Tag Archives: UAC

Beyond Astrology

Dear Friend and Reader:

Next week, Planet Waves plans to provide continuous coverage of the United Astrology Conference (UAC) in New Orleans. Most of what we offer will be on our audio channel, Planet Waves FM. I will be interviewing the most interesting people I can round up and put on the air, in one-on-one conversations and roundtable-type discussions.

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We’re trying to figure out where this photo comes from. It’s all over the Internet as free wallpaper. It’s the crescent Earth from space, with the Sun angular behind it — though it may be a composite.

I will send out a series of mailings to remind you of what we’re doing. I anticipate conference coverage to begin Wednesday evening.

UAC is a collaborative venture between four different organizations: AFAN (Association for Astrological Networking), ISAR (International Society for Astrological Research), NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research, Inc.) and CVA (the Council of Vedic Astrology). It’s not an annual conference — it’s a big-number production that happens about once every four years. I’m guessing that this year’s conference will be attended by about 1,500 people. That’s more than enough to get some energy moving. The event seems to have started as the United Astrology Congress in the mid-1980s.

If you’re planning to be at the conference, don’t forget to stop by and visit our table. We’ll figure out a way to make it visible (we have Planet Waves FM banners). Note that we’ve been writing about aspects of the conference for weeks, which you can review on our UAC page.

Astrology conferences can be fun and educational, even if they are a bit overwhelming for some people at times. I know many astrologers who have learned a lot traveling the conference circuit, attending those 75-minute lectures and panels. There is a seemingly endless diversity of subject matter. What we don’t see is what’s missing, including topics and teaching modalities.

I come from an alternative educational background. The high school I attended was based on the philosophy of John Dewey, which was rich in participatory modes of learning, learning through experience and students educating one another. This is how to create an integrated learning process, making the most of the many minds who are gathered around the same theme or subject. Every day at school was interesting and different from the prior one.

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Astrology draws on knowledge from many different fields, including physics and astronomy. This astrolabe — which is a tool for making astronomical calculations — was crafted in the 15th century by the French instrument-maker Jean Fusoris (ca. 1365-1436).

Astrology is an unusual branch of knowledge in that doing it well requires a person to draw upon so many different fields. To name a few, in addition to astrology itself, we have to know about: astronomy, psychology, counseling, healing, metaphysics, some mathematics (less, now that there are computers), mythology, current events, history, relationships, sexuality and medicine. You would think that might take 20 years in a Greek academy.

To do astrology well, you can’t just know about these things — it’s necessary to integrate them into one another to put them into practical use. Speaking of practical, I had been going to conferences since 1995 and had never noticed a class focused on communications. After several years of lobbying the community, I was offered space to teach a writing class (sponsored by AFAN), which will be followed up by an Internet marketing/networking class taught by Donna Woodwell. AFAN is also sponsoring a media and public relations panel. These are excellent steps in the right direction.

While we’re on the topic, I would like to make a few suggestions for how conferences might contribute to better astrological education. I propose the following programs or concepts, which could be taught in a diversity of direct participation and workshop formats. It’s important to have the right format for the right kind of study. Some things work fine as lectures; others require a more roundtable or seminar-style approach.

Invite non-astrologer therapists to talk about how to work in a counseling room setting. Nearly all contemporary astrologers serve as counselors, even though most don’t call themselves that. We’re expected to help our clients through divorces, personal losses, illnesses, working out relationships, bouts of depression. Counseling comes with the astrological territory. I propose that we recruit some of the more innovative voices from progressive therapy projects and explore working with people as people rather than as extensions of their chart.

We need a real conversation about ethics. In medicine, the practitioner is supposed to try to do no harm. In matters of ethics in astrology, is it enough for the astrologer to suggest that the client consider the ethical considerations of his or her choice (such as a financial investment)? Should the astrologer actually decline to offer certain astrological advice and timing that might cause harm? Should the astrologer turn down clients seeking astrological advice to better exploit someone or the environment? Is it ethical to write about the charts of famous people, without their consent? These, and other questions, are fodder for our real conversation about ethics.

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Astrology needs innovators of therapy to help us figure out how to best work with people. This is Fritz Perls, one of the creators of Gestalt therapy, working in group process, ca 1970s. Perhaps it’s my background with Gestalt therapy, but I have always thought of the astrology chart and especially transits resonating with the immediacy and holistic quality of this modality.

Open up the discussion of modern astrology. During the past 20 years, the profession has developed a fixation on ancient astrology. The presence of informed scholars and greatly improved translations of old texts is a beautiful thing — beyond amazing, if you think about it. The reverence for tradition is honorable, healing something at the roots of the crisis that contemporary astrology finds itself in. Yet the solar system has changed profoundly in those same few decades. If you came to any astrology conference hoping to find out more about the newly discovered planets (Eris, Quaoar, Varuna, Sedna, Chiron and the centaurs, for example) you would typically find token representation. On a related theme — we can do a lot more with deep-space points (galaxies, pulsars, quasars). There are some great teachers who are doing alive, original work we can all benefit from.

Focus on sex. Many clients have pressing questions about sex, and the complex sexual histories they are sometimes working through — and there are few places to actually have the conversation. An astrologer is a logical place to go, but how many of us have specific training or advanced knowledge in this area? How can we create a safe space for the conversation? What if you’re discussing sexuality with a client who is making your mouth water? How do you help someone figure out what is healthy for them, if that’s what you’re called upon to do? If you’re not gay yourself, how do you work with someone who is coming out of the closet? There is a fantastic on-the-ground movement of sex educators in the United States, many of whom are already on the speaking circuit — and we need to tap this community to educate astrologers. We need some of these speakers as keynote presenters.

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I nominate Tristan Taormino to be the first sex education keynote speaker for the astrology community. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan, the niece of Thomas Pynchon, and a fantastic, enlightened sex education presenter. Publicity photo.

It’s time to provide astrologers with education about non-traditional relationship models. I have yet to see an astrology textbook that mentions polyamory, non-monogamous or other non-traditional relationship models. Yet many people are interested in these things, and lots of others are doing them without any special knowledge. It is readily available — another field with an active speaker’s circuit.

Are astrologers working from knowledge or belief? Do prominent Aquarian placements and/or prominent Uranus really indicate an enlightened, politically left ‘progressive’? Where are the statistical studies? We may need to put a disclaimer on the label. That said, reading a chart is a spontaneous and original experience, with all the factors taken in their unique context. It’s possible to teach something about how to do this.

Explore the use of astrology as a self-discovery tool. Most of our astrology is other-centered, yet a great many people use astrology as a self-discovery tool. It makes an excellent one — a kind of self-study spirituality game. Astrology is just one such path, though many others on other journeys might benefit from the self-reflexive learning from their charts. Here is an opportunity for astrology to cross-pollinate with other branches of modern spirituality.

How about real depth psychology training? Everyone agrees that astropsychobabble is not enough. The principles of depth psychology can be imparted in a series of classes, and study continued independently. For this I would propose non-astrological presenters, followed up by the most open-minded astrological presenters.

Working within the client’s religious framework. Astrologers work with people from diverse religious backgrounds. Religion is all the rage these days — and deep down, everyone has one. When you’re working with a devout Catholic, someone who is passionately Jewish or someone who is Hindu, it helps to be able to speak their spiritual language and work from within their frame of reference. It helps to understand the way they were taught metaphysical laws when they were a child. I propose that UAC and other conferences create a comparative religion track, and learn the role of astrology within the different approaches these religions take.

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Dr. Brian Marsden was director of the Minor Planet Center and helped out astrology many times, providing the first ephemeris of Chiron to astrologer Zane Stein. Marsden died in 2010. Photo by Harold Dorwin.

Get some astronomers on board. Minor planet astrologers (starting with Zane Stein) have a tradition of being friends with astronomers — and we have learned a lot from one another. Yes, there are actually some astronomers who are intrigued by what we’re doing. Astrologers would benefit from hearing about the latest advances in astronomy from the scientists themselves. Our profession has astronomy as its main basis, and this is a field where there has been astonishing growth and development the past 20 or so years. Let’s get together!

The environment is in distress — and we are all impacted by the situation. Just like there is no separating astrology from astronomy, there is no separating what we do from the condition of the Earth. Every single person we work with is impacted in some way, and there is a deep layer of grief that many people experience as we watch the devastation of the planet. Often that comes with a feeling of helplessness, yet this whole condition often drops back as the client’s personal affairs occupy the foreground. Many therapy methods encourage people not to think about the world — only to take care of themselves. We are, fortunately, evolving past a place where that’s even possible, and where the distinction is irrelevant.

Astrologers need business training. Every astrology practice is a small business, and it’s not so easy to run one of those. What’s the best way for someone to organize their business structure, and how do they decide? How do you set up the practice, your office and your schedule? At what point is it a good idea to hire an assistant, and how do you do that? This would be a fantastic full-day intensive, with many topics suitable for lecture sessions.

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Data collection and verification has gone downhill since we lost the magnificent Lois Rodden. Astrology needs to refocus its efforts on data collection, particularly of younger celebrities. Photo from Lois’s page on the Astrologer’s Memorial.

Create a lavish conference resource center. Imagine a room (like a ballroom or large conference room) with wide tables and a bunch of computers equipped with charting software, ephemerides, dials and other basic tools of the trade — set up on large tables. This would be staffed by experienced volunteer astrologers who could assist less experienced students with practical guidance and hands-on-the-work training in an informal format. You would be able to get help with your chart, seek tutoring in a special area of interest, learn how to use tools and have an intelligent one-on-one or small group conversation. This idea is stolen directly from John Dewey High School.

Astrological writing will benefit from fact-checking and attribution. Astrology stands halfway between the folk tradition and academic tradition. In folk tradition you can steal outright. In academic tradition, you usually attribute. While much of our knowledge is passed through the ages, some of it came out yesterday. We need to study, develop and teach the different modes of attribution. Also, data verification and collection has gone downhill steadily since the passing of Lois Rodden. This is an art that needs to be revived and honored by being taught.

What is astrology for? How does it work? And why do we use it? In order to use a tool safely, ethically and effectively, it’s necessary to understand how it works, and if that’s not possible, to be clear with ourselves how we think it works — and then explore the implications of that. Astrology often takes itself for granted, and rarely reflects on its failures, its shortcomings and its potential as a tool to approach life in a more holistic way.

Planet Waves
Astrology is part of the natural order of life, and could be considered a branch of environmental study. Astrologers would benefit from deepening their knowledge of earthy nature, and also understanding the impact of toxins on the environment. Photo by Eric.

It’s time to stop driving astrologers into debt to teach at conferences. Thanks to our subscribers, we at Planet Waves can afford to travel to conferences fully equipped and ready to go — but many astrologers must put the expenses on a credit card and pay it off. Some conferences pay better than others — though often presenters run at a significant loss, while the conference itself runs at a profit. If we’re going to have presenters already on the circuit or who come from outside our field, we will need to create the budget for that.

Astrologers fancy themselves intelligent people, equipped with one of the most sophisticated analytical tools in existence. Okay then, let’s figure this out.

While I’m at UAC I will be looking for people who can shed light on some of these topics, and if they’re game, I will share the interviews with you. Don’t forget to watch our Daily Astrology & Adventure page as well as Planet Waves FM starting midweek for our coverage of the United Astrology Conference.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Additional writing: Dale O’Brien. Note, we will be on a special schedule next week. The monthly horoscope will be distributed Wednesday evening, and there will be no horoscope Friday — though we will provide a summary of our UAC coverage.

 

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Gemini Eclipse Sunday; Things are Getting Twenty-Twelvy

We take another swan dive into 2012 astrology Sunday, when the Sun enters Gemini, followed several hours later by a powerful eclipse of the Sun. This combination of factors indicates a rapid shift of energy and acceleration of events, which will be followed up by three more eclipse-like alignments between now and June 5 (the Venus transit of the Sun, which we will be covering with the monthly horoscope next week). This is the very heart of the astrology of 2012. It’s not Dec. 21! It’s right now! If you are interested in the Mayan factor, remember how much they loved Venus and anything to do with Venus.

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Gemini New Moon annular solar eclipse on Sunday at 7:47 pm EDT. The Sun is the yellow circle next to the Moon in Gemini. (They have the exact same numbers next to them, which means they’re in a conjunction.) Notice how close they are to the orange horseshoe. That is the South Node; eclipses always happen near the lunar nodes. Also shown is a grand earth trine which is in effect right now. Note Mars in Virgo (red circle with an arrow), Pluto in Capricorn (red golf tee) and Vesta in Taurus (purple chevron). Grand trines can keep us running in circles, but this one offers an option: Chiron in Pisces (orange key) is opposite Mars, bisecting one side of the triangle. If you’re spinning your wheels, reach for the bold creative option.

Eclipses represent thresholds in time. They have several properties, including a shift in continuity, the sense that events are ‘karmic’ or destined, or just plain intense.

An eclipse within the first hours of the Sun changing signs comes with a message, though it may take time to decipher. With Gemini, we can consider a few themes, especially given that Venus changed directions to retrograde motion in that sign on Tuesday. Of Venus in Gemini, theosophical author Alice A. Bailey once wrote, “In Gemini, Venus reveals the desire for the pairs of opposites for each other for this is the underlying theme of the entire creative and evolutionary process — the interplay of opposites.”

Venus is one of the guardians of erotic consciousness (and emotional intelligence). She’s introducing an attractive force to Gemini, where those two playful twins can explore one another. The retrograde hints at role reversal, gender play, mirror play and experimenting with language. That’s in the backdrop of the eclipse, though — which is the main event for now. Make friends with your other side — we all have one, and it’s been the subject of many great works of literature that make the point. This entity, so often unfamiliar, is now more available and willing to come forward.

Even the Sabian symbol for the first degree of Gemini hints at this ability to get a look at our ‘other side’ — or both sides at once, actually. The symbol as described in Dane Rudhyar’s book An Astrological Mandala reads, “A glass-bottomed boat reveals undersea wonders.” Its expanded keynote is, “The revelation of unconscious energies and submerged psychic structures.”

To be able to see it all from the safety of a boat indicates that the process being initiated by this eclipse is eminently within our capabilities. It may be a strange world and an unusual view, but we’ll be in a position to see, receive, understand and integrate without threat of annihilation (ego death). Undersea and above the surface are still part of the same world; the surface tension we may feel between our halves is something we can play with and move through this weekend.

One last point about eclipses: do something you love that day, and if possible, at that time. This eclipse is conveniently timed (at least in the United States) for a weekend evening. If you’re going to be in the company of others, choose from those you want to bond with. If you’re keeping your own company, create the perfect space for yourself.

 

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In the continuing saga of the House of Murdoch, charges were formally unveiled Tuesday for Rebekah Brooks, who was former chief executive officer of News International from 2009 to 2011, and was editor of News of the World, Murdoch’s now-defunct tabloid. She’s been embroiled in a high profile phone-hacking scandal (fueled by Pholus, as noted in Planet Waves). Brooks was accused of hiding documents, computers and other materials from the police, as well as conspiring to remove records from Murdoch’s London headquarters.

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Brooks was charged this week with trying to foil the investigation of her old boss Rupert Murdoch, after being arrested last year.

Brooks responded, “Whilst I’ve always respected the criminal justice system, I have to question today whether decision was made on a proper, impartial assessment of the evidence. I understand and need — and know that there needs to be a proper and thorough investigation, and I am baffled by the decision to charge me today.” Given that the charges were released the day Venus stationed retrograde in a sign ruled by Mercury (Gemini), it will be interesting to see how this piece of the scandal plays out.

Also coinciding within two days of Venus’ station: Facebook’s IPO (initial public offering of stock). The monster social networking site offered shares for $38 a piece on Thursday, in a highly anticipated move. Many are scrambling to scoop up shares of the company begun only eight years ago in Mark Zuckerberg’s college dorm room. As noted by Francis Gaskins, editor of IPOdesktop.com in Marina del Rey, CA (quoted in the LA Times): “There’s never been a company that’s gone from inception to IPO with this kind of valuation. It’s a rocket ship that’s taken off.” The question is, where will it land – and how soon and how hard? Even without knowledge of the astrology, many in the world of finance are cautioning that Facebook rose so high so quickly, it potentially has nowhere to go but down — at least, as an investment — without a specific business plan that anyone can identify.

 

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Frank Knight, 101, stands in front of Herbie in Yarmouth, ME. Steven Senne / AP.

Frank Knight, who kept New England’s oldest and largest elm tree alive for five decades through fourteen bouts of Dutch elm disease in Yarmouth, Maine, died Monday at age 103.

Knight became the volunteer tree warden in Yarmouth in 1956, realized he could not save all the trees from the rampant disease, and so focused on one in particular: a giant whose canopy could be seen from a great distance, whom he named ‘Herbie’. The tree — and Knight — became a local legend, attracting visitors from all over.

Herbie finally had to be cut down two years ago, at age 217. The wood was used to create a number of pieces of art — but some of the wood was saved to be used for Knight’s casket, without his knowledge. Herbie now will hold Frank after Frank’s decades of holding Herbie — kind of a real-life version of The Giving Tree.

 

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We’ve covered Arab Spring, Wisconsin Winter, the Occupy Movement, and now our neighbors to the north are getting into the Uranus-Pluto spirit: it’s Quebec Spring. For the last 14 weeks, post-secondary students in this eastern Canadian province have been striking against proposed tuition hikes. The protests quickly embraced wider aims, particularly the government’s desire and ability to impose a vision of society (ultra capitalist) on its citizens (youth). Unfortunately, the protests also have been escalating in their disruption and violence, with one student nearly killed last week and another losing an eye. Yet the youth of Montreal have also gotten quite creative, most recently staging an (almost) “naked march for truth.” Public nudity is illegal in Montreal, but underwear and taped nipples got the point across without breaking any laws.

 

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Planet Waves
Sheri Winston.

We’re halfway through Masturbation Month, Kingston resident, friend of Planet Waves and sex educator Sheri Winston is in hot pursuit of her second book project: Succulent SexCraft.

Sheri is well known in the world sexuality awareness and education, and her first book, Women’s Anatomy of Arousal, won the 2012 Book of the Year award from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).

Dedicated to fostering self-understanding and unlocking self-pleasure, Succulent SexCraft is designed to be a hands-on guide to erotic play and pleasure. Sheri initiated a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the project, and here’s the exciting news: a generous donor has offered to match all contributions pledged between now and Wednesday, May 23. If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, projects only receive the money pledged if the project meets its fundraising goal. Right now Sheri’s is about 35% funded, and we’d love to see this book ‘come’ to fruition.

 

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Interview with Performance Artist Stevie Jay

This week’s edition of Planet Waves FM is in two parts — a short summary of the astrology leading into Sunday’s annular eclipse of the Sun, and then an interview with a performance artist named Stevie Jay. The conversation is about gender, sex and social roles, and why anyone cares if anyone else is gay.

 

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Find Your Current Monthly Horoscopes Here — and Schedule News!

This section also includes the upcoming publishing schedule! The May monthly horoscope (long edition and an article called “The Lighter Side of Taurus”) was published Wednesday evening, April 25. The most recent Inner Space monthly for May was published Tuesday, May 1. We published Genevieve Hathaway’s most recent Moonshine Horoscope (for May) on Tuesday, May 8. All Tuesday editions are now being published to the subscriber area only and are no longer being distributed by email. The next monthly horoscope by Eric will be the June edition, to be published the evening of Wednesday, May 23. There will not be a regular edition that week — and there may be additional changes to the schedule due to the UAC conference, which we will be covering on Planet Waves FM.

 

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Friday, May 18, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #904 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions
Last Taurus Birthdays for 2012

If your birthday is in the vicinity, you’re born with the Sun in late Taurus, and are being blessed by a conjunction from Jupiter in your sign. It’s time to open up to positive energy — and more money — flowing into your life. Yet there is another question, which is what you would do with more resources if you had them available to you. You’re approaching a time of deep questions about your priorities, your values and in particular, how you feel about yourself. Money will factor into this equation, though it’s a reflection of something much more significant (and this influences everyone born under the sign Taurus) — which is how you feel about yourself. To the extent that you’ve had mixed feelings or experienced a kind of inner conflict that I’ve seen in many Taureans I’ve been close to, you now have a beautiful opportunity to work this out. Go back through your life and look at the decisions you’ve made, and ask yourself this question: what would I have done if I truly felt good about myself? This is your starting point for the next four seasons. You can learn more from the Taurus birthday reading, which is done using both astrology and tarot.

Gemini Birthdays This Week

The Sun enters your sign on Sunday, followed within hours by a powerful eclipse of the Sun. It’s pretty special (by that I mean rare) to have a solar eclipse the day that the Sun changes signs, though that’s just one factor pointing to one of the most unusual years of your life. In a sense you are going through a total reorientation, which will influence every layer of your being. What you experience over the next few weeks is just a taste of what is to come, though everything will flow from the events of your birthday season this year, which include the Venus transit of the Sun. You could say that your whole life has led to this moment — or looked at another way, 2012 represents one of the most distinct ‘before and after’ points you’ve ever encountered. In exploring the possibilities, I suggest you look back at 2004 and ask yourself what was going on then — what you initiated, what changes you made, what goals you set for yourself. How have things worked out so far? Are those goals still valid? Collect the ones that still are, assess them carefully in light of what you’ve been through, and get ready to be honest with yourself about what you now want. Your astrology is so strong right now that there’s little that could stop you. Note, I will have your Gemini birthday reading, complete with Tarot, sometime soon.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Keep your focus on service. That seems to be what you’re called to do at this point, despite your restlessness and your urge to focus on your own needs, as opposed to those of your circumstances. You do seem to be figuring out that there’s a direct relationship between the two — that, in a sense, you are your circumstances and they are you. If that’s true, the only thing that matters is that you’re actively participating in something that’s creative, productive or focused on healing. As long as you do that, it will be about you, and you will learn and benefit. It does seem that for the foreseeable future you’re destined to overcome the reputed Aries trait of being good at starting things and less adept at finishing them. To facilitate that, I suggest you make a list of everything already started that needs to be completed, and make a goal of accomplishing those things before July 1.

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) — It’s as if you’re split between two different existences right now — one in which you feel the emotional challenges and darkness that you want to work through, and another in which you can feel and experience your potential. I suggest you allow those two seemingly separate worlds to coexist, and feel the tension that creates. Hold open the space between them. Don’t let the two sides of the equation mush into one nondescript morass. If you can do that, you’ll see that you have a choice in the matter of how to experience your existence — and there is more in this choice than you may recognize. For example, emotional challenges almost always relate to the past. What role does the past play in what you’re doing now? Expressing your potential is about making contact with yourself, and that can only happen in this very moment. What is stopping you? Don’t worry about how to resolve this issue. I suggest you work with the various dichotomies as long as you can.

Hello Taurus — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed) If you would like to hear your Taurus birthday reading, please visit this link.

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — The Sun enters your sign on Sunday with some real fanfare — a solar eclipse on the very first day it’s there. This is hinting at a year of rapid advancement and many changes. While it’s too early to make specific plans, you can help by getting clear with yourself what you want. Once you know that, you will have a basis for making every other decision. Remember your desires don’t have to be ‘finalized’ in any way — you just need to be aware that you want some things and you don’t want some others. Other factors indicate that any secrets you’ve been keeping from yourself are about to come out in the wash. Those could include what you really want, versus what you thought you wanted; how you really feel, versus how you thought you felt; and ideas that might have occurred to you but that didn’t get a second thought. Self-knowledge is your best friend right now. Collect what you learn over the next few days — it will soon come in handy.

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) — Sunday’s solar eclipse will help you let go of the negative expectations that have dragged you down for so long. I realize that life is not exactly a walk in the park these days, with all the stresses we face and far too much uncertainty, confusion and stupidity in the society of which we’re part. Yet you can support your own cause by allowing your fears and insecurities to be drained out of your psyche, as this eclipse suggests they can be. If you want to facilitate the process, do your best to relax. For now, all you need to do is allow. At least for the next few days, ease off on the pressure to achieve. If you have to do anything, do it in the most relaxed way possible, and when you can, gradually recognize that the things that have been sources of anxiety in the past don’t have to exist today. Practice being bigger than them, which should be easy, because you are.

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 don’t have to be anyone you’re not. That’s the beauty of this moment. Who you are is not only adequate — it’s amazing. For the next few days, experiment with the feeling of having to live up to nobody’s expectations. You can be less visible, less vocal, even less helpful. This will help you center yourself, which will give you more energy to do whatever you want. One theme of the next few weeks (of utterly extraordinary astrology) is you finding your true relationship to the world around you. Many of the things that influenced you in the past are no longer valid or necessary. The world to which you’re forming a new relationship has never been a more frenetic work in progress — but there are patterns developing, and if you notice them you will be able to slip into the flow with much greater ease than ever before. To the extent that you’ve ever discounted the value of your intelligence, I suggest that’s the first thing that’s going to change.

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

 


Spring Checkpoint: Individual Signs Now Available

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.

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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.

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.

Signs are now available individually for an amazingly low price, cheaper than the paper shopping bag costs at Jimmy Choo — order your reading here. 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.

Please drop us a note if you have any questions.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — There’s an expression I love that I often hear from Australian people — “put your ears on.” Your charts suggest strongly that you’re looking for direction — I suggest you listen for it. These days, listening is a learned skill. As far as I’ve seen, it’s one of the most clear indicators of awareness. The information coming your way could take many different forms, but what they have in common is sound. It might be music, it might be something you overhear, it could be the sounds of nature. Pay particular attention to erotic vocalizations (your own or those of anyone else) and notice how you feel when the sounds are entering your ears. I am suggesting that you open up to the rich textures, vibrations and guidance that can come in through this sense (and its related extra-sensory realm), though this will take practice. The result, however, will be making contact with a new kind of confidence. As the next few eminently interesting weeks develop, listening will lead naturally to expressing yourself in new ways, with the operative word being new.

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) — A world of possibilities is about to open up to you, though you may be so involved in your current commitments that you can’t see any way of making those possibilities real. However, most of the truly spectacular astrology of the next month takes place in the angle of your chart that speaks about longterm plans, so I suggest you take the long view. That always starts with holding a vision. You will be amazed when you see how efficiently a vision translates into manifested reality. Keeping that in mind, this would be a great time to get clear about what you do not want, and gradually resolve each of those things one at a time. You might notice that as you do this, you will discover that some of those aspects of your life are nourishing you beautifully, and if that’s true, you can keep them.

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) — You seem drawn into a situation where you will need to let go of some of your own priorities and work with those of someone else. There’s a way to do this without giving up your power, which is about working with the common interests you share with the people in this situation. There are plenty — and there is also the potential for everyone to benefit substantially based on those mutual interests. In actual fact, life is not a game of “every man for himself.” If it was, we would not build towns, cities, universities or farming cooperatives. But there is a commitment involved. In this case you may feel that you’re making that commitment to a certain person or maybe even to an idea, or a values system. In truth what you’re doing is committing to your relationship to existence. That’s a little like saying you’re reaffirming your promise to live your life fully, only it’s a lot bigger.

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) — You may wonder what is happening to a particular relationship — but I suggest you leave your fears behind you. Yes, you might have the feeling that things are slipping out of control, but what good has control done for you or for the people you love? What you’re about to experience is the first step in a concentrated series of transitions lasting into late June. One message of this journey will be that control is a null concept. You will be reminded to take nothing for granted. And you will see how far simple trust can take you in your most intimate relationships. I know that most of the time we define these encounters as places of exchange, where if things are going well, we both give and get. The relationship environment of your life goes beyond mere exchange, and enters the dimension of alchemy. You have a role in someone’s life that you don’t understand — and cannot fully understand until you see the results. You don’t need to do much, except for participate when you feel the opening and invitation to offer yourself.

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) — The world around you may seem to be spinning out of orbit, but you are grounded and safe. You have what you need, and if you don’t, you can go a long way by opening up to receiving it. That sensation of opening to receive — so rarely remembered, if it was ever experienced before — is a gentle feeling. There’s no struggle, no question of deserving, no push or pull. It’s as natural as a sponge absorbing water. You have something more, though — the ability to self-create. In a sense, you are absorbing from within, which is one of the exalted creative stages because it means you can access your inner well and have something unusual to express. I would add a note about any health worries you may have: this is the weekend to put them behind you, whether by recognizing they are merely fears, or by deciding what action you can take to resolve the issue.

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) — You seem to feel cluttered in emotional material, to the point where there is no room for you within your feelings or the four walls you inhabit. I suggest you make some space. Push the walls open, clear out people and things (including the ones you’re carrying in your aura) or get outside, at any time but especially for Sunday’s solar eclipse. If you have been struggling for ideas to move forward, you will discover that they were on their way once you made space for them. Creativity is not compatible with worry, and it’s rarely an attribute of what psychologists call the mind’s “problem-solving mode.” If you are trying to solve problems, make sure you define them in a clear way. Don’t assume you’ve already done this — people rarely do. If something has persistently not had a solution, then it’s likely you’ve defined the problem in a way that cannot be solved. In any event, keep your body moving and your mental energy flowing, changing your scenery until you arrive somewhere nourishing.

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) — This weekend and for the next few weeks, pay attention to how you feel wherever you are. I would include geographic locations as well as physical spaces such as your home, your workspace and any other spot you may visit. Choose where to be based on what you know about how you feel in certain spaces — and use that power of choice generously. You are in the process of forming a bond with the Earth, and this is directly related to your sense of place. While not considered one of the five senses of Aristotle, it’s one of the most significant modes of awareness you have — the sense of where you belong. This is not so much a rational thing as it is a feeling thing. If you’ve felt divided about this issue, for example if you’ve been splitting your life in an uncomfortable way, you may discover that you can now resolve that. And if you’ve felt stuck (a very different sensation than grounded), you can get the energy going and work that out as well.

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

Mercury on the Move

Dear Friend and Reader:

But before we get into that — overnight Tuesday to Wednesday there was a positively huge coronal mass ejection, which is to say, an explosion on the Sun. The image below is an actual photograph of the event (taken from video shot by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory). The Sun is illustrated by the small circle at the center; the solid blue ring is blacking out the zone that’s too bright to photograph, and the burst to the upper left is the ejection before it got very large.

Planet Waves
Solar flare, which eventually expanded to engulf the Earth this week. The size of the Sun is shown in the small white circle at the center of the image. Photo by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory — your tax dollars doing something besides paying for another war.

In fact it got so large it washed over the Earth. Under the right circumstances, one of these things can take out part of the power grid; it’s happened before. The solar radiation storm triggered by this ejection was rated as an S3 class — “mainly a nuisance to satellites, causing occasional reboots of onboard computers and adding noise to imaging systems,” according to SpaceWeather.

If you could hear it, all that energy would sound really cool crashing into the magnetic pickups of an electric guitar. I often wonder about the effect of solar storms on consciousness. So far, I haven’t been able to discern anything stranger than normal in human behavior, compared to what I observe with many planetary events, but anything that can fry a power plant on Earth or a satellite-based computer has to have some influence on the brain. When I imagine how that might feel, the aspect Mercury conjunct Uranus comes to mind, which happened to be exact at the time of the solar burst and is still in effect now.

That conjunction is an exact alignment of Mercury, the Earth and Uranus, so think of it as a direct line of energy bringing all three ideas together, focused through Mercury — the planet of mind. It could feel like a not-so-subtle jolt of energy, sustained long enough to notice it. In Aries, there is a kind of aggression involved, and there does seem to be some hostility reaching a new peak lately. I’ll come back to that in a moment — first let’s look at the current Mercury retrograde cycle, which includes a series of three Mercury-Uranus conjunctions.

Visit the discussion page for this article.

Mercury Retrograde — March 12 through April 4

Mercury stations retrograde in Aries Monday at 2:49 am EST. Currently it’s in what some astrologers call ‘storm phase’ — when it slows down and changes apparent directions. Mercury retrograde in Aries is a warmup for the vernal equinox on March 20, when the Sun will enter Aries and join retrograde Mercury, plus Uranus, Vesta, Eris and Ceres.

Planet Waves
Artist’s conception of a view of Uranus as it might appear from from one of its many moons. Uranus does not have land masses and the Sun is drawn waaaay too large for that distance, but it’s an evocative image and gives a cool sense of perspective. The image is from free wallpaper, and a high-res copy is available.

No wonder (borrowing a phrase) there’s all this loose talk of war; bombing Iran is being sold to us as an inevitability. Yet I guess what you hear depends on who you’re listening to. Better ideas than war are not only possible but inevitable under this series of conjunctions, which seem designed to keep as many people awake as possible. If nobody notices, it would not be the first time humanity has slept through the alarm clock.

Uranus, the first planet discovered by science, is a slow-mover, taking 84 years to go around the Sun. It’s movement produces noticeable effects. That’s the planet that ingressed Aries (and thus touched the Aries Point) the very day of the Fukushima earthquake, last March 11. It’s the quicker-moving side of the Uranus-Pluto square, what I’ve been calling the “2012 aspect” that lasts from this year through 2015 (really, with effects lasting much longer). Uranus-Pluto aspects shake the world, and in many ways, recreate it. (You can learn more at my free audio, The Top Five Events of 2012.)

Think of Uranus as representing the creative breakthrough, or alternately, an erratic quality. It can represent the idea that’s ahead of its time; it can just seem weird. You know your reaction to someone who lacks a well-groomed Uranus: there’s something charming about them, but the quirky, pushy quality can turn you off, they can be a bit too reactionary and they don’t know when to chill out. Think of the person who is shamelessly convinced the CIA is following them from the pizzeria to the taco place to the record store.

When Uranus is expressing itself effectively, the result can be a nonstop fountain of ideas, innovative perspectives and an inventive mind that can have a similar eccentric quality, but now it’s useful and friendlier if still a bit high-strung. Yet in Aries, this can take on a militant quality. We can see this clearly in the tenor of the current political discussion, which is all full of Marsy piss and vinegar that the wannabe fascist fringe is directing mainly at women these days.

Mercury makes two additional conjunctions to Uranus in Aries: the next is March 18 with Mercury retrograde, then the third is April 22 with Mercury direct. Think of this as a process of evolving an idea, and in Aries, an idea about yourself. Mercury retreats from hot, brash Aries into the cooler, softer waters of Pisces, letting go of some of its heat before stationing direct. Then it re-enters Aries and makes its third conjunction to Uranus — and a few days later, makes a square to Pluto. April is when we really start to feel the fact that it’s 2012, and Mercury passing through the Uranus-Pluto square will make this extremely obvious — especially as a media event. But there will be a sobering quality as Mercury finally makes its square to Pluto on April 25.

About What Martha Said

Let’s consider how this might feel, and how we can orient ourselves on the process. Remember that old idea from depth psychology about how when shadow material is not consciously acknowledged, it will wreak havoc below the surface, causing chaos and disease? On the other side of that, when we contact, feel and express some of that darkness, authentic healing is possible.

Planet Waves
Our colleague Martha — no wait, it’s the renowned Elly del Sarto; postcard c. 1910.

Last week, Martha Lang-Wescott described Uranus square Pluto as “unbidden empty narcissism surging from the depths of Pluto and all of its psychological scars. People can get distracted by the twinkles and the erratic behavior of Uranus and overlook Pluto,” which addresses deeper material and is a more urgently necessary agent of growth. That erratic behavior includes the conduct of various political movements that want, in effect, to ban women from being people and who are creating a huge distraction in the process.

“There is the show and the excitement of Uranus [in Aries], and then there’s this underbelly of the concealed drives of Pluto [in Capricorn], such as greed. Uranus presents as the perfect distraction — all this technology stuff — when Pluto is often acting invisibly. There’s also the attraction to the dangerous element of Pluto charisma. Nessus accents that quality of Pluto.” [Nessus is the minor planet at the midpoint of the Uranus-Pluto square; I covered this in last week’s issue].

Hence, the argument about Rush Limbaugh’s verbal attack on Laura Fluke (who testified about birth control before congress, and who Limbaugh called a prostitute and a slut) is the side show. His comments and all the controversy they create are a distraction from actual issues, when the more important developments are represented by whatever is taking place over at the Pluto in Capricorn side of the equation. This would include the deep psychological scarring that’s beneath all of the fire and fury, as well as subversive activity on the corporate-government front. (I’ll come back to this soon, but when Mitt Romney or the Supreme Court says that corporations are people, that’s a very serious problem; it’s the essence of the problem.)

Capricorn in this context can represent the disproportional influence of so many institutions that try to run our lives. It can represent unresolved family baggage that we know we’re dragging around. Pluto’s movement is trying to get us to do something about it — and to see the connection between our family material and how susceptible we are to deception by corporate entities. The movement of Pluto can represent the deep inner drive to bring some life back into those regions of ourselves. Yet be aware Pluto will wreak havoc when it’s not worked out consciously and given an opportunity to express itself in a healthy way — and that is part of what we’re seeing right now.

Several readers have suggested that this latest cycle of misogyny and pleasure-bashing is really just an old idea being exposed and thrashing around before it dies. Perhaps, but the only thing that can replace it is getting the discussion of sex out of the political arena. The political arena provides a shield for people who are both hateful and those who are on the ‘correct’ side of the issue who don’t want to speak about sex in anything other than a defensive way. [I cover this in the new edition of Planet Waves FM.]

Once we find a home for the discussion outside of the news, a congressional hearing or the committee room of some backwater state legislature, we will need to talk about healing the sexual and emotional injuries we’ve sustained after being exposed to a society that seems bent on sex-negativity; we’ll need to make contact with sexual desire as being part of an impulse to grow and evolve; and we will need to challenge the veil of guilt and shame and open up about the pleasure aspects of sex. Sex and the relationships that support it cannot be themselves if they are constantly shamed. They will be shamed until we realize that the shaming and guilt are a fraud, and until we claim our right to be alive.

Mars is Still Retrograde

Mars has been retrograde since late January and it will remain so through April 13. We need to work this energy carefully. When Mars is retrograde and tries to act like it’s not, it can shoot itself in the foot. Apropos of Mars retrograde in Virgo (a sign illustrated by a young woman, called jungfrau in German), one historical fun fact is that the last time we had an all-in-Virgo Mars retrograde was in 1965 — the year the Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized birth control. Now suddenly that decision is being questioned — granted, by a bunch of religious nut cases who get a lot of airtime on TV.

Planet Waves
Microscopic photo taken by Opportunity rover showing a gray hematite concretion, indicative of the past presence of liquid water on the planet’s surface. The rover has been operative on Mars for nearly 3,000 days, though the original specs called for a 90-day mission. The project is organized by Jet Propulsion Lab at Caltech.

There have been other Mars retrogrades partly in Virgo, but the last one entirely in Virgo happened the last time this issue came up for discussion. In true retrograde fashion, we are getting a visit to the past, a review of ideas we’ve seen before, and an opportunity for introspection.

Mars in Virgo has that element of healing desire. The desire part comes from Mars and the healing piece from Virgo. The retrograde feels like making contact with all of the psychological complexities associated with desire. Think of how ‘uncomfortable’ people can get when you want them, or how ‘uncomfortable’ you can get when someone expresses desire for you.

What’s that about, anyway? Despite all of our protestations, do we want sexy without the sex (i.e., nothing but a constant tease), sex without the intimacy, intimacy without the risk, and deep experiences without them having any real influence on us? Sometimes that’s what it seems like.

We might well ask what it is that we’re avoiding with this whole dance. Lots of people would prefer to suppress an entire culture or the whole world just so they don’t have to deal with their own biology, their own feelings, their unresolved problems. That’s what I believe is happening when we see politicians go on their rampages, and we watch them get away with it. This drama serves anyone on any side of the issue whose deeper goal is to avoid some inner truth. It’s easy to scream and yell. It’s more challenging to be with your own pain, or to admit the pleasure that you want, and to confront the possibility of what you might do if you weren’t constantly distracted from your creative potential.

Yeah — what would you do?

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Visit the discussion page for this article.

 

Planet Waves

The past day or so we’ve been experiencing the Full Moon. One interesting thing about that is that the whole world has one experience, a consequence of it being a celestial event; something beyond the Earth. We, as in all of us here, have also been awash in the remnants of a solar storm that took place overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, resulting from a mass coronal ejection from a sunspot, with the energy bursting out to many times the size of the Sun.

Planet Waves
Vesta photographed from the Dawn probe in 2011.

And that energy rains all over us. As fast and as uncontrollably as our technology is moving, or the speed of our minds or activities, the Sun in all its passion and Moon in all its silence embrace the Earth between them and there is some collective awareness that something is happening, happening to all of us, in the background though it may be. A burst of energy comes from the Sun, and we’re reminded that our power grids can be taken down in a matter of moments.

Because the Sun is in Pisces — the last sign — this was the last Full Moon of the astrological year. The Sun is now moving through the last 10 degrees of Pisces, called a decanate or in older terms, the last face of the zodiac. The astrology to watch is how close Mercury is to stationing retrograde — in Aries. It’s in a bold part of the zodiac, the first few degrees, and Mercury is conjunct two other points — an asteroid called Vesta, named for the goddess of fire; and Uranus, representing a kind of fire of his own — the fire of the mind.

Continue reading.
 

Planet Waves

As the far-Right’s War Against Women heats up, the backlash is getting feistier, too. Mother Jones writer Hannah Levintova has compiled a list of tongue-in-cheek bills proposed by legislators of both sexes aiming to show just how absurd — though no less dangerous — the attacks on women’s health are getting. For example, Georgia state Rep. Yasmin Neal wrote a bill outlawing most vasectomies because they leave “thousands of children … deprived of birth.”

On a more grave note, Democracy Now! reports that there have been a number of developments in the Republican-backed campaign against reproductive rights nationwide. Virginia’s Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed into law the controversial bill forcing women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound. The Georgia state senate has approved measures that would ban abortion coverage under the state employees’ healthcare plan and prevent employees of private religious institutions from demanding contraception coverage under their insurance.

In New Hampshire, legislators passed a similar measure to exempt religious institutions from including contraceptive coverage in their insurance plans. And Utah lawmakers have passed legislation that would make their state the first to ban public schools from teaching contraception as a way to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. The measure would also bar teachings on homosexuality or other issues of human sexuality, with the exception of abstinence before marriage.

One question for you: Isn’t it strange that this is happening now?

 

Planet Waves

In Wisconsin, state senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) is proposing a bill (Senate Bill 507) that would formally consider single parenthood — “nonmarital parenthood” — a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect if passed into law. The bill’s language therefore also takes aim at same-sex and unmarried couples. Grothman is an ally of Republican Governor Scott Walker, against whom procedures for a recall election are still underway following his actions last spring to strip collective bargaining rights from unions. According to Grothman, being a single mother is a choice women make, and he says, “we should educate women that this is a mistake.” Grothman also commented of ‘unwanted’ or ‘mistimed’ pregnancies that “I think when you have an epidemic of this great proportion, people are not so dumb that it’s surprising when they get pregnant,” and, “I think people are trained to say that ‘this is a surprise to me’, because there’s still enough of a stigma that they’re supposed to say this.” Opponents are quick to note that one of the articles in the bill states that 41% of children in the U.S. are born to single or unmarried parents. According to Human Development and Family Studies Professor Dave Riley, however, family type has far less impact than the family process. This is something that polyamorous people have noted for decades. What counts is an environment respectful of children and with some semblance of stability. Marriage per se is no guarantee of that.

 

Planet Waves

Mercury stations retrograde on Monday. This means that in your intimate contact with others, you’ll want to listen carefully, stop and think before replying, and if something doesn’t quite make sense, back up a step and ask about it. Mercury in Aries dancing around Uranus may be game for some new ideas; be bold and propose something.

Planet Waves
Fire Goddess Vesta.

Mercury and Vesta, conjunct in Aries, are making a fire trine to Juno in Sagittarius. Let’s start with Mercury and Vesta together. The brightest asteroid, Vesta is named for the goddess of the hearth, though there’s a deeper layer to the story. The flame she’s tending is the core creative and sexual flame, giving this asteroid a connotation of erotic priestess.

Core sexuality is usually a veiled dimension, but Mercury is coming along and picking up the subject, and delivering it like a message. Note the proliferation of sex in the news right now, and though it’s been a bit warped, there’s still awareness — and something bigger in the air, and that something has a touch of taboo. One core expression of Vesta is devotion, which can be to pleasure, to healing or to holding space.

Uranus is in the equation — it’s right next to Vesta and Mercury is making contacts with both over the next week or two. Uranus brings the factor of the unexpected, the unusual, the spontaneous — and in Aries it’s glowing with the idea of self-awakening. This will come through the exchange of words, so keep your ears on and your mind open and be willing to say what you’ve never said before.

Juno in Sagittarius is trine this conversation. Madame Jealousy herself is in harmony with something original happening, and she’s in Sagittarius, in full expression in her more dignified role as the Queen of Heaven.

The fiery temperament of the moment is grounded by the physical expression of Venus and Jupiter in Taurus. Stay close to your senses, and follow them as you tune in to the deeper psychological material of Pluto in Capricorn, which is calling for some love and healing; and a source of healing waters in Pisces, coming from Neptune and Chiron. The beauty of riding with the current is that you stay in the moment.

 

Planet Waves

Buddy Up at UAC With Planet Waves Readers

If you’re planning to be at UAC and are looking for a roomie, we may be able to help, by connecting people who are interested in sharing a hotel room. Drop a note to info@planetwaves.net and we will put you in contact with other people who reply.

Featured Class of the Week: Donna Woodwell, my co-presenter for the astrology marketing intensive, May 23 (extra fee, very good information, more info here):

Using the Internet to attract clients and build your astrology business

Planet Waves
That’s Donna!

Not only is the Internet a great place to meet new clients, it’s getting easier (and cheaper!) to use successfully. Astrologer and Internet entrepreneur Donna Woodwell will demonstrate free and low-cost ideas to use social media and other online tools to increase traffic to your website and convert those visitors into clients.

During this three-hour workshop, you’ll learn techniques and tools you can go home and implement immediately, including how to:

• Discover your authentic voice and use it to build your unique marketing niche

• Build remarkable websites with enticing content that attracts readers

• Engage clients in social media including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more

• Add sizzle to your content with audio and video media

• Harness free Internet advertising resources such as Yelp, Google Places and Amazon

• Spread the love with your email marketing newsletter

• Measure your marketing success with Google Analytics and other tools

Whether you’re just starting your astrology business and looking for clients, or are a seasoned pro who wants to learn more about the web, this workshop contains something for you.

 

Planet Waves

Pisces 2012 Extended Birthday Report Ready

Dear Friend and Reader:

This week I recorded the 2012 extended Pisces audio birthday report. I just started doing these in 2010, and this completes the first full run of all 12 signs. In addition to Pisces Sun, it will also provide good guidance for those with Pisces rising and Moon. The presentation is one hour of astrology in two sections, plus a 20-minute tarot reading. (Capricorn and Aquarius came out last week. Note, if you have an All Access pass, it works for each of these reports.)

Planet Waves
Fish Boy Arlo, photographed by his mom — Chelsea.

In this report I cover the recent arrival of Neptune and Chiron in your sign, and describe the energetic shifts of having these two distinguished, slow-moving points in your sign for the foreseeable future (Chiron till 2019 and Neptune until 2025). My intent with this reading is to help you orient on the new quality that you’re likely to experience both as an inner journey and as many shifts in your outer environment. This report both elaborates on the Reality Check annual edition and enters new territory.

These are deep influences that will, over time, transform your life and your perception of yourself. They’re distinctly different from the energy of Uranus in Pisces, which ended one year ago, after seven years.

Chiron and Neptune in your sign will help you bring out your true nature, and establish a kind of inner contact that you may have read about in books on spirituality. Yet there is a cautionary note: Neptune in Pisces will influence you to exist in a world apart. Fortunately, the realistic, high-focus energy of Chiron in your sign for the next seven years will provide an access point to both your quest and your healing mission.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

I also take a close look at Mars retrograde in your opposite sign Virgo, which is leading you to rethink the way you do your relationships and the role that others have in your life. The retrograde is an extended question that will help you make decisions about what you want, what is appropriate and how to arrange your boundaries. What’s beautiful is the sense of inner strength that you can now bring to the table; the feeling of substance and a new measure of stability, regardless of what others are going through.

I also look at the Uranus-Pluto square as it will influence your financial dimension of existence — both planets are passing through different sectors of your chart associated with money and the flow of resources. The revolution of this aspect is how you think of, acquire and use all forms of material resources.

There is more; no need to go into it here. The reading comes with resources including the Pisces ingress chart, a photo of the tarot spread, and access to the 2011 annual (Light Bridge) for Pisces, so you can review certain factors from the recent past that may have a bearing on your life now.

Here is the link to order. The fee for this product is $19.95 including everything, with unlimited access (it never expires) and you can download the audio sections as an archive so you can listen in iTunes.

Lovingly, your Pisces astrologer

Eric Francis

 

Planet Waves

How (and How Not) To Talk About Sex

In this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I look at the Virgo Full Moon, and some of the material that might be associated with this event in your life. I relate it to Mars retrograde in Virgo, which to me is about the healing of desire.

One thing we’re getting with this Mars retrograde is plenty of opportunity to do just that — particularly as sex keeps getting run up the flagpole day after day in the midst of the Republican primary race. I propose, however, that having the discussion of sex in congressional hearing rooms, the news and the Supreme Court is a huge distraction, and I recommend ways we can get the conversation into more intimate settings. At the end of the program I announce an essay contest that anyone (or rather, everyone) can win — check for details. The prize (for the first 10 coherent entries) is a copy of Betty Dodson’s new DVD.

I mention a sex education website — SoloTouch.com — where you can read 50,000 stories that prove that you’re not weird. I recommend a book, Eros Denied by Wayland Young, and I suggest you peruse Betty Dodson’s site, not for the end of the sex conversation but rather for an excellent point of beginning.

 

Planet Waves

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

 

Planet Waves

Friday, March 9, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #894. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions
 

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Mars is still retrograde. You seem to have been reminded of that fact boldly this week, as some arrangement didn’t quite turn out as planned. It seems like everything in your life comes back to a reminder to pay closer attention to the kinds of details that you normally can take for granted or overlook. In fact though your reputation casts you as dashing and inattentive, focused only on the future, one of the reasons why you can be so bold is that you do have a knack for making sure the finer points are covered. Yet now there seems to be no limit to the number and variety of details that the universe is capable of producing. You may as well slow down. Although all those small elements seem so effective at holding up progress, in reality each question, issue or puzzle that you resolve is specifically an element of progress. The solutions will arrange themselves into something you recognize, and if you look carefully you may discover that this is the constellation of thought you were missing — the one that holds the answer that was right there all along but which you couldn’t see. The name of the game is pattern recognition.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may be getting the message to be yourself; in fact it’s never been easier. Yet there’s a second theme coming through, which is the experience of being yourself and then experiencing some fear or backlash of guilt as a result. That’s unlikely to stop you, though you obviously would prefer that reaction not be there. Where it comes from is another question, and knowing the history may help you resolve the matter. However, it really comes down to a decision about what part of your mind you want running your psyche — and you do choose. Uncomfortable as this may be, I will say this. There are plenty of people who get cocooned into a crypt by that reaction of every surge of real self being met by some shadowy reaction. It’s enough to make most people stop proceeding in the direction of their reality just so they can avoid the discomfort of doing so. At the moment, anyway, you don’t need to have that problem. I think you’re discovering that opening up your options is better protection than shutting them down.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Now is the time to be a politician, and I mean that in the best sense of the word: someone who can work any situation for maximum benefit, who can work the crowd and who is in control of their image. I suggest you boldly advertise what you think is your best idea, and give those discussions time to propagate. Gradually certain specific goals you have will gain popularity, and those will in turn fit a larger pattern that will follow the scheme of bigger plans. If you’re working with others, don’t delegate the part of your plan that involves public contact. You’re the one for that; you’re the one with the charm and the charisma. In particular you have the gift of being able to engage anyone in any conversation, which has a way of building trust. More to the point, you’re the one with the idea. Even if someone tries to persuade you to have second thoughts or give equal weight to alternatives, trust where you’re going. The so-called alternatives will make handy places from which to adapt improvements and enhancements to your far-superior plan.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — In the current political debate over sex there is the underlying assumption that sex isn’t spiritual. Have you noticed that? Making pleasure a moral issue in any way denies not only that it has some inherent right to exist, but that you’re somehow questionable as well. That might be true were we to define ‘spiritual’ as ‘that which does not approve of sex’ (or the emotion of desire). But if we define spiritual as ‘all that’s natural and real’ and factor in the spirit of freedom that’s supposedly our guiding principle as a society, that would clearly point to other conclusions. You’re someone for whom these connections are inborn, intuitive and interesting — sex is so much better when the natural associations are allowed to be what they are. There are all kinds of control agendas afoot right now, and your role is to subvert their action within your own life. Whether you tap into the highest levels of ethics or the most elementary common sense, liberty means leaving one another be. It also means you’re free in the midst of any debate, and not merely free to be powerful; I mean free to choose your pleasure.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Others are far less inscrutable than they seem. The feeling that you’re looking at someone who has the capability to transform or change their appearance does not change the underlying substance of who they are. Take that as guidance to bring out the most authentic qualities you have, including your goals, and use every tool at your disposal to put your plans into action. Think through your highest goals, particularly in a professional situation. The seemingly most ambitious and valuable ones are those most likely to succeed; that’s the way your chart is set up right now. You may have to override some annoying inner message in order to think big, though it’s clear which one is true. If you want to give any nagging fears a voice, cut back on waste and do one last check-over of the details, thank your anxiety for doing its job and go back to arranging the world on the largest scale you can imagine. Your best plans aren’t really individual; many will benefit from your success, which I know you find appealing.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Introducing the Planet Waves 2012 Spring Report by Eric Francis

Note: We plan to have this report ready for distribution by this evening. If you’ve purchased, please check your email for the note.

Spring 2012 is the wildest season I’ve ever seen in 18 years of doing around-the-clock astrology [listen to short audio preview here]. It fits the 2012 pattern of ‘everything, all at once’, even making that sound like an understatement. I am working on the report even as we edit this issue, and it’s coming out beautifully — every sign is coming through loud and clear and distinctive.

Planet Waves

We have retrogrades of all three inner planets involved — Mercury, Venus and Mars. There is a rare Venus transit of the Sun — an exact conjunction of Venus and the Sun that you will be able to see if you have a clear view during daylight hours (you will need special equipment to protect your eyes). There are eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. And then, just four days after the Cancer solstice, we have the first exact square of Uranus and Pluto.

In honor of putting all this action to work for you, I’m preparing a special Spring Report for all 12 Sun signs and rising signs, as well as an introduction to the astrology that will be useful to everyone. This is a package of all 12 signs for one price. I’m designing it so that you can actually put many of the signs into use — for example, Virgo will be able to use the Gemini report as a career reading. Pisces can use Virgo’s report as a relationship reading, and so on. I give suggestions at the end of each sign, and will do a detailed description so you can get maximum use from this product.

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


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You cannot change your beliefs as easily as you can choose to believe what you know is true. This converts the matter to one of choice rather than something you’re subject to. As you do this, feel the power of your authentic passion as you crack open the influences that were inflicted on you in the past, and notice what’s inside them. Beneath all the control drama is what that control was supposed to be keeping in check — your drive, your independent spirit and your sense of autonomy. Remember that if you ever happen to feel any guilt about being, or wanting to be, autonomous. Notice whether you can trace any emotion to some religious value or teaching — and keep that thought conscious. You might ask yourself how it happened that someone else’s belief became so influential in your life, if only to serve as something that prevents you from taking action. On the deepest levels, this really is about control. You’re taking back control of your life from those who would try to constrain not just you, but everyone. This happens one person at a time, and it has to start from inside, which means with you.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Recent losses, episodes of stress and various disruptions may now be revealing themselves for the gifts they contain. Yet you may not quite be trusting yet, so take your time and listen carefully. It’s true that one or perhaps many aspects of your relationship situations is a work in progress. Yet beneath that is a stable foundation you can build on, and depend on. Make sure you notice this, because it’s the real gift of your involvements with others — the ways that are a demonstration of your common ground and the common values that you share. If you have one reason to feel safe despite the looming sense that one change after the next is acting on you, this is the one. Be confident that your addition to the environment is wholly positive, and is perceived that way by the people you care about. Simply put, you can ignore your doubts and treat your fears merely as psychological or spiritual subject matter to work through and learn from. Whether you’re accepting the gifts that come to you or viewing any changes as an adventure, there’s neither room nor need for fear in your life.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The thing to go for is not acceptance or approval — it’s the full indulgence in your creative process. There is no audience, or you don’t need one; what will serve you best is the spirit of experimentation. Imbibe experience as if it’s a form of nourishment. Embrace your mistakes as turning points that can send you in new directions you never would have noticed otherwise. While you’re exploring, you may notice there’s a critical voice in your mind, that seems to be shining on you like a projector, complete with soundtrack. However, I would propose that if you notice the critics in your mind, remember that’s exactly where they are. You cannot necessarily silence them, but what you can do is make a conscious choice what voices you listen to. Meanwhile, others around you are available to offer their full support — not as an audience but as peers and potentially as collaborators. Their perception of you is more likely to be the accurate one. I doubt you could think of any ulterior motive they could have, other than to endorse your happiness and affirm your existence.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Your work speaks for itself, that’s true, but don’t expect that to be persuasive when it comes to others investing in you. Far from being ‘not worth it’, the issue is that people rarely recognize quality when they see it. As the one who is being true to your values, make sure that you’re the one who is the dependable investor in yourself. Think of this as a process of building the image and the reality of self-sufficiency. While it’s true that there is no actual autonomy, there does exist a state where you’re more dependent on in-house resources than you are on those external to your direct influence, and that is the longterm direction your life is taking. Obviously resources will flow in your direction; that’s the nature of business and art. Yet the ones you want are the ones you don’t have to pay back. What you’re creating is yours outright, and I suggest you embark on a Buddhist meditation of seeing the value of what you do from a detached place, so you have a chance of recognizing that more objectively. When something turns into cash from any other form, that is a conversion of energy — the actual ‘making’ of that value is what happens long before that.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — One dimension of Pluto in Capricorn is that energy of concentrated lust and soul reaching deep into you and turning over fresh, humid and fertile parts of your psyche. That crust you used to live in just doesn’t fit anymore, though the better news is that you figured out it simply isn’t practical. Now that you have freedom of mobility and a craving for life, look at what’s being offered to you. Notice the opportunities for creative pleasure that you’re drawing to yourself. Don’t misread that one; they are not merely ‘coming your way’ — rather, your inner momentum and willingness to explore a different facet of yourself every day are acting like an energy magnet. Therefore you can trust what’s traveling in your direction, and you never have to give up your power of choice whether you want a certain experience or not. Remember that nothing is stopping you, there are no shoulds or should nots — only action and its results. At the moment, your astrology says that pleasure is prudent.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — It’s good you’ve pulled back from the edge, and that the last few weeks seem to have gone without serious incident. Regardless of how unstable your life has been for how many weeks, seasons or years, this is a moment of settling down for you. Do what you can to make your home more your own; that will be a therapeutic exercise because it involves experimenting with a commitment. You might also open your mind to decisions about where the right place to live is, if you’re not in love with your present location. Whatever it takes to build your confidence, security and sense of grounding, I suggest you do. Time in the kitchen will be more restful than sleep. Make a list of your favorite foods, and go out and get them. This kind of grounding is good for your soul, and it’ll be good for your productivity. One discovery you can get into your body is that when you feel good, your life is easier. That’s easier than the other way around, and gives you clear direction where to invest your energy.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The beauty of this time in your life is that you have the strength and experience to stand up to even the most complicated or pushy people. That they might have ‘good intentions’ no longer distracts you from your strength and focus, which by the way have their roots in your learning from past mistakes. I don’t think you’ve ever been clearer with yourself that errors in your history are no longer necessary to repeat. Your feeling that you have substance to work with, and to give you a distinct feeling of presence, validates something real, something you suspected. I suggest you proceed as if you expect people to take you seriously. Assume your ideas will be given real consideration. Remember that you’ve been through very nearly everything, and have repeatedly solved issues and learned to turn any circumstance to your advantage. That was then. What you have now is an abundance of both creativity and focusing power. Just remember to use them both at the same time, and to apply them to everything.

Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check. has been published and is available. It is still available at the special subscriber discount price for all 12 signs, or the order price per sign. This year’s annual offers an extended written report plus 90 minutes of audio for each sign and rising sign. You will love it.

The Art of Astrological Storytelling with Eric Francis – in NYC

Planet Waves

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

Planet Waves
Eric Francis.

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

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

If you’re going to be at UAC, come a day early and catch this workshop on May 23. It’s part of a full-day presentation being taught by Eric with Donna Woodwell. Here is the official website. Eric will also be on the AFAN media panel, which will guide astrologers in handling TV, magazine and newspaper reporters.

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