Tag Archives: Vesta

Of Restlessness, Retrogrades, and Choices

By Amanda Painter

How is this Mercury retrograde going for you? We only have about a week of it left (not counting a few days for things to shake back into place after it stations direct on Dec. 6); so hang in there. Personally, I feel like some of the other current astrology is contributing more to a sense of restlessness; but really it’s all part of the same environment, so it’s hard to say for sure.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

For one thing, we have several objects in the last degree of their respective signs, or about to be. In zodiac order, these include: retrograde Uranus in Aries, Venus in Libra, Mercury about to retrograde into late Scorpio, Pholus in Sagittarius, and Vesta in Capricorn.

Planets in the last (or ‘anaretic’) degree of a sign are often said to feel a little edgy; kind of like how we human beings can get a little edgy in anticipation of a big transition in our lives. Add in that some of those planets are making oppositions or squares to each other — aspects of tension — and the restlessness factor increases.

Plus, we have the Sun in the last sign of a season (Sagittarius), the civil-calendar year is almost over, and Mercury is retrograde in a sign that’s partly about forward intention (in a long series of inner-planet retrogrades this year). The sky seems to be reflecting a general sense of just wanting to get on with it — whatever ‘it’ might be.

So we end up with some questions. What absolutely ought to wait till Mercury’s direct, so that you don’t make more work for yourself than is warranted? What must you address or take steps toward so you can channel this energy creatively, rather than repressing it in unproductive ways?

What can you get started on — such as research, preparation, getting organized, making repairs, reviewing your progress — that might put you in a much better position to take bigger steps in the near future? What’s the different between being wisely cautious and giving in to crippling self-doubt or paranoia?

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Small, Meaningful Moves

By Amanda Painter

We’re moving into the last half of Mercury’s current retrograde in Aries — and the contacts Mercury is making this week seem to be stirring things up for many people. If you’ve been feeling a sense of pressure lately, this astrology could be why.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

A combined square between Mercury in Aries and Mars and Saturn in Capricorn continues to be in effect today. Mercury square Mars was exact on Wednesday, and Mercury square Saturn is exact today — though they are really one event.

This aspect pattern is an image of tension — especially with Mercury in a hot, fiery, action-oriented sign, and its retrograde motion describing an inward direction (for at least some of that energy). If you’re feeling frustrated, you might notice how much of that energy is directed at yourself, versus how much of it you’re projecting (or unleashing) onto others.

Lots of people fall into negative thought loops when they have trouble expressing their anger and annoyance; that said, it’s also becoming more common for people to seek an outlet on social media. If that tends to be your go-to, you might notice whether people’s comments in response actually help you to transmute your frustration, or whether it serves to amplify it. There are reasons why social media is often referred to as an ‘echo chamber’ — though sometimes we do truly just need to say what we have to say and know that we’ve been heard and empathized with.

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Finding Strength No Matter How the Light Breaks Through

By Amanda Painter

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

Acadia National Park; photo by Amanda Painter.

Acadia National Park; photo by Amanda Painter.

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

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

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

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Gemini and the Mysteries of Vesta


The Sun has ingressed Gemini, Mercury is direct, and the Sun is making a conjunction to Vesta, my favorite asteroid. In this week’s Planet Waves TV, I describe Vesta’s role as keeper of the hearth and the idea of the organization of space, both mental and physical.

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At Home in Your Own Mind

During the past three days, the Sun changed signs to Gemini, the Moon reached full phase from Sagittarius and Mercury stationed direct in Taurus.

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The Intersection of You and the World

Planet Waves

The American Political Pageant / One Nation Divided by Two Parties by Charlie Lemay.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Poets and artists are usually the ones who notice that the world as we see it is going away before our eyes. Art is not just descriptive, or an ethical comment on existence, but also an attempt to make the feeling of the current world last a little longer than it might — and to evoke the vision of something new or deeper. Yet there is so much happening it would be helpful if something existed that everyone could contribute to.

Imagine if we were to create something that documented the feeling of what it’s like to be alive in the days that we’re living. This would be a useful mindfulness tool for those of us here now, as well as something that would inform our descendants, who inherit the world that we are currently creating with our choices. When future generations look back at our time, they’ll wonder what we were thinking and feeling, beneath all the surface gloss. And maybe we would become sufficiently self-aware to actually grasp how we influence, well, nearly everything with the decisions we make.

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Unholy Alliance by Charlie Lemay.

Imagine a mix of personal diary, a dream notebook, impressions of news events and the kaleidoscopic mix of advertising images that are designed to shape how we perceive ourselves. This would include admissions of our deepest desires and needs, our most paralyzing fears, and the mix of pleasure and tension that so often manifest together.

We would need a way to describe the vortex-like sensation of time, which seems to be drawing us into the future with an almost violent force. This may be the most distinctive feeling of life today — something that no picture could capture. It may be the very thing that leaves us feeling the most helpless: our struggle to navigate time.

Then there is astrology, which is a way of seeing patterns within time that help us make sense of the experience. In the seeming chaos of time passing, there are indeed patterns and we can observe them. Suspending the usual rules of logic opens up the ability to perceive symbols as they relate to one another, and to our experience.

Astrology also gives us tools to help us work with time more effectively, and to see the distinctive quality of each moment. Instead of hands for hours, minutes and seconds, the clock of astrology is measured against the horizon, as well as orbiting bodies that track phases from one month (the Moon) to 557 years (Eris). The symbols used in modern astrology refer to a vast collection of mentors from numerous cultures, not merely the Greco-Roman names we’re familiar with (and yet know so little about). These figures combine and express themselves in an unending sequence of patterns that somehow miraculously tell the story of time as it happens. The ‘past’ and the ‘future’ can be easily referenced, and documented. The notation method can be explained to others, and any alignment can be discussed somewhat objectively.

I say miraculously, but could it be any other way? These events, as they cycle around us, build to peaks, just like any other natural cycle. We’re in several of those peaks simultaneously right now; this is true whether you look on immediate or very long cycles of time. One of the distinctive features about our moment in history is that the level of seeming chaos is so high, sometimes it seems impossible to discern what anything means. Astrology, through its use of patterns and pattern recognition, allows us to see what is happening more clearly, and to receive a distinct message for our moment.

Friday’s Libra Full Moon

One peak of energy is revealed as the Sun and Moon form an opposition Friday at 3:18 pm EDT. That’s another way of saying the Full Moon, with the Sun in Aries, the Moon in Libra and the Earth between the two. This opposition is aligned close to the middle of the Aries-Libra axis, which is one of the backbones of the zodiac. I say that because the Thema Mundi — the ancient Babylonian ‘chart of the world’ — has the midpoints of the cardinal signs, including Aries and Libra, prominent.

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This is a simplified chart for Friday’s Libra Full Moon. The Moon is easy to see, on the right side of the chart. The Sun, Vesta and Eris are opposite the Moon, in Aries. Then notice the grand square — planets at four points of the mutable cross. Going in order of the signs, Venus and the South Node are at the bottom; Mars retrograde is the red thing in Virgo; at the top of the chart are Juno and the North Node; and to the left are Neptune, Chiron and Mercury in Pisces. Mercury is out at the other end of Pisces, but it’s still part of the story.

On the Aries side, the Sun is closely aligned with two other points in Aries — Vesta, an asteroid, and Eris, a small and distant body orbiting our Sun, and one of the most meaningful messengers of our era. Let’s take them one at a time.

Think of the Sun in Aries as being a fundamental expression of self and self-awareness. It’s the thing that powers the solar system. The Aries Sun is the picture of initiative and individual self-awareness. When the Sun is conjunct something, it ‘picks up’ the qualities of the other planet. When you think of Vesta (shown as the purple chevron symbol, next to the Sun), themes like holding space, devotion and tending the flame of core creativity might come to mind.

Vesta is also an occult symbol for the sexual energy at the core of a human being. This is depicted by a fire in a hearth, and by the ‘virgins’ who tend that flame around the clock.

The Sun’s conjunction to Vesta is defining a space of the experience of self, and the space to express whatever that might be. Remember that the Sun is all about radiating outward; that’s its job. Vesta defines a purpose and provides a container to do that in a more focused way. Vesta is a hearth goddess, and in old houses, the chimney and fireplace define the central feature around which the rest of the home is organized. Vesta works the same way as an astrological factor. The Vestal Virgins, however, tended the public hearths — the ones that were kept burning on behalf of any city, or the empire itself, around the clock. The Vestals represent something distinctly private, yet public as well.

Next in the alignment is Eris, depicted as the red oval with the downward arrow, on the left side of the chart. This is a Pluto-sized planet (technically called a dwarf planet) orbiting the Sun far from the Earth, which was named in late 2006. Remember that whole fuss, which involved the supposed ‘demotion of Pluto’? There is nothing simple about Eris; indeed it describes the prevailing chaos of the times in which we live: in the world, within ourselves, and the constant confrontation with the numerous mirrors that surround us. That sensation of, “who the heck am I in the midst of all of this chaos?” is the sensation of Eris. You know you’re in Eris country when you hesitate to say the words ‘I am’ followed by something you really believe.

For some this is an uncomfortable space; it’s hardly what you would call a comfort zone. Eris initially represents not knowing, or not understanding, something about yourself. There’s a lot of turbulence in there, and unresolved questions, and potentially many shades of pain, guilt and resentment. However, it’s also an extremely rich, fertile space. If you’ve gone there you know you can tap some deep, hot inner force.

Vesta is providing the safe container for you to explore this, as well as the focus you need to tend such potent energy. The Moon opposite the Sun, Vesta and Eris is providing a mirror in our relationships. The Moon reflects the light of the Sun. In Libra, think of this as a beautiful mirror held to you by others, where you might see yourself in a more balanced way than you might otherwise. The Moon is suggesting that we keep our relationships in perspective.

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Into The Mystery by Charlie Lemay.

The Mutable Grand Cross

We’re currently experiencing another peak of energy, coming through the signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces all at once. These are the signs of the mutable cross. There are 12 signs in astrology, and they can be divided in to three basic categories — cardinal, fixed and mutable. (As mentioned, the Full Moon is in the cardinal signs, which are about initiative.) There is, however, something unusual happening in the mutable signs as well. Mutable energy is a bit nervous; it changes easily and is, as a result, subject to external influence — that is, to the initiatives of others.

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Just so you can see — this list includes the extra points gathered early on the mutable cross. All of these points are working as one aspect pattern, which I describe in my audio edition. You can view the whole list at Serennu.com.

Currently, planets are gathered around four points on the cross, all of them closely aligned. These include many planets you’ve heard of; for example, Venus is in early Gemini, making squares to Mars in early Virgo as well as Neptune and Chiron in early Pisces. The nodes of the Moon are also in the alignment, which is adding a sense of momentum, drama and a touch of urgency. The nodes are like magnets that draw the planets into the evolutionary process; that is to say, where the nodes are, we will try to grow. If most people think of the concept ‘spiritual’ as something other than normal, with the feeling of inevitability and a touch of mysticism — that’s how the nodes feel.

This combination of energy adds up to some deep, poignant emotional tension. It includes sexual feelings that are both distinct and difficult to grasp; a struggle to be honest or to discern dishonesty; and an exaggerated experience of self-criticism. All of this is presenting what is clearly an opportunity for growth, for self-mastery and for expanding our connection to the world: that is, if we can get a handle on it.

On the North Node in Sagittarius is Juno. The North Node is the maximum point of growth — the pull into the unfamiliar quest, and here we have an asteroid about relationships. In Sagittarius it seems to be saying: give your relationships space; give your partner(s) space; let go of your expectations and you’ll discover something more beautiful than you were expecting.

Yet Juno is retrograde, and that’s like getting caught in the past. There seems to be some past factor influencing the option to breathe a little more freely than you normally might. There’s a quest for justice (indicated by both Juno and Sagittarius) but it’s hung up on something. That has an echo of Mars retrograde, which is also a bit caught in the past, as well as struggling to find its truth as it opposes Chiron and Neptune in Pisces.

When we look to the additional points gathered around the cross, we get some clues. There’s a ridiculous number of points in those four signs clustered within a narrow range of degrees; the demands of growth and indeed of day-to-day living seem extremely complex. Yet one asteroid stands out from among the many: Psyche retrograde. Along with Mars and Juno, Psyche retrograde is evidence of being triggered by the unresolved material of the past (that’s what retrogrades can do). Psyche’s message: heal your trust issues first. What you think of as being about relationships is, on a deeper level, about trust.

If you find yourself getting stirred up by personal events or world events, look to the past and see what you have not resolved, or what you’re struggling to resolve. I mention world events because the way this cross is positioned, it’s picking up ‘the news’ like those rabbit ear antennas on your old TV. Many, many forces are conditioning us on this cross. It’s like we’re getting it from all directions right now — even if we don’t really notice.

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Reunion of Darkness and Light by Charlie Lemay.

Where You and the World Meet

Astrology stands at the intersection between you and the world. Most people don’t know they stand at this juncture all the time. We tend to live our lives haplessly, caught in our small experiences, to see the connection. Yet sometimes it becomes obvious.

I was reminded this week when corresponding with one of my students, on the topic of why people cannot seem to spot political deception, a topic I’ve been researching with the help of some friends for a future article. I mentioned what I was doing and asked if she had any ideas to contribute.

“Haven’t been too focused on spotting political lies,” she replied. “To be honest, this week I’ve been more concerned with the atrophy of women’s healthcare. I had an annual physical on Monday with a doctor who was new to me. It didn’t go well. He told me that because of new recommendations, it’s no longer necessary for him to give women under 40 years old breast exams. And the new recommendations also stipulate that women under 40 only need a pap smear every THREE years. To which I replied, ‘Um, yet another attack on the feminine body. Given that I’m a young single woman, don’t you think I should have pap smears annually?’ He looked bewildered. I then asked if my health insurance will still cover them annually to which he said they will, as of now. I told him I wanted to carry on with them annually then. Jeezus! This is what I pay premiums for! I was not a happy woman on Monday.”

How could she miss the ongoing war on women’s health being played out in the political arena now? I reminded her that it’s the #1 story these days — the ongoing attempts by politicians to kill Planned Parenthood, ban birth control and treat women who get abortions as murderers. What she’s experiencing is not atrophy — it’s a planned assault (covered beautifully by Rachel Maddow at the top of Thursday night’s program).

Well, she did — and this reminds me how easy it is, even for someone so well-informed and articulate, to miss the connection that her life is part of something larger. Indeed, it’s so easy that most of us miss the connection all the time.

How is it that we don’t see this? Where is the blind spot? Learning this kind of vision obviously takes more than watching the news; it requires cultivation of perceptual skills, and plenty of practice. Or we can just look to the astrology, which has been promising us the year when our relationship between ourselves and the world around us becomes undeniable — and it’s been delivering.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Note About Today’s Illustrations — Today’s artwork was provided by Charlie Lemay. He teaches photography and computer graphics at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH. You can see more of his work on his website. If you’re curious about Vesta, there is more in an earlier article, The Sacred Space of Self.

 

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Libra Full Moon as Inner Planets Shuffle

Today’s high-energy Libra Full Moon happens as all three inner planets — Mercury, Venus and Mars — are involved with retrogrades. Mercury stationed direct Wednesday morning, and is still calling for conscious adaptation. Mercury in Pisces is strange enough, making the usual syntax of thought seems like it barely works.

Planet Waves
Full Moon rising over the Temple of Poseidon, Sounion, Greece. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Yet as Mercury picks up speed, it’s necessary to notice the change of emphasis and to guide your life forward gently. There will be things you did not get to the past few weeks; don’t try to do them all at once. Each one will gradually find its moment.

Meanwhile Mars, which has been retrograde since late January, is about to station direct in Virgo on Friday, April 13. This last week of Mars retrograde will be critical in summing up the experiences, teaching and healing process associated with the cycle, particularly how you handle self-criticism and self-improvement. Once Mars stations direct, it will be in Virgo through July 3, which you can think of as a clean-up phase of the experience.

And Venus is now in Gemini, where it will remain through August. It goes retrograde in mid-May for six weeks, during which we will have the Venus transit of the Sun. Venus is now mixed up in the mutable cross described above: it is square Neptune, Chiron and Mars, and opposite Juno. Venus is an emotionally sensitive planet, and it’s now involved in all kinds of complexity. But we get a clue what that’s about from the sign involved: Gemini.

To sum up, this placement is about dealing with our ambivalence toward life. Gemini and indeed all the mutable signs are an image of hesitation and seeking to externals for stability we need to be finding within ourselves.

Yet in the immediate moment, we are looking right at a Full Moon that’s asking us to sort out our ideas between what it means to be a person and a person in a relationship. Erica Jong once wrote that she wanted to be herself and not half of a couple. How you might go about doing that is the implied message of this Full Moon. Which, by the way, looks just gorgeous hanging over the horizon. It will rise tonight in all time zones at sunset — don’t forget to go outside and look for it in the eastern sky at about 7:50 pm (one hour earlier if your local area is not on Daylight Time).

 

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States Object to Super PACs; Romney Pulls Ahead

According to Democracy Now! “Eleven state attorneys general have issued a letter to Congress declaring their support for a Constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United, the controversial 2010 Supreme Court ruling that opened the floodgates for unlimited corporate spending on election campaigns.” We’re in the midst of the first post-Citizens United presidential race, and the money flowing through so-called ‘Super-PACS’ has no legal limit — and undermines the interests of individual citizens.

Meanwhile, following three decisive wins in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington D.C. this week, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney holds an overwhelming lead in both delegates and fundraising. His closest opponent, former senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum, is vowing to stay in the race at least until his home-state primary, on April 24. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, the other two Republican candidates, are still running but have fallen far behind. Whether Santorum stays in the race after the Pennsylvania primary or not, consider for a moment how far he’s managed to get, on a platform whose main plank seems to be a near-obsession with controlling women’s bodies and everyone else’s sex lives — and how well that has played in the U.S.

 

Planet Waves

Murdoch’s Sky News Hacked Emails Too

Sky News, the British satellite news broadcaster part-owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, admitted that one of its journalists hacked emails at least twice in search of news stories — a practice that led to the demise of News of the World and has shaken one of the world’s biggest media companies for years. This is the latest in a far-reaching media scandal Planet Waves covered recently, noting the prominence of centaur planet Pholus (‘small cause, big effect’) in all of the charts involved. Numerous arrests have been made after journalists hacked into the voicemails of murder and terrorism victims and their families, royals and sports figures. Just two days before the release of the latest news, Murdoch’s son and heir apparent, James Murdoch, resigned his chairmanship of BSkyB. Many are wondering when the revelations will cross the pond, since the notorious FOX television network is also owned by Murdoch — along with The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post.

 

Planet Waves

The April Fool’s We Wish Were True

It’s one of my traditions to do some April Fool’s pranks every year. These have included the Emotoscope horoscope to last year’s announcement that The Onion was going out of business because it was so unpopular.

Planet Waves
Former Vice President Dick Cheney said that “knowing the truth would be good for the country.” Photo: AP.

This year I did something political — I wrote a fake news article about how Dick Cheney had a “change of heart” and admitted that he was involved in the planning of the Sept. 11 incident. This happened after his heart transplant — in the fictional version, he ended up getting the heart of someone involved in the 9/11 Truth Movement. It’s a known phenomenon that people pick up the emotional properties and memories of the organ donor.

Well, the piece went viral. Or almost viral — that article alone is getting a solid 2,000 visits a day, when our blog normally gets about 4,000 visits. I started getting emails and phone calls from people — with one theme: most were deeply disappointed that the article wasn’t true. Some were angry that I raised their hopes and then disappointed them. This has revealed something about how the American public feels about this incident, and Mr.Cheney’s potential involvement, in hindsight. It seems plausible to many people that he was behind the whole thing, and to me that is pretty amazing.

 

Planet Waves

This section also includes the upcoming publishing schedule! The April monthly horoscope (long edition) was published Wednesday evening, March 21. Inner Space Monthly was published Tuesday evening, March 27. We published Genevieve Hathaway’s Moonshine Horoscope on Tuesday, April 3. The next monthly horoscope by Eric will be the May edition, to be published the evening of Wednesday, April 25. There will not be a regular edition that week.

 

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Mercury Direct and Grand Cross

This week’s edition of Planet Waves FM covers Mercury, which stationed direct at 6:11 am EDT Wednesday. This happened concurrently with a still-active grand cross in the mutable signs. (And here is an extra article about the mutables.)

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That cross includes Venus in Gemini, the South Node, Mars in Virgo, the Moon (at the time of the recording), Juno and the North Node in Sagittarius and Neptune and Chiron in Pisces.

That’s a lot of planets — but there are even more. To help me sort them out I include a short interview with Martha Lang-Wescott, known as one of the most astute asteroid specialists in the world. Here is the minor planet list set to a 90-degree sort. The mutables are the last group.

The program begins with a brief reading of the natal chart of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wednesday was the 44th anniversary of his assassination. The page for this edition of PW FM on the main blog includes the charts involved. The program is also available on the old player, as a download on our own page, and in iTunes.

Here is your program in the old player, where you’ll find the full archives of Planet Waves FM, and a downloadable zip file of the current program.

 

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Friday, April 6, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #898 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Are you wondering what you have to give up in order to get what you want? Try reversing that and, once you’ve reached a key goal, decide what you won’t miss and let it go. This accomplishes at least two things. One is that it removes the bargaining aspect in your thinking, which is a throwback to “if you eat your peas, you can have ice cream.” Second, it removes the sacrifice aspect. When you consider what you would have to give up to get what you want, that will have more weight in your mind if what you think you need to give up is more valuable. To the contrary, the thing to release is something that’s merely in the way. If you want to get closer to your goal, dedicate time, energy and square footage to the cause. And keep the goal in sight — it seems to be playing hide and seek, and you seem to be hesitating saying the words “I want.”

Hello Aries — I’ve just finished your birthday reading. This includes more than an hour of astrology and a tarot reading, recorded during the Sun-Uranus conjunction in your sign. My audio readings are motivational, inspiring and intimate. It comes with many features and access to last year’s reading too! Purchase here.

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You seem to be caught in something. From the look of your solar chart, it’s an idea. Elaborating further, it seems to be an old idea about yourself, which you don’t usually recognize — though you notice when you get caught in it from the feeling of being stuck. Its properties include the sensation of being of ‘two minds’ about something, which is another way of saying that your goals conflict. This roots more deeply either in not knowing your priorities, or having some attachment to an old idea and a new one that will not work together. Every now and then it’s a good idea to go through your goals and make sure they’re still valid for you. Notice what you do that’s not on your list, and what’s on the list that you haven’t done anything about in a long time. Don’t be brutal — simply be real. Then, update your files. You may need to do this three or four times over the next month.

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) — You may have all the pieces of your plan in order, yet may be lacking the confidence to make your first moves. You have time to collect the various elements of what will constitute solid emotional ground, just remember — even when you have them all, you may not feel like you’re standing on concrete. What you’re seeking is motivation, and you’ll get there more efficiently if you figure out why you’re hesitating. It’s not because your plan is bad or poorly thought out. Rather, you seem to have an attachment to something in the past, and this is acting like a snag. You’ll know this is true if you’re involved in what feel like endless emotional details. This kind of obsessive thinking can eat most of your energy and all of your gumption. Make sure you understand what happened in the past, and take the steps to resolve it if necessary. Those events have nothing to do with what you’re developing now.

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) — Consider yourself a torch-bearer — not in the symbolic sense, but rather in the sense of someone who is carrying both energy and a visible light in the world. You may not be certain in the ways you’re doing that, though I assure you not only that you are, but also that you can do it more effectively. The key concept here is devotion — the force that moves you from within, with beautiful dependability. You may have to clear a lot of things out of the way to do this; certain things you want to do may lose priority as a result. Yet you’re able to focus your efforts on something that matters to you and to many other people. I would propose you’re doing a better job of this than you think, and that you have the opening to devote some of your energy to the things you’ve set aside. Make sure that one of these is the thing that’s supposed to be the number one priority to a Cancerian — your home.

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) — You may not have unlimited energy, but let’s not quibble over the details. You can compensate for when others fall short, and it’s a great thing that you have the mojo and the dedication to do that. Yet you’re still in the process of learning to do things entirely for their own sake. Your part in a plan or project is your part, without regard to who else has a stake or investment in the gig. The more you’re able to focus on your role, the more you’ll be able to develop your talent and the more strength you’ll have. In fact what you’re doing is integral to the entire enterprise, and you would be wise to focus on what you know are the most important goals — and to doing better work every day. You’re gradually approaching a kind of test or checkpoint, where your devotion and healthy respect for authority will come under careful scrutiny — most particularly by yourself. Keep your focus and mind your agreements. They really do matter.

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

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.

All 12 signs are now available for $24.95. The report is getting rave reviews from people who pre-ordered, 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. Thank you, and enjoy.


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You’re going to learn something about yourself and your role in a relationship, something that started coming out in the wash midweek. You’re also discovering something about an intimate partner. The important thing is you remember these discoveries. I only say this because your chart suggests this might be one of those fantastic intuitive bursts that vanishes like a flash and a puff of smoke. You have some significant decisions pending in your life, and you need accurate information to inform them. Since that information really must come from you, that’s the place to pay attention. One reason that’s so vital is that your psyche may not be done spewing out disinformation, in the form of (erroneous) self-criticism, (misguided) attempts to improve yourself and moments where you lapse into forgetting who is who. In these moments, you need to remember what you’ve learned in the past few days, and remember it well.

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) — You can afford to Be Here Now. Just because you’re being here now doesn’t mean that certain elements of the past or the future are not truly significant. To the contrary, you are committed to letting go of an old way of life, and you are finally figuring out that you can plot your own course and actually get somewhere. Yet the only way to do anything about the results of the past or your plans for what might happen next is to observe what is happening within your mind right now, and in your immediate environment. You may be obsessed with making things add up or make sense — I suggest you ease back on the approach using logic and focus on making your environment beautiful. For example, rather than organizing for its own sake, motivate yourself with the promise of a more pleasing space to work in. If you keep yourself busy with various beautifying projects, you will set a record for how much garbage you clear out of the way.

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) — Your sexual desire nature these days is coming more from your femme side than your macho side, though it’s no less fierce for being receptive. Indeed, you may feel like the ocean that will never fill up. I think it’s fair to wonder what you’re supposed to do with all of this desire: what’s the point? What’s the purpose? The answer to that question would seem simpler were what we think of as ‘erotic’ not perceived as something separate from everything else. What you’ve been experiencing the past few weeks is curiosity about yourself; you have learned a lot, and what you can explore now is what it’s like to express yourself. Don’t worry — neither your life nor Western civilization will collapse if you venture into more daring territory. To test the waters, proceed with words and ideas first — spoken to other people, not just in your own mind.

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) — If you’re feeling more settled within yourself, you can be sure you’ve worked out a complex issue that had you standing at the intersection of work and career, wondering which way to turn. Life is different when you feel good about who you are. Yet you still may be hesitating about a professional decision — which is a situation that’s bobbed to the surface many times in recent years, and which you’ve probably had enough of. Remember that the word ‘career’ means running a course, but your life is not a race. I suggest you look back at your trajectory over the past two years, and see where you’ve actually gone, as opposed to where you thought you were supposed to go. You’ll learn something from a careful review of your decisions going back to 2010. You have a decision to make about what to do next — and it will serve you well to have that be an informed choice, and by that I mean informed about what you really want to do with your precious time.

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) — So much of what’s happening around you must feel like an enormous debate about nothing, conducted by people who don’t believe what they’re saying. Fortunately, you’re situated such that you’re out of the direct line of controversy, though people you care about seem to be caught up in the storm; this could provide a way in for you. I suggest you keep your distance on any issue that doesn’t meet one of two qualifications — the first being that it directly affects you, and the second being that it has a significant impact on your environment. These guidelines will filter out anything that’s abstract, or designed to distract (the concepts are similar). As you have noted, there are a number of dog and pony shows in addition to the wrestling matches and smoke screens. Stay true to your mission as you have stated it to yourself many times, and make sure that everyone around you knows that’s what you’re doing.

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) — Think of everything you say and do as a commitment; as a promise. That ought to slow you down and put you into editing mode. While you’re doing that, listen to the commitment level contained in what others say to you. Analyze things specifically for where they register on the scale of give and take. When someone is speaking to you, what are they offering and what do they want? I suggest you listen with the intent of an auditor. You may find that some people are disconnected from what they want to exchange. Others however are lying about it outright. You will recognize them by an uneasy feeling you have, or the sensation that you ‘should’ accept something that you’re not interested in. Listen to what assumptions people make about you — especially those who don’t know you. And please beware of anyone who is in a rush. Most likely they’re trying to exploit what they perceive as a weakness. When in doubt, slow down the movie.

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) — You’re finally figuring out that most people lack ‘the vision thing’. They might have facts and skills, but those only go so far. Your astrology is flooding you with ideas, and the ability to imagine what is possible — with the sensation that you really can accomplish something larger than you ever have. Vision, however, can be blocked. A blindfold can make the ocean or a mountain range disappear. Listening to someone negative can gradually convince you that what you want to do is impossible. Listening to people who cannot envision what doesn’t yet exist can interfere with your ability to do so. Therefore, open up only to those who are on the brave side, and who understand that time as we know it moves forward. You might want to keep your plans to yourself for the next couple of weeks, as you gradually get clear. You may have to revise your idea several times to get to the hidden gems of what you’re thinking — though you’re well on the way.

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 Sacred Space of Self

Dear Planet Waves Reader:

Of the mysteries of ancient Rome, the vestal virgins stand out as one of the most intriguing. Who were these women, who served half a lifetime tending the sacred fire, taken between ages six and 10, and maintaining celibacy through 30 (or more) years of service to the goddess?

Planet Waves
Ritual fire in the Chironian, devoted to Vesta, Rosendale, NY. Photo by Eric Francis – Book of Blue.

They not only tended the city hearth, keeping its flames burning around the clock; for many generations they were present at every state function, standing as guardians on behalf of the goddess Vesta, who defended the city. Philosophers and emperors, including Cicero, revered them as central points of integrity for the empire, without whom Rome would surely fail.

Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, is rarely depicted in classical art; I’ve personally never seen a representation. At the center of her temple was not a cult statue or idol, but rather a flame. She is the incarnation of the goddess as fire; the living spirit of the element.

We have the stories of the vestals , actual women who did her work. They have names and histories: Aemilia, Licinda, Fabia, Aquilia Severa and of course, Coelia Concordia, the last head of the order, who was present when the Temple of Vesta was closed in 391 when Emperor Theodosius I banned pagan practice in the empire. She stepped down in 394. Theodosius was the last emperor under whom the empire was politically unified, and the Sack of Rome occurred just 14 years later. Perhaps Cicero was right. Of that event, St. Jerome wrote, “The city which had conquered the whole world was itself conquered.”

So, it would seem that the vestals and their ritual of constant devotion, at least symbolically, held a dimension of Rome’s integrity. They could put this energy into their devotion because they were freed from the responsibilities of household relationships and child rearing. They used their time studying and working in the service of their patron goddess and in turn, the society around them.

Notably, their history seems to predate Rome itself. Rhea Silvia, the mythical mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, was said to be a vestal virgin; she claimed that the god Mars found her in a forest and seduced her, and she gave birth to the twins.

The Discovery of the Asteroids, and Vesta

In 1801, an astronomer discovered an orbiting body for the second time ever: that was Ceres. She was named for the goddess of agriculture. Two other asteroids were discovered soon after, Juno and Pallas.

In 1807, a German astronomer named Olbers discovered an orbiting body (at the time considered a planet), which he invited a colleague to name: that was Vesta. The brightest asteroid, comprising 9% of the mass of the inner belt, Vesta is supposedly visible without a telescope. We may wonder why the ancients, who had more time on their hands and much darker skies at night, did not note her wandering amidst the stars.

Vesta was the last asteroid discovered for 38 years. In 1845, Astraea was discovered, and the following year Neptune arrived. (This page provides a chronology of minor planet discoveries.)

Planet Waves
Temple of the vestals on the Roman forum, reconstructed by old Benito — one of his true gifts to Italy. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The discovery of the asteroids opened the potential for additional feminine archetypes in astrology; it took about 150 years for astrologers to get going using them, and they’re still considered something of a boutique item today.

As an astrological factor, I delineate Vesta as the experience of tending the inner hearth of creativity and sexuality. Her primary quality is devotion. She also represents an organizing principle. Think of how old houses were designed around the hearth as the focal point, and how the hearth is the center of the home’s functions. Vesta describes how we organize physical space, and in a similar way, psychic space. If we devote ourselves to tending our creative processes, to tending our inner flame, we have a way to organize consciousness that is then reflected in our values and our expression of life force.

People with a strong Vesta placement will almost always have an unusual expression of sexuality. By strong placement, I mean making many aspects, conjunct the Sun or Moon, or placed on one of the chart’s angles — such as the ascendant or midheaven. Their relationship lives will ‘just be different’ than the people they know: the typical models of romance don’t quite work, and they will wonder why. Many with this kind of placement will be inclined to think it’s a relationship issue, and feel inadequate; with Vesta, the root of the matter is often how sexuality is processed differently. There is the element of service, and Vesta may be incarnating in her expression as the sacred prostitute.

Sacred prostitution means offering oneself sexually in the service of creation, or the service of the goddess, as you wish, but often another person is the direct beneficiary. This is the kind of erotic sharing that is neither romantic nor casual. It’s not quite a mutual marriage. It’s part of what I call the Third Way. Many people have touched upon this energy, but in my experience relatively few experience it consciously or consistently. Typically, we lack the language and the support systems that make it feasible, and we tend to take everything — and everyone — much too personally.

With a strong Vesta placement, there can also be an element of celibacy: that is, of long gaps in sexual activity, which can be particularly confusing for young women who are accustomed to getting plenty of sexual attention. It helps to hear about Vesta and the particular type of devotion she describes. This will often key in memories of past lives spent as some kind of temple priestess.

You may read other interpretations of Vesta. Martha Lang Wescott, for example, notes the mundane qualities: an obsession with projects instead of people; emotional distancing; hard work and career demands; being impersonal; sublimation of other interests into the career or vocation; sacrifice/denial of self (by others/self) for a ‘greater goal’.

One author I read in The Mountain Astrologer circa 2000 said he noticed intense experiences of shame around Vesta placements, often relating to sex and inappropriate childhood sexual contact. I think all these concepts are valid, and some are rather perceptive, yet what is central to Vesta — and to any planet — is the process that unites all of the seemingly separate definitions.

With Vesta, that process involves the devotion of tending the inner hearth, be it for creativity, healing or service. At the center of our inner space is the fire of the soul that, in the complexities of physical life, rarely seems to burn on its own — it needs to be tended, loved and honored continually, so that it can thrive and flourish. When the flame is tended, the empire of our lives can thrive because there is integrity at the core of who we are, and fidelity to our purpose.

Venus Retrograde, and Vesta in Scorpio

We’re now experiencing an impressive collection of planets in Scorpio, which include Venus retrograde. Vesta arrived about a week ago, and on Saturday Venus retrograde and Vesta will be making a conjunction.

Planet Waves
Altar to Vesta. Photo by Eric Francis – Book of Blue.

Venus retrograde in Scorpio is an inner quest. Retrogrades imply internal orientation, movement of awareness toward the past, the search for something hidden, and an indication of what we turned off in childhood so as not to threaten our adult caregivers.

Scorpio implies sexuality and sexual themes. Certainly, we do a lot of shutting down here; even if our parents are not hung up on religiosity or their own untended injuries, few parents of prior generations (and, sadly, few today) encourage children to be comfortable with their sexuality.

Venus, one of two feminine archetypes from classical astrology, represents all facets of women, (usually) minus the maternal aspects covered by the Moon. Venus is the lover, the yin principle, the yearning kind of desire, and the most important indicator in the chart of what we value the most.

In Scorpio, Venus represents the powerful female desire nature, which some astrologers have associated with manipulation (associated with the power aspect of Scorpio). In a sense, Venus is out of place expressing desire directly; that is more the realm of Mars. Of course, this is in the opinion of the Holy See. If we want to know what sex was like before the Christians got hold of it and took over the topic completely, we need to study the bonobos. So far, no missionary has converted a single one. They are natural people. (You can read more about them, and what their lives say about humans, in an excellent new book called Sex At Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality.)

These critters, our closest primate cousins (with whom we share 98.5% of our DNA), use sex as a way of maintaining peace and harmony. They know nothing of the jealousy and control suggested by Venus in Scorpio. Rather, they know that keeping the energy moving keeps their society in harmony, and provides a constant source of pleasure and bonding. (The authors of Sex at Dawn note that this is something more likely to occur in a matriarchal culture than a patriarchal one.)

Planet Waves
Blue Pool. Photo by Eric Francis – Book of Blue, NY.

With Venus retrograde, we have some introspection around the theme of jealousy and control (which exist as one concept). There are people who would argue that humans are incapable of learning or inventing something better than jealousy; that it’s this thing that will always get in the way of a more open-minded approach to loving relationships.

But emotional concepts run in trends; in our control-oriented phase of cultural history, we have a reverence for jealousy that is strictly optional, and based on insecurities that are optional as well. It’s all a matter of what we want. Incidentally, that something has already been invented: it’s called compersion, which you can think of as a plus-plus symbiosis in the emotional environment. Compersion is about allowing pleasure and emotional contact to exist in others, particularly the people you love. (Here is a keynote presentation I gave recently called Community and Compersion, which explains the concept.)

Venus retrograde is a quest to release jealousy and resentment in exchange for these other values. Indeed, this is a time to question what we value at all, and to examine the basis of our investment in relationships. Think of it this way: Venus is the ruler of Taurus. The sign opposite Taurus, therefore representing relationships, is Scorpio (counting signs, the 7th place). So Venus in her opposite sign will represent a relational involvement, and the retrograde is a kind of evaluation. What is the nature of this attachment, commitment or involvement? What are the definitions and boundaries involved, and how do I feel about them?

There is the question of attachment and how it so often substitutes for love; this one is rarely asked. More than anything, the Scorpio dimension will represent the deeper layers of the emotional bonds. With Venus retrograde, we now have a little more access to information than usual about how that connects to the past, and that emotional level.

Vesta: Devotion to Sexuality

It is rare to hear someone say that they are devoted to sexuality. Most places, to admit as much invites all kinds of judgments, or the fear of being judged. Instead, we admit to wanting relationships and to certain ideas about them; we’re obsessed with the notion of a soulmate or ‘the one’; we admit to wanting comfort and security; we admit to wanting to marry for money, or the devotion to some ideal form of love. But who unabashedly admits that sex is one of their devotions? What personal ad service allows you to check that off as one of your interests?

Planet Waves
Heather Fae as Vestal virgin. Photo by Danielle Voirin – Book of Blue, NY.

Vesta in Scorpio speaks to just that common sense notion. When we consider the nuances of sexuality, we have to remember the wider cultural background that infuses the discussion and makes it all the more meaningful. Devotion to sexuality is a positive frame of reference; an affirmation of the importance and beauty of one of the best things that life has to offer, and the source of all existence. Part of the devotion is to keeping a constructive attitude, which is of course challenging when we get so few positive messages — we need to look for those messages, and dialog with them.

Think of Vesta in Scorpio as the specifically sexual flame that we must tend in order to have a healthy, wholesome existence. This tending can come in many forms, including nourishing desire, expressing that desire, encouraging ourselves to be curious, and applying our awareness to the healing projects that we know would help us. Many of these involve trust; injured trust is one of the most significant factors that affects our sexual needs. Vesta in Scorpio is about nourishing trust — in particular the kind that’s not based on the illusion of control.

There may be matters of sexual health that require regular or even daily maintenance. This is something we often take for granted. But the privy parts (as William Lilly describes them in the first description of Scorpio published in English) get a lot of other activity, and they require special care. Part of that special care is a ‘use it or lose it’ factor where sex is concerned.

There is also the dimension of knowledge. How many books about sexuality have you read? Not relationship theory; rather, books that actually consider the sexual nature of what a person is. Most of us think we know a lot about sex, but where exactly does that ‘knowledge’ come from? Even Rachel Maddow, the first lesbian prime time news anchor, can’t utter the word ‘masturbation’ when it’s called for in a news story. Part of devotion to sexuality is a commitment to awareness and honoring different viewpoints that exist, and to stretching your viewpoint. One measure of the ignorance of our culture is the current culture war being waged on same-sex lovers. There is no way that would fly unless a lot of people were scared, judgmental, ignorant and (on top of that) feeing guilty about something. That’s because attack is a projection of guilt, especially where sex is concerned.

Finally, there is the matter of tending one’s own sexual truth. Every person has a unique sexual identity; we each need different things. Every person has a unique sexual orientation: there’s a lot more than L, G, B, T and Q. Most of us try to fit our sexual orientation into a pre-fab theory that was basically forced on us as the only option. The source of that one option is usually religion — hardly a place to go for enlightened information about sex and relationships. For example, we might be bisexual or polyamorous, and try to fit ourselves into a monogamous, heterosexual concept of a relationship.

Vesta in Scorpio would say: devote yourself to who you truly are, practice authenticity about your sexuality from day to day and hour to hour, and see what happens.

The Sacred Space Within

Sexuality is deeply personal, and you may be aware of an inner sanctuary that is not someplace you regularly invite others — even your lovers. You can think of that as represented by your Vesta placement, and under the current sky, Vesta in Scorpio. In that sanctuary, you’re free to desire who and what you want, to dream any dream and to tend the flame of what makes you hot, no matter what anyone might think.

Planet Waves
Caroline. Photo by Eric Francis – Book of Blue, Paris.

Now Venus is about to enter that inner sanctum. We could look at Venus retrograde contacting Vesta as a gesture of tending that inner flame. She is about to meet the element fire, and burn off what must be cleansed. Or, we could consider that Venus has returned to the sanctuary to relight her flame, or to connect with the passion of youth. Vesta represents young women, and Venus retrograde is about older women learning from the younger ones.

Think of Venus as entering the temple with her deepest needs and desires for healing and pleasure. Imagine that she is prepared to be absolutely honest in that space, to release what she doesn’t need, and to honor the core fire of her goddess within. This is a kind of initiation ritual, where the ordinary (Venus) makes contact with the extraordinary (Vesta) in a gesture of reconsidering one’s feelings, healing the past and, soon enough, moving forward with newfound passion. There may be an element of sacrifice involved — something that you don’t need that you give up, in order to accept what you truly need or want.

The sanctuary where this exchange takes place exists at the core of our identity. It’s the place where a transformative fire burns and identity is created from moment to moment. The embers have never gone out, and if we want to rekindle the flames, now is the time.

Yours & truly,

Eric Francis

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


Light Bridge, the 2011 Planet Waves annual — Watch your email this weekend for information about pre-ordering Light Bridge, the 2011 annual edition of Planet Waves. The first letter you receive will tell you how to get the best price as a current subscriber to Planet Waves or Cosmic Confidential. This initial pre-order price will include all 12 signs, a substantial (like 75%) savings over purchasing signs individually. The email header will have the words “Light Bridge” in it — a reference to the last year before 2012. That letter will contain a fairly short, limited-time offer for all 12 signs — valid for about 48 hours. So watch for that email! I will send it twice and post it to the subscriber homepage. Thanks! — efc

 


Astrology Ahead: Friday Moon, Saturday Venus & Vesta
Tonight’s edgy Aries Full Moon takes place at 9:36 EDT and 6:36 PDT, Saturday morning at 1:26 am GMT and later Saturday in Australia. I say edgy because both the Sun and Moon are in the last degrees of their signs — the Sun in Libra and the Moon in Aries. Just an hour after the opposition, the Moon enters Taurus; and 12 hours later, the Sun etners Scorpio, joining Mercury, Vesta and Venus.

Planet Waves

At the time of the Full Moon, the Sun will be conjunct the asteroids Child and Panacea. The Full Moon’s closest aspect is to the hypothetical point Transpluto, which is in late Leo and will be for a while. Transpluto, rarely used by astrologers, is a point that narrows the focus of a conversation; in this case, it is encouraging you to focus on the most important priority in your life.

As regards the major planets, the Sun is trine Neptune and Chiron, and quincunx Jupiter and Uranus. So it’s picking up a lot of energy from these late degree planets, as they all get ready to change signs in the next few months, and completely alter the background colors of our lives.

Among the interesting aspects is Mars trine Jupier-Uranus and Mars square Neptune-Chiron. Basically, Mars is making two different kinds of aspects to a pair of conjunctions. The trine to Jupiter-Uranus is a flow of energy through the water signs. That should be exciting. There is an opening of potential here, and a natural flow of emotional energy.

As for Mars being square Chiron and Neptune, this is more complex. Mars-Chiron tends to have exaggerated boundaries, and Mars-Neptune tends to have boundary issues. So this setup feels a little like a recovering alcoholic sitting in a room full of liquor. It seems to be an all or nothing situation: either the boundary is locked up by the square to Chiron, or it busts loose uncontrollably in Kamikazi style with the Mars square to Neptune.

However, there is a vent created by Mars trine Jupiter-Uranus, which will open up the flow of sensation and emotion, allowing for a healthy release or expression of energy. Since Mars is the planet making the aspects to all four other points, the thing that will make the difference is the conscious use of will.

On Saturday night, the Venus-Vesta conjunction takes place at 8+ Scorpio at about 10″30 pm EDT. One thing interesting about the placement of the conjunction is that it sextiles Juno, an asteroid associated with jealousy and scorekeeping in relationships. Given that Venus-Vesta itself is about letting go of attachment, this is a helpful placement.

Mercury is now in Scorpio as well. Mercury is making a sextile to Pluto and the lunar North Node. It will make conjunctions to Venus and Vesta, as will the Sun. So all in all, this is a busy week in Scorpio.

Mars enters Sagittarius Friday, Oct. 28.

Finding Safety, Making Home: Libra Audio for 2010

Dear Libra Sun, Moon or Ascendant:

Your life seems to be a quest to find home, sink your roots into existence and let go of your nagging fears. If that is true, you will love the 2010 Libra audio report, which is now available.

Planet Waves
For information about zodiac sign greeting cards, drop a note to sarah@planetwaves.net

As someone with strong Libra in your chart, you are directly connected to the cardinal cross that has been shaking the world all year. And there are other factors on the way that will influence your life, connected to the astrology of 2012.

In this report, I cover Saturn in your birth sign, and what it meant to have Saturn in your 12th house (Virgo) for two years. Saturn in your sign is about coming to terms with yourself. Saturn is quite at home in Libra, so in this regard you are at a strong advantage.

Then there is Pluto in Capricorn. This is about going deep into your sense of what it means to be safe and grounded on the planet — and what it means to go beyond the influences of your family. This is one of the most meaningful quests on this journey we call ‘spiritual’ — to find your own way, gradually liberating yourself from the patterns of your family of origin.

Then there is the return of Uranus to your 7th house. After a brief visit, this aspect will begin early next year. This is why you want to be grounded and feel safe: Uranus in Aries is going to challenge you to explore entirely new horizons in your relationships.

The last segment is a tarot reading. Tarot takes a right-brain approach, using imagery and intuition to tell a story. The story in this spread, using the Voyager deck, is: what do you do with your potential for happiness? The cards came up extremely strong, positive and loving — if you will keep an open mind and a realistic perspective.

This is about 90 minutes of professional reading in four segments, all for $14.95. I combine my gift as a professional astrologer and card reader going back to 1989, as well as my skill for making the work personal even if it’s not quite a personal reading — I speak directly to you, giving you the most nourishing information that I have to offer, communicating in the vibration of voice.

See you there!

Yours & truly,

Eric Francis


Light Bridge, the 2011 Planet Waves annual — Watch your email this weekend for information about pre-ordering Light Bridge, the 2011 annual edition of Planet Waves. The first letter you receive will tell you how to get the best price as a current subscriber to Planet Waves or Cosmic Confidential. This initial pre-order price will include all 12 signs, a substantial (like 75%) savings over purchasing signs individually. The email header will have the words “Light Bridge” in it — a reference to the last year before 2012. That letter will contain a fairly short, limited-time offer for all 12 signs — valid for about 48 hours. So watch for that email! I will send it twice and post it to the subscriber homepage. Thanks! — efc

 


 

 

Planet WavesWeekly Horoscope for Friday, October 22, 2010, #836 – BY ERIC FRANCIS

 

 

Aries (March 20-April 19)
You may be questioning whether someone you desire is ready for what you have to offer. Given the astrology, this is a fair question. You may be sensing that someone is distant, and attributing it to this question. Now is the time to set your doubts aside. Your confidence, and your simple knowledge of what you want, can make up for what anyone else may lack in the way of initiative. I would suggest this, however: place no attachment onto any unusual encounter that may occur. Allow whomever you’re thinking of to take the experience away and absorb it for themselves, giving it their own meaning. A cosmic door is open, and what comes through now may not be available again; and you increase the likelihood of more experiences by having no attachment to this one — generosity, love and appreciation are enough.
Aries Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

 

Taurus (April 19- May 20)
A relationship is at a crossroads, though you may not understand the nature of the junction. The circumstance is more about you and how you perceive yourself than it is about any encounter with another person, though the two are connected. It would, however, help to have cause and effect in the right order. How you experience yourself determines how you experience yourself in any encounter with another person. You will see anyone else through the filters of your self-perception. So start there. What are you seeking in a relationship? Figure out where you can give it to yourself. What are you seeking in your creative life? You’re the source of your own creative energy. The more fire you bring into any encounter in your life, the more fire there will be. Relationships are an exchange, which begins with you.
Taurus Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Gemini (May 20- June 21)
I’ve sometimes teased about the second kinkiest sign of the zodiac, without revealing my notion of who gets the ribbon. That would be Gemini; it’s the whole twin thing, which is a way of bypassing differentiation and merging with the other. If you’re not a Gemini don’t worry — everyone has the Twins in their chart (it’s just a matter of where), so anyone can tap into this benefit. For you, now, the sky is a playpen. It’s a waterworld of ideas and sensations, of feelings and the potential for deep nourishment. More than anything, the experiences you have can allow you to connect with something deep in yourself that would qualify as a core creativity, a source of pleasure and a mode of healing — all at once. Words are vital to this process: dare to speak the unspeakable and let that experience work its wonders on you. Speak to yourself or someone you care about, but learn to connect feelings with words and see where that leads you.
Gemini Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

 

Cancer (June 21- July 22)
All sex involves risk, and an element of the unknown. Study personal ads for half an hour and you will get a taste of the certainty that people are seeking. Usually, they look for people who claim to be ‘disease free’ and to have no emotional baggage. I suggest you look, or rather feel, for chemistry and authenticity. These are human qualities you can count on in the immediate moment, and the long run. At the moment, keeping a sense of adventure is essential. It’s true that part of you wants to blaze forward, and part of you is hesitating. You have some dark secrets you’re keeping, and you have a burning desire to speak about them. That would count for adventure, and it could lead to others — based on whether you feel heard, and whether you like what you hear. So speak and listen.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)
Stay close to home — that’s the point of maximum fulfillment and adventure. And I dare say quite an adventure is possible, right where you are (and at most within a mile or two). I suggest you plan some kind of gathering for Saturday night, at the center of which is a fire. A campfire, Chiminea pot or even a display with lots of candles will do (put someone in charge of fire safety if you take the candle route). Arrange the fire in the center of the space, so that it’s a focal point. In another time and place I might have suggested inviting over some sexually adventurous adults, arranging childcare for 24 hours, and disconnecting the phones and the computers. Food would be light fare, for maximum alertness; and easy on the libations — not too much: just enough. Who does these things anymore?

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

 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)
Wow, your mind looks like a morph between NASCAR and stock car racing. Except for the part about everything making such perfect sense, when you look at it the right way. The intensity is hot, and you may be wondering how you’re going to get all those words, pictures, concepts and emotions onto paper. May I suggest you start with clay? You need something kinesthetic: something you can squash your hands into, that entirely bypasses the language and logic centers in your brain. Rather than abstraction, you seem to want the direct feedback of the sensual world. Even the most modest craft store has cheap clay — give it a try. Phase two would be images. Again, try to bypass any form of syntax or rationality. As you work with the parts of your mind and emotions that are oblivious to reason, your ideas will evolve into something you can handle, and you will love them when they do.

The Virgo Audio Birthday Report is available. In the format of all the birthday audios, this offers more than an hour of astrology for Virgo and Virgo rising, covering the cardinal T-square from a personal perspective. I’ve also included a 20-minute tarot reading using the Voyager Deck. For instant access, order here for Virgo and Virgo Rising. Only $14.95, this also makes a meaningful and economical gift.

 

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)
Is masturbation sex? Most people would say no — it’s something you do in the shower. I would say yes, and that it’s an attribute of the most important relationship you have, which is with yourself. Right now your masturbation practice is the canary in the coalmine of your erotic life; what you might call the indicator that will tell you about all the other erotic encounters in your life. Remember that a key element is imagination, which in this situation is the ability to simultaneously feel, conjure images and be in your body at the same time. How do partners feel about the sex you have with yourself, including what goes through your mind? Who that you know inspires you to go deeper into yourself? Who actually honors your inner relationship? That is a lover — especially if it’s you.

The Libra audio is done. This reading includes more than an hour of astrology and 20 minutes of tarot custom created for those with Libra Sun, Moon or rising. This is yet another amazing birthday/ascendant audio that is getting rave reviews. Here is how to get instant access.

 

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)
You may be concerned about your image, or living up to some pretense of glamour, desirability or youth. What I suggest you invest your energy in is connecting with the eternally young person you contain within you, which is best described in the metaphor of a fire. The concept ‘old fire’ and ‘new fire’ don’t really mean much; hot fire, well-tended fire, and having enough fuel are more practical and useful. In the human journey, that fire is contained within. Others may inspire you, remind you of new directions that you might take and even pass some heat your way — yet you alone can tend to your creative flame. A rare alignment in your birth sign suggests that this is the moment where a little love will go a long way.

Look for the Scorpio Birthday Report next week.

 

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
Your imagination must be running utterly wild. It may be wild with the possibilities, and among them may be a touch more fear and hesitancy than you’re accustomed to. It looks like there are moments when you’re afraid of falling off a cliff in your mind. I’m not making the case for mental instability or anything, but I would say that the edgy nature of your charts right now would accurately reflect an edgy state of mind; and that is something you can safely explore. Yes, explore responsibly, in a secure place and a nourishing, nontoxic way — but in many respects the usual rules are off. You simply have more flex in your swing and your thoughts have a bit more space between them. Perhaps you want to be alone, perhaps you want to be with someone you care about. Whatever the case, if you can name three people who love you, you’re fine.
Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)
Let the peak of energy connected with the Full Moon carry you to another place. You may have one destination or concept in mind; that will work as long as you hang loose and be ready to take another kind of ride. This weekend’s astrology really is a case of ‘one thing leads to another’, whatever that might mean for you: it could involve a partner, it could involve a project, it could be social. Speaking of projects, you seem to have one that’s been on your mind. It looks like a deeply personal endeavor of some kind, probably of the creative ilk. You may feel tension between whether you engage with others or engage with yourself. The astrology suggests that the truly one-of-a-kind, lavishly fulfilling opportunity involves your inner process rather than any kind of gathering.

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

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
Everyone has his or her own reason for respecting you, and the most likely one right now is that you’re in alignment with yourself. You have the ability to be who you are, with everyone, all the time. This is a particular kind of integrity, and it’s one that’s rarely seen in the world — so if you happen to get on this wavelength, you’re likely to stand out. Yet the quality that will stand out the most is quiet inner confidence that exudes both self-sufficiency and warmth. That is the key, the part about emitting heat. One thing we both know about Aquarians is that aura of cool detachment. You have another side, a passionate aspect of who you are, that is tuned directly into your emotions and your empathy. Put that forward first.

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

 

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)
Remember that in order to divide ‘sexual’ from ‘spiritual’, someone had to use an axe. Fortunately, this can only be done in concept, not in reality. In reality, loving, fully aware existence is what the seeker of truth reaches for. The thing to remember is that it’s not distant: it’s right with you now. Any aspect of existence, such as your own desire or passion, thirst for knowledge or loving drive to connect, would qualify as ‘spiritual’. You would be wise to pause and question any doubts you may have about whether this is true: whose doubts are they? If you think they’re your own, where did they come from? The simple truth of existence is that while you’re roaming around on this planet, you have the privilege of enjoying your life, and sharing your pleasure. At the heart of that is the privilege of desire.
Pisces Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.

One Life at a Time

Workers of my country, I have faith in Chile and its destiny. Other men will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason seeks to prevail. Keep in mind that, much sooner than later, the great avenues will again be opened through which will pass free men to construct a better society. Long live Chile! Long live the people! Long live the workers!

— Chilean President Salvador Allende‘s farewell speech, Sept. 11, 1973

Dear Friend and Reader:

Finally a bit of good news here in the Anti-Sixties, after a year featuring various scenarios of apocalypse, environmental devastation and intolerance: after more than two months of nonstop work, an international team successfully brought 33 Chilean miners safely home from half a mile beneath the Earth. I stayed up half the night Tuesday into Wednesday watching, one by one, as the men emerged from beneath the ground in a little capsule, and were greeted by loved ones, the president and his wife. It was better than the Beatles.

The last miner out, Luis Urzua, center, gestures with Chile’s president Sebastián Piñera standing on the right. Alex Ibanez/AP.”

In the anxious times we’re living through, this is a triumph of humanity, even though the problem was created by the people who run a massive corporation hiring people to dig for gold under extremely dangerous conditions. This was not a natural disaster. But the solution represented humanity at its best.

We could fault the worldwide vigil around the rescue as a feel-good event, but I daresay that’s what the world needs now: to actually feel good about life and love rather than the stock market or American Idol. We do a lot of getting pissed off and most of that involves how little regard is afforded to the worth of life. Watching those guys come out of the rescue pod one by one, and embrace their families, it was impossible not to appreciate being alive, right then, on the spot.

Yes, we can even feel good about humanity’s ability to cooperate at doing something helpful. There was a time those men would have been left for dead, even if some effort might have saved them. Part of what did save them was publicity — you’re always safer near a TV camera, unless it’s hidden in the ladies’ room. The drilling experts, engineers, submarine scientists, geologists and (actual) rocket scientists got the guys out. The doctors and psychologists on the surface actually seem to have offered some significant help.

Yet in reality it was the miners themselves who kept it together under some strange, extreme circumstances, rationing teaspoons of food and cups of milk for the first 17 days on the verge of starvation. They organized work tasks based on their specialties, keeping their living space clean, digging wells for fresh water and most of all, getting along. Or rather — getting along, eventually. Apparently the sanitized account of events has left out the at-times intense conflict that they experienced, and their darker thoughts of waiting to die during those first 17 days. In the end, the miners decided together that they were going to get out of that stuffy, 90-degree mine alive. For a more complete account of what happened, this article from The Guardian is worth reading.

Efforts for rescue began Aug. 5, without any knowledge of survivors, and for 17 days those efforts persisted nonstop without any success. The government and rescue teams kept trying, drilling bore holes into different layers and shafts of the mine, even sending rescuers down ventilation shafts that collapsed. Everyone is amazed by the success of this enterprise, but if rescuers had given up during those 17 days, there would have been no rescue. From that first day on, the message from the president on down was to spare absolutely no expense. If you look at the news coming out of Chile, you’ll see that the cost was never a factor, was never even mentioned until it was all over.

Chart for the first miner touching the surface had an ascendant of 1 Cancer — activating the Aries Point. Pluto is on the 7th house cusp, representing the escape from a near-death experience. Ceres is also there, as if negotiating for the release of the miners from the underworld. Note the 8th house of death and near-death experiences, which aligns with Aquarius, the sign of groups. The entire sign floats within the 8th house, called an interception. The cluster of planets in that house evokes the image of a group of people, under intense circumstances: the points shown are the vertex, Nessus, Neptune and Chiron.

Let’s go to the chart and see what story it tells. Remember that in doing mundane astrology like this, the first thing to do is observe whether, and how, the chart describes the event. That story starts straight away with the ascendant.

The time the first miner emerged was predicted, er, reported by BBC in its realtime chronology of the event as 12:11 am local time Wednesday. Astonishingly this gives us an ascendant in the first degree of Cancer, activating the world-as-one Aries Point — a kind of astrological jackpot. In case you think this is likely to happen (regardless of how often it’s been happening lately), remember that the ascendant degree changes every four minutes: it flies by. Any chart that highlights the early degrees of any cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn), particularly the very first degree, qualifies, and in any one location, we get that chance for about 16 minutes out of every 24 hours.

Yes, the rescue of the miners was an event uncannily accurate for the chart for that moment.

With the Aries Point highlighted, the most intimately personal events mingle with the most public. We learned about the family lives of the miners, including some intimate details, but moreover, we felt close to them and their families, a Cancer theme. Over and over this week, we heard reporters from every network comment on how emotional the situation was. Hard-nosed Dylan Ratigan shamelessly asked one man on the scene to describe his experience from an emotional perspective — a giant leap for mankind. We could all empathize with these men and their families. That’s a nice image of the Aries Point with a Cancerian flavor: the world coming together emotionally as a family, including the girlfriends and mistresses.

Exactly opposite the Cancer ascendant is Pluto in early Capricorn, right on the 7th house cusp. Remember the cardinal cross I’ve written about 41 times this year? It made a big cameo Wednesday night, coming up angular: exactly on the horizon. In any chart, that means emphasis, and Pluto was one planet making the point. Ceres (the former asteroid, now dwarf planet) and mythological nemesis of Pluto, was in a conjunction to Pluto, as if directly negotiating for her daughter Persephone to be brought up from the underworld. Ceres had just arrived in Capricorn a few days earlier. It was as if she went down there personally and got the guys out.

Pluto in Capricorn has another incarnation — the corporate agenda that nearly killed these guys. Pluto shows up there as the near-death experience that they’re about to narrowly survive. This is the side of the coin where Pluto actually is the ‘lord of death’ and his realm, his current version of Hades, is the corporate system.

Flashback — one rendition of the cardinal grand cross of 2010, shown in the chart for the June 26 partial lunar eclipse conjunct Pluto. This is an Aries Point event, because all the planets aspect the first degree of Aries. Note the grand cross on the cardinal points — Jupiter and Uranus conjunct in Aries, the Sun and Mercury in Cancer, Saturn in late Virgo on its way into Libra, and Pluto with the Moon in Capricorn. The most intense phase of the cross has passed by, but the energy lingers and key elements remain in effect. This chart is explained in the article The Greatest Aries Point Show on Earth.

This is part of a larger astrological picture. The cardinal cross that has been whipping, flogging and stressing us all year is thankfully not quite what it used to be, but it’s still a potent force. While major elements have either moved on (for example, Saturn is now clear of some extremely tense aspects to Uranus and Pluto, heading across mid-Libra) or are out of the way (Jupiter and Uranus are temporarily back in Pisces, about to head back into Aries), the energy pattern is still in effect. These kinds of astrological events have a long story arc, stretching out for years. We’re still close to the center of the story, but we’re coasting on the momentum of recently past aspects, rather than ones that are building up — with one exception, that is, which I will come back to.

That penetrating energy of Pluto in Capricorn has been all over the news. This year we’ve had at least two other major stories that involved digging deep beneath the Earth — the BP oil spill, and the loss of 29 miners at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia earlier this year.  We also heard from a volcano in Iceland, which qualifies as news from beneath the crust. During an episode of Mercury retrograde this year, volcanic dust disrupted air travel all across Europe and by ripple effect, around the world.

The earthquake in Haiti had a similar feeling. All of these events are illustrated by Pluto in Capricorn: our relationship to what is happening deep within a solid substance (mountains, canyons, rocky land or the continental plates). Pluto can represent some immutable or unstoppable force moving beneath the crust of the Earth, such as the movement of the plates and geological faults.

One interesting feature of the chart is that the Moon is in very late Sagittarius. It is literally minutes from ingressing Capricorn. The Moon is a powerful force in this chart, because Cancer (ruled by the Moon) is in the ascendant. So in a sense, the Moon is the lead planet in the chart.

When the Moon is in such a late degree, that is often called void-of-course — when the Moon has made its last aspect to a major planet, but before it changes signs. Normally the void Moon is considered a kind of foul ball; what happens doesn’t count. But this late-degree Moon in Sagittarius seemed to represent the end of a long story involving considerable international cooperation. Even the Americans helped, which is impressive on the part of the Chileans given that the last thing we did in Chile was assassinate their president, Salvador Allende, in a CIA-sponsored coup on Sept. 11, 1973.

Rescued miner Victor Zamora is brought to the surface at the collapsed San Jose mine, 800 km north of the Chilean capital Santiago, on Oct. 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala).

The Sagittarius Moon was exactly trine an odd non-planet (a rarely used hypothetical) called Transpluto (narrowness, specialization) which reflected the apparently flawless passage up the extremely narrow rescue shaft by 33 miners and six rescue workers. The Sagittarius Moon floats; it rises up; it always comes back. Interestingly, the Moon was conjunct an asteroid called Eurydike, the wife of Orpheus, which is a myth about an attempted escape from Hades. That story didn’t work out so well — Orpheus looked back toward the gates of Hades and Eurydike was lost. I don’t think any of these miners looked back once they got out of that capsule.

One last image: the Moon on the edge of Sagittarius has the feeling of something about to be born, and that narrow passage, 24 inches in diameter, resembled a birth canal. Even the Chilean president described the whole experience as a rebirth.

Now for the moral of the story: the safety of mines. Will we get the message that mines and mining are extremely dangerous, and that we have to take better care of the people who spend their lives in them?

Venezuelan journalist Martin Granovsky wrote in Pagiana 12 yesterday: “There is evidence that more than two million people die each year worldwide as a direct result of their employment conditions or diseases contracted there. Nobody can seriously claim that the mere exposure of a problem to one billion people at a time, in transmission from Copiapo, will solve that problem. But if the political and trade union action effectively joined the public exposure it would count in its favor with an obvious fact: the rescue that ended last night made more visible to the world what life is like to a miner and what are the risks with the increasing disproportion between corporate profitability and worker safety.”

Glimpse at Hades: the rescue pod parked in the underground refuge. In just under 24 hours, 33 miners and six rescue workers were brought up in that vehicle, which was 24 inches in diameter. It was equipped with oxygen and digital communication features.

So, in the Aries Point moment, when the world is watching and the personal, the corporate and the political are one, let’s stay vocal on the issue.

Unfortunately, much other news has been pretty misanthropic lately. Earlier in the year, I described our moment in history as the Anti-Sixties. The astrology of 2010 is a kind of mirror image of what we experienced in 1969. The main feature of ’69 was a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Libra. Earlier this year we had one in Aries, opposite the Libra event to the degree. It’s just like the Sixties right now — only exactly opposite. This has come true once again as we are living through an election cycle that has been dominated by openly celebrated homophobia. The supposed love and peace theme of the Sixties has been replaced by publicly displayed hatred directed at a vast segment of our population: people who share affection with members of the same sex. In studying social history, it’s clear that political forces openly attacking any one form of sexual or relational expression spreads to the rest of them; we might want to consider stopping this pattern, if only out of self-interest.

The Teabagger movement has succeeded in floating candidates who have made homophobia their main platform. It’s the current version of red meat for their electoral base. One such candidate is so determined to make the point that she’s opposed to you having sex with yourself (which is obviously gay). Five different Teabagger candidates for U.S. Senate are against abortion even in cases when the pregnancy involves incest and rape. We now have several generations of girls, young women and early middle-aged women who have no recollection of life before Roe vs Wade and to whom the term “back room illegal abortion” means nothing. We might want to set about educating one another.

I am less astonished by this than I am by the tolerance of the American people for the viewpoint of total sexual intolerance. I mean, I’m really amazed. Even as the views of our supposed leaders translate into teenage suicides and a nationwide epidemic of bullying, most people are silent. The silence involves the nature of homophobia, which is the projection of self-judgment onto others. Most of us may not project that self-judgment, often focused on sex, so violently, but we do quietly harbor the judgments. Usually they involve guilt, and some element of jealousy that someone might have more fun than you.

The current sky is featuring a deep exploration of this subject in the form of three planets in Scorpio. One is Mars. That is the straightforward, no-need-to-be-explained nature of desire.

Relatives of trapped miner Florencio Avalos react while watching on a TV screen his rescue operation at the camp outside the San Jose mine near Copiapo, Chile, late Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010. Thirty-three miners became trapped when the gold and copper mine collapsed on Aug. 5. AP/Natacha Pisarenko.

One is retrograde Venus. That is an inquiry about how we really feel about our inherently sexual nature. Humans are the most hypersexual animals, and most of us go through the day acting like nuns and monks, mortified that anyone might realize we’re so much as thinking about sex. So this hypersexuality meets a kind of resistance that can only be put forth by the human mind, and the result is that many people are like walking pipe bombs. The question being asked by Venus retrograde is, how can we unravel that? What is the source of the challenge, the struggle, the difficulty, the resistance?

Venus retrograde in Scorpio is about going to the deepest aspects of these questions, describing a quest to understand our sexual histories and how they influence us. The retrograde describes a process of exploring how our sexual values influence our relationships and the kind of involvements and entanglements that we create.

Then there is Vesta. She’s just recently joined Venus and Mars, and she is the astrological guardian of what you might call sacred sexuality. Vesta is the faceless (never depicted) goddess of fire; her servants, the Vestal Virgins, tend the sacred hearth, keeping the fire burning around the clock. So there is a call to devotion here: of devotion not to ‘a relationship’ but to your sexuality. She stands as a kind of witness to the journey and the quest for self-understanding described by Venus and Mars in Scorpio. In a few words, I would sum up this transit at its best as a quest to be submissive to one’s own desire.

Vesta is the centerpiece of the home: the hearth. But this is no ordinary hearth; it’s the inner flame, which we must tend, lest it go out. And I daresay many of us have taken that sacred flame for granted, or used sex as a commodity rather than the beautiful celebration that it can be. Which leads me back to Pluto.

Pluto is one of the planets associated with Scorpio. And over the next phase of astrological history, Pluto is going to come into a kind of focus that we have not experienced in half a century. The Uranus-Pluto square of 2012-2017, which is about to start rumbling loudly in 2011 as it warms up to the first exact contact of June 2012, talks about total revolution of both the psyche and something much larger. Part of this revolution will be about the intersection of sex and identity. Then that meets up with the religious/corporate/governmental structure that we try to fit sex into — and where it doesn’t go.

Some of us will burst free because it feels great. Some of us will have to be extracted in a capsule through a 24-inch tube, one at a time. Some of us have no plans to come back to the surface. It would help if you decide which you want.

Yours & truly,

 

 

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

 

Astrology Looking Ahead: Aries Full Moon #2

We are now at the Mercury-Sun exterior conjunction, which is the exact midpoint of the Mercury direct phase. The next Mercury shadow phase starts in a month, and the next retrograde starts in two months. Looking ahead, that retrograde will stretch from early Capricorn into Sagittarius, crossing a number of planets, the Moon’s North Node and the Galactic Center in the process.

The second Aries Full Moon of the year is next week. The first was on the equinox, across the first degrees of Aries/Libra, on Sept. 23. The next is on Friday, Oct. 22, in the very last degrees of Aries/Libra. Mercury will be in Scorpio, joining the conversation between Vesta, Venus and Mars; and then about 12 hours later, the Sun joins this grouping in Scorpio as well. Many Scorpio-type questions and themes that have long been ignored, suppressed or neglected will come up for conversation, healing and playtime. Part of that will involve speaking the unspeakable. Mercury makes conjunctions to each of those points in the next few weeks, giving them a voice.

Over the past week or so, the first four discovered asteroids — Ceres, Juno, Pallas and Vesta — all changed signs. Ceres entered Capricorn and is now in a conjunction with Pluto; Juno entered Virgo, Pallas entered Sagittarius and Vesta entered Scorpio. A more detailed description of these sign changes is at this link on Daily Astrology & Adventure.

The Chiron-Neptune conjunction is close to its most precise; the two points will not make an exact conjunction for their third encounter of the year, but rather a very near miss that comes within one-sixth of a degree. This is the aspect of clearing the fog, of seeing through the spider webs of deception and of fully appreciating the gift of inspiration, fantasy and ideas that we can manifest. Chiron can bring us out of the isolating feeling of Neptune and into contact with our own awareness and that of the people around us — especially in Aquarius.

Eric Francis

Archive Flashback: Horoscopes — How Can They Possibly Work?

 


Light Bridge, the 2011 Planet Waves annual — Watch your email next week for information about pre-ordering Light Bridge, the 2011 annual edition of Planet Waves. The first letter you receive will tell you how to get the best price as a current subscriber to Planet Waves or Cosmic Confidential. This initial pre-order price will include all 12 signs, a substantial (like 75%) savings over purchasing signs individually. The email header will have the words “Light Bridge” in it — a reference to the last year before 2012. That letter will contain a fairly short, limited-time offer for all 12 signs — valid for about 48 hours). So watch for that email! I will send it twice and post it to the subscriber homepage. Thanks! — efc


 

 

 

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, October 15, 2010, #835 – BY ERIC FRANCIS

I’ve been emphasizing the theme of relationships in your horoscopes for a while. With Saturn in your solar 7th house (pair bonding, meeting the other, marriage, enmity), that’s as basic as it gets, though I’ve recently been asked by an Aries brother about your financial picture. It looks as though you’re trying to sort out your economic worth within a contractual situation, wondering how you could have got so involved in something that you’ve grown to question. In fact, at the heart of the matter is a question: Who sets your fee? Who determines your wage? Venus retrograde in Scorpio is a long episode of claiming back your power, which could be in a business deal, or it could be in some other kind of partnership. Remember that you set the terms of the negotiation, though this is a skill in itself and, as it turns out, it’s a human skill that will always come back to how you feel within the relationship where the transaction occurs.

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

Our experience of life ripples from the center of our existence outward into the world. Sometimes it seems like it’s happening the other way around, but that just switches the order of operations. At the moment you seem to be deciding how you feel about yourself based on how you perceive someone else to feel about you. Remember that your perception, that is, your experience and opinion of how whomever may feel is in actual fact your experience. This is the tricky part about sorting out projections. While it’s not a good idea to take responsibility for how everyone else feels, nor do you control how they feel, you interpret the data that you get, and you do so through your own inner filters. These, in turn, are based on your opinion of yourself. It’s strange, fun and true: change that and everything changes.

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

Even here in one of the few moments in modern history where Pagan is considered valid and interesting, many people still make a face when met with the idea that what we think of as ‘sexual’ and what we think of as ‘spiritual’ have anything in common. To some it’s obvious; others see a divide, and contemporary Evangelicals are on the warpath like they haven’t been since the crusades. I would note that both of these are false categories. If sex is at the root of our physical origins, then it’s not just sex. If the cosmic force that is within us, and surrounds us, is a real thing, then it embraces all forms of creation. You may say you believe this, but I would ask, as a reality check: what is the role of guilt in your life? And do you say yes when you mean yes?

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

Venus, Mars and Vesta are now transiting across Scorpio, your solar 5th house. The 5th and Scorpio are two of the most erotic archetypes in astrology, as are all three planets involved. Mars is keeping your desire at the center of your emotional experience. That, you can depend on. Venus is calling you deep into your experience of how you respond to the world. There seems to be a question about how, when you respond, it’s based on something happening now, or something that happened long ago — and that something may be hidden or veiled. Venus retrograde is guiding you to understand yourself better, and to be entirely present in your environment. As for Vesta: she’s calling on you to be devoted to the full spectrum of your erotic and creative potential. Devoted, as in attentive around the clock.

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

You’re more open to the ideas of others than usual — and they are more willing to share, and to listen. The results can be productive, healing, nourishing — and fun. You’re the one who needs to initiate the contact and get things flowing. I suggest that you take your time in any conversation; that is, let it last for a few days, maintaining some continuity, and allow the deeper subject matter to come forth. You have a lot to share, and you’re more likely to do so when you feel an authentic rapport with someone. You have some questions; you’re free to ask. The subject matter is likely to reach beyond what is considered ‘appropriate’, crossing boundaries with an ease of contact that is unusual for our particular place and time in history. Keep one eye on that, and notice how you respond to this kind of depth.

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

I suggest you consider erotic and creative activity as vital as food and air. I also suggest you notice where your blocks are, for example, to admitting what you want. If you find yourself having any defensive reactions to your own desires, that’s a good time to pause and consider that you’ve actually made a discovery. The thing to do is take this revelation to the level of experience. Let your curiosity lead you there; it’s one of the most seductive, honest emotions. You seem to be drawn to things that you think you’re too old to do, that you’ve outgrown. It’s true that curiosity is one of the defining features of a child. It’s also one of the best ways to reach into your heart and soul and come back with the spirit of a child. Curiosity dissolves guilt. Remember, if you ever need a dependable solvent.

The Virgo Audio Birthday Report is available. In the format of all the birthday audios, this offers more than an hour of astrology for Virgo and Virgo rising, covering the cardinal T-square from a personal perspective. I’ve also included a 20-minute tarot reading using the Voyager Deck. For instant access, order here for Virgo and Virgo Rising. Only $14.95, this also makes a meaningful and economical gift.

We’ve all noted the tenuous relationship between fantasy and reality. You can be all kinds, and do all kinds of things, in your imagination. Then when it comes to trying them, that little barrier known as the ego can get in the way. For the next few days, that crude psychic device that causes so many issues will be tame and under your command. It won’t disappear completely, but you will be able to override its fears and expectations and grant yourself experiences that surpass your usual barriers. The thing to remember is that the real-life experience will be different than the one you envision in your mind; it may be more fun, or it may seem to be less, till you acquire a taste. Where turning fantasy into reality is concerned, I have a motto I keep close to my heart. What’s worth trying once is worth trying twice.

The Libra audio is done. This reading includes more than an hour of astrology and 20 minutes of tarot custom created for those with Libra Sun, Moon or rising. We’re still tying up the technical end of the project and will have the product code available shortly — so check your email in a little while for that.

The thought of consciously pausing sexual activity sends chills down the spines of many people. I don’t mean encountering a dry spell or a phase of low libido; these are considered necessary (if annoying) facts of life. I mean a conscious decision. Vesta, newly in your birth sign, suggests that you may be walking the line between the two points of view, wondering how to handle your situation. Here’s how it looks from another perspective. Mars, also in your sign, suggests that your desire is running at its usual strength. Venus retrograde in your sign indicates a kind of hesitancy, and a calling to be introspective not only about what you want, but what your desire says about your state of growth and healing. Together, all of this points to a contemplative pause: neither denial of your desire, nor of your questions, but a moment to consider what they mean together. Remember a key concept of Vesta: for a specific purpose.

You finally seem to be working with a cohesive plan, or you see the good sense in doing so. You already know the value of moving based on inspiration, initiating action on the energy of your ideas and of riding the waves of synchronicity. Now a guiding or organizing principle has entered your life. It may be a personal code; it may be the clarification of an agenda; you may have decided that it’s time to state a goal, and then create a plan of action based on where you want to end up. Work backward from there. You don’t need to overplan, but rather, sketch out some basic steps that you know you’ll need to take to get where you want to be. The most important of them is stating the goal in a clear way. Make sure it’s what you really want. Remember, you’re free to change your mind.

‘Food first’ would be an excellent guiding principle for the next few weeks. Americans in particular have a knack for eating substances that are clearly other than food: things with ingredients that cannot be pronounced, where the source is unknown, or that we know harm our bodies. Ceres conjunct Pluto in Capricorn is suggesting that focusing on food will have a much greater effect than you think, and also that the topic deserves your focus right now. You came close to making some changes earlier in the year, and now it’s time to bring those developments to fruition. You may feel on some level that this is a matter of life and death; that’s a mental factor any time Pluto is involved in one’s chart. A better way to say it is that your quality of life is directly involved, in the deepest meaning of those words.

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

All the factors that astrologers would normally describe as Aquarian are now focused on qualities related to Pisces. For example, there’s a conjunction involving Neptune (a Pisces planet) with Chiron in your birth sign. Your non-traditional ruling planet, Uranus, is conjunct Jupiter (another Pisces planet). And your traditional ruler, Saturn, is in Libra, a sign connected to Pisces through the planet Venus. What this suggests is that your mind may be stepping outside of its normal processes of logic and reasoning. You may be more inclined to focus on your inner life; on art; on faith; on mysticism. You may find this disorienting, as if your mind is going soft. More likely, this is providing solace and relief in that you no longer need to have everything make so much sense. Relax a bit and appreciate that feeling. There’s a whole new kind of sense available to you.

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

For more than a decade, Pluto was crossing your solar 10th house of professional aspirations, reputation and drive for worldly success in many forms. That provided a sense of drive and seemingly boundless energy — as well as a guiding principle. Pluto in this house served as the impetus to pour your soul into your work, recognizing that this is the unstoppable force. Now that Pluto has moved onto Capricorn, you’ve reached a phase of attending to the practical details of applying your ideas; notably, ideas which may be ahead of their time. Over the past few days, a new influence entered your 10th house — Pallas Athene, the goddess who guards the city of Athens. Her presence is suggesting that it’s time to work with a strategy. Not very Fishy, I know — but helpful in ways you’ll soon discover.

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