomatic or flexible — those are strengths and assets that will work to your advantage. The important thing is that you understand what others are saying, and that you then guide things into the next step of making sure you’re understood. This would be especially true if someone seems aggressive or single-minded. Apparently you have something they need. In the kind of interpersonal politics with which you’re currently involved, it’s in bounds to trade favors, to use leverage and to turn a potentially contentious situation into something useful that works for everyone. Be creative; be fair; go for what you want.
Gemini Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Cancer (June 21- July 22)
This matter you’re considering that is on the verge of public and private, is something you seem to want known, and you’ll feel better when it’s no longer private. You will reveal things to yourself by exposing them to others; the feedback from the outer world is an essential mirror of understanding that will propel you deeper into yourself. And deeper is the way you want to go: every factor involving your relationships or intimate contacts is pulling you in that direction like a colossal magnet. Whether these are seemingly work-related contacts or seemingly personal ones, always remember that you exist in the human dimension, and that its protocols are inherently hormonal. If you’re concerned about breaking rules, keep your sense of humor. If you’re concerned about being too obvious, wear red, and a hat with peacock feathers.

Cancer Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)
The Sun bursts into your fellow fire sign Sagittarius with a spectacular Full Moon over the weekend, and then commences what promises to be a wild adventure over the next four weeks. You’ve already had hints about just how daring you can be. The place to draw the line is not focusing on ‘safety’ but rather on creative passion. That is to say, strive for the kind of fun that is inherently about you, with that being its main quality of boldness. If you do, you’ll tap directly into an energy source you always seem to lust after but less often make direct contact with. The adventure of the coming weeks blurs the lines between friends and lovers, work and play, for-serious and for-pleasure. You may freely drop all pretense of needing to impress anyone or seek approval; if there’s a ‘lesson’ involved, that’s the one. Your life is for you and the people you want to share it with.

Leo Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)
In a theater, the distance between onstage and offstage is a few inches on either side of the wings, but that’s the difference between being part of the scene or behind it. At the moment, you’re trying to do both at once, and though you often prefer to work invisibly, you seem to be craving an opportunity to step into the lights. Any hesitation that may be stopping you is not exactly your own; it seems to be the property of prior generations. Your charts this year have been an extended study in going beyond the influences of the distant past and taking your rightful place at the center of your life. You have no need — an emotional impulse, perhaps, but not a need — to please or satisfy your father’s image of you. That fictitious struggle is the one thing that stands between you and actual self-acceptance. Embrace yourself and be known for doing so. That is freedom.

Virgo Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)
At long last, Venus has stationed direct in your birth sign. This six-week journey has come with many questions, and instigated an inner search that has led you to one inevitable conclusion: this thing you’re living is your life, or it’s nothing at all. You have seen the influences that others can exert on you, and you’ve discovered that you’re strong enough to discern your true self within so much competition by others to define who you are. You’ve grasped far closer to your center core than you may yet realize; you’ve gone deep enough into yourself to activate an authentic transformation rather than a change of appearance. You’re working from sufficient strength that if you actually live out your values, in the form of experimenting with the choices that you actually want to make, you will rapidly gain strength, momentum and integrity.

Libra Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)
It’s difficult to look at the chart for this weekend’s Full Moon and not see some theme of self-esteem appear for any of the signs, though this is particularly true for Scorpio. You may think you’re striving for ‘spiritual’. You may think you’re reaching for purity, for liberation from physical desire or freedom from emotional impulse. In my reading, what you actually want is to surrender to unconditional acceptance of who you are and what you want. If there is any negotiating to be done, it’s going to be on your terms: which are useful because all you seek is level ground. You may be confronted by the fact that someone may not like your idea of what is true for you, despite not understanding it. I would just make one suggestion — never negotiate for your freedom. You already have it, and negotiation only obscures that basic fact.

The Scorpio Audio Report is now done. This reading includes more than an hour of astrology and 20 minutes of tarot custom created for those with Scorpio Sun, Moon or rising. Priced at $14.95, it makes a useful and economical gift. Use this link for instant access.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
For weeks now, energy has been rapidly gathering in your sign, and it’s not going away anytime soon. The Sun makes its entrance this weekend carried by the momentum of the Full Moon. I want to remind you that while events from this point forward may seem to move quickly and perhaps unexpectedly, you’ve been working with a longterm plan that has, so far, been effective at giving you what you want. If you’re hesitating, please get over yourself. Keep your agenda focused and remember to go for the gems of your desires first. The one caveat described by the planets loud and clear is correct speech. You can do very nearly anything you want as long as you’re polite. Sagittarius is usually perceived by we mortals as being needlessly brusque, so remember to speak from a gentle place — and understate your case. You’re plenty compelling without needing to persuade.
Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)
Solve your problems before they become big problems. At the moment you have some profound insight into how to do not only that, but to move the pieces around the chessboard such that you’re in a position of true advantage. If you’ve been hesitating on anything, it’s this one point of playing the game to win, taking full authority or however you may want to describe it. This is an inner phenomenon, not anything you need to do in the outer world. You’re at a point where you can align the thread and the needle and pull the thread through all of the many layers of yourself. They are unified by one thing, which is purpose. Authentic purpose exists on a level deeper than we tend to think of it; on a level deeper than (from what I hear) many people believe they can access — but you can; you’re right there.

Capricorn Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
The next few weeks will have a distinct feature that blends ease of flow and various struggles to get to the next stage of your evolution. You can parlay one with the other; a bit of challenge keeps life interesting, and a bit of luck is always encouraging. Yet the adventure of these weeks is a relatively minor phase of what has, in truth, been an extremely long journey. This trek has taken you through yourself from a space where you may have actually verged on being clueless about what you wanted or who you were, to a place where you’re now working with actual knowledge, experience and principles. The question as ever seems to be about taking action. I suggest you work backwards from a goal. Focus on what you want, and the steps to getting there will be obvious. Prepare for a surge forward around the time of your birthday, perhaps a bit sooner.

Aquarius Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)
The Sun crosses your career angle this weekend, where it will soon make contact with numerous other planets in that angle of your chart. This will have an activating effect, calling attention to you and what you do — and to how well you do it. So I would ask, a little in advance: how do you feel about success? Do you consider it an adventure, or something barely worth the trouble? I suggest you make up your mind, because more than anything the planets are configured in such a way that you get what you aim for. That’s to say: aim for something meaningful. There are likely to be many smaller opportunities buzzing around; there may be people who think you still have some dues to pay. Brush them off and keep your attitude positive. Right now, you’re visible, and you’re a magnet. Choose your opportunities. Define success your very own way.
Pisces Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.